Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry (Ayam Paprik)

Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry (Ayam Paprik) Recipe
Serves 2 | Prep Time: 20 Minutes | Cook Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons oil
2 garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Thai roasted chili paste (nam prik phao)
8 oz chicken breast, sliced into thin pieces
1/4 onion, cut into pieces
2 oz green beans, tips removed and cut into 2-inch strips
1/2 small carrot, peeled and sliced
1/4 green bell pepper (capsicum), deseeded and thinly sliced
1/4 red bell pepper or 1 red chili, deseeded and thinly sliced
3 bird’s eyes chilies, lightly pounded, optional
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

Method:

Heat up a wok on high heat and add the oil. Add the garlic into the wok and stir-fry until aromatic, follow by the Thai roasted chili paste or nam prik pao. Add the chicken and quickly stir fry, until the chicken is half cooked. Add the onion, green beans, carrot, green and red bell peppers, bird’s eye chilies and stir to combine well with the chicken. Add the sweet soy sauce and fish sauce, stir to blend well. (If you want your chicken to be a little saucy, you can add two tablespoons of water now.) As soon as the chicken and all ingredients are cooked through, dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Cook’s Notes:

1. Thai roasted chili paste or nam prik pao is a key ingredient in Thai cooking. You can purchase bottled nam prik pao from Asian supermarkets, Southeast Asian (Thai & Vietnamese) food stores, or online here. To make it from scratch, you can follow SheSimmer’s recipe here.
2. There are many variations of this recipe…you can use cauliflower or broccoli instead of green beans, you can also add fresh or canned young corns. The essence of the dish is in the sauce, not the vegetables used. This recipe is the version I like best.

Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe

Hainanese Chicken Rice Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the rice

3 cups uncooked washed rice
5 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
4 finely chopped shallots
2 + 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp chicken broth
4-6 blades of pandan leave (screwpine leaves)
1 small thumb of ginger, cleaned and bruised
1 tbsp of the garlic and shallot oil
70g chicken fats
1+ 1/2 tsp salt, to taste

For the chicken

1 whole chicken, preferably free range organic chicken
1 small thumb of ginger, cleaned and bruised
5-6 stalks of scallion, washed
10 bowls chicken stock, adjust accordingly
4 blades of pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 + 1 tsp of salt

10 bowls of cold water

1 cucumber, peeled, halved and sliced diagonally

For the sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp chicken broth
3 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp garlic and shallot oil

For chicken rice chilli sauce

90g red chilies (you may add in some bird’s eye chili)
15g garlic
50g ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
50ml chicken broth
60ml lime juice, to taste

To garnish

few sprigs of cilantro

Method:

For the chicken

1. Wash chicken, drain well, stuff ginger and scallion into the chicken’s cavity. Using 2 tsp of salt as scrub, rub the salt all over the chicken for smooth looking skin.
2. In a not too large stockpot which fits the chicken perfectly, boil the chicken stock (enough to cover the whole chicken) together with pandan leaves, carrot and salt.

3. Submerge the whole chicken, breast side down in the boiling water for 35-45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. Lower the heat to gentle simmer immediately.
4. When chicken is cooked, remove chicken and plunge it into prepared cold water at once for 10 minutes. Keep the chicken broth** for later use.
5. Drain the chicken, discard ginger and scallion from the cavity and set it aside to cool before chopping it neatly into desired serving size.

For the rice

1. Heat oil in wok, fry chopped shallots and garlic till fragrant and golden in colour. Add rice and stir well. Transfer the rice mixture to rice cooker.
2. Once transferred, add chicken broth, pandan leaves, ginger, garlic and shallot oil, chicken fats and salt into rice mixture. Cook according to rice cooker’s manual instruction.

To prepare chicken rice

1. Line a serving plate with cucumber slices.
2. Arrange chicken pieces on top, pour in the prepared sauce before garnishing with cilantro.
3. Serve with chicken rice, side soup and chicken rice chili sauce.

**Any left over chicken broth can be served as side soup, garnish with cilantro or chopped scallions. I like my soup with fish balls. ;)

Cook’s Note:

Never let the Great-Wall-of-China-long list of ingredients and methods intimidate you. It’s really not as tough or scary as it seems + the ingredients can be easily attainable almost everywhere and importantly, your effort will be extremely well paid off after.

Cheese Straws

Serve these clever little appetizers instead of bread at lunchtime or for supper.

