Easy Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict on Toasted Croissant

I got woken up early this morning by the kids wishing me "Happy Mother's Day" while I was still half asleep in bed. They were already up before 7am and couldn't wait to give me their presents and cards. Give it a couple more years and I'd have them well-trained to make me breakfast in bed. For now, Mr TFWL (aka Mr G) is only too happy to make one of our favourite breakfasts - Eggs Benedict. Not just any ordinary Eggs Benedict, but one served on top of a freshly baked croissant. Lucky for us, there is a bakery down the road which sells delicious breads and pastries, including these flaky buttery croissants.

 

It's always such a treat to have Eggs Benedict for breakfast, with the perfectly poached eggs and creamy hollandaise sauce. Traditionally (or usually), they are served on top of an English muffin, or sometimes wood-fired bread. We discovered the most awesome Eggs Benedict at Bondi Beach many years ago (before we had kids), at this place called Lamrock Café. The last time we were there, it wasn't on the menu anymore, and we never came across any cafes in Sydney serving them on croissant either.

Salted Egg Yolk Crispy Squid

 

I had the pleasure of dining at one of Sydney's most popular Roti Canai establishments on Friday. Mamak specialises in Malaysian cuisine, in particular its famed roti canai, which are freshly made on the spot and served on a silver-coloured platter with two curries. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it was my "inaugural" visit to Mamak, since almost everyone I know has been there at least once. I didn't set any expectations for this place, and was pleasantly surprised by how authentic (both in flavour and heat from the chillies) the food was. One dish I just had to try was the Sambal Sotong - stir-fried brown cuttlefish in fiery (indeed!) sambal sauce. I grew up enjoying nasi lemak, lontong and roti canai served with sambal sotong and it's one of my favourite Malaysian dishes! Typically, it uses dried brown cuttlefish which is soaked in alkaline water to rehydrate, tenderise and give it a springy texture when cooked.

 

In Malaysia, we use the term "sotong" loosely, regardless of whether they are cuttlefish, squid or calamari. In a different context, namely Singlish, "sotong" can also refer to a person who is "blur like sotong". Anyway, I picked up a book from the library today - Sydney Seafood School Cookbook - and learnt a new word: Cephalopods. It comes from the Greek word, meaning "head-feet", which sums up the appearance of squid, cuttlefish and octopuses. Squids have long cylindrical heads and a thin, translucent feather-shaped internal shell, called a quill. Cuttlefish is similar to squid, but have a broader, thicker head, shorter arms and a thick, calcified internal shell. Octopuses are different in that they have round heads instead of cylindrical, and lack the two longer tentacles, side fins and internal shells that the other two species have. Calamari (flashbacks of Kellie Pickler in her Southern drawl) is just the Italian word for squid, though it also refers to another species of squid.

Kanitama-don (Crab Omelette on Rice)

Kanitama-don is basically a Japanese-style "egg fuyong", comprising an omelette of crab meat served on a bed of rice, and topped with a soy-based gravy. I first tried this dish in a Japanese restaurant a few years ago, and was taken by surprise by what was a huge mound of an omelette sitting in a pool of gravy on a large plate. I suppose I was expecting it to be a little more colourful and artistic in presentation, like typical Japanese cuisine. For a moment there, I thought they got my order wrong! Well, never mind that I was  having "egg fuyung" while my lunch partner enjoyed her steaming hot bowl of ramen. I LOVE eggs, and I do love a good omelette, especially when it comes with gravy, and so I was quite happy and contented with my meal that day and was already thinking of ordering it again next time. Well, except that I didn't see it on the menu anymore after that, and that meant only one thing - I have to make it if I want to eat it.

Scrambled Eggs with Spicy Salsa

I often find breakfast served at cafes in Sydney to be overpriced, especially when it's just toast with bacon and eggs, or even just jam and butter. I could buy a whole loaf of bread with the amount they charge and have breakfast everyday for the whole week. Having said that, we do treat ourselves to breakfast at the local cafes once in a while. The kids would have their little babycinos while G and I would sip on our lattes and watch the world go by. Okay, not exactly. Most of the time, we would take turns trying to keep our little toddler "entertained" by letting him play games on the phone or bringing him out for a walk when he starts getting restless.

