Squirrel Fish (松鼠鱖魚)

The most important date in the lunar calendar is Chinese New Year - it’s a traditional time for feasting with family and friends that dates back thousands of years


Fish has symbolic significance to the chinese because the Chinese word for fish, yu, sounds like the word for riches or abundance, and it is believed that eating fish will help your wishes come true in the year to come. So, by cooking this fish dish - The Squirrel Fish" and serving it on Chinese New Year's Eve Dinner. I hope that all your wishes will come true in the Rabbit Year. The fish is never eaten completely since leaving some behind hints at the family's ability to 'always have enough'.


The recipe is HERE

Pan-fried Fish Fillet with Pace Picante Sauce

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received 2 bottles of Pace Picante sauce. They arrived just in time, making my cooking dinner easier as i was under the weather and did not feel like cooking an elaborate dinner, not that i cook elaborate everyday but at least it must be substantial.

I would usually serve pan-fried fish , fillets or whole fish with some maggi or soya sauce as this way it is more friendly for the younger ones in the household, but since i have Pace Picante Sauce, i decided to serve the adult's portion of the fish with some Pace Picate Sauce, smeared on top, straight from the bottle. It was a hit and thank you Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program.

Continue HERE for recipe

Fish in Soya Sauce

Although i am happy that i get to see my siblings, relatives especially cousins who i seldom see when i was staying in Malaysia, and friends but it is so sad to see my mom, who is 84 and not well.  She is in the hospital with tubes and drips, all attached to her and i know she is in good care.  My mom has gone through alot bringing up 7 children and  she has never requested or demanded anything from her children.  Even now, in this situation, she will try to visit the restroom without asking for help.  When we were young, mom had to feed us with limited resources and frying fish and just sprinkling on soya sauce was the staple. 

Ingredients:

Fish - cleaned and rub with salt
Oil for shallow frying
Soya sauce

Method:

Heat wok/skillet (if it is teflon coated - do not heat), add oil and when oil is shimmering, slowly lower fish into oil.  Fry until brown before flipping over to brown the other side.  If fish should resist to dislodge, sprinkle a little salt oil into the oil and this will help.  Fish getting stuck is due to putting in the fry before the oil is hot enough. Use medium heat to fry fish if the fish is big and thick.

When fish is browned on both sides, remove to serving plate and sprinkle a tablespoon or two of soya sauce.

Serve warm or room temperature with white rice.



Serves

Steamed Fish

Cooking this dish is effortless, the only difficult part is to scale or like me, just remove the skin of the fish.  You can beat Rachael Ray hands down way for preparing your dinner before 30 minutes, if you serving this dish..  The plate of fish is left to steam on top of the rice, in the rice cooker,  as soon as there are no more bubbles on the surface of the rice.  Leave the plate of fish on top, close the lid and forget about it until you are ready to have dinner.  To complete your dinner menu,  a vegetable dish will be good.  Wash and cut up some leafy vegetables, arrange them on a plate and add in a couple of tablespoons of oil, zap in the microwave for 3 - 4 minutes.  Add in a tablespoon of oyster sauce before serving.  Two dishes down, now you need to balance your dinner nutritiously with a meat or tofu dish and a soup like egg drop, miso or hot and sour soup .  This is pretty much the daily action in my kitchen and sometimes when there is no more greens in the fridge, just serve 'kimchi'.

Ingredients:

1 piece of fish steak/fillet
1 stalk spring onions
1 heaped teaspoon of Ginger and garlic sauce
A dash of white pepper(optional)
Shredded spring onions for garnishing

Method:

Scale or remove the skin if you need to.

Put the stalk of spring onion on to a plate/dish that will fit your rice cooker and place fish steak/fillet on top. 

Top the fish steak/fillet with the ginger and garlic sauce and when there are no more bubbles on the rice, place prepared plate/dish on top of rice.  Close the rice cooker lid and forget about it until you are ready for dinner.

Sprinkle a dash of white pepper and garnish with shredded spring onions before serving

Serves

Nyonya Otak Otak

Making this dish is not a problem, the biggest problem is getting the leaves - duan kaduk. Daun kaduk, or wild pepper (Piper sarmentosum), is the glossy heart-shaped leaf of a creeper that is often featured in Nyonya cooking. In Hokkien, the name is pronounced as lun kaduk, these leaves  provide the texture and aroma that is so essential to this dish, without it the taste will be vastly different.  I have wanted to make otak otak but if daun kaduk is not available, i will not waste my time to adulterate.  My chance at last arrived when my dear friend, Peng, who is in Colorado Springs, found the leaves in her asian store.  With all the ingredients complete, graciously contributed by Catherine, another dear friend who also share the same passion in cooking as Peng does.. we made some in Peng's house.  Thank you Catherine and Peng.   I can't remember when was the last time i had otak otak and when i opened up a freshly steamed parcel, the aroma jolted my "otak"(in Malay is brain) into rememberance of a good thing.

