Lala’s Food Heaven

Salmon, Pesto Penne with Stir-Fry Garlic Spinach

2011-02-19T10:01:00.000-08:00

Today’s post is salmon, pesto penne with stir-fry garlic spinach. This idea is taken from my son’s creative mind in foods. As a team we created another fancy dinner for the family.

British Columbia of Canada has the best salmon. You can get this everywhere and in season all year round, and the price is not pricey. Since salmon is loaded with omega 3 and classified as brain food, our family likes to eat this very often. There are many ways of cooking salmon. Each cuisine has its own unique specialty. To name a few; Chinese like to steam it in black bean sauce or pan fried it just salt and pepper, Japanese as we all know- "Salmon Sushi" or "Salmon Sashimi" eat it raw, and the French likes it boil or pouch etc., They all have their special technique of creating this dish and always tasted delicious. What my son and I did is to boil it in salt and pepper with white wine sauce, it so simple and yet delicious.

To go with this, we used pesto penne as starch. The favor in pesto is so light fitted perfectly with the salmon. Wee touched up the dish with stir-fry garlic spinach. The whole meal takes no more than 45 minutes to complete from preparation to completion, of course with my son’s help….

Ingredients:

½ of a good size salmon (serving for 3)

· 1 lbs of fresh spinach

· 3 cups of Penne

· 2 cups of fresh basils

· 3 tablespoons of Pine nuts

· ½ cup of parmesan cheese.

· 1 handful of grated mixed cheese (for garnish)

· 2 cups of white wine (white Zinfandel)

· Lemon (for garnish)

· 1 teaspoon of salt

· ½ teaspoon of pepper

· 3 cups of olive oil

· 1 ½ of fours

· 3 cups of cream

· 3 cloves of garlic (diced)

Preparation:

Salmon:

Marinate the salmon with salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 350 degree for 5 minutes; place the salmon in the middle rack and let it bake for 10 minutes, cover it with a tin foil to trap the moisture in. On the side, create the white wine sauce for the salmon. Bring the cream to boil in a pot, add flours and stir until it becomes thicker. Add a touch of salt and pepper to adjust the taste. Finally, add the white wine in last.

Penne:

Boil the pasta on a separate pot. Create the pesto sauce on the side in a blender with olive oil, salt, pepper, parmesan, fresh basils, garlic and pine nuts. Once the sauce is created, mix with penne in a salad bowl. Place a handful of mix grated cheese on top for garnish.

Spinach:

Bring the olive oil to boil with diced garlic. Place all the fresh spinach in and stir-fry until cooked. Once the salmon is baked, place everything on a plate and serve. It’s delicious!

Turkey Pie:

2011-01-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! It has been a very busy holidays; preparing dinners, shopping for gifts, wrapping gifts and setting up last minutes Christmas tree to celebrated these wonderful seasons. Now it has come and gone! Everything is back to normal. I wish year 2011 will brings everyone a prosperous year and might all yours dream come true.

On Christmas Day, our family had a tradition Christmas feast. All family members come together to celebrate this special day. Numerous foods were made on the dinner table and we had fun. We cooked a huge turkey for the family and as usual there were leftover. What should I do with the leftover? I've decided to make turkey pies.

For today’s post, it’s the first turkey pie I've made in life. It’s not the greatest but it’s edible. The most important part is…my family loves it. I used the leftove turkey to make into three turkey pies. I create my own dough with flours from scratch. I think they turned out great but it can still be improve. We ate one and give the other two to my in laws.

Indigents:

Pie filling –

· Leftover turkey (skinless)

· 1 cup of chopped onion

· 1 stalk celery

· 4 carrots (cut in small cubes)

· 1 cup peas

· 1 cup of green beans (frozen)

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 3 pinches of black pepper

· 2 teaspoon of chicken stock

· 2 tablespoon of olive oil

Pie crust –

· 2 cups All Purpose flour

· 4 teaspoons of baking powder

· 4 tablespoons of butter

· 2/4 teaspoon salt

· 1 teaspoon ground sage

Preparation:

Cook the pie filling first. Bring the garlic to sizzle in a frying pan with olive oil. Pan fries the turkey with the vegetables. Close lid to simmer for 15 minutes. Make the cream base sauce with butter, flour and milk on a separate pot. Drain out the turkey filling and mix with the cream sauce. Keep the juices from the turkey filling to use that as gravy if prefer. Let the turkey simmer for another 15 minutes.

