Thai Seafood Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1. 2 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2. 1-2 red chillies, seeds removed (optional), roughly chopped
3. 1-2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, roughly chopped
4. 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
5. 1 handful fresh coriander, a few sprigs reserved and chopped
6. 1 tbsp coriander seeds
7. 1-2 pinches ground turmeric
8. small jug vegetable stock
9. a couple of handfuls rice noodles
10. 400ml oz can coconut milk
11. 1 large handful raw peeled tiger prawns (the shells and heads can be reserved for making stock in another recipe)
12. a few splashes Thai fish sauce, to taste


Steps:

1. Blend the ginger, chilli, lemongrass, garlic and coriander in a food processor until quite finely chopped.

2. Add the paste to a large shallow pan and cook for a few minutes to release the aromas, stirring frequently. Roughly crush some coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar and add to the paste with a pinch or two of turmeric and the vegetable stock and simmer for a few minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pour some boiling water over the rice noodles in a bowl and let them sit until they have softened, about 4-5 minutes, then drain and set aside.

4. To soften the heat of the sauce, add the coconut milk to the pan and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes while you devein the prawns by cutting along the back of the prawn with a small sharp knife and removing the black 'thread' using the point of the knife. Add the prawns to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until pink and tender, finishing off with splashes of Thai fish sauce, to taste, and more chopped fresh coriander, to your taste.

Spiced Salmon Stir Fry

Lovely salmon with potatoes and green beans

Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:

1. 4 salmon steaks
2. 4 whole star anise
3. 2 lemon grass stalks, sliced
4. 3 limes juice
5. rind of limes, finely grated
6. 30 ml/ 2tbsp clear honey
7. 30ml/ 2tbsp oil
8. salt and ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Remove the middle bone from each salmon steak, to make two strips from each steak.
2. Remove the skin. Slice into pieces, cutting diagonally.
3. Roughly crush the star anise in a mortar with a pestle. Place the salmon in a non-metallic dish and add the star anise, lemon grass, lime juice and rind and honey. Sesaon well with salt and pepper. Turn the salmon strips to coat. Cover and leave in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
4. Carefully drain the salmon from the marinade, pat dry on kitchen paper and reserve the marinade.
5. Heat a wok, then add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the salmon and stir fry, stirring constantly until cooked. Increase the heat, pour over the marinade and bring to the boil. Garnish with lime wedges and serve.

Blueberry Muffins

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
50g vegetable oil
250 g all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
100g blueberries (more if you want)
125ml milk


Steps:
1. Heat the oven to 190C.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.
3.With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, oil and milk in a second bowl.
4.Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, fold in with a biggest spatula (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
5. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and using an icecream scoop, spoon in the mixture until almost full.
6.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.

Cheese and Potato Bread Twists

Ingredients:
1. 225g potatoes, diced
2. 225g strong white bread flour
3. 1 tsp dried yeast
4. 150ml lukewarm water
5. 175g grated cheese
6. 2 tsp olive oil, for greasing
7. salt

Methods:
1. Cook the potatoes in a large pan in plenty of lightly salted boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain through a colander and return to the pan. Mash the potato until smooth and set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large bowl and add the yeast and a good pinch of salt. Stir in the mashed potatoes and rub with your fingers to form a crumb consistency.

3. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and pour in the lukewarm water. Start by bringing the mixture together with your hands. turn out on to a well-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Return the dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp dishtowel and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

4. Turn the dough out and knock back the air bubbles. Knead again for a few seconds.

5. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces and shape into rounds.

6. Sprinkle the cheese over a baking sheet. take each ball of dough and roll it in the cheese.

7. Roll each cheese-covered on a dry surface to form a long sausage shape. Fold the two ends together and twist the bread. Lay the bread twists on an oiled baking sheet.

8. Cover with a damp cloth and leave the bread to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Preheat the overn to 220 C. Bake the bread for 10-15 minutes.

Seafood Paella

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 400g paella rice
• 125ml dry white wine
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Generous pinch of saffron threads
• 1l hot vegetable stock
• 4 large prawns
• 4 prepared squid, approx 170g in total, sliced into rings
• Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lemon cut into wedges
• Olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large paella pan or frying pan. Add the onion and cook out briefly.

2. Add the chopped pepper and crush in the garlic. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until softened.

3. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and saffron into the pan. Follow with the rice and stir well so that each grain of rice is well coated in oil.

4. Add the wine and allow to evaporate before pouring in the hot stock.

5. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking.

6. Five minutes before the end of cooking add the prawns and squid to the pan. Stir, and replace the lid to finish cooking.

7. Just before serving, mix through the chopped parsley and garnish with lemon wedges.

Add other seafood if you prefer

Marble Butter Cake

Not enough chocolate powder.

This is the recipe:
Ingredients
250 gm butter
200 gm caster sugar
6 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
300 gm self-raising flour (sifted)
½ to 3/4 cup of evaporated milk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Beat the butter with the caster sugar until white and fluffy. Add in eggs one at a time and mix well. Then add is vanilla essence and evaporated milk and mix well.
3. Replace about 30g of flour with cocoa powder. After the flour is mixed into the butter mixture and mixed well, take out about 1/3 of the batter and add the cocoa powder into it. Place the white batter into tin and drop the chocolate batter into different spots and use a skewer or a chopstick to swirl it to make the marble effect and bake for about an hour.

Celebration ...

Gong Xi Fa Chai ...


Thaipusam ...