Friday, March 27, 2009

Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna presented by Daring Bakers

This month’s March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table as the challenge.

When I read the details, I was particular excited as it reminded me of the time when we were asked to make pizza from scratch, including tossing the pizza dough. In this month’s challenge, we were required to hand make our own spinach pasta and this happens to be the main criteria. This is one task which I certainly would not have attempted from scratch especially when there is easily available pasta in the supermarkets, both fresh and dried. This particular the lasagna has to be accompanied with a béchamel (white) and ragu sauce, either using the recipes provided by our hosts or using our own favourites. Lynne had also kindly included instructions on how to roll the pasta for those of us who do not own a pasta machine … me being one of them! At first I thought of running out and buying a pasta machine but after weighing the pros/cons, decided against it. Hmmm how many times would I be using it any way! Nah .... certainly not worth spending the money!

I used the spinach pasta and béchamel sauce recipes provided but substituted the ragu sauce with my own version. I think the rolling of the pasta was the most difficult of all. I tried to get it as thin as possible and this took some bicep strength. I also didn’t use all the flour that was required for the pasta and omitted about ½ cup out. The dough was already quite dry by then. I think (and I’m not an expert at this) this could be due to the type of flour used and room temperature conditions. When it came to assembling, I followed my own version of layering, plus adding mozzarella in addition to parmesan for the lasagna. However I must have been a bit too over generous with layering the béchamel, ragu sauce and cheese, and these somewhat overwhelmed the spinach pasta. Next time, I’m be way less generous! Overall this is an excellent recipe and the lasagna was delicious. The spinach pasta was very delicate and I found that it’s as good as any found in an Italian restaurant. Many thanks to our March hosts for coming up with another challenging experience and another acquired skill for me.



Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagna Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6to 8 as a main dish)

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe below)
1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (recipe below)
1 recipe Meat Ragu (recipe below)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan)
2 cups grated mozzarella

Working Ahead:

The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagna can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:

Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space.

Cooking the Pasta:

Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagna from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagna:

Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer ragu sauce on top of the sheets. After that sprinkle about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of béchamel sauce. You do not need to spread the béchamel sauce as it will spread out whilst cooking. Then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and mozzarella and your final topping would be a generous dusting of parmesan. (I used only half my ingredients and assembled it into a 3-layer lasagna, using a 10” x 10” square pan. I saved the rest for the day after.)



Baking and Serving the Lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagna. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagna, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 450g dried boxed pasta.


2 jumbo eggs (60g or more)
300g fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 170g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 1/2 cups (400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:
Equipment


A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta. (I used the oven’s baking rack for this purpose)


Mixing the dough:

Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.


Kneading:

With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.



Stretching and Thinning:

If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagna, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm).

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Basic Ragu Sauce:
(serves 6 - 8 as main course)

Ingredients:

200g of minced beef (or substitute with any other minced meat)
200g streaky bacon (sliced into strips)
300g mixed variety of sausages (Cumberland, bratwurst, Italian) casing removed and lightly mixed the meat together
1 medium size carrot, roughly diced
2 stalks of celery, roughly diced
1 large onion, roughly diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 x 400g can of stewed chopped tomatoes
4 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup of canned or freshly prepared stock (beef, chicken or vegetable stock. Alternatively you could use either red/white wine or just water)
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of dried Italian herbs to taste
2 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh ones)

Method:

1) Add oil to pan, and fry the bacon until lightly browned.

2) Add into the same pan, the diced onion and garlic, fry for about 1 minute. Then add in all the diced vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes.

3) Add the minced beef and sausages with the vegetables and fry for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the juices start to seep out. Then add in the canned tomatoes and bay leaves, and stir for about a minute or 2.

4) Then add in the stock and tomato paste. After that cook over low fire, simmering for about 10 minutes and then add in the salt, pepper and herbs to taste. Cover the pot and let it gently simmer for another 20 minutes, and taste. Add more seasoning if insufficient.

Béchamel Sauce
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter
4 Tbsp (60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2 and 2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste (I used store bought nutmeg powder)

Method:

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift in the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg. Once cooked, take off stove. Cut a piece of cling wrap film and cover the top of the sauce to prevent it from form forming a skin.



Tuesday, March 24, 2009

My Bangkok Trip - Part 2

This continues to my earlier post on our recent short holiday to Bangkok, Thailand. On our third (and 2nd last day) day of our holiday, we took a boat cruise along the Chao Phraya river. From the boat, we saw a number of old monuments, buildings and temples. One temple that really stood out was, Wat Arun.



