Chef Chong's Chocolate Lava Cake Special

I searched for this recipe, but somehow my brain told me not to follow exactly what written. I changed some of the ingredients especially the portion. My friend, Miss Fain, loves chocolate for dessert. I knew, this Lava Cake of mine will make her happy, including my partner, Gregg. All of us have to workout more to burn the calories we put in.

Recipe:-

2 cups Semi sweet Chocolate chips (any brands you want)
1 1/2 stick melted butter (salted or unsalted)
1/2 cup AP flour
1 cup Sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 Tablespoon Triple Sac Orange
a pinch of salt

Method:-

1. Melt the semi sweet chocolate chips and butter together in a silver bowl or a pot, do the double-boiled method (cook on top of a pot of boiling water, not direct from the fire). Keep stiring.
2. Once melted, then add flour and sugar, stir again until mixing well. Pull aside, let it cool down a little.
3. Add the eggs and egg yolks together one at a time, then vanilla, salt and triple sac, stir well.
4. Oven must be 400 F, scoop the lava mixed into ramiken of your choice (preferably cup size). Bake for 10-13 min until the side of it pull aside from the ramiken. The center still a little jiggly.
5. Pull out once ready, flip it on to a dessert plate and then sprinkle with powder sugar.
6. Caramel sauce: 1 cup sugar, melted in a sauce pan medium high. Once starting to brown, lower the heat, add 1/2 cup heavy cream and pinch of salt. Stir well until really mixed and creamy. Dont over cooked it.

"Anda Boleh"

Roasted 5 Spice Chicken with Fennel blossom infused Balsamic sauce

This dish was created because of a friend who wanted a chicken and some clean food on her plate. In my head, I was thinking of chicken thigh instead of the chicken breast. The chicken thigh is tastier and can absorb more flavor when marinated. It is moist as well when seared and then roast in the oven for few minutes. Asian flavor mostly with soy sauce, sugar and cooking wine when marinating. You must marinate  the chicken at least 4 hours, then do the bow ties pasta and sauteed mushrooms. The end result was amazing! Healthy and light for sure.

Marinate the chicken thigh at least 4 hours in the fridge:-

3 pieces Boneless Chicken thigh with skin

3 Tablespoon Soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice powder

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Sake or any cooking wine

1 Tablespoon Cooking oil

* mix all together in a bowl or ziploc bag, massage it well.

Bow Ties pasta:-

2 cups Bow Ties pasta

1/4 cup chopped Green onions

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon chopped Garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

* cook the pasta according to the instruction given, al dante then strained.  Heat the sauce pan on medium high, add garlic and green onions together with oil. Stir for 30 seconds, then add in the bow ties pasta. Stir well, add salt and pepper to taste.

Sauteed Oregano Mushrooms:-

2 cups sliced mushrooms (any kind)

3 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

* Heat the sauce pan with olive oil on medium high. Add in mushrooms and oregano with salt and pepper, stir for 2-3 min until the mushrooms changed its color to darker brown.

Fennel blossoms infused Balsamic Sauce:-

4-5 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Fish sauce

1 Tablespoon chopped Fennel blossoms (the wild fennels you can find on the trails or raodside)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 Tablespoon chopped Jalapeno without seeds

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

* Heat the sauce pan with olive oil on medium, then add garlic and jalapeno together, stir for few seconds. Then add the balsamic, fennel blossoms, sugar, fish sauce, cook to reduction depends on your preferred consistancy. Always taste it every minute when simmered.

Searing the chicken thigh:-

Heat the sauce pan with 3 Tablespoon Cooking oil on medium high. Pull out the marinated chicken thigh, place the skin first on the pan and seared for at least 3-4 min each side. Seared again both side for 1-2 min each. Put them in the oven at 275 F for about 2 min, while cooking the pasta, mushroom and the sauce mentioned above.

Finally assemble all the items above, make yourself a food stylist.

"Anda Boleh"

Butter Lettuce Kabocha Blossom Red Onion Vineg

Isn't this beautiful to look at and tasty as well? Yes, this is one of my favourite salad I ever made. Light and very gourmet. I have Kabocha squash blossoms in my backyard, making it into tempura. So so good with butter lettuce, crispy sage, fresh bing cherries, cherry tomatoes, green onions and most importantly, the red onions vineg. It is actually so easy to prepare, just that you need to fry the kabocha blossoms. Well, just do it and you will enjoy it.

