Char Siew Fried Rice

Ingredients

2 bowls cooked rice (left overnight)

1/4 bowl char siew - diced

1/4 bowl small prawns

2 eggs

1 green chili

1/4 bowl frozen green peas

1/4 bowl frozen sweet corn

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced shallot

2 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

cooking oil

Method

1. Heat oil in a wok and fry the eggs, scrambling it a bit.  Set aside.
2. With the remaining oil, fry shallots and garlic till fragrant.  Add chili, char siew, prawns, green peas and sweet corn and stir fry for a while.
3. Add cooked rice to the mixture and stir fry for a few minutes.  Add soy sauce, salt and pepper.  Check seasonings.
4. Sprinkle some fried shallots over the rice and serve warm.

Baked Char Siew

Ingredients
2 lb pork shoulder
6 satay sticks - soaked in water for 20 mins

Seasonings
2 tbsp honey, mix with 1 tbsp water
4 tbsp oyster sauce
5 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbs dark soy sauce
5 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp five-spice powder
1 tbsp cooking wine
5 cloves of garlic - smashed lightly and peeled

Method

1. Cut the pork into strips about 3cm thickness.  Put pork strips into a big bowl and add in all the seasonings.  Use a fork to poke through the meat to allow seasonings to marinate the inner side as well.  Marinate at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Braise the pork strips in a pan together with the marinade under low heat for 5 mins.
3. Preheat oven to 450F.  Use a stick to poke through every individual strip so that it will not shrink too much while baking.  Place pork strips on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil and bake for 25 mins.  Remove from oven.  Rotate  and brush marinade on the pork strips.   
4. Reduce heat to 350F and roast for 15-20 mins or until the surface is slightly crispy.
5. Remove the baked char siew from the oven.  Cut into slices and drizzle marinade over them.
6. Serve with sliced cucumber and chilli sauce.

Pickled Green Chilli

Ingredients

15 to 20 fresh green chillies

1/2 bowl white vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

boiling water

Method

1. Wash and cut green chillis into small pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Add boiling water to the bowl and let it sit for 15 secs and stir to remove as many seeds as possible.
3. Drain and discard the seeds and water.  Add vinegar, salt and sugar and stir to mix evenly.
4. Transfer to a glass bottle.  Let it cool and put the bottle into the fridge.
5. Pickled green chilli is ready after 2 days.

Braised Salmon with Salted Vegetables

Ingredients

1 pc salmon steak

1 small bunch of salted vegetables -soaked for 5 mins and drained.

1 tomato - cut into quarters

2 slices of ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 white onion - sliced

2 chili padi

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp sesame oil

cooking oil

 cornstarch solution

Method

1. Marinate the salmon steak with salt and pepper for 30 mins or more.
2. Heat up oil in a pan, brown the salmon skin.  Remove and set aside.
3. With the remaining oil, saute the onion, ginger and garlic till aromatic. Add the tomato, salted vegetables, chilli padi and soy sauce and stir fry for a while more.
4. Add sugar and water. Cover and cook for 10 mins under low heat.
5. Add salmon to the pan. Cover and cook for 5 mins or until salmon is cooked.  Check seasonings and stir cornstarch solution into the pan and drizzle seasame oil over the dish.
6. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.

Pearl Barley with Beancurd and Gingko Nut Dessert 白果腐竹惹米糖水

Ingredients

2 tbsp barley

2 pcs dried beancurd

20 gingko nuts - shells removed

2 tbsp rock sugar

2 pcs of pandan leaves - tied to a knot

1 pot of water

Method

1. Pound the beancurd sheet lightly and soak in water for 20 mins to soften it.  Drain and set aside.
2. Boil a pot of water and add pandan leaves, barley and gingko nuts.  Boil on medium heat for 15 mins and continue to simmer on low heat for 45 mins.
3. Add softened beancurd sheet and rock sugar and continue to boil for another 20 mins or more, until all ingredients are softened to your preference.
4. Check sweetness and add more sugar if needed.  Remove the pandan leaves and serve it warm.

