Chicken Mayonnaise

My husband's favourite sandwich from Delifrance is Chicken Mayonnaise. I made this a few times before we were married to bring for our picnic with friends. You don't need to know cooking to do this - very easy.

My husband said it tasted just like the real one! What a huge encouragement. Thank you!

Ingredients:
(makes 2)

• 4 slices Bread, toasted
• A few of Lettuce Leaves
• A few slice of Tomato
• A few slice of Cucumber (I didn't add in mine)
• 1 Chicken Breast meat
• 4 - 5 tablespoon of Mayonnaise
• Salt & Pepper to taste

How to do it:

1. Boil chicken till cooked.
2. Drain and remove skin and bones.
3. Chopped into smaller pieces or you can shred it if you like.
4. Add mayonnaise and salt to taste.
5. Mix well.
6. Refrigerate to chill.
7. When you are ready to eat, just assemble everything!

Note:

• Toasting the bread with prevent it to be too soggy.
• If you are using Kraft Mayo, dilute it a bit with the stock you used to boil the chicken. I find it a bit to sour to use it alone.
• Taste good with Japanese Mayo!
• I had a few packets of Mayo from my last midnight order from McDonald's (They gave me 5 packets!!). I used those here. It tasted the best. Must find out which brand they use now.

Seafood and Vegetable Soup 海鲜蔬菜汤

I love this soup. It's rich in flavours. It's like a one pot meal. I think my mother would have love this. Some much food in there. Only thing missing is meat. Cook this and save the hassle of cooking another dish. Yeah, that my mother favourite way of cooking*wink*

Ingredients:

• 5 Chinese Mushrooms, soak to soften, sliced or whole
• 10 Button Mushrooms
• 8 Babycorn, sliced
• 100g Winter Melon, diced
• 1/2 Carrot, sliced
• 3 pieces Fish Maw, soak to soften, cut into small size
• 8 Medium Prawns, shelled and devein
• 1 Squid, cleaned and sliced

Seasoning:

• 500ml Bone Broth
• 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1/2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• Salt to taste
• Cornflour mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Blanch squid and prawn and set aside.
2. Bring broth to a boil.
3. Add in fish maw and mushroom.
4. Cook for 10 minutes before other vegetables.
5. Cook till the vegetables soft according to your preference
6. Add in prawns and squids 3 minutes before then end of the cooking process.
7. Add in the seasonings. Mix well.
8. Stir in the cornflour mixture gradually to your desired thickness.
9. Serve hot.

Grilled Eggplants with Miso

Eggplants, some call it Aubergine and the locals here call it Brinjal. It comes in all shapes and sizes. These I got from the market are really the shape of an large egg. See how they sit nicely in the spoon? They are cute!

I'm not a fan of this purple veggi neither is it a favourite among my family, except maybe for my father. I thought maybe if I cook it a little different, they would perhaps accept it. Well, I guess not. So, you won't be seeing much of veg here.



Ingredients:

• Eggplant, cut into half
• Miso Paste
• Oil

How to do it:

1. Spread miso paste thinly on the eggplant.
2. Brush oil lightly on the skin of the eggplant.
3. Grill on medium heat till cook.
4. Sprinkle spring onions and bonito flasks on top.
5. Serve.

Note:
If you want your eggplant to be more 'juicy', soak it in water for a minute and drain before using.

* Cute little eggplants *

Stir Fried Pork with Black Pepper

I love food with black pepper. They simply smells great. I always wonder how the Black Pepper sauce for steak is made. I still have not find out yet but this is a great replacement, the oriental way.

Ingredients:

• 10 slices of pork about 0.5 cm thick
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• Oil for frying

Marinade:

• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Cornflour
• 1 tablespoon Water

Seasonings:

• 1/2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon Cornflour
• 3 tablespoon Water

How to do it:

1. Beat the pork with the back of your chopper or tenderiser till soften.
2. Add marinade and marinate for half an hour.
3. Deep fry pork till cook.
4. Dish and drain
5. Stir fried bell pepper and onion with 2 teaspoon of oil.
6. Add seasoning.
7. When the sauce begin to simmer, add in the pork.
8. Mix well.
9. Dish when sauce thickens.
10. Serve.

Chut Bee Png 糯米饭

Chut Bee Png 糯米饭 is actually Png Kueh 饭桃 without the pink kueh skin. Some people, usually the Hokkiens, give out Chut Been Png and red eggs during the first month celebration of their new borns. I remembered my ex-colleague, Poi Son, giving us this too for her new born celebration. It was, if I remembered correctly, cooked by her mother and it was delicious. Soft and fluffy!

