Red Snapper Fillet In Thymato Sauce

I bought a small pack of Arrowroot powder sometime ago but it's not been used as much as I planned. I used it in soups but haven't test it in stir-fries. My house helper bought me some nice and fresh Red Snapper fillets and large prawns last week from a fisherman, selling by the road side :-D She's really good at sourcing such produce and I'm really happy with her service :-P I even told her that I mentioned about her in my blog... she's so happy :-)

I decided to use the arrowroot for this recipe that used tomatoes before it's due date :-P I read that arrowroot is works very well with acidic liquid (example; tomatoes in this recipe or maybe pasta sauce?). It's neutral tasting it's the best among the starch thickeners besides surviving the freezer with no effects of odd taste or spongy. It also gives high gloss to your dishes ( I think it's fabulous with pie fillings!). One thing of caution though, arrowroot doesn't work well with milk based sauces as I found out when I use it to make ice cream when I ran out of cornstarch :-(

Here's a recipe that I wanted to share. You must be wondering what's this 'Thymato Sauce' :-P It's the combination of 'Thyme' and 'Tomato'. You see, when I upload my recipe and picts to food sites, they have this word/title limits to certain count. So, to shorten the process (actually, my laziness :-P), I decided to call the fish's sauce/gravy as 'Thymato'. I think it sounds better than 'Thymemato'. Hmmm... sounds like one of those weird science projects, huh? Well, If you can have 'Tamarillo', why not 'Thymato'? Hee heee heeee... :-P

Red Snapper Fillet In Thymato Sauce

Serves 2-4

300 g Red Snapper Fillet (or any white fish fillet) ~ skin on

400 g Tomato ~ skinned and seeded

2 pcs Lebanese Cucumbers

1 Tbl Fresh Thyme ~ fully packed/1 tsp dried Thyme

1 clove Garlic ~ minced

10 g Arrowroot Powder **

Some oil for shallow frying

For Fish Marinate:

2.5 g Salt (approx. ½ tsp)

3o ml Ginger Wine (I'd posted a recipe if you don't have ready-made wine)

Some Ground White Pepper to taste

For Seasoning:

60 ml Water

30 g Raw Sugar

2 g Salt (approx. ⅓ tsp)

20 ml Tomato Sauce (Tomato Ketchup)

10 ml Rice Vinegar

Thickener Glaze:

30 ml Water

12 g Arrowroot Powder**

* Unless stated otherwise all cup & spoon measurements are level.

** For this recipe you can use other starches as thickener or glaze like Cornstarch, Kudzu, Potato Starch, Tapioca or Water Caltrop Starch.

Method:

1. Rinse fish fillet and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut into pieces (depends on the size of fillet, you can have about 3 or more portions). Mix gently the pieces with marinade for 10± minutes.

2. Slice the skinned and seeded tomatoes into wedges. Cut the cucumbers into quarters lengthwise and then dice coarsely. You can cut into rounds as well ~ as long as the cucumbers cook evenly.

3. Add the Kudzu powder to the pieces of fish and mix well (it's easier to mix with fingers).

4. Heat some oil in a deep pan. Fry the fish pieces on both sides until medium-well done (62.8°C/145°F degrees core temp). Dish out and set aside. Remove the used oil.

5. In the same pan, heat some oil. Stir-fry the minced garlic until fragrant. Add in tomato wedges. Stir for awhile. Add in the seasoning and fried fish pieces. Let it cook for few minutes.

6. Add in the diced cucumbers and fresh thyme. Gently mix the ingredients so that the fish pieces are not break apart.

7. Add in the thickener mixture and gently stir until it thickens. Dish out and serve.

Enjoy!

Fresh Thai Pineapple & Cucumber Salad

I love pineapples (Ananas comosus), a versatile fruit in which it's so sweeeeeeet and very fragrant as well! I like to use them not only in sweet desserts, drinks (what's Piña Colada without Pineapple!) or the local favourite like Pineapple Jam and Pineapple Tarts! It also gives extra tang (or a 'kick') of sweetness in savoury recipes like Pineapple Pajeri, Achar, Crab Curry, Salt Fish with Pineapple Curry, Sambals, Rojaks, Salad... The list is endless with such delicious fruit originated from southern part of Brazil and Paraguay. There are several types of pineapples hybrids that I love, available locally in Malaysia, mainly Moris (Gula Batu/Rock Sugar) Pineapple, Sarawak Pineapple, Honey Pineapple, Joesphine and Gandul Pineapple.

I remembered when I was little, I hate eating pineapples even though it's so delicious in my favourite Salt Fish & Pineapple Curry or Laksa. It's because of the dark brown 'eyes', bracts or spots which ever names it's known, caused my tongue to itch and hurt badly. My mom furiously scared when I ate pineapples with hands... :-D It's because the pineapple juice left blotches of marks on her vinyl flooring when dried... :-P Well, occasionally I still have the stings but I can handle it... with MucoAid :-P

Here's a fresh salad recipe that is very simple to make for a fuss-free hot Summer days gathering with family and friends over the BBQ... with cool and refreshing Piña Colada, of course!

