Red-Braised Chickpeas and Steamed Chicken with Hot and Sour Dressing

These recipes are both from Kylie Kwong's, My China, A Feast for all the Senses, cookbook. The first is Red-Braised Chickpeas with Star Anise and Vinegar. This recipe uses dried chickpeas but you could also use dried soy beans and Kylie actually mentions that these would give a more authentic result. The chickpeas are soaked overnight and boiled until tender. The red braise sauce is made from shao hsing wine, ginger, spring onions, star anise, brown sugar, light soy sauce and sesame oil.

The chickpeas are simmered in the braising liquid for 10 minutes then brown rice vinegar is added before serving. This dish had a lovely mix of sweet, salty and sour flavours.

The Steamed Chicken with Hot and Sour Dressing is simply steamed chicken thighs with a topping sauce. The chicken thighs are steamed on a plate in a bamboo steamer. 

The topping is made by combining chopped coriander stems, ginger, spring onions, garlic, red chilli, light soy sauce, brown rice vinegar, brown sugar and sesame oil in a bowl and pouring over heated peanut oil. To serve you slice the chicken thighs and top with the lovely sauce.

This recipe can be found at

http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/1437217-STEAMED-CHICKEN-WITH-HOT-SOUR-DIPPING-SAUCE
I served these dishes with steamed jasmine rice. Jasmine rice is a long grain fragrant rice that is most commonly served with Thai food but I also like it with Chinese food.
Rating for both dishes 8-9 out of 10.

Rabbit with Chorizo and Chilli and Baked Chocolate Mousse

For todays cooking club we made Rabbit with Chorizo and Green Chilli from Bill Granger's, Feed Me Now, cookbook.
The recipe can be found at http://www.smh.com.au/news/recipes/slowcooked-food/2007/06/25/1182623788819.html
Having never eaten rabbit before I was concerned it may be a bit "gamey" but to be honest I couldn't have told the difference between it and chicken except it was more fiddly to eat as it had a lot more small bones. I decided to do some research into rabbit as it is something I know little about. The recipe did suggest using farmed rabbit which apparently tends to be more tender and requires a shorter cooking time but it is also paler in appearance and more like chicken in taste. Wild rabbit is more "gamey" and often leaner than farmed rabbit, it is also more expensive. So I guess if you want to experience true rabbit flavour you should buy wild rabbit. One farmed rabbit will generally feed 4 people.
This was a very simple recipe that was quick to make and I believe you could easily substitute skinless chicken pieces for the rabbit. The flavours were lovely and the chorizo and chilli gave it a nice lift, it contained lots of vegetables. We served it with a olive oil potato mash and peas with shallots and garlic.

The Baked Chocolate Mousse was from David Herbert's, The Really Useful Cookbook. There are variations of this recipe if you search the internet. Basically you whip some egg yolks, mix in melted choclate and brandy then fold in egg whites. The mousse is cooked in individual ramekins. It forms a lovely thin crispy top with a light mousse like edge and thick chocolate sauce like centre. We possibly could have cooked it for a couple more minutes to get more of the light fluffy cake like edge. It is served by forming a hole in the top and putting in a scoop of ice cream. Simple comfort food that looks good and tastes great....YUM!!

Another enjoyable day cooking with friends and trying new recipes.

Stir Fried Asian Mushrooms and Stir Fried Pork with Dried Chillies

Both of these recipes are from Kylie Kwong's fantastic cookbook, "My China; A Feast for all the Senses". This book has stories of Kylie's travels in China, beautiful pictures and some fantastic recipes.

