Monday, April 30, 2012

Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings



Sweet Glutinous Rice Dumplings
This is very easy Khmer dessert, you can make as much as you like.
2 cups of Glutinous Rice
1 cup of water
2/3 cup of palm sugar (it is best to find sticky one, but if you have one in the block shave it)
Shredded young coconut or store bought coconut flake (it is best to use fresh young coconut)
Toasted Sesame seeds

Start by shaving the palm sugar and roll it to a small ball set aside, finish the remainder.

In large bowl combine flour with water little by little until it form into white dough
Take out one small piece roll and flat it in the palm of your hand
Now take out one piece of palm sugar and put it in the middle of the white dough
Roll it to a small ball set aside, finish the remainder.

In a big pot boil enough water so the dumplings can float to the top
Put few pieces of dumplings at the time and boil them until they float to the top
Take it out then put them in a bowl of cold water for 2 minute so the palm sugar inside the dumpling will cool down and won’t burn your mouth.
Take them out and drain the water from the dumplings.
Put the dumplings on a dessert plate and garnish with young coconut and sesame seeds
In the picture I don’t have young coconut so I use coconut flakes.

Enjoy!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Coconut Meringue Cookies



 Coconut Meringue Cookies

2 2/3 cups of coconut flakes
2/3 cups of sugar
4 T of all purpose flour
1/4 t of salt
4 eggs white
1 t of vanilla
1 T of toasted Sesame seeds

In a large bowl mix coconut flakes, sugar, flour and salt.
Now add eggs white, and vanilla mix well (I mix with hand)
Using ice cream scoop, scoop the mixture in to the baking sheet
Sprinkle sesame seeds on each cookie before bake
I use none stick baking sheet lay with foil and spray with cooking spray
Bake at 325 degree for 20 minutes
Let it cool completely before take it out of the try to prevent form breaking

Serve at Tea time

Enjoy!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Num Lot





Num Lot
Num Lot is Khmer dessert, but the Vietnamese also have the same kind for drink. Use potato ricer to press Nom lot into ice cold water.  I have 2 recipes for you.  Fresh Pandan is best for flavoring Nom Lot.
 
First recipe
 1/2 cup of monk bean  starch or water chestnut starch
2 T of sugar
1 2/3 cup of water
1/4 t of pandan extract
green food coloring if needed.
bowl of ice to press the paste into ice cold water

In a pot mix all the ingredients together until dissolve (not on the stove yet)
Put pot on the stove on medium heat keep  stirring until it is bubble and the batter turn to paste like glue.
when it is thick like glue take it out and whisk vigorously till the batter is translucent paste.
Spoon the batter into Potato Ricer and press into bucket of ice cold water so the paste will cool down quickly then drain in a basket and set it aside until you ready to serve with the coconut  syrup.


Recipe 2
1pkg of Bot Banh Gio, it is steamed Pork cakes flour.
2 T of Tapioca starch (use rice spoon not measuring spoon)
9 cups of water
2 T of Pandan flavoring essence or fresh Pandan leave is the best (you need 2 T of juice from Pandan leave).
Food coloring, power or drop if needed to make it green.

Do the same here cook stir and press into ice cold water

For the sugar syrup
2 ½ cup of sugar
1 1/2 cup of water
1 can of coconut cream
1 T of Pandan flavoring



Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Homemade Granola



Homemade Granola

6 cups of rolled Oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 t salt

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup of honey
1 t of vanilla or almond

1/2 cup dried cranberries, or blueberry
1/2 cup of dried apricots or raisin
You can put any dried fruit you like


In a large bowl combine the first 5 ingredients together
Add the maple syrup, vanilla and honey to the bowl mix well, if you like sweet granola you can add more syrup and honey to it.

Spread the mixture evenly onto the baking tray coated with cooking spray. Bake in the preheat oven at 300 degree for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. After 45 minutes turn the heat off, and take it out the oven.

Add the dried fruits to the mixture. Let it cool, store in a Ziploc bag for later use.

