Dragon Fruit Pizza

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serving Description: 1 pie slice
Servings: 12

Ingredients
- 1 package of ready to use pre-made sugar cookie dough
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 dragon fruit, peeled and sliced
- 3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup strawberries, hulled and cut in half
- 1/4 cup apricot glaze

Directions

* Roll out cookie dough into a 12 inch round.
* Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.
* Allow to cool completely.
* Meanwhile, prepare fruit by washing and slicing it into 1/4 inch slices.
* Cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice.
* When the crust is cool, top with the cream cheese mixture.
* Lay fruit in a circle on top of the cream cheese mixture.
* Spread apricot glaze over fruit.
* Chill until ready to serve.

*Any combination of fruit can be used for this recipe.

Recipe by: Recipetips

THE FAMOUS AUSSIE MEAT PIE

Ingredients

* 500g / 1lb chuck or blade steak
* 2 tablespoons flour
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 x 375g / 12 oz packet frozen puff pastry, thawed
* Beaten egg to glaze

Directions

1. Trim gristle and fat from steak, cut into thin shreds, then chop very finely. Dust with flour, salt and pepper and place in the top of a double boiler or pudding pan.
2. Place enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of bowl, simmer for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. Replace water in saucepan as necessary to maintain level.
3. Allow to cool completely.
4. Roll out pastry dough thin and cut 3/4 of it to fit individual round, oblong or square pie tins. Line tins with dough, and fill about 3/4 full with meat filling. Cut lids from remaining dough, dampen edges and put into place .
5. Cut a vent in the top of each pie for steam to escape. Chill for 15 minutes, then brush with beaten egg. Bake in a preheated hot oven (200 C / 400 F) for 25 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden. Serve with tomato sauce (ketchup).

Recipe by: Ausinternet

Poori (Fried Flour Flat Breads)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm water
1 pinch of salt

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Knead flour with water into slightly sticky dough.

Rest and cover loosely for 15 minutes.

Break off golf ball-sized pieces.

Dip in the flour, and roll out as Tortilla or Roti.

Heat the oil in wok or Karahi.

Deep fry puri until slightly brown. (To puff Puri, press down puris lightly into the oil when frying.)

Drain excessive oil and serve hot with any curried vegetable especially Chana.

Recipe by: Food-India.com

Potato Cakes

Ingredients

1/4 cup self-raising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pinch pepper
2 eggs
1 small onion
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
500 g potatoes
60 g butter

Methods:

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.
Beat eggs well and add to dry ingredients.
Peel and grate onion. Add to mixture in bowl with parsley. Mix well.
Wash, peel and grate potatoes.
Put in cloth or absorbent paper and squeeze out excess liquid.
Add potatoes to egg mixture and beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Heat butter in a frying pan.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into pan and flatten slightly with a spoon.
Cook over medium heat until golden brown and crisp on one side.
Turn carefully and brown on other side.
Drain on absorbent paper.

Recipe: Aussie Cooking

Chinese Beef and Noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients:

* 1 1/4 lbs. ground beef
* 2 pkgs. Oriental flavor instant ramen noodles
* 2 c. frozen vegetable mixture
* 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
* 2 tbsp. green onion, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. In large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up into 3/4 inch crumbles.

2. Remove with slotted spoon; pour off drippings.

3. Season beef with one seasoning packet from noodles; set aside.

4. In same skillet, combine 2 c. water, noodles (broken into several pieces), vegetables, ginger and remaining seasoning packet. Bring to boil; reduce heat.

5. Cover; simmer 3 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally.

6. Return beef to skillet; heat through. Stir in green onion before serving.

Recipe by: Chinese Food Recipes

Anzac Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shredded coconut
125g (4oz) butter
2 Tbsp golden syrup (or dark corn syrup)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp boiling water

Directions:

Combine oats, sifted flour, sugar and coconut.

Combine butter and golden syrup, stir over gentle heat until melted.

Mix bicarbonate of soda with boiling water, add to melted butter mixture, stir into dried ingredients.

Place tablespoonfuls of mixture onto lightly greased oven trays; allow room for spreading.

Bake on low for 20 minutes.

Loosen while warm, then cool on trays.

Recipe by: Joyce's Fine Cooking

Adas Polow (Rice dish)

Ingredients: (4 servings)

* Lentils, 400 grams
* Long-grain or basmati rice, 500 grams
* Ground beef or lamb, 400 grams
* Dates (pitted), 100 grams
* Raisins, 120 grams
* Saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
* Onions, 2 large
* Cooking oil
* Salt
* Black pepper

Directions:
Soak rice in water for 3-4 hours, then cook in salted water for 10-15 minutes using a non-stick pot until it just softens. Drain water and empty the pot.

Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil. Wash lentil and add to water with a bit of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes until tender.

Peel and thinly slice onions. Fry in oil until slightly golden. Add ground beef or lamb, salt and black pepper, and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add one cup of hot water and cook until water has been mostly absorbed.

Wash raisins and dates. Pour 1/2 cup of water and some oil in the non-stick pot. Pour in half of the rice. Follow with meat, lentil, raisins, dates and raisins. Then add in remainder of rice. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Dissolve saffron in 1/3 cup of hot water and pour over the rice. Mix well before serving.

Recipe By: Iran Mania

Swedish Meatballs

Ingredients:

* 1 lb ground beef
* 1 lb ground pork
* 2 cups cubed bread
* 1 cup milk
* 2 egg, slightly beaten
* 2 tablespoons butter or oil
* 1/2 onion, minced
* 1 teaspoon cardamom
* 1 teaspoon allspice
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* salt and pepper

Sauce

* 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth
* 3 tablespoons flour
* reserved dripping
* 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
* salt and pepper
* lingonberry jam (optional but highly recommended) (optional)

Direction:

1. preheat oven to 375.

2. Add milk to bread cubes in a bowl for 5 minutes. With pan on medium heat add butter and onion stir in seasonings. cook till translucent set aside.

