FRIED WONTON WITH SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Who doesn't know Bakmi Gajah Mada (a franchise noodle restaurant in Indonesia)? I bet everyone who is Indonesian will know it. Bakmi Gajah Mada is a very famous noodle restaurant in Indonesia. You can found them easily in the malls. I remember, when I was a little girl (at 80's), the first and only restaurant of Bakmi Gajah Mada is at Jalan Gajah Mada (Gajah Mada Street). And it explained why they named it Bakmi Gajah Mada, because it is located at Jalan Gajah Mada.

I also remember, my mom and dad liked to bring us, the kids, to eat bakmi Gajah Mada. Besides noodle soups, they also sold the side dishes, such as fried wonton, wonton soup, meatballs soup, etc. For those who doesn't want eat noodle, they also sold rice and veggies or meats.

For me, who is a noodle lover of course I will order chicken noodle soup with beef meatballs *put a little bit of vinegar, hot chilli, and pepper....man....it's heaven!*. Usually, we will order fried wonton with sweet and sour sauce for the appetizer. And let me tell you, their fried wonton is sooooo delicious! The wonton is crispy and the sauce is very good and tangy! Grab one fried wonton then dip it into the sauce.....yummmmm!

So, from all those memories of the good foods and the fun eating out with the whole families inspired me to make my own 'Bakmi Gajah Mada' fried wonton with the sweet and sour sauce *minus the chicken noodles*. And.....the sauce is really good!



My hubby brought some to his work then he shared it with some of his colleagues....and they all like it! :). I am happy, not only because people like my food, but everytime people *especially my hubby's co-workers* gave compliments for my food, it always bring smiles on my hubby's face :). And I know, he proud of me :). That's the most great feeling that paid off all my tired-ness of cooking :).



Now, let's grab one fried wonton and dip it into the sweet and sour sauce........absolutely YUMMMM! :)

Fried Wonton with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 lb (250 gr) pork butt, minced
3/4 cup minced young bamboo shoot
4 stalks of green onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 cloves shallots, thinly sliced
3 tbsps sesame oil
2 tbsps rice wine
4 tbsps fish sauce
1/2 tsp blackpepper
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1 tbsp olive oil, for frying the shallots
Vegetable oil for deep frying
1 package of wonton wrapper

The Sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tbsps ketchup
1/2 to 1 tbsp sriracha chilli sauce
150 ml chicken broth
2 tbsps sugar
1-1/2 tbsps rice vinegar

Preparation:
For The Wonton:
In a small pan, fry the shallot with olive oil until fragrant. Set aside.
In a big bowl, combine pork, young bamboo shoot, green onion, garlic, fried shallots with the oil, sesame oil, rice wine, fish sauce, blackpepper, and tapioca starch. Mix it well. At this point, you should taste it by scooping 1 tsp pork mixture and microwave it for 20 seconds. And you can add more spices, as your desire.
Lay 1 sheet of wonton wrapper. Scoope 1 teaspoon of pork mixture in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Then fold the wrapper to form a triangle, then pull each corner down and glue it with water. Do it until all the wrappers are gone.
Fry the wonton into a 350F hot oil until crisp and brown. Drain it from the oil then place it on the paper towel. Keep it in the lock and lock container. Do not cover the wonton when it still hot, because it will make the wonton soggy!
Serve it with the sauce.

For The Sauce:
Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan. Cook it over medium-high heat. Keep stirring until the sauce is thicken.

JALAPENO POPPERS

Most of Americans know and like jalapeno poppers, even those who dislike spicy, they would like jalapeno poppers.

My hubby is the first one who introduce me to this finger food. I who love chilli and spicy of cos am willing to try. And, I needn't think twice to not fall in love with this finger food.

What is jalapeno? Jalapeno is mexican type chilli and spicy. Yep, literally so. But don't worry, it is not as spicy as thai chillis. Then, it named jalapeno poppers, because the chilli is filled with cheese and seasonings. Dip it into flour batter and bread crumbs and deep fry it.

Tho it tasted good, do not eat it too much, besides its kinda spicy if you eat it alot, also, it is high cholesterol because of the cheese and deep frying :).

The preparation is easy and didn't take too long time. But, be careful, you need to wear gloves when you removing the chilli's seeds and membranes. The rests are safe prep :).

For the recipe, I used feta cheese with bacon bits for the filling, and flour-brown beer batter. It is really good...



Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients:
12 piece jalapeno, seeded
2 slices bacon, bits sliced
1/2 package feta cheese
5 tbsps shredded monterey jack cheese
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp tabasco
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
A dash of garlic salt

For dipping batter:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup brown beer (I used Guiness Stout Beer)
1 egg
A pinch of salt and black pepper
Bread Crumbs

Preparation:
Rinse the jalapeno, wipe it with paper towel. Cut lengthwise. Remove the seeds and membranes. Leave the stem.
In a small bowl, combine feta cheese, monterey jack cheese, oregano, Italian seasoning, tabasco, cayenne powder, blackepper and garlic salt. Well mixed.
Fry the bacon until crispy. Transfer the bacon into the cheese mixture, fold it until the bacon spread evenly.
Fill the jalapeno with cheese mixture. Do it until all jalapeno filled with cheese mixture.
For the batter: in a bowl, mix all ingredients except bread crumbs. Put the bread crumbs in a separate bowl or plate.
Coat the jalapeno with beer batter until thorougly coated. Roll it into the bread crumbs. Then fry it in a very hot oil until both sides are brown. Once it browned, transfer the jalapeno onto a flat plate covered with paper towel. Let it rest for 1 or 2 minutes to let the paper towel soaked the oil, and to make it crispy. Serve it.

CHRISTMAS SOUP

Another appetizer on our Christmas dinner this year. My Christmas soup has kielbasa sausage, bacon, celery and potatoes. Its really different than the other soups I ever made.

This soup is more likely western-kind-soup which is thick soup. I looked around in the internet and I found lots of christmas soup's recipe, until I decided to make my own Christmas Soup. And fortunately it tasted really good, tasty and tangy. My hubby and I loved it :).

Christmas Soup

Ingredients:
1 lb kielbasa sausage (or you can use italian sausage)
1/2 lb bacon
8 large red potatoes, peeled and diced
7 stalks western celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 cup heavy cream (or whipping cream)
1-1/2 tbsps italian seasoning
1 tbsps oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt, sugar and blackpepper, to taste
Minced fresh parsley for garnishing


Directions:
In a 5-quarts saucepan, boil the potatoes and celery over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a teflon skillet, fry bacon in olive oil until the bacon is almost crispy. Drain the bacon from the grease. Using the same skillet with bacon's grease, fry the sausage. Drain the sausage from the skillet, thinly slice it and set aside. Put the onion on the skillet immediately. Caramelized the onion. Set aside.

Scoope about half of the potatoes into prepared blender. Blend it until smooth and sticky. Then, put it back into the saucepan.

Transfer the onion and the oil into the boiling potatoes, stir it well. Add in sausages, bacon, italian seasoning, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Season it with salt, sugar and blackpepper, to taste.

Pour in heavy cream, stir it well and boil it for 2 minutes. Serve it hot and garnish it with minced fresh parsley.

DEVIL'S EGG

This was one of our Christmas appetizer. For the first time, I ate devil's egg at MIL's house on thanksgiving last year. Actually my sister-in-law who made it. On my first bite of devil's egg I liked it already.

So, this Christmas I tried to make homemade devil's egg. Also, I found the egg's platter. This plate is really helpful to make the shape of the eggs are nice.

The recipe is made by me based on the taste that I remember from my sister-in-law's devil's egg.

Devil's Egg

Ingredients:
12 large eggs, hard boiled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsps mustard
5 tbsps sweet relish
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
Fresh parsley for garnishing

Directions:
Hard boiled the eggs one day before, then keep it in the refrigerator. The refrigerated hard-boiled eggs are alot easier to cut. Then halved it lengthwise.
Scoope out the yolks and transfer it to a small bowl. Add in mayonnaise, mustard, sweet relish, sugar, salt, cayenne powder and lemon juice, mash it with a fork. Fold it until thoroughly mixed. (don't forget to taste it and you can add more ingredients as your desire)
Place the halved hard-boiled white eggs on the platter. Fill the white egg's cavities with the yolks' mixture. Garnish it with fresh parsley. Serve it cold.

SAVORY EN CROUTE

When I saw this braided pastry from Elra's Cooking, I fell in love right away. So, I made this savory en croute. I used the apple struddle's puff pastry recipe and I made a simple savory filling. Believe me or not, it turned so good. The pastry is so light with thick filling. My hubby liked it so much, and so do I :).

How to braid the puff pastry? Don't worry, it is not hard at all. You can check here on how to braid the puff pastry.

Savory En Croute

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry:
200 gr of all-purpose flour
1 tsp of granulated sugar
1 tsp of salt
1 egg
2 tbsps of olive oil
2 tbsps of warm water
100 gr of butter

Filling:
3 pieces chicken fillet, diced
1 cup (250 gr) corn
1 cup (250 gr) frozen green peas, defrost
2 big size carrot, peeled and diced
2 yellow onions, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup (65 gr) fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup (125 gr) button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp sugar
50 ml white sauce or heavy cream
1/2 cup (125 gr) grated cheese
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt and blackpepper, to taste

Egg Wash:
1 egg yolk
1 tsp milk



Methods:
For the Puff Pastry:
In a big bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Add in egg, oil and warm water, mix it well with spatula. Knead it with your hands until the batter form a dough. Shape it into ball form. Wrap it with plastic wrapper. Keep it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (better if you refrigerate it overnight)

Prepare a board or any clean surface and dust it with flour. Take the dough from the refrigerator, and unwrap it. Roll the dough on the floury work surface into 1/2 cm thickness, and roll it into long square form. Place the butter on the upper side of the dough, then fold the empty side up so the edge of the empty side meet the edge of the other side. Roll it a bit just to stick the edges only. Wrap it with plastic wrapper. Keep it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Repeat it until 7 times.

