To Prep
Add salt to radish in a big bowl and mix well. Leave for about 30 mins.
Add rice powder to cold water in a saucepan and mix until flour is dissolved. Bring flour mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture comes to a paste. This should take about 2 mins. Let this cool.
Mix chilli powder to the cooled rice paste. Set aside.
Blend garlic, ginger, shrimp paste, fish sauce and half the onions. Set aside. Cut rest of onions into 2cm dices. Set aside this garlic mixture.
Drain radish well in a colander. Mix in the chilli powder mixture to the radish in a large bowl. Leave for at least 5 mins.
Mix in blended garlic mixture to radish as well as diced onions. Gently mix in sugar and green onions to radish. Season with extra salt and sugar if needed.
Pour kimchi into a clean, good quality Tupperware container or glass jar and leave to ferment at room temperature for at least 2-3 days. After this, keep radish kimchi in the fridge.
Vegetables
Assam Fish Curry
To Prep
Blend chilli paste ingredients into paste.
To Cook
Heat oil in a wok or pot, add in blended chili paste, sauté till fragrant.
Add curry powder, curry leaves and lemongrass, stir to mix well.
Add tamarind juice and tomato, bring to boil.
Add the water and bring it all to boil again.
Add fish cutlets, season with salt and sugar, cook fish till done.
Add in okra and cook for 1 min.
Dish your Assam Fish Curry and serve with rice.
Nyonya Style Pickled Vegetables (Achar)
To Prep
Mix all the vegetables with 1 tbsp salt. Leave aside in a colander to drain off excess liquid for about 30 mins to get the crunchiness. This step can be skipped, if you prefer your vegetables to have softer bite.
Blend the spice paste in a food processor.
To Cook
Heat up the wok on medium heat. Heat oil and fry the blended spice paste until aromatic. Add vinegar and water, bring to boil. Add salt and sugar to taste.
Turn off fire, add all vegetables into the work and stir well, ground peanuts, sesame seeds.
Dish out, garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds, let it cool to store in a jar or container. Keep chilled in the fridge.
Note: Achar taste best overnight after the flavours have developed. It can last for about 4 weeks.
Northern Thai Sauce (Nam Prik Ong)
To Prep
Combine dried chilli, lemongrass and salt in a mortar and pound until fine, adding shallot, garlic and salted soy bean, continue pounding until become fine paste.
Add tomatoes to the paste and gently pound together, until well combined Transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl, add the minced pork and mix well
To Cook
Stir fry chopped garlic in heated oil over low heat, until fragrant. Combine curry mixture and stir well, adding water and stir fry until well cooked and thickens. Remove from heat
Place the mixture in a serving bowl, top with spring onion and coriander. Serve as dipping with vegetables; ie. Carrot stick, cucumber, celery, etc. and pork crackling as an entrée.
Your Northern Thai Dipping Sauce is ready!
Hint: It is also good for topping rice vermicelli, served as a light meal, or used as cooking sauce for various stir fried.
Korean Seasoned Bean Sprouts
To Cook
Rinse bean sprouts twice in cold water and blanch for 1 min or until the bean sprouts are slightly softened. Drain quickly.
When cool enough to handle, gently squeeze out the excess water.
Toss well with the remaining ingredients.
Sample and add more salt to your taste.
Chicken and Papaya Salad
To Cook
Mix chicken with marinade ingredients.
Heat oil in a pan and pan fry chicken until golden brown and cooked through. Remove and allow to cool. Dice and set aside.
Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill. Stir in seasoning mix ingredients before serving.
Braised Vegetables in Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce
To Cook
Bring half a pot of water to boil. Add in a little oil and salt and cook the Shanghai cabbage until tender. Drain and arrange on a serving plate. Keep warm.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Toss in Chinese mushrooms, straw mushrooms and button mushrooms. Sauté until fragrant.
Add in cloud fungus, baby corns, white fungus, carrots and fried wheat gluten pieces. Mix in Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce and water. Bring to a boil. Then, cover and simmer for 10 mins.
Place the cooked ingredients on top of Shanghai cabbage to serve.
Soba Salad with Soy Sauce
To Cook
Cook soba noodles in boiling water according to packet instructions or until tender. Remove and soak in iced water. Drain and place into a serving bowl.
Arrange cucumber and carrots on soba noodles. Chill until cold.
Add seasoning mix just before serving and mix well. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Chicken Coconut Soup
To Cook
Place 1 cup of extra light coconut milk on medium heat. Boil chicken fillet for few minutes and drain. Set aside.
In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring the light coconut milk to the boil, adding galangal and lemongrass, for 3 mins, until fragrant.
Combine the meat and chilli, return to the boil for few minutes, adding fish sauce, sugar and lime juice.
Add kaffir lime and coriander before removing from heat.
Serve your Chicken Coconut Soup warm in a soup bowl.
Hint : If old galangal is available, put a piece of 2 inch length, a little crushed, and boil it first in the coconut milk for 5 mins and take it out. Galangal will help smooth taste and also good for digestion and will enhance the soup flavour
Stir-Fried Beef with Snow Peas
To Prep
Marinade meat in sauce and corn flour for 30 mins. Prepare vegetables.
To Cook
Heat oil and fry onions until transparent, add carrots and snow peas and stir-fry until cooked and removed.
Heat oil in pan and brown meat for 3 mins.
Add vegetables and sauce, combine well and serve with steamed rice.
Vegetable Massaman Curry (Massaman Phak)
To Cook
Pre-cook all vegetables, set aside.
Stir-fry massaman paste in heated oil over low heat for 1-2 mins, slowly add 200ml coconut milk and stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant and the oil appears.
Combine all vegetables and stir through, add fish sauce, sugar and tamarind puree.
Add the remaining coconut milk, bring to the boil and cook until all vegetables softened. Remove from heat.
Serve with steam rice.
Squid with Lemon Basil (Kemangi) Leaves
To Cook
In a wok, stir-fry the garlic and onion over high heat for 2 mins until browned; stir in red and green chillies.
Add squid rings, and fry for a further 2 mins or until nearly tender. Add vegetable stock, lemon basil leaves and sweet soy sauce, simmer for 10 mins.
Garnish with chillies and enjoy with hot rice.