great food – Ferret chef

Scottish Parsnip Soup

A very easy recipe for fantastic tasting Scottish parsnip soup.

The inspiration for this soup comes from my Grandmother or Granny as we call them in Scotland. She made truly amazing soups and my aim is always to try to match hers. She is sadly no longer with us but I do think she would have liked this.

Ingredients

500g parsnips – peel and thinly slice

100g carrots – peel and slice

1 medium sized leek – wash and slice

2 sticks celery – slice

75g garden peas

4 medium sized white onions – peel and slice

2 bay leaves

1.5 litres vegetable or chicken stock

1.5 tbsp. rapeseed oil

Sea salt – for grinding

Black pepper – for grinding

Method: Add the rapeseed oil to a deep soup or stock pot and warm over a medium heat. Add the leeks, bay and onions and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrot, celery, peas and parsnips, stir well and fry for 5-7 minutes until the mixture softens.

Add the stock, stir well, increase heat to bring to the boil for 2 minutes then reduce to a simmer, cover and let it bubble away for 35-40 minutes.

Carefully remove the lid (watch for steam), fish out the bay leaves, then use a stick blender to blitz soup until smooth. Season with a little salt and black pepper to taste and stir well. Serve with rolls or crusty bread and enjoy!

The soup can be cooled then stored in a fridge overnight for the next day, when it tastes even better.

May 18, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef4 Comments

Mussels in Laksa Broth

Mussels cooked in my Laksa broth, with tofu, spring onions, chilli and coriander.

This recipe is a great way of using the Laksa paste in my Laksa recipe. Mussels work very well with their slightly sweet taste complimenting the Laksa broth. Serve either as a starter or a main course along with some noodles.

Serves two

Cooking time 10 minutes

Ingredients and method

Half of Laksa paste – see my Laksa recipe if making this first

2 Kg live rope grown Mussels – see below for preparation

Handful of pre fried Tofu pieces

3 large red chillies – cut into thin strips

3 spring onions – cut on diagonal

Handful of fresh coriander leaf – roughly chop

500ml coconut milk

500ml fish stock

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1 tbsp. dark soy sauce

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1.5 tbsp. vegetable oil

To prepare mussels: Rinse thoroughly under running water, then soak mussels in a large bowl of water for 10 minutes. Discard water, rinse again then discard any mussels that are already open. Remove beards (most will pull off, but some may require scissors) and scrape off any barnacles. Set aside ready to cook.

To cook: Start by heating 1.5 tbsp. vegetable oil in a deep soup/stock pot (you need one with a lid) over a medium high heat. Add the curry paste and fry (stirring frequently) for 6-7 minutes until the paste is very aromatic and starts to split from the oil. Make sure you do not burn the paste, add a little of the fish stock if it catches on the pan. Next add the fish stock and the coconut milk, stir until combined then bring to boil then reduce to a simmer. Add the tofu pieces, 1 tbsp. fish sauce, 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 1 tbsp. brown sugar then stir well until combined. Add the cleaned mussels then increase heat to bring back to a simmer, place the lid on the pan, and let the mussels cook for 3 minutes. Next add the sliced chilli, spring onions and coriander, replace lid and simmer for a further minute then serve.

Please browse my many other recipes including my original Laksa

May 8, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef3 Comments

Laksa

Laksa broth with noodles, tofu, tiger prawns, boiled egg and coriander garnish.

Laksa is my among my favourite dishes, its like a cuddle in a bowl. I have had this dish many times across South East Asia, and I can confidently say my recipe stands up to the very best. There are many different types of Laksa rather than it being a single dish, with many different styles from regional cuisines. My version is based on the classic curry Mee Laksa soup from Penang region of Malaysia.

The flavour of this dish comes from a wonderful curry paste which contains 24 ingredients in perfect harmony. It is fried to release all its flavours then coconut milk, fish stock, soy sauce and fish sauce are added. The dish is assembled in a bowl with cooked noodles on the bottom, broth ladled over the top then pieces of cooked tofu are added along with sliced spring onions, cooked tiger prawns, a boiled egg and a coriander garnish.

