Malaysia Kitchen BBQ Madness with Florence Tan

When I was invited to a cooking class with Florence Tan, honestly, I had no idea who she was apart from having seen her on Poh’s Kitchen. A tireless promoter of Malaysian Nyonya cuisine, Florence Tan is a mini-dynamo of bubbling energy and personality and is a stereotypical Malaysian aunty whom I’d like to call my own. Except, you know, I’m not Malaysian.

She beckons us to come closer to the cooking station so that we can better see and hear her demonstrate her recipe for chicken satay (no peanut butter involved!). She regales us with why chicken thigh is the preferred cut of meat for satay - it’s the most active portion of the bird resulting in firmer flesh – complete with animated physical demonstration, as well as tips on how to keep a trim figure – mix things by hand in the kitchen and wiggle your arse whilst doing so!

Florence checks on each bench’s progress attentively and dotes on us like children. She marvels at the size of Australian fresh produce compared to that of Malaysia and is a laugh a minute with her stories. She retells of time shared as a six-year-old with her mother in the kitchen and being inspired to pursue a path in food and cooking. Surprisingly, she mentions having wanted to be a dentist at one stage and being discouraged from doing so due to her being left-handed.

We’re pressed for time so it’s observation only for the making of the satay sauce. Florence tells us that if she was to cover in detail the two recipes presented to us that it would take four to five hours!

The other recipe being demonstrated is otak otak, a fish mousse prepared most often grilled inside a banana leaf. Due to time constraints, we are treated to some which have been lovingly grilled by Florence earlier without the usual banana leaf packaging.

The class ends with everyone digging into a shared meal of chicken satay, pressed rice and otak otak, and with Florence encouraging us each to eat more. Would you expect any less from this Malaysian aunty? We file past her to say goodbye at the end of the evening and, after I’ve given her a peck on the cheek, she says to me, “Another kiss. Give me another kiss on the other cheek.”

Yes, Aunty, okay lah. How could I say no?

Get your Malaysian on this Saturday, 1^st October, at Church Street Mall, Parramatta with Malaysia Kitchen’s BBQ Madness to kick off the 2011 Crave Sydney International Food Festival. Masterchef alumni Adam Liaw, Alvin Quah and our favourite Billy Law will be giving demonstrations along with Malaysian chefs Wanitha Tanasingam and, of course, Florence Tan. The fun runs from 9am-2pm with barbecued dishes from several of Sydney’s Malaysian restaurants.

happy eating!

Mademoiselle Délicieuse and Monsieur Poisson attended this cooking class as guests of Malaysia Kitchen and Pulse Communications at Ogilvy PR.

In search of banh mi

I was born and raised in Sydney, originally living in and around Marrickville before moving down to THE Shire (there is no other, apparently) partway through primary school then disappearing for a few years to live in Hong Kong. We returned to THE Shire for me to complete the bulk of my high schooling and I remained there until getting married a couple of years ago and migrating across to the North Shore. It really is considered a migration – people joke that I had to get a visa and surrender my passport before leaving THE Shire, such is the amount of pride felt by the locals. (We’ll leave the jokes about everyone being inbred and cut off from the mainland for another time, teehee!)

Growing up in the inner west meant easy access to Greek and Italian sweets as well as Vietnamese breads and pastries. My mother would often purchase crusty baguette rolls with their soft, fluffy innards and a croissant for me. I would spend seemingly forever attempting to eat one, usually only getting halfway, by patiently peeling off individual layers and marvelling at their delicate translucency.

Banh mi thit, or Vietnamese pork rolls, are not something I grew up with but something I’ve grown to love since adulthood. Now while my current living area is diverse in Japanese and Cantonese cuisine options, with a steady increase in Korean eateries in recent years as well, it is definitely lacking in the Vietnamese department. I know of only three Vietnamese restaurants in my immediate vicinity, and I struggled when it came to thinking of Vietnamese bakeries from where I could procure banh mi thit for which I’d had an unexplained craving for 48 hours.

This is the journey that it led me on.

A trophy of chocolate cakes

I used to work with Dr Colin. Colin is a quietly competitive sort who has been trying to beat me at a particularly popular word-making game. He has been trying to beat me for...

Quite.

Some.

Time.

After countless games – seriously, we didn’t count – he broke that final frontier and, because it was a momentous occasion, I decided that there should be a just reward of cakes. Cakes with tinted buttercream and chocolate writing.

