Preserved Raddish Steam Groupa (菜脯蒸石斑鱼)

Eating more fish than meat is always good for health.  The key to steaming fish is first fish must be very fresh and secondly the timing of steaming is very important.

Ingredients:
1 Groupa around 700g
2 tbsp Fish Sauce + 1 tbsp Water
5 tbsp Thai Salted Preserved Raddish (Stir fry till crispy and leave aside)
1/2 tbsp Sugar
1 Stalk Spring Onion (Slice thinly)
1 tbsp Cooking Wine
Dash of Pepper

• Heat wok with 3 tbsp oil and add in preserved raddish and stir fry till crispy and keep aside.
• Heat wok with 1/2 tbsp oil and add in the crispy raddish and sugar and mix well and dish out.
• Place fish in a suitable plate for steaming.  Add in the fish sauce and water on fish body evenly and sprinkle pepper.
• Place half of the fried preserved raddish on top of fish.
• Heat wok with water for steaming till boiling.
• Place fish in and cover wok and still for 7 - 8 mins (steaming time depends on size of fish so use  your own judgement ok).
• Once done steaming, garnish with remaining crispy preserved raddish and spring onion before serving.

Stir Fried Ginger Duck (姜葱炒鸭)

Ever had leftover braised duck or roasted duck that you can't finished?  Keep in fridge and then cook it this way the following day is another tasty dish...I love it!

Ingredients:
Left over braised duck meat or you can go buy half ready braised duck from market to cook this dish.
5 Stalks of Spring Onions (Cut 2 inches length)
6 inches of Ginger (Cut into thin 2 inches length)
2 Garlic (Minced)
2 tbsp of Oil
1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
2 tbsp of Cooking Wine
1 tbsp of Dark Soy Sauce

• Heat oil in wok and add in ginger to stir fry till fragrant.  Add in garlic and stir well. 
• Add in duck meat and then add in dark soy sauce and stir well.
• Add in Seasame oil and Spring Onion stir and lastly add in cooking wine and turn off heat and dish out.

Heng Chai (上汤苋菜)

This is my favoritate veggie dish.  Usually veggie dishes are healthy but definately not this dish ha because of the 3 types of eggs used to cook this dish...but...let's forget about cholestrol today!

Serve 2
Ingredients:
1 Bundle of Heng Cai (Chinese Spinach)
1 Century Egg (Dice)
1 Egg (Lightly Beaten)
1Salted Egg (Boiled and dice)
1 Handful of tiny anchovies
2 Garlic (Mince)
1 tsp Fish Sauce
Dash of Pepper
1 Cup of Chicken Stock

• Heat wok and saute garlic till fragrant.
• Add in tiny anchovies and stir fry till crispy.
• Add in chicken stock and bring to boil
• Add in veggie and pour in the lightly beaten egg and only stir after 40 seconds.
• Add in the other eggs and seasoning, stir and dish out.  Do not over cook.

Shrimp Paste Fried Chicken - Har Jeong Kai (虾酱鸡)

I can't resist fried chicken hahahaha...my weakest point!  Today I decided to cook Har Jeong Kai to satisfy my urge :)

Serve 4
Ingredients:
12 Chicken Wings (cut into 2 from the joint part)
3 tbsp Har Jeong Shrimp Paste
3 tbsp Rice Flour
1/2 tbsp Maggie Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Cooking Wine

• Wash and pat dry chicken wings.
• Used 2 layer of plastic bags, put in the wings, shrimp paste, rice flour, Soy Sauce, Cooking Wine into the bag and mix it well.  (Using the plastic bags will prevent messing your hands when mixing).
• Once the chicken are well mixed in the bag, tie the bag up and leave the bag in fridge to marinate for 2 hours.
• Afer 2 hours, heat wok with sufficient oil.  Once oil is heated, add in the wings and deep fried till cook!

Enjoy wih a can of ice cold beer...best!!

Stir Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts (鸡肉抄腰豆)

This is a simple quick dish that's easy to cook at home or to entertain guest.

Serve 2
Ingredients:
1 Chicken Breast (Slice)
60g Roasted Cashew Nuts
2 tbsp Oil
2 Garlic (Mince)
1 Small Onion (Slice)
1 Stalk Spring Onions (cut 1 inch length)
1 Red Chilli (Slice and remove seeds)
1 tbsp Cooking Wine
1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
2 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Oyster Sauce

• Heat oil in wok, add garlic and stir fry till fragrant.
• Add in Chicken and stir fry till turns white.
• Add in onions, Spring Onions, Chilli, Cashew Nuts and cooking wine and still till chicken is well cooked.
• Add in all seasoning and stir well and turn off heat.
• Garnish and serve.

