Classic Indonesian Fried Rice

By Wendy Hutton, Southeast Asia’s Best Recipes

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing.

Fried rice is a common breakfast throughout Indonesia. It is often very simple—cooked rice tossed with a seasoning paste of chili and a dash of sweet soy sauce—or can be more substantial, like this recipe, which adds beef instead of the pork often used in non-Muslim parts of Southeast Asia. You could also add some shrimp and top each serving with a fried egg (which the Indonesians call a “bull’s-eye egg”). This is a quickly made lunch or supper dish.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

1/3 cup (85 ml) oil
7 oz (200 g) sirloin or rump steak, thinly sliced across the grain, shredded
7 oz (200 g) small fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined, or add another 7 oz (200 g) beef
6 cups (800 g) cold cooked rice, stirred with a fork to separate the grains
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 tablespoons crisp-fried shallots
1 green onion (scallion), minced
1 large ripe tomato, sliced

Seasoning Paste
6 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2–3 red finger-length chilies, sliced

Prepare the Seasoning Paste by processing all the ingredients together to a coarse paste.

Heat 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the oil in a wok and add the Seasoning Paste. Stir-fry over medium heat until softened and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat, add the beef and shrimp, if using, and stir-fry until cooked, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute. Sprinkle with the sweet soy sauce and salt and stir-fry for another minute.

Transfer the rice to a large bowl and keep warm. Use the remaining oil to fry the eggs, one at a time, in the wok, or cook them all at one time in a skillet. Transfer the rice to four plates. Top each serving with a fried egg and garnish with the crisp-fried shallots and green onion. Add a few tomato slices and serve with a chili sambal.

Note: As with all fried rice dishes, it is preferable to use rice that was cooked the previous day, so that it has completely dried out.

Steamed scallops with black bean dressing

By Periplus Editors, Quick & Easy Asian Tapas and Noodles

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing.

Fresh scallops are a delicate treat and require quick cooking and unfussy embellishments in order to shine. A hint of salty black beans, some sweetish rice wine, a few Asian aromatics and a brief steaming give spectacularly flavorsome results.

Makes 12 scallops or serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 4 minutes

12 fresh scallops in their shells
2 green onions (scallions), green part thinly sliced lengthwise and soaked in cold water, to garnish

Black Bean Dressing
2 green onions (scallions), white part minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh young ginger root
1 to 11/2 tablespoons black bean garlic sauce (see note)
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
11/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon olive oil

Shuck each scallop and discard the top shell. Rinse under running water to remove sand and dirt. Carefully remove the muscle and organ, leaving only the white flesh. Cut the stem to separate the white flesh from the shell with a paring knife. Stand the white flesh vertically on its shell to drain excess water. Shuck all the scallops in this manner.
Make the Black Bean Dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Spoon 1 teaspoon of the Black Bean Dressing over each scallop and steam the scallops in their shells in bamboo steaming baskets for 4 minutes, making sure not to crowd or tilt the scallops inside the baskets (for best results, use stacked basket and steam the scallops individually). Serve hot, garnished with green onions.

Note: The black bean garlic sauce normally used in this dish has large chunks of fermented black soybeans and is sold in small jars in Asian food markets. Whole fermented black beans may also be used with a bit of minced garlic and soy sauce added.

Grilled Shrimp Lettuce Cups

By Jaden Hair, Steamy Kitchen

This pretty dish is very flexible.  Chicken can be substituted for the shrimp and a variety of fruit can be used instead of the mango and papaya.  Try pineapple, peaches or even blueberries.

Makes 4 Servings

Shrimp

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup julienned cucumbers
1 head iceberg, butterhead or Boston bibb lettuce, leaves separated into “cups”
Sriracha hot sauce (or any hot chili sauce)
Tropical Fruit Salsa (recipe below)

Marinate shrimp in soy, orange zest, coriander, chili powder and sesame oil for 15 minutes. Skewer the shrimp on bamboo skewers. Grill shrimp on medium-high, direct heat about 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve with Fruit Salsa (see below), carrots, cucumber, lettuce cups and hot sauce.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

1 cup diced mango
1 cup diced papaya
1/2 cup diced kiwi
Pinch of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients and set aside until ready to use.

Flaky siew mai croissants

By Periplus Editors, Quick & Easy Asian Tapas and Noodles

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing.

Siew mai pork and shrimp dumplings have long been a favorite dim sum offering. Here, in an inspired departure from tradition, crisp, flaky croissant dough stands in for the usual steamed wonton wrappers and the results are positively addictive.

Makes 25 croissants Preparation time: 1 hour Cooking time: 15 minutes

For Dough
Flour, for dusting
6 to 7 sheets frozen puff pastry (11 x 24 in/28 x 60 cm) or croissant dough, defrosted for 2 to 3 hours before using
1 egg white
Black sesame seeds, to garnish

Siew Mai Filling
5 oz (150 g) ground pork
4 oz (125 g) ground chicken
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps diced
5 oz (150 g) fresh shrimp or prawns, peeled, deveined and ground to a paste in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon chicken stock powder
(bouillon powder)
1/2 teaspoon flour
1 egg
1 egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).

Make the Siew Mai Filling by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Unroll each puff pastry or croissant dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it into a 24 x 11-in (60 x 28-cm) rectangle, 1/8-in (3-mm) thick, if necessary. Cut into approximately 7 equilaterial triangles, each with a base measuring 4 in (10 cm), marking the base of the triangles along the length of the pastry sheet. Cut out a total of 25 triangles from all the pastry sheets.

