Tagliatelle al Gamberetti e Calamari



The first impression I had about pasta was from Pizza Hut. Obviously not a nice experience to start with. Then I tried cooking my own with a bottle of Dolmo spaghetti sauce. Very soon I began wondering why people would eat pasta in the first place. I was convinced that Marco Polo must have got things upside down when he brought home that nest of Chinese noodles. Until I tried the authentic Italian pasta (somewhere in Italy, of course), I didn’t realize I'd been so wrong and missed out the whole truth about this five-letter word.

Cooking pasta is all about time, nothing more or less. Ingredients are simple and few. To get that “al dente” quality, you must get the timing unforgivingly right. The most critical part of the cooking process lasts for just about five minutes. You can either glorify or ruin it in five minutes!

This recipe is similar to the one I did here in October 2006, Tagliatelle al Cappesante con Basilico. I only have the scallops replaced by prawns and squids, and white Shimeji mushrooms instead of brown. They are the best choices of ingredient for making seafood pasta, in my experience. Get those medium-sized sea prawns with rich roes inside their heads. They offer an excellent natural ingredient for the sauce. You’ll also get that golden-red color that will drive your appetite up to the roof.

Ingredients, for a single serving:
1. 2 nests of tagliatelle (fresh is better, but dried just fine);
2. sea prawns with rich roes;
3. fresh squids;
4. white Shimeji mushrooms;
5. 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped;
6. 1 small cube of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; and of course
7. a bunch of fresh basil.

Remove the shells of the prawns. Slice them gently on the top and get their intestines out (be careful not to squeeze their roes out!). Clean the squids, remove their skins, and slice them diagonally from top to bottom to get thinner layers.

Bring tagliatelle to a fast boil and add sea-salt for 4 minutes. Leave the lid open and stir occassionally.

Heat up the pan with garlic and extra virgin olive oil. I have found a Berndes 12-inch wok an excellent equipment for cooking this pasta. It adds a dose of “Chinese wok-spirits” to the final outturn.

Bring the prawns, squids and a bit of butter in. Let them simmered in medium heat for ½ minute. Bring in the Shimeji mushrooms and stir them all gently for another minute.

The tagliatelle should be done and drained by now (don’t rinse with cold water). Pour it over the prawns and squids. Stir-fry them gently altogether for one more minute in high-medium heat.

Lower the heat to medium. Grind some white-and-black pepper and half a cube of Parmigiano Reggiano. Turn off the heat. Give it another gentle stir.

Bring everything onto a warm plate. Garnish generously with fresh Italian basil. A few more drops of extra olive oil, another grind of pepper and it’s done. A glass of Chardonnay will promise to make this pasta sing!

Grilled Sardine Chinese Style



It is very unusual to find a live one-feet long sardine in the local market here. This sardine was an absolute beauty - bright colors and thick trunk. I knew instantly this would make a beautiful dinner.

Sardines are named after the island of Sardinia, where they were once found in abundance. Found in shoals throughout the Atlantic and Mediterranean, sardines have a silver skin and a rich-flavoured flesh that is dark in colour. Sardines are common also in the Pacific seas. However, they do not find their place in the Chinese cooking culture. The Chinese always prefer steamed fishes. Steaming a sardine does not produce good results. It's probably why local fishermen don't often catch them, and they are cheap in our market.

According to Wikipedia, sardines play an important role in Portuguese culture. Having been a people who depended heavily on the sea for food and commerce, the Portuguese have a predilection for fish in their popular festivities. The most important is Saint Anthony's day, 13th June, when the biggest popular festival takes place in Lisbon, taking the people to the streets where grilled sardines are the snack of choice. Almost every place in Portugal, from Figueira da Foz to Portalegre, or from Póvoa de Varzim to Olhão has the summertime popular tradition of eating grilled sardines. In Macau (45 minutes on a ferry from Hong Kong), sardines are easily available due to the Portugese influences. Traditional Portugese or Macanese restaurants always serve grilled sardines or mackerels.

This time however I'm going to add a little twist to the traditional recipe, by bringing a considerable balance of Chinese elements.

The ingredients - always as minimal as they can be:
1. a whole fresh sardine, keeping its head and tail intact;
2. slices of ginger, finely shredded;
3. two garlic gloves, finely chopped not crushed;
4. a handful of coriander, chopped; and
5. extra-virgin olive oil and extra-virgin soya-sauce.

Marinate the sardine with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil, sea-salt, ground pepper, ginger, garlic and a gentle touch of flour, preferably for an hour or two.

Heat up the pan to a grilling temperature. Toss the sardine onto the pan, lower the temperature slightly and leave one side grilled for about 5 minutes. Keep it still and don't try to move it while it's being cooked.

