Bak Kwa & Onion Jam

The Recipe

Makes: 200g
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 60 minutes

Bak Kwa has become a popular food given and eaten throughout the year but its popularity surges around Chinese New Year.

The Spring Festival preparations and parties are in full swing! Growing up in Australia, Christmas and the Gregorian New Year was the holiday period for us. After being here in Singapore for quite a while now, it is the Chinese New Year that is the most significant time of the year. Christmas and New Year decorations are quickly dismissed and replaced by colourful lantern lined sidewalks, the streets of Chinatown become teeming with food vendors and buyers and wonderful splashes of red and gold banners and decorations are dotted throughout the city.

Chinese New Year dates back to almost 4,000 years ago and has morphed into a time for praying or worshipping gods and ancestors by giving food as symbols of luck and prosperity, lighting firecrackers and adorning streets and buildings with red decorations to ward off monsters and a time to exchange gifts of red, yellow or gold - always in even numbers and ALWAYS giving and accepting with two hands.

Bak Kwa, also known as Rougan (Hokkien) is basically a type of jerky made of pork. Originating in the Fujian province of China, it was a way of preserving meat that was a luxury once upon a time. The pork was marinated in spices and sliced thinly then air dried before being cooked. Bak Kwa means ‘dried meat’ and being red, has become part of the Chinese New Year tradition symbolizing good luck.

Credit: Peng Guan Bak Kwa

Bak Kwa in Singapore can use both sliced or fatty minced pork and after air drying, the meat is cooked over charcoal imparting a smokey flavour to the final product. A sweet and savoury treat that now comes in many variations using pineapple or fish and different grades of pork. This bak kwa jam is a combination of salty, sweet and sour and can be slathered on toast, mixed through pasta or works as an accompaniment to a good cheeseboard. Ingredients may vary so season with salt, sugar or pepper at the end depending on how sweet or savoury you want the final product.

INGREDIENTS

300g good bak kwa
500g brown onions
10g finely chopped garlic
50g apple cider vinegar
10g instant coffee
300-400mls vegetable stock
2tsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp ground white pepper
1.5 tsp smoked salt (optional)

METHOD

1. Finely slice onions and bak kwa In a medium heavy saucepan, cook the sliced onions until fragrant and slightly browned.

2. Add in the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3. Throw in the sliced bak kwa and mix through before adding in tomato paste, peppers, sugar, coffee and vinegar.

4. Add in about 200mls of stock, mix and allow to reduce.

5. Keep topping up with the stock and reducing until the bak kwa is soft and has combined together with the onions.

6. Season with smoked salt and extra pepper according to taste.

7. Allow to cool before storing in a clear glass jar in the fridge.

Monkey Nut Butter

The Recipe

Makes: 300g
Preparation: 15-20 minutes (if you are using shelled peanuts)

There is no hard evidence on exactly when the peanut came about, however, the origins can be traced back to Peru. In archaeological finds, pottery from Peru made by the Moche tribe depicted peanuts in their artwork. This was around 3500 years ago.

I’m a big fan of peanut butter… not a huge one, just a big one. It has to be creamy, not crunchy and it has to be sticky enough to stay on the roof of your mouth but just enough so you can still tongue it off.

While living here in Singapore, I love an indulgent breakfast of thick toast & peanut butter, or peanut butter and kaya but my favorite pre-ride fuel is peanut butter and jam on white bread, of course.

I don’t usually have store-bought peanut butter in my house because I’m not a fan of the palm oil, hydrogenated oils, salt, stabilisers and other rubbish they put into commercial brands. One brand I have found in cold storage and fair price finest is Adams peanut butter. It is all-natural, but sometimes, when the mood strikes me, I like to make my own.

History of Peanut Butter

There is no hard evidence on exactly when the peanut came about, however, the origins can be traced back to Peru. In archaeological finds, pottery from Peru made by the Moche tribe depicted peanuts in their artwork. This was around 3500 years ago.

Europeans discovered peanuts in Brazil in the 1500's and it wasnt until the 1700's that peanuts made their way to North America.

Peanut butter, or an ancient form of it was invented by the Incas and the Aztec where they actually ground up their peanuts into a paste. The peanut butter patent that we know of today was given to a Canadian, Marcellus Gilmore Edson in 1884.

During the great depression, peanut butter became a staple in American households due to it's high protein content. It was also the soldiers ration in World War II where they topped it with jelly in between sliced white bread - the prefect hold in your hand meal. They called this delicious protein, vitamin B3, E and Magnesium paste monkey butter. Cute, huh?

So there you go and here’s the recipe for my monkey nut butter;

INGREDIENTS

250g shelled raw peanuts (I bought about 350g of whole peanuts and shelled them).
2.5 teaspoons of unrefined brown sugar
2tsp fine sea salt
40-45g sunflower oil (preferably cold pressed), depending on how runny you want your peanut butter.

