Culinary Curator

BRAISED SPARERIBS IN PINEAPPLE SAUCE

Ingredients

1 tsp young peppercorn

1 tbsp coriander root, minced

4 thumb size garlic cloves

400g beef spareribs

¼ cup ketchup

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp seasoning sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup pineapple, sliced

2 cups chicken stock

Method

Make a paste with the coriander root, garlic, and white peppercorn. Cut the spare ribs into 2-inch pieces. Mix all the ingredients, including the ketchup and sugar, with the beef. Set aside for 2 hours.

In a pot, simmer the pineapple and the chicken stock over low heat. Once the pineapple is half done, remove from the stock and keep aside. Add the marinated spareribs in the stock and cook until tender. Add the pineapple and cook until tender. Serve with cooked rice and cucumber, tomato on the side.

STIR FRIED SEAFOOD WITH CHILLI AND HERBS

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves

3 coriander roots

7 birds eye chilli

3 tbsp oil

100g fish fillet, cut into bite sized pieces

1 medium squid (200g; cut into bite sized pieces; soak in rice vinegar for 5 minutes, rinse)

7 (100g) shrimps, peeled and deveined

½ cup shredded wild ginger (gra-chai)

2 sticks peppercorn

1 big red spur chilli, sliced thinly

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

½ cup sweet basil

Method

Pound garlic, coriander root, and chillies in a mortar until fine. Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok, set the heat to medium-low and fry the garlic mix until it becomes yellow-brown, but not burnt. Add the seafood in the wok, turn the heat to high. Then add gra-chai, peppercorn, big chilli and cook until the seafood is done. You can add a bit of water to prevent burning. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and basil, stir everything together. Turn the heat off when it looks ready.

BAKED FISH WITH HERBS

Ingredients to marinade the fish —

250g dory fish fillet 

1 tsp coriander root paste

6 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

¼ tsp white pepper powder

To make the bed —

4 lemongrass stalk

2 long slices of galangal

4-5 kaffir lime leaves

Aluminium foil

Ingredients for sauce —

4-5 green or red chillies

1 green spur chilli

8 garlic cloves

5 shallots

¼ tsp sugar

2 tsp fish sauce

To serve with:

1 tsp saw leaf

Coriander, thin sliced

Boiled cabbage and long beans

Decorate with tomatoes, on the side

Method

Marinate the fish with coriander root, kaffir lime leaves, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, pepper powder for about 10 minutes. To make the sauce, skewer the green chilli, green spur chilli, shallot and garlic and place over a grill. Then peel off the chilli skin for making a paste. Season with fish sauce. Mix well.

In an aluminium foil, make a fish size long bed of galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf at the bottom then spread out the marinated fish fillet on the top, bake at 200C for about 15 minutes. Serve the fish with the paste and boiled side vegetables.