Daing na Bangus

One of the ways Filipinos flavour and preserve fish (especially bangus or milkfish) is by marinating and drying them. One such technique is called 'daing'. By which the fish is marinated for hours and optionally dried out in the sun afterwards.

I don't have the luxury of having the delicious bangus in our neck of the woods. So I go for the nearest one available - sea bass. The one advantage of sea bass over the bangus is its got less bones. So there's less to be wary about.

It's been years since i have marinated bangus and I have forgotten that it takes several hours or overnight to make the vinegar-based marinate to permeate the fish completely. Otherwise, once you've pan-fired it, the flavour is hardly noticeable. So make sure to marinate it for a long time - I reckon at least 8 hours or overnight.

Daing na Bangus
(Fried Marinated Fish)

2 pieces bangus (milkfish) or other white fleshed fish like sea bass
2/3 cup  palm vinegar or any white vinegar
2 tsp  sea salt flakes
1 tsp  black pepper corns - cracked
4 cloves (or more) garlic - smashed

1. Ask your fishmonger to butterfly or fillet your fish.
2. Combine all the other ingredients and stir until the salt is dissolved.
3. Put in a non-reactive container (plastic, glass, or ceramic) and marinate the fish in it for at least 8 hours or overnight.
4. Remove from marinade and drain briefly.
5. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium-high heat. Pan fry the fish about 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Salmon En Croute

Our lovely Monkey Queen of Don’t Make Me Call My Flying Monkeys, was our May Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to dive into the world of en Croute! We were encouraged to make Beef Wellington, Stuffed Mushroom en Croute and to bring our kids into the challenge by encouraging them to create their own en Croute recipes!

I decided to go with the flow of the season and do a salmon covered in pastry since it's currently on sale! Even my stuffing is more spring-like: blended combination of spinach, watercress, and rocket (arugula). I used a combination of cream cheese and ricotta (left-over from another recipe). They were quite nice although I must say I was right in seasoning it well. Otherwise it comes across as too bland.

The BBC Good Food magazine provided me with the recipe to adapt to. This is so easy to make what with the ready-made puff pastry you can get from almost any supermarket. The only thing a bit hard is when moving the whole encased salmon from the assembly area to the baking pan. Otherwise, it was all a breeze frankly.

Salmon En Croute

500 g  salmon fillet - skinned and deboned
500 g  puff pastry
150 g  mascarpone or cream cheese
100 g  combined spinach, watercress and rocket
1 medium egg - beaten with 2 tsp milk

1. Combine the cream cheese and the watercress, spinach and rocket in a food processor and whizz until well mixed. Season well with sea salt. Set aside.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/375°F. Butter or oil a baking sheet.
3. Roll the pastry out to a size that will enclose the salmon completely, with a thickness of around 1/8 of an inch. Lay it on the prepared baking sheet (it will hang over the edges) and put the salmon in the middle. If it has a thinner tail end, tuck it under.
4. Put half of the cream cheese mixture on the salmon. Fold the pastry over to make a neat parcel. Trim the edges and seal with a fork or by crimping.
5. Make three slashes in the pastry to allow the steam to escape. Brush the pastry with the egg glaze.
6. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and browned. Dish up and serve with the rest of the watercress puree.

Roasted Teriyaki Salmon

We usually go for something different on either Christmas lunch or dinner. In the last one we had the kid's favourite roast rib of beef for lunch so I thought of keeping it a little lighter for dinner.

Often salmon is dealt with in our kitchen by grilling it. This time it is baked with some veggies stuffed in it. I think it still needs a little more seasoning although my husband it was just right. Anyway he said we always have a dipping dish of soy sauce and lemon on the side. However as a variation, this dish can be marinated first with teriyaki sauce to make the salmon more flavoured. But forget my gripes, I highly recommend this as an alternative to your usual turkey or beef roasts.

This was adapted from the Good Housekeeping magazine from the mid 90s. Enjoy!


Roasted Teriyaki Salmon

4 spring onions
225 g  asparagus (optional) - halved lengthwise
225 g  carrots - peeled and julienned
225 g  leeks
1 large red or orange bell pepper
3 garlic cloves - finely minced
50 g  canned water chestnuts - julienned or roughly chopped
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce*
2 salmon tail fillet (about 1.8 kg in weight) - skin on and scaled
sea salt flakes
fresh ground pepper

1. Cut off the ends of the leek and into about 4-inch lengths crosswise then cut into julienne strips.
2. De-seed the bell pepper and cut into julienne strips.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a wok. Saute the garlic for a few seconds.
4. Stir fry the rest of the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in the teriyaki sauce and cook for about 1 minute.
6. Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
7. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F.
8. Put the salmon fillets cut side up on a work surface. Sprinkle some teriyaki sauce, sea salt and pepper on them.
9. Place the cooled vegetable on top of one then cover with the other salmon fillet, cut side down.
10. Tie the salmon tightly together at intervals using cotton strings.
11. Brush the of the salmon on top with the rest of the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.
12. Put the salmon in a roasting pan and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
13. Remove from oven and put under a hot grill (or increase the oven to 250°C/fan 230°C/490°F) for 2-3 mins to brown the salmon.
14. To serve, cut into thick slices and with lemon and soy sauce.

