Monday, February 23, 2009

CP recipes

Moroccan Chicken Skewer

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Boneless Chicken Tight, cut into long strips
1/2 Lime, cut into thin slices
4 - 6 Shallots, skin removed
1/2 Tablespoon of Moroccan Seasoning
1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
4 Cherry Tomatoes
4 Wooden Skewers, soaked in water
4 Feta Cheese, optional

Method:
1. Place the chicken, lime slices, shallots, Moroccan seasoning and olive oil in a small zip lock bag and marinate it overnight in the fridge or at least 1 hour.
2. Thread one cherry tomato, chicken strip, lime slice, shallot and another chicken strip on each skewer. (You can thread with extra Feta Cheese if you prefer)
3. Get all done, the arrange it on a BBQ rack, grill or oven rack and cooked it till done.
4. If you prefer you can brush a little bit of butter or oil on the skewer for extra taste.
5. Removed when done and serve it with the prepared fruity salad.

Note:
a) The reason as to soak the wooden skewers is to prevent it from getting burnt when BBQ or grill.
b) You can prepared the fruity salad a day or half day earlier and keep it in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Steam Cod With Tangerine

Ingredients: (serves 2)
6 Slices of 2" x 4.5" Cod Fillet(雪鱼)
2 Medium Size Prawns
1/2 Tablespoons Wolfberries(枸杞)
2 Small Slices Of Dang Gui(当归片)
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine(黄酒) or Mirin
1 or 2 Tangerines(桔子)

Methods:
1. Remove the shell of the prawns and leave the tail part on, devein and cut a small opening slit at the middle of the back and push the tail through the hole bending on the belly side.
2. Slowly remove the peel of the tangerine, then cut it into thin strips and set aside. Next remove the white pits of the tangerine flesh and separate each wedges and set aside.
3. Place 3 slices of the cod fish one on top of each other but leave about 1/2 cm allowance between each slice then roll it up and place it on a small plate.
4. Next place the prepared prawn on top of the fish slices (refer to ingredient picture, 1st row - column 2).
5. Break a slice of the dang gui into half then place it on the both side of the fish pyramid, sprinkler with some wolfberries and arrange some tangerine wedges on the side of the plate.
6. Upon steaming, drizzle 1 tablespoon of rice wine on the fish, top with tangerine peel strips and steam over medium heat for about 5 minutes or till cooked through depend quantity used.
7. Serve hot with rice or as starter.


Notes:
a) If you don't like cod, you can replace it with other fish fillet that is suitable for steaming, eg. Grouper - 石斑.
b) You can also omit the prawn and just purely using fish slices.
c) If you don't have Rice Wine, you can replace it with 2 Teaspoons of Hua Diao Jiu (花雕酒) instead as the taste is much stronger than the sweet rice wine.
d) You can also replace it with 2 Tablespoons of Chicken Stock if you do not wish to serve liquor to kids.

Baked Mango & Salmon Salad

Ingredients: (serves 2)
8 Pieces of 1" cube size Salmon
1/2 Bundle of Shimeiji Mushrooms
1/2 Japanese Cucumber, cut into half cubes
1/2 Medium Size Mango, cut into cubes
1/2 Tomato, cut into 1/4 wedges
3 -4 Thin Lemon Slices
Some roasted Cashew Nuts
Some Japanese Mayonnaise Sauce
Some Seaweeds Flakes, optional
1 Tablespoon Shredded Cheese, optional

Methods:
1. Pre-heat a small saucepan with 1/2 teaspoon of olive and and stir-fry the Shimeiji for 30 seconds and remove, set aside.
2. Next lightly pan-fry the salmon cube for about 30 seconds on each side until it's almost cooked through, remove and set aside.
3. Arrange in alternate way using the salmon cubes, cucumber, mango, tomato, shimeiji mushroom, lemon and some shredded cheese in a baking dish.(refer to the 2nd picture, 1st row picture 2 and 3)
4. On the top layer, drizzle some Japanese mayonnaise, shredded cheese and cashew nuts then pop it into the toaster oven for about 5 minutes until cheese melt.
5. Serve it as a starter or side dish and you can sprinkler some seaweeds flakes on it.

Notes:
a) You can purchase those small packed of snack roasted cashew nuts from supermarkets.
b) Rinse and cut the Shimeiji mushroom into single stalk.
c) You can omit using cheese if you don't not have them or you are not a fan of cheese.
d) You can replace the mango with avocado cubes instead.....

Salmon Baked Rice

Ingredients: (serve 1)
8 slices of Sashimi cut Salmon
1/4 Bunch of Shimeiji Mushroom
1 Rice Bowl of Cooked Rice
1 Egg, optional
2 Tablespoons of Assorted Shredded Cheese
Some Japanese Mayonnaise
Some BBQ Sauce

Methods:
1. Cook the rice accordingly and get ready a 1 person serving size baking dish.
2. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small non-stick pan and stir-fry the shimeiji mushroom for about 30 seconds, remove and set aside.
3. Next spoon the cooked rice into the baking dish and arrange the shimeiji mushroom around the side of the baking dish.
4. Make a well in the middle and crack an egg into the hole.
5. Lastly arrange the salmon slices on top of the rice and spread the shredded cheese evenly on top the fish.
6. Before baking, drizzle some japan Mayonnaise on it and bake in a toaster oven for about 5 - 7 minutes.(depend on the thicken of the fish and how well cooked you want the egg to be)
7. Remove the bake rice from the toaster and drizzle some extra BBQ sauce on top and serve immediately.

Notes:
a) Rinse and cut the shimeiji mushroom into individual stalk from the bundle.
b) You can serve it with some baked corn, just removed the husk from the corn, wash and pad dry then brush it with some butter and baked in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes, turn occasionally.

Cream Of Salmon & Mushroom Soup

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Small Piece of Salmon Fillet, around 150g
6 - 8 Small Button Mushroom, halves
1/2 Medium Onion, diced
6 Small Broccoli Floret

Seasoning & Sauce:
Some Olive Oil & Salt
10g Butter
1/2 Tablespoon Plain Flour
350ml - 400ml Fresh Milk

Methods:
1. Removed the skin from the salmon fillet, and cut it into equal cubes sizes around 1.5".
2. Rinse and peel off the skin from the button mushroom, halves it and diced the onion.
3. Blanch the broccoli florets in light salted water for about 30 seconds, removed and rinse with cold water.
4. Pre-heat a pan with about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, and pan-fry the salmon cubes for a about 1 minute on each side until cook through, season with pinch of salt during the process. Remove and set side.
5. Next add in another 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil, saute the diced onion until almost soft then add in the mushroom and stir-fry for a about 20 seconds and remove.
6. Use the kitchen paper towel to clean up the pan then add in the butter and statue on low heat until completely melted then stir in the flour slowly and fry for a few seconds then gradually add in the milk and continue to stir until it thicken.(if the milk starts to turn into lumps don't worry, you can use a whisk to stir in or add in a little bit more milk to thin it)
7. When the salt is done, season it with some salt or stock cubes(if you prefer a stronger taste), then add in the broccoli, onion and mushrooms then give it a quick stir then return it to the heat for a few seconds.
8. Quickly at in the salmon and stir gently so as not to break up the cubes.
9. Remove from heat and served it with either butter or garlic toasts.

Notes:
a) If you don't like salmon, you can replace it with cubes chicken tight/fillet.
b) You can either served it with toast or cooked pasta or spaghetti

Double-Boiled Apple With Gingko Nuts

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 1/2 to 2 Big Apple, cut into wedges
10 Gingko Nut(白果), pre-packed type
1 Tablespoon of Sweet & Bitter Almond( 南北杏)
2 Red Date(红枣), cut into wedges
1 Teaspoon Gou Qi Ji (枸杞子)
3 Dried Fig(无花果), cut into halves
Some Rock Sugar, to taste

Methods:
1. Wash and cored and cut the apples into thick wedges, rinse the rest of the ingredients and put everything(except rock sugar) into a double-boiler and double-boiled in the slow-cooker on auto for about 2 hrs.
2. Remove the cover and add in the Rock Sugar and contine to double-boiled for another 30 minutes.
3. You can served it warm or cool and this is very effective for dry cough.

Notes:
a) I used those big pinky type of Apple (refer to the picture above)

Pan-fry Chicken With Strawberry Jam Sauce

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Boneless Chicken Tight
2 Tablespoons Of Strawberry Jam
1/2 Tablespoon Orange Juice
Salt & Pepper

Methods:
1. Wash and trim the fat on the chicken tight, pat dry and marinate it with all the ingredients and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or more.
2. Preheat a frying pan with some olive oil, drained the chicken tight well then pan-fry it with skin side down for about 5 minutes(depend on the thickness and size) then turn over to cook the other side.
3. When both side are cooked through with a slightly brown in colour, remove and arranged on serving plate.
4. Prepare the sauce and drizzle the sauce with the fruits over and at the side of the chicken.
5. Served with extra vegetables, salad or mashed potato.

Sauce Ingredients:
80ml Orange Juice
6 - 8 Orange Segments
2 Fresh Strawberries, cut into thick slices
1 Tablespoon Of Strawberry Jam

Methods:
1. Place all the ingredients except the orange in a small saucepan then simmer till almost boil then add in the orange segments and stir till it begin to boil again.

Double-boiled Chinese Pear

Ingredients: (serve 1)
1 Big Chinese Snow Pear,雪梨
1 Teaspoon of Chuanbei(川贝母) powder
1 Red Date(红枣), removed seed
1 Teaspoon Rock Sugar,冰糖
1 Teaspoon Sweet & Bitter Almond(南北杏)
5 - 8 Gou Qizi,枸杞子
About 80ml - 100ml Of Drinking Water

Methods:
1. Wash the snow pear and cut a small portion off on top and use a spoon to scoop out the core and the flesh to make a pear cup.
2. Wash the herbs and put it into the pear cup together with the rock sugar and Chuanbei Powder.

3. Place the pear cup into a double-boiled then top water to the rim of the pear cup. (do not put any water inside the double-boiler that contain the pear)
4. Double-boiled it for about 2 to 3 hours in a slow cooker and served warm or you can double-boiled it over a stove in a pot for about 30 - 45 minutes over low heat.

Note:
a) Chuanbei powder can get from most Chinese medical hall. Usually I will buy $5 and ask them to grind into powder. If for kid consume it can be divided into 4 serving amount, you can check with the person in the medical hall for more details.

Salmon With Passionfruit Sauce

Salad Ingredients : (serves 2)
2 Tablespoons of Cucumber Cubes
2 Tablespoons of Apple Cubes
1 Tablespoons of Tomato Cubes
1 Tablespoon of Passion fruit Pulps
1 Tablespoon of Pomegranate

Methods:
1. Cut all the items into similar shape and sizes then mixed them together and set aside in the fridge.
2. Scoop the salad into the reserved passion fruit shell.

