Fried meat slices with preserved mustard

FM dear,

fried meat strips with 'zha cai'

Found this recipe in my latest purchase "Authentic Homestyle Cuisine" by KS Lee, and tried it out last night.  What caught my attention was the plum sauce, as I never thought that plum sauce would go well with preserved mustard ('zha cai'), but it did, and the recipe is so easy you can easily rustle up a plate for dinner. Besides I think you should be able to get the ingredients easily.  Going to try it again with 'ham choy'.   FJ gave it the thumbs up!  

Ingredients :
200 g pork (cut into thin strips)
1 pc preserved mustard ('zha cai')
1 tbsp garlic

Marinade :
2 tsp cornflour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Seasoning :
3 tbsp plum sauce
1 tsp sugar

Method :
1)  Marinade the pork strips with the marinade for about 30 minutes.
2)  Wash the preserved mustard and cut into strips or sliced thinly.
3)  Heat up 2 tbsp oil in wok and fry the garlic until fragrant.  Add in preserved mustard and meat slices and stir fry a while.
4)  Add in seasoning and continue stir frying  until cooked.  Dish up and serve with rice or porridge!

Onion pancakes

Onion pancake cooking on the griddle
FM,
A pancake recipe for you. I served the pancakes with chicken curry, and your brother gave it the thumbs up. So maybe of having fried noodles and chicken curry, as you and your friends are so fond of having, maybe you can have pancakes next time. It is not roti canai, but, I guess, it can be a nice substitute.

Ingredients for onion pancake :

2 cups flour
1 big onion (slice finely)
1 sprig of spring onions (diced)
1 egg
about 2 cups of water
1/2 tsp salt

Margarine

Method :

1) Mix salt and flour together. Add in egg and enough water to make into a runny pancake batter. Add in onions and spring onions.
2) Let stand for 30 minutes.
3) Heat up a griddle. Oil with margarine. Pour in a scoop of batter. When it is cooked on one side, flip over and cook the other side.


onion pancake batter

FM dear,
Meant to take some pictures of the pancake together with the chicken curry, but, woe and begone, forgot to recharge the camera batteries! Will be take some more pictures the next time I make this, which will be anytime soon, since CK and FJ love it!
Will include the chicken curry recipe for you too, but, maybe that is not necessary since you have manage to cook chicken curry. Thinking of a dhall curry next.

Clay pot chicken rice

FM dear,
I have been experimenting with cooking clay pot chicken rice. Not that I have not cooked it before, but then all along I have been using a electric rice cooker, it cannot really be called clay pot chicken rice. To quote FJ, "clay pot rice has got to be cooked in a clay pot, otherwise it should be called tasty chicken rice, black rice ( because of the dark soya sauce), or maybe electric rice cooker chicken rice.
So using my recipe for my clay pot rice (http://housewifenotes.blogspot.com/2008/08/claypot-chicken-rice.html), tried cooking the rice in a proper clay pot.
First attempt : Put in the chicken too late, so by the time the chicken was cooked, the bottom rice had burned.
Second attempt : Remembered to add in the chicken earlier, and turn down the flame. Too big a pot of rice, making it rather hard to handle, and the chicken took too long to cook, and there was not much rice crust (which is the tasty part), and some uncooked rice.

My second attempt at clay pot rice. To much rice in one pot, and not enough dark soya sauce

For my third attempt, I decided to purchase another clay pot and divide the recipe into 2. One pot turned out alright, but the other was a bit bland, as the sauce were not poured equally into each pot. However, added a bit too much water, or rather the rice I used could not stand too much water, so the end result was too soft rice.

So far, have not really been successful with cooking the rice in the clay pots, so I guess will have to experiment further, otherwise maybe I will have to think about renaming it electric rice cooker chicken rice as per FJ's suggestion.

wanton in soup

Wanton in soup
FM,
Hope you enjoyed the Chinese New Year gathering with your friends, and I hope your North American friends enjoyed the wanton and the other Chinese food that you all served, and I noticed that you managed to conjure up a Yee Sang, too!

Ingredients :

50 pcs wanton skin

Wanton filling :
200 g prawn meat, diced
150 g minced meat
3 Chinese mushroom, soaked and diced finely
salt, sesame oil, pepper, 1 tsp cornflour

Method :
1) Filling : Mix prawn meat, minced meat, mushroom and seasoning and stir in one direction until sticky and well-combined.
2) Wrap 1 tsp of filling in wanton skin.
3) Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in stock cube, pepper and salt. Cook wanton, and some Chinese mustard leaves or cabbage and serve in soup.


wanton all ready to be dunked in the soup

Note : Alternatively, heat 2 cups of oil in a frying pan, and deep fry the wanton for deep fried wanton. Serve with chili sauce.
For a tasty soup, keep the prawn shells to make the soup stock for the wanton. Boil a pot of water with the prawn shells. Strain and discard the prawn shells.