There are different forms of otak-otak originating from different regions. Nyonya otak-otak is of Peranakan origins from Penang, it is wrapped in banana leaves in a parcel and steamed. However, otak-otak from the south of Malaysia and from Singapore is wrapped up as a thin slice using banana or coconut leaf and grilled over a charcoal fire.

DAUN KADUK

Ingredients:

1 lb fish fillet preferably white fish - slice into thin slices
5 kaffir lime leaves - spines removed and finely shredded
1 large tumeric leaves - spines removed and finely shredded
30 leaves - daun kaduk(the more leaves the better) - spines removed
1/2 cup thick coconut cream
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp fish sauce
Salt, sugar and pepper to taste

Banana leaves - cleaned, cut into 8" x 8" squares and boiled, wipe dry.

Rempah:

1 x 1/2 inch galangal
2 stalks lemon grass - white part only
5 pieces candlenut/buah keras
1 tbsp shrimp paste/belacan granules
5 pieces fresh red chillies - cut into small pieces
5 pieces/3 ozs shallots - washed and peeled
5 cloves garlic - peeled
1/4 - 1/2 oz tumeric powder or 1 x 2 inch fresh tumeric
10 pieces dried chillies, cut into small pieces, soaked in hot water until soft, drained
3 fl ozs cooking oil for frying

Method:

Prepare the Rempah.


Grate galangal and lemon grass with a microplane zester.

In the food processor, grind the rest of the ingredients except the cooking oil, into a fine paste.(If using the blender, put all the ingredients in including the oil and blend to very fine.)

Pour blended ingredients into a microwable bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes, stir and continue to cook on high 2 minutes at a time, until oil surfaces and paste is fragrant and almost dry.



Prepare the mousse:

Pat the fish dry and cut it into 2-inch slices.

Beat slightly eggs and egg yolk with fish sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper.

Mix cornflour and rice with the coconut milk.

In a large bowl, put in the sliced fish, eggs, coconut mixture.and cooled rempah. Mix well to combine.
Lastly add in the shredded kaffir lime  and tumeric leaves.
.To make otak otak parcels:

 For each parcel, , use a square of banana leaf and lay 3 - 4 leaves daun kaduk in the center.  Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the fish mixture on top of daun kaduk.

Fold the banana leaf into half and hold on to the center.  Fold up the right side to the center and open up the leaf to form the parcel edge.  Repeat with the left side and using a staple or toothpick, secure the parcel.

Repeat making the parcels until all the fish mousse is done.

Put the parcel to steam for about 10 minutes.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Serves

Assam Black Pomfret

Black Pomfret is one of the frozen fishes that somehow is just as good as one which has just come out of the water.

I had to show my guests around, we enjoyed ourselves so much that we forgot about the time. We were running very late for dinner, luckily the fish was taken out to thaw in the morning before we left home. So, cooking this dish was no effort as the assam spices was a premixed and pineapple was from the can. Only the tomatoes needed to be halves. Thank goodness for premixed spices and a well stocked pantry.

Ingredients:

1 black pomfret

1/2 salt

1 packet of Assam pedas (any brand will do - adjust taste with tamarind juice and sugar)

2 tomatoes cut into halves

1 can pineapple chunks

Method:

Clean the black pomfret of scales and salt the fish, inside and on the surface of fish.

Follow the instructions in the packet of assam pedas premix, add in the black pomfret. Cover and cook until fish is cooked. Adjust taste with tamarind juice if not sour enough, sugar and salt according to taste.

Add in tomatoes and pineapple chunks and bring gravy back to the boil.

Serve hot with white rice and enjoy.


Serves

Steamed Sea Bass

As i have said again and again, being thousand of miles away from the coast, i do not have the luxury of fresh fish and have to depend on frozen ones. These frozen sea bass steak is one of the best that i have eaten and the best part is, i could steam them.



Ingredients:

1 piece Sea bass steak

1 tsp tapioca starch

2 tbsp julienned ginger

2 cloves sliced garlic

1 shallot - sliced

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp sesame oil

a dash of pepper

1 stalk sping onion

coriander for garnishing

Method:

Pat dry the sea bass steak and coat lightly with tapioca starch.

Put into a deep dish , spring onion then the sea bass steak.

Top the sea bass steak with the julienned ginger, sliced garlic, sliced shallot and all the other ingredients except the coriander.

