Tecz recipes

Pumpkin fries, butternut squash fries - healthy fries!
Baked Butternut Squash/Pumpkin Fries
Ingredients: Butternut squash/pumpkin sliced uniformly (the thicker you slice, the longer it takes to bake), salt and fresh ground pepper, pinch of cumin and fennel seeds, some olive oil and butter



Directions:
1. Lay the sliced butternut squash/pumpkin on a "lightly buttered" foil and toss evenly in salt, pepper, cumin and fennel seeds
2. Bake10-15mins in preheated oven ~180-200degC (Note: bake time depends on thickness of slices, so make sure the thickness is uniform so that the fries get cooked evenly)
3. Before serving, you can add a small cube of butter on the pumpkin fries for richer taste. It is optional, really!

Rosemary Potato Salad of Roasted Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

I don't eat potatoes very often since I'm more a "rice" person. The only time potatoes get sneaked into my food is when I have chicken curry. Sometimes...just sometimes, potatoes can be alluring, especially when it is "Western menu" for dinner. Baked/roasted fish with vegetables and roasted warm potato salad. This meal is complete.

With this, I'm geared up for the potato challenge hosted by Tinned Tomatoes for this round's No Croutons Required.


Rosemary Roasted Potato Salad
Ingredients: potatoes, boiled (70-80% cooked), drained, cubed; salt and freshly ground black pepper, dried rosemary herbs, butter, thinly sliced shallots

Directions:
1. Butter the pan and fry the shallots till slightly caramelized
2. Rub some butter on baking foil, place the cubed potatoes on the foil, seasoned with salt and black pepper and rosemary. Place the caramelized shallots on top of potatoes. Mix thoroughly to ensure the potatoes are well-seasoned/"coated"
3. Wrap the potatoes and roast them in a pre-heated oven (to finish cooking) at ~180degC for about ~10mins

Baked Fish with Black Bean SauceIngredients: 1 snapper fillet, score and season with some salt and pepper

Sauce:
1tsp black bean paste (I use Woh Hup brand bottled paste), 1tsp garlic minced, half knob ginger thinly sliced, sliced green onion, cooking wine, drizzle sesame oil

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled sauce pan, fry the minced garlic, minced ginger,green onion till fragrant. Make sure the garlic is not burnt or it will turn bitter
2. Add in black bean sauce and fry quickly. Mix well with garlic, ginger and green onion
3. Add 1-2tbsp water to dilute the mixture. Heat to simmer
4. When ready, drizzle some cooking wine along the pan edge, then add few drops of sesame oil
5. If preparing this sauce in advance, store in air-tight container and put in the fridge when sauce is cooled down.
6. When ready to "cook" the actual dish, pour the sauce mixture over the thawed fish and bake 200deg C for 8-10 minutes (Note: I followed Jamie Oliver's rule of thumb ~ 8 minutes for a pound of fish)Pepper Pork Chop
Ingredients: Pork loin chops, ground white pepper, ground black pepper, dark soy sauce, brown sugar, some oyster sauce

Directions:
1. Rub the slices of pork with ground white pepper and black pepper
2. Add some dark soya sauce, oyster sauce and some brown sugar. Marinate them (leave them in the fridge, at least one hour)
3. Heat up some oil in a frying pan. On medium heat, pan-fry the marinated pieces for a few minutes(~3mins) one one side, then turn over and pan-fry other side until cooked.
4. Place in aluminium foil, seal it if not served immediately (note: this can keep the pork chops warm and retain the juice and moisture in the pork chops. Further, if you are worried that the pork chops may be undercooked in Step 3, the heat which you seal the pork chops in within can allow a little further cooking in the pork chops). This is not another Foil-Cooking but surely, tin foil gives a good neat trick again!

