To Prep
Put together chicken, spring onions, water chestnuts, carrots, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well. Then, place single layers of spring roll wrappers on a flat surface in the shape of a diamond.
Scoop roughly 2 tbsp of the meat mixture and place them on the centre of the spring roll wrapper.
To fold the wrapper, start off by folding the bottom pointed end of the sheet towards the filling. Then, fold both side edges of the wrapper inwards. Tightly, roll from the bottom up into a log. Dab the top pointed end of the sheet with water to seal. Repeat until all spring roll wrappers and meat mixture are used up.
To Cook
Heat about 3cm oil in a pan and fry the lumpia in batches, turning when needed until crispy and golden brown.
Dish out the fried lumpia and drain excess oil by laying them on a tray or dish with paper towels.
Vegetables
Auspicious Chinese New Year Pen Cai
To Prep
Soak and prepare all ingredients in advance and based on the time required.
The Broth
Heat the oil in a large heated pot over medium heat.
Add chopped garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add in chicken stock, mushroom, fish maw, cabbage, white radish and all other seasonings required for the broth.
Bring it to a boil over medium high heat then lower the fire to simmer for 30 mins.
Cooking and Blanching the Ingredients
Cook and blanch those ingredients that need to be cooked in the broth (Can be done in batches or add the ingredients that need to cook into the pot all at once and remove from the pot when done)
Estimated Time (Varies based on size): Prawns and Scallops about 3 mins, broccoli about 15 to 20 sec, Carrot about 2 to 3 mins, lobster tails about 3 mins
Remove cooked items from the broth and set aside for layering later. Turn off the heat of the broth while layering.
Ingredients that do not need to cook in broth: Roast pork, roast duck and fat choy
Layering the Auspicious Pot
Start with Napa Cabbage, dried beancurd skin, fish maw, fat choy and white radish.
Arrange mushroom, scallops, lobster tails, prawns, roast meats, broccoli, carrots, goji berries to fill the top layer.
Finishing and Thickening of Broth
Bring the broth back to boil.
Add Hua Tiao Wine and allow it to boil for a min.
Mix the corn flour and water in a small bowl
Slowly pour in the corn flour mixture into the boiling broth and stir while adding.
Ladle the broth over the pot of layered ingredients
3 Veg Tempura
To Prep
Add 125g Obento tempura batter mix to 180ml of cold water and whisk through, do not over mix. Heat oil in a large saucepan.
Dust ingredients in flour, shake off excess. Dip vegetables in batter, drain excess then coat them in panko bread crumbs.
To Cook
Deep fry in batches, until golden. Drain on paper towel.
Serve tempura immediately with dipping sauce.
A Healthy New Year Bowl
To Begin
Make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together in a small glass.
Grate the ginger and finely chop the small onion.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook the ginger and small onion in a little oil until softened, then add the tofu, continuing to cook while breaking down with the back of a spoon until it has browned.
Arrange the salad ingredients in a bowl. Top with cooked tofu, chilli, lime wedges and seeds. Serve with the dressing on the side. Serves 1.
Asian Style Grilled Sweet Corn in Special Sauce
To Prep
Mix the soy sauce, fish sauce, oil, spring onion and sugar in a small bowl.
To Cook
Preheat the grill to high. Brush the mixture over the corns and place under the hot grill, turning regularly until the corns are cooked.
Ayam Panggang Kecap and Karedok
To Prep
Place chicken in a bowl with the tamarind paste and salt. Massage into the chicken and set aside.
In a food processor or mortar & pestle, grind the birds eye chili, shallots, garlic, white peppercorns, candlenuts and ½ tsp salt into a paste.
To Cook
Heat the oil in a large and deep pan, fry the spice paste for a minute or until fragrant.
Add chicken pieces, ABC Kecap Manis, palm sugar and 1 tsp salt. Cover with 650mls of water and stir.
Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook without the lid on until the liquid has reduced by ⅔ and has become sticky, turning the chicken occasionally.
Remove chicken and reserve the cooking marinade. Cook on BBQ or under the grill brushing with the marinade until caramelized.
In a mortar & pestle, grind together the ginger, chilli, garlic, belacan and ½ tsp salt into a paste.
Add the crushed peanuts, lime juice, brown sugar and Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce. Stir to combine.
Using a bean slicer, slice the beans and cut into 3 cm lengths.
Peel the cucumber slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into ⅓ and julienne.
Top & tail the bean sprouts.