Wat Arun, known as The Temple of Dawn, is located on Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River, right opposite the Grand Palace compound. It is easily accessed by boat from the Bangkok side. The temple dates back to the Ayutthaya period. A 79-metres-tall massive central pagoda commonly called “Phra Prang” is surrounded by four small ones at each corner. The central pagoda was decorated with pieces of multi-coloured glass and porcelain which sparkle in the sun. Wat Arun is among the most famous of the more than 400 Buddhist temples and monasteries in the city.

We also caught sight of the Royal Thai Navy Headquarters,Royal Barge Museum, temples and waterfront houses along the river and its canals.




Later in the morning we took time to visit Royal Thai Handicraft Centre to view craftsmen working on wood carvings. It's amazing to see them chipping away at a block of wood which will eventually become a piece of delicate and intricate carving.



Some other sights around Bangkok city as we spent the rest of the day exploring and shopping.






I also want to share with you another popular Thai dish which I am sure you will enjoy. This quick and easy chicken dish is an excellent introduction to Thai cuisine. Deep frying the basil adds another dimension to this dish. Thai basil, which is sometimes known as Holy basil, has a unique, pungent flavour that is both spicy and sharp. The dull leaves have serrated edges. To deep fry Thai basil leaves, make sure that the leaves are completely dry. Deep fry in hot oil for about 30-40 seconds, lift out and drain on kitchen paper.


Stir-fried Chicken with Holy Basil and Chillies (Gai Pad Krapao)
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 - 4 red chillies, seeded and chopped
450g (1 lb) chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
2 - 3 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
10 - 12 Thai basil leaves
2 red chillies, finely sliced, to garnish
20 Thai basil leaves, deep fried (optional)

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and swirl it around.

2) Add the garlic and chillies and stir-fry until golden.

3) Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes colour.

4) Season with fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry for 3 - 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Stir in the fresh Thai basil leaves. Garnish with sliced chillies and the deep fried basil, if using.


Friday, March 20, 2009

Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake

I had sat out last month's Cake Slice challenge so I told myself that I have to participate this month. Interestingly in this month's challenge, we would be baking a triple layer lemon chiffon cake. This added to a number of other lemon desserts that I have been baking as well. I also found out that the 28th of March is Lemon Chiffon Cake Day in United States ... indeed a coincidence!

What I like about this month's challenge is that the recipe itself sounds so fresh and summery. Not only does the cake calls for a lemon curd filling in-between the layers of chiffon, it has a lemon curd frosting as well. I made the lemon curd and baked the cake on a Friday evening. Both were pretty simple to handle and both tasks turned out according to plan. I scheduled Saturday afternoon to frost the cake. As usual my hubby and I went for our Saturday golf game and later in the afternoon, upon our return, I started to make the lemon frosting. After putting the frosting together I even bothered to chill it for about 20 minutes just to avoid any disaster - that Saturday was scorching (extremely blue skies with hardly a cloud in the sky) and the humidity was pretty high. I should have turned on the air-conditioner when attempting to frost the cake .. this was my mistake! Once I started to put the frosting on the cake and smoothening the sides, it started to wilt on me! Oh dear .. the only thing I could really do was to keep popping the entire cake into the fridge every other 5 minutes or so. My shell piping was a disaster .. extremely amatuerish I must confess. But what the heck, the cake was delicious. I had 2 pieces in total and as my hubby doesn't eat cake, I took the remaining to office for my colleagues to taste and also give feedback. This cake had thumbs up all around, so much for a disaster turned success!



Triple Lemon Chiffon Cake
(Adapted from: Sky High Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes by Alisa
Huntmans and Peter Wynne)
Makes a 9" triple layer cake


Ingredients for the Cake:

8 eggs, separated
1/4 cup walnut oil**
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 and 3/4 cups of cake flour*
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

[*1 cup of cake flour is equal to 3/4 cup of AP flour plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch]
[**equal amount of either almond oil, hazelnut oil, or canola oil]

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 350*degrees F. Line the bottoms of three 9-inch pans with parchment paper but do not butter or grease the pans.

2) In a med-large bowl whisk together the egg yolks, oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and water.

3) In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar on medium speed until light and frothy. Slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar and continue to beat until soft peaks form.

4) Sift the flour, remaining sugar, baking soda , and salt into a large bowl. Whisk gently to combine. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in the egg yolk mixture and mix to create a smooth paste. Add one-fourth of the egg whites and fold in to lighten the batter. Fold in the remaining egg whites and divide the batter among the three pans.

5) Bake for about 16 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Transfer to wire racks to cool in the pans. Once cool run a knife around the cake to in order to un-mold the cakes. Carefully pull off the parchment paper from the bottoms of the cakes.



