Curry Spring Roll

Ingredients:

100 g meat, coarsely chopped
1/2 big onion, thinly sliced
2 handful glass noodles
1 tbsp cornstarch in 1 tbsp water
1 handful coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp oil

Seasoning

2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp ketcup
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper powder

enough medium size spring roll wrappers (thawed)
1/4 whisked egg
oil for deep-frying

Method:

Soak noodle in cold water until soften (about 30 minutes) and drain well; set aside.

Heat oil in a wok, pot or non-stick deep pan, saute onion till fragrant and softened.

Add meat and seasoning, stir-fry until meat shrink and half cooked.

Add noodles and keep stirring until noodles are well distributed.

Adjust taste with sugar and salt, add more curry powder if strong taste is desired.

Pour-in cornstarch solution and stir to thicken.

Dish-up and stir-in coriander leaves; set aside to cool completely.

To assemble spring rolls:

Place a sheet of spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface.

Locate enough filling on one corner of the wrapper.

Spread the filling lengthwise along the wrapper by using chopstick or fork (reserve some spaces at all edges for sealing).

Fold-up left and right sides of wrapper over filling.

Lift-up the filling side egde and roll upward to the other end.

Seal roll end by brushing-on some egg solution on all opening.

Deep fry spring rolls under hot oil till golden brown and crispy.

Remove from oil and drain well on absorbent papers.

Serve spring rolls warm with Thai sweet chili sauce or any favorite homemade dipping sauce (chopped fresh chili in 1/3 cup plum sauce and 3 tbsp light soy sauce).

Fish Sauce Gavy Chicken

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken, cut to bite sizes
2/3 cup cornstarch/rice flour
enough oil for deep-frying

Marinate

4 glove garlic, mashed
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper powder

Seasoning

1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp chopped scallion
1 tbsp black soy sauce
3 tbsp water

Method:

In a container, mix all the marinate ingredient until the sugars are dissolved.

Add-in chicken and marinade overnight in fridge covered.

Spoon flour onto a plate; set aside.

In a wok, deep pan or pot, heat enough oil over medium high heat.

Pick up chicken from the marinate (reserve the marinate), coat with flour on plate, shake-off excess and deep fry chicken for 15 minutes or till crispy and brown.

Remove from oil and set aside on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

In a clean deep pan, heat the reserved marinate over medium high heat with all the seasoning ingredient.

Bring to boil (add some water if appear dried out) and adjust taste if more spicy is desired.

Return the chicken into the pan, stir to mix and thicken.

Dish-out and best serve hot with steamed rice.

Thai 3 Flavours Fish (Plalat)

 

Ingredients:

1 Fish (about 450g)
1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp sugar

oil for deep frying

Sprinkles

1 shallot, sliced

Some coriander/spring onion, chopped 

2 tbsp lime juice

Gravy

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 tbsp Thai chili pepper, sliced (I replaced with dried red chili)

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp stock (fish/chicken)

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Clean fish, score both sides of the fish deeply (each about 3 cm apart), pat dry on kitchen towel; set aside.

In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar and pepper powder; set this seasoning mixture aside.

Rub fish well with the prepared seasoning mixture (externally, internally and inside the scores too), set aside to marinade for at about 30 minutes.

Heat oil in wok or deep frying pan over medium high heat, deep-fry fish until both sides skin are crispy and golden brown.

Drained fish on paper towel.

Transfer fish onto a serving plate, sprinkle-on shallot and coriander leaves; set aside.

To prepare the gravy, heat oil in a pan over medium high heat, saute garlic till fragrant and starting to be golden brown.

Add-in chili, stir-fry till aroma.

Add-in the remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low and let simmer to thicken the gravy.

Remove from heat and pour the gravy onto the fish.

Sprinkle-on lime juice and adjust the taste accordingly.

Serve hot with rice.

