Friday, October 18, 2013

Crispy Battered Prawn / Shrimp Fritters

Do you believe in blood type diet? I came upon this concept a few years again and I was intrigued that different blood type has specific dietary recommendations to promote better health. Dr. Peter D'Adamo defines Blood group O as hunter, Blood group A as cultivator, Blood group B as Nomad and Blood group AB as Enigma. Being a 'hunter', my recommended diet should contain high animal protein food such as seafood and red meat, and avoid dairy, gluten and legumes. I am so so happy to hear that because that is what I like and dislike. 

Prawns have been my favourite food for the longest time. Knowing its high cholesterol content, it has made me reduce my intake. Good fresh prawns should come with firmly attached head and clear sparkling looking shells. If you do not have access to fresh prawns, frozen ones are fine too but thaw them according to the recommendations reflected on the packaging. 



I came upon this recipe and made it for two consecutive days. I am so in love with the crispiness and sweetness of the prawns. You should give it a go. It is easy to make and easy to please your family. 

Recipe for 12 Prawns
Ingredients 

A) Prawns preparations

  • 12 Large prawns, shelled with tail attached and slit the back of the prawn to form a butterfly
  • 2 tbsp of Wheat flour
  • 1 tsp Salt 
  • 2 cups of Water
Steps:
  1. Prepare the prawns. 
  2. Mix salt with water and rinse the prawns in it. 
  3. Pat dry. 
  4. Coat the prawns with flour. Set aside. 

B) Batter
  • 3/4 cup of Wheat Flour
  • 1/4 cup of Tapioca Flour
  • 1 tsp of Baking Powder
  • 1/4 tsp of Salt 
  • 1/4 tsp of Sugar
  • Approx 1 Cup Iced Water
  • Cooking oil for frying
Steps:
  1. Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
  2. Add the iced water slowly until a batter is formed. 
  3. Coat the prawns with batter one at a time . Fry the prawns immediately in a saucepan of heated oil. Remove prawns when the batter turns golden brown. Drain with paper kitchen towels. 
  4. Serve hot. 

Tips for frying
How do you know that your oil is heated enough for frying? What I normally do is that I use a wooden chopstick and if you see the bubbles form around the chopstick. If there are, it means you are ready. But also make sure your oil is not smoking hot!


Adapted from http://zizaimakan79.pixnet.net/blog/post/75145927?utm_content=buffer735c4&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Buffer

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Healthy Quinoa and Edamame Salad

Today is one of those days that I feel like going healthy. I want to enjoy something simple, healthy and tasty. It has been for at least 6 months which I have opt for healthier rice options during dinner. I read that quinoa is a great grain with high nutritive value. It is a high protein food and has high concentration of mono-saturated fats that protects our heart. It is also a good source of folate, copper and phosphorus in contrast to whole wheat. Sounds good isn't it? 

Taste wise... I think it tastes better than brown rice. And surprisingly, quinoa pairs extremely well with curries. If you wonder if it is a new world food. Nope! Quinoa has been around approximately 3000 BC. The good news is that the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has officially declared year 2013 "The International Year of the Quinoa." This further affirms that the quinoa is the healthier and right choice.




Ingredients (serves 2-3)

  • 1/2 cup Quinoa
  • 1/2 cup Edamame, blanched in hot water and drained
  • 1/4 cup Celery, cut into small dices
  • 1/4 cup Carrots,  cut into small dices
  • 2 tbsp Toasted Pine nuts
  • 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Sea salt and Pepper to taste 

Steps:

  1. Boil quinoa with 1 cup of water in a small saucepan, covered. Remove from heat once the quinoa becomes tender and absorbs all the water. Do not let the quiinao burn. Cool for 15 minutes. 
  2. Mix the prepared ingredients and quinoa in a mixing bowl together. Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. 
  3. You may serve straight away or chilled. 

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Remaking Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

Have you watched the movie "Julie and Julia"? I watched it several times and I find the emotions which Julie when through very familiar. Of course, I am not obsessed with Julia Child as crazy as Julie but I can share the excitement and anxiousness while she waits for comments and responses from her blog readers. Having this blog allows me to share my story and experience of cooking and baking food for my family and friends. It is also a platform which I hope you can be inspired to remake the foods I shared. 

In one of the scenes of the movie, Julie made Beef Bourguignon for a special dinner. The process was long and tedious. She felt asleep and the stewed beef burnt. Lucky mine was not burnt and turned out so good.... The fragrance coming from the oven kept me wide awake so it is impossible for me to fall asleep. 





Reading Julia Child's recipe book is a nightmare. It is complicated and confusing. Ingredients are not consolidated in a list and instructions are unclear. My hubby and I had to read several times and rewrite the recipe to make sense for ourselves. At the same time, we refer to Thomas Keller's for cross referencing. Julia's recipe calls for beef cubes but after trying 50% beef cubes and 50% boneless short ribs, trust me, please use short ribs. It was so tender and tasted so gorgeous. 

Ingredients

  • 170g Thick bacon, remove rind and cut into 1/4" thick and 1.5" long 
  • 1.3kg Boneless Beef short ribs, cut into 2" cubes
  • 1 Large carrot, cut into chunks
  • 1 Yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed with skin 
  • 2 sprig of Thyme
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • Herb bouquet in cheese cloth: 4 parsley sprigs, 1/2 bay leaf and 1 thyme sprig 
  • Almost 1 bottle of full bodied red wine (600ml + 120ml)
  • 400ml + 120ml Beef stock 
  • 20 Pearl onions, peeled
  • 450g Button mushrooms, halved
  • 28g Plain flour
  • Olive oil
  • Butter
  • Salt 
  • Pepper
Steps:
Beef
  1. Preheat the over to 230 degree Celsius. 
  2. In a heated dutch oven, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute bacon over miderate heat till light brown. Remove and set aside. 
  3. Add beef cubes and browned it. Do not overcrowd the pot. You may have to do this in batches. Remove and set aside. 
  4. Add in onions and carrots. Saute till onion turns brown. 
  5. Add in bacon and beef cubes. 
  6. Add in 1tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Sprinkle flour lightly over beef and mix well. 
  7. Put the dutch oven, uncovered, in the hot oven for 4 minutes. 
  8. After 4 minutes, take the pot and toss the beef. Return it to the oven for another 4 minutes. 
  9. Remove the pot and lower the temperature of the oven to 160 degree Celsius.
  10. Put pot over stove and add in 600ml of wine and 400ml beef stock to cover the beef. 
  11. Add in tomato paste, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. 
  12. Bring to simmering point. 
  13. Cover and place pot into oven for 3 hours.


 Pearl Onions
  1. In a separate sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp of butter and add pearl onion and saute for 5 minutes. 
  2. When they start to brown, add 120ml Beef stock and 120 ml red wine.
  3. Add some salt and pepper and herb bouquet. 
  4. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until liquid evaporated. 
  5. Remove  herb bouquet and set aside the onions. 

Mushrooms
  1. In a saute pan, heat pan with 28g of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. 
  2. Add mushrooms to brown. Avoid stirring. 
  3. Toss the mushrooms only with it starts to brown. 
  4. Add some salt and pepper. Remove and set aside. 


To serve
  • Remove dutch oven from the oven. When the beef is ready, fork pierces the meat easily. 
  • Pour contents into a sieve over a large sauce pan. Wash the dutch oven and return the drained contents. 
  • Add in pearl onions and mushrooms. 
  • Skim fats from the sauce in saucepan.  
  • Simmer sauce to reduce to about 500ml. 
  • Pour sauce over the meat and vegetables.