oven grilled “sotong” (squid)

I always enjoyed ika sugatayaki (grilled whole squid) at Japanese Izakaya  – 居酒屋 (though since I do not drink much I seldom visit Izakaya c/w very many other styles of Japanese food which I love).

I was trying to find out how to do this as squid has lots of water & you end up steaming the squid instead of grilling. One way I can see is cutting the whole squid in 1/2 rings, then the water will be drained & the oven will grill & NOT just boil or bake the squid. I found a very nice Izakaya picture here.

I also found a simple way of cutting the 1/2 rings. It is described here in Jamie Oliver’s recipe. You insert a knife flat into a large (250g) squid, then using another knife you cut the squid as if you are cutting it into rings. the knife stop at the surface flat of the inserted knife so you get your 1/2 rings. This way it is also easy to wash & remove the insides of the squid.

oven grilled “sotong” (squid)

I then line a baking tray with aluminium foil, place the dry squid & head (air-dry in fridge OR with kitchen towels) on it, sprinkle ground sea salt & coarse black pepper, & drizzle lime juice, olive oil & 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce. I place the baking tray in a preheated 210degC oven turned to the grill function for 10minutes, remove the squid and spooned out the sauce to a small bowl. I turn the squid over and return to the oven for another 8 minutes. Then I transfer to a serving board, and serve with the sauce as dip (as in the picture above).

c.h.e.f andy

pan-roasted brined duck breast with wingstick

My success in brining chicken & the pan-roasted brined chicken breast recipe did much to encourage me. 🙂 Also, one friend. in particular, has been egging me to make duck a l’orange but I was NOT excited over a nice orange sauce but not-so-great duck breast as the main fare!

So I thought I should at least try brining duck since it works so well on chicken. And my, my, did it work well! My daughter Su Lin just loves the duck breast. It is moist, tender and tasty from the brining and the slow cooking.

skin-on pan-roasted brined duck breast

First, I brine the duck breast & drumstick in 1 litre water with 3 tablespoon salt, 2 tablespoon sugar and 5 limes (squeezed) for 24 hrs. I then wash thoroughly in slow running water, and place them on a rack & air-dry for 24hrs in the fridge (you can just use a kitchen tower to dry them instead). Before cooking, I take the duck out of the fridge for at east 1/2hr to get it to room temperature. I then place them on a cold non-stick pan & turn on the fire to low, and leave w/o turning for 10 minutes. This will render out the fat & make the skin crispy (as in the 2 pictures above). 🙂 I then turn over the duck, spoon out the fat, and then turn off the fire.

skin-on pan-roasted brined duck drumstick

I was experimenting with 2 different cooking methods so I kept the duck breast in the oven-proof pan & removed the duck drumstick & put it is a separate baking dish.

1. For the duck drumstick, I tried the pan-roasted brined chicken recipe & place the duck skin-down on the baking dish and place it in the oven preheated to 250degC for 10minutes. I then remove it from the baking dish, let it rest on a serving board, and then carve & serve. It was very good BUT the slow-cooked duck breast which came after was even better!
2. For the duck breast, I tried Foodwishes.com chef John’s prime rib method (on the duck instead of prime rib). estimating my duck drumstick to be <400g, I did 4minutes on 250degC, left the duck in the oven w/o opening the oven door, and set the timer to 45minutes. there was no need to rest the duck as it had already been rested for 45minutes, and voila! this was easily 1 of the best duck breast I had, even when c/w good restaurants.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 2xduck breasts with wingstick (I use a 1.9kg to 2.1kg duck from Shop n Save or Giant Hyspermarket)
• 1 litre water
• 5% salt (about 50g)
• 3% sugar (about 30g)
• 5 limes (or about 30ml bottled lime juice)

Directions:

1. Preparing the duck breasts with wingstick – use kitchen scissors to cut chicken in 1/2, then cut around the drumstick into 1/4 (breast with wingstick & drumstick quarters) – use a heavy knife or chopper if required,  then cut away & remove the bones under the breast completely, then cut away the fat, wash & clean.
2. Brining – add 1 litre water in a large plastic container, mix in about 3 heap tablespoon salt & 2 heap tablespoon sugar & stir to dissolve, then pour in 30ml bottled lime juice or squeeze juice from about 5 limes. Put 2x cleaned duck breasts with wingstick into the container and place container in fridge for 24hours. Remove & wash duck breasts thoroughly in slow running water & place on a rack to air-dry in fridge for 24hrs (can also skip this step & dry with kitchen towels)
3. Cooking – Remove duck breasts from fridge & leave it at room temperature for at least 1/2hr. Place the duck breasts skin-down in a COLD oven-proof non-stick pan. turn the fire on and to low & fry for 10minutes to render out the fat and get a crispy skin. The oil will sputter a bit, turn to low heat after 1 minute. Preheat oven to 250degC. Place oven-proof pan in oven & let the duck cook for 4minutes. Leave the duck in the oven w/o opening the oven door and set the timer to 45minutes and let the duck slow-cook in the residual heat. Remove duck from oven & serve.

pork rib arrabiata (spicy tomato) spaghetti

Seafood spaghetti works equally well with arrabiata (spicy tomato) sauce as with alio olio. It is kind of boring though, and personally my preference is the latter.

I tried a pork rib arrabiata at Capri with some friends last October (2012), so I thought I will give that a try. Having found a very easy youtube kakuni recipe to slow braise belly pork which I like very much, I thought I would vary it a little to braise the pork ribs.

seafood arrabiata spaghetti

So I follow the kakuni recipe – put the cleaned pork ribs in a pot, add 1 cup of mirin, 1 tablesppon sugar, 2 tablespoon light soy sauce, bring to boil over an induction cooker and braise for 1.5 hr at low heat (100W). I then added canned whole tomatoes which I have diced & also the tomato sauce from the can, and added diced yellow onions. I continue to braise the pork ribs for another 1/2hr by which time the pork is fork tender and falling off the bones.

pork rib arrabiata spaghetti

The same way as I did for alio olio, I return the fragrant olive oil with browned garlic cloves kept aside earlier and fry with chilli padi in a hot wok, then empty the pork ribs with the spicy onions, tomatoes & sauce into the wok, heat briefly, turn off the fire, add the ready spaghetti & toss & add sea salt to taste, and garnish the dish with fresh basil from the garden before serving.

The same recipe works for belly pork (see picture below), which I prefer over the pork ribs.

belly pork arrabiata spaghetti

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

1. 250g (1/2 packet) spaghetti (serves 2-3)
2. 4 tbsp olive oil
3. 1 bulb garlic peeled & ready in whole cloves
4. 500g pork ribs in 2 inch cuts
5. 1 cup mirin
6. 1 tbsp sugar
7. 2 tbsp light soy sauce
8. 1 small yellow onion diced
9. 1 or 2 chilli padi
10. sea salt & pepper to taste
11. 1 cup of washed fresh basil

Directions:

1. Braising the pork ribs – pour boiling water over the ribs & clean it in cold water. put in pot with 1 cup mirin, 2 cups water, 2 tbsp light soy sauce & 1 tbsp sugar, braise for 1.5hr. add diced canned whole tomatoes & sauce, diced yellow onions, and braise for a further 1/2hr
2. Prepare the garlic olive oil – stir-fry whole garlic cloves on low heat to brown the garlic & flavour the oil.
3. Prepare the spaghetti – add some salt & oil to water and boil the spaghetti according to timing instructions & drain in a colander.
4. Cook – empty the prepared olive oil & browned garlic into a hot wok & add cut chilli padi. pour the  braised pork ribs with the spicy onion & tomatoes & sauce into the wok. heat briefly then turn off the fire, add in the spaghetti & toss & add sea salt to taste. Place the spaghetti in a serving dish and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine sauce

Starting off with alio olio, I have experimented with different pastas including belly pork arrabiata & chilli crab pasta. This remains firmly my favourite pasta dish though. 🙂

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine sauce

The alio olio (garlic olive oil) is a key in this dish. I prepare this first by slowly browning peeled whole garlic cloves from 1 bulb in olive oil on low heat. You can feel the garlic olive oil aroma wafting through the kitchen. I then empty these in a bowl & while the wok is still greased with oil, I lightly fry the sotongs (squids) and small or medium shelled prawns (which have been lightly seasoned with salt & pepper) separately to 90% or just cooked & dish them into separate bowls.