Note:
a) You can use whatever fruits and vegetables that is in your fridge but try to choose those with mild favour to compromise with the passion fruit taste. Posted by Picasa
Sauce Ingredients:
2 Medium Passion fruits
1/2 Teaspoon Butter
3 Shallots, sliced & roughly chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Honey
1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

Methods:
1. Halves the passion fruit, scrape flesh into strainer and push it through the stainer and get about 80 - 100ml of juice. Set aside.
2. After frying the salmon, use the kitchen paper towel to wipe the pan then add in the butter and saute the shallot till fragrant, about 1 minutes or less.
3. Add in cooking wine, passion fruit juice and honey then simmer on medium low heat till thickened, about 30 seconds then remove and set aside.

Note:
a) The use of honey is for seasoning purpose as in sweeten and enhance the favour of the passionfruit and it also act as a caramelised agent to thicken the sauce.

Main Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Pieces of Salmon Fillet, about 200g each
Salt & Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon passion fruit juice
1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Butter

Methods:
1. Season the salmon with salt, pepper and passion fruit juice then coat it with some cornflour on both side then set aside for about 1 minute.
2. Heat up the pan with olive oil and butter then pan-fry the salmon, skin-side down for about 4 minutes on each side until cooked through. the timing will depending on the thickness of the fillet.
3. Removed the fillet and arranged on serving plate together with the side dish, salad and drizzle some passion fruit sauce on the fillet and served extra sauce on the side.

Lavender-Cointreau Baked Seafood

Ingredients:
1 Large Scallop
1 Tablespoon of Lavender-Cointreau Dressing
Some Fresh Lemon Rinds
Pinch Of Chilli Flakes

Methods:
1. Rinse and clean the scallop well, pad dry and place it on a big of aluminum foil, fold the sides up to form a parcel so that the sauce will be within the foil when baking.
2. Top the scallop with lemon rind, Lavender-Cointreau Dressing and chilli flakes and baked in the toaster oven for about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness.
3. Remove it from foil and place it on serving plate
Lavender + Cointreau + Blueberry + Lemon Rinds + Cod Fillet = Lavender & Blueberry Baked Cod Fillet. What do you think of these combination? Do you dare to give it a try? It's really a combination of favour, fragrant and taste. If you have these ingredients in your pantry, do give it a try and you will be surprised with the outcome :)Ingredients:
1 Piece of Cod Fillet, about 150g
6 Fresh Blueberries
Some Fresh Lemon Rinds
2 - 3 Cherry Tomato, halves
2 Tablespoons of Lavender-Cointreau Dressing

Methods:
1. Wash and pad dry the cod fillet then place in on the middle of an rectangle aluminum foil, fold the four sides up to form a rectangle parcel so that the sauce will be within the foil when baking.
2. Top the cod fillet with blueberries, lemon rind, cherry tomato and the Lavender-Cointreau Dressing and baked in the toaster oven for about 7 - 10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillet.
3. When the fillet is cooked, remove it and place it on serving plate and drizzle the sauce from the fish parcel to the fillet.
To make the Lavender-Cointreau Dressing, it's not necessary that you must have Cointreau. You can replace it with Grand Marnier or Orange Juice if this dish is to serve to kid.Posted by Picasa

Ingredients: (makes about 150ml dressing)
1 Teaspoon of Honey
3 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Lavender
1 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon of Cointreau

Methods:
1. Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan or frying pan over moderate heat, stirring with a spoon at all time, until ingredients caramelised into a sticky sauce. (it will be about 3 - 4 minutes)
2. Remove from heat and allow to cool then use it for drizzle over the seafood before baking.

Steam Corn Kernels Dumplings


Ingredients: (make about 10 dumplings, ping pong ball size)
150g Pork Mince
150g Prawn Mince
20g Shredded Carrot
3 Water Chestnuts, finely chopped
1 Tablespoons of Chopped Spring Onion
1 Teaspoons of Grated Ginger
1/2 Tablespoons of Shallot Slices
Seasonings:
1 Tablespoon of Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Cooking Wine
1 Teaspoon of Cornflour
1/2 Teaspoon of Pepper
Coating:
1 cup of corn kernels, either frozen or fresh

Methods:
1. Mixed all the ingredients(except the corn kernels) and seasonings together till well combine and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hours or overnight.
2. Put the corn kernels on a flat plate, roll about 1 tablespoon for filling into a round shape then coat with the corn kernels. (You might need to use your finger to stick the corn kernels to the filling.)
3. Set aside on a steam plate and continue with the rest of the rolling and sticking.
4. Steam the corn dumplings on medium heat heat for about 7 - 10 minutes depending on the size.
5. Slowly remove it from the steaming plate and arrange them on the serving plate and prepare the drizzling egg sauce.
6. To prepare the egg sauce, preheat a small frying pan or sausage with some oil, add 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce and let it bubble for a few second then add in 60ml of water, and stir till the oyster sauce is mixed through.
7. Next, slowly add in one tablespoon of beaten egg white and stir until it change colour then add in some cornstarch water to thicken the sauce.
8. Use a spoon to drizzle the sauce on top of each arranged corn dumplings, top with extra chopped spring onions and chillie and serve.

Tips:
a) You can replace the chopped chillies to Chopped Carrot for the topping if this is to serve for kids.
b) To make the prawn mince, you can either chopped the shelled prawn using the back of the knife or you can put it in the food process and blend it together with the pork mince and seasonings.
c) To make an easy egg sauce, you can used ready stock pack and just pour the chicken stock into a small saucepan and then before it begin to boil, stir in the egg white and thicken with corn starch.

Seafood Melody

Ingredients: (serves 1)
3 Scallops on Shell
Some Japanese Mayonnaise
Some Chopped Spring Onion
Some Chopped Chilli
Some Shredded Cheese

Methods:
1. Defrost the scallops completely, rinse well and pad it dry with some kitchen paper towel.
2. Place about 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise cream on the centre of the scallop, sprinkle some chopped onion and chillie.
3. Top with some shredded cheese and grill for 3 - 5 minutes until it is cook through depending on the size of the scallop.
4. You can added some extra cheese after 2 minutes or so for extra cheesy taste.


Tips:
1. If you do not have any Japanese Mayonnaise, you can use any type of mayonnaise or thousand island.
2. If this is serve for kids, you can omit the cut chillies.
3. You can replace the chopped spring onion with chopped brown onion.
4. Use any type of cheese that you can find in your fridge, for this I used Mozzarella Cheese.

Salmon Onigiri

OFor our Quick & Easy menu tonight, we will be having Salmon Onigiri. I use the pan-fry salmon flake to make three different version of Salmon Onigiri, 1st type is salmon flakes with black sesame seeds, 2nd is salmon flakes with seaweed flakes and 3rd type is salmon & cheese wrapped with rice. And making of Onigiri is so much easier with the help of the assorted Onigiri Moulds sold in the supermarket. Posted by Picasa

Ingredients: (make 6 Onigiri, 6cm by 5cm)
1 Cup of Short Grain/Calrose Rice
1 Piece of Salmon Fillet, about 250g
3-4 Slices of Ginger
1 Teaspoon Black Sesame Seeds, toasted
1 Teaspoon White Sesame Seeds, toasted
1 Slice of Sandwich Cheese, folded into quarter lengthwise
1 Small Sheet of seaweed, cut into 8cm by 1cm

Methods for Salmon & Black Sesame Onigiri:
1. Wash and rinse the rice with a few rounds of water until the water is clear, then soak it with about 20ml more of water for about 2 - 3 hrs then cook it in the rice cooker as per normal.
2. While cooking the rice, heat up a small non-stick saucepan and add in about 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the ginger slices till fragrant then add in the salmon skin side down.
3. Pan-fry it for about 2 minutes or till golden brown then flip it over and cook on the surface until it is cooked through, but do not overcooked it.
4. Add about 1/4 of the cooked salmon flakes in a big bowl, use the fork to flake it then add in 1 scoop of the cooked rice and about 1/2 teaspoon of the black sesame seeds.
5. Mixed them well then fill the rice in the Onigiri Mould and pressed the cover hard to get it moulded into shape.
6. Remove it from the mould and sprinkle some extra black sesame seeds on top. (You can make about two of this using the 6cm by 5cm mould)

Methods for Salmon & Seaweed Flakes Onigiri:
1. You can follow the same steps as the Salmon & Black Sesame Onigiri but do some changes on method 4.
2. Instead of adding 1/2 teaspoon of black sesame seeds to mixture with the salmon flakes, you can add in 1 teaspoons of the seaweeds flakes to make it green and pink.

Methods for Salmon & Cheese Onigiri:
1. You can follow the same steps as the Salmon & Black Sesame Onigiri from method 1 to 3.
2. Next instead of mixing the salmon with the rice, you filled almost 1/2 the Onigiri mould with cooked rice, then place 1 piece of cooked salmon(about 1.5cm cube) in the middle and top with 1 piece of the cheese cube.
3. Next cover the filling with another 1/2 of the cooked rice on top to fill the mould.
4. Put on the cover and pressed tie to get the shape, remove the Onigiri from the mould and wrap it with seaweed strip and sprinkle with some white sesame seeds on one side.
5. Heat the the same saucepan use to pan-fry the salmon with 1 teaspoon of olive and pan-fry both side of the Onigiri for about 1 minute each side so that the heat will melt the cheese inside.
Notes:
a) You can toast the sesame seeds in advance and keep it in an air-tight container for future use.
b) You can either serve the Onigiri cold or warm.
c) You can use whatever ingredients you have in your pantry, if you do not have black or white sesame seeds or even seaweed sheet, you can either omit or replace it with other ingredients.

Baked Chicken WIth Plum Chutney & Cheese

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Chicken Maryland, trim the fat
8 Tablespoons of the Plum Chutney
2 Fresh Plum, stoned and cut into wedges
2 - 3 Tablespoons Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Medium Size Potato, cut into chunks/cubes
1 Small Carrot, cut into chunks/cubes
1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Mixed Herbs
1 Teaspoon Olive Oil

Methods:
1. Trim and wash the chicken the cut a few slits on the meat of the chicken, pat dry and stuffs some plum chutney into the slits then top with the remaining chutney.
2. Marinate it for at least 2 hours or over night in the fridge.
3. An hour or two before baking the chicken, you can marinate the mixed vegetables with the mixed herbs and olive oil.
4. Remove the chicken from the fridge 5 - 10 minutes before cooking.
5. Heat up a saucepan with 1 teaspoon olive oil then pan-fry the vegetables until slightly brown and almost cooked through.
6. Remove and place it on foil paper and put it in the oven toaster and toast for about 5 minutes, turning once or twice. (this will make it totally cooked through or soften and at the same time, force out the extra oil when frying)
7. Next, place the chicken, skin side down in the saucepan that is used for frying the vegetables and saute the chicken till the skin is slightly brown.
8. Turn it over and saute it for another 3 minutes, then add in the fresh plum wedges and remaining marindae sauce, cover and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
9. You can add it a 1 - 2 tablespoons extra of the plum chutney if you find that it's too dry to simmer.
10. Remove chicken, plum and etc from the saucepan and place it in a baking dish and put it in the toaster oven and baked for another 10 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through. (or to save the trouble, you can put everything in the baking tray and baked at 200 degree for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through)
11. Next sprinkle the shredded Mozzarella Cheese on top of the chicken and let it baked for another 1 - 2 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.
12. Remove and serve it with the baked herbal vegetables, extra chutney and fresh plum.

