Homecook Dinner To Support Food Revolution Day, 19 May 2012

Today, 19 May 2012 marks Food Revolution Day where the main objective of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is to connect with as many people and businesses as possible around the world to educate them about food habits, sources and a healthier lifestyle. So as food lover and mother of one I hope to do my part to support this event by preparing some homecook dishes that are made with "real food" (which means no boxed or processed foods are allowed).

Although not everyone can be a chef but it is always possible to cook up something easy and yet healthy for the family as long as you are willing to spend some extra time in the kitchen. Below are two simple recipes of our homecook dishes shown above which you might be interested to try it out.

STEAMED RED GROUPER

We love steamed fish and it is always one of the repeated dishes in our weekly menu planning list. Fish contains protein with fewer calories than other meat sources and with different species of fish, you can either steam, bake, fry or poach fish accordingly to your preference.

(Serves: 2-3 |          Preparation: 5 minutes |     Cooking: 12 - 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Piece Fresh Red Grouper, tail portion(about 350 - 400g)
4 - 5 Slices of Ginger, julienned
2 Stall Spring Onion, cut into sections
1 Small Tomato, cut into wedges
2 - 3 Salted Plum(咸水梅粒)
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine(花雕酒)
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Shallot Oil, optional

Method:-

1. Rinse and pat dry the fish fillet, season it with 1 teaspoon of cooking wine and cornflour. Set aside.

2. Arrange half of the julienned ginger and spring onion on the base of the steaming plate, place the seasoned fish on top.

3. Arrange the rest of the rest of the ingredients around the fish, drizzle some sesame oil and place it in the steamer rack when the water boils.

4. Steam the fish for about 12 - 15 minutes depend on the thickness. Remove drizzle some shallot oil and served hot with steamed rice.

SAMBAL LALA

(Clams or Seashells)

Friendly speaking I am not a fan of shellfish but recently I have eaten some really good "Stir-fried Bamboo Clam and Lala" from the Seafood Galore buffet at Plaza Brasserie which makes crave for some. So today I decided to adapt a recipe from Wokkingmum website which is known as "Grilled Sambal Squid" and instead of using Squid I have recipe is with Lala(clams).

Recipe adapted from Wokkingmum's Grilled Sambal Squid.

(Serves: 2 |         Preparation: 30 minutes |              Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
300g Clams, cleaned
2 - 3 Tablespoons of Sambal Chilli
2 Stalks Lemon Grass, lightly pound
4 Clove Garlic, chopped
1 Small Brown Onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon Oil

Method:-

1. Soak clams in salted water for about 20 minutes to let it spit out the dirt/sands. Rinse, drain and set aside.

2. Remove the outer layer of the lemongrass, cut into about 8cm sections. Lightly pound it and set aside.

3. Heat oil in Happy Call Pan(HCP) or frying pan, saute garlic, onion and lemon grass for about 1 minute till fragrant.

4. Add in the sambal chilli according to your preference and give the mixture a quick stir to evenly coat it with the chilli.

5. Add in clams, cover pan for 30 seconds and give the pan a good shake pan.

6. Open the pan, check the clams and give it a stir before cover the pan and continue to cook till all the clams are opened.

7. Discard those that did not open. Dish up and served hot with steamed rice.

Lastly, hope you would like these dishes that I have shared with you and I hope you could also join us and support Food Revolution Day and eat healthy with food that is prepared using fresh ingredients. For more information on Food Revolution Day you can refer to the links below:-

1. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution
~ Official Website
~ Facebook Page
~ Twitter - @FoodRev

2. Food Revolution Singapore
~ Facebook Page
~ Twitter - @FoodRevSg

{Photo Friday} Mother's Day Special

Although there are different dates reserved for Mother's Day in many parts of the world which most commonly seen in March, April or May but the majority of the countries do celebrate this special day on every second Sunday of May each year. And since today is Friday, Mother's Day will be just two days around the corner on Sunday, 13 May 2012. I am sure most of you have either celebrated Mother's Day early to avoid the crowds or you have already planned something interesting ahead for your mum or wife.