Roll the dough into 2 mm thickness in square form. Ready to use.

For the Filling:
In a skillet, caramelized garlic and onion with olive oil. Stir in chicken until the color changed. Add in carrot, corn, green peas and mushrooms, chopped parsley and nutmeg saute it for 10 minutes. Season it with sugar, salt and blackpepper, to taste. Set aside to cool. When the filling is cool enough, pour in white sauce or heavy cream and cheese.

To assemble:
Roll out the puff pastry to 17 by 17-inch square, transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Make a series of 1-inch slanting cuts on both side (between the filling). Place the filling in the middle of the pastry. Start braiding the pastry by over lapping each of the slice on top of the filling to enclose it. Transfer the pastry to a baking sheet. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (I skipped this step)
Preheat oven to 375`F. Brush the pastry with egg wash mixture. Bake it for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve it warm.

MOO SHU PORK

Moo shu pork is a well-known chinese dish here. First time I heard it, I thought it is same as peking duck, because the way it served is same. You put the filling on a chinese pancake, add some sauce, roll it then eat it. But suprisingly, they are different. Basically, moo shu pork is stir fry meat and veggies wrapped in chinese pancake.

Frankly speaking, I never heard about moo shu pork before, I guess moo shu pork doesn't really famous in asian countries (correct me if I'm wrong please).
Well, this time I tried to make moo shu pork, and I got the recipe from here.

Moo Shu Pork

Ingredients:
Pancake:
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water
Sesame oil
Olive oil for frying

Filling:

1.5 lbs pork loin, trimmed and thinly sliced.
4 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 ounce dried Chinese black mushrooms (also known as black fungus or wood ear mushrooms; about 2/3 cup)
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

To cook pork:
1/4 cup peanut oil
1 (1/4-inch) piece fresh ginger, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced on diagonal
8 ounces Napa cabbage, quartered lengthwise, cored, and cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch triangles (about 5 cups)
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 English or kirby cucumber, cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths, then thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1 cup)
2 pieces young bamboo shoot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Asian toasted sesame oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Methods:
Make pancake dough:
In large bowl, stir together flour and 1 cup boiling water until water is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup cold water and knead until smooth dough forms. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour.

Prep stir-fry:
In large nonreactive bowl, toss together pork, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice wine, pepper, and cornstarch. Let marinate 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine dried black mushrooms and boiling water to cover. Let stand until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, squeezing out excess liquid, rinse to remove any grit, discard stems, and coarsely chop caps. Set aside.

In small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon rice wine, oyster sauce, and sugar. Set aside.

In small sauté pan over moderate heat, heat sesame oil until hot but not smoking. Add eggs and scramble until softly set, about 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.

Cook pancakes:
On lightly floured work surface, roll dough into long, even cylinder 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Using sharp knife, cut cylinder crosswise into about 30 (3/4- to 1-inch) slices. Using rolling pin, roll each slice out to 3 1/2-inch-diameter circle (about 1/8 inch thick). Brush 1 circle with sesame oil and top with 2nd circle. Repeat with remaining circles to form 15 "sandwiches." Roll each "sandwich" out to 6-inch diameter. (Pancakes can be made ahead up to this point and frozen, layered between parchment or waxed paper, up to 1 month.)

Heat wok or heavy large sauté pan over moderate heat. Brush pan lightly with peanut oil and cook pancake "sandwiches" in batches until lightly golden, about 3 minutes per side, brushing pan with oil between each batch. Transfer each "sandwich" as done to large plate and immediately peel apart 2 halves. Cover with moist towel while cooking remaining pancakes. Keep warm until ready to serve.



Cook stir-fry:
In wok or heavy large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat peanut oil until hot but not smoking. Add ginger, garlic, half of scallions (reserve remainder for garnish), and pork and stir-fry until pork is cooked through and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add black mushrooms, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, young bamboo shoot and cucumber and stir-fry until vegetables are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs and soy sauce-rice wine-oyster sauce mixture and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute.



Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with remaining scallions. To serve, divide pork mixture among pancakes and roll up to enclose mixture.

