Balsamic Vinegar Macerated Strawberries With Vanilla Ice Cream

Balsamic Vinegar Macerated Strawberries With Vanilla Ice Cream

Days pass by and Chicago is suddenly thinking of Summer when Spring is barely knocking on our door!  With the sun comes ever sweeter, fresher thoughts of summer food; and just like that - at the exact time we trade our high-heel boots for a pair of strapy sandals while still sporting a light sweater and a raincoat we start to day dream of fruits and cream and refreshingly juicy dishes that are intoxicating to the senses.  To celebrate the 0.5 days we get of Spring in this lovely windy city, I want to share with you a morphed, deliciously easy recipe.  I first came upon part of the idea through epicurious.  The recipe started to change based on the nice little surprises left on the fridge and on the need to either come up with a fresh 'dressed up' solution to dessert fit for company, or a 'dressed down' bite, 'let's chill with a taste of sweet' after an everyday dinner.  The idea of combining berries with balsamic vinegar and pepper is as ancient as the Roman Empire, and still as versatile and delicious as any other dessert.  Somehow, the strawberries bring out the balsamic vinegar's sweetness, and the pepper highlights the strawberries' spice - all perfectly enriched by hints of vanilla and cream.  Simplicity is definitely perfection!  One can creatively change this wonderful recipe by adding ribbons of lemon zest or other types of berries into the mix.  To me, it just satisfies this nagging berries and cream craving I seem to have in dangerously increasing waves.  A spoonful of peppery, sweet and slightly tart berries with ever velvety sweet cream and bang - you are in Heaven! - Connie.

Level:  Easy (Extremely Easy!)

Time to Cook:  10 minutes to prepare; 30 min - 1 hr to macerate

Servings:  2

Ingredients:

-  1lb fresh strawberries (can substitute or add mix of berries, including blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)

-  1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar (better if aged)

-  1 Tbsp sugar (less if strawberries are very ripe)

-  Black pepper to taste

-  2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream per person (can be substituted for 2 scoops of Greek yogurt - which gives it a cream cheese consistency... Or if you are feeling truly decadent, a nice fat dollop of creme fraiche or whipped cream will do the trick!)

Preparation:

1.  Clean the berries.  For strawberries, cut the tops and quickly rinse over cold water and dry.  Then cut each large berry in half and preserve the small whole berries (I love the differences in texture and love biting into whole juicy berries every now and then!)

2.  Pour the balsamic vinegar, sugar and a couple of grinds of pepper onto the strawberries (and/ or mix of berries).  Cover the bowl with plastic and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes

4.  When ready, assemble the final desert by taking half of the berries into a serving dish and then spooning a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream (yogurt, whipped cream or creme fraiche) and pour some of the liquid on top of it

Dressing the Berries for Company:  To convert this into a truly easy 2 minute dinner party dessert, serve over a partly toasted slice of pound cake with a dollop of cream.  Your company will love it!  

Copyrighted delimilli 2011.

Curried Beef and Potatoes Turnover (Epok-Epok)

Curried Beef and Potatoes Turnover (Epok-Epok)

Epok-epok or curried beef and potatoes turnover is a snack that is often featured in the childhoods of many of us Malay kids growing up in Singapore. They are most often eaten during tea time, or during breakfast. They are also often served to guests who visit along with a pot of hot, sweet tea. I have very fond memories of epok-epok, making them from scratch at home along with my mom and my sister. My mom believed in specialization of sorts. As the least skillful one of the three, it took a long time before I was 'promoted' to the task of crimping or pleating. My sister's skill in this task reigns supreme, and to this day, I still could not make mine as fine, consistent and beautiful as she does hers. In any case, I decided to make epok-epok from scratch today. I have come to realise what a long and complicated task this was - it requires a multitude of skills, one of which was making the pastry. But we persevered and in the end, were rewarded with delicious epok - epok, not too far off my mom's own version. Hopefully this recipe will help overseas based Singaporeans like myself get a taste of home. Happy trying! - Ros

