Chicken Cacciatore with Pappardelle

 

Chicken Cacciatore is a simple and delicious Italian-style chicken stew made with tomatoes and white wine. "Cacciatore" means "hunter" in Italian, so this is also known as hunter's stew. I first made this a year ago when my friend Tracey shared her recipe with me. I think she visited some cooking school on her Italian holiday and kept raving to me about chicken cacciatore. Get hold of fresh pappardelle if you can (here, I've used cracked black pepper and basil pappardelle), but otherwise, any of your favourite pasta will work too. You can omit the red peppers if you like, but I find that it lends a lovely sweetness and flavour to the dish. This is ideal for those big family dinners, where you can cook up a big batch, let it simmer on the stove while you sit, relax and have a sip or two of wine. That's stress-free cooking for you. Read on to get the recipe.

Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4 | Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 50 mins

Ingredients

1.2kg (2 lb) chicken thigh cutlets, skin on*
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
100g pancetta, diced
2 bay leaves
1 small red pepper, sliced (optional)
2 sprigs thyme (optional)
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup dry white wine
1 can (400g / 14oz) diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
2 tbsp butter**

600g fresh pappardelle

Method

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and place chicken skin-side down in the pan. Shake the pan occasionally to prevent chicken from sticking to the pan. Brown the chicken 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
2. Add the onion and garlic to the remaining oil in the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the pancetta, red pepper, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Saute for for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil and simmer until it's reduced to half. Return the chicken to the pan and add tomatoes and chilli flakes (if desired). Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through. Stir in the butter towards the end and simmer for 2 minutes. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water till al dente. Drain and place on serving plates. Ladle the chicken and sauce over the pasta and serve immediately.

Note:
* Chicken thigh cutlet comes with one bone still attached
** I've added in butter to help thicken the sauce a little

 

Served with black pepper and basil pappardelle

 

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Mee Pok (Flat Egg Noodles) with Beef and Bittergourd

 

In all my years of eating and cooking, I have only recently embraced bittergourd into my cooking repertoire. I was visiting my mum and she was wondering what to do with the leftover roast pork she had in the fridge. She suggested doing a stir-fried bittergourd with roast pork dish, which I've heard of but never tried before. I can't remember if she ever cooked that during my childhood, but back then, I shunned anything that had bittergourd in it. I was a picky eater when I was young. Dare I admit that I never ate my veggies until I was in my late teens. Okay, my kids don't have to know this. Really.

Anyway, back to the bittergourd. I decided to use beef instead of roast pork in this dish, cooked with salted black beans. To make it a one-dish meal, I tossed it with some flat egg noodles (we call this Mee Pok in Singapore, though I'm not sure why) and added a splash of black vinegar, and it turned out to be a most slurp-worthy and delicious bowl of noodles.

Mee Pok (Flat Egg Noodles) with Beef and Bittergourd
(serves 2-3)

Ingredients

1 medium-sized bittergourd
Vegetable oil for frying
200g beef, thinly sliced
1 tbsp black beans, minced to a paste
2 tsp salted soy beans, minced to a paste
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped red chillies (optional)
1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped scallions/spring onions
Sriracha or chilli sauce (optional)

300g flat egg noodles ("mee pok"), cooked in boiling water until al dente

Seasoning (combine in a bowl):
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp Cheong Chan thick caramel
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
4 tbsp water

Beef marinade:
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
Dash of black pepper
Pinch of salt and sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp water

Method

Cut bittergourd lengthwise into quarters. Remove the seeds and scrape off the spongy white part (as this is the bitter part). Slice into 6mm-thick pieces. Sprinkle with salt, set aside for 1/2 hour. Then squeeze out all the water. Rinse the bittergourd and drain well. Blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes until just tender but not too soft. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

Combine beef with marinade. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a wok. Fry the beef on high heat for 3 minutes until almost cooked. Dish out and set aside.

Heat up 1 tbsp oil in the wok. Fry the minced black beans and soy beans, followed by the garlic and chillies. Add the bittergourd and fry for 1 minute. Push these to the side of the wok and add seasoning ingredients and bring to a boil on high heat. Add the beef and fry briskly to coat in the sauce. Toss the noodles in the wok and add a splash of black vinegar, more or less to taste. Add a dash of pepper, and salt to taste.  Dish out into individual serving plates and garnish with chopped scallions.  Serve immediately with  chilli sauced if desired.



