Home Recipes

Carrot Cake

2006-08-15T06:28:00.000-04:00

...not this, but the American version.

For the Cake:

4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup roughly blended carrot
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cup salad oil
1+ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Mix ingredients until well blended. Pour into greased pan (traditionally a tube pan). Bake at 350°F (i.e., about 180°C) for 1 hour 30 min. Cool before applying frosting.

The Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz (170g) cream cheese (about 2/3 of the standard 250g pack), softened.
2 tbsp butter (unsalted), softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1+ cup icing sugar

Beat ingredients together until smooth. Apply liberally over the cake.

Fish-Fragrant Eggplants with Chicken

2006-02-23T19:47:00.000-05:00

A favorite dish in one of my favorite Chinese Restaurants in Toronto (Asian Legend) is the archtypically Sichuanese "Fish-Fragrant Eggplants" (yuxiang qiezi). Ever since getting my hands on Fuchsia Dunlop's, Land of Plenty, I've meant to give it a try. The "Fish-Fragrant" refers to a standard style of sauces traditionally used for cooking fish that has long been adapted to other ingredients (e.g., Chicken, Pork, Beancurd). Just as I was gathering the materials to do the dish, wifey asked if I wanted some meat for dinner as well (some chicken was, at that time, defrosting in the fridge), and if so, how would I like it done? I decided that rather than do two dishes, I would simply incorporate the chicken into the eggplant dish, modifying some of the proportions of the ingredients, and changing a bit of the method to suit my own style (and convenience). The results were, to say the least, decent. Wifey and I polished the whole dish off with rice for dinner. The only drawback is the deep-frying, which is a real chore. But I guess it's no pain (from the oil splattering about), no gain.

(Recipe modified from Fuchsia Dunlop)

Ingredients and basic preparation:

- 1+ lb Eggplant, halved lengthwise, then crosswish, then into strips about 1/2" thick (for the non-Asian variety, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and leave for 30min to draw out some of the moisture); if using Brinjal, just half lengthwise and cut into 3" sections (no need to salt).
- Oil for deepfrying (e.g., peanut oil)
- 1/2 lb Chicken, cut into small pieces, marinate with 1/2 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp water, 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp Sichuanese chili bean paste (the real stuff: Pixian Douban; unfortunately, I don't have that, so using a Taiwanese brand...)
- 1 tsp Pickled chili paste (according to Dunlop, Sambal Oelek does just fine; since I have neither, I am using a Korean chili paste for now instead)
- 1 tbsp finely chopped Ginger
- 1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic
- 2/3 cup Chicken stock
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Cornstarch mixed with 1+ tbsp Cold water
- 2 tsp Black Vinegar (Chinkiang brand where available)
- 4 Scallions, green parts only, sliced into fine rings
- 1 tsp Sesame oil

Method:

1. Deep-fry the eggplants for about 3-4 min (at 350-400°F / 175-200°C), until slightly golden on the outside; remove and drain on paper towels.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in wok/pan; fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds; add the bean paste and chili paste and fry for another 30 seconds; be careful not to burn the sauce (remove from heat if necessary); add the chicken and fry for a minute or two.
3. Add stock, sugar, soysauce and mix well.
4. Add eggplants and simmer for a few minutes; add the cornstarch mixture and stir to thicken the sauce; stir in the vinegar and scallions and leave for a few seconds; remove from heat; stir in sesame oil, serve.

Fresh San Franciscan Sourdough at Home

2006-01-25T00:14:00.000-05:00

After several unsuccessful attempts at making my own sourdough starter, I decided upon the recommendation of Cooks Illustrated to use the Goldrush Sourdough Starter pack. During our trip to the SF Bay Area last Christmas, I bought two packs, in case one failed to react as hoped. After enduring several days of pungent, yeasty, soury smells in the air of our little basement apartment (good thing our neighbours didn't complain!), and 3 tolerably successful batches, I baked my first wonderfully looking, smelling, and tasting sourdough bread loaves! Loy and I love olives and herbs in our bread and so I added a generous amount of each into the dough, which, to my relief, proofed without problem. And, by the way, the best olive baguette we've tasted is sold at The Phoenix Pastificio, a restaurant and bakery at Berkeley. Below, Loy and Baby Penny pose with their friendly baker Eric during our last trip back.

Great bread tips I picked up:
1. In cold temperature areas (such as Canada in winter), place starter and dough in the oven with only the light on.
2. Watch your dough as it proofs (rises). As soon as it doubles in size and a dent remains where your finger has pressed, it's ready for baking. Slash with razor or tip of knife the surface of the dough to ensure that bread bakes evenly. Overproofing will cause the dough to deflate when slashed.
3. Covering your dough with aluminium foil (with space for dough to rise a little) will prevent the top from getting burnt. Remove the foil when bread is almost done to achieve a nice light brown.

Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty

2006-01-24T21:47:00.000-05:00

Just arrived in the mail from Amazon.com. After successfully adapting her recipe for Ding Gong Bao Chicken, found online (see this earlier post), I decided to look for a copy of the book itself. The author works for the BBC, lived in Sichuan for several years, was the first ever foreign student to enroll at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, and has tested all of the recipes in her London kitchen. Excellent...

Easy Meat Loaf

2005-12-03T23:53:00.000-05:00

Found this nifty little recipe from Pork Perfect Pork by the Canadian Pork Council, pub. 1983. This book is filled with advice on pork cuts, storage, and lots of recipes, by the way, was picked up for a mere Can$1.00 at a hardware store near where we live. I tried the pork loaf recipe and my husband and I liked it well enough. Here's the recipe, with some minor improvisations. Highly recommended for those of you who would like to enjoy a simple, microwaved pork loaf that can be prepared beforehand and cooks in 10 minutes, and which is also highly flexible--it will do well in a Western or Chinese meal.

You may use the following recipe simply as a guide. I tried it another time, without using the proportions as given. I only had 200g minced turkey, and so used only one egg, added a little water, and added an extra 2 slices of bread broken into little bits. The result wasn't too bad (see picture above); it had a more spongy, or jelly-like texture due to the extra bread crumbs. Carry out your own culinary experiments: as long as the mixture looks fine to you, you should get some kind of edible loaf at least!

Meat Loaf
(2 ½ - 3 sufficient main servings, accompanied by soup and salad; or or as an accompanying dish to rice and other simple homecooked fare)

Ingredients:
400g ground pork
1 cup bread crumbs
1 packet onion soup mix
2-3 stalks finely diced celery
dash of pepper
sprinkling of corn starch
½ cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
(no extra salt needed!)
Cheese to taste (optional—omit if you’d like this as an accompanying dish to a nice Chinese home-cooked meal of rice and other dishes: believe me, it tastes a little like steamed pork cooked in a Chinese way! You could even add some diced cooked Chinese mushrooms if you like)

Method:
Mix together ground pork, bread crumbs, onion soup mix, celery and pepper. Add milk, eggs, and cheese (optional); combine lightly but thoroughly. Spoon into a 1L (9 x 1 ¼ inch) glass pie plate (or close equivalent). Microwave for 5 minutes and slice loaf into six portions (optional: I do it to better ensure the interior is well cooked), and continue microwaving for another 5 minutes. Cover loaf and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Bon appetit!