Spicy Szechuan Peppercorn Chicken Wings (香辣鸡翅)

Ingredients

6 pcs chicken wings

12 dried chilli

2 tbsp szechuan peppercorns

2 green chilli - deseeded and cut into strips

2 clove garlic - chopped coarsely

2 tbsp chilli oil

1 tsp white sugar

1./2 tsp salt

rice wine

Seasonings for chicken wings

2 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Chop chicken wings into drummettes and mid-joint together with wing tip.  Then chop drummettes into halves.  Chop mid-joint 3/4 part, leaving 1/4 part intact with the tip.
2. Marinate chicken wings with seasonings for at least an hour.  Coat with flour before deep frying.
3. Heat up oil in a wok.  Deep fry the chicken wings until brown. Remove from oil and deep fry a second time to make them more crispy.  Remove from wok and set aside.
4. Heat up oil in a pan.  Saute the garlic, green onion, dried chilli and green chilli for a while.  Add the szechuanese peppercorns and stir fry for 1 min or until aromatic.  
5. Add the chicken wings to the pan.  Add sugar, salt and rice wine.  Mix well.
6. Drizzle chilli oil and mix well.  Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

 Hub prepared a large pan of super tasty spicy chicken wings for a picnic with friends

Miso Tofu Soup

Ingredients

1 small pot dashi soup stock 

1 block soft tofu - cut into small cubes

6 pcs of preserved seaweed - soaked for 10 mins and drained

1 tbsp miso paste

1 stalk green onion - chopped finely

Method

1. Bring dashi soup stock to a boil.  Add the seaweed and boil on medium low heat for 20 to 30 mins or until seaweed is softened.
2. Add the tofu into the soup and simmer for a few minutes.
3. Scoop out some soup from the pot and dissolve miso paste into it.  Return the miso mixture to the pot, stirring to mix well.  Add green onions and turn off the heat.
4. Soup is ready to be served.

How to make dashi soup stock
Ingredients
1 small pot of water
2/3 oz katsuobushi (dried bonito) flakes

Heat up water in a pot of water on medium heat.  Just before the water boils, add the bonito flakes.  Once the water boils, skim off any foam on the surface.  Switch off heat and strain the broth.  Stock is ready for use.

Deep Fried Grouper

 Ingredients
1 lb grouper steak
1 small green bell pepper - cut into bite-sized pcs
1 large tomato - cut into bite-sized pcs
1 white onion - cut into bite-sized pcs
2 cloves garlic - minced
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp black vinegar
4 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste
cooking oil

Method

1. Marinate fish with salt and pepper for 30 mins.
2. Heat up oil in a wok.  Deep fry the fish until cooked.  Set aside.
3. With some oil in the wok, saute the white onion and garlic till fragrant.  Add tomato and bell pepper and stir fry for a while.  Add ketchup, sugar and water.
4. Return the fish to the wok and add black vinegar.
5. Ready to serve.

Tomato Fried Egg

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 large tomato
1 stalk green onion - cut finely
3 tbsp of ketchup
3 tbsp of water
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
cooking oil

Method

1. Boil a small pot of water.  Make a cross-section cut on the skin of the tomato and put in the boiling water for about 2 mins.  Peel away the skin and cut into cubes.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl.  Add a pinch of salt and peper and green onion.
3. Heat up cooking oil in a pan over medium high heat, stir fry the eggs for about 2 mins.  Push the fried eggs to one side of the wok.
4. Stir fry the tomato for about 2 mins.  Add ketchup, sugar and water.  Mix well with the eggs. 
5. Check seasonings and add salt if necessary.  Ready to serve.

Soy Sauce Chicken Wing with Tofu Puff

Ingredients

6 to 8 pcs of chicken wing - scalded

6 to 8 pcs of puffy tofu - scalded and squeezed dry

1 pc of fresh tofu - cut into big cubes

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy paste

1 bowl rice wine

2 tbsp rock sugar

6 cloves garlic - unpeeled and pound lightly

2 stalk green onion - cut into about 2 inch length

cooking oil

Herbal ingredients

2 pcs star anise seed

4 pcs chuan xiong

3 pcs gan chao

1 tsp five spice powder

Seasonings for chicken wing

1 tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Marinate chicken wings with seasonings for 30 mins.  Heat up oil in a pan.  Brown the chicken.  Remove from pan and set aside.
2. With the remaining oil, saute the garlic and green onion till fragrant.  Return chicken wings to pan.
3. Add sugar, soy sauce and rice wine and quickly stir fry for a while.  Add all the herbal ingredients and dark soy paste.
4. Add the chicken wings, tofu puff and tofu and bring to a boil.  Continue to simmer with medium low heat for 25 mins. Check seasonings and add salt if necessary.  Garnish with some blanced broccoli.  Serve warm.