Crispy Baked Mussels #glutenfree

With seafood being one of the favourites for Christmas lunch.in Australia, I thought I would give you a quick and easy recipe for mussels  that can be served as a starter or simply added to a buffet of all the beautiful food you have prepared for this special occasion. 

Ingredients:

1 kg Mussels
1 cup Napoli sauce
1 cup fresh gluten-free Breadcrumb*
2 tablespoons Chopped Parsley
1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
1/4 cup melted Butter
Salt and Pepper

Method:

*Process gluten-free bread slices in food processor. For best result, use leftover bread or if you only have fresh bread place the breadcrumb on a tray overnight to dry out.
Add mussels to pot of boiling water. 

Cook about 8 minutes or the mussels open shells. 

Drain and soak in iced water. 

Remove the top shell and de-beard. Preheat oven to 180C
Combined breadcrumb, butter, parsley and lemon zest together. 
Add little salt and pepper if necessary.
Place mussels on a tray with alfoil/ baking paper. 
Place half tablespoon of napoli sauce on each mussel. 
Top with breadcrumb mix. 
Place into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until the crumb is golden. 
Plate up and serve with lemon quarters. 

Add Napoli sauce & breadcrumb  to the mussels

Contact: lee.leehocklai@gmail.com

Chilli Coconut Prawns #asiancooking #foodporn #seafood

This hot spicy meal has been one of my favorites since I was teenager. Having grown up in a fishing village in Malaysia, my Mum cooked many delicious meals with prawns as the main ingredient. Today, I have made a couple of changes to the recipe, the result is a beautiful, aromatic dish with a real kick of chilli for the hotter palette. 

Chilli Coconut Prawns with Steamed Rice

 Ingredients:

500g Large Whole Prawns. Use large peeled prawns if you prefer.
15 fresh Curry Leaves or 5 Kaffir Lime Leaves
1/3 cup Shredded Coconut, toasted
1/2 cup Coconut Cream
1 large Tomato, diced
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Sweet Soy Sauce (Kecap Manis)
1/3 cup Oil
Salt and Pepper

Chilli Paste:

5 Red Chilli. 
2 cm Ginger, peeled and diced.
3 Shallots, peeled
3 clove Garlic, peeled
1 Onion, sliced

Method: 
 
Blend all chilli paste ingredients to a fine consistency in small processor 
Place oil in wok/pan and heat.
Stir fry the chilli paste, tomato and curry leaves on medium heat until good aroma.
Add prawns and turn to high heat. 
When both sides change colour, pour in coconut cream and lime juice.
Add seasonings and shredded coconut. 
Cook until the sauce almost dry. 
Plate up and serve with steamed rice.

Tips:

• Calamari/squid can be substituted for the prawns in this meal.

• Use 3 Chilli + 1/2 Red Capsicum if you prefer mild.

• Add small red hot chilli to the paste if you prefer extra hot. 
   
  
  
  
  

Tropical Italian Pasta #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipe #pasta

Our blog is about East meets West culinary. Today, we would like to share a variation of popular Thai Pineapple Rice. We have used Barilla's new gluten-free pasta instead of rice to cook this dish. Full of creamy prawn flavour with a little pineapple tartness, this perfect combination is sure to both surprise and please when served.

Ingredients:

400g large Tiger Prawn - peeled with tail on.

250g  Chicken Breast - diced
1 cup Broadbeans - shelled
1 large (or 2 medium) Pineapples.
200g Barilla gluten-free Elbows
1/2 cup Barilla Napoletana Sauce
2/3 cup Thickened Cream
1/4  cup White Wine
1.5 cup grated Cheddar/Mozerella Cheese
1/2  cup Parmesan
30g Butter 
2 cloves Garlic - chopped finely
1-2 tablespoon Flat Parsley - chopped
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 210C
Bring water to the boil in a large saucepan with salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Cook Barilla Elbows for about 4 minutes until half soft.
Drain and wash with cold water to avoid the pasta becoming softer before cooking in the pan.
Cut pineapple into halves.
To remove the flesh from the pineapple so you can present this dish in the shells, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pineapple.
Score the flesh so it can be removed. This may also be done using a melon baller.
Set flesh aside.  Use this flesh to make juice or jam from our recipe previously on the blog. 
Heat a saucepan with butter, stir fry garlic, chicken, prawns and broadbeans for a few minutes until caramelized. (If using frozen broadbeans, add in last 2 minutes)
Add white wine, then napoletana sauce and thickened cream.
Boil for 2-3 minutes on high heat.
Add elbow pasta and Parmesan, cook until creamy and the sauce is reduced
Add parsley and seasoning to taste.
Pour the pasta mixture into the pineapple until full.  Cover with grated cheese.
Bake in very hot oven about 10 minutes or until cheese melts and little brown.
Add a little chopped parsley on the top.

