Mushroom soup

Ingredients (serves 6):
100g unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely diced
600g mixed mushrooms (such as white button, Portobello, shiitake or brown field mushrooms), diced into very small pieces
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 litre chicken stock
1 sachet bouquet garni
freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup cream

Method:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and gently sweat the shallots, garlic and celery without browning them, 5 minutes.
2. Add the diced mushrooms, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cover the pan. Sweat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the wine, let it bubble for a minute or two, then add the stock.
4. Bring to a boil, then add the bouquet garni and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add a few gratings of nutmeg.
6. Add the cream and taste again. Adjust seasoning and remove the bouquet garni sachet.
7. You can serve it hot as it is, or blitz it in a blender so that the soup is smooth.

Tips:
Serve recipe with FairPrice’s garlic bread ($3.95 for 450g) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (18 Sep 2008)

Spinach and egg souffle

Spinach - Part 3.

Fancy-sounding but a cinch to make.

Ingredients (serves 2):
3 small shallots, chopped
2 tsp butter
80g frozen minced spinach
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup light cream
3 tbsp chicken stock
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 packet frozen filo pastry, cut into 8x8cm squares
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs
Olive oil

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160 deg C.
2. Fry shallots in butter until fragrant. Add spinach and salt and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add cream, stock and cinnamon powder and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Line 2 ramekins (glazed ceramic bowls) with 8 pieces of filo pastry each to cover the inside completely.
5. Pour in the spinach mixture and sprinkle with cheese and black pepper. Crack an egg into each.
6. Drizzle some olive oil on top and bake for 25 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and serve.

Tips:
Save time by cooking the spinach mixture the night before.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Nov 2007)

Green papaya salad

Green papaya is said to help fight stomach ulcers. It also aids digestion.

Green papaya should always be stored in the fridge and used within one week.

The seeds of the green papaya should be discarded, whereas ripe papaya seeds can be dried and ground and used as a substitute for black pepper.


Green papaya - Part 1.

Light and tangy, this makes a great appetiser or quick-fix lunch.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1/2 medium green papaya, finely sliced
5 lettuce leaves, shredded
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 chilli padi, chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coriander leaves
4 frozen crabsticks, thawed and thinly sliced
100g honey-baked ham, finely sliced
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed

Dressing:
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
4 tbsp Thai sweet chilli sauce
1 heaped tsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp fine brown sugar

Method:
1. Pat dry shredded green papaya. Arrange lettuce and cherry tomatoes on a serving dish.
2. Whisk all the salad dressing ingredients together.
3. Add chilli padi, shallots, coriander and green papaya to the dressing and mix well.
4. Put green papaya, along with the dressing, sliced crabsticks and ham on top of the lettuce.
5. Garnish with ground peanuts and serve immediately.

Tips:
Add 2 tsp small dried shrimps (soaked first) to the dressing.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (May 2007)

Thai green papaya salad

Som Tam - Thai green papaya salad.

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 garlic, skinned
2 shallots, skinned
3 chilli padi
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
Lime juice, to taste
3 green beans, cut into 3cm lengths
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
2 cups finely shredded green papaya flesh
1 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped

Method:
1. Pound garlic, shallots and chillies in a mortar.
2. Add fish sauce and sugar. Mix well. Adjust to taste with lime juice.
3. Add green beans and tomato. Use the pestle to mix the vegetable with the dressing. Avoid mashing the vegetables.
4. Add green papaya. Pound lightly and mix well using the pestle.
5. To serve, spoon peanuts on top.

Recipe source: Food and Travel magazine (Feb 2007)

Prawns in pineapple and assam gravy

A local favourite, the delicious gravy can be served as soup by itself.

Ingredients (serves 4):
500g prawns, washed and trimmed, with shells on
1 tbsp assam (tamarind) pulp
1 tbsp belachan, toasted in dry pan
2cm piece of galangal, sliced
1cm fresh turmeric
10-12 shallots, sliced
3 chilli padi, sliced
1 small fresh pineapple, skinned and sliced
1 tbsp oil
1 litre water
Salt and sugar to taste

Method:
1. Mix assam pulp in half cup of water and mash to extract the liquid. Strain, discarding the seeds and pulp.
2. In a separate bowl, combine galangal, turmeric, shallots, chilli padi and toasted belachan and pound them together. Alternatively, process in a blender until it becomes a paste.
3. Heat oil in a wok or saucepan and fry the paste for a few minutes. Add pineapples and toss briefly.
4. Pour water into the pan, along with assam paste, salt and sugar and bring to a boil, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add prawns and cook for another 5 minutes, until prawns are done.

Tips:
The gravy can be prepared in advance; just add prawns and cook when ready to serve.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Mar 2007)

Pineapple and parsley salsa

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 rings of canned pineapple
2 shallots
1 clove garlic
Half red capsicum
8-10 olives
Half a bunch parsley, chopped
2-3 tbsp juice from can of pineapples
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Chop pineapple, shallots, garlic, capsicum and olives into small cubes.
2. Place all together in a serving bowl. Mix half of the parsley leaves with these, leaving the other half for garnishing.
3. Add the pineapple juice and toss to blend.
4. Chill in the refrigerator and serve it as a side with roast pork, chicken or grilled fish.

Tips:
You can add 1 tsp cumin powder for extra flavour or a chopped chilli padi for added kick.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Mar 2007)

Porridge with refried sichuan pepper turkey

Leftover turkey post-Christmas - Part 2.

Traditional congee gets an exotic twist with the addition of turkey and Sichuan pepper.

Ingredients (serves 2):
1 cup rice
4 cups water
Leftover turkey bones
1 cup peanuts, uncooked
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cloves shallots
3-4 stalks spring onions
2 cups turkey meat, diced
2 tsp Sichuan pepper
Salt, a pinch

Method:
1. Boil water in a large saucepan. Add rice, turkey bones, peanuts and chicken stock powder and bring them to boil, stirring occasionally, until porridge is cooked. Remove the bones and discard.
2. In a wok, heat some oil and saute garlic, shallots and Sichuan pepper. Add turkey meat and stir-fry, adding salt to taste.
3. Serve the porridge in individual bowls. Top each bowl with stir-fried turkey and then garnish with spring onions and fried shallots.

Tips:
You can substitute turkey with leftover roast pork.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Dec 2006)