Our Kitchen

A recipe adapted from Gordon Ramsey’s. For us Chinese, watercress soup is a common Cantonese soup that our parents would make for us from time to time. But this recipe is nothing close to its counterpart. It’s a nice peppery and creamy green soup that’s nice to the palette and healthy for the body. 

Ingredients:

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2 bunches of watercress (250g)
• 2 potatoes (200 g), paper-thinnly sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 L water (I had half water and half chicken soup)
• 4 eggs
• Olive oil (to drizzle on top)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in pan and toss watercress into the pan
• Peel the potatoes and cut them paper-thin so they get cooked quickly. 

• Drop the potatoes into the pan with the watercress so that the potatoes touches the pan and cook quickly. Add butter to add “gloss” and flavor. 

• While potatoes and watercress cooks, have a pot of boiling water ready. When the potatoes turn translucent, pour in the boiling water. 
• When the soup boils again, use an immersion blender to blend the mixture into soup. Alternatively, use a blender to blend the mixture into soup. 

• To make the poached egg, Gordon Ramsay suggested spinning the water in a big saucepan to make a whirlpool, and slip the egg in such that the egg white will wrap around the egg yolk. Fail. Well, half fail for me. 

• I read on other recipes that you can also do it with white vinegar and boiling water. I am gonna try that next time. 
• For presentation, place the poach egg in the middle and pour the soup around it so there’s a small white island in the middle. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with a leave or two watercress. I have garnished it with some black truffle =) 

• Our Kitchen Presents to you: Watercress Soup 

Chocolate is the best food to make a girl smile. Add to it the creamy texture that delights the taste buds, I present to you this dessert. 

I like the slight sourness of the strawberry combined with the bitterness of the dark chocolate cream. It’s also a play of texture between the rich panna cotta and the fluffy cream. 

Next time I might add less of chocolate cream as it’s quite powerful. I much prefer to accentuate the richness of the panna cotta itself. 

White chocolate panna cotta

Ingredients: 

• 350ml cream
• 150ml milk
• 2 lemon zest
• 100g white chocolate, chopped
• 3 gelatin leaves

Process:

• Bring cream, milk to a simmer in a pot. Add the lemon zest in. Strain through a fine sieve. 

• Soak the gelatin leaves for 5 minutes in cold water. 

• When ready, squeeze out the extra water and stir into the cream mixture till dissolves.
• Stir in the white chocolate into the cream mixture really quickly until you have a homogenous sauce. 

• Pour in glasses, or molds and leave to cool on the kitchen counter for 1-1,5 hours. Then place in the fridge and leave to set for 4-6 hours, overnight works best.

Dark Chocolate Cream

Ingredients:

• 80 g dark chocolate
• 2 to 3 tbsp milk
• 80 ml cream
• 1 tbsp Grand Marnier

Process:

• Melt dark chocolate in bowl over simmering water (water bath), and then stir in the milk. Set aside to let cool. 

• In a separate mixing bowl, add the cream and Grand Marnier together. Whip the cream until soft peaks and then mix it into the melted chocolate. 

• Pour the dark chocolate cream over white chocolate panna cotta. Place in fridge and let sit for at least an hour.
• To decorate, add slices of strawberry and sprinkle with chopped white chocolate. 

Our Kitchen Presents: Double Chocolate Panna Cotta!

This is the soft kind that’s best served individually in a cup for better presentation because for it’s soft texture.

Ingredients:

• Egg yolk - 3
• Sugar - 35g
• Mascarpone - 250g
• Whip cream - 100ml

• Egg white - 2
• Sugar - 40g

• Espresso 200ml
• Kahlua - coffee liqueur - 1 tbsp

• Lady fingers  - about 30 depending on size of container
• Cocoa powder & Icing sugar - as appropriate

Preparation:

• Whip fresh cream until half stiff and put into fridge to cool

• Make instant espresso and add the coffee liqueur and let cool

Instruction:

• Add egg yolk, sugar (35g) into a mixing bowl and beat well until the color starts to become pale. 

• Add in marscapone cheese and mix well to prevent clusters. 

• Add the whipped cream into the egg yolk / cheese batter.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whip egg white and sugar until stiff.

• Fold in gently the meringue in two parts into the cheese batter.

• Choose a container that can hold at least two layers of the lady fingers. Soak the lady fingers into the coffee and lay them nicely in the container. 

• Pour in about half of the cheese batter. Keep a flat surface. Add another layer of lady fingers (after soaking them into coffee) on top of the batter. 

• Pour the rest of the cheese batter to cover the entire container. Use a palette knife to spread the batter evenly and make a smooth surface.

• Put into refrigerator for about 1-2 hours to let the cake set. 

• Sift cocoa powder / icing sugar over the entire cake. 

I didn’t have time to make a nice pattern. So I just used the silver edible beads to “sign off” the cake =)

Our Kitchen Presents: Tiramisu !

