Pickled Green Chillies

Pickled Green Chillies is a condiment that's an essential accompaniment for a lot of Asian noodle/rice dishes like wantan mee, fried rice or noodles or my recently posted Wat Dan Hor. You'll also see this placed prominently next to the chilli sauce and chilli oil in many Chinese restaurants too. It's spicy, sour nature is pretty appetising too!

Ingredients
6 green chillies (Sliced)
Chinese Rice Vinegar (Enough to cover the chillies)
2 - 3 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
Boiling water

Method
1) Pour boiling water over the chillies and let it stand for 10 mins.
2) Drain off the water and pour in vinegar, salt and suger and stir to combine.
3) Place them in clean jars and leave it in the fridge.
4) They'll be ready for use the next day.

Wat Dan Hor (Rice Noodles With Silky Smooth Egg Sauce)

I've been wanting to make Wat Dan Hor ever since Wendy of the Dish Piglets Duo mentioned this on twitter. It's a childhood favourite, one that I haven't had in ages!!! She even kindly emailed me the recipe since it wasn't up on their blog yet but did I make it then?? ...Nooo...Blame it on laziness on getting myself to Chinatown to get the fresh hor fun(rice noodles).  Wendy has been since put the recipe up on their blog and I've also finally gotten my lazy self to Chinatown. :)
Now my only regret it not making this sooner. Silky hor fun, coupled with the silky smooth sauce makes for a simply delicious, warming meal in this gloomy, wet, cold weather we are currently having in the UK. I'll definitely be making this more often!!

Recipe Adapted from Dish Piglets

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
400g Kuey teow/hor fun/flat rice noodles
2 chicken thighs (de-boned and sliced. The bones can be used to make the chicken stock)
150g fish cakes (sliced)
2 stalks of Cai Xin (Sawi/Chinese Mustard), sliced into 4 cm sections
3 cloves of garlic
Dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
White pepper

To make the egg sauce base:
1 egg lightly beaten
500ml Chicken Stock (Homemade would be the best!)
6 shiitake mushrooms
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
A pinch of white pepper
Water
1.5 tbsp Corn starch (mixed with water)

Method
1) Marinate the sliced chicken with 1 tbsp of light soy sauce and pepper.
2) Blanch the flat rice noodles in hot water to loosen the noodles up. Drain when ready.
3) Heat sunflower oil in wok and when the oil is hot, throw in the flat rice noodles and pour dark soy sauce  (just enough to coat all the rice noodles) and 1 tbsp of light soya sauce and lightly fry. Remove noodles and set aside.
4) Next, heat some sunflower oil in the heated wok, add the shiitake mushrooms, minced garlic and chicken. Stir fry the chicken until cooked. Add the chicken stock next. If you prefer more egg sauce on your noodles, use more chicken stock.
5) When the stock is boiling, add the fish cakes, cook for around 2 minutes before adding the vegetables (cai xin).
6) Add the corn starch slowly whilst stirring. The stock will slowly thicken. Stir in the lightly beaten egg.
7) Serve the flat rice noodles in bowls, then pour the ready egg sauce onto it. Serve with pickled green chillies. Recipe can be found here!

Nyonya-ish Achar (Spicy Pickled Vegetable Salad)

Achar/Acar, is a kind of Spicy pickled vegetable salad, commonly served with Chicken rice(which I'll be blogging about soon) and Nasi Lemak. It's spicy, sweet and sour flavour is really appetising and I even eat it on it's own. Not exactly a good thing as I ran out of it so quickly. I made this on a Friday evening and by Monday, it was all gone! Thanks to Mummy I can cook's recipe, it was simply delicious! How I wish I made more!!

There are several different ways of making achar, one being the Nyonya version. In this version, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflowers, tumeric, green chillis and sesame seeds are the essential ingredients and as you can see in the recipe below, I used pineapples which from what i heard is a big no no. However, I like pineapple as it imparts a nice touch of sweetness to the achar so I threw some in... opps!!... I also forgot to buy peanuts so I replaced these with cashew nuts and macadamia nuts...double opps!!.....now you know why I put an -ish in the title. ;)

This recipe was adapted from Mummy I can cook's proper nyonya recipe so please head over there to have a look. 