Bring the water in the steamer to the boil, and put the sea bass steak to steam until it is cooked - to test - prick the center of the steak and if it can be pricked through, it is done, do not overcook fish - it will not be good eats.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot

Serves

Steamed Salted Spanish Mackeral

I love salted fish cooked this way especially if the flesh of the spanish mackeral is soft and powdery - the cantonese way to describe this texture is 'MUI HEONG". MUI - means can be torn easily - that is if it is a piece of cloth but for the fish - MUI means melts in the mouth. HEONG - Fragrant to those who have acquired a taste for it. Unfortunately, this salted fish bought in the Korean Store, is very different from the salted MUI HEONG from Malaysia. The flesh is not salty and it is firm. Anyway, it made a very good accompaniment to plain rice or congee.


Ingredients:

1 piece of salted spanish mackeral or any salted fish

2 tbsp of julienned ginger

5 tbsp oil

Method:

Place fish on a dish which can fit the rice cooker.

Put ginger slices on top of fish and pour oil over.

Place dish on top of the rice when no more big bubbles are visible.

Close the lid of rice cooker and let fish and rice to complete cooking.

When the rice is ready, the fish should be cooked too.

Serves

Fried Pomfret with Ginger sauce

You would say that i am not doing justice to this fine textured fish by pan frying it but i would not no, cos the flesh is just as delicious fried this way. To serve steamed fish is quite difficult here, especially winter, food gets cold so fast and every member of the family has to present and ready to eat, then only can the steamed fish be served.

Ingredients:

1 white pomfret - gutted, cleaned, wipe dry and sprinkled with salt

1 tbsp tapioca starch/cornstarch for coating

4 tbsp julienned ginger

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp sugar

a dash of pepper
Oil for frying

Method:

Coat the salted fish with the tapioca starch/cornstarch.

Heat wok and add in oil, only when the wok is shimmering hot.

Lower the fish into the oil carefully to avoid splatterings.

Fry until golden brown before flipping and fry the other side of fish until golden brown too.

Remove fish and place on serving plate.

Remove all the oil except 2 tbsps oil.

Fry the julienned ginger until crispy. Remove and put them on top of the fish.

Add soya sauce and sugar to the oil in the wok and cook until it thickens.

Spoon over the fish and serve hot with white rice.

Serves

Steamed Pomfret in Teochew Style

This is the most popular recipe for steaming fish in the Teochew repertoire. The perfect combination of the ingredients create its very own flavors which enhanced the smoothness of the pomfret.


Ingredients:

2 pomfret
1 tbsp ginger, shredded
1 stalk spring onions, shredded
1/4 lb lean pork- cut into strips, seasoned with salt, pepper and corn starch
2 dried shitake mushrooms (soak in warm water before slicing them up)

Topping:

1 tomato, cut into wedges
1/4 lb preserved green mustard-shredded
2 preserved sour plums - mash lightly

Seasoning for fish:

1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp corn starch

Sauce:

1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp rice wine or shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp sugar


Garnish: -

1 stalk spring onions, shredded
1 red chilli, shredded
a good big dash of sesame oil
.
Method:

1. Wash fish and pat dry. Make a few slits on each side of the fish. Rub lightly on the surface and inside of fish with salt, pepper and corn starch. Then stuff a few shreds of ginger and spring onions into the slits and fish stomach.

2. Heat up 1-2 tbsp oil. Add in the rest of the shredded ginger, pork and mushrooms and stir fry until fragrant.

3. Arrange fish on a steaming tray, arrange toppings over fish and pour mixture from (2) over the fish.

4. Steam over high heat for 12-15 minutes or until cooked.

Garnish with shredded spring onions and chilli.

Note: - when the eyes of the fish has popped out, this is an indication that the fish is cooked.

COUNTDOWN TO THANKSGIVING

3 MORE DAYS TO THANKSGIVING

The turkey should be defrosted - follow the instructions on how to brine, truss and then leave the turkey, uncovered for a vacation - cold drying in the fridge.

While turkey is on vacation, the less fortunate relative - the neck, giblets etc will be taking a hot vacation - they are to be roasted for the gravy.

The stuffing can be prepared today too or if it is too much, prepare the stuffing tomorrow.

Pan Fried Salmon with Fried Kai Lan

Fish is my lifesaver for our dinner menu but unfornately we are not blessed with fresh fish, being thousands miles away from the coasts. Trouts and salmons are the only ones sold in the supermarkets as fresh. In the asian markets, pink tilapias are swimming in the tanks, the rest are frozen. I like to buy frozen fish as i find them to be still good when thawed, the ones which are sitting on ice and looked fresh are actually defrosted.

Ingredients:

1 piece salmon fillet/steak

Kai Lan Leaves - Stems removed

sesame seeds

1 tsp soya sauce

1 tsp sugar

oil for frying

Method:

Prepare the kai lan as you would from Mock Seaweed/seasoned layer

Sprinkle salt and pepper on to the salmon before frying.

Heat oil and then lower the salmon fillet/steak into the oil carefully.

Fry until it is brown before flipping. Fry the other side of fish until brown.

