Thai style fish cake

Today I would like to share this simple fish cake recipe. We taken a similar fish cake in Bangkok, I try to replicate this at home the other day.

Ready to deep fry...

Thai style fish cake
(recipe source : by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

350g fish meat, Spanish mackerel, (ikan tenggiri)
1 onion
½ fresh red chili, chopped
3 Kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
1tsp fish sauce
3/4tsp salt
2tsp sugar
A dash of freshly ground black pepper
2tbsp ice water
1tbsp tapioca flour or cornstarch

Method
1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir the fish meat to combine.
2. Slap the fish meat against the sides of the mixing bowl several times or until mixture is well combined and sticky.
3. Wet your hand and scoop up the fish paste and shape to round.
4. Deep fry till golden brown and serve hot.

Happy Cooking !!

Green tea Swiss roll (with red bean and Mascarpone cheese)

After watched the DVD showing how to roll a nice swiss roll by master 孟老师 ( a blogger friend  MEL so kind sent me a 孟老师 DVD), I have more confidence now to make a swiss roll.

This time, I changed to a new flavour to replace the normal whipped cream, I use Mascarpone cheese instead, and surprised that Mascarpone cheese perfectly matched with match flavour, simply YUMMY!!

I learnt these two tips before start to roll a sponge, check recipe below.

Green tea Swiss roll (with red bean and Mascarpone cheese)
(recipe source : basic sponge adapted from 孟老师 “美味蛋糕卷”)

* make one 11" x 14" (28cm x 36cm) Swiss roll

Ingredients
26g unsalted butter, melted
84g egg yolk (5 medium egg yolks)
26g caster sugar
10g green tea powder

126g egg white (4 medium egg whites)
80g caster sugar
47g cake flour, sifted

Filling
Red bean paste (I cook 100g red bean with water in pressure cooker for 20mins)
120g Mascarpone cheese
20g caster sugar

To make Swiss roll sponge
1. Whisk egg yolks and sugar over a pot of hot water till thicken and pale in color.
2. Add green tea powder into egg yolk mixture, stir well and set aside.
3. In another clean bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy, gradually add in sugar and beat till glossy and soft peaks form.
4. Take one-third of egg whites mixture to mix with the egg yolk mixture using a hand whisk. Then fold in the remaining egg white using a spatula until well combined.
5. Gently fold the sifted flour (in 3 batches) into the batter. Take some batter and add into melted butter to incorporate and add back to the remaining batter and mix well.
6. Pour the batter into baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread evenly with a scraper. Gently knock the tray on tabletop to remove air bubbles trapped in the batter.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for around 13mins.
8. When cake is done, remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

To make Mascarpone cheese cream
1. Beat Mascarpone cheese and sugar till stiff peaks form, chill in the fridge for later use.

To assemble Swiss roll
1. Carefully turn the baked sponge cake onto a piece of baking/parchment paper.
2. Slowly peel off the attached baking/parchment paper from the cake.
3. Place a new piece of baking/parchment paper over the sponge. Invert the sponge again.
4. Slice out a small piece of sponge on a 45-degree angle at another end, so the end of sponge will neatly attached to the sponge at the end of rolling.
5. Make two slits across the breadth of the cake at the side nearest to you with a knife.
6. Spread evenly a layer of Mascarpone cheese cream over the entire sponge and followed by a layer of red bean paste.
7. With the shorter side/breadth facing you, roll the cake up tightly to form a Swiss roll. Wrap with cling wrap and chill in the fridge to allow the Swiss roll to set. Slice to serve.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #9 - Swiss Rolling Good Times hosted by Obsessedly Involved with Food

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Damnoensaduak Floating market, Bangkok Thailand

I saw in the TV and also heard about how fun of the floating market before I go to Bangkok. I told to our tour guide must bring us there, and here i come.

We had our best Phat Thai and Tom Yum noodle soup here, and the price is much cheaper if compare to Bangkok city or Chatchuchak market. I also learned how to cook Phat Thai from here.

Our tour guide also brought us to this unseen place in this floating market, a quiet lane where the local peoples living.

Back to busy market, you can find all kind of things selling here.

Since we have to rush back on the road to our next destination Tiger temple, we just stopped here for a short time. If i will visit Bangkok again next time, I must stay longer here as this place is so much of fun. Here was the route that our private tour guide planned for us - Maeklong Train market (reached there by 8.30am for the 1st train) -> floating market ->Tiger temple (must reached there before 1.00pm as to join walk with tiger program -> River Kwai (on the way back). We paid quite a big sum of money for this one day trip. You can get a taxi and follow the above route and I bet you can save a lot of money instead getting a private tour guide. Nevertheless, the tour guide from "Tour with Tong" is very professional and we really enjoyed this trip.

