FRIED TOFU WITH CHIVES

Glad that I tried this simple dish.  Just 2 ingredients and a simple dipping sauce, it is surprisingly satisfying dish.  I can eat lots of this alone.

Recipe adapted from cook show on you-tube [a Chinese version]. I hope I got it right but if I am wrong, it is still alright because I did enjoy this dish.  If you love tofu and enjoy eating chives, do give this a try.

Ingredients
[serves 2]
2 blocks tofu [best to get the traditional tofu] - cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
a bunch of chives - cut small bits
salt to taste
50 ml boiling water

1. Cut tofu, set aside.
2. Cut chives, place is a serving bowl.
3. Deep fry tofu pieces in batches until golden brown and edges are crispy.  Dish up on serving plate.
4. Bring water to boil, pour over cut chives.  Add in salt to taste.
5. To serve, dip fried tofu pieces in chives.

SWEET POTATOES WITH SAGO DESSERT

I learned a new way of preparing this sweet potato sago sweet dessert.  For this recipe the sago pearls are boiled to almost transparent before adding the sweet potatoes to cook.

The dessert soup is smooth and the pearl sago are not visible especially with the purple sweet potatoes where the colour darkens the soup.

Ingredients

[makes 4-5 bowls]

1 medium size orange sweet potato - peeled, cut chunky pieces

1 medium size purple sweet potato - peeled, cut chunky pieces

3 tbsp sago - rinsed and drained

800 ml water

60 gm jaggery sugar or brown sugar

1. Bring water to boil in a pot.  Stir in the sago.  Stir constantly to prevent sticking together.
2. When sago is almost transparent, add in the sweet potatoes to cook.
3. Bring to boil and simmer until sweet potatoes are soft.  Add in sugar to taste.
4. Serve warm or hot.

STIR FRY OYSTER MUSHROOMS WITH LONG BEANS

Eat more vege, drink more water, exercise often to stay healthy.  Yes, another point 'do not over stress'.  These are the very common spoken phrases that you often get to hear from friends when one complained about the 3 'highs' - blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol etc.   Some even tell you not to overeat, hehehe!

It is easier said than done. Needs discipline.  

This a simple, tasty vegetarian dish which may help you to eat more vegetables and it's meatless.  Not too bad for a start with this dish.

Ingredients

100 gm long beans - washed and cut into sections

50 gm carrots - sliced

200 gm fresh oyster mushrooms - cut thick pieces

3-4 dried mushrooms - soaked and sliced 

some shredded ginger

1 red chilli - seeded and cut strips

Some spring onions - cut sections

Seasoning [combined]

1 tbsp each of light soy sauce, oyster sauce and wine

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt to taste

1 tsp sesame seed oil

1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water

1. Pan fry dried mushrooms and oyster mushrooms until aromatic.  Dish up.
2. Heat up a non stick pan with 1/2 tbsp oil, fry long beans and carrots until long beans turn bright greenish colour.    Dish up. 
3. Using the same pan, add a little oil, saute ginger until aromatic.  Returned all the fried ingredients into pan.  Stir to mix well.
4. Add seasoning and some water.  Add more water if you like to have some gravy for this dish.  Bring to boil to cook the ingredients.  Add spring onions and stir in thickening.
5. Dish up to serve.
   
   
   

YAMBEAN DRIED SHRIMP PAUS

I had this recipe book on 'Paus' by Coco Kong.  Have been selecting and trying them but seems its unending as there are over 30 pau recipes ranging from sweet to savoury tastes, vegetables to meat fillings etc. Can't remember how many I have tried to make.  Afraid that I may failed in my attempts when I first started, I tried the easy ones first.  So far, so good and there are some that I have repeated making them [peach longevity paus, butter custard paus, mui choy lotus paste paus etc] because they are good.  Click here for the details.

Having some yam bean in the kitchen and dried shrimps in my fridge, this time I tried this yambean dried shrimp paus.

The pau skin is soft and fluffy.  Dough is easy to knead  and handle, pleating is not  a problem.  The original recipe states that this portion can make 12 paus but I made only 9 because I want to make bigger ones to enjoy thicker pau skin.

The filling is tasty with the dried shrimps but feel free to add some minced meat or black fungus if you like.  Just fry them together.  If you have leftover filling, you can eat it with rice, no problem since it is a vegetable.

Recipe adapted from 'Paus' by Coco Kong with modifications.

