Easy Papaya Salad 簡易青木瓜沙律

INGREDIENTS:

1 Green Papaya

1/2 cup Salted Peanut, crushed

1 Lime, juiced

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 tablespoon Chili Powder

3 tablespoons Fish Sauce

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

DIRECION:

1. Peel the skin of the papaya. Cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seed. Thinly slice the papaya and then cut it into thin sticks. Submerge the papaya in cool water; drain.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients; mix well. Leave it for 15 minutes to develop the flavour before serving.

Chinese Chive Kimchi

My husbands and I love Kimchi, adore the sour and slightly frizzy flavour. This is type of quick kimchi you can prepare in a short period of time, yet flavourful.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 bundle Chinese Chives, cut into 2 inch long

2 cups Water

10 Dried Anchovies

4 Garlic Cloves, peeled

1-inch Ginger, peeled

1/3 Onion, peeled and chunked

2 tablespoons Korean Chilli Flakes

1.5 tablespoons Salted Shrimp

2-3 tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon Sugar

DIRECTION:

1. Combine dried anchovies with the water in a small pan.  Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, or until the fish tender.  Allow it cool to room temperature.

2. Pour the boiled anchovies and the liquid in the blender.  Add ginger, garlic cloves, and onion.  Processor until everything becomes puree.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add the Chinese chives.  Pour in the anchovies puree.  Add chilli flakes, salted shrimp, fish sauce and sugar.  Gently toss everything with hand until the Chinese chives are evenly coated.

4. Transfer the Chinese chives in an air-tight glass container.  Store it at room temperature for 2 days, and then store it in the fridge for another 2 days before serving it with steamed rice.

Baby Bok Choy Kimchi

INGREDIENTS:

15 Baby Shanghai Bok Choy

1/2 White Onion

4 stalks Green Onion

1 tablespoon Salted Shrimp (can be found in Korean supermarket)

MARINADE:

2 tablespoons Korean Red Chili Flakes

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 teaspoons Ginger, grated

2 tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Sesame Oil

2 tablespoons White Sesame Seeds, roasted

DIRECTION:

1. Separate each leaf of the bok choy.  Soak them in water for about 15 minutes to remove the sand and dirt.  Rinse and drain well.

2. Place the bok choy in a large bowl.  Add about 2 tablespoons of sea salt.  Gently mix the salt with the bok choy with hands until each leaf is coated with salt.

3. Let the bok choy sit for about 45 minutes.  The leaves should be given in and the bok choy should releases some liquid.

4. Rinse the bok choy under running water to remove the excessive salt.  Gently squeeze out the liquid.  Set the bok choy in a mixing bowl.

5. Cut green onion diagonally and thinly slice the onion.

6. Finely chop the salted shrimp.

7. Combine all marinade, salted shrimp, onion and green onion with the bok choy.  Mix well.

8. Let it marinate for about 30 minutes to allow the flavour to develop before serving.

Simple Boiled Octopus with Lemon Dipping Sauce | 簡易墨魚配惹味檸汁

Simple Boiled Octopus with Lemon Dipping Sauce | 簡易墨魚配惹味檸汁

INGREDIENTS:

15 Baby Octopus, cleaned

3 Mini Cucumber (to serve, optional)

DIPPING SAUCE:

4 cloves Garlic, chopped

1/4 cup Fish Sauce

1/3 Lemon of Juice, freshly squeezed

1.5 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Red Chill Flakes

INSTRUCTION:

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Add the octopus and blanch for about a minute, or until the octopus is just cooked but still tender.  Drain the octopus and run them under the cold running water to stop the cooking process.  Set them aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix the dipping sauce ingredients together until the brown sugar is dissolved.

3. Serve the octopus with mini cucumbers if desire.

Roasted Mini Potato with Cilantro Lime Sauce | 青檸汁焗薯

This flavour of these potatoes will probably remind you a little of Thai cuisine because of the cilantro, lime and fish sauce.  My husband and I love what this exotic flavour brings to the humble potatoes.  This recipe is even tastier when it is spicy, but my husband and my son can't handle heat so I omitted the chili here. If you enjoy spicy, just add chopped chilis into the dressing.

