Coconut shrimps

This is a recipe from www.allrecipes.com. I think the recipe lacks salt so I added salt to the shrimps.

Ingredients:
400g shrimps (about 35)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup all- purpose flour
3 cups of flaked coconut
vegetable oil for frying (I used corn oil)
salt to taste

Method:
1. Combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer and baking powder to make batter. Place 1/3 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls.
2. Dip shrimp in flour, then batter. Roll shrimp in coconut and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 175 degrees C in a deep fryer. (This can also be done in a wok. Heat oil. To test whether the oil is ready for frying, put a pair of chopsticks into the oil. When there are bubbles, the oil is ready)
3. Fry shrimp in batches. Cook for about 4 minutes or until golden. Remove shrimps to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle salt onto shrimps while still warm. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

For dipping sauce, I used 1/4 cup Dijon, 1/4 cup honey and 1/2 mayo.

Braised beef shank

This dish can be served cold as an appetizer or hot with noodle or rice. Remove the beef from the fridge about 30 mins before serving as an appetizer and pour heated sauce onto beef. Reheat beef and sauce when served as a main dish with noodle or rice.

Ingredients:
1kg beef shank (pick the small whole muscle, about 500g)
2 cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced
2 sprigs of spring onions, whole and some thinly sliced for garlish
1 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp light soy sauce
1 piece of star anise
1 tsp Szechwan peppercorn
3 tbsp wine (optional)
Roasted sesame oil (about 2 tsp)

Method:
1. Blanch the beef in a pan of boiling water for 4 to 5 mins. Rinse the beef. Bring another pan of water to a boil, add half of the ginger, spring onions and 2 tbsp wine. Place beef into pan and cook for 15 mins. Keep the cooking liquid.

2. In a separate pot, add rest of the ginger, sugar, soy sauce, star anise and wine. Place beef in the pot and add enough cooking liquid to cover the beef and bring to a boil. Then simmer over low heat for about 1 hour until beef is tender.

3. Remove the beef and drain. Rest the beef on the chopping board until it is cool. Cut the beef into very thin slices and serve with the sauce and sesame oil.

Tikka (Bullets)

Ingredients: (Serves 6)
2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1 cup of green beans, finely chopped
1 cup of carrots, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
Fresh coriander
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 egg white
Breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of canola oil. Add onion and fry until golden brown.
2. Add garlic paste, ginger paste and saute for another minute. Add carrots, green beans and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add garam masala, salt, pepper, tomato, fresh coriander and potato. Then add lime juice. Stir the mixture and slowly add breadcrumbs until the mixture thickens.
4. Form small "bullets" using the mixture.
5. Dip the "bullets" into the egg white, then breadcrumbs. Deep fry the bullets until gold brown. Serve hot.

(Recipe from Indian Cuisine and Cooking Course by Montreal Consultant and Swadisht Restaurant)

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Ingredients:
250g lean pork
1/2 carrot
1/8 cup dried black fungus (soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes before use)
4 pieces of dried shitake mushroom (soak in cold water until well rehydrated, takes about 1 hour)
1/2 onion
1 package of spring roll wrappers (or egg roll wrappers)
1/8 cup dried shrimp (soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes before use)
50 g vermicelli (or bean threads; soak in cold water for 30 mins or until well rehydrated)
1/8 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 can of beer (any kind)

Marinate:
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 white pepper
1 egg

Sauce: (Mix the following ingredients)
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Method:
1. To make filling, blend pork, carrot, black fungus, mushroom, onion, dried shrimp, cilantro and marinate in a food processor.
2. Add egg and chopped vermicelli to the above mixture. Set aside.
3. Set one piece of spring roll wrapper on a plate. Brush the wrapper with beer. Add about 2 tbsp of the filling onto the wrapper. Make spring roll per instruction on the package. Put the spring rolls in the fridge for 1 hour. 4. Heat oil in a wok. Deep fry the spring rolls using medium heat. Cook until the spring rolls are golden brown. Serve with sauce.

Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce

I love this recipe! It's easy to make and you can prepare this ahead of time (up to 12 hours ahead). It's a very good dish to bring to a pot luck lunch/dinner in the summer.

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:
250g Udon noodles (can be found in Asian markets)
1/3 cup crunchy/smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (cannot be substituted with light sesame oil)
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cucumber, julienned
3 carrots, grated
6 green onions
1/3 cup of chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
(optional: 2 cups of bean spouts; if you decided to use bean spouts, cut down the amount of cucumber to 1 and carrots to 2)

Directions:
1. Cook the udon noodles as per package instructions. Drain and rinse the noodle under cold running water and let cool.
2. Whisk peanut butter, milk, rice wine vinegar, light soy sauce, dark sesame oil, ginger and crushed red pepper flakes.
3. Combine the cooked noodle, cucumber, carrot, mint and green onions (also bean spouts if desired). Add the peanut butter dressing and mix well. Served chilled and garnish with chopped roasted peanuts. (You can also garnished with roasted sesame)