Hakka braised pork belly

This is a popular Hakka dish which my mum used to cook it. I think I probably did a better job than my mum because I enjoyed it more than my mum's one. Self praise is no praise..hahaha!  ;). Totally forgot about this dish until I stumbled upon it at Pig Pig's Corner. I thought it would involved a great work to prepare it but was surprised to learn that it wasn't. Check out the recipe..

Ingredients:
600g pork belly - cut into small pieces  (I used pork loin because it's leaner)
90g black fungus - soaked till softened, cut into small pieces

For marinade:
1/2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped  (I omitted)
1 tbsp garlic - minced
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp nam yee juice
2 cubes nam yee
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp corn flour

For gravy:
3 cubes nam yee  (I used 2.5 just in case it turned out too salty)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 1/2 cups water

Method:
1) Mix together pork belly and all ingredients for marinade. Leave this to marinade for about 2 hrs, overnight preferably.

2) Deep fry marinated pork belly until golden browned.

3) Place deep-fried pork belly, black fungus and all ingredients for gravy into a pot. I placed the deep fried pork 20 mins later so that it still remain crunchy after simmering.

4) Bring to boil and lower heat to simmer for 1 hr.

 
I guess this has become my hubby's 'favourite dish' now because he has requested me to make it for the second time. Good to have another home cooked dish under the belt now  =).

Salmon with ginger salted bean sauce

We have been eating more salmon recently and hence, I needed more ideas on how to cook salmon. Most of the time, DK would cook his signature dish 'Ikan Cili Garam'. I failed big time after attempting to cook this dish recently  =(.

Anyhow, I absolutely love this recipe from Little Corner of Mine and cooked it a couple of weeks back. An easy recipe and absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

2 Salmon fillets

Rice flour

Oil for pan-frying

1 Tbsp yellow salted soy beans, smashed  (Tau chu)

1 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup water

3-inch length ginger, cut into tiny pieces

Method:
1) Coat both sides of salmon with rice flour. In a non-stick skillet, on medium heat, add a little oil. When hot, pan-fry both sides of salmon until cooked. Dish out and set on a plate.

2) With the leftover oil (pour away some if it's too much), add in ginger and fry until fragrant. Add in the smashed salted soy beans, fry for a minute, add in water, oyster sauce and sugar. Fry until well mixed and thicken. Pour the sauce over salmon. Serve hot.

Taste delectable with hot rice!! I could eat a second serving of rice with it!

Asparagus with dressings

This is a dish from Jamie's-30-minute-meals book. Jamie did not have a name for this dish, so I will call it Asparagus with dressings.

It is very simple to make. Since hubby loves asparagus, I cooked this over the weekend.

Here's the recipe to share..

Ingredients:

1 fresh red chili

1 clove of garlic

Soy sauce

1 lime

Sesame oil

Extra virgin olive oil

250g asparagus

1 head of broccoli   (I omitted)

Method:

1) Deseed and finely chop the chili, adding half to a large serving bowl and setting the rest aside. Crush the unpeeled clove of garlic into the bowl and add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 4-6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and add a splash of sesame oil. Mix, taste and tweak with the soy sauce if needed.

2) Trim the asparagus stalks. Quarter the head of the broccoli lengthways from the head to the base of the stalk.

3) Fill the large saucepan with boiling water and add a large pinch of salt. Add the broccoli and asparagus, making sure they are completely submerged. Put the lid on and turn the heat to high. Boil till it is soft.

4) Drain the broccoli and asparagus in a colander, then tip into the serving bowl with the dressing, quickly toss and take to the table.

Absolutely yummy when it is serve hot. Try it!

Jamie's 30 minute meals

Hubby got me Jamie's 30 minute meals book last weekend. Awww...thank you my dear.

Channel 4 has been showing for a month recipes from the book. It was trully interesting to learn that you can actually cook a complete meal (including appetiser, main course, dessert and drink) in 30 minutes!! I've tried a couple of recipes, not a complete meal recipe though. Errr..well, it took me about 15-20 minutes just to prepare each dish from the recipes. Anyway, practise makes perfect  =)

Now, which recipes should I try? Will update and share more when I've test the recipes.

