Hello Recipe Club,

I would like to welcome back my friend and Chef2Chef.net Ambassador, Chef Paul Silva as our host this week. Enjoy!

Fruit and Spice and Everything Nice - Some Asian Favourites

As some of you may know, I have a love affair with South East Asian food - the colours, the flavours, the aromas are enough to send me on the first plane into India, Thailand, Indonesia or China. But since I don't have the cash on me, I think I will take the trip through food - and I will take you guys along with me (hope you don't mind!)

This week I have recipes that celebrate one aspect of cooking that excites me - using fruit and spice together in both savoury and sweet ways. Hey, we all know pork chops and applesauce work beautifully - so why not chicken and pineapple (a common sight in Vietnamese cooking) or lobster and lychee?

I also love to combine Asian flavours into European cuisine - hence, the 5-spice coconut meringue is born. I have also included classics like Satays and Gulab Jaman (an Indian sweet that is basically a beignet that is soaked in syrup - you'll love them!)

Don't let the ingredients list throw you off on some of these recipes. When enjoying foods from that part of the world, you need to load up on spices. Remember, buy spices in small amounts, and keep them in an airtight, dry and dark place. They will last longer and will serve you better. Freshness is everything.

Enjoy!

Paul Silva

Today I would like to start with the wonderful and popular satays - ribboned meat threaded on skewers, marinated and grilled. They are the epitome of street food. Don't feel restricted to beef in this recipe. Chicken and pork also work wonderfully. Just remember not to keep the satays in the marinade too long, or the meat will start to get mushy!

The dipping sauce used macadamia nuts, but you can easily substitute cashews or peanuts. The nuts give the sauce texture - a natural thickener.

The coconut marinade can also be used for fish fillets before dredging and frying, or even for whole chicken breasts.

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Satays with Macadamia Dipping Sauce

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds beef, sirloin or tenderloin

Marinade:

1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
14 ounces coconut milk
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/4 cup honey

Dipping Sauce:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
3 large shallots, peeled and sliced
1 lemongrass, sliced
6 pieces kaffir lime leaf, sliced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon coriander seed, whole
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
14 ounces coconut milk
2 1/2 cups macadamia nuts, whole

Preparation:

For satays:

Slice beef thinly and then into 1 inch strips. Thread the beef onto the skewers and place in a shallow pan.

Marinade:

Combine fish sauce, soy sauce, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, lime juice, curry powder and honey together until well mixed in medium-sized bowl. Pour over the top of skewers. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours.

Dipping Sauce:

Heat oil in medium saucepan and add the ginger, garlic, shallots, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaf. Sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, coriander seed, brown sugar, lime juice, coconut milk and macadamia nuts. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until nuts have softened.

Purée sauce in food processor or blender until there are no more lumps. Let cool completely.

Remove satays from marinade, pat dry and grill over high heat until the meat is just cooked through.

Serve hot with cool dipping sauce.

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Green Mango Slaw

A great accompaniment to satays, or items like springrolls or dumplings is a refreshing, gripping green mango slaw. Green mangoes are a variety of mango - they are smaller than your typical mango and are lime green on the outside, firm and have a sharp, crisp flavour. Daikon and cucumber complement the mango and the hot and sour flavours of the vinaigrette boost this slaw to great heights!

Ingredients:

3 green mangoes
1/2 daikon
3/4 cup snow peas
1/3 cucumber
1/2 bunch coriander, chopped

Preparation:

Peel green mangoes and daikon. Clean and julienne snow peas. Julienne the rest of the vegetables on a mandolin or by hand. Combine all the vegetables and coriander in a medium sized bowl. Toss with vinaigrette (recipe following). Let sit for at least 1/2 hour before serving, to allow the flavours to meld and for the vegetables to wilt.

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Green Mango Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sambal oeleck (chili paste)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
125 ml (approximately 1/2 cup) rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Mirin rice wine

Preparation:

Whisk all ingredients to combine.