Mee Rebus

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco
Serves 4

Shallot oil:
2 shallots, sliced thinly
½ cup canola oil

Spice Paste:
4 fresh red Jalapeno
6 shallots
1 inch fresh turmeric
1 inch galangal
1 inch ginger

Spice:
¼ cup of canola oil for frying
2 sticks cinnamon
1/2 star anise
1 teaspoon fennel, ground
½ teaspoon cumin, ground
1 Tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
1 Tablespoon curry powder

Broth:
2 cups coconut milk
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons kosher salt, to taste
2 Tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1 ½ cups mashed sweet potatoes
16 oz fresh egg noodles

Topping:
8 oz shrimp, peeled, tails-on
12 fried tofu puffs, sliced thin
1 cup mungbean sprouts
3 eggs, hard boiled, sliced
1 cup English cucumber, shredded
1 red jalapeno
1 lime, wedges
Cilantro

Preparing the shallot oil:
1. In a small pot, heat ½ cup canola oil. When warm, add sliced shallots and cook until golden brown. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Preparing the spice paste:
2. Grind together spice paste ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Preparing the soup base:
3. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until just hot. Stir in spice paste, cinnamon sticks and star anise. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining spices – fennel, cumin, coriander and curry powder. Saute until the red oil separates from the spice paste about 5 minutes more.
4. Lower the heat, slowly add coconut milk and chicken stock and bring to a slow simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer for at 20-30 minutes. Add tamarind, sugar and salt to taste. Whisk in peanut butter and mashed potatoes.

Preparing the noodles:
5. Bring another pot of salted water to boil and blanch egg noodles till tender but still firm. Rinse egg noodles under cold water to remove the starch.

Preparing the topping:
6. Bring a pot of water to boil. Separately blanch shrimp, sprouts, and tofu puffs.
7. Finely julienne cucumber and jalapeno.

Assembly
8. Place a serving of noodles, and top with sliced tofu, shrimp, bean sprouts and ladle some broth over. Garnish with cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro, sliced eggs and a teaspoon of fried shallots and a little shallot oil.
9. Serve with quartered limes.

Chicken Curry Kapitan

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco
Serves 4

To make the Spice paste:
6 red jalapeno chilies
8 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon roasted belacan*
3 stalks lemon grass
1 inch galangal
1 inch fresh tumeric / 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
5 candlenuts, optional

Remaining Ingredients:
½ cup canola oil
1 small chicken, cut into 8 pieces (reserve backbones and wings for other use)
3 cups coconut milk (reserve 1/2 cup)
1 cup water or more if needed
1 Tablespoon kosher salt, to taste
5 pieces of kaffir lime leaves
4 medium Yukon potatoes, peeled

1. Parboil peeled potatoes. Set aside. Cut each potato into 2.
2. In a food processor, grind all spice paste ingredients into a smooth paste.
3. In a heavy bottom pot, heat oil on medium high. Fry paste till fragrant, red and oil has separated, about 5-7 minutes
4. Add chicken pieces and fry for about 3 minutes.
5. Add 2 1/2 cups coconut milk and water. Add enough water to just barely cover the chicken if needed. Add salt. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Finely shred kaffir lime leaves, reserves a generous pinch for garnishing
7. Add finely shredded kaffir lime leaves, potatoes and simmer uncovered until chicken is tender and gravy has thicken, about 20 minutes. Add remaining half cup of coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
8. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Skim off some of the red oil that surfaced.
9. Garnish with kaffir lime leaves

Curry Laksa

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco
Serves 4

Topping:
1 large boneless chicken breast or thigh, about 1 lb
8 pieces of shucked oysters or shrimp
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered

Spice Paste:
10 dried chilies or about 5 fresh red jalapenos
10 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2 lemongrass
2 tablespoon roasted belachan (substitute 2 tablespoon fish sauce)
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
1 inch of galangal
1 tablespoon dried tumeric powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup of canola oil for frying

Broth:
2 cups coconut milk, reserve ½ cup of cream
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of water
Salt to taste (at least a few pinchfuls of salt)
12 fried tofu puffs

6 oz egg noodles
6 oz rice vermicelli

Vegetables:
1 cup mung bean sprouts
Cilantro

Preparing the meat:
1. Steam chicken breast until cooked, about 20 minutes. Tear or cut into ½ inch thick slices
2. Drain the oysters, keep refrigerated. If using shrimp, blanch shrimp.

Preparing the spice paste:
3. Grind together spice paste ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Preparing the laksa soup base:
4. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until just hot. Stir in spice paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the red oil separates from the spice paste about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Lower the heat, slowly add coconut milk, tofu balls, chicken stock and bring to a slow simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer for at 20-30 minutes. Salt to taste.