Fresh Thai Pineapple & Cucumber Salad

Serves 2-4

¼ pc Fresh Pineapple ~ peeled, cored and dark brown 'eyes'/bracts removed*

( * I used only ¼ of 1 whole fresh pineapple)

2 nos Japanese Cucumbers (Kyuri) or 1 medium size cucumber

1 nos Red Onion ~ thinly sliced

1 bunch Watercress

1 Red Chilli ~ sliced thinly (optional)

Dressing:

3 Tbl Fresh Lime or Lemon juice

2 Tbl Soy Sauce

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Chilli Sauce

2 Tbl Fresh Mint ~ chopped (about 3-4 stalks)

Method:

1. Peel cucumbers and cut into halves lengthwise. With a small teaspoon, scoop out the seeds and cut into 1 cm pieces (you can leave the seeds on if you want, if you're using Japanese Cucumbers/Kyuri). Place it in a bowl.

2. Cut the pineapple also into 1 cm pieces and add to the cucumber.

3. Add in the sliced red onion and watercress. Mix well.

4. For the dressing; in another bowl, mix all ingredients with a whisk.

5. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly. Serve in a salad bowl or individual plates. If you want extra spicy and hot, add some more sliced red chilli.

Note: To avoid the salad become watery, add the dressing only when you are about to serve. If you like, add some coarsely pounded toasted peanuts or any nuts of your choice.

Enjoy!

Prawns With Broccoli and Pine Nuts

For the last few months, I'd been eating quite a lot of seafood even when I travelled, I never missed tasting seafood specials of the regions. Of course, prices are hefty compared to my hometown - well, no fret I'll be back and ready to have seafood spree -actually the fishmongers are happy to see me, you know :-D They even remembered when was the last time I patronised their stalls :-P

I think there will be more meat and vegetables recipes coming (seafood is 'errhmmm' in Europe you know...) There's one scene I wanted to tell... any country I went, my first visit would be their fresh markets. I love the hustle and bustle of the local life, far away from tourists (except me of course :-D ) and sometimes, you may find odd food or specialty of the season amongst the vans, trucks and carts. The scene, I mentioned earlier was the first time I'm in Europe, I was shocked to see pre-cooked crabs and crevettes grises on display in baskets, trays and crates :-D I'm used to see 'live' crabs in tanks or ponds ready for selection and cook to your specifications. Well, except Flower Crabs and Blue Swimmers, other crabs are kept alive until further notice! What I can say is, today I'm a huge fan of Crevettes Grises! They are yummylicious and I always reserved the peeled shells and heads as stock for soups, stir-fries, steamed seafood, noodles... etc.

Looks like my next seafood tryout is going to be the cooked crabs but judging by the size and weight, it's going to pinch my purse soon :-D Anyway, I'm not doing fish... yet but here's a yummy recipe that may take sometime to cook but I love the results. It's like eating 2 flavours in one dish! Most important thing... mise en place... ingredients within reach, very hot wok or pan and fast stir-frying. Lots of handwork involved but all of us can do it! Serve this dish hot with steamed rice or made extra gravy, ladle on top yellow noodles. ramen or egg noodles as a delicious side dish to your main meal!

Prawns with Broccoli and Pine Nuts

Serves 2

25 g Pine Nuts

150 g Broccoli

150 g Prawns

1/2 pc Carrot

2 slices Ginger

1 Tbl Ginger wine

Some boiling water for scalding the vegetables

Marinade for Prawns:

1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cornflour

1 tsp Oil

Seasoning for Broccoli:

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

3 Tbl Water

3/4 tsp Cornflour

Sauce (Gravy) Mix:

3 Tbl Water

1/8 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Cornflour

Method:

1. Rub the pine nuts with clean damp cloth. Let them dry and toast the nuts until fragrant and golden. Set aside. It's important to stir the pine nuts constantly to avoid burnt. You can also bake the nuts in oven at 120 ºC for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. I used fan to have even roasting.

2. Wash and cut the broccoli into small florets. Slice the carrot into rounds or any shapes you fancy (for this recipe, I shaped the carrots into flower and sliced them about 2mm thick, to maintain the shape of the design). Set aside.

3. In a small pot/pan, heat some water to a rolling boil. Scald the broccoli florets and carrot for about 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.

4. Shelled and devein the prawns. Rinse and pat dry. Marinate for about 5 minutes.

5. Heat some oil in a wok or deep pan. When it's really hot, add in the broccoli and stir-fry for while. Sizzle with ginger wine, the seasoning and mix well. Dish out in a serving plate. (Keep it warm with another plate on top if you prefer).

6. Wash your pan or wok with some water and heat it up again to high heat (to evaporate the water before adding oil to avoid splattering).

7. When the wok or pan is dry, add in some oil. When oil is hot and smoky, add in sliced ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the marinated prawns and stir-fry quickly for few seconds. Add in the sliced carrots and the sauce/gravy mixture.

8. Mix well until the gravy thickens. Dish out on top of the cooked broccoli. Sprinkle some toasted pine nuts and serve.

Note:

If you can't find ready made Ginger Wine in your local Asian shops, you can try to make your own.

15 g old ginger - bruised or sliced into pieces

60 ml Rice Wine or Sake (please choose quality rice wine)

Add them together in a air tight jar and leave it to soak overnight before using. Strain the liquid as needed. This quantity will keep for several weeks, depends on how frequent you use in your cooking :-)

♪ ♥ Enjoy ♥♬