Watercress soup with meatballs

Ingredients

2 bunches of watercress - washed and trimmed

1 small bowl of minced meat

2 small bunch of vermicelli (dong fen) - soaked in water and drained

1 bunch of enoki mushrooms - trimmed and cleaned

2 slices of ginger

2 cloves garlic

Seasonings for meatballs

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp seasame oil

1 tsp huatiao wine

2 tsp dong cai

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp cornstarch

Method

1. Marinate the meat with seasonings for 1 hour.  Shape them into bite-sized balls.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add garlic, ginger slices and watercress and boil on medium heat for 20 mins.  Add the meatballs and boil for 5 mins.  Add mushrooms to the soup and boil for another 5 mins.
3. Add dong fen and stir evenly.  Check seasonings and soup is ready to be served.  

Pan fried pork patties

Ingredients

1/2 lb minced meat

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp huatiao wine

2 tbsp chopped white oniion

1 egg - beaten

salt and pepper to taste

flour for coating

cooking oil

Method

1. In a bowl, add all the ingredients together except flour and mix until well combined.
2. Divide the pork mixture into 6 portions and shape each portion into round patties. Lightly roll each patty in the flour to coat.
3. Heat up oil in a pan and fry the patties until brown.  Flip over and pan fry the other side as well.
4. Transfer pork patties to a serving plate when done.  Serve warm.

Sesame Seed Chicken Drummettes (芝麻棒棒腿)

Ingredients

10 chicken drumettes

oil for deep frying

crispy flour or rice flour

white sesame seeds

4 egg yolks (beaten)

Marinade

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chicken powder
2 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Loosen the meat from the tip of the drummettes and push down to form a 'fist' shape.
2. Marinate with the seasonings for at least 5 hours or longer, or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Coat the drummettes with crispy flour or rice flour and dip them into beaten egg yolks.
4. Coat with the sesame seeds and deep fry in medium heat until brown or sizzling subsides.
5. Remove chicken pieces and allow the oil to heat up again.
6. Fry again another few more minutes until crispy and golden brown.
7. Serve hot with pickled cucumbers.

dancing 'rock n roll' drummettes

Rock Melon Sago Dessert

Ingredients

1 rock melon (one half for blending and save the other half for dicing)

1/2 cup sago (tapioca pearls)
5 tbsp sugar (depends on sweetness preference)
½ cup water
1 cup coconut milk

Method

1. Soak sago for 30 minutes, then drain. Heat up a pot of water, add in sago and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and switch off heat.  After 20 mins or more, the sago will be cooked until transparent. Otherwise cook for a while more.  Drain in a sieve and wash under cool running water. Leave aside to cool.
2. Boil together coconut milk, sugar and 1/2 cup water to make syrup and allow cooling. Check the sweetness and add more sugar if preferred.
3. Peel the rock melon, cut in half and discard seeds. Blend half the rock melon to make juice and cut the other half into small cubes or make small balls with a melon baller.
4. Mix the sago, coconut milk, honey dew juice, honey dew cubes and sugar syrup to taste. Serve chilled.

Stir fried okra with belachan chilli

Ingredients

1 packet of okra (abt 1.5 to 2 lb) - cut both ends and sliced

2 tbsp dried prawns or dried silver fish

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp belachan chilli

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced shallot

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

2-3  tbsp oil

3 tbsp water

Method

1. Heat pan at medium heat with oil,add in dried silver fish and fry until fragrant. Scoop up and set aside.
2. With the remaining oil, saute the shallot and garlic until fragrant. Then add in belachan chilli and okra.
3. Stir-fry okra at high heat,add in salt, sugar and soy sauce and stir fry for a while more.
4. Add 3 tbsp water and check seasonings to taste preference.  Add in the fried silver fish and mix well.
5. Dish out and serve warm immediately.

Bacon Burger with Egg and Avocado

Ingredients

1 burger bun

1 egg

1 slice of bacon

1 avocado

some butter

pepper to taste

Method

1. Fry the bacon in a small saucepan until slightly crispy.  Set aside.  With the bacon oil, fry the egg and sprinkle some pepper onto it and set aside.
2. Slice the avacado into halves.  Remove the seed and peel the skin.
3. Spread a little butter on the inner side of the burger.
4. Assemble all the cooked ingredients into the burger.
5. The burger is ready for a big bite.

Mapo Tofu

adapted fm http://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-ma-po-tofu/

Ingredients

1 block silken tofu

1/4 lb ground pork
1 tbsp Sichuan spicy bean paste (辣豆瓣酱)
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp chili oil
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (roasted and ground to powder)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp fermented black beans (rinsed and pounded)
2 stalks of scallions (chopped into 1-inch length)
2 gloves garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method

1. Cut the tofu into 1.5 cm square cubes and put into boiling water with some salt for a few minutes.  Remove from boiling water and drain.
2. Heat up a wok and pour in the cooking oil and chili oil. Add the chopped garlic, ground pork, spicy bean paste and stir-fry until the pork is half-done. Then add in chili powder, soy sauce, fermented black beans, sugar and stir-fry until aromatic.
3. Add in the tofu and water; stir gently to blend the tofu (don’t break them) well with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 mins or until the sauce thickens.
4. Add in the roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder and chopped scallions. Gently stir and blend well. Dish out and serve hot.

