Daring Cooks With a Pierogi Challenge

The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen . They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

When I first read the challenge the first thought came to mind was "What is a Pierogi?". After some reading, I found out that Pierogi started in Eastern Europe in the late 1800's and have been served as a side dish ever since. The Polish (who may be the originators), call them pierogis, translated into English means "small pies" Pierogi is a small pocket of dough made of flour, egg, salt and water, and is usually stuffed with a variety of combined ingredients. These ingredients could be a combination of potato and cheese, potato and onion, or sauerkraut and mushrooms, then boiled, steamed, fried or baked.

It was lucky that we were allowed to reinvent the pierogi to our local versions. I decided to interpret the original recipe to the Chinese dumpling. Would you be surprised if I told you that the word "Chinese Dumpling" would throw out 43 different versions from the internet? Well it does! Chinese dumplings can comprise of a sweet or a savoury filing. It can be pan-fried, deep-fried, boiled, steamed and sometimes even baked. I came across this particular recipe from a very old food and travel magazine. It is really, really easy and the filing is somewhat unusual.



Pan-Fried Chives Dumpling
Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:

100g plain flour
50ml water
200g chives, finely diced
3 Tbsp of spicy dried shrimp sambal (recipe as below)
1 beaten egg, fried and finely diced
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp white pepper

Method:

1) Mix the flour and water together until it formsa dough. Knead the dough and leave aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

2) In a bowl, mix the chives, spicy shrimp sambal, egg, sesame oil, vegetable oil, salt and pepper.

3) Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece out thinly into a 4" circle.

4) In each piece, add sufficient filing, then fold in half. Press the edges together to seal the dumpling. Then pleat the edges to shape into a puff.

5) In a non-stick pan, add about 2 Tbsp vegetable oil. Pan-fry until dumplings on both sides until golden brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately with a chilli dipping sauce.

Spicy Dried Shrimp Sambal (Sambal Udang Kering)
Recipe from "The Kuali"

Ingredients:

250g dried prawns, soaked and pounded finely
2 Tbsp tamarind pulp combined with 100ml water (squeeze, then strain the tamarind juice)
4 stalks lemongrass, smashed
Oil for frying

Spice Ingredients (to grind until fine)

4 candlenuts (buah keras)
2cm piece fresh turmeric
2cm square piece shrimp paste (belacan)
8 fresh red chillies
5-6 dried chillies, soaked and seeded
80g garlic
150g shallots

Seasoning:

4-4 1/2 Tbsp sugar or to taste
3/4 - 1 tsp salt or to taste

Method:

1) Heat a little oil in a wok and fry lemongrass until fragrant. Reduce the heat to low and add blended spice ingredients. Fry until fragrant.

2) Add dried prawns and continue to fry for a while. Mix in tamarind juice and fry over a low heat until mixture is almost dry. (Keep stirring while frying to prevent it from sticking to the base of the wok). Adjust seasoning to taste. Dish out and leave to cool completely.

Daring Cooks Challenge with Nut Butters

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and
Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies . They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

Nutrition research suggests that nuts are good for your health. Nut butters, or pureed nuts, make it easy to use nuts in cooking. Although peanut butter is a staple in North America, most popular as the star ingredient in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and beloved in peanut butter cookies and other sweets, it's seldom used in preparing savory dishes. Nut butters -- including not only peanut butter but almond, cashew, and walnut butters -- are common ingredients in many Asian and African countries, used in a wide array of savory dishes. Nut butters add complex & interesting flavors to dishes, provide body & thickness to sauces, and can be used to replace the dairy fats or other oils in recipes.

I was very excited with this month's challenge as using nuts in cooking can be found in a number of Asian recipes. I decided to go all out Asian this month and be even more adventurous than normal. In fact I decided to come up with two recipes. The first recipe is Gado-Gado or Indonesian Salad with a Peanut Sauce.





