Steamed Fish with Lime Dressing

This cuisine is one of my favorites! Thai food always embodies a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty. Thai food has found its way to international popularity but it does seem hard to imagine that only twenty years ago, almost no one outside of Thailand had any knowledge of Thai cuisine. It is a challenge to describe Thai cuisine in few words, because it is the very history of its people. Sometimes mild, sometimes spicy, it represents the harmonious marriage of centuries-old influences from India (spices and curries) and China (soy sauce, noodle dishes and poultry). The dishes are all served at the table at the same time, and guests help themselves. No dish is more important than another.

Serves 2
recipe from Blue Elephant Cooking School
printable recipe

150g sea bass fillet (or any kind of white firm fish)
2 inches lemongrass, sliced on an angle
1 kaffir lime leaf, torn
1 tablespoon sliced Galangal
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 coriander root stalk
2-3 bird's eye chili
1 red chili
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon coriander, chopped

In a steamer, steam the fish with the lemongrass, Kaffir lime leaf and Galangal 8-10 minutes or until cooked. In a pestle and mortar, pound garlic, coriander root, and chili's until the mixture turns into a paste. In a bowl, mix the paste with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chopped coriander. Make sure the sugar is dissolved. Place steamed fish on plate and pour the dressing over the fish. Garnish with slices of lime and coriander leaves.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Beautiful, fresh flavors coming from this dish! Pound the lemongrass first so that it's softened and this will bruise the lemongrass to help release the natural oils within. A dish that is ready within the time it takes to steam the fish!

The Culinary Chase Turns 3!

I remember the first time I posted and the excitement I experienced once that posting was out there for the whole world to view. It was, indeed, a roller coaster range of emotions I felt on that day. However, 3 years on, I'm still excited and enjoy being part of the blogging world. Much has changed since I started this blog including moving from Hong Kong where The Culinary Chase was conceived to Thailand and now back home to Canada! Many thanks to everyone who has visited my site and a special thank you to all who have signed up to have The Culinary Chase delivered to their inbox.

The Culinary Chase's Note: It seems as though 434 postings have gone by far too quickly! Stay tuned for more of The Culinary Chase's food escapades. Cheers!

Potato, Bacon and Ricotta Bake

Donna Hay is one of my favorite Aussie foodies and I have a collection of her cookbooks not to mention numerous Donna Hay magazines. Who is she, you ask? Donna Hay is Australia's leading food editor and best-selling cookbook author. She focuses on basic ingredients, simply prepared and beautifully photographed – hallmarks of her work which have set the benchmark for food publishing worldwide and inspired a whole new generation of cooks. Donna's career as a food writer and stylist began when she was 19. She was appointed food editor of Marie Claire when she was 25 and soon became food editor of Marie Claire lifestyle, too. Donna’s successful homewares range is currently exclusive to David Jones in Australia. She is also in development with Royal Doulton for a stylish new range which will launch worldwide in 2009.

Serves 6-8
recipe from Donna Hay magazine

printer friendly recipe

500g potatoes, peeled and sliced
8 slices bacon
400g ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
4 eggs
125ml (1/2 cup) cream
1/4 cup Parmesan

Preheat oven to 180c. Grease a 6 cup-capacity (1.5 litre) baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of the sliced potatoes in base of the dish. Top with 4 slices of bacon. Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, chopped sage, sea salt and spoon half over the bacon. Top with another 1/3 of the potato , 4 slices bacon and remaining ricotta. Finish with a layer of potatoes. Whisk together eggs, cream, Parmesan and pour over potatoes. Cover and bake for 45 minutes until tender. Remove cover and bake for a further 12-15 minutes until golden.

The Culinary Chase's Note: This tastes like a cross between a frittata and scalloped potatoes. Another easy dish to make! Thanks Donna!

Stir-Fried Pork with Lemongrass

Bangkok has many cooking schools and one that has been around for 30 years is the Blue Elephant Cooking School and Restaurant. The cooking class consists of a visit to the market where your guide will explain the various items within the market and after that head back to the classroom for a cooking demonstration. Yes, you do get a hands on experience! Lunch consists of what you cooked that morning. The classes are well organized and a lot of fun especially if you go with a group of friends like my husband and I did.

Blue Elephant is an international brand with restaurants in over 12 countries, and their line of food is represented the world over. I noticed yesterday that Pete's Frootique has a small sampling of their grocery products (curry pastes, salad dressings, sauces, coconut cream, Pad Thai noodle kits, dried fruits).

Serves 2
recipe from Blue Restaurant Cooking School
printable recipe

For the Paste:
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 stalk lemongrass
1 stem of coriander root
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the stir-fry:
120g pork, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons chicken stock or water
1 Kaffir lime leaf, finely sliced

For the seasoning:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon whiskey

In a pestle and mortar, pound garlic, coriander root and lemongrass. Once a paste forms add the black pepper. In a wok warm up the oil and then add the paste. Stir fry until aroma develops, add pork and cook well. Add finely sliced kaffir lime leaf and add some stock (about 2 tablespoons) and add more if sauce is too thick. Combine the seasoning ingredients and add to the pork. Toss in coriander leaf and remove from heat. Transfer to a serving dish topped with deep fried crispy lemongrass.

The Culinary Chase's Note: To make the crispy lemongrass, peel leaves of the lemongrass and pound in a pestle and mortar until it becomes chunky (easily pulls apart). Squeeze juice out of lemongrass. Before deep frying, coat the lemongrass with Tempura flour. Deep fry until lemongrass turns golden brown and set aside. The pork is very tender and the flavor of the whiskey coming through adds a bit of a nutty flavor. Delicious!

