Mushroom & Cheese Soup 芝士奶油蘑菇浓汤

It's school holidays and I can't get much housework done with the kids around. There's no point packing as it will get messy the next minute. What I do is stay up late to clear my housework. Anyone wants to help out?

I always have mushroom in my fridge cos it's the family's favourite. For one of my late night suppers, I decided to make soup as I wanted some easy and fast to cook. Something I don't need much time to prepare nor lots of cleaning after cooking.

I had wanted to cook this but run out of cream. I 'stole' a few slices of my daughter's cheese to replace the cream instead to change it a little. Hot, creamy and yummy soup for the cold night. Just my kind of comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 500ml Water
• 8 Button Mushroom, diced
• 4 Shitake Mushroom, sliced
• 15g Butter
• 4 slice Cheese
• 1 tablespoon Flour
• 2 tablespoon Water

How to do it:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan.
2. Add in the mushroom and saute till mushroom softens.
3. Add in the water and bring to a gentle boil.
4. Add in the cheese and stir to melt it.
5. Mix flour with water.
6. When soup begins to bubbles, gradually stir in the mixture to give the soup a creamy texture.
7. Serve with bread.
   

Note:

• I do not add salt as it's salty enough with the cheese. However, if you find it not salty enough for you, add more cheese.
• You don't have to use 2 types of mushroom. I used 2 types, more if I have, as I prefers different texture.

This recipe is for Weekend Wokking hosted by Marija of Palachinka.

Steamed Tofu with Prawns 蒸豆腐虾

My daughter loves this dish and she can finish all the tofu on her own. That is after some adjustments to it. Previously, when I do this I use dried mushroom. Perhaps the smell and taste is too strong to her liking and I used fresh shitake mushroom instead and she loves it. Of course, partially the reason was the sauce too. Tofu are bland without any accompanying sauce, kids might not like it at all.  

Ingredients:

• 1 block silken Tofu, sliced equally in smaller pieces
• 6 Prawns or depending on the no. of slices of tofu you have
• 1 Fresh Shitake Mushroom, sliced
• 1 section Carrot, about length of finger shredded
• Sesame Seed Oil

Sauce:

• 5 tablespoon Water
• 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
• 3/4 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Cooking Wine
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• Cornflour Mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Place sliced tofu on dish.
2. Remove heads and shells of prawns.
3. Slit the back of prawns.
4. Devien and clean.
5. Place prawns with slitted back on tofu.
6. Place a slice of mushroom and some shredded carrot on prawns.
7. Steam for 7 minutes or till prawns are cooked.
8. Pour away 2/3 the amount of liquid from steaming on the dish.
9. While the tofu is steaming, prepare the sauce.
10. Put all ingredients for sauce except for cornflour mixture in a saucepan.
11. Cook till it bubbles.
12. Gradually stir in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
13. Pour sauce over the prawn and tofu.
14. Drizzle on sesame seed oil.
15. Serve immediately.

Note: To make prawns to curl up like mine in the photo, cut through the prawns making sure to leave about 1.5cm from head end intact. You should see a hole in the prawn. Stick the tail through the hole, bending on the belly side. The back of the prawns will be 'opened'.

Thank you, Maryann of Finding la dolce vita, for inviting me to enter the Seven Fishes Feast organised by herself and Joe of Italyville. It is very interesting to know about the traditional Italian Christmas Eve Feast. This dish is neither Italian or does it looks like a dish for Christmas, perhaps only for the colours. ;) If you want a different Seven Fishes Feast, you might like to consider this.

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