Sweet and Sour Fish

2005-11-13T19:26:00.000-05:00

It's one of those fairly ubiquitous dishes that you can almost always order in a North American Chinese restaurant, though as usual, the quality varies from place to place. Below is my own attempt at doing this from scratch after trying a so-so ready mix (Maggi brand, no less). The recipe is modified from stuff I found using google, with the chilli thrown in "for effect" (I'm Singaporean after all). Works fairly well, but I'm still open to further modifications.

Now where's my green bell pepper...

Fish and Vegetables:
1 pound fish fillets (e.g., cod, haddock, sea bass; I used (frozen) basa, which is not only inexpensive, but worked very well), rinse, pat dry and cut into bite-size pieces
1 bell pepper, cut into wedges (I prefer a green one, for color)
2 tomatoes (small/medium), each cut into 8 pieces
1 onion (small/medium), cut into 12 pieces
Pineapple cubes (from a can is fine)
1 stalk green onion, chopped into half inch pieces
1 red chilli, seeds removed, cut into small strips
1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1 egg white
1 tsp cornstarch

Sauce:
3/4 cup chicken broth (Knorr plus water would do)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
3-4 tbsp ketcup
3 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water (this should be separate from the rest)

Also:
Enough oil for deep-frying

Method:
1. Marinade the fish for about 15 min (mix well; best using fingers). Deep-fry until golden brown, then drain (e.g., on paper towels or rack).
2. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce, except for the last item, which should be in a separate bowl.
3. Stir-fry ginger in about 2 tbsp of oil for about 30 seconds. Add the onion, green onion, pineapplec and chilli and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes for a quick fry. Add the sauce and bring it to a boil. Add cornstarch-water mixture, stirring to thicken. Turn off heat. Add the fish and mix everything with the thickened sauce. Serve.

Preparations (what am I going to do with that left-over egg yolk?)

'Deep'-frying the fish

Mental note to self: add the tomatoes later next time so that they don't disintegrate...

Mom's Crunchy Rolled Oat Cookies

2005-11-07T21:45:00.000-05:00

Got this recipe from my mom. That my largely cookie-indifferent dad likes these says much about them. They're very easy to make and to my mind an absolutely delicious and wholesome snack. And, as you can see in the pictures, I also made some smaller cookies using the same dough but without the coating of oats, and had each cookie dotted with a pecan for some variety.

Ingredients
(A) 200g margarine, 100g icing sugar, 1 egg & half tsp vanilla essence
(B) 300g wholemeal flour, 75g rolled oats
(C) 90g rolled oats

Method
Beat (A) till creamy, stir in (B) to form a dough. Make dough into small balls, coat on (C) and flatten them in a tray. Put in oven and bake at 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes. Cool cookies and store in an airtight container to keep them fresh and crunchy for days.

Our Favourite Chicken Pie

2005-11-07T21:17:00.002-05:00

The following is a somewhat rough guide to baking our favourite chicken pie. I say "rough" because I do not have precise proportions for the ingredients for the filling. The pie pastry recipe is, happily, more precise. I started baking this pie about 4 years ago and have baked, at times with the help of my dad and my husband, approximately more than 35 of them! They are usually well-received, and what follows is a recipe I typed out, on request, for our friends at Hamilton Square Baptist Church after we served them these pies as a farewell thanksgiving treat.

Ingredients (amount of each tailored to your own liking):
Chicken meat (I like to use thigh meat)
Cornflour (to keep the meat tender while cooking)
Oyster-flavored sauce (available at most major supermarkets such as Safeway and Albertson’s)
Pepper
(Garlic) salt
Parsley flakes (optional)
Potatoes
Peeled baby carrots (for greater convenience)
Onions (I used lots of this)
Canned clam chowder
Canned mushroom slices
Eggs
Butter, or margarine, or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" (I used this)
1-2 cheese slices

Method:
1. Dice chicken meat, and marinate well with some oyster-flavored sauce (approx. 2 tablespoons per pie?), pepper and cornflour (about 1 tablespoon per pie?); cover and set aside in refrigerator to keep fresh as you prepare other ingredients
2. Dice potatoes and carrots, and begin boiling them in some water
3. Dice onions and sauté them in some ‘butter’ until they are rather soft
4. Add sautéed onions, chicken pieces, clam chowder and mushrooms to what feels like ¾ cooked potatoes and carrots (drained of excess water), and let them cook at medium-medium high for about 10 minutes more until chicken pieces are just cooked [I prefer to use fully cooked pie fillings to make sure that refrigerated, unbaked pies stay fresh for at least a day or two]
5. Taste, and add salt and pepper accordingly, if needed
6. Hardboil the eggs, dice them and mix, together with cheese, into the rest of the pie filling

Non-flaky Pie Pastry (for one 9 inch pie pan; still, just an estimate)

Ingredients:
Slightly more than 1½ cups plain flour
About 2/5 tsp salt
95g / about 3.4 oz combination of soft margarine and butter, just margarine, or "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
Maximum 2/5 cup cold water

Method:
1. Sift flour (unless using flour that does not need to be sifted) and salt into a bowl
2. Rub in 'butter' until mixture resembles coarse crumbs
3. Stir in enough water to bind, gather the dough into a ball and wrap in clear film
4. Chill for 20-30 mins. before rolling out thinly (or as preferred) on slightly flour-dusted surface, and covering slightly buttered pie pan [Spoon pie filling on to the bottom crust]
5. Poke some steam vents on top crust, and brush on some egg yolk, being careful not to clog up the vents.

Bake pie at 425 F for 10-15 mins., followed by another 25-40 mins. until golden at a reduced temperature of 350 F.

Cheesecake II

2005-10-20T14:08:00.000-04:00

Tried a different cheesecake recipe, this time, from cooksillustrated.com. It is definitely much more professional than my earlier one. I liked the taste of my earlier recipe, but the texture to this one is much better. So I've adapted the newer recipe in an attempt to get both the taste and texture I like.

Fresh out of the oven

Ingredients

Crust
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1+ cup Oreo baking crumbs (basically crushed Oreos without the icing)

Batter
4 sticks of cream cheese (8oz/250g each)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
1 tsp lemon zest from 1 small lemon
1 tsp cinnamon powder (not in the original recipe, which calls for 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 cup whipping cream (or heavy cream)
1/4+ cup sour cream

Essential equipment

9 inch springform cake pan (or even better: a "Cheesecake Pan with Removable Bottom"--but alas! I left mine in Singapore...)
Large roasting pan (big enough for the cake pan to fit in it)
Foil (larger version: 25 inch wide)
Electric mixer, etc.

Method

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees (Fahrenheit) with the oven rack in the middle position. Wrap springform pan bottom with foil, tuck foil underneath pan bottom, assemble pan, then pull foil around side of pan. Prepare a kettle of boiling water.

2. For the crust: melt butter, mix it well with the Oreo crumbs. Spread and push the resulting mixture onto the bottom of the pan evenly. Make sure that it covers the entire bottom. Bake for about 10-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool down. Bring the oven down to 325 degrees.

3. Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth (I usually allow the cream cheese to warm up by it leaving out of the 'fridge before using). Mix in sugar, about 3 min allowing it to dissolve. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down after each addition, ensuring ingredients stuck at bottom of bowl are fully incorporated so as to avoid lumps. Add zest and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Manually stir in cream and sour cream. Beat egg whites to soft peaks (separately) and manually fold into batter.

