Fish Trip Cafe

Sleepy Sunday. I love being lazy today.

This is a very easy but delicious chicken dish.

The combination of miso and honey makes an appetizing sweet & savoury flavour.

I’ll have another nap after the meal. Zzz…

——————————

— Miso & Honey Roast Chicken (serves 2) —

4 chicken thighs (about 500g)

2 tablespoons miso paste (medium-coloured)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Some spring onion, finely sliced

——————————

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

Mix the miso, sake and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

Trim the excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs (leave just enough skin to cover the meat). Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and coat the chicken with the sesame oil.

Place the chicken in a shallow roasting tin in a single layer. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Coat the miso mixture on top side of the chicken. Place under a grill and cook for 5 minutes until the miso paste became nicely brown.

Garnish with finely sliced spring onion.

Shumai is a traditinal Chinese dumpling  and it’s one of my favourite Dim Sum dish.

I added a little bit of Thai flavour into a basic pork and prawn shumai recipe and it works well.

Small but mighty dumplings.

——————————

— Steamed pork & prawn Shumai (18 dumplings) —

200g minced pork

60g raw prawns, peeled, finely chopped

50g water chestnut, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons corn flour

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

18 sheets won ton pastry

*****

— for garlic chips —

2 garlic cloves

3 vegetable oil

*****

— for dipping sauce —

3 tablespoons soya sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

——————————

To make garlic chips: cut the garlic cloves into very thin slices. Heat the oil in a small pan over law heat and sauté the chopped garlic until golden brown. Drain the excess oil on kitchen papers.

To make dipping sauce: mix soy sauce and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

*****

Place all the dumpling ingredients except for the won ton pastry.

Mix everything until the ingredients are well combined.

Hold a wonton pastry sheet on your palm, spoon 1 tablespoon of filling mixture on to the middle of the pastry, gather up the pastry and lightly squeeze the top of edges together, leaving the top open.

Place the dumplings in a steamer. Steam over boiling water for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with crushed garlic chips and serve with the dipping sauce.

This is a beautiful Alentejo (south Portugal) dish.

My portuguese friend made this dish for the Christmas party a few years ago. I was quite surprised when I saw it, because the combination of pork and clams was so unusual for me, and I couldn’t really imagine what does it taste like (I thought maybe my friend just put everything what he has in the fridge…).

The taste was amazing. Pork and clams work very well together, rich and flavouful taste.

I’m a big fan of this dish since then.

——————————

— Pork and Clams Alentejo Style (serves 4) —

700g pork loin

20-30 clams, scrubbed

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped

3 potatoes

1 lemon

4 tablespoon olive oil

A pinch of salt and black pepper

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

*****

— for wine marinade —

200ml white wine

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon paprika

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Cut the pork into 1 inch cubes.

Mix all the marinade ingredient in a bowl, add the pork cubes and mix. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or over night.

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and deep fry until golden brown. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy pot, stir-fry the chopped onion and garlic over medium heat until tender. Add the clams, a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover the pot and cook until the clams open for about 5 minutes.

Drain the pork cubes (reserve the marinade). Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a fry-ng pan. Stir-fry the drained pork cubes over medium heat until golden brown. Add the reserved marinade, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked pork into the clam pot, mix everything together, stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the deep fried potato cubes and the chopped coriander.

Serve with lemon wedges.

This is a mild and creamy coconut milk-based Vietnamese curry. The beautiful fragrance of lemongrass brings refreshing bright flavour and it’s very simple and quick to make. A great dish for a lazy summer night.

——————————

— Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken Curry (serves 4) —

700g chicken thigh, boned and skinned

3-4 stalks lemongrass

3 shallots, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 small green chillies, finely chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon palm sugar (or brown sugar)

2 & 1/2 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce (nouc mam)

1 & 1/2 tablespoon curry powder

1 bay leaf

300ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons roasted peanits, chopped (for garnish)

2 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped (for garnish)

4 portions of plain boiled rice

——————————

Cut the chicken thigh into 1 inch pieces. Crash the lemongrass stalks and cut into 1 inch pieces.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying-pan or wok, stir-fry the garlic and shallot over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the chopped lemongrass, green chillies, curry powder, nouc mam,  palm sugar, bay leaf and chopped chicken thigh and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.