Baked Creamy Snapper

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Snapper Fillet (around 350g - 400g)
1 Grated Lemon Rind
1 1/2 Tablespoon of Japanese Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons of Frozen Corn Kernel
5 Tablespoons of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley, optional

Methods:
1. Rinse and pat dry the snapper fillet and arrange them in a baking dish. (if the fillet is too thick or long, you can cut it into half like what i had before placing in the baking dish)
2. Next lightly season the fillet with some black pepper, pinch of salt and the grated lemon rind.
3. Spread a thin layer of Japanese Mayonnaise on top of the fillet.(reversed the reminder for later use)
4. Put in the oven toaster and baked for 5 minutes until almost half cook through.(it might take 2 or 3 minutes longer if the fillet is too thick)
5. Remove the baking dish from the oven, spread the remaining mayonnaise on top of the fillet again, roughly top with half of the shredded cheese and all the corn kernel.
6. Put it back into the oven toaster and baked for 1 minute then top with the rest of the shredded cheese. (you can add extra cheese if you prefer more cheesy taste).
7. Bake for another 5 - 7 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the cheese is almost golden brown in colour.
8. Remove from the oven and place the fillet on the serving plate and sprinkle it with some dried parsley and pepper if you prefer.
9. Serve together with the Stir-fry Spicy Broccoli or extra steam rice if you prefer.

Notes:
a) You can replace snapper with salmon fillet.
b) You can replace Mozzarella Cheese with any shredded cheese of your choice.
c) If you do not have any Japanese Mayonnaise cream, you can replace it with Kraft brand mayonnaise.


Stir-fry Spicy Broccoli:
6-8 Small florets of Broccoli
2 Cloves of Garlics, thinly slices
1 Small Chilli, seeded and thinly slices
6 Walnuts

Methods:
1. Trim the broccoli and soak in lightly salted water for about 5 minutes, rinse and drain well.
2. Preheat a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and saute the garlic and walnuts until fragrant then add in the chillies slices.
3. Next add in the broccoli and stir-fry for 10 seconds then drizzle some cooking wine and continue to stir-fry for another minute or so until down.
4. Dish up and set aside on the plate while baking the fillet.

Thai Style Baked Chicken With Lemongrass & Lime

Ingredients: (serves 2)
6 Chicken Wings, (mid joint portion)
2 - 3 Stalks Lemongrass
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Small Red Chillies, seeded and minced
3 Tablespoons Thai Lime Juice
1 Grated Lime Rind

Methods:
1. Rinse and clean the chicken mid joint, pat dry and set aside.
2. Remove the outer leaves of the lemongrass, mince the rest but keep the thick base whole (about 5cm) and bruise it.
3. Mix the minced & base of the lemongrass, red chillies, lime juice, lime rind and olive oil together and pour it over the chicken mid joint and mix well.
4. Marinate the mixture in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
5. Prepare the mix vegetable(if using) 15 minutes before the cooking.
6. Remove the chicken from the bag and place it on a baking tray and baked in a preheat 180 degree oven for about 20 minutes, turn at least twice to have even colour.
7. Serve with extra roast vegetables or rice and garnish with extra slices of lime for better fragrant.

For Roast Vegetables(optional):
150g Pumpkin, (skin remove, cut into chunk)
1 Medium Potato (skin remove, cut into chunk)
6 Baby Carrots, or 1 small carrot (skin remove, cut into chunk)


Methods:
1. To cut short the baking time, heat up a small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Saute the potato and carrot for about 30 seconds then pour in the marinate sauce of the chicken and cover the pan and simmer on low heat for about 3 - 5 minutes. (this is make the potato and carrot soften a bit before baking)
3. Next add in the pumpkin chunks and continue to simmer for another 2 minutes.
4. Remove and lay the vegetables in a small baking dish and bake together with the chicken until done.

Note:
a) You can replace the chicken mid joint with chicken leg or even whole chicken but you will have to double or triple the marinating ingredients and extend the baking time.

Baked Chicken With Korean Citron Tea

Ingredients: (serve 1)
1 Chicken Leg, trim the fat
2 1/2 Tablespoons Of Korean Citron Tea
3 Garlics Cloves, cut into slices
8 Baby Carrot
2 - 3 Slices Of Baguette
Handful of Fries

Methods:
1. Wash, trim and pat dry the chicken leg, lift up the skin and use a sharp knife to cut a two slit of 1" cutting on both side of the meat and stuff in some of the Citron Tea paste.
2. In a small zip lockbag, place the chicken, garlic slices and remaining citron tea paste and marinate it in the fridge for at least an hour or more.
3. Remove the chicken from the fridge at least 5 minutes before baking.
4. Preheat a nonstick pan or saucepan with 1/2 tablespoon of Olive oil and saute the chicken(skin side down) and baby carrot for a 1 minute in medium heat then turn and sealed the other of the chicken as well.
5. Next add in the remaining marinating sauce from the bag into the pan and cover the chicken and simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes (turning twice, this is to let the chicken cook through faster and also to make the carrot soften).
6. Place the chicken and carrot in a baking dish and place it in the Toaster Oven for about 15 minutes, turning at least twice or more to make the meat cook evenly through.
7. While placing the chicken in the Oven, you can cut and spread the Baguette with butter and herbs then place it on the side of the baking dish to toast it till crispy.
8. Remove then replace it with the French Fries.
9. Serve the chicken hot with the extra gravy of the citron peels and garlic which will make the chicken taste even better.

Notes:
a) If you want to use a whole chicken (around 1.2 - 1.5kg) you will need at least 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the citron tea mixture.
b) If you do not wish to pan-fry the chicken 1st, you can put everything into the preheat 180 degree oven and baked for about 30 minutes or so until the chicken is cook through.
c) You can use normal carrot or potato that is cut into big cubes to replace the baby carrot.

Roast Chicken With Lemon & Rosemary

Ingredients: (serves 2)
4 - 6 Chicken Wings, washed and tuck-in
3 - 4 Cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
6 Slices of Lemon
1 Spig of Rosemary
1/2 Tablespoon of Lemon Juice
Pinch Of Salt
Ground White/Black Pepper
5 - 10g of Butter, optional

Methods:
1. Washed and pat dry the chicken wings then tuck in the wings.
2. Marinate the Chicken Wing with garlic, lemon, rosemary(the leave only), salt and pepper for at least 1 hour or leave it over night in the fridge.
3. Preheat the oven to about 180 degree, place the marinated chicken wings in the baking dish and top each wings with the lemon and garlic slices from the marinate and a little cubes of butter(optional) and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes(depend on the oven) until golden brown and cooked through. (turn the wings once or twice to have even baking colour)
4. Served with baked potato, fries, spaghetti or as finger food.

OR (in order to cut down the baking time)
3. Place the marinated chicken wings in a microwave oven and cooked on medium heat for about 5 - 8 minutes.
4. Remove from the microwave and place it in baking dish and top with a tiny dot of butter and arrange the lemon and garlic slices on top of the chicken wings.
5. Bake in an oven toaster for about 15-20 minutes turning the wings at least thrice until down.

Notes:
a) You can buy those mid-joint or drumlets to make this dish depending on your preference.
b) If you can't get hold of rosemary you can ombit it but add in more garlic slices instead.

Quick & Easy Meal

Ingredients: (serves 2)
6 -8 Mini Hotdog
1 Medium Potato, cut into cubes
2 Tablespoons Of Frozen Mixed Vegetables
1 Small Red Onion, cut into wedges
1 Small Tomato, cut into wedges(optional)
1 Packet of Lee Kum Kee Sauce For Sweet & Sour Pork

Methods:
1. Pan-fry the potato cubes until golden brown, dish up and set aside.
2. Use the remaining oil to grill the hotdog until cook through and remove.
3. Saute the onion wedges with 1 teaspoon of oil until fragrant then add in the frozen vegetables and stir-fry for 1 minutes then add in the packet of Sweet and Sour sauce then give it a quick stir.
4. Next add in the hotdog, potato cubes and tomato wedges and stir it till well combine. (remember to stir the sauce and mixture over low heat or else the sauce will dry up very fast)

Notes:
a) You can use any kind of hotdog that you can find in your pantry or towards your preference.
Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Medium Japaness Cucumber, cut into thin slices
1 Packet of Enokitake Mushroom, wash and trim
1 Piece of Medium Fried Fishcake, cut into thin slices
6 - 8 Slices Of Carrot
1/2 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
1/2 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon of Wolfberries
100ml - 150ml of Water
1/2 Egg White, lightly whisk

Methods:
1. Saute the minced garlic with 1/2 tablespoon of oil until fragrant then add in the carrot slices and fishcake, stir-fry it for a while then add in the cucumber slices.
2. When the carrot is almost soft, add in the enokitake mushroom and oyster sauce then give it a quick stir and add in 100ml of water and the wolfberries and let it simmer in low heat for a 1 - 2 minutes.
3. When it is almost thicken up, slowly drizzle in the egg white and give it a stir until the well combine.
4. Serve hot with white rice.

Rice Wine Chicken - 黄酒鸡

Ingredients: (Serves 2)
4 Chicken Wings, cut at the joint
1 Tablespoon of Grated Ginger
4 - 6 Dried Chinese Mushroom, soaked till soft
1 or 2 Cluster of Fresh Woodear(木耳), washed and cut into thick section
8 Slices of Ginger, thinly shredded
1 1/2 Tablespoons Of Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Wolfberries(枸杞子)
3/4 - 1 Cup of Glutinous Rice Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce, optional
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch mixture

Methods:
1. Marinate the chicken wings with 1 tablespoon of grated ginger for about 20 - 30 minutes to enhance the favour.
2. Heat a craypot or frying pan with sesame oil and saute the shredded ginger until fragrant and almost golden colour then add in the marinated chicken wing.
3. Stir-fry the chicken until it turn white on the surface(sealed the surface of the meat) then add in the Woodears, Mushrooms and oyster sauce.
4. Continue to stir-fry for about 30 seconds to let it absorb the sesame oil fragrant.
5. Next pour in the rice wine and wolfberries and let it simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes or so. (If you prefer more gravy, you can add in more rice wine according to your preference)
6. When the chicken and mushroom is cooked through, stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce a bit and give it a glossy texture.
7. Serve it with white rice or mee suan(面线) as prefer.