Braised potato chicken

I am not sure if my mum has done this version of the braised potato chicken before but dish feel so homely when I ate it. I thoroughly enjoyed the potatoes more than the chicken itself  =)

This was a recipe I stumbled upon at No Frills Recipe. Very easy recipe..can't really go wrong.

Ingredients:

1/2 a free-range chicken, about 420 gm - skin removed and chopped to bite size

400 gm potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
5 pips garlic
3 shallots
2 tsp preserved bean paste (Tau Cheong / Tauchu)
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water to thicken
Oil for frying

Method:
1) Wash the chicken pieces and marinate with salt for about an hour.

2) Lightly pound together the garlic and shallots.

3) Heat up pan with some oil, saute the pounded ingredients till fragrant, add in the preserved bean paste, stir-fry.

4) Add in the marinated chicken, stir-fry, then the potatoes, stir-fry.

5) Add in 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, dark soya sauce and oyster sauce and let it simmer till the chicken are tender and the potatoes, soft.

6) Add in the thickening, fine tune to taste, dish out and serve hot with rice.


Highly recommended home cooked dish!

Spicy chickpeas and chicken curry

I have cooked this dish many times but was just way too lazy to blog about it. Considering that my backlog is getting longer each day, I better blog about it now since I am in a mood. This was a recipe shared by a friend when she was staying in NY. She has been asking me to give the recipe a try and I did so on one lovely day  =).

Ingredients:

100g dried chickpeas, washed and covered with warm water, soaked overnight  (Just used canned chickpeas, save time)

5 cups water

250g deboned chicken meat, diced

25g ginger, shredded finely

3 tbsp oil

2 stalks curry leaves

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tomato, chopped

1 green chilli, halved and seeded  (Can also use bird eyes chilies)

1 cup water

½ tsp garam masala  (Omitted)

½ onion, sliced

Spices (combined):

1 tbsp Life Nyonya Kitchen Fried Chilli Paste  (Can use any other chili paste. I usually used Vindaloo or Madras paste)

1 tbsp fish curry powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Seasoning:

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp  light soy sauce

Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

1) Drain the chickpeas and cover with boiling water. Cook in a saucepan till they break when pinched with the thumb and finger. Drain.  (Can omit this step if using canned chickpeas)

2) Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok and fry ginger till crispy, remove and set aside. Put curry leaves, onion and garlic in the remaining oil. Saute until fragrant.  (I omit the ginger these days)

3) Add tomato, combined spices and chicken meat. Fry over a low heat until the oil separates.

4) Put in the cooked chickpeas, green chilli, water and seasoning. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes over a gentle low heat until liquid has been absorbed. Dish out.  (Don't worry if the liquid is not fully absorbed during cooking because the chickpeas will absorb is when cooled down)

5) Sprinkle with garam masala and add a garnishing of coriander leaves and the crispy ginger shreds.

This is a really a must try recipe. Absolutely delicious!! Also great to eat with roti pharata (roti canai) or naan. The feeling is like eating roti canai with dahl curry. Heaven!!

I once did it with oven chips using the spices (combined) and seasoning and had it with roti pharata. Absolutely fantastic!!

Prawn fritters with veggie

I am not really good in cooking prawn dishes. I don't really know how to get rid of the smell of prawns which is something I dislike. There was a packet of frozen prawns sitting in the freezer for a long time. I didn't know what to do with it until I stumbled upon this recipe on Anncoojournal. It looks so simple and tasty from the photos. Since I have all ingredients, I gave the recipe a try and it turned out fantastic! Absolutely love it! A definite great appertiser for party.

Here is the recipe from Anncoojournal..

Ingredients:
100g Medium Prawns, about 10 prawns or add more if you like
1 Onion - shredded
1 small carrot - Grated or cut to thin match sticks (about 50g or more)
Some finely cut spring onion or coriander leaves

Note: I was too lazy to shred and cut, so I put the onion, carrot and spring onion into the mini chopper. Job done!  =p

For the batter:
1 Egg yolk with enough water to 150ml
3/4 cup plain flour
1 1/2 tbsp rice flour  (Omitted)

Method:
1) Remove shell and vein from prawns then cut to cubes not too small. Season with some pepper and salt.

