Vietnamese style pancakes

Vietnamese pancakes. Photo by Steve Shanahan

Cooking Asian food requires some preparation and energy to hunt and gather ingredients, but provides its own reward with simple, light and fresh flavours.

We don’t need to travel very far in Canberra to access fabulous local food markets and a plethora of Asian grocers, offering the opportunity and inspiration to recreate Asian street style delicacies. My challenge each visit is to only buy as much as I need.

When old friends from the North Coast of NSW arrive for a surprise stay we visit the Capital Region Farmer’s Market to shop for an Asian feast.

So to counter my habit of buying more than I need, I make a shopping list and take my friend along for back-up. Arriving at the market I turn my trolley upside down to find the shopping list, which I realise is languishing on my kitchen benchtop. So we shop from memory and collect a little extra just in case. I do find shopping from memory does tend to keep me a little more focused.

After escaping with only a couple of extra bags of produce, we return to prepare the feast of pork and chicken pancakes in bean sauce and sticky rice dumplings in ginger syrup. This is accompanied with a glass or two of alcoholic inspiration.

Over dinner, our visitors enthused about the quality and choice of the produce available at the market, again reminding me of Canberra’s strong relationship to it’s burgeoning and multicultural food culture.

This recipe requires some preparation time, so start early and give yourself a few hours leeway or have someone else in the kitchen to share out the tasks.

Crispy Vietnamese pancakes with bean sauce

Batter

400g rice flour

300ml coconut milk

300ml water

2 green shallots, chopped finely

vegetable oil for frying

Filling

200g pork mince

100g chicken mince

1 small onion, chopped

3 green shallots, chopped

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp palm sugar or coconut sugar

1 chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 lime, juiced and zest

½ cup of fresh herbs, a combination of basil, coriander and mint, finely chopped

vegetable oil

1 tsp ground white pepper

200g fresh bean sprouts

Bean sauce

50g vegetable oil

100g salted soy beans, found at Asian grocers

150ml sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp dried chilli flakes

¼ cup of fresh ginger, finely chopped

¼ cup of green shallots, finely chopped

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

60g roasted peanuts

2 tbsp water

To make the pancake batter, place rice flour into a medium sized mixing bowl, add coconut milk and water and mix until smooth. Add shallots and mix together and leave to rest for half an hour.

To prepare the bean sauce, heat the oil in a medium sized frypan over medium heat. Then add the ginger and shallots and cook for one minute. Add the tamarind paste, bean paste, sweet chilli sauce, peanuts and sesame seeds and cook for five minutes, stirring to combine and prevent sticking and burning. Add the water and continue to stir for another two minutes. Remove to a bowl to cool slightly, then blend on high speed for one minute in a food processor or stick blender until smooth. Remove the blended sauce to a bowl and set aside.

For the filling, in a medium sized frypan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the pork and chicken mince and cook until golden and crumbly. Add the onion and shallots and cook for another five minutes. Then add the fish sauce, sugar, chilli, lime zest, peanuts, juice and white pepper. Continue to cook and mix for another five minutes. Taste for seasoning. Transfer the mince mixture to a medium bowl and stir through half of the chopped herbs, cover and set aside.

For the pancakes, preheat the oven to 80C. In a medium sized frypan or wok, heat three tablespoons of vegetable oil over a high heat and add a third of a cup of the batter, rotating the pan to evenly coat the the base of the pan.  When bubbles start to form cook for a further two minutes until crispy around the edges. Remove from pan with a large egg lifter and place on an oven tray. Transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat until all the batter is used.

To serve, place the pancakes on individual plates, top with a couple of spoons of warmed meat filling, add a spoon of chopped fresh herbs and top with a good dollop of bean sauce, some fresh bean sprouts and toasted sesame seeds.

Due to the crispiness of these pancakes they do not roll well, so eating with a fork and knife works best.

Cane Sugar free for Fourth of July

Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 2 July 2014. 

As a nod to the good ol’ stars and stripes Fourth of July celebrations, it seems fitting to celebrate the day with a yanky doodle nosh up. In the States, backyard barbies and shared food with family and friends accompanied by the patriotic glitter of red, white and blue flags and fireworks is the traditional thing to do on the day. But for us Aussies, deep in winter’s grip, it’s an indoor event with an Aussie twist - family and friends gettin’ down in our onesies and ugg boots.  

While I’ve stuck with the basic elements of a typical Independence Day menu, I’ve removed the “traditional” from these All-American pork, pumpkin and slaw recipes by deleting the cane sugar content and replacing it with Rice Malt Syrup. Rice Malt Syrup is a fructose and (mostly) glucose free sugar alternative. This conversion is not without its controversy, and may be considered as unpatriotic, given the Americans love of all things sweet. However, at the risk of water-boarding for my un-American activities, I plough on.

