Fried Rice 炒饭

I usually cook fried rice or noodle when my hubby goes overseas. It’s too troublesome to cook 2 dishes with soup when there’s only the kids and me. An online friend saw this in my food gallery and asks if she could have the recipe. Sorry for the wait.

Ingredients:

• Fresh cooked rice (I don’t use overnight rice because the kids are eating)
• Long beans, diced
• Baby corn, diced
• Carrot, diced
• Fake crabmeat (similar to crab stick; it’s made from fish paste)
• Egg
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Stir fried long beans, baby corn, carrot and fake crabmeat till cooked.
2. Set aside.
3. Scramble an egg till cooked.
4. Add in cooked rice and the earlier cooked ingredients.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Continue to stir fried till mixed well.
7. Dish and serve.

Note:
If using fresh cooked rice, make sure you don’t add to much water when cooking the rice. Otherwise the fried rice will be too starchy. Remember to add enough oil when frying rice otherwise it will stick to the pan. The ingredients I use here are my son's favourite. You can always substitute them with others.

Waterchestnut with Lotus Roots Drink 马蹄莲藕水

My father taught me how to make this drink during my *ahem* younger days. Nothing I tried outside come close to this. Although, he insisted on leaving the skin of the waterchestnut and lotus roots on, I preferred to skin them. I hate it. So time consuming. No choice. Have the urge to drink so gotta do it.

Ingredients:

• Waterchestnuts: skinned
• 2 Canes; chopped into sections
• 1 small section of Lotus roots; skinned and sliced
• Rock sugar to taste

How to do it:

1. Put all ingredients except rock sugar into a pot of water.
2. When the water starts to boil, turn to low fire and brew for 3 hours.
3. Add rock sugar to taste.
4. Serve when cooled.

Note:
If you preferred the normal waterchestnut and cane, don’t add lotus root. But then you will miss the essence of this drink.

Pickled Green Chilli 腌渍青辣椒

I’m not a chilli person. I can't take spicy stuff but I love Green Chilli (that is not to spicy). I thought I should try making my own green chilli so I can have it when I cook Hor Fan.

I’m not sure if my method it correct but it tasted right on the 4th day. So I guess this method is okay.

I added a small bottle of white rice vinegar and 6 tablespoon of sugar with my sliced green chilli. I let it stand for 2 days before I add a cup of water to dilute it otherwise the smell of vinegar is too pungent.

Add lesser sugar if you like your chili a bit more spicy.

Mango Ice 芒果沙冰

We love blended ice and I thought maybe I could give it a try myself. It shouldn't be that difficult. Ohh… we loved it!

Ingredients:

• 1 mango; skinned and sliced
• 1 cup of home-made syrup to taste (boiling water and sugar together)

How to do it:

1. Blend ½ mango and syrup in a blender.
2. Remove and freeze it.
3. When the mango ice is about 80% frozen, removed from freezer.
4. Use fork to pick it to break the ice.
5. Scoop and serve with mango slices.

Note:

• If you have a suitable blender, you can freeze the home-made syrup then blend it together with 1/2 mango and ½ cup water in a blender.
• If your blender is not made to blend ice, don’t use this method. You don’t want to spoil the blades.

Strawberry and Mango Pudding

The kids love pudding. I’ll make variation of puddings now and then so they think they are having something new.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of strawberry flavoured pudding powder
• 1 pack of mango flavoured pudding powder
• 1 pack of Q-balls; I got mine from Poon Huat
• Pomelo sacs
• 1 canned longans

How to do it:

1. Make the puddings according to the instructions on the pack.
2. Make agar-agar according to the instructions on the pack.
3. Remove the puddings from the moulds when set.
4. In a bowl, put puddings, Q-balls and Pomelo sacs together.
5. Add in longans and the syrup.
6. Add some water to dilute the syrup so it will not be too sweet.
7. Serve chilled.

Notes: 
You can use fresh fruits instead of canned fruits.

Pork Ribs and Prawn Noodle Soup 排骨虾面汤

Every time I buy prawn to cook dishes, I would keep the shells in the freezer. I had 3 portions of shells before I cooked this 排骨虾面汤. It’s shells from 1.5 kg of prawns. Hmm… the soup is full of sweetness from the prawns.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg Prawns, shelled
• 500g Pork ribs, blanched
• Fish cakes, sliced thinly
• Water Spinach (Kang Kong), cut into sections
• 750g Fresh yellow noodle
• 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• Rock Sugar to taste
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying
• 2 litre Water

How to do it:

1. Add ½ tablespoon garlic and stir fry till fragrant.
2. Add prawn shells and stir fry till cooked. Set aside.
3. Bring water to boil in a pot.
4. Add in the prawns and remove when cooked.
5. In the same pot, add in the cooked prawn shells and pork ribs.
6. Simmer in low heat for 2 hours.
7. Strain the soup into a clean pot.
8. Return the pork ribs.
9. Add in dark soy sauce, rock sugar and salt.
10. In another pot, bring water to boil.
11. Add in noodle, water spinach and fish cake.
12. Drain when they are cooked.
13. Place prawns and pork ribs on top.
14. Ladle over some hot soup.
15. Serve with pepper and fried shallots.

Note:
You can add bean sprout and lean pork too. Ohhh… and those sinful crispy pork fat cubes if you like.

Glutinous rice balls 汤圆

It was Winter Solstice 冬至 yesterday. I had my first attempt in doing glutinous rice balls. Being my first attempt, I don’t want to be so ambitious. I bought all ready-made ingredients.

