Oven-Grill Potato and Carrot Wedges

A healthy snack to have..

Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 large carrots
3 large potatoes
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of salt and black pepper

Method:

• Preheat grill at medium high heat for 10 minutes
• Cut carrots and potatoes into wedges
• Drizzle olive oil on baking tray, spread carrots and potatoes on tray
• Sprinkle on salt, black pepper and parsley and mix evenly
• Grill for 15 minutes, take tray out and flip to the opposite sides of wedges
• Grill for another 10 minutes
• Serve with mayonnaise or cheese dip

*You may leave the skin on potatoes if you like.

Wholesome Classic Chicken Soup

A favourite during my uni days in the autumn. It was my comfort food during examinations. It is easy to prepare, convenient to eat and very good for the soul.

Serves 5

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (large chunks)
4 stalks carrots
1 bunch celery
1 can Champignons (button mushrooms)

Method:

• Chop carrots and celery into large chunks
• Boil chicken pieces in a pot of boiling water on high heat for 5 minutes
• Pour half of the water away and add in fresh boiling water until it covers the chicken is fully
• Cover pot with lid and cook chicken on medium heat for 30 minutes
• Add carrots and celery and boil on low heat for 30 minutes
• Add Champignons and salt to taste
• Cook for another 15 minutes and serve with steamed rice and freshly cut chilli (optional)

Alternatively, macaroni can be added to the soup if it is preferred over rice.

Deli Roast Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

Sandwhich slices
Roast chicken *leftover (shredded)
Cheese slices
Rocket leaves
Tomato (sliced)
Mayonaise
Black pepper


Method:

• Squeeze mayonaise onto a slice of bread
• Spread ingredients layer by layer - cheese -> tomato -> chicken -> rocket
  
• Secure layers with drizzle of mayonaise in between layers
• Dash of pepper and squeeze mayonaise over rocket
• Cover with another slice of bread and serve

Stir Fry Lady Finger in Chilli Padi

Serves 3 to 5

Ingredients:
500g lady finger (okra)
3 to 5 Chilli padi (chopped, adjust to hotness)
30g dried shrimps (washed and soaked, retain soaked water)
1 teaspoon of canola oil
2 gloves of garlic (chopped)

Seasonings:
Dash of salt

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a thick-based metal pan.
• Add dried shrimp and fried till crispy
• Add chopped garlic and chilli.
• Add lady finger
• Stir fry everything.
• Dash of salt to taste

Crispy Fried Chicken

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 or 2 drumstick or thigh meat (boneless)
5 tablespoons canola oil

Seasonings:
KFC flour or Asian style fried flavouring flour
Dash of salt

Cooking:

• Heat oil in a thick-based metal pan.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt.
• Coat chicken thoroughly with Asian flour.
• Shallow pan fried chicken until golden brown.
• Serve whole or cut into strips.

Too broke to buy a new camera

I'm still cooking but there's no more food photo for blogging.

I'm sure nobody will believe me if I tell him/her that I'm so broke that I cannot afford to buy a camera. While I'm not entirely THAT broke, but I definitely cannot afford to use my spare cash on any luxury item at the moment.

As for my old mobile camera, although I still have many unpublished food photos and recipes in its memory card, I'm missing a "working" USB connector. After checking with the mobile dealers around my region, I realised that my mobile model is almost obsolete in the country, and so are its accessories. So unless I decided travel all the way to its main distributor in the city central or purchase a new mobile from the local retailers, I guess my food blogging will have to wait. (:

Stir-fried Sweet and Spicy Tapioca Noodles

I made this for bento one winter. Bad choice, the cold weather solidified the oil and sauce which made the noodles texture rubbery.. It is better to eat this when it is pipping hot or reheating with microwave before consumption is highly recommended.


Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 serving Vietnamese tapioca noodles
2 bundles Choy Sum (cut into 3cm)
2 chinese dried mushrooms (soaked till al dente and shredded)
2 stalks spring onions (cut into 3cm)
10 slices of fish cake
1 garlic (chopped finely)
1 chicken breast fillet (cut into 1.5cm strips)
2 tablespoons canola oil

Garnish:
Chopped spring onions
1 egg (fried into omelette and shredded finely)

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon sambal chilli sauce
2 tablespoon Kecap Manis
1 tablespoon dark soy
1 tablespoon light soy
Dash of salt and pepper

Preparation:
Combine amd mix seasonings in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.


Cooking:

• Heat oil in a thick-based metal pan.
• Add fish cake and fry till fragrant.
• Add garlic, spring onions and chicken.
• Fry for about 3 minutes, add Choy Sum and mushrooms.
• Fry for about 2 minutes, add noodles and combined seasonings.
• Mix thoroughly until contents are evenly coated.
• Lower heat to medium and fry for about 5 minutes.
• Garnish and serve.

Peaches and Cream on Puffs

I have a sweet tooth and I totally ♥ western desserts. However I don't make many desserts at home because often, special utensils and appliances are required for precise measuements, cutting, mixing and baking. It will not be practical for me to buy them all until I can have a "permanent" personal kitchen.

Kiddo always requests for "special suppers" nowadays. I wonder if I have pampered him too much. (:

I decided to make him something sweet for a change.