In the large bowl combine flour, baking powder, ground sage, salt, cold butter and milk. Form the dough into a ball and roll out. Slightly grease the pie dish before placing the flour piece on the bottom. Fill pie dish with the filling just right to the rim. Cover the top with another piece of flour. Close up the rim. Brush the top with egg whites. Poke three holes with fork on top for air release. Preheat oven to 450c and bake the pie for 20 minutes. Cool the pie off for about 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Broth with Beef Balls:

2010-12-20T13:20:00.000-08:00

In an Asian family, having 3 course meal and a soup for a family of four is considered fortunate. I try to cook different kind of soup for my family daily. Chinese believes certain soup has a therapeutic effect and can cure illness. A traditional Chinese soup made from different herds can have a special purpose. For example; soup made from bitter melon is good for the skin, carrots in soup are best for digestive system and tomatoes has one of the highest glutamic acid and is best for bacterial prevention and also loaded with Vitamin C. I truly believe the curing miracle in soup and like to provide soup for my family as much as possible.

The soup for tonight is a clear chicken broth with beef ball. It’s a combination of carrots, tomatoes and potatoes with beef balls. I used turkey necks as the base which I found it’s the best bones for soup. The tomatoes bring out a bit of citrus and the potatoes release the starchy texture in the soup. This soup gives a combination of a sweet from the carrots and a tiny citrus from the tomatoes. It’s just delicious!

This is so simple and easy to make. It only takes about 30 minutes and the soup is ready. I usually cook my soup first and then prepare for the rest of the meal. By the time all my other dishes are cooked, the soup is also ready. Soup is one dish that my family never lacked of. It’s an s important as my rice.

Ingredients:

· 2 tomatoes

· 2 potatoes.

· 3 carrots

· 5 instant beef balls (you can get this in a Chinese supermarket or locate Chinatown)

· 3 scallions green onion

· 1 pack/tray of turkey necks (usually contain 3 necks)

· 1 pinch salt

· 1 tablespoon of chicken instant powder

· 1 teaspoon of fish sauce

· 1 pinch of black pepper

Preparation:

Bring the turkey necks to boil in a pot of water. Place all the vegetables in the pot and cook it for 30 minutes. The green onions added at the end.

Steam Minced Pork with Salty Eggs:

2010-12-15T22:49:00.000-08:00

Since we are on the topic of “Eggs”, I am going to post this one back to back from my previous post, “Chinese Steamed Eggs”. This one is similar to the last dish except this one has meat and salty duck eggs added. As you all know, eggs are versatile and can be created in many forms. It all depends on your appetite and mood of the night.

There was an old Chinese saying, “this dish is meant for the poor”. Because of the salty flavor, family members will eats more rice (which is cheaper) and less meat. Due to poverty in China, some families can’t afford to have a varieties of dishes on the dinner table. They usually can afford a single dish to feed the entire family of eight. Therefore, this single dish has to be created more on the saltier side. The saltiness flavor comes from the salty duck eggs. Over the years, cuisine has evolved and passed down from generation to generation; now this dish has become so popular that it offered in almost every Chinese Restaurant across North America.

This dish is steamed and it’s no doubt an appetite enhancer. Families have their specific way of cooking this. Some like to add Century eggs due to personal preference. As for my family, I like to make it with normal eggs and salty eggs mixed with minced pork. Here is another tradition dish I want to bring into the Western families. It tastes great with plain steamed rice. Simple but delicious!

Ingredients;

· 4 chicken eggs

· 2 salty duck eggs

· ½ pound extra lean ground pork

· 1 teaspoon fish sauce

· 1 teaspoon sesame oil

· 1 pinch of black pepper

· A few cilantros (decoration)

· 1 teaspoon of corn starch

Preparations:

Empty the normal eggs in a bowl. Mix the lean ground pork evenly with the corn starch and spices together. The corn starch creates the smooth texture on the pork. Add the salty eggs at last. Bring the water to boil on separate pot with a cover. Once the water is boiled, put the plate of eggs in, cover it and steam it in high heat for 20 minutes. Place the cilantros on top for decorations.