4. By now, the cake pan should be cool enough to handle. Grease the sides with butter. Cover pan underneath and along sides with sheet of heavy-duty foil and set it in the roasting pan. Bring kettle of water to boil. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover the top of the pan with foil (just put a sheet over lightly over the pan, don't bother wrapping it around the pan). Set roasting pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan.

5. Bake at 325 degress until perimeter of cake is set, but center jiggles like Jell-O when pan is tapped, 45 to 50 minutes. Turn off heat and leave oven door ajar (using a long-handled kitchen fork or spoon to hold it open) for 1 hour longer. Remove springform pan from water bath and set on wire rack; cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. (Can be refrigerated up to 4 days.) If done right, the cake should shrink slightly, detaching itself from the sides of the pan.

Successfully made night of Wednesday, Oct 19. To add blueberry topping when serving (desert on Friday evening for guests).

Homemade Gongbao Chicken

2005-10-17T20:06:00.000-04:00

I've been on the lookout for Chinese restaurants that do good Gongbao Jiding ever since I came to North America--with mixed results most of the time. While the better (i.e., more expensive) restaurants can usually do a good job with it, the same cannot be said for the run-of-mill lunch-special-for-3.99 outfits (usually too watery). Today, I decided to give the dish a go myself--after finding a respectable looking recipe online (adapted below), and reminding myself that I should be looking for ways to use my small stash of Szechwan Peppercorn and Dried Chilli. But as usual, I had to take some liberties with the recipe, the most scandalous being the substitution of Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Peanut Oil (I've switched to Olive for practially all of my cooking--including stir fry--for a while by now), and Balsamic Vinegar for Black Chinese Vinegar (since my last bottle was used up and I wasn't intending to buy a new one just for this). The overall results--I am happy to report--exceeded expectations:

Recipe (as I prepared the dish)
"+" means "and a bit more"

Main Ingredients
- 1 1/2 boneless chicken thigh (supposed to be breast) without skin (about 2/3 lb)
- 2 garlic cloves and an equivalent amount of fresh ginger
- 4 scallions (a.k.a. spring onion), white parts only
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (supposed to be peanut oil)
- Small handful dried red chillies (preferably Sichuanese, but I only have generic)
- 1 tsp whole Sichuan peppercorn (I love this stuff)
- 1/2 cup cashew Nuts (bits; traditionally roasted unsalted peanuts; but cashew is supposed to give a grander version of the dish--and in any case, that's what I have today)

Marinade
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine (medium-dry sherry is supposed to do as well)
- 2+ tsp cornstarch (or 1 1/2 tsp potato flour)
- 1 tbs water

Sauce
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1+ tsp cornstarch (or 3/4 tsp potato flour)
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 3 tsp Balsamic Vinegar (supposed to be Chinkiang black Chinese vinegar)
- 1 tsp sesame oil (product of Singapore "Chee Seng" brand, no less)
- 1 tsp chicken stock (i.e., water + pinch of Knorr chicken broth mix)

Preparation (As it turns out, most of the work is in the preparation (cutting, measuring, etc.). The cooking itself does not take all that long. Hopefully, as I get more experienced with the dish, I will be able to guesstimate the quantities without having to resort to the measuring spoons all the time. I've rearranged the original instructions to reflect the actual sequence I took more closely.)

1. Cut the chicken as into 1/2-inch cubes (no need to be too exact lah). Place in a small bowl and mix in the marinade ingredients. Let sit..
2. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and ginger. Chop scallions into chunks as long as their diameter. Snip the chillies in half or into 2-inch sections, discard as many seeds as possible. Set aside.
3. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

(left: the ingredients all ready for the pan; right: a bevy of seasoning)

Cooking

1. Heat Olive Oil over high heat (another scandalous substitution: I use a non-stick pan rather than a wok). Leave one small slice of garlic for testing the temperature--when it begins to sizzle, it's time. Add the chillies and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until they are crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant (opening the windows is advised). Take care not to burn the spices. Add the ginger and garlic (they are added later in the original recipe but Wifey prefers her garlic well cooked). Stir.

2. Add chicken and fry over high heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until the meat is cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure).

3. Give the sauce a stir and add it to the wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the cashew, stir them in, and serve.

(Variations: The same dish can be made with cubes of pork, shrimp, or prawns.)

Next stop: Mapo Tofu, Iron Chef Chen Kenichi Style.

Savoury Raisin Almond Cookies

2005-09-12T22:32:00.000-04:00

Had some extra dough from making pineapple tarts, and so decided to knead in some raisins and almond slices, form little dough balls and press them flat. Easy cookies, I thought. And waddya know? These are now favourite cookies of my husband and I.

Chawanmushi Improvised

2005-06-05T23:00:00.000-04:00

- Eggs x 3 (Large US-size; if small, use 4)
- Chicken stock 1/2 cup (supposed to be dashi stock)
- Salt 1/4-1/3 tsp
- Sugar 1 tsp
- Soysauce 1 tbsp
- Sake 1 tsp

- Chicken thigh x 1, cut the meat into small pieces
- Shiitake mushrooms x 4-5, sliced thinly
- Crap flavored pollock 2 oz (i.e., imitation crab; supposed to be kamaboko), sliced thinly

- Spring Onions, chopped (supposed to be mitzuba and yuzu)

Divide the chicken, crab flavored pollock and shitake mushroom between 3-4 bowls (first picture). Beat eggs--carefully, without making bubbles. Mix in stock, soysauce, salt, sake and sugar. Strain the egg mixture (second picture; note: here will be some thick egg white left, don't use it). Divide the egg mixture between the bowls (third picture). Place some spring onion on top of each bowl. Cover them (e.g., with foil). Steam on high heat (place it in the steamer after the water starts boiling; fourth picture) for about 5 min, then continue on reduced heat for another 15-20 min (depends, have to experiment). Serve (last picture; I used parsley for that round; not really a great idea).

First attempt: June 4, for supper

Recent Photos (captions to come later)

2005-04-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

Swedish-ish Meatballs (dinner Apr 29)

Solyanka (dinner Apr 30)

Honey Almond Rice Pudding of Pleyn Delit

2005-04-28T19:45:00.000-04:00

Got the following recipe from the book shown above. To read more about how I acquired this little gem of a cookbook and to gain a few small morsels of knowledge about medieval cookery, click here.

Click on picture to see it up close

Note: what I used for a pleasant variation is in square brackets
Ingredients:
1/2 cup short grain rice [brown rice, with longer cooking time]
2 1/2 cups milk, water, or a combination [2 cups milk and 1/2 cup sweet soy milk]
1/2 cup ground almonds blanched [1/2 cup almond slices and a handful of currants]
1/2 cup sugar [slightly less]
2 Tbsp honey [rounded tablespoons]
1 cup boiling water [slightly less]

Method:
Cover the rice with milk (or whatever combination you wish here) and bring to a simmer; cook over very low heat, very gently, for at least 30 minutes or until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally and adding more water if it shows signs of drying out. Remove from heat and set aside to cool so that any remaining liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, place almonds, sugar and honey in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir and allow almond mixture to steep. When rice has cooled, stir this mixture into it and allow rice pudding mixture to simmer on medium low for 10 minutes or as long as it takes for the pudding to become as thick as you like it. Remove from heat and pour into serving dish or individual pudding cups or bowls. Cool and chill. Sprinkle a little cinnamon powder before serving if desired.

