Black Angus Wok-Tossed with Soy and Sesame

Another simple, tasty recipe from "Secrets of the Red Lantern". I bought some beautiful Black Angus eye fillet for this dish and the meat was sensationally tender. Black Angus cattle put on weight quickly and the meat usually has good marbling making it perfect for high, dry heat cooking. You do need to be careful not to overcook it.
The meat was marinated in "Lucky Sauce" which is made from oyster sauce, sesame oil, water and sugar. It was then cooked in a very hot wok. I couldn't get my wok as hot as required so didn't get the "charred" taste but it was still nice. Once the meat is cooked you add in white onion, garlic, butter (which I found unusual for an Asian dish but Vietnamese food has a definite French influence) salt and pepper.
This dish was served with a salad of tomato and cucumber with dipping fish sauce dressing (fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, garlic, chilli and lime juice) and red rice. The red rice was a variation of fried rice made with cooked and chilled jasmine rice. The rice was stir fried with butter, garlic, tomato paste and salt. It looked very pretty and had a nice flavour.
All the recipes needed for this dish are at http://books.google.com.au/books?id=San2ndp1IMoC&pg=PA301&lpg=PA301&dq=luke+nguyen+beef+with+soy+and+sesame&source=bl&ots=J0bdaOqSKt&sig=6MfrxjLVsLSoXtW5WumfI0Kh01g&hl=en&ei=pMJkTd6COMrCcf794fAF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=luke%20nguyen%20beef%20with%20soy%20and%20sesame&f=false
Overall I was a little disappointed with this dish. Although it was nice it did not have the intense flavours of other Asian dishes.
Rating 6 out of 10.

Lemon Grass and Chilli Chicken

A similar version of this recipe from Luke Nguyen's "Secrets of the Red Lantern" can be found at http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/8167/Lemongrass_chilli_chicken_(ga_xao_xa_ot)/page/4/noperpage/8
The only differences between the two recipes are that the one in the book uses pickled chilli to marinate the chicken in and then one birds eye chilli when stir frying, the book only uses 2 cloves of garlic to marinate and doesn't add more when stir frying and instead of young coconut juice uses Asian chicken stock. Otherwise they are exactly the same.
To make this dish you marinate the chopped chicken thighs in fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, pickled chilli and garlic for at least 4 hours. You then fry some chilli and lemon grass before adding the chicken. Once the chicken is sealed you add the Asian chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and coriander leaves.
Another easy, tasty Vietnamese dish.
Rating 8-9 out of 10.

Southern Vietnamese Fish Cakes

This recipe is from the beautiful cookbook "Secrets of the Red Lantern" which contains recipes from Luke Nguyen and Mark Jensen. This book tells the story of the Nguyen family and is a wonderful combination of recipes, pictures and life stories. A similar version of this recipe can be found at http://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipe/8372/Fried_fish_cakes_(cha_ca_quy_nhon)/search/true This version does not use a food processor and has no dill.
These fish cakes looked so simple that I was worried that they would lack flavour, however they were delicious. The recipe suggested using Spanish mackerel, taylor or red fish but I just used flake and was very happy with the end result. The fish was blended in a food processor with spring onions, salt, white pepper and garlic. You then put the mixture into a mortar and pounded it with a pestle, regularly dipping the pestle into fish sauce as you went. The end result was a smooth paste that didn't stick to the pestle.
Finally you folded through some chopped dill. The fish cakes were deep fried in vegetable oil until golden and served with dipping fish sauce made from fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar (sweet, sour and salty), chopped garlic and red birds eye chilli and lime juice. I had the left over sauce on a tuna salad today and it was delicious. It would also be nice served with rice. Every dipping sauce is different depending on the balance of flavours and this is a very personal thing. The balance seemed pretty perfect to me with this one.
Vietnamese cuisine is very fresh and healthy and uses lots of fresh herbs and fish sauce. I am looking forward to trying more recipes from this book.
Rating 8-9 out 10