Chinese Steamed Eggs:

2010-12-12T23:07:00.000-08:00

Eggs are fascinating! It can be done in many different forms, from omelets to sunny-side up to pouch, they all tasted delicious. Here is another traditional Chinese home-style dish I routinely made out of my kitchen, “Steamed Eggs”. This dish seems to be very simple and easy to make but the hidden challenge is…can you make it perfectly? These eggs are supposed to be steam until it becomes tender and has the silky texture but firms. The trick is on the water measurement and the heats while steaming it. For example; to high of the heat will makes the eggs overly cooked and becomes harder and rough. We want the eggs looking smooth and silky texture.

Asian families have different ways of cooking this dish. Some like to add minced porks and salty eggs. Some like it with soya sauce, sesame oils and pour heated oil over the eggs when served. I prefer not using the oil part because I want to keep this dish as healthy as possible. I put all my spices in the eggs first then steam them. My family love this dish and it’s easy to make. Nutritionist suggests we need at least 3 eggs per day for protein. This dish contains enough protein intakes for my family.

Ingredients:

· 7 eggs

· 7 eggs shell of water

· 1 teaspoon of salt

· 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

· ½ teaspoon of black pepper

· 1 teaspoon of chicken stock powder

· 2 scallions of green onion (diced)

Preparations:

My secret recipe is on the volume of water and the heat. I used 7 eggs and the egg shell for measuring the water. For example; once I crack the egg into a bowl, I used the same cracked egg shell to add the water with. The ratio is 1 egg: 1 egg shell of water, so if I use 7 eggs, there will be 7 egg shells of water. The eggs need to be beaten evenly. I use a pot/wok with a cover. Bring the water to boil in high heat first and then place the eggs in to steam. Quickly turn the heat to medium and cover the pot/wok. Steam it for 35 minutes in medium heat. Don’t lift the cover in between time. When the eggs are 98 % cooked, sprinkle the diced green onions on top.

Panda-lala Salad:

2010-12-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

On the menu tonight is a salad I created and love to make routinely. My diet is more leaning toward on the vegetarian side so eating salad once a week is the protocol in my family. I like to mix and match with different variety of lettuces and try different salad dressings. A combination of fruits with lettuces in a salad is always a good choice.

This mouth watering salad is very light. I made the dressing out of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The balsamic vinegar gives out a touch of citrus flavor which blends perfectly with the sweetness from the Fuji Apple. I used spring mixed as the choice of lettuce because of the varieties, fresh orange/yellow peppers and grape tomatoes are great for presentation. The Lollo Rossa has a sweetish flavor and the Frisee has a bitterness which creates a great contrasting flavor to the salad. Finally, the dry basil I used in the dressing bring out the enticing aroma awakens the senses and arouses the appetite.

The whole work is unquestionably fresh and delicious. In my years of making salads, this is the best combination of all. Since I am inventor of this salad, I should give it a name. My name is “Lala” and my husband often called me by my nickname, “Panda”, I might as well call this a…“Panda-lala Salad”! I hope you like my creation.

Ingredients:

**Salad:

1 box of Spring Mixed lettuce

3 scallion green onions

1 small Fuji Apple

1 yellow pepper

1 orange pepper

10 grapes tomatoes

**Dressing:

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon dry basil

2 pinch of black peppers

1 pinch of salt

½ teaspoon sugar

Preparation:

Mix the dressing on a separate bowl. Put all the salad ingredients into a big bowl and mix it evenly with the pre-made dressing. Simple and delicious!

Stir-fried Beef Rice Noodles:

2010-12-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

Traditionally, chow mein is a common dish and has been around for many years. Chinese has their ways of creating this chow mein dish. The word “mein” mean noodles and “chow” has the definition of stir-fry in a wok. In Asia, there are many ways of putting a dish of chow mein together. Some like it with “yellow noodles” as known as mein whereas; some like it with “rice noodles” which called “fun”. In addition, different meats and vegetables can be added to the chow mein and will create different favors. Chow mein has evolved over the years and has become one of the signature dishes in Chinese cuisine.

Chow mein (yellow noodles) and chow fun (rice noodles) can be classified into two main categories. It either stir-fried with sauce called the “wet” style or the “dry” style would be the type you stir-fried with no sauce (aka: lo mein). The option of meat and vegetable is your personal choice. Beef, pork or chicken can be used as the meat portion and broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom and bok choy is a great viariety to use on chow mein - the list could goes on forever. Asain like to slightly deep fry the noodles so it is crunchy at the base and pour the meat and vegetable content over the dry noodles before serving. However, with the American Chinese cuisine, the noodles are usually steam or boil first then mix with the meat and vegetable at the end. You need to be more specific if you are in a Chinese Restaurant as to which kind of chow mein you want. Evidently, there is a distinct between the two.