Makes 12

Cream:
4 tablespoons thickened cream
2 tablespoons cream cheese
4 tablespoons of caster sugar (5 for brown sugar)

Cream preparation:

• Combine cream, cheese and sugar in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Keep in fridge until usage.

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 can peaches in syrup
1 tablespoon icing sugar


Method:

• Preheat oven at 220 degrees celcius.
• Thaw puff pastry in room temperature for 5 minutes.
• Dust icing sugar over thawed pastry evenly.
• Use a sharp knife to cut pastry into 12 (3 columns x 4 rows) even pieces.
• Brush canola oil on baking tray and transfer cut pastries onto tray.
• Bake in oven for 12 minutes.
• Set baked pastries to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Spread a generous dollop of cream on each cooled pastry.
• Place 1 or 2 pieces (as preferred) of peaches atop the cream.
• Repeat process for all pastries.
  
• Serve pastries with hot tea.

**Notes:

• The flavour is incredibly light and not so sweet. For those who prefer it to be sweeter, adjust the sugar content for cream accordingly.
• If desired, pastries can be brushed with egg wash before popping into oven.

Soy-braised Pork Belly with Eggs

Knowing about my adversity towards Mr Porky, kiddo seldom requests to include pork in our meals. However he would have craving occasionally and requests to have it when we are doing our weekly grocery shopping. So I cook Mr porky on these rare occasions just to put a smile on his face and to see him gobble down the food happily.

There were 7 fat slabs in this pack and I had already used up 3 to make crispy pork lard pieces to go with kiddo's fried vermicelli and ramen soup. I decided to make his all-time favourite - Tau Yew Bak, Soy-braised Meat （酱油焖肉）, with the remaining pieces.


Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 slabs pork belly (cut into 2cm width)
6 pieces chinese dried mushrooms (soaked till al dente)
5 whole garlic (skin removed and cracked lightly) - use 4 if they are big
2 star anise (cracked lightly)
2 hard-boiled eggs (omit or add more as desired)
3 tablespoons dark soy
1 tablespoon light soy
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
spring onions or coriander to garnish


Cooking:

• Heat thick-based metal soup pan on medium-high.
• Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and add pork belly pieces.
• Fry until the meat is lightly caramelised, add garlic, star anise and mushrooms, fry for about a minute to release fragrance.
• Add 1 tablespoon dark soy, ensure meat is coated evenly and continue frying for 3 minutes.
• Add boiling water to contents, pour just enough to cover meat.
• Add remaining seasonings and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Add hard-boiled eggs. (Add more water if more eggs are added and liquid is not enough. Then add another tablespoon of dark soy.)
• Simmer on low heat, check and stir contents in pot after 15 minutes.
• Turn eggs to ensure even coating of soy on whites.
• Simmer for another 15 minutes until liquid has thickened and reduced to 1/2.
• Garnish with spring onions.
• Serve with gravy and a side of vegetables on rice.

**Notes:

• I didn't add salt because the soy is already salty enough.
• This is a flavourful dish with high salt and fat content, so do limit consumption to once a month if having blocked arteries is not your goal.

Glutinous Chicken Rice （糯米鸡） Bento

We can easily over-indulge in this if we're not careful. Our digestive systems take longer to break down the starch for this than the normal rice, so do take note not to overeat.

I didn't cooked the glutinous rice using the conventional method of steaming it in a steamer for that takes too long and I don't have the patience for fussy cooking. It was my first time making this and I was already using the rice cooker to cut corners. The texture of the rice turned out very well, so cheers to modern technology.. hehe..

Caution: Do not consume this bento in an enclosed space (for example - inside a train carriage), as the aroma is quite intense and those who are not eating it may not appreciate smelling it.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 cups glutinous rice (washed and soaked with just enough water in rice cooker for at least 5 hours)
2 cups chicken stock
2 chicken breast fillets
6 slices ginger (julienned finely)
1 garlic (chopped finely)
4 dried chinese mushrooms (soaked till al dente and shredded)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy
1 teaspoon dark soy
1 teaspoon cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
chopped spring onions for garnish
sweet sambal chilli sauce and drizzle of Kecap Manis for serving

Preparation:
Cut chicken fillets into strips of 1.5cm each.
Marinate chicken with wine, oyster sauce, light soy, dark soy, cornstarch, salt and pepper.


Cooking:

• Heat sesame oil in pan and stir-fry the marinated chicken with mushrooms for about 2 minutes.
• Add chopped garlic, fry until chicken slices turn whitish.
• Remove chicken and mushrooms from pan and add to glutinous rice.
• Add the julienned ginger, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and dash of pepper.
• Mix chicken and seasonings with rice thoroughly.
• Add chicken stock and cook rice as per normal.
• Garnish with spring onions and serve with drizzle of Kecap Manis and sweet sambal chilli.

Handmade Noodle (pasta) Soup - Mee Hoon Kueh （面粉果）

This is one of my favourite comfort food which I may never have to cook for myself. The technique of pulling and stretching the noodle dough is crucial for creating a smooth yet bouncy texture for the noodles and I have no patience for it. So all I need to do is to place the order with my sous chef and it will be served. However I must take note to order it at least an hour in advance so that the chef can prepare this at a comfortable pace, in less cranky mood.. LOL...


