荷叶蒸鸡

家里还有很多荷叶。它们都是上次做荷叶饭剩下的。我怕放太久会有虫，所以想尽办法用完它们。如果再做荷叶饭，我又很懒;p 想用它们做即简单又好吃的菜。突然想到不如做荷叶蒸鸡。印象中好像有这道菜。上网找了找，很容易就找到食谱。但是都是很多功的菜，不适合我；p

我就只好凭自己的“想象力”做荷叶蒸鸡。我记得以前妈妈喜欢用红枣、黑木耳和金针（好像还有冬菇）蒸鸡。不如我就用同样的方法煮，但是用荷叶包起来然后才拿去蒸。家里没有金针，我就不放了，我改用枸杞子。只有我和先生两个人吃，我就买了一只小春鸡。我把它洗干净抹干，并切成4大块。我用花雕酒（大概两至三汤匙）、盐、沙姜粉（如果没有可以不放）、酱汁腌制大概1小时。我觉得时间还不够，下次我会腌更久。黑木耳、冬菇用水浸软。如果你的冬菇和黑木耳是用大朵的，那就要切小块点。红枣把核去掉用水洗一洗。枸杞子也是要用水冲洗一下。荷叶用水浸泡软然后抹干。

把荷叶摊开，放在碟子上。把所有材料放在荷叶上（包括腌制的汁），然后把荷叶把材料包起，用绳子绑好。等蒸笼的水煮沸，把荷叶鸡放进去蒸大概半小时或等到鸡熟透久可以了。

蒸荷叶鸡的时候，整个家里充满荷叶的清香味！我这次没有把鸡腌很久所以还不够入味。不过，这道菜属于清淡的菜。喜欢重口味的朋友可能不太喜欢这道菜。如果你觉得要切整只鸡很麻烦，可以用鸡腿取代。吃着这道菜又想起妈妈以前煮这道菜的味道！

粽子飘香的节日－－想念妈妈包的粽子

这个星期六就是端午节了！ 虽然远在美国但是似乎可以到妈妈包粽子的味道。妈妈每年都会亲自动手包咸肉粽和碱水豆沙粽。小时候我就会帮妈妈挑包碱水粽的糯米。好花时间啊！虽然妈妈每年包粽子但是只是让我看，总不让我动手。她怕我包不好，等一下煮粽子时会全散开。所以到现在为止,我只有个大概的概念怎么包。

去年的端午节，我和邻居到唐人街买东西时看到到处卖粽子但是价钱小贵了些，所以我们便心血来潮打算亲自动手包粽子。问题是我们两个人都没有包粽子的经验！所以只好到网上找教包粽子的录像做最后“恶补” ；p 我们这次决定包咸肉粽材料有：绿豆（做甜品dousuan豆爽那种）、五花肉、冬菇、腊肠、和咸蛋黄。

糯米要洗净然后浸泡一个晚上，然后沥干水份。绿豆也是和糯米一样处理。冬菇泡软备用。粽叶泡软一个晚上洗净备用。五花肉切块用蚝油、胡椒粉、麻油、酱油腌一个晚上。腊肠切成厚片。先热油锅爆香冬菇，然后盛起备用。然后把糯米加入锅里炒一下，加入五香粉、酱油、胡椒粉炒至均匀，盛起备用。然后继续用锅炒五花肉至六七分熟就可以盛起备用。

将粽叶交叠做成漏斗状，盛入糯米、绿豆、五花肉、冬菇、腊肠和咸蛋黄，再盖上糯米然后包起来，入锅煮1个小时。

看文字描写包粽子好像很容易，其实一点都不简单。我和邻居包的粽子样子很丑，哈哈！一定要把所有材料包得扎实，手要抓紧。绑的时候更是要绑紧。这里推荐一个网站，http://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2012/06/kee-chang-video.html。博客的主人很好心的把包粽子做成录像。录像是教大家如何包碱水粽。

挑一些还像样的拍个照

今年，太懒了，所以不包粽子。想吃的时候就只好花钱解馋;p!

Grilled Seafood Patties

I have bought this grill pan and has been using it to grill my salmon and meat. I love the pan! It is non stick and easy to clean. This time I will use it to grill patties. Saw this seafood on lemongrass recipe at http://wokkingmum.blogspot.com/2008/08/grilled-seafood-on-lemongrass.html. I have make some changes to the paste recipe. I am using the rempah (spice paste) I had made some time ago in making this seafood patties. The recipe for the rempah is as follows:

Ingredients: (recipe from http://www.thelittleteochew.com/2009/09/rempah-encore.html)

Lengkuas (aka Galangal): ~200g

Young ginger: ~100g

Turmeric: ~50g

Shallots: ~750g

Candlenuts: ~100g

Dried red chilli: ~30g

Lemongrass: ~7 stalks

Fresh red chilli: ~450g

Garlic: ~1 bulb

Salt: ~1 1/2 tsp (add when you are frying the rempah)

Sugar: ~1 tsp (add when you are frying the rempah)

Vegetable oil: ~1 rice bowl (for frying the rempah)

1  Pound/blitz the ingredients, adding vegetable oil in small quantities gives you a smoother blend. No measurements for this ... just pour a little here and there as you pound/blitz.