Drain the Valcom Bamboo Shoot Slices.
In a large salad bowl, add all the prepared vegetables and pour over the peanut dressing. Toss to combine.
Massaman Curry with Lamb
To Cook
Place 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of water in a pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then add lamb and simmer until the meat is tender.
Stir-fry ½ cup of coconut milk with Valcom Massaman Curry Paste over low heat until fragrant. Slowly add the remaining coconut milk and stir-fry until oil appears. Add the curry mixture to the meat in the saucepan, along with the fish sauce, sugar and tamarind puree.
Turn up the heat, return to the boil. Add potato and simmer until tender, then add onions and cook until softened.
Garnish with roasted peanuts and remove from heat.
Waxed Meat Claypot Rice (Lap Mei Fan)
To Cook
Combine some pepper, salt and cornstarch to form a marinade in a bowl. Marinate the chicken meat in the mixture for 10 mins.
In a claypot, add the rice and water. Bring to a boil.
Blanch the vegetables separately and leave to the side.
Lower the heat when the rice has boiled. Leave to simmer for 5-6 mins or until the rice is partially cooked. Place the marinated chicken on the rice.
Leave to simmer for approximately 10 mins or until the water is absorbed and rice is cooked.
Place the sausages and vegetables on top of the chicken.
Combine the light and dark soy sauce with the oyster sauce together in a small bowl. Pour on top of the claypot rice. Turn off the heat, cover the lid and leave to simmer for 5 mins.
Garnish with spring onions and sesame oil.
Filipino Stuffed Prawn Rolls (Rellenong Hipon)
To Prep
Peel prawns and remove prawn heads, leaving the tail intact. Using a small knife, make an incision all the way down the centre of the prawn’s back, to remove and discard the vein.
Spread open the prawn until it lies flat, belly facing up. Make a small slit across on the belly close to the tail. This is to prevent the prawn from curling up when cooking. Set prawns aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine all other ingredients except for spring roll wrappers, stir well until ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
Place about 1/2 tsp of the meat mixture in the centre of the butterflied prawn, then close around filling by pressing the sides of the prawn flesh together.
Arrange triangle spring roll wrapper with pointed side facing up on working bench. Place a stuffed prawn in the middle of one spring roll wrapper, then fold right side of the wrapper over the stuffed prawn, and then fold the pointed side down. Then roll the wrapper tightly around the prawn, moistening the sides with a dap of water and pressing gently but firmly to seal it. Place the wrapped stuffed prawn on a platter, seam side down and cover with a moist paper towel to avoid from drying out.
To Cook
Heat about 5cm of oil in a deep pot or pan over medium heat. When oil is hot enough and not smoking yet, add in the stuffed prawn rolls, turning sides constantly until rolls are golden and cooked through.
Remove from pan and drain on a wire rack.
Filipino Minced Pork and Green Beans (Gising Gising)
To Cook
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté chopped onions and minced garlic until fragrant. Then add minced pork and cook until lightly brown. Add shrimp paste and continue stir-frying for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and bring to boil. Add in chili then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Bring down the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until pork is well cooked.
Then add coconut cream and green beans, stir well to combine and then continue to cook for a further 15 minutes.
Pork Adobo
To Prep
Combine pork belly and marinate ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
To Cook
Heat oil in a wide based pan over medium heat. Add marinated meat to cook, turning occasionally.
Add in vinegar and allow to boil for about 5 minutes.
Lastly add in soy sauce and water. Gently stir and allow to a boil for another 5 minutes. Then cover pan with lid, turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, or until meat is tender.
Filipino Vegetable and Prawn Fritters (Ukoy Na Togue)
To Make
Crack egg into a large mixing bowl and beat till fluffy. Then add cornstarch, flour, water, fish sauce, salt and pepper in the bowl with the beaten egg, and whisk all ingredients to combine thoroughly.
Next add in turmeric powder and continue stirring until fully dissolved. The batter should now be in a light orange colour.
Then add bean sprouts, carrots and shallots into the batter and gently stir so that all ingredients are well soaked in the batter.
Heat about 5cm deep of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Scoop a large spoonful of ukoy batter and place a prawn on the batter, gently pressing it down, then slide the batter into the pan and cook for about 3 minutes on each side.
When fritters are slightly browned and crispy, remove from heat and leave to drain on a wire rack. 2 – 3 large spoonfuls of ukoy batter with prawns can be done at one time in the same pan.
Repeat until all batter is cooked.