Place 1 tablespoon of the Siew Mai Filling on the base of each triangle and roll the base over the Siew Mai Filling, then roll up tightly into a cylinder, brushing the tip of the triangle with a bit of the egg white to seal. Repeat with the remaining pastry and Siew Mai Filling.

Brush the top of each croissant with the egg white and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes. Arrange on a platter and serve hot.

Note: If the puff pastry is not available in this size, just roll it out to a 1/8-in (3-mm) thick rectangle and cut out as many equilateral triangles as possible, each with a base measuring 4 in (10 cm) and height measuring 11 in (23 cm).

Inside-out Sushi Rolls

By Hideo Dekura, Brigid Treloar, Ryuichi Yoshii, Authors of The Complete Book of Sushi

Reprinted with the express permission of Tuttle Publishing, a member of the Periplus Publishing Group.

As the name suggests, the rice is on the outside of the roll rather than inside.  Sometimes the rice may be decorated with tobiko (flying fish roe), which can be orange, green or golden in color; toasted white or black sesame seeds; or tempura flakes.  This decorative style of sushi shows a chef’s creativity.  Having the roe on the outside of the roll results in the delightful effect of the roe popping as it touches your tongue.

Makes 4 rolls (32 pieces)

Ingredients:

4 nori sheets
3 cups (15 oz/470 g) sushi rice
8 teaspoons ocean trout roe or tobiko (flying fish roe)
1–2 cucumbers cut into thin, lengthwise slices
1–2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
8 jumbo shrimp (king prawns), cooked, shelled, veins and tails removed
4–8 lettuce leaves, torn or sliced (optional)

1. Cover a rolling mat with a sheet of plastic wrap, folding it over edges and attaching it to back of mat. Turn mat over so plastic-covered side is facing up. Lay 1 nori sheet on rolling mat. Use about ¾ cup (4 oz/125 g) rice to cover nori sheet, starting with a ball of rice at bottom and then spreading it out. Cover nori with rice right up to edges. Spread about 2 heaped teaspoons roe over rice, using the back of a teaspoon.

2. Pick up rice-covered nori by corners, quickly turn it over and place upside down on bamboo rolling mat.

3. Add lettuce, if desired. Place sliced cucumber along center of nori. Add avocado, then shrimp. With your hands held over base of mat and pressing in on ingredients with your fingers as you go, roll mat over ingredients, leaving ¾ inch (2 cm) of nori visible at far end of nori end of roll.

4. Press gently to mold roll together. Lift up mat, roll back a little, and then roll forward to join nori edges. Use gentle pressure to firm and mold completed roll into shape, either round, oval or square.

5. Using a sharp knife, cut each roll in half, then cut two halves in half again. Then cut four quarters in half to make 8 equal-sized pieces. Cut gently to maintain shape.

Singapore Hokkien Noodles (Hokkien mee)

By Wendy Hutton, Southeast Asia’s Best Recipes, From Bangkok to Bali

The majority of Singapore’s Chinese population is Hokkien in origin, their ancestors coming from Fujian province in southern China. You won’t be surprised to learn, then, that the nation’s favorite noodle dish is this Hokkien mixture of fresh yellow noodles and dried rice vermicelli in a rich pork and seafood stock..

Serves 4
Preparation time: 25 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

1 lb (500 g) fresh thick yellow noodles
51/2 oz (150 g) dried rice vermicelli,
soaked in hot water to soften, cut into 3-in
(7.5-cm) lengths
1/2 lb (250 g) belly pork, covered with water and boiled until cooked, stock reserved, meat thinly sliced
3 tablespoons oil
10 oz (300 g) small fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined, heads and shells reserved
5 cups (250 g) bean sprouts, washed and drained, straggly tails discarded
8–10 cloves garlic, crushed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 cup (10 g) minced garlic chives or green onions (scallions)
Soy sauce
Sliced red chili

Put the fresh yellow noodles in a bowl and pour in enough boiling water to cover the noodles. Stand for 1 minute, then drain in a colander and put on a plate with the soaked and drained rice vermicelli.
Measure the reserved pork stock and add more water, if necessary, to make up 1 cup (250 ml). Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a saucepan and stir-fry the shrimp heads and shells until they turn pink. Add the reserved pork stock, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain, pressing down on the shrimp shells to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Return the stock to the pan, add the shrimp and simmer until just cooked, about 3 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock and shrimp separately. (The recipe can be prepared in advance to this stage and all ingredients refrigerated for several hours.)
Heat the remaining oil in a wok and stir-fry the garlic until it turns golden brown and flavors the oil. Discard the garlic and increase the heat. When the oil is very hot, pour in the beaten eggs and stir for 1 minute. Add the noodles, bean sprouts and 1/2 cup (125 ml) of the stock. Stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute, then add the pork, shrimp, salt and pepper. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is heated through and well mixed, adding a little more stock if the noodles threaten to stick.
Add the Chinese chives, stir for a few seconds, then transfer to a large serving dish. Serve with small bowls of dark soy sauce with sliced red chili.

NOTE: Some cooks like to add fresh squid to the noodles; substitute 51/2 oz (150 g) of the shrimp with squid; slice the squid and simmer together with the shrimp.