This might sound complicated, but its not. Its actually quite easy to make with results guaranteed to impress any foodie friends.

Please also view my recipe Mussels in Laksa Broth which is an excellent way to use the other half of the Laksa paste.

Notes: This recipe only uses half the paste, the other half can be frozen or stored in an airtight refrigerated container for up to 7 days. For the Tofu use pre fried pieces of silken tofu, either buy pre fried (available from Chinese supermarkets) or cut silken tofu into squares and fry in hot oil until golden brown. These can be portioned and kept in freezer for next time. For noodles I have used egg noodles but traditionally a mixture of rice and egg noodles is used, this is purely a personal preference. In terms of seafood I have used Tiger prawns but white fish, scallops and other shellfish can be added.

This recipe is for two people

Preparation time 25 minutes, cooking time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the curry paste:

2 red bird eye chillies – stalk and seeds removed

2 large red chillies – stalk and seeds removed

1 large green chilli – stalk and seeds removed

2 heaped tsp ground coriander

1 heaped tsp smoked paprika

1 heaped tsp ground cumin

1 heaped tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp medium hot chilli powder

2 medium sized brown onions – peeled

2 sticks lemon grass – bruise, inner part only, thinly sliced (for smoother paste)

Thumb sized piece root ginger – peel, finely chopped (for smoother paste)

Generous handful of peanuts

6 cloves garlic – peel

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 tsp shrimp paste

2 tsp tamarind paste

3 heaped dessert spoons brown sugar

2 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. dark soy sauce

2 tbsp. hopped coriander stalks

Juice and zest of 1 lime

3 karrif lime leafs

4 cardamom pods

3 black peppercorns

Method: Add all the ingredients to a mini blender (or mortar and pestle) and blitz until a smooth paste is formed. Slicing the lemon grass and ginger before helps make a smoother paste. Use Half the paste for two portions, the remainder can be frozen (it keeps its flavours well) or stored in a refrigerated airtight container for up to 7 days. Please view my Mussels in Laksa Broth which is an excellent way to use the other half of the paste.

For the dish:

4-6 large tiger prawns – devein but keep in shell and head on,

Generous handful of pre fried tofu pieces – see notes in opening section

2 hard boiled eggs – add eggs to boiling water for 8-10 minutes, shell and half

2 portions of cooked egg noodles – see notes in opening section

4 spring onions – sliced on diagonal into 2-3cm lengths

Generous handful of coriander leaf – roughly chop

1 tbsp. dark sauce

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil

500ml fish stock – can use chicken as alternative

500ml coconut milk – do not use half fat, doesn’t work 😦

1 lime cut into wedges – to serve

Brown sugar – only use if required to balance flavour

Method: Start by heating 1-2 tbsp. vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or wok then add the paste. Stir fry for 6-8 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the paste. Add the coconut milk and fish stock and heat until it starts to boil then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add a tbsp. of fish sauce and dark soy sauce then taste test, if it requires more seasoning add a little extra, if it is too strong add a little sugar to balance it.

Heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a separate frying pan over a high heat. Once oil is smoking hot add the prawns and cook for approx. 90 seconds on each side, just until the prawns turn pink, then remove from heat and drain on absorbent paper. The hot stock will finish the prawns off, so make sure you do not over cook them.

Bring the laksa broth back to the boil then turn off heat and serve. Place the cooked noodles on the bottom of the bowl, then ladle the hot broth over the noodles. Add pieces of pre cooked tofu, sliced spring onions, boiled egg halves, the cooked tiger prawns and a little chopped coriander to finish. Enjoy.

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Laksa

April 20, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef2 Comments

Tiger prawns with Red Curried crab and Wok Fried Rice Noodles

A delicious Thai dish with wok fried marinated rice noodles, stir fried crab in red curry paste, topped with pan fried Indonesian Tiger Prawns.