METHOD

If you are using whole peanuts, pull up a chair, entice an assistant, switch on some music and have an ice cold refreshment nearby as shelling peanuts will take some time!

If you are a are a saner human being, buy the raw peanuts from the supermarket. Do not buy the roasted and salted ones. In doing this you can control the oil and salt content in your monkey nut butter.

Roast the shelled peanuts in an oven at about 160 degrees Celsius for 15minutes

When the peanuts are done, remove them from the oven and while hot, pour them onto a clean tea towel and rub them to remove the skins

Once the skins are completely removed (okay, a few stray ones were left in the final mix), pop them in a food processor or a baby one like mine and blitz away until the peanuts are ground quite finely. Add the sunflower oil (40g for a thick spread or 45g for a more liquid consistency), sugar and salt

And you're done. Easy as pie, cheap as chips… I’m off to make some bread, I think that should have been done before the monkey nut butter?

Hoummus? Hommus? Hummus?

So there's this girl... her vibrant energy is infectious and I don't think I've met anyone as positive as her. She loves hummus (I think it's a slight obsession, but a good healthy one).

To my gorgeous flatmate - this one's for you!

"Hummus bi tahina" is the rightful name to this protein-packed Levantine Arab dip. "Hummus" actually means chickpea or garbanzo in Arabic. Chickpeas have been eaten in the Middle East for a good 10,000 years ago and sesame has been used to make oil since 2500BCE.

The first documented recipe is a variation of the hummus dip we know of today, containing vinegar instead of lemon juice and no garlic. It was called "hummas kasa" whose origins reign from 13th Century Medieval Egypt, Cairo. The cookbook in which it was found was called Wasf Al-Atima Al-Mutada ("description of familiar food").

Today, in Middle Eastern and Moroccan diets, hummus is a staple, eaten with bread, topped with olive oil and is served at every meal. Full of fibre, folate B6, protein, dietary fibre and monounsaturated fats... I guess you could call it a superfood or a super dip - and here’s how to make it.

Will make about 500g of dip

THE INGREDIENTS

125g dried chickpeas

10g tahini (or peanut butter if you don’t have any tahini in the pantry)

3g garlic (about a tsp)

20g lemon juice (about half a lemon)

200g good extra virgin olive oil

100g water

5g sea salt

THE METHOD

Throw dried chickpeas in a container and cover with water. Refrigerate and soak overnight so they can rehydrate and become nice and plump. The next day, rinse the chickpeas and pop them in a saucepan, cover with water and 2 tsp sea salt. Allow them to boil for about 20-3o minutes until nice and tender. Strain and cool.

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas with garlic, lemon juice, tahini and water. Add in the olive oil a bit at a time. (You may add more olive oil or water, depending on the consistency you want the hummus).

Finally, add the sea salt. Add more or less according to your taste.

When all is blitzed and combined, store your hummus in an airtight container in the fridge. The lemon and tahini will help preserve it for up to 2-3 weeks.

Serving suggestion; spoon the delicious hummus into a nice decorative bowl, top with chopped flat will make about 500g of dip

THE INGREDIENTS

125g dried chickpeas

10g tahini (or peanut butter if you don’t have any tahini in the pantry)

3g garlic (about a tsp)

20g lemon juice (about half a lemon)

200g good extra virgin olive oil

100g water

5g sea salt

THE METHOD

Throw dried chickpeas in a container and cover with water. Refrigerate and soak overnight so they can rehydrate and become nice and plump. The next day, rinse the chickpeas and pop them in a saucepan, cover with water and 2 tsp sea salt. Allow them to boil for about 20-3o minutes until nice and tender. Strain and cool.

In a food processor, blend the chickpeas with garlic, lemon juice, tahini and water. Add in the olive oil a bit at a time. (You may add more olive oil or water, depending on the consistency you want the hummus).

Finally, add the sea salt. Add more or less according to your taste.

When all is blitzed and combined, store your hummus in an airtight container in the fridge. The lemon and tahini will help preserve it for up to 2-3 weeks.

Serving suggestion; spoon the delicious hummus into a nice decorative bowl, top with chopped flat-leaf parsley, smoked paprika and a swig of that extra virgin olive oil. Dip in some Manoush bread for a perfect combination and a healthy leaf parsley, smoked paprika and a swig of that extra virgin olive oil.

Chimichurri - The Glorious Green Stuff

Chimichurri, a wonderfully bright and fresh condiment that is used quite a bit in both Argentina and Uruguay. It is packed with herbs and combines warmth from oregano and flat leaf parsley with a balanced acidity of lemon juice and salt.

