Steamed Fish with Lime (Pla Neung Manao)

Steamed fish is always a staple dish on our dining table as it is a healthy and simple dish to prepare and of course minimal cleaning which I like hehehe….I knew this dish will be well accepted therefore I slightly increase the seasoning sauce so that it is enough to go around :D 

Simple concoction but yet taste so flavorful and appetizing! :D 

Recipe source : Hot Thai Kitchen
Ingredient

• 1 Whole Seabass, approx 500gm (butterflied the fish)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 5 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 3 tsp brown sugar
• 3 tbsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 chilli, chopped
• 3 pickled garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp pickling liquid from pickled garlic
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, reserved stems lining
• 2 stalk lemongrass, cut into halves

Method

1. Clean the fish thoroughly and pat dry with a kitchen paper (I got the fishmonger to butterfly the whole fish). Place lemongrass and cilantro stems on a steaming plate. Place the fish over. Smear the sesame oil over the fish.
2. Steam the fish over preheated steamer on high heat for 7-10 mins, depending on the thickness of the fish.
3. Meanwhile prepare the sauce by combining fish sauce, lime juice, chilli, chopped garlic/pickled garlic, sugar and pickling liquid together. Adjust taste accordingly.
4. When the fish is done, combine chopped cilantro with sauce. Pour the sauce all over the fish. Serve immediately.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) - November Month hosted by Lena of frozen wings

Oatmeal Banana Cake

Its been a while I've bake a banana cake!! Actually I'm pretty lazy nowadays, not much baking going on in the kitchen. So the kids can only survive on bread and nutella as their snacks for quite some time….but they simply love it therefore no complains from them hahaha…

This is a lovely banana cake with extra rolled oats added into the batter! Great with along a cuppa of tea   in the afternoon :D 

Recipe source : createbydiane.com
Ingredient

• 125gm unsalted butter
• 120gm sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 medium ripen bananas, sliced
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 250gm cake flour
• 1 cup regular rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar until light.
2. Beat in egg until mixture is creamy & fluffy.
3. Beat in sliced bananas, milk and vanilla.
4. Sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon. Fold and mix in oats evenly.
5. Spread the batter into a lined 7" x 10" cake pan.  Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg cel for 35-40mins.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Vivian of Vivian Pang's Kitchen.

Thai Vermicelli Salad in 3-Flavoured Sauce

This Thai vermicelli salad is different from the usual Yum Woon Sen which uses simply dressing like fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar. With some balanced Thai 3-Flavoured Sauce I've made, I come up with this simple Thai flavored vermicelli salad :D We all , except hubby whom hate prawn, simply enjoy slurping up this dish! ^0^

Ingredient (4 servings)

• 150gm bean vermicelli, soak till softened
• 300gm squid, cleaned and sliced
• 220gm medium prawns, peeled & deveined
• 1 canned straw mushroom, sliced into half
• 2 heap tbsp dried shrimps, softened
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 8 tbsp thai 3-flavoured sauce
• 2 stalk spring onion, diced

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan, add dried shrimps and fried till crispy, drained well.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil, blanched vermicelli for a while till translucent. Drain well and place in a mixing bowl.
3. Using the same pot of hot water, bring to boil again and cook mushroom, squid and prawns for about 1-2 mins. Do not overcook. Drain well and transfer to the mixing bowl.
4. Add in sliced tomatoes, spring onion and sauce. Toss well and serve immediately!

Thai Fish with Three Flavoured Sauce (Pla Sam Rot)

Pla Sam Rot means deep fried fish with a sweet, tangy and spicy tamarind sauce. It can taste rather complicated with so many flavors mixing together but is indeed to die for dish! Crispy and succulent deep fried fish really goes well with this flavorful thai three flavored sauce and do not forget the extra fresh herbs topped over the dish…..double thumbs up! ^.* 

Recipe source : Soul Kitchen Blog

Ingredient

• Approx. 500gm red tilapia
• 2 large handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 handful of coriander leaves
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 1/2 cup thai three flavored sauce

Method

• Clean the fish thoroughly and pat dry. Make 3 slashes on both sides of the fish and lightly rub some salt all over.
• Heat some oil in a wok. (make sure the oil is real hot) Gently slide in the fish in cook till golden brown, about 5 mins. Slowly turn over the other side. Remove fish, drain well and place on a serving plate.
• With remaining oil in wok, add in basil leaves and fry till crisp over high heat for about 2 mins. Drain well.
• With the same wok, add in three flavored sauce and cook till heated through. Remove from heat.
• Drizzle the sauce over the fried fish. Top with fried basil leaves, followed by kaffir lime leaves, coriander leaves and chilli. Serve immediately.

