Picks of October 2011

Here come the day of the month when I have to make difficult choices again. =)

I have summarised the recipes into 2 categories - Chinese and Western Recipes as follows:

Chinese Recipes

• Chinese Lotus Roots with Pork Ribs Soup
• Chinese Sweet Corn Soup
• Steamed Chinese Cabbage (Wongbok) with Minced Meat...
• Fried Udon with Prawns and Omelette
• Braised Chicken with Dried Oyster and Mushroom
• Stir-fry Baby Kai Lan (Kailan) with Garlic and Oys...
• Stir-fry Prawns with Oyster Sauce and Black Pepper...

Western Recipes

• Grilled Swiss Brown Mushroom with Onions and Chees...
• Pan-fry Scallops with Garlic and Herbs
• Roasted Honey Glazed Chicken with Lemon Marinade

I am selecting one pick of the month each for Chinese and Western Recipe. Here you go...

Chinese Pick of the Month
Steamed Chinese Cabbage (Wongbok) with Minced Meat Rolls

Steamed Chinese Cabbage with Minced Meat Rolls

Western Pick of the Month

Grilled Swiss Brown Mushroom with Onion and Cheese 

Grilled Swiss Brown Mushroom with Onions and Cheese

Grilled Swiss Brown Mushroom with Onions and Cheese

Grilled Swiss Brown Mushroom with Onions and Cheese

Is this a pizza? - The 1st question that my boyfriend asked when he reached home. Yes, indeed, this looks like a pizza. It comprises of Onions, Mushrooms and Cheese, but without the pizza base. =) For mushroom and pizza lovers... I think you will like it. =P

This is good to be serve as a side in a casual intimate event.

Ingredients

1. 10 Swiss Brown Mushrooms (Sliced thinly)
2. 1 Big Yellow Onion (Sliced thinly)
3. 3 1/2 tablespoon of Mozzarella Cheese
4. 1/2 teaspoon of Salts
5. 1/2 teaspoon of Course Black Pepper
6. 1/2 teaspoon of Italian Herbs (eg. Brand Masterfood)
7. Olive Oil

Steps

1. Grease Olive Oil on Baking tray or Aluminium Foils
2. Spread Onion in a thin layer on tray
3. Spread Mushroom in a thin layer above the Onions
4. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper
5. Spread Cheese on Mushroom
6. Sprinkle Italian Herbs

Put it in a preheat Oven (220 Degree Celius, approx 12 minutes)
After 10 minutes, check if mushroom is cooked and adjust the timing accordingly.

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with a Main Course as a Side dish.

Chinese Lotus Roots with Pork Ribs Soup

Chinese Lotus Roots with Pork Ribs Soup

This is another Soup of the day that I believe most Chinese would have try it before, especially for Singaporean. It is not easy to cook a tasty lotus roots soup just with pork ribs only as lotus roots do not have a strong flavor, hence, some others may add carrots or peanuts to add on more flavor to this soup. I will try it next time, but this time round, I am sharing a simple version of lotus root with pork ribs soup recipe.

Ingredients (Serve 4 pax)

1. 6 pieces of Pork Ribs Approx 250g
2. Approx 400g of Lotus Roots (Washed and Cut into Sliced - 0.5 cm thickness)
3. Salt

Steps

1. Boil Pork Ribs for a few minutes and drain it
2. Put Pork Ribs into approx 5 Cups of water and Boiled it
3. Add Lotus roots
4. Boils it for 30 minutes and turn to slow heat for at least another 45 to 60 minutes

Add Salts to taste.

Good to go with Rice, 3 more Chinese Dishes.

Steamed Chinese Cabbage (Wongbok) with Minced Meat Rolls

Steamed Chinese Cabbage (Wongbok) with Minced Meat

Korea craze has been around for a few years - Korean dramas are so well liked in Asia, especially for the Chinese.

How many of you have watched the dramas, Da Chang Jing - The main actress has a wonderful cooking skills. I remembered there is one episode where there is a competition for dumpling and due to jealousy, her main ingredients, flour was stolen by her competitors. She has no choice, but to think of an alternative ingredient to replace flour and that is cabbage. This left a very deep impression as I really love the sweetness in cabbage that I really want to try this dish. But I can't seem to find it in Singapore or is it a myth that this dish exist?

Ever since I started this blog, I really want to try out this dish as I do feel that the combination of minced pork and cabbage will work out well.