The outcome was okay. I’m not skillful enough. The balls keep breaking when I knead them and all peanut fillings came out. Lucky, I have enough dough.

Oh well! Practice make perfect. I’ll be better …. next year.

Ingredients:

• Glutinous rice dough
• Grind peanut
• Gula Malaka according to taste
• 3 Pandan leaves
• 2 slices of Ginger

How to do it:

1. Knead dough into a ball.
2. Fatten it.
3. Put some grinded peanut in the middle.
4. Slowly knead to close-up the opening and into a ball.
5. In a pot of water, add gala malaka, pandan leaves and ginger.
6. Wait for gala malaka to melt before adding the glutinous rice balls.
7. It’s ready when the balls float.

Welcome!!

Hi and a very warm welcome to my humble little cyber eatry.

I'm WokkingMum, a stay at home mum with 2 young children from Singapore. I enjoy wokking among other things. Not that I have a choice. But since I'm at it, I might as well enjoy and have fun! Hence, the start of this food blog.

I'm not here to teach but to share. I'm far from being able to teach! You will find the eats I wok for my family. There's nothing fanciful, just some simple home-wokked food. Either envy or pity my family for what they have for dinner.

I hope you enjoy dining here and do visit again soon!

Happy Wokking!

Rock Melon Balls 哈密瓜菜燕甜点

Made this today as dessert. Smell and taste really nice. My hubby loved it! At last! A 5 star from him or maybe the rock melon looks like salted egg yolks??

Ingredients:
(makes 3 bowls)

• ½ Rock Melon
• Water
• Sugar
• Q balls (I bought from Poon Huat)
• Clear Agar Agar
• Coconut Milk

How to do it:

1. Scoop balls out of the rock melon and set aside.
2. Scrape the remaining rock melon and blend.
3. Set aside.
4. Boil 2 bowls of water and add sugar to taste.
5. When the syrup is cooled, add in the blended rock melon pulp.
6. Mix well.
7. Now add in the clear agar agar, Q balls and rock melon balls.
8. Chill.
9. Add coconut milk before serving.

Note:

You can choose not to add agar agar, Q balls and coconut milk. Agar agar and Q balls gives the dessert added colour and variety in taste. Make the syrup according to your taste and the sweetness of the rock melon. You can also try Honey Dew too!

Hokkien Mee 炒福建面

Cook this dish last week for the first time. Not too bad. My hubby rated it 4-star. ^_^ I like it because it's simple and fast to cook. ^_-

Ingredients:

• Yellow flat noodles
• Prawns, shells removed and deveined
• Squids, sliced
• Cai Xin, cut into section
• Fish cakes, sliced
• Stock or water
• Corn starch mixture

Seasonings:

• 1/2 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Oyster Sauce

How to do it:

1. Stir-fried the prawns, squids, fish cakes and cai xin with garlic.
2. Set aside.
3. In a pot, cook the noodle with enough stock to cover it.
4. When the noodle is cooked, add in the seasonings, prawns, squids, fish cakes and cai xin.
5. Let it cook for ½ minute then slowly stir-in the corn-starch mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. Serve.

Note:

You can add any other ingredients of your choice. You can also blanch your ingredients instead of stir-frying. I only add-in the ingredients to the noodles during the last part so not to over-cook them. Adjust the amount of seasonings. If you like a darker look for your noodles, add more dark soy sauce.

Deep Fried Tofu Cubes 酥炸豆腐块

This is a quick and simple dish. I’m surprise my son likes it too!

Ingredients:

• 1 box silken tofu for frying
• Cornflour for dusting
• Oil for frying
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Water

Dipping sauce:

• Few sprigs of Coriander, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ tablespoon sesame seed oil
• ½ tablespoon apple cider or white vinegar
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• Red chilli, diced (optional)

How to do it:

1. Cut tofu into bit size cubes.
2. Add salt to the water.
3. Sit tofu in the salted water for 5 minutes
4. Drain the tofu.
5. Pat dry by gently pressing the tofu in between 2 pieces of paper kitchen towels.
6. Coat tofu cubes with cornflour.
7. Heat oil and deep fry the cubes.
8. Remove when tofu turns golden brown.
9. To make dipping sauce, mix all ingredients together.
10. Serve hot.

Note:
I like to poke a hole in the tofu cubes then pour some sauce in it. Then eat the whole piece. Nice! If you are eating my way, you need more sauce!!

Buttered Baby Corn 牛油炒小玉米

My son's most current favourite dish. Super simple! I still don’t quite understand why he likes this soooo much. He can finish the whole pack of baby corn alone.

Ingredients：

• Baby Corns
• Butter
• A pinch of salt
• Herb (optional)

How to do it:

1. Melt butter in a pan.
2. Sauté baby corn till slightly brown.
3. Add a pinch of salt.
4. Sprinkle herb (optional).
5. Remove and serve.

Deep Fried Tua Pok Balls 炸豆包球

I haven’t been blogging about the stuff I cook for a while. Since I did this for yesterday's dinner and it's still fresh in my mind, better blog it first before I forget again. I’ll blog about the rest next time.

Ingredients:

• Tofu Puff aka Tua Pok
• Minced Pork
• Fish Paste
• Onion, diced
• Oil for deep frying

Sauce (optional):

• ½ tablespoon Apple Cider
• ½ tablespoon Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Tomato Sauce

How to do it:

1. Open one side of the tua pok and invert it.
2. Mix the minced pork, fish paste and onion together.
3. Filled the tua pok with the mixed fillings.
4. Close up the opening by folding the tua pok.
5. Deep-fry the tua pok balls.
6. Remove when turned golden brown.
7. Heat the ingredients for the optional sauce.
8. Serve.