Buttered Mushrooms with Onion and Herbs

Buttered Mushrooms with Onion and Herbs
Ingredients:
some butter, olive oil, 1 red onion thinly sliced, fresh mushrooms(I used a mixture of white and brown), oregano, salt, freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Butter and oil saute pan
2. Add red onions and saute till soft, dash some salt
3. Add in mushrooms and saute till onions caramelize and mushrooms turn soft
4. Add in freshly ground black pepper and herbsSpiced Beef and Assorted Japanese Mushrooms
Ingredients: Ground beef, half a onion- sliced and chopped finely, assorted mushrooms, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 2tsp curry powder (Note: depending on how strong a curry flavor you want but do not use too much or it will become a full-blown curry beef dish- as in...too much goopy gravy)

Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly softened (half way to "translucence"), add in beef and the mushrooms and fry them in the pan (low-medium heat)
2. Add 1tbsp oyster sauce, then ~2 tsp curry powder and mix well
3. Add some water(not too much), let it simmer on low heat till the mushrooms become more tender and till the sauce reduce (Note: Since this is intentionally not a curry beef dish that will have lots of gravy, I was mindful about just keeping the dish...moist. In addition, the curry powder is supposed to add just that hint of curry spice flavor but not to overpower the taste of beef and mushrooms)
Easy Pasta on Egg/Omelette Tomato Pasta
Ingredients:
cooked pasta, minced pork(chicken or beef,you wish), diced shrimps, minced garlic, sliced onions, can of diced tomatoes, salt and black pepper, basil/oregano dried herbs(option) PLUS additional two-three eggs

Directions:
1. Fry the egg like an omelette, set aside. At the same time, you can cook your pasta according to package instructions. Any shell or screwy pasta is recommended since it will be easier to eat with the egg.
2. Saute the onions in olive oil till they soften. Add in garlic and minced pork and cook till the pork is almost cooked(from pink to light brown).
3. Add in the shrimps. As they are diced, they will cook very quickly.
4. Add in diced tomatoes with the juice
5. Mix well, add salt and black pepper to taste
6. Before serving, add in cooked pasta, toss well in the tomato-based pasta sauce and serve on the omelette

Viola!


Three Cup Chicken
Ingredients:
Chicken wings(I use frozen and had it thawed), garlic, ginger, green onions, slice red chili (de-seed if you don't want too spicy), fresh basil

Seasoning: Proportion of sesame oil and dark soy sauce and cooking (rice) wine should be equal.

Directions:
1. Heat up sesame oil in wok or pan
2. Add ginger to fry in sesame oil till it exudes aroma
3. Add chicken wings (that's what I use - frozen chicken wings that have been thawed), sear the chicken to brown on all sides
4. Add minced garlic, followed by dark soy sauce. Turn down heat to simmer 5-8 minutes. (Note: Taste test here - if too salty, add a little brown sugar to "tone" it down)
5.Turn heat up again when sauce is bubbling, add the Chinese wine (Note: when adding wine, do not drizzle directly on the chicken; instead slowly pour wine on the sides of the pan, allowing the heated metal to evaporate the alcohol content; this way, the fragrance of the wine is retained)
6.Cook till chicken is done and sauce has reduced (Note: At this stage, you can pre-heat a claypot on your stove, then pour the entire mixture into the claypot)
7. Add fresh basil and red chili last, mix well
8. Garnish with scallions. Best with steamed rice!Herbal Chicken Vermicelli Soup
Ingredients:
Chicken, chopped to pieces; 1 Chinese herbal pack; some vegetables(bok choy) blanched; mee sua (vermicelli) cooked according to instructions.

Directions:
1. Boil the chicken with herbal pack according to herbal pack instructions.
2. When ready, ladle the soup over the cooked mee sua, serve immediately

It is easy to think of what you can with Chinese herbal packs. This is a one-dish meal I'm serving other than boiling the chicken with the herbs to make Herbal Chicken Soup, and steaming the chicken with the herbs to make Steamed Herbal Chicken, also known as Emperor Chicken.

Tomato Chicken Curry (Dry Version)
Ingredients: Chicken chicken drummettes or chicken wings, 1 medium-size tomato (cut to medium cubes), half a can of diced tomatoes, onions(sliced), 2tsp curry powder(or more, adjust accordingly), some chicken stock/water, salt and sugar to taste.