I have done my homework by researching online for recipes, but almost all the results show a western style of cabbage stuffed with minced meat. Hence, I have done a research on how to increase the flavor of the sweetness in pork instead.

If you like Xiao Long Bao, I would think that you will like this, personally I feel it tastes 80% close to Xiao Long Bao = )

Ingredients

1. 4 Pieces of Wongbok Leaves (Chinese Cabbage)
2. 6 tablespoon of Minced Meat
3. 1 1/2 tablespoon of Finely Chopped Dried Shrimps
4. 1 tablespoon of Finely Chopped Red Onions
5. 1 teaspoon of Grated Ginger (with the ginger juice will be perfect)
6. Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
7. 1/2 teaspoon of Fine White Pepper

Preparation

1. Marinate Minced Meat, Dried Shrimps, Red Onions, Ginger, Pepper and 2 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes
2. Divide the marinated result into 4 portions
3. Soften Wongbok by boiling it in hot water for approx 2 minutes. Once it is soft, you can take it out.
4. Spread the Wongbok and add the marinated minced meat on it and roll/wrap it up. Cut of the remaining hard part of the Wongbok leaves.  
5. Place it in a steam-proof container with 2cm of depth as there will be some gravy after steaming
6. Spread 2 teaspoon of Light Soya Sauce on the cabbage rolls

Steps

1. Steam it for approx 15 minutes

Serve while hot!

Tips and Comments:

• I used Wongbok instead of the normal cabbage as the natural sweetness in Wongbok go very well with Minced Meat.

Pan-fry Scallops with Garlic and Herbs

Pan-fry Scallops with Garlic and Herbs

This is the 3rd Scallops Recipes that I have shared. For readers who have followed my blog will know that I have purchased a big box of Scallops and hence, here I am experimenting different type of Scallops recipes to economically use up all my scallops before the expiry date. =P But of course, I love seafood, so this is definitely not a hassle to me. =)

The good thing about scallops is not only of the natural seafood sweetness, and also, I realised that all the scallops dishes that I have shared so far look great too. Good for all type of events!

Ingredients

1. 4 Big Frozen Scallops (Thawed)
2. 20g Butter
3. 1/4 teaspoon of Salt
4. 1/4 teaspoon of Course Black Pepper
5. 1/2 teaspoon of Italian Herbs
6. 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Steps

1. Add Butter in hot pan
2. Once Butter melted, add Scallops and pan-fry until one side turned slightly brown, approx 3 minutes, flip to the other side, approx 3 minutes. When both side turned slightly brown, flip to the depth of the scallops and pan-fry to ensure that the scallops are fully cooked.
3. Take out the Scallops and juice from the pan and serve it on a plate
4. Add Olive Oil on hot pan
5. Add Garlic and pan-fry until fragrant (before it turn brown)
6. Scoop it up and place in on the Scallops
7. Add some Mixed Herbs on the Scallops

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Pasta, or as a Side to go along with a Main Course.

Tips and Comments:

• Dethaw frozen scallops by dipping into tap water. It is important to keep scallops in a sealed bag to retain the original taste of the scallops.
• Do not overcook the scallops as the meat will turn tough and chewy. Once the scallops turn translucent, it is done.
• If you have fresh parsley, you can replace it with Mixed Herbs.

Fried Udon with Prawns and Omelette

Fried Udon with Prawns and Omelette

I remember the first time I tried fried udon is from Isabel, my Secondary School friend who cooked it. She is really good at it! =) After then, when I dine in Japanese Restaurant, most of the time, I will be ordering Yaki Udon. Of course, another reason is because I am not a Japanese food lover.

This recipe will come in handy especially when you are dining alone as it can be served as a staple food and with the prawns and omelette, I will think that it will make a nice simple meal.

This recipe is motivated from the Korean Stall at Meridian Hotel, Singapore.