CHAWAN MUSI

Yumm...yumm.....who is dislike chawan musi? I think most people like it, and my hubby is included into those people who dislike chawan musi :(. But, I love it! The first time I tried chawan musi was when I lived in Singapore. I liked to go to Sakura with my dear friend Debby *ahhh I miss her alot!*.

Also, this recipe was given by her on my last day in Singapore. The recipe is quite simple but the taste is rich of flavor!

Chawan Musi

Yield: 4 portions

Ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten and drained
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce Kikkoman brand (Belzy - I guess the brand of the soy sauce is very crucial, it will affect the taste)
500 cc chicken broth
200 gr chicken fillet, boiled and diced
12 pieces shrimp, peeled, leave the tail on
3 pieces shiitake mushroom, soaked and sliced
24 pieces soy bean (optional)

Directions:
Combine eggs, salt, sugar, kikkoman soy sauce and chicken broth, mixed well.
Prepare 4 hotproof bowl. Put in soy beans, chicken diced, shrimp and shiitake into each bowl. Pour in the egg mixture until 3/4 size of bowl.
Steam the egg mixture into a preheated steamer (preheat for 15mins). Steam it until cooked well and the surface of the egg shiny. Serve immediately.

QUICHE LORRAINE

I bought a very cheap quiche pan set. With only 15 bucks (the original price is $30) I got 3 sizes of quiche pan. So, I'm so excited to make quiche, and this was my very first time making and tasting quiche. I never know what quiche is before, and even I don't know how it tasted like.
So, I found this recipe from my fave chef, Emeril Lagasse. My husband said, "It's like eating omelet in pie crust". Myself, I don't really like it, maybe because I am not a fan of omelet The taste is good tho. The best was put lots of bacons for the filling!

Quiche Lorraine
Source: Emeril Lagasse

Yield: 9 inch quiche pan

Ingredients
Flaky Butter Crust, recipe follows
6 ounces thick cut bacon, cut into narrow strips (or “lardons”)
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss (Belzy - I used cheddar cheese)

Directions
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and trim the edges. (Alternatively, a 9-inch pie pan can be used.) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is set, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove the paper and weights and bake until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

In a medium skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.

Arrange the bacon evenly over the bottom of the baked crust.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, yolks, and half and half. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Pour into the prepared crust and bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.



Flaky Butter Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and butter in the processor and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and pulse quickly 5 or 6 times, or until the dough comes together and starts to pull away from the sides of the container. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To make the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and butter in a medium bowl, and mix with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough comes together and is no longer dry, being careful not to overmix. Form into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface according to the recipe, fit it into the pan, and allow to rest again in the refrigerator before baking.

CLAM CHOWDER IN ITALIAN BREAD BOWL

Clam chowder became our new favorite. So, we always order clam chowder as our appetizer when we ate outside :). And, as usual, my hubby ask me to make homemade clam chowder.
Then, here we are....clam chowder in italian bread bowl from Seattle Times. My hubby like it so much ;).
Let me share this delicate recipe with you ....

Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
2 (6-1/2 ounce) cans minced clams
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely diced celery
2 cups finely diced potatoes
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup flour
4 cups half-and-half, warmed
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 dash pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, drain the juice from the clams; set the clams aside.
Combine clam juice with the onions, celery and potatoes.
Add enough water to barely cover and simmer, covered, over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter.
Add flour and stir in to the butter.
Slowly whisk in the warm half-and-half.
Cook and whisk until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes.
If you want a thinner chowder, add ½ to ¾ cup water or clam broth.
Add the vegetables with their cooking liquid, clams, salt, pepper and sugar to the pan.
Stir well and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Italian Bread Bowl
Source: All Recipes

Ingredients
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tablespoon water

Directions
1.In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2.Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition.
3.When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes.
4.Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.
5.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash.
6.Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks.
7.To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately.

BOUILLABAISSE

This is my first time try bouillabaisse. What is bouillabaisse? Bouillabaisse is...fish soup!! Yap, fish soup. But, it tasted different than any other fish soup that I tried before. Don't think about singaporean fish soup or any other chinese kind fish soup. This one is really different *for me*.

Unluckily, I don't have fish broth, so I substituted it with water only, and it still tasted good. So, I can imagine how good this soup will be if I use fish broth :).

And, since the weather was really cold, eating this soup is really helped us to warmed our body :), also, it made the soup tasted good even more! My husband is my number one fans, of course he liked it :). He ate 2 bowls of soup for dinner yesterday.

