Memories in the Cooking

I always thought that Olive Rice is a Thai dish until I found a recipe of it in a Teochew cookbook. If it is really Teochew, then I guess it is closer to my heritage. Anyway, Olive Rice is another hassle-free rice dish for a medium-size party of around 20 people. The olive leaves is so flavourful that no additional seasoning is necessary. Ingredients: - 5 cups of rice - 3 cups of cashew nuts - 3 huge tablespoons of olive vegetables - 3 cups of raisins  - 100g of fried shallots  - 6-8 chinese sausages  - 2 slices of oil preserved fish  - fish sauce  Procedures: 1) Cook rice in rice-cooker. Place chinese sausages on top of the rice when cooking.  2) When cooked, remove the chinese sausages and slice it.  3) Add to the rice - olive leaves, fried shallots, preserved fish, cashew nuts and raisins. Mix it well.  4) Add fish sauce to taste.  5) Arrange the sliced chinese sausages on the rice. Serve. 

This is a Seafood Boil, not the Cajun style, but my own improvished version.  Ingredients: - 1 large crab  - 1kg of prawns - 1kg of clams - 1kg of mussels  - 6 sausages  - 3 corns (I use white corns) - 1kg of small potatoes  -1 bulb of garlic, minced  - 1 onion, chopped - 3 tablespoons of white peppercorns - 2 seafood cubes  - 2 large chili, chopped  - 1 tablespoon of paprika powder  - 1 tablespoon of sugar  - parsley, chopped - 1 lemon, cut into wedges Procedures: 1) In a large pan, fry onions, garlic, peppercorn in vegetable oil until fragrant. Add prawn shells, sugar and seafood cubes. Fry for a while. Add 1 litre of water. Let it simmer for 30 minutes to make the prawn broth.  2) During this time, cook sweet corns, potatoes and sausages. When cooked, set aside in a large serving tray.  3) Cook clams, mussels, prawns and crab in the prawn broth one kind at a time according to their own suitable time. Set aside in the large s...

My husband is a crab lover. For Father's Day this year, we made him this dish - Crab Bee Hoon Soup.  Ingredients:  - 1 thumb-size ginger, sliced  - a knob of butter  - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 1 large crab, chopped into pieces  - 1 pack of thick bee hoon  - 1 pack of leafy vegetables  - half a cup of evaporated milk  - 1 chicken cube - salt and pepper  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine  - fried shallots Procedures: 1) In a wok, add butter to melt. Stir-fry ginger and garlic until fragrant.  2) Add crab pieces and fry until pink.  3) Add water and chicken cube (or chicken stock) until it almost covers the crab. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside the crab pieces to prevent overcooking.  4) Add bee hoon and vegetables.  5) Add salt, pepper, sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine to taste.  6) When the ingredients reboils, add crab pieces back. Top up with some fried sha...

I first had this dish at a cafe. It is served with sour dough to soak up the flavourful sauce.  Ingredients: - 1kg of mussels  - 1 carrot, chopped into small pieces  - 1 pack of french beans, chopped into small pieces  - 1 pack of mushrooms, chopped into small pieces - 4 stalks of lemon grass, chopped  - 1 thumbsize ginger, chopped  - 4 cloves of garlic, chopped  - a few chili, chopped  - a bunch of curry leaves  - 2 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 1 pack of coconut milk  - 1 cup of fresh milk - 1 stock cube - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce  - 1 teaspoon of sugar  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add vegetable oil. Fry garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chili and curry leaves until fragrant.  2) Add carrots, french beans and mushrooms. Fry until soft.  3) Add 1 cup of water. Let the mixture simmer.  4) Add mussels. Let it cook until all mussels are cooked. 5) Add coconut milk, fresh milk, stock cube, fish sauce and sug...