The Asian Mushrooms used in this stir fry were fresh shiitake, oyster and enoki which I found in a local fruit shop but have also seen in supermarkets. You don't use the stems of the shiitake mushrooms as they are harder and take longer to cook. Shiitake mushrooms are quite "meaty" and hold together well when cooked. The oyster mushrooms are much more delicate with a milder taste and become a little like an oyster in texture when cooked (they are actually named oyster mushrooms because they look like an oyster shell not because of their taste or texture). Enoki mushrooms are quite beautiful and look like soft coral as they grow in clusters and have thin long stems, about 10cm in length, with tiny white caps. They were added right at the end as heat can toughen them and they have a mild flavour and an interesting slightly crisp texture. The mushrooms were stir fried with ginger, garlic, sea salt, shao hsing wine (Chinese rice wine), brown sugar, light soy sauce, brown rice vinegar and sesame oil. This dish was interesting and a nice side dish.

The stir fried pork was made using pork neck fillets, which are widely used in Chinese cooking as they have more  fat than other cuts which helps baste and flavour the meat as you cook it. The pork was stir fried in peanut oil with garlic, ginger, shao hsing wine, Chinese black vinegar, light soy sauce, dried chilli flakes and Sichuan pepper and salt. Sichuan peppercorns are the dried berries of the prickly ash tree. They have a unique flavour and aroma and leave the mouth feeling slightly numb and tingly. To make the salt and pepper mix you dry fry 1 tablespoon of sichuan peppercorns with 3 tablespoons of sea salt until the peppercorns start to "pop" and the aromatic oils are released. You then crush the mixture in a mortar and pestle. It is delicious sprinkled on all sorts of dishes. This simple stir fry had lots of flavour and the chilli was not over powering as I thought it may be.

As with much Asian cooking once you have the ingredients in your cupboard you can make many dishes using different combinations of those ingredients. I always think the main secret to Asian cooking is having all the ingredients measured and chopped in little bowls ready to go as the actual cooking time is quite quick and you don't want to have to stop and prepare the ingredients.

I would rate these 2 dishes 7-8 out of 10.

Stir Fried Salmon with Sticky Rice

This recipe is from The Golden Door Health Retreat Cook Book, "Purely Golden Door". It is made by stir frying some garlic, ginger, onion and bok choy or other Chinese vegetables (I used Chinese cabbage). You then mix together some fish stock, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and cornflour (first combined with a little water). Add the sauce mixture to the wok and bring to the boil before adding in salmon pieces and cooking for about 3 minutes until cooked through. The salmon was served on sticky black rice which you can find in Asian supermarkets. It is a nutty whole grain which is quite glutinous and actually more purple in colour once cooked than black. It is often used in Asian desserts made by mixing in coconut milk and fruit. I would be keen to try making one of the desserts using this rice. I needed to add some soy sauce to this dish as it needed a bit more flavour but overall it was a nice healthy week night dinner.

Rating 6 out of 10.

Lemon Grass and Turmeric Fish with Mango and Mint Couscous

This recipe can be found at http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food/recipes/recipe/-/6464841/lemongrass-and-tumeric-fish-with-lime-mango-and-mint-couscous/ It does need some early preparation so don't get caught out like I did and end up eating at 9pm!
I used flake for this recipe as it holds together well and has a mild flavour. This recipe contained quite a few spices and I did feel my spices were a bit "raw" in the end product so would cook them for longer next time.
The first step is to dry fry the mustard seeds, garam masala spice mix and turmeric. You then use a mortar and pestle to grind some ginger, lemon grass, garlic and coriander to a fine paste. My paste was not fine enough and I think it would have made the whole dish better if I had worked on it for longer.
You then cook some onion, capsicum and chilli paste. You can make your own chilli paste by blending 300g fresh chillies, 2 tablespoons apple cider and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. This does pack a punch and makes quite a lot. You could just as easily use a bought chilli paste. Once the onions are soft you cool the mixture then stir in coconut milk (or yoghurt), the spice paste and the fish pieces and leave to marinate for 30 minutes. To cook the fish you lay the pieces on baking paper on a tray and bake for 10 minutes. Mine did take longer than this to cook.
To make the couscous you boil some vegetable stock and then add the couscous, some lime zest and mint. Cover and let sit for 3 minutes then fluff up and add some diced mango. I love couscous because it is so quick and easy to prepare and the added ingredients gave it a nice flavour.
I would like to try this recipe again and make sure the spices are well cooked and the spice paste nice and fine as it did have some lovely flavours but was let down by my cooking skills! Possibly eating it at 9pm also didn't do it justice.
Rating 7 out of 10.

