Rosemary and Mustard Crusted Lamb Rack

It is not often that I cook elaborate western dishes but when I do, I would sometimes do a roast lamb or beef. I know some people don't fancy lamb at all and my mum is one! However I believe a fresh cut of lamb does not smell at all especially if you season it with fresh herbs.



I was tempted to make lamb a few weeks back and went out of my way to a good supermarket to get a fresh rack. The local supermarket just around the corner from where I live don't stock lamb at all. So I had to go a little bit more out of my usual route. I used a combination of fresh sage and fresh rosemary (from my own pot in my balcony) for this particularly rack. I also think that mustard goes well as part of the marinade.





Rosemary and Mustard Crusted Lamb Rack

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh rosemary
3 -4 sage leaves
1 finely grated Lemon zest
1 clove garlic finely minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
One piece 8 French-trimmed lamb rack
2 1/2 heaped Tbsp whole grained Dijon mustard
Sea salt to season
Freshly ground black pepper to season

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F/Gas 4).

2) In a bowl add the rosemary, zest, garlic, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper into a bowl and stir to combine.

3) Rub the marinade all over the rack and leave for 30 minutes.

4) Place the lamb over in a baking tray lined with aluminium foil. (If you like you can add some baby potatoes or vegetables on the bottom of the tray and place the rack on top of it)

5) Season with extra salt and pepper. Drizsle a bit more olive oil and place the sage leaves on top of the rack.

6) Roast the lamb for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked and nicely pink.

7) Remove the lamb from the oven and leave to rest in a baking tray loosely covered with foil for 5 minutes.

8) Cut the rack into each slice and serve with a side of roasted potatoes and vegetables.

Prune, Cinnamon and Toasted Walnut Cookies with Cinnamon Icing

Of late I think I have been really slacking in updating this blog. From my usual two posts a week it has now gone down to about one. It's not that I don't have recipes to post up but the initial eagerness I had felt when I first started this blog seems to be waning off. Maybe I am going through a "slight depression spell" and need to take a huge step and push myself out from this valley. But whatever it is I have to work this out myself. But rest assured, I definitely will continue blogging for now. In any case I wish you guys a great weekend and leave you with this absolutely delicious cookie recipe.







Prune, Cinnamon and Toasted Walnut Cookies with Cinnamon Icing
Recipe Adapted from "Weekend Baking" by Delia Smith
Makes about 20 cookies

Ingredients:

75g toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
100g unsalted butter, softened
120g brown sugar (you can use white as well)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp plain cream cheese
150g all purpose flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp salt
125g pitted dried prunes, chopped into small pieces

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180C

2) Beat butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Add in the egg and cream cheese and beat until well mixed.

3) Add in half the flour and spices and mix into the batter. Add in the remaining and mix until combined. Then fold in the walnuts and prunes.

4) Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Drop 1 heaped teaspoon onto the tray laving space between each cookie as it will expand.

5) Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes. The cookies will be soft but will harden slightly when cool. Note that these cookies are not crunchy in texture.

Cinnamon Icing:
50g icing sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 - 2 tsp cold water

Mix the above together until it is of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over each cookie and let the icing set.

Laksa Fried Rice With Shrimps

I must confess that I am really a simple person at heart. Simple, home-cooked meals brings such pleasure as it brings back childhood memories. Fried rice and fried rice noodles were staple weekend meals when I was growing up in Malaysia. My siblings and I would look forward to such weekends whenever we knew our mum was going to prepare this. Even though the ingredients used in the dish were simple, I guess to us kids at that time it was as good as eating abalone or lobster. I would usually eat more than a plateful. In fact I think everyone else had more than one serving as well! Even now cooking these two dishes bring back such memories and also that they happened to be my dear LT's favourite meals as well.

I decided to make fried rice this particular weekend. It wasn't because I wanted to evoke childhood memories but simply because I didn't know what to cook. I deviated from the usual chinese fried rice style of cooking and made a spicy flavoured one instead. I must say that it turned out pretty well. Now who says that you can't "cook on the fly" and come up with a tasty meal.



Before I jump into the recipe I had a nice surprise this week - in fact two nice surprises to be exact. I received 2 blog awards. It is really nice to receive such awards as it means that my blogging efforts are being recognized by other bloggers. To this I would like to thank Edith of Precious Moments and Vivian of Vivian Pang Kitchen



Laksa Fried Rice With Shrimps
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 - 4 Tbsp laksa paste (recipe below)
300g medium prawns, shelled and deveined
1 small onion, finely chopped
300g (2 cups) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
3 eggs, lightly whisked
600g (4 cups) pre-cooked long-grain white rice, cold from the fridge
white rice, cooled (see tip)
Salt, light soy sauce and white pepper for seasoning

For Garnishing:

Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Sliced fresh chillies

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a large wok or deep frying pan over high heat. Saute the onions for about a minutes. Then add the laksa paste and fry until fragrant.

2) Add the prawns and mixed vegetables, and stir-fry for 1 minute.