It is wonderful to be able to source for fresh seafood. Recently, I have been ordering from Ah Hua Kelong and I am always very happy with the quality of the seafood. Today, we have some clams for Clams Linguine! Ingredients: - 1kg of fresh clams, soaked in water for a few hours  - 1 bulb of garlic, chopped  - 1 bunch of parsley, chopped  - 200g of streaky bacon, cut into small pieces - 1 packet of any type of mushroom, finely chopped  - 1 chili, chopped  - 1 stock cube  - 2 tablespoons of whiskey - half a packet of linguine  Procedures:  1) Cook the linguine as per the packet instruction.  2) In a frying pan, fry the bacon until brown with the fats rendered.  3) Add chopped garlic, chopped chili, parsley, mushrooms and fry a little.  4) Add some pasta water and let it simmer.  5) Add clams and fry until the clams are opened up.  6) Add whiskey and stock cube.  7) Add cooked linguine. Stir well and serve. 

This is a common dish that we see in Chinese restaurant as a starter. Ingredients: - 250g of prawn, deshelled - 4 you tiao, can get frozen ones from the supermarket  - a handful of dried cranberries - a handful of raisins  - half a cup of mayonnaise - a bed of salad veg  Procedures: 1) Blanch the prawns until just cooked. Drain it and set it aside in a salad bowl.  2) Toast the youtiao until crispy. Cut it into bite-sizes. Place it in the same salad bowl.  3) Add cranberries and raisin.  4) Add mayonnaise and mix well.  5) Place it on the bed of salad veg. Serve. 

This is my first time cooking White Bee Hoon. I realised the cooking method is very similar to Hokkien Mee. With fresh seafood, this dish was so good that I think everyone had at least 2 helpings. Ingredients:  - 1kg of fresh prawns, peeled and set shells and heads aside  - 500g of squids  - 300g of lala/venus clams (optional)  - 1 bulb of garlic, minced  - 6 shallots, chopped  - 1 packet of bee hoon - 2 eggs  - 1 packet of spinach  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 1 chicken cube  - 1 tablespoon of white peppercorn  - spring onions, chopped  - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce  Procedures: 1) In a pot, add vegetable oil and fry garlic and shallots until fragrant. Add prawns shells and heads until pink. Add chicken cube, sugar, peppercorns and 4 bowls of water. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.  2) In the prawn stock, bleach the prawns, squids and lala. Set them aside.  3) Soak bee hoon in t...

This is lobster roll without the lobster, but nonetheless yummy!  Ingredients: - 250g of prawns, deshelled and diced  - 2 stalks of celery, diced  - 4 hotdog buns - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 1 Chorizo, diced  - 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise - 1 tablespoon of mustard - 3 stalks of dill  - salt  - pepper  Procedures: 1) Toast the hotdog buns in the oven at 180 degree celsius for 5 minutes. Set aside the hotdog buns and toast the diced sausages until brown.  2) Cook chopped scrimps in boiling water until cooked.  3) Blanch chopped celery.  4) In a mixing bowl, add cooked scrimps, sausages, celery, dill, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper.  5) Slit the hotdog in the between. Place the scrimp and sausage mix in the slits.  6) Top up with a little more dill. Serve. 

This is my attempt to make a special fettuccine, by adding some truffle oil and miso paste.  Ingredients: - 250g of fettuccine  - 900g of mussels  - 300g of brown mushrooms, sliced  - 1 onion, diced  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 2 tablespoons of miso paste - truffle oil  - 1 can of Nestle cream  - truffle salt and pepper  Procedures:  1) Cook fettuccine in boiling water until al dente. 2) Add a little cooking oil in a frying pan. Add diced onion and garlic, fry until fragrant. Add mushroom and fry until soft.  3) Add 1 can of cream. Dissolve 2 tablespoon of miso in a cup of hot water. Add to the frying pan. 4) Add the mussels and mix well.  5) Add fettuccine and mix well with the sauce. Adjust the taste with truffle salt and pepper.  6) Serve the fettuccine on a plate. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil. 

This dish is super nutritious with 2 bottles of chicken essence. I told my boy that traditionally PSLE top scorers advertised for chicken essence. In response, he asked to drink more of it. My husband replied in jest that, in reality, these top scorers only started drinking it AFTER their achievements not before.  Ingredients: - 500g of squids, washed - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 1 tablespoon of huaxing wine - pepper - 2 cans of chicken essence  - 1 teaspoon of corn starch  - 1 onion, chopped  - 1 packet of parsley, chopped  Procedures: 1) After washing the squids. Chop the squid wings and heads and conbine with the onions and parsley. Season with light soya sauce, sesame oil, huatiao wine and pepper.  2) Stuff the mixture into the squid bodies. Place the squids on a steaming plate. Steam for 3-5 minutes.  3) Transfer the squids in a serving plate.  4) Transfer the sauce into a frying pan. Add chicken es...