*Notes:

• You may use store-bought teriyaki sauce.
• This can be prepared ahead by doing to end of step 10 up to one day ahead. Chill in the fridge until ready to use.
• When baking from chilled, cook for 35-40 mins.
• The salmon may also be marinated with the teriyaki sauce for about 15 minutes to increase flavour.

Fish Fillet with Broccoli

Here's a recipe for fish fillets with a healthy dose of veg. The sauce is mild and not overpowering at all. Such a nice detour from the usual spicy or strong flavoured dishes we do with fish fillets. I got this from my good 'ol favourite Chinese Cuisine by Huang Su-Huei.


Fish Fillet with Broccoli

500 g  white fish fillet
1 Tbsp cooking wine
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 egg white - beaten lightly
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
oil for frying
1 green onion - cut into 1/2-inch slices
6 slices ginger root - julienned
250 g  broccoli - cut into small florets

*Sauce:
1 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp sugar
dash of black pepper
dash of sesame oil
5 tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

1. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Steam the broccoli for about 3 minutes or until just cooked. Set aside.
3. Score the fish fillet lightly in criss-cross pattern.
4. Cut the fillets in bite-sized pieces.
5. Add cooking wine and salt. Mix well.
6. Add in egg whites - mix.
7. Add the cornstarch - mix again. Set aside for a few minutes.
8. Heat a non-stick pan with about 1 1/2 Tbsp oil.
9. Before frying add 2 Tbsp oil into the fish mixture and mix well.
10. Once the pan and oil is hot, fry the fish fillets in batches until cooked.
11. In a wok, heat about 2 Tbsp oil.
12. Stir fry the green onion and ginger for about 30 seconds.
13. Add in the broccoli. Stir fry for about 30 seconds until heated through.
14. Add the fried fish fillets and the sauce.
15. Turn the heat to high and stir quickly to mix.
16. Remove from heat and dish up.

Prawns with Peas

The short-lived summer here UK is only alleviated by the onslaught of fresh seasonal vegetables. One of my favourites - green peas - is a very much welcome addition to our table anytime. I tell you frozen peas is no match to the sweetness of fresh green peas especially if it's freshly picked right off your garden. I'm still trying to find the numerous ways of cooking it though this marriage with prawns is not bad at all. In fact, it's more than good because in all its simplicity I love it! This is adapted from my all-time trusted Chinese Cuisine by Huang Su-Huei.



Stir-fried Prawns With Peas

250 g  raw prawns or shrimps - shelled and deveined
1 tsp cooking wine
1 Tbsp egg whites - slightly beaten
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 green onion - cut into 1-inch pieces
6 slices of ginger root
1 cup green peas - precooked
oil for frying

*Sauce:
1 tsp cooking wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
ground black pepper

1. Combine all sauce ingredients in a container. Set aside.
2. Place prawns in a bowl and season with salt.
3. Add cooking wine, egg whites, and cornstarch. Mix well.
4. Heat a wok then add about 2 Tbsp oil. Swirl the wok around so the oil coats it well.
5. Fry the prawns in medium heat for about 3 minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside.
6. Put 1 Tbsp oil in the wok, heat up and stir fry the green onions and ginger over medium heat.
7. Add the prawns, stir fry for a few seconds.
8. Add the sauce, turn heat to high and stir fry quick just enough to mix.
9. Dish up and serve.

Sweet and Sour Prawns

A friend brought a bag of frozen prawns to our door and requested me to turn it into a marmalade ... sorry ... sweet and sour prawns for a birthday party. Sure thing my dear, I said. I gladly did it even if I didn't exactly have a recipe. (Always loved prawns as with most seafood.) I have one for the pork version but not for this crustacean. So I adapted the sauce from the former (from Huang Su Huei's Chinese Cuisine) and whipped the marinade from another shrimp recipe. It turned out quite good and no bottled sweet and sour sauce, too. :)


Sweet and Sour Prawns

500 g  shelled and deveined shrimps or prawns
1 egg white - lightly beaten
1 1/2 Tbsp cooking wine
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp oil (optional)

*Sauce:
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - chopped into bite-size pieces
1 bell pepper (red or green) - roughly diced
1 x 227 g  can of pineapple chunks - drained of juice
6 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp water
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 tsp sea salt