And of course what is better than a cake is multiple miniature cakes, and ones which are decorated with buttercream – bite-sized nuggets of fun that you can devour in one mouthful. Once you remove the frilly paper cases, that is, but there is no stipulation that you must use them in the first place.

I was going for the cute factor by using these mini-cupcake cases which have cupcakes printed on them – purchased purely for their cute factor – but the chocolaty cake made it a little dark for the cutesy cupcake pattern to be appreciated. So my recommendation is to use bright-coloured or foil cases or just don’t bother at all.

The cakes are made from a recipe of one Domestic Goddess that doesn’t call for a great deal of chocolate. The Alter Eco Dark Velvet chocolate which I used is quite fruity in flavour and soft and fudgy in texture to eat on its own, and is different to other dark chocolates I’ve tried which break with more of a snap. It’s not as intensely dark as other dark chocolates either, although it still results in a rich chocolaty cake. A bonus is that it is both organic and certified Fair Trade.

The batter is light in colour when whipped up, especially in my case where a lack of muscovado sugar made for a substitution with plain ol’ brown sugar instead. The cakes darken upon baking and, like most, become denser and damper when left for a bit of a covered snooze overnight. They’re not overly sweet nor rich, again due to the sugar substitution, which makes them the perfect vehicle for being topped with icing or chocolate ganache. If you choose to have these plain then I strongly suggest adding a small amount of caster sugar, as well as substituting cocoa powder for some of the flour.

Decorate the cakes how you like, spell out a message, or leave them nude. And as for Colin, congratulations to him but we have some rematching to do!

Chocolate mini-cupcakes (makes 48 or so mini-cupcakes,or  24 cupcakes)

(“Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake” from How to be a domestic goddess, recipe by Nigella Lawson)

Ingredients:

·         225g soft unsalted butter

·        375g dark muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)

·        2 large eggs, beaten

·        1 tsp vanilla extract

·        100g dark chocolate, melted and slightly cooled

·        200g plain flour

·        1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

·        250mL boiling water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line or lightly grease a cupcake or mini-cupcake tray.
2. Cream together butter and sugar then add eggs and vanilla, beating in well. Fold in the melted chocolate until evenly combined.
3. Gently add the flour and bicarb soda gradually, alternately with the boiling water until the mixture is fairly runny.
4. Divide between cavities of the tray and bake 15-18 minutes for mini-cupcakes, and around 30 minutes for cupcakes.

happy cooking!

Mademoiselle Délicieuse received samples of Alter Eco Dark Velvet chocolate of Kristy Sayer.

Wontons

When I was a kid there were much less Chinese eating options in Chinatown, let alone in the suburbs. Plus the options that were available tended to be more for dinner dining; you know, ordering various dishes to be shared and eaten with rice. But what of the more quick lunch options of noodles, congee and the like? Well, that was not to come for many years which meant that these were often recreated at home instead.

I spent a lot of time making wontons with Mum as a child all the way through to when I left home. It felt like a craft project when I was younger and, although slow, my little hands and stubby fingers found it easy to pleat neat little dumpling parcels without tearing the delicate wrappers. (Apparently it was also a good way to keep me quiet and occupied.) Mum, on the other hand, would be either short on patience, greedy for greater amounts of filling or both, and ended up with many exploding wontons instead.

Mum’s go-to recipe was a beef one and any leftover mince filling was great used in an omelette. I’ve made a pork version here, with minced prawns, wood ear fungus and bamboo shoots, which is more reminiscent of the first ones I ever tried on trips to Hong Kong. Through repeated trips there to visit relatives, I also discovered that wontons didn’t have to be pleated (although the repetitive actions to produce neat results appealed to my Virgo nature) and that the trails of “hanging” wrapper pastry when cooked were meant to make the wontons resemble fat goldfish. A definite bonus to know they’re meant to look a little messy, and each a little different, when time and/or patience are a premium. And, as opposed to Northern Chinese dumplings, wontons are eaten with red vinegar.

The broth that Mum made for the wontons was always from stock cubes. Time spent on slow simmering was reserved for Chinese (medicinal) soups instead. I’ve used a chicken stock paste diluted with water and thrown in some ginger for a more Chinese flavour, but spring onions or coriander could be added too. Unless you’re lazy/disorganised like me and realise you have neither until you start cooking, ahem.