Nasi Lemak bungkus, one more please!

Nowadays it is hard to find a good and simple nasi lemak (coconut rice with sambal chili) that wrapped with banana leaf, brown paper with wax is widely use instead. We actually prefer those very basic and simple nasi lemak that comes with coconut rice and simple sambal chili and wrap with banana leaf.

The other day, i gathered all ingredients and banana leaves, and pretend like nasi lemak seller, bungkus (pack) nasi lemak in advance as to let coconut rice to absorb the banana leaf's fragrant, then we enjoyed nasi lemak bungkus for dinner. My son Lucas ate 3 packs at one go, another Nasi Lemak Lover, hahaha !

When prepare nasi lemak bungkus at home, i can also pack according to my family's preference.

I put sambal chili on a small piece of banana leaf as my son Desmond can not take too spicy, no roasted peanuts and cucumber, and more eggs !

As for my son Lucas, he loves everything except roasted peanut, and more cucumbers please !

This is how to pack nasi lemak bungkus

Nasi Lemak Bungkus
(recipe souce: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)
* makes about 15 packs

Nasi Lemak (coconut rice)

4cups rice (I mix Jasmine rice and local rice)
150ml coconut milk
550ml water
5pcs pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
1 and 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
3 slices ginger, shredded

Method
1. Place washed rice, salt and knotted pandan leaves in an electric rice cooker.
2. Pour coconut milk, water, ginger and salt over the rice and leave to soak for 30mins (make it more fluffy).
3. Cook rice. Once “cooking” button auto switched to “keep warm” button. Then fluff the rice with a fork or chopsticks.
4. Leave it warm in the rice cooker before serve.

** you need to adjust water amount according to the type of rice you use.


Sambal Chili

Blend to chili paste
20g dried chili, cut into two, boiled in hot water for 5mins
1 big onions
3 cloves garlic
1tsp belacan (shrimp paste)
2 slices blue ginger or ginger

1 onion, sliced
30g tamarind paste, add 125ml water, remove seeds, to become tamarind water
30g ikan bilis (anchovies), deep fry and ground to fine powder
200ml water

¾ tsp salt or taste
1 and 1/2tbsp sugar or taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok, add in blend chili paste, stir fried over low medium heat till fragrant and oil separated, take about 20mins.
2. Add ikan bilis powder, tamarind water and water, keep stirring.
3. Season with salt and sugar, last add onion slices, cook to mix well for 1-2mins.

To assemble Nasi Lemak Bungkus

Banana leaves, washed and patted dry
Old news paper

Accompaniments
Hard-boiled eggs
Deep fried anchovies
Roasted peanuts
Cucumber slices

Method
1. Layer banana leaf on an old newspaper, the size of newspaper is slightly narrower and longer ( I did measured as the paper size 20x39cm, banana leaf size 23x23cm, this measurement is for your reference only)
2. Put hot coconut rice in the middle, sambal chili on top and accompaniments on the side.
3. Fold the top and bottom halves together in the middle. Flap the paper and banana leaf on the left and right.
4. Tuck the flaps underneath tightly.
5. Enjoy it an hour later as to let rice to absorb banana leaf's fragrant.

Other topic:-

I'm touch by Quay Po's latest post -Mothers will do anything for their children. If you have a facebook account, please support Quay Po's son  Nick’s band ROSEVELT is one of the top 5 bands competing to be the opening band for the famous rock band from USA, INCUBUS.  In order to get there, they need votes from people who has a facebook account and SMS votes from TUNETALK’s subscribers. Please vote at http://apps.facebook.com/tt_incubus/index.php?tttg=8,  voting close at 12 mid-night on 16th July 2011.

King of soy sauce prawn, Encore !!

I just realized that i have few dishes have yet to post it up, only so busy posting those baking items, hehehe. Today i would like to re-post this King of soy sauce prawn ( my old post here, poor quality of phone's photo) as this is one of our favourite prawn dish.

This small dried shrimps 蝦米(hae bi)  is crucial to this recipe, it add extra fragrant to this dish...

King of soy sauce prawn
(recipe souce: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

500g large prawns, clean and snip off the sharp points

10 cloves garlic, chopped

2tbsp good quality of light soy sauce, or to taste
1tsp sugar
10g dried shrimps, washed
2 stalks of spring onion, separate white part and green part, cut 1” in lengths
1 red chili, shredded

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok over high flame, sauté garlic, dried small shrimps and spring onion (white part only) till aroma.
2. Add in the prawns, put in light soy sauce and sugar, quickly toss well with prawns, cook for 1-2mins. Add in green onions, mix well and turn off the heat.
3. Dish out, garnish with red chili shredded, serve hot.

