Pommes Anna (Crispy French Potato Cake)

 An excellent classic dish in France! Son requested - Mummy, can you make this dish? And me looking at how easy it was, I made it for him!

Ingredients -
600g Yukon Gold potatoes
25g or more unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Sprigs of thyme
250g Parmesan cheese

Potato peeler/Mandolin

Cast Iron

Steps -

1. Peel and slice the potatoes thinly using mandolin.

2. Heat up oven 180 Degree Celsius

3. Grease the cast iron pot with some butter around it. Melt the 25g butter in the cast iron pot.

4. Layer up the potatoes in the cast iron pot overlapping one other forming one layer. Continuing layering the potatoes in alternating circles.

5. For each layer - add dash of salt, pepper, thyme and cheese on it. Do until many layers are obtained.

6. Cook the potatoes on low heat for about 5 mins so that the bottom turns lovely golden color and then bake for 45 mins until tender and well colored with foil covered.

7. Flip and serve!

step 4

step 5

So yummy!!!

Steamed Grouper Fish (Cantonese style)

Fish again! Not my forte! I don't eat fish neither I know how to handle/clean a fish :p

Anyway, who is not cooking for love?? I'm doing it for my kids and to a good friend who love steamed fish so here I go again ...

My good friend was laughing and asked - how come the fish is in U-shape? My reply was - this is my first time to steam such a long fish so I do not have a plate for it, lolxxx ...

Ingredients

400g Grouper fish

10 slices of ginger

3 stalks of spring onions cut into 3cm

Salt

Sauce

3 Tbsp of light soya sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee) 

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 Tsp sesame oil

*Mix the above together in a bowl

Garnishing

2 stalks of spring onion cut into thin strands

6 slices of ginger cut into thin strands

2 Tbsp cooking oil

Steps

1. Season the fish with some salt. Stuff some spring onion and ginger slices into the fish. Then lay some on the plates. Place fish on top of it and steam for 10-15 mins over high heat or until its cooked through.

2. When fish is done, remove the steamed fish water, the ginger and spring onions.

3. Pour the sauce around the fish.

4. Top the fish with ginger strands then spring onions.

5. Heat the 2 tbsp cooking oil and drizzle on top of the ginger/spring onion.

End result - They love it!

Sweet Potato Ball 地瓜球

Missing Taiwan! Sweet potato ball is very popular in Taiwan especially sold in the night market. It is quite a big thing in Taiwan, simple to make yet delicious. 

Ingredients -

200g Purple sweet potato

85g Tapioca starch (sift)

55g Fine/caster sugar

1-2 tbsp water (may not need all)

Steps -

1. Peel and cut sweet potato into cubes. Put to steam for about 12 minutes until fully cooked. 

2. Remove the cooked sweet potato and put it into another clean bowl.

3. Mash the potato, add sugar and tapioca starch in immediately and mix well while it is still hot.

4. Add water in bit by bit until a play dough forms.   

5. Pinch abit of the dough and form a 1-inch diameter ball.

5. Oil in a pot in medium-low heat, drop the sweet potato balls in and keep stirring around.

6. Press the balls while frying, it needs to be done maximum twice. The balls will expand in size and hollow. Do not fry more than 6 minutes.