Lemongrass Chili Chicken

Ingredients

• 400g chicken thighs, skinless, bone in 
• 2 fresh lemongrass, finely chopped
• 1 tsp mince ginger
• 2 tsp curry powder 
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chicken powder
• 4 tsp mince garlic
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 fresh chillies, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• Oil, salt, ground pepper

Method

- Marinate the chicken with 1/3 chopped lemongrass, 2 tsp mince garlic, half chopped chilli, 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, chicken powder, 1/2 tsp oil, salt to taste and ground pepper for 30 minutes.

- Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat, saute rest of the garlic, lemongrass, chilli and curry powder until fragrant, add the marinated chicken into the pan. Season with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp fish sauce and cook for 10 minutes.

- Add the spring onions, mix well with the chicken and remove from the heat.

- Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Pan-fried Fish Fillet with Tomatoes & Bocconcini Salad

Ingredients

• 5 small chat potatoes, quartered
• 100g green beans, trimmed, cut into 4cm lengths
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• 2 tbsp roasted cashew nuts
• 1 bocconcini ball, drained and torn
• 1 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 150g firm white fish fillets
• 1-1/2 tsp vinegar 
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp sugar 
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, ground pepper
• Lemon wedges to serve

Method
- Cook the potatoes in a saucepan of boiling, salted water for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the beans to the saucepan for last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.
- Season the fish with a good pinch of salt and pepper on each side. Heat oil in a frying pan, cook the fish for 2-3 minutes each side or until cooked through.
- To make the salad dressing, combine extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, garlic and sugar in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Shake until well combined.
- Add tomatoes, potatoes, beans, cashew nuts in a shallow dish. Top with the basil and drizzle over the dressing.
- Serve hot with salad and lemon wedges.

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Chicken Polpette Brodo

Ingredients

• 1 cup pasta
• 400g chicken mince
• 1 bunch of spring onion, finely chopped
• 1 handful of basil, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
• 1 ltr chicken stock
• Olive oil
• Salt, ground pepper
• 1 bunch of bok choy, washed and roughly chopped 

Method
- In a large bowl, mix chicken mine, spring onion, parmesan, egg, garlic, bread crumbs, basil and a splash of olive oil. Combine together and season with salt and pepper.
- Roll small meatballs and rest them in a tray. Place the meatballs into the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the chicken stock in a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Meanwhile, boil water in another pot, add a bit of salt and half cook the pasta, . Drain and put aside.
- Remove the meatballs from the fridge and softly place into the stock. Cook the meatballs for 15 minutes or until all meatballs are cooked.
- Add the pasta to the stock and cook for 2 minutes or until pasta is cooked. Season the brodo with a good pinch of salt and ground pepper.
- To serve, place bok choy in a bowl, then add the brodo to the bowl, the heat from the stock will cook the bok choy.

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Stuffed Baby Eggplant

Ingredients

• 10 baby eggplants, make a deep cross on top (do not cut it apart)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1-1/2 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp salt
• Oil 
• Handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method
- Combine all spices into a small bowl, then stuff them into the eggplants through the cross cut.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, add chopped garlic and fry it till fragrant (it takes 10-20 seconds, be careful not to burn the garlic). Add the stuffed eggplants and fry on medium low heat for 5-10 minutes, turn them occasionally.
- Serve hot.

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Vietnamese Rice Noodle with Prawn & Pork (Hủ Tiếu)

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg pork bones
• 200g minced pork
• 300g pork shoulder
• 1 dried squid
• 1/2 cup dried shrimp
• 1 onion
• 1 daikon, peeled and cut into 4cm thick slices
• 1 cube rock sugar
• 5 liter of water
• 1 large garlic knob, finely chopped
• 3 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup preserved radish, minced
• 10 quail eggs
• 600g dried noodle (Hủ tiếu dai)
• 1 lemon
• Some fresh chillies, sliced
• Oil, sugar, salt to taste
• Fresh veggies: garlic chives, lettuce, parsley, chrysanthemum (rau tần ô), beansprout.
• Black sauce: 3 tbsp oyster sauce + 3 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp sugar + 3 tbsp water. Simmer on low heat for 2 minutes. 

Method
- Grill the dried squid for a few minutes to bring out the flavor, then tear it into small pieces. Soak dried squid and dried shrimps in hot water for at least 15 minutes. After that rinse well and drain.
- Boil pork bones for 5 minutes to remove impurities. Then dump out the whole pot. Rinse the bones and wash the pot.
- Transfer pork bones to the clean pot and add in 5 liters of water. Also add 1 peeled whole onion, rock sugar, 1 tbsp salt, daikon slices, pork shoulder together with dried squid and shrimps. Bring it to a boil and skim off the foam. Then simmer on medium low for 1-2 hours without cover.
- Season minced pork with salt and pepper. Add in a slash of water and stir to separate the meat.
- In a pan, add oil and fry garlic until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and mix with 1 tsp sugar to keep it stay crispy longer. Repeat the same steps for minced shallot.
- Stir-fry minced preserved radish with a tsp oil. Season it lightly with salt and sugar.
- Hard boil the quail eggs for 4 minutes ( remember to add salt in boiling water).
- Cut garlic chives into 6cm length and set aside.
- Cook dried noodle following package instructions.
- Remove pork shoulder from the soup pot as cooked (it may take 40 - 60 minutes to cook the meat depending on its size). Rinse under cold water and let cool. Then slice it thinly.
- In a strainer, add in seasoned minced pork and submerge into soup pot until cooked. Remove and transfer to a plate. Repeat the same steps with fresh prawns.
Assembling:
- Add noodle and beansprout in a large serving bowl, top up with minced pork, pork shoulder slices, prawns, garlic chives, quail eggs, fried garlic, fried shallot, preserved radish.
- For dried noodle version, serve it with mixture of black sauce.
- For noodle soup version, pour hot soup over noodles and toppings.
- Serve all with a platter of fresh vegetables, chilli and lemon wedges.

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Flathead Fillets en Papilotte

Ingredients

• 4 flat head tails (or 2 white fish fillets), bone removed
• 5 oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 20g butter
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 tsp white wine
• Salt and ground pepper

Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C.
- Cut four large squares of baking paper. You can double the layers to make it thicker (optional).
- On each piece of baking paper, in the center, distribute evenly the mushrooms, tomatoes and thyme, seasoning with salt. Place the fish on top and season again with salt and pepper.
- Add the butter, olive oil, lemon zest and white wine on top of the fish.
- Carefully gather each side of the baking paper, then twist to form a bonbon-like parcel. Tie with cooking twine or thread.
- Place on a baking tray and cook for 10 - 15 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets.
- Serve hot with ketchup.

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Sago Pudding

Ingredients

• 8 cups water
• 1 cup sago pearls
• 1/4 tsp pandan paste or essence
• 120g palm sugar
• 1-1/2 cups coconut milk

Method
- Bring water to boil in a medium non-stick pot, then  rain the sago pearls in, stir with a wooden spoon before allowing the sago to bubble away. The sago pearls are ready when they turn transparent.
- Remove the pot from heat and tip the contents into a sieve. Run lots of cool water through the pearls to remove residual starch.
- Using a metal spoon, fold the pandan paste through the mixture until achieving nice green sago.
- Divide the sago into 4 jelly moulds, cover with clingwrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, bring the coconut milk to boil in a small pot. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Using the same pot, unwashed, combine the palm sugar and 2 tsp water. Bring to boil and then refrigerate.
- To serve, ease moulded sago into 4 small bowls, pour 1/3 cup of coconut milk into each bowl. Drizzle the caramelized sugar over each bowl.

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