kitchen corner

Baked Butternut Squash/Pumpkin Fries

2010-12-14T21:22:00.000-08:00

Yum yum, french fries. Yum yum, pumpkin fries. Yum yum, butternut squash fries.

Baked Butternut Squash/Pumpkin Fries
Ingredients: Butternut squash/pumpkin sliced uniformly (the thicker you slice, the longer it takes to bake), salt and fresh ground pepper, pinch of cumin and fennel seeds, some olive oil and butter

Directions:
1. Lay the sliced butternut squash/pumpkin on a "lightly buttered" foil and toss evenly in salt, pepper, cumin and fennel seeds
2. Bake10-15mins in preheated oven ~180-200degC (Note: bake time depends on thickness of slices, so make sure the thickness is uniform so that the fries get cooked evenly)
3. Before serving, you can add a small cube of butter on the pumpkin fries for richer taste. It is optional, really!

Tag: pumpkin, butternut squash, pumpkin fries

Rosemary Roasted Potato Salad

2010-04-27T02:12:00.000-07:00

I don't eat potatoes very often since I'm more a "rice" person. The only time potatoes get sneaked into my food is when I have chicken curry. Sometimes...just sometimes, potatoes can be alluring, especially when it is "Western menu" for dinner. Baked/roasted fish with vegetables and roasted warm potato salad. This meal is complete.

Rosemary Roasted Potato Salad
Ingredients: potatoes, boiled (70-80% cooked), drained, cubed; salt and freshly ground black pepper, dried rosemary herbs, butter, thinly sliced shallots

Directions:
1. Butter the pan and fry the shallots till slightly caramelized
2. Rub some butter on baking foil, place the cubed potatoes on the foil, seasoned with salt and black pepper and rosemary. Place the caramelized shallots on top of potatoes. Mix thoroughly to ensure the potatoes are well-seasoned/"coated"
3. Wrap the potatoes and roast them in a pre-heated oven (to finish cooking) at ~180degC for about ~10mins

Enjoy.

Tag: potatoes, roasted potatoes, rosemary

Stir Fry Pasta with Chicken, Shrimps and Greens

2010-03-20T03:02:00.000-07:00

Mixed seafood in Seafood Mui Fan; seafood in Braised Seafood Soba Noodles; chicken and shrimps in Wat Dan Hor - Rice Noodles with Egg Gravy - I shall make the "chicken and/or seafood" one-dish repertoire more complete by including a Stir-Fry Pasta dish! Cos' I just love this rhythmical lingo - Chicken, Shrimps and Greens !

Stir Fry Pasta with Chicken, Shrimps and Greens
Ingredients:
Shrimps, bite-size sliced chicken pieces, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste, green leafy vegetable (Note: I use Basella Alba that I have also used in Shrimp Fried Rice before), pasta cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, saute the minced garlic, and saute the green vegetables. When they are partially tender(soft), dish out, set aside
2. Add in chicken, saute for 3-5mins, then add in shrimps. By the time the shrimps turn pink and are cooked, the chicken will be cooked as well. (Note: cooking time of chicken depends on size of chicken pieces). Salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add in some chicken broth/water to simmer. When broth starts to reduce, add in cooked pasta, vegetables, then mix well in the pan. When the broth(flavors) gets mostly absorbed into the pasta, dish out and serve immediately. Garnish with sliced red chili.

Tag: pasta, stir fry, seafood pasta

Mushroom Creamy Pasta

2010-03-20T02:59:00.001-07:00

I hope 2009 brings with me new recipes and motivates me further in participating in blog events I truly love and enjoy.

Well, cream-based pasta is not new, yes. But it is relatively new for me when it appears on my dinner table since I am definitely a tomato-based pasta person - Ragu sauce, Bolognese, Arrabiata...always my preferred.

So here I am, having a go at cream-based pasta.

Mushroom Creamy Pasta
Ingredients: pasta, butter, olive oil, onions, fresh mushrooms, herbs (oregano), freshly ground black pepper, whole milk, cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Butter and oil saute pan
2. Add onions and saute till soft
3. Add in mushrooms and saute till onions caramelize and mushrooms before soft
4. Add in some freshly ground black pepper and herbs
5. Before adding in cooked pasta to mix with, add in milk. Simmer, then add in cooked pasta and stir till sauce reduced
6. Top with cheddar cheese (or any melting cheese)

As you see, I like to serve my pasta with Chinese vegetables. Ha ha!

Now I have overcome my fear of cooking cream-based pasta. I used to think it will always turn out lumpy and dry because of the milk and cheese but no, I am wrong. It can be moist and saucy too! Yay! Just make sure to serve immediately and don't leave it to cool down.

Tag: pasta, mushroom, cream based pasta

Baked Snapper Fillet - fish recipe

2009-06-22T05:33:00.001-07:00

I picked this up from Jamie Oliver: Naked Chef I, and found that I have been using several adaptions of this recipe in my everyday cooking of fish lately...because it is really easy and darn flavorful. Now, ranked side-by-side with Steamed Fish in "Quick & Easy" category is Baked Fish!

Baked Red Snapper Fillet (adapted from Jamie Oliver: Naked Chef I - Baked Seabass Sealed in Bag)
Ingredients: snapper fillets, sea salt, black pepper, bay leaf, 1/2 red onion thinly sliced, olive oil, 1/2 lemon, butter, oregano

Directions:
1. Place fillets (pat dry) on parchment paper. Rub salt and pepper on the fillets
2. Rub some butter on the aluminum foil, and place some onions on the foil. Then place fish on top of the onions
3. Cover with remaining onion, herbs and bay leaves
4. Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice over the fish and add remaining butter. Fold and seal fish with aluminum foil
5. Place on tray and bake in a preheated 375F(190C) oven for approximately 8-10mins (~8 minutes per pound). Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 3-4mins without opening the bag.

Now I have two killer recipes for fish - Chinese Steamed Fish and the Western Baked Fish!

Other recipes:
Thai-Inspired Steamed Fish

Tag: baked fish, steamed fish,seafood

Indian Green Beans

2009-04-19T04:46:00.000-07:00

Hmmm....I really do not mind this vegetarian dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Another recipe that I've picked up from A's mom - we (me and YJ) call it by the name, Indian Green Beans. Hahahaha....that's another dish without a formal name. And the ingredients are almost similar to Indian Spicy Chickpeas.

Indian Green Beans
Ingredients: green bean sliced, 4-5 shallots sliced, 2-3 garlic minced, 1-2tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, butter, salt, 1tbsp oil, freshly ground black pepper, sprinkle of red chili pepper flakes

Directions: Add butter and 1tbsp oil to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, shallots saute till fragrant. Add in green beans and saute till green beans and onions are slightly tender/onions caramelized. Add the spices. Salt to taste. Cook for about 10 mins in low-heat pan (note: if too dry, add some water). Add in some freshly ground black pepper and red chili pepper flakes, mix well.

Imagine having traditional turkeys with these. Does it not bring a new revived flavor to year-end traditional holiday feasting ?

Tag: indian food, green bean

Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice with Broccoli Stems

2009-04-19T04:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, thou shall not waste those broccoli stems. They can inject a hint of sweet to complement a dish such as Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice, or call it Broccostems Fried Rice.

Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice with Broccoli Stems
Ingredients:
Broccoli stems thinly sliced(see 1st picture), shrimps, eggs, minced garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper, leftover cold rice

Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, fry minced garlic and saute broccoli stems. When vegetable is cooked to tender (yet not overcooked to limpy), set aside.
2. In the same pan, add in some oil, then add in eggs to scramble it. Before the eggs are cooked, add in shrimps and rice and fry the rice (make sure mixed well with eggs and shrimps) at medium-high heat (Note: at low heat, the rice tends to stick to the pan).
3. Add in soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste
4. When fried rice is ready, you can add in the vegetables (and mix well). Note: Make sure you don't add all the gravy of the vegetables in there. Add in some gravy but not all. The rice will just absorb some moisture and flavor of the vegetable, yet not turn wet and soggy

How does it look ?

WHAaat? Using broccoli stems ? Is this poor man's fried rice? Rather, it is a "No-Waste" fried rice. If one can have "Emperor" Fried Rice, why not this as well?

Tag: vegetable, broccoli,fried rice

Indian Spicy Chickpeas, Curried Chickpeas

2009-01-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

I've picked up a few good tricks in making Indian food. Butter, onions, cumin, turmeric....
Thanks to A's mom (YJ's mom-in-law). There is really no written recipe from Auntie. I just tried to listen hard as she spoke. It seems that cumin, onion, and turmeric are sure to be there. Maybe it was just that few dishes that I asked her which happened to use most of these ingredients. ^o^

Those essential spices really saved me. I used them again and again in my home Indian cooking now. I find these dishes very appetizing with steamed rice. Can't find any formal name for this recipe. Maybe somebody can help? For now, will just call it loosely...Homemade Indian Chickpea.

Indian Spicy Chickpeas/Curried Chickpeas
Ingredients: chickpeas (note: I use canned chickpeas, or known as garbanzo), 1 small onion diced, minced garlic, 1/2 tbsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, curry leaf, salt and black pepper, dash of chili powder/paprika, some butter

Directions: Add butter to a frying pan, add in minced garlic, onions and curry leaf and mix well till fragrant (note: yes, it is the aroma of curry leaf!). Saute till onions are slightly soft/caramelized. Add in chickpeas and the spices. Salt to taste. Cook a few minutes in low-heat pan. Add in some freshly ground black pepper, mix well.

I find beans and peas such easy ingredients to deal with, esp. when I am swarmed at work and have no time to cook anything. And it has indeed started My Legume Love Affair, created by sweet lovely Susan-The Well Seasoned Cook.

Homemade Indian recipes:
Egg masala
Cauliflower, cabbage and pea curry - Version I
Cauliflower, cabbage and pea curry - Version II

Oh, revive my love for Indian food!

Tag: indian food, chickpea, garbanzo beans

The purple Red Cabbage Soup

2008-11-22T00:28:00.001-08:00

I split the red cabbage to three usages, and chose to post at different times because I just did not want you to have an overdose on red cabbage.

This is exactly like minestrone. Minestrone heavy on the tang and over-generous on cabbage! Ha! Ok, let's call it vegetable soup, then. Purple vegetables soup.

Red Cabbage Soup
Ingredients: shredded red cabbage, minced garlic, sliced onions, cubed tomatoes, water, salt and pepper

Directions: Add some canola or olive oil, add in garlic and onions, then followed by cabbage to allow it to soften. Add in tomatoes, mix well and let it simmer for a while. Add in water accordingly to make soup portions. Salt and pepper to taste.

Red cabbage recipes:
Red Cabbage Salad
Stir Fry Red Cabbage

Tag: soup, vegetable soup, red cabbage

Pepper Pork Chops - white and black pepper, I love!

2008-11-15T19:38:00.001-08:00

I don't cook completely new dishes every time. Sometimes, new dishes and recipes mean improvement of older recipes and dishes, such as this Pepper Pork recipe.

Pepper Pork Chop
Ingredients: Pork loin chops, ground white pepper, ground black pepper, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, some oyster sauce

Directions:
1. Rub the slices of pork with ground white pepper and black pepper
2. Add some dark soya sauce, oyster sauce and some brown sugar. Marinate them (leave them in the fridge, at least one hour)
3. Heat up some oil in a frying pan. On medium heat, pan-fry the marinated pieces for a few minutes(~3mins) one one side, then turn over and pan-fry other side until cooked.
4. Place in aluminium foil, seal it if not served immediately (note: this can keep the pork chops warm and retain the juice and moisture in the pork chops. Further, if you are worried that the pork chops may be undercooked in Step 3, the heat which you seal the pork chops in within can allow a little further cooking in the pork chops). This is not another Foil-Cooking but surely, tin foil gives a good neat trick again!

If you find such pork chops boring, you can try this Apple Pork Chops recipe.

Tag: pork chops, pepper pork chops

Steamed chicken - two easy recipes

2008-11-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

Foil-steaming is what I turn to when I am really lazy, especially when it comes to poultry. But I thought foil-steaming follows similar concept as roasting/baking in an oven ? No heating a pan of oil, no sauteing different ingredients at different stages, no standing near the stove to "eyeball" the cooking, no washing of greasy pan - sounds almost like idiot cooking. You only need to assemble, seal and cook (steam) - sounds even more like idiot cooking. Other than steamed meat cake, I do it many ways with chicken too.

Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms, Ginger and Green Onions
Ingredients: 6-8 chicken wings (note:chose smaller pieces of chicken so that it takes shorter time to cook), 1tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp brown sugar, 2tsp oyster sauce, 1tbsp rice wine, 1tsp sesame oil, some pepper, mushrooms, strips of ginger and green onion

Steamed Chicken with Carrots and Onions
Ingredients: 8 drumlets (note:chose smaller pieces of chicken so that it takes shorter time to cook), 1tbsp soy sauce, 1tsp brown sugar, 2tsp oyster sauce, 1tbsp rice wine, 1tsp sesame oil, some pepper, 1tbsp coke(optional), carrots and onions (note: they will sweeten the entire dish when cooked)

See how the carrots and onions turn sweet and soft after steaming

For these two dishes, basically what you need to do is assemble then steam for about 15-20 mins (depending on size and amount of chicken used)

Don't even need to wash a plate or greasy wok/pan for your cooking.

Tag: steaming, chicken

Stir Fry Red Cabbage with Tomatoes

2008-11-07T03:29:00.001-08:00

I can't be only using all the red cabbage for just the red cabbage apple salad. So, other than the traditional way to make salad, I have also used it the less traditional way. I STIR FRIED IT!
...if I can stir fry napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage, I don't see why I can't stir fry red cabbage. ERrrrmmm...I might be wrong?

And so...I did not deviate too far. I did not add dried shrimps just like how I would do Chinese stir fry cabbage. I added tomatoes instead, just like how I would do minestrone. I think you can follow my logic here. Yes?

Stir Fry Red Cabbage with Tomatoes
Ingredients: sliced red cabbage, minced garlic, sliced onions, cubed tomatoes, salt and pepper

Directions: Add some canola or olive oil, add in garlic and onions, then followed by cabbage to allow it to soften. Add in tomatoes, mix well and let it simmer for a while. Salt and pepper to taste.

Voila! One simple dish done, out of not wanting to make salad!

I have been short of writing spirit recently. And since it is almost weekend, I shall not write any further.

Enjoy your weekend :D

Tag: red cabbage, stir fry, cabbage

Buttered Mushrooms with Onion and Herbs

2008-10-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone dislikes mushrooms over here ? Ever since I started buying and using fresh mushrooms in my cooking when I was in the United States, I find it hard to resist fresh mushrooms while I was in Taiwan or now when I'm back in Singapore. Not as if I have not eaten fresh mushrooms before since birth in Singapore. It's just that my association with mushrooms when I was younger was either dried shitake mushrooms or canned button mushrooms. Dried shitake mushrooms are still good for flavoring broths and braising with chicken while canned mushrooms can really come in handy when putting up a dish such as Mui Fan or Braised Noodles or when you really do not have the time to wipe-clean the mushrooms and slice or cut them.

Fresh mushrooms are really what I love when I cook pasta and stir-frys.

Buttered Mushrooms with Onion and Herbs
Ingredients:
some butter, olive oil, 1 red onion thinly sliced, fresh mushrooms(I used a mixture of white and brown), oregano, salt, freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Butter and oil saute pan
2. Add red onions and saute till soft, dash some salt
3. Add in mushrooms and saute till onions caramelize and mushrooms turn soft
4. Add in freshly ground black pepper and herbs

Tag: mushrooms, buttered mushrooms

How to make shrimps and prawns curl

2008-10-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Remember those curly shrimps in my fried rice fit for the "emperor" ? I'll hand over the trick for these lovely curlies. Click for bigger picture!

When you slit the shrimps to de-vein, do not cut through to the other side so that you can keep one whole shrimp intact. Then, cut a little opening at the other side of the head-end so that the tail-end of the shrimp can be slipped in?! Errrr...did I sound confusing ? Woops...

Also read how I "fork" the scallions, or....tips for cutting onions to increase sweetness.

Tag: shrimps, prawns

Chicken Macaroni Soup - comfort when the world goes Holy Dow!

2008-10-23T06:59:00.001-07:00

Holy Cow! If you have read the crisis and turmoil in the media (all kinds) everyday since last month, I bet you would not want to hear another Holy Dow in my blog. So how about...

Holy Macaroni,
This is one comfort food for me;
Carrots and celery do some trick,
There is no secret and hidden tip.

Look at the colors...or does the sound of chicken macaroni tempt you enough ? I totally enjoy homemade chicken macaroni. Whenever I cook this, I can see the smile on my other half. Though he has limited ability over Mandarin (Chinese language), I will still hear him say "Yes ...就是这个味 - this is THE TASTE!" ...then *silent*....except for the chomp chomp chomp I hear for the rest of the meal. We are easy people to satisfy...you know :D

Chicken macaroni soup
Ingredients:
- Any chicken parts you prefer (except the head and buttocks!)
-3-5 stalks from a bunch of celery, washed and sliced
-0.75lbs baby carrot, washed and cut into halves
-dried mushrooms, soaked in water to clean; then chopped to pieces
- 1 small knob (3-4cm) of ginger, cut into half
-water (adjust accordingly)
-1 cup chicken broth(option: since you will be boiling chicken in water too - you will be cooking your own broth too)
-pinch of salt, to taste
-dash of pepper, to taste
-drops of sesame oil
-cilantro and red chili, sliced to garnish
- fried shallots for garnish if you have
-vegetables such as bok choy as side dish

Directions:
1.Boil the chicken in water for ~15-30mins (depending on size of chicken used) with celery, carrots, ginger and mushrooms, till chicken is cooked through. Add salt to taste in the process
2.Remove boiled chicken from pot, to cool. When cooled, shred the chicken, set aside (the unused shredded chicken, keep in fridge or freezer for future use)
3.Throw the chicken rib/bones back into the pot of warm soup, dash in some white pepper, stir and mix well
4.Meanwhile, cook macaroni in boiling water according to package instructions, shd be about 10mins or less
5.When ready to serve, heat up the pot of soup and ladle flavorful soup of celery, carrots and mushrooms over the macaroni, top with shredded chicken
6.Garnish with cilantro and red chili

P.S. If you wish to have more vegetables, you can add any seasonable leafy greens (bok choy, you cai, chinese spinach) to the chicken macaroni soup as the side.