Eggs Cooked in Tomato Sauce and Liebster Award

This simple combination of runny eggs in a fresh herbed tomato sauce tastes fantastic when eaten with plenty of hot crusty bread (or in my case, I used garlic bread made out of Turkish pide). I added some diced ham that was leftover from Christmas lunch, just to make it a bit more substantial as I made this for our dinner. You can also use sausage meat (just remove the meat from the casings), chorizo, bacon or just leave them out entirely for a lighter meal. I used canned diced tomatoes for this dish, but you can use fresh tomatoes too if you like (just peel them before using). This dish is so incredibly versatile and easy to prepare, it's perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Marbled Coca-Cola Eggs

Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year. It's the only time when G takes over the kitchen and prepares Christmas lunch, leaving me in charge of desserts. It's relatively stress-free for me, although I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that my maiden attempt at baking a red velvet cake tomorrow will be successful. For now, I decided to make some marbled Coke eggs, which are actually hard-boiled eggs which have been simmered and steeped in a Coke and soy "broth" for a few hours. The marbled effect is created by cracking the shell of the hard-boiled eggs all over before simmering them in Coke. The eggs would have absorbed a mildly sweet flavour with a hint of soy, depending on how long the eggs are left in the Coke. These can be served warm or at room temperature, and are great for picnics, parties or just a snack for the kids at home. And they look quite pretty too!

Mum's Spicy Sambal Omelette

Eggs and sambal. These are two of my favourite foods, and to combine them in one dish is just perfect for me. Sambal is basically a spicy sauce typically made using chillies and onions and is commonly used in Malaysian and Indonesian cuisine. I grew up eating a lot of spicy food which my mum put on the table everyday, and this ranged from curries to a variety of sambal-based dishes. There is one particular dish that she used to make that I absolutely love, and that is fried omelette with sambal. It's such a simple dish of fried eggs, but when mixed with the spicy sambal and sliced onions, it's so delicious that I could just eat it on its own.

Easy Japanese Modanyaki

Mini Modanyaki with Okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise, bonito and aonori flakes

Modanyaki refers to "modern-yaki", or in other words, modern okonomiyaki. It's like okonomiyaki (a Japanese savoury pancake, or otherwise known as the Japanese-pizza), except that it has noodles as one of the fillings. So, if I'm not wrong, okonomi-yaki literally means "as you like it - fried". That means you can't really go wrong with okonomiyaki as long as you have the basic cabbage and pancake batter, and the rest is really as you like it! Then, add some thin egg noodles (I used yakisoba noodles) in between and you have the upgraded modern version. And since we're on the topic of okonomiyaki, there are basically two ways of preparing them. One is to mix all the ingredients into the batter before frying them, which is the Kansai or Osaka style. The other is the Hiroshima style where the ingredients are layered one at a time. Check out this modanyaki video to see what I mean.

Fujian Fried Rice with Gravy

I know, I know. You 're thinking, fried rice? Even a six-year old can make fried rice, so why post a recipe for it? Well, there are many versions of fried rice if you think about it, not only the kind you get in chinese restaurants. There's Thai fried rice, pineapple fried rice, nasi goreng (Indonesian), Yangzhou fried rice, salted fish fried rice, Indian-style fried rice with anchovies, Japanese omu rice - the list goes on. Here, I am sharing with you a recipe for Fujian fried rice, which is essentially fried rice served with an oyster sauce gravy. The gravy is thick and gooey, which allows it to perfectly coat each grain of rice with a layer of tasty savoury goodness. You've got to love rice with gravy!

Beef Bibim Guksu / Bibim Naengmyeon (Mixed Cold Noodles)

I'm surprised at how quickly I have almost finished my little tub of gochujang (which is Korean red pepper paste), considering that I just started my foray into cooking Korean cuisine a few months ago. So far, I have used it in making Yangnyeom Tongdak (fried chicken), Korean-style Slaw and a dipping sauce for Buchujeon (garlic chive pancake). This time, I'm using it to prepare a cold noodle dish called Bibim Guksu (meaning mixed Korean noodles), or alternatively, Bibim Naengmyeon which literally means "mixed cold noodles".

