Recipes Articles for the Month of February 2024

Serves 12-15

Make the Red Rubies

1. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil.
2. Meanwhile, add the chopped water chestnuts to a medium sized zip lock bag. Add food colouring then mix to colour the chestnuts. Add tapioca floor. Seal the bag then toss to coat all the chestnuts with the tapioca starch.
3. When the water is at a raging boil, slowly pour in prepared chestnuts, dispersing them in the water to avoid clumping. The red rubies will rise to the top when cooked. Allow them to continue to bubble for a couple of minutes before draining/scooping out into a colander. Rinse with cold running water to remove any excess starch and colouring. Add cooked red rubies to a bowl of iced water.

Put it All Together

4. Drain lychees, jackfruit, longan and coconut jelly, but reserve the syrup in a large jug.
5. Slice lychees in half and jackfruit into strips. Add them, along with the longan and coconut jelly into a large mixing bowl.
6. Add in grass jelly cubes and rinsed toddy palm seeds.
7. Add in evaporated milk.
8. Add in reserved syrup to taste (about 2 cups).
9. Finally, drain red rubies from their cold water bath and add them in this mix. Stir to mix everything through then chill well before serving.

Serves 2

1. Add corn kernels and milk to a medium sized pot.
2. Blitz with a blender then add in condensed milk. Stir to mix then heat the mix on medium-high heat.
3. Drop the heat to low, just before the milk comes to the boil.
4. Simmer for about 20-30 mins then strain the pulp through a fine mesh sieve
   (the longer you simmer the corn, the more pronounced the corn flavour will be)

Serve warm or allow to cool and pour into a tall glass filled with ice for a refreshing chilled option. Optional: Add a shot of cold brew or espresso

Makes 6

1. Wash and cook your rice.

2. While your rice is cooking, prepare the filling:

• Slice SPAM into 6 thick slices. Heat up a large skillet with 1tsp oil. Add SPAM slices and pan fry until each side is golden. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
• Crack eggs into a bowl and add a dash of milk/water. Season with salt and pepper and whisk well to combine. Heat up a non-stick skillet with 1tsp oil. Pour in egg mix and make one omelette. Slide omelette onto a chopping board and slice into 6 portions.

3. Once cooked, transfer the rice to a large bowl and mix in sushi seasoning to taste. Divide the rice mix into 12 portions.

To make each onigirazu:

1. Place a large sheet of cling film down on your bench.
2. Place one sheet of nori on top of your piece of plastic.
3. Place one portion of seasoned rice in the centre of the nori. Flatten it down to make a small square, rotated 45 degrees to the direction of your piece of nori. The rice acts like the bread in a sandwich.
4. Add a piece of omelette on the centre of your rice.
5. Add a piece of SPAM on the centre of your omelette.
6. Squeeze on Kewpie mayo to taste.
7. Tear up ½ a lettuce leaf to fit your rice square and layer on top of the mayo.
8. Grab another portion of seasoned rice and compact it in your hand before placing on top of the lettuce.
9. Fold each corner of nori over your ‘sushi sandwich’ to completely wrap your sandwich.
10. Wrap the cling film around your nori parcel so that it stays firmly in shape.
11. Allow your onigirazu to sit for 10 minutes to help set it before slicing in half.

Repeat with remaining ingredients to make the other 5 onigirazu.

Serves 2-4

1. Place a piece of parchment paper over one piece of pork and tenderise using a rolling pin or food mallet. Repeat to tenderise all pieces.
2. Finely grate one brown onion into a bowl. Smother each piece of pork in this onion puree and refrigerate overnight. This injects so much flavour into the meat!
3. Just before cooking, set up your crumbing station with 3 shallow bowls:

• 1 bowl filled with the AP flour
• 1 bowl filled with beaten eggs (heavily seasoned with salt & pepper and a dash of vanilla extract)
• 1 bowl filled with panko breadcrumbs

4. remove all the excess onion puree from each piece of pork and lightly dust them in AP flour.
5. Slide each piece of pork (one at a time) into the bowl of beaten eggs. This egg mix will allow the crunchy coating to stick to your pork.
6. Coat each piece of pork with panko breadcrumbs. Gently press in the crumbs with your fingers to cover the entire surface area of each piece of pork.
7. Heat a wok, deep fryer or deep skillet to 180C (355F). Ensure that there is enough oil to fully submerge each piece of pork, leaving enough room for the oil level to rise in wok/skillet when you add in the pork pieces.
8. Deep fry your crumbed pork pieces in batches  (no more than two at a time) turning each piece over so that all sides are golden. Because each piece of meat is thin, it doesn't take long for each piece to cook.
9. Drain on a cooling rack lined with a sheet of paper towel. The rack helps air circulate under the tonkatsu and keeps it crunchy longer.