MAKES ABOUT 24 14" STRAWS

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Dust work surface with ¼ cup of the parmigiano-reggiano. Lay unfolded sheet of puff pastry on top of cheese, then sprinkle with ¼ cup more grated cheese. Gently roll dough out with a rolling pin, pressing cheese into dough, to a thickness of about ⅛". Dust with more cheese as needed.

 2. Cut pastry into long ½"-wide strips. Give each strip several twists, then lay ½" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then remove from paper and serve.

Nasi Ulam (Malaysian Mixed Herb Rice)

Nasi Ulam Recipe (Malaysian Mixed Herb Rice)
Prep Time: 40 minutes | Total Active Time: 50 Minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 cup dried shrimp
1/2 cup fresh or frozen shredded coconut
2 cups cooked rice, chilled
5-6 medium daun kadok (wild betel leaves), finely sliced
1/4 cup Thai basil leaves, finely sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves, finely sliced
1/4 cup daun kesom (polygonum leaves/Vietnamese mint leaves), finely sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
5 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lemongrass, white part only, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 heavy dashes white pepper powder
3 heavy dashes black pepper powder

Method:

Soak the dried shrimp in warm water until softened. Coarsely pound them using a mortar and pestle. Heat up a wok and dry toast the pounded shrimp until they are dry or smell aromatic. Do not burn the dried shrimp.

Make the shredded coconut into kerisik by stir-frying them continuously in a wok, until they turn golden brown in color. Transfer to the mortar and pestle and pound until fine. Set aside.

In a big bowl, combined the cooked rice and all the herbs, shallots, toasted coconut, and dried shrimp together. Add the salt, sugar, and peppers. Toss to combine well. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Note:

For nasi ulam, I prefer to use basmati rice as the rice is drier and less sticky, fluffy, and nutty in flavor compared to Thai jasmine rice. I find the texture of basmati rice the best for nasi ulam. If you use regular rice for this recipe, you might want to chill it in the fridge overnight to lose the moisture content in the rice.

Napoleons

This classic French pastry, whose name in both French and Spanish—mille-feuilles and milhojas, respectively—means thousand leaves (for its delicate multiple layers), is also known as the napoleon. The name is probably a reference not to the diminutive Corsican emperor, but to the multilayered confections of Naples.

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS

2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 egg yolks
12 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. cornstarch, sifted
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 8" x 18" sheets puff pastry
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the pastry cream, put milk into a medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean, add seeds and pod to milk, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove pan from heat, cover, and set aside to steep for 1 hour. Strain milk into a bowl, discarding pod. Return milk to saucepan and bring to a simmer again over medium heat.

2. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks, 10 tbsp. of the granulated sugar, and cornstarch together in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until pale yellow and mixture falls from beaters in thick ribbons, 3-5 minutes. Gradually add 1 cup of the hot milk to egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly; then gradually add egg yolk-milk mixture back into hot milk in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir constantly until custard is very warm (about 125° on an instant-read thermometer), 5-10 minutes. Add butter, 1 tbsp. at a time, whisking well after each addition. Cover surface of pastry cream with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Preheat oven to 375°. Put 1 sheet of puff pastry on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, cover with another sheet of parchment, and refrigerate until chilled, 20-30 minutes. Put another baking sheet directly on top of parchment-covered pastry to weight it, then bake until pastry begins to turn brown, 10-15 minutes. Remove baking sheet and parchment from top of pastry. Sprinkle pastry with 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, then bake, uncovered, until pastry is golden brown, 6-8 minutes more. Transfer pastry to a clean surface and remove parchment from bottom. Set aside to cool. Repeat process with remaining 1 sheet puff pastryand 1 tbsp. sugar. Using a serrated knife, cut each pastry into twelve 4" x 2" rectangles, making 24 rectangles in all.

4. To assemble the napoleons, spoon 2 tbsp. of the pastry cream down center of each sugared side of 8 pastry rectangles and stack another pastry rectangle on top. Repeat process with remaining pastry cream and pastry rectangles. Sift confectioners' sugar over napoleons.

spinach, mushroom & feta crustless quiche

Ingredients

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms 
• ½ tsp minced garlic 
• as needed non-stick spray 
• 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach 
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 cup milk
• 2 oz. feta cheese 
• ¼ cup grated parmesan 
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella 
• to taste salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If your frozen spinach is not already thawed, thaw it in the microwave. Empty the box into a colander and let it drain while you begin to prepare the rest.
2. Quickly rinse the mushrooms and slice them thinly. Place the sliced mushrooms in a skillet coated with non-stick spray, add the minced garlic, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (5-7 minutes).
3. Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the spinach and spread it out on the bottom of the pie dish. Next add the cooked mushrooms and crumbled feta.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and another small sprinkle of pepper. Whisk to combine. (This step can be completed while the mushrooms are cooking) Pour this mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.
5. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet for easy transfer into the oven. Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. Every oven is different but this should take between 45 minutes and an hour. Slice and serve!