With the new pan stainless steel pan we recently bought, we wanted to make a dish that would require browning on high heat and deglazing. So our beloved Chef G was inspired to make this dish - Chicken Marsala.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken thighs, skin on
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp Rosemary
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 5 white mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup Marsala wine
• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

• To ensure quick and even cooking, hammer flat the chicken thigh
• Put the flour on a flat plate. Season with pepper, Italian seasoning, Rosemary and salt. Mix well

• Coat each thigh steak with the seasoned flour

• Heat oil with butter - this is to increase the boiling temp of the oil

• Pan fry the chicken thigh steak until thoroughly cooked (7 min on both side, depends on thickness)

• Put aside the chicken. Add the butter and the mushroom into the pan

• Add tbsp of flour to the mushroom and cook until mushrooms are soft and darkened in color. Add the shallots

• Cook for another minute. Then add the Marsala wine

• Let the wine and mushroom simmer for 10 - 15 minutes until it’s reduced. Then add the chicken stock

• Cook for another 10-15 minutes until the liquid in the sauce has reduced in half
• Add back the chicken thigh steak into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes

• Add the parsley and stir well
• Serve with pasta of your choice (we have chosen linguine)

Our Kitchen presents: Chicken Marsala!

This is a dish I tried at a friend’s house back in the states at least 4-5 years ago. Ever since I have always wanted to find the official recipe for it. Then last year at a birthday party at the Manchester United Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, HK the same dish was on the menu. This recipe was an inspiration combined from both previous tasting at very different times. Hope you all like it.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Wings - 20-25 wings (7-8 servings as appetizer)
• Salt 1.5 tbsp
• Pepper 1.5 tbsp
• Cajun - 1.5 tbsp
• Flour - 2 cup (for coating)

Directions:

I have named this dish “maraca” because it looks like what I knew by the name “Cha Cha” (percussion instrument). And “maraca” is the official name for it. =)

In order to achieve that shape, we will need to take one the smaller / shorter bone in the wing.

• Wash the chicken wings and soak dry. On one end, find the joints between the two bones and cut between to separate. To ease de-boning, use cut close to the bone to separate flesh from bone until half the wing can be separated. Completely de-bone the short bone from the wing.
• Flip the loose chicken meat over upside down to form a round shape at the bottom

• Season with the dry ingredients for about 15 minutes

• Preheat oil on medium heat (can test using a chopstick - bubbles should form when temperature is ready)
• Pan fry the wing until thoroughly cooked (about 7-10 minute)

• Set a plate with kitchen towel. Place the cooked wings on towel to soak the excess oil
• Serve with the trio sauce (see recipe for trio sauce) 

Our Kitchen Presents: Chicken “Cha Cha” with Trio House Sauce !

Trio Sauce

Wasabi Mayo 

• Mayo 3 tbsp
• Wasabi 2 tbsp (can adjust according to preference)
• Salt for seasoning

Onion Chutney Mayo

• Onion Chutney (bought from France) 2 tbsp
• Mayo 3 tbsp
• Custard 1 tbsp
• Salt

California Spicy Mayo

• Saracha 2 tbsp
• Mayo 4 tbsp

Directions:

• Mix the ingredients together. Season with salt to taste

• The reason I call this “California Spicy Sauce” is that it’s the same sauce used in a popular Japanese sushi roll -spicy tuna roll - served in Japanese restaurants in California

• I am not sure if this onion chutney is available in HK. But feel free to improvise and create your own signature sauce.

Bon Appetit!

Our love for pho only continue to grow stronger after we went to Hanoi last Dec 2010. Always looking for the next challenge, we decided to try making this wonderful noodle soup. 

I think we are quite successful =) 

Ingredients: 

The Broth

• 2 onions, halved and slightly browned 
• Ginger, 2 thick slice 
• 5 lbs beef bones (2 knuckle, and a combination of bone marrow and others)
• 6 quarts of water 
• 1 package of Pho spices (includes cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cardamon pod, whole cloves in mesh bag) 
• Sea salt for seasoning
• 1/4 cup fish sauce 

The bowl

• Rice noodles (dried or fresh)
• Beef (high fat content) 
• Big handful of mint, cilantro, basil
• Limes (wedges) 
• 2-3 chili peppers, sliced
• 2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
• Hoisin sauce
• Sriracha Hot sauce

Directions: 

Parboil the bones:

• Fill large pot with cool water. Boil water and add the bones in, keeping the heat on high. boil for 10 minutes.

• Drain and rinse the bones.
• Refill  pot with bones and 6 quarts of cool water. 
• Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. 

Boil broth:

• Add ginger, onion, spice packet (we have put all the spices into the mesh bag), fish sauce, salt and simmer.

The recipe called for cooking for at least 3 hours. Some people let is simmer for 12 hours. Everyone does it a bit differently. But we started a night ahead of time, and used the help of a pressure cooker to help expedite the cooking. We probably ended up cooking it for 3-4 hours in pressure cooker, and letting it sit over night in between. 

Noodles & meat:

• Follow the directions on the package of noodles. For ours, we soaked it for 15mins in cold water and blanch in hot water for 1 minute or two. 

• Fill each bowl with the cooekd rice noodles and raw meat slices. Ladle boiling hot broth into each bowl. Serve immediately. Garnish as you wish. 

