The distinctive taste of southeastern Asian cooking comes from the merging of all five of the palatable tastes; sour, salty, sweet, spicy and bitter. Journeyetc. Southeast Asian region, countries like Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Filipino islands are a melting pot of flavors and plenty of exotic ingredients, like coconut milk, Thai basil, fish sauce, chillies. The region stretches east from India and Bangladesh to the southern border of China, encompassing the mainland countries of Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and the island countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

1. Clean and cut the chicken into small dices, add in marinade and let stand for 30 minutes. Chop the dried chillies. Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.
   
2. Heat up a wok or a pan with 1-2 tablespoons of oil, add in chicken and stir until the colour changed. Add in spring onions and chillies, stirring briefly and pour in prepared sauce. Stir until mixed. Switch off the heat and sprinkle dried basil over. Stir until combined. Transfer to a serving dish and served with steamed rice.

"Qiongshan or Qiong Moutain" is situated on the northern coast of Hainan province, China. 'Tofu' here is not made from beancurd, but egg whites. Then why is it called Tofu? Because of its smooth, silky and delicate texture resembles to 'tofu'. This is one of many well-known local specials, flavourful and delicious. Before I start writing the recipe, I want to thank Amanda at Nourish for sharing this award with me. :-))

1. Soak the dried scallops with some water in a bowl. Microwave on high heat for 5 minutes. Rub them into thin threads after cooling down. Mix the cornstarch with scallops water.
   
2. Devine, rinse and cut the shrimps into small pieces. Marinate them with a little of pepper, salt, and rice wine for 5 minutes.
   
   
3. Mix egg whites, chicken bouillon and water. Steam for about 10-12 minutes until the mixture sets.
4. Heat up a skillet with oil, adding in the prepared shrimps and stir-fry until cooked. Add in scallops and starch solution. Spread the sauce over the steamed egg whites.

Spotted dog bread is a type of soda bread in which baking soda is used for leavening rather than the yeast, and with additional ingredients such as raisins, honey and nuts, just like a fruit cake. It tastes best on the day it is baked. If you prefer not to break the tradition, then it shall not contain raisins, honey, yogurt, chocolate,sour cream, etc. etc.
The cross is used to help with the baking of the bread by allowing air circulation so that the bread rises better. The cross also serves as a guideline for even slices.

1. Preheat the oven to 165C/325F. Combine together flours, baking soda, salt and sift into a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in raisins and caraway seeds.
   
2. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt and honey until blended. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth.
   
3. Shape the dough into a ball and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Make a cross incision with a sharp knife, about 1/3 inch deep into top of loaf. Brush with milk and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

An energetic crunchy bar with corn flakes, dried fruits, nuts and double chocolates.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Place the nuts on a baking tray and toast for 10 minutes. Lightly grease a 15x25cm baking pan. Coarsely crumble the cornflakes and chop the cranberries. Roughly chop the toasted nuts.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine together the prepared nuts, corn flakes, cranberries, and raisins. Heat the malt extract and condensed milk in a small saucepan over the low heat until thoroughly combined. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Place the mixture into the prepared baking pan, and press it down evenly all over. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
   
   
4. Temper the dark and white chocolate separately in heatproof bowls set over pans of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowls doesn’t touch the water.
5. Once the baked cornflake has cooled, loose the edges with a knife and turn it out onto a board lined with a parchment paper. Spoon the dark chocolate all over the top of the square, leaving space in between. Then fill the gaps with the white chocolate. Swirl two chocolates together with a toothpick to create the marbled effect. Chill until set. Cut it into 15 squares.

Crumble, buttery pastry crust with lemony custard, almond pastry cream (frangipane - FRAWN-zhee-pan )and topped with berries, brushed with berry glaze for a shiny finish. A ground almond cream filling or topping most often used for cakes, pastries or other sweets.

The name "Frangipane" has a very unusual origin. In the 16th century an Italian nobleman, Marquis Muzio Frangipani, created a perfume for scenting gloves. It was popular in Paris, and pastry cooks flavored pastry cream with almonds and called it 'frangipane', presumably to take advantage of the scents popularity.

1. To make the pastry crust, put the flour, almond meal, vanilla powder and butter in a large bowl. Rub them together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until you have a smooth dough. Wrap the dough with cling film and chill for 1 hour.
   
2. While the pastry chills, start preparing the custard by placing the milk and lemon zest in a saucepan and set the pan over a low heat. Let it slowly warm up until it’s just starting to steam. At the same time beat egg yolks and castor sugar in a bowl until the mixture turns light. Sift in the cornstarch and mix well. Pour a trickle of hot milk over the yolks and whisk until incorporated. Now pour in the rest in a steady stream, whisking continuously until everything is smooth. Return the mixture back into the saucepan. Set the heat to low-medium and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring continuously to avoid any burnt bits or lumps until it has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and butter. Pour the custard into a clean bowl and cover it with cling film to stop a skin forming.
   
3. To make the almond filling, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Fold in the almonds and lemon zest until the mixture is smooth.
4. Roll out the chilled crust and line on a 10-inch or six 3-inch tart pans. If your tart pan is not the loose-bottom type, then you might want to line the bottom with a parchment paper (or tin foil) to ease the tart out. Prick the bottom of the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Remove and fill the tart with 2/3 of lemon pudding, smooth and top and then spread on frangipane evenly. Return it to the oven and continue to bake 20 minutes until the frangipane is golden brown. Cool the tart for 10 minutes, and then lift from the tin. Leave on a wire rack to cool completely.
   
5. Fold sour cream into the rest of lemon custard and spread the mixture over the frangipane. Arrange the berries on top, placing them as closely as possible. Put the jam and water in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stirring to combine. Brush the berries with the glaze. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

If beef's the king of meat, potato's the queen of the garden world. -Irish Saying

Charlotte' is a very popular salad variety which produces pear-shaped, yellow skinned waxy potatoes with creamy-yellow flesh. They are full of flavour and delicious either hot or cold.
Potatoes were originally cultivated in Peru, South American. It didn't gain prominence across Europe until 1780's. Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to eat potatoes. Today, the potato is so common and plentiful in western diet.
Potatoes should be stored in dark, but dry places. Light will cause the formation of solanine on the skin of the potato. Though not likely to cause serious harm, green skinned potatoes can taste bitter and may result in temporary digestive discomfort. When confronted by green skin on a potato, simply peel it away. Keep as much of the rest of the skin as possible.
I am sending this to BSI-Potato hosted by Doggybloggy at Chez What?

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are just soft. Drain and peel off the skin. Whisk together freshly squeezed lemon juice, mustard, pepper and salt in a bowl until the mixture is well blended, then start to slowly beat in the olive oil. Add in the spring onions.
   
   
2. Dry fry the ham cubes over a low heat for 5 minutes and add the ham to the dressing. Thickly slice the warm potatoes and add to a serving bowl, then pour the dressing over. Toss to mix through. Sprinkle the parsley over before serving.