Pineapple Fried Rice (黄梨炒饭)

Thai cuisine  has always been one of my favorite.  Learning to cook thai food seems definately necessary since it's impossible to eat in restaurant every time.
Try cooking your own pineapple rice in your kitchen!

Serve 2
Ingredients:
1.5 cup Cooked Rice
2 tbsp Oil
3 Galic (minced)
1 Egg
8 Prawns (wash, remove shell and deveined)
1 tsp Thai Yellow Curry Powder
30g Carrot (Dice)
30g Pineapple (Dice)
30g Roasted Cashew Nuts
1/2 tsp White Sugar
2 tsp Fish Sauce
2 tsp Soy Sauce
Dash of Pepper

Garnish:
Spring Onion (cut strips)
Red Chilli (Cut thin strips)
Wedge of lemon
Lettuce
Pork Floss (Optional)

• Heat oil in wok and stir fry garlic till fragrant and crack egg in wok and scramble it.  Add in prawns and stir till it turns red.
• Add in rice and sprinkle yellow curry powder and mix well in wok. 
• Season with sugar, fish sauce ,soy sauce and mix well.
• Add in carrots, pineapple and cashew nuts and stir fry for 3 minutes to combine well and add in dash of pepper before turning off heat.
• Turn off heat and transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle spring onions and garnish with lemon wedge.

Fruit Cake (干果蛋糕)

Feeling bored? Try baking a cake..it will brighten up your day :)

 

Recipe makes a 9 inch square cake.

Ingredients (Part A):
250g Hard Butter (Direct from fridge and cut into few pieces for easy beating)
150g Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
250g Plain Flour        }  Sieve together
1 tsp Baking Powder   }
250g Mixed Dried Fruits (optional to soak with 50ml Hard Liquor or rum for 3 days)
1 tbsp Rum (add this if you didn't soak dried fruits with liquor or rum ahead of time)

Ingredients (Part B):
5 Egg Whites
50g Sugar
1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar

• Preheat oven to 160 degree. 
• Grease and lne a 9 inches square or round baking tin with paper.
• Cream Part A - butter and sugar together with slow speed first for 1 minute then turn to medium speed (speed 3 for Kenwood mixer) and cream for 15 minutes or until fluffy.

• Turn speed to slow and add in egg yolks (and rum) and mix well for another 2 to 3 minutes with medium speed.
• Add mixed dried fruits into the sieved flours (to seperate them so that they don't stick in a lump).
• Add flour cum dried fruits into mixer and cream with slow speed till well mixed (don't over mix).  Remove and transfer it into a big mixing bowl.

• Wash mixer bowl clean and dry it.  Pour in Part B (egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar) and use egg whisk and whisked at maximum speed until stiff.
• Add egg white mixture into butter mixture and mix well until all is well combine (with hand whisk).
• Pour batter into baking tin and bang it before bake.
• Bake cake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.  Test with knife in center to make sure it's fully baked. 
• f  you find the top colour is already quite brown before cake is fully baked, cover the top with greased paper or aluminum foil so that the top won't be burnt.

Spicy Tom Yum Goong (泰国辣酸辣汤)

I learned this recipe from a native Thai teaching in CC.  It's spicy, nice and not difficult to cook.  Try it!

Recipe serve 4
Ingredients:
1000ml Water
250ml Eaporated Milk
8 Slices Galangal
6 Kaffir Lime Leave (Remove the stem)
3 Stalks Lemongrass (Cut into 2 pieces per stalk and flatten with chopper)
500g Medium Grey Prawns
100g Oyster Mushroom
100g Baby Corn
15 Birds' Eye Chilli (Put it in plastic bag and use your knife to smash it)
3 Bunch of Coriander Leaves (Cut into 1 cm length)
3 Coriander Root (cut from coriander leaves, scrap clean and flatten)
5 Garlic (remove skin and smash it)
5 Shallots (remove skin and smash it)
2 Chicken Cubes
3-4 tbsp Lime Juice from Green Lime
2 tbsp Fish Sauce
3 tbsp Chilli Paste (Buy Tom Yam Paste Chilli From Supermarket)

• Boil water and add in chicken cubes, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, corinander roots, lemongrass, garlic and shallots for 10 minutes.
• Add in chilli paste and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Add in baby corn, abalone mushroom, birds' eye chilli and prawns and boil for another 2 minutes.
• Pour in evaporated milk and cook for another minute.
• Turn off fire and add in fish sauce and lime juice.
• Garnish with Coriander Leaves before serving.

