Steamed Spare Ribs with Fermented Black Bean 豆豉蒸排骨

This dish is one of my husband's favourite dim sum 点心 dish.

I do not know what restaurants do to make the spare rib so tender that it can almost slip off the bone but what I'm going to share with you is my unauthentic method of doing it. I'm sure the experts have their own brillant ways.

I know some people swear that corn flour will do the trick, ie; to get it soft and tender. I can tell you corn flour only helps make it velvety. It doesn't make the meat tender.  In order to make the meat tender, I use baking powder as a meat tenderiser. If you only have baking soda, you can use that too.

So, with the baking powder or soda, you can make tender meat even when cooking time is just only 10 to 15 minutes. This is a trick I learned from an uncle who runs a mix vegetable stall in a Kopitiam many years ago.

So get your baking powder/soda ready to make the tender and velvety Steamed Pork Ribs. :)

Ingredients:

• 200g Spare Ribs, ask the butcher to chop into smaller pieces for you

Tenderiser:

• 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 2 teaspoon Baking Powder or Soda

Marinade:

• 1 teaspoon Fermented Black Bean (abt 7g), rinse and gently press to bruise them
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1 to 1/2 teaspoon White Vinegar
• 1 clove Garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon Water
• 1 tablespoon Cornflour
• 1 Red Chilli, de-seeded and cut
• 2 drops Dark Soy Sauce (for colour)
• a drizzle of Sesame Oil
• a pinch of Gourmet Chicken Powder

How to do it:

1. Pat dry spare ribs.
2. Add in tenderiser and coat well. You will see frizzing which is normal.
3. Set aside for 2 hours.
4. Rinse spare ribs and pat dry.
5. Add in marinade and mix well with spare ribs.
6. Marinate it for at least an hour.
7. Drain the spare ribs from the marinade
8. Place them onto a steaming dish. I separate them into 2 portion for steaming.
9. Steam for 12 mins or till done.
10. Serve immediately.

Seafood Treasure Pot 海鲜一品锅

This not to be confused with Pen Cai 盆菜 (Literal meaning "basin-vegetable") which has a lot more ingredients.

I'm experimenting with Chinese New Year and thought this would be a nice dish for the occassion.  Although there are some preparation work to be done, it's still relatively simple and easy to prepare this.

So, do you think this is good enough to serve on Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner?

Ingredients:

• 100g Broccoli, cut into florets
• 6 Fresh Shitake Mushroom, clean with damp cloth and stems removed
• 100g Fish Maw 鱼鳔, soak to soften
• 80g Bamboo Pith aka Bamboo Mushroom 竹笙, soak to soften
• 6 Large Prawns, shelled and deveined
• 4 Dried Large Scallops, soak for at least 30mins; retain water
• 4 Dried Oyster,, soak for 30 mins
• 10g Moss 发菜, soak to soften, drained and set aside
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Cornflour Mixture as Thickener
• a dash of Sesame Oil

Seasonings:

• 1 tablespoon Abalone Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine
• 600ml Water, including water used to soak Dried Scallops
• 1/3 teaspoon Sugar or to taste
• Salt to taste
• a few drops Dark Soy Sauce for colour

How to do it:

1. Clean prawn and add 1 teaspoon sugar.
2. Marinade and coat prawns well with sugar.
3. Refrigerate for 20 mins. Cover the prawns so it will not dry up.
4. Drain fish maw and bamboo pith from water.
5. Blanch for 1 min, drain and set aside.
6. Add fish maw, bamboo pith, dried scallop, dried oyster and mushroom into a pot.
7. Add seasonings except sugar, dark soy sauce and sesame oil.
8. Bring to as boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 30 mins.
9. Meanwhile, blanch Broccoli for 5 mins or till tender.
10. Drain and set aside.
11. Blanch prawn for 30 seconds or just cooked.
12. Drain and set aside.
13. Add the remaining seasonings to the simmering pot.
14. Add in dried moss, blanched broccoli and prawns.
15. Simmer for a min.
16. Gradually stir-in cornflour mixture to your desired consistency.
17. Serve immediately.

Note:

• You can replace prawns with fresh scallops if you like.
• When choosing fresh shitake mushrooms, look for those that dry and firm on touch.
• Add a bit more (hot) water if you find the sauce drying up during simmering.

Cabbage with Mung Bean Noodles 高丽菜炒冬粉

This is one of my favorite childhood dish. I don't cook this often because my husband hates the dried shrimps. It just won't taste right without it. I'm glad I found someone else to enjoy this dish with, my son. Well, he eats mostly the Mung Bean Noodles though.

I'm using the Happy Call Pan to cook this but you can use your regular pan to do it too.

Ingredients:

• 1 small head Cabbage (round type)
• 1 small handful Dried Shrimp, soaked to soften
• 40g Mung Bean Noodles, soaked to soften
• 100ml Chicken Stock
• 3 clove Garlic, minced

How to do it:

1. Cut cabbage into strips and set side.
2. Heat pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add garlic and dried shrimps.
4. Saute till fragrant.
5. Add in the cabbage.
6. Cover the pan and cook for 8 minutes on medium high fire.
7. Open the pan and add in the mung been noodles.
8. Give it a stir before adding the chicken stock.
9. Cover the pan and cook for another 4 mins.