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, saute the onions till soft, then add in the raw cubed tomatoes.
2. Add in chicken and fry at medium heat to brown the chicken a little.
3. Then add in curry powder and half a can of diced tomatoes with the "tomato juice", mix well, and allow entire mixture to simmer and cook. If too dry, add some stock/water to partially submerge the chicken.
4. After ~10-15mins when the chicken is cooked, the sauce reduced, the onions turn soft and sweet, it is ready. Add in salt or sugar accordingly if you wish too (Note: For myself, the onions have given the dish its sweetness, so I did not add any sugar)

Stir Fry Pasta with Mushrooms and Vegetables/Warm Pasta Salad
Ingredients:
- 2 stems of celery, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into small pieces or into very thin shreds
- 1-2 sliced red chili, cleaned with seeds removed
- Fresh mushrooms (I use king trumpet, shitake, honshimeiji), cleaned and cut close to size/shape of the vegetables
- 1-2 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
- some ground pork ~ option (Note: If you are vegetarian, you can omit this)
- some white pepper
- pasta, cooked according to instructions (reserve some pasta water for later)

Seasoning:
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note: If vegetarian, opt for vegetarian alternative)
- water/stock, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, fry the garlic till fragrant, then add celery, carrots and red chili, followed by mushrooms and meat
2. Fry and mix well in the pan (~5-7mins) then add water and seasoning. Allow it to simmer till vegetables and mushrooms are tender and cooked
3. Dash in white pepper to enhance the aroma
4. When ready to serve, add in pasta, mix well and add in a little pasta water if too dry (Note: this dish does not have much gravy/sauce, similar to Chinese stir-fry noodles...moist but yet not too wet)
Beef and Oyster Mushrooms Fusili
Ingredients:
Carrots, onions, can of tomatoes, oyster mushroom, ground beef/pork, salt and pepper to taste, bok choy (blanched), pasta cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, sauce the onions and carrots, and when they are partially tender(soft), add in meat and mushrooms, followed by tomatoes (Remember?...some good oil is good for carrots and tomatoes)
2. Let this cook at medium heat and when start to simmer, turn to low heat and continue to let it simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. (Note: For a little variation, you can add in some curry powder so you get a light curried tomato-based sauce)



3. When the sauce and gravy partially reduced and all the ingredients are cooked, add in pasta and mix well
4. Before serving, turn off the heat, you can add in bok choy(already blanched) and mix into pasta or just serve the bok choy around the pasta.


Instead of using broccoli or spinach often seen in Western pasta dishes, I think alternating with bok choy is a great idea. At least, it works for me. Now, I can have tomato-based pasta with Chinese vegetables! Yay!
Bibimbap, Korean stone-pot rice (rice -cooker version)
Ingredients:
-grilled salmon, seasoned with salt and black pepper,
-1-2 eggs, whisked lightly with some soy sauce and white pepper
-1-2 green pepper, julienned to strips
-some spinach,
-some kimchi
-nori strips, garnish
-cooked rice

Directions:
Step A - Prepare and cook ingredients in advance
1. Grill salmon, set aside (Note: I would suggest choosing a fish that has a firm texture when cooked. Eg. Cod fish is too moist, soft when cooked - when flaked and tossed around too much, it becomes mushy - not recommend)
2. Fry an egg omelette, then set aside on kitchen paper towel to drain away the oil. When cool, cut into thin strips
3. Blanch the spinach, then totally drain away water (Note: Make sure your palms are clean and squeeze the spinach dry. Tip: If you have a bamboo sushi roller, you can use that and drain the water away from the spinach, just by rolling them up and apply slight pressure). When dry and cool, chop into pieces

Step B - Cook rice and add in cooked ingredients
1. Cook rice as per normal
2. When rice is cooked or ready to serve final dish, add in kimchi and green pepper into the rice cooker and mix well with the rice (Note: Allow rice to infuse with kimchi flavor first. Also, the green peppers were not cooked in advance in Step A, adding them first will ensure they get the warmest"heat" from the rice just when the rice is cooked)
3. Flake up the salmon, then with eggs strips, and chopped spinach, add into the rice and mix well
4. Garnish with nori seaweed strips
5. Ready to be scooped and served

Dish out a bowl of warm kimchi-infused rice with nutritious ingredients. Each spoonful of rice you enjoy is flavor-bombed and filled with a profile of textures. The light crunch of green peppers, the salmon flakes, moist warm rice, kimchi-fragrance... ... ... ... ...