Easy chicken wings

easy chicken wings

Dear FM,
I found this easy recipe for cooking chicken wings, and they turn out so nice and tasty that I think I got to share it with you. It is rather simple to cook, and the ingredients are what you would have in your kitchen. You know how I am always looking for easy recipes for you.
Oh yes, how are your cooking experiments going on. Been 6 months of living on your own and surviving on your student budget. Is it still choy sum, eggs and fried pork slices? Or have you become more adventurous in your cooking. By the way, the noodles you cooked look quite delicious from the pictures. Looking forward to having you cook it for me!
Ahh, the recipe for the chicken wings -

Ingredients :
6 chicken wings
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp light soya sauce (or to taste)
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp black pepper

Method :
1) Marinade chicken wings with the soya sauces, sugar, sesame oil, garlic and black pepper for a few hours, or overnight.
2) Place chicken wings and marinade into a non stick pan. Add in a cup of water.
3) Cover pan and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue simmering over low heat until sauce has thickened. Dish up and serve.



chicken wings cooking in the pan

FM dear,
After returning from the supermart with your weekly food supplies, clean and marinade the chicken wings, and then freeze them. Just defrost a few hours ahead before cooking. The wings is supposed to be served with the sauce, but I found the sauce to be so oily, so I discarded it.

CK mentioned that the chicken wings looked quite familiar when I served them. Don't you think they looked like the wings that we had in the steamboat outlet in Bandar Sunway. Remember how everybody rushed for them when they were served. Could never understand why, and neither could your uncle!

Chinese chives (kau choy) pancake

Chinese chives (kau choy) pancakes

Another pancake recipe today. Had forgotten about this childhood comfort food, until I saw a friend making it.

Ingredients :
250 g flour
1 egg
350 - 400 ml water
1 tbsp oil
salt
3 tbsp dried shrimps (soaked and chopped coarsely)
6 shallots (slices thinly)
1 bunch of Chinese chives (kau choy), cut into 1 - 2 cm lengths

Method :
1) Heat up 2 tbsp oil and fry the shallots and shrimps until fragrant. Set aside.
2) Sieve flour into mixing bowl. Add in salt, egg and 1 tbsp oil. Pour in water stirring all the time to make a pancake batter. Add in fried shallots, shrimps and shallots. Mix thoroughly.
3) Heat up a tsp oil in non-stick pan. Pour in a ladle of the pancake batter and cook both sides of pancake until golden colour.


The pancake batter

NB : Serve pancake with chili sauce (I think it goes very well with Lingham's chili sauce).
Old housewife's tip : To dislodge fish bone stuck in throat - wrap strip of uncut Chinese chive around a lump of rice and swallow. Not sure whether it worked or not, but I remembered my brother swallowing this as a child when he had a fish bone stuck in this throat!

(Today's blog is dedicated to the memory of my good friend, Fei Jie who taught me how to make this pancake, and who is now spreading her good cheer and cooking in God's little kitchen. "Fei Jie, May God Bless You and Keep You Safe In His Arms" and I dearly missed the hours spent yakking away in your kitchen)

Crispy Dumplings

Crispy dumplings (pix taken from "Delightful Snacks and Dim Sum" by Agnes Chang)

Dong zhi was yesterday, and together with tang yuan, I also made crispy dumplings and sui kow (soup dumplings) for the occasion.

Filling for the dumplings :
300 g minced pork
150 g prawns (diced)
1 tbsp shredded carrots
3 dried Chinese mushrooms (diced finely)
1 tbsp spring onions (diced)
1 tbsp cornflour
salt and pepper to taste
dash of sesame oil

20 - 30 pcs dumpling skin
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 cup water

Method :
1) Combine the ingredients for filling. Mix in one direction until well combined.
2) Wrap some filling in dumpling skin, and shape into dumplings.
3) Heat up cooking oil in a non-stick pan, arrange dumplings on top and fry on low heat until base of dumpling is golden brown. Add water, cover and cook until water is dry. Serve with sliced ginger and black vinegar.


As compared to the crispy dumpling I made yesterday. What a great difference....sigh..