Ingredients:-

3-4 leaf Butter Lettuce

1 Red Onion Vineg*

2 Zuchini Blossoms**

3 Sage leaf

1 stalk Green onions - chopped

5-6 Bing cherries - halved

3 Cherry tomatoes - halved

Some Olive Oil and Salt to taste

*Red Onions Vineg:-

1 Red Onion - juliened

1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

- Sauteed the onions with the oil on medium heat. Add vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper, stir well. Then simmer for a min or two, until little reduced and shiny bright red color of the onions shown. Leave a side for cooling.

**Kabocha Squash Blossom Tempura:-

1 cup AP Flour

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Sparkling Water (cold)

- mixed all ingredients together making batter, add more cold sparkling water if its doughy. The batter should be runny but still stick to a spoon.
- dip the blossoms into the batter, then fry it in the hot oil until golden brown.


Once all of the elements ready, resemble them together just like the picture shown, any ways you like.

"Anda Boleh"

Beautiful Happy Breakfast

I loved this picture, taken one morning having breakfast with Gregg at the patio. We had fruits (plum and strawberries from our garden) and bagel toast with Chef Chong's kaya and whipped cream cheese. The sun was bright and warm that day, beautiful breakfast making us happy all day long. Enjoy, my dear friends! You can get Chef Chong's Kaya by ordering online:  Simply click here.


"Anda Boleh"

Chef Chong's Herb Curry Fettuccine

I love this homemade fettuccine, learnt from Chef Neda. But I used roller pin to thin the pasta, so it is very homemade and handmade as well. Easy and enjoying to make. Smooth like silk in your mouth. Hmmm... so yummy.

Ingredients:-

2 cup AP flour
6-7 egg yolk (when you have leftover egg yolk from your egg white daily breakfast)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon each teragon, oregano, majarom and curry powder
3-4 Tablespoon Water

Method:-

1. Put all the ingredients together in a food processor or your mixer. Knead them until become a dough.
2. Take out and wrap with plastic and put into the fridge for rest, say 30 min.
3. Then cut the dough divide them into smaller pieces, so that you can roll each one of the dough into thin pasta easily, you can see it from the pictures above.
4. Once thinned, put on the cutting board, fold it like folding a letter into your envelope, cut according to your prefer width of your fettuccine.
5. Remember, always sprinkle some flour after cutting so that it will not stick to each other when putting into a hot boiling water.
6. Cook the fettuccine in a hot boiling water with some salt (2 teaspoon) and 1 Tablespoon cooking oil for about 6-8 minutes, try a string of the pasta to see whether it cooked to your liking. Then drain them, put aside.
7. Heat up a sauce pan on medium high with 3 Tablespoon olive oil, add some chopped garlic, the pea pods or spinach or any vegetables you want, seasoned it with salt and pepper, optional, with fresh thyme. Cook for 1 min.
8. Put in the fettuccine and stir together with the sauteed vegetables. Add salt and pepper according to your taste. Then serve.

This dough can produce alot of fettuccine, so proportioned it according to your needs. Can keep half of the dough in the fridge with plastic wrap for few days used.

"Anda Boleh"

Ore-Ida Coq Au Vin

Well, another leftover food from work. It was the Vietnamese BBQ chicken. I made it into Coq au vin my style, fast and easy. I would say, less than 30 minutes cooking. It is a comfort food. Taste so good!

4 pc BBQ chicken
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup tomato
2 Tablespoon chopped Fennel leaf
3-4 pc Ore-Ida potatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
3 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Method:-
1. Heat the pot with olive oil, on medium high. Add the onions to carmelise it and then add in tomato. Stir for a min or two.
2. Then add the chicken, cook for 2-3 min. Add fennel leaf, red wine, ore-ida potatoes stir and reduce (say about 15 min) until the sauce is thick.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with steamed jasmine rice with peanut, sesame seeds and fried shallots.

"Anda Boleh"

Chef Chong's Kaya Bagel sandwich

This morning, I got up early. Usually, I will have toast with Kaya and a cup of chocolate soy for breakfast. Toast can be any kind of flour base product. I have a bag of bagels in my freezer. Surprisingly it is not hard as you thought would be. I cut them and put in the toaster for 5-8 min good at low. I love it a little toasty and brown at the side. Americans usually eat the bagel with cream cheese. I am a little creative by just sandwiched the bagel with Chef Chong's Kaya (Chef Chong's coconut jam) and cream cheese. Well, what do you think of the results? I can say this "Fabulous!"

