Tofu Salad with Red Shiso, Nori, Bonito Flakes and Banno Soy Sauce

It all started with this cute little pot of red shiso microherbs that I found in Northbridge Plaza.

We used to live in a townhouse a few blocks away from this plaza and I haven't been back there often since we moved to a different suburb a few years ago. I have always loved to shop there because of the Tokyo Mart and Alfresco Emporium (they have since moved to Collaroy). Over the years though, lots of the independent retailers such as the bookstore, the bakery and some of the clothing stores have been replaced by bigger chain stores.

A few weeks ago, I have started going to a new Pilates studio for my weekly Pilates lesson. The Pilates studio is close to this plaza and so I started to shop there again and I love what I have found in Antico's Fruit World adjacent to Tokyo Mart. One of The Wiggles segment to promote fresh fruits and vegetables for kids was filmed here and I believe Tokyo Mart is the place where Maeve O'Meara and Tetsuya Wakuda filmed shopping for Japanese grocery in one of the episodes of Food Safari, but please correct me if I am wrong.

Zucchini Flower Tempura, Posh Prawn Toast (recipe coming soon) and this tofu salad dish are the results of my finds from Antico's Fruit World. Red shiso leaves are often used in Japan to make tempura, and to color pickled plums (umeboshi). They can also be used fresh in salads, soups, and as a garnish.

I reckon the anise flavour from the leaves pairs wonderfully with the silky texture of tofu. I grabbed what I had from my pantry - nori (Japanese seaweed) and bonito flakes (katsuobushi), and whipped up this quick and easy salad.

I have adapted the Banno soy sauce (I have slightly adjusted the proportion of the mirin & soy sauce) from my favourite Japanese cookbook author, Harumi Kurihara. It is a simple sauce that is made of mirin, soy sauce and kombu seaweed (dried kelp) and it is slightly milder and sweeter than the normal soy sauce and can be used in many different dishes including this salad. You can make a large batch and store in refrigerator.

Tofu Salad with Red Shiso, Nori, Bonito and Banno Soy Sauce Serve 4

Ingredient

2 blocks silken firm tofu (or use my homemade tofu recipe)
Handful of red shiso microherbs
1 small sheet of nori (Japanese seaweed), use a kitchen scissors to cut into small batons
2 tbsp Bonito flakes

Banno Soy Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup mirin
1 inch piece kombu seaweed

Method

1. Heat mirin in a small saucepan under medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer for a further 2-3 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
2. Remove from heat and add soy sauce and kombu.
3. Let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate until needed.
4. Slice tofu into small blocks and lay them out on serving plate.
5. Sprinkle with red shiso, bonito flakes and nori.
6. Pour the banno soy sauce over the salad and serve immediately.

Homemade Szechuan Chilli Oil / Sichuan Chili Oil

Growing up in Malaysia with a mom that has a penchant for spicy food has exposed me to chilli & spices from a young age. Szechuan food has a special place in my heart. Although Szechuan cuisine uses different ingredients and methods than Malaysian cuisine, my love for spiciness has attracted me to it.

Chilli oil is essential in Szechuan cooking and it's used extensively in a lot of the popular Szechuan dishes. To name a few, Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐), Kung Pao Chicken (宮保雞丁) and Red Oil Wonton (红油抄手). It's used to add a gorgeous red hue to the dishes and also to add a wonderful flavour. Not limited to Szechuan dishes, you can also use it to spice up the temperature of your noodle, salad and even stir-fry dishes.

You can easily buy chilli oil from Asian supermarkets but it's also very easy to make it at home. It can be made ahead and stored in a closed container at room temperature for up to a month.

Homemade Szechuan Chilli oilMake 500 ml

Ingredients
500 ml canola oil, vegetable oil or other flavourless oil
2 spring onions, tied in a knot
50 g ginger, slightly bruised with a cleaver or meat mullet
100 g chilli powder
2 star anise

Method

1. Mix the chilli powder and star anise in a medium size heatproof bowl. Set aside.
   
   
2. Add canola oil, spring onions and ginger in a medium saucepan.
3. Heat under medium high heat until the oil is smoking and fragrant.
   
