Blanched Bean Sprouts Recipes

Bean sprouts or in Malay and Hokkien we called it Taugeh are cheap but it is high in nutrients particular vitamins B complex and C, asparagines, folic acid and iron. I like using them in my fried noodles and beside that I like to blanch them lightly to retain the bean sprouts crunchiness. I usually served this with Hainanese Chicken Rice .

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh bean sprouts – removed tails
2 spring onions – cut small
Some fried garlic
dash of pepper

Sauce:

2 tsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
½ tsp sugar

1. Combined the sauce ingredients and bring it to a boil and set aside.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the bean sprouts for 10 seconds. Remove, drain dry and put it on a serving plate.
3. Pour the sauce over. sprinkle on some pepper and garnish it with fried garlic and spring onions. Serve immediately.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes Recipes

When come to cooking potatoes I like to keep it simple. For me simple is often the best. To get it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside I will usually par-boiled the potatoes first. Then cut them into wedges and roast them over high heat. Normally I will toast in all the herbs before roasting but this time I did something different. I lightly brown the garlic, chili and green onions and toss it into the potatoes once it is done.

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes (I used red skin potatoes)
3 spring onions
3 cloves garlic – chopped
1 large red chili – finely sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wash and clean the potatoes. Put the potatoes in a large pot of water with some salt and bring it up to boil. Continue to boil for 6-7 minutes. Drain it and let it cool down a bit.
2. Cut into wedges and transfer it to mixing bowl. Drizzle in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss until well combined. Line a sheet pan with some aluminum foil,grease the base of the sheet pan with some olive oil.
3. Transfer the potatoes wedges to the roasting pan in a single layer. Roast it in pre-heated 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Turn it once half way through the roasting.
4. In the meantime, heat up a tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan. Add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add in the chili and green onions. Lightly toss is around for a minute.
5. Remove the potatoes from the oven, pour in the garlic mixture and give it a few good toss and serve immediately.

Parsley and Garlic Knots Recipes

These piping hot knots are pizzeria classic and are unbelievingly addictive. They are called "knots" due to their shape resembling that of a square knot and about the size of a golf ball. They are chewy, garlicky and loaded with fresh parsley. I actually forgot to sprinkle some parmesan cheese to it but even without them they are still good. If you're tired and busy and just don't have time to make your own dough you can always buy some dough from your favorite pizza joint or even buy the frozen dough from the grocery store. You can either brush the garlic coating on before baking or like me I just tossed it in after I baked the bread. Either way they will be good.

For the dough:
Recipe adpated from King Arthur Flour with some changes.

3 cups bread flour
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup milk
1 cup lukewarm water (you might need 1-2 tbsp more)


Parsley and Garlic Coating:

2 cloves garlic - chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp chopped parsley
Some salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, milk and water. Mix until ingredients until it form into a ball.
2. Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
3. Divide the dough into 15 -17 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope and tie into a knot, take the end lying underneath the knot and bring it over to the top and tuck it into the center and take the other end lying over the knot and tuck it underneath and into the center.
4. Put the knot in a baking sheet lined with some parchment paper. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set it aside to rise for about 30 minutes. In the meantime prepare the garlic herb. Heat up the frying pan over medium; add in the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic is lightly brown add in the chopped parsley. Continue to stir for a minute and remove from heat and set it aside.

5. Baked in a pre-heated 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes or until nicely brown. Once the bread is done, put it in a mixing bowl and toss in the salt, garlic and parsley mixture. Toss until all the knots are well coated.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I am submitting this bread to Yeastspotting

Pomegranate Wild And Brown Rice Salad Recipes

We are slowly switching from white rice to brown rice. Carlos is actually not a huge fan of brown rice so for now I will mix the white and brown rice and he is slowly getting use to it. Beside brown rice I like wild rice too. I love the hearty and nutty flavor of the wild rice. For this particular salad I used Goose Valley Brown and Wild Rice Fusion. It is a combination for Brown rice, wild rice, heirloom red rice and sweet brown rice. If you like to make this salad you can use any type rice combination to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked Brown and Wild Rice Fusion
1 roasted chicken breast – slice thinly
2 spring onions – slice thinly
½ cup of pomegranate
1 cup of tomatoes – halve

Dressing:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients and set it aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combined the cooked rice, spring onions, tomatoes, pomegranate and chicken breast.
3. Pour in the dressing and toss in lightly until combined. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tuna Patties Recipes

I am not a fan of canned food but I have to say that canned tuna do save the day when you want make something quick. This is one tasty way of eating can tuna. Tuna fish is an excellent source of protein and lower in fat than red meat. I like making this type of patties especially during the weekends where I am not up to cooking anything elaborate. Even Carlos loves these tasty patties. I normally served this with some salad but you can even serve this like a burger.

Ingredients:

1 can of tuna (about 7 oz)
1 Idaho potato – boiled and mashed
A handful of cilantro – finely chopped (you can use spring onions)
1 small shallot – finely chopped
1 small egg
1 tsp of mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Open the can tuna and drain all the water out. Put the tuna in a bowl and add in all the rest of the ingredients.
2. Mix everything together until well combined. Make into patties. The size depends on how big you want the patties to be.
3. Heat up a skillet with some olive oil. Pan fried the patties until golden brown on both side.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature with some tartar sauce or chili sauce.

Note: There are times I will replaced the mashed potato with ¾ cup of breadcrumbs and the patties tasted just as good.

Savory Scones Delicious Recipes

This is a very simple savory scones recipe. They are wonderful served hot, spread with a little butter and eaten alongside of a steam bowl of hot soup.

Ingredients :
2 cups of flour
2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices of ham - roughly chopped (optional)
1/4 cup of oil packed sundries tomatoes - finely chopped
1 egg - beaten
3/4 cup of half and half or milk (more or less) + 2 tbsp of glazing
2 tbsp of sesame seeds

1) Heat oven to 375 degree F. Lightly greased a baking sheet.
2) In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
3) Rub in butter lightly into the flour with finger tips until mixtures resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
4) Stir in cheese, ham and sundries tomatoes. Make a well in the centre of the flour and add in egg and then the milk slowly. Just enough for the mixture to come together.
5) Gently mix until just combined. Turn the mixture out on a lightly flour counter top and knead lightly and briefly. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
6) Press the dough to form 1" thickness. Cut the dough with a round cookie cutter.
7) Place in the baking sheet and brush the top with some milk and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
8) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve warm.

Note : It is important not to over handle these scones, as they will be heavy and tough. You can add some freshly chopped parsley or spring onions to the scones too.