Ingredients

250 gm pau flour

40 gm icing sugar

2 tsp instant yeast

120-150 ml water

20 gm shortening

Ingredients For Yambean Filling

300 gm yambean/sengkuang-peeled and shredded

50 gm carrots - peeled and shredded

2 tbsp dried shrimp - rinsed several times, drained

1 piece soaked black fungus - shredded [optional]

120 ml water

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp msg

1. Filling - Heat a non stick wok with some oil, saute dried prawns until fragrant, then add in the remaining ingredients and seasoning.  Stir fry well until yambeans are soft, sprinkle some cornstarch.  Mix well.  Dish up to cool.
2. For Skin - combine flour, sugar, yeast in a mixing bowl.  Gradually add in water to mix into a rough dough [may not need to use all the water].
3. Add in shortening, continue to knead until dough is soft and smooth.  Shape into a round ball, leave in bowl, cover to rest for 20 minutes or double in size.
4. Punch down, roll into a ball, then divide into 8, 10 or 12 equal portions according to own preference.  Shape each portion into a ball.
5. Flatten each ball and wrap enough filling, seal the edges well into a pleated or round pau.  Place on a piece of parchment paper in a steaming tray [I used my electric steamer].  Finish making the rest.
6. Cover and leave to proof for 30 minutes or until double in size.
7. Steaming over high heat for 10-12 minutes.
8. Off heat, remove to cool on wire rack before storing or serve immediately.
   
   
   
   

QUICK AND EASY BLACK PEPPER SAUCE RECIPE

My previous post is a recipe on how to prepare an Easy Oriental Sauce for chicken or pork chops.  

Here is another recipe on how to prepare an Easy Black Pepper Sauce for fried chicken or pork chops. 

There are many variations to this classic sauce that is simple and more close to home.  You know what you have added into the sauce compared to store bought ones.  You can make variations to adjust the spiciness, saltiness and sweetness of the sauce according to your preference.

Ingredients

4 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce [for colour]

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp chicken stock granules or 1/2 tsp msg

1/2 tbsp ground black pepper

1/2 tbsp ground white pepper

100 ml water

2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

1. Mixed all the ingredients [except cornstarch water] in a non stick pan.
2. Stir the mixture and bring to boil, simmer over medium low heat until sugar dissolves.
3. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch mix.
4. Serve with chicken or pork chops or cool sauce before storing in glass containers for later use.  Refrigerate if not using immediately.
   

EASY ORIENTAL SAUCE RECIPE

This is an Oriental Sauce for Chicken Chop that is easy for you to prepare ahead of meal time.  The sauce is suitable also for pork chops and also as a dipping sauce for fried firm beancurd  with addition of some toasted sesame seeds or ground peanuts.

This sauce comes in handy when you wish to fry meats but cannot decide what sauce to serve with it.

There are many variations to this slightly sweet and sour sauce.  You can also add in some fresh red chillies for extra flavour, big onions, tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.

Ingredients

4 tbsp tomato sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp A1 sauce

1 tbsp Worcester sauce

4 tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1. Combine all the ingredients in a non stick saucepan.
2. Bring to boil for several, adjust seasoning to your preference.
3. Off heat, serve with cooked chicken or pork chops or leave to cool before storing in glass container and chilli in fridge if not for immediate use.
   
   
   

SPROUT SALAD WITH SPICY PALM SUGAR DRESSING

A lovely beansprout salad.  Light, tasty and appetising salad with blanched beansprouts, crispy and crunchy anchovies/dried prawns, good with rice. If you like a tangy taste salad dressing, just add juices of 3 calamansi limes.

This dressing is savoury, sweet, aromatic from the lemongrass and garlic.  The spiciness is from the chilli padi [you can reduce the portion which is what I did].  

For this dressing recipe, it goes well when roasted together with baby potatoes.  Brown sugar can be used instead of palm sugar. You can also toss in fried salted fish.  If you find it troublesome to fry the anchovies, you can use ready fried ones from the stalls.

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

200 gm beansprouts - tailed, washed and blanched lightly

6 cherry tomatoes - cut half

2 tbsp fried dried prawns

2 tbsp crispy fried anchovies

2 chilli padi - sliced

4 pips garlic - chopped

2 stalks lemongrass - finely sliced

some chopped coriander leaves

Dressing

50 gm palm sugar + 50 ml water

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

Juices of 3 calamansi limes [optional]

1. Dissolve palm sugar by boiling it with water, then add in fish sauce.  Boil to a syrupy consistency.  Set aside to cool.
2. Blanch beansprouts lightly, drained in a colander.
3. Toss beansprouts, tomatoes and chopped coriander in a bowl.
4. Dressing - mix well chopped garlic, lemongrass and chilli padi with palm sugar syrup in a bowl.
5. Drizzle over [3], add in fried anchovies and dried prawns.  Toss lightly and serve immediately.