Serve as snack or breakfast cereal with milk or top with yogurt

Enjoy!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Thai Ground Chicken Salad (Laab Kai)



Thai Ground Chicken Salad (Laab Kai)

1 ½ lbs of ground or minced chicken breast
2 shallots thinly sliced
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
1 small stalk of lemongrass thinly sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves thinly sliced
3 fresh Thai chilies or 1 t of Thai roasted ground chili
2 green onions chopped
1/2 cup of thinly sliced mints
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
3 to 4 T of fish sauce
4 T of lime juice
4 T of roasted rice powder
1 T of sugar (this is optional)


In a fry pan put 1 cup of water and add ground chicken break it apart to smaller pieces. Cook and stir the ground chicken until done, drain the water out if any left in the chicken. Set aside to cool down.

In mortar pestle pound lemongrass and kaffir limes to small pieces, but don’t pound it to paste. It might be best if you mince it instead. (You need about 1/3 cup of mix lemongrass and lime leaves)

In a large bowl mix cooked chicken with all the ingredients except the mints and cilantro. Add and adjust the flavor as you like. This recipe should be spicy, salty and sour.

Garnish with mints and cilantro.

Serve Thai Laab Kai with cabbage, long bean, cucumber and lettuce or whatever you like to dip with.
You can serve as lettuce wrap.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Baked or Deep Fried Coconut Chicken





Baked or Deep Fried Coconut Chicken

I found chicken on sale so I thought I would make some fried chicken. I used breast bone cut in half, drumsticks, and thighs. I didn’t have butter milk so I used coconut milk for the first time and it turned out good. I seasoned the chicken first then soaked them in one can of coconut milk. I don’t have the exact recipe, but this is close enough that you can follow.

2 breasts bone-in cut in half
4 thighs
6 drumsticks
1 can of coconut milk
1 t of Cayenne pepper
1 t of garlic salt
Black pepper and salt to taste
You can use any seasoning you like
Mix and marinate the chicken with coconut milk and seasoning for 1 hour.
Oil to deep fry the chicken

Then I divided the chicken in half. I kept all the drumsticks for deep fry and baked the rest of the chicken with Italian bread crumbs.

To deep fry you need
Flour seasoned with salt and pepper or any seasoning you have on hand
Take out the batter chicken and coat it with flour
Deep fry the chicken on medium heat until golden brown
Take out and drain on basket.

To bake you can use Italian bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs, I like Italian bread crumbs better.
Or you can mix half coconut flake to coat the chicken along with bread crumb.

Take out the coconut batter chicken from the marinate then coat it with Italian bread crumb on both sides
Lay on a baking rack with baking tray under the rack.

Preheat oven to 425 degree bake for 25 minutes or until your chicken is done with golden color on the outside.

Serve your fried or baked coconut chicken with Thai cucumber salad on my blog or Thai sweet and chili sauce.

Enjoy!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Banana Tapioca Pudding (Jake Khtis)



Banana Tapioca Pudding (Jake Khtis)

This is Khmer banana dessert and it is easy to make, some banana will turn black if you don’t boil it first, I use the regular banana from the grocery store. It is best to use white small tapioca but I only have the green tapioca. It is importance to soak tapioca for 30 minutes or it won’t cook all the way. The pudding will be thickened when it is cold, make sure you put enough water as in the recipe.

5 firm bananas peel cut in half or in third then sliced length wide.
1 can of coconut cream
1 can of water from the coconut can
1/4 cup of tapioca soaked in water for 30 minutes wash drain set aside
1/4 t of salt
2/3 to 3/4 cup of sugar (adjust the sweet according to your taste)
2 t of roasted sesame seeds for garnish when serve

In a medium pot bring coconut cream, water, salt and sugar to a boil
Then add tapioca, bananas to the coconut sauce cook until the banana is soft and tapioca is done
About 5 minutes, taste and adjust the sweet.
Turn the heat off let cool
This kind of dessert is best to serve warm, but some like it cold
Sprinkle sesame seeds before serve

Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Salty Eggs





Salty Eggs

Salty Eggs take a long time to brine in salt water. I made it 4 to 5 weeks ago and finally it is good to eat. Let the eggs sit on the kitchen counter when you brine in salt water do not put in the fridge until it is ready to eat then you can refrigerated.

