Tag Archives: coriander

Stuffed Chillies

February 5, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law years ago. I’m not sure where she got it from, but these stuffed chillies became a staple on our picnic days, or as finger food with guests on our boat. Serve them hot as a light meal with salad, or serve at room temperature as finger food. Easy to prepare ahead of time; these stuffed chillies will be a hit!

Ingredients

12 long chillies
500g pork or chicken mince
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded & chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced
oil for shallow frying
2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Sauce

2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon sugar

Method

Split each chilli lengthways to create a pocket, leaving ends intact. Remove and discard the seeds and pith.

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Using a teaspoon, fill each chilli with the mince mixture until slightly bulging — smooth filling with the back of a wet spoon.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan on medium. Add chillies, mince side down, and cook for 5 minutes until lightly brown, turn over and cook chilli side down until cooked all the way through.

To make the sauce, place all ingredients into a small saucepan. Stir on high heat until boiling. Reduce to low heat and simmer for a minute or two until it thickens. Arrange chillies on a plate and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Notes:

*Make mini meatballs with any leftover mince mix.
*Concentrated tamarind sauce can be used instead of tamarind paste.
*Hot chilli sauce can replace the Sambal Oelek
*Use a mix of red and green chillies for an appealing look.

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chicken, From the galley

Chickpea Fritters with Chicken Salad

February 16, 2019 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

You don’t need hours in the galley to impress your family or friends. I cooked this for Dwayne and myself for lunch when we arrived at Koh Phi Phi Don after sailing there from Ao Chalong in Phuket (did you know we live on a boat?) This recipe is delicious and straightforward. The salad, with flavours of soy, sesame, lime, coriander, and mint is refreshing and delightful for lunch or dinner. I think this is one of those meals you can cook for your family or dress it up a little for an exciting dinner party entree or main course. Play around with garnishes and add a little colour with a sprinkle of chopped red chilli.

*This recipe can serve up to four people depending on the size of chickpea fritters.

Ingredients
For the fritters

1 x 439g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained.
6 Tablespoons besan flour (or use plain flour)
3 eggs, lightly whisked
5 Tbs milk
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper
Oil for frying

For the chicken salad

375ml (1 ½ cup) chicken stock
250 ml (1 cup) water
8 fresh kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn
2 single chicken breast fillets, excess fat trimmed
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1/3 cup loosely packed chopped fresh coriander (I have also use Thai basil place of coriander)
¼ cup loosely packed shredded fresh mint
1 Tbs light soy
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
½ tsp sesame oil

Method

For the chicken salad, combine stock, water and lime leaves in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and simmer, occasionally turning, for 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat. Transfer chicken to a heatproof bowl with one tablespoon of the stock mixture. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, mash half a can of chickpeas using a fork. Add the eggs and milk, and mix well. Add the flour, spring onions and season with salt and pepper, and mix. Add in the other half a can of chickpeas and mix until well combined. Set aside to rest while you make the salad.

To make the chicken salad, finely shred the chicken and place in a bowl. Add the coriander, mint, soy sauce, lime juice, chilli sauce and sesame oil to the chicken and gently toss until just combined.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and spread into a round shape. Repeat to make three (or 7*) more fritters. Cook for four minutes or until golden underneath. Turn and cook for a further four minutes or until cooked. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil.

To serve place one fritter on each plate and top with a small amount of chicken salad. Top with another fritter and then top with the remaining chicken salad. Sprinkle with finely chopped red chilli if desired and serve immediately.

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Fish, From the galley, Thailand

Thai Fish Cakes

February 4, 2019 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I have been making these fish cakes for years. They are quick and easy to make, and very tasty when served hot with a nice salad. I have also used this recipe to make finger food, which I can serve cold at picnics or when out sailing (did you know we live on a boat?) and they have been well received. Swap your dipping sauce flavours to add variety and get creative with garnishes. Spriggs of coriander look pretty or add different texture by sprinkling with deep fried basil leaves.

Thai style fish cakes - white fish, rice flour, coriander, egg, fish sauce, red curry paste - easy to ensure gluten-free (choose gluten-free curry paste)

Ingredients
500g firm white fish fillets
1 egg
1 Tablespoon fish sauce
3 Tablespoons white rice flour
½ cup fresh coriander leaves
3 teaspoons red curry paste
4 – 5 green beans, very thinly sliced
2 spring onions, very thinly sliced
oil for cooking

Method
Process fish in a food processor until well minced and then scoop it into a mixing bowl.

Next place the egg, fish sauce, rice flour, coriander leaves, and curry paste into the food processor and process until well combined. Add this mix to the fish along with the beans and the spring onion. Mix well.