Note:
I did not put any seasoning for the fillings because the fish paste already adds the saltiness. You can choose not to add fish paste. Try mixing minced pork and prawn. Then a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to it. And substitute onions with water chestnuts for the extra crunch. I like onion because it adds aroma.

Chicken Teriyaki 日式照烧鸡

I love this dish. It’s like the Chicken Teriyaki Burger you have in MOS Burger. Simply yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken Drumstick or Breast, deboned

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Mirin
• 1 tablespoon wine
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce

How to do it:

1. Mix the marinade.
2. Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinate for at least ½ hour.
3. Dust chicken with corn flour and sauté in pan till lightly burnt. Pour away excess oil.
4. Pour the remaining marinade for the chicken in the pan.
5. Cook till the sauce thickens.
6. Remove and serve hot.

Note:
Serve it with rice or have it like a burger with lettuce, tomato, etc. It’s delicious!

Wakame Salad

My hubby thinks I’m mad. I'm so hooked on Wakame aka seaweed that I have to make myself a Tupperware of the Wakame Salad everyday to munch on it as and when I like. My hubby said it doesn’t look good, doesn’t taste good and he just doesn’t understand my craze about the veg.

Beats me, I don’t understand either. Well, at least it’s a healthy ‘snack’ and it’s really easy to prepare because I have it as a salad; meaning no cooking required. The kids loved it when I cooked it with eggs. The only person missing it is the person who thinks I’m mad.
What goes in there: Wakame, Chinese Parsley or Coriander, Oyster Sauce, Sesame Seed Oil and Lime juice. If you like it hot, add some cut chillies.

You decide on how much of the ingredients you like to add. Mix all the ingredients together and you can start to munch! Easy peasy!

Pandan Chicken 香炸班丹叶包鸡

Hmmm … This really makes your kitchen smell nice when frying them. Oh … this is my own recipe. Not sure how the ‘original’ Pandan Chicken we eat in 煮炒店 added as seasonings …

Anyways, my hubby and son like this. So it can’t be too bad or maybe they have lower expectations.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken drumsticks; de-boned and diced
• Pandan Leaves
• 3 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Pepper (optional)

How to do it:

1. Marinate the diced chicken with the oyster sauce and sugar.
2. Set aside for 3 hours. (over night – better)
3. Wrap the chicken in pandan leaves. You have to find you way to do this – sorry!
4. Deep fry the chicken. Remove with the leaves turn slight brown.
5. Drain and serve.

Note:
For healthy choice, you can use breast meat without skin. Can't show you how the chicken is wrapped (nobody helping me to take pics ;p) It's like doing a rice dumpling though.

French Beans with Minced Pork 四季豆炒肉碎

I love the French Beans served in Noodle Hut, although it’s not as well done as it used to be. I have been searching for the recipe. This is the closest I can get.

Ingredients:

• French Beans
• 50 g minced pork
• 2 tablespoon dried shrimps, soaked and minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

Seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon fermented soybean paste
• 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 50 ml water

How to do it:

1. Deep fry French beans for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté garlic and dried shrimps till fragrant.
3. Add in the minced pork and stir well.
4. Add in the French beans and seasoning.
5. Stir fry in high heat till cook.
6. Serve.

Note:
You don’t have to deep fry the French beans. You can add it with the pork and stir fry together. You can also cut the French bean shorter if you like.

Steamed Tofu with Mushroom 豆腐蒸杂菇

Ah! Another vegetarian dish! Eat healthily mah! Haha! Steam tofu dish is easy to make. Remember some time back I had a dish, Steam Prawns & Tofu? This is a variation of that dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of silken tofu
• Shitake Mushroom, sliced
• Enokitake Mushroom, ends removed
• Kinoko Mushroom, ends removed
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 100 ml water

Seasoning:

• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame seed oil

How to do it:

1. Remove tofu, drain the water away and steam for 7 minutes or heat thru.
2. In a wok, add 1 teaspoon of oil and sauté garlic till fragrant.
3. Add in the mushrooms and stir well.
4. Add in the water and seasoning and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Pour the sauce over the tofu and serve.

Note:

• If you choose to eat the tofu cold, you don’t have to steam it. Just remove & drain.
• You can change the mushroom used to other mushroom like button mushroom, dry Chinese mushroom, etc.

Egg Tofu with Assorted Vegetables 什菜炒豆腐

Hmmm …. I just love this dish. So many things to eat. Oh! You can also invite your vegetarian friends over for dinner with this dish too!

Ingredients:

• 1 tube of egg tofu, cut into thick slices
• 4 baby corn, sliced
• 8 sweet peas, remove vein
• 5 shitake mushrooms, sliced
• ½ carrot, sliced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Oil for deep-frying
• Cornflour mixture

Seasoning:

• 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 50 ml water

How to do it:

1. Dust the tofu with corn flour and deep fry.
2. Remove when it turned golden brown and set aside.
3. In a wok, add 1 teaspoon of oil, sauté the garlic until fragrant.
4. Add in all the vegetables and stir- fry till half cooked.
5. Now add the fried egg tofu and the seasonings. Then bring to a boil.
6. Add in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
7. Serve.

