Calamari Cha (Cakes) Recipe

                                              Calamari Cha (Cakes) Recipe

Ingredients:

500 g Squid, finely chopped
20 g Ground pepper
30 g Pork fat, finely chopped
15 ml Dry sherry
1/4 Salt
5 g Sugar
1 Orange chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
30 g Parsley leave, chopped
3 Green onions (scallions), chopped
15 ml Nuoc cham sauce
1 Egg
2 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Sauce

10 ml Nuoc cham sauce
10 ml Lime or lemon juice or vinegar
10 g Sugar

Garnishing

1 Lime
1/2 Red bell pepper, seeded
1/2 Cucumber
1 sprig Coriander (cilantro) leaves

Cooking Procedure:

*

Boil pork fat to soften. Finely chop again.
*

Add sherry, salt, sugar and pepper. Place in the sun or in a warm place to soften further.
*

Meanwhile, reserve a pinch of chopped chili pepper for sauce. Add the remainder to the calamari with parsley and green onions (scallions). Put nuoc cham sauce in small saucepan and heat until liquid has nearly evaporated. Add this and any crystals to the calamari.
*

Separate the egg and lightly beat in individual bowls. Combine pork fat mix with calamari and add enough egg white to bind. Oil hands to make flat cakes of calamari. Fry in wok or frying pan, turning in oil, adding more as necessary.
*

The cakes will expand. Remove calamari cakes. Wipe the wok or pan with kitchen paper. Dip the cakes in egg yolk to give yellow color and fry again in fresh oil.
*

To the reserved chili pepper, add other sauce ingredients and combine well. Slowly heat until sugar is dissolved.
*

Thinly slice lime and bell pepper. Halve rings and arrange in a circle on plate with thin circles of cucumber. Add hot calamari cakes, pour the sauce over them, and garnish with coriander sprigs.

Serves 4

Beef Sate Recipe (Sa-Te Bo)

                                                   Beef Sate Recipe

                                                      (Sa-Te Bo)

Ingredients:

2 cloves Garlic, crushed and sliced

1 teaspoon Fresh basil

1 Red chili pepper, sliced

15 ml Lime juice

15 ml Sesame oil

15 ml Nuoc Mam sauce (optional)

225 g Steak, cubed

Dipping sauce

45 ml Nuoc Mam sauce

15 ml Lime or lemon juice

1 Pickled onion, thinly sliced

1 clove Garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Peanuts, finely chopped

Cooking Procedure:

*

Mix the garlic, basil, chili, lime juice, sesame oil and Nuoc Mam sauce, if using, together.
*

Marinate the cubes of beef in this for at least 4 hours, turning frequently.
*

Make the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients thoroughly and place in a bowl on the table.
*

When the beef is ready, thread on to four skewers and place on the barbecue or under a preheated high grill until cooked, turning frequently.
*

Baste equally frequently with the marinade.
*

Serve with the dipping sauce.

Serves  5

Beef Crystal Spring Rolls Recipe (Banh Cuon Thit Bo Viet Nam)

                                            Beef Crystal Spring Rolls Recipe

                                           (Banh Cuon Thit Bo Viet Nam)

Ingredients:

225 g Steak, cut against the grain
into 3mm thick and 5cm long

125 g Rice vermicelli

2 Pickled onions, finely cut

2 Pickled gherkins, finely cut

1 Carrot, grated

1 packet Round Banh Trang rice paper

Warmed water in a bowl

To Serve

1 Webb or round lettuce

A few springs Coriander leaves

Dipping sauce

Cooking Procedure:

*

Combine the marinade ingredients together and marinade the beef slices. Leave for 2-3 hours.
*

Soak the rice vermicelli. When soft, drain thoroughly. Toss the cold rice vermicelli, pickled onion, gherkin and carrot together and place on the table in a dish.
*

Put the lettuce leaves in a dish, the coriander and mint on a flat plate, and place on the table.
*

Put the Banh Trang on a place and place on the table.
*

Put warm water in a bowl that is large enough for the Banh Trang to be dipped in on the table. Put either a table top barbecue or a fondue on the table and bring the marinated meat to the table for the guests to cook.
*

If neither is available, grill the meat very quickly, or fry in a pan with a little vegetable oil. Either way the cooking time is minimal, as thinly cut meat cooks extremely quickly. Excessive cooking toughens the meat.
*

Guests should help themselves by dipping a Banh Trang into the warm water until it becomes soft and pliable. They then place some of the vermicelli and pickle, mint and coriander and cooked pieces of beef on the Banh Trang.
*

The mixture is then rolled up and place on a fresh piece of lettuce. The lettuce leaf is rolled around it and then dipped in the sauce.

Serves 4-5.