Tag: macaroni, chicken macaroni

Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice with Emperor Vegetables

2008-10-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

OK. NO rice cooker meals for now. I'm just doing what most people do with leftover rice (or I call it a "purposed" leftover) . I cooked twice the amount of rice in the rice cooker one day, consumed one half as-is with dishes such as Spicy Beef with Mushrooms, Three-Cup Chicken or Chinese Steamed Fish; and the other half - I kept it in the fridge for fried rice the next day. Yay, FRIED RICE in a pan...alas, and not FRIED RICE in a rice cooker.

Egg and Shrimp Fried Rice with Basella Alba (Emperor Vegetable)
Ingredients:
Basella Alba, shrimps, eggs, red chili, ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, leftover cold rice

Directions:
Fry the Basella Alba
1. In lightly oiled pan, fry ginger and red chili, then add in the vegetable, add ~1tsp oyster sauce
2. When vegetable is cooked to tender (yet not overcooked to limpy), set aside.

Fry the other ingredients and rice
3. In the same pan, add in some oil, then add in eggs to scramble it. Before the eggs are cooked, add in shrimps and rice and fry the rice (make sure mixed well with eggs and shrimps) at medium heat (Note: at low heat, the rice tends to stick to the pan).
4. Add in soy sauce, and pepper to taste

5. When fried rice is ready, you can add in the vegetables (and mix well). Note: Make sure you don't add all the gravy of the vegetables in there. Add in some gravy but not all. The rice will just absorb some moisture and flavor of the vegetable, yet not turn wet and soggy

Want some ?

More about Basella Alba, read more here.

Tag: vegetable, Basella Alba,fried rice

Lemongrass Steamed Fish with Ginger, Cilantro and Green Onions

2008-10-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

How I wish Singapore could educate consumers about seafood around the Asia region since some of Singapore's fish imports come from neighboring Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

With good qualify fresh seafood, I go for minimal cooking. Lightly grilled, simply baked or easily steamed. And I usually don't deep fry a fresh fish unless it is called for.

Lemongrass Steamed Red Snapper
Ingredients:
snapper fillet rubbed with salt and pepper and drizzle of cooking wine and soy sauce; and these herbs - lemongrass, cilranto, green onion, ginger, red chili; and silken tofu cubes (optional)

Directions:
With the lightly seasoned fish, place in steamer with the herbs and tofu and steam about 8 mins.

You could also try one of these Fish recipes:
Steamed Toman(snakehead) fillet with Ginger and Green Onions
Steamed Cod Fish Rolls
Pan Fried Snapper in Soy Sauce and Ginger
Tandoori Tilapia
Steamed Halibut with Tofu, Shallots and Cilantro

Tag: steamed fish, lemograss steamed fish

Shrimps and eggs - an idea gets sensational here!

2008-10-09T00:36:00.001-07:00

I don't deal with flour but that does not mean I cannot buy cute cookie cutters :)

I am going to work on a tasty time-saver side-dish - it's for you...so that you can have more time for other preparations (eg. cooking THE jaw-dropping, drool-worthy main dish, shopping for gifts, wrapping gifts etc.) for Thanksgiving and Christmas. But I assure you, your guests will still be dropping their jaws, and drooling much when they see this! Surprise them!

If one picture tells it all, you know how easy it can be. And if one picture tells it all, you know how delectable it can be.

Shrimp with Egg/"I-HEART-Shrimp" recipe
Ingredients: Medium/large shrimp dabbed dry, seasoned with pepper, sliced to half (but not completely separated, tip of shrimp intact - refer to pictures), eggs, cilantro, soy sauce/salt and pepper for the egg, black pepper

Directions:
1. Whisk the eggs with some soy sauce/salt and pepper
2. In a oiled large area flat pan, place the shrimps around the pan, making sure they are not too close one another. When one side of shrimp is lightly browned(hear sizzles), flip the shrimps over to cook the other side
3. Pour the whisked eggs gently around the pan so that it fills the empty spaces within the shrimps
4. Add cilantro leaf near each shrimp on the egg. Give a gentle press (using flat turnover ladle) over the entire egg with shrimp and cilantro
5. Cut out each egg (with shrimp + cilantro) using a cookie cutter and serve.
Option: I enjoyed mine with mango salsa. It goes really well! You could just have coarsely ground black pepper sprinkled on it if you really want it easier.

Similar idea from the spinach omelette "cookie" - remember ?

Other shrimp-worthy sides and snacks:
Shrimp Toasts, Shrimp Squares
Bread Crusted Shrimp Rolls
Nori/Seaweed Shrimps

This side dish goes well with mango salsa. My recipe for mango-kiwi salsa here.

Tag: omelette, shrimp omelette, shrimps, snacks, party food

Spicy Sambal Chili Eggs for World Egg Day

2008-10-02T01:44:00.000-07:00

These Sambal Chili Eggs are spicilicious - definitely good with steamed rice or up the stakes... ...with... ... how about Nasi Lemak ?

Spicy Chili Eggs/Sambal Chili Eggs
Ingredients:
Eggs - to be hard-boiled; 1-2 medium onions, sambal chili (I used bottled sambal chili - in California, they are available in Asian supermarkets such as Ranch 99); sugar

Directions:
In a lightly oiled pan, fry the sambal chili to exude aroma. Add in onions and saute till onions are caramelized. Add in some sugar if mixture is too salty. Top the sambal chili onions over the eggs.

Heavenly...

Check out Teczcape - An Escape to Food for more!

Tag: eggs, sambal chili eggs

Rice plate of Scallion Ginger Beef, French Bean Omelet and Bok Choy

2008-09-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

My rice plate....Hungry Lady's Plate

Another VIEW of the same...

Red Cargo + Brown Rice served with Vegetables(Bok Choy), French Bean Omelet, Green Onion Ginger Beef.

Tag: long bean omelet, french bean, rice plate, long bean

Foil steaming the meat saves your time

2008-09-30T06:32:00.000-07:00

When I have no time, I will dump everything (make sure the ingredients are compatible!) into the slow cooker and let is slowly cook. A beef stew can be prepared just like that. As you all know, the slow cooker is S-L-O-W...so if you have REAaaaaLLY no time to even wait, this is my "no-pride" cooking for you. Mix everything up in "cake" form and steam it.

Does this look like a "steep cliff" to climb ?
*Cooked this while I was in Taiwan

Here I have mushrooms, baby carrots, diced shrimps, sliced green onions and half a pack of soft tofu mixed into ground meat (pork is used here) that has been marinated/seasoned with some salt, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, white pepper and dashes of sesame oil.

Nope - I did not mix and mesh all the tofu into the meat as one big lump (that will be too URRGGgghhh!). Instead, the remaining half of the tofu - I layer it like lasagna with the meat mixture. A layer of pre-marinated meat (already mixed with mushrooms, baby carrots, diced shrimps and sliced green onions) at the bottom; followed by some cubed tofu, then another layer of meat mixture; followed by another layer of cubed tofu. Steam for 10-20mins depending on size of "cake".

This is meat "cake"! My own homemade version of 蒸肉饼 ! Can be classified as another busy-executive cooking :P ....~~no time~~ lazy to make cooking preparations, ~~no time~~ lazy to cook, ~~no time~~ lazy to wash the plates (notice I use aluminum foil?) and even ~~no time~~ lazy to present this nicely on a plate to take decent photographs…that's me!

I hope I have not made you lose your appetite but it is really quite tasty. ^o^

Tag: steamed meat

Chinese Steamed Fish Toman (Snakehead) Fillet

2008-09-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

A Chinese-style Steamed Fish...best for the busy executives who have no time to cook, yet desire to adopt a healthy meal plan of dining in as often as possible. You can thaw the fish (remove frozen fillet from freezer) in the fridge before leaving for work in the morning (or overnight the day before). When you return from work in the evenings - remove the thawed fillet from the fridge (marinate as follow, below), cut the tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions and ginger, assemble and steam. Refer Directions below.

Chinese-style Steamed Toman Fillet
Ingredients:
Toman fish fillet (snakehead) - some salt and white pepper, rubbed gently on the fish + lightly marinate with 1tsp rice wine + 3 drops of sesame oil + 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce; sliced ginger; sliced green onion,; tomato - cut into wedges; thinly sliced mushrooms

Directions:
1. Remove the thawed fillet and marinate (as per Ingredients above)
2. Cut and prepare tomatoes, mushrooms, green onions and ginger (Note: In this process, the fish is marinated for some time)
3. Assemble, then steam for 5-8mins, depending on thickness of fillet. Thickness of ~1.5cm about 7mins (Note: you can always slice thinner to reduce cooking time but only if you have time to do slicing of a thick fillet. Note1: Another trick is to "score" the fish so that it allows thorough seasoning and reduce time to cook)
4. Serve with steamed rice

Other easy Fish recipes:
Steamed Cod Fish Rolls
Pan Fried Fish in Soy Sauce and Ginger
Tandoori Fish
Steamed Fish with Tofu, Shallots and Cilantro

Tag: steamed fish, chinese steamed fish

Red Cabbage Apple Salad

2008-09-19T07:33:00.001-07:00

I have made a Red Cabbage Salad recently to beat the hot weather in Singapore and at the same time, celebrating the coming Autumn/Fall in the US - with the addition of apples in this salad.

Red Cabbage and Apple Salad
Ingredients:
Red cabbage, julienned; thinly sliced apples cut into strips.

Dressing: squeeze of fresh lemon, dash of vinegar + 1tsp sugar

Directions: Add the dressing into the cabbage and apple mixture and toss well. Chill before serving.

Fight the heat with this crisp cool salad! It will be a great appetizer!

Other salad recipes:
Warm Pasta Salad
Celery and Carrots Salad
Fusili with Shrimps and Celery
Bok Choy Salad

Autumn/Fall in the US: Visit Sonoma Farm Trail. Do some apple picking!

Tag: salad, red cabbage, apples

Tom Yum/Tom Yam Noodles

2008-09-18T01:51:00.001-07:00

The French Bean Omelette was done in Singapore, so is this dish. This dish basically, is on assembling rather than on culinary skills. But even if you assemble, you want to make sure the ingredients are compatible and the sequence is correct. Are you going to guess what I am preparing?

Tom Yum/Tom Yam Noodle Soup
Ingredients:
Instant noodles - less the seasoning packs(option: use any noodles or pasta, or even glass noodles!), canned tuna(I swear by AYAM brand tuna), tomatoes, bok choy, silken tofu(cut into cubes)

Directions:
1. Cook the noodles, then set aside
2. Prepare pot of water to simmer/boil - blanch the bok choy, then set aside with the noodles
3. Add in canned tuna to same pot of water so that the "spices" will work naturally to flavor the "soup broth"
4. Add in tofu and tomatoes in the soup broth if you want. Otherwise, you can add to your noodles and then ladle hot soup over the final dish before serving

Other Tom Yum recipes:
Tom Yum/Tom Yam Glass Noodles
Tom Yum/Tom Yam Fried Rice

Tag: noodles, tom yum, tom yam

Eggs - cooking tips and basic culinary knowledge

2008-09-15T00:37:00.001-07:00

Bakers and cooks out there, when you need to whisk 3 eggs in preparation for your recipe or dish, do you crack all the eggs into one bowl or do you prepare a smaller bowl by the side - crack each egg into the small bowl before adding that egg with the rest of the other eggs?

It makes sense to me so I am picking up this good habit

I understand that some Chinese culinary schools teach the latter. It is considered basic culinary knowledge because you would not want to be "cracking" a bad egg into a pool of "good" eggs (with no chance to response) and contaminating the other "good" eggs. Next time you make French Bean Omelette or Spinach Italian Sausage Omelette, you know what to do.

Other cooking tips:
How to make half-boiled eggs, the "fuss-free" way
Spring onions preparation tips
How to get tender beef
How to cut onions to make it less pungent

Tag: cooking tips

Beef and Mushrooms in Light Curry Sauce

2008-09-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

Remember I had these mushrooms? I transformed them to a lightly spiced dish using curry powder! WT *...*...(muted) ?! Curry powder ?

Yes...yes..I'm so excited to share this with you. I found that by adding some curry powder to this stir fry, it simply became a new dish for me.

Spiced Beef and Assorted Japanese Mushrooms
Ingredients: Ground beef, half a onion- sliced and chopped finely, assorted mushrooms, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 2tsp curry powder (Note: depending on how strong a curry flavor you want but do not use too much or it will become a full-blown curry beef dish- as in...too much goopy gravy)

Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly softened (half way to "translucence"), add in beef and the mushrooms and fry them in the pan (low-medium heat)
2. Add 1tbsp oyster sauce, then ~2 tsp curry powder and mix well
3. Add some water(not too much), let it simmer on low heat till the mushrooms become more tender and till the sauce reduce (Note: Since this is intentionally not a curry beef dish that will have lots of gravy, I was mindful about just keeping the dish...moist. In addition, the curry powder is supposed to add just that hint of curry spice flavor but not to overpower the taste of beef and mushrooms)

Isn't that simple? Delicious. Simply delicious.

Tag: mushrooms, beef

French Bean Omelet

2008-09-08T01:24:00.001-07:00

French Bean Omelet/Long Bean Omelet
Ingredients: Long bean/french bean, diced to small bits (as shown in picture above), 2-3 eggs whisked with some added dark soy sauce and white pepper

Directions:
1. Heat pan with cooking oil and fry the bean bits with some salt and pepper
2. When beans bits have softened, add the egg covering the pan surface. Allow the egg to cook on one side a few minutes till lightly browned (Note:I like some crispy bits on this omelet somehow. If you prefer it moist, then don't "overcook" it)
3. Then flip over the other side to finish cooking
4. Enjoy with porridge or rice

Tag: long bean omelet, french bean, omelet, long bean

Easy Tomato Pasta on Egg - Omelette wrapped Pasta?

2008-09-04T02:06:00.000-07:00

Anyone knows the Japanese language equivalent of "Pasta"? Well, I would like to have a more appropriate name for a dish spawn from omuraisu (omelette rice). Haha!

If there is omu (omelette)-raisu (rice), why not omu-"pasta" ? What I was missing out was just wrapping the pasta up within the enclosing omelette. Hmmm....ok, I am making a fuss out of this. I just wanted something different (and EGG-tra) for my pasta and why not this? Those who enjoys tomato ketchup on their omelettes may like this dish. That is no tomato ketchup in here but you get tomato-based pasta sauce/gravy on your omelette-style egg! ^o^

Easy Pasta on Egg/Omelette Tomato Pasta
Ingredients:
cooked pasta, minced pork(chicken or beef,you wish), diced shrimps, minced garlic, sliced onions, can of diced tomatoes, salt and black pepper, basil/oregano dried herbs(option) PLUS additional two-three eggs

Directions:
1. Fry the egg like an omelette, set aside. At the same time, you can cook your pasta according to package instructions. Any shell or screwy pasta is recommended since it will be easier to eat with the egg.
2. Saute the onions in olive oil till they soften. Add in garlic and minced pork and cook till the pork is almost cooked(from pink to light brown).
3. Add in the shrimps. As they are diced, they will cook very quickly.
4. Add in diced tomatoes with the juice
5. Mix well, add salt and black pepper to taste
6. Before serving, add in cooked pasta, toss well in the tomato-based pasta sauce and serve on the omelette

Viola!

You can try these pasta dishes on omelette too!
Beef and Mushroom Pasta with Bok Choy
Mushroom Beef Pasta with Spicy Sauce

As long as the sauce is not a soup, tomato-based or cream-based works fine on omelette; and it is best to use shell or screwy type pasta for ease of eating!

Tag: pasta, omelette

Three Cup Chicken, or Vegetarian's Three-Cup Mushrooms

2008-08-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

Two cups? What cups? A cup, B, C...F or G cup for Gargantuan? :P How about three cups in equal sizes? Heeee.....

Hey you, I am talking about Three-Cup Chicken (三杯鸡 San Bei Ji). And it is NOT Three Cups of Chicken, either. This is another really simple yet robust dish, making use of easy available seasonings and....tapping on the aroma of fresh basil!

Simple. First, you need chicken (wings or other parts, fresh or frozen - up to you). Not Three Cups of chicken BUT the essentials THREE CUPS - each of equal amt. dark soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil - hence the name Three-Cup Chicken.

This dish is popular in Taiwan and so I had a go at it when I was in Taiwan. I've seen it demonstrated in some Taiwan cooking programmes but here, I have it tailored to more "homemade" cooking. Sure, use a claypot at the final stage if you wish. I don't have a claypot then, so made do without it. If you are vegetarian, you can try have a go at Three-Cup Mushrooms - easily another flavor- and fragrance- bombed dish.

Three Cup Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken wings(I use frozen and had it thawed), garlic, ginger, green onions, slice red chili (de-seed if you don't want too spicy), fresh basil

Seasoning: Proportion of sesame oil and dark soy sauce and cooking (rice) wine should be equal.