Notes:
a) You can replace chicken wings with chicken pieces or meat.
b) You can omit the dried mushroom and woodear for different texture of this dish.
c) It's optional that you must add in cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
d) You can either season it with Oyster sauce or salt depend on your preference.

Braised Chicken & Mushroom

Ingredients: (serves 2)
3 - 4 Chicken Wings, depend on the size
2 Hard-boiled Egg
6 - 8 Medium Dried Mushroom, soaked till soft
1 Packet of Lee Kim Kee Sauce For Teriyaki Chicken
3 Shallot, thinly sliced
4 Cloves Of Garlic, light smashed
2 Slices of Ginger
150ml - 180 ml Of Water

Methods:
1. Preheat the small saucepan with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and saute the shallot, garlic and ginger until fragrant.
2. Next add in the chicken wings and continue to saute for a few second then add in the Teriyaki Sauce and stir till well combined.
3. Pour in the water then follow by the pre-soaked mushrooms and hard-boiled egg and let it simmer on low heat for about 10 - 15 minutes until the chicken is cook through.
4. If you wan the mushroom to absord more favour of the sauce, you can remove the chicken wings first then let the mushroom and egg continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Notes:
a) You can use either whole chicken wings or mid-joint or drumstick depend on your preference.
b) You can even add in Firm Beancrud(Dou Gan).
c) You can replace the chicken wing with 1 or 2 strips of the pork belly.
d) If you prefer more sauce, you have to use two packets of the Lee Kee Kim Teriyaki Sauce instead of one.

Pan-fry Salmon & Apple Slices With Butter Sauce

Ingredients For Salmon & Apple (serves 2)
1 Piece of Salmon Fillet, about 300g
2 Medium Red Apples, cored and cut into wedges
1 Medium Onion, cut into thin slices
4 Slices of Ginger, thinly shredded
10g - 15g of Salted Butter
1/4 Wedge Of Lemon, optional

Methods:
1. Wash and pat dry the salmon fillet, sprinkle with some pepper(optional) then coat with some corn flour before pan-fry to get the crispy outer coating and seal the freshness and juicy texture of the fillet.
2. Heat up the pan with 10g of butter, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of cooking oil to prevent the butter from getting burn.
3. Saute the onion and ginger for about 30 seconds then add in the salmon fillet and pan-fry on low heat until it's cooked through to your preference. (I prefer it to be just done so that the meat will be juicy and outer layer is crispy and fragrant, when you see golden colour on the skin layer it should be done but then it also depend on the thickness of the fillet.)
4. When the salmon is done remove it from the pan, and if there is not much oil left, you can add in more butter then put in the apple wedges and stir-fry for about 3-5 minutes till it's tender.
5. Remove it and serve together with the fish fillet and lemon.

Notes:
a) You can replace the salmon with cod fish if you prefer.
b) When saute the onion and ginger with the salmon, when you see the onion and ginger is almost golden in colour, dish it up and set aside so that u can served it on top of the rice.
c) You can either peel off the skin of the apple or u can cook it with the skin on depend on your liking. For me, I used 1 with skin and the other one without.

Ingredients For The Side Dish
6 - 8 Honey Peas
1 Medium/Small Carrot, cut into 0.5cm thick slices
3 Cloves Of Garlic, remove the skin
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine (hua tiao jiu)

Methods:
1. Prepare and wash the vegetables then heat up the pan with some oil and saute the garlic till fragrant.
2. Add in the carrot slices and fry for about 1 minute then add in the peas and continue to stir-fry for another 1 minutes.
3. Season it with some cooking wine and pinch of salt.

Lotus Root, Pumpkin & Pearl Bean Soup

Ingredients:
300g Pork Ribs
1 Medium Section of Lotus Roots, about 200g
10 - 15 Pearl Bean Pods (珍珠豆)
1/4 (200g) Wedge of Australia Pumpkin, cut into thick chunk
1 Medium Carrot, peel and cut into thick slices
5 Red Dates(红枣 )
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries(枸杞子)
4 - 6 Cloves Of Garlic
2 Slices Of Ginger

Methods:
1. Wash and trim the pork ribs then scald in boiling water and rinse again.
2. Wash, peel and cut the lotus roots into thin slices.
3. Remove the beans from the pods and rinse well.
4. Heat up the a soup pot with some oil, then saute the ginger and garlic till fragrant then add in the pork ribs, lotus roots and carrot, stir and saute for another 2 - 3 minutes on very low heat.
5. Add about 1.5 litres of water and bring it to boil.
6. Simmer the soup for about 30 minuter then add in the pumpkin and pearl beans and continue to simmer for another 20 - 30 minutes
7. Season it with salt or stock cubes according to your preference.

Notes:
a) I use the Australia Pumpkin which is more Orange in colour and sweeter compare to the local pumpkin which is more towards the yellowish colour side.
b) You can replace pork ribs with lean meat or chicken according to your preference.

Cod Fish Rice

Ingredients:
1 Or 2 pieces Of Cod Fish Fillet, without bone part
1/2 Tablespoon Of Cooking Wine
1 Teaspoon of Light Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Of Cornflour
3-4 Slices Of Ginger

Methods:
1. Wash and pat dry the fish fillet then marinate it with cooking wine, soy sauce and then coat it with cornflour.
2. Preheat a frying pan with some oil then saute the ginger slices until fragrant then add in the fish, skin side down.
3. Saute it for about 2 minutes till almost golden brown then turn over and repeat the same thing until both side are golden in colour.
4. Place the almost cook fish fillet on top of the bubbling rice which is half way through the cooking time.
5. Leave the fish fillet in the rice cooker until the rice is done.
6. Serve warm with some cucumber and tomato slices. (you can choose to drizzle it with extra BBQ sauce or tomato sauce on the fillet)

Note:
You can replace Cod Fish with Snapper or Salmon depend on your preference.

Our Pre-Mother's Day Dinner

Ingredient:
500g Pork Ribs
2 Medium Potato, cut into big chunks
1 Medium Carrot, cut into thick slices
1 Sweet Corn, cut into section
2 Garlic Cloves, lightly smashed
3 Shallots(small red onion), thinly sliced

Methods:
1. Wash and trim the pork ribs then blanch it in boiling water for about 5 minutes, removed and rinse with water then set aside.
2. Use a soup pot, add about 1/2 tablespoon of oil and saute the shallot and garlic for about 2 minutes then add in the carrot, potato and pork ribs and continue to saute till fragrant on low heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Add in about 1 litre of water and bring it to boil then add in the corns.
4. Let it simmer for about 25 - 30 minutes then season it with salt if prefer.(i add in 1/4 of the chicken stock cube)

Notes:
a) I replace the water for cooking rice with the above soup stock to make the rice more fragrant. This Ingredients:
6 - 8 Medium Size Prawn, shell and devein
3 Tablespoons of Corn Flour
1 Beaten Egg
5 Tablespoons Dry Breadcrumbs(might need more)
Oil For Deep-frying

Methods:
1. Remove the shell from the prawns and keep the tail portion, try to snip two cuts at the base of the prawn so that the prawn will not curl up when deep-fry.
2. Next dry the prawns with kitchen paper towel well so that it will not have any water for safer frying.
3. Coat the prawn with cornflour then deep in beaten egg then coat with breadcrumbs and back to beaten egg then breadcrumbs again then set aside. (you can refer to a similar example here as in cornfour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs)
4. Make sure that the oil is hot before you drop in the coated prawns. Fry a few prawns at a time to avoid over crowded.
5. Fry the prawns till golden brown at medium heat for about 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Drained them well on kitchen paper towel and serve hot so that they will be crispy and nice.

Notes:
a) Select those with hard shell and firm meat type.
b) Remember to dry the prawn really well so that you can achieve a more crispy texture while deep-frying.
Ingredients For Sushi Rice:
125g Short Grain Rice
Seasonings
10g Fine Salt
35g Fine Sugar
50ml Japanese Rice Vinegar

Methods:
1. Mix salt, sugar and vinegar in the pot and simmer over heat till mixture is dissolved. Set aside.(or you can do it in Microwave oven on 30 sec High)
2. Using both hands, wash rice gently for a few times till rice water becomes perfectly clear then drain.
3. Add some water and soak the rice for 30 minutes. Drain and add 250ml water and cook in the rice cookers.
4. When the rice is cooked, let it stand in rice cookers with covered lid for 15 minutes before removing the lid.
5. Transfer cooked rice into a wooden rice tub, pour prepared seasoning mixture evenly over sushi rice and stir well with wooden ladle. Use a fan to cool the rice for 5 minutes. TamagoIngredients:
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons of Dashi Stock
1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Mirin
1/4 Teaspoon Soy Sauce

Methods:
1. Add the eggs and the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl then beat well to make sure that it is smooth and well combined.
2. Heat up a well-oiled tamgo pan and pour about 1/4 of the mixture to the pan and swirl it as if you making crepe.
3. Cook the mixture over medium heat till almost done, fold it up to the side with a chopstick to the back of the pan.
4. Add more oil to the pan and pour in another 1/4 of the mixture, making sure to get some of it under the roll.
5. As it cook, roll the sheet and fold it up again and set it on top of the previous omelette.
6. Repeat the steps until all omelette mixture is used up.
7. Square omelette with a wooden block and remove, leave to cool.
8. Cut omelette into 7 or 8 slices then mould the sushi rice and place each slice of omelette on top and wrap it with a roasted seaweed strip and serve.


Notes:
a) I replace the Dashi Stock with Chicken Stock.
b) The 1/4 of the egg mixture that you pour in will depend on the size of the pan as in it might be more or less.
c) If you don't have the special rectage pan for making tamago, you can use any normal round pan but then trim the side when it is done. Or you can get a affordable rectangle pan at any Daiso branch for $2.

Rainbow Salad Dishes

Ingredients:
1 Red & Green Coral Lettuce Each
150g Shredded Purple Cabbage
200g Thinly Shredded Carrot
200g Whole Kernel Corn
3 Hard Boiled Egg, cut into small cubes
1 Bottle of 237ml Kraft Coleslaw Dressing

Method:
1. Get ready all the vegetables in a big salad bowl, then top with the hard boiled eggs and drizzle as much dressing as you prefer. (for my quantity above i used the whole bottle of dressing)
2. Leave it in the fridge and you can serve it cold.
3. Before serving you can top with some toasted almond flakes or pine nuts to enhance the crunchiness and flavour.