* sometime i will slightly fry the prawn first and set aside, later only add into the rest of ingredients.
* I forgot to add little thick caramel sauce, next time must remember to add this.
* remember to cook prawn over high heat and do not overcook it.

Happy Cooking !!

Strawberry Swiss roll

Here is another Swiss roll I did last week and this time i use fresh strawberry for the filling.

This recipe was adapted from "Okashi-sweet treats made with love" 's book. This recipe requires more steps and not easy to handle if compare to early chocolate swiss roll.

I adapted the souffle roll sponge from this book and I suspected i have handled the steps not well because the sponge texture must be light, springy and fluffy texture. But what i got was a dense and firm sponge.
Anyway, this sponge is super easy to roll as it is very flexible and elastic. My kids like this cake, for me i still prefer the sponge from 孟老师.

Strawberry Swiss roll
* make a 11" x 14" (28cm x 36cm) Swiss roll
(recipe source: adapted souffle roll sponge from "Okashi-sweet treats made with love" book, i modified the amount ingredients to suit the size of my cake pan)

Ingredients
1 whole egg
4 egg yolks
1 and 1/2tsp vanilla extract
46g unsalted butter
90g cake all purpose flour
90g milk

4 egg whites
113g castor sugar

Filling
Fresh strawberries, cut small pieces
Non-dairy whipped cream

Method
1. Combine egg, egg yolks and vanilla extract in a small bowl and beat lightly. Set aside.
2. Place butter in a small saucepan, and heat gently until melted. Add flour to melted butter and cook through. Transfer butter-flour mixture to a bowl, then add egg mixture a little at a time. With a spatula, mix into a smooth batter. Add milk and mix to incorporate. Strain batter and set aside. (do not skip strain batter, i found the batter is very thick and not easy to strain through)
3. To make meringue, place egg whites in a clean bowl and beat until foamy. Add half the sugar and continue beating for a few minutes, then add remaining sugar and beat until egg whites are glossy and stiff peaks form.
4. Take one-third of egg whites mixture to mix with the egg yolk mixture using a hand whisk. Then fold in the remaining egg white using a spatula until well combined.
6. Pour the batter into baking tray lined with baking paper. Spread evenly with a scraper. Gently knock the tray on tabletop to remove air bubbles trapped in the batter.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 13mins (original recipe is 20mins)
8. When cake is done, remove from pan and place on a wire rack and put in a big plastic bag to cool.
9. To assemble Swiss roll, turned cooled sponge onto a clean work surface. Peel off parchment paper, spread evenly layer of whipping cream over top of sponge and place fresh strawberries on top.
10. Gently roll up the sponge to make a Swiss roll. Wrap with cling wrap and chill in the fridge to allow the Swiss roll to set. Slice to serve.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #9 - Swiss Rolling Good Times hosted by Obsessedly Involved with Food

Longan Pudding/Jelly, and the new winner of my 1st giveaway for "other countries"

I made this Longan Pudding 2 days ago as the weather here was so hot and hazy, about 2 weeks no rain at my place. I need something to cool me down...



















You know what, after i made this jelly, my place started to rain, hahaha....

The original recipe is using soy milk, but soy milk was run out stock and i was lazy to go out to get some, I replaced evaporated milk with soy milk. I like the texture of this pudding, not too soft and not too firm. But my kids and hubby still prefer the soymilk pudding with palm sugar syrup and minced ginger that i prepared earlier.

Longan Pudding/Jelly
(recipe source: adapted from The Kitchen 70's with minor changes)

1 canned Longan fruit in syrup

1tsp agar-agar powder
1tsp gelatin powder
100g sugar
700ml water

200ml evaporated milk or soy milk
100ml Longan syrup (from canned longan)
3tsp lemon juices

Method
1. Mix agar-agar powder, gelatin powder, sugar and water in a saucepan, cook over low medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan.
2. Add in milk and Longan syrup, stir and mix well. Add in lemon juices and turn off heat, keep aside to cool for 5mins.
3. Pour the mixture into prepared jelly cups, let it cool for 30mins and firm on top.
4. Spoon canned Longans and 1-2tbsp of Longan syrup on top, refrigerate until set.
5. Serve cool.

Ya, before I forgot, I draw again for new winner under "other countries" category for my 1st giveaway as the winner did not send me an email to claim the gifts from me. The new winner this time is " Three -cookies" from Sweden..quickly come to claim your gift as I don't want to draw again, hehehe..

Happy Weekend ahead to everyone ................