Memories in the Cooking

My husband and I once squabbled over this dish. It is one of my husband's favourite dishes which he often requests to be cooked. Sometime near our first Chinese New Year as married couple, I asked him what he would like to have for reunion dinner. I was expecting a grand wishlist. But lo and behold, he replied, "potato minced beef and anything else does not matter". This was a classic example on the clashes of expectations. I was upset that he did not understand the significance of festivities as this dish is not anywhere near the 'big dishes' that we should have for a CNY reunion dinner. On the other hand, he did not understand why he could not celebrate CNY with his favourite, though humble, potato minced beef. Thankfully, the 'storm' blew over very quickly and we still laugh about this episode as it was pretty hilarious on hindsight.  Ingredients: - 3 to 4 large Russet potatos, cut into thin slices   - 300 g of minced beef  - 3-4 cl...

This is a common pub food that we often ate in UK when we stayed there a few years ago. To make the dish more substantial, I will add some leftover roasted meat to the dish. With the meat, the dish can be promoted from a side dish to a satisfying one-dish meal. Ingredients: - 1 head of cauliflower - 25g of butter - 4 cloves of garlic, crushed - 1 tablespoon of Italian mixed herbs - 80g of parmesan cheese - 125g of mozzrella cheese - 1.5 cup of milk - 2 tablespoons of plain flour - sausages/leftover roasted meat Procedures: 1) Cut the cauliflower into florets. Boil it in water unil cooked. 2) Drain the cauliflowers and arrange them on a baking tray. Spread leftover meat or cooked sausages to the cauliflowers. 3) To a fry Pan, melt some butter. Add garlic and fry until fragrant. Add flour and fry it a little. Add milk and the sauce will become thick. 4) Add the 2 cheese, salt, pepper and herbs. 5) Pour the cheese sauce on the cauliflowers. Bake in the oven at 180 degr...

It is not easy to find Chinese recipes for lamb chops. Finally, I found this one online. So, I decided to give it a try. Ingredients: - 1.5kg of lamb chop - 5 tablespoons of oyster sauce - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 5 tablespoons of huatiao wine - 2 tablespoons of sesame oil - 3 tablespoons of sugar - 3 tablespoons of white sesame seeds - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 itch of ginger, minced Procedures: 1) Marinate lamb chops with oyster sauce, huatiao wine, sesame oil, sugar  garlic and ginger overnight. 2) Bake it at 160 degree celsius for 1.5 hours covered. 3) Drizzle with the marinate. Bake it at 210 degree celsius for 10 minutes. 4) Sprinkle white sesame seeds on the lamb chops. Serve.

My boy ordered fruit tarts for his birthday cake. You can use biscuits crust or popian skins as the base. Ingredients (for 18 fruit tarts): - popian skins or biscuits with butter (as base) - 3 eggs  - 5 tablespoons of sugar  - 2 tablespoons of flour  - 1 tablespoon  of corn starch  - 1 tablespoon of vanilia extract  - 260 ml of milk  - assorted fruits of different colours (e.g. mango, kiwi, strawberries and blueberries)  Procedures:  1) Heat the milk in a saucepan.  2) In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, flour and corn starch until pale yellow.  3) Add half of the heated milk slowly to the egg mixture. Pour the mixture to the saucepan with the other half of the milk.  4) Stir the mixture under low heat until a thick custard is form. Cool it in room temperature and chill it in the fridge overnight.  5) Lay 2 sheets of popian skin in each muffin cup. Let it bake at 160 degree celsius for...

My husband said that the apple sauce is marvelous. Alright, for this dish, apple sauce is the main star. So, apple sauce accompanying by the pork chops. Enjoy! Ingredients: - 4 pieces of pork chop - 1 packet of apple juice - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 apples, remove core and cut into small pieces - 1 onions, chopped - 1 tablespoon of mustard - salt, sugar, pepper Procedures: 1) Marinate pork chops in apple juice, light soya sauce, garlic over night. 2) In a baking tray, lay out the apple and onion pieces. Place the pork chops on top. Bake at 160 degree celsius for 1.5 hour. Flip over in between the baking period. Set aside the pork chops on a serving place. 3) Blend the remaining apples and onions in a saucepan. Blend it with a hand blender. Adjust the taste of the sauce with sugar, salt, pepper and mustard sauce. 4) Serve pork chops with apple sauce.

We first ate this dish at Black Penny Pub. Loved it, recreated it! Ingredients: - 1 whole butternut pumpkin - salt, sugar, paprika Procedures: 1) Slice butternut pumpkin lengthwise. 2) On each slice, sprinkle some olive oil, salt, sugar and paprika. 3) Bake at 160 degree celsius for 1 hour. Flip over half way through the baking time. Serve.