Note:
a) You can used different flavour of dressing according to your preference like: Italian Dress, 1000 Island Dressing, Caesar Salad or etc.

Ingredients:
2 Red Apples, cut into small cubes
1 Mango, cut into small cubes
1 Promangrante, remove the seeds
200g of Strawberries, cut into small cubes
1 Dragon Fruit, cut into small cubes
3 Ripe Avocado, cut into small cubes
1 Lemon Rind
1 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
400ml of Mango & Peach Yogurt

Methods:
1. Combine all the fruits into a big salad bowl then add in lemon rind and juice then pour in the yogurt dressing and stir till combined.
2. Leave it in the fridge and you can serve it cold.

Notes:
a) You can use different combined of fruits and fruit yogurt which will give you different flavour. (so far i find adding real mango with the used of mango & peach yogurt as base it the best result.)
b) You can use blueberries or cherries if they are available too.

Lemon Grass & Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
1 Chicken Drumstick
2 Stalk of Lemon Grass, finely chopped
3-4 Shallot, thinly sliced
1 Packet of Lee Kum Kee's Honey Garlic sauce

Methods:
1. Wash and pat dry the chicken drumstick then marinate it with some light soya sauce, sesame oil and corn flour for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
2. In a non stick pan or pot, add some oil and saute the lemon grass and shallot for a few minutes until fragrant then add in the chicken drumstick and pan-fry on low heat until almost done.
3. When the chicken is almost cooked or cooked, pour in the instant honey garlic sauce and add in some water to simmer it over low heat.
4. When the chicken is cooked through, remove it from pan and place it on serving plate and top with extra garnish like spring onion and chilies.

Note:
a) You can used chicken pieces or chicken wings for this dish.

Orange Marmalade Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:
3 Medium Chicken Wings
1.5 Tablespoons Of Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Of Dark Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Of Orange Marmalade
1 Tablespoon Of Lemon Juice
1 Grated Lemon Rinds
3 Cloves Of Garlic

Methods:
1. Wash and pat dry the chicken wings, then mixed all the ingredients together except for the garlic cloves and marinate the chicken wings for about 15 minutes or more in the fridge.
2. Prepare a non-stick pan and put in the garlic cloves and saute on very low heat until a bit fragrant then pour in the marinated chicken wings and sauce.
3. Cover and simmer for about 7 - 10 minutes(turn occasionally to coat the sauce) until the chicken is almost done.
4. Transfer the chicken to a baking tray or aluminum foil parcel and baked in the oven toaster for about 15 - 20 minutes until brown and crispy.

Notes:
a) Before putting into the oven toaster, you can spread some extra Orange Marmalade on top the chicken and baked accordingly to enhance the flavour.
b) You can add more dark soy sauce if you prefer to have a darker colour for your chicken wings.

Chicken Stew & Purple Chips

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Wings or 2 Chicken Drumstick
2 Medium Potato, cut into cubes
1 Small Carrot, cut into cubes
2 - 3 Shallots, thinly slices
1 Large Tomato, removed seeds and wedges
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce, optional
500ml Water
Some Cornstarch Water

Methods:
1. Clean and wash the chicken then season it with some pepper, soy sauce, cooking wine and corn flour for about 10 minutes.
2. Add some oil in a small pot and saute the shallot until fragrant then add in the chicken pieces and saute until slightly brown.
3. Next add in the potato, carrot and tomato slices and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes.
4. Then add in the oyster sauce and dark soy sauce stir till mix through then pour in the 500ml of water and bring to boil.
5. When boiled, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 - 25 minutes until the potato and carrot are tender and chicken are cooked through.
6. Stir-in some cornstarch water to thicken the sauce and serve it with warm rice.

Jing Du Pai Gu - 京都排骨

Ingredients:
500g Prime Pork Pribs, cut into smaller pieces
1 1/2 Tablespoons White Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce

Methods:
1. Wash and pat dry the ribs then mixed with all the ingredients and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
2. Pour everything in a nn-stick pan or pot, then simmer on very low heat until all the sauce dried up and thicken. (about 30 minutes)
3. Do stir the ribs a few times on and off so that they are evenly coated with the sauce.

Notes:
a) If you prefer a darker colour like above, you can add in more dark soy sauce after about 15 minutes of the cooking time to the desire colour that u prefer.
b) The colour will darken sligtly after the sauce dried up due to the honey content.
c) You can omit the sugar and add in more honey if u prefer.

Double-Boiled Ginseng Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
2 Fresh Chicken Drumsticks, wash and remove fats
5 Red Dates
4-5 Pieces Of Dried Huai Shan
1/2 Tablespoon Of Gou Qi Zi
1 Medium Stick Of Dang Shen, cut into 1" pieces
3-4 Dried Soup Ginseng(can refer to the link for picture)
5g Dried Longan, optional

Methods:
1. Wash the chicken drumstick, remove fat and skin then blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, remove and rinse with water then set aside.
2. Rinse all the dry herbs then add about 700ml water in a small pot and boil the herbs for about 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat.
3. Next add in the chicken drumstick and bring it to boil again.
4. Pour the soup and ingredients into a double boiler and place it in a bigger pot/slower cooker and add enough water to cover about 3/4 of the double boiler pot.
5. Double-boiled over Auto heat(slower cooker) for about 3 - 4 hours then serve during meal before rice or before bedtime.


Notes:
a) The purpose of adding dried longan is to enhance the sweetness and taste of the soup.
b) If you are not sure about the double-boiled procedure, please refer to this link for picture.

Claypot Minced Pork Rice

Ingredients:
200g Minced Meat
1 Chinese Sausage
1 Egg
1 Cup Uncooked Rice
1/2 - 3/4 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
Seasoning:
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine/Mirin
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1 Teaspoon Cornstarch

Methods:
1. Wash and remove the plastic skin from the Chinese sausage then cut into thin slices and set aside.
2. Marinate the minced meat with seasoning then set aside.(or you can marinate it on the night before)
3. Wash and cook rice in a claypot with a few drops of oil over low-medium heat by absorption method.
4. Midway through cooking when the water starts to go below the rice level, arrange the sausage slices around the side of the claypot.
5. Drizzle the 1/2 to 3/4 Tablespoon of Dark Soy Sauce onto the rice.
6. Then spread marinated minced meat on top of rice, leaving a hole in the centre.
7. Cover and cook for another few minutes(3 - 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat you spread) until you see the meat turn white or half way cooked through.
8. Crack an egg or two into the centre and cooked(covered) for 1 - 2 more minutes, till the white is set but the yolk is still slightly runny.
9. Remove the cover, sprinkle some chopped spring onion, chillies and dried shallot on top of the meat and mix well before serving.
10. You can also serve it with an extra dish of cut chillies with dark soy sauce for dipping.

Notes:
a) You can use either pork, chicken or beef minced meat depend what you prefer.
b) The water used in claypot is 1 cup rice= 1 3/4 cups water
c) The reason to add oil into the rice it to prevent it to be too soft and stick to the pot.
d) Prepare some chopped spring onion & chili as garnish.
e) If you wish to add in green vegetables, add in at the same time with the egg and drizzle some sesame oil on it to that the vegetables will not taste blend.

Red Raddish Soup

Ingredients:
300g Pork Ribs/Chicken Drumstick
1 Medium Size Holland Red Raddish, about 200g
10g Dried Longan,龙眼干
10g Dried Huai Shan,淮山
10g - 15g FoxNut,茨实
5g Gou Qizi,枸杞子
5 Red Dates, 红枣

Methods:
1. Wash and trim the pork ribs/chicken drumstick then blanch in boiling water, rinse and set aside for use.
2. Wash, peel the skin of the raddish and cut into thick wedges.
3. Rinse all the dried herbs and set side.
4. Bring 1 litre of water to boil, add in all the ingredients and bring to boil again then transfer it to a slow cooker and simmer over Auto Heat for about 2 - 3 hrs.
5. Season the soup with salt before serving.

Sweet Lemon Pork Chop

Ingredients:
250g Of Pork Loin Meat/300g Spare Ribs
1/2 Fresh Lemon, thinly sliced
Marinade:
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 Egg
1/2 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Sauce: (mix well)
2 Tablespoon Tomato Sauce
1 Tablespoon Chilli Sauce
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Sugar
125ml Water

Methods:
1. Rinse the spare ribs or pork chop and cut into convenient pieces.
2. Season with marinade for about 30 minutes or longer.
3. Dust with extra cornstarch and set aside for 2 minutes before deep-frying in hot oil and golden in colour.
4. Dish up and keep aside.
5. Cook the sauce mixture in the preheated wok until boiling, add in the meat and stir-fry over low heat until the sauce is thicken.
6. Lastly add in lemon slices and simmer for a while until the meat are well coated with sauce.
7. Dish up and serve hot with garnish.

Notes:
a) You can add 1/2 Tablespoon extra Lemon Juice to the sauce if you prefer a bit sour.
b) If using pork chop, wash and dry the pork cutlet with kitchen towel then use the back of the knife/or a meat mallet to flatten the pork before seasoning.
c) You can garnish with some spring onion, chilli strips or extra lemon slices.

Stir-fry Assorted Mushrooms With Roast Pork

Ingredients:
6-8 Honey Peas
1 Packet of Shimeji Mushroom
1 Packet Of Enokitake Mushroom
4 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked till soften
8 Straw Mushrooms, cut into halves
2 Slices Of Ginger
6 Slices Of Carrot
150g Roast Pork, optional
1 Tablespoon Oyster/Abalone Sauce
100ml Water
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch water

Methods:
1. Wash and trim all the mushrooms and honey pea then set aside.
2. Preheat a pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, stir-fry the roast pork for a few minute until abit crispy on all sides then remove and set aside.
3. Next saute the ginger until fragrant then add in the honey pea, carrot and shiitake mushroom, sitr-fry for a few minutes.
4. Add in the rest of the mushrooms and oyster sauce then pour in about 100ml and let it simmer on low heat for a while then thicken it some cornstarch water and serve.

Stir-fry Bittergourd WIth Prawns & Salted Egg

Ingredients:
1 Small Bittergourd, about 150g
100g Minced Pork/Pork Slices
6-8 Medium Prawn, shelled and devein
1 Salted Egg
1 Fresh Chicken Egg
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced

Methods:
1. Remove the seeds from the bittergourd and slice thinly, roughly squeeze the bittergourd slices with 1 teaspoon of salt and rinse well with water.
2. Crack the salted egg in a bowl, remove the egg yolk and mashed it with a folk to break up into pieces, do keep the egg white for later use.
3. Preheat a pan with 1 tablespoon of hot, saute the garlic until fragrant, add in pork and prawn and stir-till half done.
4. Add in the bittergourd and salted egg yolk, stir for a few second until the yolk changes colour then add in 100ml water and let it simmer for about 2 minutes.
5. Lastly add in the salted egg white and fresh egg, stir until well combine. Dish up and serve.

