Memories in the Cooking

I always thought that Olive Rice is a Thai dish until I found a recipe of it in a Teochew cookbook. If it is really Teochew, then I guess it is closer to my heritage. Anyway, Olive Rice is another hassle-free rice dish for a medium-size party of around 20 people. The olive leaves is so flavourful that no additional seasoning is necessary. Ingredients: - 5 cups of rice - 3 cups of cashew nuts - 3 huge tablespoons of olive vegetables - 3 cups of raisins  - 100g of fried shallots  - 6-8 chinese sausages  - 2 slices of oil preserved fish  - fish sauce  Procedures: 1) Cook rice in rice-cooker. Place chinese sausages on top of the rice when cooking.  2) When cooked, remove the chinese sausages and slice it.  3) Add to the rice - olive leaves, fried shallots, preserved fish, cashew nuts and raisins. Mix it well.  4) Add fish sauce to taste.  5) Arrange the sliced chinese sausages on the rice. Serve. 

Lu Rou Fan is a classic Taiwanese dish. The gluey and melt-in-your mouth pork serve on with rice epitomises comfort food. This is a hassel-free recipe because I am using the slow-cooker to do the magic. Ingredients: - 500g of pork skin - 500g of pork belly - 2 bulbs of garlic, remove the skin - 80g of Chinese parsley, chopped - 80g of ginger, sliced - 1/2 cup of dark soya sauce - 1/2 cup of light soya sauce - 2 tablespoons of sesame oil - 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder - 1/2 cup of huatiao wine - 3 tablespoons of sugar - 2 cinnamon sticks - 3 anistars - 10 pieces of cloves - 50g of fried shallots Procedures: 1) Blench pork skin and pork belly in boiling water for 10 minutes. Cool it and cut it into small pieces. 2) Place the pork skin and pork belly into a slow-cooker. 3) Add dark soya sauce, light soya sauce, sesame oil, five-spice powder, huatiao wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks, anistars and cloves to the meat.  Mix well. 4) Add water just enough to cover the...

Chinese New Year is here. Waxed Meat Glutinous Rice is one classic CNY dish. Ingredients:  - 3 cups of glutinous rice - 6 large dried mushrooms - 6 Chinese sausages - 1 waxed duck leg - 1 waxed pork belly - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce - 1 tablespoons of oyster sauce - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1 can of Guinness Stout or few tablespoons of Whiskey  Procedures: 1) Place washed glutinous rice in rice cooker. Add 5 cups of water, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and salt. Mix well.  2) Add mushrooms, waxed pork belly, Chinese sausages and waxed duck leg on the rice. Let the rice soak for about 1 hour.  3) Cook the rice and ingredients using the rice-cooker setting.  4) Slice the waxed pork belly, Chinese sausages, mushrooms and waxed duck leg. Arrange the ingredients beautifully on the rice. You can add some baby abalones too. 

I have tried roasted duck a few times. This is another try on the copycat-version of Dian Xiao Er's Dang Gui Roasted Duck.  Ingredients: - 1 whole duck, butterflied  - 15 pieces of Dang Gui, blended into powder  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 2 tablespoons of honey - 1 tablespoon of white vinegar  - 1 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 1 teaspoon of white pepper powder  - black tea from 4 teabags  Procedures: 1) In a bowl, add Dang Gui powder, oyster sauce, tea leaves, 1 tablespoon of honey, five-spice powder and white pepper powder. Mix well to form a paste.  2) Coat the duck (flesh side) with the paste. Rub some of the paste under the duck skin too.  3) Lay the duck on a baking tray. Wipe the duck skin dry. Let it fan-dry for 1 hour.  4) Roast it in the oven for 1 hour at 160 degree celsius. Every 30 minutes, brush it with honey and vinegar mixture.  5) To brown the skin, roast it at 210 degree celsius for 10 minutes. Let th...

