Macadamia-crusted scallops with fennel and grapefruit salad

Brought to you by FairPrice

Pressed for Good Health

Great for your health and high in flavour, FairPrice Macadamia Oil is versatile enough for any method of cooking

ANNETTE TAN, food@newstoday.com.sg

Whenever my friends or family visit Australia, I always ask them to bring home a bag of macadamia nuts for me. I love this almost creamy nut for its delicate flavour. I often eat them plain, but also use it to make cookies and to even coat meats with.

The oil from macadamia nuts is just as flavourful, wonderfully healthy and rich with antioxidants. It is also higher in monounsaturated fats than other quality oils, such as olive and canola. The sweet and nutty flavour of macadamia oil makes it ideal for use in salad dressings and marinades. It is also cholesterol- and trans fat-free.

Like grapeseed oil — another healthful oil — macadamia nut oil has a high smoke point. That means your food doesn't burn as quickly under high heat. This makes macadamia oil ideal for roasting, baking and stir-frying as well.

Another special property of macadamia oil is that it helps your food retain more nutrients and absorb less fat than other regular cooking oils. So, what's not to like?

I used FairPrice Macadamia Oil — which is 100 per cent cold pressed, and has no preservatives or additives — to make this decidedly Australian dish of crusted scallops with a grapefruit and fennel salad.

The delicate, piquant flavours of this dish make it an elegant appetiser at a dinner party or a gorgeous light lunch that is especially suited to our sweltering weather.

To serve this as a main course, you could place the scallops on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes and drizzle with a sweet balsamic vinegar glaze.

FairPrice Macadamia Oil ($8.95, 500ml) is available at all FairPrice supermarkets

Macadamia-crusted scallops with fennel and grapefruit salad

Serves 2-4

6 scallops
8 macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp FairPrice Macadamia Oil
1 bulb fennel
1 pink grapefruit
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp FairPrice Macadamia Oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 ground black pepper

1. Cut scallops into half crosswise so you get 12 discs of scallops. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
2. Place the chopped macadamia nuts in a saucer.
   
3. Heat the three tablespoons of macadamia oil in a skillet and dredge each piece of scallop with chopped macadamia nuts.
   
4. Fry the coated scallops in the oil for 2 minutes on each side. The coating of nuts may fall off the scallops, but don't worry about that. Just ensure they don't burn.
   
5. Remove the scallops from the oil. Scoop up the nuts from the pan and scatter on top of the scallops. Set aside.
   
6. To make the salad, wash the bulb of fennel and thinly slice it. You could also use a mandolin to cut fine slices into a bowl.
   
7. Skin the grapefruit and cut the flesh into small wedges. Place in a bowl with the fennel.
   
8. To make the dressing, mix the balsamic vinegar, two tablespoons of macadamia oil, salt and pepper and then pour over the fennel and grapefruit. Toss to mix evenly.
   
9. Arrange the salad on a plate and gently place the scallops on top. Serve immediately.
   

From TODAY, Makan – Thursday, 18-Jun-2009

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Tempura Fish Fillets with Cha Soba

Brought to you by FairPrice

An elegant fry-up

FairPrice Tempura Fish Fillets are a wonderful element for a do-it-yourself Japanese meal

ANNETTE TAN

food@newstoday.com.sg

One of my favourite cuisines is Japanese, and I could have it almost every day if I had to.

Given that I can’t admit to being a lover of fish, it must be said that if the fish is cooked Japanese style, then I’d be happy to eat it.

That’s why FairPrice Tempura Fish Fillets are a welcome addition to its stable of frozen foods. Premium hake fish fillets are coated in authentic Japanese tempura batter that remains lightly crisp after deep-frying or oven baking.

You could serve it as fish and chips, or as part of a simple Japanese set meal, which can be easily put together.

I’ve made it here with cha soba or cold soba and a tempura dipping sauce. It’s really a matter of quick assembly once you’ve boiled the noodles and cooked the fish.

