Memories in the Cooking

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 have always like cheesy and creamy food. This dish adds to my repertoire for such food. The ingredients are also very affordable.  Ingredients: - 1 tray of bread rolls - 1 can of nestle cream  - 2 parts of milk (using the cream can for measurement)  - 300g of mozzarella cheese  - 2 tablespoons of flour Procedures:  1) In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a boil.  2) In 200g of the mozzarella cheese, mix in the flour. 3) Add the cheese and flour to the cream and milk. Stir until the sauce thickens.  4) Add salt and pepper to desired taste.  5) Slice the bread rolls into half. Lay half the bread rolls on the baking tray.  6) Spread half the cream sauce on the bread rolls. Add a layer of ham on the cream sauce. Top it up with the other layer of the bread rolls.  7) Spread the other half of the cream sauce on the bread rolls.  8) Sprinkle a layer of cheese on the cream sauce. Cover the baking tray with aluminum foil.  9) Ba...

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 wanted to make a pretty side dish today. So, I spent three times the amount of money to bring some cherry tomatoes on vine. Ingredients: - cherry tomatoes on vine  - 200g of ricotta cheese  - 1 can of nestle cream - 1 egg - 300g of mozzarella cheese  - 1 teaspoon of sea salt  - 6 slices of roti prata  - pepper  - balsamic vinegar - olive oil - honey  Procedures: 1) Foil the roti prata until it forms a rectangular pasty.  2) In a mixing bowl, whisk ricotta cheese, nestle cream, egg, half of mozzarella cheese, sea salt and pepper.  3) Fill the pasty with the cheese mixture.  4) Place the cherry tomatoes on it.  5) Bake at 180 degree celsius at 45 minutes. 6) Drizzle some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey on it. Serve. 

This recipe of Potato Gratin takes a shorter time (about 30 minutes) as compared to the usual ones (about 1.5 hours) as it was first cooked in the pan rather than entirely oven-baked. I personally also feel that it is also creamier with the potatos first cooked in the cheese sauce. I have also added some smoked duck to transform this side dish to an one-dish meal. Ingredients:  - 7 Russet potatos, sliced  - 2 cups of whole milk  - 1 tablespoon of flour  - 1 large onion, sliced  - 1 bulb garlic, crushed  - 1 tablespoon of mixed Italian herbs  - 1 chicken cube  - smoked/roasted meat (smoked duck in this recipe) - pepper - parmeasan cheese - mozzarella cheese Procedures:  1) To a frying pan, add some vegetable oil. Fry onions until fragrant.  2) Add flour and fry until slight brown. Add milk to form a thick sauce.  3) Add the roasted/smoked meat, garlic, herbs, chicken cube, pepper, parmesan chee...

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. 

Yesterday, my family had a Nordic countries theme day and we cooked Nordic/Scandinivian food throughout the day. We had this baked salmon with mustard, lemon and dill sauce for lunch. It was amazing.  Ingredients: - about 600g of salmon filet  - 2 tablespoons of mustard sauce  - chopped dill - 1 lemon Procedures: 1) Place wash and pat dry salmon fillet on a baking tray.  2) In a mixing bowl, mix lemon juice (of half a lemon), mustard sauce and dill.  3) Spread the mix on the salmon fillet.  4) Lay a few slices of lemon on top of the fillet.  5) Bake at 180 degree celsius for 25-30 minutes. Serve. 

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...

Today, we are celebrating Father's Day! We are making Grilled Lamb Rump for the meat-loving Daddy!    Ingredients: - 2 slices of lamb rump, butterflied  - 1 stock cube  - 2 tablespoons of olive oil  - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs  - 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar  - 1 tablespoon of honey  Procedures: 1) In a bowl, mix stock cube, olive oil and mixed herbs into a paste.  2) Rub it on the lamb rump.  3) Heat up a griddle pan. Add some olive oil.  4) Grill the lamb rump on both sides for a total of 10 minutes (for well-done). Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.  5) Make a sauce by adding balsamic vinegar to honey. Serve.