Glutinous Rice Ball with Ginger Syrup

This is Chinese sweet and serves during their New Year celebration.  I twisted a bit to my taste.

1 bag of glutinous rice flour
1 ¾ cups of water
Mix and knead to soft dough cover and set aside

For the Ginger Syrup (do adjust the sweetness and water)
2 cup of brown or palm sugar or white sugar whatever you have best is brown or palm.
4 cup of water
3 slices of ginger
Roasted Sesame seeds for garnish (keep this last)
1 Pandand leave tight it into a knot (if you don’t have pandand leave use any flavoring like vanilla, rose or Jasmine to flavor your syrup.

Boil everything together until it is thicker, taste and adjust the sweetness, set aside (do take the Pandand leave out and through away when it is done)

For the filling
1 cup of palm sugar soften
1/2 cup of roasted crust peanut
1/2 cup of roasted coconut flake
It is easy if you heat the sugar a bit before add the peanut and coconut flake.

Mix all the filling together until well combine then take a small piece of sticky filling and roll in to a small ball (a bit bigger than your thumb) set aside and finish the rest.

Now take a small piece of dough and flat in the palm of your hand and put the sugar filing in the middle wrap the dough and around the filling and roll it to a round ball, set aside finish the rest of dough and filling.

Fill a pot of water and bring to a boil enough to cook the round ball dough few at a time.

When the water is boiling drop dough in and let it boil when the dough float to the top let it cook for few more minutes than it should be done. 

When ready to serve keep the syrup warm, spoon some cooked rice ball into a small bowl then add the ginger syrup to it and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve warm with Tea.  You can drizzle warm sweet coconut milk to it if you like.

Coconut Banana Cassava Dessert

Coconut Banana Cassava Dessert

This is very simple and quick dessert if you use frozen cassava it cook quickly.  If you don’t like banana you can use all cassava but use 2 packages instead of one frozen cassava.

1 (16oz) Frozen Cassava or Fresh Cassava up to you but I like frozen so I don’t have to peel it, cut to bite size

1 can of coconut milk

4 cups of water

2 bananas cut to bite size

1/3 cups of white or color tapioca wash and soak in water

1/2 t of salt

1 1/3 to 1 ½ cup of sugar up to your liking

Roasted sesame seeds to sprinkle when serve

In a pot boil 4 cups of water then add cassava cook until cassava is soft

Add coconut milk sugar, salt; boil it on medium heat keep eyes on the stove because coconut milk can boil over the pot.  When it is boiling add tapioca to it

Let it boil again until the tapioca is cook completely then add banana cook just few minutes until banana is soft to the taste then turn the heat off.

When ready to serve sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds on top serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Khmer Thai Grapefruit or Pomelo Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Khmer Thai Grapefruit or Pomelo Salad with Grilled Shrimp

Grapefruit and Pomelo are refreshing salad and it is very quick and easy to make.

For the dressing

1 T of sugar (you need sugar to make cut down the sour taste)

2 T of fish sauce

2 T of lime juice

2 Thai red chilies thinly slice

Mix the all the ingredients together set aside

For the Grill Shrimp

1 1/2 cup of big shrimp or prawn

Marinate with 2 T of olive oil

1/2 t of garlic salt (I like the one from Costco it has parsley in it)

Let it marinate for an hour

Then grill until both sides turn pink for 4 minutes each side

For the Salad

2 Big grapefruit or one Pomelo peel take the seeds out and set aside

2 cups of chop Romaine lettuce

2 T of fry shallot (buy at the Asian store ready to use in a jar)

2 T of fry or roasted coconut flakes

2 T of roasted chopped peanut or any nut you like but make sure you roasted

Handful of mints or Thai Basil to garnish the salad

When ready to serve arrange the salad on a serving plate with everything on it and drizzle with the dressing mix gently and top with mints or basil leaves and serve right away.

Enjoy!

Glutinous Rice with Egg Custard

Glutinous Rice with Egg Custard

3 cups of glutinous rice wash soak for 3 hours or longer

Then steam in the steamer until it is done set aside

Do check on line how to steam or microwave the sticky rice.

For the Egg Custard

4 eggs

3/4 cup of coconut milk

3/4 cup of sugar

1/2 t salt

3 pendant leaves steam (until it is soft) or 1 t of vanilla or you can use pendant extract just few drop for green color.

Whip the eggs first then coconut milk, sugar and salt until dissolve and the liquid is very smooth then use your hand to squeeze the steam pendant leaves with the eggs mixture to give flavor to the custard, threw away the pendant leaves or you can use vanilla extract.