It was an easy-healthy soup, you should try it .... ;)

Bouillabaisse
Source: Bubba Cookle

Ingredients:
400 gr fish fillet, thinly sliced
1 piece of yellow onion, finely minced
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
700 ml fish broth (Belzy -- I substituted it to water)
6 pieces of tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 piece of lemon, squeezed
2 tsps of ground paprika
2 pieces of bay leafs
a pinch of fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsps of olive oil
1/4 tsp of pepper
Salt to taste

Directions:
Stir fry onion and garlic with olive oil in a skillet until fragrant. Stir in tomatoes and ground paprika, stirring well. Pour in fish broth, and let it boiled.
Add in fish fillet, bay leaves, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Season it with salt to taste. Toss it before you turn off the heat. Serve it immediately while its hot. Enjoy!

CHICKEN POT PIE WITH BISCUITS

It was started when I met my high school friend who fortunately is living in US too. We were just like 2 teenagers who are so ecstatic to found each other in this far far away country :). Now, we exchanged email EVERYDAY!! :)). But, we were not talked about those memories only, but also, we exchanged recipes as well. And guess what, I got many ideas and new recipes after I saw her foods' photos. Gosh....it is really amazing to know that she is a good chef now, when I looked back our high school time, she just a different person now! :).

After I saw her chicken pie, then it made me want to make it too, since I never make any pies at all, I asked her the recipe, but unfortunately, she lost her pie crust notes that she got from her MIL. So, as usual, I asked Mr. Google for this recipe.

I found lots of chicken pies' recipes with different kind of toppings. So, I saw this chicken pot pie with biscuits' recipe which was a bit different than chicken pie. The fillings are same, the only different is I will use biscuit instead of crust *I'm still waiting for my friend's pie crust recipe*.

It was really good...of cos the taste little bit different than the crust. My hubby never taste chicken pie with biscuit before. He is complained,"It is not chicken pot pie". Then I explained to him that this is a different crust only. But, after few bites, he said,"It is good hun!", then he got his second pie :).

So, thank you Sel for the idea of this chicken pie, I can't wait to try the one with pie crust :). I got your MIL recipe already ;).

Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits

Source: Michael C.

Ingredients:

CREAMED CHICKEN:

4 tbsps of butter

1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

2 cups of chicken broth

1-1/2 cups whole milk

3 pieces of chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (Belzy -- I baked the chicken with salt and blackpepper)

2 tbsps of sherry (Belzy -- I substituted it to shaoxing wine)

1 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 piece of lemon, squeeze the juice only

Blackpepper and salt to taste

CHICKEN POT PIE:

2 tbsps of butter

1 piece of medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 cups of carrots, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 cup of frozen peas, defrost

2-1/2 quarts of creamed chicken (recipe follows)

Biscuit dough (recipe follows)

BISCUIT DOUGH:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tbsp of baking powder

1/4 tsp of salt

6 tbsps of cold butter

3/4 cups of milk

Methods:

FOR CREAMED CHICKEN:

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Pour flour in and toss. After flour and butter mixed thoroughly (about 1 minute), remove the pan from heat and add 2 cups of chicken broth. Whisk until smooth.

Add milk and toss over medium heat until simmering. Remove it from heat and scrape the sides of the saucepan with a heat-proof spatula. Whisk vigorously to break and chunks and return to medium heat for one more minute.

Turn off the heat and mix in chicken and sherry until evenly mixed. Add lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and blackpepper to taste.

FOR CHICKEN POT PIE:

Melt butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat. When butter is foaming, stir in onions, celery and carrots. Cook it until tender about five minutes. Remove from the heat.

Pour in the vegetables mixture (including parsley and peas) into creamed chicken, toss it well. Pour the creamed chicken mixture into 9x13-in. baking pan. Top it with biscuit dough.

After making biscuit dough, cut the dough into square form, and layout all the biscuit pieces to cover the pot pie.

Using a pastry brush, brush beaten egg over the surface of the pot pie biscuit. Then, baking it in the preheated 400`F oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until the biscuit is golden brown and the chicken mixture is bubbling. Serve it warm.

FOR BISCUIT DOUGH:

In a big bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Then, using a pastry cutter or you hands, cut the butter into the flour. Basically, cut the butter and mix with flour to coat and separate the pieces. Continue mixing until you get pea sized pieces of butter. (* see note below)

Pour the milk in and mix gently with a spatula. Do not knead it, just a gently mix. (** see note below)

Form the dough into a ball once the milk has been evenly distributed through the dough. (*** see note below)

Transfer the dough to a piece of parchment paper or clean surface and roll out into big square sheet into 1/4 inch thickness. Then cut it into little square form.

Note:

* it is important that the butter be cold for this process and not begin to melt. If it starts to get a little mushy, you can slip it into the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm back up a bit before continuing.

