Noodles and Vegetables or Mie Djawa (Indonesian Recipe)

6 servings

* 1/2 cup sliced ham (Or boneless chicken)
* 1/2 cup shrimp
* 2 tbs. soy spice
* 1 medium onion minced
* 2 cloves garlic minced
* 1 cup shredded white cabbage (or bok choy cut up in 1 in. pieces or both)
* 1/2 pound snow peas
* 1/2 cup fried onion flakes
* 1/2 pound dried noodles
* 1 tbs. vegetable oil

Cook the noodles in boiling water 5 minutes, rinse with cold water and drain. (If spaghetti noodles are used prepare it as recommended on the package) Brown the onions and garlic in oil, then add sliced ham, shrimp, soy sauce, white cabbage, snow peas (or Chinese pea pods) and stir fry for 5 minutes, add noodles and mix carefully and simmer for 5 minutes more.

Garnish the dish with thin sliced omelets and onion flakes and serve with shrimp puffs.

Saumon au Micro-onde, sur un lit d'épinards ~ Salmon on a Bed of Baby Spinach (French Recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 pre-seasoned salmon fillets

For the salad:
* 3-4 cups baby spinach (1 10-oz bag)
* 2 plum tomatoes, seed core removed and cut into julienne
* 1 cup blanched green beans
* 2 small endives, julienned
* 2 Tablespoons black niçoise or Kalmata olives
* 1 Tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
* 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

PREPARATION:

Prepare the vegetables:
1. Put the spinach in a large bowl. Cut the plum tomatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seed core and julienne the tomatoes. Add to the spinach.

2. Remove outer leaves from the endives. Cut in half lenghtwise and cut out the core. Julienne the endives and add the the spinach.
Add the olives and capers to the bowl.

3. Prepare the salmon fillets according to the directions on the package. (The ones I used, said to poke holes in the platic wrap and microwave for three minutes.)

4. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the dressing over the spinach and vegetables and toss to coat.

To serve:

Divide the salad among 4 dinner plates. Top with the salmon and serve.

Szechuan Beef Recipe - Dry-fried - Gan Bian Niu Rou Si (Chinese Recipe)

* In this Szechuan recipe the beef is dry-fried, making it chewy and crispy. If you like, you can replace one of the carrots with 1/2 cup of celery that has been strung and cut julienne-style. Feel free to make the dish hotter by adding more chili paste or sauce if desired. Serves 3 to 4.




INGREDIENTS:

* 1 pound beef (flank or sirloin steak is good)
* 2 regular carrots
* 1 tablespoon minced ginger
* 2 scallions (spring onions, green onions), white parts only
* 1 tablespoon sweet bean sauce (also called bean sauce)
* 3 teaspoons chili paste or chili sauce
* 7 1/2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon roasted Szechuan peppercorn (see link in recipe directions for instructions)

PREPARATION:
Cut the beef julienne style, across the grain into thin slices less than 1/4-inch thick and 2 1/2 - 3 inches long. Wash, peel and julienne the carrots into thin strips about 1/8 inch thick and 2 1/2 - 3 inches long.

Mince the ginger. Cut the scallion into lengths about 2 1/2 inches long, and then into into thin shreds.
In a small bowl, combine the bean sauce and chile paste or sauce. Set aside.
Preheat the wok on medium high heat for at least 30 seconds. (The wok is ready when you can feel the heat when holding the palm of your hand 2 - 3 inches above the wok's surface).

Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to the preheated wok, drizzling down the sides. When the oil is hot, add the julienned carrots. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, stirring in the salt. (Do not brown the carrots). Remove from the wok.
Heat 6 tablespoons of oil in the wok over medium high to high heat. When the oil is hot, add the beef. Stir-fry for approximately 10 minutes, until the beef is crispy and dark brown and chewy (you will hear the beef sizzle as it dries out). Splash the beef with the rice wine or dry sherry during the later stages of cooking.
Push the beef up to the sides and drain all but 2 tablespoons from the wok. Add the bean sauce and chili paste or sauce mixture. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the ginger and scallions. Stir-fry for a few seconds, until aromatic, then return the carrots to the wok.
Stir in the sugar and the roasted Szechuan peppercorn. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired. Serve hot.