My husband has a good friend whose wife makes very good Nasi Briyani. So, today, I decided to take a shot at it. Ingredients: - 2 cinnamon sticks - 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds - 5 pods of cardamom - 2 pieces of anistars - 5 pieces of cloves - 1kg of basmati rice - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 stalks of lemon grass - 1 can of evaporated milk - 1000ml of water - 1 chicken cube - 1 handful of raisins Procedures: 1) In a wok, add some vegetable oil. Fry cinnamon sticks, cumin seeds, cardamom, anistars, cloves and minced garlic until fragrant. 2) Add basmati rice and fry a little. 3) Place the rice in a rice cooker. Add lemon grass, evaporated milk, water,  chicken cube and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the rice. 4) Add half a teaspoon of tumeric in hot water. When the rice is cooked, pour the tumeric water and mix well with the rice. 5) Add a handful of raisins. Serve.

San Lao Hor Fun was one of my partor dishes with my then-boyfriend (now hubby). Back in university days, we always had this dish at a zichar stall at Buona Vista. Ingredients: - 400g of Toman fish slices - 300g of beanspouts - 200g of spring onion, cut into 2cm length - 800g of kuay tiao - 1 thumb-size ginger, sliced - 6 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of fish sauce - 1 tablespoon of sugar - 1 ikan bilis cube - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 1 tablespoon of huatiao wine Procedures: 1) Marinate fish slices in light soya sauce and pepper for 2 hours. 2) Drain the marinate on the kuay tiao. Mix well. 3) In a wok, add some minced garlic and fry until fragrant. Add kuay tiao and fry under high fire until there is a little char bits with "wok fragrant". Set aside the kuay tiao in a serving plate. 4) In the wok, add ginger and garlic and fry until fragrant. Add fish slices, beanspouts and spring onions and fry a little....

This is my 200th post! I saw a video of Chicken Roll with Cream Cheese Filling on YouTube and the recipe combines 5 chicken breasts to form a super long roll. I thought that it looks pretty and delicious. So, I decided to start small and cook a mini version. Ingredients: - 2 chicken breasts - 100g of cream cheese - 100g of spinach, chopped - 1 teaspoon of sea salt - half a cup of bread crumbs - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed Procedures: 1) Mix cream cheese, garlic, spinach and sea salt. 2) Flatten chicken breast by hitting with a rolling point. 3) Spread the cream cheese mix on the chicken breast and roll it into a tube using aluminium foil. 4) Bake it at 200 degree celsius for 30 minutes. 5) Let the chicken rest to room temperature. 6) Unwrap the chicken. Coat it with flour, followed by beaten egg and breadcrumbs. 7) Fry it until crispy. Slice and serve.

I have earlier posted a recipe on Beef Rendang. This recipe on Chicken Rendang is pretty similar, just that it takes half the time to cook. Ingredients: - 2kg of chicken meat (drumsticks or thighs) - 1 thumb-size of ginger, sliced - 1 thumb-size of galangal, sliced - 15 dried chilies, rehydrated  - 9 shallots - 1 bulb of garlic - 5 stalks of lemon grass - 1 tablespoon of coriander powder  - 1 teaspoon of cumin powder  - 3 tablespoons of grated coconut - salt - sugar - 1 small packet of coconut milk - 20 lime leaves  Procedures: 1) Blend ginger, galangal, chilis, garlic, shallots, 2 stalks lemon grass into a paste. Add cumin and coriander powder.  2) Toast grated coconut until slightly brown. Pound it into a paste using pestle and mortar.  3) Add half a packet of coconut milk and water to fill up half the pot. Bring it to boil and keep stirring it.  Add the blended spice paste and continue to mix well. 4) Add chicken, the rest of the le...

This is another recipe that makes use of roti prata pastry. It is simple yet impressive. Ingredients: - 50g of tomatos, diced - 200g prawns, diced - 250g of chicken meat - 1 bulbs of garlic, minced - 1 can pastata - any suitable vegetables (spinach, zucchini) - 6 roti prata pastries, cut into halves - 1 chicken cube - salt, sugar, pepper - 250g of mozarella cheese Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil and fry garlic until fragrant. 2) Add prawns, chicken, tomatos and vegetables and fry until soft. 3) Add pastata, mozarella cheese and season with chicken cube salt, sugar and pepper to preferred taste. Let the garlic prawns cool to room temperature. 4) Foil it into half a roti prata pastry. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 15 minutes. Serve.