For my family, just because I don’t have a commercial kitchen with a huge wok or a deep fryer, I tense to cook my chow mein in a stream and boil approach. I like to be creative and use different options to cook my chow mein. Using different type of noodles (ie; vermicelli, skinny rice noodles, flat fresh/dry noodles and the yellow noodles etc.) for my base and with different kind of meat and vegetable each time. My dinner of choice for tonight is “Ground Beef with Radish and Basil on Rice Noodles”. Cooking time is approx. 30 minutes. It’s so simple and yet so delicious!

Ingredients: (serving for 4)

· 1.5 lbs extra lean ground beef

· 1 pack of dry rice noodle (contain 8 squares)

· 1 small bag (90 grams) of preserved diced radish (aka; Char-Choy)

· 1 bunch of fresh basil (Chinese basil)

· 3 scallion green onions

· 2 teaspoons of olive oil

· 1 clove garlic

· 2 teaspoons of soya sauce

· 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce

· 2 teaspoons of sesame oil

· 1 pinch of salt

· 2 pinch of black pepper

· 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

Preparation:

Bring the rice noodles to boil in a separate pot. Drain out the rice noodles and rinse under cold water for about 3 minutes. On a wok, bring the olive oil and garlic into a sizzle stage. Put the ground beef in and stir-fry it for about 3 minutes. Add the preserved radish and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Combine with the rest of the spices and 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce in and cook it for another 5 minutes, cover it and let it simmer for 5 minutes until the beef is cooked right through. Put the cornstarch into a rice bowl (Chinese style) and add 1 cup of water and the remaining 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. Stir it evenly and pour into the wok to create the sauce. Add the drained rice noodles and the green onion and basil at the end. Stir-fry it and mix everything together throughly.

Pan-fried Chicken Wings:

2010-12-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

Chicken wings, the most versatile type of meat that can be cooked into many different ways. You can BBQ them, bake them, batter them, stir-fried them, deep fried them etc., but the way I like to prepare them are to marinate then pan-fried on a pan. It’s delicious.

The chicken wings taste great with beer. Many pub style restaurants offered them on their menu with perhaps, one night wings special for .25 cent per piece. This gimmick attracts many customers from the business’ perspective. It’s generally served in buffalo sauce (spicy) or sweet honey garlic as a finger licking appetizer. Yummy!

My family like to eat them because it so favorable and good with rice. I tense to make them a bit saltier so they can eat more rice with this. It’s an appetite enhancement. I cook this dish quite often as it is easy to make and doesn’t take a lots of my time to prepare. This is a “win win” situation.

Ingredients: (serving for 3)

2 lbs of chicken wings (prefer the wingette)

1 clove of garlic

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken wings with garlic, fish sauce and black pepper for about 20 minutes. Chicken wings can’t be frozen or just thaw out, fresh chicken wings works best. Pan fried the chicken wings on a pan (preferable non-stick pan) with olive oil on medium heat. Chicken wings must be cook slowly to avoid over burn. Keep turning the wings until it becomes golden brown. Approximately cooking time is 20 minutes. This can be served with plain rice and eat it as an appetizer.

Pumpkin Cheese Cake

2010-11-29T22:34:00.000-08:00

I know it is relatively late since Thanksgiving has come and gone. However, my craving for a Pumpkin Cheese Cake has never left. Last weekend, I decided to make one my own. I find Pumpkin puree is a good favor to use in cheese cake. After browsing through many dessert recipes on the Internet, I have noticed so many wonderful selections out there for me to learn from. Decision! Decision! Finally, I found the recipe in “JoyofBaking.com” attract me the most.

This is the first time I have ever bake a cheese cake and the outcome is better than I expected. My family loves it and compliment on my baking. One downfall on this is - we cannot finish the whole cheese cake in time before it goes bad. My family is concerning about the calories’ and fat intakes as they are watching out for their figures (…so they said). They request for a “calories free” cheese cake from mom next time. I am happy and looking forward to bake again as this gave me a wonderful experience.

