Spicy Pork In Claypot

This is Spicy Pork in Claypot, thinly sliced pork that’s cooked with lots of dried and fresh chilies. The meat is spicy, but the sweetness from the dark soy sauce balanced the dish’s overall flavor. Feel free to substitute the pork with lamb meat, if you like, as lamb works very well with this recipe too. Just add about ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds to lessen some of the strong taste or “smell” of lamb meat. I enjoyed this flavorful meat dish with just some steamed rice. Try it.


Spicy Pork In Claypot
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

500 – 550 g Pork Loin, thinly sliced
2 to 3 Tbsp Peanut Oil
1 Tbsp Dried Shrimps, washed and dried
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
8 to 10 Dried Chilies, cut into ½-inch length
3 to 5 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies, chopped
½ Red Onion, sliced
Sea Salt to taste
3 Scallions, cut into ¾ inch length

Sauce
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
3 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
¼ tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Method

In a medium size claypot, heat the oil over high heat. Add the dried shrimps and cook for about 20 seconds. Mix in the garlic and cook until golden brown in color.

Toss in the dried and bird’s eye chilies and give it a quick stir. Add in the pork and cook until they are no longer pink in color.

Then add onion and the prepared sauce. Continue to stir and cook for another minute or until the sauce has thicken and season with sea salt, if desired.

Garnish the meat with some scallions and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Mussels With Roasted Chili Paste

This is Thai style Mussels With Roasted Chili Paste. If you like mussels, you will love this recipe. The fresh mussels were just deliciously infused with all the flavors of Thailand, namely from the roasted chili paste, lemongrass, basil leaves, garlic, lime juice, and the spiciness of the bird’s eye chilies. I used bottled roasted chili paste (or Nam Prik Phoa) which are imported from Thailand and is easily available at most Thai grocers over here in Vancouver. This is a really simple and super quick dish to make, best of all, goes so well with just some steamed rice. Try it!



Mussels With Roasted Chili Paste
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

2 ½ lbs Mussels
3 Cloves Garlic, chopped
5 to 6 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies, chopped
40 g Thai Basil Leaves
4 Tbsp Roasted Chili Paste (Nam Prik Phao)
2 Stalk Lemongrass, sliced
½ Lime, juiced
1 Tbsp Peanut Oil
Sea Salt to taste

Method

Heat the peanut oil in a large wok or pan over moderate heat; cook the garlic and lemongrass until fragrant. Turn the heat on high and toss in chilies, and roasted chili pasted (nam prik phao) and give it a quick stir.

Mix in the mussels, stir and closed with a lid. Cook until all the mussels are open. Add the basil leaves, lime juice, and season with sea salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Using the Hasselback potatoes preparation method, these little Japanese sweet potatoes have been transformed into something so beautiful and tasty. Lightly brush the potatoes with canola oil and top them with butter and some demerara sugar. Compared to whole potatoes, roasting these sweet potatoes only required half the time. The end result was fantastic! These sweet potatoes were crunchy on the outside, and the flesh remained soft, sweet with buttery goodness. Yum!


Roasted Sweet Potatoes
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

6 Small Sweet Potatoes, any variety, peeled
1 Tbsp Canola Oil
20 g Unsalted Butter, divided into 6 portions
1- 1 ½ Tbsp Demerara Sugar, divided into 6 portions

Method



Preheat the oven to 205˚C (400˚F).

Put the sweet potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals.



Arrange the sweet potatoes in a baking tray. Lightly brush the sweet potatoes with canola oil. Then top the potatoes with butter and sprinkle some demerara sugar. 

Bake the potatoes for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the potatoes turn slightly crispy and the flesh is soft.

Indian Butter Chicken-Murgh Makhani

Using a portion of the great tasting Tandoori Chicken which I had grilled earlier, I cooked up this popular Butter Chicken or Murgh Makhani dish. I had adapted this great recipe from The Moti Mahal’s cookbook. The Moti Mahal’s restaurant is reputedly very famous for it’s tandoori chicken, and incidentally, this famed butter chicken apparently originated from their restaurant in Old Delhi. Indian butter chicken is usually served with roti, naan, or basmati rice. Simple irresistible!


Butter Chicken–Murgh Makhani
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

2 to 3 Pieces Tandoori Chicken (breast portion), cubed

Makhani Gravy
2 Tbsp Ghee
1 Medium Red Onion, chopped
4 Medium Ripe Tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 ½ tsp Garlic Paste
1 ½ tsp Ginger Paste
1 Tbsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2 Tbsp Butter
½ Cup Fresh Cream

Garnish
2 Green Chilies, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Coriander Leaves, chopped
1 Tbsp Fresh Cream

Method

In a large pan over moderate heat, add the ghee and sauté the onion until soft for about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes, sea salt, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oil floats to the surface.