** kneading will produce gluten which will make the biscuit bread like instead of light and flaky.

*** you might need to use a kneading action to make a dough ball, but do not knead too much.

MINESTRONE (SUP MAKARONI)

I bet everyone knows what minestrone is *also known as macaroni soup in my family*. The first time I cooked this soup, my hubby was asking me, "What is it called?", then I told him that was macaroni soup. He laughed and said that for them it was minestrone! I heard 'minestrone' alot, and kinda know what it was look like, but I didn't really expect minestrone same as macaroni soup :).

My minestrone was quite simple, and since I made it from scratch so the soup's color wasn't as red as the original minestrone, but for the taste.....my hubby said my minestrone alot better and more tasty than the one he ate at the restaurant (from the look mine is more attracted).

It is healthy cos it contains more vegies than meats. A good choice if you want a quick and easy but healthy cooking :)

Also, I am going to present this recipe to Masak Bareng Event - February '10 edition. Enjoy guys!

Minestrone (Sup Makaroni)

Ingredients:

5 stalks of big celery, washed and sliced (approx. 1 cm wide)

1 cup of corn (Belzy -- I used the frozen corn)

3 pieces of chicken fillet

3 pieces of tomato, seedless and diced

150 gram of macaroni (or elbow pasta), boil until soft and fluffy

650 cc water

5 tbsps of fish sauce

Salt and sugar to taste

Directions:

Drain chicken fillet from the broth. Let it cool, then shred it with hands. Boil chicken broth, put the shredded chicken back into the broth. Add celery, corn and boiled macaroni. Boil for about 3 minutes or until boiling. Add in fish sauce, salt and sugar until reach the taste you want. Before you turn off the heat, add in tomato, stirring gradually until boiling. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the heat. Serve it with chilli sauce (if desire)

PEMPEK KAPAL SELAM (INDONESIAN FISH CAKE)

Finally, I made it!! All these times, I always worry the process of making pempek would be too difficult so the possibility of failure is bigger than success everytime the thought of making pempek acrossed into my mind. But, this time I challenged myself to make it (of cos with self-prepared that I might fail).

Since I can't find spanish mackerel (tenggiri) and sago flour here, so I used fish paste and tapioca flour, and........wallaaaaa.....It tasted good and its not as hard as my imagination!!

Now, I have no worry to make pempek, and I can eat pempek in this far far away country ANYTIME!!.....Yayyyyyyyyyy....

PS: many thanks to Dewi Febrianti, Myrna and Hanny for the great recipe!! :)

Pempek Kapal Selam

Ingredients:

For Basic Fish Dough:

250 gr fish paste (spanish mackerel)

5 tbsp cold water

75 gr tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp MSG (Belzy -- I skipped it)

For Garnish:

3 pieces of eggs

50 gr mungbean noodle, soak in hot water (optional)

1 tbsp dried shrimp powder (optional)

1/4 pieces of cucumber, diced into small form (optional)

Homemade vinegar sauce

Methods:

For Basic Fish Dough:

Combine fish paste, cold water, salt and MSG (if desire) in big bowl. Mix them until sticky. Pour in tapioca flour, once at a time, while knead the batter until free-sticky on hand. Ready to use.

For Fish Cake:

Take 150 gr fish dough, roll it into ball form. Push the middle of the dough, make it oval bowl form. Pour in an egg (Belzy -- I boiled the egg first then placed it into the dough). Then pinch the edge with fingers. Boil it in boiling water until floating. Dish it out and cooling down before deep frying.

For Finishing:

Sliced the fried pempek, and place it on a plate. Serve it with mungbean noodle, cucumbers, dried shrimp powder and homemade vinegar sauce.

SIOMAY BANDUNG

Sebenernya gue agak2 bingung ama nama siomay yang satu ini, kenapa namanya jadi siomay Bandung yah? apa karena asalnya dari Bandung, tapi di Bandung itu kan adanya Batagor yah? Soalnya dari kecil gue taunya siomay model gini nih ya siomay abang jadi beda ama siomay yang di dim sum itu. Hubby gue juga nanya hal yang sama,"is this food originally from Bandung, so you called it siomay bandung?". Gue sih cuma ngangguk2 aja, meski dalem ati, "bener ga yaaa?".

Dulu, di rumah gue yang di Jakarta, tiap jam 3 sore selalu lewat tukang jualan siomay model siomay bandung ini, tapi dia jualnya dari daging babi......aduhhh itu siomay si engko (kita sekluarga namain siomay nya itu "siomay si engko" soalnya emang yang jualan engko2 *orang chinese*) enaknyaaaaaa ga ada duanya deh. Siomaynya itu yah berasa bener dagingnya, ga berasa sagu nya sama sekali. Tapi, bukan berarti gue ga doyan siomay abang yang dari sagu itu loh. Kita sekluarga juga punya langganan nih di depan rumah gue juga si abang mangkalnya, dan dia kalo mangkal skitar jem 11 siang gitu deh, dan bener2 dia berentiin gerobaknya di samping rumah gue pas, jadi kalo kita mo beli ga perlu buka pintu, tinggal sodorin piring dari balik pager...wahahahahaha :).