**Joy of Baking’s recipe:

Crust:

· 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

· ½ cups finely ground ginger cookies

· 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar

· 4-5 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)

Cheesecake:

· 2/3 cup light brown sugar

· ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

· ¼ teaspoon ground ginger

· 1/8 ground cloves

· 1/8 ground nutmeg

· ¼ teaspoon salt

· 1 pound (454 gram) cream cheese

· 3 large eggs

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

· 1 cup (210 grams) pure pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)

Topping:

· 1 cup (240 ml) sour cream

· 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

· ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degree and place the rack in the middle. Butter an 8 inch (20 cm) spring form pan.

For crust: Combine the cracker crumbs, ground ginger snap cookies, melted butter and sugar. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the spring form pan. Put in the fridge while you are making the cheesecake filling.

For cheesecake: In a separate bowl, stir to combine the sugar, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixture on a separate bowl with low speed until smooth. It’s best to have the cream cheese in room temperate. Gradually add the sugar mixture to the cream cheese. Add one egg at a time while beating the cream cheese with the mixture. Beat everything well for about 5 minutes. Lastly, add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Pour the filling in the spring form pan. Place a cake pan in the oven to moisten the air. Bake the cheese cake for 30 minutes and then reduce to 325 degrees and continue to bake it for 20 minutes until the edges are puffed but the center is still wet and jiggles. Bring the cheese cake out to add topping.

For topping: Whisk the sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract together. Pour the topping over the baked cheese cake and return the cheese cake in the over for another 8 minutes. Remove the cheese cake and set it on the counter to let it cool off. Loosen the cheese cake by running a knife around the inside ring of the pan to prevent cracking. When completely cool, place the cheese cake in the fridge overnight before serving.

Vietnamese Beef Stew

2010-11-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

The title of “Beef Stew” seems to shows commonly across many different cooks books. The definition of “Stew” means to cook food by simmering or boiling slowly. Beef Stew is common that everyone can cook for their family. Different varieties tradition of cooking undergone changes all this year and has developed different recipes and their own style of cooking. Some like it to cook with potatoes; cauliflower, carrots or I have seen some put sweet potatoes in beef stew. This dish considers as easy to cook meal, healthy all-in-one ready to go in a stew form. You can cook a big pot; freeze it, and thaw out for the next day to re-use it again. It’s simple, fast, and full of nutrition and most importantly - the family like it.

Lala's Vietnamese Beef Stew

In the United State, beef stew considers as one of the comfort food. This usually is cook in a slow cooker, slimmer it slowly so it’s more favorable. In French, “bœuf à la bourguignonne” beef slowly simmering in red wine is more like their signature dish. Overtime, this has become a standard dish for them. Since Vietnam was once rule under the French, they copied many cuisines and altered them into their own cuisine. Vietnamese Beef Stew’s idea was originated by the French. The dish is made with tender beef; simmer it slowly until the beef becomes all tender. Carrots are usually the vegetable of choice in this dish. Some like to add potatoes to the stew to create the starchy texture. In my family, I like to cook this dish often especially in the winter months. This dish gives the warm and comfort feeling.

**Lala’s recipe:

Ingredients: (serving for 4)

• .805kg boneless briskets (use veal briskets if you want low fat stew)

• 1 small onion (chopped)

• 1 clove garlic (diced)

• 3 carrots (medium size)

• 1 can tomatoes paste (medium size)

• 2 tsps salt

• 1 tsps black pepper

• 1 tsps five spices power

• 1 tsps soya sauce

• 2 tsps olive oil

Preparation:

Boil the brisket in a separate pot until it’s 50% cooked. Scope the briskets out on a plate. Do not throw the water away. In a separate pot, put the olive oil in and bring the garlic and onions to sizzle. Put the briskets in the pot and pan fried it until it’s 70% cooked. During this process, add the salt, five spices power, soy sauce and pepper in. Mix the carrots and the tomatoes paste very last. Once everything is stirred evenly, add two cups of the remaining boiled brisket water to the pot. Cover the stew and simmer it for about an hour on medium heat or until the carrots are soften and the beef is tendered. This dish can be eaten with rice noodles, rice, or French bread.

