Taro/Yam Puff (Wu Gok/芋角)

Ingredients
Taro Pastry
750g taro - peeled and sliced thinly
120g wheat starch
1/2 +1/3 cup boiling water
120g shortening
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar 
1/2 tsp 5-spice powder

Fish Don

A twist on the traditional katsudon dish by a chef on a Taiwanese cooking show.  Quick, easy, healthy, nutritious and tastes good too! Let's call it "fish don".

Ingredients
1 large piece swai fillet - cut into bite-sized pieces
2 slices ginger
1 large brown onion - peeled, halved and sliced
2 eggs (break into a bowl and stirred lightly)
5 - 7 tbsp water 
toasted black sesame seeds
1 tbsp oil 
cooked rice 

Shi Quan Herbal Soup (十全大補汤)

 

One of our favourite soup on the table during the cold autumn and winter season here.

Ingredients

6 pieces chopped pig's trotters - parboiled

2 duck drumsticks - skin removed and fats trimmed, parboiled

1 packet pre-mixed herbal packet

water as directed in package

salt to taste

Braised Pork Belly with Chestnuts (栗子红烧肉)

recipe adapted from here
Ingredients
1 slab pork belly (1 lb)
12 fresh chestnut
3 slices ginger
2 stalk green onion  - cut into 4 cm length
2-inch cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 dried chilli
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp rock sugar
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce 
4 tbsp yellow wine
dash of sesame oil 
hot water
cooking oil

Thai Style Crab Cake

recipe adapted from here  
Ingredients
8 medium raw shrimp - shelled, washed and deveined
1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce)
1 pound fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped scallion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 fresh chili, preferably Thai, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 to 3 tablespoons bread crumbs or more, preferably fresh
About 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
Peanut or vegetable oil as needed
Lime wedges for serving

Braised Duck with Sea Cucumber & Chestnut

Ingredients
2 duck drumsticks
1 packet of frozen fresh sea cucumbers
10 fresh chestnuts - peeled
3 slices of ginger
2 slices of galangal
2 cloves garlic - lightly smashed
2 shallots - peeled and cut into halves
2 cloves
1 piece 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 star anise 
1 tsp cubed rock sugar
1/2 to 1 cup water
cornstarch solution

Hakka Stir-Fry (客家小炒)

Hubby is great at stir-fries.  This hakka stir-fry is no exception....super yummy.....more rice please!
 
Ingredients
200g pork belly - cut into strips
2 pieces of dried wuxiang beancurd - cut into strips
1 cuttlefish - soaked in warm water to soften it, drained, then cut into strips
12 dried prawns - soaked in water and drained.
1 bunch chinese celery - use stem only, cut into strips
4 dried chillies - soaked in warm water to soften and cut into strips
(use 1 fresh red chilli if availiable)
2 shallots
2 cloves garlic
pinch of sugar to taste
water
cooking oil

Braised Chicken Wings with Carrot & Celery

Ingredients
6 chicken wings - separate drummettes and wings
3 slices ginger
2 shallots - peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic - peeled and chopped
3 dried chillies
2 stalks celery - sliced
12 baby carrots
handful of whole white peppercorns - lightly pounded  
1 star anise
2 cloves
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
cornstarch solution
cooking oil

Vegetarian Tofu Patty

Ingredients
1 pkt medium-soft tofu - drained and mashed
2 stalks green onion - cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic - chopped
2 shallots - chopped
10 white mushrooms - diced
1 egg
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1 red chilli - seeded and cut into small pieces
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt to taste
sugar to taste
breadcrumbs

Mutton Rendang

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb mutton - cut into cubes
1 cinnamon stick (about 2-inch long)
2 star anise
3 cloves
1 lemongrass (cut into 4-inch length and pounded)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup water or more
1 tbsp tamarind pulp (soaked in a small bowl of warm water for the juice and sieve the juice
a few lime leaves (i substituted with zest of 1 lime and 1 tbsp lime juice)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 cup toasted coconut
1 tbsp dark soy sauce 
1/2 tbsp kecap manis (sweet dark soy sauce)
5 to 8 tbsp cooking oil
palm sugar to taste
salt to taste

Taro with Tapioca Pearl Dessert

Ingredients
3/4 cup taro/yam -already peeled and cut into small cubes
3/4 tbsp tapiocal pearls
pandan leaves
2 tbsp coconut milk (i substitute with 1 tbsp condensed milk)
sugar to taste

Bah Chor Mee (Minced meat noodles)

Ingredients

recipe makes 2 bowls

2 bundles of fresh mee pok (flat noodles)

250g minced pork

2 strips of pork belly

6 fish balls

8 slices of teochew fish cake

2 dried shitake mushrooms - soaked, drained and sliced thinly

fresh lettuce (i do not have stock)

2 cloves garlic - chopped

2 shallots - sliced

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 to 1/2 cup water

cornstarch solution

vegetable oil

Sweet Potato Pancake

makes 6 to 7 small pancakes
Ingredients
1-1/2 cup milk 3/4 cup mashed potato
1 egg
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
1-1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Buddha's Yam Ring Delight (佛钵飘香)

The yam ring is one of my favourite dishes to order at zhi-char stalls or restaurants.  So far I have loved to eat any kind of food that has taro/yam in it.  I am pretty surprised that I would one day be able to cook this dish in my kitchen.  But here it is.....presenting my yummy ring! 

 

Ingredients
For Yam Ring
350g yam - steamed and mashed
7 tbsp wheat starch
3/4 to 1 cup boiling water
75g shortening
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp 5-spice powder