Tofu Omelette

Chamchi Jeon (Tuna Pancakes)

Another one of the Korean mums suggested that I make these tuna pancakes for Z's lunchbox. It's quick and easy to prepare especially when mornings at home with the kids can get quite busy sometimes. They are a little like crab cakes, using tuna instead. The addition of the baking powder gives these mini pancakes their crisp edges. Here's the recipe:

Chamchi Jeon (Tuna Pancakes)

Makes 6

Ingredients

1 small 95g can tuna, drained well and lightly mashed

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 stalk spring onion, finely chopped

3 tbsp panko crumbs

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

Dash of pepper

1 tbsp olive oil for frying

Mayonnaise, barbecue sauce and ketchup to serve

Method

Combine tuna, egg, spring onions, panko, baking powder, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine. Heat up oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pan, using the spoon to shape the cakes into rounds. Fry them for 2-3 minutes each side until brown and crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot or cold with a drizzle of mayonnaise, barbecue sauce or ketchup. Ideal for picnics and school lunchboxes!

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Coconut Juice

I cook with pork belly at home about 2-3 times a month, and last night, I tried out a new recipe for a Vietnamese version of braised pork using coconut juice. I was a little intrigued by the use of this new ingredient, but the dish turned out delicious with the subtle sweetness of the coconut juice coming through the soy and fish sauce flavoured broth. As I didn't have fresh coconut juice, I substituted it with Ayam Brand canned coconut juice instead. This dish will be a family favourite from now on! Here's the recipe:

Vietnamese Braised Pork Belly with Coconut Juice

(Adapted from SBS Food)

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly (not too fatty), cut into 3 cm cubes or slices
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3-4 shallots (small brown onion bulbs), finely chopped
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp cracked black pepper
2 tbsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar (or substitute with white sugar)
2 stalks green/spring onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ white onion, finely diced
3 cups young coconut juice (not milk or cream!)
1 cup water (or just enough to cover the pork)
8 hard boiled eggs, peeled
Coriander, to garnish

Method

Combine pork belly, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, soy sauces, oyster sauce, pepper, sugar and green/spring onions. Add to marinade. Marinate pork for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Heat vegetable oil in heavy based pan and brown onion. Remove pork from marinade and add to the pan and seal over high heat. Add coconut juice, marinade and water.

Bring pan to the boil and skim surface. Simmer for 2 hours (or until tender) on low heat (skimming occasionally) and add eggs just 15 minutes before serving. Add salt to taste if necessary. Garnish with coriander and serve with steamed Jasmine rice.

Muhammara Sauce

Muhammara with mint

Try making this delicious Middle Eastern dip that is a combination of roasted red peppers, walnuts and the all-essential ingredient, pomegranate molasses. I bought the molasses at the local fruit market which sells an array of gourmet foodstuff. If you can't find it, you can always make your own (recipe here) using pomegranate juice, lemon juice and sugar. It has a tart and acidic taste that lends a beautiful flavour to the dip.

I decided to make a batch of this sauce after having tried some Kataifi prawns with Muhammara sauce at Kazbah a few weeks ago. It has a slightly sweet, spicy and nutty flavour, and it tasted so good that I had to google it to see what it was made from. I found a few recipes and they looked quick and easy to prepare, with the exception of having to buy or make the pomegranate molasses. They are great as a dip with some pita chips, bread, crackers etc. I also made an mashed egg and muhammara sandwich, which was yum! And of course, I grilled some fresh prawns and served them with the sauce. You can also serve them with steak, chicken, vegetables and practically anything you can think of. Try it! Here's the recipe:

Muhammara Recipe

(adapted from Epicurious)

A 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained*

2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted lightly and chopped fine

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper / chilli flakes

1/2 - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

* Or take 1 large red pepper and grill it in the oven for 25 minutes until the skin is charred or blistered. Place in a ziploc bag to cool (about 20 minutes) before peeling. 

