Free Cooking Recipes, Tips, Asian, Desserts Blog

Kecap Manis - A thick, dark, sweet soy sauce often used in Indonesian and Malaysian cooking. If it is not available, simply stir a little soft brown sugar into regular soy sauce until it dissolves.

Tags: Kecap Manis

Place 3 x 300g (9.7 oz) cans of rinsed and drained chickpeas in a food processor, with 1/4 cup (60ml / 2 fl oz) each of lemon juice and olive oil, and 2 crushed cloves of garlic. Add 2 tbsp tahini; process until combined. Add enough water (about 1/4 cup or 60ml / 2 fl oz) to make a smooth dip. Season with 1/2 tsp ground cumin and salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl; drizzle with a little virgin olive oil. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Fresh Spring Rolls Recipe

For lemon coriander dipping sauce:

3/4 cup (185ml / 5 fl oz) water

1/2 chicken stock

1 tsp honey juice and grated rind of 1 lemon

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp chopped fresh coriander

3 carrots, peeled

1 red capsicum

2 zucchini

2 spring onions

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/3 cup (10g / 1/3 oz) coriander leaves

10 sheets (17cm / 7 inch diameter) rice paper

1. To make sauce - Combine water, stock cube, honey, juice and rind, and soy sauce in a pan. Simmer until half the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and strain; add coriander. Cover and chill.

2. Slice the carrots, capsicum, zucchini and spring onions into very fine julienne strips. Place in a bowl; add egg white and coriander.

3. Soak each rice paper sheet in warm water for 1 minute until soft, then drain; place on a cloth. Put a little of the vegetable mixture on each sheet. Fold in ends and roll up. Place in a single layer in a steamer. Cover and cook over simmering water for 7 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with sauce; garnish with spring onions and red capsicum, if you like.

Do ahead - Prepare rolls 2 hours ahead and keep, covered, in refrigerator. Cook just before serving.

Makes 10

Oyster Sauce - A thick, salty sauce made from dried oysters, used for both flavor and color. Store in the refrigerator once opened. Vegetarian oyster sauce has a similar taste and is made using mushrooms as its flavor base instead of oysters

Tags: Oyster Sauce

Ingredients:

8 small squid

100g prawns (shelled and chopped)

40g beansprouts (chopped)

1 stalk coriander leaves, 1 stalk mint leaves (all finely chopped)

4 tbsp sesame seeds

15ml nampla / fish sauce

4 cili padi / bird’s eye, 3cm ginger (all chopped)

50ml fish stock

Method:

Clean squids and set aside. Combine prawns, tentacles of squids, beansprouts, coriander and mint leaves, lemon grass, sesame seeds, nampla, cili padi and ginger. Mix well.

Stuff squids with the mixture and arrange in a glass casserole dish. Pour fish stock on stuffed squids. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C until squids are tender. Slice and serve.

Serves 4