Gado-Gado (Indonesian Salad with Peanut Sauce)
Recipe Adapted from "Meals from Asian Kitchen"
Serves 4 - 5

Ingredients for the Salad:

300g water convolvulous (kangkong), cut into 3" length, blanched
500g beansprout, cleaned and blanched
200g longbeans, cut into 3cm length, blanched
300g cabbage cut into bite sized and blanched
400g cucumber, cut into bite sized pieces and blanched
4 hard boiled egges, cut into quarters
3 large soya bean cakes (taukwa), fried and cut into 1" cubes
200g boiled potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
3 pieces of tempeh (fermented soya bean cakes), fried and cut into bite sized pieces
2 - 3 cups of prawn crackers

Ingredients for the Sauce:

500g raw peanuts
20 fresh red chillies
150g shallots
4 cloves garlic
2" x 2" piece shrimp paste (belacan)
80g palm sugar (gula melaka) cut into small pieces
50g tamarind paste, soaked in 225ml water
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1) Prepare vegetables and other salad ingredients and arrange on a large platter. Set aside.

2) Grind chillies, shallot garlic and shrimp paste and set aside.

3) Roast the peanuts, cool and remove skin. Pound coarsely. Boil the peanuts in 1 litre of water for an hour over low fire. Stir occassionally

4) Fry the grinded paste with 3 tbsp oil until fragrant. Remove and add this to the peanuts which have been cooking for 1 hour. Stir well to mix and cook for 5 mins.

5) Now include the palm sugar, tamarind sauce and salt to taste. Simmer for another 5 mins. Transfer to a serving bowl.

6) Serve salad with prawn crackers and peanut sauce.





My second recipe is Glutinous Rice Ball or Tang Yuan (汤圆 in Chinese), also known as Ah Balling, is a Teochew Chinese Dessert. Basically, it comprises glutinous rice balls served in a hot sweet soup, such as peanut soup or even ginger soup. It has a filling which can be made of peanut paste, yam or black sesame paste. In Chinese culture, it is traditionally served on Dong Zhi, the winter solstice. By eating tang yuan, you welcome in the winter and become one year older. Tang yuan makes a delicious winter snack and is easy to prepare. Despite its association with mid-winter, it can be enjoyed at any time of year. I decided to make mine with a black sesame paste filling.



Glutinous Rice Dumplings with Black Sesame Paste (Tang Yuan)
Recipe Adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

8 oz. glutinous rice (sticky rice) flour
180 ml water (3/4 cup water)
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons)

Ginger syrup

50g of fresh ginger
80g of sugarcane rock sugar
10g of pandan leaves (tied into a knot)
10g of chrysanthemum flowers
4 cups of water

Method:

1) Lightly toast the black sesame seeds over medium fire until you smell the aroma of the black sesame seeds. The sesame seeds will start popping when they are heated, so use your lid to cover. Don’t burn the black sesame seeds; transfer them out and let cool as soon as they smell aromatic.

2) Use a mini food processor to grind the black sesame seeds until they become fine. Transfer the ground black sesame into a wok, add sugar and butter and stir well to form a thick paste. If they are too dry, add more butter. Dish out and let cool in the fridge. (This will make the filling easier to handle)

3) In a big bowl, mix the glutinous rice flour with water until it forms a smooth paste and no longer sticks to your hands. Divide it equally into 16-20 balls (depends how you like the size, the bigger the size, the easier it is to do the filling). Flatten each ball in your palm, and then use a pair of chopsticks to pick up some black sesame paste and lay it in the middle of the flatten ball. Fold the edge to seal the dumpling. Lightly roll it into a ball shape using both palms, very gently and delicately. Set aside.

4) Prepare the ginger syrup by boiling the water. Add the ginger and screwpine/pandan leaves (optional) into the water and boil for 10-15 minutes with medium heat. Add sugar and chrysanthemum flowers and boil for another 5 minutes. Lower heat to simmer and reduce to about 3 cups of water. Add more sugar to taste if you like.

