Food For Tots - Recipes for toddlers

Food-4Tots has moved to www.food-4tots.com. Please update your link!

2009-05-13T00:41:00.011+08:00

Hi Everyone, I am back now! Thanks for being so patient with me. Setting up a new site is really another big challenge to me. It took longer than expected. But, I am glad that it is finally ready for your viewing.

From today onwards, Food For Tots will discontinue its blogging activities at http://food-4tots.blogspot.com/ and move over to its new home http://food-4tots.com/ together with all its previous postings.

Don’t forget to update your link to my new site. For existing email subscribers, remember to re-submit your request at my new site so that you will not miss out any updates and recipes.

So, hop over to my new home now. ………! No house warming present required.

READY………..GET SET………GO => MY NEW HOME

Food For Tots - new site

2009-05-01T02:22:00.004+08:00

Dear Readers,

Today, I had migrated all the postings and comments from Blogspot to my new site and will inform everyone once the new site is ready. Have a nice day!

Salmon cakes - Feature recipe for My Cooking Hut

2009-04-27T23:11:00.009+08:00

Ever since I was a child, I perceive and express better through pictures instead of words. In scientific term, I am a right brain person. (No wonder I did badly in written essay in my school years. ) Now, whenever I search for recipes online, I am easily sold by impressive-looking photos. They motivate me to try the recipes out as soon as I can lay my hands on the ingredients. If you love to see beautiful photos as much as I do, then you should take a peep at the photo gallery of My Cooking Hut. It is one of those fabulous food blogs I am really hooked on. Every shot taken by Lee Mei, who is a freelance photographer, is awesome and of professional-quality. With excellent food styling skills and perfect propping, she set the right mood and theme for her readers. Every time I visit her blog, I love to admire her photo shots, more as a piece of fine art than just a normal food photo. It gives me lots of inspiration, tips and ideas in food photography. Apart from photography, she is also a very talented cook. You can find a variety of Eastern and Western cuisines featured in her blog that ranges from Asian stir-frying dishes to French delicate dessert. Her blog is my main reference for simple yet delicious recipes.

When Lee Mei wrote to me to ask if I am interested to be her guest writer, I was awe and surprised . I started scratching my head as what to feature on her beautiful blog. After some discussions, we decided on salmon cakes with an Asian twist. Today, I feel so honoured to be the guest writer for My Cooking Hut. Without further delay, let me bring you over to visit Lee Mei’s nicely decorated “hut” and savour my salmon cakes virtually with just a click here.

How to remove tofu from the box

2009-04-19T23:40:00.013+08:00

From the day I got “promoted” to be the family’s “chief chef” (as mother-in-law was no longer staying with us), I have been calling my mother more often than before to consult her on cooking-related matters. I felt so fortunte that she provided me with a 24/7 phone support service. Thanks a lot, mom!

Nowadays, we love to exchange ideas and tips on how to improve our cooking skills. On one occasion, she asked me what is the best way to remove tofu from the box. And, I happily shared with her a technique which I came to regard as the perfect technique. Subsequently, I was surprised to find out that my technique didn’t actually work for her.

When I was back in Penang for holiday last December, she told me that she had found an even better technique. At first, I was quite skeptical about it. But, after watching her demo and trying it out on my own, I was totally convinced that her method is indeed simple and 100% fail proof. Even my hubby scored 100 marks on his first attempt!

Now, let me share with you my mother’s “5 simple steps to remove the whole tofu perfectly from the box”. Below is the demo done by my hubby. Try it out to see whether it works on you. If you have better tricks, do share with me!

Step 1: Trim off the edges of the box with a pair of scissors. Peel away the plastic paper.

Step 2: Make a small incision at the side between the tofu and the wall of the box. Let slow running water sip into the incision. Repeat this step for each side. With sufficient water, the tofu will float up by itself.

Step 3: Cover the box with a plate, tray or anything with a flat surface.

Step 4: Flip it over.

Step 5: Now you can remove the box easily and get the "perfect-looking" tofu for your cooking!

Raisin scones

2009-04-08T00:44:00.029+08:00

Scone is a small British quickbread of Scottish origin. The original scone was round and flat, usually the size of a small plate. It was made with unleavened oats and baked on a griddle, then cut into triangle-like quadrants for serving. Today, scones sold commercially are usually round in shape but homemade scones have taken into various shapes: triangles, rounds and squares.

What is a good scone?

I can’t agree more to Regan Daley’s from Fine Cooking on his definition of good scone. He wrote in his article “Truly Tender Scones” that a good scone is a beautiful balance of opposites: rich but light, tender but sturdy, satisfyingly sweet but not overly so. He also emphasized that the key to master the technique for scone dough is to mix as little yet as thoroughly as you can.... even novice bakers can get used to the feel of the dough without sacrificing tenderness.

Recently, my family members are “addicted” to scones. This includes my mother-in-law who doesn’t have a sweet tooth. But it is not easy though to find good scones around our neighbourhood bakeries. We did come across one that sells reasonably good scones that are to our liking. However, its scones are always sold out early. Because of this, I decided to bake my own scones. To my surprise, it is easier than I had imagined. It only requires a few simple ingredients and the method is easy enough to follow. No kneading is required. However, there is one thing you need to be extra careful, i.e. you must understand the technique in preparing the dough. Even then, it should not put anyone off as a novice baker like me had passed my first attempt with "flying colours"!

As forewarned, the making of good scones lies in the technique itself. If you are one who is looking for stress-releasing recipes, this one is surely not your type. Unlike the making of pizza and fish paste, this following recipe requires you to handle the dough as gentle as possible. The lesser you work at it, the more tender the scones will become. Doesn't this sound great to all the novice bakers!

Recipe adapted and modified from Mitong’s blog (originated from Farmgirl’s Cranberry Christmas Scones) and technique adapted from House of Annie’s blog (originated from Fine Cooking Magazine)

Yields: 10 large or 12 small scones

Ingredients:
2¼ cup unbleached/ plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda (I substitute it with ½ tsp baking powder)
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
½ cup (110g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes (½ inch )
¾ cup raisins (can be substituted with dried currants) - soaked with 2 tbsp of hot water for 5 mins, squeezed away the water
¾ cup yogurt mixture (3 tbsp yogurt + some fresh milk + ½ egg) or ¾ cup buttermilk

Egg wash:
½ egg + 1 tbsp milk – beat well with a fork

Methods:
(A) Mixing of ingredients
1) Preheat oven to 200ºC. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
2) In a large mixing bowl, add in flour, baking powder and baking soda and whisk until mix well. Sieve 2-3 times (see Note a)
3) Add in sugar and salt. Mix well.
4) Add in butter cubes. Use a pastry blender (see photo below), table knife, fork or tips of fingers to cut butter into the flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbles. (see Note b)
5) Add in raisins and stir gently until well combined.
6) Beat yogurt, milk and egg until well combined. Gently fold the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing lightly just until no dry flour is visible (see Note c & d). The dough will be wet and sticky.

(B) Shaping the dough
1) Sprinkle flour lightly on both the dough and the work top. Turn the dough out and roughly work it into a ball. Press the ball down into a rectangular shape. Sprinkle some flour if the dough is still wet.
2) Fold the dough like the way you fold a business envelope (in 3rd, 1st first right fold to center, then left fold to center). It is alright if the dough is still quite shaggy and loose at this stage.
3) Then press the dough down to form either a circle or a rectangular.
For circle, cut it into 8 large or 16 small triangle scones.
For rectangular, cut it into 10 large or 12 small squares. Push the edges roughly to shape it into a round scone. You can also use a cookie cutter or an upside-down juice glass to cut out the scones.
4) Dip the top lightly on the egg wash and then brush it with the remaining egg wash again. Place them on a baking tray, spacing them about 4cm apart.
5) Bake for 15 – 20 mins (depending on the shape and size of your scones) until golden brown on top. Turn the baking tray over if the scones are not evenly baked. Let it cool on a rack and serve warm. Alternatively, let it cool completely and store in an airtight container or keep in the freezer.
6) How to eat scones? Cut the scones into half and spread butter/ cream/ jam onto it. And, it is best enjoyed together with a cup of coffee or tea!