NB : Found the original recipe in Agnes Chang 'Delightful Snacks and Dim', but have modified the recipe to suit my children's taste buds. I cooked half of the dumplings in a soup stock to make sui kow (soup dumplings)

Pancakes with shredded chicken

Pancake with seafood (pix from Joy of Making Dimsum)


Pancake with shredded chicken (pix from Joy of Making Dimsum)

Dear FM,
Now that finals are over, thought you might be interested in trying out this recipe. Reminds me of the California Rolls that we used to make.
Actually, its a combination of 2 recipes, one is a pancake with shredded chicken, and the other seafood in an omelet roll. Think it will be interesting to combine the two recipes, though I have listed the ingredients for both the shredded chicken roll and also the seafood roll for you.
Going to make this for dinner tonight. FJ will love it, as she loves pancakes!

Ingredients for the pancake batter :

300 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
50 g sugar
2 eggs
350 ml water

Method :

1) Mix ingredients for batter into a smooth batter. Let it stand for 30 minutes.
2) Heat up non-stick pan and oil with some margarine. Add in a scoop of batter and cook pancake until brown on both sides.
3) Fold pancake into a cone shape and fill up with filling.

Ingredients for filling with shredded chicken :
100 g shredded chicken
100 g shredded cucumber
100 g shredded lettuce
100 g sliced tomatoes


Ingredients for seafood filling :
crabsticks
shredded cucumber
shredded carrot
shredded lettuce
enoki mushroom

salad dressing ) mix together
mayonnaise )

Method :
Place seafood filling on pancake. Add in the salad dressing and mayonnaise. Roll into cone shape. Serve with mayonnaise.

BTW, i found the two recipes in Joy of Making Dim Sum by Patsie Cheong. Have got many interesting recipes in there. Another recipe you would be interested will be the pan fried dumpling. Saw the pix of the dumpling you made. Looks delicious!

home style pasta (pan mee or min fun kuih)

Some people call it pan mee, some call it min fun kuih. Personally, I think if it is rolled into strips it should be call pan mee, and if it is torn into pieces then it should be call 'min fun kuih'. It's one of FJ's favourite, and whenever, we eat out at hawker centres, this would be the dish that she would order. Despite eating it ever so often outside, every few days she would request that I make it for lunch.

Ingredients for the pasta :

300 g flour
15 g cornflour
3/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp cornoil

Method :

1) Dissolve salt in water. Add solution to flour, cornflour and oil. Knead dough until smooth.
2) Place dough in plastic container, cover and leave to rest for about 2 hrs.

Ingredients for soup :

160 g ikan bilis (anchovies)
120 g shallots (sliced)
5 dried Chinese mushroom (soaked and sliced)
2 litres water
1 bunch choy sum (Chinese mustard greens)
1 ikan bilis stock cube

Method :
1) Fry shallots until golden brown and crispy. Drain. Fry half of ikan bilis until crispy. Drain.
2) For the soup : Bring water to the boil. Fry remaining ikan bilis and add to the water. Add in stock cube and sliced mushroom. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3) Cook the pasta : Bring soup to boil. Flatten the dough and tear out pieces and add to soup. Add in the vegetables when pasta is cooking.
4) Serve the pasta in individual bowls, and garnish with the fried shallots and ikan bilis.

NB : By the way, FM, if you can't find ikan bilis at where you are, you can omit the ikan bilis and add in slivers of chicken or pork. You can also cook a meat sauce with minced meat, sliced mushroom and wood ear fungus. Stir fry the mushroom and wood ear fungusm then add in the minced meat. Add in oyster sauce, pepper, black sauce and salt to taste. Thicken with corn starch.
Again, no photo is available as the pasta gets eaten before I get around to taking a shot. FJ thinks I am weird sometimes for wanting to take a shot of the food I make!

Simple chicken soup

Dear FM

Came across a chicken soup recipe in the papers yesterday, and it sort of reminded me of the soups that new mothers take to boost their health, but of course for new mothers they add in plenty of ginger and DOM.

I used to make a simple version with less DOM and ginger, and I think it would be a very simple and nutritious soup for you to make. The other day, you were complaining to me that sometimes you can't think of what to cook for dinner.