Chicken Bao, Singapore-style

2005-04-26T12:32:00.000-04:00

Makes 8 medium sized baos (or buns, if you will)

For those of you in the know, this bao is not exactly "Toh Kee" (famous bao shop that was at People's Park Food Centre until a little while ago; now at Upper Cross Street) standard. It is, however, good enough for us. Make it bigger or smaller. It's all up to you. I once tried making small baos, and another time big ones, and it does not seem to me that the steaming time of 10 minutes needs to be adjusted much.

Some photos of the latest attempt

For the bao filling: sorry--all your own estimation here!
1. chicken thigh meat, cut into bite-sized chunks and seasoned for about 10 minutes at least, with cornstarch (for tenderness and a slightly starchy consistency), pepper, light soy sauce, a little oyster sauce, a dash of sesame oil, sprinkling of sugar, and finely chopped spring onions.
2. hard-boiled eggs (cook, shell and cut into bite-sized chunks)
3. (optional: we used only chicken and egg) sliced bamboo shoots (canned ones) or thinly sliced water chestnuts - just fry with the chicken
Method: Quickly stir fry the seasoned chicken chunks in some oil, adding a little bit of water for just a little gravy, and cook on medium high until chicken is just cooked. Mix in hard-boiled egg chunks, and, if necessary, add a little more light soy sauce and sesame oil until the filling tastes great.

For the bao skin:
4 Tbsp warm water (not too hot--you'll kill the yeast!)
1 Tbsp quick-rise yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 slightly rounded tsp salt
11 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp oil
3 cups flour
Method:
1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Add to this yeast mixture salt, milk and oil, and stir to combine.
3. Stir in flour.
4. Knead 5-10 minutes or until dough is smooth. You can add just a little bit of water if dough looks too dry and does not hold together well.
5. Divide dough into 8 more or less evenly sized balls
6. Press balls into rounds as thinly as you like it, though not so thin that it breaks when wrapping the filling
7. Place suitable amount of filling onto the centre of the round, pick up the sides of the dough and secure with a few kneads at the top so that filling is all covered up.
8. Place each bao on a piece of suitably sized paper (we used ordinary white printing paper), and let them rise (covered, in a steamer basket) for about 1 1/2 hours or until almost doubled in size.
9. Bring the water under the steamer to a boil, and let baos steam for 10 minutes.
10. Enjoy them hot!

Food blogs international

2005-04-25T09:49:00.000-04:00

Link.

Potstickers, also known as Jiaozi Guotie*

2005-04-22T20:39:00.000-04:00

*An alert reader spotted my mistake. Potstickers are guotie--literally too. Dumplings are jiaozi.

Makes 12 pieces

(Image taken from tastingmenu.com; ours look similar)

Ingredients:
150g plain flour
pinch of salt
½ Tbsp oil
½ cup warm water
225g minced pork
1 Tbsp diced spring onion
a little shredded cabbage or spinach
a little bit of finely diced fresh water chestnut (for some crunch)

Seasoning for pork filling – ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar, 3 tsp tapioca starch, 2 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp Chinese wine, a little pepper and sesame oil

Method:
1. Sieve plain flour, add salt and oil.
2. Mix in sufficient warm water to form soft dough. Set aside 30 minutes.
3. Season minced pork, add spring onion, and stir until sticky. Chill in fridge 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Knead and divide dough into 12 equal portions on a floured surface.
5. Roll each piece of dough to a thin round, and wrap in each a good lump of filling. Fold, seal and pleat (press tightly) to the shape of potstickers. Place potstickers on a floured surface (e.g. plate, or container), making sure that there is ample flour between potstickers so they don't stick together.
6. Bring a pot of water (or soup stock) to a boil, add potstickers, allow it to boil again, and let potstickers cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until the centre of the filling is cooked.
7. If you like, you can then add 1 Tbsp of oil to a non-stick pan and shallow fry the bottom of the potstickers until golden brown.
8. Serve hot, with sauce (optional: try a mix of light soy sauce, a few drops of white vinegar, a little bit of ground ginger or fresh ginger slivers, and a dash of sesame oil).

These potstickers are great by themselves as a side dish or appetizer, in soup as a main course, or with noodles (lightly seasoned with a little light soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and a dash of vinegar).

Note: Uncooked potstickers keep well in the freezer. Make sure they are kept separated by flour in an air-tight container or ziploc before freezing. Do not defrost before cooking--simply take them out from the freezer and throw them straight into boiling water. Increase cooking time by a little as meat filling is frozen. Unused portions of dough also keep well in an airtight container in the fridge--mine survived for a week.

Low-Fat White Cake with Strawberries and Cream

2005-03-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

(Taken largely from Sarah White)

Found this recipe while searching for a recipe for a healthier, low-fat cake that would go well with the fresh strawberries and vanilla ice-cream in the fridge. The white cake turned out great, with a very slightly browned and crispy exterior and a light spongy interior.

An angel food cake pan (like that shown above) is great for ensuring a more even baking throughout the cake

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour, not self-rising (spoon into measuring cup and level top)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 to 1 cup sugar (we're happy with 4/5 cup)
1 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons instant nonfat dry milk powder (do not reconstitute)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Method:
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300/350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8-inch round nonstick cake pan with oil.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held electric mixer (stand mixer is too big) set at high speed, beat the butter and sugar until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, about 1-1/2 minutes. (Note: The mixture will be coarse and sandy; not light and fluffy because you are using very little butter.)
4. In a small bowl, beat the milk, egg, instant dry milk powder, vanilla and almond extract, if using it, to combine. Pour into the butter / sugar mixture. Starting on low speed and increasing to high, beat until the mixture is frothy, about 1 minute.
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Using a wooden spoon (do not use a mixer), stir until the flour disappears. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat just for 3 seconds. Do not overmix. Using a gentle touch, spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
6. Bake until the top of the cake springs back when pressed gently in the center and the sides are pulling away from the pan, about 30 minutes (do not open the oven until the cake has baked for at least 20 minutes). Do not overbake. Cool in the pan on a wire cake rack for 10 minutes. Unmold onto the rack, turn right side up, and cool completely.

Enjoy this low-fat angelfood cake-like dessert!

Otah that's good enough for me!

2005-03-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

Click on picture to see it up close. Otah goes great with bread as a snack, or with a meal that can include onion omelettes, sliced fresh cucumbers, and nasi lemak.

This is my dad's otah recipe that first turned out a surprisingly savoury and spicy smackeral* several years ago when he experimented with it in our convection microwave oven. This recipe makes about 10-12 pieces of otah. Preparation time is short (once you have the ground sambal ingredients) and so is the cooking time. For those of us in North America, staying outside of Singapore or Malaysia, despair not. Sambal ingredients should be available in most North American Chinatowns (San Francisco and Toronto certainly) and, if you're willing to pay a little more for the convenience, you can always order the nonya sambal online. I'm assuming for now, as a young housewife with very limited experience and knowledge, that what's commonly referred to as "sambal chilli" called for in this recipe is the same as what Prima calls "nonya sambal". (If you know more about this, please leave a comment. Thanks!)

