Crab Cake

Ingredients
Makes 6 crab cakes
 1 small egg
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp dry mustard or dijon mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp minced white onion - cooked in microwave for abt 1 min
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of paprika
6 oz Dungeness crab meat (or lump crab meat from the best crab available to you)
2 tbsp cracker crumbs or seasoned croutons - crushed
Unsalted butter for pan frying
Bread crumbs/Panko - 3 tbsp or more as needed to form patties

Method

1. Add a little oil to the minced onion and cook in microwave oven for 1 min or slightly brown and softened. Let it cool.
2. Whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire, Old Bay seasoning, salt, pepper and paprika in a bowl.
3. Add in the onion, crab meat and cracker crumbs and mix well.  If the mixture is too watery, add in some panko.
4. Form into 6 small balls and make into patties.
5. Place the patties on a baking tray lined with wax paper, covered and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.
6. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan.  Fry the crab cakes using medium high heat until golden brown on both sides
7. Serve with tartar sauce or your preferred sauce.

Stuffed Fuzzy Melon (Mao Gua) with Minced Meat

Ingredients

1 lb of minced meat

1 fuzzy melon (mao gua) - peeled and sliced into 2 cm thickness

2 stalk of king oyster mushrooms - cut into 2cm thickness

4 pieces of puffy beancurd (taupok) - cut into halves

2 slices ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced shallot

cooking oil

Marinade for minced meat

2 red chilli padi - seeds removed and cut into small pieces

1 stalk of green onion - cut into small pieces

1 tsp huatiao wine

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the minced meat with all the ingredients for 30 mins.  Set aside for stuffing later.
2. Remove the seeds from the sliced fuzzy melon and placed the scooped out seeds in a bowl.
3. Stuff the minced meat into the upo and beancurd.
4. Heat up oil in a pan.  Saute the ginger, garlic and shallots till fragrant.  Add chicken stock, mushrooms, stuffed melon and puffy beancurd and the scooped out seeds.
5. Cover and simmer for about 20 mins or till melon is cooked to desired tenderness.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

Steamed Cod Steak with Dried Soy Bean Ball

Ingredients

1lb cod fish steak

green onion - cut

1 red chilli - cut

2 tbsp dried soy bean ball - chopped

some julienned ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp cooking oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the fish steak with salt and pepper for 30 mins.  Place the julienned ginger and red chilli on the marinated fish.
2. Boil water in a wok.  When boiling, place the plate of fish to steam for 5 mins under high heat and 2 mins under medium heat.
3. While the fish is still steaming, heat up a small pan with cooking oil.
4. Saute the soybean for a few minutes until slightly brown, add in the minced garlic and continue to saute until the mixture is fragrant.  Add in the soy sauce.
5. When fish is cooked, garnish with the chopped green onions and drizzle the sauce over the fish and serve warm.

Braised Chicken in Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb chicken meat

15 pcs of white mushrooms

1 stalk of carrot - cut into small chunks

1/2 white onion - cut into small pieces

few slices of garlic

1 bowl of red wine

4 tbsp of tomato ketchup

5 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with salt and pepper for a few hours.
2. Heat up a non-stick pan and brown the marinated chicken pieces.  Set aside.
3. With some oil in the pan, saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
4. Add in the chicken pieces, mushrooms, carrots, bay leaves, red wine and ketchup.
5. Braise for at least 30 mins or more.  Check seasonings and add salt and pepper if desired.
6. Transfer to plate and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs

Ingredients

1 lb of pork ribs

rice flour or sweet potato flour

1/4 white onion - cut into 2 cm pieces

few slices of garlic

few slices of ginger

1 green bell pepper - cut into 2 cm pieces

1 red chilli - sliced

1 green chilli - sliced

Marinade for pork ribs

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine

pinch of pepper

1/2 egg

Sauce

5 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp vinegar

1/4 cup water

pinch of salt

Method

1. Blanch and marinate the pork ribs for a few hours.
2. Heat up oil in a wok.  Coat the ribs with rice flour and deep fry until golden brown.
3. Remove from oil and deep fry a second time under high heat for a few minutes to remove excess oil and make them more crispy. 
4. Leave 2 tbsp of oil in the wok.  Saute the ginger, garlic, bell pepper, red and green chilli for a while.  Add the sauce to the wok and stir fry for a while.
5. Add in the ribs and mix well.  Check seasonings and add salt if needed.  Transfer to a serving plate and serve warm.

