Cookism

My boyfriend and I got one of our late-night hunger pangs and decided to whip up a fuss-free supper with whatever was available. With a loot of tortilla wraps, leftover smoked duck, onions and mozzarella slices, it was logical to make smoked duck quesadilla. And yes, it was superb.

Quesadillas are great comfort food! I made one previously using turkey ham, Pico de Gallo with lots of cheese and they were fabulous! You may check out the full recipe with step by step pictures included here: Turkey Ham Quesadilla

Turkey Ham Quesadilla

Ebi Chili(Prawns in Chili Sauce) is a Japanese dish created by Chen Kenmin also known as the ‘father of Chinese Sichuan cooking’ in Japan. This popular dish was derived from China’s Sichuan cuisine and is extremely tasty! :) Crunchy prawns doused with sweet and spicy sauce. Yummy! Let’s get started!

Ingredients:
1. 20 Medium-sized Prawns
2. Soba Noodles
3. 2 tbsp of Minced Ginger
4. 2 tbsp of Minced Garlic
5. 4 tbsp of Leek (Chopped into thin strips)
6. 21/2 tsp of Chili Bean Sauce (Dou Ban Jiang)
7. 2 tbsp of Tomato Sauce
8. 100ml of Chicken Stock
9. 1 tbsp of Sake
10. A pinch of Salt
11. 2 to 21/2 tsp of Brown Sugar
12. 2 tsp of Corn Starch + 4 tsp of Water
13. 1/2 tsp of Vinegar
14. 1 Stalk of Green Onion (Chopped)
15. Sesame Seeds
16. Vegetable Oil

For marinating:
17. 1 tbsp of Corn Starch
18. Egg White of 1 Egg
19. 1 tsp of Sake
20. A Pinch of Salt & Pepper

Serves 2

Methods:

1. Peel, devein and wash the prawns. Strain prawns for a few minutes to drain off excess water. Place them into a mixing bowl. Add in the ingredients under the marinating list. Mix Well.

2. Heat the pan in medium-low heat. Add some oil and place marinated prawns on the pan. Cook till both side turns orangey. Scoop up the prawns into a plate for later use. It’s ok that the prawns are not fully cooked. You will cook them again later.

3. Heat a clean pan. Add some oil, minced garlic and ginger and let it fry till aromatic. 

4. Next, stir in chili bean sauce and tomato sauce. Pour in chicken stock and mix well.

5. Put in the prawns.

6. chopped leek and stir well.

7. When the sauce is boiling, add in portion of the corn starch mixture and stir well. Continue this step, add in the portion of the corn starch mixture to achieve your desired consistency. Lastly, add in vinegar and stir well.

8. Sprinkle sesame seeds and green onions on the ebi chili. You can pair this dish with any rice or noodles of your preference. Serve while its hot!

Tamagoyaki, which means grilled egg in Japanese, is one of my favourite Japanese dishes. It is usually used as an ingredient in handrolls and sushi, and is formed by rolling thin layers of omelette into a rectangular log. It is soft and moist with a relatively sweet taste. Definitely a popular dish among children!

Ingredients:
1. 4 Eggs
2. 1 tbsp of Mirin
3. 1 - 11/2 tbsp of Sugar (as preferred)
4. 1 tsp of Sake
5. 1/3 cup of Dashi Stock
6. 1/4 tsp of Salt
7. 1/4 tsp of Soy Sauce
8. Vegetable Oil

Methods:

1. Crack the eggs in a mixing bowl.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir well till the sugar has melted.

3. Wet tissue in a small bowl of oil. Heat and swab the Makiyakinabe pan with the tissue. You can use a round pan if you do not have a rectangle one. Remember to swab the sides of the pan too.

4. Keep the fire at medium-low heat. Add in just enough egg mixture to form a thin layer of omelette. You can use a pair of chopsticks to lightly poke the risen part to make the omelette flat.  Start rolling the egg once the omelette has solidified. Remember not to overcook it!

5. Scrape the perimeter of the egg to prevent the omelette from sticking to the sides of the pan. With the aid of a pair of chopsticks and a spatula, gently roll the omelette up starting from the bottom. Swab the bottom part of pan with oil, slide the rolled omelette to the bottom. Swab the top of the pan with oil again.

6. Pour in another round of the egg mixture. Gently lift the side of the rolled omelette to allow the egg mixture to flow into it. This will ensure a continuation of the egg layers.

7. Repeat the steps until the last drop of the egg mixture.

8. Here’s a recap on how to roll the omelette.

9. Cut tamagoyaki into slices. Serve it with Japanese soy sauce (Shoyu) as a dip. Enjoy!

Sichuan Spicy Wontons also known as 红油抄手 in chinese is a popular traditional Sichuan dish. Its taste is absolutely delicious! Cooked wontons soaked in tangy and slightly spicy reddish gravy with a twist of sweetness. Yum-yum! The best Sichuan Spicy Wontons I have tried in Singapore are from Imperial Treasure Nan Bei Restaurant. Which costs about 5 to 6 bucks for a bowl of 6 wontons. While I can just make about 50 pieces of wontons myself for less than S$10. A simple and quick dish! Here we go!