Note:

• If you have a hot plate, you can heat it up. Add an egg then pour the whole thing over it. Then it becomes Hot Plate Egg Tofu.
• You can add prawns or meat if you are not having vegetarian friends over for dinner.

*Egg Tofu with Assorted Vegetable without Mushroom*

Corn and Tofu Soup 玉米豆腐羹

This is a simple and nice soup, which kids will like. But not for my boy. Sigh! He is one picky eater! He eats the corn-on-cob but not the corn removed from the cob. What logic does this make?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of corn (either fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup of silken tofu, cut into small cubes
• 3 pieces dried scallop (optional)
• Stock or water
• 1 egg white
• Corn starch mixture
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Add corn, tofu and dried scallops in a pot of stock.
2. Bring to boil.
3. Add salt according to your taste.
4. Thicken the soup with cornstarch mixture.
5. Slowly add in one beaten egg white while stirring.
6. Serve.

Note:

• You can add in the egg yolk if you do not want to waste it. I would recommend you use stock instead of water. It taste better. If you are not so health conscious, you can use stock cube too.
• Find those that do not contain MSG. For the stock, you can use 3 ears of corn to make the soup base or you can use chicken soup base.

Vegetarian Abalone with Veggies 素鲍鱼炒什菜

For this dish, you can serve it 2 ways, either with or without the Vegetarian Abalone.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 carrot, sliced
• 1/2 cup broccoli, cut into florets
• 5 pieces Baby corn, sliced
• 8 pieces dried Chinese mushrooms, soak to soften and stalks removed
• 1/2 can button mushrooms, washed
• Vegetarian Abalone, sliced
• 2 teaspoon Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Sauce:

• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Cornstarch mixture

How to do it:

1. Blanch all the vegetables with stock or water for 5 mins.
2. Remove and set aside.
3. In a wok or pan, add 1 teaspoon oil and stir fry all the vegetables.
4. Add 2 teaspoon of vegetarian oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar.
5. Remove and place in a plate.

Notes:

• *To prepare the vegetarian abalone, boil 1/2 cup of water with the abalone for about 2 minutes.
• *Remove and set together with the vegetables cooked earlier.
• To prepare the sauce, add all the ingredients for the sauce, except cornstarch mixture into the water used to boil the abalone.
• Stir in the cornstarch mixture when it starts to boil.
• Pour over the vegetables and serve.
• If you do not wish to add the vegetarian abalone, skip steps with * indicated.
• You can also add or replace other vegetables like cauliflower, straw mushrooms.

Chinese Broccoli with Conpoy 瑤柱芥兰

This is another simple vegetable dish. It is similar to the Xiao Bai Cai dish that I have posted some time back. Try it!

Ingredients:

• Chinese broccoli commonly know as Kai Lan
• 4 pieces dried scallops, soaked in hot water and tear into strips
• Cornstarch mixture

Seasoning:

• 1/2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 5 tablespoon water used to soak the dried scallops

How to do it:

1. Cut the ends and skin the stem of Kai Lan.
2. Blanch Kai Lan in a pot of boiling water with the stems first for 2 minutes then whole for another 1 minute.
3. Remove and set aside.
4. In a fry pan, add in the dried scallop strips and the seasonings.
5. Bring to boil.
6. Add in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.
7. Pour the sauce over the Kai Lan.
8. Serve.

Note:
If you like your Kai Lan softer or more cooked, blanch longer.

Pig Stomach and Fish Maw Soup 猪肚鱼瓢汤

This is a very rich in taste soup that I like. But it’s tedious work to clean the pig stomach. Nowadays, I try to get those cleaned one to lessen the work. Lazy bum, me!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pig’s stomach, cleaned and sliced
• 4 pieces of fish maw
• 1 small can button mushroom
• 10 black Chinese mushroom, soaked to soften and stalk removed
• Stock
• Pepper
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blanch the cleaned and sliced stomach and set aside.
2. Cut the soften mushrooms into half if you are using big mushrooms. Set aside.
3. Soften the fish maw by putting it in hot water. After that, cut into smaller pieces. Set aside.
4. Add the pig stomach and mushroom in a pot of stock and bring to boil.
5. Turn to small fire and let it simmer for 4 hours till the ingredient soften.
6. Now add in the fish maw and button mushroom and let it simmer for another hour.
7. Add pepper and salt to taste.
8. Serve.

Note:

• You can add ginkgo nuts, peppercorn, etc if you like. Be careful with the peppercorn. Too much of it will make your soup too spicy. I would say about not more than 10, depending on the quantity you are cooking.
• If you are using ‘fresh’ pig’s stomach, you have to rub the whole thing with salt. Scrub like you are scrubbing your clothes. You can use limejuice too. Don’t be surprise I used COKE to wash it before too! Yeah, the one we drink. Hey! It worked, you know!
• To shorten the time required to soften the mushrooms add sugar to water to soak mushroom.

Orange Agar Agar 柳丁菜燕

Someone I gave this to thought it was an actually orange. It's looks and taste nice. My son loved it!

Ingredients:

• 5 oranges
• 6 tablespoon sugar (depending on how sweet you want)
• Clear agar agar powder

How to do it:

1. Wash the oranges and cut it into halves.
2. Squeeze the juice out. Be careful not to damage the orange skins.
3. Scoop out the remaining orange pulp.
4. Measure the orange juice you have and set aside.
5. To make the agar agar, boil water required as instructed on the pack MINUS the amount of orange juice you have.
6. Stir in the sugar till dissolved. Add more sugar if your orange juice is sour.
7. Turn of heat and add in the orange juice.
8. Pour the orange juice agar agar to the orange cups.
9. Before that, make sure you put the orange cups on your drinking cups so it doesn’t topple when you pour the juice in.
10. Chill till it set.
11. Cut the orange agar agar into 3 slices and serve.

