Potato & Leek Soup

The nights are getting colder so warm yourself up by making this creamy potato and leek soup!

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 brown onion, halved, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4-5 medium (about 700g) peeled desiree, pink eye or pontiac potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
2 leeks, pale section only, washed, dried, thinly sliced
1.25L (5 cups) salt reduced chicken stock
3 thick slices day-old white bread, crusts removed, cut into 2cm cubes
½ cup thickened cream
Pinch of salt
2 tbs finely chopped fresh chives

Method

1. Heat 1 tbs of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the onion softens. Add the potato and leek and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until leek softens. 
2. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until potato is soft. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool.  
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C. Place bread in a roasting pan. Drizzle with remaining oil and toss until bread is evenly coated. Toast in preheated oven, shaking pan occasionally, for 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove croutons from oven and set aside. 
4. Transfer one-third of the potato mixture to the jug of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Repeat in 2 more batches with the remaining potato mixture. 
5. Place the soup over medium heat. Add the cream and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until hot. Taste and season with salt. 
6.  Ladle the soup among serving bowls. Sprinkle with chives and top with croutons. Serve immediately.

Notes & Tips

This soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To blend soups, use a stick blender, jug blender or food processor.

Nonya Fried Rice

If you haven't figured it out by now, I like food and I like to eat. Which shouldn't come to anybody's surprise that I also like to watch cooking shows. However, I don't often cook what I watch on T.V. as most of the stuff that's cooked on the telly these days is too gourmet or fine dining for me. When I come home from an exhausting day at work, I don't want to necessarily be slaving away in the kitchen for 3 hours on a meal that will be eaten in 30 minutes and that doesn't taste nice reheated the next day for work. I tend to cook more easier, simpler, practical meals on a work night and occasionally on a weekend or a day off I might try a recipe that requires a bit more effort.

Watching Poh's Kitchen the other day, I saw her make a dish called Nonya Fried Rice. It looked quite easy to put together and the flavours of this Malaysian style fried rice intrigued me so much that I decided to give it a go and to my surprise I quite liked it (and so did hubby). There is a spicy prawn flavour as you eat the fried rice (that comes from both the dried shrimp and fresh prawns), with the refreshing and cool taste of the cucumber. The cucumber also adds a nice crunch and bite to the dish.

It's great to see Poh (the runner's up to season 1 Masterchef) have her own T.V. show and share some of her Malaysian recipes with the wider audience in Australia.

Ingredients

¼ cup vegetable oil
2 large red chillies, chopped and seeded
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
¾ cups dried shrimp, soaked in boiling water
10 green prawns, peeled deveined and cut into small pieces
1 ½ cups jasmine rice, cooked
2 tbs light soy
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp white pepper
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 telegraph (long thin) cucumber, quartered lengthways, seeds sliced off and discarded (for maximum crunch) and then sliced diagonally - about 2 to 3 mm

Method

1. Pound the chilli, garlic and shallots to a paste in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, chopping finely will be completely appropriate.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok till hot and add the paste and sauté till it is rich and aromatic. (If finely chopping the aromatics, add the garlic first to the wok, and cook briefly, then the shallots and chilli and stir fry till aromatic).
3. Pound drained dried shrimp in mortar and pestle till shredded, or blitz in a food processor to a crumbly consistency. Add to the wok and stir fry till fragrant. Add prawns and stir fry till just cooked. Immediately add rice, soy, salt, sugar and white pepper.
4. Cook till rice has separated, and tender.
5. Make a well in the middle of the wok pushing rice to the sides. Tip in the egg and let it sit for a while so the bottom has a while to caramelise. With an eggflip turn it over on the other side till that is also nice and brown, then chop it with the eggflip so little pieces of it cook all the way through. Add the cucumber and give it all a final toss so everything is incorporated, checking for seasoning. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes & Tips

The trick to cooking great fried rice is to pre-cook the rice and put it in the fridge overnight spread out on a baking tray lined with a sheet of baking paper. This makes the grains stay separate and prevents the fried rice from getting stodgy when cooking.

Lemon Diva Cupcakes

I finally had the chance today to make these Lemon Diva Cupcakes. The original recipe is from Julie Goodwin, winner of Masterchef season 1. I see why she won the cupcake challenge. These cupcakes are moist, fluffy and they do certainly pack a punch in terms of lemon flavour!