You need
12 large eggs Chicken or Duck wash dried with paper towel (make sure the eggs are not crack)
4 to 6 cups of boiling water enough to cover the eggs.
1 1/2 cup of salt
Clean big Jar with lid on

Boil water add salt stir until it is dissolved let salt water cool down completely or else it will cook the eggs
Gently put eggs inside the jar and add cold salt water to it. Cover with lid let it sit on the counter for 4 to 5 weeks.

When ready to serve boil the egg for 20 minutes then let cool
Serve Salty egg with soup rice (Borbor) or any of Chinese Stir fry recipe or Fried Rice.

Enjoy!

Tapioca Smoothie or Bubble Tea



Banana Tapioca Smoothie

This kind of drink is very popular in Asia. Here in the US bubble tea make with black tea, I thought if the recipe calls for tea why can we make smoothie Tapioca and just don’t add tea to it. Tapioca pearl come with many color so pick what you like. I give you both recipes if you like bubble tea. You can even use chocolate or Strawberry milk for Tapioca Pearl.

For the bubble tea recipe you need to boil 1 cup of tapioca pearl.

1/2 cup of cooked any color tapioca pearl
1 cup of milk or soy milk
1 cup of black tea
Ice
Some sweeteners

Tapioca takes a long time to cook, in a medium pot boil 5 cups of water and add 1 cup of Tapioca to boiling water.
Boil tapioca on medium heat for 30 minutes then turn the heat off and cover while it is hot steaming for another 30 minutes so the tapioca will cook all the way.
You can boil Tapioca longer than 30 minutes until the tapioca turn clear and no white inside (this is the best way) if the water is evaporated do add more water to it. When it is done drian cooked tapioca under cold running water rinse and set aside.

Take the amount you need keep the rest in the fridge for later use (don’t keep it too long or else it will stick together like jelly, if it sticks together rinse it again under cold running water then it will separate)

To make the tea put the tapioca in the tall glass set aside
In a separate bowl or glass mix the rest of the milk and tea with some sweeteners then poor into the tapioca glass with some ice in it.

Serve cold

For the smoothies recipe ( if the smoothie is thick add more milk or soy milk to it so the Tapioca can come out easy with the big straw, always add sweetener to it.)

I use all kind of tropical fruit for the smoothie all you have to do add the cooked tapioca to it.
You can make banana smoothie tapioca, mango, or pineapple whatever you like. Sometime I just buy some yogurt smoothie from the store and add cooked tapioca pearl to it.

Here are few recipes you can do
Banana smoothie
2 Bananas
1 cup of milk
5 T of frozen orange juice concentrate
3 T of malted milk powder
Crush ice (add later when serve) or ice cube
Sweeteners 1 to 2 pkg up to you
1/3 to 1/2 cup of cooked tapioca pearl put in a tall glass.

In a blender mix bananas, milk, frozen orange, powder milk, sweetener until smooth
Pour into tapioca glass add crush ice serve cold

Orange smoothie
1 cup of vanilla ice cream or vanilla frozen yogurt
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of frozen orange juice concentrate
1/3 to 1/2 cup of cooked tapioca pearl
Sweeteners

Mix everything in the blender until smooth pour into tapioca glass serve cold


Soy Mango Smoothie
1 cup of mango chunks
1(6oz) Vanilla soy yogurt
1/2 cup of orange juice
2 T of honey or sweetener
1/4 t of grated fresh ginger
1/3 to 1/2 cup of cooked tapioca pearl

Blend everything in a blender until smooth pour in the tapioca glass serve cold

Enjoy!