3. In bowl with ground meats add onion mixture, and eggs.

4. Wringe bread of the milk(messy and cold) add bread to meats and mix with hands till combined.

5. Make balls and place on greased baking sheets into oven for 15-20 min or till temp reaches 140.

Sauce:

6. In a 2 quart pan over med heat scrape drippings into pan and add flour.

7. Mix and cook for about 3 minute.

8. Add broth and canned milk season with salt and pepper.

9. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. It thickens while it cools down.

10.Serve with noodles or potatoes and definately with lingonberry jam.

Recipe by: Starkrazi

Potato Pea Psstries

Ingredients:

225g plain flour
1 tbsp peanut oil
60ml water
2 large potatoes
90g frozen peas, thawed
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp currants
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp soy sauce
vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

Place flour in medium bowl, gradually stir in oil and the water.

Mix to firm dough, knead on floured surface until smooth.

Cover pastry; refrigerate 1 hour.

Boil, steam or microwave potato until tender; drain, cool.

Combine potato, peas, cumin, chili and cinnamon in large bowl.

Stir in currants, coriander, juice and sauce.

Roll out half the pastry on floured surface to form 30cm x 40cm rectangle.

Cut pastry into rounds using 10cm cutter.

Place a heaped tablespoon of potato mixture on half of each round.

Fold rounds in half, pressing edges together with a fork.

Repeat with remaining pastry and potato mixture.

Deep-fry batches of pastries in hot oil until golden brown; drain on absorbent paper.

Serve hot.

Yield: 24 pieces

Middle East Chicken

Ingredients:

* 1 large onion, chopped
* 6 ounces prune, chopped
* 6 ounces dried apricot, soaked and chopped
* 1/3 cup raisins, chopped
* 2 medium granny smith apples, peeled,cored,and chopped
* salt and pepper
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 (3 lb) chicken
* salt and pepper
* butter

Directions

1 Gently fry the onions in butter or oil until softened, add the chopped fruits and cook gently, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

2 Add salt, pepper and cinnamon.

3 Fill the chicken with mixture.

4 Truss and rub chicken with salt and pepper, pour a little melted butter over chicken.

5 Bake in a moderate oven, basting frequently with butter for 1& 1/2 hours or until chicken is tender.

6 Serve with rice.

RECIPE BY: James Craig

Asparagus Salad - a Chinese Salad Recipe

Serves 4 to 6. Scroll to the bottom of the recipe directions for a nutritional breakdown.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 cups water
* 1 pound asparagus, cut diagonally
* 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
* 2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1 clove garlic, chopped fine

PREPARATION:

Bring 4 cups water to boil in saucepan. Drop in asparagus. Boil 1 minute. Drain. Rinse with cold water.

Mix next four ingredients (the light soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sugar and chopped garlic) in a bowl.

Pour over the asparagus.

*Note: The dressing may be kept in covered jar in the refrigerator for about a week.

Recipe by: Rhonda Parkinson

Almond Butter

Ingredients:

* 4 Tablespoons almond flour (store-bought or made in food proccessor by finely grinding almonds)
* 1 Tablespoon flax flour
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
* 1/8 teaspoon almond extract

Method:

I make this in the food proccessor, but you can make it by mixing in a bowl by hand.

The directions are simple... mix well and enjoy!

Add a little more oil to make more "spreadable".

Recipe By: DixieChick

English Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
1 cup hot water
1 envelope dry yeast
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
Non-stick vegetable spray
Special equipment: electric griddle, 3-inch metal rings, see Cook's Note*

Method:

In a bowl combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, shortening, and hot water, stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and rest until yeast has dissolved. Add this to the dry milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F.

Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Place metal rings onto the griddle and coat lightly with vegetable spray. Using #20 ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops into each ring and cover with a pot lid or cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with fork and serve.

*Cook's Note: Small tuna cans with tops and bottoms removed work well for metal rings.

Recipe by: Food Network

Chinese Ratatouille

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound plum tomatoes
2 pounds Chinese eggplant (about 4 large)
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large onion, or two small onions, quartered and thinly sliced, crosswise
4 jalapeño peppers, stems removed and thinly sliced (with seeds)
1 large red pepper, stem and veins removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds small zucchini, stems removed, cut into halves lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon wine or sherry vinegar
1 bunch scallions, tips and tough outer parts removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
15 basil leaves, cut into julienne

Preparation:

Using a sharp paring knife, cut out the cores of the tomatoes, then cut an ‘x' in bottom of each. Blanch in a medium-sized pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board. Peel off the skins, cut each tomato in half, then into 1/2-inch thick slices. Set aside in a bowl.

Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and cross cut into 1/2-inch slices. Soak the eggplant in salt water (1 tablespoon salt mixed with 4 cups water), for about 10 minutes. Drain the eggplant in a colander, dry on the paper towels and set aside.

Heat 1/2 cup oil in a large flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot. Add the eggplant, turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until it is soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant to a bowl.

Add the other 1/2 cup of oil to the same wok, then add the garlic, onion, jalapeno and red peppers and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the zucchini, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and cook for about 5 minutes, the zucchini should be tender, but not soft and mushy. Add freshly ground black pepper from a pepper mill.

Return the cooked eggplant to the wok. Add in the sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and mix well. Cook about 2 minutes longer, until all the vegetable are very hot and cooked through, stirring gently so as not to break up the vegetables.

Add the tomatoes and scallions and cook for another minute. The tomatoes should still retain their shape and not be too soft. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and basil. At this point, I usually like to spoon the finished ratatouille out onto a large platter and let it cool.

This dish can be served warm or at room temperature.

Recipe by: Chef Susanna Foo

Impossible Brunch Pie

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli or chopped spinach or 1 pkg.
(8 oz.) frozen asparagus spears, cooked and drained
1 c. dairy sour cream
1 c. creamed cottage cheese
1/2 c. Bisquick baking mix
1/4 c. margarine or butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tomato, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches.