Pork & Prawn Wontons (makes 60, with some leftover filling)

Ingredients:

·  450g pork mince (with a small amount of fat)

·  3 tbs light soy sauce

·  1 ½ tbs dark soy sauce

·  pinch of ground white pepper

·  8 medium prawns, peeled & deveined

·  1 piece of dried wood ear fungus (available from Asian grocers)

·  handful of bamboo shoot slices (available from Asian grocers in cans)

·  1 pack of egg wonton wrappers (60 sheets)

·  4 tbs chicken stock paste (I used Campbell’s Real Stock Paste)

·  1.5L water, plus extra for cooking wontons

·  ginger slices, spring onions and coriander to taste

·  fresh or dried egg noodles, Asian greens, red vinegar to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Combine pork mince with light soy, dark soy and a sprinkling of ground white pepper. Mix thoroughly and set aside to marinate.
2. Soak wood ear fungus in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes, making sure it is completely covered. Drain and chop into short, thin shreds.

Wood ear fungus - before and after soaking

  

3. In the meantime, chop bamboo shoots into similar short, thin shreds.
4. Roughly chop prawns until they resemble a mince and the mixture is slightly sticky.
5. Mix pork mince thoroughly with other chopped ingredients. Place approximately 1 teaspoonful of filling mixture in the centre of a wonton wrapper and pinch together to close. Repeat with remaining wrapper sheets until all used. 

6. Bring 1.5L water to the boil and dissolve the stock paste into it. Add ginger and any herbs (if using) and allow to reboil before adding salt to taste. Reduce to a simmer and keep hot.
7. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Drop in wontons in batches and they are cooked when they float to the top and water reboils. Take care not to overcrowd the pot. Remove with a slotted spoon and ladle over hot stock to serve. 

Extra wontons can be frozen flat on a tray or plate and transferred to a freezer bag once completely frozen. Excess mince filling can be flattened into a shallow dish, steamed for about 8 minutes on high heat and served with rice - tada, steamed Chinese meatloaf!

happy cooking!

Mademoiselle Délicieuse received samples of Campbell’s Real Stock Paste courtesy of Nuffnang Australia.

Birthdays Part 3: Luxe Bakery & Wild Sage

With Monsieur Poisson’s birthday and mine being just over a week apart, it makes for an extended period of excuses/reasons for eating. When the dates fall on or in the lead-up to a weekend like this year, it leads to a whole day of eating, rather than a single celebratory meal to in the name of the event.

It is a sunny Saturday and although we are a little slow to get going, we still manage to enjoy some brunch at Luxe Bakery. Located just across the laneway from Campos Coffee, we score the last available table as we step into Luxe. I can’t go past the ‘Schultz Wagyu melt’ which is served like an open Reuben and blanketed with a generous helping of melted Swiss cheese. A bedding of pickled cabbage proves to not be too tart, unlike some sauerkraut, whilst a small amount of horseradish along with a finely sliced gherkin help to alleviate any the heaviness from the cheese.

Monsieur Poisson decides on something a little more breakfast-y with the ‘Organic free range eggs on sourdough toast” which he chooses to have poached. The eggs burst open with bright orange yolks and sides of meaty and firm Lebanese sausages plus baked mushrooms complete the meal for him. Coffees are a little delayed partly due to my starting a conversation with the waitress about her nail polish, but when they arrive the coffees are strong and piping hot without being burnt.

At some point in time, I detect the unmistakeable waft of truffle oil in the air and it is a neighbouring table receiving the ‘House-cured ocean trout with hash, poached egg and truffle oil.” Now, how did we miss that even though we were sitting right under the blackboard menu?

The afternoon is spent moseying about Newtown before heading to dinner at Wild Sage, a place we’d happened upon quite by accident one afternoon. It is a full house on this Saturday evening and it’s encouraging to see that there are plenty of families along with kid-friendly coloured pencil packs to keep them entertained.

‘Chargrilled king prawns with sand crab tabouleh & preserved lemon’ form a component of our starters and are able to be ordered as a serve or 2 or 4. They are smoky and contrasted by the refreshing tabouleh although there is little detectable sand crab. ‘Tuscan spiced meatballs with tomato relish’ and ‘Feta & olive arancini’ are available as little share plates with both being tasty, incredibly more-ish and comforting.

Monsieur Poisson has his eyes on the ‘Twice cooked crispy pork belly, seared scallops, asparagus, watercress, with sticky soya dressing’ with the only disappointment being the sticky soya dressing being, well, too sticky and sweet. Perhaps being Asian, we were expecting a certain salty and umami component to the sauce. I opt for an entrée-sized ‘Chilli spaghettini with fresh local seafood, cherry tomato, sea salt, flat leaf parsley, virgin olive oil’ and am most impressed by the seafood-to-pasta ratio. The chilli is subtle and provides more a note of heat after each mouthful rather than being in-your-face spicy. The dish does get a little oily towards the end, however, with a small pool of olive oil collecting at the bottom of the plate.

