Chestnut Delights  2023/11/20 

Chestnuts contain abundant vitamin C; can help to maintain teeth, bones, blood vessels and muscles in normal function; prevent and cure osteoporosis, soreness and weakness in waist and legs, muscle pain, weakness; delay human aging.

Every year in November, chestnuts are harvested abundantly, particularly fresh and delicious. This is the best time to use them as ingredients to make delights.

1. Chestnut Braised Chicken    2023-11-20

Ingredients: 

Chicken thighs, wingettes, chestnuts, green onion, shallots, ginger slices, oyster sauce, soya sauce, dark soya sauce, sugar, salt, Shaoxing wine, corn starch, water, vegetable oil

Garnish: green onion, parsley

Marinade: salt, soya sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, corn starch,  Shaoxing wine, ginger, green onion leaves, pepper

Method:

1. Wash chestnuts with water, steam to 70% done

2. Wash chicken with water and dry with cloth

3. Add 1 tea spoon of salt, 1 tea spoon of sugar, 1 tea spoon of soya sauce, 1 table spoon of oyster sauce, 1 table spoon of corn starch,  Shaoxing wine, ginger, green onion (white part), pepper, marinade for 15 minutes.

4. Heat up a wok, pour some oil, fry chicken until golden brown, pick up and put aside

5. Put shallot and fry. Then add ginger and green onion to fry till fragrant.

6. Add chicken and stir fry, then add chestnuts, fry for awhile, add Shaoxing wine

7. Add water, 2 table spoon of oyster sauce, 1 tea spoon of soya sauce,  dark soya sauce, salt and pepper. Cover the wok with lid to braise under low fire for about 15-20 minutes. Evaporate most of the sauce, leaving enough sauce in the wok. Mix corn starch with water to thicken the sauce.

Chestnut Braised Chicken Sauce Mixed Rice: Freshly cooked rice mixed with green peas, carrots, corn and Chestnut Braised Chicken Sauce; make 3 pillars and place them in the center of a plate.

Place chicken pieces and chestnuts around the mixed rice. Put a  chestnut on each pillar. Put a green onion in the center of rice pillars. Place parsley beside chicken wingette. 

2. Mashed Chestnut Purple and White Yam   2023-11-13

Ingredients: chestnuts, purple yam, white sweet potatoes, mayonnaise, maple syrup

Garnish: rosemary

Method: Remove shell of chestnut, skin of purple yam and white sweet potatoes; steam cook. Mash yam and sweet potatoes. Add mayonnaise, maple syrup, mix well, form cylinder shape,  Place chestnut on top, rosemary on mashed white sweet potatoes.              

3. Chestnut Bubur Cha Cha Layer Cake     2020-11-3  

Ingredient: chestnuts, sweet potatoes, taros, red beans, green beans, black eyed peas, lily

Sauce: coconut cream, maple syrup, salt

These ingredients can be used for making Bubur Cha Cha soup.

Method:

Remove shells of chestnuts and skins of sweet potatoes; steam cook. Soak all other ingredients individually in water for 3 hours; sieve to dry; steam cook separately for each ingredient. Mash chestnuts, sweet potatoes, taros, red beans, green beans, black eyed peas to form soft mass. Add coconut cream, maple syrup and salt, mix well.  Place each ingredient one by one on top of each other to form a pillar; each layer has different colour. Finally, place chestnuts, lily, red beans, black eyed peas on the top, put green beans and taros, red beans and lily on the plate.

4. Chestnut Crispy Basket     2021-2-19

Ingredients: chestnuts, purple yams, red beans, filo dough, unsalted butter

Sauce: mayonnaise, maple syrup, salt 

Garnish: dill

Method:

Remove shells of chestnuts and skins of purple yam; steam cook. Soak red beans in water for 3 hours; sieve to dry; steam cook. Soak red beans and chestnuts in mixture of maple syrup and salt for 2 hours. Melt butter. Use filo dough to form a basket, brush each filo leaf with melted butter, bake the basket at 350F to golden brown. Mash yams to soft mass, add mayonnaise, maple syrup and salt, mix well. Put mashed yam on the basket. Put chestnuts and red beans on top of mashed yams. Put dill in the center for garnish.