Note:
a) To avoid any bitter taste that can be caused by the large amount of baking powder used in the recipe, it is important that the flour and baking powder are blended well and sieved for several times.
b) It is advisable to use a pastry blender (see photos below) to cut the butter as it releases less heat to avoid melting the butter when mixing of ingredients.
c) Do not knead or overwork the dough. The less you work it, the tenderer and flakier it will be. Do not pour the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients all in one go. Add in little by little and stop once a loose dough is formed. You need not finish using all the yogurt mixture.
d) Quality of butter is important to give your scones a more buttery flavour. I suggest that you select a premium brand such as Luprak in making your scones. It definitely makes a difference in the taste.

Black beans soup

2009-04-02T00:40:00.033+08:00

In our healthy promoting diet, black bean is an exceptionally great legume with its unique and solid nutritional profile. They are an excellent source of molybdenum, fat-free high quality protein, dietary fiber, flavonoid anti-oxidants (anthocyanins), vitamins (B1) and minerals (folate, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron). It also contains a small amount of omega-3 fatty acids which is about 3 times more than other beans.

A list of health benefits derived from black beans is as follows:
- detoxifying sulfites (note: sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods)
- lowering cholesterol
- good choice for individual with diabetics, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia
- preventing constipation and digestive disorders.
- rich in antioxidants
- acts as a protection against cancer
- stabilizing blood sugar levels
- increasing your energy

(Source: WHFoods)

Now, the question is how to incorporate black beans in your meal plan? If you do a search online, you may find a variety of cooking methods for black beans. But today, I share with you a very simple and easy black beans soup which I used to drink as a child.

The recipe is adapted and modified from here.

Ingredients:
150g black beans
300g pork ribs
15 nos red dates (removed seeds)
2 slices of ginger
1200 ml water

Methods:
1) Put black beans in a frying pan and dry fry over a medium-low heat until the beans' coat starts to crack slightly. Dish up and rinse. (Note: this method is to remove the smoky smell from the beans.)
2) Blanch pork ribs over boiling water. Rinse, drain and set aside.
3) Bring water to a boil and add in all ingredients.When the water re-boils, reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 hours.
4) After 2 hours, turn off the heat and serve.

My Legume Love Affair is created by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook. This phenomenal event draws a large volume of entries each month. This month, MMLA 10th helping is hosted by Courtney of Coco Cooks. You can participate by submitting an entry which must be either a starter or dessert before 30 April 2009. Click here for the host line-up.

Sui kow (水饺) - Featured recipe for Rasa Malaysia

2009-03-27T16:35:00.018+08:00

Two year ago, when I was just starting to cook for my family, a friend of mine made a strong recommendation that I visit Rasa Malaysia's food blog for its recipes and cooking ideas. When I browsed thru her blog, I was very amazed by her stunning shots and high level of professionalism in food presentation, not to mention her cooking and baking skills. Since then, I had been following her blog closely and even referred it as my “online cookbook”.

I have to say that her featured recipes are getting more and more interesting and impressive now. There are many cooking tips and methods I learnt thru reading her posting. Each time I visited her blog, I will be drooling and leaving with a hungry stomach. Her Penang-style cooking also makes me very homesick and I just feel like flying home the next day to satisfy my cravings.

Today, I like to thank Bee of Rasa Malaysia for featuring me as her guest writer. I had chosen sui kow (水饺) as my featured recipe because she loves dumplings. Co-incidentally, it is also my childhood favourite. I had never got bored eating it even until now. Hopefully by sharing my hubby's “self-proclaimed” authentic sui kow recipe, you will love sui kow as much as we do. You can find my write-up and more photos of sui kow at Rasa Malaysia's blog now. So hop over and see you there!

Steamed lady fingers with chili shrimp sauce

2009-03-24T16:57:00.012+08:00

Lady finger (also known as okra) is a powerhouse of valuable nutrients, nearly half of which is soluble fiber in the form of gums and pectins. According to Ms Sylvia W. Zook, Ph.D. (nutritionist), this versatile vegetable has many important health benefits as belows:

1) stabilizes blood sugar level
2) binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver.
3) prevents constipation
4) feeds good bacteria (probiotics) residing in our body.
5) good for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.
6) good for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber
7) treats lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel.
For further reading, click here.

To retain most of its nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, eg with low heat or lightly steamed. Some even eat it raw. My son and I love consuming lady fingers in a very simple way - steam lady fingers until cooked, cut into bite-sized pieces (for toddlers), toss with fried shallots oil and light soy sauce, and serve immediately. However, I have a big tot (my hubby) who doesn’t like lady fingers as much as we do. He always hinted at me to leave his portion out whenever I cooked lady fingers. Of course, I will never agree with him since this vegetable has so many nutritional values. After giving much consideration to these 2 tots’ personal preference and taste, I concocted the following simple and healthy recipe. To my surprise, my big tot happily ate the dish without complaint!

Instead of slicing the lady fingers, my method called for the lady fingers to be cooked with its entire stem intact. This will prevent them from becoming slimy during the cooking process. The chili shrimp sauce that is served together with it enhances the dish with the much needed tasty flavour to those who dislike the bland taste of cooked lady fingers. And, it goes well with plain white rice too.

I strongly recommend this recipe to those who dislike lady fingers. Besides the common method of either stir-frying or have them cooked and served in curry gravy, this dish makes the lady fingers more appealing to the palate. You may find them coming back for a second serving of rice (if there are still some lady fingers left). It can be finger-lickin' good too!

A) CHILI SHRIMP SAUCE

Ingredients:
30g dried shrimp (minced) – rinse, soak & pat-dry
4 pcs shallots (minced)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
½ -1 red chili (minced)

Seasonings:
2 tsp oyster sauce
½ tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp water

Methods:
1) Heat up oil in a small non-stick frying pan/ saucepan.
2) Sauté shallots, garlic and dried shrimp with medium heat until fragrant.
3) Add in red chili and seasonings. Stir-fry until mixed well. Bring mixture to cook until boil.
4) Adjust seasoning if necessary. Dish up and set aside.

B) LADY FINGERS (OKRA) - 10 STEMS

Methods:
1) Wash and rinse the lady fingers.
2) Remove the top and tip (optional) of the lady fingers.
3) You can cook your lady fingers by way of steaming or blanching. But I prefer option (a) as it can retain most of its nutrients and self-digesting enzymes.
a) For steaming: Place the lady fingers on a steaming tray and steam until cooked. Discard water if any.
b) For blanching: Add water to a wok and bring it to a boil. Blanch lady fingers until cook. Dish up and arrange on a serving plate.
4) Pour the chili shrimp sauce over the lady fingers and serve immediately.

Note:
1) If your lady fingers turn dry, add some cooked shallot oil.
2) Do not over-cook the lady fingers until it turns soft and yellow in colour.
2) For toddlers, you can cut the cooked lady fingers into bite-sized for easy chewing.
3) When choose lady fingers, look for those that are tender, smaller size and lighter green in colour.
4) If you cannot finish using the sauce, keep it in an air-tighted container. It can be added when stir-frying other vegetables ie cabbage, french beans and long beans.

I am submitting this recipe to Weekend Herb Blogging #176 Hosting, which is housed by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once and hosted this week by Anna of Anna's Cool Finds.

Masala chai (Indian tea)

2009-03-20T08:33:00.007+08:00

According to Wikipedia, masala chai is a beverage from the Indian subcontinent made by brewing tea with a mixture of aromatic Indian spices and herbs. There is no universal recipe or method used for preparing masala chai. It varies among each household based on their taste and preferences.

Nevertheless, all masala chai are basically made up of four components: tea, sweetener, milk and spices. The most commonly used spices are: cardamom, clove, cinnamon, ginger, star anise and peppercorn. These spices can bring many potential health benefits to the body. For example,
a) Cardamom helps to relieve indigestion problems.
b) Clove helps to invigorate the body and is great at relieving flus and colds.
c) Cinnamon helps to lower blood pressure, reduce pains and fevers, relieve symptoms of indigestions, nausea, gas and heartburn. It can also help with menstrual cramps.

