Memories in the Cooking

My husband disapproves of processed food. This fish fingers are made from fresh Seabass fillets. I used Chinese marinates for this recipe.  Ingredients: - 2 Seabass fillets (about 250g each), cut into strips - 1 teaspoon of light soya sauce  - 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce  - 1 teaspoon of huatiao wine  - pepper  - 1 beaten egg - breadcrumbs  Procedures: 1) Marinate the fish strips with light soya sauce, oyster sauce, huatiao wine and pepper overnight.  2) Coat each strip with beaten eggs followed by breadcrumbs.  3) Cook the fish strips in 2 batches. Place them in an air-fryer. Spray vegetable oil on them. Air-fry them at 180 degree celsius for 15 minutes (turn over at halftime). 

I find the traditional recipe of Porchetta is quite time consuming some it involves slow roasting for several hours. Hence, I improvise slightly and take some reference from the chinese roasted pork recipe.  Ingredients: - 1.4 kg of pork belly, butterflied - 2 teaspoons of salt - pepper - 1 tablespoon of Italian mixed herbs - 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs - 1 onion, diced - 1 bulb of garlic, minced Procedures: 1) Score the pork belly skin. Cut the meatside slightly so that it can absorb the flavours from the stuffing better later. Coat the skin with about 2 tablespoons of salt.  2) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil. Fry onions and garlic until fragrant. Add herbs and breadcrumbs. (Optional: Add chicken liver). Leave the breadcrumbs mix to cool until room temperature. 3) Scoop the breadcrumbs on the pork belly (meat side). Roll up the pork belly and secure it with cooking twine. 4) Leave it in the fridge overnight. Air-dry the pork skin the next day before roasting...

Roasted Pork Knuckles always have the power to impress. I used to get this cut for German Pork Knuckles from NTUC in AMK Hub. Since I had moved out from Ang Mo Kio, I realise that I could not find this cut in other supermarkets. Recently, I managed to find it at the butchery in Sheng Song. So happy! Ingredients:  - 1 pork knuckle  - salt  - garlic  Procedures:  1) Pat dry a washed pork knuckle. Use 3 satay sticks to hold the pork skin in place.  2) Fan dry the pork knuckle. Apply a layer of salt on the pork skin.  3) Roast it in the oven at 180 degree celsius for 1 hour. Scrap away the layer of salt.  4) Roast again at 250 degree celsius until the skin is crispy. Serve with mustard sauce. 

I use air-fryer and the steps for Tonkatsu for the chicken cutlet.  Ingredients: - 3 boneless chicken thighs - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine  - pepper  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - half a teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 3 tablespoons of salted egg powder  - half a cup of milk  - salt and sugar  - 1 egg  - bread crumbs  - 2 cloves of garlic, minced - curry leaves  - 2 chili padi  Procedures: 1) Marinate chicken thighs in light soya sauce, Chinese cooking wine, pepper, oyster sauce and five-spice powder. Leave it overnight.  2) Add a beaten egg to the chicken thighs.  3) Coat the chicken thighs with bread crumbs  4) Let it air-fry at 180 degree for 30 minutes. Spray some cooking oil on it first. Flip it at the 15 minutes mark.  5) In a frying pan, add minced garlic and vegetable oil. Fry until fragrant. Add curry leaves, chili padi and salted egg yolk powde...

This is another easy air-fryer recipe - Tonkatsu. To save time, I marinated the pork the night before. This allows me to serve a weekday dinner within 30 minutes after reaching home.  Ingredients: - 500g of Pork tenderloin, butterflied (or pork shoulder)  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - pepper  - 1 teaspoon of five space powder  - 2 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 1 egg - 2 tablespoons of corn flour  - Japanese bread crumbs  - vegetable oil Procedures: 1) Butterfly and flatten pork. Place it in a marinating bowl/container.  2) Add light soya sauce, oyster sauce, pepper, five spice powder and huatiao wine. Let it marinate for 24 hours.  3) Add an egg to the pork. Add cornflour and mix well.  4) Coat the pork with Japanese breadcrumbs.  5) Place them in the air-fryer in a single layer. Spray vegetable oil on the pork.  6) Bake at 180 degree celsius for 25 minutes.  7) Turn the p...