Notes:
a) The salted egg should be able to flavour the dish, you might need 2 salted eggs if you used a lot of bittergourd.
b) The end result of the dish should be mushy dish with lots of eggs.

Steam Herbal Chicken With BRAND’S® Chicken Essence

Ingredients:
1/2 portion of a medium chicken
3 Slices Of Ginger, shredded
1 Bottle Of BRAND’S Chicken Essence
3-4 Slices Of Dang Gui(当归)
4 Red Dates(红枣)
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(杞子)
Marinade:
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Cooking/Rice Wine
10g Finely Grated Ginger

Methods:
1. Rinse the chicken, pat-fry and season with marinade for at least 30 minutes or more.
2. Arrange the marinated chicken on the plate together with the herbs, cover with foil and steam for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the steamer, pour in the chicken essence over the chicken, cover the foil and steam for another 15 to 20 minutes until the thicker part of the chicken is tender.
4. Remove the chicken, braised it with the chicken essence sauce and serve immediately.

Notes:
a) You can used any favour of the Chicken Essence.
b) You may omit the extra herbs if you find it too heaty.

Stir-fry Cabbage With Golden Mushroom & Woodear


Ingredients:
1/2 Small Beijing Cabbage(北京包菜)
1 Packet Korean Golden Mushroom
2 Pieces of Fresh Woodear(黑木耳), cut into thin strips
1 Small Carrot, cut into thin slices
2 Slices Of Fresh Ginger
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce

Methods:
1. Cut the cabbage into bite size then soak in water for about 5 minutes, rinse and set aside.
2. Cut the stalk off from the golden mushroom, rinse in water, drain and set aside.
3. Preheat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, saute the ginger until fragrant then add in the cabbage and carrot.
4. Stir-fry for a few minutes then add in the woodear and oyster sauce, stir for another few second then add 100ml water.
5. Cover and let it simmer on medium low heat for 5 minutes then add in all the mushroom and cover, continue to simmer for another 3 minutes.
6. Slowly add in some cornstarch water to thicken the sauce then dish and serve.(you might not need all the water, just add till the sauce is thicken)

Notes:
a) You can also used dried woodear if you prefer.
b) Cornstarch mixture = 1/2 Tablespoon Potato/Cornstarch mix with 2 Tablespoons Of water.

Ginseng Black Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
1 Small Black Chicken,黑鸡
3-4 Gingseng Roots, 小人参
4 Slices Of Dang Gui, 当归片
4 Slices Of Huai Shan, 淮山片
1 Slices Of BeiQi, 北耆
1-2 Piece of Dang Shen(当参), cut into smaller pieces
6 Red Dates, 红枣
1 Tablespoon Gou Qizi, 枸杞子
10-12 Dried Lotus Seeds, 莲子
5g Dried Longan, 龙眼干

Methods:
1. Wash, trim and remove the skin and fats from the chicken. Cut the chicken into 3 - 4 large sections and blanch in boiling water then rinse and set aside.
2. Rinse all the dried herbs and set aside.
3. Soak the dried lotus seeds in hot water for a few minutes or till soft then remove all the pits in in to prevent it from bitter.
4. Bring a pot of 1.2 Litres of Water to boil then add in all the ingredients and bring to boil again.
5. Transfer all to a slow cooker and simmer on Auto for about 3 Hours.
6. Season the soup with salt if you prefer and serve warm.

Notes:
a) You can used normal free range chicken instead of black chicken if you prefer.

Stir-Fry Doufu With Egg

Ingredients:
1/2 - 1 Box Of Silken Doufu
2 - 3 Eggs, beaten
100g Pork Mince
1 Small Carrot, shredded
1 Sprig Of Spring Onion, finely chopped

Methods:
1. Marinate the pork mince with some pepper, sesame oil and light soya sauce for about 5 - 10 minutes.
2. Cut the doufu into small or large cubes depend on your preference. (i cut mine into small cubes)
3. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil in a preheat pan, stir-fry the pork mince till almost done then add in the shredded carrot and spring onion.
4. Fry till fragrant then add in the doufu and stir till combine.
5. Slowly pour in the beaten egg and swirl around the pan to form an omelet.
6. Fry till egg and meat is cooked thru, dish up and serve.

Notes:
a) You can used those egg doufu in tube form instead of the box.
b) The number of eggs used depend on the amount of doufu used.

Steam Cod Fish & Double Boil Frog Soup

grated ginger to expel wind, black fungi to increase the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation while rice wine kept the body warm.



Ingredients:
1 Piece Of Cod Fish(250g - 300g),雪鱼
5g Black Fungi(云耳), soaked till soft
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子), rinse
1 Tablespoon Grated Ginger
3 Tablespoons Glutinous Rice Wine(黄酒,糯米酒)
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

Methods:
1. Saute the ginger over a low heat with 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil in a preheated pan until golden browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Washed and trim the soften black fungi and set aside.
3. Rinse the fish and pat-fry, season with glutinous rice wine and soy sauce then arrange on a heatproof plate.
4. Arrange the black fungi and gou qi on the side of the fish, top with pre-fried ginger and drizzle some ginger sesame oil on the fish.
5. Steam over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes until cooked through depend on the thickness of the fish.
6. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

This soup was abit uncommon, as we usually eat Frog that is Stir-fry with spring onion and ginger(姜葱田鸡), Stir-fry Frog in Gong Bao Sauce(宫保田鸡) or Frog Porridge(田鸡粥). So this Double boil frog with herbs is a rather new combination that using pork ribs or chicken.

Ingredients:
2 - 3 Whole Frog(田鸡)
50g Black Beans(黑豆)
6 - 8 Red Dates(红枣)
4 Slices Of Dang Gui(当归)
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子)
5g Dried Longan(龙眼干)
800ml - 900ml Boiling Water

Methods:
1. Soak the black beans into water for at least 2 hour, remove and drained then set aside.
2. Rinse the frogs and blanch into boiling water for a while, remove and place into a double boiler, add in black beans and the rest of the ingredients(remember to rinse the herbs before using).
3. Pour in boiling water, covered and double-boiled over a low heat for about 2 hours.
4. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Notes:
a) This soup is abit sweet due to the Dried Longan, so if you don't prefer it to be sweet omit the adding the dried longan.
b) If you don't have a double boiler, you can put all the ingredients into a pot and place it in the slower cooker to double-boil over slow/auto heat for about 3 - 4 hours

Herbal Soup For Cough

Ingredients:
2 Pieces(30-50g) Dried Crocodile Meat(鳄鱼肉)
20g Nan Bei Xin(南北杏)
6 Pieces Of Dried Huai Shan(淮山)
10g Chuan Bei Mu(川贝母)
1/2 Piece Of Chen Pi(陈皮)
5 Red Dates(红枣)
2 - 3 Dried Figs(无花果)

Methods:
1. Rinse all the herbs and place it in a double boiler.
2. Add in 1 litre of boiling water and double-boiled for about 2 - 3 hours and serve


Black Vinegar Trotter

Ingredients:
1 Pig's Trotter(ask for the front trotter)
1 Big Piece Of Old Ginger(about 300g)
1 Handful Of Black Bean
1 Small Bottle Of Black Vinegar, 375ml
1 1/2 Bottle Of Water(use the same vinegar bottle)
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
1 - 2 Tablespoon Rock Sugar/Brown Sugar
2 - 3 Hard Boiled Eggs

Methods:
1. Peel, wash and cut the old ginger into big pieces then flatten slightly.
2. Rinse the black beans and pat dry then set aside.
3. Heat up sesame oil in the preheated large claypot to saute old ginger till fragrant then add in the black beans and stir for a few minutes.
4. Pour in vinegar and water, covered and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, cook for about 1 hour remove from heat and soak the rest for over night.
5. Rinse the pig's trotter and cut into convenient pieces, wash and blanch into boiling water.
6. Remove, rinsed and stir-fry with some sesame oil in a preheated dry wok for a while.
7. Lastly bring the soaked vinegar soup back to boil, add in pre-fried trotter pieces and cooked for 20 minutes then add in the hard boiled eggs.
8. Continue to simmer for another 20 minutes then add in sugar to taste.
9. Remove from heat, soak the trotter pieces until tenders and the flavour has be absorbed. Serve hot.

Notes:
a) You can choose to add in more or less Ginger depend on your preference.
b) You can choose to cook the Black Vinegar Soup 1 day ahead before adding the Pig trotter or you can cook all the ingredients together and eat on the day itself or next day.
c) The amount of sugar added also depend on individual taste, you can omit it as well.Chicken With Rice Wine Residue. The aroma was great and it goes well with white rice.

Ingredients:
4-5 Chicken Wings, cut into half
1 Tablespoon Of Shredded Ginger
2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Red Grain Rice Wine Residue
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Glutinous Rice Wine
Marinade:
1 Tablespoon Red Grain Rice Wine Reside
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Glutinous Rice Wine/Cooking Wine

Methods:
1. Rinse chicken wings and cut into pieces. Season with the marinade well and marinated for about 30 minutes.
2. Heat up 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil then add in shredded ginger and fry till fragrant then add in the wine residue.
3. Add in the marinated chicken pieces, stir-fry till well combined and aromatic then pour in the glutinous rice wine and stir well.
4. Then simmer with cover over low heat for 5 minutes or till cooked through. Remove and serve hot.

Prawn & Pork Mince Doufu

Ingredients:
1 Piece Of Pan-fry Doufu
50g Of Frozen Mixed Vegetables
50g Minced Pork
6-8 Medium Prawns, shelled & devein
1 Stalk Of Spring Onion, chopped
1/2 Brown Onion, cut into wedges
1 Small Tomato, cut into cubes
1/2 Tablespoon Of Mince Garlic
2 Tablespoons Of Oil
Seasoning Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Abalone Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Some Pepper
3/4 Teaspoon Potato Starch
120ml Water

Methods:
1. Wash and cut the doufu into big cubes and pat dry on kitchen paper towel and set aside.
2. Preheat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil and pan-fry the doufu until golden brown on all sides, removed.
3. Next add in the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and saute the onion wedges and minced garlic until fragrant then add in the mince meat and prawns.
4. When the meat is almost done, add in the mixed vegetables and diced tomato.
5. Stir till well combined then add in the fried doufu and seasoning sauce.
6. Bring it to boil and simmer for 1 minutes, remove from heat and stir through the spring onion.
7. Dish up and garnish with extra chopped spring onion and chilli. Serve with rice.

