Pan Fried Fish Fillets with Quick Curry Sauce

Fish
2 tablespoons butter
4 fish fillets, fresh or frozen (cod, plaice, whitefish, flounder, sole, whiting or any flat white fish)
salt and pepper

Curry Sauce

1 medium onion
2 teaspoons curry powder or paste
1 15-ounce can coconut milk

Method :

1.Rinse the fish and pat dry.
2.Place some flour on a plate and roll the fish in it, patting to make the flour cling.
3.Season with salt and pepper.
4.In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat.
5.Add the fish and cook for about 5 minutes, turning it halfway through.
6.You can serve the fish immediately or place it on a warm dish on the back of the stove while you make the curry sauce.
7.For curry sauce, finely dice the onion, add to the hot pan, and sauté until the onion starts to brown.
8.Stir in the curry powder or paste.
9.Pour in the coconut milk and bring it to a boil.
10.Simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken slightly.
11.Return the fish to the pan and heat through.
12.Serve immediately.

Crispy Shrimps with Garlic Recipe

Most shrimp is frozen at sea right after it is caught. The fish markets then buy it frozen and usually thaw it before selling. Shrimp freezes well, so frozen shrimp is generally the best buy. Of course, if you can find very fresh shrimp that have never been frozen, or better yet live shrimp, the flavor and texture will be a revelation.

When buying frozen shrimp, press on the bag or box. If you hear a crunchy covering of ice crystals, the shrimp has thawed partially and been refrozen. Look for a box or bag without a crunchy sound. It also helps to feel around for areas that are soft or empty, a sign that the box is beginning to thaw or may have been refrozen. When buying thawed shrimp, always smell before you buy. It should smell sweetly of the ocean. A stale ammonia scent indicates that the shrimp has begun to deteriorate. Black spots along the sides of shrimp are another sign that the shrimp is past its prime.

Also avoid shrimp with a pinkish cast, which have been sprayed with a fine mist of hot water for purely cosmetic reasons. Go for the gray shrimp instead, which will turn pink when cooked. Buy unpeeled shrimp whenever possible. The peels help keep the shrimp moist and flavorful. When buying cooked shrimp, make sure that it looks plump, moist, and succulent.

Recipe:

2 stalks scallions (spring onions)
2 red chilies
2 cloves garlic
220 g large shrimps

Seasoning:

1/4 tablespoon chicken seasoning powder
1/3 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper

Method:

Chop the scallions, chilies and garlic. Devein the shrimps, rinse and remove the feelers. Make a slit at the back of the shrimps. Heat 1 cup of oil in a pan, deep-fry the shrimps, remove and drain. Leave 2 tablespoons oil in the pan, stir-fry the scallions, garlic and chilies. Add the shrimps and seasoning and stir well. Serve hot.

Note: To prevent shrimps from becoming too tough, make sure there is adequate oil and that the oil is very hot. The cooking time will be lengthened if the oil is not hot enough, thus causing the shrimps to turn tough.

Chicken in Spiced Coconut Milk

Learn this cuisine from my mom quite some time ago. Back home, my mother used to cook this dish once in a while especially during the weekend when everyone would be home for dinner. From what I know, this is an Indonesian dish and is called Opor Manuk, if I am not mistaken. It may look just like any ordinary chicken curry but the taste is different.

Recipe:

1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces
1 liter coconut milk from 1 coconut
3 tablespoons oil
2 cloves
5 cm cinnamon stick
Spices (ground)
8 red chilies
2 teaspoons coriander, roasted
1/4 teaspoon cumin, roasted
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 candlenuts, roasted
1 tablespoon chopped galangal
1/2 teaspoon chopped lesser galangal
1/2 teaspoon chopped ginger
8 shallots
4 cloves garlic
Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Boil the chicken in coconut milk until it is half-cooked, remember to stir from time to time to avoid the coconut milk from curdling. Then heat the oil and saute those ground spices, cloves, cinnamon until they're fragrant, then add to the chicken. Simmer until the chicken is cooked and serve with steamed white rice.