My husband likes squids. According to Raymond Blanc, squids must be cooked in 1 minute or 1 hour, nothing in between. Otherwise, it will taste like rubber bands.  Ingredients: - 500g of squids, cut into rings  - 100g of thai basil leaves  - 1 thumbsize ginger, cut into shreds - 2 tablespoons of sesame oil - 1 tablespoon of sugar - 1  tablespoon of dark soya sauce  - 2 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 2 tablespoons of water - pepper  - 5 cloves of garlic  Procedures:  1) Fry ginger and garlic with sesame oil until fragrant.  2) Add dark soya sauce, water and sugar and fry a little.  3) When boiling, add basil leaves and fry until soft.  4) Add squids and fry for a minute. Add huatiao wine and pepper. Serve.  

I have a pot of prawn and chicken broth. I realise that cooking also has a domino effect. This pot of broth came from the cooking Samsui Chicken, Spanish Garlic Prawns and Hokkien Mee. Besides these 3 dishes, the pot of broth will continue to make this Seafood Porridge, San Lao Hor Fun and Prawn Bisque. Wow, that is a 6 dishes bundle! Ingredients:  - 500g of prawns  - 500g of squid rings  - 150g of pork belly - 1 can of razer clams - 4 eggs  - 1 cup of rice  - fried shallots - parsley Procedures:  1) The broth is made from the chicken broth from Samsui Chicken and prawn shells from 2kg of prawns. Refer to the step in the Hokkien Mee recipe.  2) Cook the prawns and squid rings in the broth for about 1 minute. Set it aside.  3) Cook 1 cup of rice with 3 cups of water using rice cooker.  4) In another pot, dry fry the pork belly until brown.  5) Add the thick porridge and 2 large bowls of broth. Add raze...

Hokkien Mee is my husband's favourite hawker dish and I have been wanting to cook it at home with the freshest and best ingredients. So, I finally did it today and he loved it! Now, he is lamenting that he has one less dish to eat outside as I have raised his expectation on Hokkien Mee. Hilarious! Ingredients: - 500g fresh prawns, peeled (set aside the heads and shells) - 500g squid rings - 250g of pork belly - 400g of yellow noodles - 400g of thick mee hoon - 2 tablespoons of sugar - 1 chicken cube - a lot of spring onions, cut into a few inches long - 1 bulb of garlic, crushed - 6 shallots, chopped - 1 tablespoon of pepper corns - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce - 1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce - pepper Procedures: 1) In a pot, add a little vegetable oil. Fry half the garlic and shallots until fragrant. Add prawn heads and shells and fry until pink. Add chicken cube, white pepper corns, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 4 bowls of water. Boil for at least 30 minut...

The best dishes come from the freshest ingredients. The problem is I am not very resourceful in sourcing fresh ingredients. However, recently I chanced upon Ah Hua Kelong and got an assortment of seafood. For lunch today, we are having Chinese Stir-fried Clams.  Ingredients: - 1kg of clams (lala), submerged in water  - 1 thumb-size ginger, minced  - 6 cloves of garlic, minced  - few stalks of spring onions, chopped  - 1 chili padi, chopped  - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - half a cup of hua tiao wine  - 2 teaspoons of sugar  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add vegetable oil and fry ginger, garlic and chili until fragrant.  2) Add clams and mix well.  3) Add light soya sauce, hua tiao wine and sugar.  4) Add chopped spring onions. Mix well and serve. 

