Gettin' loco with.. Mojito

Mojito (pronounced [mo.hi.to])

The Mojito is a traditional Cuban cocktail. It is light and refreshing for a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

12oz Rum
12 Spearmint leaves
24oz Club soda
1/2 Lime
Tbs Sugar

Directions:

Muddle mint leaves and lime juice and a splash of club soda in a glass. Fill glass with ice and add remaining club soda and rum. Stir ingredients together. Garnish glass with lime wedge and mint leave. Also try making the mojito in a pitcher, this allows the flavors to mix better.

Variations:

The Mojito is a good drink to experiment with! Try adding new flavors like muddling strawberries with the mint or using a flavored rum to change the taste. Some recommended flavors to try are Apple, Melon, Orange and Raspberry.

Satay..

I'd love eating satay, this is a malaysian version of our local bar-b-q here, but this one tastes different with its peanut sauce. Have a try to cook this one this is easy as ABC!

INGREDIENTS for Satay:

• 1 lb beef [tenderloin, rib eye or flank steak]
• 1 lb boneless chicken [preferably dark meat]
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 12 shallots
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 inch turmeric root [kunyit basah] [Substitute: galangal, lengkuas in Malay, or if both unavailable, substitute with fresh ginger]
• 1 tsp white peppercorn
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp belacan , also spelt belachan or blacan [dried shrimp paste]

To Prepare Satay:

• Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind shallots, garlic, turmeric root [or galangal, or ginger], peppercorn, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and belacan into a paste
• Add turmeric powder and sugar to the paste, and mix well. [This is the satay marinade]
• Slice beef and chicken into thin long strips, and place into separate containers. To each meat, add half each of the satay marinade, and mix well to evenly coat the strips of meat
• MARINATE the beef and chicken strips for at least 3-4 hours. Best if marinated overnight [refrigerated]
• Treadle 3 to 5 strips of meat onto each bamboo skewer, leaving 3 to 4 inch bare at the 'handle end'
• Grill satays on a hot charcoal bbq grill, indoor grill or on a stovetop grill pan until golden brown. Turn and baste often with the sugar & oil mixture, preferably with your homemade 'lemongrass brush'
• Serve Satay with a small bowl of satay peanut sauce for dipping, and the cucumber & onion wedges on the side. Satay is often served with Ketupat, [a Malay rice cake]

To Prepare Satay Peanut Sauce:

• Using a mortar & pestle or blender, grind chili paste, onions, garlic, candlenuts, belacan and lemongrass into a paste
• In a bowl, add warm water to tamarind pulp. Using your fingers, squish and mix the tamarind pulp to extract ‘juice’. Strain to discard seeds and fibers
• In a saucepan, heat oil, add ground paste, sauté until quite toasted, and oil starts to seep out
• Add tamarind juice, bring to a boil, add coconut milk, sugar and salt to taste. Bring sauce to boil again, then reduce to slowly simmer for 10 mins
• Add pounded peanuts, simmer for another 5 to 10 mins, or until the sauce reaches a ‘thickness’ to your liking [Note: Add more coconut milk if sauce becomes too thick, and if sauce is too thin, simmer longer]

Serve satay peanut sauce warm, or at room temperature, in a small bowl as an accompaniment for dipping the satays. It is great for dipping Ketupat, [a Malay rice cake], often served with satay

NOT the usual Team Building..

This is one of the best team building I've ever been to... not the usual show and tell, reminiscing your past, or renewing yourselves type the usual theme for a team building that doesn't build a team. But this one rocks! COOKING yes you heard it right.. weird duh?! and i find it great, team effort and yet showing your culinary creativity. We have cooked different Malay and Singapore cuisines and eat-what-you-have-cooked after. The trick is, if dont cooked it well then you end up with empty stomach haha. Here's my team, of course me, Mahmud from Bangladesh, Suttee and Tosaporn from Thailand.

Kinilaw..

As posted on my "pinakurat" post, heres my kinilaw recipe..

- 1 kl fresh fish (I prefer tangigue)
- 2 cups of coconut vinegar
- 250ml of suka pinakurat
- challot
- scallions
- sili espada
- Kalamansi
- ginger
- gata (optional)
- mangang hilaw (optional)
- salt to taste

Slice fish into dice and set aside. Slice challot, scallions, ginger, sili espada the way you like (i prefer minced) then set aside.
Soak fish in coconut vinegar for about 2-3 mins. On a casserole, lay down the diced fish (without the vinegar) together with the spices and the suka pinakurat then mix it with your barehands (thats the secret of its wild taste!) You may squeeze as many kalamansi and chili as you want depends on your preferences. Then salt to taste and your ready to go with your kinilaw!

Optional
- You can add a cup of concentrated " gata" for a different taste.
- Chopped manggang hilaw will also compliment the vinegar and great for extenders!

On my personal preferences, i opt not to add the gata and manggang hilaw.

Pinakurat!

Great things start from small beginnings. This is the story behind the famous vinegar nowadays.. "SUKA PINAKURAT". I myself is a self confessed pinakurat fanatic! One of my famous recipe that my family and friends craving for is "Kinilaw" (il be posting a recipe for this later) and yes you heard it right kinilaw is everywhere and everybody can prepare kinilaw. But whats with my kinilaw? But one thing that makes my kinilaw special is it soaked with Pinakurat!

Ka-Toque TV!

Ive been hooked with guys every Saturdays at 11am-12.. I always make sure to watch every episodes of them. Whoooa man this guys can cook with attitude from conventional dishes to complicated even experimental! See it for yourself and got to know what i mean! Saturdays at QTV channel 27 11am.

Native Chicken Halang Halang

Hangover? This chilly soup will blast your post alcohol influenced body and goes back to normal after a sip of it!

Ingredients :

1 whole native chicken (about 1 k.), cut into serving pieces
3 chayote, skinned, cored and cut into wedges the same size as the chicken pieces
1 head of garlic, finely minced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, sliced
1 onion, halved then sliced thinly
1 tbsp. of cooking oil
2 c. of gata (coconut cream)
1 sili espada (hot chili, big variety), optional
a handful of sili leaves
water
patis (fish sauce, Rufina Patis will do)

Cooking procedure :

Heat a large saucepan or casserole. Pour in the cooking oil and heat until smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook over high heat for a few minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, onion slices and siling haba. Season with 4 tbsp. of patis. Cook, stirring, until the onion slices are soft. Pour in a cup of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chayote wedges and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. Pour in the coconut cream. Add more patis, is necessary. Bring to a soft boil then turn off the heat. Place the sili leaves on top, cover and leave for the flavors to infuse for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

The LousyChef Experience..
Do you have "bahaw"? this would compliment the hot soup and tastes even better!