Asian Cuisine

Simple Singaporean Recipes:
1.Lotus Dumplings:
Ingredients
100g lotus root; 250g flour; 4 tbsp oil; 3-4 icing sugar; oil for deep frying the dunpling; 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda; salt to taste;
Method:
Boil the lotus root till tender.Drain and cut into tiny pieces.Sprinkle salt and keep aside.Knead the flour with the oil, salt bicarbonate of soda and water and knead into dough, which is neither very soft nor hard.Divide the dough into portions and roll out each portion into rounds and flatten with a rolling pin.Place a bit of the lotus root in the centre of each round and cover the dumpling.Stuff all the dumplings in this way.Heat oil and fry the dumplings a few at a time till they are a golden brown in color.Sprinkle icing sugar on each dumpling while they are still hot.

*********************************************

2.Stuffed Mushrooms In Chilli Sauce:
Ingredients:
10-12 button mushrooms; 1 cup vegetable(shredded-a motley of carrots, beans, bamboo shoots and red bell pepper); 3 tbsp red chilli paste; 2 tbsp cornflour; 1 tbsp oil; oil for frying salt to taste;
For Garnishing:
1 tsp parsley(chopped);
Method:
Remove the stem of the mushrooms and with a sharp knife scoop out the mushroom from the stem side.Chop the stems and mix with the shredded vegetables.Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute the vegetables over a medium flame till tender.Season with the salt.Stuff each of these mushrooms with the cooked vegetables.Mix the cornflour in water to obtain a thick batter.Heat oil for frying.Dip each mushroom in the batter and fry till a light golden brown.Remove the oil from the pan, leaving only about a tbsp.Add the red chilli paste to it and 2 tbsp of water.Add salt and stir for 1 minute.Mix in the stuffed fried mushroom and stir gently.Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

*********************************************

3.Singaporean Chicken Rice:
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
1 Chicken(preferrably Kampong Chicken); 8 clove Garlic(lightly smashed with skin intact); 5 slices Ginger; 1-2 teaspoon Salt; Water;
For Rice:
3 cup Long Grain Rice; chicken stock; 4 slices Ginger; 5 glove Garlic(lightly smashed with skin intact); 8 Pandan leaves(tied in a knot); Salt to taste;
Method:
To Prepare Chicken: Stuff garlic and ginger in chicken and seal with toothpick.Blanch chicken.Boil a pot of water and add salt. Simmer the chicken for about 20 - 25 minutes or till cooked.Retain broth for use on rice, chilli sauce and soup.Plunge chicken in ice water for about 15 minutes or till chicken is no longer hot.Remove from water and drip dry. Cut chicken into pieces.
To Prepare Rice: In a wok, add 2 teaspoon oil, preferably oil from frying chicken skin or the congealed fats you get when you refrigerate your chicken broth. Otherwise, vegetable oil is fine.Saute ginger and garlic till fragrant.Add in washed rice and saute till rice is coated well with the oil.Add salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon is enough). Stir to mix well.Pour rice with ginger and garlic to your rice cooker. Add in broth from chicken you cooked earlier instead of your usual water. Add in the pandan leaves.Let your rice cooker do the cooking.

*********************************************

4.Singapore Noodles with Silverbeet and Chicken:
Ingredients:
400g vermicelli noodles; 1 tbs oil (nut, light olive or seed oil); 2 slices fresh ginger(finely chopped); 3 cloves fresh garlic(cut into fine strips); 1 small red or brown onion(sliced); 400g chicken tenderloins (or a mixture of sliced red barbeque pork and seafood); 3 dried Chinese mushrooms (soak and slice); 6 leaves silverbeet(torn into shreds); 2-3 tbs soy sauce (salt-reduced);
Method:
Tip: Have all ingredients ready to go because this dish is very quick to cook.
Add 1 tbsp oil to a wok or large frypan and slowly cook the onion, garlic and ginger until soft. A lower heat allows the onion to release its juices, so you don't use extra oil.To the wok, add the chicken and mushrooms. Toss over heat until cooked. Whilst the chicken is cooking, place the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for about 3 minutes. Drain once cooked.Add the torn silverbeet leaves and cooked noodles to the wok and toss through until the leaves are just wilting and heated through. Stir in 2 tbs thin soy sauce and serve straight away.
Variation: Use equal amounts of red barbeque pork and scallops or green prawns. These are all quick cooking, so take care not to overcook.

*********************************************

Indian Cuisine