Ingredients:

• 200g Glutinous Rice
• 60g Dried Mushrooms
• 100g Dried Shrimps
• 80g Peanuts
• 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic

Seasonings:

• 1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

How to do it:

1. Soak glutinous rice for 2 hours.
2. Drain and steam for 1/2 hour.
3. Soak mushroom, dried shrimps, and peanuts separately.
4. Drain and slice the mushroom.
5. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in wok.
6. Add in garlic, mushroom, dried shrimps and peanuts.
7. Stir fry till fragrant.
8. Add in seasonings and mix well.
9. Add in steamed glutinous rice.
10. Mix well with ingredients and seasoning.
11. Stir fry till fragrant and thoroughly cooked.
12. Return to steam to for a further 10 minutes to soften it if you like.

Note:

Top it with roasted peanut and fried shallot

New Age Png Kueh 新式饭桃

I have been dying to make some of these Teochew Kueh for a long time. If you know Png Kueh 饭桃, you will noticed that I haven't make it the traditional way, which is a peach-like shape. I didn't want to spend money buying the mould. Wouldn't it be a nice change for the traditional things to get a makeover once a while. It's a great way to get the kids to try it.

Ingredients:

• 
  
  Banana Leaf, cut to size (optional)
• 
  
  2 tablespoon oil for stir frying fillings

Kueh Skin:

• 
  
  300g Rice Flour, shifted
• 
  
  2 tablespoon Tapioca Flour, shifted
• 
  
  600ml Water
• 
  
  2 tablespoon Oil
• 
  
  1 teaspoon Salt
• 
  
  2 drops Red Food Colouring

Fillings:

• 
  
  300g Glutinous Rice
• 
  
  60g Dried Mushrooms
• 
  
  100g Dried Shrimps
• 
  
  80g Peanuts
• 
  
  2 tablespoon Minced Garlic

Seasonings:

• 
  
  1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 
  
  1 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

How to do it:

1. 
   
   Before making the Kueh skin, how the followings done first.
2. 
   
   Soak glutinous rice for 2 hours.
3. 
   
   Drain and steam for 1/2 hour or till cooked.
4. 
   
   Soak mushroom, dried shrimps, and peanuts separately.
5. 
   
   Drain and slice the mushroom.
6. 
   
   Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in wok.
7. 
   
   Add in garlic, mushroom, dried shrimps and peanuts.
8. 
   
   Stir fry till fragrant.
9. 
   
   Add in seasonings and mix well.
10. 
    
    Add in cooked glutinous rice.
11. 
    
    Mix well and set aside.
12. 
    
    Prepare the kueh skin while steaming the glutinous rice.
13. 
    
    Combine all ingredients for kueh skin in a pot.
14. 
    
    Mix well to make sure there are no lumps.
15. 
    
    Bring mixture to a boil while constantly stirring.
16. 
    
    Keep stirring till a dough is formed and not lumpy.
17. 
    
    The dough is ready when it is not sticky when touched.
18. 
    
    Remove dough from pot and place on tabletop dusted lightly with tapioca flour.
19. 
    
    Knead dough well and divided into small portion of ball.
20. 
    
    Flatten the dough and wrap in sufficient filling.
21. 
    
    Press onto mould (I used a teddy bear mould).
22. 
    
    Invert mould and place on greased banana leaf or plate.
23. 
    
    Steam over high heat for 10 - 15 minutes.
24. 
    
    Brush steamed kuehs with cooked oil after steaming so they they will not stick to each other.

Note:

• 
  
  Alternative way of eating is to pan fried the kueh till the skin is slightly brown and crunchy. Serve with some sweet black sauce.
• 
  
  Omit the kueh skin, and make a slight adjustment to the cooking and you will have Chut Bee Png 糯米饭 instead.

* Pan fried Png Kueh *

Udon in Dashi Broth

I had in mind to cook Nabeyaki Udon. Then I realised I don't have a metal pot not even a small claypot. I do have a claypot but it's too big. You see having Nabeyaki Udon, would mean, serving it in a metal pot and having it in the casserole way. I got no metal pot, can't call this Nabeyaki Udon.

No tempura here, so not Tempura Udon too. There's an egg in here. Only if it right on top and in the middle, then I could call it Tsukimi Udon. But since, my egg was refrigerated, it will be much difficult to cook if it's on top. I don't want to get stomach upset. Guess, I just missed the chance to call the Tsukimi Udon.

