Easy Tomato Salad ala Sophia

 

 

 

 

Easy Tomato Salad ala Sophia Brown

 

2 punnets cherry tomatoes

1/2 Spanish onions

Salt, pepper

Balsamic Vinegar

 

 

Halve cherry tomatoes and place on a plate.

Chop Spanish onion and scatter on top of the tomatoes.

Sprinkle freshly ground salt and pepper on top, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Glutinous Rice

Glutinous Rice

My sister-in-law, Margaret, cooks the best glutinous rice!  Every Christmas and Chinese New Year, when she asks me what she can contribute to our family feast, the answer is always the same - Mee Siam and Glutinous Rice.  This year, my mum, Kathleen, finally sat Margaret down and took down the recipe.  So here it is. 

This is what I cooked for some International students in Macquarie University when they were having their welcome dinner.

This recipe will cook enough to share, for a party, or for many meals.



Ingredients:

4 cups glutinous rice
2 cup raw peanuts, skin intact.
3 onions, chopped finely
5 pairs of chinese sausages, cut lengthwise and cut widthwise to make small bits
3 teaspoon salt
Oil

Method:

1.  Wash glutinous rice, then soak in water 1/2 cm above the level of washed rice for 2 hours.  Strain and reserve water for later use.
2.  Wash and boil the peanuts for 20 - 30 mins till semi cooked.  Strain.

3.  Heat oil in wok.  Stir fry chopped chinese sausages till lightly brown.  Remove.
4.  Stir fry chopped onions in wok.  Fry till fragrant.
5. Add glutinous rice and stir.  The glutinous rice will take on the flavours of the chinese sausage and onions.
6.  Add peanuts.  Mix well.
7.  Add chinese sausage, and salt.  Mix well.
8.  Put this mixture of glutinous rice into a rice cooker, cover with saved rice water (step 1) and top up till level of water is 0.2 cm above the level of the rice.

9.  Cook rice till ready.

10.  Enjoy!

Tamarind Curry of Seafood

Tamarind Curry of Seafood

My daughter, Sophia gave me a treat to Urban Graze cooking class, with Alvin Quah, one of the contestants from Masterchef 2010.  This is my favorite recipe from that class.

Tamarind Curry of Seafood
Recipe by Alvin Quah


Ingredients:

15       each bulb shallots, peeled
3         each candlenuts, soaked in hot water for 10 mins
1         each 3cm piece galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
7         each garlic cloves, peeled
3         each stalks lemongrass, white part sliced and reserved
2         teaspoons tumeric powder
10-20 dried chillies (soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained)
16 g    shrimp paste (belacan)

1/2      cup vegetable or canola oil
3         tablespoon tamarind pulp
21/2    cups water
250     ml fish stock
1/2      tablespoon palm sugar
2         each truss tomatoes, each cut into 6 equal pieces
           salt to taste

250     g barramundi fillet, cut into 10 pieces
10       each mussels
10       each green prawns, head and shells removed and deveined
10       each okra, cut into thirds

Method:

• In a food processor, process bulb shallots, candlenuts, galangal, garlic, lemongrass, tumeric owder, chillies and shrimp paste to a smooth paste.
• Mix the tamarind pulp with water and strain the water to get the tamarind juice.  Set aside.
• In a wok, heat the oil over low heat and fry the ground spice past until the oil and paste separates and is fragrant.  (About 15 minutes)
• Add the tamarind ulp and sugar into the spice paste and bring it to a boil on low heat.  Add fish stock, half the tomatoes and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.  Add okra and the rest of the tomatoes and alow to simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, steam the fish, prawns and mussels in a bamboo steamer until just cooked.  They should all take the same amount of time to cook.  About 4-5 minutes.

To Serve:

• Add a piece of fish, a mussel and a prawn into a bowl.  Repeat with the other 9 bowls.
• Ladle the curry into each bowl and serve with rice or crusty bread.