2) Combine the batter ingredients together in a measuring cup and blend into a smooth texture paste.

3) Add enough oil for shallow frying with two drops of sesame oil in wok.

4) In a medium bowl add some prawn cubes, grated carrot and shredded together. Then add about 2-3 tbsp of batter (not too thick) into the prawn mixture with some coriander leaves or spring onion.

 5) Drop the coated prawn mixture in small portion into hot oil gently with a fork and spoon and shallow fry till golden brown. Dish up and drain oil well.

6) Serve Prawn Fritters with dipping sauce or Mayo sauce mix with some mustard into it. I dipped mine the old fashion way, Maggi Chili Sauce!

Fish fillets mee hoon soup (Yu tau mai fun)

After seeing the fish fillets mee hoon soup photos on Nasi Lemak Lover, I could not stop thinking about it. The thought of it every time really made me drool. I just could not stand it anymore and I have to eat one!! So, the quickest way to eat one is to cook it myself (as usual). Since the recipe does not requires a lot of ingredients and Matt is at the nursery, I spend the afternoon preparing it.

Note: My photo may not look as delicious as Nasi Lemak Lover  =p

Here's the recipe from Nasi Lemak Lover. Her recipe does not have the exact amount of ingredients, so I adjusted the amount accordingly to my taste.

Ingredients:

500g fish fillet, cut into bite size  (I used cod fish fillet)

Mee hoon
2 tomato, cut wedges
200g preserved vegetables, sliced
Evaporated milk
Some ginger slices
Spring onion, cut 1” in length
Chopped garlic

Broth ingredients:
Chicken carcasses  (I used two chicken thighs instead)
1-2 tbsp of whole white pepper  (I used only 1 tbsp)
Ikan bilis (anchovies)
Cabbage  (Omitted)
Carrot  (Omitted)
Salt to taste

Method:
1) In a large pot, add all broth ingredients (adjust the amount accordingly) with water, bring to boil and simmer over low flame for at least 1 hour. Season with salt, set aside.

2) Marinate fish fillet with salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper for 30 minutes, coat with corn flour/tapioca flour, deep fry till brown, set aside.

3) Saute chopped garlic with cooking oil till golden brown, set aside.

4) Soak Mee Hoon (rice vermicelli) in water till soft, drain and set aside.

5) Bring broth to boil, add in ginger slices, tomato and preserved vegetables, boil for 15minutes.

6) Add in Mee Hoon and evaporate milk, cook for 1-2 minutes, turn off the flame.

7) Ladle the Mee Hoon soup into a serving bowl, garnish with deep fried fish fillets, garlic oil and spring onion. Serve hot with fresh chilli and soy sauce dipping sauce.

 
Hubby said it was delicious. Yeay!

Assam pedas fish

It was definitely a cooking week for me last week. Due to the colder weather now, I wanted to eat more hot and spicy food. Preferably soupy as well! Comfort food heh!

Rasa Malaysia made this assam pedas fish recipe so simple that I had to try it out!

Ingredients:
1 pomfret (1/2 pound to 1 pound)  (I used salmon)
10 small okras
1 tomato (cut into wedges)
1 tsp of fish curry powder
2 sprigs of daun kesum (Viatnamese mint)  (Omitted)
5 tbsp of cooking oil
1 tsbp of sugar
Salt to taste

Spice to taste: 
1 clove garlic
1 stalk of lemon grass (white part only)
4 shallots
8-10 dried chillies (depends how spicy you like)
1/2 tsbp of belacan  (I used belacan granules)

Tamarind juice:
1 1/4 cup of water
Tamarind pulp (size of a small ping pong ball)

Method:
1) Pound the spice paste with mortar and pestle or grind them in a food processor. Set aside.

2) Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind pulp constantly to extract the flavor into the water. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.

3) Heat oil and fry the spice paste for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

4) Add the tamarind juice, fish curry powder and bring to boil.

