Gnocchi alla Romana

For 2 persons:

100g semolina flour
400ml milk
25g butter
1 egg yolk
50g grated parmesan cheese
1tsp grated nugmeg
olive oil
salt

1. Bring the milk to boil in a pot and melt the butter into it. Season with a teaspoon of salt and grated nutmeg.
2. Add the semolina flour and mix quickly to avoid clumping. Cook for a further minute until the semolina becomes a compact mixture.
3. Remove from heat, mix in the yolk and 40g of the grated cheese.
4. Smear some oil on a deep tray and once the semolina mixture has cooled enough to handle, use a spatula and make a 1cm thickness 'cake' in the tray. Use a glass or a cookie cutter to cut out disks of gnocchi.
5. Place the gnocchi in a baking tray, placing them so that they overlapping each other a little. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese, bake in an oven at 200C for 20 min, until a crunchy crust has formed.

Crostata

For 1 crostata:

- 125g unsalted butter
- 250g flour
- 80g sugar (white or brown)
- 2 egg yolks
- jam of choice

1. Mix room temperature butter and sugar into a cream.
2. Add the yolks to butter and mix evenly again.
3. Sift the flour and add all at once into the butter mixture.
4. Work with hands, mix the flour and butter into a neat dough.
5. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
6. Heat the oven to 180C, grease the baking tray with butter. Sprinkle a tb spoon of flour in the tray and shake the flour around to coat the tray. Discard excess flour at the end.
7. Cut 2/3 of dough and roll out thin enough to cover the whole base of the baking tray. Spoon over the jam of your choice (here I used figs jam).
8. Using the remaining 1/3 of dough, roll to long strips and lay them across the crostata. First make the outer ring then the central diameters before secondary lines.
9. Bake at 180C for approximately 30min till the dough looks slightly golden. Cool before serving!

滷豬腳 Taiwanese pig feet stew

Recipe adapted for rice cooker.
- pieces of pig feet/knuckles.
- 5 garlic cloves
- 3 chili
- 1 inch of ginger
- spring onion
- 1/2 cup soya sauce
- 1 cup rice wine
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 滷包 (twnese spice mix pouch)
- salt

1. Wash and boil the pig feet briefly to remove any dirt or hair fragments.
2. Roughly chop the ginger and spring onion to 4-5 chunks. Slightly crack each garlic clove.
3. Place all the ingredients: feet, chili, garlic, sugar, soya sauce, rice wine, spice mix and water into the rice cooker pot.
4. Cook! If you don't have a rice cooker, you can also stew the feet over medium-low flame until tender. For rice cooker, cook first with half a cup of water in the outer pot, then 1/3 cup again. Fish out the spice mix pouch after the first cooking stage to avoid overpowering taste.
5. Check that the stew is salty enough, add salt if required. Leave the feet overnight in the stew sauce, cook again for the final time next day with 1/3 cup water in the rice cooker (or over flame) to tenderize the skin.

Spinach (Palack) Paneer

Palak paneer
Originally uploaded by chowen

250g Spinach, cook in boiling water or microwave (2 mins)
150g Paneer, cut into pieces
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 inch Ginger
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 lemon or lime juice
2 tbsp butter
Salt

1. Cool and blend spinach to form a paste
2. Shallow fry paneer, till golden (for a healthier option, boil in salted water for 1 min), set aside
3. Heat butter (ghee) and fry the onion till golden brown
4. Add ginger, garlic, cumin and pepper. Mix well
5. Add spinach paste, salt and water
6. Mix in the cooked paneer and cook for a further few mins
7. Remove from heat, when cooled, add the lime juice

Sri Lankan Aubergine (Brinjal) Moju

Sri Lankan Moju
Originally uploaded by chowen

3-4 Aubergines, cut into 1 inch stripes, sprinkle with salt (marinate for 10-15 mins, squeeze out the water)
250g red onion, cut into chunks
1 tsp Ginger paste or grated ginger
6 cloves Garlic, crushed

Spices:
1 cinnamon
1 cardamon pod, crushed
Salt
1 tsp tamarind, dissolve in 1 cup hot water to make the pulp
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Chilli powder (optional) or 1 tsp pepper powder instead of chilli
1/4 tsp tumeric

1. Deep fry the aubergine in oil, drain grease on paper
2. Heat 1 tsp oil in pan and fry the spices (cinnamon, cardamon) 
3. Add onion, ginger, garlic, chilli or pepper powder
4. When cooked, add tamarind pulp and tumeric
5. Reduce heat and add sugar
6. Fold in the aubergines, mix well
7. Cook further on low heat for a further few minutes until all the flavours have been absorbed

Chilli paneer and Chapati

Chilli paneer
Originally uploaded by chowen

Chapati
Wholewheat flour 250g
Salt 1 tsp
Oil/Butter 1 tbsp
Water (as needed)

1. Sieve flour and add salt/oil/water to make it into a stiff dough
2. Divide into 10-15 balls and roll out flat
3. Fry in a pan (without oil), turning on either side occasionally. Alternatively place under the grill for approx. 2 mins

Chilli paneer
Paneer cheese (alternatively solid cottage cheese) 250g
3 Onions, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
Ginger/Garlic paste: blend 1 inch Ginger piece with 4 Garlic cloves
Coriander leaves (1 bunch)
pinch of Tumeric powder (optional)
Chilli powder
1 Cinnamon
2 Cardamon pods
Cumin seeds - some
Oil/salt

1. Boil paneer in salted water for 1 min, drain
2. Shallow fry the paneer till golden
3. In the meantime, blend ginger and garlic together
4. Fry onions in oil till it turns transparent, add chopped tomatos till cooked. Blend with the ginger/garlic paste and coriander leaves. Mix well.
5. Fry cinnamon, cardamon and cumin seeds in a little oil, add the above, chilli powder, tumeric and salt. Cook for a further few minutes
6. Add water and simmer
7. Mix in the Paneer, cook for a further few minutes
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with chapati

Teriyaki chicken with wild rice and fresh vegetables

Teriyaki chicken with wild rice and fresh vegetables
Originally uploaded by chowen

- Marinate 3-4 chicken thigh in teriyaki sauce
- slice 2 spring onion
- prepare fresh vegetables: broccoli and soya beans
- cook rice according to packet

1. pan fry chicken on high heat until browned (2-3 mins on either side), then turn low heat till cooked through, keep a lid on (5-8 mins)
2. place vegetables in salted boiling water, mix lightly in goose fat
3. sprinkle spring onion and/or toasted sesame seeds
4. left over sauce can be used to mix in the rice for added flavour!

Crab pasta

Crab pasta
Originally uploaded by chowen

- shredded crab (cooked) using fresh or crab stick
- crush 1 boiled egg
- olive oil
- salt & pepper

1. cook pasta according to packet instructions
2. once cooked, mix in the crab meat and egg
3. drizzle olive oil on top and season with salt & pepper

dahl

dahl
Originally uploaded by chowen

- 2 cups of red lentil
- 1 onion, chopped finely
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- salt & pepper, cumin seed

1. Soak lentil in water for 10-20 mins (cook faster if soaked)
2. Cook high till boiling, then turn low and cook till the lentil 'splits'
3. mix in salt, onion and garlic
4. add cinnamon and cumin
5. Cook for a further couple of minutes, then finish with cumin seed and ground pepper

Chicken briyani

Chicken briyani
Originally uploaded by chowen

- 1 cup of rice, cooked
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small piece ginger, sliced
- 2 tomatos, cut into wedges
- 500g chicken breast or thigh fillet, cut into chunks

- 1-2 tbsp curry powder
- 1/4 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp tumeric
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 4 cardamon pods
- saffron (small amount)
- fresh coriander (optional)

1. Fry onion in a little oil until browned, add garlic, ginger and continue stirring (3-5 mins)
2. Add chicken, mix in chili curry powder, salt, garam masala, and tomato wedges, cook on low heat (10 mins)
3. Mix in tumeric, bay leaves, cardamon and saffron into the cooked rice (2 mins)
4. Mix both the rice and chicken on an oven dish and place it in the oven for 10 mins
5. sprinkle fresh coriander and serve with natural yoghurt

親子丼

親子丼
Originally uploaded by chowen

Easy dish using left over food and is quick to make.

200g chicken strips
1 chili
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp black sesame
2 spring onions, cut sideways
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp mirin

1. stir fry the spring onions in a little bit of oil on high heat, when sizzling, add the chicken
2. fry the chicken on medium heat, until cooked
3. add freshly cut chili (add this in step 1 to make it spicier)
4. mixed all together with some sesame oil and mirin, cook for a further minute
5. pour the egg over the dish, cook first on high heat until the egg sauce starts to solidify, turn on low heat - fluff the egg gently by running the spatula along the pan
6. serve on top of plain rice and sprinkle black sesame on top

beef lasagna

lasagna
Originally uploaded by chowen

400g beef mince
250g tomato sauce (chunks or mixture of paste and sauce)
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 tbsp chopped parsley
salt & pepper to season
6-8 lasagna sheets - soaked for at least 15 mins
2 cups mozzarella

Cheese filling / white sauce
300g ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg
2 tsp parsley

1. fry onion and garlic in some oil until lightly browned, add minced beef
2. when beef looks cooked (no blood on the meat), add the tomato sauce
3. stir in sugar, fennel seed, parsley in to the meat sauce
Simmer for 20 mins

White sauce:
1. mix ricotta cheese with nutmeg
2. add an egg and parsley and blend with a whisker

Layering and baking
1. line the bottom of the lasagna dish with meat sauce
2. place sheets of lasagna on top of the meat sauce
3. cheese filling and a thin layer of mozzarella

Cover with foil and bake at 170c for 20 mins
Uncover and bake a further 20 mins