Our Kitchen presents: Vietnamese Pho!

Our first project with our new pasta machine IMPERIA 

Ingredients: 

• 250g all purpose flour
• 250g semolina
• 5 Egg
• Water, as needed
• Pinch of salt

1 Egg for every 100g of flour (all purpose + semolina)

Directions :

• Add all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl until all ingredients are blended. Place mixture on countertop and knead until the texture is smooth and well mixed. Here we did this all on the countertop. 

• Knead for at least 15 minutes. The dough is quite hard to knead at first but it will be easier as you knead along. It’s hard work no joke. 

• Separate the pasta dough into smaller chunks. Flour the first piece and roll it through the machine a few times. Each time thinner than the last. Eventually it will come out a nice thickness ready for making the ravioli (about 1/8th inch thick)

• Repeat the procedure as needed 

Happy Cooking!

Many asked what I gave as Christmas present this year and laughed when I said “a pasta machine!”. I admit it’s not a typical xmas gift from a girlfriend but hey, I got measuring spoon for xmas this year (along with many other small gifts). 

*giggles* 

That’s how much we both love cooking I guess? 

First project using the IMPERIA : Fresh Ravioli =) 

Ingredients for Ravioli:

• 2oz unsalted butter
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped shallots
• 12 medium sized shrimps
• 1/2 can of crabmeat (1/2 cup)
• 2 oz Cognac
• 2 oz Ricotta
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• Pasta dough, see separate recipe for the dough
• Egg white, slightly beaten

Ingredients for Lobster Sauce:

• 2 cans of lobster bisque (Baxters, 14.5oz)
• 1 tbsp chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup crabmeat
• 2 oz Cognac

Directions for Ravioli:

• In a large saute pan, add the butter and melt. Add the garlic and shallots and saute until golden brown. 

• Add crabmeat and shrimp and chives, saute 2-3 minutes

• Add cognac and reduce for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until room temperature. Chop mixture into small chunks. 
• In a large bowl, combine shrimp mixture with ricotta and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lay out the first piece of pasta dough on the table and place small round of stuffing 2 inches apart ( Here I have used the help of a ravioli maker).

• Using a pastry brush, brush egg white around each bit of stuffing, making the dough damp (not wet).
• Take the second piece and cover the bottom piece with the stuffing. Press around each ravioli being careful not to squeeze the stuffing out. 

• Using a round ravioli cutter, cut each ravioli and put on a sheet pan sprinkled with semolina (or flour if you don’t have any). 

• Gently place the ravioli in boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until al dente.

Directions for the Lobster Sauce:

This is a shortcut method using ready made canned lobster bisque. Using a saute pan at medium heat, add butter, shallots, and saute until shallots are translucent. Add the crabmeat and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lobster bisque in over medium heat. Add Cognac and cook for 30 seconds or until bubbles again. Let simmer for a minute or two until it becomes thicker. Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce and let cook together for about 1/2 minute before serving. Garnish with chives or mozorella cheese.

Our Kitchen presents: Shrimp and Crabmeat Ravioli with Lobster Sauce!! 

*Inspired by original recipe on Food Network 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-best-of/lobster-ravioli-with-crabmeat-cream-sauce-recipe/index.html

Excuse me for not having a “About Me” page yet, but for those who don’t know, I work full-time as a Strategic Planner at Isobar Hong Kong. One of the things I love about my job is that I learn about the latest technology development which I could apply personally in my daily life. 

Here’s one of them - my very own QR Code. Havn’t really thought about how to make the best use out of it yet, but isn’t it just COOL?  

Here, download your QR code reader onto your iPhone if you have not had this cool gadget yet:

http://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/i-nigma-qr-datamatrix-barcode/id331895424?mt=8

It’s been a long time since my last post - sorry to those who have been waiting. No I didn’t stop cooking, but I guess I have just gotten a bit lazier when times get busy. And I wasn’t the only one who got busy, but my photographer as well. Let me back track some of the dishes I made back in August… =P

Ingredients:

• Mid size Fresh Prawns | 480g (or 1 catty)
• Vermiceli | 200g (or 1.5 minisized bags, 龍口粉絲 is highly recommended)
• Ginger and Spring Onion | 1 cup
• Garlic | 1/4 cup
• Oyster sauce | 3/4 - 1 cup
• Shao Xing Wine (Chinese cooking wine) | 2-4 tbsp (by preference)

Preparation:

• Soak vermicelli in water for at least 15 minutes until soft
• Drain.

Directions:

• rinse and trim the prawns, and remove the intestinal vein (can use scissors to help)
• Soak the prawns dry with paper towel

• Heat oil on medium heat, deep fry prawns until golden (about 2-3 minutes)
• Remove and set aside

• In a clean wok, saute all condiments (garlic, ginger and onion)

• Add some oyster sauce. Return prawns to the work and stir well.

• Lastly, add the vermicelli. Finish off with drizzles of Chinese Shao Xing Wine.

• Let it cook briefly about 2 minutes.
• It’s ready to be served!

Our Kitchen Presents: Ginger & Onion Stir-fried Prawns with Vermicelli !