Serves 2 or 3

Dough Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
*Proportion - 2 flour : 1 water

Making the dough:

• Pour flour into a big bowl.
• Make a well in the middle of flour and gradually add water until loose crumbs are formed.
• Press crumbs together to form a dough. Knead until smooth.
• Sprinkle flour over dough and set aside.

Soup Ingredients:
1/2 cup of ikan bilis (dried anchovies)
100g chicken breast (sliced)
2 stalks Bak Choy or Choy Sum (chopped)
2 slices ginger
5 cups chicken stock
2 eggs (optional)
10 prawns (optional)
salt and white pepper to taste
spring onions or coriander and fried shallots or garlic to garnish


Cooking:

• Bring chicken stock to boil, add ikan bilis and ginger.
• Lower heat to medium.
• Rub fingers with flour and tear off a crumb of dough.
• Pull and stretch the dough until it resembles a rough piece of pasta, drop into soup.
• Continue with adding as much dough to soup as desired.
• Turn heat to high and add chicken and prawns when pieces of noodles begin to float to surface.
• Cook for about 3 minutes, add vegetables and eggs (if desired).
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Garnish and serve with fried ikan bilis and freshly cut red chilli padi in light soy.

**Notes:

• Remaining dough can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It has to be dusted with flour for reuse.
• Adjust thickness and texture of the noodles according to preference by stretching and pulling the dough.
• Chicken can be replaced by seasoned pork meatballs or fish slices if desired.
  

Spicy Sausage Pizza with Salami and Peas

This was concocted from a consolidation of the remaining edibles in our fridge. This is what happened when you don't have the time to do grocery shopping and cannot afford the luxury or convenience of local takeouts. Thank goodness we still had cheese and some frozen inventory. I didn't make this though.. leaving the task to my resident sous chef. I admit that I (the resident head chef) occasionally get tired of trying to create tasty food from a constrained inventory. :p


Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 hotdogs (sliced)
1/4 cup frozen peas
1 cup cheddar (or mozzarella) cheese
4 slices shaved salami (torn roughly)
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 tablespoon chilli powder (omit or adjust to preference)

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees.
• Brush canola oil on baking tray.
• Use knife to create 2cm slits around pastry edges.
• Spread tomato puree on puff pastry.
• Scatter and sprinkle ingredients evenly over puff pastry.

Cooking:
Bake pizza in oven for 13 minutes.

Cream of Chicken

I'm not a soup fan but I'm always making soups because my kiddo loves to drink soups. I have to admit that they are very convenient whenever I needed a break from preparing elaborate or creative meals. They can last for days and they complement simple meals.


Serves 6
2 cups leftover roast chicken (shredded)
1 litre chicken stock
1 brown onion (chopped finely)
1 cup carrot (cubed)
1 cup corn
1 cup thickened cream
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped finely)

Cooking:

• Sweat onions with butter in soup pan for about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken stock and bring to boil.
• Add carrot, corn and thickened cream, lower heat to medium and boil for 3 minutes.
• Add chicken and thickened cream, thickened broth with flour (mixed with 1/2 cup of water), stirring constantly.
  
• Garnish with parsley and serve with bread.

French Onion Soup with Cheesy Garlic Bread

I make use of what I have whenever I cook. I guess it's every homemaker's instinct to make every penny counts. I will never purchase an ingredient if I know that I have only a one-time usage for it or if I don't really know what else I can cook with it besides the one recipe I know. One example is my weekly purchase of bread. I usually buy wholemeal and white sandwich loaves which are value-for-money in terms of versatility and nutritional value. I rarely indulge in fancy French loafs or crusty breads for soups.

The savings may not be much but these days, BUDGET is everything and frugality does help in many ways.


Serves 3

Onion Soup Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
4 large brown onions (sliced)
6 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking:

• Heat soup pan on medium-high heat.
• Add 1/3 of the onions and sweat until they are slightly softened.
• Repeat the same process for 2 more times. **Do this only if soup pan is small, to ensure even sweating of onions.**
• Continue for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly until the onions are caramelized and browned.
• Add chicken stock and red wine to onions.
• Bring to boil and simmer on low heat for 1/2 hour.

Cheesy Garlic Bread ingredients:
cheddar or mozzarella cheese
garlic (chopped very finely)
bread
parsley

Preparation:

• Grill 1 side of bread for 5 minutes on medium high heat.
• Remove from oven, turn bread over, scatter garlic on top.
• Spread cheese to cover bread.
• Grill fro another 3 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Sprinkle parsley over and grill for another 2 minutes.

Serve onion soup with garlic bread.

**Notes:
I didn't add any sugar when caramelizing the onions because I don't really like to create artificial sweetness for the soup and I think the sugar only acts as a catalyst to speed up the caramelization. I noticed that the onions added natural sweetness to the soup when they had been caramelized perfectly.

Bibimbap Rice Bento - Ginger Wine Chicken

I think Singaporeans are very lucky and pampered where dining options is concerned. Good meals are always available within minutes of walking and it can cost as cheap as from $2.00 onwards. I have never felt the necessity to add bulk to my bags by bringing my own bentos or lunchboxes to work or school. However, the story is different when I was studying overseas. The most economical meals I could get were from fast food joints in the city and I was pretty sure that I couldn't find anything below $4.00 (unless during clearance sale prior to stall closing).. Let's not even talk about the quality of food and the distance you need to travel to get them if you work or study in the suburbs.