This is my invention! I believe many of us are familiar with Thai Basil Pork and Snail Sausages separately. This recipe combines both together!  Ingredients:  - 500g of minced pork  - thai basil, chopped  - 2 chili padi, chopped  - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 3 tablespoons of fish sauce  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil  - about 10 sheets of large spring roll skin  Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, add minced pork, thai basil, chili, garlic, fish sauce and sesame oil. Mix well.  2) Line up the 10 sheets of large spring roll skin side by side and overlapping with each other. (see below)  3) Line the minced pork in a cylindrical shape across all sheets of spring roll. Roll them up and swirl it into a snail shape. Use a long satay stick to pierce through the sausage and hold the shape.  4) Pan-fry the snail sausage such that both sides are golden brown.  5) Bake it in the oven at 180 degree celsius for another 15 minutes. Serve....

I finally roasted a whole duck. This recipe is wonderful as it adds a delicate taste to an otherwise gamey duck meat.  Ingredients: - 1 duck (about 2kg), pat dry  - earl grey tea from about 4 tea bags  - 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 2 teaspoons of salt  - 5 potatoes, cube  - 1 onion, halved  - 1 bulb of garlic  Procedures  1) Rub tea leaves, five-spice powder and salt all around the duck and inside the cavity.  2) Stuff onion and garlic into the cavity of the duck and stitch it up using a satay stick.  3) Score the duck skin. Let it continue to air dry for 1 hour.  4) Place the duck (breast-side up) on a rack in a roasting tray. Let it roast for 1 hour at 180 degree celsius.  5) Pour away the duck fat from the roasting tray. Add potatoes into the roasting tray. Transfer the onion and garlic in the duck cavity go the roasting tray. Mix well.  6) Place the duck back into the rack in the roasting tray (breast-side ...

Mala has conquered the world! It appears in almost every food court. This is my recipe for Mala Grilled Fish. For the fish, I chose a more than. 1kg pearl grouper. So, you can imagine what a huge dish this is.  Ingredients:  - More than 1kg grouper, butterflied  - 4 preferred vegetables (tau kwa, black fungus, cabbage, taukee)  - Haidilao mala paste  - peanuts, fried  - parsley, chopped - 4 cloves of garlic, chopped  Procedures: 1) Place the butterflied fish on a baking tray. Brush vegetable oil around the fish. Bake at 225 degree celsius for 20-30 minutes.  2) Cut tau kwa into small blocks. Pan fry it until golden brown in a frying pan.  3) Drain away the excess oil. Add chopped garlic. Fry until fragrant.  4) Add softened taukee, black fungus and cabbage. Fry until soft.  5) Add Haidilao paste. Mix well.  6) Pour the Mala vegetables onto the grilled fish.  7) Top it with peanuts and parley. 

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. 

Just how ultimate is this meatloaf wellington? It has the wonderful flavour of both pork and beef. It is covered with bacon. It has a pretty egg and oozing cheese centre. This is just so ultimate. Ingredients: - 6-7 slices of prata  - 250g of minced beef - 250g of minced pork - 1 cup of bread crumbs - a few sticks of parmesan cheese - 1 tablespoon of mixed Italian herbs - 2 hard boiled eggs - 1 raw egg - 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper - 250g of bacon - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, add minced beef, minced pork, bread crumbs, garlic, mustard sauce, herbs, salt and pepper and raw egg. Mix well. 2) Place 6 slices of prata in a baking tray. Overlapping with each other such that it forms a base.  3) Add a layer of bacon strips. 4) Add meat patty on the prata base. Mould it into a loaf. Make a trough in the middle of the meatloaf. Lay 2 hard boil eggs in the trough. Add parmesan cheese sticks. Mould the meat back into a loaf.  5) Co...