How does it look? Healthy ? Easy ?
Spicy Prawn Spaghetti (Singapore Chili Crab style)
Ingredients: Shrimps; 1egg, whisked; some minced garlic; 1tbsp vegetable oil; 1pack Prima chilli crab paste/premix(includes 1pkt paste, 1pkt premix, 1pkt extra hot chilli mix); pasta cooked according to instructions

Directions:
1.Lightly oil pan on medium heat
2.Fry the garlic till fragrant, then add in shrimps
3.When shrimps start to turn pink, set aside
4.In the same pan, heat up some oil and mix with chilli crab paste, stir for 1min medium heat
5.Add in shrimp stir well, coating shrimp with paste, fry for 1min
6.Add in some water, and sprinkle desired amount of hot chilli mix over entire mixture
7.Stir crab premix into water, mix well into crab and stir gravy evenly
8.Pour in beaten eggs, stir 20secs
9.Before serving, stir in cooked pasta and allow it to mix well and soak up the sauce....
(Note: Detailed instructions are provided with the paste/premix)

Fusili with Mushrooms and Beef in a Lightly Spiced Sauce
Ingredients: Ground beef; half a onion- sliced and chopped finely; assorted mushrooms; can of diced tomatoes; 2tsp curry powder (or more depending on how strong a curry flavor you want but note: do not use too much or it will become curry beef - as in with too much gravy); fusili, cooked according to instructions


Directions:
1. In lightly oiled pan, add in onions to saute and when slightly soften (half way to "translucence"), add in tomatoes, then ground beef and mushrooms. Will take about 3-5mins for things to "soften" a little (to be cooked)
2. Add ~2 tsp curry powder and mix well
3. Add some water/stock, allow it to simmer on low heat
4. Before serving, add in boiled/cooked pasta in the pan of sauce and mix well
Tofu Pops/Deep Fried Tofu Meat Balls
Ingredients:
-1/2 lb or slightly lesser ground pork or chicken
-1 pack of standard size tofu (Note: silken contains more moisture and the resultant "pop" tend to be more "juicy", not dry. You can use medium-soft or firm but the texture is going to be different)
-1 egg white (as binder)
-1 tbsp soy sauce to season/marinade the pork
-1 tbsp rice wine to season/marinade the pork
- dashes of white pepper to season/marinade the pork
- less than 1 tsp sesame oil to season/marinade the pork
- cornflour to thicken the tofu+meat batter/mixture if too hard to shape into little rounds (plays a binder role, too)
- potato flour for coating

Directions:
1. Mash up the tofu and mix with seasoned ground pork. Add in egg white and mix thoroughly
2. When in a consistency easy to be shape, make rounds out of the mixture (similar to making fish balls from fish paste)
3. Dust or roll them over a light coat of potato flour, set aside

4. Prepare hot oil in wok for deep frying
5. Slide those rounds by the side of the wok into the medium-hot oil to be deep fried
6. When starts to change color to light brown, strain out from hot oil and set aside to drain excess oil from paper towels
7. Before serving, you can dash a lil' white pepper over the tofu pops to enhance the flavor. Also, sprinkle some nori strips or flakes.
To enhance "value" to your dish and do what the chefs do - PRESENTATION!

Now, you will discover and undiscover how easy a dish Oyster Sauce Chicken can be.

