Asparagus, Potato & Sundried Tomato Filo Tart

Eating this reminds me of the days back in college when I used to have cheese and asparagus crepe for lunch. This is no crepe, but a simple and flavoursome tart made with layers of filo pastry, and then filled with a delicious combination of cheesy mashed potatoes and asparagus, then topped with sun-dried tomatoes. I came across this recipe on Jamie Oliver's website when I was searching for ideas to use the filo pastry I had in the fridge. I figured I had to use up the pastry soon as they dry out pretty quickly if left open for too long. The original recipe does not have sun-dried tomatoes. I added them to enhance the flavour of the tart with a little extra zing and saltiness. Plus, it was something I had at the back of the larder that I had forgotten about until now. If you love asparagus, then this is a wonderful dish to try. Mashed potatoes, cheese and asparagus taste fantastic together with the light and crispy filo pastry. And anything with so much butter in it has to taste good!

Coconut Shrimp and Spicy Pasta with Chorizo

 I love eating mushrooms. No pasta is complete for me without mushrooms. Not only do they provide texture, but they enhance and bring out the flavour of the other ingredients. Here, I have basically made an Aglio Olio with the addition of button mushrooms and sliced chorizo. I also used fresh bird's eye chilli instead of chilli flakes.

 

Spicy Chorizo Pasta with a side of Deep-fried Coconut Shrimp

To make our dinner more substantial, I prepared Z's ultimate favourite dish - deep-fried prawn fritters in crispy batter. Shell 500g of prawns, leaving the tail, and marinate with a little salt, pepper and cornflour. Then, just take 1/2 cup self-raising flour and season with salt, pepper and sugar, and combine with 1/2 tbsp oil and 110ml water. This should give you a nice thick batter. Coat prawns with batter and deep fry till a light golden colour. This shouldn't take too long. You don't want to overcook the prawns. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with your favourite sauce. I had mine with some sriracha mayo and hot chilli sauce.

I also made some coconut shrimp by dipping the prawns in the batter, and then rolling it in some dessicated coconut. The result is a mildly sweet coconut flavour with a crunchy coconut crust.

Tip: To get the prawns nice and straight, use a knife and lightly score the underside of the prawn 3-4 times and stretch the prawns to straighten them.

Crispy prawn fritters

Served with Sriracha mayonnaise

Goan Chicken Vindaloo with Cashew

I haven't cooked hot and spicy food in such a long time that I had forgotten how much I love eating it. After watching an episode of Indian Food Made Easy, I was inspired to make Chicken Vindaloo. It is slightly different from the way I used to cook it, with the addition of a few extra spices. The toasted cashew nuts gives it a nice touch and makes this dish even tastier.

Here is the recipe, adapted from Indian Food Made Easy:

Ingredients

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
5 black peppercorns, left whole
2 green cardamom pods, seeds only
2 cloves
1cm/½in piece cinnamon
1cm/½in piece ginger, peeled and chopped
7 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
3 fresh red chillies or more (I used dried chillies)
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
Pinch of salt
500g chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1 inch cubes
65ml/2½fl oz vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp mustard seeds
Handful cashew nuts

Method 

1. Using a spice grinder, grind the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cloves and cinnamon to a fine powder.

2. In a food processor, blend the ginger, garlic, chillies and white wine vinegar to a paste.

3. Mix the ground spice mixture with the paste until well combined and season with a pinch of salt. Rub the mixture all over the meat using your fingers, then set the meat aside, covered, to marinate for 1½-2 hours.

4. Heat four tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick pan. When the oil is hot, add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown.

5. Add the marinated chicken pieces and fry for 6-7 minutes, turning once, until golden-brown on all sides. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add small splashes of boiling water to the pan as necessary if the juices in the pan dry out. Add as little water as possible as the resulting sauce should be quite thick. Check for seasoning and add a little sugar or extra vinegar if preferred.

6. Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a separate pan over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. (CAUTION: the mustard seeds will start to pop. Keep the pan well away from your face and eyes.)

7. Once the mustard seeds start to pop, add the cashew nuts and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are golden-brown.

8. Pour the fried cashew nuts and mustard seeds over the vindaloo and serve with basmati rice.

Salmon with Teriyaki Glaze and Garlic Seaweed Broccoli

When the kids are at home, I try to prepare a simple dinner that doesn't require too much time in the kitchen or over the stove. Usually, that will mean using the oven (roasts and grills), braising or steaming. Somehow, japanese food can be so simple to prepare with such basic ingredients, which is why I decided on baked salmon teriyaki with a simple steamed broccoli. Quick, simple and delicious.

Strawberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate and Rosewater Frosting

White chocolate with rosewater essence is one of my favourite combinations. I first tried it in a macaron, but as I do not have the time (nor confidence) to make macarons, I decided to make cupcakes instead. Thanks to my cousins, I managed to get hold of some strawberry paste. I'm not sure where to find strawberry paste here, but I might try checking out Essential Ingredient one day. The strawberry paste indeed smells wonderfully sweet, and much better than strawberry essence. Here is the recipe below:

Chocolate, roses and strawberries...yum!

Ingredients

125g butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon strawberry paste

2/3 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup milk
A few drops pink food colouring (optional)

Frosting

140g white chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar
50ml milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon rosewater essence
80g butter, softened

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line muffin tins with paper cases.
2. Combine ingredients and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until batter is smooth.
3. Fill paper cases with the mixture and bake in oven for about 20 minute or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
4. Cool on wire rack. Decorate with frosting.

To make the Frosting:
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of almost-simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the bowl. Stir until smooth and leave to cool. Combine all ingredients including cooled melted chocolate and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.