5) Heat up another pot of boiling water. Drop the dumplings into the hot boiling water. As soon as they float to the top, transfer them out and into the ginger syrup. Turn off heat and serve the black sesame dumplings in a bowl immediately.

Cook’s Notes:

Don’t be too greedy with the black sesame paste. Use moderate amount for your dumplings or else the dumplings might “burst” when you roll them into balls. They might also “burst” during boiling.

You want to boil the dumplings separately so the ginger syrup doesn’t get cloudy. In case some of your black sesame dumplings burst, you will not ruin the ginger syrup.

If you wish to have the black sesame dumplings without the ginger syrup, just boil them in the hot boiling water and serve your dumplings with that hot water. Eat only the dumplings, but not the hot water.

Going French with a Pâté Challenge

Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz and Valerie of The Chocolate Bunny , chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pâté recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.

Coming up with a pâté from scratch is practically unheard of in my repetiore of baking and cooking. In fact I can definitely count with one hand the number of times I've ever eaten pâté. And even then, it would be canned pâté usually from the local supermarket shelf. So if it was not for me participating in Daring Cooks, you will never ever find pâté being posted in this blog.

Now what is pâté? In Wikipedia, it says that pâté is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste. Common additions include vegetables, herbs, spices, and wine. Pâté made of meat can be cooked in a variety of ways such as baked in a crust and this is called pâté en croûte or it can be also be baked in a terrine (or other mold), in which case it is known as pâté en terrine. Vegetarian pâtés based on tofu, mushrooms, nuts or various beans are also available. These pâtés do not require cooking and are easily made with a food processor. In Vietnam, pâté is commonly used on banh mi baguette type sandwiches.

For this month's challenge, I decided to make a pâté made of chicken which would be wrapped in proscuitto. I accompanied this with a dark German rye bread rather than the usual french baguette.





Chicken and Sausage Pâté Terrine
Recipe Adapted from "Fresh with Anna Olson"

Ingredients:

3 cups stale white bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/3 cup whipping cream
2 large egg whites
400g fresh minced chicken meat
3 brawurst spicy sausage meat, sausage casing removed
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced dried apricots
3 tablespoons orange liqueur
1/2 cup roasted walnut, wholes
10-12 slices proscuitto ham
5 - 6 fresh bay leaves

Method:

1) Toss cubed bread with whipping cream and egg whites and let sit for 30 minutes. Stir to blend (bread should break down while stirring) and set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 325°F. In a food processor, blend chicken with salt, ginger, lemon zest and pepper. Add bread mixture and blend until smooth. Soak dried apricots in orange liqueur for 5 minutes. Add to chicken mixture.

3) Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in apricots and pecan halves.

4) Line an 8 ½-x-4 ½-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Line bottom and sides of parchment paper with prosciutto ham, so that ham hangs of the sides of the pan.

5) Spoon and spread half of the chicken filling into pan. Then spread a thin layer of sausage meat on top of the chicken. Randomly place the fresh bay leaves on top of the sausage meat. Then spoon the remain chicken filing on top. Fold prosciutto over to cover completely, adding extra prosciutto if necessary.

6) Place a piece of parchment over top of pan and cover with foil. Bake on a baking tray for about 50 minutes, until an internal temperature of 165°F is reached. Cool terrine, then chill completely before turning out and slicing.





German Dark Rye Bread
Recipe Adapted from RecipeZaar
Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup molasses
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
3 1/2 cups rye flour
cooking oil
2 cups water

Directions:

1) In large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, cocoa, yeast, and caraway seed.

2) Heat and stir molasses, butter, sugar, 2 cups water and 2 Tablespoons oil until warm (about 110°-115°F).

3) Add to dry mixture.

4) Beat at low speed on electric mixer 1/2 minutes, scraping bowl. Then continue to beat for another 3 minutes

5) Then by hand, stir in enough rye flour to make a soft dough.

7) Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead till smooth (about 5 minutes).

8) Cover, and let rest 20 minutes. Uncover, and punch down the dough. Divide the dough into half. Shape into 2 round or oval loaves on greased baking sheets.