Turn around the fish and give it another 4 minutes. Quickly move it to a warm plate. Garnish the fish with coriander on top, and sprinkle more extra-virgin olive oil. Last but not least, a nice gentle splash of extra-virgin soya-sauce and one last grind of black-and-white pepper! Best served with a bottle of young sauvignon blanc or riesling!

Strawberry-banana Crepes



Simple, fresh ingredients. A cupful of cappuccino. A straight 15-minute labour for a whole sunday afternoon.

Ingredients:
1. one egg;
2. 3/4 cup of milk;
3. 1/2 cup of flour;
4. strawberry, banana, maple syrup and vanilla ice-cream.

Beat egg, milk, flour and a bit of water in a mixing bowl. To keep the crepes thin, the mix should be quite waterly - never sticky. Melt a teaspoon of butter on a frying pan. Lift and tilt pan to keep the butter coated evenly over the pan. Use a tiny piece of kitchen towel to spread it when necessary.

Turn up the heat. Pour in the batter and let it spread thinly and evenly over the pan. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer.

Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to the pan as needed. Slice banana and strawberry into shapes of your choice. Spread them all over the crepes. Add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. A few drops of maple syrup in a final touch.

Vietnamese Sausages



I have to change my opinion about Vietnamese sausages. Never tried the authentic Vietnamese sauages until GM5 gave me two rolls. She brought them all the way from Vietnam. Wrapped in banana leaves, they were incredibly fresh and full of texture and nuances. The sausages I find here in Hong Kong are all frozen, MSG-contaminated and taste uninspiring.

I sliced them thin and pan-grilled them for a minute or so. Vermicelli and veggeis were prepared in chicken broth at the same time. A straight 15-minute labour. The key is of course finding those sausages.

A Minimalist Approach to Make a Singaporean Laksa



I spent two days in Singapore just before Christmas. It wasn't for holiday though. Things were fairly tight. I didn't have time enough to venture beyond the area I was staying. But there's one thing I have always tried to accomplish - shop for the most exotic cooking ingredients and bring them home.

I've been to Singapore many times. The best foods there are found not at the restaurants but the local food or hawker centers. Cheap, nice, clean, unflattering and unpretentious. Laksa, bak kut teh (pork rib tea), Hokkien fried noodles, Hainanese chicken, to name but a few.

This time I brought home with bags of laksa paste, among other things (some were confiscated at the airport, unfortunately). On the Boxing Day, I invited my friends/neighbours to come around and try.

Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup from Peranakan culture, which is a merger of Chinese and Malay elements found in Malaysia and Singapore. I have tried the laksa from both locations. And honestly I find the Singaporean laksa better (don't ask me why).

The origin of the name "laksa" is unclear. The name may originate from the Sanskrit word laksha (लक्ष), meaning "many" (in modern Hindi, lakh, or 100,000) and referring to the soup's countless ingredients (including dried chillies, purple ginger, yellow ginger, lemon grass, candlenuts, dried prawns, shallots and garlic). Another proposition traces it back to Hindi/Persian lakhshah, referring to a type of vermicelli.

Because this thing is made with so many of such and such ingredients, it's obviously against the principles of this blog. Nevertheless, the author of this blog loves it so much that he feels obliged to be a little more innovative. To save the trouble of bringing those thousand ingredients together, I have gone to search for a single laksa paste that can do the magic and, at the same time, must be made from non-artificial ingredients. After rounds of attempts, I have found this particular one from Singapore. It contains no preservatives and MSG (and hence has to be consumed within weeks from purchase). It has 4 to 5 servings in a pack. So I rounded up a few buddies for a spicy Christmas experience.

The ingredients - sorry, still quite many:
1. one packet of XXX'X laksa paste;
2. 1/3 litre of coconut milk;
3. dried shrimps;
4. vermicelli or flat rice-noodles;
5. whole sea prawns;
6. squid balls;
7. fish cake, sliced;
8. boiled eggs, shell removed and sliced;
9. fried beancurds;
10. a bunch of white shimeji mushrooms;
11. a bunch of beansprouts; and
12. Thai basil for garnishing.

Cook vermicelli first, rinse well and leave it well drained. Bring 3 to 4 bowls of water and laksa paste into boil, followed by coconut milk and dried shrimps. Add a teaspoonful of sea-salt and cook over low heat for 2 minutes until goldenly fragrant.

Bring the soup to high heat. Throw in prawns, squid balls, fish cake and mushrooms first for 2 minutes, followed by beancurds and beansprouts for another minute.

Vermicelli now sits ready in the bowl. Pour the soup and everything in. Place the eggs on top, garnish with Thai basil (always!), and it's done. Best served with a cold malt or white beer!

