Chinese | Aapplemint

A Trip To A Hong Kong Market

May 042009

Hong Kong fresh food markets are an absolute must on any visit to the ex-colony. Bustling with life and colour, they remain an everyday part of many locals life, and are also a great place to grab a bargain. You can get anything food related here, from fresh veggies n fruits, all kinds of meat, live seafood, to spices, sauces, herbs, dried food variety and little restaurants and stalls of cooked delicacies. I absolutely adore coming to the local markets and explore and try out new stuff. And trust me there is so much out here, that I haven’t seen in my life before, and every visit i’m discovering something new. So its always challenging to pick up new ingredients and experiment. To me HK is a foodies paradise, with so much available, its so hard to resist … both to cook and to eat out !

Sizzlin’ Hot !

All, Non-Vegetarian 19 Responses »

Aug 232007

I don’t really know the exact origin of this dish, though I’d like to believe in from the northern region of China. I’ve been eating versions of this dish ever since i was a kid. Sizzlers are very famous in Bombay and I’ve been lucky enough to try some in China too. The ones in Bombay differ a lot from the Chinese ones, and i ‘d choose the Chinese ones over any day. Of course as there’s no particular recipe to follow, i just about put anything that i fancy on these sizzling hot iron plates. This time i was once again standing with a blank face in my store room figuring out what to make for lunch. It had to be Chinese and chicken and noodles, but how ? Then my hubby walked in, took a look at my face and in a flash opened the cupboard and got out the sizzler plates, ” lets have sizzlers today ! u can even put it on your blog

)!” He just adores food that sizzles. It fills the room with the rich aroma and dense smoke and makes even a stuffed person hungry. When i travelled, i got along with me a carton full of my Chinese ingredients from Hong Kong. Foodies that we are, half our baggage from anywhere in the world always comprises of food. So here for lunch i used shrimp noodles stir fried with veggies and stir fried chicken and baby corn.
For the noodles : Boil the noodles for 2 mins , strain , run through cold water and toss in seasme oil – set aside. Julienne french beans, carrots, green capsicum, spring onion and thinly slice a red onion. In a wok heat some peanut oil and stir fry the veggies except the spring onion. Add 1/2 tsp of white pepper and add in the noodles.Mix well and then add a couple of splashes of light soy sauce. Check the salt add the spring onion and turn off the heat. Keep this aside .

For the chicken : I used canned baby corn-cut in halves, chicken cubed, garlic grated, one small onion quartered. In a wok heat some peanut oil , fry the garlic till fragrant and add the chicken cubes and cook till fully white. With a slotted spoon remove the chicken and add the onion and baby corn and fry for a min. Add to it some shao shing rice vine, a spoon of knorr chicken concentrate sauce and some rice vinegar. Bring back the chicken and 1/2 cup chicken stock to the wok and cover and let it cook. There is no need to add salt as the knorr sauce is very salty. Finish off with adding some cornflour water to thicken it. Turn off the heat and add some greens of the spring onion.

Now with these 2 ready we have to make hot the sizzler plates. Lightly oil them and put them directly on the gas flame till they are piping hot. Very carefully lift them and place them on the wooden dish and place the noodles first. Then add the chicken with the sauce. At this moment it will start sizzling violently.Be careful and serve immediately.
You can really do anything with these. Stir fried sizzling prawns , beef , fish ….. anything. Just make sure it has some sauce or gravy to sizzle away . Excellent for entertaining !

Reminiscing Hong Kong

All, Dessert, Non-Vegetarian, Places & Travel 15 Responses »

Aug 132007

Mango and Coconut Sago Dessert

U cannot be a true Honkie if u haven’t got a passion for Sago.These little treats are a very important part of the Cantonese cuisine and can find them in almost every street corner, every dessert house. Sago is adored in India too, but i was never really fond of the way they make it there. With an awfully sweet rose syrup at the bottom of the glass, then a layer of sago topped with sweet milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream this drink is called “FALOODA” , and the syrup changes according to your preference from green to orange to yellow, name the colour you got it … eek … another turn off ! As kids we called sago “frogs eyes” and so another reason to stay away from it. But when i tried the Honk Kong version i instantly fell in love with it. Like all their desserts this one is very low in sugar, as the cantonese have a very mild palate and cannot take strong flavours unlike their Chinese counterparts. I had some friends over for dinner last night and the menu of course was cantonese. And this is my take on the Honkie Sago, to seal the perfect evening. Personally i love the one with lychee but this time i opted for mango and coconut milk.

Ingredients

3/4 th cup green coloured sago
1 cup water
100 gms sugar
2 pods cardamom (optional)
60 ml coconut cream
1 tsp gelatin
1 tsp pure vanilla bean extract
pinch of salt
1 large mango diced
1 large mango pureed
toasted coconut flakes

Start with bringing boiling together the sugar, cardamom & 100 gms of water.When the sugar dissolves turn off the heat and add to it the coconut cream and stir well. In another bowl dissolve the gelatin in a tbsp of hot water and add it to the coconut cream mixture and set aside.
For the sago , take a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the sago to it and boil it for 15 mins or until soft and transparent. Strain and rinse in cold water and add it to the coconut cream mixture. Add the chopped mango cubes as well and mix it. Take 6 glasses and equally divide the sago mixture between them. Cover with cling film and let it set in the fridge for a few hrs or till set. Meanwhile toast some coconut flakes on a small frying pan and keep it ready for the garnish.
Once the sago is set pour some mango puree on top and place some of the toasted coconut flakes in the center. This is best served chilled.