9) Brush the loaves with small amount of cooking oil. Slash tops with a sharp knife.

10) Cover the loaves and let it rise until double in size (45-60 minutes).

11) Place loaves onto tray and bake at 400C degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove and place on racks to cool completely.

Ole' with Enchiladas

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna & Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on Fine Cooking and written by Robb Walsh.

I guess you can say that we are no strangers to Mexican food but then again we ain't experts either. We ventured as far as fajitas and tacos only. So making enchiladas would be new territories but then again that's the main reason I joined Daring Kitchen. This group is amazing and even had a mention in The Independent . Every month, a new host will challenge all of us with a completely different recipe and most times, from different countries. We were allowed to make variations of enchiladas but the main criteria was to make the sauce from scratch. I decided to keep the recipe simple and decided on using chicken meat. My hubby is not keen on red meat at all. But he was keen on trying out the enchiladas especially after being told it would be smothered with melting cheese. I had also wanted to try my hand at making some corn tortilla wraps from sractch but I could not find masa harina flour at all. So that idea got tossed out the window and I ended up taking the easy way out .... store bought flour tortillas. Anyway the enchiladas were delicious and I will certainly be making this again. Many thanks Barbara and Bunnee for another great challenge!



Chicken Enchiladas
(makes enough for 8 - 10 wraps)

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium sized onion, diced
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 can chopped stewed tomatoes (or equivalent in fresh cherry tomatoes)
1/4 cup can tomato sauce (or substitute with 1 Tbsp of tomato paste)
1 tsp cumin
400g minced chicken (you can substitute with turkey, beef or lamb)
2 minced chipotle peppers (I used a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, roughly chopped
Salt and crushed black pepper to taste
8 pieces flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese (yellow and white) grated
Salsa, sour cream and guacamole as condiments

Method for the Filing:

1) Heat oil in pan. Saute onion and garlic on medium heat until they begin to turn translucent.

2) Add chicken, brown for a few minutes and add seasonings.

3) Add tomatoes (crushing as you go if you used whole cherry tomatoes) and tomato sauce. Let sauce simmer and reduce until barely any liquid remains. The sauce should resemble consistency of a thick chilli. Set aside and cool.



Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 small chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 can tomato sauce
Salt and crushed black pepper to taste

Method for the Sauce:

1) Heat oil in small sauce pan on medium heat, add onion and garlic. Stir until onions are translucent.

2) Add in chipotle chile and other seasonings, stir to combine.

3) Add in tomato sauce, stir and bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

To Assemble the Enchiladas:

1) Heat the oven to 200C.

2) Warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Remove and lay one piece on a flat surface. Spoon about 2 Tbsp of the chicken filing across the center of the wrap.

3) Sprinkle some cheese over the filing.

4) Roll one side towards the other and place into a glass baking dish. Continue to do this for the next enchiladas, until you fill up the baking dish.

5) Pop the dish into the oven for about 5 mins. Remove from oven and pour the enchilada sauce over the wraps.

6) Top with a liberal sprinkling of cheese and place it back into the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes, or until the cheese just starts to bubble.

7) Remove and serve with salsa, guacomole and sour cream.

Brunswick Stew - A Southern Classic Presented by Daring Cooks

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf's Den . She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

Now what is a Brunswick Stew (that's me asking myself)? According to Wikipedia, Brunswick Stew essentially resembles a very thick vegetable soup with meat. The key distinguishing factor between soup and Brunswick stew is the consistency. Brunswick stew must be thick; otherwise, it would be vegetable soup with meat added. Most variations have more meat and vegetables than liquid. It further adds that recipes for Brunswick stew vary greatly but it is usually a tomato-based stew containing various types of lima beans/butter beans, corn, okra, and other vegetables, and one or more types of meat. The authentic Brunswick Stew uses squirrel or rabbit meat, but in today's terms chicken, pork, and beef are probably the most common types of meats used.

