We bring you two exotic dishes to whet your appetite.
Spicy Mushrooms
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Calorie count: 160 calories (per serving)
Ingredients:
Salt, to taste
20 g sambal oelek
15 ml dark soy sauce
20 g chilli bean sauce
20 ml white wine or Chinese cooking wine
15 g fresh red chillies, sliced
30 g scallions, sliced
10 g onion, sliced
75 g button mushrooms, thickly sliced
75 g fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced
10 g garlic, finely chopped
75 g shimeji mushrooms, thickly sliced
75 g shitake mushrooms, thickly sliced
15 ml oil
Method:
- Heat a wok on a medium-high flame and add the oil.
- Add the assorted mushrooms and toss on a high flame until the mushrooms are cooked and crisp.
- Add the red chillies, onions, garlic and reduce the flame to low.
- Stir in the wine to deglaze the pan.
- Add the dark soy sauce, sambal oelek and chilli bean sauce and stir fry on a high flame. Season to taste.
- Finish with the scallions for a crunch.
- Serve hot.
Tip: if you cannot get one type of mushroom, substitute with more of another.
Mandarin Velvet Chocolate Cake
Serves: 4
Prep time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Calorie count: 1,200 (per serving)
Ingredients:
For the caramelised orange segments:
1 orange, peeled and segmented
200 g castor sugar
For the citrus orange glaze:
2 tbsp sugar
¼ cup water
1 cup orange juice
For the dark chocolate mousse:
50 g whipping cream
300 g dark chocolate
150 g fresh cream
For the almond sponge:
2.5 g baking powder
4 eggs
125 g almond powder
125 g castor sugar
2 oranges
Method:
- Grease a mould. Preheat an oven to 180°C.
- To prepare the almond sponge, place the whole oranges in water and bring to a boil, simmering for 30 minutes. Cut each in half, remove the pips and blend with baking powder, eggs, almond powder and castor sugar until smooth. Pour the mixture into the mould and bake at 180°C until an inserted knife comes out clean (about 10-12 minutes). Cool to room temperature in the mould.
- To prepare the dark chocolate mousse, whip the whipping cream to soft peaks and set aside. Place the fresh cream in a pan and bring to a boil. Mix the dark chocolate into the hot cream with a spatula to a smooth and shiny ganache. Cool, then gently fold the whipped cream into the ganache to make a mousse.
- To prepare the caramelised orange chips, bring the castor sugar and water to a boil and allow to bubble and caramelise. Add the peeled orange segments to the sugar syrup and coat gently.
- To prepare the citrus orange glaze, bring the sugar, water and orange juice to a boil and simmer until it reaches a thick syrup-like consistency and cool.
- Pour the dark chocolate mousse over the orange sponge in the mould and smoothen out until level. Freeze to set. Turn out of the mould and cut into the desired shape. Drizzle with the citrus orange glaze and garnish with the caramelised orange segments.
Tip: Decorate the cake with dried orange discs.