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings 蚝油鸡翅
Ingredients:
6 thawed chicken wings, lightly marinated in ~2tbsp rice wine + ~1tbsp soy sauce

Seasoning:
2tbsp oyster sauce + 1tsp brown sugar + 4-6 tbsp water

Directions:
1. Deep fry the chicken wings in hot oil (Note: according to some Chinese chefs, this will allow the chicken to easily have a "golden" coat when braised later in oyster sauce - gives a golden brown appearance, shiny look and not a sense of dull).
2. After deep frying, set aside to drain excess oil in kitchen paper towels
3. Pour away excess oil from wok with remaining of about 1tbsp(or less) oil
4. Add in the oyster sauce mix and hear the wok/pan sizzle
5. Add the chicken wings back in the wok/pan and space them well. Technique: Use a spoon to continuously spoon/drizzle the oyster sauce mix contained in the pan, over the chicken wings while simmering in oyster sauce mix in the pan. This will ensure the chicken wings are uniform in golden brown appearance.
6. Then allow the chicken wings to simmer low heat (pan covered) for a while till the sauce reduce further. There will be no gravy/sauce for this dish as intended to be.Soba Arrabiata with Grilled Jumbo Shrimps
Ingredients: soba, cooked according to instructions (or other pasta type you prefer); shrimps/prawns, lightly seasoned with salt, black pepper and dried oregano; and chunky vegetable pasta sauce

Directions:
1. Put the shrimps under the grill plates, remove when cooked
2. Heat up the pre-made pasta sauce in non-stick pan, add in red pepper chili flakes, then add in noodles mix well
3. Serve with grilled shrimps and a pinch more of dried oreganoMushrooms Medley with Triple-Colored Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 2 stems of celery, washed and cut into small pieces
- 1 carrot, washed and cut into small pieces or into very thin shreds
- 1-2 sliced red chili, cleaned with seeds removed
- Fresh mushrooms fresh (I use king trumpet, shitake, honshimeiji), cleaned and cut close to size/shape of the vegetables
- 1-2 garlic gloves, sliced thinly
- some ground pork ~ option (Note: If you are vegetarian, you can omit this)
- some white pepper

Seasoning:
-2 tsp soy sauce
-1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note: If vegetarian, opt for vegetarian alternative)
- water/stock, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. In a lightly oiled pan, fry the garlic till fragrant, then add celery, carrots and red chili, followed by mushrooms and meat
2. Fry and mix well in the pan (~3-5mins) then add water and seasoning. Allow it to simmer till vegetables and mushrooms are tender and cooked, mixing well in the process
3. Finally, just a dash of white pepper to enhance the aromaEgg Tarts (makes 6)
Ingredients:
Crust ~
-1/2 box Betty Crocker Pie Crust Mix
-1.5 tbsps melted butter
-1/6 cups cold water

Filling~
-2 egg yolks
-1/6 cup of brown cane sugar
-1/6 cup of heavy whipping cream
-1/6 cup of whole milk milk
-1.5 drops of vanilla extract

Directions:
1.Mix the pie crust mix, water, and melted butter until pastry forms a ball. Roll into 6 balls on a floured board or surface. Set aside.
2. Whisk the filling ingredients by fork. Whisk till you get a consistent mixture and strain the filling through a strainer. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 200F
4. Butter the muffin pan and flatten the balls to fit well into the muffin pan by pressing firmly on bottom and side
5. Fill the pie crust with the egg mixture (3/4 of pan height)
6. Bake the tarts at 400F for about 15-20 minutes or until the filling turn brown.

Apple pork chops, with lots of surprises

Who says dinner pork chops always need to be lying flat and boring on a meal plate ?

Surprise #1 - pork chops in rounds! Pork-chop pops...pork-chop balls!

Would it please you to see pork chops...so dainty ?

Surprise #2 - tender juicy perfectly fried pork-chop balls

Quick high heat frying that assures you non-oily pork chops that retained natural flavor and moisture within . You will know it's tender (not dry and tough) when you can slice them so easily with a knife and fork.

Apple Pork-Chop Balls
Ingredients:
-Few pieces of pork tenderloin (Note: it depends on the kind of tenderloin you buy. If it's a thick cut of meat, make sure you slice them thinner (refer to collage)
-1-2 tsp soy sauce
- few dashes of ground white pepper
-1tsp rice wine
-1tsp brown sugar
-half a apple, peeled and cubed (refer to collage)
-corn flour

