6 recipes for festive feasting with your multicultural friends and family

Instead of heading out, many of us might be holding cosy celebrations at home with our closest family and friends. And being in multicultural Singapore, finding a full feast of recipes that are friendly across cultures is no walk in the park.

You don’t have to look further because we have here 6 recipes that are perfect for festive feasting, whether it’s Christmas, New Year, Ramadan or even any dinner parties you may be having. It’s a long read with some videos instructions so let’s hinder you no further, scroll down and let the feast begin!

Starters

Brussel Sprouts with Lup Cheong

Detailed steps in video.

Seafood On Ice with Nuoc Cham

Ingredients

• Choose your desired shell fish or crustaceans

• 1 Japanese onion, halved

• 1 stick leek, sliced

• 1 stick celery, sliced

• 1 number fennel

• 2tsp salt

Method

• Add all the the ingredients in a pot of water. Bring to boil

• Poached your desired seafood and then remove it once cooked. Dunk in cold water to stop the cooking process

• Serve with Nuoc Cham

Nuoc Cham

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp water

• 3 tbsp sugar

• 1.5 tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 1 clove garlic minced

• 1 each green and red chilli padi

Method

• Caramelise sugar in a pot and then add water to the pot

• Add lime juice incrementally until desired taste

• Add fish sauce

• Remove pot from stove and add garlic and chilies. Cool and serve

Mains

Kashmiri Pulao

Ingredients

• 1 cup basmati rice soaked in water for 30 minutes

• 1 inch cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds

• 1 dry bay leaf

• 3 cloves

• 2 to 3 green cardamoms

• ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder (saunth)

• 1 teaspoon fennel powder

• 2 pinches of saffron

• 2 tablespoon oil or ghee (clarified butter)

• 4 to 4.25 cups water

• salt as required

For garnishing

• 1 medium sized onion, sliced thinly

• 10 to 12 roasted cashews

• 10 to 12 roasted almonds

• 1 tbsp dried fruits of your choice

• Fried shallots

Method

• On a low or medium flame, heat oil or ghee in a deep pan

• Add 1 inch cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves, 2 to 3 green cardamoms

• Fry the spices till the oil becomes fragrant

• Lower the heat and add ½ teaspoon dry ginger powder and 1 teaspoon fennel powder. Mix well

• Add 1 cup of soaked and drained basmati rice and stir

• Add 2 pinches of crushed saffron. Sauté for a minute

• Pour 2 cups of water and salt as required. Stir and cover the pan tightly

• Cook the rice till all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. When done, fluff the rice

• Garnish and serve hot

Pan Fried Cured Salmon

Ingredients

• 2 center-cut salmon fillets (about 1-inch-thick), skin on

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tbsp Lemon zest

• Generous amount of salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Mix thoroughly lemon zest with salt

• Cure the salmon by burying it in the salt mixture for 20 minutes in the chiller

• Bring the salmon to room temperature 10 minutes before cooking

• Remove salt and rinse salmon under cold tap water and then pat dry

• Warm a large nonstick skillet with oil over medium-low heat. Season the fish pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high. Place the salmon, skin-side up in the pan. Cook until golden brown on 1 side, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish over with a spatula, and cook until it feels firm to the touch and the skin is crisp if desired, about 3 minutes more

• The skin can be served or removed easily with a knife or spoon

• Transfer to a plate and serve with desired sauce

Roast Duck

Dessert

Strawberry Trifle

Ingredients

• 225 g / 2 sticks unsalted butter , cut into 8 pieces and softened

Wet ingredient

• 4 large eggs (55 - 65g / 2 - 2.5 oz each), at room temperature

• 1⁄2 cup / 125 ml milk (whole or low fat, not no fat), room temperature

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups / 265g plain flour (all purpose flour, 7 oz) (Note 1)

• 1/4 cup cornflour / cornstarch (Note 1)

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 1/2 cups / 330g caster sugar / superfine sugar (normal white sugar also ok)

• 3/4 tsp salt

Strawberries & Cream

• 2 1/2 cups / 625 ml whipping cream

• 2 tbsp white sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 400 g/ 14 oz strawberries , halved (1 1/2 punnets)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan / convection). Put the rack in the middle of the oven

• Butter 2 x 20cm / 8" cake pans (Note 2). Line the base with baking paper

• Place Wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine

• Place dry ingredients in a bowl and use a handheld beater on speed 1 (slowest) to whisk quickly

• Add 1/3 of the butter, then put the beater whisk in the butter, and mix using speed 1. Once the butter is incorporated a bit, speed up to 5 and whisk for 10 seconds

• Add another 1/3 of the butter then repeat, then add remaining butter and repeat again. It should look like wet sand.

• Add half the Wet mixture, beat until incorporated. Add remaining wet mixture, then beat on speed 5 (medium) until completely smooth

• Divide between cake pans, smooth surface (it levels out in the oven), then bake for 25 minutes

• A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean but moist

• Cool on cooling rack for at least 15 minutes then remove cake from pan

Frosting/Decorations with strawberries & cream

• Optional: Use a serrated knife to cut the top off each cake to make it completely flat

• Place cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl. Beat on high with a handheld beater or stand mixer until stiff peaks form

• Place a cake on a serving platter. Spread a thin layer of cream over the top

• Cover with strawberries, cut side down

• Top with 1/3 of the cream

• Place 2nd cake on top. Cover top and sides with remaining cream

• Since this is for a gathering, the cake is cut into squares to store in a container for easy distribution to guests

• Decorate with remaining strawberries, as desired