I’m featuring the Paella today because my sister’s friend was kind enough to cook this for my mom’s birthday lunch.

Flickr Image: avlxyz

(I have the photo, Tom, the previous editor of Noodles and Rice, had the recipe.)

I miss Paella! It’s a shame that Spanish is just as unpopular as Filipino cooking is, here in Christchurch.

Post from: Blisstree

Signature Saturdays: PAELLA

Ingredients:

1 large fish
1 large onion
2 large green and red sweet pepper, cut into strips
5 tbsps soy sauce
5 tbsps vinegar
4 tbsps brown sugar
2 tbsps cornstarch
vetsin to taste
pinch of black pepper, pounded

Directions:

1. Clean and fry fish and set aside. Fry garlic, onions, and sweet pepper.
2. Make a medium thick gravy from the mixture of water, vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch. Add the fried garlic, onions and sweet pepper, and boil for 3 minutes. Season with vetsin.
3. Place the fish on a platter, pour the gravy over it and garnish with onions and parsley. Serve hot.

Good for 6 to 8 persons.

Happy cooking!

Source: Philippine Fiesta Recipes
by Leonarda R Belmonte and Perla B Del Mundo

Post from: Blisstree

Seafood Sundays: Fish Escabeche Macao

Another great original recipe from Mommy dearest..

Ingredients:

500g fish fillet, cut 3 inches wide, 3 inches long
200g tofu, cubed
2 tbsps cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled/minced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
2 tbsps corn flour, diluted in ½ cup water
1 small capsicum, sliced
2 tablespoons black beans/tausi
1 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Roll fillets in all-purpose flour, fry until medium brown, set aside; Do the same to your tofu, set aside.
2. Wash black beans/tausi to lessen saltiness. Heat sauce pan with cooking oil, add garlic, onion, tausi and capsicum.
3. Add the diluted cornflour, mix well with soy sauce.
4. Pour the boiling sauce over the fried fish fillets and tofu in a serving platter. Serve hot with rice.

Happy cooking!

(Note: It’s funny how times have changed. My mom used to write down the recipes on index cards for my use and my sister’s. Now, it’s as easy as printing and inserting them onto my thick folder of recipe compilations.)

Post from: Blisstree

Seafood Sundays: Fish Fillet with Tofu and Tausi

Have you any leftover grated coconut from the palitaw you had for your afternoon snack? If you do, well, get the pan ready and try this spicy seafood recipe:

Ingredients:

1 kg large prawns
2 tbsps grated coconut
1 tsp aniseed powder
1 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup water
6 tbsps vegetable oil
3 onions, 1 sliced and 2 coarsely chopped
sprig of curry leaves
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli, cut lengthwise and seeded
1 tsp chilli powder
1 level tsp ground turmeric
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Trim off the prawn beards and tails, leaving the shell on. Carefully slit the prawn backs and remove the cord. Set aside.
2. Blend the coconut, aniseed powder and pepper with the water.
3. Heat the oil and fry the coconut mixture until it is fragrant, then add the sliced onion. Continue frying until the onion becomes translucent.
4. Add the curry leaves and tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes are soft. Add all the other ingredients. Cook covered until the prawns are bright red and cooked and the gravy is thick. Serve hot with rice.

Happy cooking!

Source: Connie Clarkson’s
Asian Flavours

Post from: Blisstree

Trouble-free Thursdays: Coconut Chili Prawns

Ingredients:

1/2 kg large shrimps, shelled and deveined
1/2 kg fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 tbsps lard
3 tbsps cornstarch
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
2 tsps soy sauce
salt

Directions:

1. Sprinkle cornstarch, soy sauce and powdered ginger over shrimps. Mix very well.
2. In a skillet, heat lard and stir-fry vegetables. Set aside.
3. Heat remaining oil in skillet and stir-fry shrimps in it for about 3 minutes. Add cooked vegetables to shrimps and combine very well. Add seasoning. Serve hot.

Happy cooking!

Source: Philippine Fiesta Recipes
by Leonarda R Belmonte & Perla B Del Mundo

Post from: Blisstree

Seafood Sundays: Fried Shrimps with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

500g small fish fillets
2/3 cup plain flour
1/3 cup cornflour
2 egg whites
1 tbsp oil
1 cup water
oil for deep frying

Red Garlic Sauce:

1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsps dry sherry
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp cornflour
1 cup water
2 drops red food coloring

Directions:

1. Remove bones from fish; cut fish in half. Sift flour and cornflour into bowl, make well in centre, stir in egg whites and oil, then gradually stir in water to give a thin smooth paste.
2. Heat oil for deep frying in wok, dip fish in batter; drain well. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and tender; drain. Heat Red Garlic Sauce in wok, add fish, cook until hot.

Red Garlic Sauce: Combine sugar, salt, vinegar, chilli powder, sherry and garlic in pan, stir in blended cornflour, water and coloring, stir until sauce boils and thickens; strain before using.

I did not use any food coloring as I did not have any in my pantry, but the dish still turned out great! Deliciously spicy! Yum!

Happy cooking!