Lor Bak - Braised Pork Belly (卤肉)

I recalled my mum used to cook very nice lor bak during special event when I was young.  I could eat extra bowl of rice just with the sauce not the pork!

Serve 4
Ingredients:
1 kg Pork Belly (about 4 strips)
1.5 litre Water
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Five Spice Powder
1 + 5 tbsp Supreme Thick Dark Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 Cinnamon Bark
2 Star Anise
1 Slice Gnger
2 Cloves
6 Garlic Cloves

• Boil a pot of water, add in the pork and boil 5 mintes.  Remove, drain, rinse belly under water to cool down and pat dry.
• Marinate belly with five spice powder and 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and leave it in fridge for 3 hours.
• Heat wok with water and bring to boil.  Add in all the balance sesasoning/ingredients (expect pork) and continue to boil fo 10 minutes.
• Add in pork belly and reduce heat to low and cook for about an hour.  Turning pork belly over every 15 minutes till done.  By then, sauce should be thick.
• Cut braised pork belly and serve with hot rice or porridge.

Egg Tarts (蛋挞)

Even noticed that almost everyone you know eat eggs?  I like eggs but hardly eat egg tarts.  The first egg tart I've eaten many years back was a cold one from the shelf which I don't think it taste nice.  Eversince I learned to bake my own egg tarts, I have changed my perception of egg tarts!

Recipe makes about 30 to 35 tarts

Preparation
100ml water + 125g sugar (boil till sugar dissolved and leave it to cool).  This is the syrup needed to be added later.

Ingredients:
400g Top Flour
20g Milk Powder
20g Custard Powder
(Sieve all 3 together and leave aside)

125g Semi Hard Butter
125g Margarine
100g Icing Sugar (Sieve)
7 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence
1 Fresh Lime (Extract the juice)
200ml Fresh Milk or Carnation Mik (I prefer to use fresh milk)

• Preheat oven to 180 degree.
• Put butter, margarine and icing sugar in mixer bowl and beat it for 5 minutes in normal speed (Speed 1 to 2 for Kenwood Mixer).
• Add in 1 egg and vanilla essence and beat at high speed for 2 minutesand then reduce to slow speed and then add in sieved flour bit by bit into the bowl to mix.  Turn to high speed and beat 1 minute after adding in all the flour.
• Remove dough and rest it for 10 minutes (cover the dough to prevent dryness).
• If your tart mould is nw, grease it with cooking oil  If not, then skip this step.
• After resting the dough, remove and roll it into long roll and divide dough into smaller ball of about 25g each.
• Roll dough in to ball in your palm and press it inside the mould and leave edge a big higher than mould and use a fork to prick lightly on the tart base (do not prick through the dough or elsetart wll stick to the mould when baked).
• Bake tart shells for 8 mnutes (half bake the tart base first) then remove from oven to cool.

 

• Crack 6 eggs in a bowl and mix it with hand mixer lightly and add in the cooled syrup water plus fresh milk.
• Turn oven temperature to 170 degree.
• Sieve egg mixture twice and add in lim juice and mix well lighty.
• Pour egg mixture into cooled tart shell to 90% filled and place it into oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes (depending on your type of oven, best to see egg texture to determine if tart is fully cooked.  Do not over bake).  Got to make sure when placing tarts into oven , do t lightly, do not let eggg mixture flow out from tart or else it wil cause the tart to stick to the mould.

• If your oven is small and got to bake the tarts in few batches, put egg mixture in fridge before using.
• Remove tarts from oven to cool it for 5 minutes and try to remove tart from mould to paper holder (beware mould still hot!).  Serve it warm!

Crispy Roast Pork Belly (脆皮烧肉)

Being a lady tha love food yet scare of fats, roast pork belly is usually a no no food when dining out.  I learned this dish from CC workshop and decided to try it out myself.  Since I'm roasting it myself, of course i can choose belly that's not too fat. 

Ingredients:
1 kg Pork Belly with Skin
1 tsp White Vinegar
2 tsp Baking Powder

Seasoning (mix together in a bowl):
1 tbsp Salt
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tbsp Five Spice Powder

Preparation
Clean and pat dry pork belly with paper towel.
Rb white vinegar all over the pork and skin.
Rub all seasoning evenly on whole pork belly and place belly in fridge with skin on top (do not cover the pork for 6 hours.  (It will look dry which should be the way).