   
4. Remove the oil immediately from the heat and discard the green onions and ginger.
5. Let the oil cool down a little and pour it in the heatproof bowl with chilli powder and star anise.
   
   
6. Stir to mix well and let it sit and settle for at least 12 hours until the oil is separated and float on top.
   
   
7. Gently pour the oil into a container, covered and keep in room temperature for up to a month.

Spicy Tamarind Fish

I have a very selective memory. I am terribly bad in remembering mathematics formulas or important historical facts, but I remember many insignificant little things in life.

This is the first dish I cooked in the kitchen of the first apartment I owned. In Penang. 15 years ago. It's a very simple dish with cheap ingredients and simple steps, but it has a bold flavour. The sauce is very light, almost broth-like. The balanced heat and sourness arouse the palates and it's great to serve with steamed rice.

Busy corporate working life meant less time for cooking then. The abundance of cheap and delicious street food in Penang didn't help either. I probably cooked in my kitchen less than 10 times in total. Most of the cooking was done in the first month after moving into the apartment.

It is still hard for me to write about my time in Penang. I had the best 4 years of my life in Uni there and yet I hit the lowest point 8 years after I set foot on the island. Nevertheless it's an important period which has partly moulded me into who I am today.

Spicy Tamarind Fish
Serves 4

* Note: This is not 'Ikan Assam Pedas', it's a simplified and lighter version that I came up with for a easy weeknight dinner.

Ingredients

4 x 200 g Spanish mackerel cutlets (* I couldn't get Spanish mackerel on the day I made this dish, I used mullet instead)
6 Asian shallots
4 fresh red chilli
2 cm piece ginger
2 pieces asam gelugor / asam keping (dried tamarind fruit slice, available from Asian supermarkets)

1 tbsp sugar
12 cherry truss tomatoes
Salt to taste

Method

1. Place shallot, chilli and ginger in a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Pound or whiz until it forms a fine paste.

   

2. Place the paste mixture in a saucepan and 2 cups of water on high heat. Bring to a boil.

   

3. Add fish cutlets, asam gelugor, sugar, tomatoes and bring back to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer a few minutes until the fish is cooked. Season to taste with salt.
4. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Dark Chocolate Souffle Tart - Have A Very Lindt Chocolatey Easter

I have two chocolate addicts at home. Easter is a time that we have serious chocolate fun. It's chocolate, chocolate, chocolate everywhere.

Baking oozy chocolatey goodies and hunting chocolate eggs are two activities that I love to do with Miss C every year.

This year we will be spending Easter with friends in Melbourne, so I have decided to bring forward the chocolate baking fun.

Dark . Chocolate . Soufflé . Tart. Can you imagine how good it is if you string these 4 words together? Yes, I made a Dark Chocolate Soufflé Tart! With the intensely sinful Lindt Excellent 70% Cocoa. No words can describe how delicious this tart is. I love the perfect crumbly chocolate shortcrust pastry and the chocolatey gooey centre soufflé filling. Chocolate overdose? I bet.

If you are still looking for Easter chocolate baking ideas, here are some great fun ones:

Chilli Chocolate Macarons with Lindt Excellent Dark Chocolate with Chilli



Chocolate, Olive Oil and Sea Salt Toast with Lindt Excellent Dark Chocolate with a touch of Sea Salt

Flourless Chinese Five Spice Chocolate Cake with Lindt Dessert 70% Cocoa Specialty Cooking Chocolate

Peanut Butter Chocolate Molten Cake inspired by Lindor Peanut Butter



Three-Tone Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse Cups inspired by Lindor Blocks

Oh and don't forget to join in the fun at Lindt Gold Bunny hunt.

Dark Chocolate Souffle Tart (Tarte Souffle au Chocolat) Recipe
(Adapted from Manu's French Kitchen by Manu Feildel)
Serves 8

Manu Feildel, "This recipe was given to me by my friend and former colleague Jeremie Mantelin, who is a brilliant pastry chef. This is the easiest tart. All you do is make the pastry, melt the chocolate, whip up the sabayon, knock it together, stick it in the oven and that's it! The filling puffs up then sinks when it cools and the middle is nice and gooey."