Preparing the noodles:
6. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and oil. Blanch rice vermicelli till tender.
7. Using the same water, blanch egg noodles. Reserve.

Assembly:
8. Place a serving of noodles and rice vermicelli, vegetables, chicken, and oysters in bowls and ladle laksa broth over. Drizzle a teaspoon of coconut cream.
Garnish with cilantro.
9. Serve with quartered limes and sambal.

Sambal & Cucumber Finger Sandwiches

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco

Makes 12 mini sandwiches

3 fresh red chilies
2 small cloves of garlic
3 small shallots, sliced
2 teaspoons roasted belacan
½ inch piece of tumeric/ ½ teaspoon tumeric powder
½ inch of galangal
1 lemongrass, sliced, white part only
2/3 cup of dried shrimp, soaked
1 teaspoon tamarind paste mixed with ½ cup water
3 tablespoon sugar, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup canola oil
6 slices of white bread, crust removed
½ stick butter, at room temperature
¼ English cucumber

Preparing the spice paste:
1. Grind all spice paste in a food processor, set aside.
2. Drain the dried shrimps. Separately, place in food processor and grind till fine.
3. In a wok or a saucepan, heat ¼ cup canola oil on medium high. Fry paste till fragrant, red and oil has separated, about 7-10 minutes. Add more oil if necessary to prevent sticking.
4. Add the dried shrimp and sugar. Fry until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Add tamarind liquid. Continue cooking, adding more oil if necessary for another 10 minutes until the sambal is a dry and deep red in color.
5. Slice cucumber into thin rounds
6. Remove bread crust, and place two slices of bread on a cutting board. Generously smear butter on one side of each slice of bread.
7. Spread on a thin layer of the sambal, top with cucumber and sandwich with buttered bread.
8. Cut bread into 4 diagonally, making 4 tiny triangles.

Butter Prawns with Curry Leaves

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cup of desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons light soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine or sake
2 lb large shrimps, shells on, heads on, deveined
1 cup of canola oil for deep frying
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 red jalapeno chilies – sliced
10 sprigs of Indian curry leaves*
4 cloves of garlic – minced
Cilantro

1. In a clean pan over medium heat, dry fry coconut till golden and fragrant. Set aside.
2. Mix salt, sugar, soy sauce and rice wine together. Set aside.
3. Clean prawns – trim legs and tentacles, deveined. Keep shells and heads on. Pat dry thoroughly.
4. Heat about ½ inch oil, and fry the prawns in small batches. Drain and set aside. Remove all but 3 Tablespoons of the shrimp oil.
5. Add butter to the pan high heat. Add chilies, curry leaves, garlic and salt and fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add sauce mixture. Toss in coconut. Toss in fried prawns.
7. Stir fry over high heat for another 1 min.
8. Garnish with cilantro.

©2010 New Asian Cuisine. All Rights Reserved.
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Penang Fried Kuey Teow

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco
Serves 10

6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
9 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
9 tablespoons water
4 lb fresh flat rice noodles
10 cloves of garlic, minced to make about 10 teaspoons of minced garlic
20 oz shelled uncooked medium-sized shrimps
12 oz Chinese chives
12 oz / 4 cups bean sprouts
4 Chinese sausage, thinly sliced
20 tablespoons/ 1 ¼ cup canola oil, in a squeeze bottle
Sri Racha chili sauce (optional)
10 eggs

1. Mix soy sauces and water together. Transfer to a squeeze bottle. Set aside.
2. Place the remaining ingredients mise-en-place, and roughly divide each ingredient into 10 portions

Cooking the dish – 1 serving at a time:

3. Heat a cast iron pan or a wok on high heat
4. Add 1 tablespoon oil, add 1 portion (1/10th of the ingredient) of Chinese sausage and sauté 1 minute till fragrant. Push to the side of the wok.
5. Add ½ teaspoon of garlic and a portion of shrimp and saute until shrimp turns pink. Push to the side of the wok.
6. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil and another ½ teaspoon of garlic and for spicier option, add ½ teaspoon Sri Racha. Sauté 30 seconds, add 1 portion of noodles. Drizzle 2 tablespoons soy sauce mix over the noodles, toss on high heat till noodles are well coated. Push to the side of the wok.
7. Make a well in the middle, add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Break in an egg, drizzle in a teaspoon of soy sauce mix, let it cook like a sunny side up, until eggs are whit but still slightly runny, then scramble the eggs into the noodle mixture.
8. Add 1 portion each of bean spouts and chives. Toss to mix.
9. Serve immediately.

Repeat for each serving.