Directions:
1. Heat up sesame oil in wok or pan
2. Add ginger to fry in sesame oil till it exudes aroma
3. Add chicken wings (that's what I use - frozen chicken wings that have been thawed), sear the chicken to brown on all sides
4. Add minced garlic, followed by dark soy sauce. Turn down heat to simmer 5-8 minutes. (Note: Taste test here - if too salty, add a little brown sugar to "tone" it down)
5.Turn heat up again when sauce is bubbling, add the Chinese wine (Note: when adding wine, do not drizzle directly on the chicken; instead slowly pour wine on the sides of the pan, allowing the heated metal to evaporate the alcohol content; this way, the fragrance of the wine is retained)
6.Cook till chicken is done and sauce has reduced (Note: At this stage, you can pre-heat a claypot on your stove, then pour the entire mixture into the claypot)
7. Add fresh basil and red chili last, mix well
8. Garnish with scallions. Best with steamed rice!

Delicious!

Tag: chicken, three cup chicken

Herbal Chicken Vermicelli Soup - Mee Sua Soup?

2008-08-19T01:01:00.000-07:00

Vermicelli that is made of wheat instead of rice - 面线 (Hokkien: mee sua, Cantonese: min seen, Chinese: mian xian). While appearing similar to bee hoon (rice vermicelli), this has a very different texture, and for different culinary uses as well. If it's made of wheat, isn't it considered a kind of pasta ?

On the package, it was written buckwheat and mee sua! So...something like thin soba ?

Looks like whole wheat angel hair pasta when cooked.

However, I believe the moisture content in the making(kneading) of pasta, vermicelli and buckwheat noodles (soba) varies PLUS we tend to look for al denta in pasta but not in rice vermicelli unless you overcook the pasta to be as soft as rice vermicelli's texture. Beachlover's Kitchen also talks about somen and mee sua here.

You can substitute mee sua with angel hair pasta by slightly overcooking the latter! :D

Back home, mee sua soup is commonly seen once a year - during birthdays. A bowl of simmering mee sua soup with minced pork balls and one hard-boiled egg. Rice vermicelli (mee sua) and as the Chinese characters literally mean Noodle 面 Threads 线...threads tend to be long, so signifies longevity in birthday celebrations.

Herbal Chicken Vermicelli Soup
Ingredients:
Chicken, chopped to pieces; 1 Chinese herbal pack; some vegetables(bok choy) blanched; mee sua (vermicelli) cooked according to instructions.

Directions:
1. Boil the chicken with herbal pack according to herbal pack instructions.
2. When ready, ladle the soup over the cooked mee sua, serve immediately

It is easy to think of what you can with Chinese herbal packs. This is a one-dish meal I'm serving other than boiling the chicken with the herbs to make Herbal Chicken Soup, and steaming the chicken with the herbs to make Steamed Herbal Chicken, also known as Emperor Chicken.

Tag: noodles, vermicelli , mee sua

Popiah - Vegetables wrapped in wheat-flour crepe

2008-08-13T23:36:00.000-07:00

Mom's popiah. Can you spot a fried one among the rest ?

In Singapore, we call it 薄饼 (po bing) whereas in Taiwan, they call it 潤餅 (roon bing) They mean the same thing - fresh spring roll. The popiah skin is a thin paper-like crepe or pancake made from wheat flour. Sweet sauce and chili is spread on the "crepe", then layer a lettuce leave on the crepe and up goes the fillings (on the lettuce - that is what I will do) which is mainly finely grated stir-fried jicama(turnips), French beans, carrots. Before wrapping and rolling it up, you garnish the fillings with bean sprouts, sometimes crushed peanuts.

Now, roll it up and eat! :D

Tag: popiah, Singapore eating

Shrimp Toast - delicious Prawn Squares

2008-08-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Addition to the shrimp rollie toasties - bread crusted shrimp rolls and nori shrimps series, I also made some shrimps toasts or squares that made use of minced shrimps.

Once in a while, it's ok to indulge..:P

Don't be stingy with the amount of minced shrimps

Shrimp Toasts or Shrimp Squares
Ingredients: shrimps (mince to paste form), some salt and pepper, bread cut into squares
Directions: Slather the minced shrimps on the surface of the bread; deep fry in medium-hot temperature oil till shrimp filling at the top changes color

Golden delicious...and full of shrimp flavor to make me happy

You may also like
Nori seaweed coated shrimps
Shrimp rollie toasties - bread crusted shrimp rolls

Tag: toast, shrimp rolls, shrimps, snacks, party food

Buckwheat Noodles in Bolognese Sauce - Soba Bolognese, anyone?

2008-08-07T01:15:00.000-07:00

Yes. I have done something similar before. I need to put that upfront. However, I found that when I used soba (buckwheat noodles) - the results in taste, and texture are somewhat different. Soba (buckwheat) noodles tend to have a more nutty flavor compared to the normal pasta; and when you are eating the screwy-type pasta (such as fusili), you don't get to slurp and swoop as nosily as long noodles. That's a difference too!

Buckwheat Noodles Bolognese/Soba Bolognese
Ingredients: Ground beef; half a onion- sliced and chopped finely; assorted mushrooms; can of diced tomatoes; buckwheat noodles, cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly soften (half way to "translucence"), add in tomatoes, then ground beef and mushrooms. Will take about 3-5mins for things to "soften" a little (to be cooked)
2. Salt and black pepper to taste
3. Add some water/stock, allow it to simmer on low heat
4. Before serving, add in cooked noodles in the pan and mix well; or top meat sauce onto the noodles

Woops! Is that Japanese noodles with Western Meat Sauce and Chinese Vegetables ?

Tag: noodles, soba , buckwheat noodles,bolognese

Tomato Chicken Curry

2008-07-28T18:05:00.001-07:00

I have wanted to cook this dish for some time now, because it spells one of my favorite flavor combinations - spicy and tangy.

There are many spicy + tangy (combinations, permutations, levels, grade etc.) I love. For example, the combination of tamarind (assam) and pineapples in Assam Pineapple Prawns or Assam Fish, Tom Yum Soup and even Szechuan Hot and Sour Soup. These dishes are unique in the spice and sourness combination because each different ingredient (eg. chili or spice powder; tamarind, fruits or condiments such as vinegar) is tapped and employed differently for a characteristic taste via different cooking techniques). This Tomato Chicken Curry also has its spice and tangy factor but it is definitely not as sourish since tomatoes only adds a very mild tangy dimension. Well, ripe tomatoes are supposed to be mainly sweet, not sour.

Tomato Chicken Curry (Dry Version)
Ingredients: Chicken chicken drummettes or chicken wings, 1 medium-size tomato (cut to medium cubes), half a can of diced tomatoes, onions(sliced), 2tsp curry powder(or more, adjust accordingly), some chicken stock/water, salt and sugar to taste.

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, saute the onions till soft, then add in the raw cubed tomatoes.
2. Add in chicken and fry at medium heat to brown the chicken a little.
3. Then add in curry powder and half a can of diced tomatoes with the "tomato juice", mix well, and allow entire mixture to simmer and cook. If too dry, add some stock/water to partially submerge the chicken.
4. After ~10-15mins when the chicken is cooked, the sauce reduced, the onions turn soft and sweet, it is ready. Add in salt or sugar accordingly if you wish too (Note: For myself, the onions have given the dish its sweetness, so I did not add any sugar)

Almost like chutney curry?

Tag: tomato, curry

Stir Fry Pasta or Warm Pasta Salad - vegetables and mushrooms version

2008-07-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

If you have some mushroom and vegetables leftovers, you can boil some pasta the next day, and toss them into a warm pasta salad sans the cheese or other garnishes. It should be fine when the vegetables (leftovers) are typically the non-leafy variety such as celery and carrots.

Or if you intentionally want to have leftovers so that next day is an easier day, try not to have this intentional action with green leafy vegetables overnight since they all lose its charm and appeal the next day. Leftover greens will only turn out mushy the next day. Yucks!

When you do not have leftovers...good for you! I cooked a similar mushroom and vegetable dish before. I did it again and this time, stir fry pasta in them. Call it a warm pasta salad, if it fits to be one. It is a one-dish meal, for sure.

Stir Fry Pasta with Mushrooms and Vegetables/Warm Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 stems of celery, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into small pieces or into very thin shreds
- 1-2 sliced red chili, cleaned with seeds removed
- Fresh mushrooms (I use king trumpet, shitake, honshimeiji), cleaned and cut close to size/shape of the vegetables
- 1-2 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
- some ground pork ~ option (Note: If you are vegetarian, you can omit this)
- some white pepper
- pasta, cooked according to instructions (reserve some pasta water for later)

Seasoning:
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note: If vegetarian, opt for vegetarian alternative)
- water/stock, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, fry the garlic till fragrant, then add celery, carrots and red chili, followed by mushrooms and meat
2. Fry and mix well in the pan (~5-7mins) then add water and seasoning. Allow it to simmer till vegetables and mushrooms are tender and cooked
3. Dash in white pepper to enhance the aroma
4. When ready to serve, add in pasta, mix well and add in a little pasta water if too dry (Note: this dish does not have much gravy/sauce, similar to Chinese stir-fry noodles...moist but yet not too wet)

Tag: noodles, stir fry pasta, one dish

Beef and Oyster Mushroom Fusili with Bok Choy - western with a pinch of Chinese

2008-07-17T01:37:00.000-07:00

Beef and Oyster Mushrooms Fusili
Ingredients:
Carrots, onions, can of tomatoes, oyster mushroom, ground beef/pork, salt and pepper to taste, bok choy (blanched), pasta cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, sauce the onions and carrots, and when they are partially tender(soft), add in meat and mushrooms, followed by tomatoes (Remember?...some good oil is good for carrots and tomatoes)
2. Let this cook at medium heat and when start to simmer, turn to low heat and continue to let it simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Note: For a little variation, you can add in some curry powder so you get a light curried tomato-based sauce)

3. When the sauce and gravy partially reduced and all the ingredients are cooked, add in pasta and mix well
4. Before serving, turn off the heat, you can add in bok choy(already blanched) and mix into pasta or just serve the bok choy around the pasta.

Instead of using broccoli or spinach often seen in Western pasta dishes, I think alternating with bok choy is a great idea. At least, it works for me. Now, I can have tomato-based pasta with Chinese vegetables! Yay!

Tag: pasta, one dish

Carrots, tomatoes, healthy cooking oil - they belong!

2008-07-15T03:39:00.001-07:00

I am not saying salads are not good. In fact, most, if not all salads are healthy when we are careful with the dressing. However, you can make your salads more nutritious. Now ask: consuming raw vegetables...is that the best way to take in nutrients? Think harder.

Cucumbers! Tomatoes! Carrots! Note: Healthy and Nutritious delivers different messages. Eating your vegetables raw can be healthy but may not be as nutritious as you think.

Heat destroys the vitamins! Yes. True. Overcooking of vegetables is not good. Heat destroys the vitamins! But. Partially.

Some vitamins such as carotene (in carrots) and lycopene (in tomatoes) are FAT-soluble vitamins. SO....LISTEN...HARD....boiling/steaming carrots (just carrots) in water is less nutritious than stir-frying carrots in a lightly oiled pan. In the latter, the oil helps to release the benefits of carotene and lycopene in the carrots and tomatoes respectively. The method of cooking you choose can maximize the nutrition you are extracting from the vegetables.

Stir Fry Celery and Carrots
Ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Ginger(minced or crushed); Celery(shredded); Carrots(shredded); Dried herbs (optional)

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, saute ginger till fragrant
2. Add in carrots and celery and saute till they start to turn tender. Remember, do not overcook.
3. Add in some dried herbs (basil or oregano) if you wish
4. Serve immediately

Are you convinced ? I hope this little information is useful to you.

Tag: vitamins, cooking tips

Bibimbap - Korean stonepot rice in rice cooker

2008-07-10T00:23:00.000-07:00

I serve you Bibimbap - Korean stone-pot rice...in my rice cooker!

Do not have a stone-pot to keep your dolsot (meaning stone pot) bibimbap sizzling and most importantly...warm ? NOW YOU CAN! I hand you a trick...via the rice cooker. Remember my rice-cooker style cabbage fried rice? Similar technique applies. A rice-cooker style "bibimbap" is easy to do, not forgoing the taste. If you like a healthy and easy way of dining at home, this is it!

Bibimbap, Korean stone-pot rice (rice -cooker version)
Ingredients:
-grilled salmon, seasoned with salt and black pepper,
-1-2 eggs, whisked lightly with some soy sauce and white pepper
-1-2 green pepper, julienned to strips
-some spinach,
-some kimchi
-nori strips, garnish
-cooked rice

Directions:
Step A - Prepare and cook ingredients in advance
1. Grill salmon, set aside (Note: I would suggest choosing a fish that has a firm texture when cooked. Eg. Cod fish is too moist, soft when cooked - when flaked and tossed around too much, it becomes mushy - not recommend)
2. Fry an egg omelette, then set aside on kitchen paper towel to drain away the oil. When cool, cut into thin strips
3. Blanch the spinach, then totally drain away water (Note: Make sure your palms are clean and squeeze the spinach dry. Tip: If you have a bamboo sushi roller, you can use that and drain the water away from the spinach, just by rolling them up and apply slight pressure). When dry and cool, chop into pieces

Step B - Cook rice and add in cooked ingredients
1. Cook rice as per normal
2. When rice is cooked or ready to serve final dish, add in kimchi and green pepper into the rice cooker and mix well with the rice (Note: Allow rice to infuse with kimchi flavor first. Also, the green peppers were not cooked in advance in Step A, adding them first will ensure they get the warmest"heat" from the rice just when the rice is cooked)
3. Flake up the salmon, then with eggs strips, and chopped spinach, add into the rice and mix well
4. Garnish with nori seaweed strips
5. Ready to be scooped and served

Dish out a bowl of warm kimchi-infused rice with nutritious ingredients. Each spoonful of rice you enjoy is flavor-bombed and filled with a profile of textures. The light crunch of green peppers, the salmon flakes, moist warm rice, kimchi-fragrance... ... ... ... ...

How does it look? Healthy ? Easy ?

Bibimbap cooked, using standard and basic kitchen appliances and equipment. An effective way to keep your entire dish warm too!

Tag: kimchi, bibimbap, korean

Instant Chilled Desserts - summer saviors!

2008-07-03T18:41:00.001-07:00

Forget about making cold mango desserts and chilled grass jelly, this can be a thirst quencher!

A yellow watermelon has less beta carotene compared to a red one.

Do you have a preference for red or yellow watermelons ?

Tag: watermelon, desserts

Singapore Chili Crab made good Spicy Pasta!

2008-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Most of you visually devoured the ~~crab~~ “crab” gravy, just like I do. With the remaining gravy, it became pasta sauce for the following day. Singapore Chili Crab's gravy is really good with spaghetti(or pasta).

I will mop and lick the gravy till the last drop
I will mop up the gravy with whatever I have got

I had a bakery-style cheese breadroll/bun and had to use it to "sponge" up. It is a lot of carbo - pasta PLUS bread...but I could not help it.

Spicy Prawn Spaghetti (Singapore Chili Crab style)
Ingredients: Shrimps; 1egg, whisked; some minced garlic; 1tbsp vegetable oil; 1pack Prima chilli crab paste/premix(includes 1pkt paste, 1pkt premix, 1pkt extra hot chilli mix); pasta cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1.Lightly oil pan on medium heat
2.Fry the garlic till fragrant, then add in shrimps
3.When shrimps start to turn pink, set aside
4.In the same pan, heat up some oil and mix with chilli crab paste, stir for 1min medium heat
5.Add in shrimp stir well, coating shrimp with paste, fry for 1min
6.Add in some water, and sprinkle desired amount of hot chilli mix over entire mixture
7.Stir crab premix into water, mix well into crab and stir gravy evenly
8.Pour in beaten eggs, stir 20secs
9.Before serving, stir in cooked pasta and allow it to mix well and soak up the sauce....
(Note: Detailed instructions are provided with the paste/premix)

Other recipes:
Tamarind Shrimps
Pasta Arrabiata with Grilled Jumbo Shirmps

Tag: pasta, Singapore chili crab

Spring onions, green onions, scallions - preparation cooking tips

2008-06-26T00:04:00.001-07:00

Spring is officially over? Nope...as I'm bringing you Spring Onions...and another way you can further release the aroma of spring onions before using them in cooking and especially for salads.

Use a fork and from the edge of the spring onion, start "scraping" them, as shown. You will get long thin strips even without using a knife. You make less cuts with your knife. You just slice to the length you desire.

The trick is not to save you time or steps in slicing or julienning. It is to release the aroma, or if you think it is pungency...that you dislike - you can do the "freako" thinking and turn it to a way to remove pungency. Make a few "scrapes" and then soak in ice-cold water bath for a few minutes. Then it becomes easier to use in salads when the sharp biting taste has been partially removed. Spring onions are the most pungent tasting of young onions (spring onions > green onions > scallions, in the scale of pungency) with more biting taste than green onions. Note that the longer they are allowed to mature, the sharper the taste they gain. So if you really want to use spring onions in salads or cooking, make sure its flavor does not overpower the other delicate flavors.

Similar concept applies to onions. Here's how you can cut an onion to reduce an onion's pungency.

Also, a reading source where you can learn to differentiate spring onions, green onions, and scallions.

Finally, a condiment I made before - using green onions and minced ginger姜蓉. A good dip for poached chicken.

Tag: spring onions, green onions, scallions, cooking tips

Pasta with Mushroom and Beef in Lightly Spiced Sauce

2008-06-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

"Fusili with Mushrooms and Beef in a Lightly Spiced Sauce " sounds like a traffic throng in the tongue, but the ingredients and cooking are SIMPLE, really. Finished by a unique touch of spice - Asian curry powder. Now...that's even crazier than adding oyster and Japanese mushrooms into a pasta dish.