Adapted from Mummy I can cook 

Ingredients 
500g cucumbers
100g carrots
100g pineapple
100g french beans
1/4 cup of white rice vinegar
1/4 cup of unrefined cane sugar, to taste

For blanching/salting
1 tbsp unrefined sugar
1 tbsp sea salt
1 cup rice vinegar + 1 cups water

For the rempah
150g (3-4 large) shallots
2 red chillies
2 green chillies
1 stalk lemongrass
1 heaped tsp turmeric
1 tbsp sunflower oil, for frying

To finish
large handful freshly toasted sesame seeds
small handful of crushed freshly toasted cashew nuts
small handful of crushed freshly toasted macadamia nuts


Method
1. Chop all the cucumbers, carrots and french beans into finger-length batons.Chop pinapple into chunks. 
2. For the cucumbers, sprinkle over most of the salt and set aside to sweat. 
3. For the carrots and french beans, blanch very briefly in the boiling vinegar-salt-sugar solution, just long enough for the water to return to a boil. Drain and chuck into a very low oven to dry for about half an hour.
4. Pound/blend your rempah ingredients and then fry the paste in medium low heat till aromatic. Add the vinegar and sugar, bring to a boil, and then let cool.
5. While it's cooling, drain, squeeze and pat dry the cucumbers. Combine with the other vegetables/pineapple, sesame seeds, cashew nuts and macadamia nuts, then pour the rempah over, and mix well. Don't worry if it seems the marinade can't cover all the vegetables, they will start releasing their own liquid as they pickle/ferment (use non-reactive bowls or glass jars). Let the vegetables sit in the marinade for at least a day before eating.

Stripped back by Ben Spalding

My current motto seems to be 'Will travel for food', having recently travelled all the way down south to Brockley Market and Fed by Tang Lunch. Another area that we decided to explore is East London, an area that's becoming a cool place to hangout with lots of street food markets, interesting restaurants, new coffee joints etc.

A great new addition to the east is Stripped Back, a pop up by Ben Spalding in Broadway Market. Having worked at Royal Hospital Road, Fat Duck, Le Manoir and most recently Roganic to name a few, Ben is definitely no stranger to the culinary world. He's using Stripped Back to showcase his style of cooking whilst doing research to set up a more permanent arrangement. Located in the London Fields Primary School carpark,  No reservations, raw, personal and stripped back cooking is what this is all about. 

Another highlight about eating here is seeing Ben and his sous chef, Steve in action! Somehow, I really enjoy observing chefs 'doing their thing'!

Ben Spalding

Steve

We arrived bright and early at 11am when they opened so we didn't have to wait too long to enjoy the food. First up was a refreshing fizz made with 42c below vodka and meadowsweet.

This came with a very very delicious yoghurt, muesli and malt bread which Ben took 3 years to perfect! And no, I wasn't too successful at getting the recipe from him! :P

The first course was the prettily plated right in from of us, Kentish Pearls cooked in yogurt whey, black truffles, roasted almonds and seeds. No salt is added on the finished product as Ben likes to season it in the cooking process making for a healthier dish. This is evident to as the potatoes was so delicious and probably one of the best I've ever eaten.  Soft, creamy and tasty especially when paired with the roasted almonds, made for an awesome texture sensation!

Next up was the Mall Tavern Smoked salmon, Razor clam and shiso broth with grapes, pickled carrot and coastal herbs. The amazing broth was light yet infused with so much flavour and another texture adventure with the thoughtfully put together ingredients! A total delight this was!

The 3rd wrap was one of Ben's favourite dishes, a Burnt wrap with Salt marsh lamb, ras el hanout, blowtorched baby gem lettuce and minted sourcream. A home style, warming and flavourful dish.

The dessert was Lightly set chocolate brownie custard with pecans, shortbread cream and strawberry juice. Very moriesh and luscious!

Lastly was a cola jelly with a hit of alcohol. A perfect way to end this very enjoyable meal!

The menu is changed constantly depending on the seasonal ingredients Ben sourced every week so it's definitely a place to go back to every so often. The meal costs £17.50 for 4 courses with a petit four. A bargain in my opinion as it's essentially fine dining style food.

Update!
Yes, I revisited Stripped back as it just had to be done. On this occasion, we also found out that Ben is planning a 6 month residency in a pub in Islington from Oct onwards so that's going to be real exciting! Follow him on Twitter at @John_Salt to be kept in the loop! He's also at @benspalding1 and @_strippedback. 

The menu was totally different this time but it continued with the theme of putting amazing flavours onto 1 plate. I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

Salad of english Vittoria tomatoes & homemade goats curd, bronze fennel, bread curls & mango juice

Cured and roasted Cod flakes, dark cauliflower cream, fried bacon. mallow juice flavoured with fig leaves 

Hot lamb broth, chorizo, coriander, Beans sprouts, red onion & peas

Sweetened Goats milk yoghurt toasted pumpkin seeds, maple syrup & wild blackberries

Peanut butter & jam fudge

Yet Another update!
Yes! I must be kinda addicted to Stripped back as I again made another trip back after watching Athletics at the Paralympics!

Salad of sun dried tomatoes & homemade goats curd, bread curls & mango juice

 Tea smoked salmon

Erin doing some smoking

Absolutely delicious Mushroom Duxelle filled Lumaconi. We've been inspired to recreate the filling.

