Bone broth

Bone Broth

Ingredients

3 pcs beef bones
1 large onion, peeled left whole
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 knob of ginger, bashed
1 stick of cinnamon, optional
2 carrots, peeled left whole
2 parsnip, peeled left whole
1 celery root, peeled , halved
1 bay leaf
6 pcs black pepper corns
salt, to taste
garnish
1 bunch parsley , finely chopped
1 spring onion green part, chopped

Method

1) Bring 1 litre of water to a boil. Put in the bones, boil it for about 20 mins. After 20 mins. pour away the water, clean the bone a little under cold water.
2)  In a clean pot,put in all the ingredients except for salt, parsley, and spring onion. Pour in enough water to cover all the ingredients in the pot. Bring it boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Remove carrots, onion and parsnip, set aside in fridge until 30 mins. before serving. Continue to simmer soup for another 5hours. After that season with salt and simmer for 1 hour.
3) Finally , use a strainer , strain the soup to get a clear broth. Serve with chopped up carrots, onions, parsnip, parsley and spring onion.

You can serve with vermicelli pasta,rice noodles as well as protein of your choice.

Chicken soup with Hungarian Semolina Dumplings { Grizgombócleves}

As I was scrolling my news feed the other day, I came across Jamie Oliver's recipe of Jewish Penicillin . It was served with matzo balls. I love the idea but without the matzo crackers (to make the matzo balls) I needed a substitute for matzo. My search lead me to the Hungarian semolina dumplings, which I have eaten at my MIL's place. I thought what a perfect substitute as I will put one more Hungarian recipe under my belt!

Chicken soup with Hungarian semolina dumplings
dumpling recipe via Hami Hami

For soup :-
1 medium onion, peeled
1 knob of ginger, peeled
1 cinnamon stick
6 pepper corns
1 dried bay leaf
2 cloves garlic
oil, for sauteing
3 chicken legs, de-boned, keep the bone
3 carrots, peeled and chopped half
2 parsley root, peeled and chopped half
1/4 celery root, peeled
3/4 cup of frozen green peas
salt, to taste
water

for sprinkling
parsley leaves, chop finely
spring onion, leaves only chopped

For semolina dumplings
1 egg
4 Tbsp semolina flour
salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
parsley leaves, chopped finely

Method
To make soup
1) Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in pot, saute whole onion, knob of ginger, cinnamon stick, whole garlic cloves, pepper corn, dried bay leaves and bones of chicken legs.Once browned a little, add all vegetables and about 2 tsp salt. add water enough to cover the vegetables and a little more.

2) Bring the water to a boil and put in the chicken leg meat, cook the meat for 20-25 mins until cooked. remove meat from soup and set aside let it cool and later keep in the fridge. Turn down the heat to simmer the soup for about 2 hours. remove the onion, and root vegetables except for celery root. set aside.
continue to simmer soup for another 1 hour. Cube the root vegetables, and put it back to the soup add the frozen peas. Bring it to a boil again check for seasoning. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with chopped parsley and spring onion leaves. It is ready to be served with semolina dumplings and chicken meat.

To make dumplings (start during the last hour of simmering the soup)
3) Prepare the batter for semolina dumplings. In a bowl, beat in the egg, add in the semolina flour, season with salt and parsley leaves, mix it well. Cover and let it rest in the fridge for 30 mins.
After 30 mins., bring a small of pot of water to boil, season the boiling water with some salt. Take out the dumpling batter, use 2 spoons to quenelle the batter into dumplings. Drop dumplings one-by-one into boiling water gently. Turn it a few times. The dumplings are reading when they float to the top and the semolina is no longer hard. Set it aside until soup is ready to be served.

Quick Pork & Noodle soup

A rather quick noodle soup for when the days you want something really simple.

Quick Pork & Noodle soup
4 pax

Ingredients

Soup base
1 inch ginger, bashed
1 stalk spring onion, bashed
1 garlic, bashed
a little oil
Root vegetable (I used parsley root, celery root)
1.5 litre water
salt, to taste

Noodle
4 pkts x 60g pho instant noddle
2 sachets seasoning from instant noodle

Protein
200g Pork liver, sliced thinly
200g Minced pork, seasoned and form into meat balls

Garnish
toasted sesame
spring onion , chopped

Method
1) In a soup pot, saute bashed garlic, ginger and spring with a little oil for a few minutes. Peel and chop up root vegetable in small pieces for faster cooking. Add water to the soup pot and the root veg., Let it boil and simmer til root veg. is soften.