Spiced Chicken and Blueberry Salad

This salad recipe can be found at http://www.mindfood.com/at-spiced-chicken-and-blueberry-salad.seo The photo is not great but the colours were very pretty on the plate. For this salad you first coat chicken breasts with za'atar spice mix and grated orange rind.
You can make the za'atar spice mix by combining 1/4 cup sumac, 2 tablespoons dried thyme, 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds (which you can grind or leave whole), 2 tablespoons dried marjoram, 2 tablespoons dried oregano and 1 teaspoon coarse salt. This is a middle eastern spice mix which could be used in many ways. I think it would be especially nice used as a rub for various meats.
The chicken breasts are pan fried then sliced for the salad. The salad is made by combining the flesh of one orange, rocket leaves, blueberries, blanched asparagus, coriander leaves and extra virgin olive oil. It is dressed with plain low fat yoghurt combined with chopped coriander.
The blueberries worked really well in this salad and I would have never thought of adding blueberries to a savoury salad. The spice mix did not give as much flavour as I had hoped and the rocket was a little over powering but overall this was a nice light summer dish.
Rating 6 out of 10.

Bacon and Sweet Potato Fritatta

This recipe was in the latest Weight Watchers magazine and was very colourful, healthy and tasty. It would make a great lunch dish and you could cut it into portions and freeze for an easy take to work lunch option. It was very simple and you could modify it by using different vegetables if you wished.
For this recipe you first steamed some cubed sweet potato then fried some bacon until crisp. You then lined a tin with baking paper and spread the sweet potato and some bottled red capsicum over the base. Combine 7 eggs, some grated parmesan, defrosted frozen peas and cooked bacon, season with salt and pepper and pour over the top.
Cook for 25-30 minutes and enjoy with steamed vegetables or salad.

Rating 7-8 out of 10.

Slow Cooked Pork with Ginger, Chilli and Sweet Soy Sauce

This Balinese pork dish was as rich and delicious to eat as it was to look at. I have to say it is also one of the less time consuming dishes, in terms of preparation, I have made from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey cookbook.
I visited China Town in Brisbane last week and stocked up on some pork from one of the butchers there. Their pork cuts are fantastic. This recipe uses pork shoulder cut into chunks. The shoulder is full of flavour and can be tough but when slow cooked it is very tender and falls apart.
To make this dish you fry some shallots until golden then add some salt, garlic and ginger. Next you add the pork and cook until slightly coloured before adding kecap manis, dark soy sauce, tamarind water, asian chicken stock, pepper, whole birds eye chilllies and chopped red chillies.
Asian chicken stock is made by simmering chicken drumsticks, wings or carcasses in water with spring onions, garlic, ginger, star anise and peppercorns. Once it has simmered for a couple of hours you strain the stock and can freeze it for later use.
Kecap manis is Indonesian soy sauce which is dark in colour and thick, sweet and syrupy due to the addition of palm sugar.
The tamarind water is made by soaking tamarind pulp (which you find in Asian supermarkets) in warm water, then breaking the pulp up with your fingers before straining to get the tamarind water.
Once the pork is tender you remove it from the liquid, increase the temperature and boil the liquid until it is thick and shiny. You then combine the pork and liquid, sprinkle with crispy fried shallots and serve with steamed rice.
The combination of the heat from the chillies, sourness from the tamarind water and the sweetness of the kecap manis, along with the tender pork makes this a very delicious dish.
Rating 8 out of 10.

Aromatic Chicken Pilau with Cinnamon, Tomato and Nutmeg

Yes, another Rick Stein recipe from his Far Eastern Odyssey cookbook!
"Aromatic" is a great way to describe this dish, it leaves a lovely mixture of flavours sitting on your tongue. Ghee or clarified butter is a key ingredient in Bangladesh cooking. For this all in one Pilau dish you fry cinnamon sticks or cassia bark pieces, cloves, cardamom pods amd bay leaves in melted ghee then add garlic, ginger and onions. Cassia bark is a dark, thick, coarse bark similar to cinnamon but where you may use cinnamon in sweet dishes you would tend to use cassia in strong, spicy savoury dishes. When the onions are soft and golden you add in freshly ground coriander and cumin seeds, freshly grated nutmeg and chilli powder. At this stage the kitchen is filled with wonderful aromas.
One of the best pieces of equipment I have bought and often use when making Asian food is a spice or coffee grinder. I can never believe how quickly this little gadget blends solid spices into fine powders. I know I could use a mortar and pestle but this is certainly quicker and takes a lot less muscle!
Next you add in a mixture of cubed chicken breasts and thighs, tomatoes, turmeric, water, salt and pepper. Once the mixture is simmering you mix in the basmati rice, bring to the boil, then cover and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.
After removing from the oven you leave to rest for 5 minutes then remove the lid, fluff up the rice, sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy! I could not believe how perfectly the rice cooked. I really enjoyed this dish and am looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch today. It is the type of dish that could become a regular comfort food dinner. It would also be easy to increase the quantities for a casual get together.
Rating 8 out of 10.

Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

As you may have guessed I am having a bit of an Asian month!

This Sri Lankan Chicken Curry is again from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey. The main flavours found in Sri Lankan food are coconut, curry leaves, pandan leaves and cinnamon (the whole bark broken into pieces). The first step in making this curry is to make the curry powder. You will find Sri Lankan cuisine more often uses powders rather than pastes. This curry uses the roasted powder which is made by dry roasting basmati rice, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, fenugreek seeds, cloves, cardamom seeds (from green pods), black mustard seeds, peppercorns and dried red kashmiri chillies. Once these have cooled a little you grind them to a fine powder.
This recipe uses a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces however I think it would be just as nice, if not nicer, if you used cubed chicken thighs.

The chicken pieces are fried in vegetable oil until golden then removed from the pan. You then fry some cinnamon, green cardamom pods and cloves before adding onions or shallots, then garlic and ginger, followed by the curry powder, turmeric and chilli powder. Finally you return the chicken to the pan with a lemongrass stalk, split green cayenne chillies, pandan and curry leaves and salt.

Pandan leaves are long green leaves from the Pandan plant which grows in parts of tropical Asia. The leaf is used to add a unique flavour to sweet and savoury dishes and you can usually find it frozen in Asian supermarkets. I was unable to get fresh curry leaves so had to make do with dried ones which I really don't think give the same flavour.

The curry is left to cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender. You then add in some coconut milk and finally a little lime juice.

This curry was surprisingly mild but did have some nice flavours.

I think the biggest tip I can give with Asian cooking is to have all your ingredients chopped and measured before you start. Although the dishes are not hard to make the preparation is time consuming and it is a much more pleasant exerience if everything is ready to go.

Rating 7 out of 10.

Prawn Fried Rice with Pork, Pineapple and Coriander

One of the main ingredients in this Vietnamese dish from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey is the Chinese Red Roast Pork or Char Siu. You can buy this pre cooked in some Asian shops but you can also easily make it. You can use pork belly or the less fatty pork fillets (which I chose). The pork is marinated over night in a mixture of garlic, ginger, dark soy sauce, honey, Chinese rice wine, five spice powder and red food colouring. It is then cooked on a baking rack over a roasting tin containing about 1cm water. The pork has a lovely flavour and could be eaten on its own or used in a variety of dishes.
For the fried rice you pre cook some long grain rice. You then fry some chopped garlic (nearly a whole head) and red chillies in a wok before adding the rice, sliced pork, cooked prawns and chopped fresh pineapple. Once this has heated through you add some light soy sauce, crisp fried shallots, coriander, salt and pepper.
This was a very quick easy dish to make and it had a lovely mixture of flavours. The fresh pineapple and the  aromatic five spice powder on the pork really make it.
Rating 8 out of 10.

Prawn and Rice Noodle Salad

This recipe is from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey and is another example of an Asian hot, sweet, spicy and sour dish. This particular dish was made by Chef Wan in Malaysia.
The dried rice vermicelli noodles are softened in boiling water and left to drain well. You make a spice paste by blending together medium-hot red chillies and bird's eye chillies (which are the small, super hot ones), garlic, dried shrimp (which smell terrible! and need to be softened in boiling water first), tomatoes and palm sugar. It is a little unusual for a recipe from this area of Asia to contain so much fresh tomato.
To assemble the salad you combine the noodles and spice paste then add in cooked prawns, sliced shallots (the french shallots), fresh coriander leaves, chives and mint leaves, crispy fried shallots (which you can make or buy already fried), crushed roasted peanuts, shredded kaffir lime leaves, lime juice and fish sauce.
The end result is a tasty, fresh salad. I personally found it a little too "fishy" due to the dried shrimp but others may like that flavour.
Rating 6-7 out of 10.