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Portuguese Chicken with Piri-piri Sauce

Piri-piri is a Swahili word for "pepper pepper", and is also known as African Bird's Eye chilli. It is the predominant ingredient in making piri-piri sauce - a tangy, garlicky, fiery hot chilli sauce that is popular in South Africa cuisine. If you didn't know already, piri-piri chicken (also known as Portuguese chicken) originated in Mozambique (some say Angola), which were former Portuguese colonies. Hence, the influence of spicy Portuguese cooking found its way into South African cuisine.

It's probably more accurate to refer to this dish as piri-piri chicken, rather than Portuguese Chicken. After all, it did not originate from Portugal. It's a bit like Hainanese Chicken Rice, which did not originate from Hainan Island in China, but is one of the national dishes of Singapore (next to Singapore Chilli Crab, I suppose?). Anyway, piri-piri sauce is a great way to dress up your next roast chicken, and tastes fantastic especially if you love chillies, lemon and garlic. Serve it with a salad and some hot chips/fries.



Portuguese Roast Chicken with Piri-piri Sauce
Adapted from BBC Food

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (about 1.2kg), butterflied (alternatively, use whole chicken legs)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the piri-piri sauce:
6-12 fresh red chillies, depending on how hot you want it
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 bay leaf
½ tsp oregano (optional)
½ tbsp paprika
100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp brown sugar

Method

To make the piri-piri sauce, boil the chillies in a pot of water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and roughly chop the chillies. Place the chillies, garlic, salt, bay leaf, oregano, paprika, olive oil and vinegar in a saucepan, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and sugar to taste.

Allow the mixture to cool, then blend it to a purée in a jug blender or food processor. Store in a lidded container at room temperature.

Rub some salt and black pepper all over the butterflied chicken. Place the chicken in a sealable plastic bag. Add 2 tbsp of the piri-piri sauce, spreading it evenly over the chicken. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200C (400)F. Place the chicken in a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until cooked. Baste the chicken with pan juices halfway through roasting.

Serve with extra piri-piri sauce, chips and salad. I made a simple pear and rocket salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing to go with it. Yum!

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Easy Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on Toasted Croissant

I got woken up early this morning by the kids wishing me "Happy Mother's Day" while I was still half asleep in bed. They were already up before 7am and couldn't wait to give me their presents and cards. Give it a couple more years and I'd have them well-trained to make me breakfast in bed. For now, Mr TFWL (aka Mr G) is only too happy to make one of our favourite breakfasts - Eggs Benedict. Not just any ordinary Eggs Benedict, but one served on top of a freshly baked croissant. Lucky for us, there is a bakery down the road which sells delicious breads and pastries, including these flaky buttery croissants.

 

It's always such a treat to have Eggs Benedict for breakfast, with the perfectly poached eggs and creamy hollandaise sauce. Traditionally (or usually), they are served on top of an English muffin, or sometimes wood-fired bread. We discovered the most awesome Eggs Benedict at Bondi Beach many years ago (before we had kids), at this place called Lamrock Café. The last time we were there, it wasn't on the menu anymore, and we never came across any cafes in Sydney serving them on croissant either.

We realised making Eggs Benedict wasn't as difficult as we thought. We found a simple recipe for Hollandaise sauce that uses only egg yolks, lemon juice and butter, and it's not much harder than making custard. Try it out, and you'll probably never order Eggs Ben again when dining out. Not only is it cheaper, but it's tastier than some of the ones you get outside. No kidding. Don't forget, the way to making the best Eggs Benedict ever is to serve it on a toasted croissant. That way, you get the sweetness from the croissant, creaminess from the eggs, tang from the hollandaise and saltiness from the smoked salmon. What a perfect combination. Happy Mother's Day!

Easy Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on Toasted Croissant Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

8 free-range eggs
Vinegar (for poaching eggs)
200g (7oz) smoked salmon
4 good-quality croissants, split in half ("butterflied") lengthways, toasted

Hollandaise sauce (adapted from: Taste.com)
3 egg yolks
2 tbsp water
175g (6oz) salted butter at room temperature, cubed
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and black pepper

Method:

First, prepare the hollandaise sauce. Don't be intimidated by the lengthy instructions!