I had my first cup of chai latte at an English coffee house many years ago. It was like “love at first sight”. The strong and intense flavour of the mixed spices had produced a warm and soothing effect to my body, making me difficult to resist a second cup. Although I didn’t have this kind of indulgence for quite some time, it has stirred up my interest when I chanced upon a masala chai recipe. When I mentioned this matter to my close friend Mrs R over a casual conversation the next day, she had immediately invited me to her house for a cup of chai! Without a second thought, I happily accepted her kind offer. On that day, she even demonstrated her own method of making chai. Here, I share with you a simple and easy recipe for making masala chai with the courtesy of Mrs R:

Ingredients:
½ cup water
½ cup fresh/ UHT milk
1 piece of fresh ginger
2 cardamoms
2 tsp Indian tea leaves
Sugar (to taste)

Note: My preferred variation: add 1 cinnamon stick (break into pieces) and use a larger piece of fresh ginger.

Methods:
1) Use a rolling pin, pound the ginger and crush the cardamoms.

2) Add water into a small pot/ saucepan and bring it to a boil.
3) Add ingredients in step(1) into the boiling water.
4) After 5 seconds, add in tea leaves.
5) Let it simmer for 1 minute. Then add in milk.

6) Before the milk starts to boil, turn off the heat.
7) Strain the tea and spice residues into a teacup and serve.

Other reading references:
- Chai! Spiced milk tea
- Culinary Teas - Masala chai
- Drink your health with chai tea

Homemade pizza

2009-03-13T07:41:00.016+08:00

Homemade pizza can be either simple or difficult depending on which approach you adopt. The simple approach is to buy frozen pizza base and ready made sauce. But I chose the the difficult one, which means making the dough and sauce from scratch. As what my hubby had predicted, I failed terribly in my first attempt. I had a tough time kneading the dough and the pizza base was not cooked thoroughly. I hate it when he made this kind of prediction. Is it a curse?

The experience on my 2nd attempt was even worst. While waiting for the dough to rise, my son came down with high fever during his afternoon nap. It left me no choice but to send the dough straight to the freezer. Luckily, the dough was still edible after my long holiday in December.

From all these failures, I learnt 3 important things – (1) the dough must be well-kneaded until it is smooth and elastic, (2) the dough must get enough time to rise and (3) tossing pizza - I have not mastered this skill yet. To save time, I cheated by rolling out the pizza and then strecthing it further using my knuckles. You can say that practice makes perfect and your hands are the best judge when the dough is done just right.

As a non risk-taker, I plan to make a small-sized pizza so it is less wastage in case of failure. However, most of the wonderful pizza recipes that I like, yield larger size pizza. After much searching, I decided to adapt and modify a recipe from Mitong’s blog (click here) as her recipe requires only a small amount of ingredients. It is also very easy to follow thru with her step-by-step instruction. Although it may not be the most “authentic” pizza recipe, it had at least boosted my confidence to take the first step in my pizza making journey. Meanwhile, I had also incorporated some useful tips from Rose’s Recipe in my recipe.

During my past few attempts in making pizza, I had encountered many technical issues which I couldn't figure out. Luckily, there are some kind-hearted people who are willing to share their valuable advices and tips with me. Hence, let me take this opportunity to thanks everyone who had advised me before. Without them, I will not be able to write up this posting.

I had tried to keep this recipe as simple as possible so that it will be easy for any beginner to bake their first successful homemade pizza. Making your own pizza is not really as difficult as you think. The more you try, the more you will love making it. You don't need to bake the best pizza in town. But I can guarantee you that your kids will be the happiest people in the world when eating your homemade pizza. Look at the photos below. Do you agree with me?

(A) Basic pizza sauce

Ingredients:
½ can diced tomatoes (I used tomato sauce when I made this pizza. But diced tomato is still a better choice)
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp minced garlic
½ onion (minced)
1 pc bay leaf
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 tbsp olive oil
100ml stock
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
1) Heat up oil in a pan. Stir-fry garlic, onion and mixed herbs until fragrant.
2) Add in diced tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, sugar and pepper.
3) Simmer for 30 mins, or until the tomatoes have reduced to a thick pulp.
4) If you prefer a smooth pizza sauce, let the sauce cool a little and then puree it in a blender.
5) If the sauce is too watery, add some cornstarch to thicken it.
6) You can make this sauce one day in advance.

(B) Basic pizza dough (makes 1 x 11 inches pizza)

Ingredients:
200g bread flour (high protein flour)
1 tsp instant yeast
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
120g lukewarm water (45 C)

Methods:
1) In a small bowl, dissolve yeast with some lukewarm water. Let it stand until the yeast becomes creamy (about 8-10 mins).
2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk bread flour and salt to mix. Make a well in the center. Pour in yeast (from step 1) and oil. Fold with a large spoon or spatula. Add in the remaining water little by little till all the ingredients are well combined. Flour your hands and knead briefly to form a soft dough.
3) Bring the dough out and continue kneading on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 10 mins). During kneading, if the dough is too dry, sprinkle in a little more flour. If the dough is too wet, dribble in 1-2 tsp of water.
4) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once (to make sure it is coated with oil) and cover with a damp cloth/ cling wrap.

5) Let it to rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. It takes about 1-1 ½ hours.

6) Gently punch down to deflate the dough. Knead and shape into a ball.
7) Stretch the dough using your hands or roll it out using rolling pins to your desired thickness. Tossing pizza is an important step in producing a more tender and crispy crust. Watch this video clip for the technique.
8) Place the dough on a lightly greased pizza pan. Push up the dough to make a rim or a twisted border. Use a fork to prick some holes on the pizza. (This is my personal preference. You can omit this). Brush or spray the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover with cling wrap and let it rest for 15 mins.

9) Prepare your toppings (such as capsicum, sliced black olive, pineapple cubes, cherry tomatoes, fresh sliced mushrooms, sweet corns, cooked shredded chicken, cooked prawns, hams, sliced sausages, canned tuna, pepperoni etc).

10) Preheat oven to 200C.
11) After 15 mins, lightly spread the dough with pizza sauce, and then follow by cheese and lastly your choice of toppings. You can also add some extra cheese on top of your toppings.
12) Bake at 200C for 15-20 mins, or until it turns golden brown.

13) Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Wait for 3-5 mins before slicing to allow the cheese to set.

Tips:
1) To help the baking process and make the crust more crispy, use pizza pan with holes. Thanks to CY from Eat First, Diet Later for this recommendation.

2) To absorb the moisture of the dough and add some crunchiness to the pizza, I used semolina flour before pushing out my pizza. Watch this video clip. Thanks to Sedazh of Annemin Sable Biskuvisi for her recommendation on using semolina.
3) Do not overload the pizza with your toppings. Otherwise, the dough will not be cooked thoroughly. Avoid using ingredients that are too wet.
5) You can freeze the dough after kneading (step 3), put it in a lightly oiled container/ zipper bag) and freeze. On the day of making pizza, bring it out from the fridge. Cover and thaw for 2 hours. Let it rise according to the spec.
6) You can also half bake the pizza dough and keep for future usage. This result is similar to those pre-baked dough sold in the supermarket.

Other useful references:
-Video clip (how to make pizza) - click here
- Kitchen unplugged
- Eat First, Diet Later

Stuffed gluten balls (酿面筋卜)

2009-03-07T23:09:00.009+08:00

It has been a while since I featured the step-by-step instructions on “how to make a smooth & springy fish paste”, and only recently have I found the time to make them again. With a few batches of fish paste stored in my freezer, I started browsing thru my collection of cookbooks to look for new fish paste recipes. Amongst them is a recipe I had tried that ended up with the most satifying results.

It was adapted from the Quick and Easy Hawkers’ Fair (简易上手大牌档菜) cookbook. The gluten balls are very tasty and goes well with chilly sauce. They are also a good choice for finger foods. The methods used are simple and easy-to-follow and the dish itself is healthy as the gluten balls are to be simmered instead of deep-frying.