Tsukimi, meaning "viewing the moon", with the egg as the full moon surrounded by noodles, as clouds. Mine got no full moon. It's a cloudy day! *wink*

Ingredients:

• 2 packet of precook udon
• Assorted ingredients, I used Shitake Mushrooms, Carrot, Crabstick and Fish Rolls
• 2 tablespoon Mirin
• 2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 2 Egg, 1 each per serving

Dashi Stock:

• 1.5 litre of water
• 20g Kelp aka Konbu
• 15g Bonito Flakes

How to do it:

1. Blanch the precooked udon and set aside.
2. To make Dashi, soak kelp in a pot of 1 litre of water for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Bring the water with kelp to simmer.
4. Turn of the heat before it starts to boil.
5. Remove the kelp.
6. Bring to boil for 1 minute and turn off heat
7. Add the remaining water to reduce temperature.
8. Add in the bonito flakes.
9. Do not stir. Let it stand for 20 mintues.
10. Strain and the soup base is ready to use.
11. Add mirin and light soy sauce.
12. Add the assorted ingredients and udon.
13. Bring to a boil.
14. Serve udon with an egg.

Note:
The Dashi made here is the very basic Japanese Broth. It can used in Miso Soup, Chawamushi, Sauces, Soup.

* Kelp and Bonito Flakes *

Fake Ngoh Niang

My Malaysian friends call Ngoh Niang, Lok or Lor Bah. In Singapore, this is called Ngoh Niang. But wait, did I say this is Fake Ngoh Niang? It's not really Ngoh Niang. I simply present this dish the Ngoh Niang way!

This time round, I add in chopped prawns too!

How to do it:

1. Rinse the beancurd skin briefly and squeeze it dry. You can wipe will damp cloth but I still find that too salty.
2. Cut beancurd skin to your desired size.
3. Place some mixture and the edge of the skin.
4. Fold in both sides of the skin.
5. Roll it till the beancurd skin is used up.
6. Dab some cornflour on the edge of the skin to seal.
7. Boil a pot of water.
8. Place the meat roll in a dish and steam it till it's cook.
9. Remove and cut into pieces.
10. Dust with cornflour and deep fried in hot oil briefly.
11. Dish, drain and serve with chilli sauce!
    

Pan Fried Thread with Sweet Sauce

My aunt whose my mother's best friend, taught me this dish when I was a very young girl. This is the one and only dish that was thought so clear instruction. How much oil, sauce to put in were specified. Not just saying a bit. How much is a bit? I could never understand that. Well, that's the reason why I'm keep this blog. Next time, when my daughter or daughter-in-law ask me how to cook a certain dish, I will tell them to refer here. Hahaha! Let's just hope they will like cooking. LOL

Ingredients:

1 piece Thread (午鱼)

2 - 3 tablespoon oil depending on the slice of your fish, for frying

1/3 teaspoon Salt

A dash of Pepper

Cornflour for dusting

Sauce:

2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine

1/2 tablespoon Sugar

How to do it:

1. Rub fish with salt and pepper and set aside for 1/2 hour
2. Heat wok with oil.
3. Dust fish with cornflour.
4. Pan fried till both sides of fish are slightly brown.
5. Dish and set aside.
6. Retain a tablespoon of oil in the wok.
7. Pour ingredients for sauce in the wok.
8. Bring to a boil.
9. Pour sauce over the fish and serve.

Note:

• You can also let the fish simmer for 1 minute in the sauce before dishing all out.
• Use only a pinch of salt to rub the fish if you're doing this.

Cheesy Prawns

I love prawns and cheese and the both together! I experimented with the for a few times already and each time, it tasted yummy!

My first try was with spring roll skin. It was crunchy! But I have to use larger prawns otherwise each bite was more spring roll skin than prawn. Lucky, I had cheese so the cheese stay for my 2nd try. This time with Rice Paper. It's better but I have to be careful when frying them because the skin breaks easily and I had a few that had the cheese oozing out while they were still bathing in hot oil. The sucessful one were delicious because the skin was very thin and very crunchy!

This time I made using Beancurd Skin. Hmm ... look at the results! Be careful when you bite this! Don't let the oozing cheese burn your tongue!

Ingredients:

• Medium to Large Prawns, shells removed leaving the tails on
• Beancurd Skin, rinsed with water briefly and water squeezed out
• Cheese
• Cornflour
• Oil for frying

How to do it:

1. Put a skewer through the prawns so they are all straighten.
2. Blanch till they are almost cook.
3. Remove skewers, dab dry prawns and set aside.
4. Cut beancurd skin to size. It should double the length of the prawn and able to roll over the prawn a few times.
5. Lay 1/2 slice of cheese at the end of the beancurd skin.
6. Lay a prawn over the cheese.
7. Fold the beancurd skin up, covering the prawn.
8. Roll the prawn several time till the beancurd skin all rolled up the prawn.
9. Spread some cornflour on the edge of the beancurd skin.
10. Dust cornflour on the prawn with wrapped beancurd skin to dry it before frying.
11. Deep fry briefly in hot oil.
12. Remove, drain and serve hot.