Broccoli and Scallops

Ingredients

1 small broccoli, ends trimmed and separate to smaller florets

1 carrot - peeled and sliced
10-12 pieces of large scallops
2 slices ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
2 tbsp roasted cashew nuts
1 tbsp huatiao wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp water
salt to taste
cornstarch solution
cooking oil

 Method

1. Heat a pot of water.  Add a little salt and a little oil to the boiling water.  Blanch the broccoli and sliced carrots for a few minutes.  Drain and arrange them on a serving plate.
2. Marinate the scallops with a little salt and pepper. Coat with some cornstarch and blanch for a while. Set aside.
3. Heat up oil in a wok. Stir fry the shallot, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the scallops.  Add in huatiao wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, water and cook for a few minutes till the scallops are cooked.
4. Check seasonings and add salt if needed.  Add some cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
5. Dish up and place on the plate with the vegetables previously arranged.
6. Garnish with cashew nuts and serve warm.

Stir Fried Bittergourd with Silver Fish

Ingredients

1 bittergourd

2 tbsp dried silver fish

2 eggs - beaten

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp minced ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

salt and pepper

Method

1. Cut bittergourd to half (length-wise) and remove the seeds. Slice bittergourd thinly.  Blanch in boiling water with a little salt added for a few minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and stir fry the silver fish until brown and crispy.  Set aside.
3. With the remaining oil in pan, saute the ginger and garlic till fragrant.
4. Add bittergourd slices and stir fry over high heat for a few minutes.
5. When the bittergourd is almost cooked, pour the beaten egg over the bittergourd.  Add soy sauce and some pepper.  Stir lightly to mix well.  when the eggs are cooked, add the fried silver fish to the mixture.
6. Dish up and serve warm.

Salmon with Miso Sauce

Ingredients

1 small piece of salmon

olive oil

pepper

Miso sauce

1/2 tsp miso

1/2 tsp sugar

4 tbsp rice wine

Method

1. 
   
   Season the salmon fillet with some pepper and set aside.
2. 
   
   Heat up olive oil in a pan and fry the fillet skin side down with medium heat until browned..
3. 
   
   Flip the fillet over and add the miso sauce to the pan.
4. 
   
   Cover and simmer for about 5 mins.  Tranfer to serving plate and serve warm.

Pak Tong Kou (Steamed White Cake)

Recipe adapted fm http://roseskitchen.wordpress.com

Ingredients

280g rice flour

280g sugar
600ml water
3 pandan leaves, knotted
1 tsp dried yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1. Add 300ml water to the rice flour and mix well.
2. Boil sugar with 300ml water, salt and pandan leaves. When boiling, pour syrup into rice flour mixture. Stir well and strain mixture. Leave aside to cool.
3. Dissolve 1 tsp yeast in 2 tbsp lukewarm water and add to cooled rice mixture. Stir well, cover and leave to leaven for 11/2 to 2 hours till small tiny bubbles appear.
4. Grease and preheat a 30 cm round tray in steamer.
5. Add 1/2 tbsp oil to leavened mixture, stir well and pour into heated tray. Steam for 20 minutes

Stir Fried Oyster Mushrooms with Chilli Bean Paste

Ingredients

3 stalks of king oyster mushrooms - cut into 1 cm thickness

1 small red bell pepper - cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small green bell pepper - cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small onion - sliced

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp of chilli oil

cooking oil

1 1/2 tbsp chilli bean paste

1/2 tsp sugar

Method

1. Saute the mushrooms in a wok without oil until lightly browned and fragrant.  Remove and set aside.
2. Pour some cooking oil and chilli oil in the wok and saute the onion and garlic until fragrant.
3. Add in the bell peppers and chilli bean paste and stir fry for a few minutes.  Add in the mushrooms.
4. Add the sugar and some water and mix well.  Stir in the cornstarch solution to thicken the sauce.
5. Sprinkle some salt to taste as necessary.  Transfer the dish to a serving plate and serve warm.