*Thickener:
2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

1. Dissolve 1/2 tsp salt in the cooking wine. Mix well with the prawns in a bowl. Marinate for about 20-30 minutes.
2. Add in the egg white, mix well, then cornstarch, mix well again. If the mixture is really thick like a batter, mix in the 1 Tbsp oil to separate the prawns.
3. Drop each piece of prawn in hot oil and deep dry for about 2 minutes. Drain briefly on paper towels. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the ketchup, pineapple juice, sugar, vinegar, and salt. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.
5. In another container, mix the thickener by dissolving the cornstarch in the water. Set aside.
6. Heat 2 Tbsp cooking oil in a wok. Saute the onion and garlic for about 2 minutes. Make sure not to burn the garlic.
7. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for about 1 minute.
8. Add in the pineapple chunks, cook for 30 seconds.
9. Tip in the ketchup mixture and bring to boil.
10. Add in the thickener and bring to boil again.
11. Stir in the deep-fried prawns, toss lightly for a few seconds or until prawns are well coated by the sauce. Dish up and serve.

IMBB 25: Taramasalata

Don't you notice my last 3 posts were all for food blogging events? Just goes to show how involved I am offline with things such as moving and buying a car, etc.

Well then, let's get down to business. I was gifted immensely by a good friend in Greece with loads, and I mean loads, of food stuffs that she made her sister carry on the latter's way back here in London. Thanks Sha! *mwah* One of the wonderful things she gave me was this big block of fresh salted fish roe called 'tarama' in Greek. As expected, I immediately set out to make some taramasalata - the Greek fish roe dip or salad dressing greatly enjoyed here and one of mine and my husband's favourites.

Derrick's theme in the current IMBB edition says to use stale bread. Mine used nearly new bread but I'm sure using not-so-new ones is okay. I was thoroughly fascinated with the making of this delightful dip which is very much akin to making mayonnaise though sans the eggs. Which also reminds me to grab a food processor in the next sale because holding a handheld mixer on one hand and slowly dripping olive oil in the other is no fun at all. Definitely not. :( What's more fascinating for me is how long this dip stayed unspoiled in the fridge with no loss in taste until nearly a month! The recipe I adapted is from another friend, Stel, who in turn adapted it from Craig Clairborne.



Taramasalata

1/4 cup fresh salted fish roe
3 crustless white bread
1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Soak the bread slices briefly in warm water and then squeeze dry. Set aside the water.
2. Combine the bread and fish roe in a bowl and with a handheld mixer beat the mixture for a few seconds until completely combined (or use a food processor).
3. While the mixer is still running, add the olive oil slowly in a thin stream.
4. When all the olive oil is incorporated, add the lemon juice little by little also.
5. The resulting consistency should be that of thick mayonnaise. If it is too thick to your liking, add some of the reserved soaking water until you get the viscosity that you want.

I can't finish this post without shamelessly bragging about what I got from Sha. Just look at that spread above. And to think that I just requested for some halva (see below). You know me, a thorough nut lover. All the labels were Greek to me - figuratively and literally. So I let my smell and taste be my guide. My husband loved all the different olives and both of us enjoying the varied flavours of teas, the sweets they were long gone (I love the gum mastic flavoured ones; now I know what they use to make Turkish delights and the wafers in some reminded me of the communion wafers in church), the other items like mushroom orzo, various canned and bottled goodies, etc. - I will try to make the savouring of them last as long as possible. :) Thanks very very much Sha. :)

Fish Cakes

I've always followed closely a number of regular columns in the BBC Good Food magazine. One of them is the 'Ultimate' series currently done by Angela Nilsen. Wherein she attempts to find or develop the ultimate the best recipe for our favourite dishes and desserts. That actually, is my objective, too. Sometimes I go to all sort of lengths to source out the ingredients or required cooking utensils just so I could do my 'ultimate' creation. This just underlines my keen interest in this column.

For this month's edition, she makes fish cakes. I love fish but often than not the fish cakes I find in the fish & chips around here or even in restaurants are chock-full of fillings and very little fish. A name change to 'fish-flavoured cakes' should be done to aptly describe them. Hence, I was heartened to discover Angela's recipe to be more fish and less fillings. I could clearly see whole flakes in it with just enough of the potatoes to keep it together. I also love the tartare-style sauce she made. Even my sauce-finicky husband roundly approved!