Well for the soup you need :

1 chicken whole leg, cut into bite size
1 egg
3 Chinese mushroom, soaked and sliced
1 thumb size piece of ginger, sliced thinly
sesame oil
1 rice bowl of water

Method :

Heat up sesame oil, fry ginger until fragrant. Add in mushroom, fry for a few minutes. Add in egg and fry until fragrant. Add in chicken pieces, stir fry for few minutes, then add in water. Cook until chicken is tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Mee Bandung

FM,
Remember the Mee Bandung we had at the restaurant, (cant remember the place, since its been a few years). Ever since then, CK has been hankering for Mee Bandung, and been pestering me to cook it for him. Been searching for a mee bandung recipe and online, there are so many versions all claiming to be the authentic 'Muar Mee Bandung'. Bought a box of 'Knorr' beef stock cubes last week as I wanted to make lasagne(yes, finally made that lasagne yesterday!), and there was a simple recipe for Mee Bandung on the box!
The recipe was so simple that I think you can attempt it in your little kitchen, but then, you may not be so keen on it since you are not such a keen fan of tomato sauce, unlike FJ.
Anyway, will list the recipe here just in case.
Ingredients :
1 tbsp cooking oil
4 pips of garlic, chopped finely
6 shallots, chopped finely
2 red chillies, sliced finely ( i did not have chilies so i used chilli sauce, haha)
250 g chicken (cooked and shredded)
250 g prawns, shelled
2 stalks of lemon grass (serai), diced
1.5 l water
1 1/2 beef stock cube
1 cup tomato sauce
4 eggs,lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
600 g yellow noodles (i used spaghetti, as i don't like the boric acid in yellow noodles)
2 cups choy sum
2 cups bean sprouts

Method :
1) Heat oil and fry the onions and garlic. Add in chillies and serai, stir fry. Add in water and the beef stock cube. Bring to boil, then add in prawns, tomato sauce and the salt and pepper.
2) Switch off the fire, then slowly add in the beaten eggs.
3) Meanwhile, bring another pot of water to boil. Blanch the choy sum, bean sprouts and noodles separately.
4) Place noodles in individual bowls. Add in choy sum, taugeh and the shredded chicken. Then add the soup.

FM, simple isn't it! Maybe you can cook this for your friends.....or reduce the quantity for a meal for one. I did not measure out the water, and I used less eggs, so the soup was a little bit watery. FJ liked it, probably because of the tomato sauce.

Sweet corn soup

FM,
Another easy soup for you. You have been telling me that sometimes you do not know what to cook. I guess that cannot be held, due to the limited ingredients as unlike me, you cannot go shopping everyday for food. I suggest that on your next shopping trip, maybe, you should stock up on some canned food, such as baked beans, canned soups, and sweet corn (creamy type).
For sweet corn soup, you will need

1 chicken breast
1 can sweet corn (creamy)
1 egg

Boil the chicken breast. When cooked, removed, cool and shred chicken. Retain the chicken stock. Bring stock to boil again, add in the sweet corn. Add in the chicken. Switch off flame. Beat egg lightly and add in slowly to sweet corn soup. Season with salt and pepper.

You can substitute the chicken breast with crab meat.

warm soup for cold nites

FM dear,
I think there is nothing like a big bowl of warm soup for cold wintry nites. A bowl of hot chicken soup really warms the body, but today i am suggesting a bowl of vegetable soup.
Take the easy way out by opening a can of tomato soup. I doubt you would have the time or energy to make a pot of soup stock from chicken or pork bones. I would not either, as i think for a student living away from home, time and costs saving is important, and who would want to waste time slaving away in the kitchen just to rustle up a meal for one.

Peel and cut into chunks 1 or 2 potatoes, 1 carrot, onion , tomato and some cabbage leaves. Fry some bacon strips and onions. Add in carrot, tomato and potatoes, and stir for about 3 mins. Bring the tomato soup to boil. Add in the vegetables. Boil over low heat for about 15 mins, then add in the cabbage. Continue boiling. Meanwhile, cook a handful of pasta in a pan of boiling water. Drain, and add to the tomato soup, and you have a tasty bowl of soup for 1.

Butter a couple of buns with garlic butter, and toast for some nice garlicky buns to accompany your soup.

claypot chicken rice

Daughter
I still remember the first time i was introduced to claypot chicken rice as a small girl. It was at a restaurant near my childhood home, and was the only restaurant in the small town that I grew up in. I was only about 4 - 5 years old, and at that time I think i was more fascinated with the scoop they use for the cooked rice than the food itself. It was a giant Chinese soup spoon, and was the first time I had ever seen such a big Chinese soup spoon!
Since that time I have had countless clay pot rice, but somehow the first impression still remains. Its a simple one pot meal that I think you will be able to prepare for yourself. However, instead of a clay pot you can use a rice cooker or even the microwave.
Buy boneless chicken so there is no worry of bone fragments.