A few simple steps:
Mince 200g mackerel (or some other oily fish) until very fine. Add 3 tablespoons corn flour, 3 rounded tablespoons sambal ingredients** (ground), 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, lime leaves [optional but some like it; and if you have access to it. I skipped this one], and some oil. Mix well and bake--wrapped in banana leaves (if available), or in aluminium foil. How thick or long you want the otah to be is up to you. I pressed the otah paste on greased aluminium foil until about 1 cm thick, threw it in the oven (230 deg C / 450F), and baked it for about 10 minutes. You really need to experiment a little to see what works for you. Remove otah at about 8 minutes, and every other 2 minutes or so, and when it looks firm and brown with a nice texture, you can use the taste test.

Loy says that the otah (or 'otah') I made tasted authentic enough, and plausibly sufficient to satisfy a craving for the real thing. Well, that's good enough for me!

*loose usage of the Milne word "smackeral", that can be defined as the amount of honey that Winnie the Pooh enjoys each time he puts his hand in the honey pot. Example: "Mmm delicious, just a smackeral of honey." (Taken from the urbandictionary.com)

**In my dad's words: "The sambal is the one we make with chilli, onion, garlangal (blue ginger), tumeric (yellow ginger), belachan, a few cloves of garlic, some lemon grass, candle nuts (~~blakalak~~ buah keras) and ground together - same one we use to cook curry or assam fish or sambal prawns." Hmm... doesn't he make it sound easy...

Easy Chilli Kidney Beans

2005-03-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

Serves 4-6, and wonderful as a side dish to a Western main course. You can add minced meat to make this dish more substantial and a meal in itself taken together with corn bread, or any other suitable bread variety. Chilli beans keep well in the fridge (days) or freezer (weeks), and corn bread can keep in a dry container for a week (from my experience). Reheat in microwave when ready to enjoy beans, corn bread, or both together. Click on the picture below to see enlarged version of our dinner of lamb chops accompanied by mashed potato and chilli beans.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 can red kidney beans, drained
1/2 can chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
dash or more of chilli powder (how spicy do you want it?)
a little water and salt (only if deemed necessary--use the look and taste test)

Method:
1. Heat oil in sauce pot/pan and saute the chopped onions on medium heat until they are soft.
2. Add all the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil, and let simmer for 15-30 minutes, depending on how soft you like the beans. Stir occasionally to prevent charring at the bottom.

The Correct Recipe for Pineapple Tarts

2005-03-11T21:21:00.000-05:00

Oops. That's right. The title implies that the earlier one was ... wrong!! Well, maybe that's a rather strong word to use considering that I baked my first relatively successful batch of pineapple tarts using it. It had, however, been the source of much agony one evening when I must have tried it several times, each successive attempt resulting in increasingly brittle--and totally unusable pastry. Add to that the irritation of having to use inferior quality off-the-shelf pineapple jam which I thought to try in hopes of discovering a short cut. Well, lesson learnt! Home-made is often better, and, true to a truism, the right recipe makes all the difference...

I was all but ready to give up on pineapple tarts for a while, and then my husband and I met up with a fellow Singaporean who had sons who missed greatly Chinese New Year goodies like the tarts. This gave me a new boost of determination and zeal to make some good tarts for the boys. I managed to get a recipe for the pastry from my aunty (who has been baking for decades) and tried it out this afternoon. An adjustment to the baking time and temperature was needed; thankfully I found the optimal time and temperature after a little experimentation. The following worked for me, for my oven, but I'd suggest that you do some experimentation as well on single pineapple tarts before you bake a whole tray of them. Click on picture below to see the tarts up close.

Pineapple Tarts
Makes about 45 tarts

Pineapple Jam:
Bring 500g crushed/grated pineapple (I use canned ones), 300g of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to a boil and let it simmer for as long as it takes for jam to thicken. (I usually need more than half an hour--maybe more--of simmer time; make sure you stir occasionally to ensure that bottom does not get charred) When most of the liquid has evaporated, sieve in about 1 tsp of corn flour, stir well, and set jam aside to cool.

Pastry/Base:
1. Sift 450g plain/all-purpose flour and 20g milk powder together. Make sure they are well mixed.
2. Put 250g butter, 120g icing sugar and 1 egg (beaten together with about 1/2 tsp salt) in mixer and beat until sugar is just dissolved.
3. Add flour and milk powder and mix until dough holds together. (It may look crumbly but that's okay. Pressing it well during rolling will do the trick)
4. Preheat oven to 150 degrees C.
5. Beat 1 egg in bowl for glazing.
6. Roll out dough to about 0.5cm thickness. Press out dough with tart or cookie cutter cutter and put generous mound of pineapple filling in centre.
7. Bake for about 3-4 minutes; remove from oven and glaze pastry with beaten egg. Bake for another 4-5 minutes. (My aunty's recipe called for a baking time of about 15 minutes at 180 degrees C, but I found that that burnt the bottom of the pastry)

Have fun, and enjoy this traditional Singaporean Chinese New Year delicacy! There's nothing quite like it...

Simple and Delicious Cornbread

2005-02-28T22:50:00.000-05:00

This cornbread has a soft, moist centre and a fairly crunchy crust, is delicious and relatively easy to make... Well, I was successful in my first attempt. All the best with yours!

Ingredients:
8 Tbsp butter (or margarine), melted
4 eggs
3 cups buttermilk
3 cups yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 rounded Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp sugar (or a little more more if you prefer a slightly sweeter cornbread)
2 tsp salt (or a little more for a saltier cornbread)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish/pan with some butter or margarine. Combine eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and whisk. To a bowl add cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, baking soda and whisk.

Add wet to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Bake until top is nicely browned, about 30-40 minutes or less*, and confirm that bread is thoroughly baked through by inserting a knife into the centre of the loaf. Bread is ready when knife comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into portions.

*Vary time according to size of baking pans you're using. For example, I used one square aluminium cake pan (approx. 7.5 x 7.5 x 1.75") and two small aluminium loaf pans (approx. 3.5 x 5.5 x 1.75") for this recipe, filling each pan to about 3/4 capacity (leaving a little space for bread to rise), and baked them only for about 25 minutes.

My acquaintance with cornbread is as yet fairly minimal, but my guess is that this would go great with chowders, and savoury salads such as chicken avocado salad. Any Southerner (US) would probably be able to tell you lots more including stories that feature cornbread.

Rosario's "C" Pork Chops

2005-02-28T22:10:00.000-05:00

We've named this food Rosario's "C" Pork Chops after our dear friend who taught this to us. "C" stands both for "convenient" and "Costco"--yes, the American supermarket chain. Rosario insists that the Costco (bone-in) pork chops are the Best. We've tried with pork chops from various other stores and honestly speaking, this recipe is not precise enough for us to guarantee tender chops every time. Much depends on the thickness of the cut. What we do guarantee is that this is a lifesaver for busy people--as convenient as it gets, and quite tasty most of the time. Experiment with it, and you might even turn up a recipe for pork chops fit for the gourmet.

What you need:
pork chops (straight from the pack--no need to trim fats, as no extra oil is used)
garlic salt
pepper (optional)
a non-stick pan with a cover

Method:
1. Sprinkle surface of the pan with garlic salt (and pepper).
2. Place chops on the pan and let it cook on low heat, covered, for about 10 minutes. Flip chops and continue to let it cook covered on low heat for 10-15 more minutes.
3. If chops are too dry and threaten to stick to the pan and get burnt, add just a little sprinkling of water to the pan--too much might result in tough chops.
4. Chops are ready when they look and smell great, and do not bleed or look pink when cut in the centre. Serve immediately.

