Fried Rice Vermicelli (炒米粉)

Ingredients

Rice vermicelli (Forgot to check how much was used LOL ... guess it's up to individual)
200gm minced meat, seasoned with salt and pepper
Some vegetable (I used my leftover cabbage)
1 egg
2 clove garlic, minced
Oil for cooking

*Can add basically anything you like, e.g. dried shrimps, fresh shrimps, carrot. But I only put simple ingredients because girls only like the vermicelli and will pick out basically all other things except the egg.

Seasoning:
2 tablespoon soya sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dark soya sauce
1/2 worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock (more if vermicelli too dry)
Pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat oil and fry egg. Use the laddle to keep stirring the egg in the pan to cut it all up to small pieces. Dish out and set aside.

2. Using same pan, heat oil and sauté garlic till fragrant.

3. Add minced meat. Continue to stir fry and break up the meat, until 80% cooked.

4. Add the vegetable. Continue to stir fry for another minutes.

5. Add the rice vermicelli and continue stir-fry.

6. Then add in the seasoning and mix well. If it's still too dry, add more stocks then adjust the taste accordingly.

Steamed Cod Fish in Bean Paste and Ginger

Frozen cod fish. So I have to get rid of the fishy smell before steaming it. And because I am still worried of the fishy smell, I decided to make a stronger base for it. Ginger, chilli, onion, bean paste ... all the ingredients with strong taste had been used ... LOL . If the fish still "smell", at least the ginger and bean paste can cover smell ...

Ingredients

2 pieces of cod fish fillet

Some salt to rub onto the fish

Some corn flour to rub onto the fish

1 tablespoon crushed bean paste

2 tablespoon minced ginger

1 small red chilly, sliced thinly

2 shallots (or 1 small red onion), chopped

1 tablespoon soya sauce

2 tablespoon oil 

Method

1. Give fish a milk bath one hour before cooking. 

2. Clean fish, pat dry. Rub salt on the fish, and then pat some corn flour on it.

3. Place some ginger on a steaming dish, place fish on top.

4. Put fermented bean paste on top of the fish just like spreading peanut butter on bread, generously. Sprinkle sugar on top.

5. Add the rest of the ginger and also sliced chilly on top of the bean paste.

6. Bring water in the steamer to a boil and steam fish over high heat for 8-10 minutes. 

7. While the fish is steaming half way, heat oil and brown the onion. 

8. Add soy sauce to the onion and bring to boil.

9. When fish is done, remove fish from the steamer, pour away excess steaming liquid.

10. Drizzle hot onion oil and soy sauce mixture over, and serve immediately.

Stir Fry Cabbage with Dried Shrimps and Garlic

Like the crunchy cabbage so much!

Ingredients

1 small cabbage, washed and cut according to your liking

1 tablespoon dried shrimps, lightly chopped

4 cloves garlic, lightly chopped (I love garlic!)

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Method

1. Heat oil in pan.

2. Add garlic and dried shrimps. Stir fry in low heat till lightly brown and fragrant.

3. Add cabbage. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add water. Let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

5. Add oyster sauce and salt. Continue to stir-fry for a minute or so. (Do not overcooked the cabbage to maintain it's crunchiness)

6. Dish out and serve ... 

Nyonya Stewed Spare Ribs

This one is so easy you can't go wrong with the taste. Next round I would add a little bit of black bean sauce, reduce the water and tamarind juice, then it would probably taste like Tim Ho Wan's pork rib ... LOL

Ingredients

450g pork (I mixed spare ribs and lean meat)
100g shallots, skin peeled (I used small red onion)
2 medium fresh red chilies, seeded and sliced lengthwise (I reduced the amount for the kids. But this dish would taste even better if more spicy using the dried chilies)
4 cups water
3 tbsp taucheo/bean paste
2 tbsp tamarind pulp (soaked in 1/4 cup water, extract the juice)
1 1/2 tsp sugar or to taste
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat up a stew pot with 4 cups of water and bring it to boil.
2. Add shallots, chilies, and pork ribs into the water.
3. Add taucheo (bean paste) and bring it to boil.
4. Lower heat to low and cover with a lid. Slowly stew the ribs for 1 hour or so, or until the meat becomes really tender.
5. Add tamarind juice, sugar, and salt to taste.
6. If it’s not sour enough, add more water to the tamarind pulp and extract more juice.

Original recipe: Rasa Malaysia - Nyonya Stewed Pork Ribs

Chicken Floss Butter Bun

This was a premium when I was a little girl. It was too expensive to afford. I remember the chicken floss filling those time were abundant. Nowadays I wouldn't even want to buy it from those expensive bakery because the filling is just pathetic! Oh and they put the chicken floss on top of the bun instead of stuffing it inside! Why did they do that? Because it's easier to mass produce? I seriously have issue with them putting it on top ... LOL ... I like the chicken floss IN the bun, not on top of it.

Never had I imagined I will be able to make this bun myself ... I am proud of myself ... haha

The bun looks odd in shape because I did not let the dough balls proof in a proper size baking pan. So it went out of shape when it rise

Ingredient 
Makes 10-12 small buns

125gm bread flour (plain flour also can)
13gm cake flour
8gm instant dry yeast
8gm milk powder
20gm caster sugar
1/4 tsp salt
50ml water, about 36C/97F
40ml milk, about 36C/97F (or omit water and use 90ml milk)
20gm butter, softened at room temperature
whisked egg, for egg wash


Method 

1) In mixer bowl, combine water, milk, yeast and sugar and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

2) Using dough hook, mix in the bread flour, cake flour, milk powder, and salt. Knead until ingredients are incorporated.