3) Reduce heat to medium-high and add in the cold rice. Cook for about 3 minutes. Then pour in the beaten egg and stir into the rice. Cook for another 3 - 4 minutes, until the rice dries out. Season with salt, soy and pepper to taste.

4) Divide the rice amongst serving bowls. Garnish with chopped coriander and sliced chilles and and serve immediately.

Tip 1: For best results, cook the rice the day before (this allows time for the rice to dry slightly so the grains will be less sticky). Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Tip 2: Instead of making the laksa paste from scratch, you can buy pre-made paste from Asian grocery shops.



Laksa Spice Paste

Ingredients:

3 small shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp crushed blanched candle nuts (or blanched plain almonds)
2 Tbsp soaked dried shrimp
2 fresh lemongrass. white part only, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped fresh galangal
1 tsp shrimp paste
3 fresh chillies, seeds removed and sliced
1 tsp chopped fresh tumeric
2 tsp ground coriander
3 lime leaves (center vein removed) and finely sliced. You can substitute with 1 tsp lime zest

Method:

Place all the above ingredients into a food processor or blender. Add a little bit of water and grind until smooth.

Chilled Tofu with Century Egg and Pork Floss

I regularly prepare chilled tofu dishes at home because it's easy to put together and it is delicious as well. There are in fact so many ways to prepare tofu and to me it is the perfect home-cooked comfort food.

Tofu used to be only cooked in Asian homes or restaurants but now it is found all over the world. Western restaurants are now even incorporating this ingredient into their fusion dishes.



Discovered over 2000 years ago by the Chinese, tofu has on occasions been described as the "Cheese of Asia" because of its physical resemblance to a block of farmer's cheese. It is highly nutritious and is protein-rich as it is made from soybean milk.

Tofu in fact is bland in taste and eaten on it's own is really not very tasty. Because it has such a mild taste it is most suitable for a wide variety of foods, from meat replacements in stir fry, stew or any other main dish to smoothies and desserts. Another great property is that it acts like a sponge and absorbs any seasoning or flavours you would add to the dish. That way you can marinade it and prepare it to taste any way you like. If you are a vegetarian or on a vegan free diet, tofu is the best possible food you could eat to obtain for your required protiens and nutrients.



Chilled Tofu with Century Egg and Pork Floss
Serves 2 to 3
Recipe Adapted from "Food & Travel" Magazine

Ingredients:

150g silken tofu, chilled
1/2 century egg, boiled and diced into small cubes (found in Asian grocers - you can omit this ingredient)
15g pork (or chicken) floss
1 small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp chilled water
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp chilli oil
Pinch of black pepper

Method:

1) Slice the tofu thinly and place on a serving plate.

2) Mix the seasoning together and pour over the tofu. Arrange the diced century egg over and around the tofu. Add a pinch of black pepper.

3) Then sprinkle the century egg, coriander and pork floss over the tofu. Serve immediately.

Nian Gao or Sticky Rice Cake

The Lunar Chinese New Year is celebrated over 15 days. During this period, auspicious food would be consumed and one of this would be Nian Gao or Sticky Rice Cake made from glutinous rice flour and sugar.

Eating Nian Gao, (Chinese: 年糕; pinyin: nián'gāo) during the Lunar New Year is considered good luck as it symbolises increasing one's prosperity every year.This association makes Nian Gao a popular gift item during the New Year period.



The traditional Nian Gao is round with a auspicious decoration such as the character for prosperity 发 on its top. The character is often written in the traditional Chinese script.

It is sold is several sizes small, medium and big. As a gift item, Nian Gao are fashioned into different shapes with attractive packaging to suit the festivee season. Popular designs include a pair of carps 年年有余 symbolizing surplus every year, ingots 元宝, or the God of Wealth 财神. These designs are auspicious symbols and sends good wishes for the New Year.



There are several ways of eating Nian Gao. Some would just consumed it steamed, sometimes steamed and then coat it with freshly grated coconut or else it would be sliced into pieces, dipped into a batter and fried. A popular method of eating this in Malaysia would be to sandwhich it between a thin piece of yam and sweet potato, coat it with batter and then deep fried.





Nian Gao or Sticky Rice Cake

Ingredients:

1 medum size Nian Gao, sliced into squares
1 medium size sweet potato, sliced into squares
1 medium size yam, sliced into squares

For the Batter:

100g rice flour
45g cake flour or all purpose flour
20g corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1 egg
110 - 120 ml ice water

Method:

1) Into a bowl, add all the flour and salt.

2) Add the egg and oil into the ice water and mix. Then gradually pour in the liquid into the flour, stirring to mix until it becomes a thick batter.

3) Sandwich the Nian Gao with 1 piece of yam and 1 piece of sweet potato. Set aside.

4) Heat about 1 cm high vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Once the oil is hot, reduce to medium low heat. Dip the Nian Gao sandwich into the batter and then gently drop into the oil. Becare as it will splatter when it starts to cook.

5) Fry until golden brown. Drain and set aside. Best consumed whilst still warm.

