{5 New Recipes} Pre Chinese New Year Dinner Gathering

Last Saturday evening, a few of us get together to have an early Chinese New Year dinner over at my place. Although this was not the first time I prepared food for such as big group of friends other than my family,  I am still very nervous and a bit stress up with planning the dishes as well as preparations.

Thanks to Jacob and Shiting who initiate to help up with the Yusheng as well as preparing the ingredients for the dishes in order to put this dinner together. I hope everyone enjoys the meal and I apologize if the dishes are not up to expectations due to my clumsy hands and mind in the kitchen :)

Steamed Coffee Cake

This is my first time attempting Chinese New Year steamed cake as compared to my usual new cookies and dishes. But since I wanted sometime fusion rather than the traditional Steamed Prosperity Cakes (Fa Gao - 发糕), I decided to use a sponge cake recipe and give it a twit by adding instant coffee powder and brown sugar to achieve a similar colour like Fa Gao.

On top of that, I also decorate it with some auspicious New Year wordings like 发财(Fa Cai), 福(Fu), 大吉(Da Ji) and etc by pipping outlines of the Chinese characters on it.

STEAMED COFFEE CAKE
(using Gold Kili Instant Double Shot White Coffee)

With some Gold Kili Instant Double Shot White Coffee Powder that I found in my pantry, I decide to add it into my sponge cake mixture to create our all-time favourite steamed coffee cake. The texture of these steamed cakes are very soft and fine which resemble those Japanese Steamed Cakes which are available in four leaves or some Japanese bakery.

(Make: 8  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 12 - 14 minutes each batch)

Ingredients:

• 2 Sachets Gold Kili Instant Double Shot White Coffee
• 100g All Purpose Plain Flour
• 1.5 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 100g Caster / Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs (55g each)
• 70ml Milk
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ovalette /Sponge Gel

Method:-
1. Add all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and whisk using an electric beater on medium speed (speed 3) for about 6 minutes till mixture form ribbon trace when beater is lifted up from the batter.

2. Set aside 2 Tablespoons of the batter and coloured it with some red food gel till well mixed, spoon it into a piping bag and set aside.

3. Next spoon the coffee batter into another piping bag and fill each cupcake liner till 3/4 full.

4. Cut a small opening at the end of the red batter piping bag, make sure the opening is not too big or else the wording will be too thick.

5. Pipe some auspicious Chinese words on the prepared plain batter then arrange the cups in a steamer and steamed on medium high heat for 12 – 14 minutes depending on the size and heat.

Overall these cake are light in texture which filled with distinctive coffee flavour that make it a great snacks for the visiting guests during Chinese New Year. Imagine having this auspicious cake and wishing each other a prosperous new year with some "Lotus Seeds, Longan And Persimmon Sweet Soup".

Lastly I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

Cooking With Shiokoji

Not long ago, I come across a new seasoning from Japan known as Shiokoji (塩麹 - salted malt rice) which was given to me by another food blogger friend. For short, Shiokoji is a traditional condiment made from fermented malted rice, salt and water. And if you happen to find Shiokoji in Singapore or during your trip to Japan, do grab hold of some and you would be amazed on the dishes it could produce.

GRILL SALMON WITH SHIOKOJI

Although the above grilled salmon requires only Shiokoji as the main seasoning but the end product surprisingly brings out the flavour of the salmon with hint of fragrance and savory taste. This happens because Shio-koji imparts a rich savory flavor that makes any dish delicious and it acts as a great seasoning on fish or meat too.

(Serves: 1 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 6 - 8 minutes)

Ingredients:
150 - 180g of Salmon Fillet
2 Teaspoons of Shiokoji

Method:-
1. Marinate salmon fillet with Shiokoji for about 5 - 10 minutes.

2. Drizzle some olive oil on griddle pan, grill salmon fillet with skin side down for about 4 minutes (depending on the thickness) on each side over medium heat till slightly golden brown in colour.

Tip:
~ As Shiokoji tends to burn easily, remember to lower the heat during cooking to prevent it from getting burnt.

Sometime we love simple meal like the above and it would be great too if you just want to narrow down the menu to only Onigiri (rice ball) plus one main dish. But if you have time, you could always add on another simple side like hard-boiled egg or boiled Edamame.

STIR-FRY MACKEREL WITH SHIOKOJI AND FRENCH BEAN

Simple Stir-fry Mackerel with Shiokoji and French Bean

(Serves: 2   | Preparation: 10 minutes |  Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
200g of Mackerel Fillet, Sliced
3 Teaspoons Of Shiokoji
150g French Bean, trimmed
Some Carrot, Sliced

Method:-
1. Marinate mackerel with shiokoji for at least 5 minutes or not more than 30 minutes.

2. Preheat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, pan-fry the marinated mackerel for 2 minutes on each side or till slightly golden brown in colour. Remove and set aside.

3. Next add in another teaspoon of oil, stir-fry the carrot and french bean till french bean change to darker green colour, toss in mackerel fillet and give it a quick stir till well-combined.

4. Remove on serving plate and serve with steamed white rice.

Other than the two fish dishes above, I also used Shiokoji to marinate chicken fillet which taste great as a simple dish on itself. And just for your information, the portion of Shiokoji to any meat ingredient weight is 1:10 which means for each 100g of meat, use 10g(1.5 teaspoons) of Shiokoji. But then it is still up to individual to adjust the amount of Shiokoji used according to their taste preference.

Chawanmushi is one of our favourite egg dish and nothing would go wrong when you follow Nami's (Just One Cook Book) quick and easy  Japanese recipes on her site. Here I followed one of her savory Chawanmushi recipe which includes step-by-step illustrations that helps to make this delicious Japanese Steamed Egg Custard. So do check up Nami's website for more recipe ideas too!

Grilled Salmon With Orange Marmalade

Chinese New Year (CNY) is less than a month away and I am sure everyone is busying with spring cleaning, planning New Year reunion dinner, gatherings as well as what to cook for the visiting guests and etc. Over the years, I have some collection of Chinese New Year recipes on dishes, desserts and bakes which you might be interested to take a look and hopefully it would help to spark up some inspirations for your CNY menu.

GRILLED SALMON WITH ORANGE MARMALADE
(using Frezfruta Orange Marmalade)

To shorten the cooking process of the usual CNY dishes like Braised Mushroom With Sea Cucumber, Fish Maw Soup, Braised Soy Duck, Chicken Curry and etc. Here I have a quick and healthy Grilled Salmon with Orange Marmalade that served with steamed vegetables which I think it would be great idea to add  into your New Year Menu.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 - 15 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 2 Pieces of Salmon Fillet (200g each)
• 3 Tablespoons Frezfruta Orange Marmalade
• 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
• 1/2 Tablespoon Freshly Grate Ginger
• 2 Clove Garlic, lightly smashed
• Extra 1/4 Cup Frezfruta Orange Marmalade

Sides:
Assorted Steamed Vegetables

Method:-
1. Check and remove all the bone from the salmon fillet using a tweezer.

2. Combine all marinade and marinate the salmon for 5 minutes.

3. Lightly grease a griddle pan, grill the salmon fillet with skin side down first for about 4 - 5 minutes each side over medium heat.

4. To make the marmalade sauce: remove the salmon from the pan, add in ¼ Cup Frezfruta Orange Marmalade to the marinade mixture and simmer till mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat.

5. To serve, top salmon fillets with Orange Marmalade Sauce and steamed vegetables as sides.

I choose salmon because I love the taste and texture when combined with the marinade especially the orange marmalade which helps to boost up it taste. But just remember not to over cooked the salmon or else the meat would be too dry. 

Lastly I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.