Lee Kum Kee is no stranger to the Asian home kitchens, and to Westerners who love Asian food.
With over 123 years of history, LKK is a Chinese company that started out in Hong Kong, famous for its huge variety of quality sauces and condiments. Today, you can find LKK products in almost every supermarket worldwide.
When I received the invitation for Lee Kum Kee’s cooking workshop at Cookyn Inc, I RSVP-ed right away.
‘Fast, Fresh & Simple’, a hands-on contemporary cooking workshop, features new ways to cook modern classic dishes using the established brand Lee Kum Kee’s condiments.
Picture taken by Maureen, edited on Instagram
As part of its initiative to encourage bonding with family and friends through cooking and in line with the brand’s tagline of ‘sharing your love through taste’, bloggers get to invite a friend or family member along for this fun and highly-interactive fun workshop at Cookyn Inc’s new cooking studio, followed by lunch at the end of the workshop with more dishes prepared with Lee Kum Kee’s range of products.
In this post, I will be sharing some of my favourite recipes with you.
SALMON & PRAWNS BAKED IN A PARCEL WITH SPICY BLACK BEAN SAUCE
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 6 salmon steaks, approx 80-100g each
- 12 pieces of peeled and deveined prawns
- 1 red capsicum, diced
- 1 yellow capsicum, diced
- 10g coriander, minced
- Handful of dried bean vermicelli (tang hoon), blanched in boiling water till soft
- 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
- Drizzle of LKK soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon of LKK black bean sauce, mixed with 4 tablespoons of water
- Pepper
- 6 pieces of parchment paper
Method
1. To wrap the parcels, place some vermicelli in the middle of each parchment sheet and top with one piece of salmon.
2. Season with some soy sauce and pepper.
3. Pile on with a couple of prawns, some capsicums, tomatoes, coriander, and some spicy black bean sauce mixture before sealing the parchment paper.
4. Bake in a preheated oven (180°C)
Remember to seal it tightly and fold the two corner ends upwards so the sauces don’t leak.
I love salmon, and this has to be my favourite dish –I’m proud to say I made it myself! It is so easy to assemble and put together. For those with children, you can get them to help out too!
Love how the salmon is soooo moist and tender. The sauce is delish.
TUNA TATAKI WITH FIRST-DRAW SOY AND SESAME SEED OIL VINAIGRETTE
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 500g sashimi grade tuna
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for basting
- 1 tablespoon sesame seed oil
- 2 tablespoons LKK first-drawn soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- Salad greens
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
1. Brush the tuna lightly with some oil, season with salt and pepper, and sear the exterior of the tuna on all sides in a pan over high heat for about 20 seconds (you can use a blow-torch like we did if you have one).
Blow-torch the tuna on each side evenly
Once searing is complete, remove tuna and set aside to rest.
2. Cut the tuna crosswise in uniform slices about ¼ to ½ inch thick with a sharp knife. Lay the tuna slices nicely on a plate.
A sharp knife is essential for beautiful slices of tuna.
3. Mix the sesame seed oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil until well emulsified.
4. Drizzle the dressing all over and top with the chives and sesame seeds. Serve with salad greens alongside.
My amateurish plating :)
Yay! Time to dig in. This dish is very light on the palate, simple but superb.
VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLLS WITH TWO DIPS
Makes 20 spring rolls
Ingredients
- 300g of boiled chicken breast, shredded
- 200g of boiled prawns
- 150g of rice vermicelli, boiled according to package
- 20 sheets of rice paper wrap, approx 8 inches in diameter
- 200g of carrots, shredded
- 1 mango, sliced thinly
- ¾ cup Thai basil
- ¾ cup coriander
- ¾ cup mint
For the dipping sauces
- ¾ cup of chunky peanut butter
- 1 heaped tablespoon of LKK Hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons of lime juice
- 5 tablespoons of hot water
- 2 tablespoons of LKK plum sauce
- 1 red chilli, minced
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
Method
1. To make the 1st sauce, mix peanut butter, half the lime juice, Hoisin sauce with a little water to thin out to the desired consistency.
2. For the 2nd sauce, mix the plum sauce with the remaining lime juice, fish sauce and red chilli before thinning out with some water to the desired consistency.
3. When ready to assemble and roll, plunge a piece of rice paper in water briefly to soften.
4. Lay the rice wrapper flat, top with the desired amount of ingredients in the centre of the wrapper, leaving about 2 inches space on both sides for folding.
5. Fold in both sides and tightly roll the spring roll.
6. Serve the spring rolls with the 2 sauces.
Putting our plating skills to the test… :)
The sauce is extremely versatile; I can imagine grilling some chicken skewers and use it as a condiment! Yum.
After working so hard on our dishes, we were treated to a few dishes prepared by Cookyn Inc using Lee Kum Kee’s range of products.
Here are some dishes that I enjoyed and would personally attempt at home.
GRILLED MINI CHICKEN BURGER
Makes 6 small burgers
Ingredients for burger patties
- 3 boneless chicken legs, cut in half
- 1 heaped tablespoon of LKK oyster sauce
- 1 heaped tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of LKK soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Hua Tiao wine
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For assembling burgers
- 6 burger buns (small)
- 6 tomatoes slices
- 1 head of butterhead lettuce, leaves removed
- 2 tablespoons of Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of chilli bean sauce
Method
1. Season the chicken with oyster sauce, soy sauce, Hua Tiao wine, honey, a little salt, pepper and olive oil
Grilling
2. Preheat the oven to grill function (230 degrees Celsius).
3. Grill the chicken for about 10 minutes until slightly charred.
4. Flip and grill the other side for the same amount of time.
Assembly
5. Mix the mayo with the chilli bean sauce.
6. Open the burger buns and layer with some lettuce, tomatoes, one piece of chicken, and top with some chilli mayo before serving.
For parties, this Grilled Mini Chicken Burger will be a crowd pleaser!
SILKEN TOFU WITH CRISPY BREADCRUMBS COATED WITH SHRIMP PASTE
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 packets of silken tofu
- 1 tablespoon of fermented shrimp paste, thinned with ¼ cup of water
- 1 cup of dry breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Mix the breadcrumbs with the minced garlic, half the shrimp paste mixture and olive oil until well-incorporated.
3. Bake for 15 minutes until crispy and lightly browned.
4. To serve, carefully cut the silken tofu and divide onto plates.
5. Drizzle a little of the leftover shrimp paste solution, top with the crispy breadcrumbs and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
Love the crunch of the topping with that subtle fragrant saltiness! This dish makes a great starter.
DRIED ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH XO SAUCE AND CRISPY IKAN BILIS
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 500g of dried angel hair pasta
- 1 jar of XO sauce
- 50g of baby ikan bilis
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- ¼ cup of vegetable oil
- 20g of chopped spring onions
Method
1. Fry the ikan bilis with oil and garlic until crispy. Drain and reserve both the oil and ikan bilis separately.
2. Blanch the pasta in some salted boiling water until al dente.
3. To serve, pour a quarter of the XO sauce and mix in the reserved ikan bilis oil.
4. Add XO sauce mixture to the cooked pasta and toss.
5. Divide and serve pasta with extra topping of XO sauce, spring onions and crispy ikan bilis.
This dish was one of the highlights. Absolutely amazed by how well the XO sauce marries with the pasta.
More reasons to love Lee Kum Kee…..
Reduced Salt Soy Sauce, Premium Light Soy Sauce, Superior Light Soy Sauce
I always have a bottle of Lee Kum Kee Superior Light Soy Sauce at home. It’s been my favourite brand of soy sauce since the first time I tasted it, a few years ago. Even plain porridge will taste good with a light drizzle of that intensely fragrant soy sauce.
The First Draw Soy Sauce, also the most expensive soy sauce of the range, is considered to be the best quality.
Lee Kum Kee soy sauce is made with non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soybeans, fermented under natural sunlight and does not contain HVP (hydrolysed vegetable protein), a common flavour enhancer.
Did you know that one of Kung Fu star Bruce Lee’s favourite Chinese dishes is beef in oyster sauce?
Oyster sauce is a thick, sweet and savoury brown sauce with a deep earthy flavour from oyster juices that have been cooked down and caramelised.
Lee Kum Kee is one of the most preferred brands of oyster sauce according to surveys. When searching for recipes online that call for oyster sauce, Lee Kum Kee always appears in a little bracket beside.
LKK’s premium grade oyster sauce is renowned for its authentic taste, fine texture, rich colour and lustre. It is an all-purpose cooking sauce that is extremely versatile and used in a huge variety of applications such as marinating, dipping, stir-frying, braising and cooking various kinds of dishes.
Since its creation in 1888, it has become an essential food seasoning in our daily lives.
Louise Lee Si-Kei is one of my favourite actresses from Hong Kong. One of the family comedy series she acted in, The Stew of Life 有營煮婦, features the use Lee Kum Kee sauces, which many families in Hong Kong use for its convenience and great taste.
It is a great cheat for those who don’t have time to spare in the kitchen, to churn out restaurant-standard dishes that will impress your guests.
Lemon Chicken, Sweet & Sour Spare Ribs, Ma Po Tofu and Teriyaki Chicken are my top picks among the wide range of pre-mixed sauces.
Thanks Sixth Sense Communications, Lee Kum Kee and Cookyn Inc for this wonderful session.
For more information about Lee Kum Kee, visit their website: http://singapore.lkk.com/en/Kitchen
Cookyn Inc: http://www.cookyn-inc.com/