Spread broccoli in plate.

Beat sour cream, cottage cheese, baking mix, margarine and eggs until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 minute with hand beater. Pour into plate.

Top with tomatoes; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake until knife inserted between center and edge comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Cool 5 minutes.

6 to 8 servings High Altitude (3500 to 6500 feet): Use pie plate, 10 x 1 1/2 inches.

Bake about 35 minutes.

Recipe by: Alicia's Recipes

Omelets Roll-ups

Ingredients:

Egg - 1
Milk - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 1/2 tablespoon
Salt and pepper - a pinch
Grated cheese - 1 tablespoon
1 tortilla

Method:


Mix egg, milk, salt and pepper.

Heat a pan with the oil to medium-high.

Then pour in the egg, and cook for about a minute.

Place over the tortilla, and sprinkle on cheese.

Wasn't that simple? Even I'm impressed! Such an easy recipe! You can cook it in 5 minutes!

Recipe by: Healthy Cooking Recipe

Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)

Ingredients:

1 whole Tandoori Chicken
50 gms Butter
1 cup Cream
3 cups Tomato puree
2 tsp. Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp. Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. Coriander powder
1 tsp. Ginger paste
1 tsp. Garlic paste
1 tsp. Green chilli paste
Salt to taste
Chopped green coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:
1. Take 1 whole tandoori chicken and cut it into pieces.
2. Heat half of the butter in a frying pan. Add ginger garlic and green chilli paste and saute for 1 minute. Add chicken pieces and fry until brown from all the sides. Remove and keep aside.
3. Add the remaining butter and reheat. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder and salt. Stir well.
4. Add little water just enough to make a thick gravy and bring it to boil on high. Reduce the heat and add chicken pieces.
5. Stir gently to coat all the chicken pieces with tomato gravy. Add 1/2 cup cream and simmer for 10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves and rest of the cream and serve hot.

Recipe by: Recipe Delights

Fried Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Filling

6 shrimps (shelled, deveined, and chopped into small pieces)
1 piece bean curd (diced into small pieces)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
2 shallots (chopped)
1 jicama, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
6 long beans (chopped)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
White pepper powder to taste
1 pack of frozen Popiah wrappers / 25-30 fresh Popiah skin
Oil for deep frying

Sealing Paste
2 tablespoon corn starch
5 tablespoon of water

Pan-fry the diced bean curd with a little oil until they turn light brown. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the garlic and shallots until aromatic. Add shrimps, julienned jicama, shredded carrot and long beans. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and cook for 5 minutes.

To assemble, lay a wrapper / Popiah skin on a clean cutting board. Put some filling in the middle and add some diced bean curd on top of the filling. Fold in the two sides and roll up the wrapper tightly. Seal with the paste and deep dry over medium heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve with chili sauce.

For chili sauce, Rasa Malaysia recommends Maggie brand garlic chili sauce (if you are in Malaysia) or Sriracha hot chili sauce (if you are in the US).

Recipe by: Rasa Malaysia

Stewed Fruits with Bird's Nest

Today is Mother's Day. You can try to cook this for your mum and say how much you love her. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

113g bird’s nest legs, soaked until soft
1 apple
1 pear
2 tsps sweet almonds
6 bitter almonds
2 candied dates
2 cups boiling water

Method:

Core apple and pear and cut into chunks, leaving skin intact.

Wash sweet almonds, bitter almond and candied dates.

Put apple, pear, sweet almonds, bitter almonds and candied dates into stewing pot. Add bird’s nest and boiling water, cover and stew for 1 hour.

Recipe by: Long Chuen Bird Nest

Grilled Salmon with Almond Butter

Serves 2

This quick and easy seafood recipe is written for outdoor grills but if it's raining or snowing or just plain too cold or too hot do it inside.

Almond Butter (see below)
1 lb. salmon, halibut or any other medium-firm fish filets
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat.

If fish fillets are large, cut into 4 serving pieces. Sprinkle both sides of fish with salt and pepper.

Close cover and grill fish 4 to 6 inches for about 4 minutes. While they're cooking make the almond butter.

Flip them and spread about 1 Tbsp. of the almond butter over each filet. Close cover again and grill 4 to 6 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork.

If you do this one indoors just use your broiler pan placed on the middle level of your oven and follow the above directions.

ALMOND BUTTER:
2 Tbsp blanched almonds
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp lemon juice

Finely chop almonds, stick them under the broiler for about 60 to 90 seconds, mix with butter, parsley and lemon juice - and that's almond butter! Easy, huh?

Recipe by: QuickEatsPlus.com

Fried Rice Recipe With Chinese Sausage

Chinese sausage adds its distinctive flavor to this homecooked fried rice recipe. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Black pepper, to taste
* 5 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil for frying, or as needed
* 1 - 2 Chinese sausages, diced (I used 2)
* 1/4 cup shredded carrot
* 1/2 cup frozen peas
* 4 cups leftover cooked rice
* 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, or to taste (I used 1 teaspoon)
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* Extra salt and pepper to taste, optional
* 1 green onion, finely chopped, optional

Preparation:

Beat the eggs in a small bowl with the salt and pepper.

Heat a wok or frying pan and add 2 tablespoons oil.

When the oil is hot, add the eggs.

Cook, stirring, on medium heat, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry.

Remove the eggs and clean out the pan.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan or wok.

When the oil is hot, add the minced ginger.

Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the Chinese sausage.

Stir-fry the sausage for a minute, then add the shredded carrot and the green peas.

Stir-fry for up to 2 more minutes and remove from the pan.

Clean out the pan.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the wok.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the rice, stirring with chopsticks to break up any clumps.

Stir in the remainder of the soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Season with salt and pepper if desired.

Add the sausage and vegetables back into the pan.

Stir in the scrambled egg.

Heat through and stir in the green onion if using.

Serve hot.

Recipe by: By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

Making Vegetable Stock

A good vegetable stock is useful in a huge variety of dishes.