Season with salt and serve.

Mushroom Dried Scallop XO Sauce 香菇瑶柱XO酱

My husband had to go China every month for their company's new project and half a year ago, one of their partners in China gave him a big pack of Dried Scallop and Dried Shitake Mushroom each.

Dried Mushroom                             Dried Scallop   

One of the stuff I have been experimenting using them is the XO sauce. It's an great condiment to have. We love it with fried rice and I add it to some of the dishes I ate for dinner too. As much as I like ready-made XO sauce, they are either to spicy or too strong for the kids to handle. It's best if you can made your own XO sauce adjusted it to your own taste.

There isn't any hard and fast rule on my homemade XO sauce. If you prefer it more oily (ingredients will be softer soaked in oil), add more oil during cooking. If you want it hotter, add more Dried Chilli.

I'm using the Happy Call Pan to do this. You can use a regular non-stick pan too. The biggest difference is that the HCP cooks faster and is more moist. I used the HCP to steam cook the dried scallops too. If you do not have the pan, you will have to soak the dried scallop and steam it for an hour before you can shred them.

Ingredients:

• 60g Dried Scallops, soaked with 4 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Dried Shrimp, soaked to soften and chopped
• 3 Red Chilli (replace with Dried Chilli if you want it spicy)
• 3 tablespoon Chopped Garlic
• 3 tablespoon Chopped Shallot
• 5 Dried Shiitake Mushroom, soaked to soften and chopped
• 5 Dried Shiitake Mushroom, soaked to soften and sliced
• a dash of Pepper
• Sugar or to taste (optional)
• 4 tablespoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Pour dried scallops with water into the pan after soaking it for 15 minutes.
2. Close pan and cook it in medium low heat for 4 mins or till water is almost dry.
3. Use the back of the spoon to press the dried scallops. They should be soft enough to break into pieces. If not, add a bit more water and cook longer.
4. Remove the dried scallops, tear into smaller shreds if necessary or give it a pause in the blender and set aside.
5. Heat oil in the same pan in medium low heat but not smoking.
6. Add in the garlic and shallot and saute till fragrant.
7. Add in the rest of the ingredient except shredded dried scallops.
8. Saute till fragrant by covering and shaking for 2 minutes.
9. Add a tablespoon of mushroom water.
10. Cover and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
11. Add in shredded dried scallop.
12. Stir-fry till mixed well.
13. Cover and continue cooking for 4 minutes, shaking the pan to prevent burning. I open the pan occasionally to give it a good stir too.
14. Add pepper and sugar to taste if necessary, stir-fry to mix well.
15. Dish and store for later use.

Note:

• The dried scallops I used are very small (pls refer to photo above). Hence, it's easier and faster to steam and shred it. If you are using larger one, you might need a longer time to soak and soften it.
• The mushroom I used are slightly larger than a 50cents coin. If you are using larger one, you might want to reduce the number of mushroom.

My simple fried rice with homemade XO Sauce for extra flavours

Stir-fried Asparagus with Belachan 峇拉煎炒芦笋

This is a 'personal dish' because everyone at home hates belachan. So I eat it alone. :(

Belachan is made from fermented ground shrimp and the smell of belachan is very strong. I have to use 3 ziploc bags to store it to minimize the smell. My daughter says I cook 'smelly' vegetables each time I use belachan. And each time after cooking any dish with belachan, I have to open all the windows and spray air-freshener so my husband will not make too much noise when he returns from work. =_="

I guess Belacan is the durian in cooking. The smell is so pungent that you either hate it of love it. And I love it. :P

Ingredients (for one person):

• 6 Asparagus, skinned and sliced
• 2 clove Garlic, minced
• 2 Shallot, sliced
• 1 Chilli, seed and julienned
• 1 teaspoon Belachan, chopped
• 2 teaspoon Ground Dried Shrimp, previously soak to soften before grinding (optional)
• 1/2 tablespoon Cooking Oil

How to do it:

1. Saute garlic and shallot in oil till fragrant.
2. Add in chilli, belachan and dried shrimp, if using.
3. Stir fry for about a minute.
4. Add in asparagus and stir fry quickly till cooked.
5. Dish and serve immediately.

King Oyster Mushroom with Dried Scallop Sauce 杏鲍菇伴干贝汁

 
It's another mushroom dish. Told you we love mushrooms! What I like about this King Oyster Mushroom is how it looks like and the texture when it's cooked. I always pass it off as braised sliced abalone. My husband got tricked the first time I did this. *giggle*

I prefer to add an additional green with the mushroom. In this case, I added Kai Lan (芥兰) aka Chinese Broccoli. You can always use other veggies. Try this if you are expecting guests for dinner. It's cheap and easy yet presentable.

