Memories in the Cooking

After a tiring day, it is really great to have a refreshing Vietnamese Salad.  Ingredients: - 1 carrot, shredded - 2 zucchini, shredded  - juice of 2-3 Thai Lime  - 1 tablespoon of fish sauce  - 1 teaspoon of sugar - crushed peanuts  Procedures: 1) Mix everything together in a mixing bowl.  2) Serve it on a serving plate. 

To ensure my family gets the nutrition they need, I have been trying to introduce superfood into our homecooked food. This dish has 2 superfood - miso paste and wolfberries.  Ingredients: - 1 pack of vegetables  - 1 handful of wolfberries  - 1 tablespoon of miso paste  Procedures:  1) Dissolve miso paste in 1 cup of hot water. Add to a pan.  2) Bring the miso sauce to a boil with some wolfberries.  3) Add vegetables. Cook until it is soft. Serve. 

This is another dish with a memory. My husband's nanny taught me this simple yet delicious beehoon. I really love the cruchy vegetables that go with this dish.  Ingredients:   - 1 large carrot, cut into shreds - 1 pack of french beans, chopped - 1 small round cabbage, cut into shreds - 4 eggs, beaten  - 1 pack of bee hoon, soak in salt water  - fried shallots  - fish sauce - mushroom sauce  - pepper  - sugar  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, heat some vegetable oil and fry omelette. Chop into small pieces.  2) Add minced garlic and fry until fragrant.  3) Add vegetables and fry until soft.  4) Drain bee hoon from salt water. Add to the fry pan. Fry until soft and well-mix with the ingredients. Add water if needed.  5) Season with mushroom sauce, fish sauce, sugar and pepper. Serve with fried shallots. 

I first ate this dish at a stall specialised in Yong Tau Foo. Since I am cooking Yong Tau Foo today, I decided to try making this Stir-fry Spinach with Fermented Beancurd Sauce. Ingredients: - 1 packet of sharp spinach - 2 cloves of garlic, sliced - 1 cube of fermented beancurd - 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce - 3 tablespoons of water Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, fry some sliced garlic until fragrant with vegetable oil. 2) Add spinach and stir-fry it until soft. 3) Add fermented beancurd, oyster sauce and water. Mix well. Serve.

What happen when you fry one crunchy vegetables with another crunchy vegetables? You will get a super yummy plate of crunchy vegetables! Ingredients: - 500g of beanspouts - 1kg of celery, sliced  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - white pepper - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  Procedures: 1) Add garlic into fry pan with vegetable oil. Fry until fragrant.  2) Add celery and beanspouts. Flash fry until cooked but still crunchy.  3) Add oyster sauce and pepper. Mix well and serve. 

Cucumber is another vegetables that tastes nice and crunchy even when cooked. Ingredients: - 2 large cucumber, remove core, sliced - 3-4 eggs, beaten - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - few stalks of parsley, chopped  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - pepper  Procedures: 1) Stir-fry garlic until fragrant. 2) Add beaten eggs and fry it into omelette.  3) Add cucumber slices. Fry and mix well with the omelette.  4) Add one tablespoon of oyster sauce and some pepper.  5) Add chopped parsley. Mix well. Serve. 

I know some people think that ice-berg lettuce is more of a salad vegetable. However, I really love to eat ice-berg lettuce cooked. The crunchiness remains even after cooking. Yummy. Ingredients: - 1 head of ice-berg lettuce - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - fried shallots - pepper Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, stir-fry garlic until fragrant. 2) Add ice-berg lettuce and fry for about 5 minutes. 3) Season with oyster sauce and pepper. 4) Plate the vegetables. Top up with fried shallots.

Garlic Spout is a very sweet and tasty vegetable. It goes very well with tofu and carrots. Ingredients: - 1 bunch of garlic spout, cut into 2 inch long pieces - 1 carrot, cut into shreds  - 2 pieces of tofu, cut into small pieces  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - pepper  Procedures: 1) Fry tofu pieces until golden. Set aside.  2) Fry garlic spouts, carrots until soft.  3) Add the tofu and mix well.  4) Add oyster sauce and pepper. Mix well. Serve. 

I love this vegetable dish for its sweetness and crunchiness. Ingredients: - 1 pack of French beans, chopped into small pieces  - 1 carrot, cut into shreds  - 1 handful of ikan bilis  - 3 cloves of garlic  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - pepper  Procedures: 1) Fry ikan bilis in vegetable oil. Set aside.  2) Fry minced garlic until fragrant.  3) Add carrots and french beans. Cook until soft.  4) Add oyster sauce and pepper. Serve 

My recent trip to Kaoshiung has made me fall in love with cold dishes. This pickled papaya was one of my favourites. It took my a while to realise that it is papaya and not pumpkin. Depending on ripeness of the papaya, the dish can be orange or white in colour. Ingredients: - a small unripe papaya, cut into thin slices  - 2 cups of rice vinegar  - 1.5 cups of sugar  - 3 tablespoons of salt  - 1 chili, cut into floret  Procedures: 1) Place the papaya slices into a large mixing bowl. Add salt and mix well. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes.  2) Meanwhile heat up the vinegar and dissolve the sugar.  3) Wash the salt off the papaya slices. It may need a few rounds of rinsing.  4) Place the papaya slices in a glass container. Pour the vinegar-sugar mixture to it and make sure the papaya slices are covered.  5) Add chili floret to the papaya slices. Let it sit for at least 2 hours. Serve. 