Mix in the garlic paste, ginger paste, and all the spice powders. Give it a quick stir and add in the chicken. Cook the chicken for about 3 to 4 minutes, to coat the chicken evenly with the tomatoes mixture.

Then add the butter and stir until it melts. Pour in the cream, give it a quick stir and remove the pan from the heat. Garnish with green chilies, coriander leaves and a swirl of cream, if desired.

Tandoori Chicken

When it comes to simple Northern Indian fare, I just love tucking into some Tandoori Chicken with some plain (or garlic) naan and dhal. As I did not have a Tandoori oven, I grilled these Tandoori Chicken using some nice portions of boneless chicken breast recently. The outcome was fantastic. Do revisit the naan and dhal recipes which were posted previously to complete this meal. So, for my Butter Chicken dish which I planned to cook, I had to quickly set aside some of the chicken tandoori before it all disappeared. :-) No surprises here, my next post tomorrow will be the Indian Butter Chicken recipe. Do come back to check it out!


Recipe adapted from The Moti Mahal Cookbook by Monish Gujral

Tandoori Chicken
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

6 Pcs (600-700 g) Chicken Breasts, skinless and boneless (whole or cubed)
Vegetable Oil for basting
½ Red Onion, thinly sliced
Lime Wedges

First Marinade
1 ½ Tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Red Chili Powder
1 tsp Sea Salt

Second Marinade
½ Cup Yogurt
1 Tbsp Garlic Paste
1 Tbsp Ginger Paste
½ tsp Black Salt (kala namak)
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
½ tsp Dried Fenugreek Leaf Powder (kasuri methi)
1/4 tsp Red Food Coloring (optional)

Method

Prepare the chicken: Cut the chicken into cubes or make few deep incisions into the flesh on the chicken breast. Marinade the chicken with lime juice, chili powder, and sea salt. Set aside for 1 hour.

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the second marinade. Rub the marinade into the chicken and set aside for at least 3 hours.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Fix the chicken on to a skewer. Grill the chicken with a lid closed and baste with the vegetable oil, turning once or twice until the meat is fully cooked, about 10 to 13 minutes. Serve warm with the onion and some lime wedges.

Whipped Cream Cake

Hi valued readers, I am on my summer vacation right now. So, please bear with seasaltwithfood as recipe postings will undoubtedly be a bit irregular over the next 2 months. Having said that, I will certainly try to update my blog with new recipes as and when I get the opportunity. Have a great summer everyone!

This is a delicious Whipped Cream Cake recipe that I had adapted from the Rose’s Heavenly Cakes baking book by Rose Levy Beranbaum. Like all the cakes and desserts that I love, this cake is very light and it’s the perfect complement with a fresh cuppa coffee or tea. Enjoy!


Recipe adapted from Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum

Whipped Cream Cake
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

225 g (8oz/2 Cups) Cake Flour, sifted
2 tsp Baking Powder
¾ tsp Sea Salt
348 g (12.3 oz/1 ½ Cups) Cold Heavy Cream
3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
225 g (8oz/ 1 Cup plus 2 Tbsp) Superfine Sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 375˚F/190˚C. Coat a 10-cup fluted metal tube pan with baking spray and flour. Shake off the excess flour.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and sea salt.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk batter, whip the cream, starting on low speed, gradually raising the speed to medium-high as it thickens, until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla until just combined.

On medium-high speed, gradually beat the egg mixture into the whipped cream. The mixture will thicken into mayonnaise consistency. Gradually beat in the sugar. It should take about 30 seconds to incorporate it.

Then add half the flour mixture into the cream and, with a large spatula, stir and fold in the flour until most of it disappears. Add the rest of the flour and continue folding and mixing until all traces of flour have disappeared. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Run a small metal spatula through the batter to prevent large air bubbles, avoiding the bottom of the pan. Smooth the surface evenly.

Bake the cake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted between the tube and the side comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. With a small metal spatula, loosen the top edges of the cake and invert the cake onto a wire rack that has been coated lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Cool completely. Lightly dust the cake with icing sugar, if desired.

Wine Chicken With Dark Soy Sauce

I have many versions of Chinese styled cooking with wine and chicken recipes. I love them all and I would like to share one of them with you today. This is Wine Chicken With Dark Soy Sauce. I used a combination of bone-in organic chicken drumsticks and breast meat for this recipe. The deep and rich dark color of this dish is a result of the thick dark soy sauce or also known as caramel sauce. If you are in Vancouver, the dark soy sauce is available at the Asian grocers in Chinatown.


Wine Chicken With Dark Soy Sauce
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

450 g (4 pieces) Chicken Drumsticks, skinless, cut into bite size
450 g (2-3 pieces) Chicken Breasts, skinless, cut into bite size
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Corn Flour

3 Cloves Garlic, smashed
40 g Ginger, thinly sliced
Cilantro

Seasoning Sauce
3- 4 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
250 ml Shaoxing Wine
100 ml water
4 Tbsp Sesame Oil

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces with wine, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and corn flour for about 20 minutes.