In this post, I have pick some quick and easy recipe links for your reference if you prefer to cook or bake some warm and hearty for your mum or loved ones during this weekend. No matter you are a newbie in the kitchen or someone who can cooks well, I am sure some of these links below will be able to give you some ideas on how to surprised "Mum" with your new skills and creation in the kitchen.

My boy with his genius thoughts and funny act(s) always makes me feel warm and blessed no matter how difficult motherhood is through his growing years. 

SET MENU FOR MUM

Thai Dishes with Appetizer	Chicken Cutlet with Apple Salad and Soup	Garlic Spaghetti with Pistachio Chicken and Avocado Milkshake
Avocado Chicken Parmigiana	Watercress Soup and Hainanese Pork Chop Rice	Kimchi Tofu Soup And Japchae

SOUP FOR MUM

Samgyetang	Five Nuts Soup	Leek and Potato Soup
Cream Of Mushroom Soup	Cordyceps Herbal Soup	Pork Muscle with Burdock

DISHES FOR MUM

Hong Zao Ji(红槽鸡)	Sizzling Tofu (using Happy Call Pan)	Bitter Gourd and Chicken In Casserole
Salmon with Spicy Sweetcorn Salsa	Stir-Fry Leek with Firm Beancurd	Thai Green Curry

BAKES FOR MUM

Lemon Yogurt Butter Cake	Double Chocolate Madeleine	Chocolate Chiffon with Multigrains
Kiwifruit and Lime Cupcakes	Apple Upside-down Cake (using Happy Call Pan)	Pandan Chiffon Cake (using Happy Call Pan)

DESSERT FOR MUM

Soy Milk Beancurd Pudding	Durian Pancake	Sweet Potato Soup
Bubur Terigu(大麦)	Tau Suan(豆爽)	Steamed Milk with Egg Whites

For more recipe ideas, you can refer to my recipes link HERE.

Lastly I would like to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day! Remember to love and pamper your mum in anyway that you can. Because "being a mom is the hardest job in the world", they don't get to rest and they work 24hr a week for 365 days. So during this coming Mother's Day, do give your mum a warm hug and a pat on her back to show your love and appreciation for her contribution to the family.

Pan-fried Anchovies(whitebaits) Using Happy Call Pan

Looking at this I am sure most of you would "shout out" it as one of the add-ons for Nasi Lemak, natural seasoning for toddlers or kids to be added in their porridge and etc. The above shown is known as Pan-fried Whitebaits/Anchovies in some saying. 

This crispy and fragrant sides is one of my kid's favourite when eating with porridge or even plain rice. I used to cook this quiet often during his toddler's days but due to the salt content and the "fishy" aroma that perfumed the whole kitchen/living room during frying process, I have stop cooking it for sometime.

PAN-FRIED ANCHOVIES (WHITEBAITS)

(using Happy Call Pan)

But recently, out of curiosity I decided to try frying some Whitebaits using Happy Call Pan (HCP) since this pan claim to be able to fry fish using NO OIL/Minimum amount of oil.  So after my small experiment on pan-frying this whitebaits without adding oil (but just lightly grease the pan), I am surprised with the end result which is turn out to be so crispy as compared to those using OIL fried.

(Make: 100g |     Preparation: 5 minutes |       Cooking: 10 - 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
100g Anchovies(江鱼仔)/Whitebaits(银鱼)
1 Teaspoon Cornflour
1 Teaspoon Oil(optional), to grease

Method:-

1. Rinse Anchovies/Whitebaits in a bowl with a few change of water, drain water and squeeze dry using some kitchen paper towel.

2. Add in 1 teaspoon of cornflour to the dried Anchovies/Whitebaits, using your fingers or chopsticks coat them evenly and set aside for 5 minutes.

3. Next lightly grease lower pan of the Happy Call Pan(HCP) with 1 teaspoon of oil, add in the prepared Anchovies/Whitebaits, cover(don't lock or else water vapour will form and make the content soggy) and cook on the lowest heat for about 10 minutes or until it turns golden brown in colour.

