Tamarind (Asam) Prawns with Squid and Petai Beans

Yesterday, my mum wanted to have lunch cooked by me and she pointed excitedly at the recipe of Tamarind Prawns found in this Malay cookbook. It particularly intrigued me as I have never cooked Malay cuisine before and judging from the recipe it was fairly simple.

Now one thing to note that Malay dishes are commonly believed to be fattening (maybe it is so), but I believe that has mainly to do with the coconut milk frequently added in a number of their curry and spice dishes. The Tamarind Prawns dish is by far what I believe to be almost all natural ingredients using natural herbs and spices. A very interesting concoction to whip up.

Left - Herbs and Spices ; Right - Mr. Squid 

I went to the market and of course, couldn't resist adding more ingredients and shaping the recipe to my taste. I bought a squid and Petai beans as part of my now unique creation. (Of course some of you may have cooked this way before, but its always good to experiment without reference from anything. Intuition I always say=)

Left - Petai Beans ; Right - Prawns

After cooking the dish, I very much enjoyed the sourness of the tamarind, plus the fresh seafood taste of the prawns and squid all mixed together in one fine gravy. The addition of the petai beans added that unique taste (though not all may like it because it resembles...er...ah hum...flatulence) Serve it hot with steamed white rice, and I believe a satisfying, quick and easy lunch is made =) Yummy.

Interested in serving this to your guests and family?

Recipe : Tamarind Prawns with Squid and Petai Beans

Ingredients

• 300grams prawns. (Shelled or whole, up to you. But keep the heads please if you shell them)
• 20grams ginger
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 stalk of lemon grass (serai)
• 2 pieces bird's eye chilli (chilli padi)
• 3 tablespoons of tamarind paste
• 1 medium sized red onion
• 1 squid, cleaned and sliced. 
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• salt to taste
• water 
• Tumeric (Kunyit) Powder (optional)

1. If you shelled the prawns, keep the heads and with 1 cup of water, place them in a frying pan to make the stock. Remove prawn heads and keep the liquid left.
2. Mix half cup water with the tamarind paste to create the tamarind juice. Note you might want to use your fingers to press out the juice from the flesh. Once done, remove the tamarind seeds and keep the flesh and juice.
3. Slice ginger, garlic, lemon grass, chilli and red onion. Add to a blender and top it with 1 tablespoon of water. Blend till fine to form a spice paste.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in pan. Stir fry the spice paste till fragrant. Be careful not to burn the paste. Add in the tamarind juice and flesh. Stir fry for 1 minute.
5. If you have the prawn stock, add it now, otherwise Add in 1/2 cup of water. Let the tamarind gravy simmer a little.
6. Add in the tumeric powder. 
7. Now add in the petai beans and squid. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add in the sugar.
8. Once you are certain you are happy with the consistency of the gravy and the saltiness, stir in the prawns. Cover and leave to simmer for 1 minute. Top the gravy with more water if needed or simmer for a less watery gravy.
9. Serve hot with steamed white rice. Enjoy.

Voila you have now created Tamarind Prawns with Squid and Petai Beans!

Steamed Coconut with Milk and Egg White

I chanced upon this interesting dessert at the Crystal Jade Restaurant. It had to be good otherwise my family and I wouldn't have gone back to eat it twice. The dessert is perhaps a remarkable idea by the chef and all credit goes to him or her, but I simply had to recreate the dish at home.

I have to admit that it didn't turn out restaurant style but I have got most of the recipe for this dessert down to pat. The texture of this dish served hot is very smooth, almost fine. Couple that together with the sweetness of the coconut and the softness of the egg white, mmmmm...I am sure you can imagine that savoury taste.

Click the link below for the recipe!

Its very easy to prepare and serve your guests and definitely a step away from the traditional fruits and jelly.

Steamed Coconut served with Milk and Egg Whites

• 1 coconut
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

1. Prepare steamer. Make sure your coconut can fit into the steamer.
2. Drain the coconut juice into a bowl. Keep the whole husk.
3. In the bowl, add in the egg white, milk and sugar. With a whisk or fork, beat the mix until everything is like..well mixed.
4. Pour back the mix into the coconut husk and steam for 45 minutes. Serve hot!