Cantonese Sweet & Sour Ribs (京都骨)

Ingredients:

600 g pork spareribs, cut to bite sizes
enough oil for deep-frying

Marinate

1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 ½ tsp Chinese five spices powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground pepper powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp cooking wine

Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup
3 tbsp black rice vinegar
2 tbsp cooking wine
4 tbsp sugar
3 tsp light soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

1 cup sliced bell pepper
1 onion, wedged
2 clove garlic, chopped
1 knob ginger, sliced
1 tbsp oil


Method:

In a bowl, marinade ribs with all the marinate ingredient for at least 30 minutes or overnight covered in fridge.

In another bowl, combine all sauce ingredients; set aside.

In a wok, deep pan or pot, heat enough oil over medium high heat and deep fry marinated ribs for 15 minutes or till brown.

Remove from oil and set aside on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Remove excess oil from wok or pan.

Reheat 1-2 tbsp oil in the wok or pan, sautes garlic and ginger till fragrant.

Add-in onion and bell-pepper, stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

Pour sauce mixture into saucepan, bring to boil and let simmer for 10 minutes (add water if appear dried out).

Return the ribs and precooked garnish into saucepan, stir to mix and thicken.

Dish-out and best serve hot with steamed rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken/Meat/Fish

Ingredients:

Breading for Chicken/Meat/Fish:

1 kg Chicken, Meat or Fish, cut Chicken/Meat into bite size
2/3 tsp salt or 1 tbsp soy sauce to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg

Oil for deep-frying

Garnish Ingredients:

1 large green bell pepper, cut to bite size
1 onion, sliced
1 tomato, wedged
1/2 can (580 g with 5 rings) pineapple chunks, cut to bite size
2 tbsp oil

Sauce:

1/2cup vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 salt
1/4 cup orange juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup reserved syrup of canned pineapple
1/4 cup ketchup

2 tbsp cornstarch + 1/8 cup reserved syrup of canned pineapple syrup

Method:

Marinate chicken/meat/fish with salt, sugar and pepper for 30 minutes or more.

In two separated bowls, one filled with flours and the other one filled with lightly whisked egg.

Toss marinated chicken/meat/fish first in flours mixture, then in egg wet mixture and again in flours dry mixture; set aside.

Deep-fry the marinated chicken/meat/fish into hot oil till crispy and golden brown; set aside on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

In a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients; set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp in a saucepan or wok, stir-fry bell pepper and onion for 2-3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

Pour sauce mixture into saucepan, bring to boil and let simmer for 10 minutes (add water if appear dried out).

Pour-in cornstarch solution and stir to thicken.

Add-in tomato and pineapple chunks, stir to cook thoroughly.

Return the chicken/meat and/or precooked garnish into saucepan and stir to mix (for fish, pour the garnish-sauce over the deep fried fish on serving plate).

Dish-out and best serve hot with steamed rice.

Crostoli Pastries

Ingredients:

1/3 tsp salt
3/4 tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk (substitution: 1/2 cup milk powder in 9 tbsp warm milk or water)
1 tbsp rum (optional)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
2 cup flour

oil for deep-frying
Icing/confectioner/powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

In a large bowl, beat salt, sugar and eggs till very pale, glossy and fluffy.

Whisk-in evaporated milk, rum and vanilla extract.

Gradually, mix-in flour and knead for 10 minutes or till dough begins to blister
and non-sticky (add 1/2 tbsp flour at a time if necessary).

Cover dough with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for at least 20 minutes.

Over a floured surface, roll out dough portion by portion to as thin as possible.

Preheat enough oil in shadow wok or deep-fryer over medium high heat (175 °C).

Cut dough sheet into long and narrow strips (depend on the size of deep-fryer).

Carefully transfer strips into the hot oil and fry till puffy and golden yellow ( may give a mild stretch on each strip by pulling both ends before frying).

Remove crispy strips from oil and drain-well on absorbent paper towels to cool.

Sprinkle with confectioner sugar and store in airtight container.

