Popia Malaysian Spring Rolls

Made these in the Penang cooking class as well.  A million things to chop, but so delicious and so fresh.

Ingredients:

Spring Roll Wrappers

30 Prawns, shelled and deveined 

1 handful Green Beans, diced

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

2 blocks Raw Tofu, julienned

1/2 cup Fried Tofu, chopped

Black Pepper

Plum Sauce

Hoisin Sauce mixed with Chile Sauce

1 bundle Cilantro, chopped

3 leaves of Lettuce, julienned

2 Eggs, cooked and julienned

1/2 Jicama, julienned

1/2 Cucumber, julienned

1 handful Peanuts, roasted and ground

1 handful Dried Shallots

1 handful Bean Sprouts

1 Chile Pepper, seeded and julienned

First - to market. Got the sauces, made fresh:

Got the spring roll wraps, made fresh.  This was so cool - the dough adhered to itself, so the man making them would touch his ball of dough down onto the pan for a split second and then pull it up quickly.  This would leave just a thin layer on the pan, which a woman would scrape off immediately, making each thin wrapper.

Our assembled ingredients (post-chopping):

1. Chop, dice, or julienne all vegetables. To julienne simply means to cut into long, thin strips, like the cucumber below.

The fried tofu:

The green beans:

2. Cook peanuts in wok for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Take off heat when blackened, and crush.

3. Scramble eggs and cook a thin omelet over high heat, flipping once.  Roll egg and slice.

4. Peel and devein prawns.  

5. Cook garlic in pan for 1 minute over high heat, and stir in prawns. Cook for 1 more minute.

6. Add in raw tofu, green beans and black pepper.  Stir for 2 minutes, then turn off heat.  Allow to sit in pan for a few minutes to let to flavors continue to blend.

7. Place a spring roll wrapper on a plate, and spread a spoonful of plum sauce and sweet and sour sauce on top.

8. Add a lettuce leaf, and a small spoonful of the prawn mixture on top.

9. Add all other ingredients, roll and consume.

Coconut Ginger Pineapple Chicken + Vegetables

Found this recipe from SimpleBites and had to try.  I've been searching for a go-to curry recipe, and hadn't quite found the one yet.  My versions were never as flavorful as the real deal.  BUT this is the best one I've made yet, by far.  I'd say 9/10 - and with future improvements (see below), it could be a perfect score.

The original recipe is for a slow cooker, but I never think to start making dinner in time to use mine.  So I've adapted it to just cook in a large pot.

Ingredients:

4 Garlic Cloves, peeled
3-inch Ginger Root, peeled + roughly chopped
1 Yellow Onion, quartered
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Coriander
1 tsp Black Pepper
1-1/2 tbsp Turmeric
1 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Coconut Oil (or Olive)
2 tbsp Butter
2.5 lbs Chicken, chopped
2 cans Coconut Milk, not shaken
2 tbsp Cornstarch
1 can Baby Corn
1 can Pineapple
1 cup Snap Peas
1 cup Green Beans, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

Coconut oil is my new favorite - I was just introduced to it last summer, and it makes everything taste so good.  Not like coconut, in the same way that olive oil doesn't make everything taste like olives, but in a rich, nutty, vanilla-ish way.

I also added in potatoes, to give it more substance - had to adjust cooking time for that too.  I'm not including it in the recipe because I wasn't a big fan.  And though I didn't include them, I want to add in canned pineapple, red bell pepper and green beans next time. Make it a full Yellow Curry.

1. Put onion, ginger, and garlic into a small food processor and pulse until a paste forms.

2. Heat coconut oil and butter in a large pot and add paste, cooking for 2-3 minutes.  Add in turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt and black pepper and stir, cooking for another 2-3 minutes and stirring constantly.

I use WAY more spices than recipes ever call for.  I've just found that the recipes are too bland otherwise.

3. Add chicken + red bell pepper, coating them with mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes.

4. Open cans of coconut milk and remove cream from top, placing in small bowl.  Pour coconut milk over chicken (will just cover)

5. Drain canned baby corn and add to pot.  Add green beans, snap peas and pineapple.

6. Whisk cornstarch with coconut cream and add to pot.  Stir well.

The cornstarch thickens the sauce perfectly.  Got to remember that trick when I make soups in the future...

7. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer until chicken and potatoes are done, approximately 20 minutes. Add black pepper and salt to taste.

Made this with brown rice, cooked with a little coconut oil added in as well.  Had to wait a while for it to cool down, and added quite a bit of salt and pepper to my bowl.  But I think I've found it! The curry I've been searching for! Huzzah.

Time: 45 minutes total

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Original Recipe:

SimpleBites