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Curry Laksa (Curry Mee) Recipe

Ingredients:
600g shelled cockles/bloody clams (optional)
500g prawns, steamed and shelled; use the heads to sweeten the stock by liquidising them with 500ml water
3 to 4 pieces soaked cuttlefish heads
200g fried soya bean cubes/tow pok (halved or quartered)
200g cooked pig’s blood, cut into cubes (optional)
300g shredded, cooked chicken meat
500g blanched bean sprouts
600g blanched yellow noodles
300g blanched vermicelli/rice sticks
1kg grated coconut, mixed with 4 litres water and squeezed for the coconut milk to be used as main stock
Seasoning:
4 tbsp salt or to taste
1 1/2 tbsp rock sugar
1/2 tbsp MSG (optional)
Spices (finely ground):
100g shallots
25g garlic
3 tbsp coriander seeds
4 tbsp chilli paste
2 tbsp sliced lemon grass
10 peppercorns
1/2 tbsp belacan (Malaysian shrimp paste) granules
Chili oil:
110g chili paste
25g garlic, pounded
175ml to 200ml oil
Method:
Heat 1/2 cup oil to saute the spices till fragrant. Add in salt, rock sugar and 500ml general santan and bring to a low boil till sugar dissolves. Add in the rest of the coconut milk, tow pok, and pig’s blood, if used. When soup comes to a boil, add prawn stock and seasoning, then bring to just boiling point. Remove from fire and use stock as a soup for the yellow noodles and vermicelli. (Should the gravy or stock curdle, strain it.)
For the chili oil: Saute garlic and chili paste in oil until the chili disintegrates and oil floats to the surface. (Use this to garnish when serving.)

Peanut Butter & Jelly Surprise Muffins

What you'll need

• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup strawberry, raspberry, or grape jelly

How to make it

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 muffin tin with muffin papers. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix the peanut butter with the egg. Add the milk, a little at a time, then mix in the butter. Pour the wet batter into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir gently to combine. The batter will be stiff.
2. Put a heaping tablespoon of batter in the bottom of each muffin cup. Use a finger to make an indentation in the center and put a teaspoon of jelly in the hole. Cover with another heaping tablespoon of batter or enough to fill each cup about 2/3 full. Spread the batter gently until no jelly is visible. Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the muffins onto a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. Be careful: the jelly centers can get hot. Makes 12 muffins.

World's Best Lasagna

Ingredients 

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Foil-Wrapped Herbal Chicken

I love Chinese herbs. I will happily breathe in the pleasant herbal/tonic aroma whenever I walk pass Chinese medical halls. And I especially love the taste of dang gui. Some people may say it’s not the best herb around because it is considered “heaty”, but I think everything is fine in moderation. Just avoid dang gui during ‘that time of the month’ and drink more water after consuming it. This is a simple home-cooked version of the Chinese herbal chicken. Buying the herbs individually is definitely more economical than buying the pre-packaged mixes, and you can always experiment using the leftover herbs for other soups and dishes.

Ingredients

 
- 2 chicken thighs
- 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 8 red dates
- 8 slices of Dang Gui
- 2 pieces of Dang Shen, cut to approx. 2 inch length
- 2 tsp of wolfberries
- 6 pieces of Pao Shen
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 inch ginger, finely sliced
Marinade Sauce:
- 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
Directions
In a bowl, mix the ingredients for the sauce evenly and marinade chicken in the sauce for a few hours. Turn the chicken halfway through the marinating process to ensure that the marinade sauce is absorbed evenly. On a large piece of aluminium foil, place a small amount of ingredients at the bottom and place the chicken on top. Pour half of the remaining marinade sauce over the chicken and lay the rest of the ingredients over the chicken. Wrap the aluminium foil tightly (just 1 layer). Steam at high heat for 35 minutes. Open the parcel and flip the chicken to the other side and steam for another 10 minutes. Serve.

 

Preparing to steam the foil packages

source: noobcook

 

Penang Rojak

Ingredients

Serves: 8 

• 1 medium cucumber
• 2 small young green mangoes, peeled
• 1/2 medium pineapple, skinned
• 1 large yam bean (sengkuang/jicama), peeled
• 3 teaspoons black shrimp paste
• Prawn crisps ( see recipe)
• 150g roasted peanuts, chopped coarsely
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

• For the sauce
• 15 dried chillies, soaked and deseeded
• 2.5 cm belacan, toasted
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) tamarind juice
• 120g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dark soya sauce

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Directions

1. Pound the chillies and belacan in mortar and pestle until it becomes a fine paste. Put that paste and tamarind juice in a saucepan and cook over low heat. Add the sugar and dark soya sauce and cook until the sugar dissolves and sauce is thick. Set aside and let cool.
2. Cut the vegetables and fruits into small wedges and put into a large mixing bowl. Add the black shrimp paste and rojak sauce and mix well.
3. To serve, garnish the top of the rojak with slightly crushed prawn crisp, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds.

source: allrecipes