Another yummy cold dish that I brought back from my Taiwan trip - Chinese Smashed Cucumber. Ingredients: - 2 zucchinis - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 1 tablespoon of sugar - half a teaspoon of salt - 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - white sesame seeds Procedures: 1) Cut each zucchinis lengthwise into 4 pieces. Smash it with the back of the chopper until it breaks up. Place it in the serving plate. 2) Add the seasonings and minced garlic. Mix well. 3) Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

This is my experiment. Avocados topped with 3 types of cheese. Put them in the oven. Yummy. Creamy avocados with melted cheeses. Ingredients:  - 2 avocados, cut into halves, remove the seed  - cream cheese - red cheddar cheese  - mozzarella cheese  - minced garlic  - butter  Procedures: 1) Mix minced garlic with melted butter.  2) Place avocado halves on a baking tray. Brush garlic butter on them.  3) Top up with cream cheese, red cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  4) Bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes. Serve. 

These grilled king oyster mushrooms are so delicious yet so simple. My boy is able to cook it by himself with my verbal instructions. Ingredients: - 4 king oyster mushrooms, cut lengthwise - 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and 2 tablespoon of water Procedures: 1) In a heated grill, place the mushrooms in a single layer. 2) Brush oyster sauce on one side. Turn the mushroom slices over. Brush the other side with oyster sauce. 3) Grill until the mushroom slices are brown. Serve. Recently, I cut the mushrooms to look like scallops. 

I have some rojak paste leftover from last week's Cuttlefish Kang Kong. So, I have decided to use rojak paste to make Tauhu Goreng. Ingredients: - 4 pieces of Tauhu, each cut into 4 cubes (can use Egg Tofu) - a small pack of beansprouts (100g) - 1 cucumber, shredded - crushed peanuts - 1 lime - 1 large tablespoon of rojak paste Procedures: 1) Deep fry Tauhu pieces. Lay them on a serving plate. 2) Lightly fry the beansprouts. Lay them on top of the Tauhu. 3) Top with shredded cucumber and sprinkle with crushed peanuts. 4) Mix rojak paste with lime juice and 2 tablespoons of hot water. Mix well. Pour on top of the Tauhu. Serve.

Vegetables are not the usual highlight in a dinner. But my family likes this dish the most for tonight's dinner. The crispy garlic makes the dish very fragrant. Ingredients: - 2 bunches of Kang Kong, cut into 1 itch long segments - 1 bulb of garlic, cut into slices  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - white pepper powder  Procedures: 1) Add vegetable into a frying pan. Fry garlic slices until it become brown. Set aside.  2) Add Kang Kong and fry until soft.  3) Season with oyster sauce and pepper.  4) Serve on a serving plate and top up with the crispy garlic. 

Okay... My mother loves this dish, my husband loves this dish but I am not really very enthusiastic about this dish. Bittergourd is like the durian of vegetables. Either you like it or you don't. But for the love of my family, I will still gladly serve it at my dinner table. Ingredients: - 1 bittergourd, cut into thin slices  - 10 eggs, beaten  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1 teaspoon of sugar  - pepper  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil and stir-fry the bittergourd until soft. Add some sugar and fry well.  2) Add beaten eggs and fry them into omelette. Mix well with the bittergourd slices.  3) Add oyster sauce and pepper. Serve.  

This is my elder son's favourite vegetable dish. Ah ma (grandmother) often cooks it especially for him. Ingredients: - 1 head of cauliflower, cut into flowerets  - 2 sticks of carrots, sliced - 1 packet of snow peas - fried shallots - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce - pepper Procedures: 1) To a frying pan, add some vegetable oil and fry minced garlic until fragrant. 2) Add cauliflowers, carrots and snow peas. 3) Add a few tablespoon of water and let the vegetables cook until soft. 4) Add oyster sauce and pepper. 5) Serve with some fried shallots sprinkled on top.

This tapas is so good and so simple- Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Ingredients: - 250g of strawberry cherry tomatoes - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - olive oil - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1.5 tablespoons of sugar - balsamic vinegar Procedures: 1) Place the washed cherry tomatoes on a baking tray. 2) Add minced garlic, olive oil, salt and sugar. Mix well. 3) Bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes. 4) Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

My husband and I like Stuffed Jalapeno. But it is not easy to get Jalapenos in Singapore. This substitute with capsicums is not too bad too. Ingredients: - 150g of cream cheese - 5 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs - 1 teaspoon of paprika - 1 teaspoon of salt - 3 capsicums (green, red and yellow) Procedures: 1) Cut capsicums into quarters and remove the seeds. 2) In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese, garlic, parmesan cheese, herbs, paprika, salt and mix well. 3) Spread cream cheese mix on each piece of capsicum. 4) Place them on a baking tray. Drizzle olive oil on it. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 30 minutes. Serve.

This dish may not need a recipe. But I have decided to still record it down so that I will remember to cook in future. Ingredients: - 300g of beanspouts  - 20g of threadfin salted fish, cut into small pieces  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 100g of spring onions, chopped  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - pepper  Procedures:  1) Add garlic, salted fish and oil to frying pan. Fry until fragrant.  2) Add beanspouts and spring onions. Fry until cooked but still crunchy.  3) Add oyster sauce and pepper. Serve.