Serves 3-4  people.

Tips:

• Seafood mix or only chicken or roast vegetables can be used to cook this dish. So if seafood is not your thing or you prefer vegetarian there is a variation for you.

• If you prefer a richer colour, add more napoletana sauce and less thickened cream.

• If you pick pineapples with the head attached to give tropical look on serving, soak the head in water several hours and wrap with aluminium foil before putting into the oven to avoid it becoming dry.

Contact: lee.leehocklai@gmail.com

Fresh Oysters with Apple Ponzu Vinaigrette #seafood #glutenfree #starters

Ponzu is Japanese citrus sauce. It is very suitable to marry with raw seafood and Beef Carpaccio. Of course you can add it to garden salads as a dressing too. If you unable find Ponzu at the supermarket, you can replace it with apple cider vinegar and a little lime juice mixed together. Make this vinaigrette in a larger batch and keep in the fridge so you can use it any time...

 Ingredients:

1 dozen Fresh Oysters
Spring Onion - finely sliced

Apple Ponzu Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 Apples, peeled
2 medium Onions
5 cloves Garlic
1 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Ponzu (or Apple Cider Vinegar)
2 tablespoons Sugar
Ground Pepper
Salt and Ground Pepper

Method:

Slow cook oil and garlic on low heat until the garlic is dark brown. Discard garlic.
Grate or finely chop onions. Rinse with cold water (This will reduce the acidity of the onion). 
Drain and dry on paper towel. 
Place in a large bowl.
Grate apple finely, add into the bowl with Ponzu and all seasonings. 
Pour the hot oil into bowl and mix well.
Taste to make sure the vinaigrette is seasoned to your liking. 
Refrigerate.
Place 1 teaspoon Apple Ponzu Vinaigrette onto the oyster in its shell.
Add a little spring onion and ground pepper if you like.

You can make this vinaigrette 1-2 days ahead, to serve cold with the fresh oysters.

Contact: lee.leehocklai@gmail.com

Chilli Prawns #glutenfree #glutenfreecooking #glutenfreerecipe #chilli

There are many varieties of chilli prawn dishes. This one, cooked with fresh tomatoes and chilli, is of mild but full flavour with a beautiful aroma. Even if you do not like hot (as in chilli) foods, you will love these chilli prawns. Serve with steamed rice or plain cous cous.  Peel the shells off the prawns as you go and make sure you do not miss any of the beautiful juices. Lick your fingers, and enjoy, with a cold beer - fantastic!!!

Ingredients:

500g large Tiger Prawn - cut and de-vein
2 Tomatoes - diced
1/2 Spanish Onion - diced
1 teaspoon Ginger - chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, chopped finely
1 - 2  tablespoons Red Chilli, chopped finely
1/2 cup White Wine
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon Sugar
Salt, Pepper
1/3 cup Spring Onion - sliced
Fresh Coriander, if necessary
3 tablespoons gluten-free Plain Flour


 Method:

Heat a pan with some hot oil.
Sprinkle the prawns with a little salt, toss with flour and pan fry both sides to 70% cooked. Place aside.
Discard that oil, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to same pan. 
Stir fry onion, ginger, garlic, and chilli for a few minutes. 
Add diced tomatoand cook for another few minutes. 
Add white wine and bring to the boil. 
Add tomato sauce and seasoning. 
Add prawns back into the pan, simmer until cooked and sauce is reduced. 
Add spring onion before plating.
Place coriander leaf on the top. 
Serve with steamed rice.









Tips:

•  Add extra/less chilli as you prefer.

• This dish is best cooked with the whole prawn, but if you prefer, you can peel the shell off and remove the head before cooking. 

  

  Chilli Prawns

Pan-fried Salmon with Cabbage Rolls and Daikon in Dashi Broth #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecooking #japanese

This is a modern Japanese style meal. The dashi broth is cooked with bonito flake (katsuobushi)! It is a clear, healthy broth with a full fish flavour, which is very suitable to combine with any pan fried fish fillets.

Pan-fried Salmon with Cabbage Rolls and Daikon in Dashi Broth

Dashi Broth

Ingredients:

 2 cups Water
1/2 cup Light Soy Sauce
1/3 cup Mirin
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 handful bonito flake or 1.5 tablespoons hon dashi (Japanese dry fish stock)

Method: 

Boil water, soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a saucepan.
Add the bonito flake at the end and remove from the heat. 
Allow to sit for half an hour and drain broth from fish pieces.