Yeast Doughnuts

Ingredients:

1 ½ tsp dry instant yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water

1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/6 cup shortening or butter
3 cup all purpose flour
oil for deep-frying

enough fine sugar for coating

Method:

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water, leave for 8 minutes or till foamy.

In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and half of flour.

Pour-in yeast solution and stir well for few minutes.

Gradually, add-in the remaining flour till non-sticky dough form.

Knead dough well for about 8-10 minutes till smooth and elastic.

Transfer dough into a greased bowl and set aside at warm corner to rise covered with plastic wrapper till double in size.

Over large floured surface, flatten dough and roll out gently to the thickness of about 1/2 inch.

Cut into doughnut rings with floured doughnut cutter or simply with opening part of glass.

Let doughnut rings sit out to rise covered loosely with cloth till double in size again.

Heat oil over high heat or to 175 °C.

Carefully slide doughnuts into the hot oil by the help of wide spatula and fry doughnut till both sides are golden brown (doughnuts are turn-able once it floated).

Remove from oil and drain well on wire rack or absorbent papers.

Dip warm doughnuts into a bowl of sugar to coat.

Crunchy Shrimp Wantan/Wontan/Wonton/云吞 Rolls

Ingredients:

10 shrimps, peeled by leaving tail-on
10 wantan wrappers
oil for deep-frying

Marinade:

2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil

Method:

In a bowl, combine together all the marinade ingredients.

Add-in shrimps and set aside to marinade for 30 minutes.

Place a shrimp horizontally in the middle of wantan wrapper (cover the unused wantan wrapper with damp kitchen towel to prevent dry out and become hard sheet).

Brush a bit water on all edges.

Fold-up side edge over shrimp, follow by the bottom edge, roll-up till end and press to seal.

Heat enough oil in pot/wok/deep pan over medium high heat.

Drop-in shrimp wantan rolls in batches (single layer) and deep fry till golden brown, crispy and crunchy.

Remove shrimp wantan rolls from oil and drain well on absorbent paper towels.

Best serve with Thai chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce, ketchup or mayonnaise.

Cuculli (Chickpeas Flour Fritters of Liguria)

Ingredients:

1 ½ tsp dry instant yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 cups chickpeas/besan/gram flour
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp oregano or chopped marjoram
2 tsp salt
oil for deep-frying

Method:

Dissolve yeast in water, leave for 8 minutes or till foamy.

In a large bowl, dilute flour with water to obtain a thick but smooth batter.

Pour-in yeast solution and set aside to rise for few hours or overnight.

Once the batter has done leavening, add-in oregano and salt.

Heat oil over high heat.

Drop a spoonfuls batter into hot oil and fry till golden yellow.

Remove from hot and drain well on absorbent paper towels.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield 38 pieces of cuculli.

Thai Tom Yam 冬粉/Glass/Cellophane Noodles Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

250 g dry 冬粉/bean threads/Glass/Cellophane Noodles
200 g shrimps, shelled with tails-on (omit it for vegetarian version)
5 large dried chinese mushroom, soaked and drained
3 handful bean sprout
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp tom yam kung paste dissolved in juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sugar or to taste
1/4 tbsp salt or to taste
4 tbsp vegetable oil

enough medium size spring roll wrappers (thawed)
water or beaten egg or 1 tsp cornstarch/1 tbsp water paste to seal

Method:

To stir-fry the cellophane noodles:

Soak noodles in cold water until soften (about 30 minutes) and drain well; set aside.

Heat oil in a wok, pot or non-stick deep pan, saute garlic till fragrant and starting to brown.

Add mushroom and shrimps, stir-fry until shrimps are slightly pink and half cooked.

Add bean sprout and continue stir-fry for short while.

Add noodles and tom yam solution, keep stirring until noodles are well coated with the paste.

Adjust taste with sugar and salt, continue stir-fry till noodles cooked-through.

Dish-up; set aside to cool completely (Best serve hot immediately at this state too :P).

To assemble spring rolls:

Place a sheet of spring roll wrapper on a clean working surface.