As in many things throughout food history, there are many theories on how chimichurri came to be and why it was named this.

It could have been the gauchos or cowboys of Argentina that developed chimichurri. Most likely they used dried herbs as they were mobile, living off the land and fresh herbs would have just been completely impractical.

The theories of the word 'chimichurri';

1. After the Bristish failed the invasion of Rio de Plato (1806-1807) prisoners asked for condiments in mixed English, Aboriginal and Spanish languages.

2. Jimmy Curry, an Irishman, or an Englishman, joined in the fight for Argentine Independence (1810-1818)...... but many say he was involved in the meat trade and his name was difficult to pronounce.

3. Basque settlers that arrived in Argentina in the 19th Century called a variation of this sauce "Tximitxurri", meaning a mixture of things in no particular order.

Hmm......

There is a possibility that chimichurri did not really exist until the Italian immigrants arrived in Argentina in the mid 1850's. This wonderful green condiment is very similar to Sicilian Salmoriglio sauce which contains garlic, dried oregano, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, flat leaf parsley and water.

Either way... here's the recipe.

It's great on grilled meat and seafood and there are so many variations around. You can add any acidity you like and play around with different kinds of herbs.

Below is a more traditional recipe to start you off with the basics.

THE RECIPE

Yields about 250g of mouthwatering chimichurri

THE INGREDIENTS
60g flat leaf parsley, leaves
15g fresh oregano leaves
120g good grassy extra virgin olive oil
20g lemon juice and rind of 1/2 lemon
5g garlic
sea salt and black pepper to taste

THE METHOD

Roughly or finely chop all leafy and herby stuff (chop to however you want the texture of the chimichurri)

Finely chop the garlic and mix in lemon juice. Add this to the chopped herbs

Mix the herbs and slowly add in the oil until all is combined and is the mixture lusciously glistening

Add salt and pepper to your desired taste and pop it in the fridge in an airtight container. The oil will set a little in the fridge so bring to room temperature before serving.

Chimichurri will last for a good 2 weeks but it will discolour and the flavours will mellow slightly.

If you are feeling lazy you can always throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until all is combined.

Enjoy this wonderful condiment, it's so simple and easy to make. I throw it in salads, pasta, even use it as a dipping sauce for bread. It also tastes great on grilled seafood.

Variation Ideas; throw in some cumin for a little bit of warmth, trade the lemon acidity for red wine vinegar, use other herbs such as tarragon, marjoram or coriander for a different flavour profile. To give it a little kick you can also add some fresh chopped red chillies or even dried ones if you have them.

Easy Paneer

The Recipe

Makes: 200g
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Setting Time: 40 minutes

Paneer is a fresh cheese commonly used in South Asian cuisine, particularly in Indian dishes. It is made by curdling milk with lemon juice, vinegar, or other acidic ingredients, then straining and pressing the resulting curds.

Paneer is a fresh cheese that requires no rennet or aging time to set. It is a type of ‘cottage cheese’ that is very common in both Southern and Northern Indian cuisine. In the Northern Indian sub continents (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), paneer is more commonly known as chhena where it is predominately made with buffalo milk and used to make desserts. Chhena has a softer texture than paneer - is not set as hard as some of the moisture is retained.

Paneer is very easy to make by separating the curds from the whey in milk with an acid element such as lemon juice or vinegar. If you don’t have the time to make paneer or really couldn’t be bothered – queso blanco is a good substitute.

INGREDIENTS

1 litre of FRESH milk
2-3 tsp lime juice or lemon juice, depending on what flavour you prefer

METHOD

Boil the milk. When the milk starts to boil, add the lime juice and stir constantly. Wait a few minutes and if the milk does not curdle, add a little more juice. (How easy)

When the milk starts to curdle (you will be looking at a thick white mass at the top and a greenish-yellow liquid at the bottom), remove it immediately from the heat.

 You can then strain the milk into a fine cheesecloth with a bowl underneath to catch the water. You can use the water to make almond milk, add it to soups, or whatever your heart so desires.

Squeeze the whey gently to remove any excess liquid pushing downwards. Be careful not to burn yourself as the paneer will be very hot!!

 Secure the cheesecloth and place it on a plate with something heavy resting on top of it while it sets. The setting time should take about 30-40 minutes

You can use the paneer straight away or store it in the fridge which will last 2-3 days. Store in a sealed container.

NOTE: If you wish to keep the paneer soft, store some of the liquid that was drained from the cooked paneer. Once the milk starts to curdle you should take it off the heat unless you wish a harder-set cheese.

Throw the paneer into a palak paneer, and eat it with freshly grilled peaches or on its own!
The paneer will taste very neutral so feel free to throw in some herbs, salt, pepper or sugar.