Seasaltwithfood

Siu Mai, Shao Mai, or Steamed Meat Dumplings is one of the most popular Dim Sum dumpling. The main ingredients for this dumpling consists of pork, prawns, MSG, lard, and dried sole fish powder. In my home made recipe, I decided to omit the unhealthy bits, i.e. lard and MSG. As for the dried sole fish powder, you can purchase the dried sole fish from any Chinese medicinal shop; but, you would then have to grill and grind it to a fine powder yourself. If that’s clearly too much work, then I think a good substitute for it would be fish sauce. Anyway, the bottom layer of the dumpling consists of the pork and prawns mixture, and the top layer is usually filled with prawns and topped off with some fish or prawn roe and/or green peas for garnishing. So, I have included two “home-style” pictorial guides to wrap the dumplings. The picture quality is not as good due to the gloomy Fall weather in Vancouver and the normal lightings in my kitchen. Nevertheless, I think you will get the basic idea.

Just for a change from the usual, I baked some savory muffins instead this time. These Sour Cream and Dill muffins makes a great breakfast treat. I would suggest baking the muffins a day ahead before serving as this will allow the flavor to develop and they taste so much better the next day. Then, lightly toast the muffins before serving with some butter or cream cheese. Try it. Sour Cream And Dill Muffins (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 2 ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour 2 ½ tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Baking Soda 1 ¼ tsp Sea Salt ½ Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Dill 2 Eggs 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted 1 ¼ Cups Sour Cream 1/3 Cup Whole Milk Dill Seeds for garnish (optional) Method Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Butter and flour the muffin cups. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt in a large bowl and gently sir together. In another bowl, combine the chopped dill, eggs, melted butter, sour cream, and milk and whisk until the mixture is well combine. Then, p

Fancy whipping up some good old-fashioned Chocolate Mousse for dessert? Well, try this light and velvety mousse recipe which I had adapted from The Harry’s Bar Cookbook . The recipe suggests serving the chocolate mousse with some chocolate sauce, however, I personally prefer pairing the fantastic mousse with raspberry coulis. The slight tartness from the raspberry provides that perfect balance with the chocolate mousse. I love it. Anyway, I have included both the chocolate sauce and the raspberry coulis recipes here. You take your pick, enjoy! :-) Chocolate Mousse- Mousse Gelata Di Cioccolato (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 1 Egg White, at room temperature 1/4 Cup (55 g) Sugar 2 oz (60 g) Unsweetened Chocolate, cut into bits 1/4 (60 ml) Water 3 Egg Yolks 1/4 (55 g) Cup Sugar 1 Cup (250 ml) Heavy Cream Chocolate Sauce (recipe to follow) Raspberry Coulis (recipe to follow) Method For the meringue: In a medium size bowl, beat the egg whites until they are almost stiff. Gradually beat in t

Steamed Clams With Ginger And Rice Wine is one of my favorite seafood dishes. A simple dish that is yummy on it’s own or eaten with some steamed rice. The combination of the wine, fresh clams, and chopped ginger makes this dish so addictive. Try it.

Another tapas I made the other night was Chicken With Garlic Sauce. It’s definitely one of my favorites as the sauce is just fantastic, made out of either sherry or white wine. I used the former in this recipe. Anyway, it’s very easy to make this tapas, so do try the recipe. Chicken With Garlic Sauce (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 2 Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless and cubed 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Butter ½ Large Yellow Onion, chopped 3 Cloves Garlic, chopped 1 Bay Leaf ¼ Cup Sherry ¾ Cup Chicken Stock A pinch of Paprika Sea Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper Method In a large skillet over high heat, add 1 Tbsp of Olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, brown the chicken in two batches. Remove and set aside. Lower the heat and add the remaining oil. Mix in the onion and garlic. Sauté until the mixture becomes translucent. Then turn the heat back on high and toss in the chicken, bay leaf and give it a quick stir. Add the sherry and bring it to a boil