Heat 3 Tbsp of sesame oil over moderate heat. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn the heat on high and toss in the chicken. Stir until the chicken change color and add in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the chicken for about 25 minutes.

Ginger Fried Rice

I had a craving for this traditional Chinese Ginger Fried Rice. I simply love dishes that have ginger in it! Incidentally, the Chinese belief that ginger helps to boost up the body’s energy and relieves the body of any excess “wind”. Well, I won’t go into detail about it because I am not an expert on this matter. Back to this fried rice recipe , I kicked it up a notch by adding some chopped chilies. The fried rice was gingery, a little spicy, and had a nice fragrant from the sesame oil.


Ginger Fried Rice
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

6 to 7 Cups of Cooked Cooled Rice
100 g Ginger, peeled and julienned
5 Eggs, lightly beaten with a pinch of sea salt and white pepper
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 – 4 Thai Bird’s Eye Chilies, chopped
5 Tbsp Sesame Oil
Ground White Pepper
Sea Salt to taste

Method

In a large wok over moderate heat, fry the ginger with 3 Tbsp of sesame oil. Cook until they are brown and crispy. Set aside.

Then, cook the eggs until they are set and mashed them lightly with the spatula and set aside.

Turn the heat on high and add in the remainder sesame oil. Then mix in the rice and cook briefly for about 5 minutes. Then add in chilies, eggs and soy sauce. Give it a quick stir and toss in half of the fried ginger. Season the rice with sea salt and white pepper. Serve immediately with the remainder fried ginger.

Tex-Mex Potato Skins

These Tex-Mex Potato Skins are a crowd pleaser! I prepared this for a small gathering recently, and everyone just kept asking for more. Well, can’t blame my friends, who doesn’t love tatters with jalapeno jack cheese, topped with guacamole and fresh salsa, right? Super scrumptious I think! Try making it!


Tex-Mex Potato Skins
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

6 Medium Russet Potatoes, scrubbed

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

200g Grated Jalapeno Jack Cheese
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Guacamole
Fresh Salsa
Fresh Coriander Leaves, picked
Pickled Jalapeno Peppers (optional)

Method



Preheat the oven to 400˚F.



Place the potatoes on a large baking tray. Bake the potatoes for 45 to an hour, or until softened. Remove from the oven and let the potatoes cool slightly.



Cut each potato in half and scoop out the flesh and leaving about ¼ inch of the potato skin.



Brush the potato inside out with olive oil and season lightly with sea salt. Then bake in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes on each side until they are crisp. Remove from the oven and let cool.



Turn the oven to 450˚F.



Fill the potato skin with 2 Tbsp of jalapeno jack cheese and season with black pepper, if desire.

Bake the potatoes for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Serve the potatoes with guacamole, fresh salsa, pickled jalapeno peppers and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 Potato Skins

Chocolate Crepes

This is another fantastic recipe that I have adapted from Pierre Herme’s Chocolate Desserts baking book. The Chocolate Crepes can be eaten as it is, but, I think they taste better with some simple filling such as the one I made for my kids here. I layered the crepes with chocolate and hazelnuts spread, sliced bananas, and topped-it off with some chocolate powder before serving. What do you think?


Recipe adapted from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme

Chocolate Crepes
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

2/3 Cup (95 g) All-Purpose Flour, sifted
3 ½ Tbsp Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder, sifted
1 ½ Tbsp Sugar
2 Large Eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 Cup (250 g) Whole Milk, at room temperature
3 Tbsp Beer, at room temperature
2 Tbsp (1 oz; 30 g) Unsalted Butter, melted

Method

Combine the flour and cocoa powder in a medium mixing bowl, then whisk in the sugar. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together just to blend, then whisk in the beer and, finally, the melted butter.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk until well blended. Pour the batter into a pitcher or a container with a pouring spout, wrap with cling film (saran wrap) and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, whisk the batter gently just to blend the ingredients. If the batter is too thick (it should pour easily and have a consistency of heavy cream), add a little milk, a drop at a time. Rub a non stick pan (7 ½ inches) or crepe pan with a thin film of oil, then place the pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, lift it from the heat, pour about 3 Tbsp of the batter, tilt the pan so that the batter swirls out and around to thinly cover the bottom. Cook until the underside is uniformly cooked, using a small spatula to lift up the edge to check. Loosen the side with the spatula and flip the pancake over. Cook until the new underside is lightly browned, then slide out of the pan onto a plate and keep warm while you cook the rest of the batter, oiling the pan when you need it. The first pancake is often not so great, but once you've got the hang of it and have got the pan temperature perfect, they'll work well.

Makes 10 to 12 Crepes