Fish Cakes

450 g  skinned fillet of white fish (haddock, cod, etc.)
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup water
2 bay leaves
350 g  floury potatoes (Maris Piper, King Edward, etc.) - peeled and quartered
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg
85 g  white breadcrumbs
flour
1/4 cup oil for frying

*Tartare-style Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp capers - rinsed, drained, and roughly chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp creamed horseradish
1 shallot - finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Mix all ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
2. Put the fillet of fish in a pan. Add the bay leaves, milk and water. Cover, bring to boil and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and leave covered for 10 minutes to finish cooking the fish. Drain the fish from the pan and cool completely on a plate.
3. Put potatoes in a saucepan with just enough boiling water to cover them. Bring back to boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until cooked but not broken up. Drain in a colander for one minute and then bring the potatoes back to the hot saucepan on the lowest heat. Let them dry out for 1 minute and mash the potatoes in the saucepan. This will result in a dry and fluffy mash. Take off the heat and mix in 1 Tbsp of the tartare-style sauce, lemon zest, chives, and parsley. Season well with salt and pepper.
4. Flake the fish in big chunks into the mashed potatoes. Mix a few times just enough to combine them. Set aside.
5. Beat egg in a shallow bowl. Put the breadcrumbs in a plate.
6. Divide the potato mixture into 4 or 5. With floured hands, shape each piece into a ball then flatten them to form small cakes.
7. Sit the cakes one by one in the egg bowl and spoon over egg to coat completely. Then sit the cakes in the breadcrumbs and pat sides and top to cover completely. Transfer on a plate, cover and chill for 30 minutes.
8. Heat oil in a pan. Drop a little dry breadcrumbs in it, if it sizzles it is ready. Fry the fish cakes on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden.
9. Serve with the sauce and and lemon wedges.

Pesto & Cheese Crusted Salmon

This is another attempt at finding variety in cooking our beloved salmon. We can only eat so much Sinigang na Salmon or Grilled Salmons that I had to find an alternative way of serving it. Besides that salmon is one of our favourite fish, it's in season right now and abundant this time of the year therefore quite reasonable in price. I found this recipe, which I adapted from Delia Smith's How To Cook Book Two, very nice and quite tasty. I've tried it with both Pecorino and Parmesan cheese and they both did well in the medley. Cooked it also with and without the breadcrumbs. I favoured it with breadcrumbs because it made the crust very crunchy. But my husband preferred it without since he often mistake the some of the crunchy crust as fish bones and ended up not eating it. So whether you put breadcrumbs or not it's still very well recommended.


Pesto & Cheese Crusted Salmon

350 g  salmon fillets
2 Tbsp pesto sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp grated pecorino or parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp fresh breadcrumbs (optional)
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and freshly milled black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 230°C/fan 210°C/450°F/gas mark 8. Line a shallow baking tray with foil and lightly grease with oil.
2. Place the salmon fillets on the baking tray, skin side down.
3. Squeeze some lemon juice in each one of them and season with salt and black pepper.
4. Combine the pesto sauce and one-third of the breadcrumbs to form a paste and spread over the fillets.
5. Mix half of the cheese and the rest of the breadcrumbs. Spread this over the pesto.
6. Then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
7. Bake in the middle shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. Dish up and serve.

Stir-fried Shrimps With Vegetables

Time to come back to one of my favourite food - seafood! I especially love them cooked simply. There's a toss up between grilled, steamed or stir fried on my preferred cooking method for it. But since the prawns I have are frozen, I thought grilling and steaming would not be appropriate so out came this recipe which I adapted from Huang Su-Huei's Chinese Cuisine cookbook. It was very yummy that I was able to finish it all by myself!


Stir-fried Shrimps With Vegetables

250 g  raw shrimps or prawns - peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cooking wine
1/2 egg white - slightly beaten
3/4 Tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup oil
2 Tbsp water
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup onion - roughly chopped
1/4 cup diced button mushrooms
1/4 cup green peas

*Sauce:
2 Tbsp water
1/3 tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
dash of sesame oil
freshly ground black pepper

1. Mix the sauce first - in a bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients, stirring to dissolve the salt and cornstarch. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, dissolve the salt in the cooking wine. Mix this with the shrimps.
3. Add in the egg whites, mix well.
4. Then the cornstarch, mix well again. Set aside and marinate for about 15 minutes.
5. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the shrimp mixture and mix well (to make it separate easily).
6. Heat wok and the oil in medium heat.
7. Fry the shrimps in the wok until just cooked and changes colour (about 3 minutes). Remove and drain on absorbent paper towels.
8. Remove the oil from wok but retain 2 Tbsp in it. Heat the wok again.
9. Stir fry the onion until fragrant.
10. Mix in the carrots, mushrooms, and green peas. Stir fry for a few seconds.
11. Add the water and cook in medium heat until the liquid has completely evaporated and the vegetables are cooked. If it dries up too easily, add more water but only a little at a time.
12. Turn up heat to high and add the fried shrimps. Stir fry for a few seconds.
13. Add the sauce mixture and stir fry quickly to mix. Remove from wok onto a platter and serve.

Stir-fried Fish with Black Beans

Here's one of my favourite dishes. Whenever I spied some fresh fish fillets (especially if it's on sale) I almost always end up cooking this. The saltiness of the tausi (black beans) contrast well with the crunch and slight tartness of the green bell pepper leaving you with a good finish in the mouth. This is especially good with plain hot steamed rice.