Pour the egg mixture into 4 bowls and steam for 15 minutes or until it is done. Take out let it cool. 

To make coconut cream to drizzle on top

You should have some coconut milk left

Put 2 T of sugar and 1 t of cornstarch in it

Stir on low heat until thicken.  If not thick enough you can add a bit more cornstarch.

To serve put steam glutinous rice on a plate spoon the egg custard on top then drizzle it with coconut cream.   You can also it with durian and mango on the side.

Enjoy!

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is very much a Chinese meal and very popular in any Chinese cuisine and restaurant. This recipe is best if you deep fry the chicken, but if you don’t like deep fry just stir fry it with enough oil to coat your chicken so it cook evenly with corn starch.

To marinate the chicken

1 lb of chicken breast cut to bite size

1 t of garlic powder

1 T of cornstarch

1/2 t of black pepper
2 T of Chinese cooking wine

Let it marinate for 30 minutes

For the stir fry sauce

2 T of hoisin sauce

1 T of soy sauce

1 T of oyster sauce

11/2 T of dark soy sauce

1/2 T of sesame oil

1 T of rice vinegar or white vinegar

1 T of corn starch

1/2 to 2/3 cup of low sodium chicken broth (depend on how much sauce you like)

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside

For the vegetable

2 stalk of celery cut or slices to bit size

1 carrot cut or slices to bite size

1/2 cup peanut

10 dried Thai chilies or use Mexican dried chilies

3 green onions cut to 1 inch long

1 T of minced garlic

Heat enough oil on medium heat deep fry the chicken until almost done. Take it out set aside. Take the oil out, but leave about 3 T in the wok for stir fry.

Turn the heat back on to high, add dried chilies, peanut stir fry until the aroma come out and the peanut turn color then add garlic, carrot, celery in stir fry until the vegetable are tender then add chicken, and stir fry until all combine and hot, now add the stir fry sauce and green onion in and mix well the stir fry should be thicker.  Turn the heat off.

Serve kung Pao Chicken with steamed rice.

Enjoy! 

Vietnamese Ham or Meat ball

Vietnamese Ham or Meat Ball

Vietnamese ham is very popular in many Vietnamese recipes.  You can make Banh Mi Sandwich, Banh Cuon, Noodle Soup, Salad, make to meat ball for soup  or just eat it as a snack ect...my kids eat with rice and soy sauceJ

You need to have good pork to make this ham like pork loin.

Seasoning

2 ½ lbs pork loin cut to small pieces

2 T of fish sauce

1 t of garlic powder

1 t of onion powder
1/2 t of black or white pepper

1 T of sugar

wet ingredients

2/3 cup of warm water
1 T of baking power
1 T of tapioca starch
mix and set aside
 

Note: you can use 1 T garlic salt and 1 t onion salt but don’t use fish sauce

In a food processor grind all the ingredients to paste (I mean really fine paste or else it won’t work)
when the meat turn to paste add the wet ingredients and blend until all combine.

 

Take out good quality clear plastic wrap and divide your meat into 4 small loaves. Wrap each loaf with 3 layers of plastic wrap very tightly in to round shape (do one layer of wrap at a time then add the next layer)

Lay each loaf on a steamer (depend on how big your steamer I can steam all 4 loaves) steam for 30 minutes the ham should be done after 30 minutes) turn the heat off let it cool down before you slice it.  Serve warm or cold as appetizer or snack.

Enjoy!

Sweet Rice Flour Roll with Bean Filling (Num Krouch)

Sweet Rice Flour Roll with Bean Filling (Num Krouch)

This snack is everywhere in Southeast Asia, the filling is different in each country, for the filling you can use Red Bean paste or Yellow mung bean paste.

For the dough

1/2 cup of sugar with ½ cup of warm water (mix together)

1/2 cup of potato flake

1/2 cup of water + a bit more if needed to soften the dough

2 cups of glutinous rice flour

1 T of rice flour

1 ¼ t of baking soda

1 T of vegetable oil

Mix all of these ingredients together include the sugar water, mix well and if needed add a bit more water to soften the dough so you can roll it out. (This recipe will make at least 12 or more rice balls depend on how big you roll the dough and filling)

For the filling,

It is easy if you buy the red bean paste ready to make and just roll it to small ball or you can do it yourself with yellow mung bean.

1 small bag of clean yellow mung bean sell at the Asian store, wash, soak for at least 4 hours or longer.   Steam the mung bean until soft to mash.

Add sugar to your liking with a bit of salt to the mung bean then mash it to paste

Roll to a small round ball size and set aside, finish all the bean paste.

