Here we are sharing with you our suggestions for a super tasty Christmas menu which should have you relaxing a little on the day but will have your guests asking where you learnt to cook!
We hope you tell them Sticky Rice Cooking School and we hope you enjoy.
Appertiser Thai Squid Salad w Green Nahm Jim Dressing Crispy Rice Balls
Starter Lotus Stem Salad with Prawns and Vietnamese dressing
Mains Caramel Pork Ribs with crispy shallots and Shredded ginger Khmer Grilled Chicken Spicy Avocado Salad
Dessert Lime Syrup Coconut Cake Salted Caramel Tart
THAI SQUID SALAD
300g Calamari, score and cut into a triangle shape
Heat a Grill pan until very hot and Grill the squid for about one minute.
Make the salad and toss through with dressing
1 Green tomato halved Slices
1 Red tomato random chop
½ Red onion fine slice
1 Lemongrass finely sliced white stem
Fine shredded green mango cheek
50g Bean sprout
1 long red chili long slices
Small handful roasted peanuts
Small handful fried shallots
6 2cm lengths of snake bean
10 Vietnamese mint leaf
10 Round mint leaf
6 Cassava crackers
Coriander to garnish
Green Chili Nahm Jim dressing
2 garlic clove
1 long green chili
2 coriander root
1 pinch white pepper
1 small knob galangal
1 -2 tablespoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
1-2 Lime juice to taste
Method
Roughly chop garlic, green chili and galangal.
Pound the chili, garlic, coriander root and galangal in a large pestle. Add sugar and then add a splash of fish sauce and balance salty sweet with lime juice to make spicy sweet salty sour.
Grilled rice balls
cooked Japanese sushi rice
water
soy sauce
oil
Shaped hot rice into desired onigiri shapes.
Grill in a lightly oiled medium-low pan until all sides form a crispy crust. Brush all sides with soy sauce and re-fry all sides.
Lotus Stem Salad with Prawns and Vietnamese dressing
18 green prawns
½ red onion, finely sliced
1/4 cup carrot, finely sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 lime
1 large red chilli-Julienned
1 tablespoon roasted peanut, coarsely crushed
1 tablespoon deep fried shallots
1/2cup Vietnamese mint leaves
½ cup sweet basil leaves
1 jar (net 200g) lotus stems, sliced
Dressing
1 tablespoon lime juice
1tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
Garnish
Coriander leaves
Method
Soak lotus stems in water for 10 to 30 minutes and drain and squeeze out excess water.
In a bowl add carrot and onion sprinkled with sugar and squeeze a lime over. Let sit for ten minutes and drain out the excess liquid.
To make the dressing, cook fish sauce and sugar together in a small sauce pan. Turn off the heat and add the rest of ingredients into a sauce pan and mix.
Heat a hot pan or BBQ hot plate very hot. Add some oil and the prawns. Cook the prawns until golden brown and cooked inside. Remove the prawns from the plate and place in a bowl. Add the rest of ingredients into the bowl and mix with the dressing.
Place on a serving platter and Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with Vietnamese prawn crackers.
Spicy Avocado Salad
1 avocado, peeled & diced
1 tomato, peeled, de seeded & diced
1 green shallot, sliced finely
1 golden shallots, sliced
1 lebanese cucumber, deseeded & diced
1 red chilli, deseeded & sliced
2 tablespoons coriander leaf & stem , chopped
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
Mix avocado, tomato, shallots, chilli & cucumber in a bowl. Add sweet chilli lime juice & garnish with coriander.
Khmer Grilled Chicken
4 Poussin
Marinade
1 table spoon galangal peeled and chopped
2 stalks lemongrass finely sliced
2 coriander roots chopped finely
1 table spoon fresh peeled and turmeric
4 cloves of garlic
2 shallot peeled and chopped
3/4 teaspoon white pepper ground
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon star anise powder (or 5 spice powder)
2 tablespoon palm sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoon Thai soy sauce
Garnish
Coriander
Mint
Thai Basil
spring onion
Serve on the side to dip
Juice of two limes mixed with 1 teaspoon of freshly ground white pepper
Method
- First spatchcock the chicken by inserting a knife into the vent along one side of the spine and with firm pressure slice through the fine bone, repeat for the other side of the spine, remove the spine and open and flatten the bird.
- Turn the bird over skin side down on the cutting board tuck the wing tips behind the centre wing bone and make an incision at the wing joint where it connects to the breast on each side and an incision at the knee joint of each leg, make a shallow cut in the cartilage at the breast
- Turn the bird over and flatten with pressure to the sternum
- In a mortar and pestle pound the marinade ingredients in the order given pounding each ingredient to smooth before adding the next, stir in the fish sauce
- Rub marinade into the poussin and marinate over night
- Pre heat a grill and place the spatchcock bone side down and leave to cook for approx 20 minutes
- Be vigilant about fat dripping and burning, move the bird if this occurs
- turn the bird over and grill for approx 10 minutes
- If you have difficulty cooking the bird completely on the grill without burning the skin, finish them in 180°C oven
- Serve with fresh limes
Caramel Pork Ribs with crispy shallots and Shredded ginger
500g meaty pork ribs
1 tablespoon sliced ginger’
2 stalks lemon grass tops
2 coriander roots
4 cloves of garlic
- Place ribs in a large pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and skim
- Add ginger, coriander roots and garlic and simmer for 45 min
- Remove ribs from broth and allow to cool to room temperature
Caramel Sauce
150g palm sugar chopped
1 stalk of lemon grass finely sliced across the grain
4 cloves of garlic coarse chopped
2 red chillis sliced
4 coriander roots finely chopped
2 shallots sliced
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 cup fish sauce
1 cup water
50ml light soy sauce
1/2 cup crispy shallots
2 tablespoons shredded pickled young ginger
1/2 cup Holy basil leaves
2 Red chillis deseeded and julienned
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
- Heat a wok and caramelise sugar
- Add ribs, lemongrass, sliced chilli, coriander roots, garlic, shallots, 5 spice, fish sauce, soy sauce and water
- Stir to combine and simmer stirring until thick and the ribs are coated in the sticky caramel sauce
- You will need to watch carefully and stir regularly to stop the caramel sauce burning, especially at the edges
- Serve topped with the crispy shallots, ginger, basil leaves and chilli and sesame seeds
Salted Caramel Tart
Serves 2
285g Castor Sugar
100g Hot water
135g Cream
70g unsalted Butter
8g Fine salt
Ganache
60g Cream
40g Chocolate (force Noir)
Method
Bring sugar and water to the boil in large pot, shaking pot as it comes to boil.
Once boiling leave to cook till golden caramel.
Boil cream.
Add butter to caramel
Add salt
Add cream
Be careful of splattering.
Stir in well – portion using metal dispenser and cool.
When bases are set completely add ganache topping
Ganache
Boil cream in small pan
Add chocolate and stir till smooth.
Add on top of base, decorate with chocolate puffs.
Sweet Pastry
Serves 3
290g Plain Flour
45g Castor Sugar
175g Unsalted butter
2 Egg yolks
2 tbls Chilled water
Method
Mix sugar with flour and rub butter in till it resembles bread crumbs.
Add egg yolks and water, mix until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth.
Rest in the fridge for 30 mins
LIME SYRUP COCONUT CAKE
125 g butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup self raising flour
Lime syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Zest of 1 lime
1 tblspn lime juice
Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time then fold in the coconut and flour.
Pour into a lined spring form tin and bake in a slow oven for approximately (165C) 1 ½ hours.
Bring the syrup ingredients to the boil and pour over the hot cake still in the tin. Serve with whipped cream.
