Korean Seaweed Noodles Salad (CheonSaChae SaelReoDeu)

This seaweed noodles salad is a mayo-based salad that you would serve as a side dish to your meal.

The very first time i had it was at a Korean restaurant that we went to for my Sister's birthday dinner a few weeks back.  It was that interestingly, crunchy texture of the noodles that caught our attention and had us wanting for more!  We did not know what it was at first.  My Sister got really curious and was so eager to find out what that crunchy thing was, she even went up to ask the waiter.  But sadly he could not really explain what it was and all we got was.. 'may be something like seafood?'.

So after that night, i went on a quest to find out what this 'crunchy thing in my salad' was!  And more importantly, where to buy them so i can recreate the dish at home.  After looking high and low at my local Korean grocery stores to no avail, i took to the internet to shed some light!  And i finally found the (ONLY) recipe on http://aeriskitchen.com/. So if you are ever reading this, thank you so very much Aeri!

The crunchy textures of the noodles and carrots, the creaminess of the mayo-based dressing combined with the umami from the crab sticks make eating this salad such a pleasant experience.

Here is how to make it!

Adapted from http://aeriskitchen.com/


Ingredients (4 servings):

• 340 grams Seaweed Jelly Noodles
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Cucumber
• 3 Crab Sticks
• 6 Tbsp Mayonnaise
• 3 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 3 Tbsp Sugar
• 1 Tsp Salt
• Pinch of pepper 

Method:

1. Rinse and soak your noodles in cold water for 2 minutes.  After 2 minutes, drain really well and roughly chop them.
2. Place your chopped noodles in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix well and set aside for 20 minutes.
3. Thinly slice your carrots, cucumber and crab sticks.  Remember to get rid most of the seeds from the cucumber to avoid watery salad later on.
4. Prepare your dressing by mixing in a bowl 6 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste.
5. After 20 minutes, drain your noodles really well.  Mix the noodles with your sliced carrot, cucumber and crab sticks. 
6. Add your dressing and mix really well.
7. Serve cold and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/E489sVug7Fk

Kue Nastar (Indonesian Pineapple Cookies)

Kue Nastar (Indonesian Pineapple Cookies)

These cookies are a must in every celebration in Indonesia! Chinese new year will not be complete without a jar of these wonderful buttery cookies, filled with sweet pineapple jam spiced with hints of cinnamon and cloves. Yum!

Adapted from http://www.indochinekitchen.com

Ingredients:

Pineapple Jam Filling  (makes approx. 285 gr):

- 750 gr pineapple that has been peeled

- 125 g sugar, adjust depending how sweet your pineapple is.

- 0.5 tsp ground cloves

- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon

- a pinch of salt

Note that this will make extra pineapple jam. You will only need 108 grams of filling for 36 cookies. The jam will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks like any other jams.

Cookies (makes 36 cookies):

- 200 gr unsalted butter, softened

- 60 gr powdered sugar

- 280 gr all purpose flour

- 40 gr powdered milk

- 20 g cornflour

- a pinch of salt

- 2 egg yolks, room temperature

Egg wash:

- 1 egg yolk plus 1 tsp of heavy cream

- 2 egg yolks

Method:

Make your pineapple jam filling first, as it takes quite sometime and you need it cooled completely. I like to make mine the night before and refrigerate it overnight so it makes it easier to shape.

1. Roughly chop your pineapple, blend well.
2. Pour into a thick-bottomed pot with the sugar, spices and salt.Stir well and bring it up to a boil.
3. Turn down the heat to low and cook for 2 hours, until reduced and caramelised. Stir it often to avoid the sugar in the mixture burning on the bottom of the pot.
4. Cool down completely. Shape into 36 balls, weighing 3 grams each.

Make the cookie dough:

1. Using a stand mixer/handheld mixer, beat softened butter and powdered sugar until light and well combined for about 5 minutes on medium speed.
2. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well before adding in the second yolk.
3. Add flour, powdered milk, corn flour and salt.
4. Beat until well combined and forms a ball, roughly for 3 minutes.
5. Shape into 36 balls, weighing roughly 18 grams each.

Shape your cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees celcius (conventional oven) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Flatten a ball of dough.
3. Place one pineapple filling ball in the middle. Enclose. Do not squash the filling.
4. Shape it into a ball. You want a smooth surface with no cracks. Flatten the top and the bottom a litlte bit.
5. Beat one egg yolk with a teaspoon of heavy cream. Brush tops of cookies with egg wash twice.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. After 15 minutes, take the cookies out and brush them twice with two beaten egg yolks.
8. Put the cookies back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Make sure you turn the tray around so the cookies brown evenly.
9. Cool completely and enjoy!

I personally think that the cookies taste better the next day, as the cookie dough is not as soft and has a nicer texture.

Store cookies in an airtight container, only after they are cooled completely.  They will keep for a couple of weeks at room temperature.

https://youtu.be/yToaP9A-xhI

Hello!!

I have been contemplating about starting a blog for quite a while.

But then i was always hesitant, mainly because i did not know whether i would be able to keep at it - having to juggle between a full time 9 to 5 job and help my Significant Other run his business.

And finally, i just decided one day to actually start it!

So here is my first blog entry ever!

I love cooking and baking and anything food, so I knew that my blog would always be mainly about just that.

My motivation behind starting this blog is definitely not because i am good with words whatsoever.. But mainly because i would like to keep track of recipes that actually work for me and resulted in food that are suitable for the palates of my loved ones.

I also do hope that my kids in the future will be able to go to this blog and use it as their reference. Oh how i really wish my Grandmas, Dad and Aunties had kept some form of a recipe book that i could get my hands on!

I suppose that family 'recipe book' will have to start here :)

Lastly, I wanted this family recipe book to have pictures of some of the steps, as i know that it can be hard to follow a recipe without actually seeing it happen, which pinpoints the major issue with writing it all up with pen and paper - i am really bad at drawing! So, i figured a blog is the way to go!