If you want to have nice looking stuffed glutten balls, I would recommend you to follow a few more important steps that are not stated in the original recipe. These steps are highlighted in red for easy referencing.

Ingredients:
12 gluten balls – soaked, blanched over hot water and rinsed (Note: Be careful not to break the balls)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
Some vegetables (broccoli or choy sum, blanched)

Filling ingredients:
200g minced meat
100g fish paste (I used my homemade fish paste) – it can be substituted with minced prawn paste
2 tbsp dried Chinese shitake mushrooms – soaked & chopped
2 tbsp carrots - chopped
2 tbsp water chestnuts – chopped
2 tbsp spring onions (green part only) – chopped
½ tsp salt
Dash of sesame oil and pepper

Seasonings:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Dash of sugar, sesame oil and pepper
300ml water

Methods:
1) Put all filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir in one direction until very sticky. Keep in the fridge and marinate for at least 1 hour.
2) Stuff the prepared filling into the gluten balls. Heat up wok and pan-fry the balls under medium heat till the skin sticks tightly to the ball. Dish up and set aside.
3) Heat up 1 tbsp oil and sauté chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in stuffed gluten balls and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the gravy has thickened. Turn the stuffed gluten balls occasionally so that they are cooked thoroughly. For better presentation, pan-fry slightly the balls again.
4) Dish up and serve with blanched vegetables.

A Peranakan nyonya dining experience - The Blue Ginger Restaurant

2009-03-03T15:32:00.013+08:00

Recently, peranakan nyonya cuisine and delicacies have become much sought-after in Singapore, thanks to a 34-episodes drama serial - Little Nyonya (小娘惹). The TV series were aired on MediaCorp TV Channel 8 from November 2008 till January 2009. Although I didn’t follow all the episodes, this show has also swayed my interest to try out the authentic Singapore peranakan food. Opportunity came when I had a meet-up with a Sarawak-based blogger who happened to be in Singapore for holiday.

The first thing that came to my mind is to arrange for lunch at a local nyonya restaurant. Because of the convenience of locality, my hubby suggested The Blue Ginger Restaurant at Tanjong Pagar which is specialised in Peranakan dishes.

During the lunch, I discovered a nyonya dish called ayam buah keluak (braised chicken flavoured with turmeric, galangal and lemongrass cooked with Indonesian black nuts). It was new to me as the buah keluak (black nut) is not commonly featured, if at all, in Penang nyonya food in the north. It is more common for the Malaccan and Singaporean nyonya cuisines down south. As this is just my first time dining experience at a Singapore nyonya restaurant, it is difficult for me to make a fair comparison between Singapore and Penang nyonya food. If you are want to read more on the food review at The Blue Ginger Restaurant, hop over to his blog for a detailed write-up of the dishes we had ordered accompanied by all the mouth-drooling shots taken by his big tot.

The Blue Ginger Restaurant
Add : 97 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore
Tel : (+65) 6222 3928
Fax : (+65) 6222 3860
Lunch : 12.00pm to 2.30pm
Dinner : 6.30pm to 10.30pm
Website : www.theblueginger.com

Sausage rolls

2009-02-28T21:09:00.006+08:00

(My "night" project...roll with cocktail sausage fresh from the oven)

I always wish that I can make some bread and rolls for my family since we eat them for breakfast almost every day. As we say a wish is still a wish if no action is taken. But when I chanced upon Elinluv’s blog, I was so inspired with her success story in making sausage rolls (originated from dailydelicious). What makes me even keener in trying out this recipe is her creativity in baking 3 different types of buns using the same dough for sausage rolls. Then I started daydreaming....how nice if one day I can bake all these buns like her.

At dinnertime, when my son overheard my conversation with my hubby about making these sausage rolls, he was so excited and kept pestering me to make them on that particular night. He even offered to go straight to bed without his daily routine story-telling session. From this, you can imagine how “wai sek” (greedy) my son is! I was so touched with his eagerness and of course, he won the deal! This meant that I had to complete the project on the night itself by hook or by crook!! From mixing, kneading till baking, it took nearly 3 hours (much of the time was spent waiting for the dough to rise)! It was already passed midnight when the finished “products” were done. I was really thrilled to see the freshly baked sausage rolls coming out from my own oven! Overall, the buns tasted great. Just that they are a little bit dry the next day. Probably the problems lied on my poor kneading skills and placing the baking sheet at a lower rack during baking. Despite of this, my hubby and son finished all the buns within 2 days. It’s certainly worth the time and effort that goes into the “project”. I will definitely give this recipe another go….maybe not another night project…. (When? This is a secret to be kept from my son….. Shhhhh!)

Recipe adapted from dailydelicious (here and here)
For step-by-step instructions, please refer to this link.

Ingredients:
300g bread flour
5g instant dried yeast
10g sugar
6 g salt
30g unsalted butter (soft)
220-230g 1 egg plus whole milk (I used fresh milk)
8 pieces normal size sausages (I used 8 cocktail sausages and 4 normal sausages)
Egg wash - 1 egg plus 2 tsp water

Methods:
1) Put ½ portion of the flour and yeast in a bowl, whisk to combine, add sugar and salt and whisk again.
2) Pour the egg and milk mixture into the bowl. Use a large spoon (or pastry scraper) to mix everything together.
3) Put the remaining ½ portion of the flour into the bowl and knead briefly to combine all the ingredients.
4) Take the dough out of the bowl and knead. You will feel the dough become elastic after kneading for about 5 minutes.
5) Add butter and knead by using the heel of your hands to compress and push the dough away from you, then fold it back over itself. Give the dough a little turn and repeat. Put the weight of your body into the motion and get into a rhythm. Keep folding over and compressing the dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is soft, pliable, smooth and slightly shiny, almost satiny. Or you can also try stretching part of the dough, if it can stretch into a thin sheet without breaking, the dough is well-kneaded.
6) Put the dough into a lightly buttered bowl and cover with damp cloth. Let the dough rise in a warm place until its size doubles (1 – 1 ½ hour depending on the room temperature).
7) Take the dough out of the bowl, deflate it by touching lightly.
8) Cut the dough into 8 pieces, roll into a ball and let them rest for 10 minutes (cover with damp cloth).
9) Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into an oval shape, then place the sausage in the center. Cut both sides of the dough into 7 strips. Fold the strips alternating the left and right over the sausage.
10) Place the rolls on the greased baking sheet. Cover the rolls and let it rise until it almost doubles in size. Brush with egg wash. Preheat oven at 200°C. Bake at 200°C for 8 minutes then at 180°C for another 5 minutes or until the rolls turn golden brown.

(Some called these rolls "pig in a blanket". But it reminds me of my son when he was a newborn. Dun they resemble those newborn babies sleeping soundly in the feeding room? Hehehe!)

Corn chicken soup

2009-02-25T00:31:00.012+08:00

From young, soup has been served regularly in my family's daily diet. As far as I can recall, my mom has been boiling different types of Chinese soups almost every day. After I got married, I too enjoyed all the home-boiled soups of my mother-in-law. Now, as a “minister of home affair cum head chef”, I continued with our family’s tradition to boil soups for the family as my son is a big fan of soup. The soups I had tried making consist of both Chinese and Western version as shown in the soup categories of this blog.

For Chinese soups, it generally requires 2 hours of simmering to achieve the best result. On those days when I am contraint for time , I will pick a quick and easy soup recipe such as the corn chicken soup I am in this posting. It is adapted and modified from “Soup of the Day” 天天有好汤. The time required for preparation and cooking is very minimum as compared to Chinese soups. I had added in extra ingredients (of course, do not overload it) to compliment its taste and nutritional value. Since all of the ingredients are edible, it can also be served as a one-dish meal. The happiest thing to me is less washing too!