Vegetable stock is not only an excellent substitute for chicken stock, but is ideal used in all vegetarian fare. To make 4 cups of vegetable stock we used 2 large onions, 2 medium carrots, 3 stalks of celery, 1 whole bulb of garlic, 10 peppercorns, and a bay leaf.

1. In order for the stock to take on all of the flavors of the vegetables in it, it will need to simmer for a full hour. Because of the long simmering time, it is in the stock's best interest the vegetables be chopped into large chunks rather than small dice. Cut a peeled and halved onion into large chunks.

2. Celery leaves, especially those on the outside of the bunch, are extremely bitter and should not be added to the stock. Remove and discard these leaves from the celery stalks.

3. Slice the celery into large pieces.

4. Peel and chop the carrots into large pieces. If you would like to preserve more of the carrot's natural nutrients, do not peel it as the nutrients are in the carrot's skin. Instead, scrub the carrot under cold running water, then chop the carrot into large pieces.

5. Break up the whole bulb of garlic into individual cloves. Peel the garlic using the method outlined in the Peeling Garlic step-by-step. There is no need to chop the garlic. A full bulb of garlic is used because garlic is the base flavor in vegetable stock.

* Peeling Garlic

6. Once all of your ingredients have been prepared, combine them in a stockpot large enough to contain all of the ingredients (including enough water to cover all of the vegetables).

7. Add aromatics to the vegetable medley. We used peppercorns and a bay leaf. Often people also add herbs or scraps leftover from other dishes. Potato scraps can be added as the starch will help thicken the stock a little. Other common additions are stems from herbs like parsley, thyme, or rosemary. If you are planning on using this stock in an Asian recipe, adding fresh, peeled ginger would be appropriate.

8. Pour water into the stockpot. The vegetables should be immersed in water.

9. Turn the stove to a high temperature, and bring the stock to a quick simmer. Once the water has begun to boil, turn the stove down to low. Allow the vegetables to simmer for an hour. Any longer than an hour and the vegetables will begin to turn mushy and begin to lose all their flavorful vibrance, lending a wilted taste to the stock.

10. Strain your stock while the stock is at its peak (about an hour after it was placed on the stove). Strain your stock through a fine mesh straining device. Cheesecloth placed in a colander would also work well.

11. The stock should be light in color, sweet, and translucent. If you want a darker colored stock, caramelize the onions and carrots (see the Caramelizing Onions step-by-step) before placing them in the stockpot. Alternately, roast the vegetables until caramelized, then add them to the stockpot. Another interesting trick to making a delicious and thick vegetable stock is to use potato water that was strained from mashed potatoes in addition to (or instead of) water.

* Caramelizing Onions

Recipe by: Allrecipes Staff

Shorba (Soup)

I'm not very fond of any type of soup, I just don't like eating liquid food. However, soup is traditionaly the first course in an Algerian meal, and I've had pretty pleasant experiences with Moroccan harira, a similar concotion to this but which also adds lentils. I'm happy I made it, because I really enjoyed it. It's specially good with some lemon juice. The chickpeas are very common ingredients in soup, though I don't particularly like them so I would skip them next time.

This recipe calls for Orzo, which are small soup pasta noodles available in the pasta section of a well-stocked supermarket. I had actually bought some, but somehow I managed to lose them, so I substituted with broken up capellini (the only type of pasta I had). It worked very well. You could also use angel hair pasta, or other types of soup pasta. I made this soup with chicken, but you can also use lamb or beef.

Ingredients

# 1 1/2 lbs chicken, cubed
# 1 yellow onion, grated
# 1/2 zucchini, grated
# 1/2 small potato, grated
# 1/2 rib celery with libs, halved
# 1 carrot, halved
# 1/4 cup dried chick-peas, soaked overnight in water and drained OR canned chick-peas
# 2 tsp. salt
# 1/2 tsp. black pepper
# 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
# 1 tbsp. paprika
# 2 tbsp. tomato paste
# 1 tbsp. olive oil
# 8 cups of water
# 1/2 cup orzo or another soup pasta
# 1 tbsp. chopped parsley
# 1 tsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
# lemon slices

Instructions

Put meat, onion, zucchini, potato, celery, carrot, salt, pepper, cinnamon, paprika, tomato paste, oil, chick-peas (if using dried kind) and 1/2 cup of water in a large pot.

Cover and saute over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the rest of the water, bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add pasta and chickpeas (if using canned).

Cook for 10 minutes.

Add parsley and mint.

Serve with lemon slices.

Recipe by: The Africa Guide
Adapted from The Great Book of Couscous

Bacon and Stilton Salad

A good well flavoured combination for a tasty salad.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

12 Rashers Smoked bacon, cut into bite size pieces
50 Gram Butter (2 oz)
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
4 thick slices Bread, crusts removed, cut into 1 cm (1/2 inch) cubes
50 Gram Stilton cheese, crumbled (2 oz)
4 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
75 ml Single cream (3 fl oz)
Black pepper
Mixed salad leaves


Method

Cook the bacon in a pan for 7-8 minutes or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.

Add the butter to the pan and melt. Add the garlic and bread and cook for 3-4 minutes until crisp and golden. Drain on absorbent paper.

Mix the cheese and mayonnaise together. Stir in the cream and black pepper. Beat well to blend.

Mix the salad leaves, bacon and croutons together. Place on serving plates, top with the dressing and serve.


Recipe by: The British Food Trust

Baseball Cookies

Yum!These no-bake cookies are almost as fun to make as they are to give. They are quick and easy to assemble and they look great!

What you need

1 12-ounce box wafer cookies, crushed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 ounces melted unsweetened chocolate
6 pieces red string licorice
16 ounces white chocolate wafers

What you do

The chocolate does dry fast, so make sure to place the licorice pieces on right after dipping. If the melted chocolate starts to harden, simply reheat for a few seconds and continue dipping.

