Black Sesame Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1/4 cup honey
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp butter, melted

Filling

5 (250 g) blocks cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
5 tbsp black sesame paste (see recipe below)
4 eggs

Method

1. To make the crust, in a pan over medium heat, toast black sesame seeds for 30 seconds, or until you can smell the toasted sesame.
2. Pour toasted sesame seeds into a food processor and pulse for 1 minute. The sesame seeds should be well broken down and no big pieces are noticeable.
3. Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
4. Mix graham crumbs, sugar and butter into the food processor with sesame seeds, and press crumb mixture onto the bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. To make the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream, sesame paste and mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour over crust.
6. Bake for 1 hr 10 min at 325°F, or until centre is almost set.
7. Run a knife around rim of pan to loosen cake. Let cool completely before removing the rim.
8. Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Makes 1 nine-inch round cake.

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Black Sesame Paste

Ingredients

1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup honey

Method

1. Toast sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until broken down.
2. Add honey into food processor, and pulse until thick and creamy.

Source: Chef Aiko Uchigoshi

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Five-spice Duck and Somen Noodle Soup

Ingredients

4 duck breasts, skin on
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
1 teaspoon peanut oil
6-1/2 oz dried somen noodles

Star Anise Broth

8 cups good-quality chicken stock
3 star anise
5 spring onions, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to moderately hot 200°C/400°F.
2. Trim the duck breast of excess fat, then lightly sprinkle both sides with the five-spice powder.
3. Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and swirl to coat the side of the wok. Add the duck breasts, skin-side down, and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until browned and crisp.
4. Turn and cook the other side for 3 minutes.
5. Transfer to a baking tray and roast, skin-side-up, for a further 8 minutes for medium—rare, or until cooked to your liking.
6. Put the chicken stock and star anise in a clean non-stick wok. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.
7. Add the spring onion and coriander and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
8. Cook the noodles in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes, or until tender. Drain and divide among four large bowls. Ladle the broth on the noodles and top each bowl with one sliced duck breast.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Essential Wok Cookbook

Malaysian Fish Stew

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
1 aubergine, cut into large chunks
2 tbsp tamarind paste
600 ml fish stock
1 tsp palm sugar
1 tomato, cut into wedges
a few springs of mint
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
600 g red snapper, cut into 2.5 cm steaks
8 okra
a few mint or coriander leaves
240 g cooked brown rice

Spice Paste

1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
10 dried chilies, seeds removed and soaked in boiling water to soften
1 red chili, chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves removed and finely sliced
1 tbsp toasted shrimp paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
a pinch of sea salt

Method

1. To make the spice paste, put all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
2. Heat the oil in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the aubergine and fry until golden. Set aside.
3. Add the spice paste to the same pan and gently fry for 3-5 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated.
4. Put the tamarind paste, stock, sugar, tomato and mint in the pan, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce is rich and emulsified. Remove and discard the mint.
5. Add the fish pieces, okra and aubergine. Return to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through.
6. Divide among bowls and scatter over a few mint or coriander leaves. Serve accompanied by 60 g of cooked brown rice per person.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts

Japanese-style Teriyaki Steak

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
2 good-quality sirloin steaks, about 300g each
cooked rice, to serve

Light Teriyaki Glaze

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp caster sugar

Method

1. To make the teriyaki glaze mix together all the ingredients and stir to dissolve the sugar. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, heat the glaze in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, or in a small saucepan over low heat, and stir again until dissolved.
2. Heat a heavy frypan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the garlic until lightly browned, then remove and drain on paper towel.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the steaks, browning each steak well on both sides.
4. Add the glaze to the pan around the steaks and repeatedly flip the steaks through the glaze. Cook the steaks to your liking. As the glaze begins to thicken it will stick to the steaks. Remove the steaks to a warm plate in a draught-free place, pour over any sticky glaze left in the pan, and rest for 5 minutes.
5. Slice the steaks, arrange the slices on a plate and scatter over the fried garlic. Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Adam’s Big Pot

Nyonya Rice Dumplings

Ingredients

500 g glutinous rice
150 g preserved sugared melon pieces
150 g peanuts
225 g pork belly, diced
2-1/2 tbsp coriander
1-1/2 cm sar keong
30 white peppercorns
5 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp lard
cooking oil
sugar and salt to taste
225 g bamboo leaves
hemp string or kitchen string

Method

1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for 4 hours, clean and drain.
2. Mince preserved sugared melon pieces.
3. Fry peanuts at low heat until brown, stirring continuously. After frying, cool and remove skin, then pound coarsely.
4. Boil pork till cooked.
5. Grind coriander, peppercorns and sar keong finely. Pound shallots and garlic finely.
6. Wash bamboo leaves and hemp string thoroughly. Dip in boiling water to soften.
7. Heat pan, add cooking oil till hot. Add onions and garlic and ground coriander mixture. Stir-fry until fragrant
8. Reduce heat to medium and add pork, preserved sugared melon, dark and light soy sauce, sugar and salt. Stir-fry until the pork is cooked and sugar is dissolved. Do not add water.
9. Steam the glutinous rice for 25 minutes, remove and mix well with the lard and a little salt.
10. Fold the middle of a leaf to form a cone.
11. Fill cone with glutinous rice, make a well in the centre to stuff with the fried ingredients. Cover with rice, then fold the leaf to make a pyramid-shaped dumpling. Secure firmly with hemp string.
12. Steam rice dumplings for 35 minutes. Remove and serve.

Source: Penang Nyonya Cooking