Ingredients:
150g chicken breast meat
1000ml chicken stocks (I used 3 tbsp of concentrated chicken stock to mix with 1 liter water)
1 packet sweet corn cream style (380g) – De Monte or any other brand
1 packet enoki mushrooms * (cut away the tough part of the stems; if you think it is too long, then cut into halve, rinse with running water)
4 pcs fresh shitake mushrooms * (blanch over hot water and slice them thinly)
4 stocks of baby sweetcorns * (slice thinly)
1-2 eggs (lightly beaten and mix with 2-3 tsp water)
1-2 slices of ginger *
Spring onions for ganishing - chopped
Corn flour mixture (dilute some cornflour with water, adjust the consistency according to your personal preference)
Note: * - my personal add-on. Other recommended ingredients are: tofu and green peas

Seasonings:
Salt (I had omitted it because the chicken stocks is tasty enough on its own)
Pepper

Methods:
1) Rinse and pat dry chicken breast meat. Cut into small & long strips. Marinate with light soya sauce, sugar and cornflour for about 15-30 minutes.
2) Bring the chicken stocks/ water in a pot to boil. Add in chicken concentrated stock if used.
3) Add in ginger slice, baby sweetcorns and mushrooms. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4) Add in cream corn and stir well.
5) Add in chicken strips and stir well until it is fully cooked.
6) Add in cornflour mixture and stir gently to thicken.
7) Pour the egg mixture slowly into the soup, stir until it forms thin egg shreds on the surface. Turn off the heat.
8) Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle some spring onions before serving.

Luo Han Zhai/ Loh Han Chai (罗汉斋）- 2

2009-02-22T00:01:00.010+08:00

Luo Han Zhai*/ Loh Han Chai＾ (braised mixed vegetables) is a popular home-cooked vegetarian dish during Chinese New Year. As it uses a lot of ingredients which require braising, the preparation is tedious and time-consuming. For recipe, please refer to my earlier post.
(* - pronunciation in Mandarin / ＾- pronunciation in Cantonese )

Although “lam yue” (南乳 fermented red beancurd) is used as the main seasoning for this dish, not many people like the taste as it is an acquired taste, me and my son included. When I chanced upon Suzie Wong’s Chinese New Year cooking shows on Youtube, I learnt that there is another method of cooking this vegetarian dish. (For those who are unfamiliar with Suzie Wong, she is the host for a TVB Hong Kong cooking show called “SO FAR 苏 GOOD”).

I had tried her recipe in making scrambled eggs with tomatoes that has proven to be fantastic!). Instead of using “lam yue”, she uses 2 types of seasonings, oyster sauce and sesame oil to braise the mixed vegetables. And, I agree with her view that if the vegetables are fresh, there is no need for seasoning of strong flavour like “lam yue”. After trying it out myself, I concluded that her method produces an acceptable taste to both my son and myself. Below is her recipe I had translated from Youtube :

Ingredients :
黄芽白(Chinese cabbage) * – wash and cut into halves
干冬菇 (dried Chinese mushrooms) * – wash, soak, discard stems and sliced at 45°. For fresh Chinese mushrooms, rinse over running water
云耳 (dried cloud ear fungus/ wan yu)* – wash, soak and tear out the hard part
粉丝 (glass noodle)* – soak and cut into smaller length
发菜 (black moss/ fatt choi) – soak
生筋 (dried gluten ball) - blanch over boiling water, rinse and cut into halves
白果 (gingko nuts) * – crack the shells, peel the skin and wash
荷兰豆 (snow peas) * – use “shocking method” - wash and blanch over hot water followed by immersion in cold water (filled with ice cubes) to retain the green colour

Note:
The 8 ingredients signify prosperity, but you can add or replace with other ingredients. As I don’t have all the required ingredients on hand, I just made do with whatever I have in my kitchen. My personal combination consists of all items marked * plus carrots and beancurd puff.

Methods:
1) Fill up water in a large wok/ pot and bring to a boil, add in dash of salt. Add in the harder parts of the cabbage to cook first first and then followed by leafy leaves. Cook until 70% done as you still need to braise them later on.
2) Leave some water on the wok/ pot and add in the rest of the ingredients, except for snow peas which will be added just before serving
3) Season with oyster sauce and sesame oil. Start to braise the vegetables. Stir constantly until it dries. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
4) Once it is done, wait until it cools down and keep in the fridge. This dish is best consumed overnight as it will be more flavourful.
5) To serve the next day, reheat and add in cooked snow peas to mix before serving.

Cooking tips:
1) Do not use light or dark soy sauce as it causes the dish to turn sour.
2) Use more sesame oil if necessary so that the dish will look moist.
3) For better taste and flavour, use only premium grade oyster sauce and sesame oil.

For those who like to view the step-by-step preparation of this dish, please watch this video at Youtube.

Braised taro with dried shrimps

2009-02-18T13:56:00.007+08:00

Taro (芋头 , yu tou) is commonly used in Chinese cuisine for a variety of dishes ranging from main dish to dessert. Some of my favourite taro dishes are: braised pork with taro (芋头焖猪肉), taro/ yam rice (芋头饭), steamed taro cake (芋头糕), taro puffs (芋角) , taro nest/ yam ring ("fatt put") and sweet taro puree with gingko nuts (白果芋泥). In my 1st attempt to cook with taro, I chose an idiot-proof recipe from one of my cookbooks. The combination of taro and dried shrimps make a perfect pair, resulting in a taste that is so flavourful!

If you are looking for a quick and easy recipe, this one is definitely handy. It has also boosted my confidence to try cooking another taro dish – taro/ yam rice that was featured in an earlier posting on this blog.

Recipe adapted and modified from Malaysia Hawker Delights – Series 2 (人气主厨拿手菜简易家常- 系列2)

Ingredients:
500g taro (peeled and diced) – about 1 palm-sized taro
50g dried shrimps (washed, soaked and drained)- retained the water for soaking
3 garlic cloves (chopped)
3 shallots (chopped)
1 stalk spring onion (diced)

Seasonings (mix well):
½ tsp salt (cut down the amount if you add in water for soaking dried shrimps)
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp chicken stock granules

Methods:
1) Peel the taro and cut into cubes. Wash, rinse and pat-dry. Set aside.
2) Heat up 2 tbsp oil over low heat to sauté the dried shrimps, chopped garlics and chopped shallots till fragrant.
3) Pour in 600ml water (including water for soaking dried shrimps), add in taro and bring to a boil.
4) Stir in all the seasonings mixture, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 2 minutes.
5) Open the lid, stir constantly over low heat until the liquid is fully evaporated. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions. Serve hot.

Cooking tips:
1) The recipe can serve 4-5 persons. For 1st timer, it is easier to cook this dish by using only half of the ingredients and seasonings.
2) Do not wash the taro before peeling off the skin to avoid itches on the hand. It is advisable to wear a pair of plastic gloves to peel off the skin.
3) Taro from Thailand is difficult to turn soft/ mushy as compared to taro from China. Choose the type based on your own preference.
4) I diced my taro into 1.5cm x 1.5cm cube so that it can be cooked faster.
5) It is best to serve hot. For reheating, do not steam it as it will turn the dish to be too watery. Just stir-fry under low heat. Add a few drops of water if it is too dry.

Other reading reference for taro (in Chinese): click here

Baked donuts

2009-02-12T02:16:00.013+08:00

When I first saw the healthy baked donut from Little Corner of Mine, I was so excited to know that you can bake donut instead of deep-frying it. A healthier choice for my son who loves donut so much. Even more interesting is this recipe uses yogurt instead of milk and yeast. As a novice at baking, I personally find this recipe pretty simple and easy-to-follow. No electric mixer is required either.

Although the taste of the baked donut is distinctly different from the conversional one, my family members still like it very much for its soft and moist texture which is similar to steamed cakes. It is now on the "top hit" list of my family's choice for tummy filler. Although best consumed on the same day, you can keep any leftover in the fridge and reheat them to be consumed the next day.

I strongly recommend the use of donut tube pans in making these lovely donuts. For my first few attempts, I used muffin trays and the donuts turned out like erupted volcanoes! Hahaha!

Recipe adapted and modified from Little Corner of Mine.

