55. Christmas Island

Roti Canai

Country: Christmas Island
Course: Bread
Makes: 8 servings 

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup ghee, room temperature (divided)
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Mix the flour with the salt, sugar and about 1/4 of the ghee. Rub it together with your fingertips until it starts to get clumpy.
2. Add the egg, milk and water. Mix until well-combined, and then knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until you get a smooth, stretchy dough.
3. Divide the dough up into eight equal-sized parts and shape them into balls. Coat each ball of dough with about a teaspoon of ghee, then cover them with a paper towel and let them rest for at least six hours.
4. If your kitchen isn't warm, microwave each dough ball for a few seconds until it is warm enough to work with. This will make it easier to stretch.
5. Cover a work surface of at least 2 feet by 2 feet with a thin layer of ghee. In the center of the workspace, put about 1 teaspoon of ghee. You will also need to cover your hands with ghee.
6. Pick up the first ball and place it on the center of your workspace. Flatten it with your hand until it is about six inches in diameter. Pull the dough from the center outwards, working in 3 or 4 inch sections, until you've stretched it out into a large, uniformly paper-thin circle about 2 feet in diameter. You will need to go back and redo areas as needed, concentrating on the parts that are thicker. It's very stretchy but be careful, you can still end up with holes.
7. Take the sheet and roll it up loosely like a rope, trying to keep some air in between the layers (this is what replaces the yeast and makes the texture of the final bread light instead of dense). Now drizzle the rope with another teaspoon of ghee.
8. Coil the first rope into a loose pinwheel shape, keeping plenty of small air pockets in between the coils. Tuck the end into the center, then repeat with the rest of the ropes. Flip them over and let rest for five minutes.
9. Flatten the first pinwheel until it is about 7 or 8 inches in diameter. Melt some ghee over low heat in a large griddle and cook the first dough until it is a deep golden brown on both sides. Repeat with the remaining breads.
10. When they have cooled a little, put each one between your hands and "clap" a few times, which will help separate the layers.

Ayam Panggang

Country: Christmas Island
Course: Main
Makes: 4-6 servings 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 4 stalks lemongrass, grated
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 onion
• A large handful of red dried chilies, soaked
• pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 lbs chicken pieces (on the bone)
• Oil
• 1 3/4 cup coconut milk
• Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, crush the coriander with the cumin, fennel and turmeric. In a blender, pur�e the tamarind paste with the grated lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, onion, garlic, soaked chilies and salt, adding a little water as needed, until you have a smooth paste. Add the dry spice mix and pulse until well incorporated.
2. Now heat some oil in a large pan and add the paste. Cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes aromatic. Add the chicken and about 3/4ths of the coconut milk. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender (the internal temperature should be at least 165 for breast meat and 175 for thighs and drumsticks).
3. When the chicken is done, add the rest of the coconut milk and the lemon juice and stir. Serve hot over steamed rice.

Coconut Crab

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of king or snow crab legs, thawed
• 2 cans of creamed coconut milk

Directions:

• Score the crab legs with a knife so that they can be easily removed from their shells.
• In a large sauce pan, bring the coconut milk to almost a boil and turn of heat immediately
• Add the crab legs to the coconut milk and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Century Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1L water
• 50g edible sodium hydroxide (Lye) 
• 50g salt
• fresh duck eggs (you can also use chicken eggs or quail eggs)

large plastic containers (never use glass containers)

disposable plastic gloves

Method:

1. Place the water, salt, and sodium hydroxide in a large plastic container. Sodium hydroxide is a strong base, so be sure to wear plastic gloves and be careful not to splash it on your skin, eyes or clothes. Also, you must make sure you do not put the sodium hydroxide solution in a glass container.
2. Carefully place the fresh eggs in the sodium hydroxide solution. You can put 20-25 duck eggs in without any problems.
3. Seal, and let the eggs sit for three weeks at room temperature, while the egg whites solidify. After three weeks, open the container and check the progress by tapping one egg to see how much it has firmed up. If the egg white is solid, remove it and rinse it, then place it back in the container with the others for one more week. If the egg white has not firmed up, extend the preservation time.

Tapioca Pudding Recipe

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• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6

Look at the instructions on the package of tapioca that you buy. Some small pearl tapioca requires overnight soaking in water. If your package has that requirement, reduce the milk in the recipe to 2 1/2 cups from 3 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup small pearl tapioca (you can usually find it in the baking section of the grocery store, do not use instant tapioca)
• 3 cups whole milk (or skim milk with cream added)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

METHOD

1 Cook the tapioca in milk with salt, slowly adding sugar until the tapioca thickens: Combine tapioca, milk, and salt in 1 1/2 quart pan on medium high heat. Stir while bringing to a bare simmer. Lower the heat and cook uncovered, at the lowest possible heat, adding sugar gradually, until the tapioca pearls have plumped up and thickened.

Depending on the type or brand of tapioca you are using and if you've presoaked the tapioca as some brands call for, this could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 45 minutes of cooking at a very low temperature.

Stir occasionally so that the tapioca doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.

2 Temper the eggs with a little hot tapioca: Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Whisk in some of the hot tapioca very slowly to equalize the temperature of the two mixtures (to avoid curdling).

3 Return eggs to pan with tapioca. Increase the heat to medium and stir for several minutes until you get a thick pudding consistency. Do not let the mixture boil or the tapioca egg custard will curdle. Cool 15 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Serve either warm or chilled.

Note: If you want to make a more light and fluffy, but still rich, tapioca pudding, separate the eggs. Use the egg yolks to stir in first to the pan with the tapioca. Once the pudding has become nice and thick, beat the egg whites in a separate bowl to soft peaks. Remove the pan of tapioca pudding from the stove, fold in the beaten egg whites into the pudding.

The Christmas Island: A Holiday Tiki Drink

yield: 2 DRINKS

 

prep time: 5 MINUTES

 

additional time: 5 MINUTES

total time: 10 MINUTES

The Christmas Island is a holiday tiki drink similar to a pina colada with allspice and other wintry spices. It's festive and tropical at the same time.

Ingredients

Cocktail

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (regular or light)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) coconut rum or spiced rum
• 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) allspice dram
• 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) falernum
• crushed ice

Garnish Ideas

• cinnamon sticks
• freshly grated nutmeg
• maraschino cherries
• lime wedges
• pineapple wedges
• swizzle sticks
• tiny umbrellas

Instructions

1. Stir the coconut milk, pineapple juice, rum, allspice dram, and falernum together in a Boston shaker or other small cocktail pitcher.
2. Fill two approximately 8-ounce highball or festive tiki glasses with crushed ice.
3. Divide the cocktail equally between the two glasses.
4. Garnish with your choice of fruits, spices, swizzle sticks, tiny umbrellas, and what have you. In my opinion, more is never too much! 
5. Serve immediately.

(Good Eats:  Summer Fruits)