Thoughts From an Epok-Epok Newbie:  Well - these 'empanadas' were delicious!  I call them 'empanadas' as in Latin America, these turnovers would be equivalent to traditional empanadas (only that the filling is different).  We had fun with Ros, as I shared with her that other empanada-types exist in the world.  From the US (apple turnovers), to Guatemala (sweet empanadas), to the UK (meat pies) to Spain (empanadas de jamón), everyone has a version of this wonderful dish.  One of my oldest memories of 'empanadas' were the ones that doña Olimpia made - they were amazing!  Doña Olimpia, the Spanish mom of a friend, was the most wonderful cook and I recall tasting her signature empanadas over a summer many, many years ago.  Since then, I've been hooked to the dish.  The Malay epok-epok was definitely a new find for me, and specially unique as it merged in one dish my Latin American/ Western heritage (the 'empanada' concept) and my Asian roots (the curry meat and potato filling)!  What I loved, was to find in the filling the 'surprise' of a piece of hard boiled egg.  It gave moisture to the curried potatoes and made it scrumptious!  Now, being a complete novice in this art I did try to crimp one with Ros but it didn't even make it to this blog.  The crimping is an art that definitely remains in my long list of things to learn!  My 'epok-epok' was so bad looking and stained with yellow filling on the 'outside' (as well as on the inside) that my recommendation for all of you out there making it for the first time - is to take it slow and do small ones if at first you have trouble - or instead of crimping make the closure by using the tines of a fork.  But definitely do try this dish - it is amazing!!  I thank Ros for sharing with me such unique eats and happy times.  Empanada, epok-epok, pie, turnover, etc etc - it all spells comfort to me! - Connie

Level: Advanced (or for Connie - Super Advanced!)

Time to cook: 2 - 2.5hrs (this is according to Ros, for me it felt like 2 days!)

Servings: 10 pieces 

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

- 3 cups of flour

- 3 tsp olive oil

- A pinch of salt

- 1 mug of hot water

For the filling

- 3 hardboiled eggs (cut sideways into 4 pieces each)

- 3 potatoes (peeled and diced)

- 1 sweet onion (diced)

- 4 tbsp curry powder

- 0.5 lbs minced beef

- Salt and sugar to taste

Preparation:

1. Add 1+ tbsp water to the curry powder to make it into a thick paste.

2. Heat the wok, add 2 tbsp of olive oil
3. Stir fry diced onions until they are translucent and wilt

4. Add the minced beef in the wok and fry together for 2 - 3 minutes, until the beef is cooked

5. Add the curry paste into the wok and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the potatoes.

6. Add water to cover the ingredients. Turn heat to medium and let the potatoes cook.
7. Season with salt and sugar.
8. For extra spice, add freshly cracked pepper and some crushed red chili flakes.

9. Let the water evaporate as the potatoes cook. In the end, you should be left with a thick mixture.  Potatoes should be fork tender, but not disintegrated into a paste
10. Let the mixture cool for an hour or so.

11. In the meantime, make the pastry dough.

12. Put the flour in a big bowl. to a mug-full of f hot water. Add  a pinch of salt and mix it.

14. Add the water and oil mixture gradually into the flour. 

15. Kneed the dough as you go, and add just enough of the water and oil mixture to make into a pie dough consistency (not too hard or too soft).

16. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30mins and cover with a piece of plastic wrap
17. Roll the dough until it is approx 0.2" thick, cut into round pieces with a cookie cutter - approximately 3.5 inches in diameter.

18. Roll the cut out further until it becomes 4 inches in diameter 
19. Put in about 2 spoonfuls of potato paste inside the dough, along with a slice of egg as shown below.

20. Fold dough into two. Crimp / pleat the edges.

21. The result should look like the above.
22. Repeat for all the pastry.

23. Heat the wok with peanut oil over medium heat. Wait until the oil is sufficiently hot (little bubbles should come up when you stick a wooden chopstick into the bottom of the wok). Slide the epok-epok into the hot oil.

24. The final products are shown below. 

25. You may want to have a side orange and herb salad with guacamole, along with the epok-epok. Enjoy!

Cumin Shrimp Stirfry

Cumin Shrimp Stirfry

The first time I heard of Nepali curry is from my dear friend in Singapore, Kak Lin. Thanks Kak Lin! However, I am not able to cook Kak Lin's version on this occasion. Instead, I decided to give a shot at a drier version of the spicy Nepali stirfry. Your recipe will come soon Kak Lin!

The dish today is inspired by a Nepali dish called Shrimp Bhutuwa. It is very aromatic, and beautifully golden in color from the mix of spices. Instead of the traditional peas, I used potatoes and carrots, which turned out really well. It is the perfect dish if you are looking for something spicy, yet do not wish to cook a heavy curry. 

This dish is different from the typical South East Asian curry in a few ways: it does not use coconut milk, it has very little gravy, and there is no use of the curry powder. Instead, it uses a combination of cumin, tumeric and garam masala for seasoning. If you are looking for something spicy to cook and wish for an alternative to the traditional curry, this dish is for you. Give it a shot! Ros

Level: Intermediate

Time to Cook: 30mins for stirfry and 4 hours for marinade

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

- 1lb shrimp

- 1 cup potatoes diced finely

- 1 cup carrots diced finely

- 3 dried red chillies (cut thinly)

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 3 garlic cloves

- 1 inch ginger

- 0.5 tbsp ground black pepper

- Salt to taste

- 0.5 tsp garam masala

- 1 tbsp cilantro chopped finely

- 1 bay leaf

- Salt and sugar to taste

For marinade

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp cumin powder

- 0.5 tbsp lemon juice

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp yoghurt

- 0.5 tbsp ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, marinate the shrimp. Toss well to coat evenly. Set aside for 4 hours.

