Pretty start prawn rice paper rolls

Hong Kong is now hot and humid.

This sticky summer will go on until september...huuuu...

The problem is that a lot of Hong Kong kitchens are too small.

So I don't want to cook in the day time with a hot gas stove.

I understand why the vietnamese enjoy these rice paper rolls.

The fresh vegetables make it healthy and refreshing.

And I don't need to do too much work in the kitchen.
These rice paper rolls are good for party food

or a hot summer lunch.

My partner's sister gave me the recipe

"Minced chicken rice paper rolls with fish sauce",

but this time I made them with some prawns.

The fish sauce is perfect with any rice paper rolls

Ingredients (Make 12 rice paper rolls)

12 sheets of rice paper,

1cup cooked prawns

4~5 spring onions or chives

2 sticks of celery or chinese parsley

1/2 a capsicum

handfull mushrooms or bean sprouts

for the fish sauce

2 Tbsp fish sauce

2 Tbsp water

1 Tbsp vinegar

2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp garlic

1/2 Tbsp caster sugar

I cooked the prawns in the microwave and chopped them in half.

Wash the vegetables and cut to  6~7cm length like the photo above.

Pour some warm water in the shallow dish.

The water should not be too warm,

it makes the rice paper too soft and it tears easily.

The rice paper has to be put in the water just few seconds.

-just cover with the water.
The rice papers may not be soft, but will go soft while you roll them up.

Place the rice paper on the dish or cooking board,

place a few chopped prawns on one side of the rice paper.

Fold the end of rice paper over the prawns.

Fold one side of rice paper.

Place the vegetables nicely like the photo above

and fold the other side over the vegetables.

And roll up tight.

Mix all of the ingredients of the fish sauce.

It will be a pretty party dish................

Or healthy and fresh summer lunch................

Korean grilled chicken satay and eel with bbq soy sauce

These are served as a side dish in Korea, they are eaten with steamed rice.

But also can go with Korean alcohol.

When Koreans drink alcohol

such as 'So Ju' a strong Korean traditional alcohol made of rice or tapioca,

they always prepare some nice side dishes or snack.

These are called 'An Ju'

I don't drink a lot of alcohol, 

but I love these kinds of side dishes with steamed rice.

If you have eaten Korean style food,

you seen many side dishes on the table

with a bowl of steamed rice and a soup for each person.

 That's the Korean traditional meal.

Can you imagine how busy Korean women are ?

But they know how to cook easily, quickly and smart!

I made these two dishes with a Korean style BBQ sauce.

I make this sauce one cup at a time

then I can use it in many side dish.

It can go with fish, pork, chicken, vegetables....etc.

Ingredients (Makes 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water,

1/3 cup rice wine,

3 Tbsp mirin

2 cloves garlic, sliced

2cm piece ginger, sliced

3 Tbsp syrup

Pour all the ingredients in a heavy pot on medium heat.

When it starts to boil, reduce  to low heat,

and simmer until the sauce reduces to half and thickens.

Ingredients for grilled chicken satay.

400g chicken fillet

1 bunch of leeks

1/2 zucchini

3 Tbsp BBQ sauce

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Marinate the chicken fillet with 1 Tbsp of the bbq sauce for about 10 minuts,

skewer the chicken and the vegetables.

Heat the pan and grease with oil.

Grill the skewers on each side for about 30 seconds.

Brush the bbq sauce onto the skewers, and grill again until cooked.

Ingredients for fish.

400g eel fillets or other fish( such as salmon, mackerel....)

1 Tbsp ginger juice

1 Tbsp mirin

2 Tbsp bbq sauce

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

Rinse the fish in salted water,

clean with paper towel.

Marinate the fish with the ginger juice and the mirin.

Heat the pan, grease with olive oil,

grill each side about 30 seconds.

Brushing with the bbq sauce occasionally

until the fish turns golden brown and is cooked well. 

When Koreans eat grilled eels,

they serve it with some sliced ginger and spring onions,

because the eel can taste too oily.

Fillo fruit pockets

I made a strudel a few days ago,

and I left the fillo dough on the table.

What happened...???

The fillo dough stuck together in several places.

So I decided to make these fruit pockets by joining the fillo pieces.

