Celebrating Songkran this Summer 2013...

Tapioca Dumplings

Ingredients
100 gms Green Tapioca
100 ml Hot Water
50 gms Yellow Soya Beans ( Split Mung Bean )
100 ml Coconut Milk
To Cook:
300 gms Sugar
300 ml Water

Preparation


1. Soak the yellow soya in warm water for 1 hour.
2. Steam the soya on foil in a Thai steamer for 10 minutes.
3. Add a little coconut milk and a pinch of salt, then blend them into a paste. Only a little coconut milk is needed for flavour, don't add too much or you'll make the soya paste too loose.
4. Roll pieces of the yellow bean paste into small balls, approximately 1cm in diameter.
5. Put the 100ml of hot water into the green tapioca, it will become sticky. Stir it to make sure the water is well mixed in, then take pieces of the tapioca and press them into thin 4cm discs in the palm of your hand. Place one of the yellow balls in the centre and fold up the edges. After some pressing you can form it into a ball.
6. Boil 300ml of water, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
7. Drop the balls into the boiling water and cook until the balls become almost completely clear. This can take 15-20 minutes.
7. Once they are clear, remove them with a sieve and drop into cold water. Leave the sugar syrup in the pan to cool.
8. Serve with a little of the syrup, and a little coconut milk.

Sandwich Cake

Ingredients

250 mls Coconut Milk
150 gms Sugar
200 ml Evaporated Milk
3 Eggs
3 Tablespoons Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
8-10 Slices of Bread
Desiccated Coconut for Garnish

Preparation

1. Whip the eggs to mix them, add all the other ingredients and whip together for 1 minute.
2. This needs to be cooked in a bain marie (a small pan sitting in a larger pan of boiling water so that it cooks gently). Cook slowly for 15 minutes, stirring continuously.
3. Let it cool a little, for this cake, you can eat this topping warm or cold!
4. Cut the crusts off the bread. Layer slices of bread, and sauce alternately, with a top layer of the sauce.
5. Dust with dried coconut.

Radish Jewels ( Tub Team Grob )

Ingredients 


100 gms Cassava Starch
50 gms Radish, Apple or Water Chestnuts
100 ml Coconut Milk
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
200 ml Water
200 gms Sugar
200 gms Crushed Ice
Beetroot Water (For Colouring)

Preparation

1. Chop the radish into small squares and soak in beetroot water for 3-4 hours to colour the radish pieces.
2. Drain the radish pieces and add them to the cassava starch.
3. Boil water and add the radish pieces to the boiling water. They will swell and cook, it's normal to leave a little uncooked centre pieces to give the crunch. Then drop them into cool water.
4. Boil 200 ml water with the sugar until the sugar is dissolved and leave it to cool, to from a syrup.
5. Into a separate pan, put coconut milk, and add the salt. Boil for 1/2 minutes and leave it to cool.
6. To serve, place some of the radish jewels into a serving bowl, add some of the coconut milk, some syrup to make it as sweet as you prefer, and some crushed ice.

Thai-style steamed fish

 Ingredients

    2 trout fillets, each weighing about 140g/5oz

    a small knob of fresh root ginger , peeled and chopped

    1 small garlic clove , chopped

    1 small red chilli (not bird's eye), seeded and finely chopped

    grated zest and juice of 1 lime

    3 baby pak choi , each quartered lengthways

    2 tbsp soy sauce

Method

1. Nestle the fish fillets side by side on a large square of foil and scatter the ginger, garlic, chilli and lime zest over them.
2. Drizzle the lime juice on top and then scatter the pieces of pak choi around and on top of the fish.
3. Pour the soy sauce over the pak choi and loosely seal the foil to make a package, making sure you leave space at the top for the steam to circulate as the fish cooks.
4. Steam for 15 minutes. (If you haven't got a steamer, put the parcel on a heatproof plate over a pan of gently simmering water, cover with a lid and steam.)

Thai chicken cakes with sweet chilli sauce

Ingredients

    2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 175g/6oz each), cubed

    1 garlic clove , roughly chopped

    small piece fresh root ginger , peeled and roughly chopped

    1 small onion , roughly chopped

    4 tbsp fresh coriander , plus a few sprigs to garnish

    1 green chilli , seeded and roughly chopped

    2 tbsp olive oil

    sweet chilli sauce , lime wedges, shredded spring onion and red chilli, to serve

Method

1. Toss the chicken, garlic, ginger, onion, coriander and chilli into a food processor and season well.
2. Blitz until the chicken is finely ground and everything is well mixed. Use your hands to shape six small cakes.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan, then fry the cakes over a medium heat for about 6-8 minutes, turning once.
4. Serve hot, with sweet chilli sauce, lime wedges, coriander, shredded spring onion and red chilli.

Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.. :)

ROSE TIRAMISU

INGREDIENTS

1 egg less vanilla sponge cake

TO BE MIXED INTO A COFFEE SOAKING SYRUP

4 tsp instant coffee powder

3 tbsp sugar

1 cup warm water

OTHER INGREDIENTS

200 gms Mascarpone Cheese

5 tbsp sugar

1 cup whipped cream

3 tbsp icing sugar

30 ml Rose Water

FOR THE TOPPING

3 tbsp cocoa powder 

METHOD

·         Cool and slice the sponge cake horizontally into 2 equal layers.

·         Cut the top layer of the sponge cake into 12 mm. X 50 mm. (½” x 2”) long fingers.

·         Arrange the cake fingers on a baking tray and toast them in a pre-heated oven at 160°c (320°f) for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and keep aside to cool completely.

·         Combine the whipped cream and icing sugar in a bowl and fold gently. Keep aside.

·         Combine the Rose water and sugar in a non-stick pan and cook on a slow flame till the sugar dissolves. Remove from the flame and keep aside to cool completely.

·         Add the cream cheese to it and mix well.

·         Add the whipped cream mixture and fold gently. Keep aside.

·         Place the lower layer of the cake round on a 175 mm. (7”) diameter loose bottom cake tin and sprinkle half the coffee soaking syrup evenly on top of the cake.

·         Top with half of the cream cheese-whipped cream mixture and refrigerate for 30 minutes or till set.

·         Dip the toasted cake fingers in the remaining coffee soaking syrup for a minute.

·         Arrange the soaked cake fingers over the set layer of the cream cheese and top with the remaining cream cheese mixture.

·         Refrigerate for 4 hours or till the tiramisu sets.

CHICKEN ROULADE STUFFED WITH PRUNES

INGREDIENTS

    500g chicken, ground

    2 egg whites

    100ml heavy cream

    1 tsp shallots, minced

    1/2 tsp each, garlic, thyme, basil and chervil, minced

    200 gms Prunes chopped

    seasonings

   

INGREDIENTS FOR STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

2 cups trimmed and halved strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

 GARNISH FOR FORCEMEAT

 115g each red, yellow & green peppers, roasted and diced

       

PREPARATION

1 To make forcemeat, purée ground chicken in food processor and mix in egg whites. Slowly add cream, pulse in. Add shallots, garlic, thyme, basil and chervil, and mix.

2. Stir peppers into forcemeat. Spread forcemeat, stuffed minced prunes , roll up, wrap in cling film. Poach in a 74°C water bath to an internal temperature of 60°C; chill. Slice roulade into 45g slices. Arrange on plate

FOR STRAWBERRY COMPOTE

Combine the strawberries and sugar in a small sauce pan. With heat on medium high, begin cook the strawberries, stirring occasionally. You will begin to notice it giving out water and also bubbling. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Turn off heat and allow it to cool. Refrigerate before serving

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

  

INGREDIENTS

1 (50 mm. (6") diameter) chocolate Sponge Cake

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE ICING

2 cups (300 grams) chopped dark chocolate

1 cup (200 grams) cream

TO BE MIXED INTO A SOAKING SYRUP

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup water

FOR GARNISH

Cocoa Powder for Sprinkle

METHOD

    FOR THE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE ICING

    Put the cream in a saucepan and bring it to a boil.

    Add the chocolate and mix well using a whisk till it resembles a smooth sauce. Remove from the flame.

    Stir over a bowl of ice to cool quickly.

  

HOW TO PROCEED

    Slice the chocolate cake horizontally into two equal parts.

    Place one half of the cake on a serving plate and sprinkle half the soaking syrup in order to make the cake  moist.

    Spread half of the truffle over the cake layer and sandwich with the other half of the cake.

    Moisten this cake layer with the remaining soaking syrup.

    Spread the remaining of the truffle on top and sides.

  

ORANGE CHOCOLATE MACAROONS 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large egg whites

• 100 gms almond paste

• 1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted, plus more for surface and coating

• 1/2 ounce edible orange food colour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

CHOCOLATE FILLING

• Chocolate Ganache 100 gms

• Whipped Cream 100 gms

Method

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or non-stick baking mats. Beat 1 egg white, the almond paste, icing sugar,  with a mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add Orange colour and orange zest, and beat until combined, about 1 minute.

2. Turn out dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar, and roll into two 3/4-inch-thick logs, about 18 inches long. Cut each log crosswise into thirty 1/2-inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

3. Lightly beat remaining egg white. Brush onto each dough ball, and roll in sugar, tapping to remove excess. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Let stand for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gently pinch each piece of dough with three fingers to form an irregular pyramid shape. Bake until pale golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks, and let cool completely.

5. Make a Smooth paste of ganache and cream. Make quinnels of it and Garnish with white chocolate