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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Zucchini Wrapped Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini
• 1 skinless chicken breast
• Some skewers
• 1 tbsp chicken powder
• Salt, ground black pepper

Method
- Preheat oven to 200C.
- Thinly slice the zucchini, then place it on a board, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat oil in a frying an over medium-high heat, add chicken and cook for 2 minutes each side or until brown, season with chicken powder, salt and pepper.
- Transfer the chicken to a chopping board, cut it into bite-sized pieces. Wrap the zucchini evenly around the chicken and put them all on skewers. Place the chicken on a baking paper-lined oven tray and roast for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
- Serve hot with salad and hot chilli sauce.

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Teriyaki Drumsticks with BBQ Pineapple

Ingredients

• 4 big sized drumsticks, gashed on each side
• 1/2 bottle Teriyaki sauce
• 4 thick slices fresh pineapple
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Oil, salt to taste, ground pepper

Method
- Toss the chicken in the Teriyaki marinate until well coated and refrigerate for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan and add the chicken pieces, retaining the marinade. Cover and gently cook for 15 minutes until sealed all over, turning now and again.
- Turn the heat down a bit, add some of the marinade to the pan and gently cook until glazed. Then add the remaining marinade, chicken stock and cook for 15 minutes or until cooked through, season with a touch of salt and ground pepper. Remember to turn the chicken every 5 minutes to avoid unevenly cooked meat.
- Heat oil in a griddle pan or BBQ. Remove the core from each pineapple slice and cook it in the griddle pan  or BBQ for 3 minutes each side.
- Serve hot with grilled pineapple and steamed rice.

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Vietnamese Caramelised Prawns (Tôm Rim)

Ingredients

• 400g tiger prawns, peeled (tails intact), deveined
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 3 tbs fish sauce
• Salt, sugar, olive oil and ground black pepper

Method
- Marinate the prawns with a bit of chopped garlic and shallot (keep the remaining chopped garlic and shallot for frying later), fish sauce, sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper for 1 hour in a fridge.
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottom frying pan, add 2 tbsp sugar and cook until caramelised (please do not stir the sugar). Add the remaining chopped shallot and garlic into the pan and stir until fragrant. Then add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes, remember to turn the prawns over to cook evenly. Season the prawns with a bit of salt, chilli flakes and ground black pepper.
- Serve hot with fried vegetables and steamed rice.

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