Ingredients:
1. 200g of White Wanton Wrappers
2. 400g of Minced Pork

For marinating:
3. 1/2 tsp of Salt
4. 1 tsp of Corn Flour
5. 1/4 tsp of White Pepper
6. 1/2 tbsp of Sesame Oil
7. 1/2 tbsp of Hua Tiao Wine

For spicy wontons gravy:
8. 1 tbsp of Chili Oil
9. 1 tsp of Sweet Soya Sauce
10. 1 tbsp of Black Vinegar
11. 1/2 tsp of Sesame Oil
12. 1/4 tsp of Sichuanese Peppercorn
13. 2 tsp of Light Soya Sauce
14. 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
15. 1 bunch of Green Onion (Chopped)

Makes about 50 wontons

Methods:

1. Mix sauces stated in the marinating list with the minced pork in a large bowl.

2. These are the steps for wrapping a spicy wonton. A little filling will do. Seal it with a dab of water.

3. Boil water and drop in wontons into the boiling water one by one. Cook till they rise to the surface. Scoop them out with a strainer.

4. Mix ingredients under the gravy list in a serving bowl. Add in cooked wontons. Mix well and sprinkle chopped green onions onto it. Adjust the gravy to your preference. Add more black vinegar if you want the gravy to be more tangy; more sichuanese peppercorn if you want it spicier.


5. Ready to serve!

Sago pudding with gula melaka, or sago gula melaka, is a much-loved dessert in Asia, and it is not difficult to see why. Smooth sago pearls like crystal beads, drizzled with rich golden gula melaka (palm  sugar) syrup and a fitting dash of creamy coconut milk - in other words, the stuff that dreams are made of. This delicacy is usually severely overpriced at restaurants and eateries, when it can be made and savored at home for under S$10. So need a quick fix to that sweet tooth of yours? Here’s your answer.

Ingredients:
1. 200g of Sago
2. 200g of Plum Sugar (Gula Melaka)
3. 25g of Rock Sugar
4. 3 to 5 Screwpine (Pandan) Leaves
5. Salt
6. 1 Cinnamon Stick
7. Water
8. Mango (cut into cubes)
9. Coconut milk

Serves 8

Methods:

1. Boil 3 parts of water to 1 part of sago with a pinch of salt and cinnamon stick.

2. Add in sago when the water starts to boil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for 10 minutes. Use an additional 5 minutes if some sago is still opaque.

3. Strain sago under tap water to wash off excess starch.

4. Spoon sago onto ramekins. Make sure it is well packed. Place them in the fridge till set.

5. Tie screwpine leaves into a bundle. Place it into a pot, followed by palm sugar and 250ml of water. Cook until palm sugar is fully dissolved.

6. Taste-test the syrup and add in preferred amount of rock sugar. Cook till rock sugar is dissolved. Remove screwpine leaves and pour into a container to let it chill.

7. Pop pudding out from the ramekin and spoon syrup and coconut milk onto the pudding. Lastly, top it with mango cubes. Ready to serve!

The Chinese green onion pancake, or cong you bing in Mandarin, is an ethnic savoury flatbread that originated from parts of China and Taiwan. Contrary to its name, green onion pancakes differ from true pancakes as they are made of dough instead of batter, giving them a slight crispiness. Legend has it that Marco Polo loved cong you bing so much that when he returned to Italy, he sought out chefs who were willing to recreate the dish. After a series of failures, he decided to put the fillings on top instead, resulting in the pizza we know today. If Marco Polo couldn’t resist it, neither can we! Let’s get started! 

Ingredients:
1. 3 Cups of Plain Flour
2. 1 Cup of Boiling Water and about 1/2 Cup of Room Temperature Water
3. 15g of Sugar
4. 4 - 5 Bunches of Green Onions (Chopped)
5. Salt (to taste)
6. Sunflower Oil (or any other light tasting vegetable oil)
7. Sesame seeds
8. Vegetable Oil

Makes 8 green onion pancakes

Methods:

1. Slowly pour boiling water into large mixing bowl containing sugar and flour while stirring with a spatula.

2. Add in room temperature water in batches until the dough is easy to handle (not too sticky or dry). NOTE: Discard remaining water. It’s not necessary to use exactly 1/2 cup of water. Just use what you need. :) Add a little more flour if you accidentally add in too much water and the dough is too sticky.