I used to plan my timetable in such a way that my lectures and tutorials either end by noon or they start in the afternoon. That way, I can avoid having lunch in the uni. However, occasionally I did give in to the "luxury" of eating in the uni's Asian cafeteria - $8.00 for 1 serving of meat + 3 strands of fibre (sometimes they will give vegetable stems when they are out of leaves) + steamed rice. (FYI, no subsidies or cheaper rates even though these are campus vendors targeting students, if you compare to the food vendors in Singapore unis or polytechnics). So I "try" to cook extra for dinners, so that I can pack a bento for the next day.

From left: stir-fried Ginger Wine Chicken, blanched Kai Lan, poached egg, shredded omelette with ham and mixed veggie (covered over rice)

Recipe for stir-fried Ginger Wine Chicken - Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 fillets skinless chicken breasts (cut into 2cm strips)
5 slices ginger (julienned finely)
1 small garlic (chopped finely)
canola oil
spring onions

Seasonings:
2 tablespoons Shaoxing Chinese wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dark soy
dash of sesame oil and salt

Preparation:
Combine seasonings in a bowl and marinate chicken strips for 10 minutes.

Cooking:

• Fry ginger in hot oil for 2 minutes until lightly browned.
• Add garlic and chicken, fry until fragrant.
• Add 1/4 cup water and simmer on medium heat for about 8 minutes until the water is reduced to 1/2, stirring occasionally.
• Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.

Extra Crispy Biscuit Pork Katsu

Yes, I was cooking Mr Porky. We were having guests over and I had a pot of Japanese curry ready. I thought it would be nice to serve it with some crispy pork cutlets. I hadn't touched the meat since my childhood trauma stay rooted with me. So while my guests were enjoying these juicy pieces, I had contented myself with the curry and vegetables instead. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any picture of the curry, which means I will have the save the recipe for another time.


Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:
3 pieces pork fillets
1 egg (beaten)
3-5 pieces wheat biscuits
1 packet preferred pre-mixed meat frying powder
salt for seasoning
canola oil

Preparation:

• Put biscuits into clean plastic bag and crush them into powder form using hands. It is okay if there is a little lumpy here and there. It adds on to the crispiness.
• Pour biscuit powder onto a wide plate.
• Pour beaten egg onto another plate.
• Pour 1/2 packet of frying powder into another plate.
• Line plates in sequence - frying powder -> egg -> biscuit powder
• Clean and remove additional fats from pork fillets.
• Season fillets with salt.
• Dip 1st pork fillet into the plate with frying powder, coat evenly.
• Then dip into egg and finally, coat with biscuit powder.
• Set aside.
• Repeat the process for 2nd and 3rd fillets.

Cooking:

• Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in non-stick pan.
• Preheat oil at high heat. Test temperature with wooden spoon or chopticks. The oil is ready when bubbles appear.
• Place the coated pork fillets into hot oil.
• Turn the heat down to medium high and fry until golden brown. (As the fillets were quite thick, lowering the heat helps to prevent the burning the crust too quickly while undercooking the meat which can happen if the oil is too hot. Pan-frying the meat over moderate heat allows it to cook more evenly while maintaining a crisp exterior).
• Turn over and fry the other side until golden brown.
• Drain oil on grease paper and let meat rest for 5 minutes.
• Cut fillets into 2cm strips with a sharp knife.
  
• Serve with hot curry and rice.

Tricolour Sushi Bread

I made this at a time when I wanted to introduce some creativity while cutting down the time I take to prepare a sushi bento.


The ingredients and rolling method were the same as Tomato Spam Sushi. The only difference was that I had used salami slices and white bread in place of hotdog and seasoned rice. From the feedback I received, the texture and taste were refreshingly light and savory, so I considered it success personally.

Spinach Spaghetti Carbonara

I was looking for a quick Italian meal.. after I got really famished from watching the Jdrama - Bambino. A quick search on Closet Cooking's blog landed me on this fantastic Carbonara recipe. I had to modify it a little due to the availibility of ingredients in my fridge. Nonetheless, the taste was great and the meal was demolished as fast as it was cooked. :p

Serves 2

Ingredients:
100 gram baby spinach
2 servings of spaghetti
2 hotgdog franfurkter (diced)
3-4 slices of hot shaved salami (torn roughly into smaller pieces)
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped finely)
2 garlic (chopped finely)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons thickened cream
2 egg yolks


Cooking:

• Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente.
• Mix sauce thoroughly in a bowl.
• Set metal pan on moderately high heat.
• Fry diced sausages in olive oil for about 2 minutes.
• Add salami slices and fry until crisp.
• Remove sausage and salami from heat and set aside.
• Use the oil from sausages to saute spinach with garlic for 2 minutes.
• Add spaghetti, cheese and parsley.
• Combine ingredients thouroughly with tongs.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat and toss spaghetti with the prepared sauce.
• Top with crispy sausage and salami and serve.
  