For a quick, tasty, and nutritionally balanced meal, serve these chops with tomato wedges or a simple salad.

A picture will be provided the next time we make Rosie's "C" Pork Chops on a day neither of us feel like doing much cooking!

Hearty Bean, Bacon, and Beef Stone Soup

2005-02-26T15:25:00.000-05:00

This soup is easy (if you don't mind dicing vegetables or once they're all diced), economical (you see, there's really no beef in there), foolproof (what can go wrong with basic ingredients, bouillon, and "salt and pepper to taste"?), and flexible (make it thick as a stew, or a one-dish meal with some added pasta, store in the freezer for future meals, etc.). The idea for it came from reading that red kidney beans were one good source of copper needed for healthy formation of the baby's heart, skeletal, nervous system and arteries. Other good sources are green/brown lentils and mangoes. As a mum-to-be eager to eat right and having but minimal experience in cooking with beans, I googled for "kidney bean recipes" and found several for soups. After scanning through some of the more promising-looking ones, I decided that something like the following was the basic idea. Why "stone soup"? As in the story from which this phrase comes, you can add just about anything you like in there, as long as you think the tastes will be compatible. The bacon is optional, but I think the kidney beans and beef bouillon cube are absolutely essential for the rich, hearty taste.

Bean, Bacon, and Beef Stone Soup

Ingredients:
2 ounces bacon, minced
3 carrots, sliced thinly
3 stalks celery, chopped small
1 cup canned whole tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes), chopped
1 onion, chopped
2-3 (19 ounce) cans kidney beans
2 potatoes, cubed small
1 beef bouillon cube
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Sauté onions over medium heat in a soup pot till they are almost soft and translucent. Add carrots, celery, potatoes and tomatoes and fry a little more till onions are soft. Fill pot with water to completely cover all vegetables, almost to the top of the pot. Add the beef bouillon cube to the pot. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft.
In a frying pan, lightly fry the bacon (stripped off its fat) and set aside. Alternatively, simply pour some oil into a bowl, mix in the bacon and microwave, covered, for about 2-3 minutes.
To the soup pot add kidney beans with their liquid, and let it simmer on medium low for 15-20 minutes. It all depends on how soft you want your beans, potatoes and carrots to be. Add the bacon and cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

The soup may turn very thick the next day, especially if the beans and potatoes are cooked till very soft, so add water (and seasoning, if needed) accordingly.

Spinach Dip for Pumpernickel, Tortilla Chips and More!

2005-02-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a recipe we decided we just had to get after tasting the product at a friend's place. Apparently, pumpernickel served with spinach dip is a popular Canadian (North American?) appetizer. Hopefully it will be easy to find pumpernickel rye bread or equivalents back in Singapore, for--popular North American food or no--we follow the grand old Singaporean habit of traveling the world to see what would be good for us back home, and adopting it (with variations if necessary). According to Karissa, this dip is best made with full fat mayonnaise and sour cream--"no skimping on the calories--bring it on!"

Ingredients:
1 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 packet of vegetable soup mix (preferably Knorr's)
1 bunch of spring onions (or green onions, as it may also be known)
1 can of chopped water chestnuts (for added crunch)
1 package of frozen chopped spinach
1 large pumpernickel rye bread

Method:
Microwave or boil spinach according to package directions. Mix the sour cream and mayo together and add to the cooked spinach. Add the vegetable soup mix. Mince the water chestnuts finely and add to the mix. Add the chopped green onions to the dip and refrigerate mix for at least 45 min. Take the bread and hollow out the centre to make a "bowl". Save the hollowed out bread for dipping. Place the dip into the bowl, serve and enjoy!

Apple Crumble and Pineapple Tarts

2005-02-22T11:50:00.000-05:00

Yes, there are two distinct recipes here. Click here for apple crumble, and here for pineapple tarts (please see important note at bottom of post). I had recommended 2 egg yolks instead of 1 for the dough for the tarts, but on a second attempt, the biscuit base turned out too crumbly. I'm guessing that I should have stuck to the recipe, or perhaps just added half a yolk more. Does anyone know the effect of egg yolk on the dough, other than the binding function it serves? (Warning, these are links another blog of ours, which links to the actual recipes. Included here for completeness.)

* IMPORTANT: Please refer to "The Correct Recipe for Pineapple Tarts" which overrides the one on Star Kuali we had originally linked to. Sorry Amy Beh, but maybe your pastry recipe just does not work for me...

Teriyaki Sauce

2005-02-22T11:30:00.000-05:00

We found the reference in an American cooking magazine* that we subscribe to--after discovering what Teriyaki sauce really is, it's hard to look at the stuff with the same eyes (see the ingredients below and you'll understand what I mean). And having learned that the sauce is easily made at home, I don't think I'll buy a bottle of ready made sauce ever again. As for the term itself: teri = "shine" or "luster", yaki = "to broil".

Set aside equal amounts of (light) soy sauce (one of Japanese provenance would probably do better) and sugar and a small amount of Mirin Wine (Sake does just as well). For example, 1/2 cup, 1/2 cup, 2 tbs. Also: 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger 1 tsp fresh minced garlic and 1/2 tsp cornstarch.

From the *magazine: "Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic in saucepan; stir together mirin and cornstarch in small bown until no lumps remain, then stir mixture into saucepan. Bring sauce to boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to 3/4 cup and forms syrupy glaze, about 4 min. Cover to keep warm."

Works like a charm, and tastes right too. The amount of sugar, however, is shocking...

Teriyaki chicken is basically broiled chicken dripped with the sauce. Season chicken thighs (deboned, but with skin) with salt and pepper; set thighs skin side up, tucking exposed meat under skin and lightly flattening skin to be of relatively even thickness. Broil until skin is crisp and golden brown (approx: 175°F for 15-30 min; test). Transfer to cutting board, cut into serving size when cooled for 2-3 min, cut into bite size strips, transfer to serving platter, drizzle with sauce. Serve.

*Sandra Wu, "Better Chicken Teriyaki", Cook's Illustrated, No. 72 (Feb 2005): 8-9

San Bei Ji ("Three Cups Chicken")

2005-02-22T11:20:00.000-05:00

Discovered this dish in 2003 on Penang Island, Malaysia, in a little Chinese place called "Nanyang Restaurant" somewhere in the heart of Georgetown (just several doors down from Sun Yat-sun's Penang residence, now a museum). It was so good that we asked for the recipe and to our surprise, the restaurant gave it to us (such friendly people). The next year, we went back again, this time, bringing my wife's parents.

The "three cups" refers to three cups of rice wine. The key ingredient, however, is a generous amount of basil leaves. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find any shot of the dish (either at the Nanyang Restaurant, or at home when we made it), so this one with the empty claypots that used to contain the chicken (and two very satisfied customers--my wife and her mom) has to do for now:

I don't have precise measurements for this one as we are so used to making it by instinct by now. In any case, you might have to experiment to find the right amounts of wine and basil that would suit your taste.

Chicken meat, with the bones (preferably legs or thighs), chop into smaller pieces leaving the skin on. Marinate with Chinese rice wine, water and light soy sauce (we tend to put enough to cover the chicken), with dried Chinese mushrooms*, sugar, sesame oil, pepper and lots of chopped fresh basil leaves for about 1 hour. Rule of thumb: the larger the pieces, the longer the marinating time. Cook covered over a very low fire for about half to one hour (varies; better to check regularly after 20 min). Note: this is the trick to cooking chicken so as to achieve tenderness--slow cooking over low heat. The chicken is cooked when you can poke a fork through the meat easily. Sprinkle more basil (either chopped or whole) on top as garnishing.