Notes:
a) If you don't like to used minced pork, you can replace it with diced roast pork.
b) You need to buy the doufu that is suitable for pan-fry not those used in soup.

Stir-Fried Pork Fillet With Longans


Ingredients:
20 - 25 Fresh Longans, removed shell & seeds
300g Fatty Beef/Pork Fillet, thinly sliced
1 Stalk Of Spring Onion, cut into sections
3 Slices Of Ginger, shredded
Some carrot slices

Marinade:
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Cornflour

Methods:
1. Marinate the meat with the above marinade for at least 30 minutes or more.
2. Shell and remove the seed from the longans, rinse and set aside.
3. Heat about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Sesame Oil/Oil in a wok, saute the ginger, spring onion and carrot until fragrant then add in the meat and stir-fry until almost done.
4. Add in longans, stir-fry quickly for about 30 seconds or so then remove and serve

Chinese Pear & Honey Sweet Tonic

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
2 Medium Chinese Pears
4 Red Dates
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi
10g Soaked White Fungus
1 Tablespoon Of Sweet & Bitter Almond
6 Strand Of Shan Shen
900ml Of Water
1 1/2 - 2 Tablespoons Of Honey

Methods:
1. Wash all the herbs and bring the 900ml of water to boil.
2. Peel and core pears then cut each into quarters and put into the double boiler pot.
3. When the water begins to boil, add in all the herbs and white fungus(except honey) and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
4. Next pour the herbs ingredients into the pot that contains the pears and let it double boiled in a slower cooker for about 2 hrs in Auto/High Heat.
5. Remove about two tablespoon of the soup and let it cool slightly before stirring in the honey and mix well.
6. Pour the honey mixture back into the soup mixture and continue to double boil for another 1 hour.
7. Switch off the heat, allow to cool slightly and serve either warm or cold.
8. Alternately, you can add in the honey before drinking the soup instead of adding it to double-boil.(because some people find that adding in the honey together with the soup to boil will cause the soup to be abit sour due to the honey, and it might also destroy the Vit in the honey.)Posted by Picasa

Notes: This is a very good soup for smoothing the lungs for those working late or feeling heaty. As it also help to stop thirst.

Steam Drunken Prawns


Ingredients: (Serves 2)
300g of Medium Fresh/Live Green Prawn
5 - 6 Slices Of Dang Gui(当归)
5 Red Dates(红枣), seeds removed
1/2 Tablespoon Of Gou Qi Zi(杞子)
50ml Of Hua Diao Jiu

Methods:
1. Pre-soaked the herbs in the hua diao jiu for at least 30 minutes to an hour for the wine to absorb the aroma of the herbs.
2. Trim and wash the prawns then pat dry and arrange them in a steam tray/plate in single layer.(do not overlay them as it will cause uneven cooking time during steaming)
3. Arrange the herbs on top of the prawns and pour over the remaining wine on it.
4. Steam over boiling water for about 4-5 minutes, remove and served immediately.

Note:
If your prawns are kept in the fridge before steaming, remember to remove it from the fridge at least 10 - 15 minutes before hand and to let it cool off and pour away any of the water in the tray or plate before arranging the herbs on top.

Steam Hairy Crabs


How to Select A Hairy Crab:
1. It must be alert and have a flat, pentagon-shaped, greenish shell.
2. It's underside should be white and there should be no unpleasant smell.
3. It's claws should be well developed with brownish hair.

Cooking Methods:
1. Wash the crabs thoroughly and place them in a steamer by putting the back facing upwards.
2. Place a slice of ginger on top of each crabs and steam on hot boiling water for 15 minutes then continue to simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.
3. Remove the top shell of the crab and clear away the black coloured sacs and intestines.
4. Next pulled off the crab legs and take a chopstick and push the meat out.
5. You can either eat the aromatic flesh of the hairy crabs on its own or dip the meat in minced ginger with black vinegar sauce.
6. Ends the meal with ginger tea will make you rebalance the body's yin and yang.

Note:
Do not consume the hairy crabs together with Persimmon, Cold Beer or Cold Water.

Because Hairy Crabs are "Cooling" to the body, it is recommend best to consume one at each meal

Vietnamese-Style Fried Fish With Lemon Grass


Ingredients:
1 Medium Size Fish or Fish Fillet, about 250g
2 Stalks Lemon Grass Thinly Sliced, white parts only
3 Cloves Garlic, lightly pound
4-5 Shallots, peeled and sliced
1 Large Red Chilli or 2 Small Thai Chillies, deseeded and sliced
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
3 Tablespoons Oil
1/4 Green Lime

Methods:
1. Clean, wash and pat dry the fish. Cut shallow, diagonal slits on both sides of the fish body and place on a large plate.
2. Using a mortar or food processor, pound or blend the lemon grass, garlic, shallots, chilli and sugar to a paste.
3. Add fish sauce and season to taste. Stuffed some of the paste into the stomach of the fish then rub the remaining on both side of the fish and let it marinate for about 1 hour or more.
4. Pour the oil in a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Place fish in the pan, cover fried for 1 minutes until skin slightly brown then remove cover and turn to the other side for another 1 minute.
5. Reduce heat to low and carefully turn fish over to cook for another 2 minutes on each other until the skin is golden and crisp and fish is cooked through.
6. Dish and place on plate. Drizzle the pan oil over the fish and square some lime juice over it and serve immediately with rice.
Posted by Picasa

Notes: You can used any kind of fish to your preference, Cod Fish works well with this too.

Kong Ba Bao/Kou Rou Bao(扣肉包)

Ingredients:
1 Piece Of Pork Belly(三层肉 ), about 200g
1 Small Cinnamon Stick(桂皮 ), about 5cm long
1 Star Anise,八角
6-8 Cloves,丁香
4 Cloves Garlics,蒜头
4 Shallots,小葱头
1 Small Pieces Rock Sugar(冰糖), 10g
Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

Methods:
1. Wash, clean and trim the pork belly then marinate it with the seasoning, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, garlic and shallot for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat a small claypot with some 1 tablespoon of oil and saute 3 cloves of garlic and rock sugar to fragrant then add in pork belly and the marinade juice and saute on medium heat for 1 minute then turn it over.
3. Add in 1 - 2 tablespoons of water and let it simmer on very low heat for 30 - 45 minutes, check occasionally to see with if the sauce dried out before the meat is tender, add in extra tablespoons of water and continue to simmer.
4. When done, dish up and cut into serving size and serve together with steam plain bun and lettuce

Fresh Peanut Roots & Mushroom Pork Ribs Soup


Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Peanut Roots(花生根), about 200g
300g Pork Ribs(排骨)
1 Chicken Bone(鸡骨)
50-80g Soup Peanuts(花生), soaked in hot water
6 Red Dates(红枣)
1 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子)
8-10 Stalks Of Dried Brazil Mushrooms,姬松茸(巴西蘑菇)

Methods:
1. Trim, wash, scrap and soak the peanut roots in water until the water is clear without dirts.(you need to soak in water for at least 2 hrs)
2. Soaked the peanuts andBrazill mushrooms in hot water for a while, rinse, drained then set aside.
3. Blanched the pork ribs and chicken bone in boiling water, rinse, drained and set aside.
4. Bring a pot of 1.5 litres of water to boil, add in all the ingredients and bring to boil again.
5. Transfer all to a slow cooker and simmer on Auto-Heat for 3 - 4 hrs, season with salt and served

Mix Vegetables & Chicken On Deep-fried Yam


Ingredients:
1/2 Portion Of Chicken Breast, 150g
4 Medium Dried Shitake Mushroom, soaked till soften
6-8 Canned Button Mushroom
6 Water Chestnuts, peeled and cut into quarters
1 Small Carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes
100g Pumpkin/Potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
6 Small Dried Chilli, soaked till soften, cut into thick slices
1/2 Green Capsicum, cut into small cubes
Some Spring Onion, sliced thinly in diagonal shapes
1 - 2 Small Fried Chilli, sliced thinly
3 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
50g Roasted Cashew Nuts
1 Teaspoon Cornstarch mix with 30ml water
Marinade:
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
1 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Cornstarch
Dash Of Pepper

Methods:
1. Wash, trim and cut the chicken into small cubes then marinate it with the marinade for at least 30 minutes or more.
2. Cut the soften shitake mushroom into quarter then blanched in hot oil for a few seconds, drained and set aside.
3. Deep-fry both the carrots and pumpkin in hot oil for 1 minute, drained and set aside.
4. Preheat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, saute the dried chilli until fragrant(about 30 sec), then add in minced garlic and continue to saute until slightly golden.
5. Next add in the marinated chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add in the water chestnut, capsicum, pumpkin, carrot, shitake and button mushroom and some of the spring onion.
6. Continue to fry until chicken is cooked through then add in some cornstarch water and stir till sauce almost thicken then add in the cashew nut.
7. Dish up the mixture and place it in the "Yam Nests"(refer to the link for making it) and serve with extra garnish of the spring onion and chilli slices.

Notes: You can replace the chicken by either pork slices or prawns

Yam & Cabbage Pork Belly Rice

Ingredients:
100 - 120g Yam, peel and cut into 2" Cubes
150g Pork Belly, removed excess fat and cut into thin strips
150g Cabbage, shredded
3 Medium Shittaka Mushrooms, soaked till soft
1 Tablespoon Of Dried Shrimps, soaked till soft
1 Tablespoon Of Minced Garlic
4 Shallots, thinly sliced
Seasoning:
2 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
Dash Of Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Dash Of Pepper
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
Garnish:
1 Medium Chilli, thinly sliced
1 Small Stalk Of Spring Onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon Dried Shallots
Some Dark Soy Sauce

Methods:
1. Wash, trim and cut the pork into thin strips then marinate it with seasoning for at least 30 minutes.
2. Cut the soaked soften mushroom into thin strips, set aside. Then lightly pound the soften dried shimp.
3. Preheat the pan with 2 Tablespoons of oil then saute the shallot slices until slightly golden brown, remove and set aside.
4. Add some oil to the pan, saute the dried shrimps and half of the garlic until fragrant then add in the shredded mushroom and cabbage.
5. Stir-fry for about 1 minutes, then add in 1/2 Tablespoon oyster sauce and 50ml water, cover and simmer on low heat until the water almost dried up. Dish up and set aside.
6. Wash the pan, and add 1 tablespoon of the reserve shallot oil, saute the remaining half garlic until fragrant then add in the marinated pork and yam, stir over medium high heat until almost done.
7. Next add in 1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce and 100ml of water then simmer over low heat until the yam is soften. Dish up and set aside.
8. Cook the white rice accordingly when the water is almost dry up, add in the vegetables and pork mixture into it and stir well.
9. Continue to cook over low heat for another 5 minutes if using stove or until the cooked in the rice-cooker.
10. Serve the cooked yam rice with garnish