I really liked this meal. It tasted great even though simple ingredients were used. I didn't use the water from spaghetti (as recommended by Closet Cooking) because the spinach provided enough moisture. We used to pay good money (about $30 for 2) for this when we were dinning out in the mid-range restaurants (of Singapore). And they either come with overcooked pasta and overly thickened or watery sauce. I think this home-cooked Carbonara was better than what I have had outside and I'm now inspired to try more at home in future.. Time to cut down on paying good money for sub-standard food. (:

Spicy Korean Ramen Stir-fry

The Nong Shim instant ramen was an all-time favourite amongst Asian students in Wollongong. It was so popular that it could be out-of-stock ever so often. Although I was pretty sure that the Asian Grocery in Gong was ripping us off by selling them at $0.90 AU individually, I remember that I had bought 5 to 8 packets in a single purchase, from time to time.. until I read "Manufactured in China" in very fineprint at the back of its packaging.


I know that these days, even iMac can be "Made in China", but I felt "cheated".. nonetheless... I realised only much later that a competitor brand - Paldo, was indeed manufactured in Korea even though the words "Korean Noodles" were scrawled explicitly (in Chinese) on its packaging. Talk about successful marketing.. I had been fooled by Nong Shim's packaging for a long time.. :p

Anyway, I got tired of eating the typical soupy version of Ramen and decided to stir-fry the noodles with some leftover roast chicken for a change.


Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 packet Nong Shim instant noodles - spicy mushroom flavour
1 large egg
1 cup roast chicken (shredded)
1 small garlic (chopped finely)
spring onions (chopped finely)
canola oil


Cooking:

• Bring 1 1/2 bowl of water to boil in a soup pan.
• Add noodles and cook for 2 minutes so that it is softened but slightly under-cooked. Drain water.
• In a non-stick pan, fry shredded chicken and dried vegetables (included in the Ramen package) with oil for about 1 minute.
• Add garlic and fry for another minute before adding the noodles and spring onions.
• Stir about 1/2 packet of powdered soup base (included in the Ramen package) evenly into the noodles.
• Fry for another minute and serve with a sunshine egg.
• Hot water can be added to the remaining half of the soup base to make a bowl of soup to go with the noodles.
  

Basically this can only serve as a quick-fix snack or supper. The serving is not big and it has HIGH carbo, HIGH salt and HIGH fat content.. BUT it certainly helps to satisfy the craving for spicy junk food during examination blues. Alternatively, leafy greens can be added to increase nutritional value and lessen consumption guilt.. lol

Teochew Dried Fishball Noodles - Tossed Tapioca Noodles

I'm actually 1/4 Teochew, 1/4 Hokkien and 1/2 a Hakka. In the olden days, noodles was an important source of staple food for my mother's family. My Hokkien maternal grandfather was a noodles merchant when he first migrated from China to settle down in Singapore. As a child, I grew up eating different types of noodles cooked and prepared in various styles by my Teochew grandmother. However, I wasn't aware that the fishball noodles in Australia, are typically the soupy type. I have attempted (and failed) to order the Singapore hawkers' dried version a couple of times, much to the bewilderment of the Chinese local restauranters (lol) and I didn't care for their soupy noodles because the fishballs were artificially bouncy and the broth was ... bleah..

So, I was quite triumphant when I managed to recreate the nostalgic taste of home in Australia - Teochew dried fishball noodles. The noodles texture were chewy and light. The sauce was tangy with a hint of spiciness, ideal for breakfast or lunch.



Serves 1

Ingredients - Available in Asian Grocery
1 serving tapioca noodles (I bought the longish, Vietnamese type because their shorter type, aka Mee Tai Mak, tends to become soggy easily after cooked.)
1 packet fishballs (fried or white)
1/2 fish cake (sliced) *optional
spring onions (chopped finely)

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee Chiu Chow Chilli Oil (adjust or omit as desired)
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon light soy
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon MSG


Preparation and cooking:

• Combine seasonings with 2 tablespoons of stock (or soup) in a bowl to create a sauce, mix well.
• Bring 2 bowls of water to boil.
• Add noodles and blanch until al dente.
• Drain away the water and toss noodles in sauce until evenly coated.
• In another pot, add fishballs to 1 bowl of boiling water or chicken stock.
• Bowl for about 5 minutes until fishballs are cooked and bouncy.
• Add fried shallots (or Dang Tsai - salted cabbage with leek and fried pork lard - deep fried pork belly), season with salt and white pepper
  
• Garnish tossed noodles and soup with spring onions and serve with fishballs and fish cake soup, with freshly cut chillies (if desired).

**Notes:

1. I have omitted a very distinct Teochew ingredient, preserved vegetable - Dang Tsai (天津东菜) - salted cabbage with leeks, because my kiddo has a phobia of it. He will swallow them with water (like they are pills) and it's not a pretty sight for me. So, please add a sprinkle of it if you do not have any phobia. It really makes the difference.
2. I didn't add bean sprouts because we weren't able to get any fresh ones in Gong, plus personally, I don't like the taste of raw or half-cooked sprouts. (which is why I have never been a lover of Pho - the Vietnamese beef noodles.. :p)
3. For health reasons, MSG is not recommended for regular consumption. However it plays an important role in making the sauce taste robust (like those from Singapore's hawkers), so it cannot be omitted unless you have some concentrated meat stock ready.
   