Nah kalo siomay gue ini gue bikin dari daging ikan, yang rasanya enak juga, soale kayaknya seumur2 baru kali ini deh gue makan siomay bandung dari ikan. Dannn.....sekali lagi, ini siomay bandung perdana-nya hubby gue, soale dia seumur2 kagak pernah makan siomay bandung. Doyan bener dia......senengnya gue punya hubby kagak picky soal makanan. Gue sendiri makan ga gitu banyak, paling 1 porsi lah. Ga tau kenapa ga mood aja makannya :(, mungkin kecapean bikinnya kali yah, jadi begitu ni siomay jadi, gue yang uda ga napsu duluan, abis kebayang dong ngerokin kentang ama tahu, trus ngisiin pake adonan dagingnya, blom lagi ngukusnya, uda mana kukusan gue ukurannya seciprit pula, jadi deh gue ngukus be-ronde2....wahahahhaa.

But, it's worthed when I saw my hubby liked it :)

Gue dapet resepnya dari hasil nyari di mbah Google, tapi gue asli lupa dari blog/website nya siapa ini resep :(. Jadi buat yang ngerasa punya ini resep, maap yahhhh gue kagak tulis nama blog nya.....resepnya enak loh, apalagi saus kacangnya ..... :), tapi resepnya agak2 gue modif nih :)

Rame2 makan siomay dulu yooookkkk....

Siomay Bandung

Bahan I :

▪500 gr ikan tenggiri haluskan (Belzy -- saya pake 250 gr fish paste + 250 gr ikan fillet)

▪2 sdt garam

▪2 bt daun bawang, iris halus

▪1 sdm ebi, haluskan

▪4 siung bawang putih, haluskan

▪150 ml air (Belzy -- saya skip)

Bahan II:

▪50gr tepung terigu

▪200 gr tepung kanji (sagu tani) (Belzy -- saya pake 3 tbsp saja)

▪150 gr labu siam/bangkoang serut halus

Bahan pelengkap:

▪kol rebus gulung-kentang belah 4-kulit siomay-tahu

Cara membuat:

■Campur bahan I dan II, aduk rata.

■Kerok sedikit bagian tengah tahu dan kentang untuk isian. Kemudian isi tahu-kentang-kulit siomay dengan adonan isi.

■Kukus sampai matang.

Saus kacang:

▪200 gr kacang tanah goreng

▪3 sdm gula merah sisir

▪1 sdt garam

▪5 siung bawang putih

▪50 gr kentang rebus haluskan

▪300 cc santan encer (Belzy -- boleh ditambahkan santan encernya hingga mencapai kekentalan saus yang diinginkan)

Cara Membuat:

Haluskan semua masak di-api kecil sampai mengental dan berminyak.

CORN SOUP (SUP JAGUNG)

Still in independence day mode on......( halahhhhh alesan!!), pagi ini gue bikin sup jagung. Kalo di keluarga gue, sup jagung ini merupakan salah satu menu ultah.....mungkin karena buat kita sup jagung ini termasuk makanan western, jadi dianggep lebih spesial dibanding makanan yang laennya :).

Jadi dulu tuh, tiap ada yang ultah di keluarga gue, nyokap gue selalu bikin 3 menu utama : mie kangkung, mie goreng dan sup jagung. Kami anak2 uda tau deh menu2 ini yang bakalan keluar di hari ultah, dan karena kami (terutama gue hehehe) suka banget ama menu ultah ini, gue senengggg banget kalo ada yang ultah biar kata bukan gue yang ultah...hahahaha.

Kalo dulu my mom selalu nambahin sosis di sup jagungnya, tapi kali ini gue ga pake sosis (ga ada stock booo...)

Ayoooo.....ayooo....ada yang ultah ga hari ini, nyobain sup jagung ala Belzy's Kitchen yukkkk.... :)

Gampang kok tinggal cemplung...plung...plung.... :)

Corn Soup (Sup Jagung)

Bahan:

3 potong ayam fillet, rebus, suwir2

1 kaleng sweet cream corn

4 cups jagung manis (gue pake yang frozen punya)

3 butir telur, kocok lepas

10 butir telur puyuh, rebus

1 liter air

1 sdt garam

1 sdt gula

1/2 sdt merica bubuk

1 sdm soy sauce kikkoman

20 cc air yang sudah dicampur dengan tepung tapioka (pake sagu atau corn starch juga bisa)

Sambal botol secukupnya.

Cara membuat:

Didihkan air lalu masukkan ayam fillet, rebus sampai ayam matang. Angkat ayam, sisihkan hingga dingin. Lalu suwir2 ayam yang sudah tidak panas, sisihkan.