Stir fried scallops with mixed vegetables

Ingredients

10 count scallops - sliced horizontally into halves

handful of sweet peas

handful of baby carrots

8 pieces of white mushrooms - sliced into halves

1/4 white onion - sliced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

1 shallot - sliced

1 tbsp huatiao wine

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the scallops with a little salt and pepper.  Coat with some cornstarch and blanch for a while. Set aside.
2. Heat up oil in a wok.  Stir fry the onion, shallot, ginger and garlic until fragrant.  Add in mushrooms, carrots and sweet peas.  Add in huatiao wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water and cook for a while more.
3. Add in the scallops and cook for a few minutes.  Add some cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
4. Dish up and ready to serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala

recipe adapted from www.mykichensnippets.com

Ingredients

1 pound chicken meat - cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium size onion – finely chopped
1 green onion - cut into bite-size pieces
3 cloves garlic - chopped
1” ginger- finely chopped
3 tomatoes - chopped coarsely
2 tbsp of plain yogurt
3 tbsp of Ghee or oil
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Make into paste with a bit of water
2 tbsp chili powder (depend on the spiciness you like)
2 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder

Method

1. Heat the ghee or oil in a cooking pan. When oil is hot, add in the onions and fry until lightly brown. Add in the garlic and ginger. Continue to stir-fry until fragrant.  Add the bell pepper.

2. Add the mix spices paste for two minutes or until fragrant (add a bit of water if necessary). Add the tomatoes and continuously stir it for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

3. Add in the chicken cubes and stir fry until the chicken pieces nicely coated with the sauce. Add in about 1 cup of water; bring it up to boil, lower down the heat and covered. Stir the chicken occasionally. Add in sugar, salt and yogurt.

4. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until sauce thickens. Dish out and serve warm with rice or naan bread.

Bak Chang (Rice Dumplings)

Mum's delicious dumplings when my family came here for vacation in 2007

Ingredients for bak chang

makes about 25 to 30 medium-sized bak chang

1 packet of dried bamboo leaves

3- 4 batches of reed tied in 10s each

7 cups of glutinous rice (rice cups)

1.5 lb pork belly 

1 cup peanuts (rice cup)

1 cup mung beans

12  pcs large dried shitake mushrooms

50-60 pcs dried chestnuts

1/2 cup dried prawns or dried oyster (if using oyster...just add a small piece)

10 cloves garlic

10 shallots

salt and pepper to taste

cooking oil

Marinade for pork

3  tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

1 tsp five spice powder

1 tsp white pepper

Marinade for rice

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

dried bamboo leaves and reed

boiling the leaves

boiling the reed

washing under slow running tap water

washed and trimmed leaves

some of the ingredients - peanuts, mushrooms and chestnuts

cooked pork belly

cooked mushrooms and chestnuts

setup for dumpling wrapping

my ugly dumplings ready to be eaten....

 my 2nd attempt in 2012 was better

i use the pressure cooker this time...for the small amount...it was faster than the traditional method

Method

1. 
   
   Boil a large pot of water.  Put the leaves in the pot and blanch for a while  Put in the reed to blanch.
2. 
   
   Remove from pot and wash the leaves under slow running water with a cloth.
3. 
   
   When the leaves are cleaned, trim off a bit of the stem at the base to prevent leaves from breaking when wrapping.
4. 
   
   Wash the mung bean and drain excess water.  Add a little salt and sugar and mix well.  Set aside.
5. 
   
   Soak the peanuts overnight.  Put the soaked peanuts and water into a boiling pot and boil for 45 mins or until soft. Remove from pot and set aside.
6. 
   
   Soak the dried prawns in rice wine for 10 mins.  Drain off excess liquid.
7. 
   
   Wash and soak the glutinous rice for 2 hours. Drain and set aside.
8. 
   
   Boil a pot of water and add chestnuts. Remove from heat and soaked for a few minutes.  Drain excess water and remove any red skin on the chestnut.
9. 
   
   Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of water until soft.  Cut it into quarters.
10. 
    
    Parboil the pork belly for 5 minutes with some green onions, ginger slices and rice wine.  Remove and cut them into pieces.
11. 
    
    Heat up oil in a wok and stir fry the dried prawns until fragrant.  Remove from wok.
12. 
    
    With the remaining oil, stir fry the pork for about 5 mins until it is half cooked.  Add the minced garlic and quick fry for a while.  Add the dark soy sauce, rice wine, pepper and 5-spice powder.  Continue to stir fry until fragrant.  Add some water and mix well. Tranfer the cooked pork to a bowl.
13. 
    
    With the remaining oil in the wok, stir fry the mushrooms and chestnuts until fragrant.  Remove from wok.
14. 
    
    Add some oil in the wok.  Stir fry the minced shallots until fragrant.  Add in the soaked rice and continue to stir fry.  Add the dark soy sauce, salt, chicken powder and 5-spice powder and stir fry until fragrant.  Transfer to a bowl.
15. 
    
    When all the ingredients are ready, do the setup for the wrapping.
16. 
    
    Place two pieces of leaves together and fold it into a cone shape. 
17. 
    
    Add 1 tbsp of rice.  Top it up with the other ingredients.  Add some more rice to cover the ingredients until it almost reaches the top of the cone.  Fold and wrap it up with the reed.
18. 
    
    When all the dumplings are wrapped.  Boil them in batches into boiling water.  Reduce the heat to medium high and boil for 2 hours or until the dumplings are cooked.
19. 
    
    If the dumplings are too bland, add a lot of salt into the boiling water and cook for a while more.
20. 
    
    Remove the cooked dumplings and hang to dry.
21. 
    
    Dumplings are ready to be eaten!
    
    
    Using Pressure Cooker
    Depending on the size of the cooker, place about 10 dumplings and add enough water to cover them.  Pressure cook for about 30 minutes and release the stream.

it is ugly on the outside, but tasty on the inside!