Risotto Nero Colle Seppie

I don't remember when I started taking squid ink seriously. Squids are quite popular in our Chinese cooking culture. Deep-fry with salt and pepper, stir-fry with black beans and chillies, steam with garlic and ginger, etc, etc. But no one would ever think of cooking and eating their ink. It is something considered dirty and hideous in our culture.

I know it's an idea from the Europeans but still don't know exactly who started turning squid ink into a cooking ingredient. I suppose it was the Spaniards or the Italians. I have also heard, in Venice, this squid ink risotto is one of their hallmark dishes.

I was deeply attracted by the blackness of this "gravelly tar" and, given my madness about pasta and risotto, I decided to give it a play in my kitchen. My recipe is somewhat different from the traditional one, keeping it simple and easy. And all ingredients can be found in this part of the world.

1. 1/2 kg of whole fresh squids or cuttlefishs;
2. 1 garlic clove, finely chopped;
3. 2 cups of Japanese short-grain sushi rice, leaving it dry;
4. 1/2 litre of boiling fish or chicken broth;
5. a crown of white Shimeji mushrooms;
6. 1 cube of Parmigiano Reggiano, grated; and
7. a handful of basil, finely chopped.

Get those baby squids if you can. They are the best. Clean the squids by removing eyes, beak and transparent quill. Remove and reserve the ink sac. It can break easily. So be extra gentle with it.

You may peel off the skin too, but I'll just leave it if the squids are fresh enough. Cut them into strips or cubes. Rinse the mushrooms and chop them also into small cubes.

Heat up a small cooking pot with extra virgin olive oil. Toss rice and garlic into the pot (I don't put garlic first to prevent the bitterness from developing). Cook over moderate heat until golden, stirring from time to time. Turn up the heat a little and toss squids and mushrooms into the rice. Keep stirring. This part should take about 15 mins.

Add in a ladleful of boiling broth and the ink. Add sea-salt and fresh ground pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. Stirring constantly and add spoonfuls of broth from time to time.

Finally, stir in the cheese, remove from heat and let rice rest for a minute or two, covered.

Stir once more with pepper and garnish with generous amount of basil. Best serve with a bowl of salad and a glass of fruity red. This risotto is so rich in aromas and succulence. Nevertheless, your teeth and tongue will too be tainted black, not an ideal choice of dinner if you're making it on a date!

Yin, Yang and Yam

"Don’t take the silence of the yams as a sign that they have nothing valuable to say about health."

Those yams have been left cold on the bench. The whole month of June has just been hectic!

I don't remember when exactly yams became a regular part of my diet. According to the fanatic cook, yams are highly nutritious. Each cup of yam contains almost 7g of fiber, a nice amount when we are working towards 30 or 40g a day. And, what's even more amazing is how much beta carotene it contains. There's no RDA for beta carotene, but 12mg is thought to provide enough vitamin A. A cup of yam gives you 23mg already! Beta carotene does two jobs. First, it can be converted into vitamin A, whose benefits include good vision, bone health, immunity and moist glowing skin. Second, it roams the body scavenging free radicals, effectively acting as an antioxidant.

Yam is quite filling. A small piece of it can well serve half of my dinner. So, after a hectic day of work, I eat a piece of yam along with simple stuff like a small bowl of noodles. Baking a yam is a good simple idea but I prefer something more soothing. A yam soup dessert always finds its place on my dining table.

It's a very Cantonese way to make it. The ginger and the brown sugar go just perfectly well with yams.

Get those purple ones if you can. Their succulence can drive you mad. Go for the yellow ones if you want those starchy egg-yolk touches in your mouth.

Peel off the skin and chop the yam into chewable pieces. Bring them to the boil for 15 mins with generous slices of ginger. Add a chunk of brown sugar, give it another 5 and it's done!

In Chinese philosophy, we have yin to represent the female principle of the universe (dark and negative) and yang to do the male side (light and positive). That silent, delicate spectrum inbetween... I think we literally call it yam!

Fresh Catch on the Grass



Getting sufficient omega-3 has never been a problem for me. I eat fishes and leaves on a regular basis. Especially at the end of each week, there's always a fish on my dining table.

I've been eating fishes since, no, before I was born. My mum loves eating fish so much. Not a day has passed without a fish on her chopboard. When I was still a foetus, I must have been taking in a lot of omega-3. When I was a toddler, I used to play with the fishes mum bought home (in this part of the world, people prefer live fishes). When I was a kid, I started going to the wet market to get fishes for the family. When I was a teenager, I was doing most of mum's jobs. In short, this seemingly uninspiring creature means a good lot to me.