This is adapted from the Chinese Cooking for Beginners by Huang Su-Huei. I used a non-stick pan to pan-fry the fillets because I have had bad memories of having shredded fish due to it sticking to the wok. :( Also do not overcook the fish (fry only for about 3 minutes tops) because if you do, by the time you put it in the wok for the final stir it will disintegrate before your every eyes.


Stir-fried Fish with Black Beans

500 g  fish fillet
oil for pan-frying
2 Tbsp oil for stir frying
1 cup roughly chopped onions
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 Tbsp tausi (dry fermented black beans)
1 cup roughly chopped green bell pepper
1 tsp rice wine
1/2 cup water
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

*Marinade:
1 Tbsp rice wine
1 tsp sea salt
2 Tbsp cornstarch

1. Combine the water, 2 tsp cornstarch, sugar, and sea salt in a bowl. Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Set aside.
2. Put marinade in a bowl, mix until salt is dissolved. Set aside.
3. Score fish fillets lightly in criss cross fashion then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Mix in with marinade and let stand for 20 minutes.
4. Heat wok or non-stick pan with oil for frying. Fry fillets until it changes colour (about 3 minutes), turning it half-way through. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
5. If you used a wok in frying the fillets, remove all the oil and wipe it clean.
6. Put the 2 Tbsp oil in the wok and heat until smoking.
7. Stir fry onions for a few seconds.
8. Add garlic, ginger and tausi (fermented black beans); stir-fry until aromatic (it takes a few seconds only).
9. Add the green bell pepper and stir-fry for a few seconds.
10. Stir in the fish and wine; stir-fry for a few seconds.
11. Add the water mixture, bring to boil and toss lightly. Dish up and serve hot.

Sinigang Sa Miso

I spied some miso in our local Chinese grocery last week and decided to make this dish which we haven't had for a long time. I don't know how far back this Sinigang sa Miso goes in terms of cooking history but I wouldn't be surprised if it was created only around World War II - with miso being from the Japanese. Though I'm not sure if the Chinese use miso as well, if yes, then the origin of this would go much further back.

We often have this whenever the banks of Laguna de Bay overflow (we lived near when we were in the Phils.) which makes the bangus (milkfish) escape from the numerous fishpens in the lake. This is usually right after a typhoon. It's just one of the several dishes to make the most out of the cheap bangus flooding the market.

The miso lends some salty fermented taste and aroma which blends well with the souring agent and the vegetables of which it's recommended to have white radish and mustard leaves if not use any leafy veggies like kangkong (tung choi) or even spinach.


Sinigang sa Miso

500 - 700 g  fish steaks (sea bass, salmon, etc.)
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - sliced
3 - 4 medium tomatoes - sliced
3 Tbsp miso paste
1 tsp salt
4 - 5 cups rice water* or water
souring agent (tamarind, lemon and lime, etc.)
1 white radish - peeled and sliced
1 green or red long chili (siling haba) - washed and pointed end cut
bunch of leafy vegetables (kangkong, mustard leaves, spinach, etc.) - washed

1. In a medium sized pot, heat oil and gently saute garlic then add onions and cook until onions are translucent.
2. Add in tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Mash the tomatoes a little bit.
3. Stir in the miso and salt, saute for a minute.
4. Pour in the rice water and bring to boil.
5. Add in the fish, white radish and chili. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
6. Add the leafy vegetables and souring agent. Simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Taste soup and adjust seasonings if need be.

*Note: Rice water is the water used in washing rice for plain cooked rice.

Daube of Squid

When I saw the picture of this in Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Heaven, I thought - 'I definitely gotta do this'. Well, mine did not exactly look like the picture in the book :lol: but it was good nonetheless - in an unsophisticated way. As far as I know, the 'daube' is a rustic Provencale stew made of very slowly braised beef with wine, vegetables and spices. Ramsay's use of squids plainly piqued my interest besides the fact that I love squids (also called 'choko' in my hometown).

I saw a bag of squid tentacles at our local Chinese grocery (I prefer them from the body) and proceeded to make this dish. As I was cooking, I saw the close similarity with our mechado. Except for the wine, it had almost the same ingredients and preparations.


Daube of Squid

1 1/2 kg  squids - cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion - chopped
500 g  plum tomatoes - chopped
500 g  small new potatoes - washed and halved
2 small lemons - sliced
3/4 cup white wine
1 tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

1. Put the squid in a bowl with the wine, lemon slices (squeeze a little), bay leaves, parsley, garlic, and season well with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for 2 hours.
2. In a pot, saute the onion in hot olive oil until soft. Drain the squid (reserve the marinade) and add to the onion. Cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Discard the lemons and add the marinade to the squid. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 2 hours.
5. Add in the potatoes and cook for a further 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

IMBB 18: Spicy Stir-fried Prawns

The current IMBB theme is quite easy - anything fried. Host Linda of At Our Table chose it of course. And because of the sooo many possibilities and choices, I couldn't quite make up my mind on what to offer. It's just like arriving early at a shopping car park and finding yourself with 200+ empty car spaces to choose from - it's a nightmare! Do I choose near the stairs? Or the one where I can backout easily? Or is it the one near the pay machine? Arggghh! (Why am I talking about car parks here?)