Didihkan air kaldu ayam (air bekas rebusan ayam), lalu masukkan sweet cream corn, jagung manis, ayam, telur puyuh, garam, gula, merica bubuk dan soy sauce, aduk rata. Masak terus hingga mendidih.

Jika sup sudah mendidih, masukkan kocokan telur dan aduk cepat hingga telur menyerupai serat. Masak kembali hingga mendidih, lalu tambahkan campuran tapioka. Aduk cepat hingga sup sedikit kental. Matikan api, angkat.

Sajikan hangat dengan sambal botol.

YAM WOON SAN (SELADA SOUN)

Again, I cooked Thailand food. I do really like Thai food. I remember when I went to Bangkok a year ago, my friends were hunting clothes and souvenirs, but me, the only thing that catched my attentions are foods and spices...*hooo....so you know now that I love eat :)*.

Yam Woon San is one of my fave Thai food. It tasted spicy and a bit sour *yea....almost all Thai food tasted sour*. Its quite easy, and no need spend too long time at kitchen for the preparation.

To me, this dish is good for appetizer and entrees as well. Do you wanna try some??

Yam Woon San

Ingredients:

250 gram shrimp, peeled

4 tbsp chicken broth (I substituted to water)

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 piece of cucumber, diced

5 pieces of red chilli pepper, chopped

150 gram mung bean noodle, soaked in the water

50 gram shiitake mushroom, soaked in the water, sliced

2 cloves of shallots, sliced

2 stalks of cilantro

Directions:

Boiled chicken broth, add in shrimp, boil until the color changed.

Stir in chilli, fish sauce, shiitake, lime juice and shallots, stir well until cooked. Turn off the heat, add in mung bean noodle and cucumber, stir well.

Pour in cilantro leaves. Ready to serve.

STUFFED CUTTLEFISH WITH MANGO CHILI

Today was my groceries' day. I went to 3 grocery stores. Two of them are Asian stores, and the other one was the normal stores. My fave Asian store is 99 Ranch Market where I can found almost all ingredients I need :). And today, I bought cuttlefish and swai fish fillet, its quite cheap *hohoho....I loved cheap things*. Unfortunately, I can't find Shaoxing Wine there :(....heezzzz really sad :(. The CS told me to go to row no 4, but still I can't find it :(.....but don't worry, though I need to change our menu for dinner today, I knew already what I want to cook :). CUTTLEFISH!! Yea, actually, I have no plan to buy the cuttlefish.

When we arrived home, I'm still confused what style I should cook for this cuttlefish cos my hubby doesn't really like cuttlefish and fam (incl.squid). He thinks it tasted like rubber...too chewy :). Opposite with me, I love cuttlefish and squid so much :). Then, I saw 3 mangoes that I just bought from WinCo this early morning. Mmmmm..........my brain thinked fast.......ahaaaaa.....Mango Chili!! Then, I looked into my fridge, there it is, I still have fish paste and shrimp. Ok, done! I know what I want to cook now.....Stuffed Cuttlefish with Mango Chili......

My hubby liked it so much. He almost can't figured it out that is cuttlefish...hahahaaha....but he saw the head of cuttlefish, so he knew it :). He said the taste so fresh, mixed between sour, sweet and spicy. And guess what.....this is his first time eat mango as a dish!! I'm glad that he liked it *yeayyy*

Do you want to try it? It tasted good, believe me! :). The mango chili is original from my mom's recipe. Enjoy! (You can eat this as appetizer and entrees)

Stuffed Cuttlefish with Mango Chili

Ingredients:

Stuffed Cuttlefish:

500 gram cuttlefish

150 gram fish paste

150 gram shrimp, grinded

1 piece of white egg

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sweet cooking rice wine

1 tbsp fish sauce

Vegetable Oil for fry

Mango Chili:

1 mango, shredded

2 pieces of kaffir lime leaves

1 tomato, sliced

1 tbsp tamarind paste

1 piece of lime, squeezed

50 cc water

3 pieces of chili padi (or 1 tsp chili powder)

3 cloves of garlic

3 tbsp coconut palm sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp shrimp paste

Directions:

Stuffed Cuttlefish:

Wash cuttlefish, separate it from the head. Set aside.

Mix shrimp, fish paste, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and white egg, mixed well. Stuffed it into the cuttlefish.

Heat oil on a saucepan, fry the stuffed cuttlefish until golden color. Set aside.

Mango Chili:

Stir fry crushed chili padi, garlic, coconut palm sugar, salt and shrimp paste until the color is changed. Add stuffed cuttlefish, stir well. Add tamarind paste, lime juice and water, stir well. Add mango and tomato (don't over cooked). Turn off the heat. Ready to serve.