Fusili with Mushrooms and Beef in a Lightly Spiced Sauce
Ingredients: Ground beef; half a onion- sliced and chopped finely; assorted mushrooms; can of diced tomatoes; 2tsp curry powder (or more depending on how strong a curry flavor you want but note: do not use too much or it will become curry beef - as in with too much gravy); fusili, cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly soften (half way to "translucence"), add in tomatoes, then ground beef and mushrooms. Will take about 3-5mins for things to "soften" a little (to be cooked)
2. Add ~2 tsp curry powder and mix well
3. Add some water/stock, allow it to simmer on low heat
4. Before serving, add in boiled/cooked pasta in the pan of sauce and mix well

Crazy but simple, isn't it? :D Not too fiery...just mildly spicy.

Tag: pasta, one dish

Cooking tips - tender juicy minced meat

2008-06-17T16:15:00.001-07:00

Tips on getting juicy tender minced pork:
1. The technique is almost similar to twice-cooked pork 回锅肉. If there are other ingredients to be cooked with the pork. Fry the pork first to just partial cook them and release the "oils and flavor"
2. These "oils and flavor" will then be absorbed by the other ingredients and these ingredients will be infused with pork flavor
3. For a dish that needs lots of gravy and juicy tender pork bits like the above, add in desired seasoning + water, and allow low simmering heat + steams of water to actually cook/braise the pork. Cooking minced/ground pork over high heat (hot oil) for an extended period will overcook the pork and make it tough (not juicy anymore)

Read more here.

Mushroom-Flavored Minced Meat

2008-06-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Dripping essence...

Mushroom-Flavored Minced Meat 香菇肉燥
Ingredients:
Minced/ground pork
2tsp dried shrimps , soaked in water, rinsed away water, then minced finely
fresh shitake mushrooms , clean the caps, and cubed to small bits
1 clove garlic-minced finely
half a big onion - chop to small pieces
salt, pepper to taste

Seasoning: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar
In a separate bowl, mix 1-2tbsp soy sauce and 1-2tsp oyster sauce, 1tsp sugar in about 3-5 tbsp of warm water, till dissolved

Directions:
1. Heat 1tbsp oil in frying pan and fry the minced pork for a while just to slightly cook them. In this process, some "fats" in the pork will be "released" as oil into the pan and can be used to fry the other ingredients. Dish out the partially cooked pork and set aside. (Note: Do not allow the pork to remain in the pan to be cooked and fried with the other ingredients as there is tendency to over-cook pork and it will become rubbery, chewy and tough)
2. Add garlic, onions, dried shrimps and fry till aromatic. Add in mushrooms, mix well. Add in some water. Turn to low heat and allow the mixture to reach simmer.
3. Once small bubbling begins (begin of simmering), add in the pork, 1/2 portion of the seasonings, add more warm water to partially cover the entire mixture(including pork) and maintain low heat and allow entire mixture to simmer. (Note: Since the pork has been pre-fried initially, the low heat cooking at this stage will slowly cook the pork through yet retaining tenderness in the pork since the pork has not been cooked in the higher heat in the frying stage. The low simmering heat + water will actually cook/braise the pork, not the high heat and hot oil!)
4. When starting to simmer, do a taste -test and adjust seasoning accordingly. You can add more of the remaining seasoning and let it simmer a while longer.
5. Best when served with steamed rice.

The best about this dish is I can cook more and keep the leftovers for further consumption (just need to be steamed or re-heated again) the next day, to ladle over steamed rice.

Well, if you like pork, then this...a uber-porky dish you will like. The natural sweetness in the pork, plus those earthy mushrooms, and sweet onions will complement well with the savory seasonings. It's mild but very tasty and definitely whets your appetite when you allow the steamed rice to soak up the nicely combined flavors in the gravy. You can say the essence of flavors is all in the gravy but the pork, mushrooms and onions bits adds a juicy soft texture to your bite. Perfect homemade dish!

Read more here.

Tag: pork, minced meat, cooking tips

Onion - how to reduce pungency and sharp biting taste

2008-06-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Read Part I. The secret affair continues...

Stay on stay on, you are on the right page, though I am talking beef, yet showing an onion

Under circumstances YOU GET TO SEE the GRAIN LINES (obvious lines) on that piece of meat...when you see them, then SLICE AGAINST THE GRAINS LINES! One (but not the only) tip to get tender piece of beef. I HEARD YOUR TIPS and TRICKS! :) Thanks.

SECOND TIP during preparation. I'm not so sure about this but many Chinese cooks and chefs believe SALT will make beef more chewy (less tender). Is that true ? Probably a more appropriate statement when seasoning uncooked beef before you cook it. Once the beef is cooked, you can seasoned with salt without worries and to taste, since a different science concept would have applied. So...so...when you want to season uncooked beef with salt, make sure it is minimally seasoned with salt. Minimal ? Okay. Let's say you are grilling a chunk of sirloin steak. Sprinkling a pinch or two of salt on it should be fine? Relativity measurements.

I'm beginning to understand why Chinese cooks and chefs say that. Most of the beef dishes whipped up in Chinese cuisine uses strips and thin fillets of beef. I am trying to vision - when they have to season many strips/fillets/pieces of beef (VERSUS one single slab of 9-oz, typically calls by in the Western cuisine), the amount of salt contacting the beef surface area is different. OH, SAVE ME SAVE ME...and save you from all my talk. Professional chefs out there, don't throw your eggs at me ok? I'm learning and starting to appreciate the science of cooking. Hmmph....did Alton Brown ever had an episode or snippet on that...to explain the molecular or atomic reactions? I miss Alton Brown (though he does not know me)!

WHY? WHY ? I hope I am not being technically incorrect. But I deduced --> when salt contacts blood, it will cause blood channels/vessels to constrict. If you bring this back to beef, the salt that contacts the "blood" in the beef (thus, called red meat) will cause the muscles/grains lines in the beef to constrict further - tensed muscles, constricted grain lines, contracted meat structure ---> hard-to-bite and less tender beef ? Tender beef = beef with a "relaxed" meat structure. Does it sound logical? Enough said. This post is getting longer.

Then, why on earth am I featuring an ONION ??? Am I getting a second throw of eggs here? Please don't....

I wanted to bring you to a point about slicing an onion, AND it has got to do with SLICING AGAINST the "lines". THIS.

Onion: I'm not beef but if you slice me like that, I will appreciate it and be milder to you :)

If you ever find raw onions too pungent or too sharp to be consumed as-is, TIPS are:
1. Cut or slice against the "grain" or lines (shown in the 2nd & 3rd photo, compare that with the first which is slicing along the "lines")...yes, and you thought that "theory" only applies to tenderizing beef ? When you slice them this way, you break up the channels that produce the evil tear-inducing chemicals, also the channels that cause onions to have pungent and sharp raw taste.
2. Soak sliced onions in cold ice water bath for 5-10 mins. The chemicals that result in pungency and sharp biting taste gradually "leaks" out to the water.

Well, depending on how brave you are when facing an onion. Some people do enjoy its pungent and sharp biting taste as distinct characteristics but some shun onions for the same reason. If you ignore step (1) --> slice it along the "lines"--> step (2) can also give you milder-tasting raw onions -OR - if you are cooking onions in a dish, and wants your onions to turn sweet (the longer you cook onions at low-medium heat, the softer and sweeter it becomes) in a shorter period of time, step (1) slicing/cutting will help release the onion "sweetness" faster.

Now by understanding an onion, you will love your onion more, raw and/or cooked. Specifically, you will enjoy raw onions in future - make your crisp clean salads or burger much more appealing and welcomed by all. No more will you say "I wanna order a burger, without onions...puh-leasse..." (maybe it's just me?)

Hey, why am I discussing and having this monologue here? It is natural, basic, inherent instinctive knowledge to all of you. It is ME, THE ONE who has NOT been PAYING TOO MUCH ATTENTION to an ONION for so many years. D0 all cooking schools teach this ? :P

Tag: onion, beef, cooking tips

Beef and Onion - secret affair exposed!

2008-06-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Choosing the right cut of beef for the intended cooking method. That will make your beef tender. Some cuts of beef benefit from slow cooking methods such as stewing, braising VS other cuts that are more suitable for grilling. I do not go to a specialty butcher to intentionally select meat, specifically the right cuts of it. I buy my "cuts" - sirloin, flank or simply...stew cubes (not knowing which part or cut)...from whatever I see, available in the supermarkets/grocery produce stores.

If I choose a flank for that day and plan to do a dish such as Stir Fry Black Pepper Beef or rather Black Pepper Basil Beef, the FIRST thing I will remember in my beef preparation is to SLICE AGAINST THE GRAINS LINES of the beef. This has ever since (forgotten when!) gone embedded into my head. SLICE AGAINST THE GRAINS LINES to get yourself a better(easier) chew of the beef (in short, tender beef) when cooked. Unless you are chewing on beef jerky...when it does not really matter or in fact, the only time you want your beef to sustain the chewing action of your dynamic teeth for the longest time ?

Beef and onion do have a secret affair and it's not as simple as combining them in a dish like this.

What do you do to get your beef tender?

To be continued...

Tag: onion, beef

9 sober soba recipes

2008-06-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

9 sober ways with soba and still counting...

That's soba in-
Sesame dressing
Pork-rib tea, bak kut teh style
Braised E-fu style
Minced pork topping and wontons
Green onion dressing and mushrooms
Almond butter dressing
Spicy Korean broth
Braised pork ribs

Am I sober or crazy ?

Tag: soba, noodle

Sausage Spinach Omelette - with spicy italian sausages and baby spinach

2008-05-27T23:55:00.001-07:00

Italian Sausage and Baby Spinach Omelette

Ingredients: Italian sausage, baby spinach (rinsed thoroughly and gently dab-dry with paper towels), 2-3 eggs whisked (with some ground pepper added)

Directions: Heat some oil in flat pan. Add in sausages and when slightly brown, slowly add in whisked egg. Allow the egg to cook on the underside, then add in handfuls of baby spinach on top. Gently press the spinach to flatten, on the egg and sausage. The spinach will reduce in volume once contact with heat. Flip the egg over and allow the egg with ingredients to cook gently on the other side.

If you like Baby Spinach raw and au naturel - a few ideas for you. You can make Spinach Pesto and stuff them into scallops; or create Finger Food. Baby spinach is great for use in salads as it has a sweeter taste, probably due to its reduced concentration of oxalic acid. If you want something more elaborate, you can use thawed frozen spinach, puree it and add a finishing touch to Braised Tofu with Mushrooms.

Tag: spinach, chinese spinach, water spinach, baby spinach

Fried Crabs, Typhoon Shelter Crabs

2008-05-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

Typhoon Shelter Crab - 避風塘炒蟹

Fried crab with fried garlic, mixed with scallion, red chili and black beans

The famous dish typhoon shelter-style fried crab (避風塘炒蟹 Bi Feng Tang Chao Xie), is served in a lot of Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong. This dish is believed to be originated from typhoon shelters, invented almost 30 years ago on a sampam.

While Singapore Chilli Crab hails a symbolic gravy, Typhoon Shelter Crab pins it on fried garlic and black bean. The supposedly secret is that the minced garlic will be soaked in black bean sauce overnight and gives the intense flavor when fried with the crabs.

Tag: typhoon shelter crab

Tofu Meat Balls Rock-a-pop-pop

2008-05-21T00:13:00.000-07:00

Using potato flour 地瓜粉 will give a more springy (QQ-with dialect connotation) texture of deep-fried coat when compared to the crisp golden coat from cornflour + breadcrumbs (panko) combination. The former still has that crunch to it... just of a lesser degree. I've said, tried and done it in these nori seaweed coated shrimps and repeating this again with pork-tofu mix. Try the steamed version of tofu "pops" if you are opting for super-healthy version. However, "pops" and "steaming" just do not gel together in my head. Fit for a family-style sit-down homemade meal perhaps - this steamed Tofu Balls, and maybe Stir Fry Tofu with Shrimps and Mushrooms, but in a party, THIS is definitely a more welcoming snack! Deep Fried Tofu Pops! Rock-a-pop-pop!

Not at all messy. Bite on these mini tofu pops and beware of "juice" spurting out...

Tofu Pops/Deep Fried Tofu Meat Balls
Ingredients:
-1/2 lb or slightly lesser ground pork or chicken
-1 pack of standard size tofu (Note: silken contains more moisture and the resultant "pop" tend to be more "juicy", not dry. You can use medium-soft or firm but the texture is going to be different)
-1 egg white (as binder)
-1 tbsp soy sauce to season/marinade the pork
-1 tbsp rice wine to season/marinade the pork
- dashes of white pepper to season/marinade the pork
- less than 1 tsp sesame oil to season/marinade the pork
- cornflour to thicken the tofu+meat batter/mixture if too hard to shape into little rounds (plays a binder role, too)
- potato flour for coating

Directions:
1. Mash up the tofu and mix with seasoned ground pork. Add in egg white and mix thoroughly
2. When in a consistency easy to be shape, make rounds out of the mixture (similar to making fish balls from fish paste)
3. Dust or roll them over a light coat of potato flour, set aside

4. Prepare hot oil in wok for deep frying
5. Slide those rounds by the side of the wok into the medium-hot oil to be deep fried
6. When starts to change color to light brown, strain out from hot oil and set aside to drain excess oil from paper towels
7. Before serving, you can dash a lil' white pepper over the tofu pops to enhance the flavor. Also, sprinkle some nori strips or flakes.

Warm, moist inside...crisp and chewy outside...

I was trying to think of a better description - the texture of crisp and chewy. Hmmm....it is almost like mochi... daifuku...the chewy portion...springy (go *toint toint*). Why not you think of a warm crispy mochi-coat of something? You are almost there. And the filling is a familiar taste of savory mix of meat and tofu. That is not too difficult to imagine?

Definitely more finger-friendly than steamed tofu. So you gotta try it! Rock-a-pop-pop! Once you pop, you cannot stop!

Tag: tofu balls, fried snacks, snacks, party food

Spicy Water Spinach and Yardlong Beans, both good!

2008-05-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

Taking it from here, I wish to share a vegetable spicy stir fry recipe common in Southeast Asia. Whether it is dark leafy green vegetable like water spinach (or kangkong) or legume like yardlong bean (Chinese long beans), both are calcium-rich vegetables and I like to stir fry them this way. Okra (lady fingers) as well...with sambal belacan, can be oh-so-delicious.

Sambal Belacan KangKong/Water Spinach
Ingredients: Water spinach, garlic sliced thinly, dried shrimps, sambal belacan
Directions: Heat oil in wok. Add in garlic and dried shrimps and fry till fragrant. Add in sambal belacan then the vegetables. Quickly fry at high heat and dish up (do not overcook the vegetables.)

When it is perfectly done, the vegetables should maintain a slight crisp in their tender stems and soft tender leaves. I do not like to overcook my vegetables.

Spicy Long Beans
The ingredients are the same(as above) except Chinese long beans are used.

Wokking it up! Remember...no overcooking!

These long beans are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source of vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese. Of course, calcium-rich too!

Spicy and tender crisp long beans! Yummy!

Both are definitely good with steamed rice.

What is your main source of calcium in the daily diet ?

Tag: legumes, spinach, water spinach, calcium

Grass Jelly

2008-05-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

仙草冰 (xian cao bing) - grass jelly served on crushed ice, Taiwan

Grass Jelly is made from a herb plant known as Mesona Chinensis. Mesona is a genus in the mint family of Lamiaceae. Did you know that? I didn't know that. :O

All this while, I have assumed that grass jelly is some kind of artificial jello, cubed and mixed in water and syrup - consumed as a refreshing drink. Probably, that is part of the deception because in Singapore, grass jelly is typically served like that - cubed/in thin strips, and in a form of a drink known as Chin Chow (hokkien dialect pronunciation) . In Taiwan, this herb can be set as a huge piece of gelatin (picture above) served as grass jelly ~ a cooling dessert. Doesn't this look and sound good on a hot summer day? :D

The end products of this herb are typically tea or grass jelly. In Chinese medicine, this herb is noted for its cooling(yin) properties - helps to reduce "heatiness" in the body and prevent the occurrence of heat stroke. Therefore, 仙草 (literally meaning - immortal grass) is also known as 涼粉草 (literally meaning ~ cooling grass).

How it is made...
The aged and slightly fermented grass or leaves of this mint family (specifically, mesona chinensis) are boiled in a water bath containing potassium carbonate. The resultant mixture is then cooled into a gelatinous consistency.

Color and taste...
Typically black in appearance, some associate this jelly to taste slightly bitter (medicinal?).

Due to similarities in colors and textures, many people tend to confuse grass jelly with another black herbal jelly sometimes known as Tortoise Jelly, 龟苓膏 pronounced Gui Ling Gao. Though both are known to be good for nourishing yin and reducing the "heat" in the body, they are made totally from different components altogether. As recorded in the traditional Chinese books, tortoise jelly is primarily made from Platysternon Megalephalum and Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae . I'm going to omit the details here since it involves me writing about a non-herb, and neither a plant nor vegetable. Read more about herbal jelly where Black Food is touted to be good.

Tag: desserts, jelly, grass jelly

Chinese Style Steamed Dungeness Crab

2008-05-14T00:14:00.000-07:00

Taken at The Fish Market, Palo Alto

Dungeness Crab season usually runs from November till June in the West Coast, United States. Here are a few places you can have these crabs in San Francisco, Bay Area and along the Coast (Monterey, CA)

Fishermen's Grotto #9
Fishermen's Wharf , San Francisco
-->Hear about our revenge.

The Fish Market
3150 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Other locations available (refer to website)

Phil's Fish Market and Eatery
7600 Sandholtd Rd.
Moss Landing, CA 95039
--> The cioppino is really really good! Delicious!