Crabstick Rolls Recipe

                                                 Crabstick Rolls Recipe

Ingredients:

2 level tablespoons Wasabi

16 Crabsticks

16 sticks Cucumber, peeled, deseeded, the length of the crabsticks

1/4 cup Sliced pickled

8 medium sheets Nori seaweed, cut in half



Dipping sauce:

60 ml Soy sauce

60 ml Dark soy sauce

60 ml Water

2 1/2 tablespoons Mirin

1 tablespoon Bonito flakes

Cooking Procedure:

*

To make the dipping sauce : combine the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then strain through a fine sieve. Transfer to a sauce bowl.
*

Smear wasabi liberally on a crabstick using a finger. Put the crabstick, a piece of cucumber and a few shreds of pickled ginger across one end of a nori strip.
*

Moisten the other end of the nori strip with a wet finger. Roll up tightly to enclose the filling.
*

Repeat until all the ingredients are used up.
*

Transfer the rolls to a serving plate and serve at room temperature with the dipping sauce.

Makes 16 rolls

Crab Cakes Recipe (Cha Cua)

                                                 Crab Cakes Recipe

                                                         Cha Cua)

Ingredients:

450 g Mixed white and brown crab meat

2 Small shallots, finely minced

1 clove Garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon Chopped coriander leaves

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/2 Egg, beaten

1 Breadcrumbs (from 1 bread) - optional

1/2 cup Vegetable oil, for frying

1 spring Chinese chive flowers, for garnishing

Serving :

Salad plate

Nuoc cham sauce

Cooking Procedure:

*

Put the crab meat, shallots, garlic, coriander, fish sauce, pepper and egg into a bowl.
*

Mix together, then form into 12-16 cakes.
*

If the crab meat was frozen and the mixture is too sloppy, add some breadcrumbs to stiffen the mixture a little.
*

Place the cakes on a plate and chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to firm up.
*

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the crab cakes. Cook without moving them for 2-3 minutes, until brown and crusty underneath.
*

Turn them over carefully and cook for another 2 -3 minutes, then remove and drain on the kitchen paper.
*

Serve the crab cakes garnished with Chinese chives flowers and with the salad and nuoc cham dipping sauce.

Makes 12-16 

Tiramisù (classic recipe)

                                                     Tiramisù (classic recipe)

Vegetarian

This is probably the most famous dessert in the world and no wonder why; it's absolutely delicious and so easy to make. Apparently its origin dates back to the 17th century; it was created for the occasion of a visit by Grand Duke Cosimo de' Medici III to the city of Siena (Tuscany). That time the dessert was named "zuppa del duca" (the "Duke's soup") but nowadays everybody knows it as "tiramisù" (pick me up). There are lots of version of tiramisù, but here I will stick to the most traditional, with a little change: the classic recipe requires the use of "savoiardi" biscuits, however, in the last two decades, many Italians has discovered that the use of "pavesini" biscuits gives the tiramisù a better finish, so let's go for it!

Ingredients:

Preparation: 40 mins
No cooking required

• 500 g (1.1 lb) Italian mascarpone cheese
• 100 g (3 ½ oz) Icing sugar
• 4 or 5 Eggs (medium size)
• 1 Pack of Pavesini biscuits (for this recipe I used 59 Pavesini)
• 200 ml (7 fl oz) Strong espresso coffee (cold) or coffee prepared with a moka
• 100 ml (3 ½ fl oz) Marsala wine (cold)
• Cocoa powder for dusting
• Some dark chocolate shavings

Note: this is a dessert containing raw eggs, so be sure you buy fresh, top quality eggs.

Cooking Procedure:

Separate the egg whites from the yolks.


Start beating the egg yolks with a whisk and gradually add all the sugar.


Keep beating until the mixture become pale yellow and thick.


Next, empty the mascarpone into a bowl and, with a wooden spoon, work it for few seconds so that it is a bit loose.


Now, add the mascarpone to the egg-sugar cream and blend all together.


The result should be a pale yellow mascarpone-egg-sugar cream. Set it aside, putting it in the fridge, while carrying out the next stage.


Next, add a tiny pinch of salt into the bowl containing the egg whites.


Whisk the egg whites until completely white and firm (into peaks).


Now, add the white fluffy mixture into the bowl containing the mascarpone-egg-sugar cream.


Gently mix all together.


Finally, we have the tiramisù cream.


Now we are ready for assembling our tiramisù. First, spread a thin layer of tiramisù cream in the bottom of the dish (I used a 30 cm x 22 cm rectangular oven dish).


For the first layer of biscuits, dip them in the coffee first (dip the biscuits, one at a time, for about 5 seconds).


Lay the biscuits side by side, leaving a tiny space between them.


First layer completed.


Having completed the first layer of biscuits, cover it with the tiramisù cream.


Then, start again with a second layer of biscuits. This time dip the biscuits in the Marsala wine.


Second layer completed.


Cover it with the tiramisù cream.


Finally, proceed with the third layer of biscuits. For this final layer, dip the biscuits in the coffee. Once done, cover it with the last spread of tiramisù cream.


Dust with cocoa powder.


Sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings.


Put the tiramisù in the fridge and leave it for about 4 hours. However, the longer the better because all the flavours blend together (I usually wait for 6-8 hours).