Lamb Curry Recipe

What a great blessing to have friends and parents that can really cook. I recently had this dish at a friend's parent's house and found it to be really wonderful. It may be a bit spicy but I just can't imaging a curry that is not. Anyway, I managed to get the recipe from her mother, Jane to be shared in this newsletter. Jane is really a good cook and it is inspiring to learn how just by being around her.

Recipe: (Serves 4-6)

750 g (1.5 lb) diced lamb
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 large onions, chopped
3 tablespoons oil2 stems lemon grass (white part only), sliced
6 cloves garlic
3 cm (1.25 in) piece fresh galangal, roughly chopped
10 cm (4 in) piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2.5 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 red chilies, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
2 tablespoons oil, extra
2 cinnamon sticks
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups (750 ml) coconut milk

Method:

Combine the lamb, salt, pepper, onion and oil. Heat a wok or heavy-based pan until very hot; add the lamb and onion mixture in several batches and brown very well. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove all the meat from the work, leaving any oil.

Combine the lemon grass, garlic, galangal, ginger, turmeric, chili and shrimp paste in a food processor and process, adding the extra oil, until a smooth paste is formed. Reheat the wok; add the spice paste and cook it over medium, heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure that the paste does not burn. Add the lamb and onion mixture, cinnamon, cloves and coconut milk.

Simmer, uncovered, for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally until the lamb is very tender. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Chicken Biryani

"This is a delicious Pakistani/Indian rice dish which is often reserved for very special occasions such as weddings, parties, or holidays such as Ramadan. For biryani, always use long grain rice. Basmati rice with its thin, fine grains is the ideal variety to use. Ghee is butter that has been slowly melted so that the milk solids and golden liquid have been separated and can be used in place of vegetable oil to yield a more authentic taste."

Recipe:

1 chicken breast
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp cardamon pods
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp ground cumin
50g/2oz butter
200g/7oz rice
1 chicken stock cube
chives to garnish

Method :

1. Remove the skin from the chicken breast.
2. Slice the chicken into pieces about 1.5cm/¼in thick.
3. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook until it softens.
4. Add the chicken slices to the pan along with the garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes.
5. Into the pan add the turmeric, cardamon pods, coriander seeds and ground cumin.
6. Add the butter, let it melt then add the rice.
7. Coat the rice in the butter and spices then cover with boiling water.
8. Add the stock cube, bring to the boil and simmer for 12 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
9. Garnish with chives.

Indonesian Rendang

This delicious cuisine is originated from Indonesia by the Minangkabau people and it is one of their cultural characteristic foods, which is usually served to honor guest at ceremonial occasions. Rendang is also very popular in Malaysia and is usually prepared by the Malay community especially during the festive occasions. Rendang does not contain any curry powder even though it is sometimes described as a curry.

The main ingredient is beef, but sometime it is substituted with chicken or mutton and slowly cooking in the coconut milk and various spices until all the liquid is reduced, leaving only the meat coated with the thick spice condiments. Like most curries, this one also benefits from being made ahead of time to allow the flavors to mature. Prepare 2 to 3 days in advance and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat over low heat. The curry can also be completely cooled in the refrigerator and then frozen for up to 1 month.

Ingredients: (Serves 6)

1.5 kg (3 lb) chuck steak
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 2/3 cups (410 ml) coconut milk
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 red chilies, chopped
1 stem lemon grass (white part only)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated palm sugar or soft brown sugar

Method:

Trim the meat of any fat and sinew, and cut it evenly into small (about 3 cm/1.25 in) cubes. Place the onion and garlic in a food processor and process until smooth, adding water if necessary. Place the coconut milk in a large pan and bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has reduced by half and the oil has separately out. Do not allow the milk to brown.

Add the coriander, fennel, cumin and cloves, and stir for 1 minute. Add the meat and cook for 2 minutes until it changes color. Add the onion mixture, chili, lemon grass, lemon juice and sugar. Cook, over moderate heat for about 2 hours, or until the liquid is reduced and the mixture is quite thick. Stir frequently to prevent catching on the bottom of the pan.

Continue cooking until the oil from the coconut milk begins to emerge again, letting the curry develop color and flavor. The dish needs constant attention at this stage to prevent it from burning. The curry is cooked when it is brown and dry.