Ong Choy with preserved Bean Curd Sauce

2010-11-24T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ong Choy (aka – Ipomoea aquatica, Kung Choy, Morning Glory, Water Spinach, Swamp Cabbage etc.) is originated from East Indian, this type of vegetable fall under the member of the Convolvulaceae (morning glory) family. Their different varieties of Ong Choy; some grow in water and some grow in soil. The most common varieties are bright green and grow up to 14 inches tall. This type of vegetable is hollow in the middle; and because it’s hollow in the middle, the Asian call it “Empty Heart Vegetable”. Ong Choy is extremely popular in Southern China, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Raw Ong Choy

There are many ways to cook Ong Choy. In SouthEast Asia, Ong Choy is usually stir-fried with shrimp paste, ginger and garlic. Another way of eating this is to have it stir-fry with preserved bean curd sauce. The above two styles of cooking are very popular and common in a Asia. You can get almost evey restuarant as long as they are in season. The favor is quite strong for the stir-fried Ong Choy with shrimp paste dish, not too many people can stand the strong aroma. Mainly Chinese like this dish the most and like to cook it at home. Some people like it just plain stir-fry with garlic and ginger; this cooking method create a lighter favor. The vegetable itself is tasteless; it’s all depending on which sauce and how you cook it to enhance different favours. The Vietnamese likes to eat them raw; they shredded the Ong Choy in thin slices and put them in Seafood Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu) as a vegetable add-on.

Ong Choy with preserved Bean Curd Sauce

You can buy Ong Choy in any Asian Market and the price is usually on a higher end comparing to the common vegetables (ie; Bok Choy). In the west, the modern chief likes to eat this like spinach with sautéed butter and garlic or with bacon. For my family, I like to eat this stir-fry either with shrimp paste or with preserved bean curd sauce.

**Lala’s recipe:

Ingredient: (serving for 4)

1 bunch of On Choy (washed and cut in slice to approx.4 inches long)
½ clove of garlic (diced)
¼ cup of preserved bean curd (4 cubes - mashed)
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
1 pinch of black pepper
½ tbsp of fish sauce
2 tbsp of olive oil

Preparation:

Bring the Ong Choy to boil in a separate pot. Drained out the water completely, make sure there is no extra water trap in the Ong Choy. Pan fried the garlic in olive oil until sizzling. Mash the preserved bean curd with the sugar. Turn the heat to medium and put the Ong Choy in the wok and slightly stir-fried and mixed the sauce and the Ong Choy together. This must be cook in medium heat or the vegetable will burn. The cooking time for this dish is approx. 20 minutes.

Lemongrass Curry Chicken:

2010-11-21T10:21:00.000-08:00

As per my husband’s request, dinner of choice tonight is “lemongrass curry chicken”. He is such a curry lover and wants to eat curry at least once a week. The recipe originated from Vietnamese cuisine. You can see this dish on the menu of any Vietnamese or Thai Restaurant.

Lemongrass is native of Indian (aka – Takrai, Cymbopogon citrates, Bhustrina Sera, and Bai Mak Nao etc.). It is very popular in Thai and Vietnamese style cooking. Lemongrass fall under the type of aromatic herb and perennial (which means you only need to plant it once and it will comes back yearly). The light lemon flavor blends very well with garlic, curry powder, chilies and cilantro. Because of that, this herb has become very popular in the United States. Lemongrass can also be used for medicinal purposes. It considered as a type of diuretic (cure: Hypertension and Diabetes), toxic and stimulant. It’s also good for digestion, menstrual troubles and nausea.

The way I like to cook with Lemongrass is to dice them into fine pieces and mix with the meat of choice (i.e.: chicken, steak, pork chop etc.,) with diced garlic, salt and pepper. This can be done on BBQ, grill, roast or just stir fried in a wok. Meats that are coated with Lemongrass will bring out the lemony favor.

**Lala’s recipe:

Ingredients: (serving for 4)

· 1 ½ lbs of chicken breast

· 3 scallion of green onions

· 3 stalk of fresh lemongrass (diced) (frozen premade lemongrass will work)

· ½ of English long cucumber

· 1 large tomato

· 1 small onion

· 1 tps of curry power (prefer Malaysian style)

· 1 clove of garlic

· 2 tbps of olive oil

· ½ tps of soya sauce

· ½ tps of fish sauce

· 1 can of instant chicken broth

· 1 pinch of salt

· 1 pinch of black pepper

· A few shredded carrots and mango for garnish

Preparation:

Marinate the chicken with the curry power, ¼ tps of fish sauce, salt, black pepper for half an hour prior. Pan fried the garlic, onion and lemongrass in olive oil until sizzle. Put the marinated chicken in the wok. Stir fried it until cooked. Place the remaining spices with the chicken. Pour the can of chicken broth in, cover it and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. This can be served with rice or French bread of choice. Bon Appétit!