2. When the shrimps are marinated, heat wok, add 2 tbsp of olive oil.

3. Transfer the marinated shrimps to the wok, stir well until shrimps are almost cooked. Set aside.

4. Heat the same wok, add 2 tbsp olive oil.

5. Add cut dried chillies. bay leaf and tumeric in the wok. Fry for 1min.

6. Add garlic, ginger and pepper. Stirfry for 2 mins.

7. Add the finely diced potatoes and carrots into the work

8. Add just enough water to cook the potatoes and carrots. 

9. Continue to cook in medium heat until contents cook completely. 

10. Put the shrimps back into the wok.

11. Add the remaining pepper and chopped cilantro.

12. Sprinkle garam masala over the dish.

13. Season with salt and sugar to taste.

14. Serve with freshly cooked steamed rice.

Red Snapper Poached in Malay Tamarind Broth (Assam Pedas Ikan Merah)

Red Snapper Poached in Malay Tamarind Broth With Eggplant and Okra (Assam Pedas Ikan Merah)

If someone were to ask me what is the one quintessential Malay dish that I grew up with, I would say 'Assam Pedas Ikan Merah' without missing a beat. This is fish slowly poached in a golden and spicy Malay tamarind broth, with eggplant and okra. In Singapore, this dish has crossed racial barriers to be appreciated in the Chinese, Indian and also Eurasian homes. I have always been a bit intimidated about cooking this dish - perhaps because I was too afraid to make a rendition that is less than worthy of its reputation. But here I was, in early Spring in Chicago, halfway across the world from my hometown and craving for assam fish. We found fresh red snapper at the supermarket. Red snapper is perfect for this dish. Other large fish like white snapper or mackerel can also be used in lieu of red snapper. We also added eggplant and okra to the pot to make it a complete meal. The dish, although not nearly as delicious as my mom's rendition, brought me back home to Singapore. I dedicate this dish and recipe to my mom, with love. - Ros

The Taste:  For me, tasting this dish for the first time was like an adventure.  Being Latin American, I've never had tamarind with fish.  In Guatemala, tamarind is frequently used to produce a tea-like drink, but never a seafood broth!  ...and living in America, the only time I've had okra has been in Southern dishes, in which the okra is sliced and the 'slime' texture is sometimes overpowering.  In this case, ingredients I never saw combined were united in a perfect marriage!  The tamarind was infused with a backdrop of spice and richness from the fish; and both the olive oil fried eggplants and okra lent a sweet 'umaminess' to the dish that was unique.  In short, it is not a seafood curry or a boullaibase; definitely not a jambalaya - but something quite different and special.  To top up the experience, Ros taught me to put a few drops of sweet Malay soy sauce over the fish as I ate it, and the flavor was out of this world!  Best of all was that the fish was perfectly poached and the exquisite broth accentuated the fish without overpowering it.  This became one of my favorite Malay dishes of all time. - Connie

Level: Intermediate

Time to cook: 30 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

- For blending / grating into a paste

- 1 large onion

- 3 large shallots

- 3 tbsp sambal olek (chilli paste)

- 1 inch ginger

- 1 tsp tumeric powder

- 3 cloves garlic

- 1 tbsp belachan (shrimp paste)

- 1 medium size fresh red snapper 

- 3 tbsp tamarind paste

- 2 medium sized eggplant (sliced into 4 and panfried)

- 10 small okras

- Olive oil

- Salt to taste

- Sugar to taste

Preparation

1. Clean the fish. Freshness is key. Cut into individual serving slices.  We recommend including the fish head in the dish, in addition to the fish filets, as it is essential to the broth's flavor 

2. Use 1 tbsp of salt to season the fish on both sides. Set aside.

3. Pan fry the sliced eggplant with olive oil over high heat.  Use a bit more of olive oil if needed if the eggplant looks too dry. Set aside.

4. Heat a wok over high flame. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil.

5. Pound the base of the lemongrass, and place it inside the wok. Let it fry for 1 min. The idea is to let the lemongrass infuse into the oil.

6. Pour the blended paste (recipe for the paste above) into the wok. Fry until the paste becomes fragrant for about 2 mins.

7. Pour water into a large bowl together with the tamarind paste.  Mix the paste with the water and strain out the tamarind (just keep the tamarind water).

