A true marriage of East and West, this recipe incorporates tomato ketchup to great effect. This dish from southern China is often served at banquets and special occasions. As fresh lobster is sometimes unavailable I have also included a method to make this dish with frozen lobster.
Quick and easy to prepare, this oriental twist of a classic starter will impress your guests. I have used large frozen prawns but feel free to use any size prawn available from your local supermarket or shop.
Use a mixture of nuts for this recipe – I used cashews, almonds, walnuts and sesame seeds – but do cook them separately before adding the sweet chilli sauce. Very moorish so prepare plenty.
Here we use an ingredient not normally found in Western desserts – water chestnuts. Unusual and delicious it is suitable for people on a gluten or lactose free diet. Treat coconut milk as you would fresh cream.
<p>There are many ways to prepare this popular Szechuan dish. Traditionally the beef is stir-fried in a wok over low heat until crispy. A quicker method to achieve the same results is to deep fry the beef and then stir- fry it with the vegetables. All the vegetables in this dish are to be cut … Continued
This family favourite has three distinct flavours; sweet, spicy and sour. The sour note is achieved by adding tamarind, a popular ingredient used in the dishes of South East Asia and India. Traditionally this dish is cooked with belly pork and water convolvulus (also known as water spinach). If this vegetable is unavailable, replaced it … Continued
Pineapples grow in abundance in the Far East and the fruit is used extensively in the local cuisine. It is made into chutneys, jams, desserts and tarts. These pineapple jam tarts are usually made at Christmas and Chinese New Year but can be enjoyed all year round. Combined with a light buttery pastry they are … Continued
Agar agar is a quick gelling agent, made from seaweed and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. When cold the jelly is firm to the touch and can be handled. In this South East Asian recipe I have combined agar with coconut milk and palm sugar but do use gular melaka if available.
This purple, almost black rice is used in the Far East in desserts. Cooked with traditional pandan leaves and served with coconut milk, this pudding has a flavour all of its own. In this recipe we use pandan essence, which must be used sparingly, but do use the presh leaves if available. Soaking the rice … Continued
As Agar agar on its own does not have any calories, this is a healthy, low calorie desert. Made from seaweed it is also suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Here we have added the jelly to a fresh fruit salad for an interesting combination of textures.