According to one story, Brunswick stew was named for Brunswick County, Virginia. Apparently, in 1828, Dr. Creed Haskins of the Virginia state legislature asked for a special squirrel stew from "Uncle Jimmy" Matthews to feed people attending a political rally. Brunswick, Georgia residents claim their stew is the original. It's just as likely the stew -- or at least a very similar version -- was created much earlier. With the original ingredients of game (usually squirrel) and corn, and long simmering over an open fire, it's typical of early native dishes.

I can honestly say I had no clue what to expect from this recipe at all. I've had stews before but one such as this, NO! From what I had read in the Daring Cooks forum, the stew should be so thick that a wooden spoon could stick up straight if it was stuck in the middle of the pot. The stew was very flavourful and robust. In fact it tasted even better the next day but I think I'll be sticking with stews I'm more familiar with.










Brunswick Stew
Serves 5 - 6
Recipe Adapted from "The Williamsburg Cookbook"

Ingredients:

1 medium sized chicken (about 1.5kg or slightly more)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tbsp bacon bits (fried until crispy, keep 2 Tbsp of the oil)
1 can of stewed tomatoes
1 medium tomato, remove the seeds/pulp and cut into 1" cubes
1 cup broad beans (I couldn't find lima beans)
2 medium potatoes, diced into 1" cubes
1 can corn kennels
1/2 cup baby carrots, cut into 1" length
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 dried bay leaves
2 tsp fresh taraggon
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

1) Cut chicken into pieces, remove the skin. Blanch the chicken pieces in a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes to remove some of the scum.

2)Throw away the water and rinse the chicken quickly. Add 2 quarts of water into the pot. Throw in the bay leaves. Simmer the chicken until the meat can be easily removed from the bones - this should take about 1 1/2 hours (or slightly less).

3) Once chicken is soft, take out from the pot and debone it. Shred the chicken meat and set aside.

4) Add all the raw vegetables to broth and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are cooked.

5) Finally add in the shredded chicken, taraggon, seasoning and bacon oil. Simmer for about 2 minutes and your stew is done.

Mezze Platter - a Daring Cooks Challenge!

The 2010 February Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. Michele chose to challenge everyone to make mezze based on various recipes from Claudia Roden, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Dugid.

I really had fun with this month's challenge and am really glad I decided to sign up as a Daring Cook. I've had middle eastern food before at Turkish/Lebanese restaurants in Singapore and also had a chance to visit Turkey many years ago. To me Turkey was such an experience - the country, the people and the food. I loved it whilst there and hope to have the opportunity to visit again.

Having said that cooking middle eastern food is totally new to me. Had it not been for this challenge, I can rightfully say that I would not even attempt it. I managed to dedicate one Sunday afternoon to prepare this for our Sunday dinner. My husband has never tasted hummus before and he simply loved it. I also made a separate dip made of basil pesto and macadamians which he loved as well. I don't suppose this is a middle eastern dip?



Pita Bread
Recipe adapted from Flatbreads & Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid
Prep time: 20 minutes to make, 90 minutes to rise and about 45 minutes to cook

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons regular dry yeast (.43 ounces/12.1 grams)
2.5 cups lukewarm water (21 ounces/591 grams)
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (may use a combination of 50% whole wheat and 50% all-purpose, or a combination of alternative flours for gluten free pita) (17.5 -21 ounces/497-596 grams)
1 tablespoon table salt (.50 ounces/15 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil (.95 ounces/29 ml)

Method:

1) In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours.

2) Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

3) Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).

4) Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack.

5) Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn't puff up, don't worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.



Hummus
Recipe adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Prep Time: Hummus can be made in about 15 minutes once the beans are cooked. If you’re using dried beans you need to soak them overnight and then cook them the next day which takes about 90 minutes.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking) (10 ounces/301 grams)
2-2.5 lemons, juiced (3 ounces/89ml)
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) OR use peanut butter or any other nut butter—feel free to experiment) (1.5 ounces/45 grams)

Method:

1) Drain and boil the soaked chickpeas in fresh water for about 1 ½ hours, or until tender. Drain, but reserve the cooking liquid.