5) Add the tomato wedges and okras and bring to boil.

6) Add the fish, salt, and palm sugar/sugar.

7) Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or until the fish is cooked and serve hot.


My final result tasted quite allright but I think it still can't beat my hubby's one. So, I will leave this very important task to him the next time..haha!

Penang assam laksa

I had a really bad craving to eat Penang assam laksa a month ago. The small bowl I had at the Malaysian night held at Trafalgar Square 3 weeks back didn't help much. To satiate the craving, I decided that I have cook it myself. Initially, I thought it would be hard work and requires a lot of ingredients. However, after visiting Rasa Malaysia site, it didn't appear to be that hard. All you need is a little effort and time  =)

Here's the recipe from Rasa Malaysia to share with:

Ingredients:
1 lb of Mackerel fish
8 cups of water
5 pieces of assam keping
1 pack dried laksa noodles (Managed to find Lai Fen rice stick at See Woo)

Spice paste:
12 dried red chilies (seeded)
5 fresh red chilies (seeded)
8 small shallots
2 tsp belacan (I used belacan granules)
1 stalk lemon grass (use only the white part, about 6 inches)

Tamarind juice:
Tamarind (about golf ball size)
1/2 cup water (repeat 3-4 times)

Seasonings:
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp fish sauce

Garnishing:
1 cucumber (julienned)
1 bunch mint leaves (use only the leaves)
1 bunch polygonum leaves / Viatnamese mint leaves (daun kesom / daun laksa) (Omitted this)
1 bunga kantan (cut into small pieces) (Omitted this)
1 red onion (sliced thinly)
1 lettuce (thinly cut) (Omitted this)
1 red chili / 3-4 bird's eye chilies (cut into small pieces)
1 small pineapple (cut into short strips)

Condiment:
Heh ko / Prawn paste (Omitted this)

Method:
Clean the fish, remove scales and guts. In a pot, bring 8 cups of water to boil. Add in the fish and boil for about 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked fish out into a bowl and let cool. Strain the fish stock, then add in the peeled tamarind, and the polygonum leaves and continue to boil in low heat.
Wet your hands constantly with a bowl of water, pick the flesh out of all the fish and discard the bones. Break the fish meat into tiny pieces and put the fish back into the stock, cover the lid, and lower the heat.

Using a mini food processor, grind the spice paste until fine. Heat up a wok and saute the spice paste with cooking oil for about 6-8 minutes or until it smells aromatic and spicy. Transfer the spice paste into the boiling stock.

Extract the tamarind juice and add it into the stock. Strain the tamarind juice and keep the seed. Repeat it 3-4 times with 1/2 cup of water each time to make sure you extract all the essence from the tamarind. Continue to taste your Assam Laksa stock to make sure it’s sour and to your liking. For seasoning, add sugar, salt, and fish sauce.

Prepare the laksa noodles by following the packaging instructions. In a serving bowl, add in the laksa noodles and garnish all vegetables on top. Pour the Assam Laksa soup into the bowl and serve immediately with a spoonful of Heh Ko/prawn paste.

Voila..a bowl of delicious assam laksa!! Surprisingly, for a first time attempt, it turned out good! I could not believe it myself! Hehe!

I makan until puas puas this time! 3 bowls! Dinner, breakfast and lunch! No more cravings! To my friends in London who are reading this, I will try my best for a second attempt and invite you over yuh.. =)

Cucumber salad

I was watching Jamie Oliver's 30 minutes earlier this week and he did this appetiser dish only in 8 minutes! Totally impressed by the amount of time required, I decided to try it yesterday. I took 15 minutes to do the dish though. I am not as speedy as Jamie  =p

Ingredients:
A 2cm piece of fresh ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lime
1 cucumber
A small handful of fresh coriander  (I omitted this)
1/2 a fresh red chilli

Method:
1) Peel and grate 2cm of fresh ginger on to a serving platter and add 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 3 tbsp of extra virgin oil (I used normal virgin oil) and 1 tsp of sesame oil.
2) Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, then check the seasoning.
3) Use a speed peeler to peel the cucumber in long ribbons over the platter. Discard the watery core.
4) Take a small handful of coriander and finely chop the stalks, putting the leave aside. Sprinkle the stalks over the cucumber.
5) Finely chop 1/2 a chili and sprinkle over. Take to the table but don't toss and dress until you're ready to eat.