Have fun cooking!

I seem to always have that craving for Burger King! Especially that Mushroom Swiss Double. So exceptionally delicious. That beefy patty topped with the oh my goodness mushrooms and melted cheese. One of the best comfort foods in the world.

Well I tried (I say again..I tried) to duplicate that fabulous topping but with what ingredients I had. Let's say..I looked in to the refrigerator and I found Garlic Sprouts (to scare vampires away?), 1 packet of Fresh Shitake Mushrooms, oh yeah and lots of cheese (the cheap processed kind sold in slices, not something like Fetta, Cottage, Mozerralla which are like $$$ to a student)

Its a good effort and I particularly enjoyed the soft mushrooms and the salty taste of that melted goodness. Though one thing for sure, I didn't really enjoy the garlic sprouts (I became scared that I would scare vampires away I just didn't enjoy it)

Wanna try this recipe out?

Shitake Mushrooms, Garlic Sprouts with Melted Cheese

• 1 pack Fresh Mushrooms ( or 10-12 pieces)
• 2 stalks of garlic sprout
• 2 slices of processed cheese
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Oil or Butter
• 2 tablespoons of water

1. Slices the mushrooms and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over them.
2. Cut the garlic sprout into smaller pieces. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil or butter (preferably) in the pan.
3. Stir fry the garlic sprout. Once garlic sprouts are slightly soft, add in the mushrooms and oyster sauce. Stir fry till slightly dry, add in about 2 tablespoons of water. Give or take 2 minutes for mushrooms to be cooked and become soft.
4. Once mushrooms are nice and soft, add in the slices of cheese in the pan. Turn heat to small. Slowly use your ladle and mix the cheese and mushrooms together. The cheese should melt on its own. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve =)

You could be like me and serve that fabulous experiment dish with fresh Cod, tomatoes and some corn. Yummy. Burp. I think I can open my own Burger outlet =)

P.S Before I go, I have to say this, last night I chanced upon a trade secret, a very old recipe, by using a certain something to coat my fish and deep frying it. LOL, obviously it may not be a trade secret but it certainly is an old way of doing it, but not many are doing so these days...Till then=)

Sauteed Rice Fusion topped with Fragrant Slices of Chinese Pork Sausages

It's been a very long time since I made my last Fried Rice. I think it has been almost 3 months and I don't know why I suddenly had the craving for it. When it comes to Fried Rice, I always look for the "pang" (fragrance) that exudes from the good mix of ingredients and the rice. Truth to be told, I love mine with that little bit of butter for that buttery smell. Butter and rice just goes very well together (think Pepper Lunch =)

My version of the Traditional Fried Rice (i.e Yang Chow Fried Rice, Salted Fish Fried Rice, etc. etc. etc.) is a mix of a slightly westernised minced meat sauteed together with Garlic Butter Rice. It's an experiment and a creation so you might want to try it out (Read the entire post for recipe)

The dish itself gives off a slight buttery aroma the rice tasted quite good with combination of minced meat and chinese pork sausages. I would even say a perfect blend of flavours - a very heartwarming and satisfying dish to make.

If you whip up this dish, perhaps you would like to try adding some light vegetables by the side to ease the oil (*shudder shudder*) content of the Fried Rice itself. I am ok with it but perhaps some health foodie would love to see more vegetables in the dish itself. An additional tidbit for myself (see the yellow twistie looking snacks coated with green flakes - sound disgusting but is actually quite delicious) I threw in (*think literally) some Nori Hineri Norisuke (Wasabi Wheat Cracker) for a little spice..and to burn my tongue =). Bought it in Jason's Marketplace at Raffles Shopping Centre.