Use the tonkatsu as you please. Over a bowl of piping hot ramen or roll it into a sushi and pack it for a delicious lunch.

1. Season prawns with salt and oil. Mix until well combined and set aside.
2. Add sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix. Set aside.
3. Place frozen bundles of udon noodles in a large bowl. Pour in boiling water to cover then use a pair of chopsticks to gently loosen the noodles. Drain and rinse noodles with cold tap water after 30 secs. Set aside.
4. Heat wok over high heat. Throw in prawns and let them cook in one layer until they curl and start to colour on the underside. Toss them in the heat to colour all sides and remove when almost cooked through.
5. Add 2T oil to the wok then add carrots and cook for 30 secs on high heat. Add cabbage and mushrooms and cook for 30 secs. Add snow peas and spring onions and cook for 30 secs.
6. Add prawns back in the wok. Toss quickly to mix through.
7. Add noodles and pour the prepared sauce on top. Gently toss the noodles to allow the sauce to evenly coat. Toss everything in the wok to mix and heat through. When the sauce has almost evaporated, turn off the heat and divide between two serving bowls/plates.

Prepare the Black Sesame Filling

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for 5-8 mins on medium-low heat, stirring continuously until fragrant. Cool completely before adding to a food processor. Blitz to grind seeds to a paste. Add sugar and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse to combine. Place filling in a bowl, cover and chill for 30 mins to harden.
2. Once the filling is chilled, you will be able to portion it into little 5g balls. If the balls are too soft, return them the fridge for another 10-20 mins to set before continuing. 

Prepare the Peanut Filling

3. Toast the peanuts in a dry pan for 3-5 mins on medium-low heat, stirring continuously until fragrant. Allow to cool completely. I like to pound my peanuts using a mortar and pestle until they resemble rough sand. Add sugar and mix through. Add butter and mix through. Place filling in a bowl, cover and chill for 30 mins to harden.
4. Once the filling is chilled, you will be able to portion it into little 5g balls. If the balls are too soft, return them the fridge for another 10-20 mins to set before continuing. 

Prepare the Dough

5. Add glutinous rice flour and potato starch in a bowl. Slowly add in the water, stirring as you go until a smooth ball is formed. You may not need all the water.
6. Break off 12-13g balls from your dough. Make rice balls one at a time, flattening the dough ball into a disc, placing a ball of filling in the middle then enclosing the dough over the filling. Roll the ball in your hands until it’s round and smooth. Set aside while you make the rest of the balls.

You can freeze the balls at this stage (do not allow them to touch) and cook them at a later stage.

Prepare the Sugar Syrup

7. Add sugar, water and ginger slices to a large bowl. Bring to the boil, stirring to melt the sugar. Once the syrup starts to boil, reduce the heat to low until it is ready to receive the rice balls.

Cook the Tang Yuan

8. Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Cook your tang yuan in batches by slowly adding into the boiling water. Carefully nudge them so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pot and to each other. After one minute, remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them directly into the simmering sugar syrup. Cook for a further minute or until they rise to the top.

Serve tang yuan warm in a bowl partly filled with the sugar syrup.

Serves 30-50

Make the Dumplings

1. Add dumpling filling into a bowl and mix until well incorporated. Fill dumplings using store bought wrappers, sealing them with a bit of water. You can make these ahead and freeze in one layer (do not allow them to touch each other). Cook them directly from frozen (do not thaw).
2. To cook, bring a large pot of water to the boil. When it’s at a raging boil, add dumplings and cook in batches, for 5-6mins each batch, or until the dumplings are cooked through.
3. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon/spider and place directly into the prepared sauce. Toss to coat then garnish with sliced spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Make the Chilli Oil Sauce

4. In a large shallow bowl, add garlic, sugar, Chinese five spice, chicken powder and Szechuan peppercorns in the centre.
5. Heat oil to smoking point then pour over the garlic mix to release the flavours. Give everything a stir then add the rest of the ingredients and mix through. Set aside.