If you are interested in crabs mountain, Vegas got it!

Taken at Paradise Garden Buffet, Flamingo Las Vegas

At home, you can have your own steamed crabs or make Singapore Chilli Crabs - Cheat Sheet #1, Singapore Chilli Crabs - Cheat Sheet #2

It is really cheaper to buy live dungeness crab from the tank (available in Ranch 99, California) and steam the crabs at home.

Steamed Dungeness Crab (Chinese style)

Ingredients: dungeness crab, rice wine, ginger and spring onion (option)

Method:
1.Get the crab out from the refrigerator and prepare the wok for steaming
2.Fill the wok with water for steaming, start boiling the water
3.When the water in the wok starts to boil, place the crab in steaming position into the wok
4.Steam, covered for 15-20 mins. Within this time, the crab turns from purple-brown to bright orange, and then, time to eat!

Tag: seafood, dungeness crab

Singapore Chili Crabs - with Jumbo Prawns and all versions of them

2008-05-07T00:38:00.000-07:00

Singapore Chili ~~Crabs~~ Prawns

If you like spicy prawns that goes with steamed rice, you will also like Assam Pineapple Prawns - a tamarind-based spice-loaded seafood dish. OH no no, you just want Singapore Chili Crabs, nothing else but Singapore Chili Crabs. Okie...I give you a cheat-sheet to Singapore Chilli Crabs. Be good. OH no no...boo hoo hoo (me), you have pride and wants to cook your own Chili Crab from scratch - okie okie...hush hush...here's one from Uniquely Singapore, recipe from Violet Oon.

Just that for me, my own DIY...I like to steam my crabs because it is easy and retains one of the best natural flavor in crabs.

Just that for me, right now...I want to mop up all the gravy with what I've got! :P~~~

Tag: seafood, crabs, prawns

Home-style beef noodle soup

2008-05-06T01:28:00.000-07:00

I prefer to slow cook a good ol' beef stew. Tender chunks of beef, the flavorful essence in the beef stew gravy...and easiest cooking ever! Since I cannot put my slow cooker to good use here (why can't the world standardize on the electrical usage and voltage?), I could only try the other way, to slowly braise the beef stew in a sauce pan. This braised Pearl Onion Beef Stew turn out still good but I prefer the slow cooker version, definitely.

I just love the sweetness of pearl onions. Better than the usual yellow, or white onions :)

Pearl Onion Beef Stew
Ingredients: Stewing beef cubes, sliced celery, sliced carrots, sliced pearl onions, black pepper

Directions:
1. In light oiled pan, saute the onions, then add in beef, sliced celery and carrots.
2. Once slightly fried, add in some stock/water, add some black pepper, and allow it to simmer low heat for at least 30minutes

And what can a good beef stew do ? Wonders!

I could keep the leftover beef stew essence (mainly the gravy, and few pieces of meat) and use it to have some beef noodles soup the next day. Boil some noodles, add in some "new" greens at the side, and...a new meal - Home-style beef noodles soup

A very flavorful broth (beef stock) has cooked a simple noodle soup.

Tag: noodles, soba, beef noodles

Confessing a Mushroom Love - room for mushy love

2008-04-29T02:25:00.000-07:00

Mushrooms, mushrooms....mushh....Vrrrrrooooooooom!

From left: oyster, velvet pioppino, cloud ear or wood ear(black fungus), coral

I was pleased - first, it came in an assortment; second, it looks "special". In face of new, unfamiliar stuff, I tend to be very fickle. That is why I go for sample brews when visiting a brew house and precisely for the same reason - this pack of pre-selected mushrooms variety. Now I do not have to decide - which variety, which pack, which one...I can try all at the same time!

Mushrooms are often meat substitutes for vegetarians partially due to its inherent woody and earthy flavor, being a good source of protein.

Golden Oyster - 珊瑚菇 (pronounced ShanHu Gu, literally means coral mushrooms)

Also known as Golden Oyster Spore Syringe (botanical name: Pleurotus citrinopileatus) or jade emperor mushrooms. These mushrooms grow in clusters of small, thin fleshed, funnel-shaped bright yellow caps. The flavor improves with thorough cooking

Velvet Pioppino or cinnamon cap mushroom - a Matsutake variety. Other names: brown swordbelt. Chinese names: 松茸 or 松菇

These mushrooms have intense rich flavor and maintain slight crisp texture in the stems and caps after cooking.

Tree oyster mushroom (botanical name: Pleurotus ostreatus) or sometimes known as abalone mushrooms.

These oyster mushrooms have a fleshy texture with mild delicate earthy flavor.

There is more mushroom reading at Dried Mushrooms, Food Subs and Wiki. In addition, a few WHB weeks ago, I posted on mushrooms - shitake, trumpet, beech and had a few good mushroom recipes for you. Do check them out.

Now, do you have any more room to confess your mushy love for mushrooms ? Which variety do you like best ?

Tag: mushrooms

Fish fillet recipes, and the battle with whole fish

2008-04-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

The battle of fish fillets vs whole fish ! Steamed fish fillet rolls , steamed halibut fillets, pan fried fillets, I realized I have been dealing with fillets all this while in my home kitchen. While I can easily get hold of fish fillets in the US grocery stores and whole fish from some of the bigger Asian-based grocery stores (eg Ranch99) in California, USA, I realized I never ventured into cooking whole fishes (with heads and eyes intact) at home before!

How about you ?

There is a short video snippet in TIME magazine about General Tso Chicken. OK. What's that got to do with FISH??? You have to listen to that interview.

If you want to hear more about why Chinese food should not be orange (the color, I mean); General Tso Chicken VS Colonels Sanders; "...American like only fish fillets - no eye balls..." , do check out the "...I want no eye balls staring at me..." video here. I found it interesting - especially the food culture in different countries. Give me your comments on what you hear and by what you understand.

Oops, blame it on my poor skills, I tried...but I could not embed the video here for your easy viewing. I could only direct you to the link (above). Sorry...

NOW, if you ask me...do I like my fish with eye balls ? Well, I do not mind. I'll eat as long as it is a fresh fish and well-cooked. :D

Thai-style Steamed Fish

Japanese Grilled Fish

They all have eye balls staring at me but I don't care! HA!

Tag: fish fillets, fish

What are chayote shoots ?

2008-04-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is Stir Fried Chayote Shoots -龍鬚菜 , literally meaning Dragon-Beard or Dragon-Whisker vegetable. Chayotes are widely planted for its shoot in Taiwan and usually consumed with the young leaves in a stir fry like this (thinly sliced garlic and sliced red chili). Most people are familiar only with the fruit, which in culinary terms is a vegetable. But the root, stem, seeds, and leaves are all edible.

In Brazil, chayote is known as chuchu; in Caribbean: cho-cho; Latin America: gayota; in China: 佛手瓜 (pronounced Fuo Shou Gua, literally meaning "Buddha hand squash"); in Indonesia: labu siam (or Siamese pumpkin), jipang or waluh; in Vietnamese: su-su, trai su.

One pot rice with chicken and shitake mushrooms

2008-04-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

Dinner! ...It's oyster sauce-flavored chicken

A countable few slices of abalone

plus mini-shitake mushrooms (added while braising oyster sauce chicken wings)

Shitake mushrooms as cute and mini as raisins

then cooked (and warmed) just like another dish (the next day)

Rice-cooker meal for the busy executives

In short, I make oyster sauce chicken quite often. Sometimes, I will add shitake mushrooms to this recipe, cook double the quantity and keep the leftovers to be re-heated with rice the next day. This is usually what I do - whenever I steam ginger chicken, braise sesame oil and ginger chicken or chicken with assorted mushrooms. Ahhh...and the miracles of the rice-cooker. If you have followed my blog, you should also have noticed that I seldom do fried rice on a wok/pan. Rice cooker - one of the most basic kitchen appliances - allows me to have "fried" rice the easy peasy way. These Tom Yum Fried Rice, or Cabbage and Char Siew Fried Rice, are miracles from a basic (2-button: cook and warm) rice cooker.

I kid you not.

Tag: chicken, mushroom, rice

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings - restaurant food at home

2008-04-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings 蚝油鸡翅 - easy preparation, a few key techniques, and finally made so delectable that you will want to keep this for your entertaining plans, especially if you want to delight your guests with restaurant-style Chinese cuisine at home.

To enhance "value" to your dish and do what the chefs do - PRESENTATION!

Now, you will discover and undiscover how easy a dish Oyster Sauce Chicken can be.

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings 蚝油鸡翅
Ingredients:
6 thawed chicken wings, lightly marinated in ~2tbsp rice wine + ~1tbsp soy sauce

Seasoning:
2tbsp oyster sauce + 1tsp brown sugar + 4-6 tbsp water

Directions:
1. Deep fry the chicken wings in hot oil (Note: according to some Chinese chefs, this will allow the chicken to easily have a "golden" coat when braised later in oyster sauce - gives a golden brown appearance, shiny look and not a sense of dull).
2. After deep frying, set aside to drain excess oil in kitchen paper towels
3. Pour away excess oil from wok with remaining of about 1tbsp(or less) oil
4. Add in the oyster sauce mix and hear the wok/pan sizzle
5. Add the chicken wings back in the wok/pan and space them well. Technique: Use a spoon to continuously spoon/drizzle the oyster sauce mix contained in the pan, over the chicken wings while simmering in oyster sauce mix in the pan. This will ensure the chicken wings are uniform in golden brown appearance.
6. Then allow the chicken wings to simmer low heat (pan covered) for a while till the sauce reduce further. There will be no gravy/sauce for this dish as intended to be.

I have no idea how...but the chicken wings were so tasty. You may have thought the final "surface braising" of chicken with the oyster sauce will just render the chicken to be tasty outside, tasteless inside but apparently, it is not. These are perfectly cooked, totally-flavor infused chicken wings!

鸡翅竟然有入味!

Finger-lickin' , tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken wings, how could you resist ? I can't.

Tag: comfort food, chicken,oyster sauce chicken

Pasta Arrabiata with Grilled Jumbo Shrimps - sounds good?

2008-04-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

How about Soba Arrabiata with Grilled Jumbo Shrimps? ... where the second batch of the chunky vegetable pasta sauce has gone into - I said there were many ways to use the sauce, and this is one of them.

Of course I am not looking for pasta texture in soba. For one can never get al-dente soba...

Soba Arrabiata with Grilled Jumbo Shrimps
Ingredients: soba, cooked according to instructions (or other pasta type you prefer); shrimps/prawns, lightly seasoned with salt, black pepper and dried oregano; and chunky vegetable pasta sauce

Directions:
1. Put the shrimps under the grill plates, remove when cooked
2. Heat up the pre-made pasta sauce in non-stick pan, add in red pepper chili flakes, then add in noodles mix well
3. Serve with grilled shrimps and a pinch more of dried oregano

"Shrimpy"...soba...arrabiata...(did I just use three magic words?)...abracadabra

If you like soba, you will be able to appreciate its texture, and explore them in different ways of cooking. A non-al-dente version of "pasta" with the use of soba and another soba culinary adventure that worked out perfect. And with that juicy grilled jumbo shrimps...it's mild spicy and a delicious tomato-ey noodle delight. If you are interested in the easy chunky vegetable pasta sauce, here is the recipe.

Tag: noodles, soba, pasta arrabiata

Shitake, trumpet, beech, mushrooms in triple colors

2008-04-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

I felt like this dish today. Something light and familiar. Familiar because I've always had the "privilege" to just sit down and enjoy this simple and tasty dish back home. Now, I need to do all the work, from the vegetable preparation (cleaning, slicing, cutting - this takes the most time!) to the "wokking".

It is homely satisfaction to be able to pick up each bit-and-piece using the chopsticks and nibble greedily; or using a spoon to devour by the scoop-fuls :D

A healthy colorful combination of celery, carrots, sliced red chili...

and mushrooms (a variety of fresh king trumpet, shitake and honshimeiji mushrooms)

Cut the king trumpet mushrooms and shitake into smaller pieces

Mushrooms Medley with Triple-Colored Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 2 stems of celery, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into small pieces or into very thin shreds
- 1-2 sliced red chili, cleaned with seeds removed
- Fresh mushrooms fresh (I use king trumpet, shitake, honshimeiji), cleaned and cut close to size/shape of the vegetables
- 1-2 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
- some ground pork ~ option (Note: If you are vegetarian, you can omit this)
- some white pepper

Seasoning:
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note: If vegetarian, opt for vegetarian alternative)
- water/stock, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, fry the garlic till fragrant, then add celery, carrots and red chili, followed by mushrooms and meat
2. Fry and mix well in the pan (~3-5mins) then add water and seasoning. Allow it to simmer till vegetables and mushrooms are tender and cooked, mixing well in the process
3. Finally, just a dash of white pepper to enhance the aroma

Good with rice and even as-is!

Is there anyone who does not like celery ? I like to use them in soups and stir fries. And how do you describe the taste of celery ? It's unique, isn't it ? Now, this dish has got a taste of fresh vegetables and light earthiness of mushrooms. It's a mildly sweet dish combined with savory seasoning, and celebration of wonderful textures ~ from light crisp of perfectly-cooked celery bits to the tender of mushrooms.

More mushrooms bits at Teczcape - An Escape to Food, and more mushroom recipes ...

Fresh shitake mushrooms - Chinese Stuffed Mushrooms

Honshimeji/Beech Mushrooms - Braised Tofu with Pureed Spinach and Mushrooms

Fresh Shitake and Oyster Mushrooms -Simple Chinese Stir Fry Mushrooms

Enoki Mushrooms - Steamed Cold Fish Rolls

Tag: mushrooms

Egg Tarts - Portuguese or Chinese

2008-04-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Egg Tarts (makes 6)
Ingredients:
Crust ~
-1/2 box Betty Crocker Pie Crust Mix
-1.5 tbsps melted butter
-1/6 cups cold water

Filling~
-2 egg yolks
-1/6 cup of brown cane sugar
-1/6 cup of heavy whipping cream
-1/6 cup of whole milk milk
-1.5 drops of vanilla extract

Directions:
1.Mix the pie crust mix, water, and melted butter until pastry forms a ball. Roll into 6 balls on a floured board or surface. Set aside.
2. Whisk the filling ingredients by fork. Whisk till you get a consistent mixture and strain the filling through a strainer. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 200F
4. Butter the muffin pan and flatten the balls to fit well into the muffin pan by pressing firmly on bottom and side
5. Fill the pie crust with the egg mixture (3/4 of pan height)
6. Bake the tarts at 400F for about 15-20 minutes or until the filling turn brown.

Crust was rather thick. You can also refer to Egg Tarts for details and references to other recipes.

Tag: egg, egg tart, bake

Soba Noodles in Tahini Sesame, Nori and Pork Floss

2008-04-09T19:13:00.000-07:00

You can eat them with bread, top them on a bun and bake them in a puff, we all love pork floss, isn't that obvious ? Now, I have discovered another new way to eat it. With NOODLES! :D

Little Corner and Mandy...maybe we can come up with...something like... how about "101 Ways with Pork Floss". HA! This is so simple but exudes depths of flavors - the sesame dressing + unami nori + savory pork floss. You called me Noodle Queen, you are right! And you said I like soba, yes yes....indeed, indeed. :D

Tahini Soba/Stone ground Sesame Soba
Ingredients and directions as follows -

You need: pork floss and thin nori strips

You need: Tahini

You need: 2-3tbsp tahini (stonegroud sesame), 1-2tsp sesame oil, 1tsp crushed ginger (with some ginger juice) - noodle dressing

Plus: soba, cooked according to instructions

How: Tossing the soba in tahini dressing, then sprinkle with nori strips and pork floss

Tag: noodles, soba, tahini

Pipe Rigate in Light Tomato Soup

2008-04-09T00:38:00.000-07:00

Minestrone usually "formulates" a handful of pasta shells relative to a big pot of soup. I don't see a big deal...adding in more cooked pasta shells to my leftover minestrone the next day and have a rigate* one-dish meal.

Rigate in Light Tomato Soup

I boiled one serving of Pipe Rigate and added them to the leftover corn minestrone. Since it is leftover soup, I did not want to re-boil it for too long by cooking the pasta in there (just like when I made the soup). I added in the cooked(boiled) rigate while heating up the leftover soup over a stove. Within minutes, I have a perfect one-dish meal. Since minestrone means "Big Soup" to the Italians - a soup with lots of goodies in it, a "Big Soup" should essentially have a big embracing heart and be forgiving. I hope I did not offend any Italians by thwarting cooking traditions..re-using minestrone as a light soup base for my rigate dish ;)

*Pipe Rigate is such a uniquely designed pasta shell that is opened on one edge and partially sealed and flattened on the other. Perfect for entrapping sauce, gravy, soup essence and even little corn kernels :)

Check out for my easy minestrone recipe here.

Tag: minestrone, soup, pasta

Apple pork chops, with lots of surprises

2008-04-07T00:50:00.001-07:00

Who says dinner pork chops always need to be lying flat and boring on a meal plate ?

Surprise #1 - pork chops in rounds! Pork-chop pops...pork-chop balls!

Would it please you to see pork chops...so dainty ?

Surprise #2 - tender juicy perfectly fried pork-chop balls

Quick high heat frying that assures you non-oily pork chops that retained natural flavor and moisture within . You will know it's tender (not dry and tough) when you can slice them so easily with a knife and fork.