This canape is simple and refreshing. Once again, I made the base using spring roll wrappers. Ingredients (make 30 small canapes): - 100g prawns, peeled and boiled -  1 Japanese cucumber, diced - 50g of cheery tomatos, quarter - 15 pieces of small spring roll wrapper, quartered - fresh spinach, cut into small pieces - 2 tablespoons mayonnaise - pepper - 1 tablespoon of fruit jam - 1 beaten egg Procedures: 1) Boil prawns and cool it to room temperature. Dice it. 2) Cut spring roll wrappers into quarter. 3) Using egg wash, combine 2 wrappers and place it on a cupcake mould to form the base. Bake it at 160 degree celsius for 5 minutes. 4) In a mixing bowl, combine prawns, cucumber, spinach, mayonnaise, mustard, pepper, lime juice and jam. Mix well. 5) Scoop a teaspoon of the salad on each of the mini spring roll cups. 6) Add a quarter of cherry tomato on each of the canape. Serve.

This dish, Herbal Drunken Prawns, is not easy to handle. First, you need to have very fresh prawns or simply buy live prawns. Next, you need to consider 3 things to prevent overcooking the prawns: 1) It is advisable not to cook a large batch of prawns as it is difficult to ensure the prawns are consistently cooked. 2) For consistent 'doneness' of the batch of prawns, use a large-base pan (or wok) so that the prawns can be arrange in one layer while cooking. 3) Separate the cooked prawns from the hot herbal soup if the dish is not consume immediately. So, why go through so much trouble to cook this dish. Because, if done well, this dish is simply heavenly. Ingredients: - 1kg of large fresh prawns, devien - 1 cup Shaoxing wine or Whisky  - 6 slices of dang gui - 6 slices of yuzu - a few slices of ginseng - 1 handful of wolfberries - 1 handful red dates - 2 tablespoon light soya sauce (or stock cube), 1 tablespoon of sugar, pepper Procedures: 1) Soak fresh pra...

Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish - every family has their version of this comfort food. My version is not derived from any Cantonese, Hokkien or Teochew recipes but just how my mother has been cooking it since I was small. I add a twist to it with the runny egg yoke in the middle. Ingredients: - 500g of minced pork  - 1 large onion, chopped  - 2 thumb-size salted fish, cut into small pieces  - 1 egg  - parsley for garnishing  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil  - pepper  - 1 tablespoon of hua tiao wine  Procedures: 1) Place the minced pork, chopped onions, salted fish and egg white in a mixing bowl.  2) Season with light soya sauce, sesame oil and pepper. Mix well.  3) Tranfer the meat into a steaming plate. Make a dent in the middle of the meat. Steam the meat for 20 minutes.  4) Place the egg yoke in the middle dent. Steam for 2 more minutes.  5) Drizzle ...

I have some lamb chop leftover from last week. So, I decided give the leftover lamb a transformation. Ingredients: - 500g lamb chops (fresh or leftover), cut into chunks  - 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar  - 3 tablespoons of sugar  - 1 onion, cut into slices  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add a little vegetable oil and fry the onions until soft and fragrant.  2) Add the lamb pieces and fry until brown/warm. 3) Add balsamic vineger, sugar and 3 tablespoons of water. Fry until the sauce thickens. Serve. 

Tumeric has lots of health benefits, including cancer prevention effects. Tumeric Rice is fragrant and goes well with meat dishes. Ingredients: - 4 bowls of cooked rice - 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons of tumeric powder - a handful of raisins - 1 teaspoon of sea salt Procedures: 1) Add a little vegetable oil to frying pan. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and fry until aromatic. 2) Add tumeric powder and fry until it turns slight brown. 3) Add cooked rice and mix well with cumin and tumeric powder. 4) Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and a handful of raisins. Mix well. Serve.

This dish originated from my late grandmother. There is no recipe out there for this dish as this is her own creation. Today, I decided to cook it based on memory and intuition. I have got the approval from my mother who thought that I was very spot-on with the taste. Ingredients: - 3 eggs - 5-7 dried mushroom, rehydrated, sliced - 250g of sliced pork - 1 small dried cuttlefish, rehydrated, shredded - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 tablespoon of corn flour - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce -  1 tablespoon of fish sauce - 1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce - pepper - spring onions, chopped Procedures: 1) Beat 3 eggs. In a wok, add some vegetable oil. Pan fry an omelette. Set it aside. 2) Marinate sliced pork in corn flour and light soya sauce 3) Add minced garlic to wok, fry until fragrant. Add sliced pork, fry until brown. 4) Add sliced mushrooms, shredded cuttlefish and the omelette. Mix well. 5) Add oyster sauce, fish sauce, dark...