Yield: 24 mini donuts

Ingredients:
Group (A)
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup sugar (if you are making plain donuts, then you can increase the amount of sugar but not more than ½ cup)
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Group (B)
1 egg
1 tub (150gm) plain yogurt
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings/ coating (optional)
- use your own creativity! (You can hop over to here and here for ideas)

Method :
1) Preheat oven at 200°C.
2) Grease the donut pan with butter/ oil and set aside.
3) Combine ingredient (A) in a large bowl.
4) Combine ingredient (B) in another bowl and beat lightly.
5) Mix ingredient (B) into (A) by folding in until the batter is smooth.
6) Place the toppings at the bottom (if any).
7) Transfer batter into a piping bag and pipe batter into the greased pans.
8) Don’t overfill them as the batter will expand during baking. Only fill until ½ full if you want to see a donut hole.
9) Bake at 200°C for 7-8 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Test with a toothpick. It should come out clean when inserted near the center of the donut.
10) Remove from oven. Cool for 5 mins. Then remove donuts from pans and cool on wire rack.

Are you looking for a Valentine's gift to impress your loved ones? If you have budget constraints, time constraints........(or whatever constraints), try making these donuts! It worth the efforts.

HAPPY VALENTINE's DAY!!!

Other references:
- Lily's Wai Sek Hong
- My Culinary Journal
- 101 Cookbooks (this one uses yeast)

Penang nyonya kuih

2009-02-07T22:45:00.021+08:00

(Ang koo kuih from Eaton)

What is nyonya kuih?

Nyonya may be originated from the Portugese word "dona", which means "lady". It refers to female descendants of the early Chinese immigrants who settled in Penang, Malacca and Singapore.

Kuih is an Asian concept of cakes and pastries, different from that of the Western one in term of texture, flavour and appearance.

******************************************************************************************************************
Ever since I left my hometown of Georgetown Penang for university studies, I developed a craving for authentic Nyonya cuisine and delicacies (especially nyonya kuih). Hence, whenever I return home for my holidays, the first time I do is to search out all the eating joints that serve Nyonya food. It was no exception during my recent holidays in Penang. My hubby happily tagged along as he too likes Nyonya food.

As both my hubby and son are big fans for ang koo kuih*, I took them to buy some from a shop at Batu Lanchang called Eaton. This shop is not only well known for its ang koo kuih but also its yellow glutinous rice with curry chicken and its special satay (without peanut sauce). They also provide full moon** celebration catering. My hubby gave 2 thumb-ups after savoring them. The kuih sold by this particular shop is different from others. If they are left open at room temperature, its skin remains soft and chewy even after 24 hours. The thickness of its skin was also perfectly done. The ingredients used were tasty, and not too sweet. The photo above shows a box of mini ang koo kuihs we packed before departing home.

*Ang koo kuih is a Hokkien pronunciation. Ang means red and koo means tortoise. It resembles the shape of a tortoise. For Chinese, tortoise symbolizes longevity. Hence, it is a popular item used for praying and full moon celebration. Its skin is made of glutinous rice flour. Usually those kuih with red-coloured skin is filled with mung beans and the green-coloured ones with “gula Melaka” coconut flakes.

** Full moon refers to a celebration held for a newborn when he/she turns one month old.

Below is the address of the shop. If you are coming from the opposite direction across the road, instead of crossing the road, you can also buy Eaton’s “kuihs” (savories) sold by a hawker in a coffee shop that faces exactly opposite Eaton's shop. It is a good business strategy as they cater to customers’ convenience from both directions.

Eaton Kuih Centre Sdn Bhd
Address: 110 & 139-M Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim (Jalan Batu Lanchang), 11600 Penang.
Opening hours: 7.00am – 5.00pm
Tel: +604 2828355
Website: http://www.eaton.com.my/index.html

**************************************************************************************************************
(Nyonya kuihs from Kheng Batu Lanchang Kaya & Nyonya Kuih)

A - Loh mai chi (glutinous rice ball with toasted peanut filling)
B - Kuih talam (it consists of two layers. The top white layer is made from rice flour and coconut milk, while the bottom green layer is made from green pea flour and extract of pandan leaf.)
C - Kuih ko sui (steamed rice pudding topped with grated coconuts)
D - Kuih bengkang bunga
E - Kuih bingka ubi (baked kuih of tapioca mixed in sweet pandan-flavoured custard)
F - Pulut tai tai (blue glutinous rice cake served with kaya)
G - Kuih kochi (pyramid of glutinuous rice flour filled with a sweet peanut paste and wrapped with banana leaf)
H - Pulut inti (glutinous rice topped with caramelised grated coconut flesh)
I - Chai tao kuih (made with grated radish(chai tao) and grounded spices (ketumbar), and topped with crushed peanut)

(Source: Wikipedia)

Besides Eaton, there is a hawker stall called Kheng Batu Lanchang Kaya & Nyonya Kuih located at the nearby Batu Lanchang market, which is famous for their assorted homemade nyonya “kuihs” and “kaya” (a sweetened bread spread made from coconut milk and egg). They sell as many as 30 types of “kuihs”. Some are even considered as “near extinct”, not easily found anywhere else. Prices are reasonable too. Being halal-certified, these delicacies are highly popular among muslim Malays. Indians are also frequent patrons of this stall.

On one afternoon, around 3.30pm, my hubby and I decided to buy some of the assorted “kuihs” from this hawker stall. It turned out that we were a bit early. At 3.45pm, there was still no sign of the stall owner. My first thought was it is closed for business on that day. However, I did a quick check with the stall owner in the adjacent stall to confirm if my hunch was wrong, I was told the “kuih” stall will indeed open that day. It made my feeling of disappointment turn hope. Shortly thereafter, 2 young girls strolled in to make preparation to open the stall. Then, came strolling in was a middle-aged man who pushed a cart loaded with 6 large trays of “kuihs” into the stall. Literally, in split seconds and to our surprise, out of the blue, a group of customers (about 10 people) rushed forward to the front of the stall to give their orders. Suddenly, the place came alive with hustle and bustle. The vendor was busy taking and packing orders. One customer even came holding his own container. My hubby was taken aback by the surging crowd (that looks more like a mob) clamoring to buy the “kuihs”, albeit was amused with the quick turn of the situation. As he is not fluent in the “Hokkien” chinese dialect, he asked me to proceed with our order. I managed to squeeze myself into the crowd which was getting more packed every minute. I didn’t expect to see such a huge crowd on normal weekday. Excuse me if I sound dramatic, but it was how both of us felt then. Guess how much I paid for all those “kuihs” shown in the photo? They only represent 80% of what I bought. The grand sum is RM8.00 (or USD2.20 equivalent).

Kheng Batu Lanchang Kaya & Nyonya Kuih
Address: Store No 29 Batu Lanchang Market
Opening hours: 3.30pm – 6.30pm (closed on Sundays)
Tel: +604 6589405

Scrambled eggs w/ tomatoes (黄金满屋，鸿运当头)

2009-02-02T01:15:00.016+08:00

Have you seen a TVB Hong Kong cooking show called “SO FAR 苏 GOOD”? It is hosted by Susie Wong (苏施王). I love watching her show as she is straight-to-point, sprinkled with lots of typical Hong Kong humour.

When I first chanced upon her show, she was teaching a group of newly wed couples (all inexperienced in cooking) on how to make the perfect scrambled eggs with tomatoes (蕃茄炒蛋). Although it is not a new dish to me, I was very impressed with the method she taught them. It was totally different from those western methods I have read/ tried before. Having tried it myself, I find her way of cooking produces scrambled eggs with a smoother texture. Below is her recipe (with some slight modifications):

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tomatoes (I replaced with 1 tomato and some canned diced tomatoes)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)

Seasonings:
Tomato ketchup
Light soya sauce
Sugar
Pepper
Cornflour (mixed with water)

Methods:
Group (A)
1) Boil water (volume should be enough to cover the tomatoes). Remove the stems of the tomatoes. Use the tip of a knife to cut a very shallow "X" on the bottom of the tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water. Keeping them in for just 30 secs and taking them out quickly. Once the tomatoes get cooled, peel off the skin with your hands and dice.
2) Heat up wok with oil. Sauté onion until fragrant.
3) Add in diced tomatoes and simmer until they turn mushy.
4) Add in tomato ketchup (according to your personal preference). Start with 2 tbsp.
5) If it is too sour, add dash of sugar. If it is too sweet, add dash of light soya sauce.
6) If the tomato gravy is too dry, add dash of water.
7) Thicken with cornflour solution. Dish up and set aside.