  

INGREDIENTS:

15-20 Mini Potatoes

Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper

DRESSING:

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Lime of zest and juice

1/4 cup Cilantro, stems and leaves, finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, peeled, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

材料：

15-20 迷你薯仔

菜油

鹽和黑胡椒粉

汁料：

2 湯匙  橄欖油

1 個  青檸，刨皮和榨汁留用

1/4 杯  莞茜，莖和葉，切碎

3 瓣  蒜頭，去皮，切碎

2 湯匙  啡糖

1 湯匙  魚露

DIRECTION:

1. Add the potatoes in a mixing bowl.  Season them with salt and pepper and a drizzle of vegetable oil. Mix well.

1. 在一只碗內加入薯仔，下鹽、黑胡椒和少量菜油調味；拌勻。

2. Pour the potatoes onto a foiled roasting pan without crowding them.  Roast them in the pre-heated oven at 400F for about 20-25 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.

2. 薯仔倒上已舖好錫紙的焗盤上。放入已預熱至400F 的焗爐烤若20-25分鐘，似乎薯仔的大小而定。

3. Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients in a bowl; whisk it together until the brown sugar is dissolved.  Set it aside.

3. 同時間，在另一只碗內加入所有汁料材料；拌勻靜置。

4. When the potatoes are roasted until slightly brown and soft, remove them from the oven and add them into the dressing immediately.  Mix to coat the potatoes with the dressing.  Serve.

4. 當薯仔焗至微金黃和軟身，從焗爐取出。倒入汁料，小心拌勻；上桌。

Pickle Carrot | 醋醃紅蘿蔔

Pickle Carrot | 醋醃紅蘿蔔

Ingredients:

1 Carrot

1 tablespoon White Sesame, toasted

10 gram Ginger Juice

1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar

3/4 tablespoon Soy Sauce

1/2 tablespoon Fish Sauce

1/4 teaspoon Salt

材料：

1  紅蘿蔔

1 湯匙   白芝麻

10 克   薑汁

1 湯匙   米醋

3/4 湯匙   豉油

1/2 湯匙   魚露

1/4 茶匙   鹽

DIRECTION:

Marinated Seaweed | 醋香芝麻醃海藻

Marinated Seaweed

醋香芝麻醃海藻

Ingredients:

600 gram Seaweed

1.5 tablespoons White Sesame

2 tablespoons Sugar

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 tablespoons Rice Vinegar

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

材料：

600 克   海藻

1.5 湯匙   白芝麻

2 湯匙   糖

3 湯匙   鼓油

3 湯匙   米醋

2 湯匙   芝麻油

1 湯匙   魚露

DIRECTION:

Cubed Daikon Radish Kimchi ｜ 香辣蘿蔔泡菜粒

People say kimchi is a rice stealer, I agree.  The crunchy vegetables that combine spicy, sour, and a hint of sweet flavour make you always crave more.

Whenever I go to a Korean restaurant, the thing that excites me most are those colourful side dishes.  Some of them are pickled, some are a quick mix of salad, and some are fresh or fermented kimchi.  And fresh and slightly fermented kimchi catches my heart the most.  They aren't as strong as the long-feremted kimchi, but they have the probiotic tangy flavour and the juice from the fresh vegetables, which refreshes your palate.

I personally prefer the fresh and crunchy style of kimchi so I usually skip the rice flour in my kimchi making.  Rice flour works as a thickening agent so that the product will be more presentable and also holds the sauce better.  But I find it is too gooey for my taste no matter how little I use.  Therefore, you will find the kimchi recipe below has a rather thin sauce.

I like to add the kimchi juice in noodles, or use it to pickle perilla leaves.  That way I can use up this delicious juice while eliminating the waste.

Cubed Daikon Radish Kimchi

香辣蘿蔔泡菜粒

After three days of fermentation.

Ingredients:

2 cups Daikon cubes, peeled

6 stalks Scallion

4 cloves Garlic, peeled and grated

15 gram Ginger, peeled and grated

3 tablespoons Salt

1 tablespoon Sugar

Marinate Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Fish Sauce

1 tablespoon Red Chilli Flakes

How to make:

1. Peel the daikon, cut it into half of the ice cube size.

      2. Rub the daikon with salt until the daikon skins start to

slightly give in;  let it rest for about 30 minutes for the juice to come out.

3. Discard the juice except 3 tablespoons of it.

4. Cut the scallion diagonally; set it aside.  Grate the ginger and garlic.

5. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.  With hands, mix everything thoroughly.

6. Place the mixture in a jar.  Cover with a lid.  Keep it at room temperature to ferment until the juice starts to bubble, after about 3 days.  Serve it with hot rice.

The kimchi just filled in the jar.

If you are not using the kimchi right away, transfer the kimchi to the fridge to slow down the fermentation.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoy the recipe.