Method

In a food processor blend together the peppers, the bread crumbs, the walnuts, the garlic, the lemon juice, the pomegranate molasses, the cumin, the red pepper flakes, and salt to taste until the mixture is smooth and with the motor running add the oil gradually. Transfer the muhammara to a bowl and serve it at room temperature with pita bread, crackers, meats, etc.

Grilled prawns with Muhammara sauce

Food Memory: Steamed Egg Custard with Pork and Salted Egg Yolk

It has been a while since I last had this dish. My mum used to make this for lunch at home and we would eat it together with a hot bowl of porridge (congee). Actually, I never did like it when I was little, but as I grew up, I slowly learnt to appreciate and enjoy the rich and creamy taste of of the salted egg yolks against the soft and silky egg custard. However, whenever I go back home to visit and ask my mum to cook this, she refuses to for the pure reason that it's TOO SIMPLE! :)

I decided to make this for dinner because firstly, it's easy to prepare, and secondly, I had some duck's eggs leftover from the other day when I cooked the crab. Most of the time, when I cook steamed egg, I would use one egg with 1/2 cup water, seasoned, and place it in a small bowl which I would then pop into the rice cooker on top of the rice, about 15 minutes just before the timer for the rice goes off. It will come out perfectly set and dear H will be the one who finishes the whole bowl. It's also a good way to help "moisten" the rice especially when there's no gravy or sauce in the other dishes. Well, this time, I used 3 eggs, so I had to steam it in a wok instead, but over very low heat. The water should be just simmering, otherwise the eggs will overcook and you'd end up with dry and hard "honeycombed" eggs instead.

Here is the recipe, which I have sort of conjured up based on memory:


Steamed Egg Custard with Pork and Salted Egg Yolk

Ingredients

3 tbsp minced pork
2 salted duck's eggs, boiled and yolks removed and chopped
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/3 cup water
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
Dash of pepper
1 tbsp vegetable/peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Some chopped spring onions or frozen mixed vegetables for topping (optional)

Marinade:
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
Dash of pepper
1/8 tsp sesame oil

Method

Combine pork with marinade and leave for 20 minutes.

Fry garlic in 1 tbsp oil until garlic turns light brown and crisp. Dish out and put aside.

Combine beaten eggs with water, soy, salt, pepper and stir until well mixed. Pour into a steaming tray or glass pie dish. Take 3 tbsp of this mixture and stir it through the pork until the mince is well dispersed. Add this to the rest of the egg mixture and spread the mince evenly. Sprinkle with salted egg yolk. Steam over simmering water on low heat for 15 minutes or until egg is just set. Take care not to overcook. If frozen vegetables are used, add this to the egg just before it completely sets and continue to steam until cooked. Remove from steamer and drizzle the garlic oil over the egg. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Quick and Easy: Eggs in Spicy Chilli Jam

Deep-fried hard-boiled egg served with a sweet and spicy chilli and tomato jam,

garnished with coriander leaves

I had picked a handful of fresh red chillies from the garden and decided to make a sweet chilli jam and serve it with hard-boiled eggs. I boiled the chillies first for about 15 minutes until they turned soft, chopped them up with shallots and garlic, then fried them in oil with belacan (shrimp paste), diced tomatoes, tamarind paste, water, salt and sugar. This was simmered until it caramelized and reduced to a thick jammy consistency. I also added a little chicken stock powder for flavour, then tossed in some hard-boiled eggs (that I had lightly shallow-fried in oil). Wow, those chillies were really hot, which makes it extra delicious served with plenty of steamed jasmine rice to help drown out the heat. Yum!

Mud Crabs with Salted Egg Yolk

Here's a recipe you can try out, but be sure to use fresh or live crabs if possible.

Crabs with Salted Egg Yolk
Adapted from Kuali.com

Ingredients

1kg fresh crabs
1 cup tapioca flour
Oil for deep-frying
3 salted egg yolks (I used salted duck eggs)
5 bird's eye chillies, chopped
2 stalks curry leaves
3 tbsp butter
½ tsp salt or to taste
½ tsp pepper
1½-2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp evaporated milk

Method

1. Clean the crabs. Remove the pincers and trim the legs. Cut into 4 pieces.
2. Boil salted eggs for 7-9 minutes. Remove the yolks and use a fork to mash the egg yolks finely.
3. Make sure the crabs are dry, then toss them in tapioca flour. Deep-fry in hot oil till golden in colour and cooked. Remove and leave aside.
4. Melt butter in a wok, sauté curry leaves and bird's eye chillies until aromatic. Add salted egg yolks, keep stirring until egg yolks are incorporated into the butter sauce.
5. Add pepper, salt, sugar and evaporated milk then stir in pre-fried crabs. Stir-fry briskly to mix. Dish out and serve immediately.