Wok Seared Soba Noodles with Chicken and Black Beans

A nice easy stir fry which has added interest due to the use of soba noodles and black beans. The recipe for this stir fry can be found at http://www.goldendoor.com.au/default.asp?action=article&ID=22807 Soba noodles are thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat flour which is high in amino acids (protein), as well as having other health benefits, and wheat flour. They can be used in hot or cold dishes and I really like their flavour and texture. They can be found in the Asian section of your supermarket.
To make this stir fry you first cook the soba noodles. Stir fry the chicken and then add capsicum, carrot, onion, garlic, ginger and mushrooms. Add in some soy sauce, chilli sauce and black beans, then finally stir through the soba noodles and some spinach. Asian fermented Black beans can be found in Asian shops and are made from soy beans which have been heavily salted. You do not need much as they are very salty but they add a great flavour to stir fries and other Asian dishes.
Rating 6-7 out of 10.

Thai Fish Cakes on Quinoa

Simple, fresh and tasty! This recipe can be found at http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food/recipes/recipe/-/6464991/thai-fish-cakes-on-quinoa/ These fish cakes are made by processing snapper, salmon and prawns then combining the fish with coriander, fish sauce, chilli sauce, egg whites, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, lemon zest, lemon juice and avocado oil.
Kaffir lime leaves can often be found in the herb section of many supermarkets. Avocado oil is similar to olive oil but has some great health benefits including lowering cholesterol and fighting heart disease. This fish cake mixture was very moist and I was worried they wouldn't hold together when cooking but they did. To be extra healthy cook them in a non-stick fry pan with no oil.
Quinoa is commonly considered a grain but is actually a seed from the quinoa plant which is related to leafy vegetables like spinach. It is extremely rich in amino acids (protein) and has an interesting texture being both creamy and slightly crunchy. I found it in my local supermarket but it is also found in health food stores. It was once considered "the gold of the Incas". To cook the quinoa you first rinse it well and then simmer in boiling water for 10-12 minutes. For this recipe the quinoa was mixed with some lemon zest, lemon juice and coriander which at first I found a bit too "zingy" but it did work well with the fish cakes.
Rating 8 out 10.

Salmon Spring Rolls with Ginger and Coriander

These spring rolls are extremely simple to make, healthy and delicious. The recipe for these can be found at http://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/food/recipes/recipe/-/6464863/ocean-trout-spring-rolls-with-ginger-and-coriander/ I couldn't buy ocean trout so substituted salmon which still worked really well. This is one of those recipes that is easy to remember when you are in the grocery shop wondering what to have for dinner! You could modify it by adding different ingredients or by using chicken instead of fish.

To make these you take a spring roll wrapper (found in the frozen section of the supermarket), lay some chinese cabbage, salmon, pickled ginger (available in the Asian section of most supermarkets), asparagus and coriander on one corner. Roll up, brush with egg white and bake in oven. Enjoy with a little soy sauce. Yum!

Rating 8-9 out of 10.

Carrot Cake, Pheasant Pie and Avocado & Chocolate Mousse

We held our cooking club last week and trialled three recipes from the Masterchef Cookbook Volume Two. The first was the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. For those of you that watch Masterchef you may remember the contestants trying to guess all the ingredients in this cake. One of those ingredients was olives and I have to say I was a little disappointed that this version of the recipe did not include olives!

This cake was full of nuts and spices and made a lovely big cake full of flavour and very moist. The icing was delicious too. Unfortunately the recipe is not on the internet so you will have to buy the book!

Rating 8-9 out of 10.

