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. 

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...

It is wonderful to be able to source for fresh seafood. Recently, I have been ordering from Ah Hua Kelong and I am always very happy with the quality of the seafood. Today, we have some clams for Clams Linguine! Ingredients: - 1kg of fresh clams, soaked in water for a few hours  - 1 bulb of garlic, chopped  - 1 bunch of parsley, chopped  - 200g of streaky bacon, cut into small pieces - 1 packet of any type of mushroom, finely chopped  - 1 chili, chopped  - 1 stock cube  - 2 tablespoons of whiskey - half a packet of linguine  Procedures:  1) Cook the linguine as per the packet instruction.  2) In a frying pan, fry the bacon until brown with the fats rendered.  3) Add chopped garlic, chopped chili, parsley, mushrooms and fry a little.  4) Add some pasta water and let it simmer.  5) Add clams and fry until the clams are opened up.  6) Add whiskey and stock cube.  7) Add cooked linguine. Stir well and serve. 

Here is another yummy 'ang-mo' soup - Cream of Corn and Potato Soup.  Ingredients: - 2 cans of corns  - 1 kg of potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks - 1 onion, diced  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - half a teaspoon of Italian mixed herbs  - 2 chicken cubes  - pepper  - 1 can of nestle cream  Procedures: 1) In a pot, add some vegetable oil and fry onions and garlic until fragrant.  2) Add potatoes and fry until cooked.  3) Add corn and mix well.  4) Add boiling water until it just covers the ingredients. Let the ingredients simmer until soft.  5) Blend the soup using a hand blender.  6) Add chicken cubes, herbs and pepper to taste.  7) Add cream and mix well. Serve. 

I cooked this dish for Christmas lunch and it was a hit. To tenderise the meat, I actually marinated the beef in soya sauce and garlic overnight. However, no one could detect or would have guessed the secret to this dish.   Ingredients: - 2 steaks, 2 itch thick, 400g each  - 2 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - a lot of grounded black pepper  - 1 can of nestle cream  - 1 tablespoon of mustard  - 1 beef cube  - cognac (optional)  Procedures: 1) Marinate beef steaks with light soya sauce and minced garlic overnight.  2) Pat dry the marinate. Coat each steak with ground pepper.  3) In a frying pan, add olive oil. Pan fry the steak until the desired doneness. Place the steak on the meat board to rest.  4) Pour away the excess olive but do not scrap the black pepper from the pan.  5) Add cream, mustard, beef cube and make a creamy sauce. Add cognac if preferred. Serve.  

After a tiring day, it is really great to have a refreshing Vietnamese Salad.  Ingredients: - 1 carrot, shredded - 2 zucchini, shredded  - juice of 2-3 Thai Lime  - 1 tablespoon of fish sauce  - 1 teaspoon of sugar - crushed peanuts  Procedures: 1) Mix everything together in a mixing bowl.  2) Serve it on a serving plate. 

This is a cheat-version of Cantonese Roast Duck or Peking Duck. The marinate is asian but the cooking method is not.  Ingredients: - 1 duck breast (cut into 2 halves) - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 2 tablespoons of huatiao wine  - 1 teaspoon of five spice powder  Procedures: 1) Marinate duck breast with light soya sauce, huatiao wine and five spice powder overnight. 2) Pat dry the duck breast. Score the skin.  3) Place the duck breast, skin-side down, on a frying pan. Let it cook for 5 minutes until the duck fat is rendered and the duck skin is brown and crispy.  4) Turn it over to the other side and pan-fry for 5 minutes.  5) Let the duck breast rest and then slice it.  6) Eat the duck with wrap, hoisin sauce, shredded cucumber, carrots and spring onions. 

Saba is an oily fish that gives a creamy texture. This recipe is so easy that you can serve dinner in less than 30 mins.  Ingredients: - 5 halves of Saba  - 1 stalk of spring onions, shred lengthwise  - half a tablespoon of miso paste, dissolve in one cup of water  Procedures: 1) Add a little vegetable oil in a frying pan. Pan fry the saba fish, skin down first. Then flip it over to fry the other side.  2) Add miso paste dissolved in water. Let it simmer for a while.  3) Serve and garnish with spring onions. 

This is a 10-minute yummy dish that one can cook during the weekday.  Ingredients: - 400g of Iberico Pork Shabu  - 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced  - 1 tablespoon of minced beanpaste  - 1 teaspoon of chinese cooking wine  - 1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce - 2 teaspoons of sugar - pepper  - 1 bunch of parsley, chopped Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add beanpaste, sugar, garlic, chinese cooking wine, dark soya sauce and half a bowl of water. Let it cook until it thickens.  2) Add Iberico Pork and cook until brown.  3) Add parsley and mix well. Serve. 

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. 

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 bro...

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....

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 du...

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 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.