Directions:
1. Season/marinate the slices of pork with soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, rice wine
2. Lay the pieces of pork flat on a board, add in one to two apple cubes (depending on size), and roll them up into balls (as shown in collage), lightly pressing with fingers, to seal the open edges. Dust in some corn flour to prevent "disintegration", and to maintain "structure" in the pork-chop (Note: pineapple cubes will be a good alternative to apples)
3. Prepare hot oil for frying and fry at 15o-160degC till pork turn color (Note: Since it's a thin cut of meat, it will take only a while for the pork to cook through). Then set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil
4. Serve immediately

Surprise #3 - you find apples in there!Fried Noodles/Braised Simmered Noodles
Ingredients:
-Half an onion, sliced
-cabbage, shredded
-1 carrot, shredded
-1 celery, julienned
-2 green peppers
-pork strips/slices slighty seasoned with rice wine, soy sauce, white pepper
-chinese greens
-dashes white pepper, adjust accordingly during cooking
2tsp sesame oilSeasoning:
-1tbsp soy sauce
-1tsp oyster sauce
-300 ml water/stock, adjust accordingly during cooking

Directions:
1. Fry the pork strips then set aside
2. Use the oil in the pan and fry the vegetables - onions first, then add the rest, green peppers the last
3. Add in cooked pork strips and seasonings

4. Allow simmer for few minutes
5. Add in cooked noodles and allow to simmer again till water/stock/gravy reduce by half
6. Dash in white pepper(lots of it!), mix well. Drizzle sesame oil the last, turn off heat

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
-1/4 lb minced/ground pork
-4-6 medium size shrimps/prawns, diced to small pieces, as shown
-2-3 shitake mushrooms, diced to small pieces, as shown
-1 small box silken tofu, cubed to bite size
-2 stalks scallions, cut to small pieces (Note: separating the bottom "white" harder scallion -portions and the "remaining green")
-1tsp dried shrimps (Note: secret ingredient for this dish)
-3 gloves garlic, sliced thin
- 1tsp crush ginger
-1tsp oyster sauce
-salt and white pepper
-water, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. Heat 1tbsp oil in frying pan. At low-medium heat, add sliced garlic, ginger, white portions of the scallions and fry quickly till fragrant (爆香有 三 宝: 葱 , 姜, 蒜 一 样 都不能少). Then add dried shrimps and fry till fragrant. Once fragrant, add pork - using the frying ladle to "disintegrate" the pork (Note: prevent clumping) and turn down the heat so that the pork will not toughen and become rubbery under high heat. (Tip: to prevent overcooking in pork, you can also dish up pork and set aside)
2. Add in shrimps and mushrooms, mix well. Pinch of salt. Once the shrimps turn color (to pink), add in tofu, oyster sauce and water that sufficiently covers the 3/4 of the ingredients mixture in the pan
3. Allow low heat simmering for about 5-8mins. (Note: If you have set aside the pork earlier on, add in halfway during this simmering process and continue to let it simmer for the rest of the duration. The pork will be cook through in the entire simmering process)
4. Once the sauce starts to reduce, generously dash in white pepper
5. When almost ready to be dish up, add in green portions of the scallions, mix well, turn off heat

Serve immediately...best with steamed rice.

You may have never thought...pork and shrimps can harmonize so well!

Also check out shrimps mixed with ground chicken in these fried beancurd skin rolls, and fish mixed with shrimps in these cabbage rolls. Shrimps are so sociable, are they not? :PBraised Tofu/Beancurd with Pureed Spinach and Bumashimeiji(Honshimeiji) Mushrooms

Ingredients:
-1 block tofu (medium or silken),
-1cup chopped spinach, blanched
-1.5oz bumashimeiji(honshimeiji) mushrooms

Sauce:
-1/2cup water
-2tsp oyster sauce
-1tsp dark soya sauce
-1tsp brown sugar

Directions:
1. Place chopped spinach on top of tofu blocks and steam of 5 minutes (Note: drain off some moisture in the tofu after steaming)
2. Cut spinach topped tofu cut into serving size (and gently fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain well, set aside


3. With a little oil, add mushromms and fry.
4. Mix ingredient for sauce together and add to mushroom mixture, adjust amount of water (add more) if too salty (adjust to taste), then allow sauce to reduce
5. Add a little cornflur to thicken sauce, and pour over spinach tofu
6. Serve immediately