On a recent and gradual campaign to better health, I have actively reduced our family’s sugar intake. For a few years now, I have found that halving the quantity of sugar in recipes rarely makes any difference to the result and allows other flavours to shine through. In recipes where cane sugar is completely deleted, it is replaced with a healthier alternative such as natural Rice Malt Syrup or stevia powder. There’s enough hype and publicity floating around about our ever-expanding waistlines, so I won’t bang on about the merits of fructose and glucose free food. If you still prefer to use the white stuff, the quantities are included in the following recipes.

To obtain the equivalent sweetness in foods, the approximate ratio of Rice Malt Syrup to sugar is about half, and look for brands that contain no added sugars. Alert: stevia is a few hundred times sweeter than sugar, so use it sparingly.

Rice Malt Syrup and stevia powder are available from supermarkets and health food stores.

The pumpkin puree needed for the Pumpkin Pie Slice can be made ahead of time by placing a whole pumpkin on a tray in a 180C oven for one and half hours or until a knife can be inserted easily through the skin. When done remove the pumpkin from the oven and allow to cool a little before slicing and discarding the mushy core and seeds. Scrape out the cooked pumpkin flesh and place into a food processor bowl or use a stick blender and puree until smooth. Pumpkin puree can be frozen for a month or so in useable quantities sealed in ziplock bags.

Almond butter can be made at home by processing whole almonds to a paste in a food processor or Thermomix. Alternatively, you can buy it ready made from the supermarket or health food store, but it can be a little expensive.

Caramel Pork Ribs

2 kg pork ribs, cut into 3 rib portions

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup rice malt syrup (or 1 cup sugar)

1 cup dark beer

¼ cup bourbon (substitute with whiskey)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tomato, diced

2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

2 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 heaped tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C. Pour the rice malt syrup into a large lidded stovetop and oven-proof casserole or dutch oven. Cook on the stovetop over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the syrup is bubbling and toffee like. This will take about five minutes.

Take off the heat and stir the beer in slowly. The mixture will bubble up, so do this at the sink.

Allowing the mixture to cool down a little stir in all the remaining ingredients, adding the ribs in last.

Return to the heat until the sauce starts to bubble.  Turn the ribs over a couple of times in the sauce to coat.

Place the lid on and bake in the oven for one and half hours, until the ribs are falling-off-the-bone tender. Stir a couple of times during baking to ensure that the sauce is not burning. If there is a lot of liquid remaining, and you prefer a drier consistency, remove the lid from the pot and bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes or so to reduce the liquid. Skim any visible fat from the surface and serve with crunchy cabbage slaw.

Crunchy cabbage slaw with peanuts

2 cups savoy cabbage, chopped

1 cup red cabbage, chopped

1 carrot, grated

1 cup snow peas, chopped

¼ cup basil leaves, chopped

¼ cup coriander, chopped

¼ cup mint leaves, chopped

1 avocado, diced

¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

2 tbsp black sesame seeds

Dressing

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp rice malt syrup (or 1 tbsp sugar)

¼ tsp chilli powder

1 clove garlic

1 tsp grated ginger

2 tbsp water

Combine the cabbages, carrots, avocado, snow peas and half of the herbs in a large bowl.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing in a small jug, adding more water to thin if needed.

Toss the cabbage mixture with the peanut sauce and top with the reserved herbs, the peanuts and sesame seeds.

Spiced pumpkin pie slice with cream cheese frosting

Slice

200g almond butter

200g pumpkin puree

4 eggs

160g rice malt syrup (or ¾ cup sugar)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp salt flakes

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a slice tin approximately 30cm by 20cm. Place all slice ingredients in an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until combined, approximately two to three minutes. Pour into prepared tin and bake for twenty minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. When cool top with cream cheese frosting, and slice with a wet knife.

Frosting

250g cream cheese

¼ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup rice malt syrup (or ½ cup sugar)

grated zest of 1 lemon

In a food processor or stick blender, blend the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend. The frosting will set a little harder in the fridge if needed.

Pork choc ribs

Photo by Steve Shanahan

First published Canberra Times 15 January 2014

The heat is on, so fire up the barbeque, get the picnic rug out and throw those ribs on the grill. We’ve had a fairly abstemious Christmas this year, in terms of our chocolate indulgence, so in order to keep the levels up, I turn to rubbing my meat in it. 

This newfound fascination I have for pork and chocolate really is very seductive and moreish, and the two make a heavenly match. The preparation is a touchy feely process of rubbing the spice mixture in, so be prepared to get down and dirty with your ribs.

I’m fascinated by the Mexican mole influence of bitter chocolate used in savoury dishes. With the addition of some basic cupboard spices, the ribs turn from mediocre, to tender, melt in the mouth perfection.

After trying a number of different chocolate and spice marinade combinations, I settle on vanilla, spice and a hint of chilli.

If you are a real chocoholic and you want the big flavour, try marinating your ribs in the chocolate rub for 48 hours in the refrigerator. I used Rich Dark Pure Dutch Cocoa that can be bought from Essential Ingredient.