Golden Packets - Cheddar Sausage Puffs

These are really good for afternoon or party snacks because they are very easy to make and they are so addictive. My little kiddo wasted no time in demolishing them!



Makes 9

Ingredients
2 frozen puff pastry sheets
1 cup sausage frankfurter (cubed finely)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
canola oil
egg wash (optional)

Preparation:

• Thaw puff pastry in room temperature for 5 minutes.
• Brush canola oil on baking tray.
• Preheat oven at 220 degrees.
• Place first sheet of puff pastry on clean working top.
• Sprinkle cheddar cheese and sausage cubes evenly on it.
• Place the other puff pastry on top, to cover all ingredients.
• Seal all 4 corners by pressing them together using fingertips.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the sealed pastry into 9 portions (3x3 columns and rows)
• Seal the edges of all 9 packets by pressing them together. This is to prevent ingredients from spilling out during baking.
• Transfer the sealed packages onto the baking tray.
• Brush with egg wash. *optional
  

Cooking:
Bake pastries in the oven for 15 minutes and serve warm.

Chicken and Prawns Wonton Soup

This is a variation from the "original" pork version as I am not particularly fond of pork due to some post-childhood trauma :p. Pork lovers can substitute the chicken with Mr Porky. This can be quick 10-minute meal once you have gotten the hang of wrapping wontons and have a ready batch of marinated meat.



Makes about 60-100 wontons (depending on amount of filling you use for each, I can make 100+ if minus the prawns)

Ingredients
Wonton skins (thin, yellowish, eggy type)

For filling:
500g minced chicken
2 large stalks of spring onions (chopped finely)
4 chinese dried mushrooms (diced finely) *optional
30 medium-size prawns (halved lengthwise)

Seasonings:
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon light soy
1 1/2 tablespoon conflour

For soup base:
1 handful of ikan bilis (dried anchovies, available at Asian grocery)
1 bunch Choy Sum (chopped into lengths of 4cm)
2 slices ginger
salt and white pepper to taste
sprinkle of spring onions and fried shallots for garnish

Preparation:
Combine chicken and seasonings thoroughly in a large bowl. Cover with a cling-firm or keep in the plastic container, set aside in the fridge for an hour.

Wrapping:

• Place approximately 1 heaped teaspoon of filling with a piece of prawn in the centre of wonton skin, fold skin diagonally into half, resulting in a triangular shape.
• Seal edges with water.
• Grab the diagonal ends of the folded skin, twist in a circular motion so that they criscross each other. Dab water to stick the ends at where they cross so that the wonton resembles an ingot. (Think tortellini)

OR

• Place approximately 1 heaped teaspoon of filling with a piece of prawn in the centre of wonton skin.
• Dab finger with water and wet the skin area surrounding the filling (cirular shape)
• Seal package by pushing and lightly twisting the skin to resemble a small sack.

Cooking:

• Bring 1 1/2 bowl of water to boil in a soup pan and add the ikan bilis and ginger.
• Add about 20 wontons and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add Choy Sum and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Season with salt and white pepper.
• Garnish with fresh spring onions and fried shallots. Serve with red cut chillies and light soy.

**Notes:

1. I added the prawn during wrapping instead of mixing it together with chicken because that will ensure an even distribution of prawns and a balanced taste and texture for every wonton.
   
2. Marinated filling and remaining wonton skins can be kept in the fridge for up to about a week.
3. I normally use less sesame oil for chicken so that it does not overwhelm the subtle taste of chicken. If pork is used, more sesame oil can be used.
4. It is better to wrap the wontons just before cooking, because the wontons tend to harden or dry up if they are wrapped in advance and kept in the fridge.
5. The wontons can also be deep fried in hot oil and serve as snacks if desired.

Crispy Turkey Spring Rolls

This was one of my first few experimental dishes in Australia when I was quite homesick due to the deprivation of comfort food. Although there is no shortage of Asian or Chinese eateries in Gong (Wollongong), only Malaysians and Singaporeans have an almost similar palate, in terms of food tastes, preferences and variations. One example is our Roti Prata (I haven't eaten it for 2 years now). Apparently, the Straits Malacca's version is different from India's. Anyway... back to the spring rolls... lol...


Makes about 20 rolls

Ingredients:
500g minced turkey
1 egg white
2 carrots (shredded finely)
1 packet of large spring roll sheets (20/pk)
5 garlic (chopped finely)
1 1/2 teaspoon ginger (chopped finely)
8 Chinese dried mushrooms (soaked till softened and cut into fine cubes)
2 large stalks of spring onions / green shallots (chopped finely)
canola oil

Seasonings:
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons light soy
1 tablespoon dark soy
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons salt
Dash of black pepper

Preparation for filling:

• In a large bowl, combine minced turkey, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, spring onions and seasonings, mixed thoroughly with cleaned or gloved hands.
• Cover marinated turkey with cling-firm and set aside (in fridge) for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, wrap filling in spring roll sheets, using egg white to seal edges.
• Each roll requires about 1 1/2 heaped tablespoons of filling and should be about 10cm long, with thickness of 3cm.

Cooking:
Fry rolls in hot canola oil until golden brown. Serve with Kecap Manis, sweet chilli sauce or mayonnaise.