Editor's note : I have no idea why this post has so many (brackets) in between the sentences. Forgive me but I have to elaborate. =)

Sauteed Rice Fusion

Sauteed Rice Fusion

For the Savoury Mince

1. 250g Minced Meat (pork, chicken or beef)
2. 1 medium red onion, sliced
3. salt
4. 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
5. ground white pepper
6. 1 tablespoon butter

1	Melt butter in pan. Stir fry onions till golden brown.
2	Add in the minced meat and use the spatula to break the meat into tiny pieces while cooking.
3	Add the light soy sauce, 2 dash ground white pepper and salt to taste.
4	Pour in 1/4 cup of water and leave to simmer. Set aside.

 

For the Fried Rice

1. Savoury Mince (see above)
2. Approximately 5 servings of cooked white long grain rice. (estimate from 3 cups of uncooked white rice)
3. 5 cloves of garlic, minced
4. 1 chinese pork sausage, sliced
5. 4 garlic sprouts, chopped
6. 1 omelette, sliced
7. 2 sprigs of spring onion, chopped
8. 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
9. ground white pepper
10. 2 tablespoons butter
11. salt
12. 1 tablespoon oil

1	Heat oil in pan. Stir fry the garlic and chinese pork sausages till slightly brown.
2	Add in the cooked white rice and quickly mix the garlic, sausages and rice together. Add in savoury mince and sautee the rice.
3	After about a minute, add in the garlic sprouts, omelette, butter, a few dashes of ground white pepper and the light soy sauce. Mix well. Be careful to not let the bottom get burnt.
4	Add salt to taste and stir in the garlic sprouts and spring onions. Serve.

 

Chef's note : It will be good if you had a wok to cook this dish in so you can properly toss the rice in the air to separate the rice while cooking, creating a more satisfying dish. Grainy rice will be preferred (not the ones that stick to each other like Japanese short grain Sushi rice)

The Pomelo

Today's exotic fruit presents us with the Thai Pomelo. Native to Southeast Asia, it is also known as the Chinese grapefruit. I usually love pomelo when they are nice and sweet but the one for tonight's dinner was ugh...soury sweet.

Still, pomelo's are great when Lunar New Year comes about as there are an abundance of them. It's great when tossed with Yu Sheng (Raw Fish Salad) - giving that wonderful fruity taste.

Sweet sour juicy flesh of the pomelo(I sound like a vampire...) 

It is hard to argue that the pomelo is not a fruit to be adored. My mum usually leaves the peeled skin of the pomelo out to dry in the sun and create a natural "air freshener". Quite ingenious for the man / woman who discovered this method.

If you ever come across the pomelo and have yet to try it, take the first step. And perhaps you can eat the fruit pip by pip. I think that will take forever =)    

Ye Old Country Beef Stew served in Royal Albert's Old Country Rose Platter

In my culinary books, Ye Old Country Beef Stew is my favourite. The recipe was once called Island Beef Stew, but I improved on it by adding certain more spices and herbs, and cheese and butter for that added fragrance and taste. Yum!

Whipping up beef stew is actually very simple. And the best thing about stews is that different tastes from the ingredients fuse together to form a fantastic dish that warms the soul. Hmmm I wonder if stew would be considered soul food? I know Hot Chocolate is one.

When choosing beef for stews, its best if you get those sold specifically for stews. Or else you could always get the Shin area and if there are pieces with a little fat on it, it will be perfect. The fat will literally melt in your mouth when stewed. Mmmmmm=)

Look at that beef! =)=)=)

A simple beef stew recipe is all you need to entertain and delight your guests and family. One lovable dish with lots of love in it, that is the most important ingredient of all.

Ye Old Country Beef Stew

• 800grams of beef stew cubes or the shin area, sliced to bite size pieces
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 4 pieces shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 300g can tomato puree
• 1 300g can of button mushrooms, drained of liquid or 10 pieces large white button mushrooms, sliced
• 4 Granola Potatoes, cubed or quatered
• 4 pieces of Star Anise
• 2 Cinnamon Quills
• 2 teaspoon whole white pepper or 4 dashes of ground white pepper
• 5 tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Medium red onion, sliced
• 2 pieces dried bay leaves or 3 pieces fresh bay leaves
• 2 slices processed cheese or 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• salt
• cooking oil  
• water
• 2 tablespoons dark sweet sauce (kecap manis)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Ok the hard part of preparing the ingredients is over, the rest is very simple.