I always love Thai cuisine for it's flavours. This Grilled Thai Pork Jowl is also packed with lots of wonderful flavours.  Ingredients: - 600g of pork jowl  - 2 stalks of lemongrass - 4 cloves of garlic  - 2 tablespoons of gula melaka  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - tamarind water (use 1 packet of tamarind)  - 1 Thai green lime - 2 tablespoons of crushed peanuts  - 1 large chili, chopped finely  - few stalks of parsley, chopped  Procedures: 1) In a blender, add lemongrass, garlic, gula mela. Blend until it becomes a smooth paste.  Add oyster sauce and light soya sauce. Marinate the pork jowl with it, overnight.  2) In a hot grilling pan, add a little vegetable oil. Grill the pork jowl, each side for about 5 mins. Set it aside and let it rest.  3) Pour the rest of the marinate into a pan. Add tamarind water and chili. Heat it until it boils. Adjust the taste with salt or sugar if neede...

This Hakka's dish can be very complicated as cooking the traditional way would involve branching, deep-frying, stir-frying and steaming! So, I have decided to simplify it. The whole process only requires slow cooking. It still tastes good, especially with a steamy bowl of rice. Ingredients: - a stab of 1kg pork belly, cut into slices - 1 packet of salty mei cai  - 1 packet of sweet mei cai - 1 bulb of garlic, chopped  - dark soya sauce  - light soya sauce  - oyster sauce  - shaoxing wine  - sugar  Procedures:  1) Wash mei cai and soak overnight. Cut into small pieces.  2) To the slow cooker pot, add garlic, chopped mei cai, pork belly slices.  3) Add 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine and 1 tablespoon of sugar.  4) Add water until it just covers the ingredients. Cook at high setting for about 4 hours.  5)...

I always love Chinese Roasted Duck. My favourite part is the crispy duck skin. I once tried roasting a whole duck and almost set my whole oven on fire and smoked the whole home! Here is my attempt at a smaller scale with some easy steps.  Ingredients: - 2 tablespoons of honey  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder  - 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder  - 1 tablespoon of white vinegar  - 2 duck legs (can replace with 2 duck breasts) Procedures: 1) Mix 1 tablespoon of honey, oyster sauce, five-spice powder and white pepper powder to form a paste. 2) Rub it on the meat-side of the duck.  3) Pat dry the skin side of the duck. Place it on a tray, uncovered. Let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.  4) Roast the duck in oven or air-fryer at 160 degree celsius for 20 minutes.  5) Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar.  6) Brush it on the duck skin. 7) Roast it for another ...

One perk of being a teacher is that I learn new things all the time. Last week, I brought my students to learn kaya-making. Even though, every student's kaya looked different from each other, they were all successful attempts. Just like even though everyone is different, we can all be successful in their own way. Today, I tried making kaya at home. With 25 minutes of continuous stirring, I must say kaya-making definitely develops one's patience.  Ingredients: - 3 egg yokes  - 120g gula melaka  - 200 ml of coconut milk  - 50 ml of pandan juice (blended from 100g of pandan leaves)  - pandan paste  Procedures: - Blend 100g of pandan leaves with half a cup of water to get about 50g of pandan juice. Add a little pandan paste for a brighter colour.  - Chop gula melaka into small pieces.  - Add pandan juice, coconut milk amd gula melaka into a sauce pan. Heat the mixture to melt the gula melaka.  - Beat the egg yokes. Po...

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 Hakka heirloom dish which I had not got the chance to cook. Recently, my sister gifted me a bottle of wine lees. So, I am so happy to cook this dish for the first time!  Ingredients: - 1 chicken, chopped into parts  - a handful of black fungus, soaked in water  - 1 old ginger, cut into shreds  - 1 bottle of wine lees  - 2 tablespoon of Chinese cooking wine  - sesame oil - chicken cube - 1 tablespoon of sugar  Procedures: 1) Marinate chicken parts in half a bottle of wine lees for 1 hour.  2) In a frying pan, fry half the ginger shreds in vegetable oil until brown and crispy.  3) Set aside the ginger shreds.  4) In the same oil and some sesame oil, fry the rest of the ginger shreds. Add the rest of the wine lees and fry until well-mix.  5) Add chicken parts and fry until brown. Add black fungus. Fry for a while.  6) Add 2 cups of water. Simmer for 20 minutes.  7) Add chicken cube and sugar. Stir well.  ...