Apple Pork-Chop Balls
Ingredients:
-Few pieces of pork tenderloin (Note: it depends on the kind of tenderloin you buy. If it's a thick cut of meat, make sure you slice them thinner (refer to collage)
-1-2 tsp soy sauce
- few dashes of ground white pepper
-1tsp rice wine
-1tsp brown sugar
-half a apple, peeled and cubed (refer to collage)
-corn flour

Directions:
1. Season/marinate the slices of pork with soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, rice wine
2. Lay the pieces of pork flat on a board, add in one to two apple cubes (depending on size), and roll them up into balls (as shown in collage), lightly pressing with fingers, to seal the open edges. Dust in some corn flour to prevent "disintegration", and to maintain "structure" in the pork-chop (Note: pineapple cubes will be a good alternative to apples)
3. Prepare hot oil for frying and fry at 15o-160degC till pork turn color (Note: Since it's a thin cut of meat, it will take only a while for the pork to cook through). Then set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil
4. Serve immediately

Surprise #3 - you find apples in there!

Burst of juice from the apples + "juice" from the pork...you discover a wonderful combination...what a fruity sensation

Surprise #4 - the savory taste of pork in your palate is enhanced by the hint of sweetness and tartness of apple segments

Surprise #5 - the slight crunch of apples with tender bites of pork

The casual vibe in pork PLUS the simplicity of an apple...but

Surprise #6 - brings you an incredulous new flavor and refreshing texture nuance

This is how I bring plain old boring pork chops to new heights! Enjoy...

Tag: pork chops, apple

Bread Crusted Shrimp Rolls, my Shrimp Rollie Toasties

2008-04-03T05:29:00.000-07:00

As I was deep frying nori shrimps, seaweed coated prawns, I decided to try making bread crusted shrimps rolls!

Shrimps Rollie Toasties/Shrimp Toast-Rolls

Ingredients and directions: Shrimps, lightly rub them with black pepper, then wrap each shrimp with a layer of nori seaweed, and then wrap another layer of leftover bread over the shrimp (Note: nori and bread - I have cut into smaller squares to accommodate the length of the shrimps). Start deep frying in hot oil (about 160degC). When bread turns golden brown, strain and set aside the shrimps on paper towels to drain excess oil.

Lightly crisp on the outside, perfectly cooked inside - full of tasty shrimp flavor!

Tag: toast, shrimp rolls, shrimps, snacks, party food

Chinese wild yam, Japanese mountain yam, it is just good stuff!

2008-04-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Dioscoreae Oppositae - its English pharmaceutical name, or commonly Chinese wild yam, you can call it. Its other name - nagaimo, or Japanese mountain yam.

Seen them in Asian supermarkets, especially Japanese supermarkets such as Mitsuwa in the United States, but never tried them in my cooking. Seen them in Taiwan again and decided to have a simple stir fry to this. It's rather common in Taiwan and the people here believe this tuber has beneficial properties. In Mandarin, call it 淮山 ~ pronounced huai shan; or 山药 ~ pronounced shan yao. 山药 literally meaning "medicine of the mountain" - this tuber vegetable indeed has its healing properties. This wild yam even has sexual lubricating characteristics, as documented in Wiki.

Numerous tiny channels in the yam cross-section, are channels that produce the "slime"

This tuber vegetable is starchy and mucilaginous (slimly, gelatinous, sticky) when grated/sliced, and may be eaten plain (esp. those grown in Japan), as a side dish, or added to noodles. Can you see the numerous tiny round channels in the cross-section ? These are channels that produce the "slime". The long tuberous roots are cultivated for pharmaceutical as a superior herb. The dried white flesh of the tuber is sliced into long thin slabs and contains nutrients which can restore and enhance immune functions throughout the system. You can usually find these dried white flesh of thin tuber slabs, packaged with other dried Chinese herbs and sold as a complete Chinese tonic pack. I had a steamed herbal chicken recipe using Chinese dried herbs of dioscoreae oppositae and other herbs before.

Now for the recipe - Stir Fry Chinese Wild Yam

Stir Fry Chinese Wild Yam
Ingredients:
-Chinese wild yam, sliced thinly at cross sections
-2 stalks green onions/spring onions/scallions julienned at the bias
-1 young ginger sliced thinly
-3 cloves garlic minced finely
-1 tbsp oyster sauce
- water

Directions:
1.Heat 1tbsp oil in frying pan. Add in minced garlic, ginger and scallions and fry till fragrant
2.Add in sliced wild yam and mix well in the pan
3. Add the oyster sauce and some water, then allow entire mixture to simmer till wild yam is cooked (Note: it should turn from white to slightly translucent like the picture of the completed dish above)

This is not something that will burden your taste buds. You can have it with rice or pair them with noodles. And it's an absolutely nutritious dish!

Read more.

Tag: chinese wild yam, japanese mountain yam, Dioscorea Opposita

Corn Minestrone - yellow yellow magic power

2008-03-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

In the red (tomato-based) vs white (pure cream-based) world of pasta dishes...when Ms. Sexy Marinara and Ms. Sleek Carbonara are side-by-side, Ms. Sexy Marinara will always get my attention. I find it harder to make my selection in the soup world of tomato-based minestrone vs cream-based mushroom soup. These two classics are my favorites, no doubt. I'm lucky when soup du jour happens to be either minestrone or cream-of-mushroom and often fickled when there is no "Today's Soup" and I am forced to make my choice from the soup category in the menu.

I made minestrone again, but with a slight twist this time - adding corn kernels in there, lots of them.

Corn Minestrone

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-1-2 cups diced onion
-2 small potatoes, diced
-1 carrot, diced
-4 stems from a bunch of celery
-2-3 tomatoes, cubed/diced (option: 1 small can of diced tomatoes)
-a bowl (see picture) of corn kernels (from corn-on-the-cob, refer to collage)
- 0ne palm-full shell pasta
- dried basil and oregano
- fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth or more, adjust accordingly
- some water, adjust accordingly

Is there lots of corn kernels to be added in my minestrone ? Remember to save some as garnish! Gives a slight crunch to the soup :) Yellow yellow magic power!

Method:
1. Saute onion. Add potatoes, celery, carrots, corn kernels, mix well for a few minutes
2. Add chopped tomatoes, add broth and 2 cups of water, bring to boil
3. Add dried shell pasta, cook 8-10mins, bring soup mixture to boil again
4. When boiling, bring down heat and allow simmer - till vegetables soften
5. Add basil and oregano when soup is almost ready
5. Add pepper and salt to taste
6. Garnish with remaining corn kernels

To me, minestrone is anytime. It is a refreshing soup in summer, a comforting soup in winter, a delectable soup for fall and welcoming soup for spring!

Tag: soup, minestrone, corn

Hakka Mixed Stir Fry, a signature Hakka dish

2008-03-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hakka Mixed Stir-Fry - 客家小炒
I did not cook this. But I want to introduce it to you. A stir fry dish that is signature in almost every Hakka restaurant or eatery. If you are a Hakka, and you cook at home, this is ONE dish you better perfect or learn to do as it is such a representative dish in the Hakka culture.

Hakka Mixed Stir-Fry (客家小炒 Ke Jia Xiao Chow) uses ingredients such as pork, dried cuttlefish, firm tofu (tau kwa, 豆干 ), celery, scallions or spring onions, ginger, garlic and red chili. These are all key ingredients. Missing one? - nah...it's not Hakka Mixed Stir-Fry 客家小炒 anymore. Most of the ingredients are prepared and sliced to strip-forms to ensure consistency in cooking and presentation. The basic seasonings are simple - soy sauce and rice wine. I would think the cooking technique poses more challenges. How to get dried cuttlefish that are perfect to chew yet not rubbery and hard to bite. How to get tender juicy strips of pork within that few minutes of high heat frying. How to get a resultant dish which has no sauce/gravy and...yet not totally stripped DRY? The seqeuence of adding in the ingredients and the heat-control during cooking (mostly high heat required) is essential to getting the perfect textures required in this dish.

Now I have given you the nearest/closest English calling to this dish, and the official Chinese name, it's time you go search for some good recipes and try it out if you are interested. Or if you already know how to cook this in your daily rituals, post it and share the tips with us. :D

Tag: hakka, stir fry

White Pepper Chinese Braised Noodles

2008-03-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

You may have never guessed it but the highlight of this Fried Noodles or rather...Braised or Simmered Noodles is...white pepper - the mild heat you get in your noodles without any use of chilli.

Of course, you don't just get a hot pungent taste. There is a mixture of vegetables used that gives this noodle dish lots of flavor. The addition of pork will render it even more tasty. Fried Noodles almost on the verge of being braised, because the noodles is simmered with all the ingredients and the final appearance - kinda wet, instead of fried-and-dry.

Fried Noodles/Braised Simmered Noodles
Ingredients:
-Half an onion, sliced
-cabbage, shredded
-1 carrot, shredded
-1 celery, julienned
-2 green peppers
-pork strips/slices slighty seasoned with rice wine, soy sauce, white pepper
-chinese greens
-dashes white pepper, adjust accordingly during cooking
2tsp sesame oil

Lovely vegetables that I am going to use for my Fried Noodles

Seasoning:
-1tbsp soy sauce
-1tsp oyster sauce
-300 ml water/stock, adjust accordingly during cooking

Directions:
1. Fry the pork strips then set aside
2. Use the oil in the pan and fry the vegetables - onions first, then add the rest, green peppers the last
3. Add in cooked pork strips and seasonings

4. Allow simmer for few minutes
5. Add in cooked noodles and allow to simmer again till water/stock/gravy reduce by half
6. Dash in white pepper(lots of it!), mix well. Drizzle sesame oil the last, turn off heat

End result - mild spicy soft noodles, fragrant and delicious!

Tag: noodles, braised noodles, fried noodles

Vegetable pasta sauce - chunky, wholesome, homemade

2008-03-24T01:05:00.000-07:00

For this homemade chunky vegetable pasta sauce, I get to bite on real chunky vegetables. Homemade pasta sauce is really easy (ok, I know Trader Joes has got irresistable $1.99 Traditional Marinara Sauce). Hmmph...its more of a choice and not about the price.

Chunky Vegetable Pasta Sauce
Ingredients: Sliced celery, sliced carrots, sliced onions, minced garlic, celery leaves chopped finely, dried oregano, dried basil, canned whole tomatoes, salt and pepper, chili pepper flakes

Directions: Heat some olive oil, add onions to saute. Then add celery and carrots and fry lightly. Add tomatoes and crush/mash them in the pan. Add some stock or water and allow sauce mixture to simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. Add celery leaves then finally, the dried herbs. A bit of chili pepper flakes if you like it a bit spicy.

This homemade sauce matches well with ground beef or seafood, your preference.

The sauce can also be prepared in excess and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Need I say more? Look at the bright vivid colors, and wholesome ingredients - get ready!

Tag:homemade pasta sauce, vegetables

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms

2008-03-23T01:45:00.000-07:00

Imagine. Dream. Fantasize...the juicy texture of perfectly cooked ground pork, the springy bite in those shrimps, and soft silky tofu - oh, will they ever fight for "who's best" ? Their co-existence goes far without much elaboration. A burst of flavor and texture nuances that are never in conflict - that's a home-kept recipe of Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms.

There are many ways to cook and vary this dish and this is my homemade version of Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms. Using the essence of pork, earthy flavor of mushrooms, and that seafood unami in shrimps, combined with the soft silky texture of tofu - multiple flavors and texture profiles but never a single misfit.

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
-1/4 lb minced/ground pork
-4-6 medium size shrimps/prawns, diced to small pieces, as shown
-2-3 shitake mushrooms, diced to small pieces, as shown
-1 small box silken tofu, cubed to bite size
-2 stalks scallions, cut to small pieces (Note: separating the bottom "white" harder scallion -portions and the "remaining green")
-1tsp dried shrimps (Note: secret ingredient for this dish)
-3 gloves garlic, sliced thin
- 1tsp crush ginger
-1tsp oyster sauce
-salt and white pepper
-water, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. Heat 1tbsp oil in frying pan. At low-medium heat, add sliced garlic, ginger, white portions of the scallions and fry quickly till fragrant (爆香有三宝: 葱 , 姜, 蒜一样都不能少). Then add dried shrimps and fry till fragrant. Once fragrant, add pork - using the frying ladle to "disintegrate" the pork (Note: prevent clumping) and turn down the heat so that the pork will not toughen and become rubbery under high heat. (Tip: to prevent overcooking in pork, you can also dish up pork and set aside)
2. Add in shrimps and mushrooms, mix well. Pinch of salt. Once the shrimps turn color (to pink), add in tofu, oyster sauce and water that sufficiently covers the 3/4 of the ingredients mixture in the pan
3. Allow low heat simmering for about 5-8mins. (Note: If you have set aside the pork earlier on, add in halfway during this simmering process and continue to let it simmer for the rest of the duration. The pork will be cook through in the entire simmering process)
4. Once the sauce starts to reduce, generously dash in white pepper
5. When almost ready to be dish up, add in green portions of the scallions, mix well, turn off heat

Serve immediately...best with steamed rice.

You may have never thought...pork and shrimps can harmonize so well!

Also check out shrimps mixed with ground chicken in these fried beancurd skin rolls, and fish mixed with shrimps in these cabbage rolls. Shrimps are so sociable, are they not? :P

P.S I did not cook this over the weekend but I wrote this post over the weekend - makes it a Weekend Snapshot for me :P It was voting weekend in Taiwan and we wanted to stay at home in the event of any protests or riots happening along the streets!

Tag: prawns, shrimps, tofu,pork

Nori shrimps. Seaweed-coated prawns fried my way.

2008-03-17T05:44:00.001-07:00

If you are into panko-style or tempura-style fried shrimps(or prawns), these Deep Fried Nori Shrimps definitely taste as good. You will not get that over-exaggerated "kaa-zhi-kaa-zhi-" (listen...) as-you-bite (the deep-fried-breadcrumbs-effect) as in those perfectly fried golden tempura/panko shrimps but these Deep Fried Nori Shrimps are nowhere less worthy.

I like to incorporate plain-looking nori sheets in bite-size, roll-like snacks, such as these juicy seafood cabbage rolls, healthy tofu rolls and crispy shrimp rolls, if you have observed hard enough. If it's not anywhere obvious, I'm highlighting it to you again in these nori-showered fried shrimps. Heh heh...(pun intended with dialect connotation).

This is definitely a quick and easy party food/snack to prepare. You can buy them (the shrimps) in batches and cook (deep fry) them in batches. Then serve them in batches to the batches (your guests, I mean). And who says deep-fried food is all evil (see *Tips) ?

Deep Fried Nori Shrimps/Prawns
Ingredients: Thawed shrimps (seasoned lightly with some white pepper), potato flour, nori
Directions: Coat, then deep fry.

For this time, I opted for the [~~Corn~~ Potato Flour-->~~Egg~~ -->~~Panko/Breadcrumbs~~ Loose Nori Strips] coating steps. Yes, a change in the typical panko combination will change the final texture and taste of this deep fried product. Using Potato Flour 地瓜粉 will give a more springy (QQ-with dialect connotation, again) texture. Nori adds color and unami flavor. Flip side: you don't get a huge chunk of crispy panko or tempura-batter crust when you bite on the shrimp.

But who says it's not a perfect party snack? It's much lighter (healthier) than those with layers of heavy deep-fried crust. It's not oily (picture above tells you all). You get to taste shrimp at an instant and not seaching for it in the midst of crust layers.

It's the shrimp, only the shrimp and nothing but the shrimp. Enjoy.

*Tips:
1. When you deep fry, do not use "re-used" oil or oil that has been kept from previous cooking
2. Make sure the oil is hot (170degC) so that the item you fry will not absorb the oil
3. Just do a light coat of flour
4. Set aside fried items on kitchen paper towel after frying, to absorb any excess oil

P.S As for the "squares" beneath, another post another day? :P

Tag: nori, seaweed, shrimps, snacks, party food

Bread, peanut butter, pork floss

2008-03-16T20:54:00.001-07:00

Lunch !

When I run out of ingredients for lunch, I eat this -

TORN BREAD PIECES, WITH A DOLLOP OF PEANUT BUTTER & PINCH OF PORK FLOSS!!!

and don't know what else to say!!!

What is the simplest lunch you ever made for yourself?

Tag: pork floss, bread, snacks

Kimchi pork. Cabbage kimchi and mother's love

2008-03-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Other than mild and warm wakame soup (Beauty Soup), seems that I can't get away with the "spice" factor when it comes to Korean food. Noodles or wontons and dumplings in a quick-fix Korean-based spicy broth works well for me, just as spicy seafood Korean tofu stew.

When I got those megapacks of kimchi from Costco Asia, Taiwan I know I will be in for more quick-fix tasty dishes. Stir Fry Kimchi Pork is definitely one of them. A savior when you are in a rush or dead tired to cook anything fancy, as this Kimchi Pork can be ready in less than 15 minutes.

Just kimchi PLUS pork, easy peasy ?

Stir Fry Kimchi Pork
Ingredients: Korean kimchi (baechu kimchi: cabbage kimchi) and thawed thin pork slices (option: A. use pork thin pork strips; B. substitute with chicken)

Directions: Lightly marinate/season pork with cooking (rice) wine or sake if you have. Heat up 1tbsp oil in frying pan. Add in pork slices and fry quicky. Then add in some kimchi, mix and fry well; and add some water to let the pork + kimchi simmer(low heat) for a few minutes. When the pork is cooked (turns color), turn off heat. Serve immediately. Good with steamed rice.

Note: You can also add gojuchang (Korean miso paste with chili) to the recipe and adjust the ratio of kimchi:gojichang accordingly to the level of spice and saltishness at your desire.

I did not add any more seasonings but this dish will not be bland tasteless if you know kimchi well (kimchi comes seasoned). You get a little spice in the pork, yet a dish not totally stripped off the natural sweetness/flavor of meat. Kimchi does not overpower and adds the finishing touch. A simple combination that works wonder.

Though you might have seen many variants of kimchi, using select vegetables such as cubed radish, scallions and cucumber, the earliest form of kimchi consisted of only cabbage, known as baechu kimchi.

