CCC's Creation Culture - Fusion

Alot of my friends usually ask me how to cook when they are curious about food. Some even give me phone calls when they're stuck and lost with their recipes. And there is this one friend who really loves to cook and always asked me to teach him a few things.   So one day i invited a few to come over my test kitchen to have a cooking session. My friend wanted a menu which consist of Fusion food. So here it is, some pictures to let you people eat with your eyes. Creamy Carrot Soup for the first course to fill up a 3 course meal and to teach them what is the basics of a soup.

Polenta Crusted Stuffed Chicken with Curry Leaf Mushrooms with Creamy Butter (Lai Yau) Spaghetti and Thai Style Salad served with Curry Sauce and Wasabi Mayo.

As you can see, theres influences from the European, Japanese, Italian, Thai and Malaysian. I hope that is fusion enough for them, heh! Buffet style fine dining? Guess these people doesn't get enough of my food :P As for desserts, i did ice cream made out of dry ice to teach them how easy it is to make some ice creams at home.

Pineapple Dry Ice Cream and Cream Cheese Parfait with Chocolate Tabasco 

As for the drink, its called Herbiéto. My special creation :P but it doesnt look that good in a champagne glass. Maybe i should continue serving it in a claypot :)  Ice Ice Baby

Souffle Omelette

If you didn't know, CCC loves eggs!
Its a very basic ingredients but does wonders to any dish! From appetizers to desserts.
A very big thank you to Chef Kevin for teaching me this method of cooking eggs.
Something simple with a twist *ofcourse* and extraordinary name!

Ingredients:
2 Eggs (Seperated)
Butter or cooking oil
Salt to taste (if no filling is added)

optional,
Bacon or Ham
Cheese
Herbs
Pepper

Method:

1. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites from the 2 eggs

2. Whisk the egg white until foamy

3. Combine egg yolks with the egg whites and pour into preheated pan with some butter on the pan.

4. Place filling lightly in the centre of the omelette when egg is almost done
(dropping the ingredients too hard will cause the omelette to sink)

5. Fold and cook until filling is fully cooked and melted.

Results? Its like a fluffy pancake omelette named Souffle Omelette by Chef Kevin :D

Additional Notes:
*Can also be done without filling, just remember to flip the egg
** Salt needs to be added during step 2 if no filling is added

Deep Fried Kailan and Kailan Soup

Myself, Rebecca, Kevin, Brendan, Rainier and Amelia were kidding so much about Umami during Rebecca's Table for Four till I keep thinking of making an Umami dish, but without the common ajinomoto and just natural ingredients which has natural Umami flavour involve.

I was once told by my lecturer that if you deep fry kai lan(chiffonade) you would get something like a seaweed. And *ding* I think I've got a connection with Umami!
I felt like, why not put my own twist on it; deep fried kailan soup which will taste something like a korean seaweed soup? Umami dish?

That was the idea, and i normally get really excited when I have an "experiment" on my mind. Don't you?
Well, here's for you to pick my brain a little. Enjoy!

Whaddaya' need?
Kai Lan, chiffonade
Chicken Stock, homemade
Meatballs (i cheated and used ready made pork balls. beef or chicken meatballs will be fine too)
Salt & Pepper
Soy Sauce
Oil

Directions:
1. Prepare chicken stock. *keep in mind, you can do this beforehand.
2. Marinate Kai Lan with salt and pepper. (5minutes will do)
3. Deep fry Kai Lan till crispy.
4. Add fried Kai Lan into chicken stock.
5. Add meatballs and soy sauce to taste till meatballs are done.

Raw Kai Lan, chiffonade

Crispy Fried Kai Lan

Crispy fried kai lan which has some bitter taste at the end, due to the natural taste of kailan. It can be served with rice. Hmmm...Perhaps I should add some toasted sesame seed for extra colour and better presentation?

