Spinach Dip (Ben Johns Special)

Ingredients 

Spinach 
1 tsp minced garlic
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup parmesan
1 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup mozzarella

Cheese topping
3/4 cup mozzarella
goat cheese
parsley

Method:

1. Wilt spinach in medium heat.
2. Mix together wilted spinach with rest of dip ingredients.
3. Top with cheese toppings.
4. Bake in 180C oven for 20mins.
5. Once slightly cool, garnish with minced parsley & serve.

Sardine Pate

INGREDIENTS
2 cans sardines with bones, in EVOO
1 hard-boiled egg
1 tsp capers
2-2.5 Tbsp soft butter (more for creamier pate)
1/2 red onion
1 tsp mustard
A little fresh dill (or parsley -- or skip it, but dill adds a special touch!)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Drain the oil from the sardine cans.(Don't toss it -- save it for a tomato sauce!)
2. Place the sardines in a food processor.
3. Add the hard-boiled egg, capers, soft butter, red onion, dill, mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
4. Blend everything until you get a smooth, creamy paste.
5. For best results, let it rest in the fridge to firm up slightly. (But let's be honest... it's amazing right away too.)

Thai Fried Chicken & Som Tum

PREP TIME 25 minutes + marinating

COOK TIME 50 minutes
SERVES 4

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken thighs (preferably with the skin on)
2 cups plain flour or all-purpose flour
vegetable oil for deep frying
sea salt

Marinade:
4 garlic cloves
2 coriander roots, cleaned and roughly chopped
½ tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp fish sauce

Som Tum Papaya Salad:
200g (7 oz) shredded green papaya*
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 birds’ eye chillies (use more or less to taste)
2 snake beans, cut into 3cm-long batons (alternatively use green beans)
¼ cup dried shrimp, soaked in water for 5 minutes to soften
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
2 tbsp (about 20g) shaved palm sugar
1½ tbsp fish sauce
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soy sauce

Steps

1. For the marinade, use a mortar and pestle to pound the garlic, coriander roots and peppercorns to form a rough paste. Mix through the fish sauce. Then add the chicken and toss until well combined. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside to marinate for 10-20 minutes.
2. In a large som tum mortar, pound garlic and chillies until just smashed but still chunky. Drain the dried shrimp and add those. Pound lightly. Then add the green beans and peanuts and pound lightly. Add the palm sugar and pound to soften. Now add half the papaya and lightly bruise with the pestle, using a spoon to mix as you lightly pound. Add remaining papaya, fish sauce and tomatoes. Lightly pound with the pestle and mix with the spoon. Add the lime juice and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust with more fish sauce, sugar and/or lime juice to taste.
3. Alternatively, the salad can be made by placing ingredients in a large bowl or a ziplock bag and using a rolling pin to bruise the ingredients.
4. Coat the chicken pieces in the flour. To cook the chicken, fill a saucepan or wok to about 1/3 capacity with the vegetable oil. Heat over high heat. Once the oil is medium-hot (320°F or 160°C or when a wooden spoon dipped into the oil forms small little bubbles), add the chicken pieces and cook for about 10 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Turn the chicken pieces as they cook to ensure an even golden colour. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.
5. Serve sliced fried chicken with som tum papaya salad.

Recipe from Marion's Kitchen https://www.marionskitchen.com/thai-fried-chicken-and-som-tum/

Asian Pasta Salad with Chicken

Prep Time : 30 minutes

Total Time : 30 minutes
Servings : 8 servings
Calories : 452kcal

Ingredients
1 package (16 ounces) rotini pasta
4.5 cups (5 ounces 147g) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 and 1/2 cups (202g) shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup (65g) red bell pepper, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) mandarin oranges
1/2 cup (45g) shredded carrots
1/3 cup (15g) fresh green onions, chopped
1/3 cup (9g) fresh cilantro, chopped
Optional: 1/3 cup sliced almonds (32g) (toasted if desired)

Dressing
1/2 cup (97g) vegetable oil
1/3 cup (88g) soy sauce
1/3 cup (73g) rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. PASTA: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to package directions. Drain pasta, and rinse under cold water until cool. Transfer to a large bowl and immediately toss with 3-4 tablespoons of the dressing (see next step).
2. DRESSING: While the pasta is cooking, prepare the dressing. Combine vegetable oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, pepper, and sesame seeds in a mason jar. Place the lid on and shake until combined.
3. ASSEMBLE SALAD: Add the coarsely chopped spinach, shredded rotisserie chicken, chopped red pepper, drained mandarin oranges, shredded carrots, chopped green onions, and fresh cilantro to the large bowl with the cooled pasta,.
4. DRESS SALAD: Toss all the ingredients together gently and then coat with the dressing to desired amount. Enjoy immediately. (This salad doesn't store well with the dressing, so only dress what will be eaten right away). If desired, top with sliced toasted almonds (Note 1).

Notes

1. Note 1: If desired, toast the almonds. Spread the sliced almonds into an even layer in a small, dry (no need to add oil ) skillet over medium-heat and stir them around a bit until they are fragrant and toasted to your liking. Watch the almonds carefully; they can go from perfectly toasted to burnt in an instant! I like to remove them as soon as they begin to smell fragrant.

Nutrition
Serving: 8 servings | Calories: 452 kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.2g | Protein: 26.4g | Fat: 29.3g | Sodium: 500.8mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 9.4g

Pai tee cups

Ingredient:

180gm rice flour

50gm flour

50gm corn flour

350ml water

1 telur

salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Dip mould in flour mix & deep fry.

Miang Kham

Ingredients:

Daun kaduk

Filling
3/4 cup roasted grated coconut (this is often available in the baking section of most supermarkets)
2 small limes, unpeeled (try to get limes with thin skin), cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons shallots, peeled and cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons roasted peanuts
6 tablespoons small dried shrimps
4-5 fresh chili padi, cut into small slivers
4 oz fresh ginger, peeled and cut into small cubes

Sauce
1 tablespoon belacan, roasted until fragrant
2 oz fresh galangal, cut into slivers and roasted until fragrant (see note below)
1/4 cup grated coconut, roasted in a low-heat oven until lightly brown
4 oz small dried shrimps
2 oz shallots, peeled and coarsely cut
1.5 teaspoons fresh ginger, sliced
8 oz palm sugar (broken into small chunks)
2 tablespoons table sugar
salt for seasoning

Method:

1. In a mortar and pestle, pound together the shallots and galangal until fine. 
2. Add roasted shrimp paste, ginger, coconut and dried shrimp, and continue pounding until smooth. 
3. Remove the mixture and place in a pot with 1.5 cups water. 
4. Bring to a boil over medium heat, add palm sugar and table sugar, then reduce heat and simmer, wait until reduced to 1 cup or a bit less. Taste, and adjust by adding a bit of salt. 
5. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.