Here in Tung Chung, we have fresh catches from the surrounding waters and sold in the market everyday. Those who don't know where Tung Chung (東涌) is, it's a town in Lantau Island, not far from the international airport of Hong Kong. It was a fisherman's village back few decades ago, before the airport was built. Although it's an entirely different make-up now, if you travel a bit down west and south, you'll still see the old charms of Tung Chung and other parts of the Island.

This fish is one of the catches from this part of the sea. This time of the year, it's the best season for many species, especially the snappers. And this one, Lentjan (海連尖), roughly classified as a snapper family member, is my all-time favourite.

Bought live from the market here over the weekend. A few avid supporters of this blog would instantly know this creature has appeared here before. This fish is probably the most underrated species in the market. She never appears on restaurant's menu. She never draws the attention of the majority of the cooks. She is rarely barely on anyone's list. But, of course, to make her appearance here twice, she must possess a meaningful degree of charm.


Again, this fish was a live catch. I was able to do a bit of sashimi. And its size was big enough for me to add a few twists to an usual cooking recipe. Remember the "Pan-grilled Lentjan with a Double-lime Twist" back last August, I was using lime leaves, garlic, ginger and extra virgin olive oil as a marinate. Here, I kicked out the garlic, reduced the role of lime leaves and ginger and brought in the grass.

Let's see the ingredients, nothing extravagant:
1. two straws of lemongrass, remove the top and bottom parts and chop them finely; and
2. tiny bit of ginger and lime leaves, finely shredded;

Use a real sharp knife to slice off the meat from the fish (I had literally gone through a whole sharpening process). The meat was so super fresh. I made myself a small piece of sashimi. With a drop of soya sauce, it was gorgeously sweet. This act is not encouraged, however, as water in the wet market is most likely contaminated.

Okay, marinate the meat with lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger, extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of flour, sea-salt and fresh ground pepper (preferably a mix of white and black). Leave it for one hour.

Heat up the pan to a grilling temperature, with a few drops of oil. Toss the fish onto the pan. The skin side should be on top first. Leave it for 2 minutes, until it gets "toasted". Lower the heat a little. Turn over and give it another minute.

Give it some more fresh pepper and it's done! Sprinkle a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. Fresh lime juice is entirely optional. That night, I had the usual Chinese green, also from the local soil, to go with. Omega-3 never runs short, not on me.

With this fish and this recipe, I never bother to make a sauce. The ingredients are just enough to bring out the flavours of the fish while keeping its tenderness intact. When served with a fresh cut grass sauvignon blanc, the charm of this fish will start flirting with your taste buds. And you will forever be begging for more!

滿 城 盡 帶 黃 金 蝦
Curse of the Golden Shrimps



較早時候, 看過"滿城盡帶黃金甲"這齣戲. 一齣以皇朝宮廷作背景嘅電影, 當然有基本的權力、慾念和貪婪嘅元素.

整齣戲是這些東西穿穿插插, 在糾纏不清, 覺得有点悶納的時間, 那一刻, 在我腦裡, 竟想起這碟餸.

金黃香滑豐郁的外衣, 裡面卻是幼嫩甜美的蝦肉, 蝦頭裡也有金黃香濃的蝦羔. 咬它一口, 是慾望的投射, 是詛咒的伸延.

弄這口黃金蝦, 只用上三數样材料, 簡單不過. 也不消十數分鐘.

好, 先睇睇材料...

1. 適量海中蝦, 一定要海蝦, 養殖蝦不該出現;
2. 咸蛋黃兩個, 黃金的精髓就是從咸蛋黃而來;
3. 適量葱、紅辣椒(去核)、少許蒜, 全部砌碎備用.

先剪去蝦頭刺手的部份, 備用.

將咸蛋煮熟, 取黃, 再碎成粉狀. 將蝦混在蛋黃之中, 加少許鹽和胡椒粉.

強火起鑊, 將蒜爆一爆. 隨即放蝦, 將火弄低, 輕煎蝦的兩面, 大概每面兩分鐘. 最後放葱及辣椒, 輕炒多一分鐘, 即成!

吃蝦慣常會喝白酒, 但吃黃金蝦, 紅酒更為適合, Pinot Noir甚至是大紅Shiraz都可以.

在糾纏不清的時間, 總會把鑊鏟拿來. 黃金蝦的詛咒, 我心甘, 也情願噢!

The Right-sized Stir Fry





















I know it’s just a matter of time I’ll be a vegetarian. I eat less and less meat these days. When I do have, it’s most often a light touch of seafood. Red meat has been a rare choice of my diet.

On a typical weekday, I can’t but reach out for lunch. The meat proportion is usually large. My stomach would be telling me “enough for today!”