Note:

• Do not cook the orange juice otherwise it will turn bitter.
• You use carton orange juice too.
• If you do not have a juicer, you can use a fork to poke in the orange and twist. Do it for a few times (not on the same spot lah). As you do that, squeeze the juice out at the same time. Works the same as a juicer.

Fried Fritters with Squid Paste 沙拉鱿鱼糊油条

I cook this once in a blue moon when we are all sick of eating the usual vegetable and meat dishes. It’s like a snack to go with beer…

Ingredients:

• 2 pair of fried fritters, cubed
• 1/2 bowl of squid paste

Salad Sauce:

• 1/2 bowl of salad cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

How to do it:

1. Mix all the ingredients of the salad sauce and set aside.
2. Spread some squid paste on 1 side of the fried fritters.
3. Deep fry the fried fritters with the squid paste till golden brown.
4. Pour the salad cream on the fried fritters and mix well.
5. Serve.

Note:

1. If you can’t get squid paste, you can make your own.
2. Remove the skin, head and the soft bone from the squid. Leaving only the main part.
3. Mince it and mix with some cornflour.
4. There you have it. And it taste better then the ready made one.

Stir-Fried Prawns with Veggies 鲜虾炒什菜

I especially like this dish because it’s very pleasing to the eye. It’s really nice to serve when you have guests coming over for dinner. I bet they will like it too!

Ingredients:

• 12 prawns, shelled and deveined
• 10 stalks asparagus, cut into sections4
• Baby corn, cut into sections
• 1/3 carrot, sliced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon onion, minced
• 3 slices ginger

Seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Chinese wine
• Cornflour mixture (2 tablespoon each of cornflour & water)

How to do it:

1. Wash the prawns and set aside.
2. Boil a pot of water. In it, add 1 teaspoon of salt and oil.
3. When it’s boiling, add in the asparagus, baby corn and carrot to blanch it for 5 mins.
4. In a wok or fry pan, add in 1 teaspoon oil and stir-fry garlic, onion and ginger till fragrant.
5. Add in the prawns.
6. When the prawns are about 70% cooked, add in the vegetables and the seasoning, except the cornflour mixture.
7. Stir-fry well.
8. Slowly add in the cornflour mixture will stirring.
9. Serve.

Note:
I have tried replacing prawns with scallops before, it nice too. But be careful not to over-cook the scallops if you are using them.I have also tried replacing asparagus with broccoli. Don’t add too much otherwise you will have to change the name of the dish to stir-fried broccoli with prawns instead.

Baby Bok Choy with Shitake Mushroom 小白菜绘鲜菇

This is a relatively easy dish to prepare. If you are home late and have not prepared your dinner, why not try this ….

Ingredients:

• 4 stalks Baby Bok Choy 小白菜
• 5 Shitake Mushroom, sliced
• ½ tablespoon Garlic

Seasoning:

• ½ tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoon water

How to do it:

1. Cut the end of Xiao Bai Cai and wash.
2. Blanch Xiao Bai Cai in a pot of boiling water with the stems first for30 seconds then whole for another 30 seconds.
3. Remove and set aside.
4. In a wok or fry pan, heat ½ tablespoon oil and add in garlic and stir-fry. Add in the shitake mushroom and stir-fry till fragrant.
5. Now add it the seasoning and bring to boil.
6. If you want to thicken your sauce, you can stir-in some cornflour mixture. Pour the sauce over the Xiao Bai Cai and serve.

Broccoli with Dried Scallops 瑤柱芥兰花

I love to eat Broccoli! So does my girl. I add broccoli in her porridge and she loves it.

Ingredients:

• Broccoli, cut into florets
• 4-5 Dried scallops, soaked in hot water for ½ hour
• ½ pack Enokitake
• 200ml stock or water
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ½ tablespoon Chinese wine
• ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 egg white
• Cornflour mixture (2 teaspoon cornflour with 2 teaspoon water)

How it’s done:

1. Blanch broccoli florets.
2. Remove accordingly to how cooked you want the broccoli to be. For me, 8 mins.
3. Place broccoli in a dish.
4. In a saucepan, combine dried scallop, enokitake, oyster sauce, Chinese wine, soy sauce and stock.
5. When it starts to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 mins.
6. Thicken the sauce with the cornflour mixture.
7. Turn off the fire and slowly stir in the egg white.
8. Pour the sauce over the broccoli and serve.

Note:
Don’t throw away the water you use to soak the dried scallop.You can add in to your stock or water to be use to simmer the enokitake and dried scallop.

Lotus Root Soup 莲藕汤

 

Soup, Soup, Soup … my boy must have soup everyday. The thing is I have tried many types and he only like a few … Winter Melon, Sharkfin Melon, ABC and Lotus Roots Soups. He just loves Lotus Roots Soup! God, he can ask me to make it everyday! He doesn’t seem to get sick of drink it.

To me, making the soup my boy likes is very easy. Just throw in the ingredients and brew. I usually brew it for 4 to 5 hours. I used to double-boiled the soup using a small pot in a slow cooker but electricity bills when sky-high so I stopped. It’s cheaper to use gas.