Ingredients

1 quantity Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry (recipe follows)
Plain flour, for dusting
450 g dark chocolate (I use Lindt Excellent 70% Cocoa), chopped
225 g unsalted butter, chopped
3 eggs
6 egg yolk
150 g caster sugar
creme fraiche, to serve

Method

1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured benchtop, lifting, turning and dusting the bench as you go, until the pastry is 4 mm thick and large enough to line the base and sides of a 25 cm tart tin with a removable base. Use a small sharp knife to trim off any excess pastry. Prick the pastry base all over with a fork, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C.
3. Line the pastry shell with baking paper, then fill with pastry weights, dried beans or rice and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 180C, then remove the weights and paper and cook the tart shell for another 5 minutes or until it is dry.
4. Meanwhile, heat the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of just simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth; take care that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Remove from the heat, reserve the pan of simmering water and leave the chocolate mixture to stand until cooled to room temperature.
5. Place the eggs, yolks and sugar in another large heatproof bowl and place over the saucepan of just simmering water. Using a whisk (a balloon whisk is ideal), whisk until the mixture holds a trail. Remove the pan from the heat, then gradually whisk the cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and combine well.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart and bake for 18-20 minutes or until just set; the tart should be nice and gooey. Leave the tart to cool to room temperature, then serve with spoonful of creme fraiche.

Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry (Pate Sable au Chocolat) Recipe
Makes enough to line a 30 cm tart tin

Ingredients

150 g plain flour
100 g Dutch-process cocoa
125 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, chopped
1 egg
90 g icing sugar
30 g ground almond

Method

1. Sift the flour and cocoa into a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a wooden spoon) beat the butter, egg, icing sugar and ground almonds until smooth. Gradually add the flour and cocoa mixture; stop beating as soon as the mixture comes together to form a dough. Do not overwork the dough or the pastry will be tough.
3. Shape the dough into a disc, cover with plastic film and refrigerate for at least 12 hours before using.

Nyonya Laksa

For many who are new to Malaysian cuisine, you may not be aware of the many different types of laksa in Malaysia. So many that it can be quite confusing. Even to the Malaysians.

The popular laksa that is commonly available in Australia is usually called curry laksa. There are many other varieties that can be found in various states of Malaysia but are less known overseas. The more popular ones are Penang laksa (also known as Assam laksa), Johor laksa and Sarawak laksa.

I chanced upon this Nyonya style laksa recipe written by Sydney 2-hatted restaurant Claude's owner and chef Chui Lee luk. She was born in Singapore and spent part of her childhood in Sabah, Malaysia. She moved with her family to Sydney when just seven years old. She is better known for her French cuisine despite her Asian heritage. I was quite surprised to come across her traditional Nyonya recipe in 'The Last Supper' - a compilation of recipes and interviews with many famous chefs (include Ferran Adria, Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Alain Ducesse, Fergus Henderson, Neil Perry, Tetsuya Wakuda, Guillaume Brahimi, Thomas Keller among others) about their last meal.

The title she gives this dish is prawn and noodle soup (Nyonya) and when I read through the ingredients, it sounded like a Nyonya laksa dish that I have tasted in Peranakan restaurants in Malacca. It's also quite similar to Siamese laksa which is popular in the Northern region of Malaysia.

It's sort of a cross between curry laksa and assam laksa. It's spicy, sour, salty and creamy. The ingredients used in this laksa soup / gravy are a mix of Malay and Chinese which is unique to Nyonya / Peranakan cuisine. Most of these Nyonya recipes are family recipes passed down from generation to generation. The recipes vary from different families and states (mostly notably Penang and Malacca). I am always interested to try out these treasured family recipes, this recipe by Chui is no exception.

Chui's recipe may not look complicated but nonetheless has all the required flavours you need for a good bowl of Nyonya laksa. The spice paste is made of chilli, garlic, Asian shallots and toasted belachan (shrimp paste), cooked in a mix of coconut milk and cream together with tamarind juice and taucheong (yellow bean paste). You get the spiciness from the spice paste, sourness from the tamarind juice, saltiness from the yellow bean paste and creaminess from the coconut milk and cream.

