MasterChef US 2014

My favourite show is back with a new set of contestants! Time to stock up the munchies. It was released on 26^th of May but the hubs and I only managed to watch the first episode yesterday. Boy oh boy, I've missed Gordon Ramsay!

The legends.
Picture taken from fox.com/masterchef

That's Gordon Ramsay in action
Picture taken from fox.com/masterchef

And Graham Elliot looking mighty fine with his new weight but it won’t be long. Bet he is going to gain a kilo or two after the show declares his 5^th winner. I read somewhere he had a sleeve gastrectomy and recently completed a 10km marathon in 1 hour and 16 minutes! 

The apron worthy contestants. Picture taken from fox.com/masterchef

Back to MC 2014, I sense there is going to be a number of dramas coming from Leslie, Victoria, Astrid and Elise. Willie is so lovable! We didn't get enough face time of the rest of the contestants so hopefully we get to see more of them in episode 2.

If you are outside of US, you can catch Masterchef 2014 via the links below

FOX (if you have VPN installed)
or
YouTube - MasterChef Channel

While waiting for the next episode, the hubs and I are heading back to MasterChef Australia 2014. I'm rooting for Tash, Colin and Sarah. And did you know two contestants are from Malaysia? You gotta catch the show to find out more.

MasterChef Australia 2014

The Super Quinoa

I got to know about quinoa when I was in my former company. We were the first to bring in organic quinoa into Malaysia back in 2005 from Bolivia. We had a great time developing and marketing these protein rich grains.

Quinoa is actually seed but often referred as grain. The Incas call them “Chisaya Mama” which translates to “Mother of All Grains”. Quinoa has complete protein profile, containing all nine amino acid, magnesium, iron, copper and other essential minerals. Gluten free too

Once puffed, it is soft and light, and carries a nutty tone. Comes in hue of white, black and red. I personally prefer the black and red variety as it has slightly thicker hull which give that great “crunch” in every bite.

The more I cook the deeper my love for quinoa. The versatility is incredible. I have made multigrain rice/porridge, various salad, quinoa and corn pudding and breakfast bar. My husband got hooked to it and didn’t mind having them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here’s my first quinoa recipe

Tuna and Quinoa Salad

Portion      : 4 - 6

Prep Time : 30 minutes

500g organic quinoa

750ml water

2  canned tuna (in water)

300g cherry tomato – small diced

100g mint leaves - chopped

50g onion – small diced

50g celery – small diced

30g red chili – small diced

Juice from one lemon

Lemon Zest

6 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

The work flow

1. Using a large sieve, rinse quinoa under running water. Drain well

2. In a bowl, add rinsed quinoa and 750ml water

3. Steam for 20 - 25 minutes

4. Remove from steamer and let it cool

5. Drain liquid from canned tuna.
6. Pour content in a bowl and lightly separate the chunk with a fork
7. Add in diced cherry tomato, celery, onion, red chili, chopped mint and lemon zest
8. Squeeze juice from one lemon
9. Add in quinoa and mix well.
10. Drizzle in olive oil, salt and pepper and give it a final toss. 
11. Serve immediately

  

Note: Can store up to two days in chiller.

Eggs Ben

While we were in visiting my grandma in Australia, she bought us a lot of bacon and free range eggs for breakfast. We stuffed ourselves silly every morning with browned bacon and sunny side ups. One morning, with my messy unbrushed hair, I decided to assemble a sophisticated egg and bacon combination.

Eggs Ben

Portion: 6

Prep Time : 30 minutes

Hollandaise Sauce

125g butter - melted

4 free range egg yolks

Juice from half lemon

1 pinch of paprika

Salt to taste

Eggs Ben

3 English muffins 

6 slices of streaky bacon / ham

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

6 free range eggs

Black pepper

The work flow: 

Part 1

1.      Add egg yolks and lemon juice on a stainless steel bowl

2.      Whisk until mixture turns pale

3.       Place bowl over saucepan with simmering water  

4.       Continue to whisk and slowly add in melted butter.

5.       Whisk until mixture thickens

6.       Remove bowl from sauce pan

7.       Add in paprika and salt and mix well. If you are using salted butter, you may want to skip the salt.

8.       Set aside on a warm place.

Part 2

1.       On a pan, brown the bacon. Don’t add oil. Let the fat from the bacon melts!

2.        Toast English muffin on a grill pan.

3.       Fill half saucepan with water and bring to boil. Once boil, lower the heat to simmer

4.       Add in white vinegar to the boiled water

5.       Swirl water to form a vortex

6.       Gently break egg (one at a time) and cook about 3 minutes

7.       Remove egg with slotted spoon and drain off the water

The Construction

1.       Lay one bacon on toasted muffin

2.       Top with poached egg.

3.       Scoop a spoonful off hollandaise sauce on top of the poached egg

4.       Grind some black pepper on top

5.       Serve immediately

The result - extra gooey caramel points from the hubs. You can add rocket leaves for the fresh peppery kick.

Let's get started

I love cooking. Just like most kitchen warriors, I love dishing out delicious food. Just like most working adults, I food cheat with pre-mixes sometimes.

I come from a Hainanese and Teow Chew lineage. My dad is an extremely good cook (most Hainaneses are) but a lazy house chef. He can wow us with weird combinations –  savoury stewed papaya with chicken and apple and pork soup. When I was younger, I would call home and asked who’s cooking and if it’s my dad, I would cancel all my dinner appointments. Sometimes, I would root myself in the kitchen and try to remember as much when the great chef cooks.

My grandma is another great cook. She amazes me with her agak agak measurements and yet her food still taste OMG good. Why? She is overly generous with ingredients. Imagine having three whole chickens to make 3 litre of chicken stock.

The difference between my dad and my grandma’s approach on food is my dad loves using spices to lift his dishes and my grandma uses whole loads of meat or seafood for natural “sweetness”.

When I was younger, I used to cook no-brainer dishes. Pasta with thick Campbell’s seafood chowder (reduced water ratio to get sauce like consistency), instant noodle with eggs and when I get less adventurous I would just call 755 2525. Yes, that's Pizza Hut hotline back in the 1990's.

After I got married, I would spend my weekend trying to get cookie points from my in-laws with some dishes I grew up with. But first, I would need to call my parents and getting quick refreshment on the ingredients needed. When I was pregnant with my son, my big belly forced me to cook less. I ended up abusing my whisk and oven more. And when my son started solid, that’s when I got excited about cooking once more.

In this blog, I will try to share as much as I can. Let it be recipe, travel and even a sneak peek of my baby’s food journey.

And yes, I’m from Malaysia - where food is our second language.