 

Curried Omurice (Rice in Omelette)

Last Saturday, I made Oyako Don for dinner, which is my favourite 4 ingredient quick-fix meal when there's only chicken in the fridge. As I had cooked a little extra sushi (short-grain) rice, I decided to use it to make fried rice for the kids the next day. I went with the "Japanese-theme" and made Omurice, which is rice wrapped in omelette. I had never made this for the kids before (after all, it's just an inside-out fried rice), so I was sure they would be happy to see something different on the dinner table (especially drizzled with ketchup and barbecue sauce!).

If you're using cold sushi rice from the fridge, warm it up a little in the microwave first before frying it. Heat up just enough oil to coat the wok and pour in 2 lightly beaten eggs. Swirl it around the wok to form a thin layer and once cooked, carefully transfer it to a plate.

Fry some garlic and add in some bacon/luncheon meat/chicken etc, followed by any peas/corn/vegetables and add in the rice, breaking up the grains in the wok. Add some chopped spring onions and season with a little salt and pepper. You can add some soy sauce for flavour. I decided to add a dash of curry powder instead which is also a tasty option and gives it a little colour. Then just ladle the rice onto one half of the omelette and fold over the other half. Drizzle over decoratively with ketchup, chilli, barbecue or any of your favourite sauce. Garnish with parsley.

Crispy Pan-Fried Eggs

This is actually based on a Kylie Kwong recipe called Mrs Jang's Homestyle Fried Eggs. It's one of my favourite supplements to a meal when I need something super fast and easy. The original recipe calls for the eggs to be deep-fried in a wok, but I prefer to just pan-fry mine in a little less oil than that. The eggs are browned and crisp along the edges and all over the bottom, and the yolks still soft and liquid. Combine that with the sweet-salty flavours of the oyster sauce and the heat from the chillies, it's totally addictive and it's hard to stop at just one egg. I could eat a few of those with steamed white rice and that would be my meal.

If you've never tried these, you should! Here's the recipe, adapted from Kylie Kwong:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used about 1/2 cup using a frying pan instead)
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Dash of ground white pepper
2 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
1-2 red bird's eye chillies, finely sliced

Method

Heat oil in a hot wok (or pan) until the surface seems to shimmer slightly. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, then pour into the hot oil. After 2 minutes, reduce heat to allow the bottom of the eggs to become firm and crisp; the yolks should still be runny at this point.

Carefully slide a fish slice under the eggs, lift out of wok/pan and pour off oil. Return eggs to wok/pan and place back over the heat for another 1-2 minutes to crisp  further. The yolks should remain slightly runny.

Gently remove eggs from wok/pan and drain off any excess oil before easing onto a plate. Drizzle eggs with oyster sauce and garnish with pepper, spring onions and chillies.

Oyster Omelette ("Or Chien")

 

 

Today, we decided to splurge a little and bought some rock oysters to make oyster omelette, or "Or Chien", as commonly known in Malaysia. The last time I made this was about three years ago, and it was pretty successful for a first attempt. It's not a difficult dish to make, only that you need to have some plump and juicy fresh oysters and nothing can really go wrong, except that I FORGOT to add oil to the pan before I poured in the batter! I only realised it when I poured the egg over the batter and found that the omelette was sort of stuck to the pan, and no sizzling! Well, never too late to add oil, and I managed to save the dish. Phew! It turned out tasting pretty close to the real thing, especially with the chilli sauce that I made that afternoon. I could have left the omelette to fry a little longer, to crisp it up a bit more. It's a wonderful combination of textures - crispy, gooey, chewy, creamy (from the oysters). It's one of my favourite hawker dishes!