2. Place the pasta in a large bowl; add carrots, peas, onions and red pepper. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients until smooth. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
4. Optional: You may add “Ayam Brand Tuna Flakes in Water”, drained to the pasta for added twist to this summer favourite.
ITALIAN SEAFOOD LAKSA
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
24 raw tiger prawns
500 g fresh mussels with shell (approximately 6-7 pcs)
110 g Alce Nero organic spaghetti
400 ml Ayam Brand coconut milk
50 g shelled, unsalted macadamia nuts or peanuts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
50 g piece of cucumber, peeled
110 g beansprouts, cleaned
Juice of 1 lime
A small bunch of fresh basil, stalks discarded and leaves roughly shredded A small bunch of fresh mint, stalks discarded and leaves roughly shredded Sea salt to taste
For the paste:
3 medium red chillies, deseeded and chopped
1 dessertspoon dried shrimp paste
4 shallots, peeled
2 stems of lemon grass, trimmed and outer layer removed, stems chopped
A small piece of fresh galangal or root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 desserts poon ground turmeric
Instructions:
1. Prepare the seafood. Peel the prawns, then run the point of a small, sharp knife along the back of each one and remove any black threads that may be present. Set aside. Scrub the mussels under cold running water and remove any barnacles and pull off the little hairy 'beards'. Discard any mussels that are broken or don't close when given a sharp tap with a knife.
2. Cook the spaghetti al dente and drain the pasta in a colander when they are ready, rinse in cold water and set aside.
3. To prepare the paste, place all the paste ingredients, plus a tablespoon of water, into a blender or the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Now place the macadamias or peanuts in a medium saucepan and dry-roast over a medium heat until golden brown, then remove to a plate. Add the oil to the same pan and, when warm, add the prepared paste and cook over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the coconut milk and stir, then leave to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cut the cucumber into four slices lengthwise, then cut each into four long strips. Set aside.
5. Roughly chop the toasted nuts.
6. When the coconut-milk mixture is ready, add the spaghetti, cucumber, three-quarters of the beansprouts and the lime juice. Now season to salt, with taste, then bring back to a simmer, add the prawns and mussels and cook for 3-5 minutes – the prawns should turn a pretty pink color and all the mussels should open. Discard any mussels that don't open during cooking. Now add half the shredded herbs, then mix the remaining herbs with the chopped nuts. Finally, ladle the laksa into four deep bowls, then sprinkle over the remaining beansprouts and the herb mixture.
CHINESE STRAWBERRY JAM CAKES
Yield: 4 servings
Traditionally pineapple are used but this can be replaced with strawberry Jam for this CNY all-time favourite.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
1 (270 g) jar Strawberry jam
For the Pastry
250 grams cake flour
60 grams icing sugar
1/4 cup fat free milk powder
1/4 cup custard powder
180 grams cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 egg yolks
Instructions:
1. To make the pastry, add all ingredients except egg yolks into a food processor. Turn on and let it mix for about 2 minutes or until it becomes little balls of dough. At first the dough will turn very crumbly as your food processor breaks down the butter, but it will eventually turn soft into the little dough balls. If you want to try the recipe without egg you can just squeeze these dough balls together to form one big ball of dough. Otherwise, add egg yolks in and pulse for about 1 minute, until smooth dough forms.
2. Scoop out 1.5 tbsp dough balls and shape between palms to form round balls. Continue until all dough is used up. Set aside.
3. Take strawberry jam filling from the fridge. Scoop out 1 tbsp of filling and compress between palms. Filling will be sticky and wet to work with. Gently roll between palms to shape into balls. Make enough filling balls to match the dough balls.
4. Lightly grease the inside of your mould, by brushing them with oil. You can also shape it into your liking.
5. Take a sheet of plastic wrap and stretch over a flat surface, keeping it as smooth as possible.
6. Place a teaspoon of the strawberry jan filling ball in the middle of your round. Lift one side of plastic wrap and peel the round from that side. You should be able to easily peel it off and the bottom side of the round should be completely smooth. Lift round completely from plastic wrap and then cover your pineapple filling with the dough, sealing the edges on top, attempting to smooth them as much as possible.
7. Place your square mould on top of the plastic wrap. Place your dough ball inside the square, with the bunch up ends side facing up, smooth side faces down. Carefully push and spread your ball until it spreads out completely across the square mould. It may take a few tries to get the hang of it. The dough should fit completely inside the mould. Try to smooth the surface of the dough as much as possible. Flip over. The underside of your dough should look nearly completely smooth and should fill the entire square mould.
8. Place mould, with the smooth side facing up, on a baking sheet lined with silicone mats or parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350°F. While your oven is heating up, finish making the rest of your strawberry cakes.
9. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops turn a light golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes. After about 15 minutes, gently push the cakes out the moulds. You can eat immediately or wait for them to finish cooling. Store any uneaten ones in an airtight container at room temperate.
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