Memories in the Cooking

This is another mutton dish for the month. Since November is a wet and cold month, it will do our health some good to have more mutton during this period. Ingredients: - 500g of mutton shoulder and neck  - 6 dried chinese mushrooms  - 1 packet of taukee  - 3 pieces of fermented beancurd - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce  - 10 slices of ginger  - spring onions and parsley  - 3 pieces of star anise  - 2 sour plums  - 2 tablespoons of sugar  Procedures: 1) Bleach the mutton in boiling water with some ginger slices. Set aside the mutton.  2) In a claypot, fry some ginger slices and spring onion stalks until fragrant. Add fermented beancurd and oyster sauce. Mix well.  3) Add mutton pieces and coat each piece with the seasoning. Add mushrooms.  4) Add star anises, sour plums, sugar and mix well.  5) Add water to just cover the mutton. Set it simmer for 1 hour.  6) Add beancurd and let...

We had this dish at a Lebanese restaurant during a Langkawi trip. I left an impression on us for its creaminess. So, I decided to make it for my eldest boy's birthday. Ingredients: - 1 can of cooked chickpeas - 2 tablespoons of olive oil - a pinch of salt - 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds Procedures: 1) Heat up canned chickpeas in hot water. Drain the hot water away. 2) Place the chickpeas in a blender. Add olive oil, 2 tablespoons of water, salt and cumin. Blend it until it forms a smooth paste. 3) Place in on a serving dish. Add more olive oil and some paprika. Serve with crackers.

My eldest boy loves cheesecakes. So, I have made different types of cheesecakes for his birthdays. Some examples are Nutella Strawberry Cheesecake, Mango Cheesecake, Lychee Passionfruit Cheesecake etc. For this 10 year-old birthday this year, I have made him a Matcha Azuki Cheesecake. Ingredients:  - 200g of whipping cream  - 500g of cream cheese  - 1 can of condensed milk  - 2 tablespoons of gelatin  - 1 can of Japanese Azuki  - 2 teaspoons of matcha powder  - 250g of digestive biscuits  - 100g of melted butter  Procedures: 1) Crush the digest biscuits. Mix with melted butter. Press it on the base of a cake tin. Place it in the freezer.  2) Whip the whipping cream until it gives firm peaks.  3) Whip soften cream cheese. Add condensed milk and whip further. Add whipped cream and mix well.  4) Dissolve gelatin powder in 1/2 cup of hot water. Add a bit cream cheese mixture to the dissolved gelat...

My husband likes herbal mutton soup. Growing up, my mother was very reluctant to use ingredients that were unfamiliar to her in our home-dishes. So, we never had beef, mutton, lamb or crabs at home. So, in order to make this dish, I had to research on a few online recipes before arriving at this version. The next challenge is to find mutton ribs as it is not available in supermarket. I managed to find them from Chong Pang Wet Market. Now, I am all set to make this dish. Ingredients: - 1kg of mutton ribs - 1 bulb of garlic - 100g of ginger, sliced - 12 mixed herbs including danggui 当归， beiqi 北芪, cinnamon sticks, cloves, white peppercorn, dangsen党参, gancao甘草, red dates, chuanxiong, yuzhu玉竹, anistars and wolfberries - 1 packet of beancurd puff - 1 packet of beancurd skin - 1 tablespoon of rock sugar - 1 tablespoon of salt - rice wine - Chinese parsley, chopped - 3 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoons of dark soya sauce Procedures: 1) Blanch the mutton rib...

My eldest boy loves scrambled eggs for its soft and creamy texture. Most scrambled eggs recipes are pretty similar, with differences only in the extent of folding and the doneness. So depends on the mood of the day, we would choose to whip up an American version (less scrambled and more form) or a British version (more scrambled and watery). Ingredients: - 8 eggs - 50g of butter - salt and pepper Procedures: 1) Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl. 2) In a frying pan, melt the butter. At low heat, add the beaten eggs and fold it continously until cooked. 3) Add salt and pepper to taste.  * The 'scrambledness' and 'doneness' of the scrambled eggs can be adjusted according to one's preference.