1. Pour the tomato puree over the beef and leave aside for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large stew pot, heat about 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Stir fry the sliced onions until fragrant or slightly browned.
3. Place in the beef and tomato puree into the pot and fry for another 5 minutes.
4. Add in the carrots, both types of mushrooms, cinnamon quills, pepper, tomatoes, bay leaves and star anise. Leave to simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Add in 1 litre of water and cover the pot.
6. Once half the water content has evaporated, add in the cheese and butter. Stir to melt the cheese and butter into the mix. Thereafter, add in the potatoes.
7. Finally, add in the dark sweet sauce and light soy sauce. Leave to simmer for another 20 minutes. Add salt to taste.
8. Serve hot with bread or rice!

Chef's note :

• If you find the gravy too watery, try adding a little cornstarch water to thicken it up.
• If you like more meat in the stew, I would recommend adding back bacon bone. About 400grams will do. This will add even more to the flavour of the stew and if you do add in the back bones, don't add any more salt and reduce the light soy sauce to 1 tablespoon.
• The best thing about stews is you can always add more ingredient or substitute other ingredients to create your own special recipe. Try to experiment a bit and good luck =)

=====The Content Below Is Yet To Be Rated. Viewer Discretionary is Advised====

Act 1 Scene 1

A moldy stage centers the scene with the director's chair empty and J2K3 standing on the stage. No one was present.

Sound effects : Howling wind created by a fan on full blast.

Props required : A bag of leaves ready for J2K3 to throw in the air and imagine is Autumn in a later scene. 

J2K3 : The time was about 12 noon. I woke up - devoid of food and the pangs of lunch growled menacingly at me. No exam papers, no need to go to school, nobody at home - all out, I was all alone....

Highly Professional Director and Producer [also J2K3 =) ] : CUT! You need to put more life in your acting. No no no no no, more passion, more action, more richness... 

J2K3 : I can't do it! Aaargh. I really have not eaten lunch yet! I am going to cook something..." *grumble grumble*

Storms off to some kitchen in another movie set

Director : Wait! I'm hungry too.

To be continued...

===========================================

Steamed Chicken Tenders

J2K3 ruffles through, I mean searches the refrigerator only to find 1 chopped chicken, 5 shitake mushrooms, 1 piece of ginger with a label "25g" on it, 1 bottle of sesame oil, and salt encrusted dangerously on a platter.

J2K3 : What am I going to cook with this? Hmmmmm...

Rubs belly and head and suddenly a spark of inspiration fluttered into the kitchen. Note: The spark is made up from a bag containing fireflies. 

=========================Scene Ends=====================

My Steamed Chicken Tenders is what you can consider a deviation from the popular mushroom steamed chicken usually served in Hong Kong Dim Sum outlets. Decidedly, I thought about what to add and in actual fact, there were not much ingredients to the dish. Well, that's what I thought about so the real recipe of those in Dim Sum stores might be different.

Anyway, anything that is steamed is a healthier alternative to cooking the standard way like deep frying or even frying (Of course there are other ways like broiling, boiling, grilling, tossed, etc. etc. etc.). So when chicken is steamed, what you get is  succulent and tender meat, unlike those at popular fast food chains which tend to be a bit dry and tough.

If you like to whip this simple yet healthy dish up for lunch or dinner, it wont take you more than 45 minutes in total. =) Quick and easy!

Steamed Chicken Tender

• 1 medium sized chicken, chopped
• 5 Shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 25g ginger, finely sliced
• 1 chilli padi, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt

1. Mix all the ingredients together. Steam for 40 minutes.
2. Serve hot with rice.

 

My creation and adaptation of the Hainanese Steamed Pomfret - Twin Crescents

I have always been intrigued with the concept of steaming my food. If you realised, my previous dish "Golden Treasures" was also created by steaming. I have reckoned that by steaming the food, you retain the natural goodness of the ingredients itself and with garnish as light as possible, you are able to add a hint of delicate flavour.