**Notes:

1. Store spring roll sheets in freezer until usage. Use up all, once the packet is opened because the sheets will dry up and become unusable after sometime.
2. Spring rolls can be kept in the freezer for up to a month. I usually keep a batch and fry a few for bento or snacks whenever I feel like having some.
3. I pan fried my spring rolls in a non-stick pan because I dislike excessive usage or wastage of oil. However, using a deep fryer is recommended for best results.
4. Chilled spring rolls can be re-heated in a hot oven grill, crispiness restored.

Mushroom Noodles Soup with Chicken Karage

This is an adaption of the Singapore hawker centres' "fushion" version. I didn't use Soba or Udon and my Karage marinate was not the authentic Japanese version (which is made from scratch) but it is still quite delightful. For convenience sake, I have used the commercial pre-mixed Hot Karage powder instead. I have also used chicken drumsticks because the bones can be used for making soup base for the noodles.


Serves 1

Ingredients:
Shanghainese thin-noodles (面线)
2 large Chinese dried mushrooms (pre-soaked)
1 bunch Bak Choy
2 chicken drumsticks
canola oil
1/2 packet of pre-mixed chicken Karage powder
salt and white pepper to taste
fried garlic and spring onions for garnish

Preparation:

• Cut softened Chinese mushrooms into strips.
• Separate Bak Choy stalks and cut into small pieces.
• De-bone chicken drumsticks - use a small knife to cut around the skin near the knuckles (thin end) and scrap along the bone (separating meat) until midway, slip knife through to slit meat and continue scraping until the bone is clean, cut away the meat.
• Marinate chicken wth salt and set aside.
  
• Bring 1 1/2 bowl of water to boil in a soup pan.
• Boil the chicken bones in boiling water for 10 - 15 minutes to make a light chicken broth.

Cooking:

• Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan.
  
• Pour 1/2 a packet of Karage powder onto a clean plate and evenly coat the 2 chicken pieces.
• When the oil is hot, fry chicken skin-side first, until skin turn crisp brown.
  
• Flip chicken over and fry the other side.
• When the Karage is almost ready, use a pair of clean scissors to snip chicken pieces into 2cm strips while they are still frying. This is to ensure thorough cooking and extra crispiness.
• Remove the Karage from oil and drain on kitchen towel.

• In the soup pan, add 1 serving of noodles into the boiling chicken broth.
• Boil for 1 minute, add mushrooms and Bak Choy and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
• Add salt and white pepper to noodles soup to taste.
• Remove chicken bones, pour noodles and soup into a bowl.
• Garnish noodles with fried garlic and green onions.
• Serve with Karage chicken and red chilli (if desired).

Cheesy Salami Pizza

Domino's Toni Pepperoni on puff pastry is definitely one of my top favourite/comfort food in Australia. While I have tried other pizzas from its menu, I haven't ordered anything else eversince I have tasted its Toni on Puff. Yes, it is THAT sensational... for a junkie like me. I actually have secret cravings for it once in a while.. which makes it logical for me to try to make it at home.

No online ordering or picking up required. Just simple ingredients and easy preparation. Et viola! It's pretty good, really.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 frozen puff pastry sheet
hot shaved salami slices (quartered)
shredded cheddar cheese
tomato pasta sauce (according to preference)
dried chilli flakes (optional)
canola or olive oil

Preparation:

• Preheat oven at 220 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Rub 1 tablespoon of oil evenly onto baking tray.
• Place puff pastry onto tray and use a fork to poke some holes.
• Spread tomato pasta sauce, then add salami slices over surface.
• Sprinkle cheese and chilli flakes over salami evenly.

Cooking:
Pop pastry tray into oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

**Optional:

1. Dried chilli flakes
2. Pepperoni to replace salami
3. Mozzarella cheese to replace cheddar
4. Plain tomato puree to replace tomato pasta sauce (I used chunky vegetable pasta sauce for this)

Sambal Fried Rice

I like to cook fried rice. It is economical and easy. We can get a balanced meal out of it by combining meat (for protein) and vegetables (for fibre).


Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 hotdog
2 large eggs
1 small bunch broccoli
1 garlic (chopped finely)
1 bowl leftover jasmine rice
canola oil

Seasonings:
1/2 teaspoon Thai sambal curry paste
1 tablespoon light soy
Dash of salt

Preparation:

• Beat eggs in a bowl lightly, fry and scramble in a non-stick pan. Set aside.
• Separate the thick stem from broccoli and cut into small stalks.
• Blanch stalks in boiling water for 5 minutes and set aside.
• Remove the tough skin of stem and cut into thin slices.
• Quarter hotdog (lengthwise) and cut into 1cm cubes.

Cooking:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in non-stick pan and fry hotdog until slightly crisp.
• Add garlic and broccoli stem slices, fry for 3 minutes.
• Add scrambled eggs and rice.
• Use wooden spatula to separate rice lumps, stirring constantly to mix the ingredients and fluff up the rice.
• Add blanched broccoli and Thai sambal when the rice is loose and soft.
• Mix sambal with rice and ingredients thoroughly, ensure rice is evenly coated.
• Add light soy and salt to taste.
• Fry for another 2 minutes and serve.

