Let's Cook...

INGREDIENTS:

This is one of the most delicious appetizer to make at home for parties. Nothing beats this unforgettable exotic taste. Take a look, it is so simple to make!

- 200g shredded cheddar cheese
- 110g softened cream cheese
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree (from can)
- 3 Tbsp pineapple preserves
- 1/4 tsp ground five-spice
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- Assorted crackers

1. Combine all the cheeses, pumpkin, pineapple preserves and spices in a mixing bowl until smooth. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for 3 hours or until the mixture is firm. Ready to serve

Serve best with assorted crackers or toasted bagels (1/2)!

More ideas:
For Halloween parties ideas, you can shape the mixture into round pumpkin. Using a knife, score vertical lines down pumpkin. Place pretzel rod for the stem. Cut dark rye bread and red pepper into triangles for eyes and nose respectively (or you can replace dark rye bread with black sesame). Cut olives to make the mouth.

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 Jumbo prawns
- 50g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 100g coarse salt
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 wedges of lemon
- some water

PROCEDURES:

1. Cut the back of the prawns, devein, then raise it.

2. Drain and soak away any excess water.

3. Lay the coarse salt over a small baking dish (just big enough for the prawns) forming a 'salt-bed', evenly sprinkle the thyme and water onto the coarse salt.

4. Combine the butter, black pepper and salt together, ensure you mix it thoroughly.

5. Spread the butter mixture onto back of the prawns, place the prawns on top of the salt bed.

6. Bake in oven at 220C for 6-8 minutes.

7. Serve with squeeze of lemon juice.

TIPS:
The butter mixture can be prepared ahead and refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.

Szechuan food is famous for its red-hot spices. This is because Szechuan produces some of the best spices such as hot pepper, peppercorn, salt hot oil, and hot bean. These spices are well incorporated by the Szechuanese into their cooking, and so Szechuan has become known as the spicy west. Szechuan cuisine not only tasty and colorful, it also have heavy emphasis on seasonings. They use more than two ways to season their food, that enhances the flavour giving it a very unique strong flavour.

INGREDIENT:

- 400g Belly Pork (with skin attached)
- 2 tsp of salt
- 2 tbsp of Shao-Xing Rice Wine (Chinese cooking wine, available in Chinese grocery shop)
- 2 stalks of spring onion, halved
- 20g minced garlic
- 80g sliced ginger (roughly)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 drops of malt vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1-2 tsp chilli oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 litre of water (to cook the pork)
- 2 litre of ice water (with ice cubes)

Optional: - 1 tbsp of roughly chopped coriander

PROCEDURES:

1. Clean the belly pork with tap water, drain and soak away any excess water.

2. Marinate the pork with salt and Shao-Xing rice wine for 30 minutes.

3. Fill half of a pot with water, put the sliced ginger and spring onions into the water and let it boil. Place the pork into the pot, let it cook for 45-50minutes. Discard the water, set aside.

4. Put the cooked pork straight into a bowl filled with half of the ice water for 5 minutes, discard the water, pour rest of the ice water into the same bowl and let it sit there for another 10 minutes.

5. Take out the pork, thinly slice it by placing the skin side facing down (it would be easier if you put the pork into the refrigerator for 1 hour, as it will make the pork 'firmer' to slice). Present them nicely on a plate.

6. Combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, chilli oil and minced garlic together.

If serve warm
- Steam the pork for 6 minutes prior serving, serve with the seasonings sauce. Optional: Sprinkle with coriander.

If serve cold
- Pour the seasonings sauce onto the pork and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes (to allow the pork to soak up the sauce).
Optional: Sprinkle with coriander.

TIPS: I personally think it taste better to serve it cold, as the sour, hot spicy flavour stand out more. Nevertheless, either ways can serve as a great appetizer, it taste best to serve with beer.

NOTE:

Shao-Xing Rice Wine

A rice wine produced in the Shaoxing area in Zhejiang province, made of sticky rice and wheat. There are different types of Shaoxing rice wine, namely, Yuanhong which is the most popular, Shangniang, Xiangxue, Jiafan, etc..