Today's dinner saw me thinking up a new recipe of steamed pomfrets. Mum told me that my maternal grandfather (ah kong) had always cooked steamed pomfrets with lots of ginger, pickled mustard leaves and a sprinkle of wolfberries. I remember vaguely (when I was very small) that that dish was somewhat unique. Perhaps it was because my grandfather cooked it in some special way - I don't know. (Heard that he placed some sort of ceramic spoon under the fish...hmmm must try that one day. I wonder why?)

 Twin Crescents Garnished with Pickled Daikon and Spring Onions

My version however is an adaptation of how my grandfather used to cook the pomfrets. I substituted the mustard leaves for sweet pickled Japanese radish (Daikon) and added more wolfberries. Oh yeah, I also added a piece of chilli.

What turned out after 35 minutes of steaming was a pair of delicate pomfrets with a sweet-spicy (due to the ginger) soup base. Each bite of pomfret flesh had a touch of ginger aroma. To any extent, it was a very light and satisfying dish.

I paired the pomfrets for dinner with some porridge. Nothing much and nothing out of the ordinary - just simple white porridge and a little garnish of chopped Pickled Daikon and spring onions.

 

Look at 'zis' (heavy French accent) - its a zimple porridge.

Nothing beats having a simple porridge for dinner. Like the old cliched saying goes : A sumptuous breakfast, A filling lunch, A light dinner.

A good breakaway from any daily fare of rich food. I am so excited to share with you this recipe for your way to good health!

 Twin Crescents

• 1 piece 30 gram old ginger, sliced.
• 3 teaspoons of wolfberries
• 1 chilli
• 2 pomfrets, cleaned (small)
• salt
• 2 slices Pickled Daikon (Japanese Radish)

1. Wash the pomfrets with salt on both the inside and outside. Meanwhile, prepare steamer and ensure water is boiling.
2. Rub a pinch of salt in the stomach area of each pomfret. Sprinkle another pinch of salt over the fish.
3. Place a teaspoon of wolfberries inside the stomach area of each pomfret, followed by a few slices of ginger.
4. Scatter the remaining slices of ginger and wolfberries over the fish.
5. Steam fish for 35 minutes over high heat.
6. Garnish. Serve hot with rice or porridge. Enjoy!

The Carambola Fruit - Commonly known as the Starfruit.

The starfruit is one of the most common fruits sold in Singapore. Grown ubiquitously throughout Asia, it is commonly enjoyed on its own, or with a little salt. And when its yellow, its very sweet and drippingly juicy.

In its green state, there is the refreshing sour taste which is very energetic. Relish the goodness.

 

Previously in my post on Bougainvilleas , I mentioned about showing all of you my latest creation. Its a recipe that revolves around steamed bananas, and when I was experimenting with it - I must say I was very impressed with the amount of sugar water that came out.

Golden Treasures is my latest creation of an all-natural health dessert. Absolute nothing else but fruits were used in the creation. Heres the recipe to amaze your friends :

Golden Treasures

• 2 Pisang Mas (Small Bananas. Choose the ones that are smaller and sweet, there are the slightly larger versions but they wont be as sugary)
• 1 teaspoon of dried wolfberries
• 1 teaspoon of dried red dates
• 1 teaspoon of raisins

1. Heat up steamer - ensure that the water is boiling.
2. Place bananas in a bowl and scatter the dried fruits and raisins on top.
3. Steam for 20 minutes.
4. Serve Hot

That's it. It's simple isn't it? =) Enjoy this steamed bananas recipe.

Tonight's dinner consists of dishes very common in my family. My own creation of Pork Meatballs. I chanced upon this inspiration with my own liking for both meatballs and tofu - and what do you get when you mix two of the loveliest ingredients together? Tofu Crumble Meatballs.

 

This is my own speciality with the filling being nice and juicy, while the skin remains nice and firm. Interested in whipping this dish up for your family and friends as an appetizing party snack or a main dish? Here's the recipe :

 

Tofu Crumble Meatballs

 

- 250grams Minced Meat (Pork)

- 1 piece 150grams Egg Tofu

- 1 egg

- 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce

- Ground White Pepper

- 5 tablespoons fresh milk

- 1 teaspoon of white sesame oil

- 1 sprig Spring Onions, sliced finely

- Salt

- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch

- Cooking Oil

 

1. Place the Minced Meat in a bowl, rub with the pinch of salt and rinse the salt off with water. Dispose of water thereafter.

