Month: May 2011

Spicy tuna and French bean tagliatelle recipe.

This dish was made by the BF. I was having the blues so he decided to cook dinner, which is a great thing because my food does reflect my emotions. When I’m feeling iffy, trust me whatever I cook would taste freaking iffy too :P

# – Spicy tuna and French bean tagliatelle.

The pasta was a superb comfort food! Thanks Boobehs! Al-dente pasta coated evenly with a perfectly flavoursome sauce. Hrmmm, my mouth waters at the thought of the dish.

The ingredients:

  • 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 can of plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 can of tuna chunks in brine, drained
  • 3 tablespoons of tomato puree
  • A handful of french beans, chopped
  • 3 fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of Italian Herbs or Herb de Provence
  • 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce
  • Tagliatelle for two people

# – First, sauteed some garlic slices in a pan till fragrant.

# – Then, throw in the sliced onions.

# – Followed by 3 tablespoons of tomato puree. Stir to mix.

# – Don’t forget a couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

# – Now, empty a an of drained tuna chunks into the pan.

# – Then, chuck in the french beans.

# – Some black pepper……..

# – As well as Tabasco sauce if you like a stronger kick…

# – Then, empty a can of chopped plum tomatoes.

# – Season with one tablespoon of brown sugar to offset the tartness a bit.

# – A few dashes of Italian Herbs or Herb de Provence for more depth of flavour. Let the mixture simmer while you cook the pasta.

# – Cook the tagliatelle according to instructions on the pack.

# – A minute before the pasta should finish cooking, throw in fresh tomatoes into the sauce mixture.

# – Pour in the drained pasta immediately. Mix till pasta are properly coated with the sauce.

# – Spicy tuna and French bean tagliatelle, DONE!

The BF really has a knack for conjuring up wonderful flavours, a skill that I have yet to master. Hopefully in the near future I’ll be able to simply throw some ingredients together and it can taste as good as this spicy tuna and French bean tagliatelle, hehe.

Strawberry chocolate sponge roll recipe.

One of our best friends, M is a frequent traveller, a bonafide jetsetter. We hardly get to see him so when he’s back in town recently and called us up for dinner at his place, I decided to make a jam sponge roll to bring over as dessert.

The recipe has not an ounce of fat in it so it’s perfect for fitness nut M as well as my BF and myself, whose habits of overindulging are starting to take its toll on our physiques…

# – Strawberry chocolate sponge roll.

I couldn’t help but sneak in some dark chocolates though for a bit of a crunch but hey it’s dark chocolates so they’re healthy! ;)

For the sponge:

  • 120 ml of flour
  • 100 ml of granulated sugar, divided into half
  • 5 eggs, whites and yolks separated
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
  • 2 tablespoons of icing sugar

For the filling:

  • 100grams of good quality strawberry jam
  • 20 grams of dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

Tools required:

  • Baking tray (around the size of 9.5″ x 14″)
  • Clean tea towel (same size with baking tray or more)
  • Waxed/Non stick baking paper

# – First, whip up the egg whites till double in size then gradually add half of the granulated sugar (tablespoon by tablespoon) and continue whipping.

# – Till the egg whites turn fluffy and glossy like this. Set aside.

# – In another bowl, pour the rest of the sugar into egg yolks, then add a teaspoon of vanilla essence.

# – Beat the mixture at high speed.

# – After 5-8 minutes, you will notice that the colour has changed from bright orange to a really pale yellow, like this.

# – Now, turn the beater to the slowest and dump in all the flour. The mixture will get instantly thicker. Make sure all flour and egg yolk mixture are thoroughly combined.

# – Next, pour in the egg yolk + flour mixture into the beaten egg whites prepared earlier.

# – With a spatula, very gently mix everything till combined. Do not over-mix. As long as there’s no obvious streaks of white or beige colour is fine.

# – By now you should have a greased a baking tray and then lined it with waxed paper. Mine is 9.5″ x 14″. Pour the mixture in and spread evenly.

# – Till it looks like this.

# – Stick it in a preheated oven for 180 degrees celcius for 15 minutes.

# – While the sponge is baking in the oven, prepare a clean tea towel that is the size of your sponge or more. Dust icing sugar all over it.

# – After 15 minutes, take the sponge out of the oven. It should be evenly browned at the top.

# – Use a spatula and run it along the side to loosen the sponge from the waxed paper.

# – Then, carefully turn the entire sponge onto the tea towel, the crust facing downwards.

# – Carefully peel off the waxed paper and you will find a beautiful golden yellow sponge :)

# – Now, roll the towel together with the sponge. Please do this step, as it ensures the roll will not crack later.

# – It will look like this from the side. Now you know why you need a clean towel.

# – Leave the rolled up sponge & towel on a wire rack to cool down completely.

# – After about 30 minutes, unroll the sponge and towel. You will see it has developed a natural curve which is a good thing.

# – Now just dump the jam over the sponge and spread evenly with a spatula.

# – Put broken dark chocolate pieces at the bottom of the sponge. This step is not necessary but it does give the roll a nice chocolatey crunch ;)

# – And then you roll it up again, WITHOUT the towel!

# – Strawberry chocolate sponge roll, DONE!

# – Slice it up before serving.

The sponge is not too sweet as well as fluffy and soft. It’s important to use high quality vanilla essence, jam and chocolates otherwise it might have that unpleasant artificial taste.