Highly recommend to try it. Simply easy, yummy and appetising!!!

Muah chee

I loved to eat Muah Chee when I was still in Malaysia. I would definitely buy it when I go to pasar malam. I totally forgot about this food until I stumbled upon Little Teochew's blog on how to make it. After looking at the recipe, I didn't know that Muah Chee is so SUPER DUPER EASY to make. Here is one to share:

Ingredients:
A)
250g glutinous rice flour
375ml water
2 tbsp shallot oil (I just used normal sunflower oil)

(B)
250g peanuts, toasted and ground finely (Can actually half the peanuts because I am left with so much)
50g sugar (I've added more sugar because it wasn't sweet enough to me)


Method:

1) Mix (B) together to create peanuts and sugar mixture.

2) Mix (A) in a covered Pyrex bowl and microwave on high for 7 mins.

 Mixture before microwaving

 Mixture after microwaving

3) When done, cut a big piece out and plonk it into the peanut/sugar mixture. Then start cutting into small pieces like the Muah Chee hawkers (As you cut and roll the little pieces around in the peanut mix, it won't stick to one another or the scissors). Coat well and serve immediately.

Finally..the ready to serve Muah Chee!!

Absolutely yummy and easy!

Gingko barley tong sui

My mum used to make this dessert for special occassions mostly during relatives gathering. The special thing about this dessert is that you will feel as if you are drinking soya bean milk and not eating dessert. You can't see a single piece of the dried beancurd sheet floating in the water. So what is the secret recipe?

TADA!!!

The DRIED BEANCURD SHEET of course!! So now you see..the dried beancurd sheet is in the process of boiling..

And now you don't!! All gone! Basically you need to boil the dried beancurd until fully dissolve.

Once fully dissolved, add in the barley. Make sure you wash, rinse and drain before that.

When the barley is half soften, add in the gingko.  

Continue to boil until the barley is all soften. Finally, add in rock sugar to the sweetness you like.


There you go..a dessert to enjoy for the summer. If you chill it in the fridge, it will be even nicer!!

Mee huen kueh (Pan mee)

There are a lot of food that I haven't had since I came to London. One of them is Mee Huen Kueh. Out of the blue, I had this sudden craving for it one day. Looked up for the recipe and adapted it from Kuali. I improvised the recipe a bit.

Ingredients:

To make the noodle dough:
300g plain flour
1 cup water
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil

For the stock:
2 litres of water
200g anchovies, washed and well drained
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chicken stock granules (Omitted)
1/2 tsp sugar

Accompaniments:
200g minced pork (I used thinly sliced chicken)
5-6 dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked to soften and shredded
Pucuk manis (I used spinnach instead)
Fried shallots
Fried anchovies

Seasoning:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp premium oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
Dash of pepper

Method:
To prepare the noodles dough

Sift flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add in the egg, salt and oil and pour in water gradually. Knead lightly into a dough (do not over knead.) Cover dough with a piece of cling film and leave aside to rest for 40–50 minutes. Remove dough from the mixing bowl onto a lightly-floured surface. Roll out dough into a flat piece, then run it through a noodle-making machine into strands or, if preferred, tear the dough into pieces.

* It was really tricky to make the dough. I had to use a lot of flour so that the dough will not stick on my hand.

For the basic stock

Pan-fry anchovies in a wok, then put into a pot of boiling water. Boil for 1–2 hours. Add seasoning to taste and keep the stock for use later.

Marinate minced pork with seasoning. Add a little oil and sesame oil in a wok and fry marinated pork for 2–3 minutes. Add in the the mushrooms and fry until fragrant for 4–5 minutes. Dish out.

Bring a saucepan of basic stock to a boil, drop the torn pieces of pan meen into the boiling stock and cook until they float. Add in some pucuk manis.

When cooked, dish out into a bowl and serve with some minced pork, fried shallots and fried anchovies.

