Cooking the Books - David Thompson's Thai Street Food.

Cooking the Books was started by a group of food bloggers on twitter.  It's a lunch where a cookbook is chosen and everyone brings along a dish that they made from that cookbook.  This is actually the third cooking the books lunch.  I missed out on the first one because I was sick and the second one because I was holidaying at Lindeman Island with my family.

This time round the cookbook chosen was Thai Street Food by David Thompson.

I was happy to host the lunch at my house.  I was more than happy to open my house and kitchen to what I knew was going to be a feast.

I decided to make Madtarbark with beef with cucumber relish.  I chose this recipe because the ingredient list wasn't as long as most of the dishes in the book and it looked delicious.  I made the dough the night before and left it overnight to steep in the oil. I was quite nervous that the dough would not turn out.  The recipe calls for the dough to be stretched out by fingers and being flung out onto an oiled surface, but for the less dexterous a rolling pin can be used.  Needless to say, I used a rolling pin.  I also tweaked the recipe a little.  I added a little more beef and also added holy basil because I love the smell and taste of the herb.

It was a great lunch.  Below is what everyone else brought along.

Kat from Urban Cook's Journal made Pat Thai

Kat from Urban Cook's Journal also made Green Papaya Salad (Som dtam malakor)

Thanh from I eat therefore I am made Deep fried cured pork ribs (Naem sii krong muu tort)

Kat from Spatula, Spoon and Saturday made Grilled pork skewers (Muu Bing)

Agnes from Off My Spork made Chiang Mai curried noodles and chicken (Kao soi gai)

Michele from Iron Chef Shellie made Wonton and barbeque pork soup (Gioo nahm muu daeng)

April from My food trail made braised pork hock with star anise (Khaa muu parlow)

April's hubby and I digging into the bone marrow from April's dish.  YUM!

The Thai Fest

For dessert, Shellie also made an Orange chiffon cake

I made a Filipino chiffon cake with cheese (Quezo chiffon mini cupcakes)

(to be posted soon)

Matarbark Recipe


Dough Recipe
1/4 tsp salt
125g self raising flour
1/2 egg (about 30g), lightly beaten
15g butter, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup oil

Filling 
2 tbs chopped red shallots
good pinch of salt
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tbs chopped ginger
1 heaped tbs curry powder (recipe below)
100g  minced beef (I used 140g)
2 tbs fish sauce, to taste (I used 1 tbs of Filipino fish sauce)
pinch of white sugar
1 smal white onion, quite finely sliced
3 tbs chopped spring onions
2 tbs chopped coriander
1 handful of holy basil.
1 egg beaten

Curry powder (makes about 1/2 cup.  You can store in the fridge)
5 long dried chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 1/2 tbs coriander seeds
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
4 green cardamom pods
2 tbs turmeric powder
1 1/2 tbs ground ginger

1.  To make the curry powder, place the whole spices in a ginder or mortar and pestle and grind to a powder.  Add the tumeric and ginger then pass the powder through a sieve.

2.  Make the dough.  Mix the salt into 1/4 cup of water.  Sieve the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre.  Add the egg, stirring to form a crumbly dough, then gradually work in the salted water.  Knead for about 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft.  Transfer to a bowl that has been rubbed with a little of the butter and leave to rest for about an hour.
3.  Roll the dough between cupped hands and then divide into 3 equal sized balls and roll a little to smooth their surface.  Return them to the bowl and cover in the oil and dot with the butter pieces.  Cover and leave for at least 3 hours or overnight.
4.  Meanwhile, make the filling, using a pestle and mortar, pound the shallots with the salt then add the garlic and ginger.  Pound to a fine paste.  Stir in the curry powder.

5.  Fry the paste in a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Fry until fragrant then add the minced beef and cook for 4 minutes, stirring to prevent it from clumping.  Season with the fish sauce and sugar.  Allow to cool, then stir in both the onions, coriander and egg. 

6.  Oil the bench and hands well with some of the oil.  Take out on of the dough balls and press against the bench with two or three fingers, spreading the dough to make a disk about 15cm in diameter.  Now, cast the dough by holding one edge of the disk and, using a throwing motion, stretch it until it is really thin and transparent.  If you want, you can also use a rolling pin (like me)

7.  Heat a large frying pan ad melt a smear of the oil in it, then carefully lay the pastry in the pan.  Let it cook for a moment then place a third of the filling in the center, pressing down to flatten and spread it.  Fold opposite sides of the pastry into the center, then repeat with the other two sides.  Make sure the each flap overlaps to secure the filling inside.  Continue to cook until the both sides are golden brown.

8.  Allow to cool slightly, then cut into squares.  Serve warm with cucumber relish.

Cucumber Relish

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 small cucumber. quartered and sliced

3 red shallots, coarsely sliced

1/2 long red chilli, chopped

1 tbs chopped coriander

1.  Simmer the vinegar, sugar and salt with a few tablespoons of water until the sugar has dissolved.

2.  Take off the heat and allow to cool.  (This syrup can be made in advanced and be kept in the fridge indefinitely)

3.  Just before serving, stir in the cucumber, shallots, chilli and chopped coriander.

A the end of the lunch, much food was eaten, much wine was consumed and best of all, much laughter was had.  Everyone left for home with full tummies and eagerly looking forward to our next Cooking The Books lunch.

Bon Appetitie,
Cherrie

Kulinarya Cooking Club February 2011 : Morcon

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and it's colourful cuisine.  Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes.  By sharing these recipes we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino food as we do.

This month's theme is aphrodisiac foods

When Pia chose this theme, she also gave us links to what foods are aphrodisiac.  I chose to make morcon. A Filipino Stuffed Beef Roll.  I changed the recipe a bit from the traditional one so that there are several ingredients in this dish that has aphrodisiac properties.  My version has 4 of the ingredients listed. I added asparagus to the filling along with the traditional carrot.  In the sauce there is garlic and a little bit of ginger.  I served this on Valentines Day dinner for Hubby, however you don't need an occasion to serve this delicious dish.

500g beef steak, cut and flattened into large sheets (I made 5 sheets)
2 tbs lemon juice
4 tbs soy sauce
Pepper
olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion diced
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 cup tomato passata
2 bay leaves
3 cups beef stock
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs lemon juice

Filling
5 canned hot dogs or frankfurters, sliced into strips
1 small carrot
3 asparagus spears, split down the middle
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
sharp cheddar cheese

1.  Marinate the beef for 20 minutes in the lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.
2.  Drain the beef and reserve the marinade.  Lay the beef on a flat surface and arrange the filling in rows lengthwise.  Roll the meat and enclose the filling and tie with kitchen string in several places.  Roll the meat in flour and remove excess flour.
3.  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and brown the beef on all sides.  Remove and set aside while you make the sauce.
4.  In the same saucepan, add the reserved marinade, garlic, onion, ginger, tomato passata and bay leaves and cook over high heat until the liquid is reduced.  Add the beef stock and bring back to the boil.
5.  Return the meat to the saucepan and slowly simmer for about 1 hour until the meat is tender.  Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
6.  When cooked, transfer the meat to a platter, remove the string and slice crosswise.  Drizzle the sauce over the meat and to freshen it up, squeeze the lemon juice over the dish.

Please go and check out what the other member of the Kulinarya Coking Club has cooked up.

Bon Appetite,

Cherrie

Breakfast Taco - An International Incident

This month Penny from Jeroxie - Addictive and Consuming Blog is hosting another International Incident Party.  This time it's a Tacos Party.  I was excited to hear what this month's theme was.  I love tacos but I have never made the tortilla from scratch.

 

I decided  to go for a breakfast taco (though we had it for dinner).  Naturally, egg and bacon went into it.  Hubby made his chilli con carne to go inside the taco.  He makes a large batch and freezes in separate containers.  I've included his recipe below.  Hubby also suggested to add Potato Gems in the breakfast taco for the potato element.    I was a bit apprehensive about adding it but I think it works.  It mellows out the spiciness of the chilli.  You can leave this out if you like.  For  freshness, I added a salsa of diced tomato, red capsicum, red onion and cucumber.

I did a bit of research on the web and was surprised how easy it is to make.  Or so I thought...  If you don't have the right tools, it can be hard work to try to get the dough nice and thin.  I had to use a lot of muscle to get the tortillas thin.

1 cup of masa flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 to 1 cup water

In a bowl, add all the ingredients and mix together until the dough turns into a ball.  Divide into 6 equal size balls, then form into a slightly flat ball

Using a clean plastic bag, place the dough inside and using a rolling pin, flatten as thin as possible.  When it's as thin as you can get it, carefully remove from the plastic and place in a dry skillet until it bubbles and colours a little on both sides.  Set aside until needed.

When ready to assemble the taco, you need to soft fry the tortilla.  In a pan, add about 2 cups of oil and heat on a medium heat.  Quickly pan fry for 5 seconds on each side.   

Ingredients

·         Onions - 2 chopped into large chunks

·         Garlic – 4 cloves chopped finely

·         Beef mince - 500 – 1000g

·         Salt & Pepper

·         Celery - 4 sticks chopped into large chunks

·         Pepper - 1 chopped into large chunks

·         Carrots – 1 chopped into large chunks

·         Beef Stock – 2 cups

·         Bay Leaves – 4

·         Tomatoes – 1 can

·         Guinness - 1 can

·         HP Sauce – large dollop

·         Tomato Paste – 2 tablespoons

·         Hot Sauce – large dollop

·         Worcestershire Sauce – large dollop

·         Mixed beans – 1 can

·         Mustard Powder – 1 heaped teaspoon

·         Tomatoes - 2 fresh chopped into large chunks

·         Bacon – 2 rashers chopped into large chunks

·         Sausages – chorizo, pork, and/or frankfurters or all, chopped into large chunks

·         Mixed herbs – fresh & dry

·         Brown Sugar – 2 heaped table spoons

·         Paprika – big shake

·         Ground cumin -  big shake

·         Chilli flakes – big shake

·         Fresh Chilli – as much as you can take

Recipe

1.       Cook bacon & sausages in oven, Whilst cooking…

2.       Fry onions & garlic in a little oil in large pot.

3.       Add mince & cook until brown. Add S&P whilst browning.

4.       Add carrots, celery & pepper. Cook for few mins.

5.       Add liquids: beef stock, Worcestershire, Guinness, tomato paste, hot sauce, HP sauce & canned tomatoes. Add beans & bring to boil then simmer for 10 mins stirring occasionally.

6.       Add mustard powder, fresh tomatoes & cooked sausages & bacon. Stir.

7.       Add herbs, chilli flakes, paprika, cumin seeds, fresh chilli & brown sugar. Stir.

8.       Cook for around 2 hours stirring every 10 minutes or so. Aiming for mixture where only little bit of liquid left.

9.       Can freeze and reheat. Add little more of the liquids & spices when reheating.

To assemble the breakfast taco, spread some of the chilli onto the taco.  Add a runny egg, crispy bacon, potato gems, grated cheese and salsa.

Enjoy!

Other Party People who joined us this month...

Kulinarya Cooking Club June 2010 : Pinoy BBQ three ways

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and it's colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with our family recipes.  By sharing these recipes we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino food as we do.

This month's theme is Pinoy BBQ!

Filipino's love BBQ. In Philippines, when walking down the small streets in my Auntie's subdivision, people are barbecuing all sorts of meat in front of their homes to sell.  Some meats I know, some... hmmm, I don't want to know.  But, no matter what is cooking on their barbecues, it always smell so enticing.  The smell of barbecues gets me drooling all the time.

Barbecue is another one of those foods that are always present at a Filipino gathering. It is also found at all Filipino Fiestas. Most especially, barbecue pork on skewers.

Here's what I barbecued.

Whole Squid stuffed with raw sugar,then 

head and tentacles secured by 

toothpick

Pork chops marinated in salt, vinegar and garlic

Pork skewers marinated in Filipino BBQ sauce

Marinade for the pork skewers is very simple.  I don't usually measure out the ingredients but play it by feel.  The main ingredients I always include is lemonade, tomato sauce, pineapple juice, sugar, salt and pepper.  The marinade needs to be thick so it can coat the meat.  Sometimes, if I find that the marinade is a little thin after marinading the meat, I place in a small pot and reduce it.  I then baste the meat with the thickened marinade.

It is currently Winter down here in Melbourne, so it was very cold when we were barbecueing (or should I say, Hubby and my dad, were barbecuing).  However, no matter the temperature or weather outside, barbecues are always welcomed at meal times.

Other members of the Kulinarya Cooking Club:

Kath - http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/
Trisha - http://sugarlace.com/
Trissa - http://trissalicious.com/
Olive - http://www.latestrecipes.net/
Caroline - http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/
Ninette - http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/
Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/
Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/
Asha - http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/
Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/
Cherrie - http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/
Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/
Valerie - http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/
Sheryl - http://crispywaffle.com/
Divina - http://www.sense-serendipity.com/
Anna - http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/
Dahlia - http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/
Joy - http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/
Maribel - http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/
Tressa
Jen - http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/
Pia - http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/

Malaka - http://thegrandinternational.com.
Mimi - http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com
Erika - http://ivoryhut.com/
Kat - http://www.caterersearch.com/tabletalk/default.aspx

Family Celebration : A big day for Thomas

Last Sunday was a big day for our family.  It was the day my son, Thomas was Baptised.

My son was definitely a star on the day.  He didn't cry during the ceremony and most importantly didn't cry when he was getting baptised with the holy water.  I think he knew the significance of the moment and was quietly taking it all in.

The star of the feast was the lechon.(whole suckling pig).  I was so excited about eating this.  When dad walked through the door carrying the pig there were lots of "oooh" and "aaahh"s from the guests.

Roast pig.  YUM! The meat was tender and flavourful.  The skin was so crispy

For hor d'oeuvres : salad wrapped in  prosciutto with honey and mustard dressing and prawn cocktail.

Pancit (Filipino noodles)

Potato Scallops

Pizza Pie 

Fried rice made by Sis-in-law

For dessert, I asked a few family members to bring something.

lime tart made by mum-in-law

butterscotch snaps with caramel topping made by another sis-in-law

delicious trifle made by my brother @MrEd2U

An Indonesian cake made by Thomas' Godmother

I made red velvet cake and decorated the Baptism cake.

Photographs by  @MrEd2U and @MrJamesMoore