I have some rojak paste leftover from last week's Cuttlefish Kang Kong. So, I have decided to use rojak paste to make Tauhu Goreng. Ingredients: - 4 pieces of Tauhu, each cut into 4 cubes (can use Egg Tofu) - a small pack of beansprouts (100g) - 1 cucumber, shredded - crushed peanuts - 1 lime - 1 large tablespoon of rojak paste Procedures: 1) Deep fry Tauhu pieces. Lay them on a serving plate. 2) Lightly fry the beansprouts. Lay them on top of the Tauhu. 3) Top with shredded cucumber and sprinkle with crushed peanuts. 4) Mix rojak paste with lime juice and 2 tablespoons of hot water. Mix well. Pour on top of the Tauhu. Serve.

I have a tray of eggs laying in the fridge for a while. So, I have decided to make Tamagoyaki with it before they turn bad. Ingredients: - 8 eggs - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce - 1 tablespoon of mirin - 1 tablespoon of sugar Procedures: 1) Crack eggs into a mixing bowl. 2) Add seasonings and mix well. 3) In a frying pan, add a layer of egg mixture. Fold it to the side. 4) Repeat until all egg mixture are used. Serve.

Orh Luak or Oyster Omelette is one of my favourite Singapore hawker stir-fry. I have tried many versions - Taiwanese, Malaysian but I still like the Singapore version. Ingredients (3 omelettes): - 5 tablespoons of sweet potato flour - 2 tablespoons of rice flour - 300 ml of water  - 6 eggs  - 500g of oysters - spring onions and parley, chopped - 2 teaspoons of fish sauce - 1 tablespoon of huatiao wine Procedures: 1) In a mixing bowl, add sweet potato flour and rice flour and water. Mix well. 2) Separately, beat the eggs in another bowl. 3) In a frying pan, add vegetable oil. Add one-third of the flour batter. Cook until the underside is crispy and brown. Flip it over. Add one-third of the egg mixture to it. 4) When the underside is crispy and brown, turn it over again. 5) Push the omelette to the sides of the frying pan. Add oysters to the pan, season with fish sauce and huatiao wine. Cook for 5 seconds. Mix well with the omelette. Serve with chopped...

Vegetables are not the usual highlight in a dinner. But my family likes this dish the most for tonight's dinner. The crispy garlic makes the dish very fragrant. Ingredients: - 2 bunches of Kang Kong, cut into 1 itch long segments - 1 bulb of garlic, cut into slices  - 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce - white pepper powder  Procedures: 1) Add vegetable into a frying pan. Fry garlic slices until it become brown. Set aside.  2) Add Kang Kong and fry until soft.  3) Season with oyster sauce and pepper.  4) Serve on a serving plate and top up with the crispy garlic. 

I have a penchant for fish head - fish head curry, assam fish head, claypot fish head are all my favourites. Claypot fish head, in particular, comes with my other favourite ingredients such as roasted porked belly and yam. This dish is also highly customisable. According to your preference, you can add egg beancurds, cauliflowers, carrots or snow peas etc. Ingredients: - half a red snapper fish head - half a wong bok - 400g of yam - 150g of roasted pork belly - 1 egg -  corn flour - 3 cloves of garlic, crushed - few slices of ginger - salt, pepper, oyster sauce Procedures: 1) Clean fish head and dry it with kitchen towel. Coat it with corn flour. Fry it. 2) Fry egg tofu. 3) To a claypot, fry crushed garlic and ginger slices. Add roasted pork belly, yam and wong bok. Fry a little. Add 2-3 cups of water and let the ingredients simmer until soft. 3) Season with 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce and pepper. 4) Add the fish head and egg tofu and stew. Let it simmer fo...