• When ready to bake, preheat oven at 180 degree and prepare baking tray an line foil at bottom.
• Pierce a few satay stick diagonally into pork belly before baking and rub baking powder on skin surface evenly.
• Roast pork belly for 20 minus and remove from oven. 

• Turn oven temperature to 240 degree at this point.
• Prick belly skin when some satay sticks evenly (this action will make sure the skin will be nice and crispy when done roasting).

• Roast till pork looks cripsy and a bit char on skin surface.
• Remove pork from oven and scrap off the char on skin surface with a knife till clean.
• Chop pork and serve!

Thai Sweet Mango Glutinous Rice (芒果糯米饭)

One of my favorite dessert!  Yummy sweet mango with salty coconut fragrant glutinous rice...
This is the best dessert if you are hosting a party or event. 

Ingredients:
250g Glutinous Rice
80g White Sugar
140ml Coconut Cream
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Pandan Leaves (Tie Knots)
1 Fresh Mango (Thai or Taiwan Manao more suitable)
1/2 tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds

Extracting Coconut Cream
Use 1/2 kg White Shredded Coconut add in 130ml warm water and mix well.
Squeeze out 140ml coconut cream for cooking rice and 130ml coconut cream for topping.

Making Topping Cream
Use 130ml coconut cream (extracted from above) and put in a small pot.  Add in 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp corn starch and 1 tbsp sgar to pot and mixed well then boil over low heat till mixture thicken and remove to cool.  (Keep stirring while boiling).

Preparation
Soak glutinous rice for 8 hours.  If you glutinous rce near dumpling festival, it's new rice and just need to soak 3 hours will do.
A clean piece of white cloth ( for steaming rice)

• Cook rice in steamer (wrap with damp white cloth) for about 12 minutes till tender and not too soft (for old rice, steam for 20 minutes).
• While steaming rice, use the time to cook sugar, coconut cream, salt and pandan leave in a pot till boil and leave aside.  (You could add in Blue Colouring to make the rice colour looks nicer).
• Once rice is cooked, transfer rice to a big pot that has a lid and pour in the hot coconut mixture and mix well then cover lid and leave it for 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Scoop a portion of glutinous rice on a plate.  Slice mango into desired sizes and place beside the rice.
• Add some topping cream on top of rice and mango.
• Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and serve!

Yam Rice (芋头饭)

When you are too busy to cook few dishes to go with rice, it's good to cook a one dish meal sometimes.

Serve 4
Ingredients:
2 Cups Rice (Wash and soak 10 minutes)
300g Thai Yam (cut cube)
2 tbsp Dried Shrimps (Soak and chop coarsely)
6 Dred Mushroom (Soak and dice)
5 Garlic (Minced)
10 Shallots (Slice)
1 tsp Chicken Powder
1 tsp Fish Sauce
 1 tsp Oyster Sauce
Dash o Pepper
2 Cups Water

• Heat wok with 2 tbsp of oil and deep fried shallots till brown and remove and set aside.
• Add yam cube in wok and stir fried till light brown.
• Add in mushroom and dried shrimps and stir till fragrant.
• Add in rice and all other seasoning and stir till well mixed.
• Transfer rice to cooker and add in 2 cups of water  and set to cook.

Teochew Braised Duck (卤鸭)

I don't quite like eating the braised duck from outside stalls becase they are not fragrant enough and it's not black enough!  I like to braise duck till very dark colour (you can reduce the dark soy sauce if you prefer lighter colour ok).

Ingredients:
1 Duck
2 Cinnamon Bark
3 Star Anise
6 Slices of Galangal
2 tbsp Castor Sygar
10 Pieces Rock Sugar
1 ts Fish Sauce
3 Litre Water

Marinate:
2 tsp Five Spice Powder
1.5 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
3 tbsp Thick Premium Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp Salt

• Marinate duck for half a day to 1 day.
• Heat wok and add in 2 tbsp sugar to caramelised then add in the duck to coat it well.    Pour in the seasoning used to marinate duck too.
• Pour in water and add in all other ingredients and bring it to boil.
• Lower heat to low-med fire and simmer duck for 90 minutes (cover lid of wok and turn duck over every 15 minutes so that the cooking can be even) till done.
• Chop and serve with rice or yam rice.

Walnut Cookies

People said that walnut is good for brain....wonder how true was that statement.  Anyway i think our brain is so important we should take good care of it!