Deep Fried Kailan Soup

I was really happy because it did really taste like seaweed soup :)

On a not-so-good-note; It was quite oily, maybe the next time I should try this recipe but sun/toast the kailan and add some suitable noodles, toufu or maybe use ikan bilis stock? Aah, we'll leave that for another day. Umami without Ajinomoto, its possible! Mission Accomplished! :)

Egg in a Basket

Have you ever wanted to impress someone, who perhaps you had an interest in?
Well, I'm pretty sure the thought of cooking probably popped out at one point or another.

Problem is, what if you have no idea of "wth" happens in a kitchen, how could you even think of cooking to impress that someone? Ahh, fret not! Here it is, something really simple and sweet, sweet as in it will definitely melt your someone specials heart :P Guaranteed!

What you will need?
Eggs
Bread
Salt
Pepper
Heart Shape Mould (optional)
Butter / Cooking Oil

Nothing too fancy, just something ordinary your house should have or even if you don't, this are the simplest and easiest ingredients to be sought after right?

Method:
1. Cut out a heart shape(or round shape) on the bread.
2. Toast the bread on the frying pan with some oil/butter.
3. Add the egg to the centre and fry till the egg is full cooked and sprinkle a little salt and pepper.

Now anyone would love a breakfast like this, cook this up for your loved ones tomorrow morning!
Add a spoonful of berry jams, marmalade or even tomato sauce for an extra tinge of sweetness.

You could also name it bird's nest, bull's eye eggs, cowboy eggs, egg in the hole, eggs in a blanket, elephant egg bagel, frog in a hole, gas house eggs, moon eggs, and Rocky Mountain toast. So now you can name a dish specially for your loved ones, just for the right occasion :)

Sweet Herbal Chinese Egg Tea

When i was a kid, I visited this restaurant at Taman OUG called Ah Loy Restaurant and since then I think I've discovered something really special. (:

A tea based tong shui which is sweet and with a little tinge of bitterness from the tea and herbs with an egg in the tong shui to balanced up the bitterness.

So here it is, an even better homemade version of that! It took me quite a while to research all this, spending so much time at various yok choi poh(chinese medicine shop) buying herbs, testing it, asking friends and family and also checking almost all the herbs website online.

But anyhoo, it turned out delicious! So do enjoy!

Sweet Herbal Chinese Egg Tea
Ingredients:
For Herbs Mixture,
Wu Yi Tea (Wu Yi Cha, 武夷茶)
Mulberry Mistletoe Stems (Sang Ji Sheng, 桑寄生)
Rehmannia Root/Chinese Foxglove Root (Shu Di Huang, 熟地黄)
Dried Orange Peel (Chen Pi, 陈皮)
Dried Longan (Long Yan Rou, 龍眼肉)
Chinese Angelica Root (Dang Gui, 当归)
Szechuan Lovage Root (Chuan Xiong,川芎)
Shelled Chestnuts (Mi Zao, 蜜棗)

Others,
A cup of water per serving
Brown Sugar to taste

Best to ask the sifu(master) in the yok choi poh(chinese medicine shop) to choose the ingredients for you because it would be a trouble to get specific amount of all the herbs. Make sure you tell them that this recipe is meant to be sweet.

Method:
1. Rinse the herbs twice (For hygienic purpose)
2. Boil herbs and water with low fire for at least 1-2 hours.
3. While herbs are boiling, cook hard boil eggs in a separate pot.
4. Remove shell from hard boil eggs and toss them back into the boiling herbs/ egg tea to allow them to absorb some flavour and leave for about half an hour.
5. Add brown sugar to taste and serve cold or warm with egg and longan.

Egg Tea is traditionally eaten cold. And trust me you would prefer the cold one over the hot ones.

Honestly readers, this is my second secret recipe( first one is on 芋虾 (Yu Xia) ).
Aren't you lucky?
I didn't share that recipe 'cause I felt this recipe's a little bit more special, plus its healthier and last but not least, though I may not know all of you personally, I love you ALL! Enjoy!

