To Cook
Mix the chicken breast in 2 tbsp of the oil, sliced garlic, chilli and lemongrass and marinate for 15 minutes.
Place 2 tbsp of the oil in to a pan and cook the chicken skin side down so that it becomes crispy. Once it has become crispy, sear the remaining sides of the chicken breast and then transfer into an oven for 10 minutes at 180℃.
Add the last of the oil in to the pan and fry the onions till they start to brown. Add the coconut milk to the pan and let the sauce reach a simmer.
Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, tamarind and palm sugar. Stir and continue to simmer until the palm sugar has dissolved fully.
Remove the pan from the heat.
In a separate bowl, blanch the vermicelli noodles.
To serve, spoon the sauce mixture onto a plate, place the vermicelli noodles on top of the sauce, and finish with slices of the chicken. Garnish with basil and chillies.
Boil
Chinese Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)
For the Soup Jelly
Add the pork rinds to a pot of cold water and bring to the boil. Cook until rinds become slightly transparent before removing from pot and rinsing to remove any impurities.
Cut rinds into smaller strips and then add to a pot with the slices of ginger, spring onions, Shaoxing wine and enough water to cover. Cook for about 90 mins before allowing to cool down. Transfer to a blender, then blend for 30 secs.
Strain blended mixture to remove any large pieces before pouring into a container and allowing to set.
For the Dumpling Fillings
Soak minced ginger with spring onions in ½ cup of water for 10 mins before combining with minced pork in a large bowl. When mixing the water and meat, pour water in a quarter at a time to ensure that the water is well incorporated.
Add soy sauce, salt, oyster sauce, sesame oil and sugar, and mix well before setting aside for 30 mins to marinate.
Mince the soup jelly and mix in with the dumpling filling.
For the Dumpling Wrappers
Add the flour and water into a mixing bowl and knead until the dough becomes smooth but is still stretchy. Cover dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 20 mins.
Dust your working surface with flour and knead dough again for 5 mins before rolling it into a long cylinder.
Cut the roll into smaller sections and form balls of dough weighing 5g each. Roll out these balls into round wrapper shapes about 6.5-7 cm in diameter, to be folded.
Note: Ensure any pieces of dough that aren’t being handled are covered by a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.
To Make the Dumplings
Place a dumpling wrapper in the centre of your hand and place 1 tbsp of the dumpling filling into the centre.
With your right thumb and middle finger under the wrapper and your forefinger on the top, lift the edge and pinch it to make a pleat. Use your left hand to gather more dough, then pinch with your index finger. Continue doing this all the way around, making sure your thumb never leaves the first pleat.
Pinch the top to seal the dumpling.
To Cook
Set up a bamboo steamer with perforated paper steamer liners over a wok filled with water. Heat the water on high.
Once the water has boiled, place dumplings into steamer with adequate room between each dumpling. Close lid and allow dumplings to steam for at least 8 mins.
When the dumplings are done, carefully remove them from the steamer and serve with freshly julienned ginger and Chinese black vinegar.
Rice Vermicelli in Spicy and Sour Gravy (Wet Mee Siam)
To Cook
Combine the chilli paste ingredients in a food processor or blender until it is a fine paste.
Stir fry the prawn heads and shells with 3 tbsp oil in a pan.
Add the ⅔ of spice paste, chicken stock, taucheo, assam paste and hot water.
Season with salt and sugar to taste.
Boil for 30 mins.
Cook the prawns in the gravy.
Add 3 tbsp oil to the pan and add the minced dried shrimps, frying until fragrant.
Add the remaining spice paste and bee hoon.
Season with salt to taste.
Add the beansprouts and fry until the chilli paste has coated the bee hoon.
Divide into the desired portions, ensuring that the gravy covers the noodles.
Top with the hard-boiled eggs, tau gua, prawns, chives and optional garnishings.
Seared Scallops with Teriyaki Glaze
To Make the Clarified Butter
To make clarified butter for searing the scallops, add the butter in to a pan and melt over a low heat without stirring.
Once the butter begins to foam, start trying to skim it off and discard it.
Once there is no longer any foam, strain the butter through a fine sieve to avoid getting the milky layer within the butter.
To Prep
Clean the scallops and remove the roe if desired. Place on paper towels to remove the excess moisture and lightly season with salt and pepper.
To Cook
Combine the sake, mirin, soy and sugar in a saucepan and boil over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.
When the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to low and let simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Add the clarified butter to a pan and heat over a high heat until the pan starts to smoke.
Add the scallops in to the pan, leaving spaces between them.
Cook the scallops for roughly 3 mins without moving or until they have a nice golden sear and releases from the pan on their own. Flip the scallops and repeat.
Once the scallops have been seared on both sides, remove from the pan and place on to a paper towel to remove the excess butter.
Serve combined with the teriyaki glaze and with freshly chopped chives.
Rice Balls in Sweet Coconut Milk (Bua-Loy)
To Make the Dough
Mix the glutinous rice flour and mashed pumpkin using your fingers until well mixed. Add water, a little at a time, and knead until a dough is formed. The dough should be soft but not sticky or tacky. Add a little more flour if it gets too sticky, knead until it no longer sticks to your fingers.
Place the dough onto a cutting board and pat it down into a rectangle slightly under 1cm thick. Cut the dough into 1cm-thick strips and separate the strips so they don’t fuse back together. Take each strip and cut them into 1cm-long pieces so that all your pieces are now roughly 1 cm cubes. Roll each piece into little balls.
If you are not ready to cook them immediately, wrap them tightly with plastic wrap to avoid drying out.
For the Sweet Coconut Milk
Add all the Sweet Coconut Milk ingredients (except the young coconut flesh) into a pot and cook on medium, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add young coconut flesh and cook until boil.