So, back home cooking for dinner, I have developed a natural tendency to minimize the meat portion. It’s not unusual really that I would have a complete vegetarian diet. Besides, vegetables can be kept much longer than meat. It saves me the trouble of shopping regularly. As somebody who strives to cook dinner every working day but time is a major constraint, vegetables are my natural choice.

Here’s one I always do. Stir-fried eggs with Shimeji mushrooms. Yes, both eggs and mushrooms are classified as vegetarian. In Hong Kong, it’s popular to have stir-fried eggs with shrimps. The tenderness of the shrimps goes perfectly well with eggs. Here, I replace shrimps with my favourite Shimeji mushrooms (also known as Bunapi Shimeji, White Beech or White Clamshell).

The Shimeji should always be cooked, it is not supposed to serve raw. When raw, this creature has a somewhat bitter taste. The bittereness disappears when cooked. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a delicious mildly nutty flavor.

Ingredients:
1. a handful of white Shimeji mushrooms;
2. two eggs; and
3. spring onion, finely chopped;

Cut off the bottom unwanted part of the mushrooms. Rinse them slightly and leave dry. Stir the eggs hard and well, with a small pinch of sea salt.

Use a wok that can stand heat because the heat plays a vital role in this stir fry. Heat it up with four spoonfuls of oil. Throw in the mushrooms and stir-fry them well for about half a minute. Spread them slightly over the wok.

Then go the eggs and spread them around the mushrooms. Leave them alone for seconds so that eggs get slightly cooked. Pour the spring onion and stir fry everything well.

Fire off and instantly bring them to the plate to keep the tenderness intact.

With rice and Chinese green vegetables, it's a dinner that serves me well. I won’t ask for anything else. I won’t have any more complaints about the day. And I’ll be ready for another hard one coming.

Tom Kha Gai, Not Quite a Minimalist Soup

This blog has been short of soup. For one thing, it is something I’m not really good at. For another, good soup usually demands a lot of ingredients, time and attention. It is kinda against the minimalist principles here.

I've been taking some shots actually. Just didn't have a real good chance to bring them on. Tonight, a Friday night, is a nice quiet night. So here I am…

Last Christmas, I had four great friends coming for dinner. Ling Ling (my newly adopted sister), Ray (my newly adopted brother-in-law, by default), Lam Lam and Zia (names tell, two sweet girls!). I don’t remember exactly. That night we had about six or seven courses. Salad, soup, entrée, main and main again. Champagne, wine and more wine.

OK, it’s the soup. Yes, I think the highlight of the night was the soup, at least in terms of time and effort I put in. So I am singling it out and bringing it here.

Tom Kha Gai is a mild but spicy chicken soup, with the very unique flavour of galangal ("kha" in Thai) which creates a heavenly taste when combined with hot chilli, coconut milk, lime leaves and lemongrass.

To make it a little more special for the occasion, I added a different twist by introducing shrimps and squids.

Not-quite-minimalist ingredients:
half a litre of chicken broth;
6-8 kaffir lime leaves, shredded;
6 or 8 1-inch pieces of fresh lemongrass, bruised slightly to release flavour;
1-inch cube (or a bit more) of galangal (also known as blue ginger), sliced thinly;
4 tablespoons of good-quality fish sauce;
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice;
a whole piece of chicken breast, cut into smallish bite sized pieces;
half a dozen of shrimps, shells removed and slice-opened at the top;
a piece of large squid, cut thinly;
a bunch of straw mushrooms, sliced into halves;
250-500 ml of coconut milk;
small red Thai chillies, slightly crushed (to taste); and
coriander (cilantro) leaves to garnish.

The number of chillies is a personal choice. It can be as few as three/four to more than a dozen. But the soup should retain a balance of flavours and not be overwhelmed by the chillies.

The broth should be made with fresh chicken. Canned broth finds no place here. Filter it clear, please.

Heat the broth, add the lime leaves, lemongrass, galangal, coriander stems, fish sauce, salt and lime juice. Stir thoroughly, bring to a boil, and add the chicken, shrimps, squid, straw mushrooms and coconut milk, then the chillies.

Bring back to the boil, lower the heat to keep it simmering and cook for about 2 minutes (until the chicken, shrimps and squid are cooked through).

Garnish with a generous amount of coriander leaves. Sprinkle some fresh ground pepper.



Not really intended to be eaten as a separate course, I like it served over a bowl of steamed jasmine rice. But, that night, we were served with salad and bread.

What a night! What a beautiful festive night!

令人期待的這口瓜

這口瓜, 已掛在咀裏好一段日子, 快要爛了.

想來, 也有一段日子沒有認真地弄一碟菜, 生活逼人來. 非也, 暫且談不上生活, 生計對点吧.

