Serve as main course with tomato pasta sauce for 4.
One of our most favorite restaurant, Vue de Monde, does fantastic gnocchi. Inspired by their delicious rendition, I tried making my own, albeit more traditional, potato gnocchi.
The trick to a good potato gnocchi is to use considerably minimal amount of flour. Too much and the gnocchi will be too dense. Another trick is to use older potatoes. Have the potatoes baked nicely before it is mashed rather than have them boiled or steamed. What you want to have is a nice dry mixture which you can then easily shape.
Ingredients
3 potatoes
2 beaten egg yolks
around 1 – 1.5 cups flour
a pinch of salt
Steps
Preheat oven to 240 Celcius. Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook. Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Separate the skin from the meat of the potatoes.
Put the potatoes into a big bowl. Use potato masher to mash the potatoes until well mashed.
Add the flour, egg, and a pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough.
Prepare a work area and dust with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it gently with your hand until you have rolls about 2cm in diameter. It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough.
Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about 1cm long.Using your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation.
Once all the dough are done, you can cook the gnocchi.
Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add a pinch of salt. Gently drop the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon they rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon, draining well. Continue cooking the gnocchi in the same manner.
As soon as all the gnocchi are ready, pour heated pasta sauce over them. Serve immediately.
Spicy Rice Vermicelli is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia. It’s delicious, appetizing and a crowd pleaser. It can be served either hot or in room temperature. But we prefer to have this dish in room temperature. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 pack rice vermicelli
250 grams chicken
bean curd
3 eggs
2 limes
1 ts sugar
a pinch of salt
4 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs fish sauce
a dash of sesame oil
Spice
4 red chilies
5 shallots
4 garlic
Steps
Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli for 15 minutes until they turn soft. Drain and set aside.
In the meantime, cut the chicken and bean curd into small pieces.
Heat up a work with some oil and beaten eggs into an omelet. Cut into small pieces and set aside.
For the spice, mix chilies, shallots, and garlic in an electric blender and grind finely. If you don’t have electric blender, boil the chilies, shallots. and garlic so they become softened. Crush them using spoon and mix well.
Heat oil in a work. Add spice mixture and stir fry for about 1 minute.
Add chicken and stir fry until it’s cooked.
Add bean curd pieces and stir fry.
Add the vermicelli and keep stirring until the spice mixture has spread evenly. Add the omelet. Add sugar, salt, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Mix well.
I sat on our couch in one afternoon and thought of using mushroom cream sauce with fried chicken. I gave it a try and never thought that the two work so well. This dish is easy to make and never fails to make a hit in our house.
Ingredients
500 grams chicken
1 egg
100 gram flour
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 small onion
300 grams fresh mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
Steps
Put the egg in a bowl. Coat the chicken mixture with egg.
Mix the chicken with flour for deep frying. Season with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 170 Celsius.
Heat oil in a hot pan until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Deep fry chicken until lightly browned and crispy. Set aside.
Butter a roasting pan. Arrange the chicken pieces in it, and pour broth over it. Bake at 170 Celsius until the chicken is tender and cooked, about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, finely chopped the onion and garlic. Slice the mushrooms into 2 equal pieces.
Heat oil in a hot pan until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Add the onion to the pan until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are no longer crisp. Add the sour cream and heavy cream. Lower the heat. Keep warm, but do not boil. Salt and pepper to taste.
When the chicken is done, remove from the oven. Serve on a platter with the mushroom sauce spooned over it. or served on the side.
Chicken pieces coated with Parmesan and bread crumbs, deep fried and covered with a tomato basil sauce, and topped with melted Mozzarella. What more can you ask!
Ingredients
250 grams chicken
4 garlic cloves
3 shallots
1 tomatoes
2 ts dried oregano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
plain flour
1 egg
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
Steps
Finely chopped garlic, shallots, and tomato.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and shallots and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add tomato and oregano. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
Mix in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Mix breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a bowl.
Beat one egg in separate bowl. Place flour in another bowl.
Coat the chicken with flour, then eggs, then breadcrumb mixture.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Deep fry the chicken until lightly browned, crispy and cooked through.