2. Mash the egg tofu into crumbly pieces using a fork and put it in with the Minced Meat.

3. Add in the egg, light soy sauce, 2 dash Ground White Pepper, the milk, sesame oil and the spring onions.

4. Mix thoroughly with a fork. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt for taste.

5. Meanwhile, heat pan and drizzle with cooking oil - quantity enough for frying (approximately 4 tablespoons)

6. After mixing, add in the 2 tablespoons of Cornstarch and mix again.

7. Form meatball shapes using 1 tablespoon of filling each.

8. Fry the meatballs in oil - adding oil if there isn't enough.

9. Cook each side for approximately 3-4 minutes - browning the meatballs. While cooking, cover pan with lid.

10. Serve hot!

 

Chef's note : I added milk in this meatball recipe to create a nice soft texture on the inside of the meatballs. This came about after experimenting with various liquids and milk tended to soften the meat. Otherwise, the meatballs will turn out dry and rough. If you like a very smooth filling, add about another 2 tablespoons of milk. However, don't add too much milk as it will make the mix watery and difficult to handle.

 

Sembawang MRT Station Ananas Cafe Sambal Sotong

 

Apart from my serving of meatballs, mum came home with Sambal Sotong from Ananas, Cafe located at the Sembawang MRT Station. I don't know how often they serve it but if they do, you should try it once in a while.

 

I found the sotong (cured squid) crunchy and sweet and the rempah (mixed spiced paste) was hearty and tasty, though I must add that it is a bit too salty for my own liking. If you don't mind the added saltiness, the dish itself is very good, so head down if you feel like it - it goes very well with plain rice.

 

Price : $3.00

Rating : 3/5

Dish Name : Sambal Sotong (the stall varies the dishes as it is a Nasi Padang stall, so this dish is only available at times)

Venue : Ananas Cafe (Located at Sembawang MRT Station)

 

Simple Stir-fry Beijing Cabbage

 

I love my vegetables, and I insist on them at almost every meal. Decidedly since I already had two meat dishes on the menu, I checked what I had in the fridge and found the nice head of Beijing Cabbage. Using only half of it, it was quickly chopped and with two clove garlic (smashed and chopped), the dish was created with a stir fry of the garlic, vegetables, oyster sauce and a dash of pepper.

 

Now its your turn to try!

Till then =)

Oyster Glazed Chicken with err... the idea of spring onions.

We had the 1st Blind Date Dinner Party tonight and it was Miss Oyster Glazed Chicken and Mr. Rice meeting each other for the 1st time. (and of course we had to dress them up...alot)

From what was left in the fridge, this is the simple everyday homecooked dinner of what moms will cook for their children. (I am sure you have in a way come across this meal, but just in different presentations). However, in today's scenario, I cooked for my mum.

As you can see, presentation for food is the most important thing any dish can have. The plate, the garnishing and even the choice of colour is important. For my case, I only found tomatoes (red) and spring onions (green) in the fridge. So yeah, I happen to like spring onions a little too much =)

The Lovebirds

Miss. Oyster Glazed Chicken's dress. She got the leaf design from the latest Summer Collection! Doesn't she look pretty? (Though I still think she wore too much green)	Oooo...even Mr. Rice put on some 'Red Gel' which he didn't comb in properly =)

Of course, while dressing is important for any dish, the taste must be acceptable as well.

So, if you want to surprise your loved ones with this all too familiar dish but garnished with love and a little touch of fashion, follow this recipe. (I leave the dressing up to you =)

Oyster Glazed Chicken

- 4 Chicken parts ( 2 thighs, 2 wings or the equivalent )

- 1 Can of Button Mushrooms, drained of the liquid.