2) Prep. protein. When soup base is ready, throw in the meat balls to cook. When it is cook, start putting in the noodles. and liver. Be careful not to overcook the liver.

3) Serve immediately  sprinkle with toasted sesame and spring onion.

Hungarian Fish Soup { Halászlé}

 
Hungarian fish soup is a must during Christmas time; however, we love our fish soup, so I try to cook it as often as possible. The recipe that I am about to share might not be from scratch as most Hungarian would cook it, but this is how my late father-in-law did his. And this version is so easy that it is ready in just an hour!

Hungarian Fish Soup
Serves : 4-5 pax

Ingredients
1 whole carp, filleted or 3 frozen fillets of white wish (defrosted)
1 medium-size Onion, sliced or minced
1 medium-size tomato, quartered
1 Hungarian green pepper, halved
3 tsp of smoked paprika powder (spicy or sweet) - you can also mix, eg. 1/3 sweet + 2/3 spicy
1 ltr of water
fish paste concentrate,
fish stock cubes, to taste

To serve : Match stick pasta

Method
1) Sauté onion with some oil in a pot. When onion is soften, remove from heat and put in the smoked paprika. Stir it a bit , add a little cold water and return it to the stove, let it come to a boil.
2) When the liquid boils, you can add in the green pepper,  tomtato and salt. Cook until pepper and tomato are almost done. Then add in fish paste and fish stock cube and simmer further for 20 mins.
3) Add in the fish fillets and cook until done. Do not over cook fish.
4) Serve very hot with match stick pasta.

If you wish to try cooking the soup from scratch, this link may be helpful.

Instant Fish soup

Instant Fish soup
serves 4-6 pax

6 white fish fillets
2 Tbsp Paprika oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
about 250ml water
about 250ml milk *
2 Tbsp sour cream *
1 Tbsp flour *
1 fish stock cube
salt & pepper, to taste
chopped parsley or dill, to garnish
vermicelli or any kind of pasta / noodles, to serve

* you may substitute milk with coconut milk. if coconut milk is being used, sour cream and flour can be eliminated

Steps
1) In a pot, heat paprika oil, sauté onions until translucent. Stir-in the spices and minced garlic, fry until fragrant, be careful not to burn spices. add a little water to the pot and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, you can add remaining water and heat until the liquid come to a boil again.
2) Once the liquid starts to boil, put in the fish stock cube you can add in milk and meanwhile mix together sour cream and flour until smooth, add this mixture in as well. Let it come to a boil.
3) Finally, add in the fish fillets and cook for a few minute or until fish is cooked through.
4) Serve hot with your favourite pasta or noodles, garnish with parsley or dill.

Spicy and Sour Soup

I guess this can be interpreted as a version of the Thai TomYum. Although not cooked with authentic ingredients, it is very satisfying especially during the gloomy autumn / winter days !

Spicy and Sour Soup
recipe from Kata Konyha

Ingredients
2 carrots , slice into half rings
1 - 2 tomatoes , quartered
100gm mushrooms, sliced - I've used champion mushrooms, but mixture of oyster mushroom would be good too
1 small onion , chopped finely
1 pc 4cm ginger , grated
1 tsp Green curry paste
1 tsp dried lemon grass
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce - I was out of it, so replaced with dash of oyster sauce
600 - 700 ml meat stock - I used 1 fish stock cube
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt & ground pepper , to taste
Hungarian chili paste (erős pista)
1 Limejuice - didn't have lime juice used lemon instead

Garnishes
Coriander leaves / parsley leaves
Lime slice

Method
1) Heat oil in wok. Sauté chopped onion. Once onion is transparent, add grated ginger. Cook until fragrant. Next put in the green curry paste and lemon grass. Stir and cook for couple of minutes. Then add in mushroom, cook until slightly wilted.

2) Pour in fish stock, fish sauce, carrots, tomatoes. Let it boil and simmer until vegetable is tender.

3) Check and adjust taste by adding salt, ground pepper, Hungarian chili paste and a squeeze of lemon.

4) Serve with garnishes.