Note:

• Blanching the prawn with a skewer first prevent the prawn from curling when frying and also 'bursting' the oil.
• If you prefer more beancurd, you can add a few extra folds.
• Use Cheddar Cheese if you prefer a strong cheese.
• You don't have to fry it too long as the prawn is almost cooked. Fry just to get the skin crispy.
• You have to rinsed the beancurd skin otherwise it will be too salty. Wiping with damp cloth is still to salty for me. It will be so soft after the rinse that squeezing it won't tear it.
• Use a tong to hold the prawn while frying. It will be easier.

* Watch out for the oozing hot cheese! *

Colourful Nigiri

I have not been feeling good these few day. No, I'm not sick. Just upset with my son. Anyway, I don't want my mood to affect my cooking. The family still need to eat and I'm to going to serve them charred fish just because I'm upset. Instead, I'm going to make something colourful to cheer myself up. It's going to be easy to make too because I don't want to be upset with myself for failing to serve dinner.

This was the dinner I prepared for the person who made me upset.

From left:

• Scrambled Egg with Crabstick
• Pan Fried Luncheon Meat
• Spinach Tofu with Fish Paste

All served on Tomato Rice.

How to do it - the tomato rice:

1. Slash a 'x' mark on the base of the tomato.
2. Boil it with a pot water for a minute.
3. Remove and let it stand in cold water.
4. The skin that is slashed will curl out and you can peel off the skin easily.
5. Puree the tomato.
6. Wash the rice and add in the tomato puree.
7. Add water if water level is not enough to cook the rice.
8. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional).
9. Cook your rice as normal.

Note:
I used puree of 3 large tomato, which equals to the water required for my 1 1/2 cups of rice.

A pot of soup

When I first started cooking, I thought making soup is the easy thing in cooking. Just dump everything you want to cook into the pot, add water, turn on the fire and let it boil. What can be so difficult? Well, yes it is easy to cook a pot of soup but it may not be easy to make a pot of delicious soup.

My in-laws are Cantonese. Cantonese are famous for their soup. My hubby always say Soup is the most important 'dish' on the dinner table. So it was a challenge for me, especially when my mother is one of those who just throw everything in a pot, let it boil for half an hour, if she did cook.

This was what I learned through cookbooks on how to make a pot of good soup during my initial cooking journey ...

1. Always blanch the meat before adding it to a fresh pot of water for brewing.
2. If you are using fish or fish bones, briefly fry them first to remove any fishy smell.
3. Only add the ingredients when the water is boiling.
4. Reduce heat to simmering once the water boils again after adding ingredients.
5. Avoid opening the lid of the brewing pot of soup unnecessary.
6. Never add more water to the pot of soup unless you want to end up having bland soup.
7. Add salt only at the end of the process, just before serving.

And to make sure everyone get to have a bowl of the delicious soup you brewed for hours, make sure you double the amount that each person drinks for the amount of water to add to brew soup. So if each of your family of 4 takes a bowl of soup each, then the amount of water needed to brew the soup will be 8 bowls. This equation is for long hours cooking, more than 3 hours.

The amount of time needed to brew soup varies for different type of soup, ranging from 1 to 5 hours. Basically, meat soup like chicken, beef soups, requires longer hours to fully bring out the flavour of the meat.

Leafy vegetables soup generally uses lesser time. Cooking too long will lose much of it nutrients too. So if I intend to cook a leafy vegetable soup, I would use broth instead of water, so the soup is both sweet and I won't over-cooked the veggie. Since the cooking time is cut short you won't have to follow the equation I mentioned above for the amount liquid need. Adding an extra 1 to 2 bowls should be enough. This is just my guide to make soup.

You will have your own style of making soup as you go along. How much water and time need to make your own pot of good soup is through your own experience. If you put your heart to make a pot of soup, it will always taste delicious!

Have a Wokking good time making soup!

Pan Baked Layered Cake

This is another of my successful experiment. *grin* Without the used of oven!

Basically, I used the leftover mixture I did for my Cake Donuts here. They are like pan cakes except they tasted more like cake especially when they are all stacked up high. Add buttercream and you will have a cake or eat it like a pan cake with maple syrup!

Ingredients:
Please refer here.

How to do it:

1. Heat the frying pan. Reduce heat.
2. Put some cake mixture on the pan and cook till you see bubbles and the bottom is set.
3. Flip is over.
4. Put some more mixture to the top of the 1st pan cake.
5. Flip it over. Cook for 20 -30 seconds depending on the size of your pan cake.
6. Meanwhile, add more mixture to the top again.
7. Flip it over.
8. Repeat till you are satisfy with the layers you want.
9. Remove and either cream it or just eat it with or without syrup.

