Ipoh Bean Sprouts

 A recent trip to a Malaysian restaurant inspires me tonight. A pot of beef rendang bubbles away, low and slow. I slice and dice red peppers and snap peas and toss them with Chinese sauces. The third dish is a classic.... Ipoh bean sprouts. Ipoh being a small town on the Malaysian peninsula, not too far from our favorite town Penang. 

We were first introduced to this simple dish at Penang Restaurant in Flushing, Queens. This authentic repository of all things Malaysian, is long gone but not forgotten. We have tried many others, but none of them have quite lived up to the original. Tucked away in a strip mall, the place was beloved for its brusque service and delicious food. We remember the menu fondly, the many pilgrimages we made with dear family and friends so often that Victor, my husband's brother, nicknamed our experiences there as Penangish!  He loved the place as much as we did, having lived in Kuala Lumpur. Very often, we took him to the restaurant the moment he got off the plane! 

I always marveled at the plate of crisp bean sprouts dowsed in soy sauce and crisp garlic chips. Not too hard to make right? It really isn't. All you need is to have everything ready. So lets start. Make a sauce with soy, sugar, water and pepper. Crisp up sliced garlic and browned onions. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Dunk the bean sprouts in the water for thirty seconds. Drain and rinse under cold water. Place them in a bowl and pour the soy sauce over the sprouts. Scatter the garlic over sprouts. Then sit down and enjoy this simple but flavorful dish.

IPOH BEAN SPROUTS

Serves 2

2 cups Bean Sprouts

2 tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon Sugar 

2 tablespoons Water

1 teaspoon White Pepper Powder

1 teaspoon Roasted Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

6 Garlic Cloves

1 tablespoon Birista or Browned Onions

Cilantro Sprigs

Place soy sauce, sugar, water, white pepper and sesame oil in a saucepan. Heat till bubbling and the sugar melts.

Heat oil in  small pan and fry garlic and onions for a few minutes till crisp.

 

Heat 2 cups of water in a pan.

When it boils, drop sprouts into water and cook for 30 seconds. Drain the sprouts and run cold water over sprouts. 

Drain well and place sprouts in a bowl.

Pour soy sauce over sprouts. 

Top with crisped garlic and onions. 

Garnish with cilantro and serve.

 

Prosciutto Mozzarella Fig Jam Crostini

My daughter makes us a delicious fig jam and prosciutto sandwich. Which in turn inspires me to make these bite size mini versions. This open face finger food is a multi-layered stack of the same sandwich flavors.  

I bake thin slices of French bread till crisp. Last year's bountiful fig jam is spooned onto the bread. Shreds of fresh mozzarella top the jam. Mounded prosciutto goes on next. Garnish with arugula leaves. The recipe has no exact measurements. Get a measure of the bite and make as many as you want to savor!

PROSCIUTTO MOZZARELLA FIG JAM CROSTINI

French Bread, thinly sliced 

Fig Jam or Preserves

Fresh Mozzarella slices

Prosciutto 

Arugula 

Heat oven to 375F/190C.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet. 

Spray lightly with olive oil.

Bake for 8-10 minutes till a little brown.

Remove from oven and cool.

Assemble crostini by spooning a little fig jam on bread. 

Top jam with some mozzarella shreds.

Mound some prosciutto on cheese. 

Garnish with arugula leaves and serve. 

These can be made up to half hour before serving. 

They taste best the day you make them.

 

 

Strawberry Mini Pies

 I crave some pie on Pi day even though I am no math nerd. There is something so wholesome, so comforting about pie. In my book, making some is as easy as pie. It is that pie in the sky. I can’t wait to get my piece of the pie. I could go on...... And that should be the end of the corny jokes. On to something more meaningful.

Strawberry pie is my springtime favorite. The crust is made with flour, butter, sugar and cream cheese. The filling is a thick, gooey mess of crushed strawberries, lemon juice and gelatin. A pleasure to make and eat as well. It is berry berry good!

STRAWBERRY MINI PIES

Makes 6 mini pies

Crust

3/4 cup AP Flour

1 tablespoon Sugar

Pinch of Kosher Salt

4 tablespoons Butter

1 oz Cream Cheese

1/4 cup Water

Filling

1 cup Strawberries

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 teaspoon Gelatin powder

1 teaspoon Water

1/3 cup Sugar

2 Strawberries

Start with the filling. Mix lemon juice, water and gelatin in a small bowl.

Trim strawberries and cut them into very small pieces. You could use a chopper or masher. Place them in a saucepan and heat over a medium flame. 

When strawberries begin to bubble add half the sugar and cook the berries till thick and jammy, 15-20 minutes.

Add gelatin mix to berries and cook over low flame for 3 minutes. Take it off the flame and cool. The beriies will thicken as they cool.

Heat oven to 350F/180C. 

Start the crust by pulsing butter and cream cheese till smooth in a food processor.

Add flour, sugar and salt to bowl. Pulse a few times. 

Add water and pulse till dough comes together in a ball.

Divide dough into 6 portions. 

Place each portion in a muffin tin. 

Gently press the dough to form a mini pie. 

Use a fork to prick the base of the pies. 

Bake for 35 minutes.

Take pies out of the oven and cool.

Cut strawberries into thick pieces. 

Place a piece in each pie. Dot each berry with a little sugar.

Cover the piece with dollops of filling. 

Allow mini pies to set for an hour. 

Enjoy the pies.