Sugar-Pickled Mustard “Mui Choy” Pork

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco

4 bunches sugar-pickled mui choy (pickled mustard), about 1 lb
1 lb pork belly
3 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 cups water

1. Soak and rinse pickled mustard under several changes of cold water until no more sandy.
2. Drain and squeeze dry. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces
3. Cut pork into thick slices about 1/2 inch thick
4. Smash whole clove garlic lightly, with skin on, leaving garlic somewhat whole
5. Heat oil in a heavy saute pan, add garlic and pork and saute for 3 minutes until fragrant, then add chopped mustard. Stir together, cook for 5 minutes. Add dark soy sauce.
6. Add water, cover, bring to boil, then simmer under low heat for 30 minutes. (or if you use a crock pot, simmer for 2 hours).

Laksa Johor

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco
Serves 6

Meat:
½ lb salted cod
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb cod

Spice Paste:
10 dried Japanese chilies or 5 fresh red jalapeno
10 shallots
1 inch of ginger
1 inch of galangal
1 inch fresh tumeric
1 tablespoon roasted belachan
5 candlenuts
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon dried shrimp, soaked
3 tablespoon toasted desiccated coconut

Broth:
¼ cup of canola oil for frying
3 cups coconut milk
3 pieces of lemongrass, bruised
5 stalks laksa leaves
3-4 cups fish or chicken broth
1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Toppings:
1 cup of shredded English cucumber
1 red jalapeno
½ red onion
1 cup of fresh pineapples
2 eggs
1 cup of mint leaves, whole
2 tablespoons laksa leaves, finely minced
1 Tablespoon ginger flower, finely minced
8 oz spaghetti, some salt and olive oil
1 lime, quartered

Preparing the salted cod:
1. Soak the salt cod for a couple of hours. Change the water if needed.
2. Remove the bones and mince the fish fine. Soak the dried shrimp for at least an hour.

Preparing the fish:
3. Salt the fish. Steam the fish until opaque and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. When cooled, remove bones and skin. Coarsely flake the fish with a fork.

Preparing the spice paste:
5. Grind together spice paste ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.
6. Grind dried shrimp, salt cod, and toasted desiccated coconut into fine flakes.

Preparing the laksa soup base:
7. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until just hot. Stir in spice paste. Stir constantly, until the red oil separates from the spice paste about 8 to 10 minutes. Add fish mince.
8. Lower the heat, slowly add coconut milk, lemon grass, tamarind slices, laksa leaves, chicken broth and bring to a slow simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer for at 20-30 minutes. Salt to taste. Remove tamarind, lemongrass and laksa leaves. Add flaked fish.

Preparing the vegetables:
9. Finely julienne cucumber and jalapeno. Slice the onion. Cut pineapples into small wedges. Chiffonade the laksa leaves and ginger flower.
10. Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Make thin omelets. Slice them into ¼ inch strips.

Preparing the noodles
11. Bring a pot of water to boil. Boil spaghetti till el dente. Drain.

Assembly
12. Place a serving of noodles, vegetables, herb, eggs in bowls and ladle laksa broth over.
13. Serve with quartered limes and sambal.

Zongzi – Cantonese “Joong”

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco

Makes 24 pieces

3 cups glutinous sweet rice, soaked, drained
add 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoon oil
¾ cup peeled, mung beans, soaked, drained
add ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon oil
12 oz pork belly/ pork butt, diced ½ inch cubes

Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
1 Tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 Tablespoon canola oil
12 pieces fresh shiitake, stems removed, sliced finely

Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
12 salted duck egg yolks, cut into 2
24 pieces of baby chestnut, or 12 large
72 pieces bamboo leaves
24 pieces yard-long kitchen twine

Preparing the ingredients the night before
1. Wash rice. Cover with 2 inches of water over the top of the rice, and soak overnight.
2. Pick over mung beans, rinse, cover with 2 inches of water over the top & soak overnight.
3. Soak bamboo leaves in hot water overnight. Next morning, scrub with brush and rinse several times to remove dirt. Leave leaves in water till ready to use. Preparing the filling
4. Dice pork, mix with seasoning. Set aside.
5. Sliced mushrooms, mix with seasoning. Set aside. Prepare the ingredients mise en place
6. Drain rice, add salt and oil. Set aside.*
7. Drain mung beans, add salt and oil. Set aside.*
8. Separate yolks and cut into two. Set aside.
9. Cut large chestnuts into two. Set aside. Wrapping the dumpling (see Zongzi Leaf Template or detailed instructions section below)
10. Prepare bamboo cone.
11. Place ½ tablespoon rice into the cone. Make a slight well, then place 1 heaping tablespoon of pork, ½ tablespoon mushroom, ½ egg yolk, and half a chestnut. Followed by 1 tablespoon mungbean and 1 tablespoon of rice. Pack all ingredients tightly as you add them. Flatten the top with a clean wet spoon.
12. Complete wrapping and secure leaves with kitchen twine.
13. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Gently place the dumplings in and boil for 1 1/2 – 2 hours over medium slow fire. Add water constantly to ensure the dumplings are always submerged in water.
14. When cooked, remove the dumplings and hang to dry.
15. Serve with sugar or chili sauce on the side, if you’d like.