Note:
As the mixture is thick, you can't pour it out like what you do with pan cake mixture. I twirl the mixture on the pan to form a circle. Works well!

Tip:
Use a plastic bag to hold the mixture if you don't have a piping bag. Just snip off one of the corners to squeeze it out.

* Have it with Maple Syrup *

* How to make your pan cake *

Cake Donuts with Coloured Rice

There's a craze about Donuts now in Singapore. Donut Shops are opening one after another and the queue for them are ridiculously long. My son loves donuts but not me, so you won't catch me queuing up just to buy 2 donuts for him. It's crazy!

Anyway, we can always making our own. In fact, floggers are already making it or writing about it! Look here and here. I too am going to try too! *wink* However, anything with Yeast in it will means you have to wait of at least an hour or two unless you have a bread machine, which I don't. Soooo, I have decided to experiment making donuts without yeast instead. And voila! See my ball donuts without using yeast! But I have to confess. It tasted more like cake but it smells so nice and it taste great too! My hubby and son said it even better than the yeast Donut! Waahh ... so comforting! LOL Hmm ... I haven't given up, yet! I'll be experimenting more! So watch my blog!

Ingredients:

// I'm not using a scale to get the measurement because it won't be accurate with my toy like weighing scale. I'm using measuring cups instead. //

• 3 cups Self Raising Flour, shifted
• 3 teaspoon Baking Powder, shifted with flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 50g Butter, soften
• 150ml Milk
• 2 eggs
• Icing sugar for dusting
• Oil for frying

How to do it:

1. Mix sugar, salt, butter, milk and eggs together.
2. Add flour gradually till all are added in and mixed well.
3. Cover your mixing bowl for 20 minutes to let it raise.
4. Heat oil in pot for frying, reduce to low heat.
5. You can either oil your hand to scoop the mixture and quickly shape them into balls or scoop using spoon.
6. Drop your doughs in hot oil for frying.
7. Remove when the balls floated up and turned golden brown.
8. Drain.
9. Dust with icing sugar or see below for icing.

:: Buttercream Icing ::

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoon Icing Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Milk
• 10g Butter, soften

How to do it

1. Mix butter and icing sugar.
2. Add milk spoon by spoon till mixture become smooth.

Note:

Reduce sugar if you just want to use it as a glaze for the donuts.

Love the shimmering icing!

What I did for my cake donuts ...

I reduced the sugar to just 2 tablespoon icing to change it to glaze instead. I dipped the donuts in the bowl of glaze and to a bowl of coloured rice.

If you want to add icing instead, you have to do it after your donut has cooled a little otherwise the icing will melt.

Sliced Pork with Plum Sauce烫肉片粘梅子酱

Everytime we went shopping, I always request to go to the supermarket and before we went home. I love supermarket shopping!!. I bought a tray of thinly sliced pork and a bunch of Frisee (among many other stuff) during my last trip. I'm using both items here and this dish taste great even when it's cooled. Just nice for my husband who is always back home late past dinner time. Most importantly, it's really easy to make!

Ingredients:

• 9 pieces Pork, thinly sliced
• 3 leaves of Frisee, cut into 3 each
• 5 Pickled Plums, pitted and finely chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1/2 tablespoon Cornflour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 slice Ginger
• 200ml Water
• 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce (optional)

How to do it:

1. Mix pork with light soy sauce and cornflour.
2. Bring water to boil.
3. Add salt and wine.
4. Cook the pork in the above quickly (as if cooking in steamboat).
5. Stand pork in a pot of previously boil cool water.
6. Drain and set aside.
7. Take 2 tablespoon of the liquid from the pot used to cook the pork.
8. Mix with sugar and plum.
9. Serve pork with Frisee and plum sauce.

Note:
Add more sugar if you find your plum sauce too sour. Adjust according to your taste.

Shrimps and Peas Omelette 虾仁豌豆煎蛋

Being a Teochew, my grandfather and my father always cook porridge very weekends (my mother hardly cooks). It was those that you could still see the rice grains. Some of the dishes they cooked to go with it were Bean Sprout with Tua Kwa and Omelette. It was very simple, not fanciful but the meal always taste so good on rainy days.
Each time, I asked why not add other ingredients in the omelette, my father would comment that we were lucky to be able to fill up our stomach, don't be so picky. Some people can't even afford to eat eggs. Yah, I sometimes wondered how my father could, with his little salary, managed to feed a family of six and could still managed to buy a house and pay for the baby-sitter to my baby sister who was stay with them 6 days a week. Kids nowadays are so fortunate and they don't even know.