Makes 12

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
finely grated zest of 3 lemons
2 eggs
1⅓ cups self raising flour
½ cup milk

Icing

125g unsalted butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1½ tbs lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12 hole medium muffin pan (1/3 cup capacity) with paper cases. Using electric beaters, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until light and creamy. Mix through the lemon zest.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Gently fold through the flour and milk in two alternate batches. Divide the mixture evenly among the paper cases.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and springy when touched. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
4. To make the icing, use electric beaters to beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the icing sugar a little at a time, beating constantly. Add half the lemon juice and beat until well combined. Add the remaining lemon juice a little at a time. Using a 1cm fluted nozzle, pipe the icing onto the cooled cupcakes.

Barbecued Lime & Mint Chicken Skewers

These lime and mint chicken skewers are great to whip up for a BBQ. They're simple, tasty and full of citrus flavour from the limes.

Ingredients

2 limes
2 long fresh green chillies, halved, deseeded, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ cup light olive oil
½ cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
800g chicken thigh fillets, fat trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
1-2 tbs water
½ cup bought tzatziki
Fresh mint leaves, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Finely grate the rind of the limes. Juice the limes. Place the lime rind, lime juice, chilli, garlic, oil, coriander and chopped mint in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a glass or ceramic bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover and place in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate. 
2.  Thread the chicken onto skewers. Brush with marinade. 
3.  Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill on high. Cook the skewers for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through.
4.  Gradually add the water to the tzatziki until it reaches the consistency of thickened cream. Place the skewers on a serving plate. Top with mint leaves. Serve with lime wedges and tzatziki.

Notes & Tips

Soak bamboo skewers in cold water for 20 minutes for this recipe to prevent them from burning. Alternatively, use 12 metal skewers.

Chicken Satay Skewers and Peanut Sauce

Serves 4
Ingredients

800g chicken thigh fillets or tenderloins, cut
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 stalk lemongrass
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 red chillies, chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
1 tbs soy sauce (I used ketcup manis for a sweeter flavour)
¼ cup oil
1 tbsp soft brown sugar

For the satay sauce 

½ cup crunchy peanut butter
2/3 cup coconut milk
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Process the onion, lemongrass, garlic, chillies, coriander, turmeric, salt and soy sauce in a food processor, in short bursts, until smooth, adding a little oil to assist the processing. Place marinade mixture and chicken pieces into a snaplock bag, mix together well till chicken is thoroughly coated with the marinade and leave overnight in the fridge - make sure all the air is pushed out of the bag. 
2. If using wooden skewers, soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes prior to cooking.
3. Meanwhile to make the satay sauce: stir all the ingredients in a heavy based pan over low heat, until the mixture boils. Remove from the heat. The sauce will thicken on standing.
4. Heat a char-grill or barbecue flat plate until very hot and brush with some oil. Skewer the chicken taking care not to overload the skewers by bunching up the meat. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side, sprinkling with a little oil and brown sugar (this will help produce a lovely flavour and colour). Serve topped with satay sauce and rice.

Chinese Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

This Chinese dessert soup is homely comfort food. When I was little, I always looked forward to when my mum would make this soup for me. It's so simple to make and so delicious to eat! I very much enjoy drinking the sweet soup and eating the sweet potato with the warming properties of ginger. It always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside after I drink this soup :) This dessert soup can be eaten hot or cold but I prefer to eat it hot.

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes
2 inches fresh ginger, skinned and sliced
3 ½ cups water
60g rock sugar

Method

1. Peel, wash and chop sweet potatoes into chunks (size is dependent on personal preference, I like mine chunky).
2. Bring water in a pot to a boil; then add ginger slices, sweet potatoes and rock sugar. Bring to a boil again then simmer on low heat for 15 minutes with lid on.
3. Serve hot or cold.

Balsamic Strawberries

Ingredients

¼ cup caster sugar 
¼ cup water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar 
1 tsp arrowroot or cornflour
250g strawberries, halved

Method

1. Place the caster sugar, vinegar and water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Combine the arrowroot with 2 tablespoons cold water until smooth, then add to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is syrupy. Remove from heat and toss in the strawberries.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry

I've always wanted to try and make Vietnamese Chicken Curry at home. So when a Vietnamese friend of mine offered her mum's recipe for me to try out, I was very excited and couldn't wait to start cooking. Unfortunately with many Asian mum recipes, quantities of ingredients and timing can vary since a lot of them don't use measuring cups or spoons and don't follow a step by step recipe when they cook. Instead they often adjust taste as necessary or prefer to look at the consistency of the dish as they are cooking. So when I got my friend's mum's recipe, there were a few steps I wasn't too clear about, nor could I locate all the ingredients written in the recipe. So instead I have modified her recipe and incorporated principles from other Vietnamese curry recipes to make the following recipe below:

Ingredients

1kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into small cubes

Marinade:
1 tbsp mild curry powder
2 tbsp Vietnamese curry granules added to 100ml hot water
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 birds eye chillies, chopped
6-8 cloves garlic, crushed
4 curry leaves
1 brown onion, chopped
½ tbsp instant coffee granules added to ¼ cup hot water

1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
400ml  Yeo's Singapore hot curry sauce
1 x 375ml can coconut juice
1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed and lower two-thirds of the stalks (the whitish bits) cut into roughly 2 inch pieces and bruised with the back of a knife
Vegetable oil

Method

Add all the marinade ingredients together with the chicken into a mixing bowl. Mix well then place into a large ziplock bag. Leave in the fridge to marinate overnight to allow the flavours to develop.

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large heavy based fry pan and shallow fry the potatoes over high heat until brown (it is not necessary to completely cook the potatoes at this point, only to brown them). When well browned, remove from the pan and set aside until ready to cook the curry. This helps to keep their shape when added to the curry.

Add some more of the vegetable oil (approx 2 tbsp) and fry the marinated chicken until it is golden brown on all sides. (You may want to do this in several batches to avoid steaming the chicken). Set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, over low heat, add the can of Singapore hot curry sauce and coconut juice. Transfer the chicken and lemongrass stalks into the curry sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the root vegetables to the curry. Replace the lid and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve with rice

Notes & Tips

Whilst it may seem odd that instant coffee is added to curry, it's not that uncommon in Asian curries, since it adds a more robust flavour to the dish.

Portuguese Style Chicken

This chicken recipe is great to cook over a BBQ. But if you don't have a BBQ you can place the chicken on a rack over a baking tray/dish and grill them- which was what I did today.

And watch out as this recipe is very hot and spicy! If you prefer your chicken to be less spicy, I would suggest to add fewer chillies or you might be grabbing that glass of water to cool your palate when eating!

Ingredients

1kg chicken thigh fillets
Lemon wedges and hot potato chips, to serve

Chilli Sauce

5-7 small fresh red birdseye chillies, roughly chopped
2 long red chillies, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil
2bs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs sea salt

Method

1. To make chilli sauce, place the chillies and garlic in the bowl of a small food processor and process, scraping down the side occasionally, until chillies are finely chopped. Add oil, lemon juice and salt and process until just combined. Transfer to a screw-top jar or plastic container. 
2. Trim away any excess fat from chicken. Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate. Rub mixture into chicken, cover and refrigerate. Leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight for a better result.
3. Preheat barbecue grill to medium high heat. Place the chicken, skin-side up, on the preheated barbecue grill. Cook for 10 minutes, brushing occasionally with a little of the chilli sauce. Brush the top of the chicken with the remaining chilli sauce and then turn over. Cook for a further 8 minutes or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the chicken is pierced with a skewer.
4. Transfer chicken to a plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5 minutes to rest and serve immediately with lemon wedges and chips.

Notes & Tips

You can make the chilli sauce up to 2 weeks ahead. Store in the fridge. The longer it stands, the more the flavours develop.

Chocolate & Custard Torte

This cake's base is made with hot cross buns and then it's chilled in the fridge, so you won't have to use the oven. I made this cake during Easter last year and it was a huge hit!

Serves 8

Ingredients

⅓ cup caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthways
500-600ml thickened cream
4 egg yolks
200g good quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
100ml thin cream
4 bought hot cross buns, thinly sliced vertically
2 tbs warm water
2 ½ tsp gelatine powder
1 tbs good quality cocoa powder

Method

1. Place the sugar, vanilla bean and half the thickened cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle boil. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium heatproof jug. Discard the vanilla bean.
2. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the cream mixture. Return to the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Transfer to a heatproof bowl. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
3. Meanwhile, combine the chocolate and thin cream in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan half filled with simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water). Use a metal spoon to stir until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
4. Line the base of a round 24cm (base measurement) springform pan with non stick baking paper. Arrange half the hot cross bun slices, in a single layer, over the base of the pan. Spread half the chocolate mixture evenly over the base to cover completely. Repeat with the remaining hot cross bun and chocolate mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1 hour or until set.
5. Whisk the remaining thickened cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Use a large metal spoon to gently fold the cream into the custard mixture.
6. Place the warm water in a small heatproof jug. Sprinkle with gelatine and whisk with a fork until the gelatine dissolves. Gently fold the gelatine mixture into the custard mixture. Pour over the chocolate base. Cover and place in fridge for 3 hours or overnight to set. Dust with the cocoa powder to serve.