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 fresh whole corn fed chicken
- 2 finely shredded Agaricus *
- 3 finely shredded Black Truffles * (can replace with porcini)
- 3 finely shredded Morels
- 500g of salt (as you are only marinating for 30 minutes, so you need this much to bring out the flavour)
- 40g five spiced powder (available in Chinese Grocery shop)
- 4 stalks of finely sliced spring onions
- 1 slice of finely chopped ginger
- 2 tbsp of Chinese Rose Wine (available in Chinese Grocery shop)

PROCEDURES:

1. Combine salt and the five-spiced powder together, mix rest of the ingredients together as seasoning.

2. Add rose wine into the seasoning, made in step 1., mix well.

3. On a plate, stuff half of the seasonings into the chicken cavity, then rub the rest over the exterior of the whole chicken. Let it marinate for 30 minutes (Remember with the addition of the wine, not to marinate the chicken more than 30 minutes, as it will make the chicken lose its texture).

4. Heat up the water in a wok, once boiled, place the chicken onto the steaming rack. Close the lid, let it steam for 25-30 minutes.

5. Reserve the juices (some would be present in the chicken cavity) when the chicken is cooked.

6. Let the chicken to cool down, then chop into pieces.

7. Bring the reserve juices to boil, remove the fat that floats.

8. Pour the hot chicken juice over and chicken and serve.

NOTE *:

Agaricus

Agaricus blazei also known as Brazil mushroom. It taste tender and crisp, excellent taste with almond flavor. It is also very nutritional. Japan's international director of the Institute of Health Sciences, said Agaricus blazei "saved patients with advanced cancer, the last food on earth. "Japan's three units (Department of Medicine, University of Tokyo, the National Cancer Center Research Institute. Department of Medicine, University of triple) confirmed Brazil mushrooms can counteract cancer, the inhibition of tumor cell growth, lower blood glucose and blood lipid, improve immune function, enhance physical and intellectual, anti-aging, beauty role.

Black Truffles

The truffle is perhaps the most highly prized wild edible since ancient times and for good reason. Finding truffles calls for skill and luck: they grow underground, requiring trained dogs to hunt them. The second reason the truffle is so highly valued is its exquisite, earthy flavour that enhances any dish it graces like a fine gorgonzola cheese without the dairy aftertaste.

Morels

Every year, Oregon Mushrooms hunts for and harvests fresh morel mushrooms to fill in-season orders as well as for drying and powdering. The fresh morel season typically runs from March through July in Oregon. These highly prized mushrooms are referred by many as the highly elusive pinecone mushroom, sponge mushroom and morchella...no matter what the name, they are still morels!

Morels are a delicacy with many uses; fried, stuffed and baked, added to sauces, sautéed, stir fried and many other uses. They are great as pizza toppings as well.

It takes 8-10 pounds of fresh morels to make 1 pound of dried.

To Reconstitute: Soak in a cup of warm water or liquid per ounce of dried morels for 20 minutes or overnight. When they are fully reconstituted, strain through a coffee filter or paper towel and retain the liquid for your recipe or future use. Rinse well to remove any debris, pat dry and use.

Do you know that eels possess substances, best for rejuvenating the body which scientists worldwide have established? Experts have found out that eel contains vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E, which are effective agent for the body's wellbeing.

Eels are also abundant with unsaturated fatty acids like Palmitoleic acid, Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eiconsapentaenoic acid (EPA).

White eels are commonly eaten during Winter time, especially due to the high content of the unsaturated fatty acids. I personally think its taste best at the end of the season, very juicy and fresh, the reason is that there will be less fat present in the white eel.

Let's enjoy this mouth-watering recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

- 300g fresh white eel* (best to buy top half of the eel)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic, heaping full
- 1 tbsp dried black bean (raised and peel off the outer skin)
- 1 finely shredded tangerine peel # (soaked and scrape off the inner layer)
- 1/4 tsp sugar
- 3-4 tbsp of light soy sauce
- 1/2 red eye's chillie

Optional (use it if you are using frozen eel):
- pinch of chicken stock powder
- pinch of white peper

PROCEDURES:

1. White eel can find in fish market, and they would normally descale and chop into pieces for you. If not, you can simply descale the eel with boiling water in a plastic bag for about 30 seconds and scrape off the scale using back of your knife (note: don't do this overtime, as you will start to 'cook' the fish). Then chop it up into 1/2 inch thick slices.