Note: I usually dust with cocoa powder and sprinkle with chocolate shavings prior of putting the tiramisù in the fridge, some other people prefer to do this just before serving it.

Serves 6.

Seafood Risotto Recipe

                                                      Seafood Risotto

What a delicious thing! If you love seafood, this dish will send you up to the moon. In this recipe I will show how to make this wonderful risotto without getting too messy; cleaning and preparing the fish. When you make it, be sure you use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. It is also important that you master the risotto making before attempting this recipe, so have a look at the classic Parmigiana risotto first and try it.

Ingredients:

• 350-400 g (12-14 oz) Carnaroli rice (alternatively Arborio rice)
• 500 g (1.1 lb) Seafood selection (frozen)
• 75 ml (3 fl oz) Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Cloves of garlic
• 1 Chilli (mild)
• 30 ml (2 tbs) Tomato purèe
• 1 Shallot (finely chopped) - alternatively you can use ½ onion
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) White wine
• 1 Litre (1 ¾ pints) of hot fish stock - 2 stock cubes - (I have to say that you often need more than 1 litre so have some extra stock handy)
• 2.5 ml (½ tsp) Cracked black pepper
• Salt for seasoning
• A small handful of flat leaf parsley (roughly chopped)

Note: nowadays you can buy a frozen seafood selection in most of the supermarkets (I always keep some in my freezer); this is usually a selection of shelled mussels, peeled prawns, squid rings and cockle/clam meat which are all pre cooked and then frozen.

Cooking Procedure:

Defrost the frozen fish (do not use the microwave as it partially cooks the fish). Once defrosted, pat the fish dry with kitchen paper.


The photograph shows about 500 g (1.1 lb) of clean and dry seafood; this is what I will use for this recipe, which is intended to serve 4 persons. However, there is not a fixed rule about the seafood quantity, you can also use 600-700 g, if you like, but Iwould not go further.


First and foremost, before you start cooking, be sure that the first thing you do is to prepare the stock so that it is readily available when required. The best thing to do is to have the stock just simmering, and no more, on the cooker.


Put the olive oil in a large pan. Heat the oil and then add the garlic and the chilli (break the chilli bean in two pieces). Sweat them over a gentle heat until the garlic becomes golden in colour.


When the garlic becomes golden, quickly remove it from the pan and discard it.


Immediately after the garlic is discarded, remove the chilli and discard it.


Now, turn the heat to medium and add the seafood into the pan.


Stir well and cook for no more than 2-3 minutes (remember that the frozen seafood selection is aready pre cooked, so an excessive exposure the the heat would inevitably overcook the seafood); this is to flavour the oil and for preparing the seafood for the last stage.


After 2-3 minutes, quickly remove the seafood (a slotted spoon is ideal for this operation) and put it into a bowl.


Set the seafood aside for a later stage (I suggest covering the bowl with foil).


Coming back to the pan, you can see that now we have a lovely flavoured oil wich we will use to start our risotto.


Add the finely chopped shallot and sweat over a medium heat for about 3-5 minutes or until the shallot is soft.


Add the rice.


Stir until the rice is completely coated with the oil. You can see that the rice will start to become translucent. Keep stirring and sweat the rice for a minute or two.


Then, add the white wine, keep stirring and let the wine evaporate (it will probably take a couple of minutes).


Now, add the stock and turn the heat to medium/low. The stock, which has been kept simmering in order to stay hot, should be added at the rate of a couple of ladlefuls at a time and when this is absorbed, add more stock. Carry on in this way for about 15 minutes. During this stage, do not leave the pan alone and stir regularly (gently).


Now, immediately after the first couple of ladlefuls of stock, add the tomato purèe.


Stir.


This is the colour you should get after the tomato purèe is evenly distributed.


Meanwhile you keep going, adding stock as required and stirring (gently). The photograph shows the rice after about 10 cooking. At this stage, check the seasoning and add the slat accordingly.


Also, add the pepper ((½ tsp).


After 15 minutes you will probably need an extra 3 to 5 minutes to complete the final stage of cooking (this time depends on the type of rice you are using). This also means that you have only 3 to 5 minutes left to complete the cooking of the seafood.


So, add the seafood into the pan. The seafood is colder than the pan contents so increase the heat (high heat) for few seconds and then return the heat back to what it was before.


From now on, taste the rice every minute until the rice is cooked "al dente" (this means that the rice is tender outside, but still slightly firm to the bite in the centre). At the same time, the tasting will tell you if you need to adjust seasoning with salt. Regular but gentle stirring is required for the last minutes in order to avoid the risotto sticking to the bottom of the pan.


In these last minutes, if the stock is completely absorbed, you can gradually add a bit more (say half ladle at a time) because at this final stage you do not want the risotto becoming too watery.


When the rice is perfectly cooked "al dente", add the parsley and stir for few seconds.


The risotto is ready to be served.


Risotto should be served "all'onda" (like a wave). This means that when you serve it onto the plate, it should still flow a little.
With this dish, I would suggest having ome black pepper on the table in case your guests wish to have an extra "kick"!

Buon appetito!

Sevres 4.