- 25g Ginger, sliced - or lesser if you don't want it to be so spicy

- 3 clove garlic, chopped

- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce

- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

- White Ground Pepper

- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

- Water, lots of it (ok about 2 cups)

- 2 tablespoons oil

1. Marinate the chicken parts with the chopped garlic, oyster sauce and a few dashes of pepper. At the same time, heat oil in pan.

2. Once oil is hot, fry the ginger till fragrant. (Please don't let it burn)

3. Place the marinated chicken parts into the oil and pan fry both sides until slightly cooked.

4. Add in the 2 cups of water into the pan. Followed by the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, button mushrooms and another dash of pepper.

5. Allow to simmer for about 15minutes. Place the lid on the pan.

6. Check if chicken is cooked, if it is not, cook for another 5 minutes.

7. Ladle into a nice plate and garnish. Serve.

Tip : You can play with the seasonings to alter the dish to suit your taste. If you'd like a little more fragrance, perhaps a tablespoon of black sesame oil can be added as well =)

Oyster Glazed Chicken all ready to eat.

Hopefully, you will have as much fun cooking this dish like the enjoyment Miss Oyster Glazed Chicken and Mr. Rice had together. Oh, just remember not to overdress with the spring onions.

Enjoy!

Golden Crispiness of the Silver Fish Deep Fried Pancakes .... mmmm!

Afternoon snacks for me ( not often though ) would not be chips or bread but actually real dishes created from scratch. Haha, in my family, we tend to experiment a lot, especially with food. So what you see here is my dad's version of Silver Fish Deep Fried Pancakes (I don't know if they sell them outside) but this recipe has been in my family for years.

Created with just a simple batter of Self Raising Flour and water plus salt plus fish plus spring onions plus egg (long isn't it...=), they are mixed together and then deep-fried to perfection.

 

The quantities of ingredients are not stated as this is a secret recipe...=)

My version however would be a fusion of dad's recipe with that of the traditional tempura batter. I have yet to cook up my version but from what I can say, its crispier on the outside yet soft and smooth on the inside. Almost like my very own Keropok (Malay for snack)

Be creative, try to create something like this yourself and entertain your family and friends with it =)

  Lunch of white porridge, chawanmushi and pickled vegetables.

Today's lunch was relatively simple consisting of white porridge with silver fish, chawanmushi - Japanese for steamed egg and my grandma's traditional pickled cabbages.

This was actually my first time whipping up Chawanmushi even though I did have different variations of steamed egg in the past. Except this time round, the egg was found to be much smoother and delectable to the palate.

The Chawanmushi - mmmmm!

I must admit, its no sheer luck that I was able to conjure up this recipe automatically (I did refer...but yup I modified it accordingly).

Basic Chawanmushi Recipe

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 cup of chicken stock, cooled to room temperature

- 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce

Materials needed : Steamer

1. Prepare the steamer and ensure the water is boiling.

2. At the same time, crack the 2 eggs in a bowl. Beat the eggs gently while adding in the chicken stock.

3. Once well mixed, add in the teaspoon of light soy sauce.

4. Place mix into small bowls or teacups.

5. Steam the egg mixture over a low fire or heat for 15 minutes. Do not have high heat when cooking this dish! It will spoil the smoothness of the egg.

6. Once the time is up, garnish with some light sauce and serve.

Chef's tip : You can include sliced pieces of mushroom or crab meat into the tea cup before steaming the egg mixture to prepare a more savoury dish.

Pickled Cabbages - Grandma's way

This simple appetizer or accompaniment is easy to prepare and popular with those who love a certain tang in their dish. Grandma taught me this recipe a few years back and its only now ( or rather last night ) that I started to make this traditional dish of my family. It constitutes with the same origins as Achar (Traditional Peranakan Pickled Vegetables) but this one is without the heavy spices and sesame seeds.

 

Grandma's Pickled Cabbages

- 1 medium sized cabbage, sliced.

- 1 large yellow onion, sliced.

- Handful of green chillies

- 1 500ml bottle of Apple Cider Vinegar or Rice Vinegar

- 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Pat dry the sliced vegetables and place them in a large bowl.

2. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt and the 1 tablespoon of sugar onto the vegetables and mix well.