Best of all, it will impress your children, or friends when they visit for a quick and delicious dinner.

FairPrice Tempura Fish Fillet ($4.03, 220g) is available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

Tempura Fish Fillets with Cha Soba

Serves 2

1 packet FairPrice Tempura Fish Fillets

50g soba noodles

1/2 cup soba shoyu (sauce dipping sauce), cold

1/2 cup tempura shoyu (tempura dipping sauce)

1 thick slice daikon (white radish), skinned and grated

A handful of shredded nori (dried seaweed)

Wasabi paste

2 spring onions, chopped

1. To prepare the FairPrice Tempura Fish Fillets, deep-fry in oil until golden brown or place in a 180°C oven for 25 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper.

2. To prepare soba noodles, bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add soba noodles and cook for 5 minutes or until soba is tender to the bite. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Drain and set aside.

3. To assemble, place soba on a plate and top with shredded seaweed.

4. Divide soba shoyu and tempura shoyu into two dipping bowls each.

5. Divide the grated daikon into each bowl of tempura shoya.

6. Divide the spring onions into each bowl of soba shoyu.

7. Place some wasabi paste on the side of the soba.

8. Arrange all the elements on a tray and serve.

From TODAY – Thursday, 11-Jun-2009

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Hainanese Pork Chops

A VERSATILE EVERGREEN

FairPrice Cream Crackers are a wonderfully nostalgic snack and make a great crust for pork chops, too

ANNETTE TAN, food@newstoday.com.sg

05:55 AM Jun 04, 2009

Cream crackers are one of those old school foods that take us right back to our childhoods. I remember my grandparents happily dipping those crispy biscuits into their coffee.

And it’s nice to see that some traditional foods still have their place in modern-day predilections.

FairPrice Cream Crackers are still perfect as quick teatime or breakfast treats, especially when paired with jam, marmalade or just plain ol’ butter.

These trans fat-free biscuits are also Halal and cholesterol-free. Which only means that people of all ages can enjoy them anytime of the day. I like their crispy, fluffy wholesome goodness.

I’ve often found that FairPrice Cream Crackers also come in handy when making another nostalgic dish: Hainanese pork chops.

Instead of breadcrumbs, I whiz a couple of cream crackers in the food processor and use them to coat the pork.

It’s something my mother always did. So, here I am doing exactly the same.

 

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Assorted FairPrice Cream Crackers ($1.75 for a 420g packet) is available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

Hainanese Pork Chops

Serves 2 to 4

 

6 slices pork fillet

1 tbsp Chinese rice wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 cup FairPrice Canola Oil

2 eggs, beaten

8 pcs FairPrice Cream Crackers, ground to fine crumbs

1 potato, sliced

1 large onion, sliced

1 cup ketchup

2 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp corn flour

2 tomatoes, quartered

1/3 cup frozen peas

 

1. Beat the pork fillet with a meat mallet to thin them out. Then marinate them in Chinese rice wine, light soy, salt and ground pepper.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan until it starts to shimmer. Place the beaten eggs in a saucer and the cream cracker crumbs in another saucer.

3. One at a time, dip the pork slices in the beaten egg and then the

cream cracker crumbs to coat. Slide into the hot oil and fry till golden. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

4. In a wok, heat two tablespoons of the oil you used to fry the pork. Fry the potato slices until they are tender. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.

5. Make the sauce in the same wok. Fry the onion with the oil left in the wok for five minutes, until it starts to soften.

6. Add the ketchup, vinegar, dark soy, pepper and half a cup of water. Bring to a boil.

7. In a small bowl make a paste with corn flour and a bit of water. Add to the sauce, let it bubble and thicken.

8. Stir in tomatoes (do not cook through), peas and fried potatoes. Pour everything over the pork slices. Serve immediately with rice.

From TODAY, Food – Thursday, 04-Jun-2009

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