* To speed cooking, steam rice for 20 minutes, drizzle with 1 ¼ cup of chicken stock, steam another 10 minutes. Also steam mungbeans for 15 minutes. Boil dumplings for 30-60 minutes.

Detailed Dumpling wrapping
Download the zongzi leaf template for the leaf stencil. The first and second page are set up to print on both sides.
A. Take two bamboo leaves, overlap offsetting each other by ½ inch along the length of the leave. The stems to the left, and the tips to the right, with the 2nd leave closest to you. (A1 reads above A2)
B. At a point 1 inch from the top edge and 1 inch off the middle cross-section (Point B) fold leaves into a conical shape – there should be no opening at the tip of the cone.
C. The tips should be parallel to the stems, and are lower than the stems. (C1 aligns with C2, with C2 on the upper fold) Fill the cone, packing tightly as you fill. Flatten the top with a clean wet spoon.
D. Take a third piece of leave, insert the tip end in between the back fold on the right. (D1 aligns with D2), and cup the dumpling, with ½ inch offset along the edge (both Ds are visible at the base)
E. With the triangle facing you, fold the third leave at the base of your palm towards the filling (E)
F. Next, fold the 3 pieces of tips on the right towards the filling (F)
G. Then, fold the stems on the left side towards the filling (G)
H. Lastly, fold down the remaining leaves towards you. (H) and wrap around the pyramid.
I. Quickly loop a piece of kitchen twine around the dumpling (along the spine of the leaves) to secure leaves in place. Wind twine around dumpling tightly. If necessary add, a second piece of string along a different axis.

NOTE: For savory dumplings, pack, wrap and tie tightly so that the filling will not separate from the rice. For sweet dumplings, pack loosely, wrap and tie loosely so that the rice will have space to expand and it will be soft. The longer you boil the dumpling, the softer it will become. Boil a minimum of 30 minutes if you pre-steam some of the ingredients, otherwise, 1 ½ hours. A perfect boil is about 2 ½ hours.

Assam Laksa

by Linda Tay Esposito Flavor Explosions, San Francisco

1 pound bluefish (Traditionally mackerel, otherwise, any oily flaky fish)

Spice Paste:
6 dried Japanese chilies or 3 fresh red jalapeno
2 pieces of lemongrass
5 shallots
1 tablespoon roasted belachan
¼ cup of canola oil for frying

Soup:
1/2 cup tamarind pulp (including seeds) + 1 cup warm water
6 cups water or fish stock (use fish bouillon if necessary)
5 pieces of dried tamarind slices
4 stalks laksa leaves
Salt to taste (at least a few pinchfuls of salt)
2 teaspoons sugar

Toppings:
1 cup of shredded English cucumber
1 red jalapeno
½ red onion
1 cup of fresh pineapples
1 cup of mint leaves, whole
2 tablespoons laksa leaves, finely minced
12 oz thick fresh rice noodles (lai fun) or 6 oz dried rice vermicelli
1 lime, preferably calamansi
2 tablespoon haeko

Preparing the fish
1. Steam the fish until opaque and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Reserve fish stock.
2. When cooled, remove bones and skin, coarsely flake the fish with a fork.

Preparing the spice paste
3. Grind together spice paste ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Set aside.

Preparing the laksa soup base
4. Peel tamarind. Mash tamarind flesh in 1 cup of warm water. Remove solids, reserve juice.
5. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat until just hot. Stir in spice paste. Cook, stirring constantly, until the red oil separates from the spice paste about 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Lower the heat, slowly add tamarind paste, water, fish stock, tamarind slices and laksa leaves and bring to a slow simmer, stirring constantly. Simmer for at 20-30 minutes. Add salt and sugar to taste. Remove tamarind slices and laksa leaves. Just before serving, add the flaked fish.

Preparing the vegetables
7. Finely julienne cucumber, jalapeno, slice the red onion and cut pineapples into small wedges.
8. Mince the laksa leaves.

Preparing the noodles
9. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt and oil. Blanch rice vermicelli quickly – a few seconds.

Assembly
10. In a small bowl, mix hae-ko shrimp paste with 2 tablespoon warm water
11. Place a serving of noodles and vegetables in bowls and ladle laksa broth over.
12. Serve with halved limes and a dollop of hae-ko.