Locate enough tom yam noodles on one corner of the wrapper (try to balance among the distribution of noodles, shrimp, mushroom and bean sprout for each spring roll).

Spread the filling lengthwise along the wrapper by using chopstick or fork (reserve some spaces at all edges for sealing).

Fold-up left and right sides of wrapper over filling.

Lift-up the filling side egde and roll upward to the other end.

Seal roll end by brushing-on some water.

Deep fry spring rolls under hot oil till golden brown and crispy.

Remove from oil and drain well on absorbent papers.

Serve spring rolls warm with Thai sweet chili sauce or any favorite homemade dipping sauce (chopped fresh chili in 1/3 cup plum sauce and 3 tbsp light soy sauce).

Crispy Spareribs with Thai Hot/Spicy Sauce

Ingredients:

400 g spareribs, cut into bite sizes
1 bowl cornstarch for coating
oil for deep-frying

Marinade:

1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp red curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:

2 tbsp Thai chili sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp red curry powder
3 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp water
1 bird's eye chili, chopped

Method:

In a container, combine all the marinade ingredients, add-in spareribs, mix well and set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight covered in fridge.

Coat marinated spareribs well with cornstarch, deep-fry into hot oil till crispy and golden brown.

Remove from oil and drain well on paper towels; set aside.

In a saucepan or wok, bring all sauce ingredients to simmer.

Add-in spareribs and stir to coat well.

Dish-out and best serve hot with rice.

Deep-Fried Shrimp Wantan/Wontan/Wonton/云吞

Ingredients:

Shrimps Filling:

1 cup (200 g) shrimps, shelled and diced
1 tbsp finely chopped carrot
1 tbsp finely chopped spring onion
1 tbsp chopped beansprout

Seasoning:

1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp sugar or to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp corn flour

enough wantan wrappers
water to brushing (to seal)
oil for deep-frying/shallow-frying

Method:

In a bowl, combine together all the filling ingredients.

Add-in seasoning ingredient, stir well to incorporate; set aside.

Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling mixture in the middle of wantan wrapper (cover the unused wantan wrapper with damp kitchen towel to prevent dry out and become hard sheet).

Brush a bit water on all edges.

Fold-up edges and pick to seal.

Heat enough oil in pot/wok/deep pan over medium high heat.

Drop-in filled wantan in batches (single layer) and deep fry till golden brown and crispy.

Remove crispy wantan from oil and drain well on paper towels.

Best serve with Thai chili sauce, sweet and sour sauce, ketchup or mayonnaise.

Crispy Skin Fish in Spicy Soy Bean Paste Gravy

Ingredients:

1 fish, (I used trout with the weight of about 200 g)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp cornstarch
oil for deep-frying

Gravy:

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
5 tbsp preserved soy bean paste (tau cheo) or to taste
1 cup water dissolves with 1 tsp cornstarch

Sprinkles:

1 stalk spring onion, cut into slivers
1 fresh red chili, seeded and cut into slivers
1 tsp sesame oil

Method:

Clean fish, score both sides of the fish deeply (each about 3 cm apart), pat dry on kitchen towel; set aside.

In a bowl, mix together salt, pepper powder and garlic powder; set this seasoning mixture aside.

Rub fish well with the prepared seasoning mixture (externally, internally and inside the scores too), set aside to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

In a large plate, spread-on cornstarch, smear-on fish gently to coat both sides with flour.

Heat oil in wok or pan over medium high heat, deep-fry or shallow fry fish (about 3 minutes for each sides) till golden brown and crispy on outer skin.

Drained fish on paper towel.

Transfer fish onto a serving plate; set aside.

To prepare the gravy, heat oil in a pan over medium high heat, saute garlic till fragrant and starting to be golden brown.

Add-in chili powder and preserved soy bean paste, stir-fry for another 1 minutes or till aroma.

Pour-in water and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to low and let simmer to thicken the gravy.

Remove from heat and pour the gravy onto the fish.