It’s the first time I made sponge roll and I’m so glad it did not crack on the surface at all. It’s a basic sponge roll recipe so you can make it with different fillings. I even plan to use it as trifle sponge, teeheehee.

Now that I know this recipe is reliable, next time, I’m going to use cream cheese and dried fruits as a filling. I can’t wait!!! :D

Vietnamese spring roll recipe by Chef Tran Cong Tien.

Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur has specially brought in 3 guest chefs from Sheraton Saigon to create authentic Vietnamese cuisine in conjunction with their Experience Vietnam campaign.

# – Le Meridien’s Executive Chef, Chef Antoine Rodriguez introducing Chef Tran Cong Tien, Chef Nguyen Thi Duy and Chef Bui Van Tien Dong.

# – Experience Vietnam by Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur.

I was lucky to be one of the bloggers (thanks KY for the invitation!) to have a sneak peek of the Experience Vietnam menus, which will be offered at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur from 16 May – 22 May, 2011.

From delicious cold appetiser such as lotus stem & prawn salad to mouth-watering entree like Vietnamese braised beef with cinnamon, the menus are impressively extensive! If you want to experience a slice of Vietnam, you know where to go.

# – Grilled Beef Wrapped with Fragrant Leaves.

# – Sticky Rice Dumpling with Green Bean Filling and Ginger Syrup.

Led by Chef Tran Cong Tien, Chef Nguyen Thi Duy and Chef Bui Van Tien Dong demonstrated the making of several Vietnamese dishes. I of course, took the opportunity to absorb as much Vietnamese cooking knowledge as I could ;)

Good things are meant to be shared so I’ll be sharing Chef Tran Cong Tien’s Vietnamese Spring Roll & Soya Bean Sauce recipe here…

For the spring rolls:

  • 20 pieces of rice papers
  • 80 grams of butter lettuce
  • 25 grams of your favourite Vietnamese herbs (they were using Vietnamese basil and chives, I believe you can substitute with mints, coriander etc)
  • 70 grams of carrot, julienne
  • 200 grams of fresh rice vermicelli
  • 20 pieces of blanched prawns, peeled & halved

For the soya bean dipping sauce:

  • 50 grams of tamarind pulp
  • 50 ml of hot water
  • 40 grams of dried mung bean
  • 60 ml of tepid water
  • 200 grams of preserved soya bean
  • 50 ml of corn oil (I believe you can use ordinary flavourless cooking oil)
  • 10 grams of chopped garlic
  • 60 grams of sugar

It’s better to eat the Vietnamese spring rolls with the soya bean dipping sauce for an authentic experience. At the demonstration, the sauce was already prepared so I don’t have any step by step picture, however I was generously given a clear recipe on how to make it:

    1. Stir in tamarind pulp in 50 ml of hot water, then strain through a fine sieve and set aside.
    2. Steam the mung beans with 60 ml of water for about 20 minutes then blend together with the steaming water to form smooth paste. Set aside.
    3. Blend the soya bean into a smooth paste. Set aside.
    4. Next, heat up the oil in a pan, sautee the garlics till golden and throw in tamarind pulp paste, mung beans paste and soya bean paste. Stir till combined.
    5. Simmer for 10 minutes till mixture thickens.
    6. Remove from heat and allow to cool down before storing in fridge. This dipping sauce can be kept for up to a week.

Now that the soya bean dipping sauce is chilling nicely in the fridge, it’s time to make the Vietnamese spring rolls!

# – First of all, damp the rice paper with water and lay it on a flat surface. Don’t soak the rice paper otherwise it will be too difficult to handle. Imagine it’s a clockface and put a couple of butter lettuce leaves on the 6 o’clock area but leaving clear areas of about 1 inch on the sides and bottom.

# – Next, lay a couple of Vietnamese basil leaves over the lettuce.

# – Followed by a couple of strands of the rice vermicelli.

# – Then, place the julienne carrots over the vermicelli.

# – Fold, the bottom of the rice paper over the filling, then fold one side over.

# – Now fold the other side over.

# – Now place the 2 prawn halves on the rice papers with the orange sides down, as well as a couple of chives.

# – Carefully, fold the part with the filling over the prawns and continue rolling till you get….

# – Vietnamese Spring Roll! Serve with the soya bean sauce dipping prepared earlier.

I got to have a go at making the rolls too and I must say, it would take some practice before I could roll them up half as fast the Chefs did. It was nevertheless a very good experience for me to have learnt a new skill from Chef Tran Cong Tien.

# – Me having a go at making Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

Now that packet of rice papers I bought at the spur of the moment will see the light of day!

“Experience Vietnam” (16 May – 22 May, 2011)
Latest Recipe @ Le Meridien
2, Jalan Stesen Sentral, Kuala Lumpur Sentral,
50470 Kuala Lumpur
03-2263 7434

Experience Vietnam will still have the choice of the familiar and well known Latest Recipe International cuisine including Chinese, Western, Indian, Malay and Japanese dishes with prices remaining the same as the usual buffet; RM118++ per adult & RM59++ per child.