這碟瓜雖然頗考功夫, 尤其是時間及水份控制方面. 但總離不開這裏簡約的原則. 對, 我是一個講原則的人.. 若是有需要的話, 哈哈.

簡單地說, 材料有:
勝瓜一條, 粗粗、肥美的;
蝦乾適量, 我很幸運, 不時有家鄉番禺供應的, 天然生曬, 不含防腐劑;
XO醬, 同样幸運, 是GM5姐姐從半島拿來的, 極品也, 不需介紹;
葱、蒜, 少許. 蒜不用切成蓉.

先將蝦乾洗淨, 用少量水浸半天以上. 弄乾備用.

把勝瓜表面刨淨, 橫切成小件, 但不要切得太小, 否則, 會缺乏口感.

落油加蒜起鑊, 先將蝦乾爆香, 半分鐘左右. 將勝瓜放進一起炒.

加入一茶匙XO醬、鹽、少許水或上湯, 加蓋煮半分鐘. 注意, 時間絕不能太長, 因為勝瓜受熱之後, 便很快變軟.

放葱, 炒多兩下, 完成!

生計逼人來, 總要好好對待自己...

(鳴謝GM5姐姐提供的半島XO醬!)

最

後

的

一

口

勝

瓜



吃過最後一口勝瓜, 代表冬季終於來臨, 吃瓜的季節又告一段落. 現在開始, 是吃菜的日子. 但我對瓜倒有一種特別的感覺, 尢其是冬瓜和勝瓜.

瓜是一種很含蓄的東西, 它的潛質不容易發揮出來. 總要找出適當的方法和配搭, 給它適量的seduction. 要將瓜的味道和質感流露出來, 需要一些功夫... (待續)

Tagliatelle al Cappesante con Basilico - Finale!

Many reckon basil has an Italian origin, probably because it is mostly used in Italian food. According to Wikipedia, the word basil comes from the Greek βασιλευς (basileus), meaning "king", as it is believed to have grown above the spot where St. Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes speculations that basil may have been used in "some royal unguent, bath, or medicine". Basil is still considered the "king of herbs" by many cookery authors.

An alternative etymology has "basil" coming from the Latin word basilicus, meaning dragon and being the root for basilisk, but this likely was a linguistic reworking of the word as brought from Greece.

Basil is most commonly recommended to be used fresh, and in cooked recipes, is generally added at the last moment, as cooking destroys the flavour quickly. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto — a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce from the city of Genoa, its other two main ingredients being olive oil and pine nuts.

Okay, my most favourite way to treat basil is still the Italian. Mixing fresh basil with pasta has been a standard ritual when time and ingredients are being constrained. For me, a plateful of pasta with a modest touch of cream and basil, accompanied by a glass of chardonnay, is a thoroughly heavenly experience.

When it comes to pasta, my choice is straightforwardly tagliatelle, a flat noodle made of egg. It is the classic pasta of the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Individually, they are long, flat ribbons, similar in shape to fettuccine.

The best way to make tagliatelle is, almost unarguably, with seafood. Those who still think of Bolognese, excuse me, the Minimalist Cooking will not entertain. This time my choice is scallops with mushrooms. No, not the usual white button mushrooms. Shimeji mushrooms!

Ingredients, for a single serving:
1. 2 nests of tagliatelle (fresh is better, but dried just fine);
2. scallops, as much as you want;
3. a handful of brown Shimeji mushrooms;
4. 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped, not crushed/pressed;
5. a half glassful of fresh full-cream milk, leaving it to room temperature;
6. 1 small cube of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese; and of course
7. a handful of fresh basil, finely chopped.

Bring tagliatelle to a fast boil and add sea-salt. Instructions say 6 mins. But I’ll give it 4 only. Leave the lid open and stir occassionally.

Heat up the pan with garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Bring the scallops in and let them simmered, followed by Shimeji mushrooms in about ½ min. Stir them slightly for ¼ min.

The tagliatelle should be done and drained by now. Pour it over the scallops and mushrooms. Stir-fry them all together for about ½ min.

Now pour the milk. Yes, I’d prefer milk to cooking cream. Cream is just too thick for me. And I don’t really like when it becomes too creamy. Grind some pepper over it. Stir it for another minute. Grind half a cube of Parmigiano Reggiano and turn off the heat. Give it another stir.

Bring everything onto a warm plate. Now it’s time, the last moment, for the basil to join. Sprinkle it well all over. A last grind of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, few more drops of extra olive oil and it’s done!

Don’t exactly know how to pronounce it. But Tagliatelle al Cappesante con Basilico is an unqualified Italian name I can think of.