Anyway, the dietary needs of an impending dinner time solved it for me. I need something quick and easy to prepare - stir fry to the rescue! It's been awhile since I've cooked this so I totally forgot what to avoid and watch out for. And as we were eating it I remembered what it was - when using smaller prawns, shell it completely otherwise a lot of the delish spicy sauce is wasted on it which you're going to discard anyway. If you're using jumbo prawns it's okay to have the shell on. The 'spicy' name is a bit misleading. It's not spicy hot, just lots of garlics, green onions and ginger. Bean sauce added gives it a little heat and the ketchup lends the sweet-sour tang. Enjoy!


Spicy Stir-fried Prawns

500 g  big prawns - beheaded, deveined, shell on*
1 Tbsp cornstarch
oil for deep frying
1 1/2 Tbsp oil
1/2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 Tbsp finely chopped green onion
1 tsp hot bean sauce/paste
1 Tbsp cooking or rice wine
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup water

1. Mix together hot bean paste, rice wine, and ketchup in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Dissolve the sea salt, sugar, and 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch in the water in a separate bowl. Set aside.
3. Drain as much water as you can from the prawns (pat dry with paper towels if possible). Mix in the 1 Tbsp cornstarch.
4. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a saucepan. When hot, drop prawns in batches and deep fry for 2 minute or until cooked*. Drain in paper towels. Set aside.
5. Heat wok, add in 1 1/2 Tbsp oil and wait until it is smoking hot.
6. Stir fry the green onions, garlic, and ginger in the wok until aromatic.
7. Add in the ketchup mixture. Stir fry for a few seconds.
8. Add the water mixture. Bring to boil.
9. Tip in the prawns and stir to mix. Dish up and serve.

*Note: If the prawns are small, shell completely and also reduce the deep frying time to about 1 minute only.

Pinaputok na Isda

The husband wanted something 'simple' and uncomplicated for dinner. No rich sauces or dozens of ingredients to purchase. So we thought of this, never mind that the name is quite appropriate in the current climate here in London. Pinaputok in English means fired, popped, or exploded (thank goodness all we're 'exploding' is a fish). I'm not quite sure why this is called as such since it does not really 'pop' though I have an inkling it might have originated in another region where the name means something else. Traditionally, this is wrapped in banana leaves and fried. But I don't have any banana leaves so I used a foil plus we wanted something not oily so we baked it. I imagine this would even be better in a barbecue.


Pinaputok na Isda
(Baked Fish)

1 piece fresh fleshy fish (sea bass, pomfret, grouper, tilapia, sea bream, etc.)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion - chopped
green onion or coriander - chopped (optional)
salt to taste

1. Scale, gut, clean, and wipe dry the fish. Score with several slits (tari-an) on each side.
2. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the fish and in the stomach cavity, making sure the salt gets in the slits that you made. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
3. Mix the chopped tomatoes, onions and coriander (if using) in a bowl.
4. Lay the fish on a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap it. Put the tomatoes and onions in the stomach cavity, under and on top of the fish.
5. Wrap the fish tightly crimping the ends of the foil.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C/fan 180C/400F for 40 minutes or on a barbecue.

Sweet and Sour Fish

Now where could the fish be in that picture? You see it? I almost didn't. :lol: It's like a case of 'Where is Wally?'. I had to wade through loads of carrots, bell peppers, and onions to get to the fish. Whichever way it looked, it was good. Though I've heard a chef friend calling this fish (or chicken or pork) marmalade. Whoa! I'm hurt! ;) I still think it is great as long as it's not sickly sweet. This is also called Escabecheng Isda in the Phils.

I spied a couple of fresh looking breams at the Chinese grocery the other day. There and then I decided to make this. Almost any type of white-fleshed fish can be used here: lapu-lapu (grouper), tilapia, pomfret, red snapper, etc. The vegs are really optional, you can have this without the accompanying palaver. The weather was warm enough for me to fry the fish outside in the back garden. I wouldn't dare do it again in the kitchen or else the whole house will stink even with the extractor on. Or maybe I need a more powerful extractor?