Wrap the dough with the mung bean filling then roll on sesame seeds (2/3 cup of sesame seeds) you can use sweet Red Bean Paste as filling also.

Take a small amount of dough and flat it in the palm of your hand get one bean paste ball put in the middle and fold the flat dough around until it is seal the bean ball completely.  Roll the ball in the palm your hand until it is look round then roll it on the plate of sesame seeds press it a bit so it is fit tight into the round dough.   Set it aside; finish the rest of the dough.

Heat 6 cups of oil on medium heat until hot

Drop few sesame rice balls into the hot oil keep turning while you fry to even the color on the rice balls. Take it out when it is golden color let it cool before serving.

Enjoy!

Sriracha Crab Rangoon

Sriracha Crab Rangoon

1 pgk of cream cheese

2 cup of minced crabs meat fresh or frozen

2 green onions minced

1/2 t salt

1/2 t sugar

1/4 t pepper

1 t Sriracha Thai chili sauce

1 pkg of wonton wrappers (48)

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

Lay wonton wrappers on the palm of your hand put one teaspoon of mixture in the middle seal edge with water then pinch all side to seal.  You can wrap it anyway you like as long as it is seal.

Heat enough oil on medium heat until hot fry few wontons until it is golden take it out and let it cool before serving.   You can serve with Thai sweet and chili sauce as appetizer.

Enjoy!

Kale Chips

Kale Chips

If you like seaweed you might like kale chips it tastes about the same to me and it is good for a snack. 

1 big bunch of kale (wash and let dry torn the leave but don’t chop)

2 T of soy sauce

1 1/2 T of sesame oil

1 t of sugar (more or less up to you)

Pepper and salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined.

Lay the kale leaves on baking sheet and bake at 300 degree for 30 minutes or until it is crispy.  Take it out let cool before serving or keep in a jar for later. I add toasted almond and nut to my kale chip after it done baking.

Enjoy!  

Banh Cuon (Vietnamese Rice flour roll)

Banh Cuon (Vietnamese Rice flour roll)

1 bag of Banh Coun rice flour mix

4 cups of water

1 T of oil

1/2 t salt

Mix the rice flour batter and set aside

For the filling

1/2 lb of ground pork or shrimps

1 cup of tree ear mushroom soak, wash, minced

1/2 white onion minced

1/2 cup of minced shallots

1/2 cup of minced green onion

3 T of minced garlic

1/2 cup of oil to fry the onion, shallots, and green onion, garlic

In a fry pan or wok heat ½ cup of oil until hot on medium heat

Add garlic, shallot, green onion, and white onion fry until all the onion turn golden color

Drain on a paper towel set aside, take the left over oil out and keep it for stir fry later on

In the same wok add 1 T of oil cook ground pork until almost done than add all the fry onion to it, mix well season with salt, sugar to your taste.  Turn the heat off set aside the filling.

In a none stick fry pan (it has to be none stick) add a T of oil heat until hot on medium heat spoon the batter mix (about ½ cup or less depend on your pan) spread all over the fry pan and cover cook for 3 minutes or until the batter came out without sticking on the fry pan, lay it on the plate and spoon the filling in the middle fold on each side set on a serving plate or platter. Repeat the remaining batter and filling until all gone. Serve Banh Cuon with cucumber,herbs, Vietnamese Ham, sweet Vietnamese fish sauce.

Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Cream Cheese Sriracha Wonton

Sweet and Spicy Cream Cheese Sriracha Wonton

1 pkg cream cheese (if you warm the cream cheese for 15 seconds it is easy to mix)

1 t sugar (more or less up to you)

1/2  t Thai Sriracha Chili sauce

1 green onion thinly slice

25 (1pkg) wonton wrappers

Mix all the ingredients together set aside

Put 1 t of cream cheese filling in the middle of the wrapper brush a bit of water around the edge then fold all side and pinch it together to seal.  Continue until the filling is finished.

Put enough oil to deep fry the wonton, turn the heat on medium until hot then add few wonton at a time deep fry until golden brown but not burn, take it out and let it cool before serving. Be careful cream cheese wonton can burn your tongue.  You can  serve with Thai sweet and Chili sauce or just eat it the way it is.

Enjoy!  