Korokke (Croquettes) - (Japanese Recipe)

* Korokke is not an original Japanese dish. There are many different kinds of korokke today, varying in their fillings. The recipe below introduces you two of the most popular kinds of korokke: white cream korokke and meat potatoe korokke.

Ingredients:

* White Cream Filling
o Butter
o Flour
o Milk
o Canned corn
* Meat potatoe filling
o Potatoes
o Ground beef or pork
o Onion
* Other Ingredients
o Flour
o Eggs
o Bread crumbs
o Korokke sauce*
o Japanese mayonnaise*
o Cabbage

* May not be available in Western supermarkets; but you should be able to find it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in most large European and American cities.

Preparation:

White cream filling:

1. Melt the butter in a fry pan and add flour.

2. Add the milk and stir until the sauce becomes homogenous.

3. Wait until the white mass is very viscose and add the canned corn.

4. Give the cream into a rectangular dish and put it into the refrigerator for several minutes where it should become more solid.


Potatoe meat filling:

5. Cook the potatoes and smash them.

6. Fry the ground meat with cut onions, and then remove as much oil as possible.

7. Mix the meat, the onions, and the smashed potatoes, and add a little bit of salt.


Deep Frying:

8. Form the meat potatoe mixture into hamburger like pieces with a diameter of about 6 cm and a thickness of about 1 cm.

9. Cut or form the white cream in pieces of about 2x2x4 cm. The rectangular dish should haven given the cream the desired form and makes the cutting easier.

10. Put one piece after the other first in the flour and cover all its surface. Then cover it with beaten raw egg, and finally with bread crumbs.

11. Deep fry the korokke pieces until they are beautiful golden.

12. Cut some green outer cabbage leafs in thin strings.

Foie Gras Accompanied With Rocket Salad & Roasted Prawns (French Recipe)

Ingredients

4 persons
150 grams of rocket salad (spicy green salad)
16 prawns ( medium to large )
Maille Old Style mustard (wholegrain)
500 to 600 grams of raw duck foie gras .
Salt and pepper
Maille Vinaigrette Provençale
Olive Oil.

Preparation

- Coat a pan with olive oil. Peel the prawns and place in the pan. Cook for 2 minutes on one side.
- Turn the prawns over and coat with Maille Wholegrain mustard. Cook for a further two minutes.
- Wash the rocket salad
- Cut thick slices of duck foie gras, and cook in a hot pan without any oil nor fat for two minutes on each side.
- Once the foie gras is cooked, place on absorbing paper and season with salt and pepper.
- Season the rocket salad with the Maille Provençale Vinaigrette (one tablespoon).
- Place a slice of foie gras in the middle of each plate, and add rocket salad.
- Place 4 prawns around the foie gras

Sweet and Sour Chicken (Chinese Recipe)

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup baby carrots
1 cucumber
1/2 red bell pepper
1 garlic clove

Marinade:
2 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp cornstarch
Batter:
1 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 TB potato starch*

Sauce**:
4 1/2 TB rice vinegar
1 1/2 TB black rice vinegar
3/4 cup water
3 TB tomato paste
4 1/2 TB brown sugar
3/8 tsp chile sauce, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 6 teaspoons water

3 1/4 cups oil for deep-frying and stir-frying

Directions:

Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. Marinate in the rice wine or sherry and cornstarch for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables: mince the garlic clove, peel and cut the cucumber into thin slices, and cut the red pepper into cubes. Chop the baby carrots. Bring a large pot of water to boil and blanch the carrots briefly in the boiling water. Drain thoroughly.

In a small saucepan, add the ingredients for the sweet and sour sauce and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and keep warm.