8. Pour the tamarind water into the wok and mix with the paste.

9. Add more water to the wok, such that it is two-thirds full.  Bring it to a boil over high heat and let the broth cook for about 1 min.

10. Add the eggplant and okras into the wok and cook over medium heat.

11. Let the vegetables cook until tender - for about 10 mins.

12. Gently slide fish into the wok on top of the vegetables, and let it poach slowly (reduce the heat further if its boiling too strongly). Poach the fish in the simmering broth for about 15 minutes.   Poaching time will depend on the type and size of the fish.

13. Take out the vegetables if necessary first to prevent overcooking, whilst the fish is poaching.
14. Season with sugar to taste to balance the tamarind flavor.

15. When cooking is completed, serve it immediately with freshly steamed jasmine rice.

16. A great side sauce is sweet soy sauce.

17. Jemput makan - Bon Appetit!


Copyrighted by delimilli 2011

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Hainanese Chicken Rice

My apologies for taking so long to post this recipe, but here it is finally. Hopefully you will enjoy cooking this simple yet delicious dish in the comfort of your kitchen. Hainanese chicken rice has its roots in the Hainan region of China. Immigrants from Hainan to South East Asia adapted the original version of this dish into the current version using the culinary preferences in the South East Asia region. In addition to Singapore, you can also find this dish in Malaysia as well as Thailand. - Ros

Level: Intermediate

Time: 1.5 hours

Servings: 4

Ingredients

- 8 pieces of chicken thighs

- 1 seedless cucumber (peeled and sliced)

- 4 inches of ginger (peeled and blended)

- 6 cloves of garlic (peeled and blended)

- 4 servings of jasmine rice

- Sweet soy sauce (kicap manis)

- Light soy sauce

- Garlic chili sauce

- Sesame oil

- 5 stalks of spring onion (cleaned and cut into 2 inch long pieces)

- 2 inches of garlic (peeled and sliced)

- Salt to taste

- Half a lime

- Sufficient ice to make an ice bath

Preparation

1. Clean the chicken, remove excess fat and skin

2. Place chicken in a pot

3. Place the sliced ginger in the pot

4. Place the spring onion in the pot

5. Pour water to cover chicken completely, with 2 inch excess

6. Cook over high heat for 10mins, continuously removing the residue at the surface of the pot.

7. Season generously with salt to taste. This is the soup that will be used for the dish, so season to taste.

8. After 10mins, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 20-30minutes until chicken cooks completely.

9. When the chicken cooks, remove the chicken from the pot and soak the cooked chicken thighs in an ice bath for about 5minutes. The objective of the ice bath is to give the chicken a delicious texture.

10. After the ice bath, drain the chicken and soak away excess water. 

11. Debone the chicken, and slice it sideways into strips of about 0.5inch thick. Pour soy sauce and sesame oil over the chicken. Set aside.

12. Dispose the ginger and the spring onion from the chicken broth. Set chicken broth aside.

13. In a separate wok, fry the blended ginger and garlic in a dash of olive oil. Remove when fragrant.

14. Clean the jasmine rice and remove excess water.

15. Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil in the wok. Put all but 2 tbsp of the fried garlic and ginger mix in the wok. Then pour in the cleaned jasmine rice. 

16. Fry all ingredients together in the wok for approximately 2-3 minutes. You will be rewarded with a wonderful fragrance from the wok at this stage. :)

17. When ready, cook the rice, garlic and ginger mixture in a rice pot, using the chicken broth from earlier. Use sufficient broth to cook 4 servings of rice - use the standard rice cooker water levels.

18. Next the sauce. There are 3 sauces that accompany the dish. The sweet sauce can be purchased readymade from an Asian supermarket. The chili garlic sauce can be cooked from scratch (as is practice in my mom's kitchen), but for simplicity, we can use the ones readymade from the Asian supermarket.

19. The only sauce that needs preparation is the garlic, ginger sauce. Use the 2 tbsp of the fried garlic and ginger mix that we set aside from Step 16 above. Add 2 tbsp of chicken broth, a pinch of salt and a small squeeze of fresh lime to the garlic and ginger mix.

20. Finally, we assemble the parts together:

21. The final serving will be something like this: sliced cucumber (cool and refreshing from the fridge), the room temperature chicken, the pipping hot chicken broth and 3 dipping sauces.

22. Each bite should consist of rice, chicken, a dash of each of the 3 sauces. You will see how the wonderful fragrance of the chicken rice mixes with the sweet soy sauce, the tangy garlic and ginger sauce and the spicy chili sauce. So many flavors in each mouthfull.
23. A bite of cucumber serves to clean your palate between each mouthful of rice.
24. It is a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it. You will understand why this dish is the unofficial national dish of my country.


Good luck and enjoy! :)