2 Fry over a low flame for about 1 hour, stirring all the time, until the oil floats to the top. Cool completely before scooping into a sterilised container. Freeze.

This recipe for the rempah will make quite a bit of spice paste. Since you spend so much time in pounding (for me I  pound) and frying it might as well make a big batch and freeze it so that you won't have to go through all the hard work again when you need it.

Okie now for the recipe for the seafood patties:

Ingredients:

1  150g Prawn (after shelled), minced

2  150g Fish Paste or fillet (after skinned and debone), minced

3   3 tablespoon of spice paste. If you want it to be more spicy you can add more

Steps:

1  Mix prawn and fish paste together
2  Mix cooled spice paste with prawn and fish paste.

3  Oil your hands and scoop some mixed paste.

4  Roll it into a ball than press it to form a patty

5  Heat and oil the grill pan.

6  Grilled them till completely cooked.

7  Serve.

It's sort of a healthier version of a otah as it does not have coconut milk. I husband actually prefer this to otah! ;)

Jambalaya

After coming to Houston, I love Cajun food! Etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya, scampi ....  

Cajun cuisine is "A rustic cuisine, one in which locally available ingredients dominate, that has developed for the last 250 years, coming mostly from the French, especially in Louisiana, is Cajun Cuisine, featuring Country cooking, and in its earliest stages, one pot meals. Cajun Cuisine is a mixture of Cajun and Creole techniques and recipes, using a blend of natural spices to make it what it has become today." (http://bmwhsd.hubpages.com/hub/Cajunfood) 

I love the richness of flavour in their food as they use a blend of natural spices. Most of the time you will find bell peppers, onions and celery also known as the Holy Trinity of Cajun cuisine in these dishes. It is usually a one pot meal with a rice to go with the dish. One of these days I hope to make a trip to Louisiana to taste the real authentic Cajun food!

I have been wanting to learn to cook some cajun food. Finally I decided to cook Jambalaya as my first attempt. It looks the easiest to me. And someone just gave my husband some home made sausages so I might as well make good use of them! 

There are 2 types of Jambalaya: the creole and the cajun. The creole is reddish in colour as tomatoes are added and the cajun has a brown colour as the meat is cooked in the pot alone and allowed to brown and caramelize. 

I got this recipe for Jambalaya from food network. It comes from Chef Emeril Lagasse. He has used shrimp in the recipe but I have left this out. He named this as Cajun Jambalaya but he has used tomatoes in his recipe. I don't really care whether it is cajun or creole as long as it taste good I am happy! 

My next try on cooking cajun food is my favourite Gumbo! 

Ingredients:

4 servings

1  12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped 

2   4 ounces chicken, diced 

3   1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows 

4   2 tablespoons olive oil

5   1/4 cup chopped onion 

6   1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper 

7   1/4 cup chopped celery 

8   2 tablespoons chopped garlic 

9   1/2 cup chopped tomatoes 

10  3 bay leaves 

11  1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 

12  1 teaspoon hot sauce 

13  3/4 cup rice 

14  3 cups chicken stock 

15  5 ounces Andouille sausage, sliced 

16  Salt and pepper

Directions

In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons salt 2 tablespoons garlic powder 1 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 tablespoon dried thyme Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

红糟酱蒸排骨

红糟也叫红麴。它具有降血脂效果，能抑制低密度胆固醇，提升高密度胆固醇，降低血脂，进而降低动脉硬化阻塞的机率。这东西太适合我了！最近我才在超市找到红糟酱，马上我就买了一瓶。红糟酱可以拿来煮很多东西。我记得最常看到的是红糟鸡。我也吃过红糟面线。


家里买了排骨所以决定煮红糟排骨。但是我是用蒸的。味道还不错，甜甜的带有一点酒香。很简单的一道菜，我一定还会再煮！


食材：
1  排骨
2  红菊酱，2汤匙
3  咸酸梅一粒（如果家里没有可以不放），将梅子的肉捏碎
3  酱油一汤匙
4  姜汁1／2 汤匙
5  胡椒粉少许


步骤：
1  用所有调味料腌制排骨至少2小时。
2  用大火蒸排骨20分钟或至排骨蒸熟。