Mushroom Medley in Potato Curry

Ingredients

1-1/2 lb potatoes, unpeeled
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (9 medium cloves)
3 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
1 Tbsp salt
2-1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp crushed cayenne pepper
1 tsp turmeric
5 cups water
2-1/2 cups buttermilk
6 oz mushrooms, chopped
brown Basmati rice to serve

Method

1. Place potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil on high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and boil for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft but not mushy when pierced with a knife. Drain potatoes and set aside to cool.
2. Once potatoes are cool, use your fingers or a sharp knife to peel off and discard the skins. Roughly mash the potatoes using your fists or a potato masher. (Be sure to leave the potatoes a bit chunky, as you want some texture in the soup.)
3. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil on medium-high for 45 seconds. Add cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds. Add garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden. Stir in ginger and saute for 30 seconds, then add salt, coriander, cayenne and turmeric, and saute for 1 minute.
4. Reduce the heat to low, stir in potatoes and mix well. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the 5 cups of water and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
5. Pour buttermilk into a large bowl (or the same one in which you kept tie potatoes). To prevent the buttermilk from separating in the soup, use a ladle to spoon about 1-1/2 cups of the hot potato curry into the buttermilk.
6. Whisk the mixture until it is well combined. Carefully spoon all of the buttermilk into the pot of curry. Using the whisk, mix well and, stirring continuously, bring to a boil on low heat. Add mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: VIJ’s at Home

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Today’s Comic

Nyonya-style Steamed Nine Layer Kueh

Ingredients

480 g tapioca flour
150 g sago flour
35 g mung bean flour
50 g rice flour
720 ml thick coconut milk
650 g sugar
1 litre Water
3 – 4 Pandan leaves
a dash of red, green and blue food colouring
a pinch of Salt

Method

1. Boil sugar with Pandan leaves in 1 litre of water until sugar melts. Strain the syrup and dilute with water to make 1.5 litres.
2. Mix all the flour and salt together in a bowl. Pour in the coconut milk a little at a time and mix till smooth. Set aside.
3. Pour the syrup from step (1) gradually into the flour mixture. Stir constantly till well blended.
4. Divide the mixture into 4 portions. Leave one portion uncoloured, Mix each of the other 3 portions with one food colouring.
5. Grease a 9″ square tin with oil. Place tin in a steamer and steam until tin is hot. Pour in the uncoloured mixture and steam for 6 – 8 minutes. Repeat another layer with the uncoloured mixture and steam again.
6. Repeat step (5) with batter of different colours alternatively till mixture is used up. The top layer must be red. Leave cake to cool for 7 – 8 hours before cutting.

Makes 1 (9-inch square) kueh.

Source: Delicious Nyonya Kueh and Desserts

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Today’s Comic

Japanese-style Steam Rock Lobster

Ingredients

6 (4-oz) frozen South African rock lobster-tails
6 large mushrooms, cut into slices
6 scallions, cut into long thin strips
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into flowerets
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp chicken broth mix
1/4 cup water

Method

1. Remove thin underside membrane from lobster tails with scissors. Push a bamboo skewer lengthwise through tail to prevent curling.
2. Place a colander over boiling water in a large pot or use a steamer. Place lobster-tails in a colander and place vegetables on top and around tails.
3. Combine soy sauce, broth mix and water, brush over the tails and vegetables.
4. Cover pot and let steam for 20 minutes or until vegetables are crisp tender and lobster meat loses translucency and is opaque.
5. Serve with cooked rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Creative Cooking Course

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Today’s Comic

Couscous Inari

Ingredients

1 cup warm water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 cup couscous
4 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoons water
4 inari (tofu pouches)
4 whole garlic chives for tying, plus 4 garlic chives, finely chopped
4 nori strips, each 3/8- x 4-inches
4 teaspoons tobikko

Method

1. In a small saucepan, bring water to a simmer and add bouillon cube. Stir to dissolve cube.
2. Bring to a boil and pour over couscous in a bowl, stirring with a fork. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
3. In a saucepan, combine mushrooms, soy sauce, mirin, and water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Open inari from cut side and using a teaspoon, fill with couscous.
5. Wrap a garlic chive around each inari and secure with a nori strip.
6. Sprinkle tobikko and chopped chives on top of each inari.
7. Remove mushrooms from liquid, squeeze out excess liquid, then arrange on top of the couscous in each piece.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Sushi Modern

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Today’s Comic

Stir-fried Seafood with Garlic and Peppercorns

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium-sized prawns, shelled and deveined
2-1/2 oz squid, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 scallops
4 crab claws
pinch ground white pepper
l tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1-1/2 tbsp chicken stock
4 oz fresh green peppercorns on the stem
1 stem fresh coriander, chopped
green salad leaves and carved red radish flower (optional) for garnish

Method

1. Pound the garlic in a mortar or push it through a garlic press.
2. Heat the oil in a wok until very hot. Add the garlic and, when it is golden-brown, add all the seafood and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until half-cooked.
3. Add the ground pepper, sauces, sugar and chicken stock, then simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add the green peppercorns and coriander, then transfer to a serving dish lined on one side with the salad leaves. Garnish with the carved radish flower.

Source: Thai Royal Cuisine

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