I always rely on my husband, the craftsman of the house to help me with dishes that are like craftwork. However, even he finds making Bak Chang very tedious. So, this year, we improvised this Giant No-Wrap Bak Chang. Just one is enough to feed the family of four.  Ingredients (for 2 Giant Bak Chang): - 3 cups of glutinous rice  - 500g of pork belly, cut into bite-size - 10 mushrooms, hydrated, cut into bite-size - 5 pork sausages, cut into bite-size  - 8 salted egg yokes - 100g of chestnuts  - 1/3 of light soya sauce  - 1/3 of dark soya sauce  - 1/3 of sesame oil - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 1 tablespoon of five spice powder  - 2 cinnamon sticks  - 5 anistars  - 1 cup of water  - 20 pieces of bamboo leaves  Procedures: 1) Soak bamboo leaves and glutinous rice overnight. 2) In a slow-cooker, place pork belly, sausages, chestnuts, mushrooms and all seasonings. Mix well. Let it cook at 'auto' setting for 5-6 hours.  3) Drain t...

This is an anyhow cooked dish that turned out very well. It is a simple alternative to the simple white rice or more complex fried rice.  Ingredients: - cooked rice from 2 cups of rice  - 2 eggs  - 100g of fried shallots (stored bought)  - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce  - pepper  Procedures:  1) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant.  2) Mix cooked rice with 2 beatened eggs. Add it to the frying pan and stir-fry it.  3) Add fish sauce and pepper.  4) Add fried shallots and mix well. Serve. 

My husband is a crab lover. For Father's Day this year, we made him this dish - Crab Bee Hoon Soup.  Ingredients:  - 1 thumb-size ginger, sliced  - a knob of butter  - 3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 1 large crab, chopped into pieces  - 1 pack of thick bee hoon  - 1 pack of leafy vegetables  - half a cup of evaporated milk  - 1 chicken cube - salt and pepper  - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil - 2 tablespoons of Chinese cooking wine  - fried shallots Procedures: 1) In a wok, add butter to melt. Stir-fry ginger and garlic until fragrant.  2) Add crab pieces and fry until pink.  3) Add water and chicken cube (or chicken stock) until it almost covers the crab. Let it simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside the crab pieces to prevent overcooking.  4) Add bee hoon and vegetables.  5) Add salt, pepper, sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine to taste.  6) When the ingredients reboils, add crab pieces back. Top up with some fried sha...

Have I mentioned before that I like green-colour food? How far will I go to make my favourite dishes green? What about a 'green' nasi lemak? Instead of cooking rice with whole knotted pandan leaves, I cook the rice with juice blended from pandan leaves. The end product is a visually appealing and fragnant nasi lemak rice. Yummy! Ingredients: (for nasi lemak rice) - 3 cups of rice - 100g of pandan leaves - 200ml of coconut milk - 50g ginger, grated - 1 tablespoon of salt - 2 stalks of lemon grass - 1 teaspoon of pandan paste Procedures: 1) Blend pandan leaves with 3 tablespoons of  water. Strain to obtain the juice. 2) Combine the pandan juice, coconut milk and water until it forms 3 cups of liquid.  3) Add the liquid to the washed rice. Add  salt and pandan paste. 4) Blend lemon grass and ginger. Add to the rice. Cook according to rice cooker instructions. 5) Prepare other side dishes such as fried peanuts, ikan bilis, eggs, otah, stir-fried vegetables and nasi...

My favourite type of satay is pork satay, which is less available than the other types (chicken, beef, lamb). So, I make it at home so that I can enjoy it to my heart's content. Ingredients: (For satay)  - 600g of pork belly or pork jowl  - 2 sticks of lemon grass - 4 shallots - a few slices of ginger - 4 cloves of garlic - 1 tablespoon of tumeric - 1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce - 2 tablespoons of sugar - 1 teaspoon of salt (For peanut sauce)  - 8 dried chili, rehydrated - 1 thumb-size galangal, sliced  - 4 shallots  - 2 lemon grass  - 1 cup of crushed peanut  - 1 tablespoon of tamarind, make into juice using 1 cup of water  - 2 tablespoons of sugar - 1 teaspoon of salt  Procedures: 1) Blend lemon grass, shallots, ginger and garlic. Add tumeric, dark soya sauce, salt, sugar and mix well. Marinate the pork belly/pork jowl overnight with the mixture. 2) Skew the pork on satay sticks. Lay them on a baking tray. Spray them wi...