3. Knead the dough by scooping it up from the bottom and punch it down till elastic and smooth. Takes about 5 minutes.

4. Oil the plastic wrap with sunflower oil. Wrap the dough with the oily side in. Leave it for 30 minutes.

5. In the meantime, chop green onions. Add salt just before attending to the dough. Adding in the salt too early will release water content of the green onion, making it watery.

6. Sprinkle flour on the table. Roll out the dough as thinly as possible without tearing it. Take note of the dough sticking onto the table.

7. Oil the dough with sunflower oil. Sprinkle salt to taste.

8. Sprinkle green onions and sesame seeds evenly on the dough. Leave one side of the border empty for sealing purposes.

9. Start rolling the dough from the opposite side of the empty border firmly into a log.

10. Divide the log into 8 parts. Seal the openings from both sides.

11. Slightly flatten the dough from the sealed ends.


12. Put the dough in between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Lightly roll the dough into palm-sized circles.

13. Heat the pan, add oil, place the palm-sized dough into the pan and fry till golden brown and crispy.

14. Flip and fry the other side.

15. Lightly press the pancakes against the side of the pan to loosen the layers within the pancake.

16. Serve it immediately! Enjoy!

Look at the layers! :D

Salaam! Shakshuka, sabsuka, shakshouka…there are many ways to spell this Tunisian favourite, but there is no mistaking its uniquely awesome taste. Shakshuka means “mixture”, and is very much the exotic cousin of the French ratatouille. In Tunisia, Shakshuka is typically eaten as a traditional breakfast meal, and embodies the classic flavours of Tunisian cuisine: Spicy, fiery and tomato-dominated. Go ahead, check it out for yourself…

Ingredients:
1. 1 Medium Yellow Onion (diced)
2. 5 to 6 Cloves of Minced Garlic
3. 6 Medium Tomatoes (cut into chunks)
4. Small Green & Red Peppers, 1 each (diced)
5. Feta Cheese
6. Bird’s Eye Chili (chopped, to taste)
7. 1 tsp of Ground Cumin
8. 1 tbsp of Paprika
9. Salt & Black Pepper (to taste)
10. Olive Oil
11. Parsley (Chopped)
12. Pita bread

Serves 3 to 4

Methods:

1. Heat the pan. Add olive oil followed by diced onions and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

2. Stir in minced garlic and fry till aromatic.

3. Add in diced green and red peppers.

4. Followed by tomato chunks. Stir well, cover the pan and let it cook for about 8 to 10 minutes till the vegetables are soften.

5. Add in salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin and bird’s eye chili. Stir well. You can add 1 to 2 tbsp of water if the mixture is too dry.

6. Crack the eggs onto the mixture.

7. I like it when the eggs are semi-cooked. Monitor them closely and remove the pan from the stove when the eggs are cooked to your preference.

8. Garnish it with feta cheese and parsley. Serve with oven-toasted pita bread to complete the dish! Enjoy! :D

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and there’s no better dish to do so than good, faithful pancakes. This is a variation of regular pancakes. Here, all-spice is added to create a different pancake experience. :) You can always substitute all-spice with ground cinnamon or add your favorite choice of berries. Yogurt, berries and pancakes are incredible compatible. :) So, let’s start! 

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:
1. 140g of Plain Flour
2. 1 tsp of Baking Powder
3. 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
4. 1/4 tsp of Salt
5. 2 tbsp of Brown Sugar
6. 1 tsp of All Spice

Wet Ingredients:
7. 1 Egg
8. 1 cup of Buttermilk
9. 40g of Melted Butter
10. 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

Yogurt:
11. 200g of Natural Yogurt
12. Zest of 1 Lemon
13. A few drops of Lemon Juice
14. A few drops of Vanilla Extract
15. Maple Syrup (to taste)

16. Strawberries & Blueberries
17. Sunflower Oil

Serves 2 - 3 (6 pancakes)

Methods:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Crack the egg into another bowl. Add in buttermilk.

3. Followed by melted butter and vanilla extract. Mix well.

4. Form a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour in the wet mixture. Stir well.

5. Pour oil into a small bowl. Dip the tissue paper into the bowl and apply it evenly on the pan.

6. Use a ladle to scoop the mixture and carefully pour it onto the pan to form a circle. Flip the pancake when you observe bubbles forming on the surface.

7. Continue to cook the other side.

8. Combine yogurt, lemon zest, vanilla extract, lemon juice and maple syrup in a bowl. Mix well. Make sure not to add too much maple syrup as it will be used again on the pancakes later.

9. Place pancakes and berries on a plate. You can simply drizzle yogurt on pancakes and berries. However I prefer to put it on a ramekin for dipping. Ready to serve!


Here’s how I eat them: By using a fork to pick up berries and a small slice of pancake. Dip it with yogurt and enjoy!

Even Clovey has a share. Where’s yours? :D