Serve with sambal belacan, if desired.


It was really really yummy given it was my first attempt. Hubby also agreed it was tasty! Hooray!

Mun Yee Mee

It was definitely a 'Noodles' Sunday for us. I cooked Wat Tan Hor for lunch and Mun Yee Mee for dinner. Another very simple recipe to follow from My Kitchen Snippets.

Ingredients:

2 pieces dried yee mee noodles
1 piece chicken breast, sliced (season with a bit of oyster sauce and dash of pepper)
10 shrimps – peeled and deveined
1 bunch of greens - any kind (I used Kai Lan)
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 cups of chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1) Heat up wok on high. Add about 2 tbsp spoon of oil and add in the garlic. Stir fry until lightly brown.

2) Add in the chicken, stir-fry until it changes color. Add in chicken stock and all the seasonings. Bring it up to boil. Add in the yee mee and continue to cook until the gravy thickens. This should take about 3-4 minutes.

3) Then add in the vegetables and shrimps. Continue to cook until noodles soften and check seasonings. Serve warm.
 
 
I've also added in some leftover fish balls and fried beancurd to the mun yee mee. Another delicious Chinese noodles for the day. Best to eat with chili belacan. Yum yum!

Wat tan hor

I never had the opportunity to eat Wat Tan Hor ever since I moved to the UK. I wouldn't say I really miss it but it's nice to eat it once in a while. I actually prefer Yin Yong than Wat Tan Hor because of the crunchiness of the mee hoon. Decided to do Wat Tan Hor instead because I am just too lazy to deep fry the mee hoon.

My friend in NY tested the recipe from My Kitchen Snippets and said it was good. Managed to buy hor fun from See Woo last weekend and here is my yummy Wat Tan Hor.

And here is a recap of the recipe..

Ingredients :

1 small packet of fresh flat noodles (kuey teow/hor fun)
1 piece of chicken breast - slice thinly and marinate with some cornstarch and soy sauce
10 medium size shrimp
1 bunch of greens - any kind (I used Kai Lan)
2 cloves of garlic
3 cups of chicken stock or water
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 egg - lightly beaten
Salt & pepper to taste
Corn starch solution - for thickening the gravy

Method:
1) Put about a tbsp of oil in a non stick pan and stir fry the flat noodles with soy sauce until its warm and slightly brown. Remove and set aside.

2) Put some oil to the frying pan and add in the garlic and stir-fry until lightly brown. Add in the marinate chicken. Stir fry of a minute and add in the water or chicken stock. Add in oyster sauce, soy sauce. Bring it to boil.

3) Add in greens and shrimps. Continue to cook for 2 minutes and check seasoning. Add in cornstarch solution to the thickness you want. Bring it to boil.

4) Turn off the heat and stir in beaten egg. Gently stir to cook the egg.

5) Dish the gravy over the fried noodle and serve warm with pickle green chillies.
 
 
It is really an easy recipe and simply delicious! Hubby also said it tasted good! Give it a try.

Pork in soy sauce (Bak tau yew)

This is my second attempt cooking Bak Tau Yew (or Tau Yew Bak in Hokkien). The first attempt wasn't very successful. I mess up with the seasoning which is very important for this dish. This time around, I pretty did it right and was quite pleased.

Ingredients:

500gm minced pork or pork belly

4-5 hard boiled eggs

2-3 pulps garlic

500 ml water

2 tbsp cornflour

Seasoning:

4-5 tbsp soy sauce

1-2 tbsp dark soy sauce (or until it reaches your desired colour)

Salt to taste

Method:

1) Marinate the minced pork with 2 tbsp soy sauce and cornflour for one hour. Shape the minced pork into the size of a ping pong. (For pork belly, cut into small pieces)

2) Heat oil in a wok and pan fry the pork balls until brown. Set aside.

3) Next, stir fry the garlics with oil until fragrant. 

4) Add in the water and bring it to boil. Add in the pork balls.

5) Lower the heat and add in the seasoning.

6) Simmer for about 5 mins before adding the hard boiled eggs. Dish out and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Note: You can also add in fried tofu.

