Memories in the Cooking

Crispy Fish Skin. Tangy and sweet sauce. This dish is quite a winner, considering how simple and fast it takes to prepare it.  Ingredients: - 2 halves of Saba Fish  - 3 small tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes, chopped - 2 tablespoons of ketchup - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 2 teaspoons of sugar  - a bunch of parsley, chopped Procedures: 1) Add oil to a non-stick pan. Fry Saba Fish skin-side down until crispy. Turn it over to cook the other side.  2) Add tomatoes and let it sit with the fish into soft.  3) Add ketchup, light soya sauce and sugar. Mix the sauce well with the fish. 4) Add chopped parsley. Serve. 

Another porridge for the husband who is recovering from wisdom tooth extraction. Our family does not like chicken breast meat because of the dryness. So, we are using chicken drumsticks!  Ingredients:  - 2 cups of rice - 2 chicken drumsticks - a quarter of a pumpkin  - spring onions, chopped - fried shallots  - 1 tablespoon of minced garlic - 1 tablespoon of fish sauce  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil  - 4 eggs - salt and pepper Procedures: 1) In a rice cooker, cook the rice into porridge. Place the pumpkin and chicken drumsticks to cook together.  2) When cooked, remove the chicken drumsticks and shred them.  3) In a pan, add minced garlic with some vegetable oil and fry until fragrant. Add the shredded chicken, chopped spring onions, sesame oil and fish sauce.  4) Set aside one of it. Add the porridge into the pan. Sieve it for a smoother porridge.  5) Add salt and pepper to taste.  6) Crack 4 eggs on the porridge.  7) Scoop the porridge and eggs into 4 serving bowls. Top up with chicke

A few years ago, I visited the hometown of Mapo Tofu (Si Chuan, Chengdu) and enjoyed the food tremendously. I ate like a local as I savoured the 口水鸡，水煮鱼，麻辣火锅，braised rabbit heads etc. With my little ones at home, it is hard to cook any Si Chuan dishes. Today, I decided to push the boundaries a little with a not-so-spicy Mapo Tofu. My elder son loves it! I think I can up my game in future.  Ingredients: - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 250g minced pork  - 1 block of tofu, cut into cubes - corn flour  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 teaspoon of fermented soya beanpaste  - 1 tablespoon of Lao Gan Ma's chili oil  - spring onions for garnishing Procedures: 1) Add 1 tablespoon of corn flour and light soya sauce to minced pork. Mix well and let it marinate.  2) Soak the tofu cubes in hot water.  3) To a frying pan, add a little vegetable oil. Add garlic and fry until fragrant. Add minced pork and fry until brown.  4) Add fermented soya beanpaste,

I have been keeping a look out for superfood (aka nutrients dense food) and sweet potato is one of them. This is a change to our usual mashed potato.  Ingredients:  - 4 sweet potatoes - half a cup of milk  - salt, pepper, mixed herbs (according to preference)  - parsley, chopped Procedures: 1) Cook sweet potatoes until soft. Mash it.  2) Add milk, salt and mixed herbs according to taste. Mix well.  3) Garnish by sprinkling with chopped parsley. 

This is a cheat recipe - making ravioli using dumpling skin. This combination of beef and ricotta filling and sundried tomato pesto is awesome. It tastes both creamy and tangy.  Ingredients: - 26 dumpling skins (for 13 huge pieces of ravioli) - 300g of minced beef  - 200g of ricotta cheese  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 100g of sun-dried tomatoes - a cup of sunflower seeds  - salt and pepper  - 1 teaspoon of corn flour  - olive oil - fresh spinach leaves Procedures:  1) Add cornflour to minced beef. Stir-fry minced beef and half of the minced garlic in a pan.  Season with salt and pepper. Let it cool.  2) In a mixing bowl, mix beef with ricotta cheese.  3) Place a tablespoon of beef and ricotta mix between 2 pieces of dumpling skins.  4) In a pot of boiling water, cook the ravioli.  5) Place them on individual serving plates and drizzle with olive oil.  6) Blend sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, sunflower seeds and olive oil into a paste.  7) In a frying pan, fry the sundried tomato

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. 