The making of kimchi is integral in Korean tradition and culture. In Korean traditional homes, a bottle of base-seasonings for kimchi can be passed down for many generations - from great-grandmother to grandmother, to mommy then to daughter. Thus in Korea, a classic bottle of kimchi is made from a "marinade of mother's love" and since it is passed down generations, it has becomes a holding link of family love. Some even describe kimchi as a representation of mother's love because in the tradition of making baechu kimchi (cabbage kimchi), women will stroke each cabbage leaf with seasoning/marinade, and then allow the entire cabbage mixture to age and marinate. The act of stroking has been equated to a symbol of love - just like how a mother lovingly strokes her child. Isn't it sweet to know that little representative culture behind the vegetables you are eating?

Tag: kimchi, pork, kimchi pork

Pork Ribs Tea Soup. Noodles with Bak Kut Teh

2008-03-11T18:53:00.000-07:00

The monologue continues...

In Singapore, they have this for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner

Brain: You are taking convenience too easily
Me: You meant... ... too seriously?
Brain: Whatever. The party is long over, 2-weeks over. You should get back on your feet. Why are you still using convenience meal kit ?
Me: Last few last few. I bought this to try, among their range of hawker fare products. I have to do a taste-test.
Brain: Is Bak Kut Teh (literally meaning Pork Bone Tea) about the PORK BONE...PORK RIBS ? ... ...

Brain (cont'd): ... ...or the TEA?
Me: Oh now, this "tea" is confusing. Are you referring to the "broth" -OR- the Chinese tea that is usually served with this pork rib soup dish ? Well, the broth of this pork rib soup is made from a mix of herbs and spices, and boiled together with pork bones for hours. Well, I don't keep stock of all the spices and herbs in my pantry. So I can't cook my Bak Kut Teh (BKT) from scratch. A convenience pack is really just one reach away! If you are meaning the tea, as in the drinking Chinese tea, served separately with this pork rib soup dish, that tea may be just a "mirage" - leading you into the belief ..or rather...illusion that Chinese tea will "dissolve" and get rid of the "fattiness" of this soup. You know, that [Chinese tea + "oil and fats" = "less oil and fats"] equation. Hmmph, I don't think Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib Soup) is that unhealthy and "fatty". We are all talking about balance and leverage in foods, aren't we ?

Does this look spicy ? The spice comes from the pepper!

Me (cont'd): I was also attemtped by Little Corner when she showcased her BKT-flavored instant noodles. What can I do ?
Brain: So now you have used soba to go with your Bak Kut Teh...what is your verdict?

Slurp hard and slurp loud, just like how Japanese enjoy their ramen

Me: Well, although the Bak Kut Teh from Prima Taste is not that great, this is still my kind of Bak Kut Teh. The Teochew style Bak Kut Teh which is lighter in color and very peppery. The other variant which is darker in color (either more soy sauce used, or more medicinal herbs added) is typically not my preference. And I would like to add, adding noodles to eat with Bak Kut Teh is really ...errrrmm....S-M-A-R-T!

Me (cont'd): Similar to why most Japanese have to eat and slurp their ramen noodles nosily - so that the noodles pick up the tasty soup broth when they slurp hard and slurp loud *swooo...oooop* - it's this same technique to enjoy a good 'ol bowl of noodles dunked in superior broth. This case, soba dunked in Pork Rib Tea Soup can be one best way to enjoy the soup AND...the noodles! Yummy!

Tag: bak kut teh, pork rib soup tea, noodles

Brussel sprouts recipes

2008-03-09T21:35:00.001-07:00

Brussel Sprouts -

Well, are these brussel sprouts ? Have you seen brussel sprouts looking like this ?

I cannot believe they (in Taiwan) are selling these overly-grown brussel sprouts! Or should I say teenage mutant weirdo cabbage ? Well, it was labeled in Mandarin (I don't know what is brussel sprouts in Mandarin) but my eyes could not be deceived. Time to educate those farmers! They should know when to harvest their crops! Or is it me who is ignorant ?

Shouldn't brussel sprouts be looking like these -

There are two simple recipes for me, when it comes to brussel spouts - Chinese or Western style!

Steamed brussel sprouts (Chinese style)
Ingredients:
-brussel sprouts, washed (for bigger "sprouts", cut a cross, 1/4 deep at the bottom of the "sprouts" so that it cooks faster during steaming)
-oyster sauce, to taste

Method:
1.Steam the brussel sprouts for 10 mins
2.Prepare oyster sauce; and toss the steamed sprouts in the sauce

Steamed brussel sprouts (Western style)
Ingredients:
-brussel sprouts, washed (for bigger "sprouts", cut a cross, 1/4 deep at the bottom of the "sprouts" so that it cooks faster during steaming)
-butter
-salt and pepper

Method:
1.Steam the brussel sprouts for 10 mins
2.Place steamed sprouts in big bowl,top with some butter, and sprinkle salt and pepper, to taste. Toss it up !

Chinese style is simply with oyster sauce, and western style - with butter, salt and black pepper (add some bacon if you have)

Tag: brussel sprouts

Savory congee, one pot rice porridge

2008-03-05T02:09:00.000-08:00

A complete meal out from a pot!

Savory porridge
Ingredients:
-1/2lbs minced pork or lean pork strips
-2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
-1tsp dried shrimps, pre-soak in water for 5mins to soften
-2 dried scallops, pre-soak in water for 5mins to soften
-2 large dried shitake mushrooms, pre-soak in water to soften, then squeezed to remove water, and sliced to thin slices
-4 cuttlefish balls, sliced then cut into thin strips (can replace with fish ball/fish cake)
-1 cup rice
-water accordingly
-salt and pepper to taste
-celery tips, or leaves, diced into very fine bits- garnish

Directions:
1. In a stock pot, add in 1tbsp oil and at low-medium heat, fry the pork, garlic, dried shrimps, dried scallops, dried mushrooms, cuttlefish slices
2. When fragrant, add in the washed rice so that the rice grains gets imparted with the flavor of the ingredients through the oil and heat
3. Add in water and let the rice grains to slowly cook(simmer) to congee/porridge, stirring it at intervals (Note: it depends how you like your porridge - if you like it thicker and viscous, you do not have to add so much water or otherwise). This will take 15mins or more.
4. Season with salt and white pepper to taste

Through the slow cooking of rice grains in the pot with all the ingredients right from the start, PLUS the stirring of the rice mixture at intervals during simmering, these rice grains have broken up so much and the porridge/congee is so smooth to down. While I know that some congee like this has been cooked so smooth (cannot even see whole grains anymore!) by using a mixture of rice grains (broken grains, pearl grains etc.), the constant stirring method works well for me too. My, do you think I have cooked my porridge/congee smooth, or needs more improvement? :P

One spoonful loaded with pork, mushroom, dried scallops

The technique used in this Savory Congee, or 咸粥 ~ Xian Zhou is new to me especially when cooking porridge/congee is concerned. Usually, I would start cooking porridge by boiling rice grains in water, then add in the ingredients. But this time, I pre-fried the ingredients to expel the aroma and flavor (爆香), then also add in rice grains to mix with these pre-fried ingredients so that the final taste of the porridge/congee is unified, in terms of depths of aroma and savory flavors.

My JOOK!

Tag: porridge, congee, rice, rice porridge

Cilantro recipes + an all-coriander eatery

2008-03-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

Coriander, also known as cilantro or "Phakchi" in Japan. Do you like this pungent herb? What is pungent to some, is aromatic to others (or at least for me). Yes, I like cilantro. I would be excited if I could have an all-coriander experience in this Tokyo's first all-coriander eatery. Check out the video (Source: Reuters).

Well, if you cannot be there, maybe you can try one of these cilantro recipes I have in my collection:

Mango Salso with Cilantro
Steamed Halibut with Cilantro
Lemon Linguine with Cilantro
Cilantro and Pork Omelette
Potato Patties with Cilantro

As an ingredient or just garnish, cilantro is my kind of herb and this herb + some recipes, I will share in Weekend Herb Blogging, taking place at Anna's Morsels and Musings this week.

Tag: cilantro, coriander, herb

Mee Siam, spicy sweet tangy rice vermicelli

2008-02-28T00:19:00.000-08:00

Spicy Sweet Tangy Rice Vermicelli - MEE SIAM!

Spicy Sweet Tangy Rice Vermicelli - MEE SIAM!

A rich tamarind (assam) gravy of delightful aroma, drenched over rice vermicelli fried in a sambal spice mix, further defined by the zest of a fresh lime squeeze. This is an all-appetizing delectable dish, originally from the Thais, then later became a marriage among the Nyonyas, Malays and Chinese. Where else can you find spicy, sweet, savory, tangy - all in one dish?

From these pictures, would you have thought I have done this from scratch - pounding the spices for chili paste, pre-frying the chili paste, preparing the vermicelli sambal and tamarind paste etc. ?? If only I did. Now, I could only say "Thank you" to Ready-to-Cook Meat kit from Prima Taste.

Other than their Mee Rebus meal kit which I swear by when I simultaneously get pricked by the "cravings" needle AND biten by the lazy bug , this Mee Siam Meal Kit is also one of my favorites. You are spoilt for ready-made pastes when it comes to curry chicken and even Thai green curries but when it comes to Mee Siam and Mee Rebus, there are not many decent products out there, and I promise Prima Taste stands to the taste test of authenticity.

In the kit, you get Mee Siam paste, chili paste for frying the rice vermicelli, sambal chili and even lime juice - all individually packed! Perfectly sealed and hygienically packaged. You just need to prepare your own rice vermicelli, eggs and shrimps/prawns.

Cooking the rice vermicelli: Soak the rice vermicelli in a pot of hot-warm water till soft. Then heat the rice vermicelli chili paste with some water in a frying pan, and add the soaked rice vermicelli into the rice vermicelli chili paste and mix well.

Cooking the Mee Siam gravy: Mixing the Mee Siam paste with water in a pot and bring to a boil, the lower heat to simmer.

You are all ready to serve. Portion the rice vermicelli into individual servings, top with hard-boiled eggs, and cooked shrimps/prawns, then pour the Mee Siam gravy into the rice vermicelli. You will get all the necessary details in the package instructions.

Mee Siam never look so good when it can be ready in 10 minutes.

Tag: mee siam, noodles

Stuffed mushrooms

2008-02-22T01:12:00.000-08:00

Tips on mushrooms: I used fresh shitake mushrooms for this recipe. Dried shitake mushrooms would not work so well since the dried version usually have a strong pungent smell (even after soaking). When shopping for fresh shitake mushrooms, I make sure there are minimal blemishes on the mushroom caps. If you buy them loose, one way to store them (if you are not using them on the same day) when you reach home is to put them in tall brown paper bags with a few small holes intentionally created on the paper bags. The mushrooms needs to breathe. Do not keep for too long (maximum a week for me) as the inherent moisture in the mushroom tend to evaporate and completely dry out the freshness in the mushrooms. That's why mushrooms grown in a mushroom farm need to be grown in the dark, and maintained at a cool temperature with suitable humidity.

Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- Fresh shitake mushrooms (Note: get medium or large size mushroom to allow room for stuffing), wipe clean with damp paper/kitchen towel. Remove stem, keep the caps
-1 lb or slightly less of minced pork
- 1tsp grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced finely
- 1 stalks scallions/spring onions, chop into small bits
- 2tsp oyster sauce + 2-3tbsp water (pre-mixed)
- some sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing Seasoning:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2tbsp corn flour or 1/4 of beaten egg
- 1tsp grated ginger + its juice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cooking wine
- 1-2 stalks scallions/spring onions, chop into small pieces
-salt and pepper, to taste
(Note: The seasoning used is almost similar to the one I used in Stewed Lions Head-狮子头)

Directions:
1. Mix pork with seasoning ingredients, make into meat balls (~3cm diameter for each). You can also use a tablespoon (Note: best you have a Chinese porcelain soup spoon) to make the stuffing
2. Place/stuff the meat mixture onto the mushrooms caps, and coat the surface of the stuffing on mushroom with some cornflour (Note: this will keep the stuffing intact on the mushroom, and give a "protective" coating on the stuffing when frying. Also, the meat mixture will not "disintegrate" while frying)
3. Add oil to pan, and at medium heat - with the stuffing-meat mixture facing down, add the mushooms(remember - stuffing face down!) into the oil (Note: the stuffed mushroom should be just partially submerged in the hot oil. This is not pure deep-frying) and fry for ~2mins. *The meat is still not cooked
4. Set side the partially fried stuffed mushrooms

5. Discard frying oil, just keep one tbsp remaining for further cooking and simmering later
6. To the oil, add some garlic, green onion and ginger and fry till fragrant
7. Add oyster sauce + water to make the gravy/sauce. Add a little brown sugar, salt and white pepper, add in the stuffed mushrooms (Note: slowly and stuffing face down), and allow the stuffed mushrooms to simmer and cook. After ~5 mins, flip them to the other side. Make sure the mushrooms are submerged in the simmering gravy/broth
8. Allow the gravy/broth to reduce and after about 8-10 mins, the stuffed mushrooms should be cooked through
9. You can serve them with steamed rice; and especially when done this way (fry+slow simmering), you can even serve them as a warm appetizer or a light entree main course

Alternatively, you can absolutely steam these "precious" after steps (1)-(2), without going through the hassle of (3)-(8).

However, it's a different texture and taste you are going to get. Whichever way you choose, these savory stuffed mushrooms would be such a delight on the dining table when it's so flavorful and juicy.

A protein-packed and delicious entree main course! So juicy, succulent, and yummy...

Tag: mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms

Fried hokkien noodles Singapore-style - one of S'pore top ten favorite hawker food

2008-02-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

Only perfect when served with sambal belacan chili and lime by its side

I made prawn noodles with the prawn stock . Armed with the perfect flavorful stock/broth, and a secret ingredient/garnish - fried shallots , I made Stir Fried Hokkien Noodles (Singapore Style). You can call it Braised Nyonya Noodles if you wish since I came across cookbooks that gives this name. I made this when I was in California. So, if you are residing in the United States, getting the desired ingredients should not be too much of a problem (Tip: look to Asian supermarkets for "headed" shelled prawns). But this dish - from the boiling of prawn stock to the preparation of ingredients, takes up more time and effort. Well...if you are too free... ...too much time... ...LOL!

Braised Nonya Noodles/Singapore-style Fried Hokkien Noodles
Ingredients:
- 1lb prawns buy heads on, shells on to be removed and reserved for prawn stock. For making the stock - refer here, and below *(1)
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1tbsp fermented soya beans, mashed well
- about 4 servings of rice vermiceilli-beehoon, soaked in hot water to soften, drain and cut into - shorter lengths for easier frying
- 1/2 lb spaghetti , boiled and set aside (Note: I find that spaghetti is typically a good alternative to yellow noodles which sometimes maybe made/preserved with too much alkali water)
- 1 -2 cups chicken stock
- 2 eggs, light beaten
- 1/2 lb bean sprouts
- 4-6 leaves of napa cabbage, cut into finger-lengths
- 1 spring onion/scallions, cut into short lengths
- white pepper to taste

Directions:
*1. When I made my prawn stock then, I fried the prawn heads and shells with some oil and 1 tsp of pancetta (tip!), to give it more flavor and robustness, before adding water to make up the stock. If you have made the stock on the same day, use it. If frozen previously, defrost for using.
2. Heat oil (1tbsp) in pan and fry the chopped garlic, pancetta and mashed soya beans till fragrant
3. Add in bean sprout, cabbage and stir fry for 1 min. Then add in eggs and stir fry another minute
4. Add in both types of noodles and 1/2 the reserved stock and let it simmer about 5mins
5. Add in prawns, salt and pepper and stir fry till heated through. Add more stock if needed
6. Add in spring onions and stir fry
7. Garnish with fried shallots , serve with sambal belacan chili + lime (Note: I'm almost tempted to cite this as an option but for me personally, these condiments/garnish pack it with much more oomph!)

Bon Appetit ! Another Singapore favorite!

Tag: hokkien mee, hokkien noodles, noodles, nyonya noodles

Braised Tofu Beancurd with Spinach and Mushrooms - Three Storey Tofu

2008-02-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Braised Tofu/Beancurd with Pureed Spinach and Bumashimeiji(Honshimeiji) Mushrooms

Ingredients:
-1 block tofu (medium or silken),
-1cup chopped spinach, blanched
-1.5oz bumashimeiji(honshimeiji) mushrooms

Sauce:
-1/2cup water
-2tsp oyster sauce
-1tsp dark soya sauce
-1tsp brown sugar

Directions:
1. Place chopped spinach on top of tofu blocks and steam of 5 minutes (Note: drain off some moisture in the tofu after steaming)
2. Cut spinach topped tofu cut into serving size (and gently fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain well, set aside

3. With a little oil, add mushromms and fry.
4. Mix ingredient for sauce together and add to mushroom mixture, adjust amount of water (add more) if too salty (adjust to taste), then allow sauce to reduce
5. Add a little cornflur to thicken sauce, and pour over spinach tofu
6. Serve immediately

Even the sight of this pleases me....

Tag: mushrooms, vegetarian

Festive dishes for Chinese New Year

2008-01-31T19:45:00.000-08:00

Auspicious dishes and recipes

Steamed fish recipe

Stir fry asparagus with scallops and ginkgo

Even with a dish like this - Stir fry asparagus with scallops and ginkgo - can only be made good if you name it 代代平安 -Peace and Harmony for Generations as scallops -带子 --> 代 and 带 are pronounced the same, as dai.