**Notes:

1. I prefer to use jasmine rice because it is more fragrant, softer and less starchy, but long grain or basmati is also fine.
2. A tip to keep rice moist during frying, lightly splash droplets of water over rice after you have loosen it. This will release steam and prevent the rice from hardening or getting too dry.
3. Always use leftoever rice for fried rice because freshly cooked rice is too moist and will result in a gooey mess.
4. Using a non-stick pan will prevent the rice from sticking to the pan and also prevent the usage of excessive oil.
   

Corned Beef Chowder

I am not really a big fan of soups, but my hubby is.
I always make sure that I have a steaming bowl of soup and warm bread ready before he comes home.


Serves 2

Ingredients:
400 ml of chicken stock
100 grams canned corned beef
I tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic, chop finely
1 large onion, chop finely
2 large potatoes, cut into small cubes

Seasonings:
2 tablespoons thickened cream
1 teaspoon white pepper
Dash of salt and black pepper


Cooking:
Heat soup pan, add oil, butter and onions.
Sweat onions until they turn translucent and browned lightly.
Add garlic and potatoes, fry for 1 minute.
Add chicken stock and bring to boil.
Add corned beef and simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes, until potatoes soften.
Use a wooden spoon to lightly mash the softened potatoes and stir for another 5 minutes.
Add seasonings and serve with warm crusty bread and cheese.


**Note:

• Do take care not to burn the onion or garlic as the soup will taste bitter, lower heat if pan gets too hot.

Honey Grilled Chicken

This is a family favourite.


Serves 2
Ingredient:
2 boneless chicken cutlets (skin-on thighs)

Seasonings (marinate):
1 teaspoon dark soy
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
Dash of salt and black pepper

Preparation (marinate):
Combine and mix seasonings in a large bowl.
Add chicken cutlets, ensure an even coat of marinate on both pieces.
Cover with cling-firm and set aside for 30 minutes.


Cooking:

• Pre-heat oven grill (5 to 10 minutes in advance), set temperature to medium-high.
• Line baking tray with aluminium foil and place chicken pieces on tray, skin-side down.
• Grill for 15 minutes.
• Remove tray from grill and turn the chicken over so that the skin-sides are up.
• Grill for another 10 minutes.
• Remove tray from grill and set chicken to rest in room temperature for 7 minutes before serving.

**Notes:

1. Chicken can be marinated in a ziplock bag and kept in the freezer in advance.
2. Grilling time and temperature should be adjusted according to the specifications of different grills.

Tomato Spam Sushi

Sushi rolls are ideal for bentos (lunch boxes) because you don't have to worry about heat retention and they are very easy to pack and eat, fuss-free.


Serves 1 to 2

Ingredients:
1 hotdog (quartered lengthwise)
1 large egg
8 stalks French beans
2 sheets Nori (seaweed for sushi)
Mayonnaise squeeze
Canola oil

Seasonings:
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
2 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon light soy
Pinch of salt


Preparation - sushi rice:

• Combine and mix seasoning in a small bowl.
• Scoop and spread rice onto a large plate, stir in the mixed seasonings evenly and set aside.

Preparation - ingredients:

• Beat egg and pan-fry it into an omelette with canola oil in a non-stick pan.
• Cut cooled omelette into strips of 1cm width.
• Pan-fry hotdog strips and set aside to cool.
• Blanch French beans in boiling water for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.

Making the sushi roll:

• Wrap sushi mat with cling-firm
• Have a bowl of water and a clean, sharp knife on standby.
• Lay a Nori sheet (rough side facing upwards) on working top (make sure that it's clean and dry)
• Scoop half of the tomato rice and spread it evenly on the Nori, leaving s 1.5cm space from the top.
• Line strips of egg, 1 strip of hotdog, 4 stalks of French beans (2 on each side for the entire lenght of the roll) on top of the rice.
• Squeeze mayonnaise on top of the French beans.
• Begin rolling from the bottom up, use fingertup to manipulate the Nori while applying pressure on the rice, pressing the ingredients firmly together.
• Dab water on Nori's 1.5cm space to seal the roll.
• Use sushi mat to cover the entire roll and press firmly (shaping the roll into a squarish-like tube).
• Cut roll into halves with a sharp knife.
• Cut each half into halves and repeat the process until each roll's thickness is about 2cm.
• Repeat the same for the remaining rice.
  

**Notes:

1. Hotdog can be replaced by Spam or luncheon meat.
2. Hot water is used with the seasoning for softening and moistening of the leftover rice. If freshly-cooked rice is used, rice has to be cooled to lukewarm and water can be at room temperature.
3. 2 Sushi rolls can be made from 2 bowls of cooked rice

Mock Duck with Baby Broccoli

The savory mock duck is actually made of gluten and it is high in protein. This can be a good substitute if you like a break from the meaty palate.


Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:
6-7 stalks baby broccoli
1 can vegetarian mock duck (from Asian grocery)

Seasonings:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon light soy
1 teaspoon dark soy
Salt to taste


Cooking:

• Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
• Slice mock duck and pan-fry till edges turn crispy, remove and set aside.
• Stir-fry baby broccoli in the remaining oil for 2-3 minutes.
• Add mock duck's sauce (from the can) and seasonings to broccoli, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the crispy mock duck slices and serve with rice.