Coming back to the omelette. This is my comfort food and since we are able to afford more now, I have cooked it with more ingredients to it, like what I have always asked my father to do. But plain omelette still taste very good to me!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 120g Shrimps (I used frozen ones)
• 50g Peas (I used frozen ones)
• 1/2 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
• A dash of Pepper
• 1 tablespoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Defrost shrimps and peas.
2. Drain aways exceed water and pat dry.
3. Heat wok with oil.
4. Add in shrimps and pea.
5. Stir fry till 90% cooked.
6. Add light soy sauce and pepper to egg.
7. Pour over shrimps and peas in wok.
8. Wait till egg is set and almost cooked before flipping over to cook for another minute.
9. Dish, cut into pieces and serve.

Note:
You can replace salt instead of light soy sauce. I'm using my father's method. He prefers to use light soy sauce.

Buttered Mushroom with Vegetables 牛油炒鲜菇

I'm not sure how people would like this dish but I love it. It smells great ... because a use lots of butter. I never use margarine. It can never substitute butter. And the best of all I managed to get my son to eat capsicum, which he calls bell pepper. Yeah! I told him to close his eyes because I'm going to let him taste something and he was going to guess what it was. Obviously he couldn't as he never wanted to take a bite but he did say he like it and it's sweet. When I told him he just ate bell pepper, he stuck out his tongue!! Hai yo!

Ingredients:

• 1 punnet White Button Mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 10 Baby Corn
• 1 Bell Pepper, thinly sliced (I used 2 as mine were very small)
• 15g Butter
• Salt to taste (optional)

How to do it:

1. Stir fry baby corn with butter till slightly brown.
2. Add mushrooms and bell pepper.
3. Stir fry till mushrooms are brown and sauce are fairly soak up.
4. Add a pinch of salt to taste.
5. Dish and serve

Pandan Chicken香兰炸鸡块

I made these before through "experiments". These current ones are also through my cooking experiments. In fact, lots of my cooking were done through a few experiments before they are post, ie, presentable and edible. You are not worried are you? Hehehe~

I remembered quite some time back, while discussing about making this dish, my friend Fern suggested I add turmeric and some other spices to it. "Fern, what other spices did you suggest har? I only remember turmeric leh. Tell me if you are reading this, okay?"

Anyway, this is the results of my yet another cooking experiments. My husband said it taste better than the first one. I think so too. I guess this is another successful experiment!

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breast, debone and cut into bite size
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Turmeric aka Kunyit Powder
• 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder (I use McCormick. Alternatively, you can grind garlic into paste)
• Pandan Leaves, washed and dried
• Oil for frying

How to do it:

1. Marinate chicken with all the ingredients except pandan leaves and oil for frying, for at least 1/2 hours.
2. Wrap chicken with a piece of pandan leaf; sorry no instructions here as there's no one to help be video or take pic here. Mine looks like a dumpling.
3. Deep fry the pandan wrapped chicken till the leaves are slightly brown and the meat is cooked.
4. Dish, drain and serve.

* Pandan wrapped Chicken before bathing in hot oil *

Braised Pork Belly

My husband LOVES these fatty pork belly. I'm just the opposite. I'm soooo scared of it. I just can't sink my teeth to the think layers of fats. Not that I'm worried that it will add inches to my waist, I'm just don't the the feel of biting the fats. However, I would still cook this for my husband once a month or every two months. Not too often because I find this really unhealthy.

I cook this two ways. He eat it with either bao or just rice. Whichever way I cook it and whichever way he eat it, he said it's nice. *wink*

:: Braised Pork Belly Slice ::

Ingredients:

• 1 slice Pork Belly, about 1/2 inch thick
• 2 Star Anise
• 2 Cinnamon Stick
• 600ml Water
• 1 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
• 5 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 8 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• Oil for frying

How to do it:

1. Mix all ingredients except water and oil.
2. Let the pork stand in the mixture for half an hour.
3. Deep fry the pork for about 5 minutes till the skin is crispy.
4. Drain and set aside.
5. In a pot, pour in the mixture used to marinade the pork and water.
6. Add in the pork and bring to oil.
7. Turn down the fire and let it simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
8. Eat it with a piece of lettuce between a bao.