Taste and add more sugar as needed. Turn off the heat and remove the pandan leaf.
To Cook the Bua Loy
Boil a pot of water and have a large bowl of cold water ready at the side.
Drop the rice balls into the boiling water in batches without crowding the pot. They should float within 1 min. As soon as they float, fish them out using a slotted spoon and put them directly in the bowl of cold water (they will sink in cold water). Repeat for the remaining rice balls.
To Assemble
Drain the rice balls well and add into the coconut milk. Heat the coconut milk until it comes back to a simmer so that the rice balls can absorb the flavour of the coconut milk, and turn the heat off immediately. Serve warm or room temperature.
Green Chicken Curry (Gang Kheaw Waan Gai)
To Cook
Heat oil over medium heat, add Valcom Green Curry Paste and stir-fry for 1 min or until oil appears.
Add half of Valcom Premium Coconut Milk and cook for 1 min, stirring frequently.
Add chicken and cook for 1 min, then add carrot and eggplant and cook for another 2 mins.
Pour in remaining Valcom Premium Coconut Milk, sugar and Squid Brand Fish Sauce and bring to boil for 3 mins.
Once boiled, add in sliced chillies and basil leaves, stir through.
Garnish with basil leaves and serve hot.
Thai Green Curry Grilled Beef (Nur Yang Kab Sauce Gang Kheaw Waan)
To Cook
Combine fish sauce and ground black pepper in a large ceramic bowl. Add beef steak. Turn to coat in marinade and set aside for 5 mins.
Heat a barbecue hotplate or chargrill pan on medium-high heat. Cook marinated beef for 2-3 mins per side until lightly charred or tender, then allow to rest.
Heat oil over medium heat in a frying pan, stir-fry green curry paste, carrot and green beans for 2 mins.
Add coconut milk, water, sugar and fish sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce to a simmer for 3 mins.
Add basil leaves and stir through. Pour sauce over beef to serve.
Tuna Mayo Onigiri
To Prep
Let the rice cool down so that it is cold enough to handle. While waiting, cut the seaweed sheet into 4 long strips to wrap the onigiri with.
Drain any water or oil from the canned tuna, add the mayonnaise and pepper and mix well.
To Make the Onigiri
Wet your hands slightly with water and rub ½ tsp of salt in to them.
Place about a cup of rice into one hand and place a tablespoon of the tuna mayo into the centre.
Fold the rice over the tuna and begin shaping into a triangular shape.
Once the shape has been formed, wrap the onigiri in the seaweed strip and serve.
Easy Sushi Roll
To Prepare
Rinse rice until water runs clear, then drain well in a colander/sieve.
Place rice and water in a pot and bring to a boil, give a quick stir and then turn down the heat to the lowest possible and let it cook by absorption for 10 mins. Remove pot from heat, cover with a lid and let it stand for 10 mins.
When the rice is slightly cool, use a pair of chopsticks to gently fluff up the rice while stirring in the sushi seasoning. Let the rice cool before assembling the sushi.
To Assemble
Place a nori sheet onto the mat.
With damp hands, spread ¾ cup rice over the nori sheet, spreading it to the left, bottom and right edges of the sheet, leaving a 2cm gap of nori at the top.
Place sushi fillings of choice in the middle of the rice, horizontally.
Using the mat as a guide, bring the bottom of the nori sheet to the top edge where the rice ends and press firmly, and give it a slight roll to the top to enable the nori to seal itself.
Repeat with the other remaining nori sheet and ingredients.
Cut into 1.5cm slices and serve with Obento Sushi & Sashimi Soy Sauce and S&B wasabi.
Butternut Squash in Sweet Coconut Milk
To Prep
Peel the butternut squash and cut into thin, bite sized pieces before letting them soak in 2 cups of water for 25 mins.
To Cook
In a pot, combine 1 cup of coconut milk with the palm sugar, sugar and Pandan leaves and cook on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Once the sugar has fully dissolved, add the butternut squash pieces in to the pot and stir to make sure that all the pieces are submerged.
Let the mixture simmer for 5-10 mins or until the pieces have softened.
Add the cup of coconut cream and the teaspoon of salt into the pot and stir. Once the soup has begun to bubble, remove from the heat and serve.
Japanese Dumplings with Black Sesame (Kurogoma Dango)
To Make Japanese Dumplings
In a large mixing bowl, add shiratamako, joshinko and sugar, mix well.
Add in warm water bit by bit while kneading the dough slowly until smooth and soft.
Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, then divide each portion into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
In a large pot of boiling water, gently add in the dumplings. After they start floating on the surface, cook for 1 more min. Remove and transfer to ice water.
To Make Coating
Wet the Japanese mortar and pestle, then grind the black sesame seeds in batches. Mix well with sugar.
To Serve
Drain the dumplings and put 3 balls into each bamboo skewer. Coat with the sweet black sesame mixture and serve.
Sichuan Seafood Noodles
To Prep
In a small bowl, combine the Chilli Sauce ingredients and mix well. Cover with a wrap and set aside.
To Cook
Heat the oil in a pot, sauté garlic until fragrant, then add in the chilli bean paste, pickled vegetables, soy sauce and sugar. Stir for 1-2 mins until fragrant.
Pour in the soup and bring to boil.
Add in the seafood and cook until done. When the seafood are almost done, add in the enoki mushrooms. Turn off the heat.
Boil water in another pot and cook the noodles according to packet instructions. When the noodles are almost done, add in the chrysanthemum garlands. When everything is cooked, remove and drain well.
To Serve
Place noodles into serving bowl and arrange the vegetables and seafood on top. Ladle in the soup and serve with chilli sauce added to the bowl or at the side.