To Assmble Cake:

1) Place one layer on a cake stand. Top with a heaping 1/4 cup of lemon curd and spread it evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Frost the top of the cake and the sides with the lemon cream frosting.

Rich Lemon Curd
(Makes 1 cup)

Ingredients for the Curd:

3 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
grated zest of three lemons
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temp.

1) Whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice , and lemon zest together in a medium bowl. Transfer to a small non-reactive saucepan. Gently heat the mixture, whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. make sure not to boil the mixture. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a heatproof bowl.

2) Stir in the butter and cover the curd with plastic making sure the plastic touches the curd. This should prevent a skin from forming on the curd. Refrigerate until cold. Then remove 3 tablespoons of curd and set it aside for the icing.

Lemon Cream Frosting
(Makes 3 1/4 cups)

Ingredients for the Frosting:

1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
3 tablespoon of lemon curd

Whip the cream and sugar in a large chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold in the lemon curd, forming a stiff frosting.



Monday, March 16, 2009

Cantonese Fried Rice

What would you do if you had left over white rice? Well for me, it becomes another dinner dish the next day, fried rice. What works best for cantonese fried rice (or any other type of chinese fried rice for the fact) is one day old white rice. I guess if you used a day old rice, the individual rice grains would be dried out and hardened slightly. So when you fry the rice, it won't stick together and end up being lumpy. A good looking plate of fried rice should have individual grains and only then would it be tasty and presentable.


Ingredients used in fried rice are greatly varied. They can include eggs, poultry and meat (chicken and pork), prawns, vegetables (carrots, bean sprouts, celery, peas, corn), spices and peppers, and soy sauce. I'm guessing that the name "fried rice" comes from the fact that the rice is fried in a wok. However you can use a deep fying pan which will work just as well. Fried rice is popularly eaten either as an accompaniment to another dish, or as a course by itself. Popular garnishes include fried shallots, sprigs of parsley, carrots carved into intricate shapes or sliced chili sprinkled on top of the heaped rice. Many food stands found on the streets across Southeast Asia will serve fried rice on the spot expecting the customer to choose which garnishes to add.

My own version of Cantonese Fried Rice has incorporated quite a number of short-cuts and can therefore be dished out in no time at all. Just remember to cook extra white rice the next time round when you are having a meal.


Cantonese Fried Rice
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 each eggs, lightly beaten
1 large onion, diced into cubes
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup sliced mushrooms
6 to 8 cups (depending on how hungry you are) cooked fluffy rice, cold
1 large can luncheon meat, diced into cubes (you can substitue with any chicken, pork or prawns. If you are game, you could also use chinese sausages or BBQ pork, even tastier)
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
Small bunch of green onions, sliced finely
Salt, soy sauce and white pepper to taste

Method:

1) Heat up 1 Tbsp of oil in work. Add the eggs and scramble over a high heat, stirring constantly until eggs are cooked. Remove from pan and hold for later.

2) Add the remaining oil to wok and heat until oil begins to smoke.

3) Add the cubed luncheon meat and cook until lightly brown. Then add in the onions and fry for about 1 minute. Add the frozen vegetables/mushrooms and cook another minute.

4) Then add in all the rice and stir to mix for about 1 minute. Add a pinch of salt, soy sauce and pepper. Taste as you are frying and if needed, add more seasoning. Cook the rice for about 4 - 5 minutes, ensuring that everything is mixed thoroughly.

5) Finally add the bean sprouts and scrambled eggs and stir to mix. Cook for 1 minute.

6) Place rice in serving dish, sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately. You can serve the rice with sliced fresh chillies dipped in some soya sauce. (We usually eat our fried rice with bottled chilli sauce or local sambal)



Thursday, March 12, 2009

My Bangkok Trip - Part 1

We left for our Bangkok trip on a Saturday morning, 2 weekends ago, on Thai Airways. There are now quite a number of discounted airfares that's being advertised in our local newspapers. It's probably because the airlines and travel agents are enticing more people to travel due to the economic slowdown. It's kind of ironic when you hear "economic slowdown" but here we are travelling overseas. The last time we were in Bangkok was about 8 years ago and the city itself has changed a lot since then. Bangkok now have a sky-train and an underground mass transit rail. This helps somewhat with the traffic as Bangkok has many cars on their roads.