Line a work surface with waxed paper. In a large bowl mix together the condensed milk, crushed cookies, walnuts, and unsweetened chocolate. Take a tablespoonful of dough and roll into a ball. Place on the waxed paper and flatten gently. Repeat with the remaining dough, placing the cookies one inch apart.

Cut the licorice into 1 1/2 inch pieces and set aside. Melt the white chocolate until smooth over a double boiler or in a microwave, stirring frequently. Dip the cookies into the chocolate using a fork and quickly, before the chocolate dries, place two licorice pieces on the cookies to form the baseball threads. Let dry thoroughly before packaging or giving.

Makes 5 dozen cookies.


This recipe reprinted with permission from All Homemade Cookies

About the Author:
Copyright Wen Zientek-Sico. Wen Zientek-Sico is a professional recipe developer and freelance writer. She manages the Holiday Crafter site which offers wonderful holiday craft projects, techniques, recipes, contests, ideas, tutorials, reviews, and much more for every crafter who loves the holidays. Her other site Perfect Entertaining offers a wide range of menus, recipes, articles, tips, and resources for real people living real lives, with busy families, tight budgets, and very little time.

Recommended Reading: Join Paul Newman and friends in the kitchen and at the table with more than 70 kid- and family-friendly recipes. In 1988, Paul Newman and A.E. Hotchner established the first Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, using the profits from their food company, Newman's Own. Today, over 7,000 children attend the camps each year. The spirit of sharing and good times fills The Hole in the Wall Gang Cookbook. Letter and poems from the campers, candid photographs, and a preface from Paul Newman make using the book a treat. So tie on an apron, roll up your sleeves, and get ready for some good eating. (courtesy Amazon)

by Wen Zientek-Sico

Hash Browns

Recipe courtesy Cooking Live
Photo by: Michelle

Cooking For One

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large baking potato, baked, peeled, and diced
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

In a heavy medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute until softened and caramelized. Remove onions from skillet. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet and heat. Add diced potatoes in an even layer in the skillet, season with salt and pepper and cook until the potatoes begin to brown on the bottom, 6 to 7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to prevent sticking. Add onions back to skillet, press into a pancake. Season with salt and pepper.

Beef Rendang Dendeng

Ingredients

# 500g beef, cut into chunks across the grain

# 3/4 cup oil

# 3 stalks lemon grass, bruised

# 2 1/2cm galangal (lengkuas), bruised


Ground:

# 20g dried chillies (soaked) or 4 tbsp ground chilli paste

# 20g shallots

# 1/2 tbsp belacan granules

# 1 cup beef stock


Seasoning:

# 1 tbsp vinegar or 1 tbsp lime juice

# 4 tbsp sugar

# 1/2 tbsp salt

# A few drops thick black soy sauce for colour

Method

Cook beef chunks in two cups water for 20 minutes. Remove the chunks and cut into thick slices across the grain. Heat oil and stir-fry the beef slices. Dish out and drain well.

Reheat wok with 3 tbsp oil and fry galingale and lemon grass. Add ground ingredients and fry for a few minutes until fragrant and oil separates. Put in cooked meat and beef stock and mix well. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes until beef is tender and gravy is thick. Add seasoning.

Serve with white rice or bread or roti jala.

Note
If gravy is thick and meat is still not properly cooked, add enough water to simmer until beef is really soft and tender.

Recipe by Amy Beh

Greatest Chips (French Fries) on Earth

Ingredients
# 1 kg potato
# oil (for deep frying)
Directions

1 Fill a saucepan with plenty of water and bring up the water temperature to 62C (145F).

2 I found on my electric stove top that medium was a good temperature to start with and as it approached dropping back to low held it there.

3 Peel potato and cut into chips (French Fries). I think around 12mm (1/2") cross is a good size, the recipe wouldn't be well suited to thin ones.

4 Pre-cook in water at 62°C (145°F) for 30 minutes, drain well and allow to cool to room temperature (takes around 15 minutes).

5 Deep-fry in warm oil at 130°C (265°F) for 5 minutes, drain and allow to cool to room temperature (takes around 15 minutes).

6 Deep-fry in hot oil at 190°C (375°F) until golden and done to your liking, around 5 minutes. If doing a lot of chips either cook in small batches or crank up the burner if using a wok when adding so the temperature of the oil doesn't drop too much.


RECIPE BY: Peter J

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients:

* 20 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces (or semisweet chocolate chips)
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup heavy cream

Method

MAKE THE FILLING: Place 8 ounces of the chocolate pieces and the butter in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and pour half the cream into the bowl.

As the chocolate melts, slowly whisk the mixture together until smooth. Then gradually add the remaining cream until it's completely incorporated and the ganache is thick and shiny.

FORM THE TRUFFLES: Pour the ganache into a 2-inch-deep baking pan, spread evenly, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until set (it should have the consistency of fudge). Using a melon baller or a small spoon, form rounds and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Let the truffles harden in the freezer for about 15 minutes. After removing from the freezer, roll truffles between your hands into marble-size spheres, squeezing slightly (try to do this quickly, otherwise they'll become too soft). You can now dust the truffles with cocoa and serve them as is, but they'll hold their shape better if you coat them with chocolate first.

MAKE THE COATING: Let the truffles rest in the freezer while you make the chocolate glaze. Place the remaining chocolate pieces in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate starts to set at the edge of the bowl. Drop the truffles into the melted chocolate and retrieve them with a fork, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. Garnish immediately or leave the truffles plain and proceed to step 5.

GARNISH: For a nut garnish, roll the freshly coated truffles in a shallow dish of chopped nuts. For a sugar or cocoa garnish, set the freshly coated truffles on a plate and sift the garnish over them. Turn the truffles and sift again to cover completely.

STORAGE: Place the truffles on the lined baking sheet and allow them to set in the refrigerator for 5 minutes. Truffles will keep for about 2 weeks, chilled or at room temperature, when stored in a tightly sealed container.


