Potato Croquettes

INGREDIENTS:-

500g U.S Potatoes, peeled
50g Frozen mixed vegetables, defrosted

200g Minced pork
1tbs Soy sauce
2tbs Sugar
1tbs Sake / Mirin

Butter

Plain flour
2 Eggs, beaten with 1tbs of vegetable oil, mixed very well
Japanese bread crumbs / Panko
Oil for deep frying


INSTRUCTIONS:-

1) To make croquettes. Cooked peeled potatoes in a pot of water till soft. Drained and mashed finely. Set aside.
2) Season mince pork with all the seasoning and set aside.
3) Melt a little butter in a pan and add vegetables. Give the vegetables a quick stir and simmer till it absorbs all the butter.
4) Add seasoned minced pork. Break up the pieces as much as possible while cooking. Cook until all liquids are dried up.
5) Add cooked meat to mashed potatoes and mix well.
6) Prepare a square / rectangle tray, lined with cling wrap. Placed mashed potato mix in and mould according to thickness you prefer or tray per size.
7) Using a butter knife to cut in the equal rectangle shapes. Cover up with remaining portion of the cling wrap or just use another piece so it does not get dry. Put it in the fridge for 15-20 mins or until it is completely cooled down.
8) Once it is cooled down, cover each piece in flour, then dip it into the egg mixture and lastly, coat it with bread crumbs.
9) Heat up a pot of oil at medium heat and when oil is hot enough, add in croquettes one at a time. Serve it with mayonnaise or tomato ketchup or just eat it on its own.


NOTE:-

1) If too much to finish, can freeze unused portion at point no. 8. I used cling wrap to wrap the croquettes up in pairs before putting them in a freezer bag to be placed in the freezer. You can pack the croquettes according to your meal size.

2) To make DOMO monster using the croquette.
- Stain a piece of cheese with red food coloring, put it back in the fridge to dry.
- Take another piece of cheese, using a decoration knife or straw to cut out teeth.
- Cut the red cheese into squares to form the mouth and place teeth on it to form DOMO's mouth.
- Using a hold puncher, punch eyes out using seaweeds.
- Assemble parts on croquettes after croquettes are cooled down.


[adapted recipe from Anna The Red's Bento Factory]

Stir-Fried Asparagus n Mushrooms

Ingredients:-

200g asparagus, cut into 5-cm lengths

100g oyster mushrooms

100g portobello mushrooms

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp Hua Tiao wine

Oil

A dash of pepper

Method:-

1) Heat some oil and fry asparagus over high heat for 1 - 2 minutes and set aside.

2) Add more oil if necessary, add mushrooms and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute.

3) Add asparagus and fry for another minute. Add oyster sauce, wine and pepper. Toss well and serve.

Note:-

1) For variation, you can add in some prawns or scallops.

Egg Tofu & Prawn with Luffa Egg Gravy

Ingredients:-

1/4 cup chicken stock

250g prawns, shelled and de-veined
2 tube of egg tofu, sliced into 2 cm pieces
1 luffa, halved and sliced thinly

1 egg, beaten

Olive oil / Corn oil

A dash of pepper
Corn flour

Method:-

1) Mix corn flour and pepper. Coat tofu with flour mixture.
2) Pan or deep fry tofu until all sides are golden brown. Set aside.
3) Heat up some oil, give the prawns a quick stir and remove.
4) Add luffa and chicken stock, simmer for 10 mins. Add in the prawns then the egg and cook for further 5 mins (it should look like soft omelette in gravy).

5) Arrange tofu plate and then pour luffa and egg mixture over. Serve immediately.

[adapted recipe from Food & Travel Magazine November 2007 issue]

Stir-Fried Shiitake with Prawn, Snow Peas and XO Sauce

Ingredients:-

12 snow peas

1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

8 shiitake mushrooms, rinsed

8 prawns, peeled with tails intact

2 tbsp XO sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp Hua Tiao wine

2 tbsp oil

A dash of sesame oil

Method:-

1) Heat oil in a frying pan. Add snow peas and carrots and toss for 1 minute.

2) Add shiitake mushrooms and prawns and fry for another 2 - 3 minutes or until prawns are cooked.

3) Add XO sauce, soy sauce and wine. Toss well.

4) Add sesame oil and remove from heat.

[adapted recipe from Food & Travel Magazine November 2007 issue]

Fried Beans with XO Sauce Pork

Ingredients:-

400g french beans
200g minced pork
1 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped tung chai (preserved salted cabbage)
2 tbsp Hua Tiao wine

Dash of sesame oil
Pepper to taste
XO sauce


Method:-

1) Wash beans and cut into 5 cm lengths.
2) Mix pork with say sauce and pepper and set aside.
3) Heat 3 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add beans and stir fry until beans are lightly browned and wrinkled. Drain on paper towels.
4) Add remaining oil into pan. Add tung chai and fry for 30 seconds. Add pork and fry for 2 - 3 mins or until port is cooked. Add beans and toss well. Add wine, sesame oil and XO sauce. Remove from heat and serve.


[adapted recipe from Food & Travel Magazine October 2007 issue]

Spinach with White Bait

Ingredients:-

Spinach, roots trimmed
Dried white bait fish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:-

1) Give the dried white bait fish a rinse and dry it.

2) Heat up a wok, add a little oil and fry the fish until crisp. Alternatively, you can use a non-stick pan and dry roast the fish. Set fish aside.

3) Cut spinach into segments. Seperate out the stems and leaves.

4) Heat up oil in a wok, throw in the stems and give it a quick stir until the stems turn color. Add in the leaves and fry till leaves wilt.

5) Add a little water and seasoning. Give a quick stir and allow water to reduce.

6) Place spinach and sprinkle fried white bait on top. Serve.

Note:-

1) You may want to go easy on the dried white bait because it can be quite salty if too much is added. However if you have excess, store the remaining in an air tight container. It is nice to eat it on its own or can be used as toppings to fried rice or other stir fried vegetables.

[adapted recipe from kitchen culture Food & Travel magazine issue 06/06]

Chicken Mushroom Potato Bake

Ingredients (serves 4):-

6 - 8 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2 cm chunks
4 - 5 portabella mushrooms, sliced thickly (can use fresh button/brown mushrooms)
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced thickly
1 tbsp olive oil
4 large or 8 medium waxy potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Black pepper to taste
Dried thyme leaves
Mozerella Cheese
Cooking spray


Method:-

1) Boil potatoes until cooked, peel the skin and roughly slice.
2) Heat up olive oil in pan and sear mushrooms over high heat. Add carrots and then chicken, stir-frying over high heat. Sprinkle black pepper and continue to fry till chicken is almost cooked.
3) Add the can of soup and turn down to medium heat. Mix until soup is melted down. Turn off heat.
4) Pour 1/2 the chicken mixture in a deep dish or pie tin. Arrange egg slices of 1 egg on top of chicken mixture. Sprinkle desired amount of moozerella cheese then spread a layer of potatoes on top of the mixture.
5) Pour the remaining 1/2 of the chicken mixture, arrange egg layer with the other egg then top with the remaining potatoes.
6) Sprinkle some dried thyme leaves over the potato surface. Evenly coat the potato surface with cooking spray.
7) Bake in a hot 220 deg C oven for 15 minutes until potatoes get a nice golden crust. Serve with crusty bread.

[adapted recipe from Cuisine Asia]