Group B
1) Separate egg whites and egg yolks.
2) Beat egg yolks. Add in light soya sauce (salt should not be used) and pepper.
3) Mix with some cornflour solution to produce a fluffy texture. (I learnt this tip from a cookbook).
4) Combine with egg whites and stir until it is well-combined. Do not beat the egg whites.
5) Heat up wok with oil under high heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture. (The egg mixture will not stick to the wok if the oil is hot enough). Stir quickly until the eggs are firm and set. Dish up and pour over group A. Use a spoon to mix well the scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Serve.

Since we are still in Chinese New Year celebration mood, which last for 15 days, I like to name this dish as "黄金满屋，鸿运当头"(House gets laden with gold, prosperity has arrived)! This auspicious name is derived from the colour combination of this dish. Yellow (egg) signifies gold and red (tomato) signifies prosperity. If that sounds auspicious to you, why wait? Try it out.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2009-01-24T07:00:00.001+08:00

Wishing everyone
a very Prosperous and OXpicious
Chinese New Year!

恭祝大家牛年

工作舒心，薪水合心，
被窝暖心，朋友知心，
爱人同心，一切顺心，
永远开心，事事称心.

(source: here)

Braised dried oysters with minced meat

2009-01-21T00:47:00.011+08:00

During Chinese New Year, the most popular dish in Cantonese’s cooking is braised dried oyster/ ho si (蚝豉) with black moss/ fat choy (发菜). Both of these ingredients sound auspicious in Cantonese’s pronunciation. Ho si means good business（好事）whereas fat choy means prosperous (发财). Besides braising, dried oysters can also be used in porridge and soup.

Today, I will share with you my mother-in-law’s signature dish – braised dried oysters with minced meat (蚝豉松). This is my hubby’s most favourite dish among my mother-in-law’s cooking. It goes well with both rice and noodles. You can even eat it wrapped in lettuce.

Like my mother, there is no specific measurement in my mother-in-law’s cooking. This recipe is compiled based on her verbal description, cooking demo and what I had tasted before. For my first attempt, my “invigilator” (hubby) only gave me 7 out 10 and made the following comments:
- Both dried oysters and water chestnuts were chopped a bit too fine and the amount was insufficient
- Meat was too lean, giving rise to a coarse texture
- Not enough oyster sauce
- The dish was a bit watery (it was because I used steamer to re-heat the dish before serving it for dinner).

One week later, I cooked this dish again, giving attention to those mistakes. This time I scored a perfect 10! U Lala! Too good to be true! I was so thrilled with his generous review. Honestly speaking, I don’t think I can achieve my mother-in-law’s standard in just two attempts. But at least I learnt the right way to cook this dish and can reduce his nostalgia for his mother’s cooking. Hope this dish will bring bountiful of good luck, good business and good news to your doorsteps in the year of Ox.

Ingredients:
170g minced meat (with lean fat)
6 large dried oysters* (soaked in hot water, coarsely chopped as you want to be able to chew and taste the juiciness of its body)
6 water chestnuts – 马蹄 (again coarsely chopped to give the dish a bit of crunchiness)
4 shallots (chopped finely)
*Use Japanese dried oysters instead of Korean dried oysters. They are bigger, chunkier and tastier.

Seasonings:
1½ - 2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
7-8 tbsp water
Dash of light soy sauce & corn flour (for marinating)
2 tsp corn flour (mixed with 2 tbsp water) for thickening
Dash of white pepper
Spring onions and coriander leaves for garnishing

Methods:
1) Marinate minced meat with light soy sauce and corn flour for 15 mins.
2) Heat up wok with 1 tbsp oil. Sauté onions until fragrant.
3) Add in dried oysters and sauté until fragrant.
4) Add in minced meat. Spread it out. Do not stir fry immediately. Let it cook for a while until it is slightly caramelized. Flip it over and let it cook for a while until caramelized. This will increase the aroma of the minced meat. Reduce the heat to low and start breaking up the meat. (tip from here)
5) Add in water and chopped chestnuts. Stir-fry for 1 minute until it mixes well with the rest of the ingredients.
6) Add in oyster sauce, dark soy sauce & water. Stir well. Cover with lid and simmer for about 5 mins (make sure it is not too dry, add water if necessary).
7) Add in pepper and corn flour solution to thicken. Mix well.
8) Turn off the heat and add in spring onions and coriander leaves. Dish up and serve.

Other recommended dishes by my mother-in-law:
- how to make "smooth & springy" fish paste
- fen ge herbal soup

Vegetarian dinner at Lily's Vegetarian Kitchen

2009-01-14T22:55:00.020+08:00

I am not a pure vegetarian but I truly love vegetarian food (regardless of Chinese, Indian, Western….) more for health rather than for religious reason. This is why you can find a variety of simple homecooked vegetarian dishes I tried and shared with you in my blog (under the categories of “vegetarian”) with some of my top picks listed here.

a) pesto pasta (Western)
b) lentils with pumpkin and tomato (Indian)
c) Indian vegetarian rice (Indian)
d) stir-fried pumpkin and cucumber with vegetarian duck (Chinese)
e) stir-fried fine french beans with mixed vegetables (Chinese)
f) Luo Han Zhai(罗汉斋)

In food haven Penang, you can find many hawker stalls and restaurants serving vegetarian meals. On New Year’s Eve, my family members and I had a vegetarian dinner at Lily’s Vegetarian Kitchen. This restaurant is specializing in vegetarian Chinese, Nyonya, Fusion and Western cuisine and caters for all occasions. It occupies 2 floors with ground floor mainly for self-service canteen, whereas the first floor accommodates to walk-in ala-carte dining and private functions such as birthday and wedding occasions. The food served is all vegetarian and mostly soya-based instead of gluten.

We started our dinner with a 4-seasons combo (kerabu, satay, fish ring, stir-fried scallop, crabmeat, gingko nuts with french beans). The satay is their signature dish. The mocked meat is so tender and the peanut sauce is very tasty.

Next, we were served with vegetarian sharkfin soup. All of us concluded that it tasted better that the real sharkfin soup!

Our 3rd course is ying yang prawn – mocked prawns in 2 different flavours. Salad prawn and Nestum butter prawn. Both are delicious. I personally prefer Nestum butter prawn because it has a strong curry leaves flavour to it.

Next, we had mutton curry with fried buns. The fried buns（馒头） go well with the curry gravy. Did you notice those small glasses with red-coloured drink? It is their famous imported organic and caffeine free "mixed fruit tea". A must try for everyone.

To wind up the dinner, we had vegetarian braised yee mee (noodles).

It was a very satisfying and enjoyable dinner to end our Penang trip. The total bill came out to be RM250.00 net (US$70) for a table of nine adults and a child (actually he eats like an adult on a two third portion like grandpa and grandma). Overall, the quality of the food and services are good. You can find other creative and ingenuine vegetarian nyonya dishes ie otak-otak.

Contact details:
Lily’s vegetarian kitchen
98 Noble House
Madras Lane
10400 Penang
Tel/Fax: 04-2263810

For other details and map, please refer to this link:
http://www.lilysvegekitchen.com

Rainbow seafood pasta salad

2009-01-11T15:22:00.016+08:00

Before posting the photos I shot in Penang, I would like to begin my 2009 posting with a food recipe.