Recipe makes about 120 pcs of cookies
300g Top flour (sieve)
150g walnut (bake at 160 degree for 10 minutes, cool and blend to coarse powder)
100g walnut (raw do not prebake)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 tsp baking powder
180g icing sugar
120g butter (semi hard)
120g shortening
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
2 egg yolks

For glazing: 1 egg+ 1/8 tsp salt (beat lightly and sieve)

• Put top flour, salt, bicarbonate soda, baking powder and coarse walnut powder in a normal bowl and mix them up well and leave aside.
• Sieve icing sugar into mixer bowl and add in 120g butter and shortening, vanilla powder and 2 egg yolks in.  Beat it for 2 minutes (1st minute slow and then change to fast speed).
• Add in flour mixture bit by bit into the mixer bowl and continue to beat with slow speed till all flour has been added in (do not over mixed).

• Grease few baking t ins with oil preheat oven at 180 degree.
• Roll dough into small equal size balls and put a piece of raw walnut on top and press lightly.  Leave enough gap in-between dough because cookies wll expand when baking.

• Egg wash cokies and bake at 180 degree for 10 minutes and then remove tray to do 2nd round of egg wash then bake till golden and remove from tray to wire rack to cool before storing.

old cucumber soup (老黄瓜汤)

I always felt that it's very warmth to be back home with a bowl of hot steaming soup waiting!  With new technologies nowadays, cooking soup without using gas is so convenient for those who needs to work. You still can have a bowl of nice soup after work easily.

Serve 4

Ingredients:

800g Spare ribs (boil with water in pot for 8 mins, drain, wash and set aside)

1 big old cucumber (cut big pieces)

4 red dates (seedless)

2 honey dates

1 tsp salt

2.5 lites of water

• Add 2.5 litres of water in pot and bring to boil.
• Put in pork ribs, honey dates and old cucumber and boil for an hour with low-med fire.
• Add in red dates and add in some water if your pot evaporates water fast and boil for another hour.
• Add in salt and boil another 10 mins and turn off fire.

Chinese BBQ Pork - Char Siew (叉烧)

This recipe was shared by my good friend Jenny.  This receipe was simple and very little ingredients required to make fragrant char siew.

Ingredients:
500g Pork Shoulder (五花肉)
4 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Hua Tiao Wine

• Marinate pork over night ith all the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 200 degree.
• Line aluminium foil on tray and place a wire rack on top.
• Place pork on wire rack and roast it at 200 degree for 45 minutes.
• Turn meat every 15 minutes and brush surface with remaining marinating sauce and roast till done.

Braised Red Dates Chicken (焖红枣鸡)

I've tasted this delicious dish at a friend's house cooked by her mum and I love it.  I did some variations to the ingredients use and hopefully you will like the taste of this dish as much as I do!

Serve 4
Ingredients:
1 small chicken (clean, chop into medium size pieces) - for health purposes, I've removed all the skin but you can leave it if you like)
12 Dried Black Mushroom (Soak, drain and leave aside)
12 Seedless Red Dates (Cut into Half)
200g Old Ginger (slice)
Big Black Fungus (Soak and cut into strips)
2 tbsp Light Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Dark Soya Sauce
10 tbsp Hua Tiao Wine
1 tsp Chicken Powder
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
800ml Water
Spring Onion to Garnish

• Heat wok with 4 tbsp oil and add in garlic and fry till fragrant. 
• Ad in onion and stir fry till well mix.  Add in mushroon, black fungus and stir well.
• Add in Chicken and keep stirring.
• Add light and dark soya, chicken poweder and stir well.
• Pour in water and add in fish sauce and red dates.  Simmer till water absorded till slightly less than half.
• dd in Hua Tiao Wine and stir well and turn off fire.
• Sprinkle Spring Onion to garnish and serve with rice.

Pineapple Chilli Crab (菠罗辣椒螃蟹)

This is my own creation recipe for chilli crab.  It's something different from the Zi Char Stall.  Try it if you are a crab lover like me :)

Serve 4
Ingredients:
3 Mud Crabs (about 1.2 to 1.5 kgs in total)
1 stalk spring onion
2 Eggs
1 tbsp corn starch + 2 tbsp water (mix well)
1 tbsp Maggie Extra Hot Chilli
1 tbsp Ketchup
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1 Cup Chicken Stock

Chilli Paste (Blend all together):
2 Red Chlli
8 Birds' Eye Chilli
10 Stalks Dried Chilli (Soak in hot water till soft and drain)
5 cm Old Ginger
1 Red Onions
10 Shallots
5 Garlic
Half a small Pineapple
2 Lemongrass

• Clean and kill crabs
• Heat wok with 5 tbsp oil and add in chilli paste and stir fry over low fire till fragrant (keep stirring till oil appears on top of paste).  Keep stirring to prevent burning.
• Add in Chicken Stock and let it boil.
• Add in crab and stir well.  Cover with lid and simmer for 7 minutes.
• Open lid and stir well and then add in fish sauce and corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
• Switch off fire and pour in the eggs.
• Garnish with spring onions and serve.