Fresh prawns can never go wrong, just as long as it is not overcooked. For my husband's Birthday Celebration Part 3, I cooked him one of his favourites - Steamed Prawns with Garlic. Ingredients: - 600g fresh prawns - 1 bulb of garlic, minced - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine - 1 teaspoon of sesame oil - 1 teaspoon of sugar - 1 tablespoon of fish sauce - pepper - spring onions, chopped Procedures: 1) In a bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of water, light soya sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, fish sauce, pepper and minced garlic and spring onions. 2) Wash the prawns and slit it lengthwise. Drizzle sauce on the prawns in the slits. 3) Steam for 3-5 minutes. 4) Sprinkle more spring onions. Serve.

I have one lemon left from last week Honey Lemon Chicken Wings. To use this last lemon, I made Lemon Butter Fish for dinner tonight. Ingredients: - 2 slices of white fish (i.e. sole, dory) - 50g of butter - 1 lemon - 3 tablespoons of sugar - 3 cloves of garlic - 1 teaspoon of salt - spring onions, chopped - 1 tablespoon of flour - half a cup of bread crumbs - 1 egg Procedures: 1) Grate the lemon zest from the lemon and then extract the juice. 2) Wash fish and pat dry. Dust it with flour, coat it with beaten eggs and then with bread crumbs. 3) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil and pan-fry the fish until crispy. Set aside the fish on a serving plate. 4) Melt butter in frying pan. Add garlic and fry until fragrant. Add lemon juice, salt and sugar. 4) Add lemon zest and spring onions. Bring the sauce to a boil. 5) Drizzle the sauce on top of the fish. Serve.

It is interesting how runny egg yokes always have that 'wow' factor. So, onsen eggs certainly deserve a post of its own.  Ingredients: - 5 fresh eggs - 3 tablespoons of Japanese light soya sauce - 3 tablespoons of mirin - 8 tablespoons of water Procedures: 1) Boil a pot of water. When the water is boiling, add 5 fresh eggs and cook for 7 minutes. 2) Transfer the eggs to a cold water bath to stop the cooking. 3) In a ziplock bag, add light soya sauce, mirin and water. 4) Peel the shells of the eggs and soak the eggs in seasoning for 2-3 hours. Serve with ramen.

This is another dish for my husband's month-long Birthday Celebration Part 2. Tonkotsu Ramen is a "long enduring" dish which takes about 10-12 hours to cook. The longer the pork broth simmers, the tastier is the ramen. So, may the husband be like this dish- the older, the better! Ingredients: - 700g of pork bones - 400g of pork skin - 1 bulb of garlic, skinned - 1 inch of ginger, skinned - 3 large onions, skinned - 100g minced pork - 5 servings of ramen noodles - 5 onsen eggs - few stalks of spring onions - 200g of beanspouts - 5 teaspoons of miso paste - 1 tablespoon of fermented beanpaste - 2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce - 2 tablespoons of sugar - seasoning of onsen eggs (3 tablespoons of light soya sauce, 3 tablespoons of mirin, 8 tablespoons of water) Procedures: 1) Scald pork bones and pork skin in hot water For 5 minutes. 2) Transfer the pork bones into a slow cooker. Cut the pork skin into small pieces. Transfer pork skin to the slow cooker...

I have some leftover whipping cream, again! Time to make another ice-cream. The other time, we made some Macadamia Nuts Brittle Ice-cream. Today, we shall make a much simpler Cookies and Cream Ice-cream. Ingredients: - 500ml of whipping cream - 1/2 can of condensed milk - 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract - 20-25 of Oreo cookies - shaved chocolates (optional) Procedures: 1) Whip whipping cream until firm peaks formed. 2) Add condensed milk and vanilla extract. Mix well. 3) Separate cream and cookies from the Oreo cookies. 4) Mix the cream into the ice-cream mix. Crush the Oreo cookies and add to the mix as well. Top up with any shaved chocolates. 5) Put the ice-cream in the freezer. Stir after after 2-3 hours to prevent cookies from sinking to the bottom. Freeze the ice-cream overnight. Serve with a slice of Oreo cookie.

I chanced upon this recipe in an old cookbook. I followed the recipe but the dish still looks very different from the picture in the cookbook. I am not sure how it should taste too. Well... at times, life is like that too... lack of clarity... but it is okay... Ingredients: - 1 kg of chicken drumsticks - 1 can of pastata - 1 packet of apple juice - 4 large red onions, sliced - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 chicken cube - 2 tablespoons of sugar - 1 salt Procedures: 1) Dust chicken drumsticks with flour. Brown the in a frying pan. Set aside. 2) Fry onions in frying pan until soften and brown. Add minced garlic and fry until fragrant. 3) Add apple juice, pastata and a bowl of water. Add the chicken drumsticks back to the pan. Simmer until cooked. 4) Season with salt, sugar and chicken cube. Serve.