Yield: Makes 35 to 45 truffles

Recipe by: Real Simple

Basic Curry Sauce

Description

This is the basis for many of the restaurant-style curries you'll find here. The recipe makes between 8 and 9 fl oz of Sauce which is enough for 2 main course curries or a main course and some side dishes. The recipe doesn't work as well if you try to make a smaller portion. It will double nicely if you're making a number of curries but you will need to extend the cooking time a bit. If you have some sauce left over it will keep in good condition in the freezer but only for a few weeks. Even small amounts are useful for making a quick one-portion curry, it goes a long way. Remember to wrap it up well or your ice-cream may take on a strange taste!.
Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter)
* 1 medium onion - finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic - peeled and sliced
* 1.5 inch piece root ginger - peeled and thinly sliced (it should look about the same volume as the garlic)
* (optional) 2 mild fleshy green chillies - de-seeded and veined then chopped
* half teaspoon turmeric powder
* half teaspoon ground cumin seed
* half teaspoon ground coriander seed
* 5 tablespoons plain passata (smooth, thick, sieved tomatoes, US = purée) or 1 tablespoon concentrated tomato purée (US = paste) mixed with 4 tablespoons water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan then add the chopped onion and stir for a few minutes with the heat on high.

2. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli (if using). Stir for 30 seconds then put the heat down to very low.

3. Cook for 15 minutes stirring from time to time making sure nothing browns or burns.

4. Add the turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook, still very gently, for a further 5 minutes. Don't burn the spices or the sauce will taste horrid - sprinkle on a few drops of water if you're worried.

5. Take off the heat and cool a little. Put 4 fl oz cold water in a blender, add the contents of the pan and whizz until very smooth. Add the passata and stir.

6. Put the puréed mixture back into the pan and cook for 20 - 30 minutes (the longer the better) over very low heat stirring occasionally. You can add a little hot water if it starts to catch on the pan but the idea is to gently "fry" the sauce which will darken in colour to an orangy brown. The final texture should be something like good tomato ketchup. Warning - it WILL gloop occasionally and splatter over your cooker, it's the price you have to pay!

Recipe by: David Smith

Masala Fish Cutlets

Ingredients:

* 4 white fish cutlets
* 2 tbs ghee

Masala Marinade

* 1 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
* 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
* 2 tsp garam masala
* 2 tsp ground turmeric
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* 1 tsp salt
* 125ml lemon juice

Method:

Combine fish with Masala Marinade in large bowl, cover.

Leave it marinade for half an hour.

Heat ghee in grill pan.

Fry fish till browned both sides.

Shrimp Fried Rice

Shrimp fried rice is a great recipe for nights when you're looking for a quick way to use up leftovers. Feel free to experiment with using fresh mushrooms or other vegetables in place of the peas, and to double up on the ham if you don't have frozen shrimp.

INGREDIENTS:

* 4 ounces frozen uncooked shrimp, unshelled
* Marinade:
* 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, or to taste
* 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
* 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
* Pepper to taste
* 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 1/2 teaspoons water
* Other:
* 4 ounces cooked ham
* 1 medium onion
* 2 green onions
* 2 eggs (more if desired)
* 1/2 cup peas
* 4 cups cold cooked rice
* 4 to 5 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed

PREPARATION:

Run the frozen shrimp under warm running water, pat dry with paper towels, shell and devein. Chop into small pieces. Add the marinade ingredients and marinate for 15 minutes.

Dice the ham, onion, and green onion.

Beat the eggs lightly with chopsticks, add a dash of salt, and mix.* Set aside.

Heat the wok and then add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil is ready, pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the wok and cook over medium heat, turning over once.

Cook the other half the same way. Cut the egg into thin strips, and save for later.

Add 2 tablespoons oil, or as needed. When oil is hot, stir-fry the onion and shrimp on high heat for a few moments, remove and set aside. Do the same for the green peas, and then the diced ham.

Add 1 - 2 tablespoons oil, turn the heat down to medium and stir-fry the rice. Add a bit of soy and oyster sauce if desired. Add the other ingredients except the egg and green onion and combine thoroughly. Serve the fried rice with the strips of egg on top and the green onion as garnish.**

*You can also add a bit of oyster sauce if desired
**Alternately, you can mix the green onion and egg in with the other ingredients.

Recipe by: Rhonda Parkinson

Malaysian Nasi Lemak (Coconut Flavoured Rice)

SUBMITTED BY: flovourlicios PHOTO BY: Darryl


"Delicious Malaysian coconut rice, served with anchovy hot chile sauce, fried anchovies, fried peanut, sliced cucumber or tomato and hard-boiled egg. If you do not have tamarind juice, substitute with same amount of lemon juice."

PREP TIME 30 Min
COOK TIME 30 Min
READY IN 1 Hr

INGREDIENTS

For the rice:
* 2 cups coconut milk
* 2 cups water
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 (1/2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
* salt to taste
* 1 whole bay leaf
* 2 cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained

For the garnish:
* 4 eggs
* 1 cucumber
* 1 cup oil for frying
* 1 cup raw peanuts
* 1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed

For the sauce:

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 3 shallots, thinly sliced
* 2 teaspoons chile paste
* 1 (4 ounce) package white anchovies, washed
* salt to taste
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/4 cup tamarind juice

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together coconut milk, water, ground ginger, ginger root, salt, bay leaf, and rice. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until done.

2. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove eggs from hot water, cool, peel and slice in half. Slice cucumber.

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet or wok, heat 1 cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Stir in peanuts and cook briefly, until lightly browned. Remove peanuts with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels to soak up excess grease. Return skillet to stove. Stir in the contents of one package anchovies; cook briefly, turning, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Discard oil. Wipe out skillet.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the skillet. Stir in the onion, garlic, and shallots; cook until fragrant, about 1 or 2 minutes. Mix in the chile paste, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the chile paste is too dry, add a small amount of water. Stir in remaining anchovies; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar, and tamarind juice; simmer until sauce is thick, about 5 minutes.