To deep-fry the chicken: Preheat 3 cups of oil to 350 - 375 degrees Fahrenheit. While waiting for the oil to heat, brush the chicken cubes with the beaten egg and dip in the potato starch to cover. Deep-fry the dredged chicken pieces in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry for 3 - 4 minutes until the chicken turns golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

To deep-fry the chicken a second time if desired: bring the oil temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Deep-fry the chicken in batches, very briefly for less than a minute, until the chicken turns brown. Drain on paper towels.
Drain all but 2 tablespoons oil from the wok. When oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry briefly until aromatic. Add the carrots. Stir-fry for about 1 minute, then add the red peppers. Add the cucumber or save to use as a garnish. Bring the sauce back up to a boil and add to the wok, mixing with the vegetables. Add the chicken. Heat through and serve over rice. Garnish with the cucumber if desired.

*Cornstarch can be substituted for the potato starch

**This recipe is designed to make extra sauce for mixing in with the rice. It can easily be adjusted either up or down depending on how much sauce you want - just be sure to keep the proportions constant. For 3/4 lb of chicken, reduce quantities by 1/3 - ie. use 3 TB rice vinegar, 1 TB black rice vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 2 TB tomato paste, etc.

Nasi Lemak or Coconut Flavoured Rice Dish (Malaysian Recipe)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups rice
2 pandan leaves (tied in knot)
1 shallot - chopped
10 tsp thick coconut milk
1 small piece sliced ginger
Salt and sugar to taste
1/2 cup dried ikan bilis (anchovies)
* 4 shallots
* 1 small piece belacan (shrimp paste)
* 1 clove garlic
* 1 large onion - sliced
* 1/2 cup tamarind juice
* 8 dried chillies - soaked

* Items to be pounded together

To Prepare Rice:

Wash and clean rice
Add 2 cups of water and coconut milk
Add shallots, gigner and pandan leaves
Bring to boil, lower heat, simmer for about 10-15 minutes until water has been absorbed
Loosen rice grains with wooden ladle
Cover pot and leave rice to cook for 10-15 minutes

To Prepare Sambal:

Heat oil and fry ikan bilis until crisp
Keep aside
Heat oil in wok and fry pounded ingredients till fragrant
Add sliced onions, tamarind juice, salt and sugar
Cook till gravy thickens
Add ikan bilis and mix well
Remove from heat
Serve with sambal ikan bilis, garnished with cucumber slices, sliced hard-boiled egg and roasted peanuts

Coconut Curry (Indian Recipe)

Ingredients

Fresh coconut: 1/2
Curry leaves: ¼ bowl
Kokum: 7 - 8
Wheat flour: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Salt to taste

For masala:
Grated Coconut: 2 tbsp (Dry or wet)
Powdered coriander seeds (Dhania powder): 1 tsp
Powdered cumin seeds (Jeera powder): ½ tsp
Garlic: 6-7 cloves
Green chillies: 4-5
Fresh coriander leaves: ½ cup
Pepper corns: 8-10

Method



Grind together all ingredients for the masala and keep aside.


Grate half coconut and remove the milk to fill about 4-5 tall glasses.


Place a deep vessel on medium flame and pour the coconut milk. Add curry leaves, kokum, turmeric powder, ground masala, salt and wheat flour. Stir continuously and let the mixture boil for about 3-4 minutes.


Put out the flame and stir a bit.


Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

The curry is very good for summer, because of the cooling effects of coconut and kokum. It is also good for digestion and usually eaten with rice, accompanied with other usually heavy foods. As the recipe is totally oil free it is good for those who are calorie conscious.

* Total cooking time: 10 minutes

* The curry is very good for summer, because of the cooling effects of coconut and kokum. It is also good for digestion and usually eaten with rice, accompanied with other usually heavy foods. As the recipe is totally oil free it is good for those who are calorie conscious.

Stuffed Italian Style Turkey Breast (Italian Recipe)

*This recipe utilizes just the breast of the turkey which would make it a very popular dish for those who appreciate white meat only.

: Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients :

1 (4 Pound) Turkey Breast Boned (Ask Your Butcher To Do This If You Are Unsure How To Do This)

Salt & Pepper

1 Package Frozen Spinach, Thawed And Squeezed Dry

1/2 Small Onion, Finely Diced

6 Pieces Thinly Sliced Prosciutto

1/ 2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

6 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

1/2 Cup Dry White Wine

1 1/2 Cups Chicken or Turkey Broth

2 Tablespoons Flour


Direction :

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions until they are tender. Remove the onions and place in a small bowl. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan, and sauté the spinach until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach to the onions, and mix well. Add the grated cheese and mix.

