Christmas Canapes
Having a house party or get together over the Christmas period? Why not prepare some Christmas canapes?
Satay Gai
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce – Serves 4
Ingredients
- 480g chicken fillets cut lengthways in 4/5 strips
- 16-20 bamboo skewers
For the marinade
- 200ml coconut milk
- 30g galangal, minced
- 30g lemongrass, finely chopped
- 1tsp turmeric powder
- 1dsp Madras curry powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1dsp sugar
For the peanut sauce
- 2dsp sunflower oil
- 1 level dsp massaman curry paste
- ½dsp red curry paste
- 200ml coconut milk
- 1cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 1dsp tamarind juice
- 2dsp or 40g palm sugar
- 1dsp fish sauce
- 50g unsalted, roasted peanuts, crushed
Cooking method
To make the marinade:
- Mix (or place in a blender) the galangal, lemongrass, turmeric powder, curry powder, salt and sugar.
- Add the coconut milk, pour over the chicken and allow to marinate for at least one hour in the fridge.
- Meanwhile, soak the skewers in water to prevent them from burning on the grill.
- Put the chicken onto the skewers by gently threading the pointed end of the skewer lengthways through each piece of chicken and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.
To make the peanut sauce:
- Place a saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil, followed by the red curry paste and massaman curry paste and then turn down to a low heat to cook through and to prevent the paste from burning.
- Stir continuously for about 1-2 minutes until there is a good aroma.
- Add the coconut milk, cinnamon stick, star anise, tamarind juice, palm sugar and fish sauce and continue to stir gently for a further 3-5 minute or until the palm sugar has dissolved.
- Remove the cinnamon and star anise. Taste and add the crushed peanuts. The sauce will thicken as it cools so stir in a little boiling water if needed.
To cook the chicken:
- Place the marinated chicken on a hot char-grill or under a hot grill, turning frequently for about 3-4 minutes or until cooked.
- Serve the chicken skewers on a plate with a little peanut sauce on the side.
To Serve
- Serve the chicken skewers on a plate with a little peanut sauce on the side.
Por Pia Thod
Spring Rolls with Wood Ear Mushrooms – Serves 4
Ingredients
- 150ml plum sauce or sweet chilli sauce
- 25 leaves of spring roll pastry, small size
- 1l sunflower oil for deep-frying
- 2dsp plain flour
- 4dsp water
For the filling
- 3dsp sunflower oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 300g carrot, finely shredded
- 400g cabbage, shredded
- 50g wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted
- 100g glass noodles, cut in 4cm
- 4dsp soy sauce
- 2dsp mushroom sauce
- 1tsp sugar
- pinch ground white peppercorns
Serve with
- 150ml plum sauce or sweet chilli sauce
Cooking method
- Mix the flour and water to a light paste – you will need this to seal the spring roll closed.
- Bring a wok to a medium heat, add the oil and garlic and stir until you can smell the garlic aroma.
- Now add the carrots, cabbage, wood ear mushrooms and stir for a minute. Season with soy sauce, mushroom sauce, sugar and ground white peppercorns.
- Add the glass noodles and stir until the sauce is absorbed by the vegetables. Allow to cool.
- Prepare the spring roll pastry by laying each leaf out flat (cover the rest of the pastry with clingfilm to prevent drying out).
- Put the filling on the pastry and start folding. Seal with the flour and water paste.
- Using a deep fat fryer or heavy saucepan, heat the oil to 180°C. Drop in the spring rolls and cook until golden and crispy – about 3 minutes.
- Place on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
To Serve
- Delicious with plum or sweet chilli dipping sauce and eat the spring rolls with your fingers! Or you can wrap them in mint or iceberg lettuce. The mint is particularly good to give a different texture and taste.