Simmer Daikon in Dashi Broth

Ingredients:
  
2 Salmon Fillets
1/2 Wombok (Chinese Cabbage)
Half  a large Carrot, chopped into sticks
1 Daikon (White Radish)
Lotus Root, sliced finely
1 tablespoon Rice
Salt, Pepper

Method:  

Bring water with the rice included to the boil.
Peel the daikon, cut sections of about 1.5 cm. 
Add daikon, wombok and carrot in the boiling water. 
Cook about 5 minutes or until soft. 
Remove the wombok and carrot from the saucepan and soak in ice water. 
Cook daikon for an extra 5 minutes.
In another saucepan, place the cooked daikon into the dashi broth. Cook on medium heat for about 30-45 minutes. 

Cabbage Rolls

Method:  
 
Squeeze excess water from the wombok and carrot with your hand. 
Place the wombok on sushi bamboo sheet or cling wrap. 
Place carrot sticks in the centre. 
Roll and keep firm about half hour.

Heat some oil in saucepan, deep fry lotus root slices on medium heat until golden brown and crispy. 
Sprinkle with salt.

Remove oil from saucepan.
Sprinkle some salt and pepper on the salmon.
Pan fry both sides until the skin is crispy - medium/well done/to your preference..
Place the salmon and cabbage roll and daikon onto the plate.
Place some chopped spring onion and lotus chips on the top.
Pour broth over before serving.

Tips: 

• Is this meal difficult to prepare and cook?!  No!! The dashi broth is very easy and can be made 1-2 days early and kept in the fridge.

• Most of the ingredients can be purchased in the big supermarkets or Asian groceries shops. If you are unable find lotus roots; sweet potato, turnip... chips can be made instead.

• Spinach or another leafy green vegetables may replace the wombok .

• Barramundi or another fish fillets may be used.

• Japanese light soy sauce is prefect for this recipe.

Fettuccine Marinara #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecooking

This gorgeous main is equivalent to any that you will be served at any restaurant. Be careful to stir fry quickly and not to overcook and you will be rewarded with tender parcels of seafood in a beautiful fresh tomato and white wine sauce. Bon Appetit!

Fettuccine Marinara

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free Fettuccine
2 cloves Garlic - finely chopped or crushed
1 Tomato - diced
1 teaspoon chopped Chilli
2 Moreton Bay Bugs, cut in half
4 Tiger Prawns
4 Scallops
1//3 cup White Wine
1/2 cup Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
Some Basil Leaves
1 tablespoon Parsley - chopped
Salt and pepper 

Method:

Cook Fettuccine in salted boiling water till Al Dente!
Heat olive oil in the pan. 
Stir fry Moreton Bay bugs and prawns.
Add garlic, chilli, tomato and scallops. Continually stir frying! Be careful not to overcook the scallops 
Add wine.
Add cooked fettuccine and lemon juice and seasonings. 
Add chopped parsley and basil leaves before serving to table.
Pour little extra virgin olive oil on top.
Serves 2 people.

Tips:

•  Spaghetti or Angel Hair or Linguine can be substituted for the Fettuccine.

• For a simpler version a half kilo of seafood mix can be purchased from the supermarket and substituted for the individual seafood portions.

• Napoli sauce can be added, but reduce the amount of oil and wine in  the recipe to account for this.
  

Pan Fried Scallops with Avocado and Tomato Salsa #glutenfree #glutenfreerecipes #glutenfreecooking

This elegant Appetizer is the perfect start to any meal, the sweetness and texture of the scallops contrasts beautifully with the crispness of the Lotus Root and the tang of the Avocado and Tomato Salsa.

Pan fried Scallops with Avocado and Tomato Salsa

Ingredients:

1 Avocado
1 Tomato. Small diced
1 Apple, cut into strips
Chilli chopped , if necessary
1/2 cup Olive oil
2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
Tabasco Sauce to taste
Salt, Pepper and Sugar for tasting

Mash half  of avocado in bowl, small dice other half.
Mix all ingredients well.
Refrigerate

6 Scallops
1 Lotus Root - washed and sliced
Salt and pepper
Spring Onion

Deep fry lotus root until crispy, sprinkle with salt.
Heat a little butter in a saucepan.
Add salt and pepper to scallops and pan fry both side until little brown, but not over cook.
Put salsa into the scallop shells. 
Place scallop on the top. 
Decorate with spring onion strips and lotus root chips

Tips: 

• The scallops, can be replaced with Tiger Prawns if you wish.

• Lotus root can be purchased in Chinese grocery shop. This can be changed for another crispy vegetable or bacon or simply leave out.

• The leftover salsa can spread on sandwiches, or served with pan fried fish fillets
  
  

  

  An elegant starter for fine dining!