2. Degut the eel, rub the eel with some salt and raise off the salt after 1-minute to remove the sliminess of the eel. Place on a plate.

3. Drain off the water and soak away any excess water with kitchen paper.

4. Mash up the black bean, then combine with the garlic, soy sauce, sugar, (chicken stock powder and white pepper, if frozen eel is used). Pour it over to the eel, stir well to ensure every pieces of eel is covered. Sprinkle evenly with the red eye's chillie and tangerine peel.

5. Wrap with cling film, let it marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

6. Heat up the water in a wok. Once the water boiled up, place the eel on the steaming rack, close the lid and let it steam at high heat for 12 minutes. Don't overcook it as it will lose its firmness.

TIPS:
No need to add oil to the dish as the eel will releases oil itself, otherwise the dish will to too oily to serve.

NOTE:

* EELS

According to medical research, eel has been shown in certain studies to significantly reduced the chances of the development of type 2 diabetes among certain groups. Due to the high omega 3 content in eel, a high intake of eel may delay the development of diabetes in glucose intolerant individuals.

It is also safe for individuals with type 2 diabetes and can help ease cardiovascular disease risk factors such as high triglyceride levels.

# Tangerine Peel

The reason for using tangerine peel in this dish is to reduce the fatiness 'feel', as this dish may tends to be a bit heavy to serve for some people due to its fat content.

Don't you think, spaghetti just seems so lonely without garlic bread. Here are a couple of methods that make wonderful garlic bread, depending on how you like it, either toasty or soft.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 loaf of Italian bread or French bread
- 100g of unsalted butter, softened
- 2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley
- Pinch of salt for seasonings

Optional: - 3 tbsp of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method to make Toasty Garlic Bread

1. Preheat Oven to 180C.

2. Cut the bread in half and horizontally.

3. Mix the butter, garlic, and parsley together in a small bowl. Spread butter mixture over the the two bread halves. Place on a baking tray and heat in the oven for 10 minutes.

4. Remove tray from oven. Sprinkle the cheese over the baked bread if you want. Return to oven on the highest rack and let it heat for another 2-3 minutes until the edges of the bread begin to toast and the cheese (if you are using cheese) bubbles. Watch very carefully as the bread can easily go from un-toasted to burnt.

5. Remove from oven, let it cool for a minute. Remove from tray and cut into 1-inch thick slices. Serve while its hot.

Method to make Soft Garlic Bread

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices, but not to cut through bottom crust.

3. Combine garlic, and parsley with soft butter. Then spread between slices and over top of loaf.

4. Wrap loaf in foil and then heat it in the oven for about 15 minutes. Cut the bread and ready to serve.

Mushrooms are less colourful than other fruits and vegetables and are often overlooked for their nutritional value as well. Mushrooms are actually very nutrient dense providing a range of many essential minerals, nutrients and antioxidants that include: copper, B-vitamins (riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid) and selenium.

For mushroom lovers, this is a good time to enjoy yourself with this deliciously healthy, hearty, fragrant, earthy, and simple to prepare cream soup.

INGREDIENTS (8 servings):

- 25g dried porcini, see note * (soak until soft and dice)
- 450g diced mixed fresh wild mushrooms (white and/brown crimini and stemmed shiitake), see note *,
- 35g butter
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped garlic clove
- 850ml chicken broth
- 225ml semi-skimmed or full cream milk

Seasonings: - pinch of salt and black pepper

Optional: - 1 chopped thyme

PROCEDURES:

1. Heat butter in pot, sauté the chopped onion, garlic and the diced mushrooms. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to boil, simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Heat up the milk in another pot.

3. Blend the mixture in a blender or with a hand blender into a purée . Reheat slightly. Add the hot milk, from step 2., to the soup. Stir well.