Sweet and Sour Fish

1 kg  whole white-fleshed fish - gutted and cleaned
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - sliced
3 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms [optional]
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup julienned red or green bell pepper
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp salt
oil for frying
extra salt for the fish

1. Make 2 or 3 even spaced slits on the flesh of both sides of the fish. Sprinkle salt all over and set aside for 15 minutes.
2. If using dried mushrooms, soak these in warm water for about 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze water by hand from the mushrooms. Cut off stems and discard. Shred or slice the mushrooms thinly. Set aside.
3. Combine ketchup, vinegar, sugar, water, 1 tsp salt, and cornflour in a bowl, set aside.
4. Heat wok or pan with about 1/2 inch of oil. Pan fry fish in medium heat on both sides until thoroughly cooked and a little crispy. The time for this will vary on how big or thick your fish is. Generally it's about 6-7 minutes each side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Arrange on a serving plate and set aside.
5. While your fish is frying, saute the garlic and onion in a separate wok or saucepan until onion is translucent and soft.
6. Add in carrots, bell pepper, and mushrooms (if using). Stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
7. Stir in the vinegar mixture and bring to boil. Cook for another minute. Remove from heat and pour on top of the fried fish. Serve warm.

*Variations: Add pineapple chunks or sprinkle some shredded green onions on top.

Grilled Salmon Teriyaki

Boredom is the mother of variation - that's according to me. ;) We love grilled salmon but so far we only do it one way. And I'm ready to give a go on some other flavours. Years ago I did a grilled salmon recipe that involves putting some kind of gremolata on top with lots of garlic, pesto, and I think sun-dried tomatoes. It was fab! Unfortunately I've lost my copy so my search is on for that award-winning recipe. Meanwhile, last night I have to prepare my meal in a hurry. Here comes Delia Smith's recipe of Teriyaki Salmon to the rescue though I have to change the measurement of practically every ingredient. But it's very simple and easy to make with the salmon coming out very nice golden brown. Yum!


Teriyaki Grilled Salmon

500 g  salmon fillets
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp grated ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine
2 tsp sugar

1. Mix all ingredients, except the salmon, in a shallow dish. Marinate salmon in this concoction for 1-2 hours in the fridge turning it once in a while.
2. Preheat oven grill to the highest setting for 10 minutes.
3. Spread a little oil on the grilling pan to be used and put under the grill until hot.
4. Place salmon fillets skin side down on the pan and position about 3 inches under the grill. Cook for about 7-8 minutes. Dish up and serve.

Sabaw ng Tahong

That's "Mussels Soup" in English. My husband insisted that he wanted mussels with soup last weekend. He scoured all the nearby supermarkets for fresh mussels. Fortunately, on the third one he visited he got the very last kilo of mussels sitting on the shelf. I already cooked mussels with wine before so I decided to try this traditional Filipino recipe. It is sort of like the Tinolang Manok substituting the chicken with the shellfish. Problem is I did not have anymore chili tops (talbos ng sili) so I used a chili itself but finely minced. It was a success with the hot soup warming us up in a chilly evening. Happy husband slurping away. He actually finished it all by himself.


Sabaw ng Tahong
(Mussels Soup)

1 kg  fresh tahong (mussels)
1 Tbsp oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - chopped
1 inch square ginger - peeled and julliened
2 tsp patis (fish sauce)
4 cups rice water* or water
a bunch of talbos ng sili (chili tops) or finely minced chili

1. Put the mussels in a bowl of cold water. Discard ones that float, whose shells are broken or open. Scrape off barnacles from the shells and pull the hairy beards. Change the water several times and keep it under water until you cook them.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic in low heat until light brown. Add onion and saute until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add ginger and cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add patis, cook briefly, add rice water; bring to boil.
4. Drain mussels from the cold water and tip in the pot once the rice water boils. Cover and cook in high heat for 4 minutes.
5. Mix in the chili tops or minced chili. Cover again and cook for very briefly for around 10 seconds. Remove from heat. Serve.

*Rice water - set aside the water mixture that you used for washing rice before cooking it. So essentially you have to cook rice first before cooking this dish.

Steamed Fish

This is one of the simplest and most subtle way cooking a fresh fish. By simply steaming it with just enough spicings to bring out the best in the succulent and juicy fresh fish you can find. It will be very hard to hide inferior quality fish since there are no heavy seasonings or sauce to cover it. This has to be eaten right after it comes out of the wok. It does not reheat well.

Apologies for the plate I used since I do not have an oval plate. When I instructed my husband to buy fish and the plate, he refused to buy the plate saying that it was 3 times more expensive than the fish! If the fish was any bigger I would have cut it in half to fit. It is ideal to have a plate that will mimic the shape of the fish in order to catch all the fish juices. Besides it is easier to lift an oval one from the wok than a round one. I used sea bass for this but almost any white fleshed fish can be used here - lapu-lapu (grouper), pampano (pomfret), karpa (carp), and others.