Wrapped Asparagus With Pork & Sesame Seeds

Ingredients:
6 Slices Of Pork Fillet
6 Thick Asparagus
20g White Sesame Seeds
5g Black Sesame Seeds
3 Shallots, thinly slices
2" Ginger, finely grate
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/2 Beaten Egg
Seasoning:
2 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Mirin/Rice Wine
Dash Of Pepper & Sesame Oil

Methods:
1. Pound the pork slices with the back of the knife to make it more tender and spread out.
2. Marinate it with shallot, ginger and seasoning for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cut all the asparagus into equal length then use a vegetable peeler and scrape off the skin around 2" from the bottom part of the stem.
4. Wrap each asparagus with 1 piece of the marinated pork slice tightly then dust with some cornstarch.
5. Deep in the beaten egg then coat with the white and black sesame mixture.
6. Set aside while repeating the rest of the ingredients.
7. Heat oil in a pot, then deep-fry in medium heat until crisp and golden brown, drained and set aside before serving

Yam Balls & Crispy Prawn Salad

Ingredients: (make 5 portions)
150g Yam, peeled and cut into cubes
40g Vegetable Shortening
5 Teaspoons(25ml) Boiling Water
2 Tablespoons Wheat Starch Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt,
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Five Spice Powder
5 Medium Prawn, shelled & devein

Methods:
1. Steam yam for about 15 - 20 minutes until tender, use a fork to mash up the yam then set aside.
2. Put the flour and boiling water in a small bowl and stir till combined.
3. Add the flour paste into the yam paste together with shortening, salt, sugar and five spice powder.
4. Knead into a smooth paste then divide the paste into 5 portion, wrap 1 prawn each and shape into round balls.
5. Heat oil and deep-fry until yam balls are crisp and golden brown, drain well.

Fruit Salad Ingredients:
1 Avocado, diced
1 Tomato, deseeds and diced
1 Apple, peeled, cored and dice
1 Tablespoon Salad Dressing

Methods:
1. Mix all the above ingredients together and stir till combined then served.

Breadcrumbs Prawns Ingredients:
6 - 8 Prawns, shelled & devein
3 Tablespoons Dried Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
Some Beaten Egg

Methods:
1. Coat the prawn with some cornstarch then dip in beaten egg and coat with breadcrumb.
2. Deep-fry it in medium hot oil until crisp and golden brown, drain and serve
1-2-3 Chicken Stew
Ingredients:
500g Chicken Pieces, cut into bite size
4-6 Cloves Of Garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Tau Cheong Paste, 豆酱
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3 Tablespoons Black Vinegar,黑醋
1/2 - 1 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1 Packet Of Sweet Peas,甜豆
1 Medium Potato, cut into small cubes
1 Small Carrot, cut into small cubes
1 Medium Tomato, cut into wedges
1/2 Cup Water

Methods:
1. Wash and clean the peas then saute it in a pan with some oil, garlic and half the tomato wedges for 1 minutes, dish and set aside.
2. Cut, wash and drain the chicken pieces then set aside.
3. Preheat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil then saute the garlic, tau cheong paste, sugar and black vinegar until fragrant then add in the chicken pieces.
4. Stir-fry the chicken for about 30 seconds then add in the potato, carrot and tomato.
5. Next add in some water, cover and simmer the chicken for about 5 minutes till the potato and carrot are tender.
6. Lastly thicken the sauce with some cornstarch water and serve.

Notes:
I used 2 chicken drumsticks and 3 chicken wings.
You can use this recipe to cook pork ribs instead of chicken too.
Stew Dong Po Pork Belly
Ingredients:
500g Pork Belly(三层肉), blanched and cut into 3 sections
3 Slices Of Ginger
2 Nutmeg(豆蔻)
2 Star Anise(八角)
20g Lotus Seeds(莲子), soaked till soft
6-8 Shallot, sliced
15g Rock Sugar
2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
200ml Rice Wine/Cooking Wine
200ml Water
Some Cornstarch water

Methods:
1. Wash and cut the pork belly strips into 3 sections then blanched in boiling water, drained and set aside.
2. Soak the lotus seeds in warm water until soft, drain and set aside.
3. Preheat a claypot with 1 tablespoon of oil then saute the ginger, shallot, star anise and nutnug until fragrant then add in the blanched pork belly and lotus seeds.
4. Saute the above for 1 - 2 minutes then add in dark soy sauce, rice wine and water.
5. Simmer the mixture over lowest heat until pork is tender and fragrant for about 3 hours.
6. Thicken the sauce with some cornstarch water and serve.

Note: You can add in hard boiled eggs or firm doufu according to your preference.

Double Boil Herbal Chicken Essence


Ingredients: (serve 1 or 2)
I Black Chicken,黑鸡
1 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子), reserve 1/2 tablespoon
4 Red Dates(红枣), reserve 2 red dates
1 Slice Of BeiQi(北耆), cut into 3 small pieces
3 Slices Of Dang Gui(当归)
1 Small Stalk Of Dang Shen(当参), cut into small 1"
1 Slice Of Huai Shan(淮山), break into 3 sections
40ml Of DOM Wine(法国廊酒), pour in after cooking 2.5 hrs

Methods:
1. Wash and trim all the fast and skin away from the chicken.
2. Cut into 4 sections and pound finely with the back of the knife. Keep aside.
3. Rinse and drain all the herbs then place it in the middle of the double-boil pot. Use a medium saucer or rice bowl to cover the herbs.
4. Place the pounded chicken pieces over the top of the sauce(refer to the picture above).
5. Lastly sprinkler the reserved qou qizi and red dates on top, covered and place it in the slow cooker.
6. Add enough boiling water to cover almost 3/4 or more of the double-boil pot then cook over low heat for approximately 2.5 hrs then open and drizzle the DOM evenly on the chicken.
7. Continue to cook for another 30 - 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes: You can used either Kampung Chicken or Black Chicken for this soup

Pumpkin & Ricotta Cheese Pizza


Ingredients For Pizza Base:(makes 4 small pizza)
1 Teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
160ml(2/3 Cup) Warm Water
1 Teaspoon Of Sugar
270g(2 Cups) Plain Flour
Pinch Of Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Methods:
1. Place the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl and set side until bubbles form.(about 5 - 10 minutes)
2. Add the flour, salt in a big mixing bowl, then slowly add in the yeast water and stir till water used up.
3. Next add in the olive oil and mix to form a dough and knead for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.
4. Place dough in a clean, oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and allow to stand in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Assemble:
Semolina For Dusting
1. Lay non-stick baking paper on the baking tray and dust evenly with some semolina(about half tablespoons).
2. Divide the pizza dough into 4 portion and roll out 2 – 3mm thick and place on the baking paper that dust with semolina.
3. Spread some base sauce and top with desire ingredients and bake in preheat 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes or till golden brown.

Notes:
I tried to use 200g Plain Flour and 70g Bread Flour instead of 270g plain flour from the original recipe.

Assorted Hakka Abacus Seeds

Ingredients For Yam Abacus Seeds:(make about 30-35)
300g Yam, cut into small slices
100g - 150g Tapioca Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
A Pot Of Ice Water

Methods:
1. Steam the yam slices until soft then mash it while still hot.
2. Slowly stir in tapioca flour till combined(you might not need all the flour, it all depend on the wetness of the mashed yam) then add in the rest of the seasoning and oil and knead into a smooth dough.
3. From small round balls and make a dent in each one with your thumb to from the abacus seed shape(about 2cm wide) and set aside.
4. Bring half pot of water to boil then cook the beads until float, remove and plunge into the pot of iced water(this is to stop the cooking process of the beads and make it more Q and spongy) for 1 - 2 minutes then drained and set aside.

Notes:
Do not put too many beads into the boiling water at one time, allow some room for them to float around.

Used the same ingredients and methods for the Pumpkin beads, replace the yam slices with pumpkin slices and you might need more tapicoa flour(about 200g-250g) because mashed pumpkin contains more moisture than the yam.

Ingredients For Side Fillings: (enough for 50-60 beads)
300g Pork Mince/Belly Pork
2 Pieces Of Small Firm Beancurds, shredded
4 Dried Mushroom, soaked till soften
50g Black Fungs, soaked till soften
50g Dried Shrimps, soaked till soften
5 Cloves Garlics, finely chopped
4 Shallots, finely sliced
Sauce:
100ml Of Water, from soaking mushroom
1/2 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Granules
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
For Garnish:
1 Stalk Spring Onion, finely chopped
3-4 Small Chillies, finely sliced
1 Tablespoon Dried Shallot
Some Pepper

Methods:
1. Marinate the pork minced with 1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce, 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil, 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper and 1 Teaspoon cornstarch, set aside in the fridge to marinate for about 30 minutes or more.
2. Shredded the soaked mushroom(reserved the water), black fungus and lightly pound the dried shrimp and set aside.
3. Preheat the pan with some oil then saute the shredded beancurd until golden brown, drained and set aside.
4. Add about 2 Tablespoons Of Oil in a pan, add in the sliced shallots and saute until slightly golden brown, add in garlic and pork mince.
5. Saute the pork until almost cooked then add in mushroom, black fungs, dried shrimp and continue to stir until fragrant and cooked through.
6. Next add in the beancurd and sauce upon boiling add in the cooked abacus beads and simmer for another 2 minutes on low heat.
7. Serve hot with garnish

Hot & Fragrant Snapper


Ingredients:
2 Large Fresh Chillies, Roughly Chopped
5 Shallots, Peeled
5 Garlic Cloves, Peeled
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Thai Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Palm Sugar Or Molasses
4 - 6 Kaffir Lime Leaves, Rolled Into Cigarette Shapes And Finely Sliced
1 Trout, About 450g Each, Cleaned

Methods:
1. Wrap the chillies, shallots and garlic cloves in a foil package.
2. Place under a hot grill for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
3. As soon as the foil package is cool enough to handle, unwrap it and tip the contents into food process.
4. Mix the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and lime leaves together.
5. Add 1 - 2 teaspoon of the lime juice mixture to the chilli mixture and blend till a paste.
6. Remove the chilli paste and stir well with the rest of the lime juice mixture.
7. With a teaspoon, stuff this paste inside the fish. Smear a little on the skin too.
8. Grill the fish for about 8 minutes on each side, until just cooked through.(the timing depends on the size and the thickness of the fish.)
9. Carefully lift the fish onto a platter. Serve with rice.

Notes:
I used 1 red and two green chilliles.(It all depend whether u want it to be hot or mild)
You can used any type of fish that you prefer like Seabass, Seabream or Snapper

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