Cookbook Club: Goya chanpuru & Sataa Andagi

Ive been finding more reasons to cook lately with these challenges. First it was the 365 challenge (which is still on-going and I just had specific dates) and then now it is by The Cookbook Club . The chosen cookbook was Adam Liaws Two Asian Kitchens. I have yet to go get the book as ahem well.. I am limited to buy only 1 cookbook per month and my quota this month is full! So maybe next month Ill get it OR well, you know, its my birthday next week and I accept any cookbooks as gifts. ><

From the list, I chose 3 items, everything looks so good I wanted to do all but you know, time doesnt tip me well. I picked the Sugar cane ice cream, Sataa Andagi and Gona Chanpuru. I knew where to get sugar cane juice as theres a stall that squeezes fresh sugar cane juice at the weekly night market just on the same row of my house. So I knew perfectly that dish wouldnt be a problem for me. But I had to wait till Tuesday to get it as the market is only on every Tuesday. So after work, I came back a bout 8pm-ish. Went to the market and .. O.o!!! No more sugar cane juice!! They came and left and I had no sugar cane juice! *sourgrape* So there, no sugar cane ice cream for now.

So then I did the other 2 dishes. First up. Goya Chanpuru.

Goya Chanpuru is an Okinawan stir fried dish containing vegetables, tofu, meat or fish , luncheon me! at, bitt er melon/ gourd and egg. Seems like a one-pot dish that goes well with either white rice or porridge/ congee. In the introduction of this dish, Adam mentioned I was at first very hesitant about a stir-fry containing luncheon meat -but theres no point in being a snob about food when it tastes this good. Well, luncheon meat is indeed very addictive. Love to just dip them in egg and pan fry them, eat with porridge. Yum!!

Goya Chanpuru

(serves 4)

(adapted from Adam Liaws Two Asian Kitchens)

150g firm tofu
1/2 large bitter melon / gourd
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp neutral-flavoured oil
100g luncheon meat, cut to dices
1/2 red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
100g pork fillet, thinly sliced
100g shimeji mushroom
60ml mentsuyu (no idea what this was so used 1 tbsp of mirin)
1 tbsp light soy sauce (oh!! totally forgot about this)
2 eggs, lightly beated
75g bean sprouts
bonito flakes to served (but I didnt use it)

1. Wrap tofu in paper towel and put a plate on top to compress. Leave for 30 minutes to drain to prevent the tofu falling apart during cooking). I used bean curd which was slightly hard so I skipped this step. Meanwhile, cut the bitter melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice melon in half moons and toss in salt. Leave to drain for 20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Unwrap tofu and cut into pieces roughly same size as the luncheon meat. Rinse salt from melon and pat dry with paper towel.

3. Heat oil in a wo! k. Stir fry luncheon meat until coloured on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon. Do the same with tofu. Lift out and drain on paper towel.

4. Add more oil if necessary, add onion and garlic into the wok. Stir fry for 1 minute until soften. Add sliced pork fillet and stir fry till browned. Add the sliced melon, mushroom, mirin or mentsuyu and soy sauce. Stir fry for 1 minute till soften. Then add luncheon meat and tofu.

5. Move everything to 1 side of the wok. Lightly whisk eggs with a fork, pour eggs into the empty side of the wok and leave to set slightly. Fold eggs over a few times, then break into pieces with the rest of the ingredients. Add bean sprouts and cook for 30 second until softened. Season with salt if need to.

6. Serve and top with bonito flakes.

And there is the Goya Chanpuru (bitter melon stir-fry with luncheon meat) Yum Yum. Simple stir-fry to whip up in less than 30 minutes.

So then the next one is Sataa Andagi. It is an Okinawan fried doughnut and its very easy to make. I was surprised that theres no waiting time (like pancakes / doughnuts) The moment youve mixed the batter, youre good to go.Its crispy on the outside and its quite cake-like in the center. I had abit of deep-frying problem as the oil was too hot and I made the doughnuts too big. The innards werent really cooked and Ive had a burnt crust already. So after a few trials, (and always read everything in the recipe) I tried using a smaller spoon or a teaspoon to scoop out the batter then fry it. It came out nicer of course without much burns. I dipped some with cinnamon sugar and was just as yummy.

Sataa Andagi

(makes about 20)

(adapted from Adam Liaws Two Asian Kitchens)

1 egg
60ml cream
1/4 vanilla paste (I used vanilla extract instead)
150g flour
1 tsp baking powder
100g caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
vegetable oil, to deep fry

1. Whisk egg, cream and vanilla together in a bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt . Fold into the egg mixture until well combined.

2. Fill a saucepan with oil (about 1 1/2 inches high) and heat to 180C. Drop teaspoonfuls of cough into the hot oil. Dont crowd the pan. Fry for about 2 minutes until golden brown and risen to the surface. Lift outt with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

3. Ideally its best to serve with the sugarcane ice cream.

Deep fried doughnut balls served with ice cream. yummy. Since I didnt make any sugarcane ice cream, I used any ice cream available in the freezer. Oh note, its not just ANY ice cream. Its caramelized oatmeal and raisins ice cream to rock your world!

Or you can eat Sataa Andagi just as it is. Crispy on the outside and cakey on the inside.Its not bread crumbs on the outside ya though it kinda looks like.

Itadakimasu