Seafood Risotto Saffron with lemon grass sauce - Featured in Group Recipes

It is very difficult to get pre-packaged Risotto Saffron in my country.  In fact one year ago, there was none.  We have to buy it either from Thailand or Singapore.  I was so delighted to find them in our local supermarkets nowadays. Best of all, they are available in the supermarket near my home now. 

I have made Risotto the traditional way many time so I wanted to try something new.  I had some sole fillet and mixed seafood ready so I decided to try using lemon grass sauce for the risotto and see what’s the result.  Well, as expected it tasted good, the sauce complimented the fish and the seafood very well.  My hubby is always the one who will let me know if my recipes works.  As he is a very good cook himself and have tasted food all over the world, I can tell this must be delicious when he finished everything on the plate. LOL!

Serving: 2

Ingredients:

1 box of pre-packaged 250gm Risotto Ponto Saffron (I like to use the brand: GALLO)

1 250gm packet of frozen mixed seafood.

300 gm sole fillet

1 tb olive oil

3 cheery tomato

2 pieces sliced lemon rind

Ingredients for lemon grass sauce:

6 shallots

½ head garlic

1 stalk lemon grass (serai)
1/2 ts oysters sauce
1/2 ts sugar
1/4 cube chicken bullion

Method:

Preparation for sauce:

Dice lemon grass, sliced shallots and garlic and pound till very fine in pastel and mortar.  Add oyster sauce, chicken stock and sugar and mix well.  Scoop up 1 table spoon to marinate the sole fillet for about 15 mins.  Heat sauce pan with oil and add balance of mixture and sauté till fragrant. Turn off heat. Side the pan aside.

Preparation of the Rissoto Ponto Saffron:

Just follow the instructions on the box. Have the risotto cooked and set aside.

Preparation of the Sole fillet and seafood:

Cut sole fillet into 1 in by 2 ins and 2 cm thick pieces. Brush small amount of butter on frying pan and brown each side about 3 mins a side and put them aside on a plate. Heat olive oil and add lemon grass sauce, add mixed seafood and stir fry for 3 mins.  Add  in cooked risotto and mix well. Finally add the cooked sole fillet and transfer to serving plate and decorate the plate with cherry tomato and lemon rind. I serve this with a bowl of mints leave and egg soup and freshly baked baguettes.  

Steam sliced chicken breast meat with dried lily buds,mushrooms & black fungus

It has been a long time since Mum made this dish. This dish call for dried lily buds. Another name is golden needles. Dried lily buds are the unopened flowers of day lilies. The the scientic name is Hemerocallis. Dried lily buds have been used in China as both a food and medicine for over 2,000 years. Dried lily buds are yellow-gold in color, with a musky or earthy.

When purchasing lily buds, look for those with pale color. Before using, you may need to cut off about a quarter inch at the bottom to get rid of the woody stem. They must be soaked in warm water for about thirty minutes before use. For better flavor, try tying them in a knot.

Ingredients:
300 gms chicken breast meat
75 gms dried lily buds
3 big piece of dried shitake mushroom
10 gms black fungus
½ cup chicken stock or ½ cup water with ½ chicken bullion

(A)
1 ts chopped garlic
1 tb chopped young ginger
2 tb white wine or Chinese
2 tb sesame oil
1 tb oysters sauce
½ ground white pepper
1 ts sugar
2 ts corn starch

Method:
Wash dried lily bulbs and soaked in warm water for 30 mins. Drain and squeeze out excess water and tie a note for each bud set aside. Wash and soak dried shitake mushroom, drain and squeeze out excess water and slice thinly and set aside. Wash black fungus, soaked in warm water for 30 mins , take off the core and tear it up into smaller florets and set aside. Wash chicken breast meat and slice meat strip into about ¼ in thick ½ in wide and about 2 ins long and set aside. Get ready the chopped young ginger, chopped onion. Marinate chicken with (A) for ½ hour. Just before putting chicken in the steamer add chicken stock, black fungus, sliced mushroom and dried lily buds in to plate. Mix well and when the water in the steamer is boiling, steam for about 30 mins or till chicken turns white and cooked.

Stuffed tomatoes and zuchinni in onion gravy - Featured as top 9 at Foodbuzz & at Group Recipes

I always keep some homemade pork pate in my freezer.  There are so many things I can make using pork pate and stuffed tomatoes and zuchinni is onion gravy is just one of the dish.  This dish should be served with freshly baked baguettes.

