Memories in the Cooking

This is not really a recipe. But I have finally assembled a cheeseboard and it looks impressive! Ingredients: - 4 types of cheese (a mix of hard and soft, weak and strong) - crackers - 2 fresh fruits (red and green grapes) - cherry tomatoes - 4 cold cuts - 2 jams - 2 types of nuts (almonds and pistachios) - 2 types of dried fruits (apricots, cranberries)

Egg Tarts is my elder boy's favourite dim sum snack. These few weeks, he has been studying hard for his End-of-year Examination. So, I have decided to make this snack to reward him. Ingredients (15 egg tarts): - 4 eggs  - 1/4 cup of caster sugar - 1 can of nestle all-purpose cream - milk  - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract  - stored-bought pastry shells  Procedures: 1) In a measuring jug, empty a can of all-purpose cream. Add milk until the total volume is 250ml. 3) Heat up milk-cream mixture slightly. Dissolve caster sugar in the milk-cream mixture. Let it cool.  3) Whisk the eggs.  4) Mix the eggs with the milk-cream mixture. Add vanilla extract. Pass the custard mixture through a fine sieve.  5) Pour the custard mixture in the tart shells. Bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes. 

In our recent trip to Kaoshiung, we visited a tea plantation and experienced plucking and roasting tea leaves. While our tea leaves was roasting away, our host treated us to some homemade Chinese Tea Eggs. So, we asked the host to share his recipe with us and here it is! Ingredients: - 10 eggs - 3 tablespoons of black tea leaves - 3 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce - 1 cinnamon stick - 2 anistars - 1 teaspoon of salt Procedures: 1) Cook eggs in boiling water for 7 minutes. Crack the eggs shells but do not peel off the shells. 2) In a pot, place the boiled eggs and top up water just enough to cover it. 3) Add black tea leaves and seasonings. Let it cool for 1 hour until small fire. 4) Serve immediately or continue to soak it in the tea solution.

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 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...

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. 

Be warn! This is a cheat recipe for the Taiwanese Spring Onion Pancake using stored-bought roti prata pastry. Ingredients: - 4 sheets of roti prata pastry - few stalks of spring onions, chopped finely - half a teaspoon of five spice powder - 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil - 2 eggs Procedure: 1) Mix spring onions with five spice powder and vegetable oil. 2) Place spring onions on each roti prata pastry and roll it into a tube. 3) Join the 4 tubes lengthwise and twirl into a snailshell shape. Flatten it. 4) Pan-fry it on both sides. Adding beaten eggs to each side. 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. 

Sweet and Sour Fish is always a pleaser with children and adults alike. It is very appetizing and goes well with rice. There are a few variations to the bed of crunchy vegetables and fruits. You can select any combinations of cucumbers, capsicums, pineapples, lychees or longans. Ingredients: - 1 whole fish - 1 green capsicum, diced - 1 can of longans - 2 tomato, diced - 1 onion, diced - 3 tablespoons of tomato ketchup - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of black vinegar - 2 tablespoons of sugar Procedures: 1) Coat the fish with corn flour. Pan fry it and lay it on the serving plate. 2) Stir fry onions with a little oil until fragrant. Add vegetables, fruits and tomatos. Fry until soft. 3) Add tomato ketchup, light soya sauce, black vinegar and sugar. Pour the sauce on top of the fish. Serve.

I just came back from a holiday to Taiwan. So, for one-dish meal today, I shall cook Oyster Mee Sua. Ingredients: - 500g of oysters - 300g of mee sua - 1 piece of dried cuttlefish, shredded - 1 large pig intestine - 1 thumbsize of ginger, grated - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 tablespoon of chinese wine - 1 chicken cube - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 100g of chinese parsley - black vinegar - chili oil Procedures: 1) Blanch pig intestine in a boiling water. Cut into small pieces. 2) In a pot of hot water, add shredded cuttlefish, grated ginger, minced garlic and pig intestines. Add chinese wine, chicken cube, oyster sauce, dark soya sauce and light soya sauce. Let it boil for about 30 minutes. 3) Add corn flour to washed oysters. Blanch in boiling water for a minute. Set aside. 4) Add mee sua to the boiling stock. Cook until soft. Cut the mee sua into smaller pieces. 5) Add corn starch to thic...

Yay! December school holiday is here and I can cook everyday! For more manageable cooking during this period, every weekday meal will be an one-dish meal. For a start, our one-dish meal for today is the Japanese Steak Bowl! Ingredients: - 400g of beef steak (I use t-bone today)  - 4 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 1 bulb of garlic, slice  - 3 tablespoons of sake  - 3 tablespoons of water  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 2 cup of Japanese rice  Procedures: 1) Marinate steak with light soya sauce and 1 clove of minced garlic for a few hours.  2) Cook Japanese rice as per the packet instructions.  3) In a drying pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add sliced garlic. Fry until it turns brown. Set aside.  4) In the same pan, add beaf steak. Cook for 2 minutes at one side. Turn it over.  5) Cook the other side for 2 minute. Add the rest of the light soya sauce, water, sake and sugar. Cook for another...