2 racks of pork ribs

1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

½ cup brown sugar (lightly packed)

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tbsp sea salt

1 clove garlic chopped finely

1 tbsp mustard powder

2 tsp ginger powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp vanilla paste

Mix all of the ingredients except the ribs together in a bowl. With clean hands rub the ribs generously with the spice mixture. If you prefer you can add a little olive oil to the mix to make it stick to the ribs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least overnight.

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator about an hour prior to cooking, this will allow them to cook quicker and reduce burning the outside.

Using a hooded barbeque, place ribs over a medium heat grill plate, close hood and roast for about thirty minutes. Open lid and increase temperature of barbeque and roast for about another ten minutes. Watch that they don’t burn. Remove ribs from heat and leave to rest for ten minutes.

If cooking the ribs in an oven, preheat the oven to 180C and place ribs in a shallow baking pan, cooking for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 200C and return ribs to a wire rack over a baking tray. Bake for an additional ten minutes or until the ribs are browned. To serve, cut ribs into individual bones and serve with a salad.

Christmas giving

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Photos by Steve Shanahan

First published 5 December 2012 Canberra Times and goodfood.com.au

There are gifts that are wrapped with tizzy paper and topped with beautiful ribbons and cards, and there are gifts that are hand made specially with love. It's such a treat seeing your handmade gifts, opened on the spot and then devoured bite by bite.

Mulled cranberry and apple jelly

Makes 1.4 litres

This spiced jelly is perfect with  roast lamb, beef, turkey or pork. It is also equally delicious on toast. I added an extra star anise to each jar, by holding the star anise in place with a skewer and allowing it to set before removing the skewer.

1kg of Granny Smith apples

450g frozen cranberries, thawed

3 lemons, chopped

1 and 1/2 tbsp whole cloves

4 cinnamon quills

4 star anise

grated zest and juice of 1 orange

approximately 1.5kg of caster sugar

2 tbs red wine vinegar

Chop the apples, don't peel or core them, and place in a large saucepan with berries, lemon, spices, zest, juice and 6 cups of water, stirring to combine.

Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes until apples are soft. Don't squash the fruit or your jelly will be cloudy.

Line a large colander with muslin or a new Chux and set over a large bowl. Pour in fruit mixture and stand for 4 hours to drain. Don't squeeze the fruit as this will make the jelly cloudy.

Sterilise 5 small jars about 300ml each with their lids. Chill a small saucer in the freezer.

Discard the fruit pulp and measure the volume of liquid. Weigh out the sugar, allowing one cup to every cup of liquid. Combine sugar, juice and vinegar in a clean pan over low heat. Stir for five minutes or until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, stop stirring and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 45 minutes, skimming occasionally until thick and syrupy. Test if it's ready by spooning a little of the jelly onto the cold saucer, push your finger through it, if it wrinkles and your finger leaves a trail, it is ready. If not, return to the boil and test every five minutes until it's ready.  It should be 105C on a sugar thermometer.

When it's ready, take off the heat and let it settle for a few minutes. Ladle jelly into a sterilised jug, pour into sterilised prepared jars, then seal. Allow to set in a cool, dark place for a day, then keep for up to three months.

Hungarian chocolate salami

Photo Steve Shanahan

210g ground dark chocolate

210g ground walnuts

50g prunes, chopped

1 egg

70g caster sugar

2 tbsp rum

vanilla paste

Makes two logs.

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is combined.

Line a tray with baking paper.

Tip the mixture out onto a board dusted with icing sugar and roll into two sausages and roll to cover with icing sugar.

Place the chocolate rolls onto the baking paper lined tray and leave in a cool place to dry out for two days.

When the rolls have hardened and dried a little, slice each roll very thinly and store in an airtight container. The chocolate salami will keep for two weeks in an airtight container in the cupboard.

You can wrap the chocolate rolls in cellophane and tie the ends, bon-bon style, and give as a gift.

Chocolate panforte in a bag

Photo Steve Shanahan

Makes about 40 pieces

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup honey

50g unsalted butter

300g fruit mince

1 and 1/2 cup plain flour, sifted

1 cup cocoa powder, softed

1 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp cinnamon

grated zest of one orange

100g roasted and chopped hazelnuts

100g chopped pistachios

100g chopped macadamias

1/2 cup chopped dried figs

icing sugar to dust

Preheat oven to 160C and line an 18cm x 28cm lamington tin with baking paper.

Stir sugar, honey, butter and mince in a pan over low heat for three to five minutes until the sugar dissolves.  Sift the flour, cocoa and spices into a large bowl. Add zest, nuts, figs, fruit mince mixture and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine well, it will be quite stiff. Tip into the prepared pan and use wet hands to smooth the top.

Bake for 15 minutes until firm on top. Cool in the pan, then invert onto a cutting board and dust with icing sugar. Cut lengthways into five thin sections, then cut widthways into 8 sections to form about forty 3cm squares. Keep for up to one month in an airtight container in the fridge,then pack into cellophane bags and tie the tops with ribbon.