I wanted to make something nice for my blog,

but I didn't worry because if it didn't look ok, I knew I could just eat it all.

Finally, I took it out of the oven,

it looked some pretty flowers.

This job didn't need any skill or ability.

It just need the fillo pastry and some fruit. *^^*

Ingredients(make 5)

45g light cream cheese

1/2 Tbsp muscovado sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

5 plums or peaches halved and stoned

10 sheets fillo pastry (25*25cm)

peanut or sunflower oil, for brushing

icing sugar, to sprinkle

Mix together the cream cheese, sugar and cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 200 celsius.

Peel the skins off of the fruit,

halve and stone.

Sandwich the fruit halves back together

with a spoonful of the cheese mixture in each fruit.

I used 3 plums and 2 canned peaches.

Spread out the fillo pastry,

brush one lightly with oil.

Place a second diagonally on top.

Repeat with the remaining fillo.

Place one fruit on each pastry square,

and gather the corners together.

Place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 13~18 minutes, until golden brown.

Dust with icing sugar, and serve.

They weren't perfect looking, but it didn't really matter.....

You will break it anyway......

Ciabatta, that was a long journey

When I made this bread for the first time,

I wondered what is real ciabatta?

Korean young generation like this type of bread,

but some bakeries sell different shapes and very soft skins.

It is the same in Hong Kong too.

I know that the ciabatta should be broad and flattish, like a slipper.

It can be changed ...

It should be somewhat collapsed in the middle.

So, what happened to the ciabatta ???

This is the ciabatta recipe that I used.

It is a long journey to get this loaf its pleasant chewiness.

But it was worth it.

If anybody finds something wrong with this recipe,
please leave a comment.

Ingredients( Makes 2 loaves)

for the starter

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup cool water(20~25 celsius)

for the dough

1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3/4 cup cool water(20~25 celsius)

1 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for spray

Make the starter 

Combine flour, yeast and water in a bowl, and mix gently.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap,

and let stand at cool place 12to 15 hours. 

Make the dough

Whisk together flour and yeast in a large bowl.

Add water and starter, stir until mixture comes together,

in a loosely formed ball of dough.

Cover with oil brushed plastic wrap, let stand for 20 minutes. 

Gently turn dough out on the unfloured work surface.

Sprinke with the sea salt, drizzle with olive oil.

Use the heel of one hand to stretch half of the dough away,

at the same time your other hand is stretching the other half toward you.

Fold in half, and repeat until oil has been incorporated.

To knead

Gather dough, lifting it above work surface.

Hold one end close to you while you cast the other end in front of you,

 on to the surface.

Pull the end of dough in your hands toward you,

stretching it gently, then fold the dough in half on top of itself.

Knead the dough until it is smooth, supple, and elastic,

takes about 10 minutes.

 Dough will be very sticky, but avoid adding more flour until the end.

 Form into a ball.  Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl.

Cover with oiled plastic wrap.

Let rise at cool room temperature for 45 minutes.

 

Gently turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Do not punch dough to deflate.

   Fold into thirds, as you would a business letter.

Then fold it in half crosswise. Return to bowl, cover,

and let it rise in a cool place until it has  doubled in size,

takes at least 75 minutes.

 Gently turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions.

 Cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface,

spread each portion of dough into a rectangle that's roughly  20by 10 cm

Be careful not to deflate bubbles.

 Fold dough into thirds again, as you would a business letter,

 pressing seams with lightly floured fingers.  

 Place dough, seam side down, on a baking sheet lined with floured parchment.

and using a floured finger, press into the side leaving a slight indentation.

 Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap,

and let it rise in a cool place until it has doubled. 40 to 50 minutes.

Place a skillet on an oven rack adjusted to the lowest position.

Preheat oven to 250 celsius.

Just before baking, stretch each portion into a 25by 10cm rectangle.

Immediately dimple entire surface with lightly floured fingers.

Pour 1/2 cup hot water into skillet in the oven.

Slide bread and parchment onto a baking pan or tray on the middle oven rack.

 

 Immediately reduce oven to 230 celsius.

Bake, rotating once, until bread is golden brown,

it should sound hollow when the bottom is thumped, 15 to 20 minutes.

Let cool on wire racks.

The light airy crust is so enjoyable.

It is worth the wait!