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 ....  

Stir-fry String Bean with Garlic

Very simple and chinese stir-fry, but it's one of the girls' favourite. You wouldn't believe their other favourite dish is just plain fried egg!

Honey Soy Baked Chicken

I used chicken drummets the first round with the modified recipe

Mid-joint wings second round. Girls prefer the mid-joint wings ...

Ingredient

8-10 chicken drummers or mid-joint wings

2 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

Some ground ginger

Method

1) Use fork poke the chicken a few times. This allow the marinate to sip inside the chicken.

2) Marinate chicken with all ingredient, preferably overnight in the fridge.

3) Take out from fridge 10min before baking.

4) Put chicken together with marinate on baking sheet, skin side up. Keep some marinate for later.

5) Bake in preheated oven at 180 degree C for 15min.

6) After 15min, turn chicken and brush remaining marinate onto the chicken.

7) Bake for another 5min.

8) Serve with warm rice ... 

Sweet Corn with Carrot and Tomato Soup (Variation of ABC Soup)

This pot is only half full. A3 drank 3 cups and had her rice with the soup. Forgot to take photo before the soup were being attacked ... 

Ingredient

2 sweet corns, chopped to 4 chunks each

2 carrots, cut diagonally into big chunks

1 large tomato, quartered

4 pieces of lean pork meat with bone

3-4 litre water

Some seedless red dates & wolf berries 

1 tablespoon soya sauce (I like to use soya sauce to make the soup a little darker. I don't like clear soup)

Salt to tast

Another pot of water for cleaning the pork

*Remove corn, add in yellow onion and potato and it will be the original ABC soup.

Method

1) Heat water in a small pot just enough to cover the pork. Once boiling, put in pork meat and continue boiling for 5min. Run the pork through cold water. Drain and set aside.

*This step is to clean up the gunk and any excess oil to make the soup cleaner and less oily.

2) Heat 3-4 litre water in a stockpot. Put in sweet corns, carrots, tomatoes, red dates and wolf berries. Bring to boil.

3) Add in pork and let boil at high heat for another 15min. 

4) After 15min, cover stockpot and lower heat to low. Continue to boil for 1.5 - 2 hours.

5) Add soya sauce and salt to taste.