Place the chicken in a plate. Spoon the sauce over the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Microwave on high heat for 20 second, just until the cheese melted.
I have been reminiscing lately about my childhood favorites dish, the one that makes me feels at home and Nasi Tim Ayam comes into my mind. I didn’t think that this dish was this simple to make. This recipe is easy to follow.
Ingredients for chicken
500 grams chicken boneless
200 grams button mushroom, chopped into half.
5 finely chopped garlic
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
4 tbs sweet soy sauce
5 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs sesame oil
1 ts sugar
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
For chicken soup
500 gram chicken bone
1500 ml water
4 finely chopped garlic
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
spring onion
For rice
5 finely chopped garlic
2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
500 grams of rice
Steps
For the chicken soup, heat oil in a pot. Add garlic, stir fry for a few seconds.
Add water, spring onion, salt, pepper, and chicken bone.
Simmer for about 20-25 minutes.
Remove the chicken bone. Retain broth or use on rice and soup.
For the rice, heat oil in a wok. Add garlic, stir fry for a few seconds.
Add about 800 ml chicken broth. Add sesame oil and soy sauce.
Put the rice in the rice cooker and pour the mixture above. Cook the rice in the rice cooker.
For the chicken, cut the chicken into small pieces. Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic, brown onion, and ginger. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces. And stir fry until it’s cooked.
Add mushrooms, sweet soy sauce, soy sauce, sesame, sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper (season to taste). Stir fry for about 1 minute. Set it aside.
Prepare a couple of clear glass.
Put the chicken into the bottom of the glass. Add the rice on top of it until the glass is full. Repeat for the remaining ingredient.
Put all the glasses into the steamer for about 15 minutes.
To serve, put the glass up side down on a serving plate and carefully remove the glass. Serve the soup in a bowl.
Fried chicken with Belado sauce is an Indonesian recipe. Belado sauce can also be used for eggs and fried tofu. Enjoy!
Ingredients
500 grams chicken
4 tbs lime juice
5 finely chopped garlic
1 egg
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
100 gram plain flour
For Belado Sauce
4 red chilies
6 cloves of shallots
3 cloves of garlic
2 small tomatoes
3 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper
1 tbs sugar
Steps
Mix the chicken with pepper, salt, garlic, lime juice. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
While waiting, you can make the belado mixture. Mix chilies, shallots, garlic, and tomatoes in an electric blender and grind finely. If you don’t have electric blender, boil the chilies, shallots, and garlic so they become softened. Crush them and tomatoes using spoon and mix well. Add salt, pepper, and sugar. Set aside.
Put the egg in a bowl. Coat the chicken mixture with egg.
Mix the chicken with flour for deep frying.
Heat oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Deep fry chicken until lightly browned, crispy and cooked through. Set aside.
Heat oil in a hot wok. Add belado mixture and stir fry for about 1 minute.
Many cultures have their own variations of tasty flavor combination of chicken and lemon. This recipe is a delicious easy and tasty chicken meal for you to prepare at home. The lemon sauce is fresh and tangy and somehow we always end up eating too much.
Ingredients
500g boneless chicken breasts
2 tbs light soy sauce
1/2 ts salt
1 cup plain flour for deep frying
1 cup corn flour for deep frying
Batter
2 eggs
1/4 cup corn flour
1/2 ts baking powder
a pinch of white pepper
Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1.5 tbs corn flour
2 tbs lemon juice
1 ts salt
3 slices of lemon
Steps
Cut the chicken into small pieces
Place cut chicken pieces into a bowl and mix with soy sauce and salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
To make the batter – beat 2 eggs with 1/4 cup of corn flour. Add a pinch of pepper and baking powder. Coat the chicken with the batter.
Combine the plain flour and corn flour for deep frying.
Add to the batter chicken and mix well.
Heat oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Deep fry the chicken until lightly browned, crispy and cooked through.
To make the lemon sauce – combine sugar, corn flour, chicken broth, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well and add 3 slices of lemon to the sauce mixture.
Heat the lemon sauce mixture until well mixed and sauce becomes clear and thickened.
Remove lemon slices and pour the sauce over the chicken.