Seafood goes very well with glass vermicelli as the glass vermicelli would soak up the flavourful seafood stock like a sponge. You can use either crabs, clams or prawns for this dish. Ingredients: - 400g of prawns  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - half a large onion, diced  - 1 thumbsize ginger, sliced  - 250g of glass vermicelli, soaked - shells and heads of about 20 prawns  - 50g of coriander, chopped  - 50g of spring onions, chopped  - 3 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 20g of white pepper corn  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 1 ikan bilis cube  Procedures: 1) In a claypot, add some vegetable oil. Fry onions, garlic and ginger until fragrant.  2) Add prawn heads and shells and fry until pink. Add white pepper corn, chicken cube and sugar. Add 4 bowls of water. Simmer it for 30 minutes.  3) Add soaked glass vermicelli to the stock. Add oyster sauce....

This is a dish that I used to enjoy during Chinese New Year when my paternal uncle was around. My grandmother came from a Peranakan family so this dish has some Peranakan influence. Ingredients: - 15 large prawns (with or without shells) - 10 shallots, sliced - 4 garlic, minced - 2 tablespoons of ketchup - 2 tablespoons of sambal chili - 2 teaspoons of sugar - few stalks of parsley and spring onions, chopped Procedures: 1) Add vegetable oil in a frying pan. Fry shallots and minced garlic until fragrant and soft. 2) Add ketchup, sambal chili, sugar, 3 tablespoons of water. Fry until fragrant. 3) Add prawns and stir fry until pink. 4) Add chopped parsley and spring onions. Serve.

This is one of the most auspicious sounding Chinese New Year dish. The chinese translation of Black Moss Oysters is 蚝鼓发菜 which sounds like 好事发财, which means good fortune and wealth. This dish reminds me that as a child of God, I am already very blessed with God's guidance and provision throughout life. There are many variations to this dish. My favourite version is cooked by my husband's paternal grandma (Por Por), who had passed on a few years ago. Cooking this dish would often stir up memories of her. I remember the times when Por Por was so proud to introduce me as her grand daughter-in-law to the seniors in church while I was dating my then-boyfriend. Por Por would cook this dish for Chinese New Year and I would be so looking forward to it. Por Por "plumped up" the already big oysters with minced pork. The combination of oysters and minced pork was an unexpected perfect match. Ingredients - 25 big-size dried oysters - 1 packet of black moss - 1 ic...

This dish symbolises wealth as the chinese word '蒜' for leek sounds like '算', which means counting lots of money. The fried tofu slices are supposed to look like gold bars. I hope this dish will reminds us to count of blessing too. To jazz up the dish, you could add clams or even abalone. Ingredients: - 3-4 stalks of chinese leek, chopped - 2 pieces tofu, cut into slices - 1 can of clams - oyster sauce, pepper Procedures: 1) Fry tofu slices until both sides are golden brown. 2) Add chinese leek and stir fry until soft. Add canned clams and fry a little. 3) Season with 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and pepper. Serve

This is a simple and yummy appetizer. Ingredients: - 2 cans of topshells, cut into bite-size - 1 red onion, sliced - juice from 200g of lime - 1 tablespoon of sugar - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 pinch of salt - 2 large chili, sliced - few stalks of coriander, chopped Procedures: 1) Place the topshells on a serving plate. Drain away the sauce that comes with the can. 2) Add onion slices, chili slices and all seasonings. Mix well. 3) Top it up with coriander. Serve.

I am going for my first Christmas Potluck today! In my opinion, these are only a few types of dishes that are suitable for potluck. Dishes that do not taste good after turning cold or does not withstand reheating are not good choices. Hence, I always prefer to bring soups, stews, starters or desserts. For today's party, I am bringing Prawn Bisque! Ingredients: - 2kg of prawns - 1 bunch of celery, chopped  - 4-5 large tomatoes, chopped  - 2 carrots, chopped  - 1 onion, chopped  - 1 clove of garlic, minced  - 1 can of tomato paste  - 1 can of all purpose cream  - 2 chicken cubes  - 2 tablespoons of seasalt  - 2 tablespoons of sugar - 1 teaspoon of mixed Italian herbs  - black pepper  Procedures:  1) In a heated pot, add vegetable oil. Stir fry half the onions and garlic until fragrant. Add prawn shells and fry until pink.  2) Add 1 litre of boiling water. Let it simmer for 30 minutes...