Normally I feel a bit sheepish about describing my recipes, but as this recipe was created by Mrs Ferret chef I feel that I can praise it without feeling silly. This was truly delicious and worthy of a good Thai restaurant, the kind of dish you would happily pay good money for and return for it time after time.

This dish uses the same curry paste used in my Thai King Prawn Red curry – so is an excellent way to make two very different meals from the same curry paste. Remember this paste freezes very well or can be stored in a refrigerated air tight container for up to 5 days.

Its important to use good prawns, and Indonesian tiger prawns in their shells are the best I can get in Edinburgh at the moment. Keep the heads on prawns when you cook them, there is so much flavour in them, and take care to remove them from the heat the second they are cooked – overcooked prawns are such a disappointment.

This dish may seem fiddly but it is really quite easy to cook. There are three elements to the dish. The Prawns are fried quickly in hot oil, the crab is fried in the curry paste and cooked rice noodles are wok fried in a marinade. None of these are complicated but as with all good dishes they are worth doing right.

For an optional garnish separate some uncooked dried rice noodles and add to hot oil, they will quickly puff up, remove them from oil and drain on absorbent paper. They add a wonderful texture to this and many other Thai dishes, and can be stored in an airtight jar for next time.

Preparation 30-35 minutes, cooking time less than 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the curry paste:

8 cloves garlic – peeled
thumb of ginger – peeled and slice thinly
2 large red chillies – remove stalk, keep seeds
4 red bird eye chillies – remove stalk keep seeds
Zest and juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp tamarind paste
2 tsp shrimp paste
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. coriander stalks
4 dessert spoons brown sugar
3 dessert spoons desiccated coconut
6 black peppercorns
2 sticks lemongrass – bruise, remove outer husk, slice thinly
Handful of peanuts
8-10 Thai basil leafs – remove stalk
2 lime leafs
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder

Method: Use a mini chopper, food processor or mortar and pestle to pound into a smooth paste. Slicing ginger and lemongrass beforehand makes it much easier to form a smooth paste. Once a smooth paste has been formed separate into two even portions. As mentioned above the spare portion can be frozen or stored in an airtight refrigerated container for up to 5 days.

For the curried crab

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
5 tablespoons of curry paste – see above
1 tin white crab meat

For the Tiger prawns

4 Tiger prawns – devein but keep head and shell on
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

For the wok fried rice noodles

2 portions of pre cooked rice noodles
3 to 4 cloves garlic – minced
Thumb of ginger – cut into fine matchsticks
125ml fish stock
1 red bell pepper – sliced into thin strips
Handful coriander – roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

Method: In a bowl combine the stock, fish sauce, dark soy, light soy, sugar, lime and sweet chilli sauce. Mix well until combined and set aside ready to add to the wok.

Optional garnishes

Fried rice noodles – see opening paragraph
handful of peanuts
2-3 tbsp. roughly chopped coriander

Cooking Method

To cook the curried crab: Heat 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan, add the curry paste and fry for 5 minutes. Add the crab just before serving and use the back of a spoon to stir it through the sauce (to prevent crab breaking up). Set aside and heat through just before serving.

To cook the prawns: Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan until smoking hot, add the prawns and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side. The second the prawn turns pink turn it over, once it is pink on both sides remove from oil and drain on absorbent paper. The prawns will stay hot in their shells for at least 5 minutes, so cook them then fry the rice noodles.

To cook the rice noodles: heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil in the wok until smoking hot, add the garlic, ginger and bell pepper and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the rice noodles, stir well then pour in the sauce from the bowl (see ingredients section). Stir fry until the sauce has almost been absorbed or cooked off, this will take 4-5 minutes.

To assemble dish: Place bed of noodles on plate, then ladle the curried crab on top. Place the prawns on top of the curried crab then sprinkle the garnishes on top.

April 17, 2018January 25, 2019

Ferret Chef4 Comments