Last evening, I prepared a no fuss Spanish theme dinner. The kids absolutely loved it. Several simple mouth watering tapas before the main course, a great tasting seafood paella. You can find the paella recipe over here . One of the tapas I made was a simply and delicious Garlic Prawns. I am posting the recipe here for you to consider trying. It’s really easy to make, just prepare lots of toasted baguette or bread to dip into the addictive olive oil. This recipe serves 2. Enjoy! Garlic Prawns (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 8 Large Prawns, peeled and tail intact 6 Cloves Garlic, light crushed 5 Tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Dried Pepper Flakes Paprika Sea Salt to taste Method Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place 2 ramekins on baking sheet. Divide the oil, garlic and pepper flakes equally into the ramekins. Place in the oven for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the oil are hot and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the oven and place add the prawns in the hot oil. Return to the oven and bake for another 5

If you like to add a bit of extra “kick” to your burger, than you will definitely enjoy my Mini Burger With Green Chilies. Not to worry, the green chilies are not spicy at all. I used a combination of Anaheim and Serrano chilies. They were perfect, only a slight taste of hotness which does not over power the taste of the meat at all. The mini burgers were really good and guess what? You don’t even need the usual ketchup or mustard! Anyway, I hope you will try to make them at home. Enjoy!

These savory snacks are called Pulot Panggang, another popular street food in Malaysia. It’s made of steamed glutinous rice with a mild spicy coconut filling in the center. All wrapped with banana leaves, they are then slowly grilled to get all that wonderful flavors. This recipe does call for some patience and a bit of work; but, I think it’s well worth it. I used a sushi contraption, as shown below, to make it easier and less tedious to roll up the rice. Try it. Pulot Panggang- Glutinous Rice Rolls With Spicy Coconut (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 300 g Glutinous Rice, soaked overnight and drained 250 ml Coconut Milk ¾ tsp Sea Salt 3 Pandan Leaves, knotted Filling 4 Tbsp Dried Prawns, soaked and pounded 100 g Desiccated Coconut 5 Tbsp Peanut Oil ½ tsp Sea Salt or to taste 1 Tbsp Sugar Sambal Paste 15 Dried Chilies ½ tsp Ground Turmeric 2 (35 g) Red Chilies 4 Small (55 g) Shallots 2 stalks Lemongrass 20 – 25 pcs (12 x 16 cm) Banana Leaves, scalded and cleaned Method Combine glutinous

This is a light salad recipe. The apple, pamelo, and scallops gives this salad a delicious sweet, sour, and crunchy taste with a hint of spiciness from the Thai inspired dressing. This salad can be prepared ahead and chilled. Just before serving, cook the scallops, toss in the salad and drizzle some dressing over it. You are all set! :-) Apple, Pamelo, And Scallops Salad (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 12 Sea Scallops, seasoned lightly with freshly ground black pepper 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and shredded 1 Cup Peeled Pamelo, 2 Small Shallots, thinly sliced ¼ Cup Mixed Fresh Beans (Sprouts) 3 Tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves 2 – 3 Tbsp Chopped Mint leaves 1 Tbsp Olive Oil Dressing 4 Tbsp Fish Sauce 3 ½ Tbsp Palm Sugar or White Sugar 3 Tbsp Lime Juice 2 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies, chopped Method Soaked the shredded apples in ice water with ½ tsp of sea salt for 15 minutes. Drain and combine the apple with pamelo, shallots, mixed fresh beans, coriander and

This is a recipe for Crispy Chicken Wingettes, marinated with Peri-Peri Sauce. So, how did I make the chicken crispy? I coated the chicken with sweet potato powder before deep-frying them. I had learnt this secret from one of my friends who operates a Vietnamese restaurant. Anyway, the chicken wings turned out really crispy indeed. Try it. Crispy Chicken Wingettes (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 30 pcs (about 1.2 kg) Wingettes 2 Bottles Peri-Peri Sauce 200 g Sweet Potato Powder 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice Sea Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper Method Put the chicken pieces in a large bowl. Add the Peri-Peri sauce, lemon juice and season with sea salt and black pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and put into the fridge for at least 4 hours. Turn the chicken once or twice to distribute the flavors.