Chicken Panang Curry

Chicken Panang Curry

1 lb of chicken breast cut to bite size

1 small Yam or potato cut to bite size (about 2 cups)

1 cup sliced carrot

1/2 yellow onion slice

1/2 red bell pepper slice

1 can of coconut milk

2 ½ cup of water

2 T Panang Curry paste

3 lime leaves thinly slice

1 to 2 T of sugar (if you use yam only use 1T)

2 T fish sauce

2 T Roasted crush Peanut

1 cup Thai basil for garnish or put in curry

In a medium pot add half can of coconut milk and 2 T of curry paste stir until bubble

Add chicken cook until chicken no longer pink then add ½ cup of water to it stir for a minute or so

Add potato, carrot, the rest of coconut milk and water to pot mix it well until the curry is boil then add sugar, fish sauce, Lime leave, continue cooking until the potato is tender then add crush peanut, yellow onion, bell pepper to pot mix and cook for few more minutes, taste and adjust the curry to your taste.

Turn the heat off let it cool down a bit then add Thai Basil to pot (you can garnish it later if you like)

Serve Panang curry with French bread or Rice.

Enjoy! 

Grilled Chicken Wings or Drumsticks with Cucumber Salad

Grilled Chicken Wings or Drumsticks with Cucumber Salad

This recipe is very easy you can make cucumber salad a day before and keep in the fridge.  Do marinate the chicken the night before.

For the chicken

You need 3 lbs of wings or drumstick combination

1 pgk of Chinese BBQ seasoning mix

1 pgk of Roasted chicken seasoning mix

1/4 cup of water

2 T soy sauce

2 T Honey

Mix and marinate the meat over night keep in the refrigerator.

For cucumber salad

31/2 cup of sliced cucumber

1/2 cup sliced red or white onion

1/2 cup of sliced red bell pepper

1/2 T of salt

1/2 cup of vinegar (do adjust to your taste)

1/2 cup of sugar (do adjust to your taste)

1/2 t of celery seeds

1/2 t of yellow mustard seeds

Mix and the ingredients in a bowl and put in a jar keep in the refrigerator, this cucumber salad last for few days in the fridge.

Grill the chicken or bake in the oven at 350 degree until the wings and drumstick turn golden or red color and the juice run clear then the chicken is done.

Serve grill chicken wings with cucumber salad and rice for the summer outdoor BBQ

Enjoy!

Steamed Fresh Rice Noodle

Steamed Fresh Rice Noodle

Fresh rice noodle is easy to make if you live in a place that has no Asian market and want to make fresh rice noodle you can make it at home, all you need is a big steamer and a pie glass plate to steam the noodle in.  There are 2 recipes in here

 First recipe (this make a lot of noodle cut in half if you don't have many to feed)

4 cups of rice flour

2 cups of tapioca starch

6 cups of water

1 t of salt
mix together and steam.

Second recipe
1 cup of rice flour
1cup of tapioca starch
2 cups of water
1/2 t salt
2 t of oil
Mix all the ingredients together and let it sit for 2 hours before steaming
 

Spray or oil a glass pie plate then pour 1/2 cup of liquid flour in it (it is faster if you have 2 pie plates)

Put in the steamer and steam for 8 minutes, take it out and set it in a cold bath tray to cool it faster. 

When it is cool down brush the noodle both side with oil then cut it in about 2 inches wide or any length you like.  Make sure you brush the noodle with enough oil so it won’t stick when you stack it in a bowl.  

Do not keep the noodle in the fridge it will be harder, if you are going to make rice noodle make sure you cook it on that day. 

Fresh rice noodle is good for noodle soup, Cho Fun, and any stir fry you like, I have few recipes in my blog here for stir fry noodle.

Enjoy!

Beef, Pork, or Chicken Fajita with Flat Bread

Beef, Pork, or Chicken Fajita with Flat Bread

Flat bread is nice to wrap with any kind of food. I make Fajita flat bread with what I have in my fridge.
1 lbs of any kind of meat you like even shrimps. Thinly sliced
1 pkg of Fajita seasoning
1/2 lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (keep some to garnish the wrap)
1 green onion chop
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1/2 thinly sliced green or red bell pepper
1/2 jalapeño pepper thinly sliced (optional)

Taco shell or Flat bread to wrap
Chopped avocado, lettuce, tomato, homemade salsa and Mexican cheese to serve with the wrap.

Marinate the above 8 ingredients all together for an hour set aside.

Heat oil until hot in a none stick fry pan then add all the marinate cook until the meat are done (if you use shrimp don’t cook too long). When the meat is cooked turn the heat off set aside.

Put a spoonful of Fajita meat on a taco shell or flat bread and top with avocado, lettuce, tomato cheese and salsa and sprinkle with some chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.

Enjoy!

Lok Lak Wrap with Flat Bread

Lok Lak Wrap with Flat Bread

This recipe is similar with lok lak in my blog here, I add onion and bell pepper to it. This recipe makes a lot if you don’t have many people cut in half.