Pour the coconut milk and mix everything well. Simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Serves with plain boiled rice and garnish with chopped roasted peanut and chopped coriander leaves.

Spice up summer, beat the heat!

——————————

— Moroccan Meatballs (serves 2, about 16 meatballs) —

300g lean minced lamb

1/2 onion, grated

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 tablespoon ground paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

20g coriander leaves, chopped

Vegetable oil for frying

Some coriander leaves for garnish

*****

— for tomato sauce —

1 tin (400g) plum tomato

1 clove garlic, grated

1/2 tablespoon cumin powder

1/2 tablespoon paprika powder

5g chicken stock powder

——————————

Place the minced lamb, grated onion, grated garlic, cumin, paprika, cinnamon in a bowl and knead with your hands until well mixed. Add the chopped coriander in the bowl and mix together.

Roll the meat mixture into smallish meatballs.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the meatballs over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the cooked meatballs from the frying pan and set aside.

Add all the tomato sauce ingredients in the frying-pan, then bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat to low and return the meatballs to the pan and simmer with the tomato sauce for about 20 minutes until the sauce is thickened.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

“Chicken Teriyaki Burger” is a popular fast-food menu in Japan.

It might be a good idea to sell it in the UK… I was thinking that while I was eating this chicken burger.

Suddenly started pouring down rain. And, the bird window ornament looks like crying. I felt a little bit guilty.

——————————

— Chicken Teriyaki Burger (serves 2) —

250g chicken mince meat

30g (about 2 stems) spring onion, finely chopped

1/2 egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated

1/2 tablespoon corn flour

1/2 soya sauce

1/2 sake rice wine

A pinch of salt and pepper

Some vegetable oil (for frying)

2 burger buns

Some lettuce

Some tomato

Some mayonnaise

*****

— for Teriyaki sauce —

3 tablespoons soya sauce

1 & 1/2 honey

2 tablespoons sake rice wine

——————————

Place the chicken mince and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl, mix thoroughly by hand until quite sticky.

Add the finely chopped spring onion, beaten egg, grated ginger, corn flour, soya sauce and sake in the bowl and mix everything well.

Divided the mixture into 2 and shape them into flattened rounds. Make shallow hollow in the centre of each.

Put some oil into a heated frying-pan, fry on both sides of the hamburgers over medium heat until golden brown and cooked. Transfer the hamburgers to a plate.

Discard the oil from the frying-pan, turn down the heat to low, add all the Teriyaki sauce ingredients and cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce being to bubble. Bring back the hamburgers into the frying-pan and toss well with the Teriyaki sauce.

Serve the burgers in toasted buns with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.

I love street food.

Especially when I visit new countries and towns.

It’s one of the best way to see the real local culture. I love sitting on a wobbly plastic chair, feeling the new fresh air, choosing a dish which I’ve never seen before. It’s a nice little adventure.

This recipe is Indonesian satay style. I remember the smily and hard working people at food stalls in Indonesia when I eat it.

——————————

— Peanut Chicken Satay (serves 4) —

5-6 chicken thighs, boned and skinned

Some coriander, chopped (for garnish)

*****

— for marinade —

4 tablespoons peanuts butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon coriander, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon lemongrass, finely chopped

1/2 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon fish sauce (Nam pla)

4 tablespoons coconuts milk

1/2 tablespoon ketchup

1/2 tablespoon soya sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

——————————

Cut the chicken into bite size.

Mix all the marinade ingredient in a bowl, add the chicken and coat well all over. Cover and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Thread the chicken onto soaked bamboo skewers and grill for 4-5 minutes each side until cooked through.

Sprinkle with the chopped coriander.

Pork and ginger go well together, “Ginger pork (pan-fried pork with ginger sauce)” is Japan’s national favourite home cooking dish.