The ‘Soft-centred Belgian chocolate pudding‘ is a chocolate fondant by another name and requires a short wait as expected, but is perfectly oozing when it arrives. Flanked by a strawberry, double-cream and our request for ice-cream, it is surprisingly light and not as sugary as I expect.

An encouraging local-ish delight, we definitely need to discover our own surrounds more!

Luxe Bakery

195 Missenden Rd (cnr Longdown St), Newtown NSW

Tel: (02) 9439 8988

Opening Hours:  Mon  7am-4pm

                        Tues-Fri  7am-9pm

                        Sat & Sun  CLOSED

Wild Sage

Shops 17 & 18, Stockland Mall, cnr Miller & Amherst Sts, Cammeray NSW

Tel: (02) 9929 8455

happy eating!

Birthdays Part 2: Olio

In recent years I’ve eschewed the big birthday gatherings of yore for more low-key affairs. Perhaps it’s part of getting a little older, or perhaps it’s age combined with laziness. Last year Monsieur Poisson planned ahead in advance and indulged me with a meal at Tetsuya’s, while I returned the favour through what was a bit more last minute planning.

This year we both decided to dine locally for our birthdays, and mine was spent at Olio where we’d previously only popped in to sample their kopi luwak or for a light meal. (No longer on the menu, I don’t think, but Olio had a really mushroomy risotto and a value-for-money antipasti plate.)

Drinks are in order for the occasion and I order the ‘Polish Spring Punch’ due to its inclusion of all things berry – raspberry vodka, berry compote and Chambord. The drink is both larger and stronger than it seems as well as being a beautiful shade of blushing pink.

‘Salt & pepper squid’ is ordered due to having tried it on an earlier visit. And although there is much less rocket this time around, the small tendrils of squid are light, low on oiliness and well-seasoned as we remember. There is a lot more aioli on the side than is needed, but that doesn’t stop us from trying to finish it.

To share, we have a ‘Prawn, prosciutto, tomato & rocket pizza’ plus a ‘Grilled black Angus scotch fillet’ between us. The pizza base is thin but a bit soft on the underside, unlike the crisp wood-fired ones to which we are accustomed. The steak is much more pleasing, however, being tender and juicy, served with meaty roasted portabella mushrooms, eshallots and a rich jus. The menu mentioned it being served with Café de Paris butter, but there was no sign of this when presented to us.

It would have been nice to have had some potato mash to have with the steak and jus but we were mindful of over-ordering. I was too full for dessert as it was, especially after birthday eats from earlier that day, but Monsieur Poisson just couldn’t go past the ‘Apple & raspberry crumble’. It was tart and sweet all at once, but what I loved was the nubbly topping as opposed to the floury, powdery topping of some.

Olio isn’t open on weekends, but it makes for a great relaxing dinner on a Friday night... or on a lazy night during the week.

Olio

Shop 1, The Forum, St Leonards train station, 201-205 Pacific Hwy, St Leonards NSW

Tel: (02) 9439 8988

Opening Hours:  Mon  7am-4pm

                        Tues-Fri  7am-9pm

                        Sat & Sun  CLOSED

happy eating!

Birthdays Part 1: Baffi & Mo and Patisse

My birthday fell on a Friday this year which made for a rather convenient reason to take the day off and have a long weekend. Birthdays are also a good excuse to do nothing but eat, if that’s your sort of thing. Which for me of course, it is.

After a short sleep-in, Monsieur Poisson and I find ourselves sitting at one of the long bench tables at Baffi & Mo. Whilst I admire the Florence Broadhurst-esque wallpaper, a couple has their backs turned to us and are quietly studying the menu. They are alerted to our presence when we place our order with one of the staff and, somewhat conspicuously, they shuffle a little further away from us on the communal table. Hmmm, perhaps my new haircut is scaring people off? That may not altogether be a bad thing!

Our coffees arrive first up before being soon followed by our ‘Pea and corn fritters’ which are served with baby spinach leaves, squeaky salty haloumi and a tomato relish. Whilst at first the fritters appear to be underseasoned, if you take a bit of haloumi with each mouthful then you’ll be guaranteed bucket-loads of flavour! Plus, you will not miss the presence of meat at all.