Stunning Chocolate Banana Delice

Stripped Back
London Fields Primary School Playground
West Gate Street 
E8 3RL

Kuih Dadar/ Ketayap or Pandan Crepe with sweet coconut filling

I love all kinds of kuih (bite size desserts found in Singapore and Malaysia) and thought that they were usually quite tedious to make. However, thanks to Lisa of From My Lemony Kitchen, I learn that the Kuih Dadar was pretty easy and straightforward. It was indeed easy but alas, I lacked the crepe making skill that was essential in this recipe as you can see, my crepes were a little thick. I didn't have palm sugar(gula melaka) so I replaced this with brown sugar hence the colour of the filling isn't as dark as it should have been. On the whole, it tasted good but could definitely be better! I will have to practise making crepes, get my hands on some gula melaka and am sure they'll look as perfect of Lisa's original version! Soon enough anyway, Practise makes perfect yah?? ;)

Recipe from 'From My Lemony Kitchen'



Pandan Juice:
5 pandan leaves
1/4 cup water
1. Process the pandan leaves and water in food pracessor.
2. Pass through siever and retain juice

Crepe Batter:
120g plain flour
1 egg
300ml coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pandan juice above
2-3 tablespoons of water as required.
1. Mix the above ingredients in a mixing bowl to a smooth batter
2. Heat a non stick frying pan (small size if you dont have crepe pan).
3. Spray with some oil.
4. Use a small ladle or 1/4 cup, scoop the batter and pour onto the center of the hot frying pan.
5. Using a swirl motion, quickly cover the surface and form a thin layer of crepe.
6. When the edges starts to come off the side of the pan... gently slide or using a flat wooden spatula, remove onto a plate. 



Sweet Coconut filling:
(measurement is just an indication... adjust to suit taste)
90g palm sugar
1 knotted pandan leaves
1-1 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon cornflour
50ml water
1. Melt the palm sugar in a pan with knotted pandan leaves. Add in dessicated coconut and stir until well coated.






Putting Crepe together: (Step by Step pictures can be found at From My Lemony Kitchen)
1. Using smooth side up
2. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling
3. Roll to cover filling
4. Fold in the two sides
5. Roll
6. Crepe is ready ...

Fed by Tang Cantonese Supperclub

There has been a supperclub revolution in London recently which so many new ones popping up all over! Being a supperclub virgin, I just had to get on the bandwagon as soon as possible because from the look of things, I seem to be missing out big time! Hence, living out of London, a weekend lunch would be much more convenient without the need to rush for the train should I attend a dinner supperclub. So I kept a lookout and when Cherry of Feed the Tang posted up news of her 2nd Cantonese supperclub and a lunch one at that! I immediately went on the Edible Experiences website to buy tickets for the event. I've been following Cherry on twitter and have been kept updated with pics of her home cooked meals so yes, this would definitely be a good 1st supperclub to attend. 


It may seem odd to turn up at a stranger's house and expect to be fed but I've had the pleasure of meeting Cherry briefly on 2 occasions and we've communicated over twitter so it was more like turning up at a friend's house.


Fast forward to 22nd Jul, we arrived at Cherry's inviting home and were met by Chef Cherry as well as the charming front of house, Phoebe and led into the living room. We were served a very refreshing watermelon and sparrow gin cocktail. Introductions were made with the other diners and we all started to chat. Truth be told, it was a bit quiet initially but Phoebe did a very good job of breaking the ice, made us feel comfortable, relaxed and the chatter began.

Once all the guests arrived we went into dining room that sits 8 and the first dish was served.  A light but very flavourful papaya and pork broth, that's also good for the skin, got our tastebuds going.

Next up were some light bits. Neatly stuffed glazed chicken wings which in my opinion would be very tedious to make as the chicken wings had to be deboned and filled with carrots and wood ear mushrooms. Tender seasoned chicken alongside the crunch of the woodear mushrooms made for a very interesting and taste texture sensation.

Eggs soft-boiled in a bonito stock and topped with salmon roe was a triumph! I've always have a soft spot for a perfect soft boil egg with gooey yolk and this was just that and much more! Cherry managed to infused so much flavour into a simple egg and that, I find pretty amazing.

The eggs were served along side some pork pastries.. roast pork wrapped with puff pastry that were just as yummy!

Succulent and juicy chilli soy sauce cooked to perfection prawns came next for this, we had to get our hands dirty, the best way to enjoy prawns! Finger bowls, anti bacterial gel and wet wipes were provided so yes, they do pay attention to the little details that makes for an even more enjoyable meal.