Step By Step Photos

The key to preventing a soggy quiche is to reduce the moisture in your vegetables. This is why the spinach is squeezed dry and the mushrooms get cooked before adding to the quiche. I start by draining the spinach in a colander and then squeeze the rest of the moisture out before adding it to the dish.

Next, move onto the mushrooms. Sometimes pre-sliced mushrooms are the same price as whole, but not this time around…

So I washed and sliced my own. I usually cut them in half first (to get a flat surface) and then slice them.

Mushrooms are like sponges that are secretly holding a lot of water, so you need to saute them before adding them to your quiche. I just placed them in a skillet coated with non-stick spray (and a little garlic for flavor) and then sprinkled them with salt and pepper. Just a touch. The salt will help draw out the moisture.

Turn the heat onto medium or medium high and saute them (cook while occasionally stirring) until the water cooks out. This picture is about half way through the process. You’ll notice that the bottom of the skillet is covered with water that has seeped out of the mushrooms. Just keep cooking past this point until most of that water has evaporated off and the bottom of the skillet is relatively dry. This should take about 5-7 minutes, depending on how hot your skillet is. You can prepare the custard (egg and milk mixture) while you’re waiting for the mushrooms to finish.

Coat the inside of a 9 inch pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the spinach and place it in the bottom of the dish along with the cooked mushrooms and feta cheese… in no particular order.

To make the custard, begin by whisking together four eggs until they are fairly smooth and uniform in texture.

Next whisk in the milk and parmesan cheese… and a little more pepper or any other herbs that you might like.

Pour the custard mixture over the vegetables in the pie dish. Oh, and the quiche is much easier to get in and out of the oven if it’s on a baking dish, so I put it on there before pouring in the liquidy custard mixture.

Sprinkle on more cheese (mozzarella in this case) if you want… again, I probably went overboard on the cheese but boy, was it tasty ;)

Bake the quiche in a preheated 350 degree oven until it is golden brown on top and the center is no longer liquid. This will take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. Just start checking it at 45 minutes. You’ll notice as it cooks that it begins to puff up a bit. It will deflate once it comes out of the oven but the “puff” is a good way to tell which areas are cooked and which are still liquid.

Thai Green Mango Salad (Som Tum Mamuang)

SERVES 4–6

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. small dried shrimp
8 red Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded, and julienned
4 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄2 shallot, minced
3 small, green unripe mangoes (about 1 1⁄2 lbs.), peeled and julienned
18 green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" lengths
14 grape tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp. fish sauce
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
4 tsp. palm sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp. roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using a mortar and pestle, pound shrimp until coarsely ground; transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

2. Place the chiles, garlic, and shallots in the mortar and pound until bruised. Working in three batches, add mangoes and pound, using a spoon to combine, until softened slightly, 2–3 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

3. Add green beans and tomatoes to mortar and lightly pound them to extract juices; stir in fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Transfer to bowl with mango mixture. Toss to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with crushed dried shrimp and peanuts.

Grilled Lobster with Cilantro-Chile Butter

SERVES 2–4

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. unsalted butter, softened

3 tbsp. minced cilantro

4 Fresno or Holland chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1 lime, zested and quartered

2 2-lb. live lobsters

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, stir together butter, cilantro, chiles, and lime zest; set aside. Using a heavy cleaver, split each lobster in half lengthwise through its head and tail. Scoop out and discard the yellow-green innards and cut off the claws. Transfer the lobster halves, shell side down, to a baking sheet; crack the lobster claws and transfer them to the baking sheet. Drizzle lobster halves and claws with oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, heat a 12" cast-iron grill pan over medium-high heat.) Place lobster halves (flesh side down) and claws on grill and cook for 5 minutes. Turn over lobster halves and claws and spread each with some of the cilantro–chile butter; continue cooking until cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Serve with lime wedges.