Ingredients (Serve 2 Pax)

1. 2 Packets of Udon (400g)
2. 8 Tiger Prawns (Deshelled and Deveined)
3. 1 Egg
4. 1 tablespoon of Garlic
5. 1/2 Carrot (Cut into Thin Strips)
6. 2 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
7. 1/3 tablespoon of Sesame Oil
8. 1/3 tablespoon of Dark Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tiger)
9. 1/3 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
10. 6 tablespoon of hot water
11. 4 tablespoon of Cooking Oil

Preparations

1. Cook Udon in hot water for approx 4 minutes and drain it and raise it under cold water to stop heating process

Steps

1. Add 2 tablespoon of Oil on hot pan
2. Add Egg and spread it out on the pan
3. Once one side turn slightly brown, flip to the other side
4. Once both side is done, take the omelette out from the pan
5. Cut it into thin strips
6. Add 2 tablespoon of Oil on hot pan
7. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (before it turns brown)
8. Add Prawns and stir-fry until 80% cooked, approx 3 minutes
9. Add Carrots and stir-fry for approx 1 minutes
10. Add Udon and stir to mix well with other ingredients, approx 1 minutes
11. Lower heat, Add Oyster Sauce, Sesame Oil, Dark and Light Soya Sauce, Hot water into pan and stir to mix well
12. Cover the pan to simmer for 3 minutes 
13. Serve on a plate with the Omelette Strips

Serve while Hot!

Good as a Main Course and a Bowl of Chinese Soup.

Chinese Sweet Corn Soup

Chinese Sweet Corn Soup

This recipe requires less than 10 minutes preparation and 30 minutes cooking time. It is a very simple, fast, economical, but yet, a very light and healthy soup. The natural sweetness of the corn and chicken bone are all you need for the soup to taste good!

This is good for detoxing and can be also taken as one of your slimming diet list.

Ingredients (Serve 2 Pax)

1. 1 Sweet Corn (Cut into Big Chunk - Approx 5cm in length)
2. 1 Chicken Bones
3. Salt

Steps

1. Boil Chicken Bone for a few minutes and drain it
2. Put Chicken Bone into pot filled with approx 4 to 5 cups of water
3. Add Sweet Corn into pot
4. Boil it for 30 to 45 minutes
5. Add Salt to taste 

Good to go with Rice and 2 to 3 more Chinese dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• If you are detoxing or on diet, you may wish to use chicken breasts instead of chicken bone.  
• Remove the chicken fats and skin (if any) for a clearer and healthier choice.

Stir-fry Prawns with Oyster Sauce and Black Pepper

Stir-fry Prawns with Oyster Sauce and Black Pepper

A bottle of oyster sauce is one of the ingredients that can't be missed out in our kitchen as it go very well with a lot of stir-fry dishes.

Introducing and sharing a dish that goes very well with rice. If you like prawns, I am quite sure that you will like this.

Ingredients

1. 10 Medium Tiger Prawns (Deshell and Devein, keeping the prawns head)
2. 4 Slices of Ginger (Peeled)
3. 4 to 5 Cloves of Garlic (Lightly Smashed without Skin)
4. 3 stalk of Chives (Trimmed into 5cm in length)
5. 1 1/2 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
6. 1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper
7. Olive Oil

Steps

1. Add Olive Oil in hot pan
2. Add Prawns and Stir-fry until both side of the prawns are 80% cooked
3. Leave Prawns aside in a plate
4. Add 1 tablesppon of Olive Oil in hot pan 
5. Add Ginger and fry until fragrant
6. Add Garlic and fry until fragrant
7. Add Chives and fry for 1 minutes
8. Add Prawns and fry for 1 to 2 minutes
9. Add Oyster Sauce and stir-fry until prawns is cooked approx 2 minutes
10. Add 2 tablespoon of hot water and stir to mix well
11. Sprinkle Black Pepper on prawns and stir-fry for 1 minutes

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Rice and a bowl of Chinese Soup and 2 to 3 more Chinese dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• Is best to keep the prawns head as the essence of the prawns is in the prawn head.
• Fry prawns 1st to force out the sweetness of the prawns. Do not discard the oil after frying, as it will make a good gravy. Hence, is recommended to use Olive Oil for healthier reason.

Roasted Honey Glazed Chicken with Lemon Marinade

Roasted Honey Glazed Chicken with Lemon Marinade

I love roasting as cooking can be very easy with a Microwave Oven, more importantly, the post clean-up is definately lesser than if you have to cook over the hot stove.

Roasted Chicken is great for all type of events, festive seasons or simply just a main course across the dining table.

I believe that this recipe will be well-liked by all ages even for children as the chicken is well coated with a layer of sweet honey that complement the lemon marinade that helps to tenderise the chicken.