:: Braised Pork Belly Cubes ::

Ingredients:

• 1 slice Pork Belly, about 1 1/2 inch thick
• 3 straw strings (those used to tie rice dumplings), soak in water to soften
• 2 Star Anise
• 2 Cinnamon Stick
• 800ml Water
• 5 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 8 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 2 tablespoon Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Cut pork into cubes or cut equally to 3 to 4 pieces.
2. Tie the pork with strings and blanch.
3. Heat wok with oil, add sugar.
4. Caramelize the sugar by stir frying it till golden brown.
5. Add water and bring to boil.
6. Add in anise, cinnamon, light soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine.
7. Bring to boil.
8. Add in the pork cubes.
9. Turn down the heat and simmer for 3 - 4 hours.
10. Serve with rice.

Note:
I tied the pork cubes to prevent the layers of pork from separating and falling off.

Lotus Root Soup with Peanut 莲藕花生汤

My son's favourite soup is Lotus Root Soup. My sister likes this soup too but she prefers it with peanut and dried cuttlefish added not dried octopus.

The variation is nice too except the taste of lotus root is not as strong and the taste of peanut is present.

To make this, follow the instruction for Lotus Root Soup, except replace the dried octopus with dried cuttlefish and add 2 handfuls of raw peanuts. I don't add carrot here.

Stir Fried Fish Slice

I hate cooking fish because my family is really fussy with the texture of the fish and the way the fish is cooked. My son only wants Cod. That's why I have only feature Cod in my recipes. Recently, I used Snapper as Fish and Chips. He didn't eat much of that. One word - Troublesome!

My husband is not keen on Steamed Fish unless it's really fresh. Oh, then I would have to fish it myself. He doesn't like fry fried - too hard. Also one word - Troublesome!

Using stir-fried method is just nice but since I can't stir-fried Cod, I'm used Snakehead instead. Yah, my little Majesty ate very little of this. I can't please everyone at home. I'm not Iron Chef, you know. I'm just a Wokking Mum!

By the way, my husband loves this! *wink*

Ingredients:

• 250g Fish slices (I used Snakehead because the fishmonger can slice it for me and I don't have to over buy)
• 10 Sweet Peas, tips removed
• 1/2 handful Wolfberries, soaked to soften and drained
• 1/2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1 Egg White
• 1/2 tablespoon Cornflour
• Oil

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 2 tablespoon Ginger Juice
• 3 tablespoon Broth
• 1/2 tablespoon Apple Cider or White Vinegar
• Salt to taste
• Cornflour Mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Mix fish with cornflour and egg white.
2. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat 200ml oil in a pot.
4. Deep fry fish quickly; about 15 seconds.
5. Repeat for sweet peas.
6. Drained.
7. Heat wok with 1 teaspoon oil, stir fried garlic till fragrant.
8. Pour in the sauce except for cornflour mixture.
9. Bring to boil.
10. Add in fish, sweet peas and wolfberries
11. Stir fry for a minute.
12. Add salt to taste.
13. Gradually add in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
14. Dish and serve.

Note:

• Mixing the fish with cornflour and egg white make the fish 'smoother' in texure.
• I didn't add egg yolk because I don't want the fish to turn out yellow and it will affect the texture too. If you have no use of it and don't want to waste it, use it. I used mine in Chilli Soft Shell Clams.
  

Chilli Soft Shell Clams

I love Chilli Crabs but after I knew about the fatal accident of a man whose finger got a snipped by a crab, I stop cooking it. I don't want my arm to get amputated then still die. Too scary!

So, instead of having Chilli Crabs, I settled for Chilli other seafood *bleh* using the same method I did for Crabs. I used Soft Shell Clams here. It's nothing compared to Crabs but it will do. Well, at least it helped curb my cravings.

Ingredients:

• 700g Soft Shells Clams, soaked in salted water for them to ‘split out’ the sand and brushed to clean the dirt on the shells
• 1 teaspoon Apple Cedar or White Vinegar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Salt to taste
• Cornflour Mixture (thickener)
• 3 tablespoon Oil

Pound or grind coarsely:

• 5 Fresh Red Chillies
• 5 Dried Chillies, soaked to soften
• 5 clove Garlic
• 2 tablespoon Dried Shrimp, soaked to soften

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoon Tomato Sauce
• 2 tablespoon Chilli Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon Fermented Soya Bean Paste

How to do it:

1. Heat oil in a wok and stir fry the grind ingredients till fragrant.
2. Add in clams.
3. Stir fry till the clams open up.
4. Add in the sauce and stir well.
5. Cover and simmer over high heat for 5 minutes or till cooked.
6. Add vinegar and add salt to taste.
7. Gradually stir in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
8. Add in egg while stirring slowing.
9. Dish and serve immediately.

Note:

• This is my recipe of Chilli Crabs but it works for prawns and crayfish too!
• Add more chilli if you prefer it more spicy.