2) Puree the beans in a food processor (or you can use a potato masher) adding the cooking water as needed until you have a smooth paste.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Adjust the seasonings to taste.


Mezza Platter with everything on it



Middle Eastern Sesame Lamb Meatballs With Cucumber Yogurt Dip
Recipe "Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon" by Claudia Roden
Makes about 32 meatballs

Ingredients:

1/3 cup minced onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried mint, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
a pinch cinnamon
1 pound ground lamb (10% fat)
1 cup fine fresh bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten lightly
2 tablespoons dried currants
1/4 cup black sesame seeds*
1/4 cup white sesame seeds, toasted lightly

*available at Asian markets and some specialty foods shops and supermarkets

To make the meatballs:

In a small non-stick skillet cook onion and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in mint, salt, allspice, and cinnamon. Add lamb, bread crumbs, egg, and currants and combinewell. Form level tablespoons of lamb mixture into 1 1/4-inch meatballs, arranging on a tray as formed.

In a small bowl roll half of meatballs, 1 at a time, in black sesame seeds until coated, transferring to a rack set in a shallow baking pan. Coat remaining meatballs with white sesame seeds in same manner, transferring to rack. Meatballs may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered loosely.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Bake meatballs in upper third of oven 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden and just cooked through.

Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce
Yields about 1 cup

1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and finely diced English cucumber
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk or lowfat yogurt, preferably Greek
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro



Aromatic Lamb/Beef Meatballs
Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson
Makes approximately 78 lamb meatballs

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb/beef
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 egg
Vegetable oil, for frying

Method:

1) Put the lamb into a bowl and add the scallions. Sprinkle over the spices, salt, and semolina, and then beat the egg adding to the bowl. Work everything together thoroughly with your hands, and then cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour.

2) Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and scoop out a scant teaspoon of the mixture. Roll in your hands to form the meatball and place on the lined baking sheet. Have a bowl of cold water beside you to dampen your hands with; this helps them not get too sticky for rolling the meatballs.

3) When you are ready to cook them, heat about 1/2-inch of oil in a frying pan. Line another baking sheet with kitchen towel, and when the oil is hot, fry the meatballs in batches without overcrowding the pan. Cook them for about a minute a side, or until golden brown all over.


Chicken wings are a popular mezze item. These chicken wings are quite lemony and garlicky, and therefore makes great finger food.

Jawaneh (Grilled Chicken Wings with Lemon and Chicken)

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
2 to 4 garlic cloves, crushed
16 chicken wings
2 Tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method:

1) Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic, and place the chicken wings in the marinade. Leave for 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator.

2) Remove the wings from the marinade and place them on a piece of foil on a baking tray and cook them under a preheated broiler for 7 minutes, turning them over once. Or barbecue them over glowing embers for the same amount of time. Serve them sprinkled with chopped parsley.



Cherry Tomato & Onion Salad

I also included a quick salad made of cherry tomatoes, diced small red onions, cucumber, fresh cilantro mixed with lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning.

Satay

The January 2010 Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day.

Early this month I decided that I wanted to do something different for this year and stray away from Daring Bakers to which I have been an ardent member for more than a year and a half. However I am not totally out of this group yet as I have decided to sign up as a Daring Cook instead. This group concentrates more on cooking rather than baking and it's something which I hope to do more this year. And their past challenges such as dumplings, sushi and vietnamese pho have inspired me a lot. I am really looking forward this new adventure!

When Cuppy posted up that this month's challenge was satay, my immediate thoughts was this would be a breeze. For us Malaysians we have practically grown up with a satay in our mouths (metaphor only ok). In fact satay can be said to be one of our national dishes. It can be found easily along street walks, coffee shops, restaurants and even hotels. Heh I forgot to mention that they now come frozen as well - not that this existed when I was young.