Ingredients:

• 250g Pork Ribs
• 1 section of lotus roots, skinned and sliced
• 1/2 Carrot, skinned and sliced
• 1 piece Dried Octopus, cut into strips
• 4 Red Dates
• a handful Wolfberries (optional)
• 1.5 litre Water
• Salt to taste
  

How to do it:

1. How to do it:
2. Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for 5 min then remove.
3. In a new pot of water, add in the pork ribs, lotus roots, carrot red dates and dried octopus.
4. Bring it to boil and turn down fire.
5. Continue to brew for 4-5 hours.
6. If you like to add wolfberries, add in 1/2 before you stop brewing.
7. Add salt to taste.
8. Serve.

Note：
To have a clearer soup, always blanch the pork ribs before using it to make soup.It helps remove the blood scum from the pork. Same for chicken too.

Bacon & Beef Rolls 培根与牛肉卷

In this dish, I have combined 2 dishes, Asparagus with Bacon and Beef Rolls in Tomato Sauce , together. I have also added some more ingredients to it.

See how easy it is to change a dish by adding or changing ingredients. I have Crabstick, Asparagus and Baby Corn for both Bacon and Beef Rolls.

If you have some dishes you like, change the ingredients or the method of cooking and wala! It’s a new dish!

Lemon Grass Chicken 香煎鸡肉香茅

I cooked this a few years back. Hmmm… It seems that the taste is slightly different, though the aroma when cooking the meat and the sauce is still the same. Maybe I remembered the ingredients wrongly. Oh, never mind …

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast meat, deboned and minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger, chopped finely
• 5 small onions, dices (I used big onions today; forgotten to buy the small onions)
• 2 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped finely
• 1 red chilli, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 5 stalk lemon grass (香茅), cleaned and cut into half

Sauce:

• 5 small onions, chopped finely (again, I used big onion)
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tablespoon Galangal (南姜), chopped finely
• ½ stalk of Lemongrass (香茅), chopped finely
• 3 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 bowl of stock or water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and sugar for taste.

How to do it:

1. Mince your chicken meat.
2. Add in ginger, onion, coriander, chilli and light soy sauce .
3. Mix well with minced chicken.
4. Use your hands and press some minced chicken firmly to the lemon grass.
5. Set aside for half an hour.
6. To make the sauce, stir-fry the onions with a bit of oil for about 1 min or when you can smell the aroma.
7. Add in the chilli, blue ginger & lemon grass. Stir fry for a while.
8. Add in the stock, dark soy sauce and oyster sauce.
9. Let the sauce simmer for an hour and pour it through a sieve.
10. Season with salt and sugar. (optional)
11. For the chicken, you can grill or pan-fry with a bit of oil till cooked.
12. Remove the chicken.

Note:
You can choose to use pork if you like but it will be tougher.Add more or less chilli according to your taste. You can either pour the sauce over the chicken or dip the chicken in the sauce as you eat.

Lotus Pork Patties 莲藕片肉饼

Again, I’m trying to get my boy to eat vegetables. Sigh! This time, I’m trying to mask slices of lotus root into some meat. Hopefully I will succeed.

Ingredients:

• 100g minced pork
• 10 slices lotus root, skinned
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Corn flour

How to do it:

1. Skin the lotus roots and sliced.
2. Bland the sliced lotus roots for 1 min and remove.
3. Mix the minced pork with the light soy sauce.
4. Coat the lotus roots with the minced pork.
5. You can choose to coat both or one side.
6. Dust with corn flour.
7. Pan-fry with 1 teaspoon of oil.
8. Remove when it’s slight brown.
9. Serve

Note:
You can add some fish paste in your minced pork to add sweetness. However, if you do, do not add anymore soy sauce.

Steam Tofu with Shrimps 豆腐蒸虾丁

I made this yesterday for dinner. This dish is simple to prepare and it’s quite healthy. As expected, my boy didn’t want the prawns even after I diced them. Never mind, I try again with something else next time but at least there is still tofu. It’s loaded with Protein!

Ingredients:

• 8 small or medium prawns
• 1 pack of silken tofu
• 2 stalk spring onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil
• A pinch of salt and sugar

How it is done:

1. Shell and devein the prawns. Keep the shells
2. Marinate the prawns with a pinch of salt and sugar for 10 mins
3. In a deep dish or bowl, put the prawns and the shells in it.
4. Add the white part of the spring onion on the prawns to be steam together. This adds favour.
5. Remove the prawns when they turn pink. Discard the shells.
6. Remove the tofu from the pack and place it in a deep dish.
7. Drain the sauce. Add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce & oyster sauce each and pour it over the tofu to be steamed together for about 5 minutes.
8. Put the prawns on the tofu and drizzle the sesame seed oil on top & serve.

Note:
You can use whole prawns or diced them.

Beef Rolls in Tomato Sauce 鲜番茄酱牛肉卷

I trying my hands on a beef dish for my son. He needs to put on more weight. I found this recipe that uses beef when I was sorting the recipes I tore from magazines. I have adjusted some of the ingredients with some of my son’s favourites. Hope it will catch his attention.