It was now time for the main dishes. Bowls of rice arrived together with the dish I was so looking forward to, the very nicely presently Mui Choi(Preserved Vegetables) Triple cooked(poached, fried and steamed) Pork belly!!!! Cherry's version was drier than the other versions I've tried but it was just as delicious with it's sweet, salty combination.

The beautiful taste explosion, szechuan influenced, not over spicy Saliva or Mouth watering chicken was delicious and a delight to eat. Not to worry, it's not made with saliva and it's so good that it makes your mouth water, hence the name.

A complete chinese meal would never be complete without green vegetables and my absolute fave simple yet vibrant stir fried kailan made me a happy bunny! 

The last main dish was the pan fried bite sized sea bass with chinese chives was satisfying.

At this point, i was already stuffed and we haven't even got to dessert yet! Plates were cleared and on came the desserts. Red bean with homemade coconut nut ice cream was a decadent way to end an outstanding meal! I got to admit that sadly, I couldn't handle the very pretty, light and fluffy raspberry swissroll as I was so full so i just had a small taste of my hubby's portion.

The meal ended with chrysanthemum tea that definitely helped with the digestion. I really needed that as I was so full, I even had to skip dinner!
I thoroughly enjoyed my first supperclub experience, the food and of course the company. Sitting around a table of 8, we chatted constantly across the table and made some foodie friends along the way. I will be attending more supperclub events should the opportunity arise and in fact I've booked myself on another one already!


If you are looking for a supperclub to try, I would highly recommend Fed by Tang as Cherry's cooking is indeed impressive!! Am sure tickets will be highly sort after once the word gets out! 
4 thumbs up from us!!!! :)

Please visit Edible Experiences for more information on Cherry's next supperclub.

Crispy Snacks - Healthy Fruit and Veg Crisps

I'm always on a lookout for healthy and hopefully still tasty version of snacks, cakes etc. Since I've started baking at home, I've replaced butter with light olive oil and the end product is still fab!! Snack-wise, i've yet to come to a point where i'll try to make my own crisps other than roasted chickpeas and kale so when Arthur from Crispy Snacks asked if I wanted to try their fruit/vegetable range of crisps that's free from additives, salt and sugar, I immediately said yes and was actually pretty excited about it since I've yet to see this brand in shops.  

According to the Crispy Snacks website, the wide range of fat and salt-free fruit and vegetable crisps are made by the innovative MIRVAC (worldwide innovative method of fruit and vegetable dehydation) technology. Using this method, the nutritional structure of the fruit and vegetables are not changed. They retain almost all of the nutritious values present in the fresh fruit and vegetables because water is evaporated from the product in a form of steam within a short time(2 hours, with temperature not exceeding 40 deg).


Having tried a selection of their products, I find that the above method truly retains the flavour and in fact intensifies the flavours of the fruit and vegetables. Good in most cases with the exception of one which I'll cover later. Crisps are also non-oily since they are not fried or baked so we can eat as much as possible with no worries at all!


Crispy snacks kindly provided me with 2 20g packs of each of the following.
Apple Chips

These crisps made from Idared apples were light and very crispy. I've always liked apple chips so it's not surprising that I loved these.


Apple Chips with cinnamon

Apples and cinnamon have always been a match made in heaven so this is definitely the perfect combo. The addition of cinnamon doesn't overpower the taste of the apples and it's a nice change from the usual plain apple chips.


Beetroot Chips with vinaigrette

These beetroot chips have been sliced thicker and feels somewhat heavier than the apple chips but the vinaigrette is cleverly added to offset the heaviness. Crunchy, sweet yet sour makes for a very appetising snack.

Carrot Chips with paprika

The carrot chips, like the beetroot ones are thicker and gives a very good crunch in the mouth. Lightly spiced with paprika, it brings out the sweetness and intensity of flavours in the humble carrot!

Tomato Chips with basil and oregano

I loved apple, beetroot and carrot chips but the tomato ones really needed some getting used to. It's amazing how they managed to extract all the moisture from the tomato and made it so crispy. However in my opinion, intensifying and concentrating the saltish flavour of the tomato in this way wasn't to my personal liking. I could only have a few pieces and it got a little sickening somehow. I have to stress that it's probably just me which had a problem with the flavour. I love tomatoes and sundried tomatoes and eat them all the time but I just don't really like it when prepared in this way. 

No harm done though since I'm happy Crispy snacks contacted me and I'll definitely be buying more of the healthy apple, beetroot, and carrot chips to keep at home to satisfy my snack related cravings! 

For those in London, Crispy snacks chips can be found at the following places.

• Partridges of Slone Square on Kings Road
• Portobello Wholefoods on Portobello Rd
• House of Mistry – Hampstead
• Heath Matters London – High Barnet
• Organic and Wholefood – Healan Centre in Crouch End

In addition to the above, they can also be bought directly from the Crispy Snacks website.