Do you like salad? I never have a chance to made one so far as my Emperor is not supportive enough for this idea. But after all the Christmas and New Year festive celebrations, I desperately need one now. Remember what I mentioned in my last post? It is my 2009 New Year resolution! As we know, another festive celebration is approaching - Chinese New Year. During this period, we will have to attend family reunion dinner and friend and relatives' open house. All the yummilicious stuff are awaiting for us!! If I don’t seriously watch my diet now, then I have to prepare to upgrade my clothing size after CNY. Oh, no! please don't let this happen to me!!!!

Today I would like to share with you a light, simple and healthy recipe I found from my favourite cookbook - “Children’s healthy & fun cookbook”. Although this was my 1st attempt in making salad, to my surprise, my son could accept raw vegetables such as baby butterhead. He loved eating it so much. I guess it was because most of the ingredients used in this salad were his favourite (ie tomato, corns, raisin and prawns) and the thousand island dressing provides extra flavour to the salad.

This salad is very versatile. You can mix and match any ingredients using your own creativity. Below is my own modified version that is enough to serve both my son and me for today’s lunch.

Ingredients:
60g pasta shells – cooked and drained well
4 large prawns – cooked and peeled, cut each prawn into 4 portions
1 medium size tomatoes - removed seeds and chopped into cubes
½ ear of large sweet corn – steamed or boiled, kernel removed from cob
1 small Japanese cucumber – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
Handful of black raisins and sunflower seeds
A few leaves of baby butterhead (cut into strips)

Other ingredients you may consider:
- small tomatoes (ie cherry or roma tomatoes), carrot, avocado, lettuce leaves, cooked egg, pine nuts, chicken (instead of prawn), tofu (instead of prawn for vegetarian)

Dressing (thousand islands sauce):
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice (start with 1 tsp)
2 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Dash of pepper
Sugar or salt (if necessary)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for mixing later)

Methods:
1) Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and follow the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain well and leave to cool.
2) Prepare the dressing, cover with cling wrap and keep in the fridge.
3) Prepare all the ingredients.
4) Put all the ingredients into a salad bowl and mix well with the dressing. Alternatively, you can divide the ingredients between the serving bowls and then drizzle over the dressing. Serve and enjoy!

I am submitting this pasta salad to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Ivy of Kopiaste this week.

Other recommended colourful dishes:
- special egg rolls with rice, salmon and spinach
- millet porridge
- stir-fried capsicums & cucumber with stewed vegetarian mutton

Happy 2009!

2009-01-09T00:00:00.004+08:00

Hi Everyone! I am back after a long holiday break. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday for both my son and myself. I didn't cook at all during this period. I am so glad that my son loves all my mum's cooking especially her "char siew" (barbeque) chicken.

My hubby joined us towards end of December. He had not been to Penang for 2 years. Therefore, both of us launched a crazy food hunt to solve his "cravings". At the end, we felt so quilty for overstuffing our stomaches with all the "sinful" food. As expected, our weights had gone upwards. :( . Needless to say, my new year resolution is ........... (Hehehe! I bet you know, right?)

After the holiday, there are millions of outstanding matters that I need to attend - unpacking, washing, cleaning, ironing, cooking etc etc. As Chinese New Year is approaching, I also have to do my spring cleaning. A super duper busy schedule to kick start my 2009 year. I will share with you some food photos I took in my next posting.

Below are some photos I snapped for fun:

(a) Potted plant at my sister's condo balcony

(b) Penang view from my sister's condo balcony. The tall building is Penang Komtar.

All recipes

2009-01-01T23:49:00.001+08:00

Featured recipes:
- One-dish meal - Featured recipe for Delicious Asian Food (Hochiak)
- Sui Kow - Feature recipe for Rasa Malaysia
- Baked eggplants with Cheese - Feature recipe in Keys Ingredients

How-to:
- How to make "smooth & springy" fish paste
- How to remove tofu from the box
- Broccoli - how to blanch

Rice/porridge:
- Pumpkin rice
- Yam rice
- Mushroom rice
- Kiddy "mushroom rice"
- Indian vegetarian rice
- Millet porridge
- Kiddy porridge
- Claypot chicken rice
- Sesame seeds rice balls
- Super fast meal (超级简单快餐）
- Sushi rolls (寿司卷）

Noodles/ pasta:
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Pesto pasta
- Italian pasta soup
- Tuna pasta
- Rainbow seafood pasta salad
- No-frying noodles

Finger food:
- Special egg rolls with rice, salmon and spinach
- Cabbage omelette rolls
- Stuffed gluten balls ((酿面筋卜)

Soup:
- Apple and white fungus soup
- Corn soup
- Corn chicken soup
- Chicken herbal soup(玉竹鸡汤)
- Liu wei soup (六味汤)
- White fungus and yu zhu soup (银耳玉竹清润汤)
- Fen ge herbal soup (粉葛药材汤)
- Fresh huai san (淮山) soup
- Borlotti beans 花豆 soup
- Black beans soup
- Cream of mushroom soup
- Cream of pumpkin soup
- Corn chowder
- Fresh tomato soup
- ABC soup
- Beancurb seafood soup
- Beetroot soup

Boiling:
- Homemade dumplings (水饺）
- Mashed potato with corns

Steaming:
- Steamed silky eggs
- Steamed minced chicken with mix veg
- Steamed minced meat with mix veg
- Steamed egg rolls with fish paste
- Steamed egg rolls with fish paste (2)
- Steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (老少平安) – 1
- Steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (老少平安) - 2
- Simply pumpkin
- Siew mai (steamed dumplings)
- Steamed chicken with wolfberries and red dates
- Steamed lady fingers with chili shrimp sauce

Stew/ braised:
- Pumpkin and cauliflower stew
- Chicken and potato stew
- Braised chestnut with chicken
- Lentils with pumpkin and tomato
- Loh Han Zhai (罗汉斋）-1
- Loh Han Zhai (罗汉斋）- 2
- Braised Buddha's hand gourd with mushroom
- Braised dried oysters with minced meat
- Braised taro with dried shrimps

Stir-fried:
- Stir-fried cabbage
- Stir-fried asparagus with prawn
- Stir-fried capsicums & cucumber with stewed veg mutton
- Stir-fried pumpkin & cucumber with veg duck
- Stir-fried french beans with chicken
- Stir-fried fine french beans with mixed vegetables
- Stir-fried long beans with tau gua
- Stir-fried celery with mixed vegetables
- Stir-fried brinjal with minced meat
- Zucchini with prawns and tomato in sweet chilli sauce
- Silver fish (银鱼仔）omelette
- Simplified Kwai Fa Chee (桂花翅）
- Ridge/ sweet gourd （丝瓜）and prawn omelette
- Scrambled eggs with cauliflowers
- Scrambled eggs with tomatoes (黄金满屋，鸿运当头)
- Jiu Hu Char (Stir-fried yambean with shredded dried cuttlefish)
- Baked beans with tomatoes and potatoes

Pan-frying/ Grilled:
- Butterflied butter prawns
- Creamy butter prawns
- Pan-fried prawn and minced meat patties
- Tofu and crabstick patties
- Stuffed tofu poks( beancurb puffs)
- Pan-fried patties
- Pan-fried salmon with teriyaki sauce
- Cod fish with miso paste (pan-fry)
- Zucchini cake
- Zucchini cakes - revisit
- Teriyaki chicken skew (Yakitori)

Baking:
- Baked eggplants with cheese (Featured recipe in Key Ingredients)
- Simple pizza bread
- Homemade pizza
- Baked donuts
- Sausage rolls
- Raisin scones

Dessert/ snack:
- Avocado with banana dessert
- Yogurt with stewed apples and raisins
- Stewed apple
- Fancy sandwiches with sardine fillings
- Homemade snack bars
- Hey! Pancake
- Banana pancake
- Grandma's pancakes (aka mommy's pancakes)
- French toast
- Fancy sandwiches with sardine fillings
- Longan + lotus seeds + lily bulbs + wolfberries "tong sui"
- Sweetened red bean paste with lotus seeds and lily bulbs
- Gingko nuts, dried beancurd skin & barley dessert
- Purple sweet potatoes tong sui (dessert)

Drink:
Masala chai (Indian tea)