Usually people eat with deep fried buns but I prefer using normal toast bread to dip the gravy...heavenly!!

Note:
* Adjust hotness based on your own taste.  My recipe are not too spicy.
* You can sprinkle some toasted grinded peanuts onto crab sauce before searving. 

Steam Carrot Cake (萝卜糕)

I like carrot cake more than yam.  Usually carrot sold outside are deep fried...very oil and not healthy.  It's good to make own carrot cake if you have craving for it.

Ingredients:
600g Radish (shred but do not squeeze out the juice - weigh about 500g)
25g Mushroom (Soak and dice)
25g Dried Cuttlefish Floss (soak 5 minutes and drain)
80g Dried Shrimps (soak 20 minutes, drain and dice)
150g Chinese Sausage (dice small)
530g Rice Flour
40g Tapioca Flour
1 tsp Alkaline Water
1500ml Water

Seasoning:
1 tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Sat
1 tbsp Pepper
2 tbsp Chicken Powder
1 tsp Sesame Oil

Garnish:
Some Shalltos and dice spring onions and chilli

• Add rice flour, tapioca flour and 700 ml water in a pot and mix well.  Rest the mixture for 1 hour then sieve it and add in alkaline water.
• Heat wok and add 2 tbsp oil and stir fry shallots till brown and r emoved.  Add in dried shrimps and stir fry till fragrant and then add in mushroom to mix well.  Add in cuttlefish floss and chinese sausages and fry well.
• Pour in shredded radish and mix well and cook till radish becomes soft and then add in 1 tbsp sugar and stir well.
• Add in the balance seasoning and 800ml water and cook till boil and than add 1 tsp sesame oil and cook 1 minute.
• Pour all ingredients into flour mixture in pot and stir well.
• Cook mixture with low fire till mixture becomes slightly thicken (keep stirring during the process).  Pour the thicken mixture into a 10 inch greased tin and steam it for 45 minutes wth high fire.
• Cut and sprinkle dice spring onion, chilli and fried shallots on top.  Dash of sesame seeds if you like.

Almond Cookies (杏仁饼)

It's always nice to bake some home-baked cookies whenever you have free time.  This recipe I'm sharing with you are easy to bake but DO NOT replace any of the ingredients especially the shortening.

(Recipe makes about 120 pieces of cookies.)
Ingredients:
300g Ground Almond
300g Plain Flour (Sieve)
100g Icing Sugar (Sieve)
1/2 tsp Salt
150g Shortening
Cookie Mould

• Preheat oven at 150 degree for 15 minutes.
• Spread ground almond on baking tray and bake for 25 minutes (mix eveyr 5 to 10 minutes to prevent over burning).  Leave to cool completely.
• Turn oven temperature to 180 degree.
• Put plain flour, icingsugar, cooled almond powder into mixer bowl and mix well with hand.
• Add in shortening and mix softly with hand using rubbing in method (do not press, just rub gently).  Grab a handful and press it to see if it holds (If don't, slowing add in 1 tbsp water to mix and try again.  Repeat method till mixture can hold).
• Grease 3 baking tin and dust some flour on the surface of the tin.
• Fill cookie mould with almond poweder mixture and press it till it's even on the surface and tight.  Knock out the biscuit and place it onto the tray.  (Don't need to leave big gap because cookies won't expand).
• Once the whole tray is filled with cookies, bae it for 15 to 20 minutes till light golden colour and remove it to cool.

This cookies melts in the mouth so it's very soft and fragile.  Handle it lightly when storing in air-tight jar.

Silver Fish Pumpkin Congee (银鱼南瓜粥)

Sometimes over eating for days...it's good to eat nourishing and easily digestable congee.

Serve 2
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice
1.5 litre water
Few dried scallops (soak 15 minutes till soft)
Handful of dried silver fish (soak 10 minutes before use)
200g Australian Pumpkim (Dice small)

• Place everything in electric pot to cook till done.
• Add a pinch of salt if you like stroner taste.

Baked Potato Cake (土豆蛋糕)

This baked potato cake smells wonderful and it's very tasty.  Not difficult to do and it's unusal from normal cake.  Only important point to note is that need to make sure you test different areas of the cake to make sure it's fully baked before removing from oven.

