Ceviche London

I've been in Europe since a month now and WOW does it feel good to be home!!!

Our travels have taken us to visit our families between Switzerland, Monaco and Italy, we attended a beautiful wedding in Villa D'Este on the lake of Como and we are currently in London before I head off to a surprise bachelorette party next weekend :) (Click here for travel pics)

For those who have been following my blog for a while, you probably know that London is like my second home, I lived here for 7 years and did all my University studies here back in the days, so I always love coming back and exploring all the new entries London town has to offer.

My love for raw food brought us to a cozy Peruvian restaurant nestled in the heart of Soho called CEVICHE. 

As a foodie at heart, trust me, do not miss out on this trendy and delicious little gem.

INSIDER TIPS:
- Sit: At the counter
- Do not miss: the Coctel El Tigre dish 
- Drink: Pisco Sour
- Know: Tiger's milk (Leche de Tigre) is the citrus based marinade for ceviche
- Book: in advance

*Marinated olives*

*Don Ceviche - Fresh Seabass ceviche in amarillo's chili tiger's milk, limo chili, sweet potato and red onions *

*Taquenos de Aji de Gallina - Wanton fritters filled with creamy chilly chicken and aji amarillo sauce *

*Black Kingfish Tiradito - Cobia King fish, kiwi, blood orange, yuzu tiger's milk*

*Causa Los Saicos - Crab, avocado, palm heart on a smooth cool potato*

*Lomo Saltado - Beef fillet, sliced, flame cooked with red onions, tomatoes and proper chips*

*Sakura Maru - Tiradito of thinly sliced salmon in nikkei tiger's milk made with satsumas, mirin, soy sauce and limo chili*

*Pollo en Panca - Chicken thighs in smoked panca chili, orange zest and rocoto pepper jam*

*Coctel El Tigre - Seabass, diver-caught scallop, tiger prawn, pisco, avocado, seabass tiger's milk and tomato*

*Coctel El Tigre *

*Pecado de Chocolate - Chocolate tart with aji panca and sea salt, physalis coulis and pecan ice cream*

Onde Onde - An Asian delicacy

It's been almost two month since my last post but here I am, back with a little Asian delicacy for you all!

I never really fantasized about Asian desserts (this might be my french side talking as well as my love for anything that comes out of a French Patisserie :) ) until a couple of months ago when I launched myself in a Singaporean cooking class with none other than one of the islands' best culinary mentor Ruqxana from Cookery Magic.

The menu consisted of homemade noodles, chili crab and Onde Onde. 

Onde Onde you might ask ???!!!!

I was very close to asking if we could change this mysterious sounding dessert but this would have been a huge mistake!!

Originating from the Peranakan* culture,  Onde Onde is a small sphere of Pandan aromatized glutinous rice flour dough containing Gula Melaka (palm sugar), boiled and rolled in shredded coconut. This is truly one of the most delicious and easy to make asian desserts ever!!

*Peranakan Cuisine: Fusion of Chinese, Malay and Indonesian, also known as Nonya Cuisine - A must try when visiting Singapore!

Step by step recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

3-5 pandan leaves
100g glutinous rice flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
½ cup grated coconut, mixed with a pinch of salt 
100g palm sugar, chopped

STEP 1:

To make Pandan essence, blend about 1 cup of water and Pandan leaves together  

STEP 2:

Strain the mixture 

STEP 3:

Pour the strained Pandan essence into the glutinous rice flour and stir with a wooden spoon or a spatula until homogeneous and easy to shape, if the dough is too dry add a little essence, if it is too watery add a little more rice flour

Step 4:

Divide the dough into small spheres and with your thumb press the middle of the dough to form a cavity and place the chopped Gula Melaka (palm sugar) in it. Close the sphere so that the sugar does not leak out

STEP 5:

Bring water to a boil and add a few Pandan leaves to it for flavoring, when boiling add your Onde Onde spheres, they are ready when they start floating 

STEP 6:

Add a pinch of salt to the shredded coconut, strain the spheres and place into the coconut mixture. 

Et Voilà, bon appétit!!

TIPS:

- If you can, use freshly grated coconut

- Onde Onde are best served warm