4. Season to taste, sprinkle with chopped thyme and ready to serve.

Notes *:

Mixed Crimini Mushroom
Crimini mushroom is said to be an excellent source of selenium, riboflavin (vitamin B2), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), copper, niacin (vitamin B3), potassium and phosphorus. Crimini mushrooms are also a good source of iron. White button mushrooms in particular, have an unrecognized source of vitamin D. One serving of 4 to 5 button mushrooms provides 15 IU of vitamin D.

Shiitake Mushroom
Shiitakes have four to ten times the flavour of common white button mushrooms. In addition to their robust/pungent, woodsy flavour and meaty texture, shiitakes provide high levels of protein (18%), potassium, niacin and B vitamins, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. They have natural antiviral and immunity-boosting properties and are used nutritionally to fight viruses, lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure. Lentinan, an immunostimulant derived from shiitakes, has been used to treat cancer, AIDS, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibrocystic breast disease, and other conditions with impressive results. Researchers S. Suzuki and Oshima found that a raw shiitake eaten daily for one week lowered serum cholesterol by 12%.

Porcini Mushrooms
The porcini mushroom, with its rich and woodsy scent. Porcini mushrooms are filled with an abundant array of minerals, such as Iron, Niacin, Riboflavin, Copper, and contains almost no oil. It is rich in minerals, as well as protein, the porcini mushroom is very often called “the meat from the woods” or "the king of wild mushrooms". It is important to mention that scientists consider this mushroom to have anti-carcinogenic properties.
Regarding the nutritive value of proteins based on the FAO Amino Acid score for Quality of Protein (Egg = 100), Porcini has a score of 37. Traditional Chinese medicine believes the Porcini mushroom will relieve colds and joint pains; Japanese research shows activity against influenza virus and tumours.

This mushroom is good in a variety of recipes and can be used both fresh and dried. The only drawback is that the porcini mushroom is very expensive and hard to find. Dried porcini goes extremely well with pasta dishes. Avoid mushrooms that seem crumbly, and avoid any that have little worm holes in them.

TIPS:
Don't care to wash the mushroom with water, as it will discolour and weaken the flavour. So just wipe them clean with damped tissue.

Tangerine peel has widely been used in many Chinese dishes like sweet soups, meat dishes, and for steaming fishes. Tangerine peel not only helps to lower LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), in recent research, scientists in Leicester School of Pharmacy found that a compound extracted from tangerine peel can kill certain human cancer cells - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6987200.stm.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup of red bean (soak in cold water for 2 hours, discard any stones/dirt)
- 4 cups of tap water
- 6 red dates (soak until soft, discard any dirt and remove the stone)
- 2-3 slices of raw sugar, see note * (commonly known as cane/brown sugar)
- 2 dried tangerine peels, see note # (soak until semi-soft, then scrape off the inner layer, see red arrow, and thinly cut it)

PROCEDURES:

1. Fill a small pot with tap water, add red bean, red dates sliced tangerine peels, wait for it to boil.

2. Let it boil for 15 minutes, and simmer for 1 hour. Don't open the lid and let it sit for 30-45 minutes and simmer again for another 45 minutes (until all the red bean break open). Bring back to boil again, add the cane sugar (to suit your taste).

3. Ready to serve; it also taste good if serve cold, but more sugar is needed.

NOTES:

* Raw/Cane/Brown Sugar

So-called raw sugars comprise yellow to brown sugars made by clarifying the source syrup by boiling and drying with heat, until it becomes a crystalline solid, with minimal chemical processing. The raw sugar has a rich and complex flavour.

# Tangerine Peels

Tangerine peel is aromatic, warm and pungent in taste, and warming in action. It aids digestion, dries up mucus and reduces nausea.

Lily bulbs are widely cultivated for food in Asia especially in China, Korea and Japan. Although there are many species of lily with edible bulbs, the ones most commonly grown for food in China are Lilium brownii, Lilium dauricum and Lilium pumilum. Bulbs from Lilium brownii, which has beautiful white trumpet shaped flowers, are the ones usually available in the markets. For years only the dried bulb sections were available from China, but you can now find fresh lily bulbs in season from spring through late summer in most Chinese grocery shop.