Dish out and drain on kitchen towel.

Remove the oil from the pan and wipe pan clean with kitchen towel.

Add in 1 tsp oil, soya sauce , sugar and 2 - 3 tbsp water. Cook until sugar is dissolved and sauce has thickened. Spoon sauce over fried salmon and then top with fried kai lan.

Serve warm.
Serves

Omelette Roll

This is a glorified way to dress up an omelette. The dish is elegant because of it's subtle flavor and beautiful presentation. Serve them as an appetizer, a party food or as part of a meal.


Ingredients:

150g fish paste (how to make fish paste is Yeong Tofu )
150g prawns, minced finely
1 tsp chopped spring onion
1 tsp chopped red chilli
1 tbsp chopped carrot
3 pieces nori sheets
3 pieces omelettes(how to make the omelettes is below)

3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp monosodium glutamate
1/4 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp corn flour

For Omelette:

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons Mirin

1 1/2 teaspoons soya sauce

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cooking oil

Dipping Sauce (Combined)
1 tbsp wasabe
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Method:

FOR THE OMELETTE:

Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend well.

Heat oil in a heavy nonstick 8-inch-diameter omelette pan over low heat.

Add egg mixture; cook until omelette is beginning to set, about 2 minutes.

Using heat-resistant nylon spatula, turn omelette over and cook until just cooked through, about 1 minute.

Slide omelette onto to cutting board; cool.

TO ASSEMBLE:

Combine fish paste, prawns and seasoning in a big bowl. Stir in carrot, spring onion and red chilli to blend.

Spread some filling on a piece of omelette and place a piece of nori sheet on top.

Spread with another thin layer of filling on the nori.

Roll up like a swiss roll and put the rolls to steam for 20 - 30 minutes until cooked.

Leave to cool, before slicing.

Serve with dipping sauce.


Serves

Assam Fish Delimas

Last summer, our neighbor's peach tree had so many fruits that after giving me a huge basket full of peaches, there were still more left for the birds. The firmer peaches were sour as they are not ready for the table, so i added some to the assam fish and they were so good, giving this dish a new twist.


Ingredients:

1 lb Spanish mackeral steaks

4 unripe peaches

2 tomatoes

4 ozs okra(i use the frozen ones)

1 packet DELIMAS - Assam Seafood (This is available online from http://mytasteofasia.com/)

Method:

In a microwave-safe bowl, stir the packet of DELIMAS - Assam Seafood with a cup of water.

Put in the fish steaks, cover and cook on high for 4 - 5 minutes.

Add in the peaches - cook for 1 minute (the peaches should be fork tender - if not continue to cook further).

Add in the frozen okra and tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute to warm up the vegetables.

Enjoy with white rice

Serves

Grilled Skate Wing/Stingray

Stingray or Skate was an inexpensive and largely ignored fish until relatively recently, when this excellent way of cooking it - slathered with Chili Sambal, wrapped in banana leaf and grilled over charcoal was discovered. I found that i had better result using the griddle than grilling over fire and whatever chili sambal you have on hand will do. There are so many types of premix or assam fish available and even Tom Yam paste can be a sub. for the chili sambal. Any white fish fillets would be a good stand in for the stingray.

Ingredients:

1½-2 lb whole Stingray/skate wing, cleaned
1½ tsp palm sugar or dark brown sugar
salt
juice of 1 lemon /lime
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 cup warm water
a large piece of banana leaf [Substitute: aluminum foil]
2-4 toothpicks, soaked in water
3-4 fresh lime, cut into wedges

1 onion, sliced, for garnishA few sprig

s fresh coriander leaves [cilantro], for garnish

8 shallots, peeled
4 garlic, peeled
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled
2 stalks lemongrass, tender ends only
4-6 dried chilies, softened in hot water
1½ tsp belacan, also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]
[Items in red are to be ground/blended]

Method:

Rub stingray with lemon/lime juice and salt, set aside for 10 mins.

In a small bowl, mix tamarind paste with warm water, strain, discard seeds, set aside.

Using blender/food processor, grind shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, dried chilies , vegetable oil and belacan.

Cook the ground paste in the microwave on high until fragrant.

Add tamarind, sugar, salt to taste, cook further until sauce is slightly thickened, allow sauce to cool.

Soften banana leaf in hot water, dry well with a tea towel, lightly coat with vegetable oil .

Spoon and spread half the sauce on the banana leaf, lay the stingray fillets on top, spoon the rest of the sauce on the fish.

Fold the banana leaf into a packet, secure with toothpicks .

Grill on a hot charcoal bbq grill or indoor grill or stovetop grill pan, 10-15 mins, depending on the thickness of the fish, turn over ONCE

Garnish with sliced onions, coriander leaves and lime wedges

Serve hot with steamed rice or a fresh salad


Serves