Conceptualising Wraps

When I say wraps, what do you think of? Kebab? Or what you get at KFC? Maybe some random tortilla? I have been trying to conceptualise some flavours for wraps. One that I have thought of is leaning very far towards Mexican, while the other goes towards Japanese.

The Mexican one was much easier in my opinion. This is my plan to create it.
1. Season some chicken breast fillet with pepper, paprika, a dash of salt, garlic powder, thyme and rosemary. Rub it all over with the help of some good olive oil.
2. While the chicken is marinating, prepare a fresh chunky guacamole. Mash up a good ripe avocado, add a drizzle of lime juice and some crushed chilli for a bit of heat. Chop up a fresh tomato and add it to the avocado. Push some garlic through a garlic press. Add a handful of chopped parsley to it. Mix everything together with some extra virgin olive oil.
3. Pan fry the chicken in a frying pan. Cook it over high heat till it chars slightly. Let it rest for about 5-10 min after leaving the pan. Then cut the chicken up into smaller pieces. Basically just shred it or chop it up.
4. Shred some ice-berg lettuce as well.
5. Lay open a wrap on a flat surface. Spread some guacamole over it, be generous. Add the chicken and the lettuce. As you roll it up, fold in the sides.
6. It the wrap is of a good size and you aren't feeling so full, share it!

And here's the Japanese.
1. It's going to be seafood filling for the Japanese. So I am choosing salmon, a fish high in good fats and easy to create the Japanese flavour. Score and season the salmon only with salt, sear it and crisp up the skin in a frying pan as you cook it. Follow Ramsay's recipe and method to create the perfect crispy skin (you'll separate them anyway later). You want the fish to flake easily yet remain juicy enough.
2. Miso or wasabi sauce. If you're using miso sauce, thin it out with mirin to balance the saltiness with some sweetness and a tinge of sourness. For wasabi sauce, use mayonnaise.
3. Flake up the fish and add a dollop of mayonnaise, as well as a very generous serving of ebiko or tobiko to give it a different texture when you bite into the wrap.    
4. Crush some store bought fried fish skin snack to add some crunch to the wrap.
5. As for the fibre/veg, slice up an avocado (if you happen to buy a few more) and cut a japanese cucumber into strips. Lay everything on the wrap and roll it up.

So here it goes. Those are what I have thought of in preparation for the house picnic that is coming up next week. Hope they will turn out well!

New Knife Day!

I ordered a new knife for myself about a week ago, from www.chefknivestogo.com. It's a Zwilling J.A. Henckels Professional "S" 4-inch paring knife. I bought it while on discount so it's pretty affordable for this usually expensive range from Henckels. Technically speaking, this is my second knife from Henckels, though the first one was made in Japan for the Miyabi Kaizen range. This one is authentic German steel, made in Germany. 

Upon receiving it from the very efficient DHL, I unboxed it and put it into action in the kitchen right away. I was preparing lunch, so might as well. It's definitely very sharp out of the box, with excellent fit and finish on the whole knife. Not a single flaw spotted, and all the rivets are nicely flushed with the handle. Good weight and balance on this one, which makes delicate paring jobs much more manageable. 

One of the best purchases I have made this year, and not when I was in Germany searching around for knives that I can bring home. This knife should last me for ages. 

Sauce Fundamentals – Dips

A sauce can add a new dimension to what you have cooked, be it highlighting the natural flavours or to give the dish a bit more kick out of the usual flatness. There are generally a few kinds of sauces that you will find when having a dinner. But for now, I'll only talk about 1 of them. It's the dip. Dips are perhaps one of the most common sauces around. Do not underestimate how much more complexity it can bring to your cooking!

Dips
What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about dipping sauces? Ketchup, mustard, or chilli sauce? These are the go to sauces when you have bite size fried food. The aim of these sauces is to add more flavour to your fried chicken or sausages. The key when it comes to making such sauces is the intensity of the flavour and the consistency of the sauce itself. The sauce has to adhere to the food, so it generally has to be rather thick. The flavour should be able to cut through the mix if the sauce, instead of the food itself, is the star of the dish.

One of your best friends when making dips is mayonnaise. It can form the base of most of your dipping sauces. Store bought mayo usually has unknown and artificial stuff added to them. To ensure the best quality, make the mayo yourself. It is basically good extra virgin olive oil mixed with egg yolks in a stable emulsion. Just google it and you'll find recipes for homemade mayo. It's simple and will bring the sauce to another level.

Here's a recipe that is pretty much a more luxurious version of the Japanese mentaiko (cod roe) dip. It's recommended for deep fried seafood because the caviar will definitely enhance the flavour of the seafood. Chicken nuggets should work well too.

1.5 teaspoons of caviar (I use red lumpfish for the colour)
3 tablespoons of fresh mayo
1 teaspoon of Mentaiko sauce
1 teaspoon of Japanese citrus soy sauce
A dash of black pepper
A few drops of truffle oil (optional)

It's basically as simple as mixing everything together in a small mixing bowl. Prepare more as needed. The caviar will provide a popping sensation with each bite, along with a good and flavourful fishy kick. The truffle oil helps to lift the flavour and it smells fantastic.

Tip
Always mix your dip well and keep tasting it till you get the flavour you like. And be open to using new ingredients to break the boredom of the same taste all the time.

Cooking for friends

I'm finally back in Singapore after 8 weeks in Europe! It feels good to come home to my familiar knives and frying pans. I have learnt a lot more about authentic Italian cuisine from my 1 week in 4 different Italian cities. I made a few good friends while in Europe, and most of them will be back in Singapore before the new semester begins mid-August. In preparation to host them over to my place for dinner, I am trying out new flavours and making slight improvements to some of the tried and tested recipes that I already know. I'm leaning more towards the quality over quantity concept for this meal (not that I will serve large quantities of bad tasting food to begin with). Here's a sneak preview of 2 items that are likely to appear. No recipes for now.

Sauce preparation.

Pan-seared scallop with citrus soy sauce. Topped with red lumpfish caviar. Served as a starter.

Butternut-potato mash with a hint of white truffle. To be served alongside main dish.