Ingredients

1. Half Chicken (approx 500g to 650g)
2. 2 tablespoon of Honey
3. 8 tablespoon of Lemon Juice (approx 2 Lemon, keep the Lemon Skin) 
4. 1 Egg Yolk
5. 2 tablespoon of Melted Butter
6. 4 Cloves of Garlic (Slightly Smashed with Skin)
7. 1 teaspoon of Salts
8. 1 teaspoon of Coarse Black Pepper
9. 1 teaspoon of Mixed Herbs (Rosemary, Parsley, Basil, Oregano. eg. Brand Masterfood)

Preparation

1. Marinate Chicken with Lemon Juice for 2 hours or more. If you have enough time, marinate it overnight for the best result
2. After marinated, drain the Chicken and wipe any excess Lemon Juice on the Chicken

Steps

1. Grease Olive Oil on baking tray
2. Spread Garlic and 2 Slices of Lemon Skin on the tray positioned under the Chicken
3. Rub Salt and Pepper on Chicken
4. Sprinkle Mixed Herbs on Chicken
5. Mix Egg Yolk, Butter, Honey in a mixing bowl and Spread it evenly over the chicken

Leave it for a good 20 to 30 minutes for ingredients to set into the chicken.
Preheat oven and place the chicken into the oven (220 degree celsius, approx 40 minutes).
At approx 20 minutes and 30 minutes, spread the juice from the tray onto the chicken.
Use a fork and test if the chicken is cooked and adjust the time accordingly if required.

Serve while Hot!

Good to serve as a Main Course or with some Finger food and Side.

Braised Chicken with Dried Oyster and Mushroom

Braised Chicken with Dried Oyster and Mushroom

For readers who have not try or come across this dish before, this dish is originally darker in the gravy and as it is braised, hence, the chicken and the rest of the ingredients are immersed with the sauce as well. And yes, it does not look good but it does taste good! =)

I believe the flavor of this dish origin from Malaysia as it comes with a little sweetness in it. Personally, I really like it and if you can simmer this dish longer till the dried mushroom and oyster are filled with the flavors, it will be heavenly.

This dish goes very well with plain rice with its savoury gravy.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 Chicken Cut into small pieces
2. 3 Chinese Dried Mushroom
3. 6 Dried Oysters
4. 4 Cloves of Garlic (Lightly mashed without skin)
5. 4 Thin Sliced of Ginger (Peeled)
6. 2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
7. 1 tablespoon of Dark Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tiger)
8. 1 tablespoon of Dark Sesame Oil
9. 3/4 teaspoon of Sugar

Preparation

1. Cut Chicken into small pieces
2. Wash Mushrooms and Oysters and leave it in hot water (approx 200ml) for at least 45 minutes to soften them before cooking. Do not throw away the water

Steps

1. Add Oil in hot pan
2. Add Ginger and fry until fragrant, approx 1 minutes 
3. Add Garlic and fry until fragrant, approx 2 minutes (before it turns brown)
4. Add Chicken and fry until 70% cooked
5. Add Mushroom and Dried Oyster and fry for approx 3 minutes
6. Add all sauces and fry to mix well
7. Try tasting and add water from the preparation slowly, stop when the taste is right
8. Once gravy is boiling, simmer in low heat for at least 15 minutes to 25 minutes

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Rice and Chinese Soup and 2 more Chinese Dishes.

Tips and Comment:

• If you don't mind the hassle of the chicken bones when eating, is best not to debone the chicken as the chicken bones will enhance the flavor of this dish.
• As this recipe comprises of different kind of sauces, it is important to try if the taste is right before and while adding the water.
• Use the water from soaking the mushroom and oyster to cook this dish so that the essence of the flavors will not be wasted.

Stir-fry Baby Kai Lan (Kailan) with Garlic and Oyster Sauce

Stir-fry Baby Kailan with Garlic and Oyster Sauce

A simple stir-fry vegetable recipe with Oyster Sauce. I have chosen Baby Kailan instead of Kailan as it is softer and taste better. This recipe is great especially if you need another green dish on the dining table! =)

There is another variation of Stir-fry Baby Kailan - Qing Cao with Garlic.

Ingredients

1. Baby Kailan (Washed)
2. 1 Tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
3. 1/2 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
4. 1 Tablespoon of Water
5. 2 Tablespoon of Cooking Oil

Steps

1. Add Oil on hot pan
2. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (before it turned brown)
3. Add Kailan and stir-fry until 70% cooked
4. Add Oyster Sauce and Water and stir-fry until Kailan is cooked and mixed well with sauce

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Rice, a bowl of Chinese Soup and 2 more Chinese Dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• Stir-fry vegetables on high heat so that it will cook fast and the nutrients will not reduce too much.