My Attempt To Cook: Korean Green Onion Pancake

I promised here that I am going to give you the recipe for the Green Onion Pancake so here it is. This pancake is great for afternoon snack or something to much on before your main meal. This sweet little thing will give you that little crispy, salty and a kick of chilli flavor that you would love! Pair it with mixed soy sauce and cider vinegar, bang! Satisfaction!

Ingredients:

200g shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup green onion, sliced into 2"

1 1/4 cup cake flour

1/8 cup baking soda

salt and pepper adjust according to preference

1 egg

red chilli, thinly sliced, optional

water, adjust until a batter consistency is achieved

ice cubes

cooking oil

Procedure:

1. Mix flour, baking soda, pepper and salt in a mixing bowl. Add some water and egg. Mix the batter until just combined. If the mixture is clumpy add more water. Be careful not to make it too watery.

2. Add the shrimp and green onions. Toss until well coated. Add the chilli and ice cubes.

3. In a hot skillet, drizzle some oil. In medium heat pour in about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan. Flip over when the edges of the pancake are golden brown and crisp. Sear for about 4-5 minutes to each sides.

4. Serve immediately with sauce.

Enjoy!

My Attempt To Cook: Korean Spicy Stew

It was never my intention to create a themed dinner once every week. I started it with Italian the other week, last week was Thai and last night was Korean. I just hope I would be able to commit to this ritual. Anyway, we have several famous culinary specialties from different countries. 

Last night, I was so giddy preparing the meal because I love almost everything Korean. The drama series, the city, food and fashion, of course. Although, Korean dish is mainly hot and with a lot of different bean or chilli pastes I still love them. What more, cooking them on my own which I can adjust the intensity of the chilli flavor.

Korean Spicy Stew Recipe:

This is a good comfort food especially when you are sick. The chilli would make you sweat, the chewy mushroom as your vegetable and the clam or any seafood as your source of protein. This is best cooked in an earthen bowl to keep the stew hot longer.

Ingredients

3-4 cups cold water

10g of seaweed flakes

4 shiitake mushroom, if dried mushroom soak in cold water for 3 hours to soften

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 medium white onion, cut into four

8 dried anchovies, heads removed

2 tbs cooking oil

2 tbs red pepper paste or gochujang

100g or more clams with shell or mixed with shrimps

soft tofu, squared

3 spring onions,slivered

1 red chilli, adjust according to preference

salt to taste

1 egg

Procedure

1. In a deep wok, mix water, seaweed flakes, mushroom, garlic, onion and anchovies. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. This is now the jjigae stock.

2. In a bowl or separate deep saucepan, heat the cooking oil and add the red pepper paste. Once sizzling, pour the stock into it and let it boil for few 5 minutes.

3. Add the clams or seafood and bring to boil again.

4. Add the tofu, spring onions, chilli and stir.

5. Bring to boil and add egg. Stir just right with egg still a bit whole.

6. Add salt when necessary.

Serve piping hot and Enjoy!!!

I will be blogging the other food, Green Onion Pancake, in another post.

My Attempt To Cook: Caccuicco Stewed Seafood

 

We had an Italian dinner last night and decided to have garden salad, wholemeal spaghetti aglio olio and caccuicco stewed seafood. Eeek! I didn't expect the cooking would take 2 long hours! The actual cooking time was pretty quick but the preparation was exhausting. After everything have been prepared I was too damn tired to eat.

I love stews! Specially those tomato based. They give me comfort. So, here's how I did it.

Ingredients:

1kg assorted seafood (fish fillet, shellfish, squid, prawns, etc.)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 carrots, cut into strips

1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 big tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 tbs red wine vinegar (an alternative can be apple cider vinegar)

3/4 cups water

chili pepper flakes, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. In a wok, saute onion, parsley, and garlic in hot olive oil. Stir in the chopped tomatoes once the onion turns translucent. Season the mixture with herbs, salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste. Let it simmer.
2. When the tomatoes are done and the juices have slightly dried up add the vinegar and water. Simmer again for 15 minutes in low heat.
3. Add the seafood until cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

4. Served hot with toasted garlic bread.

This is my new favorite soup. The chili flavor and the sour tastes of vinegar with fresh tomatoes wake up your senses specially in a rainy weather.