Source: The Australian Women’s Weekly
Oriental Dinner Party Cookbook

Post from: Blisstree

Seafood Sundays: Deep Fried Fish with Red Garlic Sauce

Lemongrass carries an aromatic citrusy scent that, along with the kaffir lime leaves, balances the heat of the roasted chili paste in this signature Thai dish.

Ingredients:

375 g large shrimp (prawns) in the shell
2 tbsps vegetable oil
4 lemongrass stalks, tender midsection only, smashed and cut into 2-inch lengths
6 slices fresh galangal or 3 slices dried galangal
6 green Thai chilis or 8 green serrano chilis, cut in half crosswise
6 cups chicken stock
8 kaffir lime leaves, spines removed
1-2 tbsps roasted chili paste, or to taste
1 cup drained canned straw mushrooms
4-inch piece bamboo shoot, thinly sliced
3 tbsps fish sauce, or to taste
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, or to taste
1 fresh red chili, sliced into rounds
1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves

Directions:

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shells. Rinse the shrimp and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the shrimp shells and fry them, stirring, until they turn bright orange, about 1 minute. Toss in the lemongrass, galangal, green chilis, chicken stock, and 4 of the lime leaves. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes to develop the flavors. Remove from the heat and pour the stock through a sieve placed over a clean saucepan. Discard the contents of the sieve.
3. Add the chili paste, straw mushrooms, and sliced bamboo shoot to the saucepan, stir well, and bring to a boil over medium heat. When it is boiling, add the shrimp and the remaining 4 lime leaves and cook until the shrimp turn bright orange pink, 1-2 minutes. Season with the fish sauce and lime juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and garnish with the red chili slices and coriander leaves.

Happy cooking!

Source: Savouring Southeast Asia by Joyce Jue

Post from: Blisstree

Tom Yum Goong recipe

Apologies for the delay in my posts and my short absence. Things have been quite crazy since my return to work from a year-long maternity leave.

Anyway, this delectable dish I’m sharing was meant for yesterday’s Seafood Sundays. Doesn’t take too much time to prepare and cook. Perfect for my comeback (to work, that is!).

Ingredients:

5 cm piece fresh ginger
3 tbsps Japanese soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
3 spring onions, very finely chopped
3 tsps sugar
4 small fish cutlets, each about 150g, such as tuna, blue eye cod, jewfish
slices of cucumber, to garnish

Procedure:

1. Finely grate the ginger. Squeeze the ginger firmly with your fingertips to remove all the juice; reserve the juice and discard the dry pulp. Place the ginger juice, soy sauce, mirin, spring onion and sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves.
2. Place the fish in a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the fish and marinate for 15 minutes. Drain the fish, reserving the marinade, and place it on a foil-lined grill tray.
3. Cook the fish under medium heat for about 3 minutes each side, carefully turning the fish over with egg slices.
4. Pour the reserved marinade into a small pan and boil it over high heat for 2 minutes until thickened. Drizzle the marinade over the fish, garnish with cucumber, and serve with steamed rice.

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Grilled Fish Steaks recipe

I hope you like this first recipe that marks the start of the Seafood Sundays series. It’s a fiery Sri Lankan dish that only takes about 15 minutes to cook. And it can take you less time to prepare the ingredients if you use pre-packed deveined prawns and pineapple-cut arrow squid from the frozen section of your supermarket.

Ingredients:

500g raw prawns
2 squid hoods
250g mussels
3 tbsps oil
2 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 tsp soft brown sugar

Procedure:

1. Peel and devein the prawns. Cut the squid hoods into 6 cm squares and score a crisscross pattern lightly into the flesh with a small sharp knife. Scrub the mussels and remove the beards.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan or wok; add the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
3. Add the turmeric, chilli powder and paprika, and cook for 2 minutes or until the oil begins to separate from the spices.
4. Add the seafood to the pan and cook over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until the prawns are pink. Stir in the tomato puree and sugar and stir-fry for 3 minutes or until the sauce is heated through. Serve with rice or noodles.

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Spicy Seafood recipe

Another one of many flavorful ways to cook prawns:

Ingredients:

500g medium raw prawns
6 spring onions
1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps caramel sauce*
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 red pepper, cut into fine strips, to garnish

Procedure:

1. Remove the prawn heads and, using a fine needle, devein prawns, leaving the tails, shells and legs intact. Rinse the prawns under running water and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Finely chop half the spring onions. Cut the rest into 4 cm long pieces and then finely shred the pieces into thin strips.

3. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan; add the garlic, chopped spring onion and prawns, and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, tossing the prawns until they turn pink. Drizzle the caramel sauce and fish sauce over the top and cook for 1 minute. Add the lime juice, sugar, salt and remaining spring onion. Toss well and serve immediately, garnished with the red pepper.

* To make the caramel sauce, combine 4 tablespoons of sugar with 3 tablespoons of water in a small pan. Stir over low heat, without boiling, until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the syrup to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, until the syrup turns dark golden. Take care not to burn it. Remove the pan from the heat and add 4 tablespoons of water – it will spit and sizzle, and the caramel will form hard lumps. Return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring, until the lumps become liquid again. The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

With New Year just a couple of days away, why not cook up this uniquely sweet Vietnamese dish for Media Noche?

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Caramelised Prawns recipe