World Cocoa Day 2010

In conjunction with the World Cocoa Day, there will be an event called Malaysia Cocoa and Chocolate Day 2010 this coming weekend for all to celebrate and admire chocolate together.
More details of event as below.

Malaysia Cocoa and Chocolate Day 2010 is organized by Malaysia Cocoa Board this weekend to educate the public about the history of Cocoa, geography of Cocoa and the importance of Cocoa.

This event will also feature all the chocolate players locally and internationally in this industry. It will showcase all varieties of chocolate and products that are made from cocoa.

For those who are just there for the confectionery though, there will be plenty of free samples, as well as clowns, quizzes and contests.

Up to 50,000 visitors including chocolate lovers, chocoholics and connoisseurs from around the world are expected to turn up at the event. So be one out of the 50,000 visitors to attend this event. For those who can't make it or live overseas, do not worry as i'll do the event coverage for this event ;)

Date: 15 Oct 2010 – 17 Oct 2010

Time: 10:00 AM till 8:00 PM

Venue: Hall 2, Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Mid Valley Megamall

Chocolate Mousse for all my blog readers
(recipe will be given in a separate post soon!)

______________________________________________________________________________

Chocolate day celebrated on February 9th is a part of the countdown to the Valentine's Day. Rose day (Feb 7), Propose day (Feb 8), Chocolate day (Feb 9), Teddy day (Feb 10), Promise day (Feb 11), Kiss day (Feb 12)and Hug day (Feb 13) are all marked to celebrate the season of love.

There is another Chocolate day on July 7th, the National Chocolate Day on October 28th and the World Chocolate Day on September 4th. 

Whatever the reason be, in a year we have at least four wonderful days to indulge in chocolates. Just blame it on the day for all the sinful bittersweet chocolates! 

Artistic Class 503

Fruit and Vegetable Display
Ingredients:
For Luk Chup(Thai Marzipan),
250gm Mung Beans (Green Beans)
250ml Coconut Milk
150gm Sugar
Few Drops of Food Colouring

For glazing,
25gm Agar-agar Powder
150ml Water
50gm Sugar

Method:
1) Soak the mung beans overnight and steam it for at least an hour the next day.
2) Mix in the coconut milk and sugar then blend the mixture until it becomes smooth.
3) Cook the mixture until it is thick and totally cooled down.
4) While it is cooling down, boil the glaze ingredients and dip.
5) Shape the mixture into desired design and add preferred colouring as you wish.
6) Dip the shaped luk chup into the glaze and let it set.
7) Dip the luk chup again for a better glaze.

Shape the Thai Marzipan creatively and enjoy!

Beer Battered Fish and Chips

Ingredients:

1 Fish (Frozen Dory Fish)

2 Large Potato (Russet) / Processed French Fries

1 Large Onion

½ Lemon

½ tsp Salt

Batter:

230ml Self Raising Flour

1 Egg

1 Can (330ml) Beer (be creative with your choice!)

½ tsp Salt

Method:

1) Defrost then marinate the fish with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Afterward, put it in the chiller for at least 30minutes.

2) Fry the potatoes/french fries till golden brown. Keep warm, set aside with paper towel and toss with salt.

3) Whisk the batter ingredients and dip marinated fish into batter. Deep or shallow fry till golden brown, crispy and fully cooked.

4) Dip onion into batter and then toss it with bread crumb and fry.

*serve with tartare sauce and lemon wedge
**substitute beer with milk if you’re allergic/muslim
**add some salad for a healthier alternative
(3:1 ratio of olive oil to lemon with pinch of salt for salad dressing)

                     Fish and chips fine dining style? :D

Artistic Kitchen 502

Show Piece Bread Display

Ingredients:
1.5kg Bread Flour
5gm Yeast
65gm Salt
1 Litre Water

Method:
1) Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough until smooth, elastic, springy, and no longer sticky.
2) Let it rest covered with cling film until twice the size.
3) Roll the dough out. Cut and shape into desired design.
4) Egg wash and bake at 220ºC until it becomes golden brown.