4. When done, remove HCP from stove and leave the Anchovies/Whitebaits to cool off at room temperature before storing them in air-tight containers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note:-

~ During the cooking time, stir Anchovies/Whitebaits on and off about 3 minutes to prevent burning and achieve the even brown colours.

For those who owns a HCP, if you want to make some yummy fried Anchovies/whitebaits without oil or perfumed your kitchen with "fishy" smell. This post will be a great tip to enjoy your favourite anchovies/whitebaits" with peanuts or chilli in a healthy and "smells" free way.

Gochujang Chicken Stew - 닭도리탕

Gochujang Chicken Stew(DakDoriTang - 닭도리탕) is one of the warming Autumn stew which is filled with vegetable and spices to ward off the cold. The use of "chillies" and "gochujang" chilli paste supply a vivid red colour to this dish and it also give the chicken a fiery quality with a delicious hint of aftertaste sweetness.

Although this Korean Guchujang Chicken Stew(닭도리탕) recipe seems to use a lot of ingredients but it's fairly easy to prepare and cooks in about 30 minutes. And instead of using whole chicken mentioned in most of the recipes, you could also choose to use fillet, drumstick or wings according to your preference.

GOCHUJANG CHICKEN STEW

DakDoriTang - 닭도리탕

As you notice from the recipe below, the chicken pieces is marinated with either mirin or rice wine to enhance its flavour as well as get rid of any chicken smell. And in order to get that lovely "spicy red" colouring and fiery flavour of this Korean dish, both Gochujang(red chilli paste) and Gochugaru (red chilli powder) are a must for this dish. But if Gochugaru is not available at your area, you could also replace it with same or half the amount of ground paprika.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/2 Portion of Chicken, about 500g
2 Medium Potato, cut into 1" cubes
1 Medium Carrot, peeled cut into 1/2" thick
1 Medium Brown Onion, coarsely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, lightly crushed
1 Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
1 Green Chilli, thinly sliced
1 Red Chilli, thinly sliced
1 Spring Onion, finely chopped to garnish

Marinade:
1.5 Tablespoons of Mirin or Rice Wine
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Seasoning Sauce:
1/2 Tablespoon Roasted Sesame Seeds
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Gochujang Chilli Paste
1 - 2 Tablespoon Korean Chilli Powder(Gochugaru)

Method:-

1. Soak the potato cubes in cold water for about 15 minutes (to remove starch from the potato) and drained well. Set aside.

2. Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken pieces. Stir to coat thoroughly and leave it in the fridge for about 15 - 30 minutes.

3. Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan or Happy Call Pan(with 1/2 tablespoon oil) and do a quick stir-fry with the crushed garlic till fragrant. Add in marinated chicken(drained well) and fry for about 3 minutes on each side till lightly browned.

4. Remove the chicken and set aside on plate. Using the same pan, add in another 1/2 tablespoon of oil and stir in the the potatoes, carrot and onions. Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes before adding back the chicken pieces.

5. Next pour in about 150ml of hot water so that about 2/3 of the meat and vegetables are immersed in water, bring the mixture to boil before adding in the chilli seasoning.

To make the chilli seasoning, combine the soy sauce, gochujang paste, chilli powder and sesame seeds in a bowl and mix together thoroughly.

6. Simmer the mixture until the liquid has reduce to about 1/3, add in the sliced green and red chilli. Continue to simmer for a another 3 - 5 minutes until liquid has thickened slightly.

7. Drizzle some sesame oil on it and transfer the mixture to serving bowl and garnish with chopped spring onion and serve hot with steamed rice.

This is a wonderful one pot dish which is full of flavour and it taste quiet similar to our Asian-style of Chicken With Potato Stew using dark soy sauce. And if your family can't take very spicy dishes, perhaps you can omit or cut down the amount of chilli powder used so that you could still enjoy this mouthwatering dish without fear of it's fiery taste.

Lastly hope you have enjoy reading and hopefully trying out these quick and and easy Korean dishes from my Korean Cooking Project posts.