 It is our family tradition to cook Singaporean dishes on National Day. As part of our National Day celebration meal, I made some Salted Egg Baked Chicken Wings. Thanks to the Knorr Salted Egg Powder, I did not need to make the dish from scratch.  Ingredients: - 1 kg of chicken mid-wings  - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - oil spray and  - 2 tablespoons of Knorr Salted Egg Powder  - 1 teaspoon of salt  - 1 teaspoon of sugar  - 1 packet of curry leaves  - 1 big chili, chopped   Procedures:  1) Marinate chicken wings with light soya sauce and minced garlic. Leave it for a few hours.  2) Lay the chicken wings on a baking tray. Spray some cooking oil on it. Cook it at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes.  3) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil. Fry curry leaves and chili until fragrant.  4) Add the baked chicken wings.  5) Add salted egg powder, salt and sugar. Mix well a...

I used to buy ready-made Teriyaki sauce at around $5 dollars a bottle (250 ml) from supermarket until I found that Teriyaki sauce is essentially just light soya sauce, mirin, sake, sugar and ginger juice. Not only is it more economical to make your own Teriyaki sauce, it also produces tastier teriyaki dishes. Reason? Home-made Teriyaki sauce produces a shiny and sticky coat on the meat or fish, which is achieved through slowly reducing the mixture of seasoning. By making your Teriyaki sauce from scratch, you could easily produce enough quantity at a faction of the price for a big batch of meat (i.e. chicken wings, chicken cutlets, salmon etc), ideal for a party. This post, I am going to show you how to whip up a Teriyaki Fish Burrito Bowl. Ingredients: - 2 fish fillets  - 20 ml of sake - 20 ml of mirin - 10 ml of Japanese soya sauce - 20 ml of water - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 50g ginger, grated Procedures: 1) Combine all seasoning and ginger....

Fish with sauteed onions - very rarely do I like the accompanying ingredients on the fish more than the fish itself. This is one dish which I could eat a bowl of rice with just the sauteed onions. This is my Mummy's recipe and it is definitely going to stay for at least my generation. Ingredients: - 1 grouper - 2 large yellow onions, sliced - 1 thumb-size ginger, shredded - parsley for garnishing - 3 tablespoons of black vinegar - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce - salt, pepper - corn flour - 2 tablespoons of sugar Procedures: 1) Pat dry grouper. Season it with a little salt and pepper. Coat it with corn flour. 2) To a pan of hot vegetable oil, add grouper and pan-fry it until brown over medium fire (around 5 minutes on each side). When the fish is cooked, set it aside on a serving plate. 3) Pan-fry sliced onions until soft. Add shredded ginger and fry until fragrant. Add vinegar, light soya sauce, pepper and sugar. 4) Add the onions on the grouper. Garnish wi...

As part of our family drama day, we also recreated the scene of Mr Beaver's Dinner from CS Lewis' novel - "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe". Here is our version of the marvelous fish!  Ingredients: - huge seabass (about 1.2kg)  - 2 lemons cut into half slices  - 1 box of cherry tomatoes  - 1.5 tablespoons of sea salt  - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs  - 3 bulbs of garlic, remove the skin  - 1 box of dill (about 90g)  - 3 tablespoons of olive oil  Procedures:  1) Rub 1 tablespoon of seasalt to both sides of the fish and the fish stomach.  2) Cut slits into both sides of the fish. Insert a slice of lemon into each of the slits. Insert a few slices of lemon and  a few stalks of dill into the stomach of the fish.  3) Place a few slices of lemon on a baking tray and lay the fish on it. 4) In a mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, mixed herbs, the rest of the dill, sea salt and some crushed gar...