Other auspicious names:
八宝盒 -Eight Treasures - usually assortment of seafood and vegetables in a beancurd
风舞九天,大展鸿图 -Phoenix Dance - usually braised sharks fin with crab roe
金玉满堂 -Gold Everywhere - usually some egg-fried rice dish with shrimp, and crabmeat
年年高升 -typically a festive goodie nian gao 年糕 , meaning "Promotion every year"
富贵有余 -a fish dish; 鱼 and 余 both pronounced yu ; with the latter meaning "abundance/ excess"
一路发财 - a dish that often contains black moss vegetable/发菜; 菜 and 财 pronounced cai and latter means "money or rich"

Read more about Chinese New Year traditions and food here.

Tag: fish, scallops, festive dish, chinese new year

Seafood Mui Fan - Asian risotto - Rice with Seafood and Egg Gravy

2008-01-29T01:26:00.000-08:00

Rice with Seafood and Egg Gravy - Mui Fan (New, Easy version)
(adapted from Mui Fan : teczcape - an escape to food)

Ingredients:
-2 rice bowls cooked rice

Gravy:
- medley of frozen seafood (calamari, bay scallops, prawns) , remaining from here; to be thawed before use
- Yu-choy, remaining from here
- canned straw mushrooms, remaining from here
-1/2tsp crushed garlic
-1/2tsp crushed ginger
-1-2tbsp oyster sauce
-1/2cup chicken broth
- drizzle of sesame oil
-1 eggs, whisked light
-pepper and salt to taste
-oil for cooking
-more water, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1.Heat oil, add in garlic, ginger and saute seafood till cooked. Set aside.
2. There will be some seafood "juices" left in the wok/pan. Add in mushrooms, and vegetables, add in oyster sauce and fry briskly.
3.Pour in broth and bring to the boil. Simmer 3mins.
4. Add in the cooked seafood. Season to taste and mix well.
5. After this entire mixture comes to a second simmer, turn off the heat. Add in whisked egg slowly (Note: The heat remaining in the wok/pan of cooked ingredients will cook the egg just to smooth and silky.)
6. Finally, pour the entire gravy on top of the rice. It needs to be intentionally eaten wet!

Tag: seafood, mui fan, risotto, rice

Loofah, ridge gourd - tips + basic recipe

2008-01-23T21:03:00.000-08:00

Indeed, I had a ridge gourd coming my way...

Look at the undulated ridges...

Ridge gourd is known by many other names. The most common is Loofah, or Luffa. Ridge gourd (丝瓜 - Si Gua, in Mandarin) is popular and eaten as a vegetable in Asia. It usually ends up as a simple stir fry with pork, at least in my kitchen. Loofah loofah, 一路发 ...ridge gourd ridge gourd, the rich god. Are all these just too coincidental ?

Tips on ridge gourd + easy basic recipe:
1. Before cooking this gourd, you should remove the outer skin and use the edible "white flesh" for cooking your dish. One full gourd typically leaves you with 3/4 remaining(usable) after removing the skin and "ridges".
2. Cut them into half-a-finger-length-and-width strips, or about half-a-thumb-size cubes. It cooks faster without being overly done under the heat.
3. When frying and cooking, you will know it is cooked when the "white flesh" turns slightly green. Do not cook for too long or the whole mixture will turn too soft and soggy
4. Like a loofah sponge, it absorbs water. So while cooking, you can add a few tablespoons of water in the stir-fry for the final simmer.
5. The recommended seasoning to flavor up a Chinese stir fry with ridge gourd is oyster sauce.
6. Easy ingredients: Minced garlic, ridge gourd strips or cubes, pork strips or cubes (gourd strips with pork strips, or gourd cubes with pork cubes, if you know what I mean) marinated with some rice wine, some oyster sauce, white pepper to taste, water
7. Easy directions: In a wok/pan with oil at low-medium heat, add in garlic and pork, then fry till pork almost changes color (~60-70% cooked). Add in ridge gourd and mix well. Then, add in water + oyster sauce, and allow simmer till the gourd cooks completely(about 6-8mins). Dash in white pepper, to taste.
8. In this stir fry, the final mixture should be a bit wet, not totally dry.

Now, I have a rich god, and a fairy god mother, my wish my wish...I wish for my wish!

Did you just use a ridge gourd to exfoilate or maybe a loofah in a cooked dish ? :D

Tag: ridge gourd, vegetable

Sesame oil and ginger chicken

2008-01-21T23:51:00.000-08:00

No matter how often I eat comfort foods, I never got get sick of them. Due to the ease of preparation and cooking in comfort foods, I never got sick of them as well. Yes, cooking has become somewhat a chore in the past one month as I had to deal with the move, packing, unpacking and some bits of disorientation, all at the same time. Fortunately for comfort foods, I'm still able to find some joy in enjoying my own simple cooking and when it is definitely not a cooking chore.

Sesame oil and ginger chicken
Ingredients:
-~ 8-12 pieces small chicken drumlets/wings, marinated in 1tbsp oyster sauce at least 2hrs
- 4 caps fresh shitake mushrooms, cut to halfs or comparable to size of drumlets/wings
- 2 garlic, minced
- 2 scallions, julienned to strips
- 4 thumb-sized young ginger cut to fine strips
- 1tbsp sesame oil
- white pepper to taste

Seasonings:
- 1tbsp sesame oil
- 1tsp cooking rice wine
- 2tbsp some water or adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. Heat 1tbsp sesame oil in pan/wok at low-medium heat
2. Add in garlic, scallions and ginger to the pan/wok, fry till aromatic
3. Add in chicken and mushrooms, then fry at medium-high heat for about 3-4mins.
4. Add in seasonings, mix and fry well, then turn to simmer till chicken is cooked. This will take about 3-5mins (if using small chicken parts)
5. When ready to serve, dash in white pepper, dashes of more sesame oil, and sprinkle of cooking rice wine, then immediately turn off the heat.

There are many ways and variations to cook the dish and this happens to be another of my version - where sesame oil and ginger are the stars that make the chicken shine!

Other easy chicken recipes that you won't chicken-out in the face of it, has got to be steamed chicken with ginger and braised chicken with assorted mushrooms.

What is your comfort food or comfort foods?

Tag: comfort food, chicken

Seafood Soba "Braised E-Fu Noodles" style

2008-01-16T02:11:00.000-08:00

Seafood Soba "Braised E-Fu Noodles" style
modified from recipe Wat Dan Hor - Fried Rice Noodle with Egg Gravy)

Ingredients:
-soba, cooked/boiled in water. Set aside.

Gravy:
-Medley of seafood (calamari, bay scallops, prawns)
-Yu-choy, cleaned and cut into sections of stalks/stems and leaves (Note: can use bok choy or bok choy sum if you wish)
- some canned straw or button mushrooms
-1/2tsp crushed garlic
-1/2tsp crushed ginger
-1tbsp oyster sauce
-1/2cup chicken broth
-1-2 eggs
-pepper and salt to taste
-oil for cooking
-water

Method:
1.Heat oil, add in garlic, ginger and saute seafood till cooked. Set aside.
2. There will be some seafood "juices" left in the wok/pan. Add in mushrooms, and vegetables, add in oyster sauce and fry briskly.
3.Pour in broth and bring to the boil. Simmer 3mins.
4. Add in the cooked seafood, and cooked soba noodles. Season to taste and mix well. (Note:Do no cook soba noodles for too long since they are already cooked in advance and may become softer if cooked longer)
5. After this entire mixture comes to a second simmer, turn off the heat. Add in whisked egg slowly (Note: The heat remaining in the wok/pan of cooked ingredients will cook the egg just to smooth and silky)

Tag: seafood, e fu noodles,egg noodles

Bittergourd + tips to remove bitterness + recipes

2008-01-14T01:13:00.000-08:00

White bittergourd or a hybrid white pearl...

In my memory, I have always seen and eaten bittergourd which are green; and have braised or stir fry them, GREEN.

Green bittergourd

I have no idea why most bittergourds are white in Taiwan - perhaps white mean un-bitter? They wanna trick us!? :O For example, where papayas, mangoes, and bananas are concerned, GREEN means unripe - thus sour, or bitter.

Well, well, well...white bittergourd is no where, un-bitter. You just use the same tips and techniques to reduce the bitterness in white or green bittergourds, if you do not like them too bitter. To reduce bitterness, add some salt into water, and soak strips/pieces of bittergourd in the water(~5mins). The longer you soak, the less bitter it will be. Find tips on bittergourds, and bittergourd recipes here and here.

Tag: bittergourd

Prawn stock, shrimp stock

2008-01-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

This is one of the those fabulous "deemed-useless" ingredients to flavor up soups or broths.

You can also use them in stir fry dishes and even stir fry noodles. Next time you clean the prawns, think thrice about throwing the heads into the garbage bag. They are USEFUL!

In a pot of water, drop in prawn heads and boil them. Use the stock base for your dishes.

Tag: prawns, prawn stock, shrimp, shrimp stock

Stir fry pork with ginger

2008-01-02T16:54:00.001-08:00

Stir Fry Pork with Ginger
Ingredients:
pork tenderloins, sliced thinly, seasoned with salt and some corn flour
2tbsp dark soy sauce
1tsp oyster sauce
2 gloves garlic, minced
1 ginger, sliced thinly
4-5tsp minced ginger
sesame oil
cooking wine

Directions:
1. Heat oil in frying pan and fry the garlic and sliced ginger till fragrant
2. Add in pork slices and fry till 70% cooked. Set aside.
3. In the same pan, add in minced ginger, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce and mix well. When start to simmer, add in the pork again and lightly stir fry till cooked. (Note: cook it fast so that the pork will not be too tough when consumed)
4. At the end of cooking, dash in some sesame oil and cooking wine for more aroma in the dish
5. Garnish with ginger fries

Tender juicy pork slices immersed in natural pork flavors and the full zest of ginger

Another dish or reason(would you need any?) to ask for more rice :)

Tag: ginger, deep fried ginger, pork

Steamed fish rolls with Asian pear strips

2007-12-27T00:31:00.000-08:00

Steamed Fish Roll with Pear Strips
Ingredients: thin fillets of cod fish (I use a usual thick fillet available in grocery stores, and fillet it thinner - to get rectangular thin fillets); some enoki mushrooms, some bunshimeiji mushrooms, carrot strips, colored pepper strips, Korean Asian pear strips
(note: quantity estimated based on how much your rolled-up fish can accomodate)

Seasoning/marinade: some salt and pepper, cooking wine, sesame oil

Directions:
1. Rub some salt and pepper on the fish
2. Place the strips of mushroom, pepper, carrot, pear on one edge(short side) of the fish; then start rolling lengthwise till the other edge. You will get the rolls looking lilke those above.
3. Place the rolls on a plate suitable for steaming.
4. When water for steaming boils, start steaming for 6mins till the fish are almost cooked (turns opaque) and at the last one minute, dash in some cooking wine and sesame oil (spooned over) the fish, and finish steaming for the last minute
5. Serve immediately

Everyone can do this dish. Definitely worth a try. I use frozen cod fillets but those that are claimed to be flash-frozen to retain freshness, and they were...indeed quite fresh.

Seasoning was kept simple so that nothing overpowers; allowing you to taste the flavor of the fish that has been lightly infused with flavors from the vegetables, mushrooms, and pear. The light crisp of the Asian pear was still retained and not all gone in the process of steaming - added a little crisp texture to the tender moist fish rolls. The Asian pear strips also injected a very very light fruity sweet to the fish rolls. They definitely make these savory steamed fish rolls taste...out of the world...delicious. :)

Tag: fish, seafood, korean asian pear

Snacks and desserts party ideas

2007-12-19T20:48:00.001-08:00

If any of those 10 one-dish favorites could make it your 2008, then these snack attacks and dessert indulgence could ease you through to make your entrees complete.

My Top Five Picks on Snacks and Desserts can be your Xmas, New Year or any holiday party idea! They are the easiest while most yummy, in my opinion.

Scallopwiches

Spicy Prawn Balls

Eggless Tiramisu

Mini Chicken Pies

Choc-Strawberries

More snacks and dessert ideas for you -

Tag:snack ideas

Chicken noodle - instant noodles with steamed chicken

2007-12-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Steamed chicken noodle/Noodle with steamed chicken

Ingredients: Chicken thigh meat sliced; ginger cut into fine shreds; scallions/spring onions jullienned on the bias, some crushed ginger; red/yellow peppers

Marinade: oyster sauce, cornflour, sesame oil

Method:
1.Marinate chicken for 30 mins
2.Lay the chicken slices on a plate, sprinkle ginger and scallions on top of chicken, add in the additional crushed ginger and put it to steam for about 15-20mins (or until the chicken is cooked)
3. Dish the steamed chicken (with its gravy) over cooked instant noodles (like me...no time...so need to be instant) or cooked rice (when you have more time), and toss the noodles well to let them soak the gravy.
4. Serve with any vegetables of your choice.

For detailed quantity of ingredients and marinade, you can refer to this steamed chicken recipe.

This is another surprise though the name steamed chicken noodle itself may sound so-military, so-bland, and so-unappetizing. Remember...when you steam the marinated chicken with ginger and scallions, you get natural sweetness from the chicken mixing with the marinate seasonings and ginger+scallions. The result is...AWESOME, though nothing fanciful. That chicken clear gravy will line each previously-tasteless noodle strand with moist, and flavor. I wonder if this sounds easy to you but all I had to do was to marinate, assemble the chicken to let it steam; cook the noodles; finally toss them together and I said...PRESTO!

P.S. You can choose the so-much-effort-and-pride-put-in recipe here, or the quick-turn-around-yet-delicious recipe here, to prepare and cook the chicken. I chose the latter.

Tag: steamed chicken, instant noodles

Clam Pasta - Clam Spaghetti in Bean Sauce

2007-12-12T18:48:00.000-08:00

Clam Spaghetti in Bean Sauce
Ingredients:
-1tsp taucheo (preserved/fermented soy beans)
-2tsp crushed ginger
-2cloves garlic, minced
-2tsp sambal belacan
-water
-green onions
-1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked to al-dente, set aside

Directions:
1. Stir fry ginger and garlic at medium heat till fragrant
2. Add tauceho and sambal, and mix well. Add in 2tbsp water so that the paste mixture does not dry up
3. Add in clams to simmer and when the shells open up, add in green onions
4. When ready to serve, add in the pasta, mix well and serve immediately

This dish is a total savory enjoyment - the sauce and the fresh clams, they are IT!

Tag: seafood, clams, fermented soybeans, pasta

Stir Fry Linguine with Shredded Duck

2007-12-06T04:08:00.000-08:00

Stir Fry Linguine with Shredded Duck
Ingredients:
Leftover duck, red peppers, scallions/green onions, bean sprouts, linguine cooked and set aside

Directions: Add in shredded leftover duck into pan at medium heat, fry for a while and there will be some "oil/fats" in the duck that oil the pan. Once the pan is lightly oiled, add in all the red peppers, and bean sprouts and stir fry till tender. Then add in scallions/green onions, and linguine the last. Serve immediately.

Does the colors tell you it's tasty?

Tag: roasted duck, stir fry noodles

Fried fish in soy sauce and ginger

2007-11-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Fried fish in soy and ginger
Ingredients:
-2 fish fillets; fillet across the fish(width-wise), pat fish fillet dry using kitchen towels and season with salt and pepper
- scallions

Sauce:
-3tbsp dark soy suce
-drizzle of cooking wine
-drizzle of sesame oil
-1tsp crushed ginger

Coating:
- some all-purpose flour mixed with corn flour

Directions:
1. Heat oil at medium-high in frying pan. When ready to fry, coat the fish evenly with flour mixture, and slide down into the pan from the sides (sliding action is to prevent oil splatter on yourself). Since I was using a wide-based pan when even the oil is not sufficient to cover the entire fillet, the trick is to fry each side of fish for 2-3mins at medium-high heat. Do not turn fish frequently. When done, set aside on plate
2. In a clean sauce pan or the above frying pan(drained alway majority of the oil used to fry the fish), add in sauce ingredients and simmer at low heat till aromatic.
3. When slightly reduced, pour sauce over fish and serve.

Cooked to perfection - slightly crispy lightly crusted outside, yet cooked and moist on the inside. With that traditional Chinese-style sauce of dark soy and ginger, MORE RICE, please!

Tag: fish, seafood

Deep fried ginger, ginger fries

2007-11-26T12:24:00.000-08:00

While thinly sliced ginger can be added to vegetable and meat stir-fry dishes, thin strips of ginger can also be deep-fried. Hey, ginger fries! Move over...french fries and whatever sweet potato fries :P

This will be THE perfect golden to look our for, in deep-fried ginger strips. The trick is to julienne to thin strips, and deep-fry them in medium-high heat till they turn golden. Do not turn your eyes away while deep-frying - monitor them carefully and strain them out of the hot oil once these ginger strips turn color.

Perfect as a garnish and adds a hint of spice in chicken and pork dishes.

Banana Peanut Butter Wonton Pockets

2007-11-19T16:38:00.001-08:00

Woooo hoooo...what's that ? A volcano about to erupt. Can't you see the transparent "lava" flowing to the foot of the volcano ?

This little sweet snack is created entirely from leftovers. Leftover wonton skin, unused almond butter, and overly ripe bananas.

Leftovers can really stretch one's creativity, and thanks to Leftover Tuesday (it's at #10 now) - it resulted in these Banana and Peanut Butter Wontons/Pockets.

Creamy filling inside...warm light snack!

Banana and Peanut Butter Wontons Pockets
Ingredients: wonton wrappers, peanut butter, banana
Directions: Mash the ripe bananas with the peanut butter in a mixing bowl. Using 2 pieces of wonton wrappers, scoop 1tsp on one wrapper and sandwich with the 2nd wrapper. Deep-fry or bake!

Look at the crispy slightly-browned edges

There is always something about moist-in-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside that gives the perfect balance in texture and taste layering.

Enjoy!

Tag: wontons, sweet wontons, snacks