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine sauce

I then boil the spaghetti (adding some salt & oil to the water) according to the timing instructions given on the package to just before al dente and then transfer them to a colander to drain. The spaghetti is still hot & will get cooked just a little more.

seafood alio olio spaghetti with white wine

When I am ready to cook, I heat up the wok & emptied into it the bowl of fragrant olive oil with browned garlic cloves together with cut chilli padi and stirfry to get the aroma out, then add in the squid & prawns. I then turn up the fire & add white wine (up to 1 cup) and 1 teaspoon sugar, and reduced. I then turn off the fire, add in the spaghetti & toss & add sea salt to taste, dish them out on a serving dish & garnish with washed fresh basil from the garden.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

1. 250g (1/2 packet) spaghetti (serves 2-3)
2. 4 tbsp olive oil
3. 1 bulb garlic peeled & ready in whole cloves
4. 250g medium or small prawns
5. 250g aka 1 large s0tong (squid)
6. 1 or 2 chilli padi
7. 1 cup white wine
8. 1 tsp sugar
9. sea salt & pepper to taste
10. 1 cup of washed fresh basil

Directions:

1. Prepare the prawns – shell and butterfly/de-vein the prawns. season lightly with sea salt & pepper
2. Prepare the squid – remove the head & tentacles & wings & set aside. remove red skin from the squid body & cut into rings. season lightly with sea salt & pepper.
3. Prepare the garlic olive oil – stir-fry whole garlic cloves on low heat to brown the garlic & flavour the oil.
4. Prepare the spaghetti – add some salt & oil to water and boil the spaghetti according to timing instructions & drain in a colander.
5. Cook – lightly fry the prawns & squid separately and set aside. empty the prepared olive oil & garlic into a hot wok & add cut chilli padi. add the prawns & squid. turn up the heat & add the white wine & sugar & reduce. turn off the heat, add in the spaghetti & toss & add sea salt to taste. Place the spaghetti in a serving dish and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Kakuni – Japanese braised belly pork in mirin, sugar & soy sauce

This is a very simple kakuni recipe I picked up from youtube.

It is best done with an induction heater (like any slow-cooked braising items) as you can control the heat to the absolute minimum at 100W or 200W and run less risk of boiling off the liquid & getting the dish burnt!

You want to first immerse the belly pork into a pot of boiling water (or pour boiling water over the belly pork), remove it & place in a basin or bowl of cold water and ckean thoroughly; and then cut into 1 inch blocks like in the above picture.

Place the belly pork pieces in a pot over an induction heater (or your usual stove), add in 1 cup of mirin & 2 cups of water (enough to cover the belly pork) – I also add 1 tablespoon of sugar; bring to boil & then turn to low heat for 1hr. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of soy sauce (to taste) – the soy sauce is added later so the belly pork will retain more moisture -and braise at low heat for another 1 hr, and voila!

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 400g belly pork
• 1 cup mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

Directions:

1. Wash belly pork & place in boiling water. remove & place in cold water & clean thoroughly. cut belly pork into 1 inch blocks.
2. place belly pork pieces in a pot. add 1 cup of mirin, 2 cups of water & 1 tbsp of sugar, enough to cover the belly pork completely.
3. put the pot on an induction heater (or stove) and bring content to boil. turn to low heat and braise at low heat for 1 hr. add 2 tbsp soy sauce and braise for another 1 hr. Serve.

garlic jumbo prawns with fish sauce – dry wok, high heat

This recipe kind of self-evolved..

dry wok prawns

high heat dry wok garlic prawns

The key is dry wok really. First, just like when pan-searing scallops. the prawns should be dry as the wok temperature drops with water & you will end up steaming or poaching the prawns. 🙂

With high heat & a very dry wok, you get barbeque flavour but though the shells maybe sightly burnt, the prawns are baked in their own shells, so the prawns are moist, succulent & sweet.