*Dried Chinese mushrooms, xianggu--either soak in warm to hot water for about 1/2 hour OR, put submerged in water in a bowl, cover and microwave for 2 1/2 min. Run softened mushrooms over cold water to cool them down enough to be handled by hand. Slice into strips (or not) as desired.

We discovered a brand of Japanese rice wine--available in NTUC in Singapore, and very inexpensive too--that makes excellent San Bei Ji, though the usual Chinese cooking rice wine, or a mixture of that plus huadiao wine, or just huadiao wine all seem to do fine. Different kinds/mixtures of rice wine result in slightly different flavors, so it makes for some experimentation.

Hainanese Chicken Rice (homemade)

2005-02-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

Traditionally, you are supposed to deal with whole chickens--but since I do not like chicken-breast meat, the following recipe uses chicken legs instead. I know of slightly more complicated recipes that include the use of spices such as cinnamon and cloves, but this is strictly a simple, "home-made" affair; and it has never failed me before. Last successfully made Feb 17, 2004.

(Note: measurements are purely approximates)

The chicken: take 8 Chicken legs (incl. thighs), clean with water, wipe clean. Cut off excess fats, set aside (the fats, that is). Add a piece of ginger (1"), some sprigs of spring onions and two (whole) pandan leaves to a large pot of water (enough to submerge all the chicken); bring to a brisk boil. Put chicken into the pot and continue boiling for just over 5 min. Turn off the heat, cover, for another 25-30 min (give or take, depending on just how much chicken there is; test by sticking a fork into the chicken--if it goes clean through without trouble, it's cooked). Remove chicken from pot and place in cold water (some people use ice water) for a few minutes. Keep stock for the rice and soup (below). Drip chicken dry (or wipe dry). At this stage, some would brush the skin with a little oil (sesame oil), but I suggest holding off. Cut into bite size first, lay out on the serving plate, then drip with soya sauce plus sesame oil (below picture). Sprinkle some chopped spring onions and coriander on top and serve.

The rice: The key is in the chicken fats cut from the meat earlier. Experience says about an 1+" lump (give or take) of fats to every cup (450ml) of rice. Use long grain white rice. Heat a bit of vegetable oil (I always use olive oil) in a frying pan (or wok, but I strongly recommend something non-stick); add chicken fats to melt down (be careful of the hot oil splatter). Once the most of the fats is melted down, remove the dredges. Fry some minced or ground ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add (uncooked, dry) rice; stir to make sure that the grains are covered with the oil. Once some of the grains turn opaque, it's time to remove the rice from heat. Put the oil fried rice in a rice cooker. Add pandan leaves (roughly one whole leave for every cup), and a dash of salt (or garlic salt). Add the appropriate amount of chicken stock (left from cooking the chicken, you might consider skimming some of the excess oil first)--e.g., in the usual rice to water proportion as required by the rice cooker. Set to cook. (Stirring at some point after most of the water is no longer visible is recommended to prevent the bottom from charring.) Canned chicken broth is perfectly fine for this recipe, but soup base powder has a distinct taste that may be too obvious, or "artificial" to some palettes.

As my rice cooker can only handle two cups of (uncooked) rice at a time, I had to do two rounds to make as much chicken rice as shown below. You can still see the pandan leaves:

Soup: I have my own variations on this one, which may not be the same as what they serve in the hawker centers. Take the chicken stock left from cooking the meat, skim off the excess oil floating on top; add a little more spring onions, some cut carrots, a tomato (quartered), some szechuan pickled vegetable (it's a pickled "chinese radish" actually), small soft tofu cubes. Cook over a low to medium heat until the tomatoes are soft (and a slightly tangy taste is added to the soup), and the various flavors from the other additions are incorporated into the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with freshly chopped spring onions sprinkled on top.

Braciole

2005-02-14T19:40:00.000-05:00

Adapted from a reciple found on the net...and inspired by this episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond".

1 lb thinly sliced round steaks
Pasta sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine

Stuffing:
3 hard-boiled eggs
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup soft breadcrumbs
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
1 tbsp grated cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
Dash of pepper

Place steaks between waxed paper (or plastic wrap or aluminum foil) and pound until very thin. Cut into serving size pieces. Combine stuffing ingredients (mesh them all up). Spread equal amounts on each piece of steak. Roll and tie with string. Brown rolls in skillet with oil. Transfer to casserole. Add pasta sauce and bake (at 350°F) for 1 hour (or until fully cooked). Add water or wine and cook for another 10 min. Serve.

Fang Tai's Stewed Stuffed Fishy Cucumbers

2005-02-12T15:47:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
240g mud carp fillet (pacific basa works too, and prob some other kinds of fish)
400g cucumber
1/2 cured sausage (lup cheong?)
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp diced spring onion (optional)

Marinade:
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp water
a dash of sesame oil
a pinch of pepper

Seasoning
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
2/3 tsp sugar
a dash of sesame oil
a pinch of pepper

Method:
1. Rinse cured sausage with warm water, steam till done, then dice finely
2. Rinse and wipe fish, hash, and stir in diced sausage, spring onion and marinade; mix ingredients well until they turn into a sticky paste; leave aside
3. Peel and cut cucumber/s into approx. 1/3 inch rings, and remove seeds
4. Rinse cucumber rings well, wipe, and sprinkle cornflour on them
5. Stuff fishy filling into cucumber rings
6. Deep fry in shallow oil until both sides are slightly golden; remove from pan
7. Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil to sauté minced garlic and ginger, sprinkle some Chinese wine, pour in seasoning, bring ingredients to a boil, then add in stuffed fishy cucumbers, lower heat to stew till all is cooked and sauce thickens. That's it!

Loy’s Cheesecake Recipe

2005-02-12T15:45:00.000-05:00

Equipment:
9” Cheesecake Pan (buy from www.cooking.com) or Spring-form Cake-pan
Electric Mixer

Batter:
24 oz cream cheese (= 3 packs)
3 tbs plain flour
1/2 cup light sour cream
2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
8 Eggs (5 full + 3 egg whites only) (Note: use 8 if the eggs are small, as they are in Singapore; if they are the larger kind, as they are in the USA, 6 will do)

Crust:
1 to 1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs or Crushed Oreos
1/3 to 1/2 cup butter or margarine

Crust: Melt butter, mix in the crumbs. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the cake pan firmly. Bake for 10 to 15 min (or until it smells baked) at 350°F (180°C). Allow to cool.

Batter: Mix all the ingredients together using an electric mixer until the batter is smooth and consistent (this may take a while). Taste to make sure that it is just right (sweet enough, etc.).

Cake: Pour the batter into the pan with the crust. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) before putting in the cake. Bake for 10 min, then lower the temperature to 250°F (120°C) and bake for another 50 min or so. (Note: to achieve a smooth top surface, have a large pan of water in the oven underneath the cake when baking. Or if possible, plan the cake pan inside a larger pan containing water. This is called the Bain Marie [French for “water bath”] method.)