My hubby and I recently had this dish during our date. We both loved the smokiness and tanginess of the dish. So, I am re-creating it at home today.  Ingredients:  - 300g of back bacon, cut into strips  - 400g of penne  - 3 king oyster mushroom, cut into strips  - 100g of sundried tomatoes - a handful of sunflower seeds (alternatives include pine nuts or any nuts, even peanuts) - 3 tomatoes, chopped - 1 can of pastata  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - salt and pepper  - a handful of cheese  Procedures:  1) Cook penne according to package instructions. Set aside with a scope of the pasta water.  2) Blend sunflower seeds, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes to get the pesto.  3) In a frying pan, dry-fry the bacon until fat is rendered from it and it become crispy.  4) Add minced garlic. Stir well.  5) Add mushrooms and stir well. Cook until soft.  6) Add tomato pesto and pastata. Add salt and pepper to taste.  7) Add penne. Stir well. Add cheese and stir until it melts and mix well. Ser

This is one of the mum-hack recipe. Simple and quick dinner for a workday.  Ingredients: - 6 assorted chinese sausages, chopped  - 1 pack of french beans, chopped  - 1 cup of fried shallots  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of sugar - pepper  - shredded ginger  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil  - 2 cups of rice Procedures: 1) Cook 2 cups of rice with chopped sausages.  2) In a frying pan, add sesame oil. Fry ginger shreds until brown.  3) Add chopped french bean and cook until soft. 4) Add dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, sugar and pepper.  5) Pour the french bean and sauce into the cooked rice and sausages. Mix well. Serve. 

My repertoire for duck recipe is very limited. Before this dish, the only duck recipe I knew is Teochew Braised Duck. So, I am so happy to try this classic french duck dish and know that it is so easy!  Ingredients:  - 1 whole duck breast, deboned and cut into 2 portions - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1 teaspoon of pepper - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs  - 2 oranges - 1 lemon - 1 tablespoon of sugar  - some salad vegetables Procedures: 1) Score the skin of the duck breasts. Season the duck breast with salt, pepper and mixed herbs.  2) In low fire, grill the duck breasts skin-side down until the skin is crispy and the fat is rendered. It will take about 5 mins.  3) Flip over the duck breasts and cook for another 5 minutes. If need be, flip the duck to the sides for future browning and cooking. This will take another 2 more minutes. Place the duck breasts on a serving plate and let it rest.  4) Add lemon juice, orange juice (of one orange), sugar to the remaining duck juice. Let it boil and thicken.

I am not very good at frying fish. Hence, for this recipe, I oven-baked the fish first.  Ingredients: - 1 large grouper  - 250g of minced pork  - minced garlic - 1 chili, sliced  - 1 tablespoon of minced beanpaste  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of sugar  - ginger, sliced  Procedures: 1) Score both sides of the fish. Insert a slice of ginger into each slit and the stomach of the fish. Place the fish on a baking tray. Drizzle vegetable oil on both sides of the fish. Bake in the oven at 225 degree celsius for 20-30 minutes.  2) In a frying pan, fry some minced garlic until fragrant. Add minced meat and fry until brown.  3) Add chili, beanpaste, oyster sauce, dark soya sauce and mix well. 4) Add about 1 cup of water. When the sauce boils, thickens it with corn starch.  5) Place the grilled fish on a serving plate. Pour the sauce over the fish. Serve. 

Is this a tart or a pizza? I suggest both are right. The crust is made of store-bought roti prata.  Ingredients: - 8 roti prata  - 1 pack of spinach  - 3 tomatoes, sliced  - 200g of mozzarella cheese  Procedures:  1) Arrange 8 roti prata in 4x2 formation. Foil up the sides.  2) Lay spinach, tomatoes and cheese on the base.  3) Bake 180 degree celsius for 30 minutes. 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 tap water.  4) In a wok, add vegetable oil and fry 2 beaten eggs into ome

This is a yummy dish when your food supplies run low.  Ingredients: - 1 can of Spam or 4 slices of Bak Kwa, chopped - 4 eggs  - 4 bowls of cooked rice  - french beans, chopped  - spring onions, chopped - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce  - pepper  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, fry 4 beaten eggs. Chop into small pieces.  2) Add chopped Spam or Bak Kwa. Mix well. 3) Add french beans. Mix well.  4) Add cooked rice. Mix well.  5) Add fish sauce and pepper.  6) Add spring onions. Mix well. Serve.