Steamed Fish

1 fish (about 500 g) - cleaned, gutted and scaled

*Marinade:
1 Tbsp cooking wine
1 tsp sea salt
2 green onions - sliced into 2 inch lengths and then shredded lengthwise
3 slices ginger root

dash of pepper
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 green onions - sliced into 2 inch lengths and then shredded lengthwise
2 Tbsp oil

1. [Optional] Cut two diagonal slits on each side of the fish.
2. Mix marinade ingredients on a plate and marinate both sides of fish for about 15 minutes.
3. Put about 1 1/2 cups water in a wok and bring to boil.
4. Once it boils, put the steamer in the wok and put the plate with the fish on the steamer. Cover and steam over high heat for 15 minutes.
5. About 3 minutes before cooking is up, heat the 2 Tbsp oil until smoking hot.
6. Remove plate from the steamer, sprinkle the other shredded green onion, pepper, and sesame oil on the fish. Pour hot oil over it (be careful this might splatter). Serve immediately.

Monsters from the Deep ... Sinigang Pot

One look in the picture above and I thought "there are monsters in my soup!!". They look pretty sinister don't you think? But God help them once me and my husband have started the 'attack'. Only bones and fins were left. Sorry about the picture, you can hardly see any other condiments in it. The heads are so big they just overwhelmed everything else - the taro, spinach, etc.

We had a chance to go to the nearby Chinese supermarket and I saw these big gorgeous salmon heads. Immediately my husband said sinigang! So I bought two for only £1 each and put all the other ingredients in our cart salivating on the thought of a sour sinigang when we get home.

Sinigang for you non-Filipinos is clear sour soup dish. It may contain any type of meat - beef, pork, fish, chicken with any combination of vegetables. I've seen Pinoys putting in broccoli and carrots. In HongKong I always put in mustard leaves. Since it is a soup, the bone-y parts of meat is preferable to use to give it more flavour. The sour taste come from a number of fruits - sampalok fruit (tamarind), sampalok young leaves, bayabas (guava), kamias (what's kamias in English?), among others. If you're not in Asia it can be a problem to get these so you can substitute with lemon or lime.

I remember very well the first time I got a salmon head from our local Tesco supermarket. I pointed to the salmon cabeza and told the shop assistant "I'll have those please." He proceeded to bag it and stick a barcode on it. He handed it to me, we said our thank yous and I tried looking at the price in that barcode label. There was none. I asked him how much is it. He said "It's okay it's free. By the way, how many cats do you have?" He thought it was for my non-existent cat !! I tried hard to compose myself not to laugh with the thought that he might take away my precious salmon head. I mumbled something about 2 cats and hurriedly left. I don't want to linger around trying to answer questions on the colour or whether it's male or female, etc. Sus! If he only knew who the 'cats' were ... hahaha!

Okay on with the show, fish (including their head) cooks very easily. You cannot cook it for more than 10 minutes or you will end up with luray-luray na isda (nuked fish). Do not overcook the fish because it's not appetising when it is. Since it cooks easily, it has to be one of the last ones in the pot. The chili is important to reduce the lansa (slimeminess) of the fish.

If you are using real fresh unripe sampalok fruit you have to wash it first to remove most of the brown powdery thing on its skin. Cook it with the onion and tomatoes or separately in another saucepan with some water. [For me, souring with sampalok is the best.] Once cooked, fish them out (the sampalok not the fish), put in a bowl with some water and mash them. This is what you will use as a souring agent - straining of course to exclude the skin and seeds. Or if you think this is all a big hassle you could do as I did - I bought a jar of Thai tamarind puree. Ta-da! Problem solved. I avoid using the sinigang powder mix because the sourness does not last when you reheat it. And I bet there's some synthetic chemicals in them, too. So let's all eat an all natural sinigang and use sampalok. If you can't find sampalok use lemon and/or lime.


Salmon Head Sinigang

1 or 2 salmon head
3-4 tomatoes - sliced
1 big onion - sliced
1 Tbsp rock salt
1-2 chilis (red or green) - pointed ends cut off
6-8 cups water or rice water*
souring agent (tamarind puree, lemon and/or lime)
1 aubergine (eggplant) - sliced 1 inch thick and quartered
1 bunch long string beans (sitaw) [optional] - cut into 2 inch pieces
2 taro roots (gabi) - peeled and quartered
spinach leaves or kangkong - washed and plucked from stems

1. Have the fishmonger remove the gills and clean the salmon head. If you can have the head cut lengthwise so much the better.
2. Combine tomatoes, onion, and rock salt in a big pot. Mix and mash them a little bit with your fingers. Add chilis.
3. Pour just enough water to cover them and bring to boil. Cook for about 3 minutes. Mash the tomatoes with a sandok (cooking spoon).
4. Pour in the rest of the water and add taro, aubergine and sitaw. Bring to boil and simmer until taro is almost cooked (about 5 minutes).
5. Add fish head and cook for 5 minutes or until the fish meat is cooked.
6. Add the souring agent and spinach (for tamarind puree I use about 3/4 cup of it). Cook for 1-2 minutes. Taste soup and adjust seasonings accordingly. Serve.

*Note: Rice water is the water used in washing rice. Save this when you cook rice. Obviously do this before preparing and cooking the sinigang.