You can also eat this as main meal by adding noodles , seafood of your choice, or shredded chicken meat.

useful reference : http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/videos/1040/making-soup

Roasted cauliflower & curry soup

A new favourite at our household ... simply delicious! Just follow the recipe at Recipezaar

Borsófőzelék , a dish of peas

A dish of peas, that's the result I got from the translator. This dish can be served as a starter or eaten as main meal together with meat fillets. I've always love anything-peas, so it's no surprise that this dish is one of my fave. Hungarian dishes. It's great especially on cold autumn and winter days...I simply eat them with bread, delicious :)

The translated recipe is as follows :-

Ingredients

300gm green peas (fresh or frozen)

Oil , for sauté

Salt, to taste

Marjoram , a pinch

2 - 3 Tbsp of Sugar or sweetener (you may adjust to taste)

Milk , enough to cover peas

3 Tbsp flour, as thickener (you may adjust to taste, although I find the result thicker than the ones I usually have)

Parseley, finely chopped


Method

1) Heat a little oil on a sauce pan, add green peas and cook for 5-6 mins.

2) Next add salt, marjoram and sugar to the green peas, and stir a little. Pour in the milk enough to cover peas.

3) Mix flour with a little milk and put aside. When peas are soft, stir in the flour mixture. Stir it for a few minutes and remove from heat.

4) Finally add finely chopped parsley before serving.

Fish head noodles 魚頭米

I hardly ordered this at hawker stall back home. - not more than 10 occasions in my entire life! Though I like the taste, I rarely crave for it. The strangest tins was that I requested my sis to source for the recipe the first thing I arrived here. In fact this was the second malaysian recipe that I tried out in my kitchen. Right now it's one of our fave. soup recipes, wholesome and comforting.. just reminding me of home.

Verdict : Even with some ingredients substituted, I dare say the taste is quite near to the original.



Fish head Noodles
(Serves 3-4person)

Ingredients:
1kg fish head (cut into pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper) *used frozen fish meat instead
100g young ginger slice thinly
150g rice vermicelli (soak in water till soft before blanching) *used angel hair pasta or spaghetti

(A)
3-4 tomatoes(sliced)
150g salted cabbage (Ham choi) shredded and soak in water for 20 minutes *sub. with Hungarian pickled cabbaged added (soaked) with salt

(B)
1/2tsp pepper
1 sachet ikan bilis granules *sub. with Hungarian fish stock granules or plain chicken stock

1 litre hot water
salt to taste
100ml evaporated milk *sub. with UHT milk / full cream

A few stalk chinese parsely & spring onion for garnishing

Method
Blanch rice vermicelli in hot water until soft.

Deep fried fish head pieces until golden brown and crispy.

In a clean wok, add 2 tbsp oil fry young ginger until it's fragrant ;add (A)&(B) allow to simmer. Add fish head and cook rice vermicelli for 5 minutes when boiling, pour in evaporated milk. Garnish and serve immediately.

Crazy about beans

can't believe a packet of green mung beans managed to make my day! Moments ago, we went to the organic shop for tofu. This has been the second time I enter this shop. The first was at least eight months ago, for the same intention - to buy tofu. Boy, was I glad that we took time to browse around (B's idea, i was too lazy). My first word when I saw the beans on the shelf was "OMG!!! OMG!!!" I never thought I would react this way over a common staple item from my tropical home and that it can lift my spirit so much. Next of course, I was shocked at the price that they charged! For a 500g packet, the price was about 2Euro, which I think its about 800% higher than what we pay in Msia :o

The green mung beans, as my mom told us, is believe to have a cooling effect for the body. It is especially benefial to boil some as dessert to help reduce the body heat during summer. I must admit the look of the cooked beans is not exactly appetising and may not be everyone's "cup of tea". That said, I do hope you'll try the recipe included below to decide for yourself.

I boil a simple version without milk

Green Mung Beans with Gula Melaka and Coconut Milk
Recipe by Amy Beh (link)

Ingredients
200g Gula Melaka (palm sugar), chopped
1 cup water
300g green mung beans, soaked for 1 to 2 hours and drained
100g castor sugar
1.5 litres water
2 pandan leaves, knotted

Combine and squeeze to get santan (coconut milk):
1 grated coconut
1 cup water
1/4tsp salt

Method :-
Boil gula melaka (palm sugar) and water in a saucepan until sugar has dissolved completely. Strain the syrup and set aside.

Combine mung beans, sugar and water in a deep pot. Bring to a boil for 20-25 minutes. Add syrup to the mung beans and simmer over low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the beans are soft and the liquid in the pan is reduced to half.

Stir in coconut milk, add the salt and bring to a low boil. Serve this sweet dessert either hot or if preferred, cold.