3. Pour 3/4 of the bottle of the Apple Cider Vinegar onto the vegetables.

4. Store the bowl of vegetables inside the fridge and leave overnight to pickle.

5. Serve the next day or days later.

Hey if you guys got any comments to these recipes, feel free to comment on them. Till then!

 

A simple dinner need not consist of much. What I cooked up today was Buttery Prawns Sauteed in Garlic, an everyday Omelette and white rice.

Buttery Prawns Sauteed in Garlic

Recipe : Buttery Prawns Sauteed in Garlic

Ingredients

• 10 Gray Prawns or Black Tiger Prawns
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Ground Black and White Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Oil

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan.

2. Once oil is hot, place prawns in pan and stir fry till slightly half cooked.

3. Toss in the butter, garlic, salt and pepper at the same time. Stir the prawns to ensure even coating of spices.

4. Cook until all the prawns are nicely cooked.

5. Serve hot with rice.

Note : Prawns are easily overcooked and once they are completely red, they should be served. This way, their juices are not lost to the heat and the freshness will still remain.

Cook's Tip : Usually the garlic will be stir-fried first to bring out their fragrance, but I chose to place the garlic in after stir frying the prawns. In logical processes the prawns will take a longer time to cook and if the garlic is cooked first, they will end up being burnt and bitter. So keep this in mind =) [I learnt this from my Chef Uncle Jack. Thank Unc.]

Everyday Omelette

My Dish : Braised Chicken With Shitake Mushroom Sauce

A fragrant dish boasting the full flavour of earthly Shitake Mushrooms together with the richness and tenderness of the chicken meat. I came upon this dish sometime ago in Causeway point's (err..I can't really remember the store name) Horizon Food Court. It was called 'Mushroom Chicken'. Wait, scrap the previous previous thought, I remember the store name now, its Pots and Pans. I even have a picture of it...

So yeah, I wrote a review about it late last year,

-------

"This is the set meal I had for lunch today. Cost only $3.80 and the taste is really mushroomy. Their soup is tasty and the chicken is tender. Though the only gripes which I have is that the gravy can be a little bit too salty and the rice too sticky for my liking.

Anyway, visit it when you can and try it for yourself!"

-------

I was impressed by the dish, so yeah when my Mum asked me to cook something for dinner tonight, I decided "it was time I cooked Mushroom Chicken". So haha, hopefully I replicated it right or even improve it. Well, it's fairly simple to cook and its best provided that you have more than one pan (I cooked the chicken in one pan, and the sauce in another. But it should be fine with one pan, though you will need more skill in keeping the food hot.)

A simple dish for lovely gatherings and the occasional family dinner.

Read the whole post for the recipe and more photos.

Braised Chicken with Shitake Mushroom Sauce

Serves : 1-2

Ingredients

- For the chicken

• 1 Chicken thigh and 2 Chicken breast, or 2-4 Chicken parts with meat (avoid the bones)
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce or Oyster Mushroom Sauce
• Pinch of salt
• Ground White Pepper

- For the sauce

• 5 Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce or Oyster Mushroom Sauce
• Ground White Pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
• 1 cup water

Steps

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with the tablespoon of Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce and a dash of pepper. Sprinkle the pinch of salt over the chicken.
2. Heat the pan with a little oil and stir fry the onions, garlic till fragrant.
3. Add in the sliced shitake mushrooms and stir the mix in the pan till slightly brown.
4. Place the chicken parts into the pan and brown each side. If the pan gets too dry, add in a few tablespoons of water each time.
5. Prepare the sauce. Heat another pan with a little oil. Stir fry the sliced mushrooms till soft.
6. Add in the cup of water in the sauce mix, together with 2 dashes of pepper and the 2 tablespoons of Vegetarian Mushroom Sauce.
7. After 3-4 minutes, add in the cornflour and constantly mix it into the sauce, thickening it up. Lower heat on pan and allow sauce to simmer to about half the content, or more if you like more gravy.
8. Check if the chicken is well cooked. Once done, place on the plate, garnish, pour the sauce over and serve hot with rice.