Pineapple Tarts and Happy Lunar New Year

As far back as I can remember, pineapple tarts have been served in every single household we visited during the Chinese Lunar New Year. Our own household served these tarts as well to visitors. Pineapple tarts in fact have a significance to the Lunar New Year.



Pineapple, Feng Li 鳳梨, literary means the phoenix pear. It is also commonly known as 黃梨: Huang Li (in Mandarin) or Wong Lai (in Cantonese) or Ong Lai (in Hokkien). It means the yellow pear or to some, the golden pear. The common vowel of "Wong" or "Ong" in the many Chinese dialect just means one thing which is "prosperity". I guess this is the reason why Pineapple Tarts are served during the Lunar New Year as eating this cookie means it would bring prosperity and maybe the chance of good luck to the individual.



Wishing you and your family a Happy Lunar New Year. May you have lots of prosperity this year.



Pineapple Tarts

Ingredients for the Jam:

4 slightly riped pineapples
400g sugar

Method:

1) Cut the pineapples and remove all eyes. Cut into long wedges removing the center core. Using a food processor, grate the pineapple and put into a non-reactive deep pan.

2) Add the sugar into the pan and cook the mixture over a low heat, until it resembles a thick jam. This will take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Cool and pack into containers. The jam can be refrigerated up to 2 months.

3) For a spice flavour, you can add in a stick of cinnamon and some star anise during the cooking process. Remove the spices before packing into containers.

Ingredients for Pastry:

150g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp corn flour
100g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 Tbsp icing sugar
1 egg yolk

Method:

1) Sieve flour, corn flour, salt, icing sugar and vanilla essence into a mixing bowl.

2) Beat the butter and icing sugar until soft and creamy. Add in the egg yolk and beat until combined.

3) Add the flour mixture all at once and rub into the butter mixture until it resembles bread crumbs.

4) Take a bit of the pastry dough (the rest covered with a slightly damp cloth to keep it from drying) and roll pastry into 1/2 cm thickness. Dust the cutter with some flour and then stamp out the shape onto the rolled out pastry. Place the cut out piece onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

5) Pinch some pineapple jam and roll into a ball with 1cm diameter. Place on the center of the tart.

6) Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 to 22 minutes minutes till lightly golden.

Peanut Cookies

I can't believe how time flies! We had just celebrated Christmas and we will now be celebrating the Lunar New Year in a week's time. Chinese New Year is considered the most important traditional holiday. It is celebrated over two consecutive weeks and is popularly known as Spring Festival. The coming New Year will be the year of the Dragon, which is the 5th sign of the Chinese zodiac. The Dragon is regarded as an auspicious symbol which stands for power, good luck, success, and happiness.



To usher in the New Year, we Chinese have some customs and rituals to perform prior to the celebrations.

Cleaning house and decorating it is definitely a "MUST"! People clean their homes with the belief that it will help them get rid of bad luck and get the house ready to accept good luck in the year ahead. We decorate our front doors and windows with signs and posters having the word "fu" engraved on them, which means good luck and happiness. Adding flowers to the home signifies the coming of spring.

As the coming Lunar New Year ushes in the Dragon, some of these decorations will have the dragon symbol displayed.

One of the popular Chinese New Year traditions is to present your dear ones gifts that are symbols of good luck and prosperity. Most adults gift red envelopes (called "ang pows")filled with money to their younger family members, relatives, and friends. It is a custom not to open the envelopes until the recipient leaves the house of the person who has offered the present. The adults also offer gifts packed in red covers to unmarried family members.



It is also a time for all family members to get together and have a grand meal. Some dishes eaten normally during this festival are Chinese dumplings, long noodles, and oranges. The noodles symbolize long life and oranges are a sign of completeness. Sticky rice cakes and sweets are also eaten during this time.

Wearing new clothes is one of the Chinese New Year traditions. Any clothing that is read is believed to help to get rid of evil spirits. Black clothing is avoided during the New Year.

Chinese New Year has a special significance for the business houses. They offer a special prayer on the 2nd day of the festival, especially if they plan to start a venture at this time of the year. They believe that by doing so, they will be blessed with good fortune and prosperity.

A special highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations is the preparation of the Tray of Togetherness which is octagonal or circular in shape. This tray comes with an assortment of foods like sugared fruits, coconut, winter melon, water chestnut, and lotus seeds. In addition, it may have carrots and tangerines. The purpose is to wish for a sweet beginning in the year ahead.



Peanut Cookies
Recipe Adapted from "Rasa Malaysia"

Ingredients:

4 cups ground roasted peanuts (loosely packed)
1 cup powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil) (I used slightly less than 1 cup)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening (or Crisco)
1 egg yolk, beaten slightly for egg wash

Method:

1) Mix the ground peanut, sugar, oil, shortening and flour together until well combined. Shaped into small balls. Use the rounded tip of a chop stick to make a slight indentation.

2) Brush the top with the egg wash and bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 18 - 20 minutes or until brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

3) Note that the cookies will be very light, so handle with care. When packing, place a piece of parchment on each layer.