The Ham & Macaroni Noodles Soup (Hong Kong Style)

2010-11-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

Ham & macaroni soup noodle is a popular dish in Asia, especially Hong Kong. You will find this dish on the menu at any Café Style Restaurants. Some people like to eat this as part of their breakfast where some like to eat like congee with a dinner bun. It is very light and easy to intake. This dish is also known as “the recovery” food for the one who is feeling under the weather or just recovered from illness This dish is so common that the majority of all Asian mothers know how to cook this for their love one at home.

Lala's Ham & Macaroni Noodle Soup

In my family, we eat this dish very often. My son likes noodle in soup and not too keen on rice in general. I prefer not to use the instant can soup for the broth because they are so high in sodium and MSG. I like to make my own broth from scratch.

The vegetables I used are: peas, corns and carrots. Turkey neck bones and 1/2lbs of pork is what I used to make my broth with and high quality black forest ham for meat. Occasionally, I would add an fried egg for extra protein but this is optional. This is atypical home cooked meal with full of nutrients. In a simple dish like this we've covered; calcium, carbohydrates, proteins and fibers. It is much better and healthier than a pack of instant noodle. My family loves this dish and it is easy for me to make. The cooking time for this is approx. 45 minutes and we will have ourselves a nice tasty dinner.

*Lala’s own recipe:

Ingredients: (serving for 4)

· 4 cups of dry macaroni noodle (Scoobidoo noodles in the picture)

· 1/2lb of black forest ham

· 4 cups of Green Giant frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corns, and peas)

· ¼ bunch of Chinese Cilantro (diced)

· ½ lbs pork (sliced)

· 1 pack of turkey neck soup bone

· 2 tps of salt

· 1 tbps of fish sauce

· 1 tps of chicken stock powder

· 1 pinch of pepper (the pepper is optional if made for children)

Preparation:

Create the soup based with turkey neck soup bones and the pork. Cook for about 30 minutes until its more favorable. Put on a separate pot of hot water, boil the frozen vegetables on the side (don’t over cooked the vegetables or it will get soggy). Set the vegetables aside, do not mix with the broth. Boil the macaroni noodles separately. Once the noodles are cooked, drain it well and run it under cold tap water for about 3 minutes so that the noodles won’t stick together. Cut the ham into slices and place them on the noodle at the end. To serve this, place the noodles in a bowl, put the cooked veggies on top than place the ham and cilantro on last. Finally, pour the broth over the whole thing. The macaroni and ham noodle soup is ready. Enjoy!

The origins of curry chicken

2010-11-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

Curry chicken on rice is the most popular dish in my family. Both my husband and son is a curry lover. Curry originally comes from the South Indian, “Kari” which means sauce.

Curry powder has a long history dated back 3000 BC, the powder consist of turmeric, cumin, seeds, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, salt, five spice powder (cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, bay leaf and cumin) and red chili powder. Curry leaves is a plant with small, dark green leaves (about 1 inch long) that give a mild flavor to Indian food; they usually like to eat it fresh, not dried. The definition of curry are varies from different culture. For example; India refers them to a spicy stem or gravy with a sauce base. It’s one of the most common and most generally categorized dishes in India but the original recipe for meat in spicy sauce with bread was discovered near Babylon in Mesopotamia and dated back in 1700BC.