The soup / gravy is thick & creamy and the tamarind juice and yellow bean paste give a distinctive flavour, different from the curry laksa you have come to know from food courts and Malaysian restaurants.

Traditionally, the noodles used are fresh thick rice noodle similar to the type used in assam laksa. Chui's recipe calls for dried thin rice noodle (meehoon). You can use other noodles to your preference.

As for the garnishing, Chui is suggesting to use prawns, bean sprouts, garlic chives and red pepper. I have added cucumber and coriander as they are my favourite garnishes for my laksa. You can use other garnishes, such as pineapple, mint leaf, Spanish onion and even bunga kantan (torch ginger bud).

Nyonya Laksa (Nyonya Style Prawn and Rice Noodles) Recipe
(Adapted from My Last Supper, recipe by Chui Lee Luk)
Serves 4

Ingredients

10 shallots
5 red chilies
1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
1 tbsp shrimp paste (belacan), roasted in oven until dryish and crumbly
2 cup (475 ml) fresh coconut cream
1 cup (235 ml) fresh coconut milk
3 tbsp (40 g) yellow beans sauce, pureed (taucheong)

1/2 cup (120 ml) tamarind paste
7 oz (200 g) dried rice noodle (meehoon)
1 bunch garlic chives, chopped
8 3/4 oz (250 g) bean sprouts, rinsed and cleaned with roots removed
1 red pepper, flesh shredded finely
12 medium green prawns, shelled and deveined

Method

1. To Prepare the Prawn and Yellow Bean Sauce: In a food processor, grind the shallots, red chilies, garlic, and shrimp paste to a fine paste and set aside.

   

   Simmer the coconut cream in a large pan over medium heat until it begins to separate. Add the ground, aromatic mixture and simmer for 30 minutes.

   

   Stir in the coconut milk and the yellow bean puree and simmer for 2 more minutes, then add the tamarind. The sauce should be spicy hot, a little sour, sweet and salty.

2. To Prepare the Noodles: Blanch the rice noodles in boiling water until they are just soft. Drain and set aside. Heat the prepared sauce to a slow boil. Blanch the garlic chives, bean sprouts, and red pepper in separate batches in the prawn and yellow bean sauce until they are just soft. Combine the vegetables and rice noodles to form a colourful salad.

3. To Prepare the Prawns: Bring the prawn and yellow bean sauce to a boil and poach until the prawns are pink and cooked through.

4. To Serve: Spoon the sauce over the prawns and serve with the noodle salad.

Prawn Mousse Filled Zucchini Flower Tempura with Wasabi Mayonnaise

What I have missed a lot last year was dining out. The slow recovery of my back injury meant dining out was something I needed to avoid, especially the painstakingly slow fine dining experience which can last up to 4-5 hours.

Occasionally, on a good day, I could dine out with Mr J at a nearby restaurant. This dish is inspired by a recent trip to Jurin, one of our favourite Japanese restaurant on the North side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

I first heard Steph raved about this dish almost 2 years ago and it has fast becoming our favourite dish on the menu. The restaurant serves the tempura with the traditional tentsuyu sauce but I have decided to use wasabi mayo instead.

I hope you enjoy my version of this fabulous dish. It's a great entree dish and not at all difficult to make.

Prawn Mousse Filled Zucchini Flower Tempura with Wasabi Mayonnaise Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

200 g shelled prawn, deveined and roughly chopped
8 zucchini flowers
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
White pepper
1/2 egg white
Premix tempura batter or use this homemade tempura recipe

Wasabi mayonnaise:
4 tbsp Kewpie Japanese mayonnaise or use this homemade mayonnaise recipe
A squeeze of wasabi paste (to taste)

Method

1. To make Wasabi Mayonnaise: Add wasabi paste to mayonnaise and stir to mix well.
2. To make Prawn Mousse: Add prawn, sesame oil, salt and white pepper in a food processor and whiz until it forms a paste. Add egg white and continue to whiz until the texture becomes gluey/sticky, around 5-8 minutes. Set aside until needed.