 

1. Fill a medium saucepan that is quarter-filled with water and bring to boil. Lower heat until it is barely simmering. This is important while making the sauce - if it is too hot, the egg yolks will cook too much and the sauce will curdle.
2. Place the egg yolks and the 2 tablespoons water in a heatproof bowl and place over the pan. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Use a wire balloon whisk (I used a handheld electric whisk) to whisk the mixture constantly for 3 minutes or until it is thick and pale, has doubled in volume and a ribbon trail forms when the whisk is lifted.
3. Add the butter a cube at a time, whisking constantly and adding another cube when the previous one is incorporated completely. (It should take about 10 minutes to add it all.) If butter is added too quickly, it won't mix easily with the egg yolks or the sauce may lose volume. At the same time, it is important that the butter is at room temperature and added a cube at a time, so that it doesn't take too long to be incorporated - if the sauce cooks for too long, it can curdle.
4. The sauce will begin to thin when you start adding the butter. However, once the emulsion is established (after about the third cube), it will begin to thicken again. It will continue to thicken as the remaining butter is added. If the sauce curdles or separates it can be saved as long as it isn't grainy and the eggs haven't set.
5. Remove the bowl from the pan and place on a heatproof surface. The cooked sauce should have the consistency of very lightly whisked thickened cream. Whisk in the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Set aside and prepare the poached eggs next.

Poached Eggs:

Please see here for recipe. In the meantime, prepare the toasted croissants and arrange them cut-side up, on individual serving plates.

To assemble:

Place a few slices of smoked salmon on each croissant. Carefully slide two poached eggs over the salmon. Stir the hollandaise sauce once and spoon some over the eggs. Sprinkle over with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately. Repeat with the other croissants. Enjoy!

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Lor Mee (Braised Noodles)

I cooked "Lor Mee" (Singapore-style) this weekend and updated my earlier post with new photos.

Lor mee simply refers to braised noodles, which typically uses thick yellow noodles served in a bowl with a thick flavoursome gravy (thickened with starch solution and/or egg). They are usually topped with sliced pork, deep-fried yam or other fritters, hard-boiled egg, fish cake or fresh seafood, and then served with a generous drizzle of black vinegar, chilli and minced garlic.

I still have not had Lor Mee in Sydney, though I'm sure it would be available in one of the many Malaysian/Singaporean eateries that have been popping up in many places recently. I remember many years ago, there were only a couple of such eateries in the city, but now, there are just too many to keep track of. Of course, everyone claims to serve Malaysian/Singaporean cuisine, but whether they are authentic or not is something else.

 

I happened to find  a packet of noodles in my fridge that was screaming out to be used before it's due date. Fortunately, I had some pork belly and prawn shells in the freezer, which meant that it was the perfect opportunity to make Lor Mee. I didn't have any beansprouts, but they are entirely optional.

This is a simple and tasty version of Lor Mee that is pretty easy to cook. Basically, you just need to prepare the stock (which I made from the pork and prawn shells, and chicken stock), then add in the noodles, thicken up the gravy with starch and egg, and it's ready to serve up! Don't forget to add the minced garlic and black vinegar before serving. It just isn't Lor Mee without them!

Lor Mee Recipe

Ingredients

500g thick yellow/hokkien noodles
2 cups bean sprouts

2 cups prawn shells/heads
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
400g pork belly
1/2 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel
1 tbsp sugar
4 cloves garlic, crushed
7 cups water or pork/chicken stock
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
3-4 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel (depending on how dark you like the gravy to be)
3-4 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
4 hard-boiled eggs

Thickening:
5-6 tbsp tapioca starch + 1/2 cup water (use more starch if you like it thicker)
1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp water

Garnish and condiments:
1 cup sliced fish cakes
Chinkiang Black Vinegar
White pepper
Chopped coriander leaves
Sliced red chillies
Sambal (garlic chilli paste) - you can try Glory Nyonya Sambal Chilli
Minced garlic (6-8 cloves, finely chopped in a blender with a little salt, sugar, hot water and white vinegar)

