Friday 30 September 2011

CHARGRILLED PORK ON RICE NOODLE SOUP


It has been unseasonably warm and sunny the past few days. Thank God for that. Of course, when the weather is like this, the first thing that comes to mind is firing up the barbie. Before you say not again, may I say that this is actually a comforting bowl of hot noodle soup. This is my take on the much loved Vietnamese noodle soup with flat rice noodles and aromatic chargrilled pork. 

Tuesday 27 September 2011

SEAFOOD PAELLA


Paella has a wow factor in its presentation.  All the seafood arranged nicely on top of the rice never fails to impress and evoke anticipation of the tastes soon to be savoured. A well cooked paella never disappoints. Both the richly flavoured rice and the assortment of seafood provides well over the expected gustatory delights.


This is an easy and fool proof recipe that will give you a perfect paella each time. All the ingredients contribute to the success of the dish, so choose them well. You can vary the assortment and quantity of the toppings depending on what you like or what you have on hand. It is like a pizza with rice as the base. 

You can throw in anything you like. The only thing you have to measure exactly is the rice and the liquid. The ratio is 1 cup of rice to  1 1/4 cup of stock. This will result to a perfectly cooked rice. A good quality stock is vital to this dish as it provides the flavour for the rice. 



I used a good homemade fish stock using fish bones and all the trimmings from the squid plus bouquet garni, onions and carrots. You can also add prawn shells, if you have any. I always save the shells from my prawns when I peel them and stash them in the freezer. I used long grain rice instead of paella rice because I find that it absorbs all the flavours better and cooks more evenly. I pre-cooked the dish on the stove top and finished it in the oven. 



This recipe will happily serve 6-8 people. 


Ingredients:


olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, cubed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. uncooked long grain rice
2 1/2 c. rich fish stock
1 pinch of saffron or 1 tsp. kasubha (wild saffron)
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into squares
12-20 whole shell on prawns
5 whole squids cut into 1" wide pieces
20 mussels
1/2 c. frozen green peas, blanched


Method:


Pre-heat the oven to 350º F/ 180º C. 

Boil some of the stock and use to parboil the mussels just until it opens. Drain. Add the mussel liquid back to the stock. This is the exact amount (2 1/2 c.) you'll need to cook the rice. 

Wash the rice and drain. 

In a clean paella pan or ordinary pan, fry the prawns in 3 tbsps. of olive oil on medium high heat until the shells become a bright orange colour. Transfer to a dish and set aside. 

Fry the squid in the same pan briefly just until it turns opaque. Transfer to a dish. 

In the same pan, saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste and the saffron and stir well until the grains are coated with oil. 

Add the sweet pepper and the 2 1/2 c. of stock. Stir, then bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. The liquid should be a little over salted as it will be absorbed by the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, uncover, add the green peas, stir and fluff up the rice. Arrange the prawns, squid and mussels decoratively on top. If there are juices from the seafood, drizzle them over the rice. Cover with the foil again and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Take out of the oven, keeping the cover on, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.




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Friday 23 September 2011

UBE MACAPUNO INIPIT


The Kulinarya Cooking Club's theme for the month is red, white, blue and yellow. These are the colours of the Philippine flag. We are paying homage not only to our flag and country but also to our national heroes. This month's great hosts are Ray of Wok with Ray, Oggi of I Can Do That, Chef Theodore Salonga of Chef by Day and Boyet of Reel and Grill.

Tuesday 20 September 2011

CHOI SUM AND CHICKEN PANCAKES


Among Orientals, tokens of food are exchanged on any day for no reason. It is not the muffin or cookie kind but usually are homecooked food meant for a family meal. 

A dear Chinese neighbour gave me some choi sum pancakes one time and I immediately fell in love with it. She graciously shared her brief instructions after which she gave me a bunch of fresh choi sum. They supply Asian vegetables to the restaurants so they always had a few extras at home

Friday 16 September 2011

VIETNAMESE FRIED SPRING ROLLS


It is quite ironic that I never got to know the cuisines of the other Southeast Asian countries until I moved away from the Philippnes and came to London. Being a melting pot of different cultures, the food here is so varied and interesting. 

Tuesday 13 September 2011

STIR FRIED SWEET AND SOUR PORK AND A TRIP TO CAMDEN MARKET


The previous weekend, we took a trip to London's Camden Market, just a few minutes away from our house. It is a very quirky, fun market and I thought you guys might be entertained by some photos. 

Friday 9 September 2011

BUCO PANDAN CUPS


In line with the trend for sweets to be spiked with salt, I am sharing a recipe for a fusion Asian dessert that is just that. 

Tuesday 6 September 2011

CHICKEN STEAKS WITH GARLIC BALSAMIC DRIZZLE


The children go back to school this week. After thoroughly chilling out and enjoying the summer break, I have to snap back into the school time routine. 

Friday 2 September 2011

ASIAN BARBECUE CHICKEN WINGS


How much barbecued food do we get through in a barbecue season? No one knows for sure. Even here in sun deprived London, we still do it no matter what. Sometimes though, things get out of hand.