5. Chestnut Purple Yam Cake    2021-12-1

Ingredients:  chestnuts, purple yams, red beans, green beans, honey, salt

Method:

Remove shells of chestnuts and skins of purple yam; steam cook.

Soak red beans and green beans in water for 3 hours; sieve to dry; steam cook. Soak red beans, green beans and chestnuts in mixture of honey and salt for 2 hours.  Mash purple yam, add crushed chestnut, honey and salt, mix well, form cylinder shape, place chestnut and red bean on top; scatter red beans and green beans on the plate.

Next, Lamb delights

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

 

5 Styles Of Grill Fishes   2023/11/11

1. Portuguese Grilled Sardines

Ingredients: Portuguese sardines

Marinade: olive oil, minced garlic, minced onions, salt, black pepper

Method:

1. Remove innards and gills, wash with cold water and dry off.

2. Put marinade on a container, soak the fish for 1 hour

3. Use a grill pan to grill both sides of the fish to golden brown

4. Place the grilled sardines on a plate, garnish with tomato slices, lemon slices, parsley, basil, and black olives

5. Pour Parsley Basil tomato sauce over

Parsley Basil tomato sauce

Ingredients: tomato cubes, tomato paste, olive oil, black olives, curly parsley, basil, minced garlic, minced onion, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, sugar, all purpose flour, water 

Method:

1. Pour some olive oil on a frying pan, turn on medium fire, put minced garlic, minced onion, cook until fragrant

2. Add tomato cubes, tomato paste, black olives, parsley, basil, mix well, put aside

3. Put some flour on a frying pan, fry it until golden brown, add water to make paste, add ingredients in 2, salt, sugar and black pepper, mix well, turn off fire

4. Add lemon juice, mix well

2. Filipino Coconut Grilled Tulingan

Ingredients:   Tulingan (Bullet Tuna), eggplant

Marinade: minced ginger, minced garlic, minced onion, salt, black pepper, vegetable oil

Method:

1. Remove innards and gills, wash with cold water and dry off.

2. Put marinade on a container, soak the fish for 1 hour

3. Use a grill pan to grill both sides of the fish to golden brown

4. Place the grilled Tulingan on a plate, garnish with eggplant and green chili pepper

5. Pour coconut sauce over

Coconut sauce

Ingredients: vegetable oil, apple cyder, minced ginger, minced garlic, minced onion, salt, sugar, back pepper, coconut milk, green chili pepper

Method:

1. Pour some oil on a frying pan, turn on medium fire, add minced garlic, minced onion, minced ginger, green chili slices , fry until fragrant

2. Add coconut milk, apple cyder, eggplant, salt, sugar and black pepper, mix well, when eggplant is cooked, turn fire off

3. Japanese Teriyaki Grilled Saury

Ingredients: saury, lettuce leaf

Marinade: ginger slices, minced garlic, Kikkoman soya sauce, mirin, sake

Method:

1. Remove innards and gills, wash with cold water and dry off.

2. Put marinade on a container, soak the fish for 1 hour

3. Use a grill pan to grill both sides of the fish to golden brown

4. Place a washed lettuce leaf on a plate, put the grilled saury on top

5. Pour Teriyaki sauce over

Teriyaki sauce

Ingredients: sake ½ cup, mirin ½ cup, Kikkoman soya sauce  ½ cup, sugar ¼ cup

Method:

1. Pour ½ cup of sake and ½ cup of mirin in a pot

2. Add ½ cup of Kikkoman soya sauce and ¼ cup of sugar, mix well

3. Turn on medium fire, stir continuously until sugar is dissolved. When boiling, lower the fire, simmer for about 10-15minutes, or the sauce becomes thick

4. Black Bean Grilled Mackerel 

Ingredients: Mackerel, lettuce leaf

Marinade: minced ginger, minced garlic, Kikkoman soya sauce

Method:

1. Remove innards and gills, wash with cold water and dry off.

2. Put marinade on a container, soak the fish for 1 hour

3. Use a grill pan to grill both sides of the fish to golden brown

4. Place a washed lettuce leaf on a plate, put the grilled Mackerel on top

5. Pour Garlic Black Bean sauce over

Garlic Black Bean sauce
Ingredients:

4 tablespoons fermented black beans, 1 tablespoon sesame oil,  1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced ginger,· 2 tablespoon Shaoxing Chinese rice wine,· 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 180 ml ¾ cup vegetable stock, Cornstarch slurry – made of 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 3 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

1. Start by soaking the fermented black beans. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for one hour, then rinse and drain.

2. Once drained, give the black beans a bit of a mash with the back of a fork. I like to mash up about three-quarters and leave the rest whole.

3. Add the sesame and vegetable to a small saucepan. Heat over a medium heat.

4. Add the garlic, ginger and black beans and fry for one minute, stirring often, until fragrant.

3 cloves minced garlic,1 tablespoon minced ginger

5. Add the Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, pepper and stock.

6. Stir together, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly reduced.

7. Stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce, then turn off the heat.

5. Filipino Sweat and Sour Grilled Tilapia

Ingredients: Tilapia, lemon

Marinade: minced ginger, minced garlic, soya sauce

Method:

1. Remove innards and gills, wash with cold water and dry off.

2. Put marinade on a container, soak the fish for 1 hour

3. Use a grill pan to grill both sides of the fish to golden brown

4. Put the grilled Tilapia on a plate. Garnish with lemon slice and tomato slice

5. Pour Sweet and Sour sauce over

Sweet and Sour sauce

Ingredients: vegetable oil, minced ginger, minced garlic, minced onion, carrot thin slices, red bell pepper slices, dark soya sauce, brown sugar, water, all purpose flour, tomato paste, rice vinegar, salt, black pepper

Method:

1. Pour some oil on a frying pan, turn on medium fire, put minced ginger, minced garlic, fry until fragrant. Add mince onion, carrot thin slices, red bell pepper slices

2. Add 2 tsp of dark soya sauce and 2 tsp of brown sugar, mix well

3. Add 1 cup of rice vinegar, let it evaporate, put aside.

4. Add flour on a frying pan, fry until golden brown, add water to make paste, add ingredients in 3, put tomato paste, salt and black pepper, mix well, turn the fire off

5. Add lemon juice. mix well

2022/2/7 Monday Year of the tiger Everybody's birthday

February 7, 2022 was everybody's birthday, I prepared Filipino Sweat and Sour Grilled Tilapia + Orza Italian pasta for my old friend Sunny and his family, meaning abundant every year.

 

Next, Chestnuts delights

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

 

Flaxseed Delight 6: Light Green

 

Creative 《Colourful Flaxseed Delights》Part 2 of 2

                                                 2017/5/15

Creative 《Colourful Flaxseed Delights》Part 2 of 2

Flaxseed Delight 6: Light Green

《Flaxseeds On Light Green Boat》

The main theme is light green, emitting the fragrance of flaxseed and banana leaves; sweetness and fragrance of honey dew melon; sourness of lemon and fragrance of celery. It can be served warm or cold.

Ingredients: flaxseed, honey dew melon, lime, celery, Thai glutinous rice, green peas, banana leaves, pandan leaves, couscous, yellow sweet potatoes, olive oil, black beans,  

red glutinous rice, sugar, salt

Boat: flaxseed, honey dew melon, lime, celery, Thai glutinous rice, green peas, banana leaves, pandan leaves

Method: Fold a banana leaf to boat shape. Cook Thai glutinous rice. Steam green peas. Cut celery stalks to small cubes. Put banana leaves and pandan leaves in a pot with water and cook them under high fire for half an hour. Put the water of cooked banana leaves and pandan leaves in a blender. Add celery cubes and cooked green peas. Blend to paste. Put glutinous rice in a container; pour in the paste; add grounded flaxseed and lime juice; mix well. Add sugar and salt as needed. Fill the boat with the mixed glutinous rice, put some  honeydew melon cubes and celery pieced. Sprinkle more flaxseed powder and finally  put the smiling face on top.