My collection of show piece breads :P

This show piece bread could last a lifetime due to the salt as a preservative. 

It will be rock hard after cooled down.

Sex on the Grill

Some of the readers was interested at this recipe and after doing some homework, I edited this recipe to a much improved and easier version to follow. Enjoy ;)

Sex on the Grill Marination
200gm Cooking oil
200gm Soy sauce
450gm 7up (do not substitute)
1tbsp Lemon juice
1tbsp Lemon zest (optional)
1tbsp Mustard
2 clove of Garlic (grated or finely dice)
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir well.
2. Marinate meat for at least 1 hour.
3. Grill the meat on medium fire.



The caramelized 7up and soy sauce blends just right, it makes magic to your palate!

Don’t have a grill pan? 
Lazy to go outdoors to grill? 
Try this!



Who said you can’t be as innovative as Jamie Oliver? :D

Happy Father's Day

cooking for my family is always a pleasure and this is done for the special occasion :)



Roasted Lamb Rack with Potato Rosti and Glazed Vegetable served with Tomato Red Wine Sauce :D



and for the left overs, i did Nasi Goreng Lamb Rack the next day, beat that! :P

Sugar Pulling 603

this is currently what i've been doing,

will be blowing sugar soon

at the mean time, enjoy some of the pictures :)

looks like a telephone wire right ? xD

Happy Mothers Day

Specially done for my dearest most beloved mother..

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roulade with Mashed Potatoes & Sauteed Mixed Vegetables served with Garlic Cream Sauce

Trust me its juicy!

-Nothing Beats Cooking For Someone You Love-

Happy Chinese New Year

how did i make my culinary journey special this new year ?
the cravings i had made me went through a hell lots of trouble,
but its all worth it when
you find out that no one in the world has this recipe anymore


its my first classic SECRET recipe!
 

芋虾, Yu Xia(Mandarin), Wu Har(Cantonese)

Happy Selfish New Year to all!

Home Wine Making

I did a 3 month oenology assignment on homemade wine making ,
and would like to share this "recipe" with u guys out there ;)

Ingredients :
1.5kg Grapes
an Yeast (sour)
an Sweetener
1 litre R.O Water

Equipment :
Bottle
Bowl
Balloon
2 Strainer (muslin cloth)

Method :
1. Crush the grapes and transfer to a bowl.
2. Transfer grape juice with strainer to bottle.
3. Add R.O water , sweetener and yeast until bottle almost full.
4. Wrap the top with balloon and leave it in the chiller for 3 months.

Tips :
- Grapes( different grapes gives different characteristics. for example black grapes for red wine and white grapes for white wine, or you could get wine grapes, grape concentrated or even apple juice and any other fruit juices )
- Crushing/ Pressing the grapes ( one of the most important of all, different pressing methods and techniques brings different characteristics because different component of the grapes gives different functions )
- Yeast( there are many yeast outside and probably the best choice is sour yeast/wine yeast , but u could try any other yeast )
- Bowl ( apparently different types of bowl gives different characteristics too )
- Sweetener ( rock sugar, cane sugar, honey, molasses and anything that basically contain sugar)
- Colour ( u can try leaving the grape skin in the bottle during fermentation so that the colour would be dark red but do remember grape skin gives tannin too )
- Storage ( make sure its kept in a dark , cool temperature, least vibration and good airing place. Chiller, the best recommendation )
- Fermentation period ( 3 months at least)
- Others ( u can try leaving wood in the fermentation process for oak taste, a cheaper alternative )


i did mine and ferment it for 3 months with the balloon like this...

and after 3 months,
tadaaa :)

good luck to whoever that is going to try this ! :D