Uncle Glenns Onaga Steamed Red Snapper With Somen Recipes

Steps:

• The day before cooking, submerge the garlic in the oil in a small container. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cook, check the fish for any remaining scales and scrape off, paying special attention to the head and tail. Rinse the fish and pat dry.
• Boil the somen according to the package instructions, rinsing and draining well. While the noodles are still damp, arrange them on a serving platter and cover with plastic wrap.
• Loosely toss together the celery, carrot, scallions, onion and cilantro leaves in a small mixing bowl. Set aside at room temperature (if refrigerated, the hot oil added at the end won't sizzle). In another small bowl, mix the chung choi, ginger and cilantro stems, and stuff 1/2 cup of the mixture inside the fish cavity, including the head. Pat the remaining few tablespoons over both sides of the fish's body.
• Set a steamer rack or other metal rack inside a wok or roasting pan large enough to accomodate the fish and set on the stove, straddling two burners if needed. Have ready the wok's lid or sheets of foil large enough to cover the roasting pan tightly. Add enough water to come up to the rack (1 to 1 1/2 inches). Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, stack 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to hold the fish. Turn up and crimp the foil at the edges to create a boat just large enough to fit the fish. The raised edges will catch the drippings, which will make the sauce. Put the foil boat on the rack over the boiling water, then lay the stuffed fish on the foil. Cover with a lid or tightly with foil and let steam for 15 to 18 minutes (6 minutes per pound). Don't lift the lid to check on the fish, as this will cause the temperature to drop. Adjust the temperature as needed if the lid begins to clatter. Uncover and check to see if the fish is done: The eyes should be white and bulging, the mouth slightly agape and a chopstick inserted into the flesh should slide in easily. Turn off the heat.
• Using two long spatulas, gently transfer the fish to the somen platter, laying it on top of the noodles. Lift the foil boat out of the steamer, careful not to spill any sauce, and pour the sauce into a small bowl. Add the oyster sauce and scallop powder (or fish sauce) and stir. Pour the sauce over the fish, then cover the fish with the vegetable and herb garnish.
• Pour the reserved garlic oil into a small saucepan. Heat over high until the garlic turns golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and discard the garlic. Slosh the soy sauce over the garnished fish, then carefully pour on the hot garlic oil, letting it sizzle. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• First, make the Maui Onion Relish. In a nonreactive mixing bowl, stir together all the relish ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease or oil a baking dish large enough to hold the fish fillets side by side.
• Evenly spread the chopped macadamia nuts on a large dinner plate. Season a fish fillet with salt and pepper, and brush it evenly on both sides with 1/4 of the butter mixture. Dredge it in the nuts to crust it evenly on both sides, and transfer to the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining fillets, butter mixture, and nuts.
• Bake the fish fillets until they are cooked through and the nut crust is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Spoon the Maui Onion Relish onto 4 serving plates and, with a spatula, transfer a fillet to each plate, placing it on top of the relish. Serve immediately.
• Prepare the Ginger Butter by putting all the ingredients in a food processor with the metal blade and processing until smooth. Set aside at room temperature.;

Steps:

• Combine the glutinous rice flour and ¾ cup/180 grams water in a bowl to form a dough. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and scrub the sweet potatoes and pat them dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel. With a fork, poke holes all over the sweet potatoes. Bake on a foil-lined pan until a fork can pierce it with no resistance, 40 to 50 minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Pass the sweet potato through a ricer or mash with a fork. Measure out 1¼ cups/320 grams of the mashed sweet potato. (Reserve any remaining for another use.)
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine coconut milk, sugar and salt in a large saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium-low heat, and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot but not boiling, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter, stirring until it melts. Mix in the sweet potato mash, followed by the tapioca starch, then add the refrigerated wet glutinous rice flour gradually in chunks, whisking as you go. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
• Heat 1 or more kuih bahulu pans in the oven until very hot, 7 to 8 minutes. If you don't have a kuih bahulu pan, a decorative cakelet pan or mini muffin tin made out of cast iron or aluminum works (see Tip). The batter yields 24 to 42 nian gao, depending on the size of the hollows; work in batches if needed (see Tip). Remove the pan from the oven and, using a silicone or pastry brush, lightly and quickly brush its hollows with oil. Stir batter, then quickly pour it into the hollows, filling them 80 to 90 percent full.
• Bake on the center rack until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of one emerges moist and sticky, but with no pasty raw batter on it, 20 to 40 minutes. The exact baking time will vary depending on the size and heft of your pan.
• Use a wooden skewer or butter knife to pry out and remove the nian gao from the pan. If the pan was properly heated and oiled, the nian gao will not stick. If needed, repeat with the remaining batter. If the pan cools off too much while you are removing a batch of nian gao, heat it for a couple of minutes in the oven before baking the next batch.
• These nian gao are best served slightly warm while the edges are still crisp and the centres are soft and chewy. They are best the same day they are made. You can keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator and steam, pan-fry or microwave them to reheat the next day, but they will not completely recover their freshly cooked texture.

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook just until tender, 1½ minutes. Drain well, rinse under water and drain again.
• Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Brush ½ teaspoon oil on a nonstick frying pan and set over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the eggs and tilt the pan so that the eggs form a thin and even film. Cook until firmly set, 4 to 5 minutes. With a spatula, ease the omelette off the pan and flip onto a cutting board. When the omelette is cool enough to handle, gently roll it and slice into thin strips, cutting longer strips in half.
• Heat a large wok or very large skillet over medium-high and add the remaining ¼ cup oil. Add half of the sliced shallots and continuously stir until they are crispy and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the fried shallots using a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, and save for garnish.
• Heat the wok with the oil over medium and add the fermented soybean paste, garlic, and remaining shallots. Stir until the mixture is fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add the pork, shrimp and 1 cup chicken broth. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
• Add the mustard greens, lo mein noodles and bean sprouts. Toss well to combine, and cook until the pork and shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. There should barely be any broth left, but if you prefer a soupier consistency, add up to 1 cup more stock. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and the white pepper, then taste and season with more if you'd like. Transfer to a serving platter.
• To serve, garnish with the egg strips, fried shallots, chiles and cilantro. The noodles are best enjoyed with a side of sambal belacan.

Steps:

• Rinse fish with cold water, pat dry and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Place both fish on a heatproof platter or shallow baking dish. (Dish must be slightly smaller than inside dimensions of steamer.)
• Whisk together sweet wine, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chile bean paste and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Pour over fish and let marinate, turning once, for 30 minutes.
• Set up steamer with 3 inches of water in the bottom, then set rack 1 inch over water. Bring water to a rapid boil. Place fish, still on platter with marinade, on rack and cover with lid. (If using a bamboo steamer, cover top with a dish towel to retain steam.) Steam fish for 10 to 12 minutes, until just done. Flesh should look opaque, and there should be no pink at the bone when probed gently with a paring knife. Carefully remove platter from steamer.
• Meanwhile, place a skillet or wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. When oil looks hazy, add scallions and toss to coat. Sprinkle lightly with salt and stir-fry until slightly charred, about 2 minutes.
• To serve, scatter scallions over fish and top liberally with cilantro sprigs. (To make a tastier cilantro garnish, dress sprigs lightly with sesame oil and salt.) Using 2 forks, serve top fillet from carcass. Remove and discard skeleton to reveal lower fillet. Give each diner some fish, scallions and cilantro. Spoon pan juices over each serving.