 Pour at least 5 cm (2 inches) of oil into a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat until the oil is hot. Pat the chicken in the sweet potato powder to coat it on all sides, making sure

Ever tried having bacon in your dessert? A bizarre combination I have to admit, therefore, I am sure the majority of the response to the question will be a big “no” :-) The recipe consists of Banana, Chocolate, and of course, Bacon. The end result was surprising indeed, very tasty, a fusion of sweet and salty flavors! Do try this unusual recipe and please give me your feedback :-) Banana Chocolate, And Bacon Spring Rolls (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 8 Strips of cooked Bacon, crumbled 4 Medium Ripe Bananas, halved 6 - 8 Tbsp Chocolate Chips 8 Sheets of Spring Roll Wrappers Oil for deep-frying Method Combine the banana, bacon and chocolate chips on the corner of a wrapper and fold, roll up and press to secure with a little water. Heat the oil on moderate heat and cook the spring rolls in 2 batches until golden brown in color. Drain on a paper towel. Serve warm.

This is a great French Macarons recipe for pistachio lovers. I must admit, I did have more than 3 of these little cuties. So, do check out Canelle et Vanille’s blog for the full recipe. Recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille Pistachio Macarons (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 1 Recipe Pistachio Macarons Filling Pistachio Buttercream 50 g Egg Whites 100 g Sugar 150 g Unsalted Butter, softened 50 g Pistachio Paste Method Mix the egg whites and the sugar and place them over a double boiler while you whisk them together. The sugar will start to dissolve and the egg whites will start to turn white and fluffy. Continue whisking until the egg whites feel hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer and whip in high speed until light and fluffy and the bottom of the bowl doesn't feel hot anymore. About 3-5 minutes. Start adding the softened butter by the tablespoon. Keep adding more butter as it is incorporated into the meringue. It might look like it is curdling but don'

This is a fantastic Baked Penne with Chorizo. I used some fresh chorizo which are full of flavors and they tastes really good with the penne. I added the penne with mozzarella cheese after cooking the meat mixture, and topped it with some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Hmmm…sounds like a good comfort food, doesn’t it? Baked Penne With Chorizo (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 1 Box (500g) Penne 500 g Fresh Spicy (Hot) Pork Chorizo, casing removed 1 Small Yellow Onion, diced 1 Can 28oz Diced Tomato, drained 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped ½ tsp Dried Oregano 2 tsp Dried Basil 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste ½ Cup White Wine 300 g Mozzarella Cheese, grated 120 g Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, grated 5 Tbsp Olive Oil Freshly Ground Black Pepper Sea Salt to taste Method Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Cook the penne as per manufacturer instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside. In a large pan over moderate to high heat, cook the chorizo with olive oil. Break the meat apart with a s

Look, I made some Yakitori for dinner. As many of you probably know, Yakitori is grilled chicken on sticks. Basically, you skewer the chicken pieces and vegetables of your choice and start the usual grilling and basting process. I like to have my Yakitori with some steamed Japanese rice, sprinkle with some Japanese spices, and sometimes with roasted sesame seeds. This is a great comfort food for me. Yakitori (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 2 Chicken Breast, boneless and skin-on, cubed about ¾ inch 2 Medium Leeks, sliced, about ¾ inch 2 Bell Peppers, cubed about ¾ inch Shichimi (Japanese 7 spice mixture) Optional Stainless Steel skewers Sauce ½ Cup Soy Sauce ½ Cup Mirin 2 to 3 Tbsp Sugar Method In a medium pot, combine the sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat. Stir the mixture and continue to cook until the sauces reduce by half. Let cool. Thread the chicken and vegetables onto the skewers and grill over the charcoals (if using gas grill, then grill over m

Earlier this year, I tried baking some Macarons which turned out pretty good; but, I felt there was room for improvement. Hence, recently I had another go at it, made them with different flavors as well this time. They turned out great this time, I thought. I had adapted all the recipes from Cannelle et Vanille . I discovered her beautiful Macarons pictures through Tastespotting and Foodgawker . The Macarons were very good; but, still a tad too sweet for me I have to admit. However, my kids thought they were just right and loved it. Today I am posting a recipe for Chocolate Macarons. I will post the recipes for another two different flavors next week. Recipe adapted from Cannelle et Vanille Chocolate Macarons (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 100 g Egg Whites, aged overnight at room temperature 25 g Caster Sugar 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice 225 g Icing/Confectioner Sugar 125 g Almond Meal 15 g Cocoa Powder Pinch of Sea Salt Filling Milk Chocolate and Fruit Ganache Method Whip the egg whites and t