Does the picture looks like a lotus flower? Have a petal!

Ingredients:

• 150g King Oyster Mushroom, sliced
• a few stalk of Baby Kai Lan (芥兰) aka Chinese Broccoli
• 4 pieces Dried Scallop
• 200ml Water
• 1 teaspoon Oyster Sauce
• a pinch of Sugar to taste
• Cornflour Mixture (Thickener)
• 1/2 tablespoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Soak dried scallop in the water till soften.
2. Shred the dried scallop with your finger and set aside.
3. Retain the water.
4. Separate the leaves of the Kai Lan.
5. Blanch the vegetables and arrange on the plate.
6. Heat wok with oil.
7. Stir fried mushroom till cooked.
8. Pour in the water used to soak the dried scallop.
9. Add in the oyster sauce and sugar.
10. Let it simmer for 1 minute.
11. Remove the mushroom and lay on top of the vegetable.
12. Add in the the dried scallop.
13. Bring to a boil.
14. Thicken with cornflour mixture.
15. Pour over the mushroom.
16. Serve.

Note:
Instead of Kai Lan, you can use any other vegetable you like.

* King Oyster Mushroom *

Long Beans with Chilli

This is one of those dishes that only I alone will eat. My hubby doesn't eat this. My son doesn't really enjoy it but will still eat some without chilli. But I love it. I can't really take spicy stuff so I add chilli only sparingly.

Ingredients:

• 10 strings of long beans, cut into equal sections
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimps; soaked to soften and grind if preferred.
• ½ tablespoon garlic
• ¼ cup water
• Oil for frying
• Ready-made chilli sauce/Sambal Belacan (I use Hommaid Brand - Nyonya Crispy Prawn Chilli Sauce; something I can handle)

How to do it:

1. Deep fry the long beans for 1 - 2 minutes. Do this if you prefer a soften bite.
2. Drain and set aside.
3. Stir fry garlic and grind dried shrimps with oil till fragrant.
4. Add in long bean and stir fry for about 5 minutes or till desired softness.
5. Add in your chilli sauce or Sambal Belacan and mix well.
6. If it is too dry, add in some water.
7. Serve with rice.

Note:
I don’t add salt as I think the dried shrimp are salty enough.

Bean Sprout with Salted Fish

This is my daughter's No. 1 favourite. If she sees bean sprout being served, she will keep holding out her hand with her spoon and says, 'Been Spout ... peas!' and 'Been Spout ... nineee!' Do you understand that? hahaha! She can stuff herself full with bean sprout. She just love it!

Ingredients:

• Bean Sprout, heads and tails removed (I hate to do this!)
• 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips
• 2 stalk Spring Onion, cut into sections, greens only.
• 5 to10g Dried Salted Fish, depending how salty you want it to be.
• 3 Shitake Mushroom, stalk removed and sliced
• 1/2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 2 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoon Oil

How to do it:

1. Heat wok with oil.
2. Saute garlic and salted fish till fragrant.
3. Add in bell pepper, spring onion and shitake mushroom.
4. Saute for about half a minute before adding the bean sprout. This is to bring out the flavour of the various vegetables.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes or longer if you prefer your bean sprout more will done.
6. Add in water if you find it too dry.
7. Dish and serve.

Note:

I don't add in seasoning as the salted fish is saltish enough.

Okra with Chilli 羊角豆炒辣椒

I’m the only person at home who loves to eat Ladies' Finger. My father introduced me to this vegetable when I was a teenage. I was hesitant to eat it as it sticky. Looks a bit *yucks* especially when cooked without chilli. I fell in love with it after one bite. My father told me when choosing ladies' finger, use the thumb to bend the tip of the ladies finger. If it breaks then it’s ‘young’. Get these! The ‘older’ ones won’t break. These are not tender - no crunch. Leave these. An auntie method but quite true.

I don’t have a problem with buying ladies' finger because the seller in the market here has ‘baby’ one. It’s only half the length of the normal ones. Really tender.

Ingredients:

• 15 - 20 pieces of ladies finger if you are using regular ones; sliced diagonally and discard the top
• 1 tablespoon dried shrimps; soaked to soften and grind if preferred.
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• Oil for frying
• Ready-made chilli sauce/Sambal.Belacan (I use Hommaid Brand - Nyonya Crispy Prawn Chilli Sauce; something I can handle)

How to do it:

1. Stir fry garlic and grinded dried shrimps with oil till fragrant.
2. Add in sliced ladies finger and stir fry till desired softness.
3. Add in your chilli sauce or Sambal.Belacan and mix well.
4. If it is too dry, add in some water.
5. Serve with rice.

Note:
I don’t add salt as I think the dried shrimp are salty enough. In case you are wondering, I added some Chinese mushrooms in the one I cooked in the picture here.
If you want to make your own Sambal belacan, try this. Blend together the following:

• 1 clove garlic
• 3 red chillies
• 5 dried chillies
• 40g dried shrimps
• 20g belacan (toast first)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)Lime juice of 1 lime (optional)

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.

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.