This is my version of 乱棍打死猪八戒。 My family thinks that it is a very yummy one-dish fast meal.  Ingredients: - 250g of pork belly, cut into strips  - 3 Russet potatoes, cut into strips  - 3 carrots, cut into strips  - 4 stalks of celery, cut into strips - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 1 tablespoon of mirin - 1 tablespoon of sesame oil  Procedures: - Marinate pork belly in light soya sauce, mirin, sesame oil and minced garlic overnight.  - In a frying pan, place the pork belly. Dry fry it in low fire untill the pork belly oil are rendered from the pork belly.  - Add carrots, potatoes and celery strips. Fry and mix well.  - Add any leftover marinate and a bit of water. Simmer until the vegetables are soft. Serve. 

I never knew the secret ingredients to Pad Thai is tamarind! Thai Food always impressed me with the wide range of spices and flavours.  Ingredients: - 300g of dried Pad Thai noodles, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes.  - 2 boneless chicken thigh meat, cut into small pieces  - 2 pieces of tau kwa, cut into small pieces - 4 cloves of garlic, minced - 3 tablespoons of fish sauce  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - 1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce  - 1 packet of beansprouts (and any other cabbages)  - crushed peanuts  - lime  - 2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp and mix with water - salt and pepper  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil. Pan-fry the tofu until it because golden brown.  2) Add chicken meat and pan fry until brown.  3) Add minced garlic. Fry until fragrant.  4) Add soften noodles and vegetables. Mix well.  5) Add tamarind water, fish sauce, sugar, dark soya sauce. Stir well.  6) Adjust taste with s...

I first had this dish at my husband nanny's place. The dish is so elegant. The chicken has to be poached just right so that the meat is smooth and tender. The rose wine raises the dish to an another level of grace. This is like the ballerina of braised dishes.  Ingredients:  - 1 chicken (you can use boneless chicken leg or chicken wings)  - thumb-size of ginger, sliced  - few stalks of spring onions  - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce  - 2 tablespoons of rose cooking wine  - 2 tablespoons of sesame oil  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  - pepper  Procedures: 1) Marinate the chicken with light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, sesame oil.  2) In a deep pot, place sliced ginger and spring onions into a pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and enough water to cover the chicken later. Bring it to boil.  2) Place the chicken and the seasoning in the pot. Bring it up to a boil once again. Add 2 tablespoons of rose...

I first had this dish at a cafe. It is served with sour dough to soak up the flavourful sauce.  Ingredients: - 1kg of mussels  - 1 carrot, chopped into small pieces  - 1 pack of french beans, chopped into small pieces  - 1 pack of mushrooms, chopped into small pieces - 4 stalks of lemon grass, chopped  - 1 thumbsize ginger, chopped  - 4 cloves of garlic, chopped  - a few chili, chopped  - a bunch of curry leaves  - 2 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 1 pack of coconut milk  - 1 cup of fresh milk - 1 stock cube - 2 tablespoons of fish sauce  - 1 teaspoon of sugar  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add vegetable oil. Fry garlic, ginger, lemon grass, chili and curry leaves until fragrant.  2) Add carrots, french beans and mushrooms. Fry until soft.  3) Add 1 cup of water. Let the mixture simmer.  4) Add mussels. Let it cook until all mussels are cooked. 5) Add coconut milk, fresh milk, stock cube, fish sauce and sug...

Many of my dishes came about because there were leftovers or unused ingredients. Today, I have a carton of soya bean milk which is not popular with the kids. So, I decided to make this dish of Homemade Tofu.  Ingredients: - 700ml of soya bean milk, unsweetened - 8 eggs - 500g of minced pork  - 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce  - 1 teaspoon of salt  - a bunch of parsley  - fried shallots  - corn flour  Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, add soya bean milk, eggs and salt. Mix well. Pass it through a sieve into a round baking tray.  2) Steam it for 30 minutes. Let it cool.  3) Coat the egg tofu with corn starch. Deep fry it until brown. Set it aside on a serving plate.  4) Fry minced pork and chopped parsley. Add oyster sauce and pepper to taste. Add a cup of water. Thicken the sauce with corn starch.  5) Pour the meat sauce over the tofu. Sprinkle some fried shallots. Serve.