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup of red bean (soak in cold water for 2 hours, discard any stones/dirt)
- 4 cups of tap water
- 6 red dates (soak until soft, discard any dirt and remove the stone)
- 2-3 slices of raw sugar, see note * (commonly known as cane/brown sugar)
- 1 bulb of fresh lilium, see note #, peel the petals and raise thoroughly to remove the mud/dirt (can also use dried lilium, raise. Note: dried lilium tend to give a slightly more powdery texture; found in Chinese grocery shop)

PROCEDURES:

1. Fill a small pot with tap water, add red bean and red dates, wait for it to boil.

2. Let it boil for 15 minutes, and simmer for 1 hour. Don't open the lid and let it sit for 30-45 minutes and simmer again for another 45 minutes (until all the red bean break open). Bring back to boil again, add the cane sugar (to suit your taste).

3. Once the cane sugar melted, add the fresh/dried lilium, let it boil for 5 minutes. Ready to serve; it also taste good if serve cold, but more sugar is needed.

NOTES:

* Raw/Cane/Brown Sugar

So-called raw sugars comprise yellow to brown sugars made by clarifying the source syrup by boiling and drying with heat, until it becomes a crystalline solid, with minimal chemical processing. The raw sugar has a rich and complex flavour.

# Edible Lilium

Lily bulbs (known as baihe in Chinese) are white skinless ball shaped, containing starchy scale like sections. They have a slightly perfumed smell, crunchy texture and refreshingly sweet taste. Chinese commonly used them in cold dishes, stir-fries and soups. They come in a vacuum-sealed package and they can stay fresh for few weeks if unopened and keep in refrigerator.
They are considered to help to relieve symptoms of coughing, asthma or lung congestion, as well as having a cooling effect to the body, thus making them ideal for summer consumption.

INGREDIENTS:

- 12 long green chillies, halved and deseeded (note: removal of the seeds not necessarily would lower the spiciness of the chillies)

OR Bell peppers (one of each colour - red, green, yellow; deseeded and chop into 1/8 then cut half of that 1/8 section)
OR 2 Aubergine (cut 1/2 inch thick, but it tends to be more oily as aubergine absorbs oil easily)

- 120g or 240g fresh dace fillet, for long chillies peppers/aubergine and bell peppers respectively (or fresh shrimp; or buy ready-made fish/shrimp paste from Chinese grocery shop)
- 1 dried Chinese mushroom, soak until soft and chop it
- 1/2 tbsp of finely chopped dried shrimps
- 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp of preserved black soya bean (raise, remove the outer layer/shell, lightly mash it with back of the spoon)
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp light soya sauce
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

Optional:
- 1 tbsp diced pork fat (this will give a firmer texture to the fish/shrimps paste, particularly to fish)
- 1-2 finely chopped bird's eyes chillies
- 2 tbsp of finely chopped coriander (for stuffings)

SEASONINGS FOR STUFFINGS (not required if using ready-made one):
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tsp corn flour

PROCEDURES:

1. Raise, halved, deseed the long green chillies (24 halved chillies).

2. Pat dry the inner side of the chillies with paper towel, then coat with some corn flour (the corn flour helps to hold the stuffing in place, otherwise the stuffing can comes off easily).

3. To make the stuffing (if made from scratch):
- Carefully debone the dace fillet or deheaded, devein and remove the shell of the shrimps.
- Roughly chop up the fillets or shrimps, then use back of the knife to finely chop them into a paste (avoid using the blade as it will make the paste goes too mushy). Place into a big mixing bowl.
- In the mixing bowl, combine chopped Chinese mushroom, chopped dried shrimps, add all the seasonings and or may be the coriander. Stir continually until sticky. Let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour and ready to use.

4. Fill each of the halved long green chillies with the stuffings, made in step 3..

5. Heat a saucepan, pour 3-4 tbsp of oil. Shallow fry the stuffed side first, then the other until golden brown. Drain away excess oil on paper towel.

6. With the same saucepan, stir fry the chopped garlic, black soya bean, may be chillies (if you are using) until fragrant. In a small bowl, mix soya sauce, water, sugar and chicken stock powder. Stir in the mixed sauce, let it boil, then add the long chillies (step 5), stir again. Close the lid, and let it cook until the sauce reduces.

7. Serve hot and ready to eat.