Sprinkle-on spring onion, red chili and sesame oil.

Serve hot with rice.

Mee Goreng Mamak (Mamak's Style Fried Noodles)

Ingredients:

Fritters:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
65 mL water
1/2 tsp finely chopped green chili
1 onion, finely chopped
oil for deep-frying

Sauce:

1 onion, peeled
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tbsp chili paste (blend from fresh red chili or commercial chili paste)
1/2 tsp toasted belacan powder (dried shrimp paste)
1 boiled sweet potato, peeled and mashed (yield 2/3 cup)
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 tbsp light soy sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/3 cup lime juice/lemon juice/tamarind juice (juice of 2 tbsp tamarind paste in 50 mL water)
1 cup roasted peanut, pounded
2 tsp salt or to taste
1 ½ cups water
4 tbsp oil

Noodles Stir-Fry:

350 g yellow noodles
3 potatoes, peeled, boiled and coarsely sliced
homemade fritters' slices
1 egg
3 tbsp oil
1 lime, cut into wedges

Other Garnish Option:

bean sprouts
shrimps with tail's shell on
lean chicken/meat slices
deep fried firm beancurd, cut into small squares
fresh red chili's slices for sprinkling
crisp deep fried shallot for sprinkling

Method:

To Prepare Fritters:

In a large bowl, mix-in flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.

Gradually, pour-in water and knead till smooth dough forms; set aside to rest for at least 1 hour.

Add-in chili and onion.

With floured hands, knead well to mix, shape dough into smooth log (about 3 cm in diameter).

Heat enough oil in wok or pot, deep-fry fritters till golden brown and fragrant.

Drain well on paper towels, set aside to cool and cut into slices with 1 cm thick; set aside till use.

To Prepare Seasoning Sauce:

With a blender, blend-together onion, garlic, chili paste and belacan; set aside.

Heat 4 tbsp oil in wok or pan over medium high heat, saute blended mixture till aroma.

Add-in the remaining ingredients and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer to thicken the sauce.

Remove from heat and set aside.

To Stir-Fry Noodles:

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok or pot over high heat.

Add-in meat slices and/or shrimps (if applicable), stir-fry for 1 minute or till almost cooked.

Add-in noodles and seasoning sauce, stir-fry to well-mix the ingredients and spread out the sauce evenly (meantime, adjust the taste accordingly with lime juice, chili paste and salt if desired).

Add-in potatoes, fritters or any other garnish, stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium.

Scrape noodles to side, pour egg into middle, stir quickly to scramble the egg, cover egg with noodles and leave for short while (about 1 minute).

Stir-fry for another short while to incorporate all ingredients and dish-up.

Sprinkle-on chili's slices and deep fried shallot if desired.

Best serve immediately with additional juice of lime's wedges.

Acar Telur (Spicy Eggs)

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
oil for deep-frying

6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
6 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
1 knob fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

3 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp sambal omelek chili paste
2/3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp sugar or to taste
2 tsp salt or to taste
5 tbsp water (add more if over heat and dry)

Method:

In a wok or deep pan, heat enough oil, deep fry peeled eggs till golden brown, drain on absorbent paper towel; set aside.

With blender/food processor, blend together garlic, onion and ginger to paste; set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in wok or deep pan over medium high heat, saute the blended paste till fragrant and start to golden brown (about 3 minutes).

Add-in chili paste, saute for another 1 minute or till aroma.

Return eggs into wok and add-in all the remaining ingredients, stir-fry till gravy is homogeneous and thicken (adjust taste accordingly with sugar and salt).

Dish-up and best serve hot immediately with rice.

Kuih Rose/Loyang (Crispy Honecomb Cookies)

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups rice flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 egg
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
20 mL coconut milk
80 mL water

oil for deep-frying

Method:

In a bowl, mix well rice flour and all purpose flour; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk egg with sugar and salt till sugar dissolves.

Pour-in coconut milk and water, stir to incorporate fully.

