Vietnamese Ginger Chicken (Gà Kho Gừng)

Ingredients

• 500g chicken chunks (thigh & drumstick), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tbsp minced ginger & 1 thumb sized ginger piece, julienned 
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp chicken powder
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2-3 cups coconut water

Method
- Marinate the chicken with minced ginger, shallot, garlic, salt, 1 tsp sugar, chicken powder, fish sauce and ground pepper for 30 minutes.
- In a large sauce pan or a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle 2 tbsp sugar into it. Melt sugar under medium heat until it turns dark amber. Quickly add in marinated chicken and stir-fry on high heat until chicken is no longer pink.
- Add in coconut water and julienned ginger. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam and some of the floating fat. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 15-20 minutes without cover until the sauce reduces by one third.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Steamed Scallops in Shell with Asian Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 scallops in shell
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp minced fresh chilli
• 1/4 tsp minced ginger paste
• 2 drops of sesame oil
• 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1/4 tsp roasted sesame seed.

Method
- Preheat a steamer for a few minutes. Add the scallops and steam them for 5-6 minutes or until cooked.
- To make the Asian sauce, combine all ingredients into a small bowl. Mix well.
- Add a bit of the sauce into each scallop. Serve hot.

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Mushroom Pepper Fry

Ingredients

• 300g white button mushroom
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
• 4 green chillies, slit
• Few curry leaves
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• Oil, salt to taste 

Method
- Heat oil in a wok on medium heat, add cumin seeds; when they crackle, add garlic and saute. When they turn golden, add onions and fry till translucent.
- Add curry leaves, green chillies into the wok and saute for a while. Then add mushroom and salt, continute to fry them until cooked, stir occasionally.
- Add crushed pepper, vinegar and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Serve hot.

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Mutton Seekh Kebabs

Ingredients

• 400g minced mutton (goat meat)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tsp salt
• A handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 50g butter at room temperature 

Method
- Combine all ingredients in a big mixing bowl, mix all well together and keep marinated in a fridge for 15 minutes.
- Add a bit of cooking oil into your palm, then get a lump of meat and roll it like a sausage around a skewer, slightly press the kebab while rolling to help it hold the shape (wet the skewers before using). Repeat this step until you finish the mixture.
- Heat a griddle pan over medium heat, brush melted butter on top of it, cook the kebabs 3-4 minutes on each sides, remember to brush melted butter onto the kebabs before turning them.
- Serve hot as an entree.

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Raw Papaya & Mangrove Crab Salad (Gỏi Đu Đủ Ba Khía)

Ingredients

• 1 raw papaya, shredded 
• 150g mangrove crabs (can be purchased in Asian stores)
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 fresh red chillies, finely chopped
• 50g cow-peas/snake beans, cut into 5cm pieces
• 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped 
• 1 cup fish sauce
• 1 cup lemon juice 
• 1/2 cup palm sugar, crushed
• 2 cups tamarind juice

Method

* Prepare the mangrove crabs and tamarind juice: 

- Remove all inedible parts of the crabs including bibs and lungs, rinse thoroughly them with warm water and drain.

- Heat 1 cup of tamarind juice with 3 tbsp sugar until slightly thick, the taste of the juice should be sweet and sour. Let it cool.

- Combine 1 tsp crushed garlic + 1 tbsp finely chopped chili + 1 tbsp salt + tamarind juice into a big bowl , add the crabs, mix well and marinate it for 2-3 days in a fridge.

- For people who are afraid to eat raw crabs, you can heat it in a pan for 3 minutes on medium low heat before mixing with salad.

* Prepare the salad: 

- In a big mortar and pestle, to serve 1 person, beat 1 garlic clove and 1-2 fresh chillies, then add some snake beans, 1-2 mangrove crab, 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tsp tamarind juice, 1 tsp lemon juice, 2 tsp crushed palm sugar, mix well altogether. Add tomatoes and a handful of shredded raw papaya. Slightly beat all ingredients well to combine. 

- Serve fresh with white cabbage and cucumber.

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Desi Murgh

Ingredients

• 600g chicken pieces 
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 2 tsp finely chopped ginger
• 4 tomatoes, skinned, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp chilli powder
• 10 green cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup yogurt 
• 6 dried chillies
• 1/4 cup curry leaves

Method
- Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and set aside. Then add onions and cook for about 6 minutes, transfer onions to a small food processor and blend to a paste.
- Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, stir-fry for about 20 seconds then add tomatoes, stirring well to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, then add turmeric, chilli powder ad stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, pound 6 cardamom pods, cloves, coriander and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle until ground, then add to the pan, cook for 6 minutes, stirring regularly. Then add onion paste and yogurt, stir well to combine.
- Add chicken pieces to the pan with a cup of water or more. Season it well with a good pinch of salt  and pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender, adding more water if necessary throughout cooking.
- In a different frying pan, add oil over high heat. Add curry leaves, dried chillies and 4 green cardamom pods, and swirl the pan until the spices pop and are fragrant. Turn off the heat, carefully tip the spice mixture over the curry
- Serve hot with steamed rice and garnish with coriander leaves.

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Grilled Whole Sardines with Thai Side Sauce

Ingredients

• 8-10 whole sardines, cleaned well (intestines and entrails removed, rinse and let dry)
• Barbecue Rub for Sardines:
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp dry chilli flakes or 3/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• Side Sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 fresh chili, deseeded & minced
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3-4 tbsp lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp brown sugar

Method
- To make the barbecue rub, simply stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Drizzle 1 tbsp vegetable oil and slather evenly over the fish. Gently marinate the fish with barbecue rub for at least 10 minutes
- To make the side sauce, place all sauce ingredients in a small pot and heat very briefly (do not boil), just warm up over medium heat to bring out the flavors. Taste and adjust the sauce to suit your liking, it's expected to be sweet, salty and sour at the same time.
- Heat the grill with cooking oil, grill the fish for 5-8 minutes each side or until cooked. When done, the fish will appear golden and the skin will be crisp.
- Serve hot with side sauce.

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