Method

Prepare the pork belly by boiling it in salted water for 5 minutes to remove impurities which will surface as scum. Discard the water and rinse the pork, then dry with a paper towel. Rub 1/2 tbsp Cheong Chan thick caramel over the meat. Heat up 1 tbsp oil with 1 tbsp sugar in a medium-large pot. When the sugar caramelizes to a brown colour, remove the pot from the heat. Carefully place the pork belly into the pot and quickly cover with the lid to prevent the oil from splattering. Then place it back on the heat and add the garlic cloves. Sear the meat on all sides until browned. Add 4 cups water, five-spice, thick caramel and light soy sauce and simmer for 1-2 hours until tender. Add hard-boiled eggs during the last 15 minutes of cooking.

While the pork is simmering, heat up 1 tbsp oil in a wok and fry the prawn shells until they turn red. Add the onion and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, then strain the stock.

Once the pork is tender, remove the pork and cut into thin slices, and put aside. Remove the hard-boiled eggs and cut in half. Then, add the prawn stock to the pork stock, together with the chicken stock powder, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then gradually stir in the tapioca starch solution and mix well until it comes to a simmer. Stir in the beaten egg mixture and mix through quickly. Turn off the heat.

When ready to serve, cook the noodles and bean sprouts (separately) in boiling water until cooked to your liking. Drain and divide into 4 serving bowls. Ladle the gravy over the noodles. Top with sliced pork, fish cake, hard-boiled egg and some minced garlic. Don't forget to add a splash of black vinegar and some white pepper, and garnish with sliced red chillies and coriander leaves. Serve hot with sambal chilli!

Note: For something a little extra, serve it with battered fish cocktails. I got them from the local fish & chip shop, and they went together perfectly!



Noodles in thickened gravy, topped with sliced fish cake, pork belly, hard-boiled egg,
sliced red chillies and minced garlic, drizzled with black vinegar

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Lemon Meringue Tart (and a Baby Shower)

 

Ms L threw a baby shower last week, and isn't the pink theme adorable? Loving the pink pom-poms! I offered to make mini lemon meringue tarts and Hokkaido cupcakes for the shower. I threw in some Gougères (Cheese puffs) as a bonus simply because they were pretty quick and easy to make, and just in case there weren't enough savoury options on the menu.

 

 

Ms L bought this cute cupcake stand from the party shop. Pretty isn't it? Might have gone overboard with the pink, but that's the theme!

 

These flaky puff pastries are spinach and ricotta pastizzis from Costco, which is a great place to shop at if you're planning a big party.

 

 

I told Ms L that with less than a month before bubba arrives, she shouldn't be exerting herself too much in the kitchen. Yet, she managed to make a batch of sausage rolls and these delicious sardine puffs (pictured above) which were one of the favourites at the table. She's quite the perfectionist, as you can tell from the neatly pleated pastries.

 

 

And what's a party without chips and fresh homemade guacamole? It sure beats the store-bought ones.



 

Now, back to the lovely meringue tarts. This recipe uses lemon and orange juice for the filling, which balances out the flavour and tartness from the citrus. On hindsight, I should have made the pastry case slightly thicker as they turned out to be a little too delicate and crumbled easily. Otherwise, I think they tasted rather sensational.

Ultimate Lemon Meringue Tart

Adapted from: BBC Good Food

 

For the pastry (if making Mini Tarts)

• 250g plain flour
• 150g cold butter, cut in small pieces
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling

• 2 level tbsp cornflour
• 100g golden caster sugar
• finely grated zest 2 large lemon
• 125ml fresh lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons)
• juice 1 small orange
• 85g butter, cut into pieces
• 3 egg yolks and a 1 whole egg

For the meringue

• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• 200g golden (or regular) caster sugar
• 2 level tsp cornflour

 

Method

 