(Receipt makes a 7 inches square tin cake)
Ingredients:
1 kg USA Potato (Peel, slice thick and steam 40 minutes.  Mash it while hot and leave aside)
250g Sugar
150g Wheat Flour (Deng Flour)
150g Soft Butter (Thaw in room temperature)
5 Egg Yolks (lightly beaten and add 1 tsp vanilla essence in it)
3 Egg Whites
* 1 Egg for brushing (lightly beat and sieve it)

• Preheat oven at 180 degree
• Beat sugar and butter together for 5 minutes with maximum speed.
• Add in egg whites slowly while still mixing and continue to beat 3 more minutes.
• Thereafter slowly add in egg yolk and continue to beat till well mixed.

• Add in mashed potatoes and mix well.
• Turn mixer to slow speed and then add in wheat flour slowly to mix well (don't beat too long for this process).
• Grease and line 7" suqare tin.
• Pour mixture to tin and bake for 10 minutes then remove and apply egg wash.  Continue egg wash process while baking every 10 minutes.   Bake for 30 minutes.

• Bake for another 15 minutes (or till cooked) after 3rd egg wash.  If skin is turning very golden before cake is fully cooked, cover the cake tin with aluminium foil and continue to bake till cooked.  (Prick with toothpick on different areas of cake to make sure it's fully cooked.)
• Transfer cake to wire rck to cool after baked.  Cut only after cool down completed.

Sambal Sweet Potato Leaves (辣椒蕃薯叶)

This is a dish that don't cost a cent during the kampong days.  It's a simple yet very tasty veggie dish that I love eating.

Serve 2
Ingredients:

Sambal Paste (Grind all together)
2 Red Chilli
2 Birds' Eye Chilli
4 Dried Chilli (Soak in hot water first and drain)
1 cm Belacna (Dried Shrimp Paste)
4 Shallots
10g Dried Shrimps

1 Bunder of Sweet Potato Leaves
3 tbsp Water
1 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tsp Fish Sauce

• Heat wok with 2 tbsp oil and stir fry sambal paste with low-medium heat till fragrant.
• Add in minced garlic stir and add in sweet potato leaves to mix well.
• Add in water and fish sauce, quick stir and dish out.

Can't go without steamy hot rice.....

Black Vinegar Pork Trotter (猪脚醋)

Black vinegar pork trotter is a dish that either you love it or you hate it!!  I love it so decided to share the recipe with those that love it and wanted to try cooking it yoursef :)

Very simple steps and just few ingredients, you'll be able to tase a nice bowl of sourish fragrant black vinegar trotter! 



 

Serve 4

Ingredients:

1 bottle of Black Rice Vinegar (Chan Kong Thye Brand 双料 if you are Singaporean)

1 Pig Front Trotter (less fat)

300g Old Ginger

200g Young Ginger

2 slices of Sugar Cane Sugar (冰片糖) - can get from any medical hall)

10 Garlic Cloves

10 Stalks of Dried Red Chilli (Soak in water)

2 bottle of water (using the vinegar bottle to measure)

* Optional to add few hard boil eggs if you like.

• Boil trotters in water for 10 minutes.   Remove, drain and rinse clean
• Pour 1 bottle of black vinegar, add 2 bottles of water (using the vinegar bottle to measure) in a big pot.  Add in ginger, garlics, dried red chilli, sugar cane sugar into pot and bring to boil for 30 minutes.
• Add in trotters and continue to cool for another 1 hour.
• Taste and add salt based on your own preferrence
• Add in hard boiled eggs and continue to cool for an other hour will do.

 



 

 

 



Pig Stomach with Ginko Nuts Nourishing Soup (白果猪肚汤)

I used to love his soup when my mum cooks it during some special occassion but she cook the hokkien style with just pork ribs, stomach, garlic and pepper).  I've decided to cook it with Ginko nuts instead...

Serve 4
Ingredients:
1 Cleaned Pig Stomach (can get from supermarket easily nowadays if you don't know how to cleanse it on your own)
1 Pig Tail Bone (Chopped) or 600g Pork Rib
1 small can of Button Mushroom
1 Vacuum Pack Ginko Nuts (can get from supermarket or wet market)
3 slices of Young Ginger
2 tbsp of Pepper seeds
1 pack of Golden Needle Mushroom (金针菇)
3 Litre of Water
1 tsp Salt
1 Sugared Dates

• Put pig tail bone or pork ribs in pot add water and bring it to boil for 10 minutes. Remove and drain, clean and leave aside.
• Put pig stomach in pot, add water and 1 tsp salt and bring to boil for 15 minutes.  Remove and drain, clean and cut into strips.
• Put pork ribs and stomach in pot and add in 3 litre of water and boil it with high heat.
• Add in ginger, pepper, sugared dates and button mushrooms and continue to boil for 15 minutes.  Reduce to low-medium heat and boil for another 2 hrs.  (Add in extra water if your pot evaporates water fast).
• Lastly, add in golden needle mushroom and salt and boil for another 5 minutes till done.

