Plum Sauce Chicken Wing Baked in a Flash

By Carol Selva Rajah, Malaysian Cooking: A Master Cook Reveals Her Best Recipes

This is an interactive recipe where you can have fun. If some of the sauces are unavailable, clean out your refrigerator and create your own sensual combination by adding a cocktail of sauces for fragrance and taste. The wings make a great finger food when served with a delicate dipping sauce. For a really fragrant alternative, tie strips of pandanus leaf around the chicken wings; the leaf will brown but the flavour remains.

makes: 20
preparation time: 20 mins
cooking time: 25 mins

20 chicken wings, mid-portion only
125 g (1 cup) rice flour or crushed corn flakes
1 pandanus leaf, torn lengthwise into long strips (optional)
Plum Sauce Marinade
2 tablespoons bottled sweet chilli sauce
4 tablespoons plum sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Tangy Lime Ginger Dip
Fresh juice of 2 limes
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek Chilli Paste or other sweet chilli paste
2 teaspoons ginger juice (pressed from grated fresh ginger)

Combine the Plum Sauce Marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken wings and mix until well coated. Allow to marinate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).

Roll the marinated wings in the rice flour or corn flakes to coat on all sides, shaking off the excess flour or flakes. Tie a pandanus leaf strip around each coated wing (if using). Place the chicken wings on a large greased baking pan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes until done. If preferred, grill the chicken wings on a preheated pan grill or under a broiler for 5–10 minutes on each side, checking often to make sure the chicken does not burn.

Combine the Tangy Lime Ginger Dip ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Arrange the baked chicken wings on a serving platter and serve with the dip on the side.

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

Cucumber Kimchi(Oi kimchi)

By Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels, The Korean Table

Makes 8 logs

8 mini cucumbers
1 tablespoon sea salt

Filling
7 oz (200 g) daikon radish, cut into 2-in (5-cm) matchstick strips
1/4 onion, cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) matchstick strips
2 green onions (scallions), cut into 1-in (2.5-cm) matchstick strips
2 tablespoons Kimchi Paste

Lay the cucumber on its side and starting at the top make a vertical cut to within 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom. Make a second vertical cut in the opposite direction from the first and follow to the same ending point. The cucumber will have 4 strips attached at the bottom. Repeat with remaining cucumbers.

Lay the cucumbers in the bottom of a bowl and sprinkle the salt on top and inside the flesh of the cucumber. Let sit for 2 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the cucumbers from the bowl and discard the liquid.

In a separate bowl, combine the ingredients for the filling. Mix well.

Divide the vegetable mixture into 8 portions. Lay a cucumber on a plate and stuff with one portion of the vegetables. Close the cucumber strips around the mixture.

Closely pack (stacking them is fine) the stuffed cucumbers in a plastic container, cover and store in the refrigerator. They will be ready to eat the next day and will keep for 3 days. To serve, cut the cucumbers in half and arrange in a shallow bowl.

Rice Soup with Chicken, Seafood and Mushroom (Chao Boi)

By Andrea Nguyen, Author, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors

Serves 8 to 10 as a starter, or 4 to 6 as a one- bowl meal

1 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1/4 pound)
1 cup of long-grain white rice
3 quarts (12 cups) chicken stock
4 or 5 dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved horizontally
1/3 cup of freshly picked or thawed crabmeat
1/4 cup small tapioca pearls (about 1/8 inch in diameter)
1/3 cup chopped scallion, white and green parts
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt

1. Fill a 5-quart saucepan half full with water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and add the chicken breast. Remove from the heat and cover tightly. Let stand for 20 minutes. The chicken should be firm to the touch yet still yield a bit. Remove the chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it by hand and set aside.

2. Return the water to a boil and add the rice. Parboil for 8 minutes, or wait until tender but still firm. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

3. In the same pan, bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Add the rice, chicken, and mushrooms, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the rice expands.

4. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, or until fragrant and soft. Add the shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes, until they curl into corkscrews. Add the crabmeat and stir to distribute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

5. To prevent the tapioca pearls from clumping on contact with the hot soup, put them into a sieve and rinse briefly under cold water. When the rice has expanded in the soup, add the tapioca pearls and cook for another 10 minutes. The opaque pearls will expand and become translucent. At that point, add the shrimp mixture, heat through, and adjust with salt, if necessary. Ladle into individual bowls or a large serving bowl and sprinkle with the scallion and cilantro.  Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Into The Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen, copyright (c) 2006 Ten Speed Press, Berkeley, CA. www.tenspeed.com

Sho-Zen Cocktail

By Paul Tanquay, Beverage Director, Sushi Samba

serves 1

2 ounces soju
1 ounce Zen green tea liqueur
½ ounce pineapple juice
½ ounce lime juice
2 shiso leaves
1 flat bar spoon sugar
1 slice star fruit for garnish

Muddle sugar and shiso. Add remaining ingredients. Shake. Serve in a rock glass with star fruit garnish.

Kimchi Hot Pot (Kimchi Chigae)

By Taekyung Chung & Debra Samuels, The Korean Table

Serves 4

4 pork ribs (about 1 lb/500 g total)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons garlic paste
1 1/2 cup (300 g) ready-made Chinese cabbage (Napa) kimchi, cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces
2 1/2 cups (625 ml) Vegetable Stock or water
1 block (450 g) firm tofu, cut into 8 pieces
1 green onion (scallion), cut into 2-in (5-cm) pieces

With a sharp knife, make several cuts along the meaty side of the ribs. In a large pot, add the sesame oil and place over low heat. Add the ribs, garlic and kimchi and stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add the stock and tofu and simmer for 20 minutes. Sprinkle on the green onion. Serve in large soup bowls.

Baked Vegetable Samosas with Mint

By Vicki Liley, Author, Asian Appetizers

Called turnovers in the West, this Indian version is made with a signature spice and fresh herb combination.

Makes 12 samosas

3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
2/3 cup (100 g) cooked green peas
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1–2 green finger-length chilies, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice
12 sheets frozen filo pastry, thawed
1/3 cup (80 ml) oil

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and mash. In a medium bowl, combine the mashed potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Stir until well combined.

2. Place 1 sheet of the filo pastry on a clean work surface (keep remaining filo covered with a damp cloth). Brush lightly with oil. Fold in half lengthwise. Brush again with oil. Place 1 heaping tablespoonful of the potato filling at one end of the pastry strip. Fold the corner over the filling to make a triangle. Continue folding in the same fashion to make a triangular package. Place on the prepared pan. Brush with oil. Repeat to make more samosas. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve hot.

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

Gujia

by Vikas Khanna, Author,  Modern Indian Cooking

250 grams of flour 
500 grams of Khoya
A few raisins
100 grams of almonds (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
100 ml of water
250 grams of sugar

1. Mix the oil and flour properly to form a binding consistency of breadcrumbs. Add some water and knead lightly the entire mixture. Make it soft dough and set it aside with a damp cloth covering it.

2. Fry the khoya in cooking oil till it becomes light brown and then mix the sugar in it properly. Add the almonds and raisins, and fry for a few more minutes. Remove from fire and let it cool. Make small thick chapattis out of that kneaded dough. Fill half of the chapatti with the khoya mixture and, rolling it, seal the sides of the chapatti keeping the khoya inside it. Make the sealing look decorated by giving a look of hemming.

3.Deep-fry the gujias until it becomes light golden brown, keeping the flame at low. Take out the gujias on a newspaper and let the oil get soaked. Serve hot or store it in an airtight container for using it on that special day.

Thandai

Courtesy of Asian Restaurant News

Serves 5

¼ cup almonds, blanched
¼ cup pistachios, blanched
¼ cup poppy seeds, soaked in water for 1 hour
¼ cup cashews, blanched
¼ cup melon seeds, blanched
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
8-10 black peppercorns
20-25 rose petals
6 cups milk
1 ¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon whole saffron
8-10 green cardamoms

Heat sugar and milk. Add saffron when sugar dissolves in milk. Turn off the flame. Combine almonds, pistachios, soaked poppy seeds, cashews, melon seeds, rose petals and a little milk to make a paste. Combine cinnamon, cardamom and pepper and grind to a powder. Add this powder to the paste. Mix the paste with a little milk, then add it all to the remaining milk. Serve cold.