Ingredients:

• 8 slices of thinly sliced beef
• 4 baby corn, cut into 4 ‘sticks’ each
• Carrot thinly sliced or shredded.
• 8 cherry tomatoes, diced

Seasoning:

• 1 tablespoon Tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoon Soy sauce (1 each for marinating & sauce)
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 200ml Stock or water
• Cornflour mixture (mix 1 teaspoon cornflour with 1 tablespoon water)

How to do it:

1. Marinate the beef with a teaspoon of soy sauce for 10 minutes.
2. In a small pot of hot water, add 1 teaspoon of salt & oil.
3. Blanch the baby corn. Remove & put it in a bowl of room temperature) water to stop it from further cooking.
4. When this is done, roll the beef with a slice of carrot and 2 sticks of baby corn.
5. Hold the beef with toothpick
6. Dust the beef rolls with cornflour.
7. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and pan-fry the beef roll till the beef roll is cook (about 8 mins)
8. Remove from pan.
9. In the same pan, add in the diced cherry tomatoes and seasoning except the cornflour mixture.
10. When the sauce starts to boils, add in the beef rolls to cook for a while to absorb the sauce.
11. Remove & set aside.
12. Now, add the cornflour mixture gradually to thicken the sauce.
13. Pour the sauce over the beef rolls and serve.

Note:

You can also use enokitake mushroom in it. Do adjust the amount of the seasoning if you prefer more sauce.

Asparagus with Bacon 芦笋培根卷

Something I did to try to get my son to eat more vegetables. Hope this works.

Ingredients:

• 8 asparagus
• 4 pieces of bacon
• Cornflour
• Tomato sauce

How to do it:

1. Cut the ends of the asparagus stems and skin the asparagus
2. Cut the bacon into half and wind the bacon around the asparagus.
3. Use a toothpick to hold the bacon.
4. Dust with cornflour.
5. Pan-fried on a non-stick pan till the bacon is cook or brown.
6. Serve with some tomato sauce. 

Note:

If you are not using non-stick pan, just use a teaspoon of oil. There will be enough oil from the bacon later.

Teriyaki Cod 日式照烧鳕鱼

My family has expensive taste buds. My son only likes to eat Cod. Now I realized, so does my daughter! 

I usually steam or pan fried Cod. Once a while, I will prepare Cod differently. My son is already so picky with food. I don’t want him to be also picky with how his food is prepared. 

This dish is really nice and tasty. For those who don’t like Cod because of the smell and taste will find that the marinade did a very good job covering it. This is one of my husband’s favourite too.

Ingredients:

• Cod

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Mirin
• 1 tablespoon Wine
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce

How to do it:

1. Mix the marinade.
2. Pour the marinade over the Cod and marinate for at least ½ hour.
3. Dust Cod with corn flour and sauté in pan till lightly burnt. Pour away excess oil.
4. Pour the remaining marinade for the Cod in the pan.
5. Cook till the sauce thickens. (about 6-7 mins).
6. Remove and serve hot.

Note:
Don’t worry if you can’t get Mirin. It taste as good without it! Be careful not to burn it!

Tempura Prawn 大虾天妇罗

 

I’m snacking too much! Hee! Last night, I made Tempura Prawns, after telling myself to cut down on fried stuff. Sigh! Unhealthy food is always so tempting. Ha!

I just love prawns! I’m going to try making some other prawn dishes with the rest of the prawns. So watch out of it …

Ingredients:

• Medium Prawns
• Tempura flour or plain flour
• Breadcrumbs
• A pinch of salt
• Oil for deep-frying
• Tempura dipping sauce or Tartar sauce

How to do it:

1. Remove shells, leaving only the tail.
2. Devein the back and belly of prawn.
3. Have 3 or 4 cut across the belly of prawn so it will not curl so much when frying.
4. Season with a pinch of salt.
5. Mix flour with water.
6. Dip the prawn in the flour mixture. When you lift up the prawn from the mixture, it should just drip a bit. Not too watery or too sticky.
7. Coat the prawns with breadcrumbs.
8. When the oil is hot, put the prawn in.
9. Remove when the prawn turns golden brown.
10. Serve hot with Tempura dipping sauce or Tartar sauce.

Note:
You can choose not to use breadcrumbs but it won’t be as crunchy. If you have some plain biscuit, you can crush them and use it in replacement of breadcrumbs. If you have Japanese Soup Base, you can use that instead of the Tempura dipping sauce. I use that too. Taste as nice with the prawns.

Salad Supper

My husband and I have this bad habit of taking supper because we always stay up. We used to take all the fried stuff, chicken wings, fish balls … Gosh all the fats! It’s going to block all our blood vessels!! Ha!

We have decided to change all this! Not to stop taking supper though! Ha! We have opted for healthier choice … salad.

This is one of my salad selections. It includes, Alfalfa Spouts, Lettuces, Cherry Tomatoes, Ham, Smoked Salmon, Crab-stick and Apples with Thousand Island or French Dressings.

However, we haven’t kick the habit of drinking coke after that!! Ha! It’s a good start though. Got to work harder!

Honey Pork Ribs 蜜汁排骨

I have always like to eat Ribs prepared in all different ways. However, some of the ingredients required for some recipes are so difficult to get here. I have this recipe for Ribs that’s so easy to prepare, even for someone new to cooking.

Ingredients:

• 500g Ribs
• 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoon white vinegar
• 4 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 5 tablespoon water

How to do it:

1. Blanch the ribs in hot water.
2. In a new pot, add ribs and all the seasonings.
3. Cook on medium fire till it boils.
4. Turn to small fire and let it simmer till the sauce thickens.
5. Take care not to burn it.
6. Serve hot.

Note:

• You can add a bit more water if you find it to sweet or salty after the sauce thickens.
• It's better to eat it while hot as the ribs will hardens (due to the sugar) when it turn cold.
• If you have a problem washing your pot after cooking, add water and boil it. The sauce sticking to the pot will 'melt'. Pour away the water and clean immediately.