Although similar in presentation, the ‘Potato hash stack’ served with avocado, lemon-dressed rocket, asparagus, cherry tomatoes and a poached egg is more about contrasting textures. We’ve opted to have ours with smoked salmon (the other option being ham) and our only complaint is that we would have liked the yolk to be runnier to better offer a creamy coating to both the rocket and the potato hash. Ahhh, and what a magnificent hash it is with its matchstick-thin slivers of golden potato and nary an uncooked one in the centre.

Fast-forward a few hours after some uneventful homewares shopping and we stop in at Patisse for a recharge. The afternoon sun is streaming in Patisse’s converted warehouse windows, giving the multicoloured macaron creations an ethereal quality. I choose a colour palette of mixed berry, salted caramel and pistachio, and find that the filling is creamier than others I’ve tried yet manages to be delicately light. Monsieur Poisson cannot go past the gâteau opera which, with its thicker-than-usual layers, makes for one of the tallest we’ve ever had. However the impressive part is that the layers are evenly proportioned so that there is a balance of flavours and textures, plus there are no pockets of dryness to be found about the jaconde.

We head home for a short break to digest, and then it’s off to more eating for dinner!

Baffi & Mo

94 Redfern St (near cnr Chalmers St), Redfern NSW

Tel: (02) 8065 3294

Patisse

Shop G01, PYD Building, 197 Young St (cnr Phillip St), Waterloo NSW

Tel: (02) 9690 0665

Opening Hours:  Mon-Sat  8:30am-4pm

                        Sun  CLOSED

happy eating!

Thelma & Louise Café (again!)

It had been too long since the husband and I had been back to Thelma & Louise, that little café with the seaside town atmosphere in the alcoves of Sydney Harbour, also known to me as the home of the epically buttery Hollandaise. Mmmm, Hollandaise...

But a good Sunday brunch should first start with something to awaken the senses, and for us it is coffee. While the coffee does its trick, we have just missed the end of breakfast service by only a matter of minutes. Which means – gasp – no Hollandaise... and no eggs either! Instead, this serves as a good chance for us to sample their lunch menu which leads me to the ‘Salmon Crostini’.

The sourdough bread is suitably chewy and spread with cream cheese before being blanketed in smoked salmon. A scattering of capers completes the dish, along with the interesting use of flying fish roe. The size is on the small side for its $18 price tag, but sufficient enough to be filling. However I can’t help but wonder how it differs from the ‘Salmon Panini’ which is only $12.50 in comparison.

‘Foxes Wagyu Burger’ is served open in two halves with salad alongside. The ubiquitous burger and chips combination is represented here by a burger and discs of potato cooked to fluffy centres and crisp edges. The potato “chips” are packed with the flavour of dried chilli, rosemary and thyme, whilst pickle slices provide relief from the meatiness of the juicy but not oily patty.

And, as much as we’d like to end with one of the tempting sweets on display under the counter, we are once again too full to do so. Another time, Thelma and Louise, we shall be back.

Thelma & Louise Café

Shop 1, 1 Hayes St (right down the end of the cul-de-sac), Neutral Bay NSW

Tel: (02) 9953 7794

Opening Hours:  7 days  7am-5pm

happy eating!

Miso

We take a numbered ticket and join the throng of people milling around outside Miso on a Friday evening. Miso is known for its tonkatsu and everyone seems to have tried it except for Monsieur Poisson. So before a night of outdoor ice-skating fun with friends, we stop in at Miso for dinner.

 

There is a special set on offer of ‘Sukiyaki Wagyu’ and, drawn in by the array of side dishes as well as the promise of succulent beef, we order one of these to share as well as the ‘Tonkatsu pork loin set’. Bentos are the best fun with all their little compartments and cute portions of food. You feel like you’re eating so much more than you really are due to the variety and Miso’s sides are quality ones to boot – salmon sashimi, deep-fried soft-shell crab, potato salad, fruit and more!

 

But nothing can take away from the star of our dinner – the tonkatsu pork loin! The fillet of pork is served ceremoniously elevated on a wire rack to ensure its golden-crumbed exterior remains crisp. The meat itself is gloriously juicy with an ideal fat to meat ratio. Condiments of mustard and tonkatsu sauce help to alleviate any heaviness from the fat, but take it easy with the mustard unless you’re looking for a sinus-clearing experience!

Miso

World Square, Shop 20, 680 George St, Sydney NSW

Tel: (02) 9283 9686

Opening Hours:  Mon-Fri  11:45am-2:30pm (lunch)

                                     5:30pm-9:30pm (dinner)

                        Sat  5:30pm-9:30pm (dinner only)

                        Sun  CLOSED

happy eating!