Homemade Red Curry Paste with Cashews

BY: Taste Hong Kong

Ingredients
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp red chili coarse
1 tsp shrimp paste
3-4 cm knob of galangal
1 tbsp chopped shallot, ~2 pieces
2 tbsp chopped garlic, ~6-8 cloves
2 lemon grass / lemongrass stalks
40g roasted cashew nuts, ~20pcs
5 sprigs coriander / cilantro roots with some stems (~2-3 cm) attached
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method
Remove dry outer layer(s) of the lemongrass. Cut off the greener upper sections, the bottom root, and reserve the bulbous pale yellow lower stalks, about 5-6cm. Slice them crosswise as thin as possible.

Dry-fry ground coriander and ground cumin in a pan till fragrant and let cool.

Before chopping the galangal or cutting the coriander root, scrape off any dirts and ragged bits, rinse them and pat dry. Then, put all ingredients including the lemongrass in a food processor and pulverize. To achieve a creamier paste, rest every one-to-two second pulse, and scrape down the mixture from the side of the container. Pulse again, (repeat scrape-downs if needed) until the desired consistency is formed. Store the paste in an air-tight glass container and keep in fridge for up to a month. And, feel free to multiply the amount of the ingredients, the quantities here yield about half cup of paste.

Note
This red curry paste is good for cooking with seafoods, meats and even vegetables. A simple dish I like very much is stir-fried green beans with this paste, to which I often add some paprika and coconut cream.

I have also tried a variation with one onion replacing the cashews, and it is still hard for me to decide which one is better.

Homemade Sweet Red (Azuki) Bean Paste, Chunky and Smooth

BY: Taste Hong Kong

Ingredients:
1 C dried red beans (aka azuki beans)
~5 C water
1/4 tsp salt
sugar or syrup to taste
(I added about 4 tbsp sugar per 1 cup of cooked beans)

Method
Rinse red beans; sort out the bad ones – those discolored or float to the water surface. Cover beans by a couple centimeters of water and soak them for several hours (no less than 2 hours or per package directions). Discard water.

With several cups of boiling water, briefly blanch the beans for about a minute. Drain and discard water.

In a heavy bottom pot, add beans, salt and water, bring them to a boil. Reduce to low heat and simmer until one tenth of the liquid remains. It shall take you about 1 1/2 hours (my cast iron do it slightly less than that). You may also want to check it out occasionally to make sure there is no spilling and the liquid does not dry out. A trick I often employ to avoid frequent checking is to add more water and to leave the cover ajar. As a result, I gain some extra bean liquor good for making a sweet soup.

For a chunky paste: Mix in sugar while there is about one ten of liquid left. Stir regularly to dissolve sugar, and simmer it to your desired consistency. Switch to medium heat if you want to speed up the process.

For a smooth paste: Drain cooked beans in a fine sieve or colander (save the liquid). With the back of a spoon or spatula, mash beans through the sieve and harvest them with a bowl or pot underneath. Return the fine paste to pot and cook it with sugar as you would for a chunky paste.

If you are not time-pressed, a slow cooker (crock pot) may even help cook the beans almost effortlessly. Just cover the beans by enough water in the cooker and boil them until tender (I covered mine with about 4 cm water and cook them for about 6 hours). Transfer the cooked beans to a pot and continue with the remaining steps.

Dorayaki, Japanese Sweet Pancake

RECIPE AND PHOTO: Taste Hong Kong

Ingredients:
1 egg
45g cake flour
40g brown sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda + 1 tbsp water
1 tsp honey + 1 tbsp water
~3 tbsp nutella or ~3 tbsp red bean bean paste
~1/4 tsp cooking oil for pan frying
yields about 6 pancakes of about 8 cm

Method:
Beat egg until become frothy and add sugar. Whisk to dissolve.

Dissolve baking soda and dilute honey with water. Add them in the egg mixture.

Sieve in cake flour. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a spatula but do not over-mix; break up any lumps by pressing them against the side of mixing bowl.

Cover bowl with a cling film, let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes.

Heat skillet over low heat, spray (or brush) a barely visible layer of oil on it. Ladle batter (slightly more than 1 table spoon) onto skillet. Flip pancakes after bubbles rise, about one minute and a half, and the bottom is golden brown. Fry the other side for another half minute or until done (the second side will not be evenly browned as the first due to the bubbles).

Repeat with the remaining batter; brush oil on skillet if required.

Sandwich two patties with nutella or red bean bean paste. Serve warm. If not consume immediately, seal or wrap the dorayaki to prevent it from turning dry.

*Make sure to cook these pancakes over low heat as the honey content in them burns more easily. If the skillet gets too hot, remove from heat for a while.