Add-in flours mixture, whisk to smooth batter; set aside.

Heat enough oil in wok or deep pan over medium heat.

Preheat mold by dipping in the hot oil for a while (important).

Transfer small amount of batter into a narrow cup.

Remove mold from oil, dip hot mold into the batter up to almost reach top surface, return coated mold into the hot oil, hold it for short while (may counts to 5), shake mold up and down within oil to drop shaped soft cookies from mold (may use fork to fasten the process).

Deep fry cookies till golden in color.

Drain cookies on absorbent paper and leave to cool completely on wire rack before storing into an airtight container.

Yields 52 cookies.

Penang Lor Bak (Crispy Skin Pork Sausages)

Ingredients:

600 g fatty pork, coarsely chopped
1 ½ tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 large onion/2 shallot, finely chopped (yield about 2 ½ tbsp)
1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp soy bean paste, minced
2 tsp five spice powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp chestnut flour
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp pepper powder or to taste (I used black pepper)

2 large bean-curd sheets
1 egg, lightly beaten for sealing (I used leftover egg yolks from dark soy dipping sauce)
16 pieces toothpick
oil for deep-frying

Dark Soy Dipping Sauce:

1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/8 tsp five spice powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt or to taste
4 tbsp water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 egg white, beaten

Sweet-Chili Dipping sauce:

3 tbsp chili paste
2 tbsp pounded roasted sesame seeds
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp hoisin or plum sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Method:

In a bowl, mix pork, garlic, onion, sugar, soy bean paste, five spice powder, egg, chestnut flour, salt and pepper to make the filling; set aside to marinade for 30 minutes (adjust the taste by pan-fry a bit of the filling mixture).

Rub bean-curd with wet kitchen towel to solften, cut each sheet to four pieces; set aside covered and wet kitchen towel (if bean curd tends to harden quickly, just soften it by soaking into cold water for about 3 minutes and pat dry gently with kitchen towel).

Divide filling into 8 portions.

Spread a portion of filling length-wise on bottom of sheet (spare about 1 inch on all sides for folding and sealing).

Brush-on whisked egg on all sides.

Gently, fold up bottom edge and roll upward till end to form sausage roll, seal both sausage terminals with toothpick.

Alternately, fold-in sides bean-curd while rolling to enclosed.

Heat oil in wok or pot on over high heat, deep-fry sausage rolls till golden brown, cooked through and crispy skin (about 9 minutes).

Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and set aside to cool to handle-able temperature.

Right before serving, cut sausages into 1 inch pieces and serve along with dipping sauces as appetizer or with rice (best serve along with fresh cucumbers slices).

To prepare the dark soy dipping sauce:

In a small pot, mix-in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, five spice powder, sugar, salt, water and cornstarch; simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes or till yields smooth sauce (stir occasionally); whisk-in egg white to form fine white streaks; remove from heat and apply warm or at room temperature.

To prepare the sweet-chili dipping sauce:

In a small pot, bring vinegar to boil, mix-in chili paste, plum sauce, sugar and salt; simmer over low heat for about 1 minutes (stir occasionally); remove from heat; stir-in sesame seeds and apply warm or at room temperature (We use to drop chili dipping sauce into the middle of dark soy dipping sauce and gradually incorporated while dipping-in sausage pieces, like wasabi in soy sauce for sushi eating).

Golden Mantou/Baozi/Pau/Buns with Curry Mussel Filling

Ingredients:

Filling:

Dry Curry Mussels

Pastry:

5 tbsp warm water
2/3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dry instant yeast

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp wheat starch
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp water
1/2 tsp baking powder

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water, set aside for 10 minutes or till foamy.

In a large bowl, mix flour, starch and salt.

Pour-in yeast solution, knead to mix.

Add-in oil and coconut milk, knead to mix again.

Gradually, pour-in water and knead till smooth, soft and elastic dough form.

Transfer dough into a lightly greased container, turn dough to evenly coated with oil, set aside covered to rise till double volume (about 2 hours).