Asparagus Drumstick

This is an improvised version of this dish I did. I realised how my son loves surprises, so I thought I just 'hide' his favourite bacon.

The additional steps to this dish is to dip into a batter then coat with breadcrumbs before frying it. I served it with tomato sauce and mayonnaise for my son.

Baa Baa Crabstick Sheep

I had in mind this sheep when I did this for my son. It didn't turn out as what I had in mind but since my son could tell from a look that it's a sheep, then it's still not as bad lah. *bleh*

I used 3 1/2 crabstick to shaped the suppose woolly coat, shrimp for the horn and asparagus (yes, we had asparagus for dinner!) for the legs and eye.

Laksa

Laksa, laksa, laksa! This is one of the local food that Singaporeans likes. There are many types of Laksa. The more famous Laksa are Nonya Laksa, Curry Laksa and Penang Laksa.

Nonya Laksa is the traditional Laksa. It uses prawn stock and lots of coconut milk in it. Curry Laksa also uses coconut but instead of prawn stock, it used chicken stock and yellow noodles instead of the traditionally used rice vermicelli. Penang Laksa on the other hand uses a fish based soup. Tamarind is added in it to give the soup a sour taste.

The very famous Laksa in Singapore is Katong Laksa where the noodles are cut into smaller pieces and you eat the Laksa with a spoon alone, without the use of chopsticks or fork.

What I have done is Nonya Laksa or at least closest to it compared to the other two Laksa version I have mentioned earlier.

Ingredients:

• Rice Vermicelli, scalded and drained
• 500 ml coconut milk
• 300g Medium Prawns
• 2 Fish Cakes, sliced
• 100g Bean Sprout, slightly blanched just before serving
• 10 pieces Tau Pok
• 100g Fresh Cockles (optional)
• 10 sprig Laksa Leaves aka Vietnamese Mint aka Daun Kesom
• 50g Dried Prawns, grind
• 150ml Oil
• 750ml Water
• Salt and Rock Sugar to taste

Grind into paste:

• 1 whole Garlic
• 10 Shallots
• 1/2 tablespoon Turmeric aka Kunyit
• 1 tablespoon Galangal aka Lengkuas
• 4 Candlenuts aka Buah Keras
• 1 stalk Lemon Grass aks Serai
• 2 teaspoon Shrimp Paste aka Belachan
• 12 Dried Chillies, soaked to soften

How to do it:

1. Blanch prawns in 750ml of water till 90% cooked.
2. Remove shells and return them to the pot of stock.
3. Set prawns aside.
4. Add in Laksa Leaves and bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Heat oil in wok.
6. Fry the paste for about 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Add in dried shrimp and continue frying the paste for another 5 minutes.
8. Pour the content to the pot of stock.
9. Bring to boil.
10. Gradually add in coconut milk.
11. Simmer till you see red oil surfacing.
12. Add salt and rock sugar to taste.
13. Add in the tau pok to cook for 2 minutes just before serving. This helps tau pok absorb Laksa gravy.
14. Put rice vermicelli in a bowl.
15. Top with tau pok, fish cakes, bean sprout and cockles.
16. Pour hot gravy over and serve immediately.

Note:

• If you prefer your Laska to be spicy, add chilli paste to your bowl of Laksa.
• Chop some Laksa Leaves for garnishing if you like.
• For convenience, I used packed coconut. Fresh coconut milk extract will taste and smell better.

Choko with Pork Ribs Soup 佛手瓜排骨汤

I first discovered this funny looking thing in the wet market while eavesdropping on two aunties discussing how to cook this thing. I asked the seller for the name of this thing and all he could say was 佛手瓜 which means "Buddha's hand melon". So it should look like Buddha's hand? Hmm ... to me it looks like the man-eating plant in the Little Shop of Horrors. That explains why it took me 4 years to finally pick it up. LOL

Anyway, if you understand Chinese, you would know that being a 瓜, it belongs to the gourd family. I later found out its English name in the supermarket. A funny name for a funny gourd/melon. It's called Choko or Chayote.

So far, I have not tried stir-frying it but only using it to make soup. It's slightly sweet and very clear. Nice!

Ingredients:

• 1 Choko aka Chayote, skinned, seed removed cut into pieces
• 1/2 Carrot, skinned and cut into pieces
• 250g Pork Ribs
• 1200ml Water
• Salt to taste

How to do it:

1. Blanch ribs.
2. In a pot, add all ingredients except salt.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Turn down fire and simmer for another hour or two depending on how soft you want your Choko to be.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Serve.

Note:
I include carrots to add sweetness. You can omit that to try the original taste. It's nice without carrots too!

* The funny looking thing - Choko *

* How Choko looks like inside *