Susie's Shortbreads

How does anyone resist the temptation to eat a beautifully presented cupcake? Susie's Shortbreads is a specialty cookie and cupcake shop in Halifax, NS. My family recently moved to Halifax and I was very pleased to have found this shop. A boutique bakery in a fun malt shop atmosphere where everything is baked fresh daily with real ingredients. They have a cupcake menu with over 12 cupcake flavors available every day (100 flavor options but not every flavor is available every day). The four standard flavors are Susie's Classic, Birthday Cake, Death by Chocolate, and Black & White. It's a shop where you go in empty handed and come out with something delicious. When in Halifax, you need to visit Susie's!

The Culinary Chase's Note: I decided on Susie's Classic and my daughter chose the Death By Chocolate cupcake. These little beauties were delicious and I loved the buttercream frosting. Susie's 1st anniversary bash is Saturday, August 29th. Happy Anniversary!

Taramasalata Dip

My husband introduced me to this dip a long time ago and my first impression was that I wanted more! So when we were in Greece last month, I had to have my fill of taramasalata! Don't be put off by the ingredients or its color. An explosion of flavors marks this exquisite appetizer. Surprisingly simple to make and the result... a true Greek delicacy. This is perhaps the most popular of the Greek appetizer dips. Taramasalata is made from the roe of the carp fish. Most commonly the roe is a bright pink color. If you can find the "white" version, buy it. Although more expensive it is produced without food coloring. Roe is a rich source of vitamins A and D, very long-chain fatty acids, and zinc.

Makes 1 1/2 cups
5 oz tarama (fish roe)
1 cup crustless white bread cut in to cubes (use good Italian or French bread)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 small onion, minced
4-5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Soak the bread in a little water for a few minutes then squeeze dry. Put all ingredients, except the tarama, in to a food processor and blend well. Add the tarama and blend until well mixed in. Put in to serving dish and chill for at least 1 hour.

Serve with crusty bread chunks, pita points or Melba toast.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Any leftover taramasalata may be used as a dressing for tossed salad. The pink dip in the middle of the dish is taramasalata. Caviar Mayonnaise! Delicious!

Rosemary Roast Vegetables with Haloumi & Chorizo

I love roast vegetables any time of the year! An easy dish to whip up and ready to serve in half an hour. Halloumi or haloumi is a Traditional Cypriot cheese and is now made the world over. It is made from a mixture of goat's and sheep milk, although some haloumi may also contain only cow's milk. Haloumi has a high melting point, and so can easily be fried or grilled.

Serves 4
recipe from Australian Good Taste magazine
printable recipe

300g eggplant, coarsely chopped
1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
250g haloumi cheese, cut into slices

Preheat oven to 220c. Place eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini and onion in a baking dish. Drizzle over oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and toss to combine. Roast, tossing twice, for 20 minutes or until soft. Spray a non-stick frying pan with olive oil spray. Heat over medium-high heat and cook chorizo, tossing, for 4 minutes or until golden. Add chorizo, parsley and vinegar to the vegetable. Stir to combine.

Wipe the pan clean and spray with olive oil. Cook haloumi for 1 minute each side or until light golden. Divide the vegetable mixture between plates and top with haloumi.

The Culinary Chase's Note: The flavors coming from this dish will delight everyone who tries it. We had chorizo the other night so I opted to pan fry Italian sausage instead. Delish!

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon is a summer favorite of mine. Not only is it a thirst-quencher, watermelon may also help quench the inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A.

Serves 2
Printable Recipe

watermelon, chopped into bite size chunks
goat cheese, chopped
fresh mint leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil


Place watermelon chunks onto a serving platter. Add chopped goat cheese, mint leaves and season with salt and pepper. Top with olive oil.

The Culinary Chase's Note: This is such a fresh and delicious tasting salad. Perfect for those hot summer days. You can also slice the watermelon into thick slices and slice the goat cheese into thin slices. Beautiful!

Rocket & Prosciutto-Wrapped Persimmon Salad

I like to think I'm a bit adventuresome when it comes to trying different food and living in Asia for 11 years certainly has presented some interesting things to eat. However, I've never tried a persimmon until now. I am happy to report that this refreshing fruit is sweet and tastes like a cross between a mango and a rock melon. Persimmons can be eaten fresh, dried or cooked. When eaten fresh the peel is usually removed and the fruit is often cut into quarters or eaten whole like an apple. The flesh ranges from firm to mushy and the texture is unique. The flesh is very sweet and when firm possesses an apple-like crunch. Persimmons are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and anti-oxidants.

Serves 4
recipe from Australian Good Taste magazine

8 slices prosciutto
2 persimmons, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
80g (2 cups) baby rocket leaves
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
50g toasted pine nuts
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

Slice prosciutto in half lengthways. Wrap 1 slice around 1 wedge of persimmon. Repeat with remaining prosciutto and persimmon. Divide rocket, basil and persimmon among plates. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Drizzle over vinegar and serve immediately.

The Culinary Chase's Note: This salad is bursting with flavors! I added a bit of extra virgin olive oil to the salad. Choose persimmons that are firm and free from bruises. The fruit varies in color from yellow to deep orange, depending on ripeness. Store in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight for up to 5 days. Simply beautiful!