Thank you, Johanna! Thank you, GM5!

Tagliatelle al Cappesante con Basilico

Mid-autumn Fest is a big day for family and romance in this part of the world. Spare the romance, this year it is strictly a family affair for me. Mum, dad, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews. All sit around, drinking tea, eating mooncakes, spending time with the moon. I can't possibly be alone, can I?

The fest actually started last weekend. Two great friends/neighbours, Tracey and Linux, first came for dinner. They come around quite often for tea or casual dining. But this time it was a little more serious. We're all crazy about crabs. So I made a big one. But this blog has been stuffed with crabs of late. I have decided to save it for a better slot.

Then came another great friend, Laimun. She brought along a beautiful bottle of Aussie white, all the way from Melbourne (technically the wine is a Margaret River's chardonnay from Western Australia). Unfortunately it wasn't chilled. I decided to keep it for the next occasion and settled ourselves with something less glamorous. Still, I reckon I was drinking too much. I was making tagliatelle with prawns and sadly it didn’t turn out well, not even on photos. So, I’m not gonna show it here either.

What am I left with? Myself and a bunch of basil...

I'm gonna name here another great friend/neighbour. She is unequivocally my lifeline in the last couple of years. Without her my life would have been miserable, unexciting and hopelessly tasteless. That beautiful basil that has appeared here not long ago was a masterpiece from Johanna! Yes, she grows basil. And she grows it on organic soil! Well, not just Johanna alone, I should say. The legendary GM5 is also part of the team. But, if GM5 were a gifted amateur, Johanna would be a pair of hands sent from God! (Sorry, GM5.)

Okay, enough said… I'm left with myself and a bunch of basil, freshly cut during the weekend… Let me tell you, this is the time when minimalist spirits are at their best.

To be continued…

Winter Melon, Bidding Summer Farewell

We are into the autumn, aren't we? This time of the year it is most often associated with a bout of melancholic heaviness. So the best is to go light with everything we do. Walk a little lighter. Talk a little lighter. Breathe a little lighter. And, most of all, eat a little lighter...

Winter melon (冬瓜) is such a name. It's not sweet but it's still called melon. It grows only during the summer and early autumn but its name is thoroughly misleading. If anyone knows why, please please explain to me.

This melon is as obsessive as other green creatures that I've listed at this blog. I can easily think of ten different ways to cook it. Its translucent and succulent nature leaves a touch of tenderneess in the mouth. In Asian cooking, it is believed that the melon works as a coolant for the inner body temperature. Making soup with night-fragrant flowers (telosma cordata, 夜来香), it is the best cure for the heat and the strain.

Ingredients:
1. winter melon, a ½ inch slice is enough for myself;
2. a small bunch of night-fragrant flowers;
3. a piece of Japanese dried scallop;
4. small amount of Chinese aged ham, finely shredded; and
5. a piece of Chinese duck egg yolk.

Slice off the skin and seeds of the melon. Chop it into small cubes. Night-fragrant flowers (name speaks for itself!) should be washed and sit ready.

Bring scallop and ham to a slow boil for ½ hour, with ½-¾ litre of water. This will be the soup base. Throw the egg yolk and boil for another 10 minutes. Add a small pinch of sea-salt.

Throw the melon in and bring the heat to medium for a couple of minutes, just when the cubes begin to turn translucent. Last go the flowers and let them be cooked for no more than 2 minutes.

I love this soup so much. Now the summer has quietly gone but the heat still lingers. I may only be able to get the last few slices of winter melon. Feelings are a little mixed right now. I'm not sure if it is the summer that I miss or the last piece of winter melon that I feel sad about.

蟹粉馬蹄肉碎炒飯
Crab Yolk Fried Rice with Water Chestnut and Minced Pork

這個星期, 累極了, 辦公室的, 学校的, 透不過气來... 今個週末空閒時間雖然不多, 但總要花点, 好好地對待自己...

今天到街市, 碰到有海青蟹供應。 對! 是漁家從海捕來的, 是這裡東涌的特色之一。一般街市買到, 都是魚場飼養, 欠缺應有的鮮甜味道。大嶼山海岸一帶, 仍有少部份漁家, 產量不多, 我相信絕大部份都是供給本地用家為主。

我買了一隻羔蟹, 有大半斤重, 買了些半肥腩肉, 攪碎。 對! 本來, 用人手硺是最好的, 但實在太累啦。也買來幾顆馬蹄... 看似是做羔蟹肉餅哩? 醉翁之意不在酒...