There are no standard ingredients which go into the making of curry. It all depends on the culture, nationality and country. Today curry cuisine wide spread across cultures. Different tradition cruise would have its own way of cooking curry. Below is my way of making curry…

Lala's own recipe:

Ingredients: (serving for 3)

· 1kg chicken pieces of your choice (I used chicken thigh we love dark meats)

· ½ pounds of small potatoes (preferably nugget pototoes)

· 5 stalk carrots (cut into cubes)

· 1 small onion (diced)

· 1 glove of garlic (diced)

· 1 pack of pre-made curry powder (Yeo’s brand-Malaysian)

· 1 can of pre-made curry gravy (Yeo’s brand –Singapore)

· 1 tsp of five spice powder

· 1 tsp of salt

· 1 pinch of sugar

· 1 tbsp of fish sauce

· 1 tsp of soya sauce

· 1 tsp of cooking wine

· 2 scallion of green onion

· 2 tsps of olive oil

Instructions:

Pan fried the diced garlic and onion in olive oil until it sizzles. Put the chicken in first and pan fried it for 15 minutes. During this process, put all spices in. Once the chicken looks 80% cooked, put the potatoes and carrots in together with the chicken. Mix the curry powder and the gravy together with the chicken and vegetable. Cook for about 10 minutes. Bring it down to medium heat and simmer it with a cover for about 30 minutes and the curry chicken is ready. The complete cooking time is less than an hour. You can eat this with bread, rice noodles or just over a bed of rice. It’s delicious!

The Butchart Gardens

2010-11-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Butchart Gardens is one of the world’s premier floral show gardens and we are so fortunate to have it located in Victoria, BC of Canada. The landscape established in 1904. Many features in this garden have breath taking view and magnificent landscapes; including Sunken Garden, Japanese Garden created in 1908, Italian Garden created in their former tennis courts and the Rose Gardens replaced a larger kitchen vegetable patch in 1929. The public area of Butchart Gardens covers 22ha (55 acres).The Butchart Gardens remains a family business and has been very successful since. It becomes one of Victoria most famous tourist attractions.

Each year over 1,000,000 bedding plants in some 700 varieties are used throughout the gardens. Different season, the tourist offered a full bloom of beautiful flower plantation. In spring, the perfumes of tulips, daffodils fragranced throughout the gardens. During the peak of the summer’s season, we will see flower such as; Acanthus, Amaranths, Roses, Dahlia, Fuchsia, Germania, Hydrangea - just to name a few. In winter, we will see berries type flowers such as; Cotoneaster, Holly, Pansy and occasional Bellies (English Daisy). Close to a million people visited the garden each year from all across the world.

Firework entertainment is offered to the tourists every Saturday night during the summer between July and August. People would just visit the garden just for the magnificent firework entrainment and it has becomes famous. Between the month of December and January, a phenomenal display of colored lights and decorations with an outdoor ice skating rink. Christmas light-up ceremony starts in December 01 of each year. Ten thousands of lights and decorations spark up the entire gardens which created a Christmas spirit atmosphere.

Butchart Gardens open every day of the year from 9:00am-9:00pm except on Christmas day, they open at 1:00pm. Admission rate rank: adult (18+) from $16.00-$29.00, youth (13-17) from $8.00-$14.50 and child (5-12) from $1.90-$3.00. I would recommend this tourist attraction to anyone who visited Victoria. It’s definitely an eye opening experience of a life time.

Seafood Noodle Soup (Bun Rieu)

2010-11-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

My son doesn’t like to eat the traditional Chinese dinner with rice and three courses meal. So I decided to cook something really light and yet it's not filling for dinner. Its cold out and we need something that is warm and tasty. Seafood noodle soup fit perfectly for this occasion.

This soup noodle is very easy to make and take no time. One pot of soup fills with all the ingredients and with another pot to boil the noodles. The time to create this dinner approximately 1 hour and the serving is adjustable to however many people

Ingredients: (serving for 3)

1 egg

1 can of crab/shrimp paste

4 large tomatoes

1 bag of fish tofu

2 garlic cloves (minced)

1 small onion (diced)

1 bag of dry noodle (thin noodle type)

1 tbsp of fish sauce

1 tsp of salt

3 scallion of green onion

4 cups of water

1 lbs of pork neck bone

Cooking instruction:

Bring the pork neck bone to boil in 4 cups of water. Pan fried the garlic, onion, fish tofu and tomatoes on a separately pan. Put all spices. Cook it for 15 minutes until tomatoes become all soggy. Mixed them with the boiling soup stock and cook it together for 45 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix an egg to the crab/shrimp paste together. Wait until the soup is almost ready (approx. 45 minutes later); put the crab/shrimp in the soup base. On a separate pot, bring the water to boil and put the dry noodle into the water. Boil it until the noodle is softens then drain out the water in the sink. Place the noodles in a bowl and pour the soup over it. Finally, put some chopped green onion on top. Wah-la! Dinner is served!