This recipe is slightly different from the traditional ginger pork recipe, but I think I prefer this version more.

Apple adds fruity flavour to the ginger sauce and makes the pork tender.

——————————

— Pan-fried Apple Ginger Pork (serves 2) —

300g pork loin or shoulder steak

1 apple (small), grated

2 tablespoon soya sauce

2 tablespoon white wine

1 teaspoon honey

1 tablespoon ginger, grated

Some corn flour

Salt and pepper

Some vegetable oil for frying

Some chopped parsley for garnish

——————————

Place the grated apple, soya sauce, white wine and honey in a bowl and mix. Set aside.

Cut the pork steak into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with salt and peper.

Lightly dust the pork with some corn flour.

Heat some oil in a frying-pan, fry the pork over medium heat until lightly browned.

Pour the apple mixture into a frying-pan, stir and cook for 1 minutes.

Add the grated ginger and mix everything.

Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.

This dish is used an unusual technique of marinating meat. Marinate a duck breast in miso paste after it’s cooked.

Sounds a bit strange?  But this is a quite popular duck appetizer in Japan.

Miso and honey give the cooked duck more flavour and to tenderize it at the same time. Marinate the cooked duck over night, and then you can just take it out of the fridge, slice and eat it like a ham next day.

The combination of the savoury miso flavoured duck and the sweet and sour mango is great, and I really enjoyed this new bruschetta.

——————————

— Miso Duck and Mango Bruschetta —

1/8 Mango

40g rocket

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Some baguette

Some ground black pepper

*****

— for the miso marinated duck —

1 duck breast

100g miso paste

1 tablespoon honey

Some salt and pepper

——————————

To make the miso marinated duck: Mix the miso paste and honey in a small bowl, set aside.

Season the duck breast with salt and pepper.

Heat a little oil in a flying-pan, place the duck breast skin-side down over medium heat and fry for 15-20 minutes until the skin became brown and crispy

Turn the duck breast and fry for 6 minutes until browned,  then turn off the heat, cover with foil and leave the duck in the pan to rest (this will result in meat that is slightly pink in the middle)

Coat all side of the cooked duck with the miso mixture and cover with cling film, refrigerate for over night.

*****

Mix the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a bowl, add the rocket and toss.

Peel and thinly slice the mango.

Lightly wipe off miso mixture from the marinated duck, and thinly slice.

Slice the baguette and toast them.

Topping the rocket salad, the sliced mango and the sliced duck. Sprinkle with some black pepper.

I found a plum tree started to bloom when I opened the window this morning.

Little pink flowers.

I felt a bit spring-like and I decided to use a plate with pink flowers paint on for today’s dish.

This classic combination of basil, cheese, tomato and chicken is certainly delicious, and it goes with the plate : )

——————————

— Folded Chicken with Tomato Sauce (serves 2) —

2 chicken breast fillets

4 slices cheese

12 leaves basil

Some salt and black pepper

Some flour

Some olive oil for flying

*****

— for the tomato sauce —

1/4 onion

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon chicken stock powder or cube

1 tablespoon olive oil

——————————

To make the tomato sauce: finely chop the onion, mince the garlic and chop the tomatoes into small cubes.

Heat the olive oil in a small pan, add the chopped onion, minced garlic and sauté 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the chopped tomato, the chicken stock and bay leaf and simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

*****

Slice the chicken fillets in half widthwise to the other edge.

Lay down the sliced chicken fillets on a cutting board, cover it with plastic wrap and pound the chicken to 1/2 inch thickness, season with salt and pepper.

Place 3 leaves of basil on top of the chicken and place 1 slice of cheese on top of the basil leaves.

Fold the chicken fillets in half, season both sides with salt and pepper and lightly dust both side with flour. Make the other folded chickens in the same way.

Heat some olive oil in a frying-pan, sauté the chickens over medium-low heat on each side until cooked and golden.

Transfer to serving plates and pour the tomato sauce over the chickens.