chilli Archives - Sugar et al

Fish Cake Salad with Chilli Caramel Dressing

1|07|2014

I absolutely adore Asian fish cakes. I make them often and if you happen to visit me, chances are high that they are the first thing you will be served at my place. My husband is pretty sure it has something to do with the name:-) I can’t deny that (I couldn’t stop smiling when my little one victoriously retorted ‘C is for Cake’ while learning alphabets) but the truth is that the balance of sweet, sour, spicy flavours is what make them so unique. Other than eating them with a lovely dipping sauce, I like to add them to sandwiches, wraps, salads or atop fried rice.

The beauty of this salad is in the fish cakes and the dressing. It sounds like a lot of work for a salad but really it isn’t. The ingredients for the fish cakes are thrown into the food processor, mixed together, shaped into cakes and fried. The chilli caramel dressing is also easy to make by heating the ingredients together in a saucepan till they thicken up in to a sticky caramel. You can go with any vegetable and herbs that you have at hand.

The best way to enjoy the salad is assembling it when the fish cakes are warm. You can of course make them ahead and warm them up just before serving. The sticky caramel coats the cakes and turns into the most amazing dressing that is so typical of Asian flavours. These fish cakes can also be served on their own with the salad on the side. If doing so, the cakes can be made larger in size. I have made them smaller for the purpose of adding them to salad.

Fish Cake Salad with Chilli Caramel Dressing
Serves 4

500 g firm white fish fillets
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 red chilli (optional)
1/2 cup coriander leaves
a handful, chives
1 tsp ground turmeric (optional)
1 tbsp. fish sauce
salt, to taste
1 egg
shaved baby cucumber, to serve
2 medium tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (optional)
fresh herbs (coriander, basil, chives), to serve

Chilli Caramel Dressing( makes about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1tbsp fish sauce
juice from 1 lime

For the fish cakes: Place fish, garlic, ginger, chilli, coriander, chives, turmeric, fish sauce and egg in a food processor. Process until well combined. Place in a bowl and season with salt.
Using 2 tablespoons of mixture at a time, shape mixture into small patties.

Fill a wok with oil till 1/3 full. Heat over medium heat until hot. Cook fish cakes, in batches, turning, for 5 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

To make the dressing: combine sugar, vinegar, garlic, chilli and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes or until thickened and reduced. Remove from heat, then stir in fish sauce and lime juice. Loosely cover and leave to cool.

To assemble, slice the fish cakes in half and place on a plate (or bowl). Add the vegetables and herbs and gently toss to combine. Add dressing just before serving. Combine.

Garlic and Chilli Prawn Spaghetti

8|12|2013

I could eat cookies for all meals and still have an appetite for more. But in a house full of boys that may not be the ideal scenario. They are on the look out for ‘real food’ and sadly cookies don’t fit into that category. So a tiny little break from Cookies!

By now, you already know how much we love noodles and such things. Whether in Asian recipes or in its Italian form…noodles/pasta are a staple in our house. Though personally I prefer the fettuccine or pappardelle over spaghetti, it is the most obvious choice for kids. So we have a kid friendly version of this recipe minus the chillies and really hot one with lots of dry chilli flakes for the adults.

This is again a recipe that is ready under 15 minutes and yet filling and full of flavour. And this dish just confirm the fact that you don’t need a lot of ingredients to come up with a tasty meal. Substitute the prawns with your favourite meat if you want to and adjust the heat to your liking. You could use fresh red chillies too. I like to add dried chilli flakes for texture and I find it easier to include it in a meal at the last-minute.

Garlic and Chilli Prawn Spaghetti
(adapted with variation from Donna Hay, Fast, Fresh, Simple)
Serves 2-3

200g spaghetti, angel hair or linguine
1tbsp butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
10-15 small uncooked prawns (fresh or frozen), cleaned
1 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
2 tbsp. tomato puree or passata
a few flat leaf parsley leaves, roughly torn
salt and cracked pepper for seasoning

Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and keep warm.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil and cook until butter has melted. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for two minutes. Add the prawns and cook, stirring for 3 minutes or until prawns are tender. Add the tomato puree, pasta, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the pan and toss to combine. Serve warm.

Ginger and Chilli Chicken Dumpling Soup

23|11|2013

Every time I talk about rains in my posts, it is followed by comfort food. Today is no different. It has rained all of this week keeping us indoors, craving for some fresh air. The little sunshine that followed almost tricked me into believing that the weather has improved and twice I found myself caught in the middle of a heavy downpour, racing home to save my head.

In such situations, I have learnt to treasure a warm bowl of soup. Especially the ones which make a meal by itself. More importantly, the ones that come together quickly. This Asian flavoured soup has no added fats…the chicken dumplings are put together in minutes and poached in the broth. I did tell you how much I rely on minced meat or chicken to come up with simple and quick meals. While I am making the dumplings, the noodles gets cooked on another burner…drain, rinse and add to the broth. That simple. The flavours are gorgeous..ginger-y…so refreshing and warm.

If you are sharing this with children, remove the chillies. Add them separately to your meal like I do. If you find the mince mixture too soft to shape into dumplings, add a tbsp of rice flour. The dumplings cook pretty fast. Take care not to overcook them. 3-4 minutes on either side should do. You can break open one to check. If cooked correctly, they will be juicy and soft. Kecap Manis is a sweet Indonesian Soya Sauce..if not available at hand, you can use equal measures of regular soya sauce and palm sugar or honey. Bok Choy also referred to as Chinese cabbage is extensively used in Asian cuisine. If you do not have access to it, substitute with spring onions, basil or coriander.

Ginger and Chilli Chicken Dumpling Soup
Serves 4

For the dumplings
400 g chicken mince
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 egg white (small)
a handful, coriander leaves, finely chopped

For the broth
4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp red chillies, finely sliced
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp Kecap Manis
Salt to taste

To Serve
Noodles (Udon or rice noodles cooked as per instructions on the pack..I used Udon Noodles)
4 baby Bok Choy, leaves separated
Extra red chillies, to serve

Prepare the noodles following packet directions or until tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, place the chicken, egg white, ginger, coriander and sweet chilli sauce together in a bowl. Using wet hands shape a tablespoon of mixture into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture.

Place the stock, lime juice, Kecap Manis, ginger, sliced chilli, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the chicken balls gradually and cook turning once in between (3-4 minutes on each side) or until cooked through.

Add the Bok Choy to the pan and cook for 30 seconds or until Bok Choy just wilts. Divide the noodles and dumpling soup among serving bowls. Garnish with extra chillies. Serve immediately.