5. Serve the onion and garlic sauce over the warm rice, and top with peanuts, fried anchovies, cucumbers, and eggs.

Fried Rice

I've always thought of fried rice as the quintessential comfort food. Think of it - a bowl of steaming white rice, cooked to just the right consistency, filled with bits of meat and vegetable. What could be more perfect?

Of course, producing the above-mentioned dish is sometimes easier said than done. Ideally, fried rice should be light, fluffy, and easy to pick up with chopsticks. For another, there is a philosophical debate over which is better - fresh cooked rice or leftovers from last night's meal. Personally, I prefer to use cold leftover rice, but I will cook a fresh pot if necessary.

The Chinese have been enjoying fried rice for centuries; that's hardly surprising when you consider that rice has been cultivated since around 4,000 BC. Yangzhou rice, a colorful Shanghai dish, can be traced back to the Sui dynasty (589 - 618). Of course, there are regional variations - a northern dish is more likely to contain ham and vegetables such as leeks and green onions, while Cantonese fried rice often features shrimp or barbecued pork. But the beauty of fried rice is that it is very adaptable. Like chow mein, it's a great dish to make on those nights when you're cleaning out the refrigerator and want to get rid of any leftover meat or vegetables.

Here is a basic recipe for fried rice that you can adapt depending on what vegetables you have on hand:

Fried Rice Recipe:
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
4 cups cold cooked rice
4 tablespoons oil
3 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 scallion, chopped fine

Directions:

1. Break rice apart with wet hands

2. Heat oil on high flame in wok. Stir-fry rice rapidly, turning spatula constantly until the rice is thoroughly heated.

3. Make a well in center of rice. Pour in beaten eggs. Stir eggs until they are scrambled. Then stir-fry eggs into the rice until thoroughly blended. Add salt and pepper. Stir-fry 30 seconds. Add scallion.

May be prepared in advance. May be frozen. Reheat before serving.

(This recipe is reprinted from Madame Wong's Long-Life Chinese Cookbook, courtesy of Sylvia Schulman)

In the upper right-hand corner, in the linkbox under "More of this Feature" you'll find several recipes that illustrate different ways of making fried rice. The first recipe - Fried rice with ham - uses thick soy sauce to give the rice a darker color. This is the way fried rice is often served in American restaurants and take-out establishments. The second recipe - Sun Ya Fried Rice - is a Cantonese dish made with shrimp, roast pork, and chicken. The third is an authentic recipe for Yangzhou or Yangchow fried rice.

Finally, here are a few basic tips for cooking rice:

* Always use long grain rice - short grain rice is used only for desserts and snacks in Chinese cooking.

* Rinse the rice in water to get rid of excess starch.

* Use 1 cup rice to 1 1/2 cups water. For example, when cooking 2 cups of rice you would use 3 cups of water.

* Bring the rice to a boil at medium heat (about 4 on the dial).

* When boiling, turn the heat down to medium low (about 3) and tilt the lid on the pot. This allows the steam to escape.

* Let the water evaporate. When you can see craters (holes) in the rice, put the lid on tight.

* Turn the heat to low, and simmer for another 15 minutes.

* Fluff up the rice, and serve.


Source: About.com

How to make perfect steamed rice

Rice... that wonderful grain. The foundation of Asian cuisine. The neutral agent with which all flavours meld. What would we do without it?

Steamed rice is pretty simple to make. But it surprised me when I was teaching a cookery class a couple of months back and some people asked me how to make rice that wasn't sticky or overcooked or undercooked. Then I got a few queries on email about the same thing. And of course I promised in my article on fried rice that I would write a piece on how to steam rice properly. So here it is: the simple oil-free way to get nice, fragrant, separate rice that's perfectly cooked. All you need is rice, water, and a thick heavy-gauge pan with a tight-fitting lid.

What you need

Long-grain rice - 1 cup

Water - 1.5 cups
How to make it

First, you need to wash off the excess starch from the rice. This will prevent it from making a sticky mess. Put the rice in a deep bowl, and in your sink, run cold tap water over it. Once the bowl is full of water, use your fingers to swish the rice around. The water will start getting murky. Now gently pour this water out. Repeat this process till the water is mostly clear. This will take at least 4-5 washes.

Now fill it up one last time. Don't wash the rice again. Just leave it in there, covered with water, for about 30 minutes or so. Why am I doing this? I freely admit I'm still trying to figure out the science behind it, but it results in a much fuller, softer grain. After the soaking, you will notice that the rice grains have turned a nice milky white.

OK, let's drain the water out carefully again. Try and get as much water out of the bowl as you can without pouring out the rice grains as well. This takes patience.

(All this isn't as complicated as it's beginning to sound. I just like to ensure I've covered everything.)

On to cooking the rice...

Put the rice in a heavy-gauge pan that has a flat bottom. This bit is important. If your pan is made out of some thin flimsy metal, your rice will get nicely burnt at the bottom while the grains at the top may not cook properly. You also need one with a tight lid, or else the precious steam will leak and your rice won't cook right. Many Indian homes have vessels that have a concave bottom. These will just not work. The flat bottom is required.

Now put in the water. Normally, a long-grain rice recipe calls for twice the amount of water as rice. Why then are we using only 1.5 cups of water? Because our rice has already been sitting in some water for a while, and has absorbed a bit of it. Moreoever, there is still some leftover water after you drained it, because no one can drain it absolutely dry.

I like to add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the rice, but most Asian recipes don't salt the rice. This is your choice.

Put the pan on medium high heat. Wait till the water boils and starts bubbling. Now turn the heat down as low as you can, cover with the tight lid, and let it just sit there for about 15-20 minutes. Resist the urge to lift the lid and peek at the rice. No, I'm sorry, you can't have even one peek! If you do that, I will rap you on the knuckles with a cane, you hear?