Ingredients:

Serving: 2

Preparation for pork pate:
600 gm minced pork of beef

   1 cup chopped fennel ( very fine )

   1/3 cup chopped spring onion

   1/2 medium size green onion

   ½ clove chopped garlic

   ground black pepper and salt to taste

Method:
Pulse blend 1 clove garlic and ½ medium size onion in a small amount of olive oil until almost combined into a spread. Add the blended mixture to a large bowl with the minced pork.  Mix with cleanly washed hands while adding  finely diced fennel and spring onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Shape the meat patty into ball, cover and place in the freezer for 1 hour.  Take it out of the freezer and put in the fridge till cooking time.

Preparation for vegetables:
2 plum tomato

1 zuchinni

1 cup frozen mixed vegetable

Method:
Cut of ¼ of the top of tomatoes and scrap out all the seeds
Cut zuchinni in about 1 ½ in long each piece and scrap out all the seeds.

Boil the mixed vegetables with ½ ts salt in water for about 2 mins, drain and set in the serving plate.

Stuff tomatoes and zuchinni with pork pate generously. Heat 1 tb olive oil, add vegetables with the meat side down and fry for about till meat is complete cooked.  Take out the vegetables and set them on the serving plate.

Preparation for sauce:
1 tb olive oil

1/2 tsp caramelsauce

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tb chopped onion

¼ cup chopped spring onion (only the green part)

½ cube chicken stock bullion

1 tbs oysters sauce

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 cup water

1 tsp corn flour dissolve in 2 tbs water

Method:
Heat olive oil and fry garlic till fragrant. Add chopped onion and fry till translucent. add water, oyster sauce, chicken bullion  and ground white pepper.  Lower heat and let simmer for 1 min.  Add corn starch mixture to thicken the gravy. Pour the gravy over the vegetables and serve.


Note: if there is balance of pork pate, you can always keep in the fridge and use it for another recipe.

QPC Pink Princess Smoothies

When I was cleaning up my fridge yesterday, I saw some remainders of strawberries and blueberries.  There were not enough to make pies, tarts or cake so I decided to create a smoothies out of them.  I like my creation and I will name it Pink Princess Smoothies. Not bragging but it taste very refreshing! LOL!

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries

8 whole strawberries

1 jigger of Campari

1 tb condensed milk

2 big scoops of vanilla ice cream
1 red cherry
2 slices of lime, remove the seeds

6 ice cube

Method:

Put all the above into a blender and blend till smooth!  SIMPLE!

Pork liver pate on crackers

This is a pretty and tasty appetizer and no cooking required.  All you need to do is to buy some pork liver pate and get it assembled. My hubby did a pretty good job on the presentation right?

Ingredients:

1 can of pork liver pate

a roll of crackers

2 tb of sweet relish

2 stalk of fresh dill for garnishing

Method:

Cut liver pate in ½ in. small cubes that can be fit on a cracker.  Lay each cube of pate on a cracker and top it with ½ ts sweet relish and garnished with fresh dill.  Ready to serve.

Chicken Porridge - Featured in Group Recipes

When anyone of us are having a cold, my Mum will make us chicken porridge.  This is very soothing to the throat and easy on the stomach.

Ingredients:

300 gms chicken breast (without skin and debone –whole)

5 cups chicken stock

1 cup rice

½ ts vegetable oil

½ cup diced carrot

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup diced spring onion

¼ julienne young ginger

3 shallots, thinly sliced

½ ts salt

½ ts ground white pepper

Method:

Deep fry shallot till golden brown, drain oil and set aside.  Retain the oil for later use.

Wash rice and add oil. Mix rice and oil well.  Add chicken stock, chicken breast and carrots and bring to boil.  Turn heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour.  Stir now and then.  When porridge is thicken, turn of heat and dish out the chicken breast and shred it.  Put the shredded chicken meat back into the porridge.  Warm it before serving and garnish with spring onion, parsley, ginger and fried shallots and a few drops of shallot's oil.

Stir fry mushrooms in butter, garlic and white wine - Featured in Group Recipes

I remember I had this dish in an Italian Restaurant and love it.  I did not know the recipe but from the taste, I think I know what they are.  This dish can be either served as a side dish to main meal o as an antipasto. You can even put some on a small toasted piece of bread or crackers and serve cold as an appetzer.  This goes very well with white wine.

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

200 gm fresh shitaki mushrooms, sliced

100gm fresh white mushroom, sliced

1 head garlic, sliced

3 tbs butter

1 tbs white wine

1 tbs teriyaki sauce

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

½ ts ground black pepper

½ ts salt

¼ ts chilly oil

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup diced spring onions

Method:

Melt butter in frying pan, add garlic and stir fry till fragrant.  Add mushrooms and stir fry for 1/2 min.  Add white wine and let it evaporate.  Fry for another 1 min, add salt, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, teriyaki sauce and chilly oil. Fry for another minute. Turn heat to low and add parsley and spring onions and mix well and transfer to serving plate.