This is the first school holiday that we cannot go anywhere. Since we cannot take the planes, we let our imagination takes flight and have a Greece Holiday at home. We enjoyed Greek food such as Souvlaki. Ingredients: - 250g of pork belly, cut into bite-sizes - juice of half a lemon - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs - pepper - 1 teaspoon of cumin - 1 teaspoon of paprika  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - 1 onion, chopped - 2 tablespoons of olive oil Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, add lemon juice, salt, mixed herbs, pepper, cumin, paprika, minced garlic, chopped onions and olive oil. Mix well. 2) Add pork belly. Marinate for a few hours. 3) Skewer the meat. Place it on a baking tray and cover it with aluminum foil. Roast it at 180 degree celsius for 45 mins. 4) Roast it at 230 degree celsius uncovered for 5 minutes on each side. Watch this step to prevent charring. Serve.

This dish is super easy and the kids love anything that is creamy and cheesy. Ingredients:  - 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise  - 2 tablespoons of honey mustard  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - mozzarella cheese  - salmon steaks  Procedures: 1) Mix mayonnaise, honey mustard and garlic in a bowl.  2) Lay the salmon steaks on a oven tray.  3) Spread the mayonnaise-mustard mix on each piece of salmon.  4) Top it up with mozzarella cheese.  5) Cover the salmon steaks with aluminium foil. Bake it at 180 degree celsius for 15 minutes.  6) Remove the aluminium foil. Grill it at 225 degree celsius for another 5 minutes until the cheese turns brown. 

My husband is a Hakka. So, he grew up with Yong Tau Foo which he got to eat every weekend at his grandmother's place. Por Por's version not only has stuffed tau kua but also stuffed chilis, stuffed brinjals, stuffed chilis and stuffed bitter gourds. My version is simplified for a family of four. Ingredients: - 2 pieces of firm tau kua, each cut into 3 pieces lengthwise - 10 pieces of tau pok - 250g of minced pork - 150g of prawn paste  - 100g of fish paste  - flounder fish powder (30g) - 3 garlic, crushed - oyster sauce - pepper - light soya sauce - sugar - sesame oil - corn flour Procedures: 1) Dig out some tau kua from the tau kua blocks to create a well. 2) Place the tau kua pieces in  a mixing bowl. Mince it. Add minced pork, minced prawns, minced fish, fish powder,  2 tablespoon of light soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, pepper and corn flour. Mix well. 3) Stuff minced pork mix to the tau kua and tau pok. 4) Add vegetable oil to a pan...

Well, well.... what is Salmon Well...ington? I guess most of us would have heard of Beef Wellington - beef ramp/steak wrapped in puff pastry. When Beef Wellington is cooked to perfection, it would have a crispy crust and pink centre from the medium rare beef. Sounds heavenly to eat but hellish to make? I think so too. So, for a start, you might want to try making Salmon Wellington as there is more room for error. To make it even easier and more economical, I use roti prata for the pastry!  Ingredients: - 4 slices of 50g salmon fillet (2 blocks of Muar Otah) - 6 slices of roti prata (frozen pastry from supermarket) - 250g of spinach  - a pinch of sea salt and pepper - 1 egg  - 2-3 clove of garlic  Procedures: 1) Stir fry garlic and spinach. Add salt and pepper. Set aside the soften spinach. Try to drain away any water.  2) Arrange 3 roti prata such that they overlap with one another and form a base.  3) Place the salmon fillets o...

Nope, this is not sweet and sour pork. Neither is this Hainanese Pork Chop. This is just a dish that I recall having at my grandmother's house. At my grandmother's house, my cousins and I would steal a few bites while other dishes were prepared. Oh... what wonderful memories. Ingredients: - 400g of pork shoulder butt, cut into bite-size - 4 Russet potatos, cut into bite size - light soya sauce - hua tiao wine - plain flour - salt - vegetable oil - tomato ketchup - sugar - 2 garlic, crushed Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, marinate pork with 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce and 2 tablespoons of hua tiao wine. Set it aside for at least 20 minutes. 2)  Cut potatoes into bite-size. 3) Coat pork and potatos with flour. 5) Fry the pork and potatos or roast it in the oven at 220 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Set it aside. 6) In a frying pan, fry crushed garlic until fragrant. Add half a cup of tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon of sugar and half a cup of corn starch ...