Scallops 5 Ways

All, Non-Vegetarian 14 Responses »

Apr 222007

So as you all know monopoly didn’t really work out, we ended up staying at home not really in the mood for any outdoor activity. Figured i’d have to make lunch and got out a tray of 10 fresh Australian scallops that i had bought on Sat.”Honey how do u want to eat these scallops..???” and then he said lets make them in 5 different ways.We have all day to us, nothing better to do … not really hungry … so might as well enjoy it … i was game !

STEAMED SCALLOPS

Here the scallops were salted first.Then placed in tiny bamboo steamer lined with lettuce.Topped with grated ginger, finely sliced green chillis & spring onions.Steamed them for about 4-5 mins.Garnish with corriander and a squeeze of lime.While eating it take the whole thing out, wrap the lettuce around it and eat it.

PAN FRIED BREADED SCALLOPS WITH MAYO DRESSING

For this i first chopped some red chillis and garlic…marinated the scallops in together with salt.Then prepared the egg for dipping and breadcrumbs.Lightly salt the egg.dip and coat twice and chill in the refrigerator.Meanwhile make the mayo dressing.Finely chopped onion, garlic, chopped carrots and a pinch of red paprika.Now u can very simply deep fry it…which would also give u an even colour all over but i pan fried it with a tsp of oil … health conscious !

SCALLOP WONTONS WITH CHILLI SOY DRESSING

When i bite into a wonton, i like to sink my teeth into the whole scallop thats why i did not cut them up, like it is normally done with most meats.Firstly the wonton skins i had were too small to take the entire scallop so i joined together two of them with the left over egg from above.And then i place the scallops on it and pinched the corners together.For the marinate i put salt, ginger, chopped spring onion,dash of sesame oil steamed it for 5 mins.For the dip, take light soya sauce, finely sliced red chilli , corriander , rice wine vinegar ,stir it all together and serve.

TANDOORI SCALLOPS WITH GREEN CHUTNEY

The most effortless of them all was tandoori scallops.An easy alternative would be to use the ready made tandoori spice.I did that too ..but livened it up with further adding some fresh jeera pd, red chilli pd, and garam masala.Grilled them on the griddle pan ans served with green chutney (which luckily was still left over from the last time i made it)

HOT AND SOUR SCALLOPS WITH STEAMED RICE AND INDONESIAN PRAWN CRACKERS

The last but definitely one of the best.In a small frying pan fry some garlic n then the scallops, add soy sauce, vinegar, chilli oil and chicken stock….as u see the scallop is almost cooked add some corn flour water, close the gas, plate up and garnish with spring onions.Served with steamed rice and these most amazing prawn crackers.

It was a really nice experience trying to make these, as u see it was just just two scallops a dish and normally we would never try out anything like this.D was the mastermind behind this one, with his beautiful ideas.But standing in the kitchen together and making a mess of the place was even more fun. They all tasted nice each one better than the next.

Humanmetrics & Spiced Lobster Chow Mein !

All, Non-Vegetarian 5 Responses »

Mar 102007

Lately I’ve been feeling rather dull and nothing interests me.Imagine not wanting to cook or even getting the camera out.Its like when you are down with the blues.I guess I’m really missing home now.My trip has been extended and re-extended and we’ve overstayed a month now.I can hear Hong Kong calling me…..come to me, come to me…..I think maybe I’m going crazy, but i need to get out of here fast.I’ll tell you one interesting thing i did though, my cousin mailed me this online Humanmetrics test by Jung – Myers.Take this test and then score it.When your page opens u need to see your answer at the top of the page which be be a 4 alphabet code like ENFJ(yours might not be the same) .Look up your answer here or here , alternately just type that in Google search and you will get your answer.Mind u my friends this is no ordinary test .I have made all my friends n family take it and they were shocked at the results.The analysis is so accurate and really gives u a insight about your personality.I recommend you see all the options in Google .This test really helps you understand why sometimes u do the things you do or even help you to getting to understand something about people you care about. So good luck…
pls take this test and u are most welcome to share your results with me.It’ll make me really happy.

SPICED LOBSTER CHOW MEIN

( with secret ingredient )

Lunch today was Lobster Chow mein.Recipe for 2 potions follows…( u can use any veggies u like…i just had these lying around)

Fresh lobsters shelled and deveined ( i used 8 small lobsters)
Red chillis sliced lengthways
Green capsicum sliced
Onion sliced
Carrots sliced
Spring onion greens shredded
Corriander
1 clove garlic crushed
1 cm piece ginger grated
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
salt to taste
a dash of chilli oil
2 portion egg noodles
Schezuan peppercorn salt
5 spice powder – just a small pinch
1 tbsp shao shing rice wine

Marinate the lobster in the schezuan peppercorn salt and rice wine for about 15 mins.
Prepare the egg noodles according to packet instructions.Pour cold water, drain and set it aside.
Heat a wok and pour in some peanut oil.Add the ginger garlic and stir fry the lobsters for a min.Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.Now stir fry the veggies except the corriander and spring onion for about 2 mins and then bring back the lobsters.Beer is the secret ingredient, it adds a nice twist to the flavours.About 100 ml of any larger/beer u desire.Heat it thru.Add the noodles at this stage and the oyster sauce, vinegar and salt to taste.Mix well and throw in the corriander and spring onion.Plate up and drizzle with chilli oil.