先將蟹洗淨, 海蟹特別多泥, 要用多兩成功力。然後起羔, 將蟹斬成四件, 待用。

將馬蹄切碎, 打勻一隻雞蛋。然後將蟹羔、馬蹄、雞蛋和豬肉輕輕地撈起來, 加少量海鹽及生磨胡椒粉, 再將蟹件放上面, 強火蒸15分鐘。

一碟馬蹄羔蟹蒸肉餅, 就此完成...

等一等! 今次的主角, 不是蟹粉炒飯嗎?

將蟹件拿起, 將肉餅輕輕弄散。 準備少許薑絲, 將飯預先煮好及打鬆。人家喜歡用隔夜飯炒, 我不喜歡, 因為隔夜飯太乾了。只要煮飯的時候, 將水量收減些少便成。

用強火起鑊, 爆薑絲, 隨即落飯及肉餅, 少許海鹽及生磨胡椒粉, 炒3-4分鐘。收火前落些碎葱, 即成!

今晚一個人享用... 因為, 偶然獨食, 是minimalist cooking的最高境界噢!

Stir-fried Okras, tantalised with a touch of XO Sauce

Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family Malvaceae, originating somewhere near present-day Ethiopia.

This little creature, also known as Lady's Finger, is highly tantalising. When cooked, it is crunchy and has the same mucilaginous properties as nopales. I instantly fell for it when I first tried. It is most popular with Thai curry. Breaded, deep fried okra is also popular in the Southern United States. Basically, it goes well in many ways.

As usual, I'm gonna give it an entirely new twist. And, of course, it's a minimalist's twist. XO sauce, ginger and garlic - these are all I need. XO sauce is an invention entirely from Hong Kong, the place I'm from. It's made from dried scallops, dried shrimps and chilli. It's getting very popular these days. The Chinese just love it on stir-fry. You can get one easily from supermarkets.

Minimalist's ingredients:
1. a bunch of okras, as many as you like;
2. one or two cloves of garlic, finely chopped, not crushed or pressed;
3. slices of ginger, shredded; and
4. one or half a tea-spoonful of XO sauce.

Each okra should be diagonally sliced into two halves. Small ones should be left unharmed and seeds should be left alone. They are great!

Heat up the pan/wok with drops of extra virgin peanut oil. Let garlic and ginger in first and let them fried for seconds. Toss the okras onto the pan. Swing the pan and swing it well. That's an indispensable part of the stir-fry ritual!

The swing should last for about ½ minute. Sprinkle a pinch of sea-salt and XO sauce. Add a tiny bit of water or broth. Cover with a lid. Turn down the fire slightly and let it cooked for another ½ minute.

Give it another swing and it's done. You'll see that beautfiul green shimmering with garlic, ginger and XO sauce. Here's when your taste buds get thoroughly tantalised!

These little creatures are beautiful and obsessive. I can just have them alone with a favourite beer for my dinner.

Okra

Obsession with the green starts here...

Pic first, more later...

Garlic Kuruma Prawns, Soft-baked Like No Others

Last was a shopping/cooking weekend with my good friend Alexandra. We have both gone through a traumatic personal experience of late. Seriously hurt but somehow have recovered with a new strength. With no shortage of wine and empathy, we were there kind of celebrating a new life.

When friends come for dinner, things are usually kept as simple as they can be. Here's a typical treat I would offer. And so far response has been positive.

Garlic prawns are not uncommon. The most popular is the Chinese way. Quite simply, steaming with garlic, lots of it. Eat with soy sauce. Not a bad experience, but...

I have given it a new twist. By reducing the amount of garlic and introducing extra virgin olive oil and chillies, soft-bake instead of steam, the result is...!!!

Minimalist's ingredients:
1) Medium-sized Kuruma prawns;
2) pearl rice;
3) small amount of garlic, finely chopped, not pressed or crushed;
4) no more than one piece of chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; and
5) spring onion (optional), finely chopped.

Cook rice in a rice-cooker, with tiny bit of salt and a little more water than usual.

Mix garlic, chilli, ground pepper, extra virgin olive oil, a touch of sea-salt and, if needed, spring onion altogether. It will be the fillings for the prawns.

Slice the back of the prawns halfway open to leave room for fillings. Intectines should be removed carefully. To get the best results, remember to slice it from tail to head. Fill them up with the mixed ingredients.

Bring rice to the plate and place it evenly. Let the prawns sit lining up on the rice. Sprinkle it with few more drops of olive oil.

Pre-heat oven to 120C. Leave the whole plate in for 10 minutes. As it's being baked, the juice from the prawns, especially from their heads, will spill over and get soaked up by the rice. No single drop is wasted here.

Another round of extra virgin olive oil and ground pepper, it's ready to serve!

Best served with a nice bottle of sparkling.

Thanks Alexandra again for making the most artistic angles and sharing the food!