Upon arrival in Bangkok in the late morning, we immediately checked into the hotel, dumped our luggage in the room and then headed off to visit a local travel agent. This is to book our trip the next morning to the floating market. The most famous floating market, Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, operates on Saturday and Sunday, and is located about 80km outskirts of Bangkok city in Ratchaburi province. The Damnoen Saduak canal was ordered to be built in 1866 by King Rama IV of the Chakri Dynasty to facilitate waterborne travels between Ratchaburi and Samutsakhon Provinces. It was finished and opened to the public in 1868. Nowadays, apart from providing transportation, Damnoen Saduak canal also provides local farmers with adequate water for agricultural purposes. A number of canals were dug to connect with it by local peasants to get water to splatter their land. As the excellent quality soil along the canal is very fertile, the area has a high potential for producing various kinds of fruits and vegetables.






The hustle and bustle of the Sunday market greeted us when we arrived. There were small paddle boats and motorized boats going up and down the canals. It was totally chaotic; crowded with tourist, locals and local peddlers selling fruits, cooked food, souvenirs and all sorts of other goods. I mentioned to my husband that not only were the streets in Bangkok city packed with traffic, it was also the same at the floating market. Even with the crowd and noise, we were totally absorbing in our surroundings and were thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We even tasted some of the cooked food that was being sold from the wooden paddle boats.







On top of sharing some of the photos which we took at the floating market, I also want to share a very popular Thai dish with you. Just by looking at the photos, you will immediately know what dish I'm referring to .... it's none other than Tom Yum Goong. I made this dish one week after we returned, maybe to bring back some fond memories of our recent Bangkok trip.


Tom Yum Goong (King Prawn Soup with Chilli and Lime)
Recipe adapted from Lemongrass & Sweet Basil by Khamtane Signavong)
(serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 litre fish stock (you can either use home-made stock or canned stock. I used cube bullion stock)
1 lemongrass stalk, sliced into rings
4 slices of galangal
4 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 1/2 Tbsp roasted chilli paste** (you can use bottled Thai chilli paste which can be purchased from an Asian grocery shop)
4 hot chillies, or to taste
8 straw or button mushrooms, quartered
8 raw king prawns, shelled and deveined
4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
4 1/2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp chopped coriander
1 Tbsp finely sliced spring onion
8 coriander leaves, to garnish

Method:

1) Bring the stock to the boil in a large pan, add the lemongrass, galangar, kaffir lime leaves and roasted chilli paste and simmer for about 20 minutes.

2) Increase the heat and bring to the boil, add the chilli and mushrooms and bring back to the boil. Add the king prawns, cook for 2 minutes then add the lime juice, fish sauce, chopped coriander and spring onion. Stir together briefly and serve garnished with coriander leaves.

**Roasted Red Chilli Paste (Nam Prik Pao)

4 Tbsp vegetable oil
15 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 shallots, peeled and chopped
5 dried red chillies, deseeded and soaked in warm water
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 Tbsp palm sugar
1 Tbsp tamarind juice
1 1/2 tsp salt

1) Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat, add the garlic and shallots and fry until golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

2) Add the chillies and fry until brown. In a mortar (you can use a blender), pound the chillies, garlic, shallots and shrimp paste until fine and return to the work along with the palm sugar, tamarind juice and salt. Stir-fry over a low heat until the mixture has aromatized and thickened. This paste can be kept in a jar for up to 3 months, top up with vegetable oil to prevent drying.



Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Steamed Scallops on Half Shell

We were at the supermarket one afternoon and came across a few bags of scallops that were going for S$1.00 (US$0.60) each. My husband was the one that spotted them and pointed it out to me. I wasn't even sure what they were in the first place as I usually see scallops without their shells. He said that they were scallops and was excitedly pointing out to me that it's only S$1.00. An absolute bargain! We counted out about 5 pieces per bag. I was guessing that these were the ramnants for the day and the supermarket was clearing the remaining stock quickly. There were about 3 bags left, so we grabbed 2 and added them to our basket of groceries.

I decided to cook them later in the evening. It seemed a good idea to eat them whilst still fresh and to taste it's freshness, the best method of cooking would be to simply steam them.

Also guess what and you probably wouldn't believe it ... I must confess that that I don't know how to clean scallops and had to look up a quick tutorial at YouTube!



Steamed Scallops on Half Shell
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

6-8 scallops on the half shell
1 stalk green onion (cut diagonally)
1 cm young ginger, sliced very thinly
3 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon water
1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
3 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
2 Tbsp oil

Method:

1) Mix the soy sauce, Chinese wine, water and blend well. Set aside.

2) Heat up a wok, add in the oil and stir fry the chopped garlic until light brown. Dish out and set aside. Then add the sliced ginger, fry lightly and set aside.

3) Lay the scallops on a plate, add the soy sauce mixture on each of them and steam for 4-5 minutes or as soon as the scallops turn opaque. Add some garlic oil, fried garlic, giner and chopped scallions on each scallop and serve immediately.