   

3. Remove the stigma from the centre of the zucchini flowers.

   

4. Spoon the prawn mousse into a piping bag.
5. Gently pipe the prawn mousse into the zucchini flowers. Twist petal tops to enclose filling.

   

6. Prepare the tempura batter (recipe here). To make a crisp and light tempura batter, make sure you use ice cold water and do not overmix the batter. It's ok if it looks lumpy.
7. Heat oil in a deep fryer at 180C.
8. Lightly dip the zucchini flower in the tempura and deep fry in hot oil for 3-4 minutes until the tempura is light golden and the prawn mousse is cooked through.
9. Keep warm and continue to deep fry the rest of the zucchini flowers.
10. Serve immediately with wasabi mayo.

Nasi Lemak

During Mr J's two and half year stay in Malaysia, he did adapt to most of the local food culture. The one small part that he couldn't get accustomed to is to start the day with a spicy meal.

We often headed out to hawker centres for breakfast during the weekends. I would have a bowl of laksa or a plate of nasi lemak. He would stare at me and couldn't understand the thrill and satisfaction that come from the suffering of the scorching hot spiciness.

"The food you grew up with is the food you will enjoy for the rest of your life." True or not, I know that whenever we return to Malaysia, my first breakfast will be nasi lemak and he will always make a bee line to the nearest snack bar for his frikandel fix whenever we touch down in Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands.

Nasi lemak literally means creamy rice. It's rice cooked in coconut milk and perfumed by pandan (screwpine) leaf. It's usually eaten with a range of condiments. It started off as a very humble breakfast dish consisting of coconut rice, roasted peanuts, cucumber, hard boiled egg, ikan bilis (dried anchovy) and sambal. It can still be bought from street vendors wrapped in banana leaf for less than $1.00.

It has slowly evolved into a more elaborated dish and is now served in restaurants and hotels with rendang, curry, achar, some even with satay on top of the condiments mentioned above. Although this is traditionally a breakfast dish, it can also be served as lunch or dinner.

The recipe I have posted today is the back-to-basics version of Nasi Lemak. You can add beef rendang, chicken curry, crispy fried fish, achar or satay to come up with a more extravagant version that is perfect for a Malaysian dinner party.

Nasi Lemak Recipe

There are different methods to cook rice - rice cooker, absorption method or steaming. All methods can be used to make nasi lemak. The basic rule is to replace half of the amount of water you usually use to cook rice with coconut milk. Add 2 pandan leaves (tied up together in a knot) for every cup of rice used and a pinch of salt.

Sambal Ikan Bilis

Ingredients 

1/2 cup dried anchovies (ikan bilis), rinsed and dried with paper towel
4 fresh red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
8 (100 g) small Asian shallots
3 garlic
1/2 tbsp shrimp paste, toasted
2 candlenuts or macadamia nuts
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp tamarind pulp + 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 small brown onion, thinly sliced

Method

1. Deep fry the ikan bilis in hot oil until golden brown and crisp.
2. Mix the tamarind pulp with water. Squeeze out the tamarind juice from the pulp and discard the seeds. Strain through a fine sieve. Set aside until needed.
3. Combine fresh red chilli, bird's eye chilli, shallots, garlic, shrimp paste and candlenuts together in a mortar and pestle or a food process and pound or whiz until it forms a fine paste.
4. Heat oil in a wok, add the paste and fry under low heat until it's aromatic, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Add the tamarind juice to the paste together with sugar and salt. Stir and mix well.
6. Add brown onion and continue to stir fry until the onion has soften a little but still have slight texture, around 2-3 minutes.
7. Add the ikan bilis and give it a good stir. This sambal can be served hot or room temperature.

* Note: you can serve the sambal and ikan bilis separately or together. Some prefer the ikan bilis to be crisp. Some prefer the ikan bilis to be mixed in the sambal.

Other Condiments

Hard boiled eggs
Thinly sliced cucumber
Roasted peanuts

* Tips: Use a fork to create patterns before slicing the cucumber.