"Anda Boleh"

Asian Bruschetta

Ever thought of this Asian way of Bruschetta???? Again, I brought back some leftover focacia bread from work, stored them in the freezer for days. Now thinking of having it consumed, I loved the crostini toastie bread. So my brain was thinking of bruschetta, since Gregg loves it so much. I have lots of asian ingredients from work as well, especially the mixed peanuts, sesame seeds and fried shallots, the mint and cilantro. Then I have a can of chunked tomatoes in the pantry and also some more fresh herbs from my backyard. See, everything comes to life. Dressing very much Asian flavor. Lets get into it!

Ingredients:-

6 slices Focacia bread - an inch or less thick
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
* Toast them in the oven at 375 F.

Toppings:-

1 1/2 cup cut tomatoes or can tomatoes (drain first)
1/4 cup chopped mint
1/4 cup chopped oregano
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped onions or green onions
2 Tablespoon Lemon juice or Lime juice
1 teaspoon Fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
* Mixed all these ingredients together.


"Anda Boleh"

Chinese Gumbo

This is what I called, Chinese Gumbo. Very quick and easy meal especially when you have less time to cook. Also when you have leftover steamed rice of any kind, Safeway roast chicken and leftover shrimps from the Memorial Weekend BBQ.

Ingredients:-

2 cups Chicken stock or any kind of stock in your freezer or pantry

1/2 cup Leftover steamed rice

3 pc Ore-Ida Tater Tots or you have leftover french fries (cut them into small pieces)

3 pc Leftover $5.99 Roast Chicken

Garnishing:-

Few Shrimps

Few Chards

Few Pea pods

(sauteed them together with cooking oil, salt and pepper until the shrimps turned red and curled up)

Method:-

1. Heat a pot with the chicken stock on high. Once boiled, add the rice, tater tots, chicken together. Cook for 3-4 min on medium heat.

2. Seasoned with salt and pepper.

3. Garnished with the sauteed shrimps and vegetables.

"Anda Boleh"

Leftover Mongolian Beef over Fried Rice and Chef Chong's Sambal Bagoong

Ok, here is the funny thing about Mongolian Beef. I never heard of Mongolian Beef in my country, Malaysia. When I got to the States, I was shocked to see the Mongolian Beef is actually beef and brocolli, of cos, with oyster sauce. Anyway, I got this leftover mongolian beef from work as well, Chef Neda made it. She is a wonderful talented Chef I ever met.
About the Chef Chong's Sambal Bagoong, my good friend, Edna Lee wanted me to make it for her BBQ party on the Memorial Day Weekend. So in my head, I said, just shallots and chilli paste is good enough. But then, I wanted to try using the shrimp paste which is Belachan in Malaysia and Bagoong in Phillipines. I mixed it with Mexican Dried Peppers, the mild one. The result was so good, not too spicy but still have the chilli taste of it. Gregg was eating it with grilled corn. What a good idea!

Method:-

Just re-cooked the Leftover Mongolian Beef (any kind of leftover meat dish from Asian restaurants), to reduce the water content. The result is a bit dry, add some pea pods or any other greens you want, to beautify the leftover.

For the Fried Rice, please refer to my other Fried Rice recipes.

For Sambal Bagoong:-
5-6 dried peppers mild (cut into pieces and take the seed out, boil in a hot water for few minutes until soft, then strained)
5-6 shallots
1-2 Jalapeno (take the seed out)
1-2 Tablespoon Bagoong or Belachan (Shrimp paste)
1 teaspoon Sugar
Salt to taste
2-4 Tablespoon cooking oil

Method:-

1. Put these ingredients in a food processor, make into paste.
2. Heat a non-stick deep saucepan with 2-4 Tablespoon cooking oil, at low medium.
3. Add the paste with Bagoong (Belachan) and sugar and cook for about 20-25 min, stir well until the oil turned red. Then add salt to taste. Remember, have to stir constantly, so that the paste won't stick at the bottom of the pan.
4. Once cooked, let it cool off. When serving, add some lemon or lime juice in the paste and mixed well.

Shrimps Vermicelli on bed of lettuce

Again, I brought back some leftover from work. This time is the shrimps, used for the lettuce wrap. I know you all will wonder, what were you thinking when looking at the leftover food and other ingredients. Well, telling you the truth, the Flavors. Imagine the shrimps, with some marinade such as lime juice, cashew nuts, green onions, salt and pepper, fish sauce, and cold vermicelli. In my head, I think of it, light and healthy and tasty as well. See, seafood is always a light protein and taste good no matter how you cooked it. So when you have some shrimps at home, chopped it, add salt and pepper, some fish sauce, lime juice or lemon, a little sugar, then you will have a great meal for a day.

Recipe soon.