Although Cuppy's original recipe seems more Thai, I have decided to do my own "national" dish version - Malaysian satay. And how is this served? It's accompanied with a peanut sauce, ketupat (which is a Malaysian version of cooked rice cake specially wrapped in coconut leaves) and a side dish of raw sliced cucumbers and red onions. Different types of meat are used in Malaysian satay such as beef, chicken, lamb, mutton and pork (which is only sold by the Chinese satay vendors). The satay is cooked over a charcoal grill and the meat is constantly baste in oil using a lemongrass brush (read below to understand what a "lemongrass brush" is)



Satay

Ingredients for the Satay

1 lb beef [tenderloin, rib eye or flank steak]
1 lb boneless chicken [preferably dark meat]
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 Tbsp sugar
12 shallots **
6 cloves garlic **
1" turmeric root **
1 tsp white peppercorn **
1 tsp coriander seeds **
2 tsp fennel seeds **
2 tsp cumin seeds **
1 tsp belacan

** ingredients to be grounded together finely

Ingredients for Satay Peanut Sauce:

3 candlenuts (This is called buah keras in Malay. If you can't find this, you can substitute with macadamia nuts)
2 Tbsp tamarind pulp
3 cups coconut milk (fresh or canned)
2 cups roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup warm water
3 Tbsp sugar
salt to taste
2-3 med red onions **
6 cloves garlic **
5 Tbsp chili paste **
2 stalks lemongrass, 4 to 6 inch of the ‘white’’ ends only, coarsely chopped **
1 tsp belacan [dried shrimp paste] **

** ingredients to be grounded together finely

Miscellaneous :

2 seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size wedges
2 red onions, cut in bite-size wedges
about 50 bamboo skewers, soaked in water 1 hour (this is to present the skewers from burning whilst on the grill)
4 Tbsp oil combined with 1 tbsp sugar [This is the oil mixture for basting]
1 lemongrass stalk - cut the leaves or blades end straight across. Use a string to tie it into a basting brush [optional]

To Prepare Satay:

1) Using a blender, grind shallots, garlic, turmeric root [or galangal, or ginger], peppercorn, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and belacan into a paste

2) Add turmeric powder and sugar to the paste, and mix well. [This is the satay marinade]

3) Slice beef and chicken into thin long strips, and place into separate containers. To each meat, add half each of the satay marinade, and mix well to evenly coat the strips of meat

4) MARINATE the beef and chicken strips for at least 3-4 hours. Best if marinated overnight [refrigerated]

5) Tread 3 to 5 strips of meat onto each bamboo skewer, leaving 3 to 4 inch bare at the 'handle end'

6) Grill satays on a hot charcoal bbq grill, indoor grill or on a stovetop grill pan until golden brown. Turn and baste often with the sugar and oil mixture, preferably with your homemade 'lemongrass brush'

7) Serve Satay with a small bowl of satay peanut sauce for dipping, and with cucumber and onion slices. Malaysian satay is often served with Ketupat, [a Malay rice cake].



To Prepare Satay Peanut Sauce:

1) Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind chili paste, onions, garlic, candlenuts, belacan and lemongrass into a paste

2) In a bowl, add warm water to tamarind pulp. Using your fingers, squish and mix the tamarind pulp to extract ‘juice’. Strain to discard seeds and fibers

3) In a saucepan, heat oil, add ground paste, sauté until quite toasted, and oil starts to seep out

4) Add tamarind juice, bring to a boil, add coconut milk, sugar and salt to taste. Bring sauce to boil again, then reduce to slowly simmer for 10 mins

5) Add pounded peanuts, simmer for another 5 to 10 mins, or until the sauce reaches a ‘thickness’ to your liking [Note: Add more coconut milk if sauce becomes too thick, and if sauce is too thin, simmer longer]

6) Serve satay peanut sauce warm, or at room temperature, in a small bowl as an accompaniment for dipping the satays. It is great for dipping the ketupat.

Note: To give Malaysian satay it's 'aromatic’ authenticity, a lemongrass brush is used to baste the satays whilst it is being grilled.