Hainanese chicken rice is a Chinese dish most commonly associated with Singaporean cuisine. This recipe is pretty straight forward to make though it does take a bit of time. You can serve this dish with cucumbers and tomatoes.
Ingredients for chicken
500 grams chicken
1500 ml water
2 tbs sesame oil
2 finely chopped garlic
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
spring onion
For rice
2 tbs sesame oil
5 finely chopped garlic
a pinch of salt
500 grams of rice
For chili sauce
2 red chilies
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
a pinch of salt
soy sauce season to taste
sesame oil season to taste
Steps
For the chicken, heat oil in a pot. Add sesame oil. Add garlic, stir fry for a few seconds.
Add water, ginger, spring onion, salt, pepper, and chicken.
Simmer the chicken for about 20-25 minutes until it’s cooked.
Remove the chicken. Retain broth or use on rice and soup.
For the rice, heat oil in a wok. Add sesame oil. Add garlic, stir fry for a few seconds.
Add about 800 ml chicken broth. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to boil.
Put the rice in the rice cooker and pour the mixture above. Cook the rice in the rice cooker.
For the chili sauce, mix chilies and garlic in an electric blender and grind finely. If you don’t have electric blender, boil the chili and garlic so they become softened. Crush them using spoon and mix well.
Add ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
To serve, put some rice on a serving plate. You can garnish it with sliced cucumbers and sliced tomatoes. Put the chicken in the same plate. You can pour some soy sauce depending on your taste. Serve the soup in a bowl. And don’t forget to enjoy it with chili sauce.
This dish is inspired by another recipe that I’ve already shared, Sweet Soy Sauce Pork Belly. However these two dishes have their own distinct characteristics. Unlike its sibling, you wouldn’t want to overcook the meat to keep its rich flavor and texture.
Ingredients
500 gram of lamb
4 tbs sweet soy sauce
200 ml water
8 pieces of shallots
6 cloves of garlic
1 tbs salt
a pinch of pepper
Steps
Mix shallots and garlic in an electric blender and grind finely. If you don’t have electric blender, boil the shallots and garlic so they become softened. Crush them using spoon and mix well.
Cut the lamb into cubes
Heat oil in a pot. Add shallots and garlic mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add lamb cubes and stir fry.
Add salt and pepper, season to taste.
Add sweet soy sauce and water. Mix it well.
With a small fire, cook the meat until it becomes soft and the sauce thicken. This usually takes about 15 minutes. Stir the pot every once in a while.
Serve with steamed rice while it’s still hot. Enjoy.
Winter in Dubai is almost like a nice fresh sunny day in Melbourne. And what could be better than enjoying the season with our loved ones accompanied with some light enticing snack. Something you could eat with your fingers, get a little messy and have some afternoon tapas fun.
You should think of Vietnamese Spring Rolls as salad in a wrap which guarantee perfect bites every time. The rich crunchy texture of the lettuce, the beautiful fragrant of basil, brings out the distinct taste of the coriander. The prawns, rice vermicelli and wrap gives just enough weight to satisfy the appetite.
No salad will be complete without some dressing to go with it. The Hoisin sauce mixed with the tangy, slightly bitty dipping sauce enrich and smoothen the taste of all the ingredients.
Ingredients
a handful of rice vermicelli
10 spring roll wrappers or rice wrappers
20 large prawns
2 tbs finely chopped basil
3 tbs finely chopped coriander
3 leaves lettuce, chopped
For sauce
4 ts fish sauce
1/4 cup water
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 finely chopped garlic
2 ts white sugar
hoisin sauce
Steps
Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli for 3-5 minutes
Mix basil, coriander, and lettuce.
Lay the wrapper flat, In a row across the center, place 2 prawns, a bit of rice vermicelli, basil, coriander, and lettuce, leaving about 4 cm uncovered on each side. Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Steam the roll for about 5 minutes until the prawns is cooked.
In a small box, mix the fish sauce, water, lime juice, garlic, and sugar.
In another small bowl, put the hoisin sauce. You can add some chopped peanuts.
Serve rolled spring tolls with the fish sauce mixture and hoisin sauce.
Inka Tanaya is a former mathematician for a gaming company, currently living as a full time housewife in Dubai. Loves cooking and enjoy the occasional fine dining.