Main course today was Maggie Beer's Pheasant Pie with Braised Radicchio which can be found at http://www.masterchef.com.au/pheasant-pie-with-radicchio-and-jus.htm
The pheasant was not cheap and I think we all decided the pie would have been just as nice with chicken. Have to say preparing a bird with a head in tact didn't excite me too much either. Sorry but I had to put the picture in to show how brave I was!

The first step was to remove the drumsticks (and head) from the bird and marinate the body and legs in a lovely fragrant mix of olive oil, orange juice and zest, thyme leaves, bay leaves and juniper berries.

I found the juniper berries at a health food shop. These berries are the primary flavouring in gin and have a strong flavour which works well with game meats.

The pheasant is roasted and then splashed with verjuice after removing from the oven. Maggie Beer produces this product which is made from the juice of unfermented grapes. It can be used in many ways to add a gentle acidic flavour where lemon juice or vinegar may be too strong.

The pastry was nice and light for this pie and made with butter, plain flour and sour cream. Some pastry tips from one of the girls in our group...keep it cold, if starts to get too warm put it back in the fridge as it gets too hard to work with, don't overwork it and don't stress over it!
The pie filling was made by cooking some portobello mushrooms (I actually bought swiss brown as I couldn't get portobellos) with butter, garlic, rosemary and salt. Once cooked you add flour, chicken stock and creme fraiche. To this mixture you add the chopped pheasant meat, chopped cooked orange zest, walnuts, lemon zest and oregano. Put the filling in the pie base, cover with pastry and cook until golden.

The pie is served with a raddichio braise made from chopped raddichio, currants, verjuice, bacon, rosemary, parsley and vino cotto. Raddichio is a red leafy vegetable that resembles lettuce but does not belong to the lettuce family. It has quite a peppery flavour. It can be used in salads and gives great colour but many people find it too peppery. The braise was delicious but the quantities only allowed for a very small spoonful per person which was a bit sad. I would double or triple the quantities if I made it again. Vino cotto is another of Maggie Beer's products made from the must of grapes and similar to an aged balsalmic vinegar or balsalmic reduction. Grape must is the juice made from crushing grapes.
I made one big mistake with this recipe..I didn't read it through before starting and when it came to making the jus realised I had not kept the pan juices from the pheasant so could not make the jus which was meant to be made by adding chicken stock and verjuice to the pan juices. This was a pity as I think the whole dish was let down by not having this sauce to moisten the pie and tie the whole dish together.
Overall we were disappointed with this pie. It had a lot of flavour but just wasn't as nice as we had hoped.
Rating 6 out of 10.

 For dessert we made Chocolate Avocado Mousse with Hibiscus and Raspberry Coulis. Again we were disappointed with this recipe. The flavour was unusual and the macadamia base really didn't add anything to the dish. I found you could still taste the avocado which just didn't seem right in a dessert. The raspberry coulis and hibiscus flwers were delicious though!
The hibiscus flowers, which are awesome in champagne too, were frozen up side down for half an hour so they would stand up on the mousse and look pretty. More information on this product can be found at http://www.wildhibiscus.com/ Yes, you can eat the flowers.
The macadamia base, which went into the base of the glasses, was made by combining macadamia nuts and agave nectar in the food processor.
The mousse was made from dark chocolate (70% cocoa) chopped into small pieces in a food processor and well processed avocado, coconut oil (which is meant to have many health benefits), agave nectar and cacao. Agave nectar can be bought at health food shops and is a natural sweetener made from the agave plant which is also used to make tequila. It is similar to honey in flavour. Cacao powder is raw chocolate and is full of anti-oxidants. The mousse is frozen for an hour before serving and should be served semi-frozen.

The coulis was made by blending some hibiscus flowers, frozen raspberries, agave nectar and water and then simmering for 30 minutes before straining and pouring over the mousse. I just wish this dessert had tasted as good as it looked as it was very pretty.

Rating 6 out of 10.

Overall the food today was not fantastic but we still had a fun day and certainly used some ingredients we have never used before which is what it is all about!