Dislike pan frying whole fish? Try boneless & skinless fish fillet which works equally well without comprising the taste :D 

Ingredient

• 550gm boneless, skinless fish fillet, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp tapioca flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp oil
• 4 tbsp thai three flavored sauce

Method

1. Dissolve tapioca flour in water. Whisk in egg, salt and oil.
2. Heat 1/2 cup oil in wok. Make sure the oil is heated through.
3. Dip fish fillet into egg batter. Slide the fish fillet into hot oil, deep fry till golden brown on both sides. Drain well on kitchen paper. Repeat process till all fish is done.
4. Remove excess oil in wok, add in three flavored sauce and bring to boil.
5. Add in fried fish fillet and toss lightly to coat evenly.
6. Dish up and serve immediately.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) - November Month hosted by Lena of frozen wings

Thai Three-Flavoured Sauce (Soas Sam Rot)

I always love food that is spicy and sour and yes I am slowly introducing some spicy food to my both kids :D My 7 year old boy can take medium heat pretty well like Malay mee goreng. Japanese curry with medium heat is also no problem for their palate :D  Hopefully soon they will be abled to accept the same level of spiciness as me so that I can whip up spicy food as often as I like! hehehe

This Thai 3-flavoured sauce supposed to be spicy, sour and sweet at the same time.  Looks very tantalizing indeed! But the final result is not as spicy and sour as I thought, is more on the sweet side >.< Guess I should reserve some chilli seeds and reduce the sugar amount for my next attempt :D But overall it is still a very flavourful sauce which is great in tossing over vermicelli salad and over deep fried chicken/fish fillet.

Chopped chilli, cilantro stems, shallots & garlic

Chopped palm sugar, brown sugar, tamarind paste & fish sauce

Recipe source : Shesimmers.com
Ingredient

• 40gm red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (retained some seeds for extra spiciness)
• 40gm peeled garlic, finely chopped
• 40gm peeled shallots, finely chopped
• 20gm finely chopped cilantro stems
• 120gm palm sugar, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 50gm brown sugar
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 1/3 cup thick tamarind liquid
• 2 tbsp corn oil

Method

1. Heat up oil in a medium saucepan, fry the chilli, garlic, shallots and cilantro stems over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Add in the remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer till sauce is reduced and thickens, approx 1.5 cups.
3. Store the cooled sauce in a cleaned glass jar and refrigerate or freeze.

Ways to use the sauce…..

Deep Fried Fish Fillet                                               Thai Vermicelli Salad

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) - November Month hosted by Lena of frozen wings

Cranberry, Pumpkin Seed & Caramel Flapjacks

Flapjacks is actually another term for oat bars in British. The base is mainly rolled oats but is rather a sinful treat as this 9" square flapjacks uses up ONE whole slab of salted butter and ONE can of caramel! *Gasp* Instead of slicing into 16 servings as suggested, I divided it into 30 small squares :D Better to savour it little mouthful at a time….

Recipe source : Good Food Mag Nov 2013
Ingredient (30 small squares)

• 200gm salted butter
• 90gm dulce de leche
• 30gm light brown sugar
• 350gm regular rolled oats
• 85gm plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Topping

• 300gm dulce de leche
• 50gm salted butter
• 25gm pumpkin seeds
• 50gm dried cranberries
• 30gm mini dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat oven at 160 deg cel. Line a 9" x 9" pan with baking paper.
2. Combine oats, flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
3. Melt butter, caramel & sugar in a saucepan. Pour the mixture into the oat and stir well till the oats are evenly coated with the butter mixture.
4. Pour the oat mixture into the pan and press down evenly and firmly. Bake for 45 mins until golden brown.
5. Topping : Dissolve caramel and butter over low heat, stirring continuously for about 5 mins, until the mixture turns dark golden brown and thickens slightly.
6. When the flapjacks is done, remove from oven and spread the hot caramel evenly over it. (I did not use up all the caramel!) Leave to cool for 5 mins.
7. Scatter the pumpkin seeds, cranberries and chocolate chips evenly over the surface and leave to cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by Vivian of Vivian Pang's Kitchen.