3) Add in butter, continue to knead until dough is soft and smooth. About 5-8 minutes. The dough will still be a little sticky.

4) Oil hands and divide dough equally to 10-12 balls. Shape into balls with smooth top and fold the bottom together. Or flatten the dough, put chicken floss on the dough, then wrap it up and seal the seam properly.

5) Place the dough balls in a baking pan. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

6) Glaze with egg wash.

7) Bake in preheated oven at 160 degree C for 15-20 minutes. Original recipe uses higher temperature. My oven is slightly hot so the top was burnt before it was done. So at 160 degree C the bun came out just nice.

I have used the following 2 recipes so that I could make the butter buns using the fast method.

Adapted from:

Butter Bun - Used the ingredients here

40min Bread Roll - Used the method here

Pan Fry Rosemary Chicken Fillet with Sauté Onion

Ingredient

200gm chicken fillet, pounded so that all have similar thickness
1/2 cup flour, seasoned with salt and rosemary herb (I used dried rosemary)
1 small egg, beaten with 2 tablespoon of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

1 small onion, sliced
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon of flour

Method

1. Season chicken fillet with salt and pepper on both side.
2. Dip seasoned chicken fillet in egg wash, then coat it with the flour. Do this for all fillet. Set aside.
3. Heat oil till pan is slightly smoking.
4. Pan fry fillet in medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
5. Turn the fillet, continue to fry for 2 minutes. Add oil if necessary. Dish out and set aside.
6. Use the same pan with the leftover oil, add in the onion and sprinkle with salt. Cook onion until soft and brown.
7. Add in flour and water. Mix well until sauce thicken.
8. Pour the onion and it's sauce onto the chicken fillet. Serve ... 

Spicy and Sour Gai Choy (Chinese Mustard) Soup 酸辣介菜

Ok, I said no grandmother stories, but this one is different. I want to keep this story before it is lost in my memory ... 

Was looking through my FB post and found this dish made by my mom on 26 May 2012. She was already very ill during that time, suffering from cancer. But she was a very tough woman and cooked this absolutely delicious dish for me because I said I was craving for it. I have tried many different places that sell this dish and none came close to the one my mom made.

And since it was just a spontaneous craving, mom had to buy those BBQ meat, instead of using the leftovers which usually the case to make this dish. And even the Gai Choy is not easy to find because it usually only available during CNY. 

We both knew quietly that probably this would be her last time cooking this dish for us. She wanted to show me how to cook this so that I can do it on my own when she is no longer around ... 

And so, this was not cooked by me, and it's the last time mom cooked this dish. I love you mom, if you are somewhere up there watching us ... 

In memory of my mommy ... It's absolutely the most delicious dish in the whole wide world! I could not find any selling out there that can match her's.

Mom’s Recipe

3-5kg gai choy (the star of this dish. I can finish all 5kg on my own)

1 packet tamarind paste, add water to make liquid enough for the soup.

Asam skin (tamarind peel), few pieces to taste

Dried chili, few pieces  to taste

Fresh chili (optional. I will omit this because dried chili is spicy enough for me)

Roasted pork rib, shoulder and meat (or any leftover meat & bones after your feast!)

2 fresh chicken bone

2 whole garlics 

Cane sugar & soy sauce, to taste

Method

1. Wash gai choy thoroughly. Drain and set aside.

2. Boil all meat with water for 2-3min, then drain water. Set aside. (Do not boil too long coz the taste will become bland)

3. Add in asam liquid and all other ingredient except mustard. Boil for 30min in medium to low heat. Add water if it reduces too much.

4. After 30min, add in gai choy.

5. Then add sugar and soy sauce to taste. Simmer till gai choy is soft.

Sweet and Sour Chicken (Deep Fried)

This is quite a time consuming and troublesome dish to make ... well to my standard la. I have omitted the onion and pineapple cube in this dish, otherwise it would look even nicer and more colourful ...

Ingredient

200gm chicken fillet, cut to bite size
1/2 capsicum, cut to bite size
1 small tomato, cut to wedges
2 cloves garlic, lightly chopped

Marinate
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
Some chopped garlic
Some chopped ginger
Some salt to taste
1/2 egg
1 tablespoon corn flour

Seasoning
4 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoon tomato sauce
3 tablespoon water

Method

1. Mix chicken with marinate. Put in hot oil and deep fry over medium heat until surface turns golden brown (careful not to over cook as the meat will turn hard). Dish out and set aside.
2. Drain the oil and leave some in the wok. Put in capsicums and stir-fry with medium high heat for 2 minutes (or longer if you want it softer). Add in tomato and continue to stir-fry for a minute. Dish out and set aside.
3. Using the same wok, put in garlics and sautee until fragrant. Add in seasoning and stir-fry until sauce boiling.
4. Add in deep-fried chicken, stir-fry until sauce thicken.
5. Switch off heat and add in the capsicum and tomato. Mix well so that all coated with sauce.
6. Dish out and serve ....