dry wok king prawns

The fish sauce is another key ingredient. There is a teochew saying brandied by my nephew when I visited Shantou that means “high furnace, hot pan & fragrant fish sauce”. Fish sauce is added only at the end to a very hot wok, aroma filling the air, before dishing the prawns out of the wok & serving.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 600g large prawns (I have done up to 1.3kg=10 jumbo prawns)
• 6 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 or 2 chilli padi (I like the spicy kick)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• a large 28cm wok OR if doing 1 kg+ prawns then 30cm/36cm wok

Directions:

1. Preparing the prawns – cut away the legs, whispers & spears. butterfly & de-vein the prawns. wash & put in a colander to drain & place in the fridge to dry. Take out 1/2hr before cooking so prawns will be at room temperature.
2. Cooking – stir-fry the minced garlic and chilly padi in the wok on high heat. Add the prawns before the garlic turns black. Continue to stir & turn over the prawns for few minutes on high heat. Turn to low heat & continue to stir & turn over until the prawns start to look opaque, which means they are cooked. Do NOT cover the wok as the condensation will turn it into steaming/poaching & the barbeque flavour will be lost. When the prawns are cooked, turn heat to high and add the fish sauce. You can feel the aroma wafting. Stir to get good distribution. Dish out of the wok & serve.

skin-on pan-roasted brined chicken breast

I first heard about brining from a friend wei (must give credit where credit is due..haha!) some 7 months back when she invited a few of us for a homecooked lunch of (you guessed it!) roasted brined spatchcock, GR (Gordon Ramsay) crackling belly pork, roasted pumpkin/tomatoes/onions & focaccia etc.

At the time I was doing a rather nice but boring oven roast chicken the usual way of rubbing with a marinate of seasalt, pepper, herbs (rosemary, basil, parsley flakes etc) and pushing whole cloves of garlic under the skin & putting it to the oven. So I was reading about brining for interest but has yet to find much use for it.

see here for a good read about brining.

Then I came across a super video recipe for this skin-on pan-roasted brined chicken breast & tried it on New Year Eve 31.12.2012 & it worked beautifully. I have since done it a few times & it unfailingly produces the best moist, tender, tasty chicken breast. I cooked it for the CNY (Chinese New Year) 3rd Day gathering of 14 hungry 19-year olds for Su Lin, my youngest daughter & the youngsters all loved the chicken; and I might add also the belly pork, pasta & angus beef steak!

I have gone on and tried the recipe on chicken drumstick (I have to agree with Su Lin that I actually like the drumstick even better) and also varied the recipe on duck breast & drumstick – here both are very good but the brined duck breast is just, just SENSATIONAL!

pan-roasted brined chicken drumstick

and here is the video recipe.

c.h.e.f andy

Ingredients:

• 2xchicken breasts with wingstick (I use a 1.4kg chicken from Sheng Shiong or Giant hypermarket)
• 1 litre water
• 5% salt (about 50g)
• 3% sugar (about 30g)
• 5 limes (or about 30ml bottled lime juice)

Directions:

1. Preparing the chicken breasts with wingstick – use kitchen scissors to cut chicken in 1/2, then cut around the drumstick into 1/4 (breast with wingstick & drumstick quarters),  then cut away & remove the bones under the breast completely, then cut away the fat, wash & clean
2. Brining – add 1 litre water in a large plastic container, mix in about 3 heap tablespoon salt & 2 heap tablespoon sugar & stir to dissolve, then pour in 30ml bottled lime juice or squeeze juice from about 5 limes. Put 2x cleaned chicken breasts with wingstick into the container and place container in fridge for 24hours. Remove & wash chicken breasts thoroughly in slow running water & place on a rack to airdry in fridge for 24hrs (can also skip this step & dry with kitchen towels)
3. Cooking – Remove chicken breasts from fridge & leave it at room temperature for at least 1/2hr. Heat oven-proof non-stick pan on high heat, add olive oil to grease pan & turn to medium heat. Place the chicken breasts 1 at a time skin-down in hot pan & fry for 4minutes to get crispy skin. The oil will sputter a bit, turn to low heat after 1 minute. Preheat oven to 250degC. Place oven-proof pan in oven & let the chicken cook for 10minutes. Remove pan from oven & remove chicken breasts from pan immediately & let them rest for 10 minutes, Serve.