2 lbs of good beef cube or slice to bite size, marinate with
4 T of oyster sauce
2 T of sugar (more or less up to you)
2 T of fish sauce
4 T of minced garlic
2 T of thick soy sauce (dragon brand)
1 t of black pepper
2 T of rice vinegar
1 thinly sliced onion
1 thinly sliced red bell pepper

Mix and marinate the above ingredients for 1 hour or longer
1 green onion
2 T of chopped cilantro
Roman lettuce to wrap the mixture
1 pkg of flat bread to wrap

Pepper lime sauce mix and set aside in a small bowl
1 lime juice
1 T of fish sauce or salt
1 t of black pepper
Sugar to your taste
Mix it well set aside adjust to your taste

Heat oil on high add the marinate meat cook until the meat no longer pink and the meat is tender. Turn the heat off let the meat cool a bit then add green onion and cilantro.

When ready to serve wrap the mixture with lettuce leave and flat bread then drizzle with pepper lime sauce.


Enjoy!

Wonton Soup

Wonton Soup

For the wonton
3/4 lb of ground pork (if you like do half pork half shrimp)
1/2 t cornstarch
2 finely chopped green onion
1 T of soy sauce
1 t of minced fresh ginger
1 t of sesame oil
1 t of sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to paste refrigerator for at least 1 hour
25 wonton wrappers, place 1 t of the filling in a wrapper bush edges with beaten egg
And pinch edges to seal, you can also wrap like tortellini as what I did. Repeat the remaining.

For the soup
25 wontons
1 box (32 oz) chicken broth (if you like more broth you can add more but make sure you adjust the flavor)
1 small pkg of wonton soup (sell at the Asian store)
1 t thinly sliced ginger
1 to 2 green onions for garnish
1 to of sugar
1 t to T of soy sauce
2 small head of baby bok choy cut in to 4 parts



The trick about wonton soup is not to boil the wonton with the soup (the wonton skin will fall apart) or bok choy
Steam 25 wontons, spray with cooking spray onto the steamer so it won’t stick for 20 minutes, the meat should be done. Take the wontons out and set aside.
Steam the bok choy for 5 minutes then take it out.
In a soup pot add chicken broth, wonton soup mix, ginger, sugar, and soy sauce bring to a boil
Taste and adjust the saltiness to your taste, turn the heat off add green onions.
When ready to serve put few steam wontons and baby bok choy in a soup bowl pour hot broth enough for 1 serving into the soup bowl.
Note you can add cook Chinese sliced bbq pork, or cook egg noodle to this soup when ready to serve.

Enjoy!

THAI GREEN CURRY

THAI GREEN CURRY

Green curry often very spicy, because the Thai use real hot green chili by a handful to give color to the curry paste.  If you don’t like spicy food use green chili that is not hot and homemade Green curry is best.

Homemade Green Curry paste

2 T of cilantro roots

1 T of coriander

1/2 t of pepper corn

1/2 T of cumin seeds

10  green chili (make sure you pick one that not hot) 

2 T of minced galangal

1/4 cup of garlic or 5 big cloves of garlic

3 Kaffir lime leaves thinly slice

2 Stalks of lemongrass thinly slice

1/2 T of salt

1/2 cup of shallots slice

1 t of shrimp paste (you need this paste to make any curry paste)

Roast or fry coriander, pepper corn and cumin seeds until fragrant then mix them all with the rest for the ingredients in food processor or in a mortar pestle.

In a mortar pastel pound all the ingredients except the shrimp paste put it last. Mix everything together until all combine, set aside until you ready to cook.

Green curry recipe

1 lb chicken breast cut to bite size

1 can of coconut milk

2 T of green curry paste (or homemade curry paste)

3 T of fish sauce

3 T of sugar (adjust the sugar to your taste)

1/2 t of five spice powder

3 kaffir lime leaves torn

2 cup of water

1 white onions slice

2 T of vegetable oil

2 ½ cup of mix Thai long bean, Thai around eggplant, Thai pumpkin, or bamboo shoots ect…

1 cup Thai basil for garnish

Heat a medium size pot until hot then add 2 T of vegetable oil and 2 T of curry paste fry until it releases the aroma.

Add the chicken to the pot cook till the chicken no longer pink then add fish sauce, sugar, five spice and lime leaves. Add coconut milk and vegetables and 2 cups of water to the pot cook until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender to your taste then add white onion to it, cook for few more minutes until the onion is soft turn the heat off let it cool a bit then add Thai basil.  Curry just like stew the longer you cook it will taste better.

Serve Green curry with rice

Enjoy!