My Attempt To Cook: Fish Fillet In Herbs and Tomatoes

This one is an easy and quick recipe. The only thing that bothers me about this dish is the fish, snapper. You can use other thick white fish if you wish... now that was a rhyme. I find the snapper's smell a bit off. The fishy smell is strong for me. So, what I did was drizzle it with lemon juice, pepper and little salt and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Now, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

about half a kilo snapper or any white fish fillet

2 tbs olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups tomatoes

1/2 cup dry white wine or water or white rice vinegar

1/2 tb dried basil, chopped

1/2 tb dried rosemary

1/2 tb dried thyme

    *i used a readily available mixed herbs by Master Foods

1 cup black pitted olives (optional)

black pepper and salt to taste

Procedure:

1.  In a deep skillet pour in 2 tablespoons water then the olive oil. Add garlic, and cook until light brown. 

2. Stir in onion until soft and add tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes thoroughly until the juices have slightly evaporated. 

3. Add wine or water, simmer for about 5 minutes.

4. Add olives, salt, pepper and herbs; basil, rosemary and thyme. Cook for few minutes to blend the flavors.

5. Submerge fish in sauce and cook in medium heat until fish is tender and white, about 8 minutes.

6. Garnish with some basil or vegetables. 

Serve hot. This is nice with wine and pasta. 

Enjoy!

My Attempt to Cook: Singaporean Chili Crab

I had almost depressing moments the past few days so, as with some of us, I vented out that moment to food. I was thinking of the usual streamed crab but I challenged myself to cooking something complicated. I guess when you are down there's something inside you that wants to get up to have that feeling that even if you're not good at this one then go be better at the other. In my case, I guess, this is the other.

Anyway, I am going to provide you here on how to cook the Chili Crab which is a famous dish in Singapore. There are many restaurants and hawkers offering Chili Crab and, though I haven't been in these heavenly places, Jumbo Seafood Restaurant and No Sign Board Seafood Restaurant are the two of the most famous places to try it out. But, after cooking them myself I can say that no need to go to those expensive diners. A happy eating-husband is an accomplished cooking-wife. Haha!

Ingredients:
4 to 5 pcs medium crabs
5 tbs ketchup, better to mix tomato and banana ketchup for that sweet sour taste
1 cup water
3/4 tsp soy sauce
2 tbs cornstarch
salt to taste
5 tbs vegetable oil, i used 3 tbs canola butter with olive oil for lower saturated fat
7 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbs chopped shallots or onion springs
chili peppers or black pepper corn, adjust to your preference
3/4 tsp lemon juice
1 beaten egg

Directions

1. Wash crabs and separate the claws and shell from the body. Cut into two or four if the crab is big.

2. In a large bowl, mix together ketchup, water, cornstarch, soy sauce, salt and black pepper.

3. Heat skillet and the oil or butter, stir in garlic and shallots. Add the chili peppers once the garlic turns golden brown. After 2 minutes, add the crabs and fry until red. 

4. Stir sauce mixture into the skillet until the crabs are well coated. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 7 to 10 minutes or until the shells are bright red.

5. Next, pour the lime juice all over the crab. Put the beaten egg, quickly mixing it with the crabs until cooked.

source

Crabs are good sources of selenium, an anti-oxidant, zinc and omega-3, as with other seafood, vit B12, niacin, phosphorus and copper. But, be careful of eating too much of it specially if you don't know the source as it may contain mercury and PCB. Prefer the locally grown crabs to ensure you'd get the benefits more than the contaminants. Happy eating!