Tag Archives: Soy sauce

Fish Friday… Thai Fish with crispy kale and ginger.

Ok… I know it is Saturday here but some of you are on different timelines to me …so I think I can still sneak this in as Fish Friday…

Beautiful Picture of Steamed Fish 25 rest I think

Doesn’t that look amazing and I had so many requests for the recipe… It is also far easier than it looks and doesn’t it look impressive…

Mainly I can get sea bass/bream or locally caught fish here but this recipe can be adapted to whatever fish you can get regionally where you live like rainbow trout, Tilapia.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 or 2 whole sea bass, sea bream fresh or frozen or fish of your choice.
  • 1 handful fresh coriander
  • 1 handful fresh Thai basil
  • For the Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup oyster sauce
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 8 to 10 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
  • To garnish julienne very finely a large piece of fresh ginger ( sometimes I also add some garlic.
  • Shredded kale for garnish.

Let’s Cook!

Preheat oven to 375 F  or fire up the BBQ…..Here I use a kettle BBQ and cook the fish on a banana leaf.

Stir all sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set to one side.

Place fish on a cutting board and score it by making vertical cuts an inch or more apart along the length of fish from head to tail. Turn fish over and do the same on the other side.

Place fish on a large piece of aluminium foil or banana leaf. Make sure the foil or leaf is big enough to cover and wrap the fish.

Drizzle 3 tablespoons (or more) of the sauce over the fish, covering both sides. Be sure to spoon some into the cuts you’ve made, as well as into the underside cavity. Reserve the rest for later.

Bring the long sides of the foil up and over the fish, scrunching it together. Try to keep the foil off the surface of the fish, making a kind of shallow tent over it. Fold up each end and scrunch to secure. If using banana leaf, fold the sides and ends up and over the fish to cover it. With banana leaf, you actually want the leaf to come into contact with the fish, as this adds to the flavour.

Bake the fish in the foil directly on your oven rack.

My fish is now going on to the BBQ…

N.B. If you are using banana leaf and oven cooking you will require a dish or tray, as a banana leaf is porous.

Bake for 20 minutes or longer, depending on the size and thickness of your fish. Remove fish from oven and check some of the deeper cuts to see if the inner flesh is cooked (it should be opaque, not pink or translucent-looking). If fish still needs more time, return to your oven for another 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked.

Next remove the fish from the oven or your BBQ open up the foil, scrunching it around the fish to create a kind of bowl. If using banana leaf, simply open up the leaf, which will have become drier and slightly crispy.

Pour remaining sauce over fish and return to the oven. Turn oven to broil setting, and grill for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the fish is nicely browned and crisp-looking.

Meanwhile, crisp your julienned ginger in hot oil and drain on kitchen paper. Then quickly crisp your kale and drain on kitchen paper.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle the fish with the crispy kale and ginger…Just pile it on.

Beautiful Picture of Steamed Fish 25 rest I think

If I am cooking my fish on the BBQ I serve the leftover sauce in a small bowl.

Enjoy!

N.B. My grandson poised to dive in…lol

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Khao Kaa Moo ( Braised Pork Knuckle)

Walking through the market stalls more often than not you are greeted with that familiar smell of star anise and cinnamon which is synonymous with Thai slowed Braised Pork it is to be found in huge pots and there will generally be a queue and it just epitomises the essence of street food….One which holds almost iconic status.

THAI SLOW PORK

Hot, steaming bowls are served with Chinese steamed cabbage and soft- boiled or soy eggs and it is truly to die for the taste is out of this world. there is nothing better than joining everyone else sitting and enjoying this lovely dish while watching the world pass by.

Well, come with me.

I will tell you how to replicate that in your own kitchen.

Ingredients:

You will need a Pork knuckle or 2 pork hocks..some also use belly pork cut into 2-inch pieces this recipe will serve 3-4  people but just increase the ingredients if you want to make a bigger pot.

Clean the knuckle by blanching in hot water and scrape any excess hair off with a sharp knife or do what the Thais do and hold it over a naked flame.

To make the Herb paste :

3 fresh cleaned coriander roots, sliced finely.

3 large cloves of garlic.

1/2 tsp white peppercorns or black will do.

Pinch of salt.

2-3 tbsp solid Palm sugar.

1 tbsp cooking oil.

For the Broth:

2 tbsp Chinese 5 spice powder.

2 Star Anise.

1 stick cinnamon.

2 tbsp Dark Soy.

2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce.

1.5 litres of chicken or pork stock.

Lets Cook!

Using a pestle and mortar pound the palm sugar to a fine powder..set to one side.

Pound cleaned coriander roots, peppercorns, garlic and salt into a fine paste.

ground paste for belly pork

Fry herb paste on a low heat for a few minutes to release flavour add the palm sugar and turn up the heat to medium and stir vigorously until the sugar is melted. Keep stirring until caramelised and the mixture starts to brown. Add the spices and stir to mix well then add prepared pork and turn over to coat with the mixture.

caramalising pork belly

If you also want to add a few extra whole cloves of garlic at this point then do so..some do and some don’t.

Add stock and Soy sauces.

Bring to the boil and simmer for at least 2 hours or until meat is very tender.

I also add my eggs about an hour before the end of cooking time this gives them a lovely soy flavour…Again like many recipes some do some don’t if you make this often you will find your own preferred method.

Ladle into small bowls and serve with steamed Chinese cabbage, rice and soft/hard-boiled eggs.