After the 15-20 minutes is up, turn off the heat. No, you still can't lift the lid. Now you have to let it "stand" for another 10 minutes or so. This will help the rice to "settle" so you don't have dry grains on top and wet grains at the bottom.

After 10 minutes, lift the lid, admire the rice (yes, it will look that good), take a fork and fluff the rice. You will have nice separate grains without having used any oil, butter, or other fat in the cooking process.

Your rice is ready to serve with whatever you choose. I recommend a nice Thai red curry with chicken and some stir-fried veggies.

This method of cooking rice is known as the "absorption method".

Chef's notes

I also like to add a bruised stick of lemon grass to the rice while it's cooking. The subtle fragrance and flavour are amazing. Take the bottom piece (the last 6 inches) of a lemongrass stalk, bruise it with a heavy object (I use my stone pestle) and add it with the water.

Cooked rice will increase in volume by 300% of the original raw rice. So if you're cooking one cup of rice, make sure that your pot can hold at least four cups, preferably five. Otherwise you could end up with a mess as the water spills all over the kitchen top.

Did I mention how important that tight lid is? I did? Well, I'll say it again.

Leftover rice can be put in the fridge, and it will make splendid fried rice the next day.

Source: Shiokfood.com

Lemon Chicken - Chinese Steaming Recipes

Brown sugar balances the tartness of the lemon in this popular dish.

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

* 4 -5 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
* 2 slices minced ginger
* 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* Marinade:
* 1 tablespoon dry sherry
* 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
* 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
* 1 teaspoon brown sugar
* Garnish:
* Green Onion (Spring onions, scallions)
* Lemon wedges

Preparation:

Combine the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in a bowl with the lemon juice. Add the marinade ingredients and sprinkle the ginger pieces over the chicken.

Marinate the chicken for about 20 minutes.

Steam the chicken. If using the wok to steam the chicken, place the chicken on a steamproof dish and pour the marinade ingredients over it. Steam the chicken for about 40 - 45 minutes (until the chicken turns white).

If using a commercial steamer, prepare according to the steamer directions. Depending on the type of steamer, you may not be able to pour the marinade over the chicken before steaming. If that is the case, reserve the marinade and steam the chicken according to the manufacturer's instructions. Bring the reserved marinade to a boil and pour over the chicken just before serving.

Serve hot with rice and stir-fried dried mushrooms. Garnish with green onion and
lemon wedges.

By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

Cooking with steam: A timeless technique

SEATTLE - I'm going to confess straight up that steaming hasn't been a favorite cooking technique of mine. The memory of cafeteria-style steam tables holding their cargo of limp broccoli stems has been hard to overcome.

Perhaps steamed food only suffers from a lack of good PR. It's been typecast as flavorless diet fare or food for tender palates. Admittedly, my own taste buds have become a bit cauterized by too many habanero-spiked salsas and spicy curries, and I'm often skeptical of delicately seasoned dishes.

But Middle Eastern and Asian cultures have cooked with steam for centuries. In those cuisines, vivid tastes - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and pungent - are layered through some of the world's greatest dishes.

n "The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore" (Simon & Schuster, 2004), author Grace Young says that steaming is an ancient Chinese cooking technique and one of the Eight Treasured Tastes. "The popularity of steaming is due in part to the invention of the wooden steamer and bamboo insert prior to the Sung dynasty," writes Young.

In Chinese culture, dim sum, whole fish, chicken, meat and vegetables are all steamed in a wok. The bamboo steamer is often lined with cabbage leaves, which not only prevents food from sticking to the basket but also lends a suggestion of flavor.

Another ingenious technique is to form an "X" with a pair of chopsticks. They are placed above a shallow pool of boiling water in the bottom of a wok, and a heat-proof dish or plate holding the food rests on top. The dish captures juices and flavorings such as soy or Thai fish sauce, slivers of ginger or minced chilies.

In North Africa, couscous is traditionally steamed in a distinctive two-tiered pot called a couscousiere. In the bottom, lamb or chicken are cooked with vegetables and spices, their moisture releasing fragrant steam that plumps tiny grains of couscous in the perforated upper tier. Often a small bowl of spicy harissa sauce is served on the side. It's a deliciously complex dish, well-flavored and hardly tame.

Sally Schneider, author of "A New Way to Cook" (Artisan, 2001), broadens the definition of steam cooking by overlapping contrasting techniques.

For instance, vegetables may be steam-roasted (baked in parchment paper or aluminum foil) with orange zest, minced shallots and chopped Kalamata olives. Curry-spiced fish fillets enveloped by lettuce leaves, and corn husks encasing chicken breasts dusted with smoky paprika are spirited renditions.

Schneider also varies her repertoire by pan-steaming vegetables, which actually intensify their flavors. For example, strips of bell peppers are briefly sauteed in a spare drizzle of olive oil, then covered and steamed until soft. The dish is uncovered and the peppers finish cooking in their caramelized juices.

And consider the nutritional benefits of steaming food, which are impressive. In a recent study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Nutrition, the level of flavonoids, an antioxidant compound, lost after steaming fresh broccoli was 11 percent. When compared with a 66 percent loss when broccoli was boiled, a 47 percent loss when pressure cooked, and a whopping 97 percent loss when microwaved, the advantages of cooking with this ancient technique in the contemporary kitchen are obvious. Even to a skeptic.

By CECE SULLIVAN

Passport to the World of Recipes

I live in Malaysia. Malaysians are food lovers. We love food and we have food outlets opened 24/7. That's the beauty of living here. If you do not know where is Malaysia... just Google it and put it on your vacation destination for your next trip. No kidding, you'll find it a food heaven.

Okay, the above stated why I love food... so, being a food lover, it leads me to starting the hobby of collecting cooking recipes... I like to keep it and share it with friends and people who has the same hobby or people who just want to cook something and was looking for a particular recipe.

This blog is a place where I am going to keep as my virtual recipes library where it is well cataloged and indexed. You are welcomed to share your recipes with me too. Just drop me an e-mail and I will put it up.