Steam Egg Custard 水蒸蛋

 

This is one of my son’s favourites and it's my daughter's all time favourite. My son can finish one bowl of the Custard with his rice without me nagging him to eat. It’s very simple and I’m sure many of you already know how to do it. This is my version.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 crabsticks, sliced
• a bunch of Shimeiji Mushroom, ends removed
• a pinch of salt
• 160ml water

How to do it:

1. Beat egg lightly in a bowl
2. Add water and mix.
3. Sieve the egg mixture if you want a smoother result.
4. Add the crabsticks, mushroom, and salt into the egg mixture.
5. Cover the bowl with cling wrap or aluminum foil.
6. Heat a pot of water for steaming
7. When the water is boiling, put in the bowl of egg mixture.
8. Remove when egg is set.
9. Serve hot.

Note:

• You can add Japanese fish cakes, chicken, fish or any other ingredients you like. It’s just like Chawa Mushi without dashi.
• Using cling-wrap or aluminum foil will help have a smooth outcome. If you don’t mind having a lot of pockmarks on your custard, then you don’t have to use this.

Braised Chicken Feet with Mushroom 香菇焖鸡脚

This is the most adult dish that my son likes. However, he does not like the smell of the spices, so I don’t usually put it if he is eating.

Ingredients:

• 30 chicken feet
• 20 pieces of mushroom (I’m using small ones)
• Hard-boiled eggs (Optional)

Spices:

• Orange Peel
• Cinnamon Stick
• Cloves
• Anise Star
• Cardamom

Seasonings:

• 3 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 2 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce

How to do it:

1. Wash & cut away nails on the chicken feet.
2. Marinade with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce.
3. Soak mushroom in water till soft, remove stalks.
4. Drain chicken feet from soy sauce.
5. Deep fry chicken feet till golden brown. Remove & drain.
6. Add fried chicken feet, mushroom, spices & hard-boiled eggs (optional) into a pot of boiling water.
7. Add in the seasonings and let in simmer for 4 hours so till the chicken feet & mushrooms are soft.
8. You can add more seasonings if you find it too bland.

Note:
You can choose not to use spices and use quail eggs instead of regular chicken eggs.

Crunchy Golden Pillows 香脆腐皮肉包

Last Sunday, we went to a food court for dinner and found this stall selling these fried stuff. They have a very fanciful name to it, which I have since forgotten.

Yesterday, I thought I would try my hands to make it. Although, the result was not the same as the original but still it was edible. ;p

Ingredients:
(makes about 25 thin pillows)

• 150g minced pork
• 5 water-chestnuts, skinned & diced
• 2 sprigs of spring onions, diced
• 1 sheet of bean curd skin
• Oil for deep-frying

How to do it:

1. Mixed the minced pork, water chestnut & spring onions together; mix well.
2. Use a damp cloth to clean the bean curd skin.
3. Cut bean curd skin into squares; about 15cm x 15cm.
4. Put a small amount of the meat mixture on one corner and wrap it (turn up twice, fold left, then right, tuck the end inside … hope u understand)
5. Dust with rice flour and fry the ‘pillow’.
6. Remove when the ‘pillow’ turned golden brown.

Note:

You can dip it with a bit of vinegar. You can use chicken meat instead of pork.You can switch water chestnuts with onions for the crunch and spring onion with other vegetables. You can also add ginger to the vinegar. Did you realize no salt was added? That’s because the bean curd skin is salty. Therefore, salt is not required. Remember to clean with a damp cloth to reduce the saltiness.

Sunflower Egg 香肠蛋太阳花

Ingredients:
(makes 8)

• 4 cocktail sausages
• 8 quail eggs

How to do it:

1. Cut the cocktail sausages into halves along their length.
2. Make slight cuts on the side of each half.
3. Join the 2 ends of each half with a toothpick to form a ring.
4. Slightly fry the sausages.
5. Quickly add a quail egg into each ring.
6. Fry well.

Note:
Cook with small fire. When the egg white starts to turn white, add water to cook instead. The bottom of the egg white will still be soft, not be burn or too hard for kids to eat.

Deep Fried White Bait 炸银鱼

Ingredients:

• Silver Fish
• Rice flour
• 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
• Black Pepper/Pepper (optional)
• Oil for deep-frying

How it's done:

1. Season the silver fish with soy sauce for 1/2 hour. (Add pepper if you wish)
2. Dust the silver fish with rice flour.
3. Shake off excess flour then put into the boiling oil.
4. Remove when they turn golden brown.

Note:
Don't use egg or corn flour here. The flour used here is to keep the fish dry for frying. It will taste better without the extra coat of flour.

Baked Portabello Mushroom with Ham and Cheese 褐菇烤火腿芝士

Ingredients:
(All depends on the size of the mushroom you get)

• Portabello Mushroom or Brown Cap or White Button Mushroom
• Salted butter, cut into cubes
• Ham, cut into bits
• Cheese, cut into smaller pieces if using small mushroom

How to do it:

1. Remove stalk from Mushroom.
2. Clean it with a damp cloth.
3. Add a cube of butter on the mushroom.
4. Bake in the toaster for 5 mins, turn it around to bake for 5 more mins. If the mushroom is to dry, add another cube of butter.
5. After that, turn the mushroom around again.
6. Add ham and cover it with cheese.
7. Bake for another 3 mins.
8. You can add herbs if you like.
9. Serve hot!

Note:
The remake of this dish and the 'story' on how this blog started can be found HERE.