I am also submitting this to Cook-Your-Books #6 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Salted Black Olive Fried Rice (Khao Phad Nahm Liap)

This is a fast and simple Thai style fried rice. The main ingredients are just minced meat & chinese black olives which renders a savoury and flavourful taste to this fried rice. 

This is the first time I uses the salted black olive 乌橄榄 (left pic) in the fried rice. I always uses olive vegetables (right pic) which is completely different taste from the latter. The olive vegetables is a mixture of mostly mustard, oil, salt and minimal amount of olives inside. It is best to use the whole chinese black olive in this dish as you can really taste the natural flavour of the olives :D 

Recipe source : YouCanCookThai
Ingredient

• 4 cups cooked rice (I've used mixture of white and brown rice)
• 250gm ground chicken
• 8 Chinese salted black olives
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp corn oil
• sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted cashew nuts for garnishing

Method

1. Remove black olive seeds and chopped finely.
2. Heat oil in a wok, sauté garlic till fragrant.
3. Add chopped olives and fry for 2 mins.
4. Add in ground chicken and fry till 2 mins, break up the pieces with the spatula. Add in seasoning.
5. Add in rice and mix evenly, cook till rice is heated through. Dish up and serve.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) - November Month hosted by Lena of frozen wings

Sweet & Sour Pork 咕噜肉

What an appetizing dish! It looks rather complicated to prepare? Actually is really really fast and simple :D The sauce mixture and deep fried pork are prepared before hand. With heated wok maintained at medium high heat throughout the sautéing process, this dish will be ready in mins. Get ready your bowl of hot rice and chopsticks and ready to dig in! :D 

Something interesting to share!! I read this article on MediFacts from Facebook :D How to differentiate the gender of bell peppers!! hahaha….Turn the bell peppers over, the ones with 4 bumps are female and those with 3 bumps are male ^0^ The females peppers are full of seeds and is better for eating raw as they are taste sweeter whereas the males ones are better for cooking! 

Recipe source : '煮炒酱料大公开‘ by Angela Cheng
Ingredient

• 250gm pork fillet, cut into small cubes
• 80gm green capsicums, cut into cubes
• 80gm red capsicums, cut into cubes
• 100 pineapple, cut into cubes
• 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 3/4 cup sweet & sour sauce

Marinade

• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 beaten egg
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 heap tbsp tapioca flour

Sweet & Sour Sauce : heat briefly till sugar dissolves

• 4 tbsp tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 3 tbsp plum sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup water

Method

1. Add marinade to the sliced pork and set aside for at least 30mins.
2. Coat pork with tapioca flour and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Drain well.
3. Leaving 1/2 tbsp oil in wok, add in onion and sauté till fragrant.
4. Add in garlic and chilli, stir fry briefly.
5. Add in capsicums and fry for 1 min.
6. Add in pork and pineapples and mix evenly.
7. Add in sweet & sour sauce and bring to boil. Add in some potato starch liquid to thicken the gravy. Dish up.

Do not fancy pork? Try the sweet & sour sauce with fried fish fillet! Taste equally good :D

I am also submitting this to Cook-Your-Books #6 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Thai Fried Chicken (Gai Tod)

Hmmm guess no one can resist these tantalizing fried chicken! ^0^ There are so many variations on the marination for thai fried chicken but undoubtedly all should taste fantastic hehehe….Instead of using cupfuls of hot oil for deep frying, I used about 1/2 cup of oil for shallow deep-frying and it still yields a crispy skin and tender juicy meat.  

Recipe source : Chez Pim & RasaMalaysia

Ingredient

• 1 kg mid-joint chicken wings
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 heap tbsp cliantro stem/roots
• 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp large grained sea salt
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp fish sauce

Flour Mixture (mix well)

• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 4 tbsp tapioca starch
• 4 tbsp rice flour

Method

• Clean the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
• Pound garlic, cilantro roots and salt until they become a fine paste.
• Add the paste, fish sauce, oyster sauce to the chicken and mix well. Marinate overnight in fridge.
• Coat the marinated chicken in the flour mixture and shake any excess flour off.
• Heat about 1/2 cup oil in wok. Gently drop in chicken (in batches) and pan fry for 3 mins, turn over the other side and fry till golden brown. Transfer the fried chicken onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve immediately with Thai sweet chilli sauce.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest ( Thailand ) - November Month hosted by Lena of frozen wings