Allow the cake to cool, sprinkle some cinnamon powder on top for decoration; or top with canned cherries or blueberries as desired.

UPDATE: Successful cheesecake made Feb 17, 2004, with blueberry topping and oreo crust:

Emeril’s Mango Avocado Salsa

2005-02-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

2 cups small dice ripe mango
1 Haas avocado peeled, and small diced
1 cup tomato concasse
1/2 cup small dice red onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the diced mango, avocado, tomato, red onion, garlic and jalapeno. Toss thoroughly using a rubber spatula or large spoon. Pour the lime juice over the salsa and add the cilantro, parsley olive oil and Kosher salt to the salsa and stir to blend. Allow the salsa to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Tomato Concasse: To remove peel from tomato, cut an X in the bottom of the tomato. Place in boiling water for about one minute or until you see the peel coming away from the pulp. Place in iced water to stop the cooking process. Remove the peel, squeeze gently to remove the core and the seeds. Chop into small, diced squares.

Solyanka

2005-02-12T15:41:00.000-05:00

(First tasted at The Russian Bear at Clement Street in San Francisco, December 2004, at a dinner treat by Mama Linda and Papi at which Rosario was also present.)

500 g bottom round beef, cubed
300 g ham, cubed
12 c beef boullion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 medium-sized onions
6 Tb butter
3 pickle cucumbers
3 large tomatoes
1 cup mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in butter
5 frankfurters, thinly sliced
1 can pitted black olives
2 small lemons

Place the meats, boullion, salt and pepper into a soup kettle. Bring to a boil and skim off several times until the broth is clear. Lower the heat and cook the meat until tender (about 2 hours) on low heat. Peel and slice the onions. Place in a skillet and saute in the butter until golden and transparent. Peel the cucumbers, discard the seeds, and cut into thin slices. Peel, seed, and chop the tomatoes. Add the cucumbers to the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes. Combine the sauteed vegetables with the broth, and add the sliced frankfurters. Reheat.

Cover the olives with water and boil for several minutes. Drain and add to the soup. Adjust the seasonings. Garnish with thin lemon slices.

Lotus Root Patties

2005-02-12T15:39:00.000-05:00

From a recipe book purchased in Hong Kong

8 oz (225g) lotus root
4 oz (100g) minced fish
2 pieces dried mushrooms
2 tbs dried shrimps
1 tbs diced spring onion
1 egg yolk
1 tbs plain flour
1/2 tsp salt

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
Sesame oil
Pepper

1. Scrape lotus root to remove skin, grate into long shreds. Soak and dice mushroom and dried shrimps separately.
2. Season minced fish, mix well with rest of ingredients, divide into 12 equal portions.
3. Add 2 tbs oil in heated pan, spoon in each portion of lotus root mixture, press flat with fish slice to form a round patty, and shallow fry until golden brown on both sides.

Scrub lotus root thoroughly before scraping, any mud trapped in holes of lotus root is difficult to clean.

Chinese tea-flavoured eggs

2005-02-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

12 eggs
3 cups water
4 stars aniseed
1 small piece cinnamon bark
2 tbsp tea leaves (e.g. tieguanyin)
300g slab sugar
1/2 cup dark soya sauce
1/4 light soya sauce
2 tsp salt

Hard boil eggs for 10 minutes. Crack shells. Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil. Add eggs, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cover for half an hour. Re-boil tea-flavoured eggs and cover overnight. Reheat and serve.

Swedish Meatballs

2005-02-12T15:36:00.000-05:00

From a Oakland Chinese news paper, found on the BART.

Minced beef 1 lb
Minced pork 1/2 lb
Chopped onions 1/2 cup
Bread crumbs 3/4 cup
Chopped parsley 1 tbs
Salt 2 tsp
Black pepper 1/4 tsp
Worcestershire sauce 1 tps
Egg 1
Milk 1/2 cup
Vegetable oil 2 tbs
Flour 1/4 cup
Paprika powder 1 tsp
Hot water 2 cups (or broth 1/2 cup, white wine 1/2 cup and hot water 1 cup)
Sour cream 3/4 cup

Mix minced meat, onion, flour, parsley, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp pepper, Worcestershire sauce, egg, milk; form into 1 1/2” balls; fry in nonstick pan with oil; drain and set aside.

Mix flour, paprika powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper to remaining oil; add hot water and sour cream; cook the meatballs in the sauce for 15 min in medium heat.

Alternatively, a tomato based sauce is also good.

Pickled Cucumbers and Carrots

2005-02-12T15:32:00.000-05:00

As simple as it gets

1. Cucumbers: cut ends of cucumbers and quarter lengthwise; cut off soft centre. Cut each piece of cucumber into lengths of approximately 4cm. Half each 4cm piece lengthwise, so each cucumber piece looks like a small strip, neither too thick nor too thin.
2. Lightly salt the cucumber strips and arrange them on a wire mesh, strainer, or close equivalent so that excess liquid can drip out even as the strips air dry for several hours, until cucumbers are very dry. If sunshine is readily available, sun dry for best effect.
3. Carrots: peel, wash and cut carrots to similar size strips and air dry till very dry.
4. Place cucumber and carrot strips into a glass bottle, or bottles.
5. Pickle: Boil rice vinegar and sugar (to taste) and set aside to cool completely.
6. After vinegar has cooled completely, pour it into the glass bottle/s so that the vegetables are completely covered. Seal bottles and set aside for at least 2-3 days before eating.

Goes well with Hainanese Chicken Rice (coming soon).

Croatian Cod and Potatoes

2005-02-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

A vague recipe by Berislav Marusic (from his grandmother)

Put cod in cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 min. Then take Cod off of the heat and let it cool in the water in which it was cooked (2-3 hrs.)

After 2 hrs: In another pan bring water to a boil and put in peeled potatoes. (About twice the amount of the cod--less than a pound of cod should do for 2 people.) Cook potatoes for 15 minutes. The pour out the water but *save* it. Add cod without the water to the potatoes. Add lots of olive oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. (Grandmother's instructions: "As much as is needed.") I recommend trying. Then add some of the potato-water. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat. Let it simmer for at least an hour, or till the water evaporates.

Sneedens' Best Italian Spaghetti Sauce

2005-02-12T14:55:00.000-05:00

From two good friends, Tim and Aileen Sneeden, in San Francisco after we tried the sauce in their home on 1 January 2005 during our Bay Area Christmas holiday.

Ingredients:
Italian sausage
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion (minced)
1 red pepper (minced)
1 stalk celery (minced)
4-5 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
¾ cup broth
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 cup mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
1 quart tomato sauce
¼ cup black olives (minced)
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 Tbsp dried)
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 Tbsp dried)
3-4 sprigs oregano (or 2 Tbsp dried)
dash of Tabasco (optional)
¼ chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Brown Italian sausage in olive oil, slice and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef and set aside.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat, and add butter, onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Stir well to coat added ingredients with oil, then simmer on low heat, covered, for 6-8 minutes.
4. Add the broth, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce to the pot, cover, and simmer for 6-8 minutes more.
5. Add the mushrooms, tomato sauce, black olives and herbs (if fresh, wrap and tie in cheese cloth) and simmer, covered, for ½ hour.
6. Add sausage and beef and simmer, covered, for another ½ hour.
7. Add Tabasco and parsley, as well as salt and pepper to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes, uncovered.
8. Pour generously over spaghetti and enjoy!