Mediterranean-Style Sole

Mediterranean-Style Sole

Taken from Massimo Bottura's Masterclass. I love this dish; it is simple, healthy and delicious. The fish can be turbot, sea bass, or snapper as well.

(Picture taken before cooking)

Ingredients:

2 white fish fillets

10 slices of lemon, sliced very thinly and with seeds removed

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

100g black Italian olives, pitted

10g capers

2 tbsp parsley

1 egg, lightly beaten

Extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius, and season the fillets with salt.

2) Place the fillets on a piece of baking paper, and arrange the lemon slices evenly on top of the fillets. Place the tomatoes, olives, capers and parsley uniformly across the fish, then drizzle with a bit of olive oil.

3) Brush the edge of the baking paper with the egg, then place another piece of baking paper over the fish, lining it up with the first sheet. Fold the edge of both pieces of baking paper up and over a few times, covering the fish entirely.

4) Place in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

5) Use a pair of scissors to cut a slit on top of the packet, and transfer the contents to a plate and serve.

Steamed Pork Ribs

Steamed Pork Ribs

Most recipes for steamed pork ribs involve using black bean sauce, but after it induced a gout attack for me I stopped using it. 

For steamed pork ribs, the freshness and type of pork really matters. I would recommend using Indonesian pork for this; it really makes a big difference.

Ingredients:

500g of pork spare ribs

4 tsp light soy sauce

4 tsp cooking wine

0.5 tsp salt

0.5 tsp sugar

1.5 tsp corn flour

3 tsp minced garlic

1-2 bunches of spring onion

Instructions:

1) Add the soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, garlic, sugar and corn flour into the pork ribs and mix well. Let it marinate for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

2) Let the pork ribs rest at room temperature for 20 minutes or so, then steam it for 20 to 25 minutes.

3) Sprinkle with spring onion and serve.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Vegetables

Stir-Fried Chicken Breast with Vegetables

This is an easy dish, and the chicken breast can be replaced with thigh meat if you wish. Similarly, the vegetables can be easily substituted.

Since the sauce is a bit thick, it goes well with rice.

Ingredients:

200g of chicken breast, cut into 2cm cubes

200g of nai bai

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon corn flour

2 teaspoons concentrated chicken stock

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

0.25 cup honey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Olive oil

Salt

White pepper

Instructions:

1) In a mixing bowl, add the corn flour and around 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk it well, then add the concentrated chicken stock, light soy sauce, honey, sesame oil and some white pepper. Mix well again, and set aside.

2) Season the chicken breast cubes with some salt and white pepper.

3) Heat up some oil on a skillet, then add the chicken in. Cook for around 5 minutes, then remove from skillet and set aside.

4) Add a bit more oil to the skillet, then add the minced garlic in. Once it starts to turn brown, add the nai bai in and saute until it is cooked.

5) Add the chicken back to the skillet and mix.

6) Whisk the sauce again before pouring it into the skillet. Mix well and let it cook for another minute or so, then serve.

Pan-Fried Pork Chops

Pan-Fried Pork Chops

Taken from Food Network.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops

0.25 cup of flour

1 teaspoon of butter

Cayenne pepper

Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Dry the pork chops as much as possible, then add salt and black pepper to both sides.

2) Mix the flour with some salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Dredge each side of the pork chop in the mixture.

3) Heat some oil on a skillet, and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the pork chops in and cook it for around 2 to 3 minutes on one side. 

4) Flip and cook the pork chops for another 1 to 2 minutes. Ensure that the juices do not run red or pink.

5) Serve.

Swordfish Steaks

Swordfish Steaks

Ingredients:

2 swordfish steaks

1.5 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of parsley

0.5 teaspoon of lemon zest

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Black pepper

Salt

Instructions:

1) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius, then mix the butter, garlic, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Add some black pepper and salt.

2) Dry the swordfish steaks as much as possible, and season both sides with salt and black pepper.

3) Heat up some oil in an oven-proof pan, and add the swordfish steaks in for around 3 minutes.

4) Flip the steaks, and transfer the whole pan into the oven for 6 minutes.

5) Transfer the steaks to plates, and add the butter mixture into the pan. Deglaze the pan, then pour the mixture over the steaks. Serve.