Ingredients :
2 cups of rice, wash and drained.
2 chicken thighs ( cut and marinated with soy sauce, oyster sauce ,dark soy sauce, & pepper). Chinese rice wine is optional.
3 - 4 dried mushroom, soaked and sliced
1 Chinese sausage, sliced

Place rice and mushroom in rice cooker. Add water and when water starts to boil, add chicken and sausage. Cook, and presto you have easy clay pot chicken rice.
Of cos, if you use a clay pot over a stove, you will have the nice crusty rice which you all love.

easy chicken rice

My dear daughter,
For when you have an urge for pak chit kai (white boiled chicken) and chicken rice, today going to teach u how to make easy chicken rice in a rice cooker or micro-wave. Back home, mummy use a whole chicken and dunk it into a pot of boiling water, but I doubt you will be able to manage a whole chicken! So to make it easy for you, buy a couple of chicken whole thighs.

Easy Chicken rice.
2 - 3 pcs chicken whole thighs
2 cups of rice (washed)
2 pcs pandan leaves (if you don't have it, you can omit)
1 thumb size pc of ginger (crushed)

Place rice, ginger and pandan leaves in rice cooker. Add sufficient water. Place chicken on top of rice. Start the rice cooker. Wait till rice is cooked, keep warm for about 15 - 20 mins. and you have chicken rice. Remove chicken, cut it up, season with soy sauce and sesame oil.

Now if you are wondering how to tell whether the chicken is cooked? Use a fork, and poke it into the thickest part of the thighs (near the drumstick joint). If the liquid comes out clear, then the chicken is cooked.

Ahh..now how to cut up the chicken. You probably would not have a cleaver, and then I doubt you would dare to wield one. Do like mum sometimes do. Use a pair of kitchen scissors like the one that I have at home to cut up the chicken. Not as neat as if you use a cleaver, but then ....

Actually, I find a pair of kitchen scissors rather handy in the kitchen. I even clean fish (easier than using a knife) or to snip chives, etc.

Ohh, yes, how much water in the rice? A rather easy way. The height of the water should about reach the first ridge of your middle finger. Some advocate the thickness of a person's palm. Of course, if you are using a electric rice cooker, your problem is solved. But then, the amount of water would also depends on the type of rice use.

Cooking lessons for FM-Hard boiled eggs and the potato salad

Still on the hard boiled eggs.
Today we add in some potatoes to make egg and potato salad.
Boil a couple of potatoes and eggs. When cooked, cooled and then peeled of the skins. Cut the cooked potatoes into bite sized chunks. Also cut the cooked eggs. Place into bowl, add in mayonnaise and pepper. Mix well and place in fridge for 1 - 2 hours.
If you have any left-over roasted chicken or ham, shred them and add into the potatoes, and you have a meal for one. Alternatively, you can also add in cooked shrimps, which I think FJ will enjoy as she loves shrimps.
Haha, mummy is teaching you to use a lot of mayonnaise . Beware, though, as mayonnaise is rather fattening because of the oils. For a more healthy version, omit the mayonnaise and use french dressing. I remember seeing lite mayonnaise in the shops, but I wonder how lite they are.

Cooking lessons for FM - Hard boiled eggs and making an egg sandwich

FM will be leaving for N.America next month to further her studies. It is a big step for her and an even bigger step for me to let go of my baby so that she can be independent and learn to survive on her own. Like mothers the world over, I will worry and be wondering whether she is eating well and keeping warm. Probably, once she settles down to university life in N America she will enjoy life away from home, but will I be able to adapt to life without her at home! Luckily, there is the internet and web cam and life chat and budget IDD available, so at least i will be able to keep in touch with her.
Since she entered college last year, and knew that she would be traveling and staying on her own abroad, she been telling me she intended to learn to cook but my dear daughter have yet to ever find the time.
So to my beloved daughter, what are you going to do? The other day you were asking me how to boil a hard-boiled egg. You can fry an egg but you do not know to boil one! In case, you are wondering, you do not add the egg to hot water as the egg would cracked due to the extreme change in temperature. Anyway, I am wondering here how many have made the mistake of boiling an egg by adding it to hot water.

Daughter, in case you want to know :

Boiling a hard boil egg :
Put the eggs in pan of cold water, and bring it slowly to the boil. Simmer for at least 15 mins. If you can pick it up with a pair of chopsticks, it is cooked. Dunked the eggs in cold water so that the egg yolks will not have black ring outside it. Then peel the eggs. (CK, if you are also reading this and wondering why you cannot peel an egg properly without spoiling the egg white, give it a brisk knock all over so that egg shell is cracked all over, before peeling it).

For egg sandwich :
Mashed the peeled eggs with a fork, add in salt and pepper (and CK, remember to go easy on the salt), and mayonnaise. Spread on bread, and you have an egg sandwich.