Pan Fried Fish Fillet served with a hot and sour Chilli and Cilantro sauce on a bed of Chinese Spinach tossed in a garlic emulsion

Another easy to make dish. Just be patient and you can do it well. Sorry. I couldn't find the pictures for this.

Pan Fried Fish Fillet served with a hot and sour Chilli and Cilantro sauce on a bed of Chinese Spinach tossed in a garlic emulsion

Part 1 – Fish Fillet

2 – Fillets (Ikan Kurau or Mackerel)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

1. Rub the fish all over with salt and pepper
2. Leave to marinate for about 20 – 30 minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick pan; add oil to just cover the bottom of the pan
3. Place fillet, skin side down in the pan
4. When the skin browns, turn over and cook the skinned side.
5. Fry till fish is completely cooked.

Chilli and Cilantro Sauce
2 – Tomatoes (chopped)
6 – Chilli padi
4 – Garlic cloves (chopped)
6 – Shallots
2 – Green lemons (zest one and juice both)
3 – tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Coriander and stem (separate and chopped)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

a. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil
b. Add in all the ingredients
c. Allow to simmer until the liquids reduces by about half
d. Allow to cool
e. Pulse in a food processor until smooth

Part 2 – Spinach tossed in a Garlic emulsion

1 – Bunch of spinach (remove and discard stalks, keep the leaves. Wash thouroughly)
8 – Garlic cloves (chopped)
Salt
2 – 3 tablespoon of Olive oil
Water

a. Low heat about 2 tbs of oil
b. Sauté the garlic gently (do not allow to brown)
c. Add salt
d. Allow to cool and pulse until smooth
e. Boil the water and scald the spinach, drain.
f. Toss the spinach in the garlic emulsion.

Part 3 – Assembling the dish

a. Place a serving of the spinach on plate.
b. Place fish on top of spinach
c. Spoon the cilantro sauce over the fish.

Soya Sauce Chicken

Soya Sauce Chicken is another easy to make old comfort food kinda dish. You can easily increase the portions and make extra for freezing. The dish does taste a lot better the next day.

You can serve it with plain rice or some boiled bee hoon (thin rice noodles).

Ingredients

500 grams – Chicken thigh. Remove the skin and all visible fat, cut into medium-sized pieces. Wash thoroughly.
150 grams – Shallots. Sliced thinly
50 grams – Ginger. Sliced thinly
6 – Garlic cloves. Sliced thinly.
2 pieces Star Anise
1 piece Cinnamon Stick
2 tablespoons – Dark Soya Sauce (Thick)
2 tablespoons – Dark Soya Sauce
150 mls – Water
Oil

Directions

a. Heat a tablespoon of oil on high and brown the chicken. Set aside.
b. Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the shallots till lightly brown.
c. Add the chicken and fry for a few minutes.
d. Add all remaining ingredients.
e. Bring to the boil for about 2 minutes.
f. Lower the heat and simmer till about 2/3 of the fluids are absorbed, around 20 – 25 minutes.
g. Serve.

Laksa Pasta

Laksa Pasta - Everyone makes it with Laksa Pesto. So I decided to make mine the 'traditional' way.... I have made this a few times. Its painfully easy to make and very very tasty.

Ingredients

200 grams Linguini or Angel Hair spaghetti – cooked according to pack
300 grams Prawns – shelled and cleaned.
300 grams Mackerel Fish – skinned and cut into bites pieces
Fish cake - sliced
Tofu puffs (Tau Pok) – sliced
1 pack of Enoki mushrooms - cut-off the roots
Quail eggs – hardboiled and shelled
1 bundle of Laksa leaves – pluck the best leaves, chopped finely
2 Red chillies – deseeded and finely sliced
200 grams of Laksa Paste (you can use a ready made paste if you want or use the recipe below).
Corn flour
Oil for frying
200 mls Coconut milk (to make it healthier you may replace half of the coconut milk with unsweetened fresh soy milk)
Salt to taste

Directions
1. Season the prawn and fish with salt, pepper and toss in corn starch and fry till lightly golden brown

2. Heat wok with about 2 tablespoon of oil from frying the seafood

3. Fry the laksa paste till really fragrant and the oil separates

4. Add the coconut milk, laksa leaves, salt and simmer till half reduced

5. Add the quail eggs and tofu puff. Toss.

6. Add the fried prawns and fish. Toss.

7. Add the pasta. Toss.

8. Serve hot, garnished with Enoki mushrooms and a sprinking of chopped laksa leaves.

Laksa Paste

1 teaspoon - shrimp paste (or balachan powder)

4 pieces – dried chilli 1 thumb sized piece – fresh turmeric
2 pieces – Lemongrass (use only the white part)
2 pieces – Small Onions, chopped

4 cloves – Garlic, chopped

4 pieces – Buah keras (candlenut)
2-3 tablespoons – Cooking oil
3 thumb sized pieces – Galangal, chopped
50 grams – Dried shrimp, soaked

1. Grind to a smooth paste.
2. Can be kept frozen till use.

Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Prawn Croutons

First up, this was a really nice soup but I can't find the pictures for it. Please just try to visualise it.


Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

Ingredients

1 - Red Pepper - roasted till charred, peeled and chopped
2 - Tomatoes - medium sized, chopped
6 - Chilli Padi - sliced
6 - Shallots - chopped
4 - Garlic cloves - chopped
1 - Ginger - thumb-sized, thinly sliced
Fresh Coriander, remove the roots, separate the stem and leaves - chop the stem, save some of the leaves for garnish

1 cup of good chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions -
1. Heat the oil over a low flame.
2. Sauté the chilli padi, shallots, garlic, ginger and coriander stem till fragrant and the mixture looks translucent.
3. Add the red pepper. Sauté for a few minutes.
4. Add the tomato, sauté till soft.
5. Turn off the stove and allow to cool.
6. Pulse is a food processor till really smooth.
7. Return to a clean pot, add the stock. Allow to simmer.
8. Check for salt.
9. Add pepper.

Prawn Croutons

Ingredients -
8 – Prawns, medium sized - shelled, cleaned and chopped coarsely
2 – Garlic cloves - finely chopped
4 – Chilli padi - de-seeded and finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 – tablespoon olive oil.


Directions -
1. Mix all the ingredients and let sit for about 20-30mins.
2. Heat a wok on high, add oil and stir fry till the prawns cook thoroughly and brown just bit.

3. Serve up the soup and sprinkle with the prawn croutons and chopped coriander leaf.

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Mango-Avocado Salsa

This is an extremely easy dish to put together. You would need no more than 25 minutes.

Ingredients
2 - Chicken Breasts
Salt
Pepper

Salsa

1 - Avocado - skinned and cubed
1 - Mango - skinned and cubed
3 - Chilli padi - de-seeded and finely chopped
Small bunch - Coriander leaf - finely chopped
Small bunch - Spring onion - chopped
2 tablespoons - Lemon juice

Directions -

1. Clean the chicken breasts.
2. Rub salt and pepper all over.
3. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Heat a pan grill. (I use a non-stick so no need for oil)

5. Grill the chicken for about 7-9 minutes on each side.

6. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before slicing.
7. Just before serving up, mix all the salsa ingredients. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve chicken with the salsa.