THAI SLOW PORK

Enjoy!

Unlike the Thais, I do not eat all the skin and fat so I remove a lot of the skin before I serve also because the gravy can be very fatty I allow mine to cool overnight in the fridge and then take off the fat and reheat..I find this better than trying to skim the hot fat off and it also lets the flavours develop.

You then have a  lovely bowl of  Khao Kaa Moo…..

 

Until next time Stay safe, have fun and laugh a lot x

Yellow Tail Fish with a sesame crust.

Sesame crusted Yellowtail fish

I love to eat fish and we were shopping and having a mooch around the fish stalls when this beautiful fish with a broad yellow stripe down the middle caught my eye. I hadn’t seen this fish here before and assumed that it was now in season.

The Yellow Tail fish or Amber Jack is native to the North East Pacific from Japan to Hawaii. It is also not related to the Yellowtail Tuna.

In Japan, this fish is eaten cooked or raw and known as Hamachi or Buri.

As you know I am firmly in the camp of eating healthily and choose my fish carefully …I steer clear of farmed fish and only eat locally caught straight off the boats or fish which is responsibly sourced. It doesn’t mean however that it is expensive which a lot of people seem to think …You can buy fish responsibly and at good prices by researching your local markets or even buying frozen.

This fish has extra lean, firm white meat and if you want a lighter meal then it is a lovely tasting fish with a mild flavour.

For two servings.
2 x 150 g pieces yellow tail fish.

Freshly ground black pepper

Sea salt to season…..I use pink Himalayan or mineral salt which is farmed close to my home.

1 egg white whisked until it is foamy.

3 tbsp sesame seeds.

Oil for frying…I use coconut oil.

For chilli, lime and soy sauce.

60 ml Soy sauce
2 tbsp honey……I use honey from the comb
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 chilli, deseeded and finely sliced..guess who leaves the seeds in? Moi
Juice of 1 lime
A drizzle of  sesame seed oil
Fresh coriander leaves to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Season the yellow tail fillets with a little salt and freshly milled black pepper. I cut the fish into steaks…BUT next time I will leave as a piece it will be easier for the Sesame seeding. I didn’t think it through when I cut the fish into steaks..yep I boobed. My sesame seeds didn’t all stay put.

Dip the seasoned fish into the egg white and coat both sides with sesame seeds.

Heat a little coconut oil( or oil of your choice) in a frying pan and sear the fish for about a minute on each side or until the sesame seeds are golden brown. Remove the fish and place in a roasting pan.

Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through.

Meanwhile, make the soy sauce reduction. Place the soy sauce, honey, garlic, chilli, lime juice and sesame oil into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

Put the soy sauce, honey, garlic, chilli, lime juice and sesame oil into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.

Cook for about 2–3 minutes or until the sauce has reduced slightly and has thickened so it coats the back of your spoon.

Remove the garlic clove and set to one side…

Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the oven and serve immediately, drizzled with a little soy sauce reduction.

Served with jasmine rice, steamed pak choi and fresh lime wedges.

Enjoy!

If you liked this recipe then please share or reblog 🙂

 

 

 

Asian Beef Brisket.

spicy asian beef

 

This dish is wonderful, full of lovely Asian flavours… On my birthday my son asked me what I wanted him to cook for me ( this was) a few birthdays ago…I chose this dish…It needs slow cooking but is well worth it…you can put it in and get back to your writing( if that’s ) what you do and who doesn’t like those dishes???

Beef is a bit hit and miss here ..butchering( properly) and hanging the meat is not widely done by many but I have found a man who does…but for quickness, we sometimes use Pork Hip which by the way is tonight’s dinner…Oh Yum 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

2k Beef Brisket

500ml beef stock

200ml clear honey

400gm shallots cut into quarters

5 garlic cloves, crushed

2tbsp oil…I use coconut oil.

FOR THE SAUCE:

250ml rice wine

70ml light soy sauce

70ml dark soy sauce

100gm fresh ginger finely chopped

2 large red chillies, halved

1tbsp 5 spice powder

FOR THE TOPPING:

3 Limes cut into wedges

A handful ( a large) one of fresh coriander chopped

150gm unsalted peanuts/cashews.

2 red chillies sliced.

Coconut oil for frying or oil of your choice.

Lets cook!

Heat the oven 140c/120 fan or Gas numero 1.

Heat the oil in a large pan add the shallots and cook 5 mins

Add garlic and cook for a further 1 min.

Add stock and 100ml of the honey stir and cook for another minute.

Mix sauce ingredients together. Put Beef in a large pan and pour on sauce and stock. Cover meat with baking paper and two layers of foil ..put in the oven on the middle shelf and cook for 2 and half hours. Remove from oven, baste meat well, reseal and cook for a further 2 and a half hours or until meat tender.

I actually do baste more than once during cooking.

Once meat is cooked remove from oven, Pour juices from meat into a large frying pan and cook on high heat for about 15 mins or until reduced…don’t do a me and let it boil away..mmmm wasn’t popular when all I had to do was watch it reduce…OOOPPPS

TASTE and season.

Pour 2 tbsp of the reduced stock over beef and return to oven on 220c for 15 mins…It will now caramelise and crisp the top…lovely.

Lastly, for the topping heat oil in a pan, add nuts and lightly roast…let them cool a little they will very, very hot, chop roughly, mix with sliced chilli and coriander …Put over the top of meat and add a squeeze or 2 of lime.

Enjoy!