Pretty simple recipe. My mum in-law cooked this dish quite often during my confinement. I totally love it. One of my favourite dish and I can eat 2 plates of rice with the gravy. Yum yum!!

Banana brulee

I've been doing a lot of cooking and was thinking of trying something new like making desserts or baking. As usual, I don't like complex recipes. When I saw this Great Little Ideas' advertisement on TV, I knew I must try it as the receipe is so so simple.

Here is what you need...

Serves 4

Ingredients:

425g Ambrosia Custard

2 large bananas
4 tsp caster sugar / demerara sugar

Method:
1) Place the Ambrosia Custard into a saucepan, bring to boil and stir, then simmer for 5mins.

2) Peel and slice the bananas and place into the base of 4 ramekins.

3) Pour the custard evenly over the bananas and leave to cool, then transfer to the fridge for an hour until the custard is chilled.

4) Sprinkle a teaspoon of caster sugar over the top of the custard and then place the ramekin into a hot oven for a minute or until crunchy caramel is produced. Serve hot.

My brulee did not turn out crunchy  =(. Don't know what went wrong. Anyway, hubby said it tasted like normal custard. Oh well, I will give another try one day as I still have custard in the fridge.

Chicken slices with ginger and spring onion

This is a common dish my family will order when we go out for dinner. I haven't been eating this dish since I came to London. A friend in NY send me the recipe recently and I gave it a try (really ran out of ideas what to cook). The dish turned out good and tasted really delicious. I couldn't help but had 2 servings of rice because of the tasty gravy.

Here's the recipe to share with..

Ingredients:

300g skinned chicken breast - thinly sliced

50g ginger - thinly sliced

3 stalks spring onion, cut into 3cm length
3 tbsp oil

Marinade:
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Dash of pepper
1 tsp cornflour

Sauce:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp shaoxing wine
Dash of pepper and chicken stock granules
200ml water with 1 tbsp cornflour for thickening

Method:
1) Mix chicken with marinade and season for 30 minutes.

2) Heat oil in a wok and fry the ginger until fragrant but still quite pale. Push ginger to one side of the wok and add the chicken, frying quickly over high heat until pieces are firm and opaque - about 2 mins.

3) Stir the sauce ingredients to ensure the cornflour is well blended and pour into the wok, stirring quickly. When sauce bubbles and thickens, add spring onion, cook for one minute and take pan off the heat. Serve immediately.

Thanks Cheangsy for sharing the recipe!!

Minced meat noodles

Mum send me a packet of Australia lobster noodles last month. I've been telling my hubby that I will cook the noodles one day and he has been wondering when will I do so. So, I cooked it last week.

The next thing was to decide what style..and I picked this minced meat noodles recipe up from My Kitchen Snippets.

Ingredients:
1/2 pounds of minced meat (beef, chicken or pork) - I used pork
4 shallots - thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic - chopped
5 dry shitake mushroom - soak in hot water and slice thinly

Seasonings:
2 tsp of dark soy sauce
2 tbsp of oyster sauce
2 tbsp of soy sauce
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of pepper
1/4 tsp of sesame oil
Salt to taste
1/2 cup of water

Garnishes:
Some noodles (blanch in hot water)
2 eggs - make into omelet - slice thinly
1 carrots - julienned and blanch in hot water for a minute
1/2 cucumber - julienned
Some iceberg lettuce - julienned
2 spring onions - cut small - I omitted this

Method:
1) Heat up some olive oil, add in shallots and garlic. Stir fry until fragrant and lightly brown.

2) Add in minced meat, break up all the lumps and stir fry until the meat changes colour. Add in the mushroom, all the seasonings and water.

3) Continue to stir fry until meat is cook. If the meat is too dry add in a bit more water. The meat need to have some gravy in it. Dish out and set aside.

4) Put some noodles in a bowl, put some meat on top of the noodles and the rest of the garnishes. Serve warm.


It tasted quite good. It was like eating 'Char cheung min' because you need to mix all the garnishes before eating. The only thing was I took quite some time to julienned the garnishes as I don't have a grater.