Dissolves baking powder in 1/4 tsp water; set aside.

Punch down the dough, add-in baking powder solution, knead till well-blended.

Roll-up dough into cylinder shape, cut into 8 pieces and shape to balls.

Flatten each piece roundly into 1/2 cm thick, fill-in the prepared filling in the center, twist to seal the top and roll up nicely into balls again.

Place the filled buns on individual parchment papers, cover with kitchen towel or in a covered container and leave to rise for another 20 minutes (not to over rise).

Steam buns covered over high heat for about 15 minutes.

Remove from steamer (best serve warm immediately if prefer soft skin buns).

Heat oil in a pot over medium high heat, deep fry buns till golden brown (turn buns continuously for even browning).

Drain buns on paper towels and set aside to room temperature.

Spiral Curry Puffs with Sweet Potato Curry Filling

Ingredients:

Curry Sweet Potato Filling:

1 medium sweet potato, diced
1 onion, diced
2 ½ tbsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp sambal omelek chili paste
1/4 tsp sugar or to taste
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper or to taste
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp oil

Pastry:

Outer/Water Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
1/6 tsp salt
15 g butter
1/2 cup water

Inner/Oil Dough
1 cup all purpose flour
70 g butter

oil for deep-frying

Method:

Filling:

Heat oil in wok or non-stick pan, stir-fry onion till fragrant and golden brown.

Add-in sweet potatoes cubes, stir-fry for another 2 minutes.

Add-in curry powder and chili paste, stir-fry still fragrant (about 1 minute).

Pour-in water, stir for short while to incorporate.

Add-in salt and pepper, continue stir fry till sweet potato is soften, cooked thoroughly and the gravy is thicken (almost dry).

Remove from heat and leave aside to cool.

Pastry:

Water Dough:

Mix flour, salt and butter in a large bowl, knead thoroughly.

Add-in water and continue the kneading process till form a smooth dough; set aside covered to rest for 30 minutes.

Oil Dough:

Mix flour and butter, knead till dough is smooth and soft, leave to rest covered for 30 minutes.

Assembly:

Roll out both water dough and oil dough into long sausage shape and divide each dough into 6 portions.

Roll out a piece of water dough, fill-in a piece of oil dough and wrap up to form dough ball.

Flatten, roll out flat and roll up into a swiss roll.

Repeat the rolling and flattening process for three times.

For the last roll up into a swiss roll, cut dough roll into two pieces with a sharp knife.

Face the cut side down, flatten and roll out to form a circular pastry.

Place enough filling in the center and fold pastry over to make a half circle, pleat the edges to seal.

Repeat the assembly process for the rest of doughs' pieces.

Deep-fry over high heat until golden brown.

Drain on absorbent paper and best serve warm.

Yield 12 pieces of spiral curry puffs.

Schweinshaxe (German Crispy Skin Pork Knuckle/Hock/Shank)

Ingredients:

1 (600 g) pork knuckle
3 cups water

1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, roughly cut
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp black peppercorn, cracked
5 cups water
1 tbsp salt
enough oil for deep-frying

Method:

Clean pork knuckle by plucking-off hair and scraping the surface of rind to remove dirt.

In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to boil.

Add-in pork knuckle to scald for 1o minutes.

Drain well and again, clean the pork knuckles by plucking-off any leftover hair and scrape the rind; set-aside.

In a pot, add-in pork knuckle, onion, carrot, black peppercorns, garlic and water, cooked covered for 2 hours or till the pork knuckle is soften and tender.

Remove the pork knuckle from the pot (reserves the stock) and drain well with the help of running fan for about 30 minutes or till dried.

In another pot, heat oil over high heat.

Deep-fry the pork knuckle till golden brown and crispy (about 20 minutes).

Remove from oil and drain well on paper napkins.

Transfer the pork knuckle onto a serving plate.

Add-in enough the reserved stock and serve warm with cooked vegetables salad, vegetable balls or mashed potatoes.