1. For the pastry, put the flour, butter, icing sugar, egg yolk (save the white for the meringue) and 1 tbsp cold water into a food processor. Using the pulse button so the mix is not overworked, process until the mix starts to bind. Tip the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, gather together until smooth, then roll out to 5mm thickness. Using a round cookie cutter, cut out rounds to fit into the base and halfway up the sides of a greased muffin pan. Prick the base with a fork, line with foil, shiny side down, and chill for 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Bake the pastry case for 15 mins, then remove the foil and bake a further 5-8 mins until the pastry is pale golden and cooked. Set aside. (Can be done a day ahead if you want to get ahead.) Lower the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
3. While the pastry bakes, prepare the filling (or you could do this a day ahead and refrigerate the filling. Mix the cornflour, sugar and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Strain and stir in the lemon juice gradually. Make orange juice up to 200ml/7fl oz with water and strain into the pan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and smooth. Once the mixture bubbles, remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted. Beat the egg yolks (save white for meringue) and whole egg together, stir into the pan and return to a medium heat. Keep stirring vigorously for a few minutes, until the mixture thickens and plops from the spoon. (It will bubble, but doesn’t curdle.) Take off the heat and set aside to cool. Strain the lemon curd if necessary.
4. Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Whisk to soft peaks, then add half the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking between each addition without overbeating. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the rest of the sugar as before until smooth and thick.
5. Pour the filling into the pastry cases. Immediately put spoonfuls of meringue around the edge of the filling (if you start in the middle the meringue may sink), then spread so it just touches the pastry (this will anchor it and help stop it sliding). Pile the rest into the centre, spreading so it touches the surface of the hot filling (and starts to cook), then give it all a swirl. Return to the oven for 18-20 mins until the meringue is crisp and slightly coloured. Let the pie sit in the tin for 30 mins, then remove and leave for at least another 1⁄2 hr before serving. Eat the same day. 

 

 

 

 

 



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Ebi Fry (Fried Shrimp)

 

I honestly think that Australia might have the highest consumption of laksa per capita compared to other countries. There's probably more laksa varieties in Sydney than there is in Singapore, and IMHO, they taste better too. But let's not go there. What fascinates me is that many Australians have come to embrace Asian food as part of their regular dining and grocery options. Take panko crumbs for example. The word panko doesn't sound the least like it's something edible, though it is an ingredient that is commonly available and used here. Why go for regular breadcrumbs when you can have super light and crunchy panko?



Don't these crunchy crumbed deep-fried prawns look lovely? That's the beauty of panko crumbs. Looks good, tastes great and sounds earth-shattering (okay, maybe that's a little too much). They are quite simple and easy to prepare, though I won't lie - I took a while to peel, devein and prep the prawns. But it's all worth it in the end, and I even saved some leftovers and popped them into the air-fryer the next day. My favourite way of serving these are with rice topped with a generous helping of thick Japanese curry. I will show you those in my next post. For now, have a go at making these Japanese fried shrimp (Ebi Fry) and serve them with tartare sauce or mayonnaise if you like. You can also use them as a topping for sushi, or in a sandwich. An Ebi Fry on a hot bread roll sounds good too, perhaps with some coleslaw and tartare sauce? Read on to get the recipe.

Ebi Fry (Fried Shrimp) Recipe
Adapted from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients

500g (1 lb) large whole prawns (about 15)

Salt and black pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs + 2 tbsp water

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Oil for deep frying

Tartare sauce and lemon wedge, to serve (optional)

 

Method

 

1. Rinse the prawns, remove the heads, and shell the prawns, leaving the tail intact. Devein the prawn. Rinse the prawns again and pat dry with paper towel. Using a pair of scissors, snip off part of the sharp end of the tail. Place the prawn on a chopping board, belly-side up. Use a sharp knife to make 3 diagonal scores on the belly where it's closer to the tail. Don't score the fat part close to the head so that it retains its shape. Turn the prawn over onto its belly and lightly press down on to flatten.  You should be able to feel it "crack" under pressure. Repeat this with the rest of the prawns.
2. Season the prawns with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare three small dishes. Place flour in one, panko in another, and in the third, beat the eggs lightly with 1 tbsp water.
4. Dredge the prawns in the flour, followed by egg. Shake off excess, then dredge in flour again, followed by egg, and lastly coat in panko. Set aside on a plate and repeat with the other prawns.
5. In a pan/wok, heat sufficient oil (about 2 inches or enough to cover the prawns). Deep fry the prawns in batches for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve with lemon wedges and tartare sauce if desired.

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