Smiling faces: Use cooked coucous, mashed yellow sweet potatoes, Thai glutinous rice, olive oil, banana leaves juice, pandan leaves juice to make the head and face. Use cooked black beans for the eyes and cooked red glutinous rice for the mouth. 

Flaxseed Delight 7: Blue

《Flaxseeds On Blue Flying Saucer》

The main theme is blue. Blue comes from the blueberries sauce on the face of the saucer. The outer skin of blueberries is blue. Emitting the fragrance of flaxseed; the sourness and sweetness of blueberries; the sweetness of palm sugar.

Ingredients: flaxseed, Japanese glutinous rice, blueberries, lime, purple yam, all purpose flour, cake flour, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil, palm sugar, nutmeg, pectin.

Flying saucer: flaxseed, blueberries, purple yam, all purpose flour, cake flour, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil, lime, palm sugar, nutmeg, pectin.

Method: First, put blueberries in a blender, add water to make a paste, sieve out the seeds. Remove skin of purple yam and steam cook. Dissolve palm sugar with water and pan fry to syrup. Put baked purple yam, all purpose flour, cake flour, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil, blueberries paste, palm syrup, nutmeg powder in a container , add some water, mix well, knead until not sticky to your hands. Roll the dough and cut into small logs. Make each log to a saucer. Put all  logs on an oiled baking pan. Leave it to relax for 1 hour. Put the pan in an oven at 350°F to bake until the saucers become golden brown and crispy.

Remove the seeds of blueberries and place in a pan, dissolve pectin with water and pour in the pan, add some lime juice and palm sugar syrup. Turn on big fire and stir constantly until thick paste. This is the secret recipe of blueberries sauce. When it cool down, place some blueberries paste and sprinkle some flaxseed on the face of the saucer.

Alien's  Head: flaxseed, Japanese glutinous rice, blueberries, purple yam, lime, palm sugar, salt

Method: Cook Japanese glutinous rice. Remove the skin of purple yam and steam cook. Mix glutinous rice, blueberries paste, purple yam and some flaxseed and mix well, add some palm syrup as needed. Use the mixed glutinous rice to make the head, the eyes are glutinous rice and blueberries, the nose is half of a blueberry, the mouth is flaxseed powder.

Flaxseed Delight 8: Purple

《Purple Air With Flaxseeds' Fragrance》

The idea comes from the Chinese idiom "Purple Air From the East"( 紫氣東來). The legend was that when Lao Zi was crossing the Hangu Pass, Guan Ling Yin(關令尹) was glad to see purple air from the east. He knew that a saint was crossing the pass. Really, Lao Zi was riding on a green cow to pass. After that, purple air from the east expresses good luck.

The main theme is purple, emitting the fragrance of flaxseed; sweetness of purple yam; sweetness of purple cabbage; peppery of purple onion and sweetness of palm sugar

Ingredients: Flaxseed, Japanese Glutinous rice, purple yam, purple cabbage, purple onion, palm sugar, nutmeg, all purpose flour, cake flour, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil,  hawthorn, mint leaves, yellow sweet potatoes, white  sweet potatoes, black eye peas, black beans, salt

Puff Pastry: purple yam, all purpose flour, cake flour, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil, palm sugar, nutmeg, salt

Method: Remove skin of purple yam and steam cook. Cook palm sugar in water to make syrup. Place cooked purple yam, all purple flour, cake flour, olive oil, palm oil, canola oil, palm sugar syrup, nutmeg powder and salt in a container, add some water and mix well, knead to dough that won't stick to hands. Roll the dough to 7x7 inch square thin bread, put it on an oiled baking pan. Relax for 1 hour. Put in the oven to bake at 350°F to form short bread.

Flaxseed Delight 9: White

《Flaxseeds In White Snow》

The main theme is white. Emitting fragrance of flaxseed and coconut; slimy texture of Nagaimo Yam.