This soup is nourishing so hope you like it!

Bai Tang Gao (Steam Chinese Rice Cake) 白糖糕

My all-times favourite Kueh kueh since young will be Bai Tang Gao.  I came across this recipe in a magazine and decided to try it.  Walah...it's a success!!

Ingredients:
140g Rice Flour
110g White Fine Sugar
300ml Water
2 Pandan Leaves (Tie Knot)
1/2 tsp Instant Yeast
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Oil

• Add 150ml water to rice flour and stir mix well.
• Put sugar with balance 150ml water in pot and put in pandan leaves and bring it to boil and leave aside.
• Remove pandan leaves and pour syrup into rice flour mixture and mix well.  Sieve and leave it aside to cool.
• Dissolve instant yeast with 1 tbsp warm water and add nto rice flour mixture and stir well.
• Leave mixture aside for 2 hours for yeast to take effect.

• Grease a tin and heat wok/steamer with water till boil and place the empty tin in wok/steamer.
• Once Tin is heated, pour the mixture into the tinand cover lid and steam it for 20 minutes till done.

• Remove to cool and slice.

You can use brown sugar instead of white sugar if you want to have a brow sugar steam cake instead ok :)

Healthy Wholemeal Bun (全麦面包)

Frankly speaking I don't like any food that's make from wholemeal/oat/cereal.  To me, they are not tasty, rough and tough to eat.  However my perception was totally changed after learning to bake this wholemeal bun. 

 

 



(Recipe makes about 20 buns depending on sizes you make)
Ingredients:
100g Soft Butter
60g Sugar
2 tbsp Condensed Milk
1 tsp Salt
1 Egg
15g Instant Yeast
150g Water
70ml Fresh Milk
50g Quaker Oats
350g Bread Flour
200g Wholemeal Flour

• Put butter, sugar, condensed milk, fresh milk, salt, egg, yeast, water and oat in mixer bowl and use dough hook to mix it at medium speed for 5 minutes.

• Add in bread flour and wholemeal flour and slow beat into a smooth and elastic dough.  (Optional to add raisins, nuts or sunflower seeds if desire).  Cover dough and let it rest for 30 minutes till it double in size.

• Divide dough into desire sizes (I make about 50g for empty buns and 70g for those that I want to wrap with hotdogs).  After rolling dough into desired size and shape, place it on greased baking tray for 2nd proofing to let it double in size again.  (DO NOT touch or move the dough during or after 2nd proofing).  Make sure you leave enough space inbetween the dough.  Preheat oven after 30 minutes of 2nd proofing at 200 degree.  2nd Proofing should not exceed 1 hour or dough will turn a bit sourish.
• After 2nd proofing, the small doughs should look nice and round...Time to bake!!

• Bake it at center rack for 10 minutes or till golden brown.
• Cool Buns on wire rack before storing.

Eat it while it's warm...ooo yummy!!  Buns are best to be eaten within 3 days.  Have fun trying!

 

Clear Tom Yum Lemongrass Soup (泰国酸辣汤)

This simple yet tasty clear tom yum soup is what I've learned from a cooking school in Thailand.  Try it....it's easy :) !

Serves 2

600 ml chicken stock (or water)

12 medium large prawns (removed shell leave tail and deveined)

2 cloves of garlic (flatten by knife)

2 Shallots (sliced)

5 slices of galangals

3 Kaffir lime leaves (tear leaves discard stem)

3 stalks lemongrass (cut off bottom slice into 1 inch pcs flatten it using knife)

6 straw mushrooms (cut half)

1 tomato (cut into 8)

10 birds'eye chillies (crushed) 

2 Coriander leaves (chopped coarsely)

3 tbsp green lime juice

2-3 tbsp thai premium fish sauce

- Bring stock to boil in saucepan over high heat.

- Add garlic, shallots, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass into stock and boil for few minutes till soup becomes fragrant.

- Add in prawns and mushroom and cook 1 min.

- Add in tomato and birds' eye chillies and cook for 3 mins.

- Add in fish sauce to taste, turn off fire and pour in lime juice stir and check taste.

- Serve in bowl and garnished with coriander leaves.

** If u like it more spicy, add more birds' eye chillies to the soup.