Butterfly the breast and lay flat open, pounding with a meat mallet to create even thickness throughout. Spread the spinach mixture across the breast, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border all around. Lay the prosciutto slices over the spinach layer. Beginning at one end, firmly roll up the turkey breast, and secure well with twine. Place into a small roasting pan and rub the surface with the remaining oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. Remove the breast roll from the pan and cover with a tent of foil.

Remove the pan from the oven, and drain off all the excess oil. Place the pan on your stovetop, and add the white wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom, and cook until it has reduced by half. Remove a few spoonfuls of the broth to a separate cup, and pour the rest into your roasting pan with the tomato paste. Mix well. Mix together the flour and remaining broth, and whisk this mixture into your gravy. Season with salt and pepper and strain through a sieve. Cut off the twine around the turkey, and slice your into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a platter. Serve, offering a little sauce or gravy on the side.

Crab Soup (Indonesian Recipe)

Ingredients: 2 litres of fish stock, 2 medium-sized crabs, 100 gram ginger, 50 gram scallions, 50 gram Indonesian parsley, salt, pepper to taste.

Direction:

* Make fish stock by boiling fish bones in 8 cups of water
* Remove these bones after a few minutes.
* Wash crabs, split into several parts
* Cut ginger into very thin slices
* Cut scallions and Indonesian parsley
* Reheat stock for about 5 minutes, put everything into the stock
* Add salt and pepper to taste

Yakitori (Japanese Recipe)

Yakitori is grilled chicken speared on sticks. All different parts of the chicken, thighs, skin, liver, etc. can be used for yakitori. The following recipe shows one of the most popular kind which is prepared with chicken thighs and leek.

Ingredients:

* Chicken thighs: without bone and skin
* Japanese leek (negi*), leek, or green onion
* Soya sauce
* Mirin* or sake*
* Sugar
* Honey or maple syrup
* Small wooden spears

* This ingredient may not be available in Western supermarkets, but you should be able to find it in Japanese grocery stores that exist in most large European and American cities.

Preparation:

1.
Mix together 4 tablespoons of soya sauce, 3 tablespoons of sugar, a little bit of honey or maple syrup, a little bit of mirin and water, and heat it up until it's homogenous.
2.
Cut the chicken thighs into about 3x2x2cm large pieces.
3.
Put the chicken pieces into the already prepared sauce, and let it stand for a while.
4. Cut the leek or green onions in about 3 cm long pieces.
5.
Spear three or four pieces of chicken and some leek on each wooden stick.
6. Grill them, or use the oven at 200 degrees celsius. (You may want to wrap the wooden sticks with aluminium foil; otherwise, they may burn off.)

General information:

Yakitori is popular among salarymen when they go out together after work. It is especially delicious with some hot sake.

Goat Cheese Squares - Carrés au Fromage de Chèvre (French Recipe)

INGREDIENTS:

* 12 oz. puff pastry (defrosted if using frozen)
* 8 oz. fresh goat cheese, cut into 8 equal rounds
* 1 large, ripe tomato, cored and cut into 8 slices
* 8 large or 16 small ancovy fillets, (cut them in half) lengthwise if using large fillets from Collioure or Sicily
* 2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence
* 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
* fresh leaf parsley or basil leaves

PREPARATION:
1. Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

2. Roll out the puff pastry until it is 1/8-inch (0.4 cm) thick. Cut it into eight 4-inch (10-cm) squares. Place the squares of puff pastry on a baking sheet.
Top each square with a slice of goat cheese, then a slice of tomato. Lay 2 anchovy fillets atop each tomato, slice crossing them so they make an X, then sprinkle the squares with the herbes de Provence.

3. Bake in the center of the oven until the pastry is puffed and baked through, the cheese is softened, and the tomatoes are nearly cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes to cool slightly.

4. Transfer the squares to a warmed serving platter or eight warmed plates. Drizzle each pastry with an equal amount of olive oil, garnish with hers, and serve.