Ingredients: flaxseed, coconut, coconut milk, cassava, Nagaimo Yam, daikon, onions, garlic, tapioca starch, coconut sugar or sugar, white wine vinegar, raisins, Middle East dates.

Method: Remove skin of  Nagaimo Yam and cassava and steam cook. Cut into cubes. Remove the top of green coconut and pour out coconut juice in a container. Remove the flesh of coconut and shred. Cut daikon, onions and garlic into small pieced and shred dates.

 

4 tastes, use flaxseed powder to divide into two layers,

Smiling mouth: original taste + original taste

Round mouth: original taste + sour taste

One mouth: sour taste + original taste

Sad mouth: sour taste + sour taste

Upper deck original taste: Put cooked Nagaimo Yam, cassava, daikon, coconut juice, coconut milk, sugar in a blender to make paste. Then mix with shredded coconut.

Upper deck sour taste: Use blender to mix cooked Nagaimo Yam, cassava, daikon, coconut juice, coconut milk, onion, garlic, sugar and white wine vinegar. Add shredded coconut and mix well.

Lower deck original taste: Put cooked Nagaimo Yam, cassava, daikon, coconut juice, coconut milk, sugar in a blender to make paste. Put the paste in a pan, mix tapioca starch with water and add to the paste. Turn to high fire and stir continuously until thick. Remove from heat and cool down. Then mix with shredded coconut.

Lower deck sour taste: Use blender to mix cooked Nagaimo Yam, cassava, daikon, coconut juice, coconut milk, onion, garlic, sugar and white wine vinegar into paste.  Put the paste in a pan, mix tapioca starch with water and add to the paste. Turn to high fire and stir continuously until thick. Add shredded coconut and mix well.

First pour the lower ingredients into a glass, sprinkle some flaxseed powder, then pour the upper ingredient on top. Place 2 raisins for the eyes, Middle East Dates for the mouth. Put in the fridge for half a day. Enjoy!

Flaxseed Delight 10: Black

《Flaxseeds In The Dark》

The main theme is black. Emitting the fragrance of flaxseed and sesame seeds; sourness of blackberried; burnt aroma of brown sugar.

Ingredients: flaxseed, blackberries, black sesame seeds, black rice, brown sugar, black eye peas, cashew nuts, pectin

Method: First cook black rice. Steam cook black beans and black eye peas. Bake black sesame seeds and cashew nuts in oven at  350°F for 5 minutes. Ground the baked sesame seeds to powder. Blend black berries and remove seeds. Put brown sugar on a pan, add water, turn on high fire to make black sugar syrup. Put black berries paste, black rice, black beans and black sugar syrup in a blender, add water if needed. Blend to paste. Pour the paste to a glass container. Put the black berries paste in a pan, mix pectin with water and add to pan, add black sugar syrup. Turn on high fire, stir continuously until thick. This is my secret recipe of black berry sauce. When cool, spread the black berries sauce on the paste, sprinkle some flaxseed powder. Add black eye peas for the eyes and cashew nuts for the moon.  Put in the fridge for half a day. Enjoy!

Flaxseed Delight 11: Black And White

《Flaxseeds In Black & White》

The main theme is back and white. Emitting the fragrance of flaxseed; sourness of blackberries; sweetness and crunchy of water chestnut; slimy texture of Nagaimo Yam; fragrance of split peas;  sweetness of purple yam.

Ingredients: Flaxseed, water chestnut, blackberries, split peas, nagaimo yam, purple yam, tapioca starch, dark brown sugar, salt

Method: First ground black berries to paste and sieve out the seeds. Put cooked split peas, nagaimo yam and purple yam in a blender, add some water and blend to paste. 

Place all the ingredients in a container, add water if needed, mix well. Pour the paste in a pan to heat up. Stir continuously to thick paste. Pour the heated paste to a glass container, sprinkle some flaxseed powder, add some water chestnuts cubes, put in a fridge for half a day. Ready to serve when it is frozen.

Next, 5 Styles Of Grill Fishes

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight