Cabbage Rolls Soup

It has been quite some times since I've update this blog. I think it has been quite a while since my last experiments with food. Remember the last time I made Cabbage Wrap with Kimchi Paste? That was like 2 years ago! I thought I should try making cabbage rolls/wraps again. Instead of using Chinese cabbage, I opt for round cabbage this time. I have to say that Chinese Cabbage was easier to work with. Instead of serving them with spicy kimchi paste, I served this one with chicken soup instead. It's very healthy and delicious! 

Cabbage Rolls Soup

1 medium round cabbage

2 chicken breast - ground

1/2 cup mushroom - chopped

1 medium onion - chopped

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

black pepper

2 cups chicken stock

salt & pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cabbage leaves 2 minutes; drain.
2. In large bowl, combine ground chicken meat, chopped mushroom onion, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Marinade in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Place about 2 tbsp of meat mixture in center of each cabbage leaf (it actually depends on the size of your cabbage leaf), and roll up, tucking in ends. Steam the rolls for 10 minutes.
4. Arrange the steamed cabbage rolls in a soup pot and pour chicken stock. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
5. Sprinkle some parsley (optional) just before serving.

Tortilla Wraps

Well, I'm not really sure weather I should call this a Tortilla Wraps or Enchilada. The food did looked a bit like Enchilada. But the sauce really isn't Enchilada. But then, I never been to any Mexican restaurant, or taste any Enchilada before in my life, so I'm not quite sure. 

The thing is, I've seen a chef preparing Enchilada before, there were chicken and cheese involved. But I've never get to see the whole process of making Enchilada nor do I have a copy of the chef's recipe. Anyway, this dish is one of the simplest dish I've tried. The recipe is easy, and it taste delicious too... I made this during my brother's girlfriend visits XD

First, lay a tortilla on the board, and spread some tomato sauce on top.

Then, add the fillings.. I used mince beef, cooked with some diced tomato and some tortilla chips on top.

Roll them

Arrange them on tray, and spread more tomato sauce on top.

I had extra fillings left, and no tortilla, so I spread those fillings on top.

Sprinkle some mozzarella, and bake them in the oven until the cheese turned brown.

And.. this is how they looked like~

Gai Hor Bai Toey/Deep Fried Chicken wrapped in Pandan Leaves

I've always wanted to try making this Gai Hor Bai Toay. I've learned them while I was still in culinary school, and there was one Thai Chef coming to our school to demonstrate a few of Thailand cuisine. I thought that the wrapping procedure looks fun! A few of my classmate did get the experience to wrap the chicken with those Pandan/Screwpine leaves. I didn't. Well, we didn't have enough Pandan leaves to begin with. 

Ingredients

500g Chicken

60g Pandan Leaves

150ml Cooking Oil

100g Palm Sugar/Brown Sugar

20g Salt

3-5 nos Pandan Leaves - blended

Pandan/Screwpine Leaves

Toothpick

1. Cut the chicken into a small size. Then, marinate with cooking oil, palm sugar, salt, oyster sauce and with blended pandan leaves. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

2. After 10 minutes, put the chicken in the pandan leaves. Wrap it.

3. Steam the chicken for a while (about 2 to 5 minutes). You don't want to steam them too long, or your chicken gets dry. Then, deep fry the chicken.

Image from asianonlinerecipe

 
Sauce

100ml Water

50gm Shallot - finely chopped

40g Garlic - finely chopped

50g Brown Sugar

50ml Fish Sauce

50ml Dark Soy Sauce

100ml Coconut Milk

40g Dried Chili Powder

2 tbsp Tamarind Juice

1. Combine all ingredients in the pot, and simmer them until thick

I guess, the hardest part of making this dish is the wrapping part. I get confused, and I used too many toothpick in the first batch in wrapping them. After a few practice, the wrapping gets a lot easier.

Have fun!

Cabbage Wrap with Kimchi Paste

Cabbage Wrap and White Radishes with Kimchi Paste

I need to go on a diet. After a few months lazying around the house, I noticed that I've put up some weight. Then, my mother mentioned that my dad wanted to go on a diet too, and she needs to think of some menu for dieting. I thought that Cabbage Wrap is a good menu for dieting, and went around looking for the recipes.

However, I thought that the Cabbage Wrap looked somewhat plain. It needed some sort of dipping sauce, or gravy. I was thinking of something spicy, and remembered that cabbage would taste great in kimchi, and started to Google for some kimchi paste recipe on the internet.

The Cabbage Wrap with Kimchi Paste taste really good!! I thought that the kimchi paste was too spicy for my preferences, but after a while, I get addicted to the taste. I'm going to keep the recipe and try them again for sure!

Recipe:

2 medium size Chinese Cabbage
400g Ground Beef
1 Medium Carrot - diced/chopped
1 large Onion - chopped
1 clove garlic - chopped
Salt and Pepper

Kimchi Paste (Click for recipe)


Direction:

1. Combine ground beef with chopped carrot, garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
3. Boil a large pot of water on stove, and sprinkle some salt.
4. Pull the cabbage leaf off the head carefully. Blanch the leaves a few minutes until they're tender. Dry the blanched cabbage on the chopping board.
5. Take the ground beef mixture and place on the edge of the leave. Roll the leaf. Make sure that the beef mixture is fully covered.
6. Arrange the wrapped cabbage into a casserole bowl and pour the kimchi paste on top of the cabbage.
7. Put the dish on the oven, and bake for 10 minutes at 180ºC.