Form one heaped tablespoon of fish mixture into small patties (use damp hands). Heat cooking oil in a frypan over medium heat and cook the fishcakes in batches, for a few minutes each side or until golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel and serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet chilli sauce or Nam Jim.

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Cooking Our Catch, Crustacean

Chilli Crab

October 15, 2018 The Captain & the Cook 1 Comment

We have caught many blue swimmer crabs in our time. At times in South Australia, they are abundant. Over the summer months, you see many people catching them in crab pots or raking for them waist deep in water.

The sweet meat of the blue swimmer crab is delicious and chilli crab is one of my favourite recipes to make with them! This is how I make my chilli crab and it has been a hit with many people. Be warned it is messy to eat… best not to worry about the mess and dig in though, because it will disappear fast!

Ingredients

1kg raw Blue swimmers
2 Tbs peanut oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ginger, grated
2 red chillies, seeded and sliced
2 Tbs hoisin sauce
½ cup tomato sauce
¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbs fish sauce
¼ cup of water
¼ tsp sesame oil
4 spring onions, sliced
½ cup water
Coriander sprigs to garnish

Method

Clean and cut crabs into segments and crack the claws. Click here for video of how to clean blue swimmer crabs.

Combine the hoisin, chilli, fish and tomato sauces, the sesame oil and the water in a bowl and set aside.

Heat wok until hot, add oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add the crab pieces and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes until they turn orange.

Stir in the hoisin, chilli, sesame oil mix. Toss the crab and sauce together to combine well and bring to the boil.

Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with spring onion and garnish with coriander.

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Cooking with Local Ingredients, Duck, From the galley

Tea Smoked Duck with Asian Style Salad

March 31, 2018 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I love duck! Love it! Whenever I want to make something special I will often think of duck. This was my first attempt at smoking duck and it turned out delicious… if I do say so myself!

Smoking mix

1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 clove
1 cup of uncooked rice
1/2 cup of tea
1/4 cup sugar

And this is how I made it….

In a mortar, with pestle, I crushed the cinnamon stick, star anise and clove (crushed but not powdered) and then I combined this spice mix with the rice, tea and sugar.

I lined a wok with a couple of layers of foil and added the tea mix. I heated this over high heat until it was smoking hot. On a trivet, over the smoking tea, I placed the duck breast, skin side up.

I covered the top of the wok with foil, put the lid on and turned the heat down to low. Then I let it smoke for 20-25 minutes.

If you want crispy skin duck (as we did), take the duck out of the wok a little earlier. Heat a frying pan (no oil needed), add duck skin down and cook for a few minutes until crispy.

My Salad

Shredded cabbage, thinly sliced large red chilli, thinly sliced beans, bean sprouts, finely chopped small red chilli, chopped coriander, mint and basil, grated carrot and grated green apple (apple tossed with the juice of 1/2 lime).

For the dressing – I used the same dressing I made for my green mango salad.

I served the duck with salad and lontong which is a compressed rice cake.

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Duck, From the galley, Salad

Spiced Roast Duck Breast with Mango Salad

October 23, 2017 The Captain & the Cook 1 Comment

We love duck, and although it is not terribly good for you (it contains a lot of fat between the skin and the meat), it is not as bad as you think. In fact, without skin and visible fat, duck meat has less fat than roasted skinless chicken breasts. But seriously who can resist the crispy delicious skin of roast duck? Not me! Furthermore, duck meat is surprisingly nutrient dense, provides high-quality protein and contains essential amino acids.

Ingredients
2 duck breast, pat dry and score the duck breast

Spice mix

1cm cinnamon stick
4 petals of star anise
1 tsp peppercorns
1 clove

Salad

1 green mango, shredded or grated
2-3 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 Asian shallots, thinly sliced
1 long red chilli, julienned or diced.
basil, mint, coriander, chopped

Salad Dressing

Salad dressing is the same I use for the Cambodian Green Mango Salad

3 Tbs fish sauce
The juice of two limes
2 Tbs of sweet chilli sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar

Method

For the duck…

Using a mortar and pestle, crush the spices until well ground (or use five spice powder if you prefer).

Rub the spice mix all over the duck breast.

Heat a frypan until hot (do not add oil). Place duck skin side down and cook for a few minutes, on moderate heat, until fat renders.

Then place the duck into a preheated oven, set at 210c, for 15 minutes. Remove the duck from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For the salad…

Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and give it a good shake. Refrigerate until needed.

Combine all the salad ingredients and dress the salad at the time of serving.

Serve the sliced duck with the mango salad for a fresh zesty treat.

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