Dried Oyster, Scallops and Chicken Porridge (Congee)

Dried Oysters, Scallops and Chicken Porridge (Congee)

Porridge or Congee is good to be to taken when one's appetite is low or when you are having a diet or you are down with illness. For me, having a bowl of hot porridge any day in the morning or during supper time is a blessing. 

To cook a good pot of porridge is not easy as you have to keep stiring to ensure that the rice is break down into porridge without burning it. So you will have to stay by the fire for at least 45 minutes until the rice is break down to the consistency that you prefer.

I have added chicken meat in this porridge to "neutralise" some of the fishiness of the dried oyster and scallops.

Ingredients (Serve 1 pax)

1. 1/2 cups of uncooked rice (Washed)
2. 4 Medium Dried Oyster, approx 4 to 5cm in length
3. 4 Small Dried Scallops
4. 8 Small Slices of Chicken Meat
5. Salts 
6. Fine White Pepper
7. 1 tablespoon of chopped Spring Onion (Optional - I didn't use it as I don't like Spring Onion in the porridge)

Preparation

1. Wash Dried Oysters and Scallops and Soak them in hot water for approx 30 minutes

Steps

1. Add Rice, Dried Scallops and Oysters with 4 Cups of Water (include the water to immerse Scallops and Oyster) in pot to cook until rice become porridge (Remember lower down the heat and stir occasionally to avoid overcooking. add water if required to)
2. Add Chicken and stir to mix well
3. When Chicken is cooked, add Salts to taste, a pinch of Pepper and garnish it with some spring onions

Serve while Hot!

Tips and Comments:

• You may add a few slices of Ginger to take away the "fishy" taste of Oyster and Scallops.

Grilled Asparagus in Bacon Rolls

Grilled Asparagus in Bacon Rolls

I love bacon as the flavoured taste of bacon minimise the need to add in more seasoning to the ingredients. 

Asparagus and bacon - somehow, they complement each other very well. Perfect combination!

This dish look exquisite but yet, it is so simple to cook.

It will definitely look great for a party, in a intimate event or just as an appetizer before the main course.

Ingredients

1. Asparagus (Cut in 6 to 7cm in length)
2. 6 Bacon (Cut into half)
3. Salt
4. Coarse Black Pepper
5. Mixed Herbs (Rosemary, Basils, Parsley, Oregano. eg. Brand Masterfood)

Preparations

1. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on asparagus
2. Cut bacon, 1 bacon into 2 pieces

Steps

1. Spread Bacon on hot pan without oil. Flip after approx 1 minutes. When both sides of the bacon turn slightly brown. Remove it from the pan.
2. Wrap Bacon around Asparagus and secure it using a toothpick
3. Sprinkle a little Mixed Herbs on it
4. Place them into Preheat Oven, Grilled Function for approx 15 minutes

Serve while hot!

Good as a finger food in a party or as a side or starter before the main course.

Tips and Comments:

• Pan-fry bacon before grilled to "force" out the bacon's taste and the bacon texture will be crispier than direct grilling.
• Do not add Oil on hot pan when pan-frying bacon as bacon contained fats strip

Stir-fry Sambal Chilli Minced Meat with Onions and Garlic

Stir-fry Sambal Minced Meat with Onions and Garlic

Sambal Chilli normally goes with Seafood like Prawns, Squids, but this time round, I cooked it with Minced Meat. Sharing this simple dish that can be serve as a decent chinese dish on your dining table.

Ingredients

1. 6 tablespoon of Minced Pork or Chicken
2. 1 Big Onion (Slice thinly)
3. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
4. 1 tablespoon of Sambal Chilli Sauce (eg. Brand A1)
5. 1 tablespoon of Cooking Oil

Steps

1. Add Oil in hot pan
2. Add Onion and stir-fry until fragrant
3. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant
4. Add Minced Meat and stir-fry until 80% cooked
5. Add Sambal Chilli Sauce and stir-fry until minced meat is cooked

Serve while Hot!

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

Chinese Wongbok (China Cabbage, Bai Cai) Soup

Chinese Wongbok (China Cabbage, Bai Cai) Soup

This is my favorite soup!

During Chinese New Year, without fail, my mum will cook this soup for our steamboat soup base. With all the steamboat ingredients, this soup become heavenly delicious. Everytime, we will keep the leftover soup overnight and reboiling it the next morning and the soup become invincible! I can't use any word to describe how tasty it is.  I can simply add some white rice into the soup and it become my full meal. I can never get tired drinking this soup, regardless how many times I have it.

This recipe is a simplified version with lesser ingredients and it is cheaper too -> More economical, but of course it can't compare to my mum's version at all.

I will be trying out my mum's version and I will post it up once I cooked and took the photo. =)

Ingredients (Serve 4 pax)

1. 1 Chicken Bone (approx 250g) / 6 pieces of Pork Ribs
2. 1 Wongbok (Cut into big slices)
3. 1 1/2 Big or 5 small Dried Scallops (Washed)
4. 2 to 3 tablespoons of Light Soya Sauce

Steps

1. Boil Chicken Bone or Pork Ribs for a few minutes and drain it
2. Put Chicken Bone or Pork Ribs into approx 6 Cups of water and Boiled it
3. Add Wongbok and Scallops
4. Boils it for 30 minutes and turn to slow heat for at least another 45 to 60 minutes.

Add Salts or Light Soya Sauce to taste.

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Rice and another 2 to 3 more Chinese Dishes.

Stir-fry Broccoli and Scallops with Garlic

Stir-fry Broccoli and Scallops

Broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable, not only helps to fight against cancer-causing agent, but is also a good option for consumer that can't/don't take milk for its calcium content.

It is recommended by different websites that the cooking time for Broccoli best remain within 2 to 4 minutes in order not to kill off the cancer fighting nutrients. But if you will prefer broccoli to be softer like myself, you may follow the cooking steps in this post. Otherwise, at Step 2, you can leave the Broccoli on the serving plate and pour the remaining gravy on it from Step 8 and it is good to serve. 

This dish is definately not unfamiliar to many as it can be seen on most Chinese restaurants' menu. Hope that you will like it! =)

P.S. I stole my baby's (dog) broccoli for the week to cook this dish as there is no other vegetables in the fridge! I got to buy another one for him tomorrow....

Ingredients

1. Broccoli (Cut of the "Stem" Portion)
2. 6 to 8 Medium Frozen Scallops
3.  1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
4. 1 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
5. 1 teaspoon of Corn Flour mixed with 1 tablespoon of Water
6. 4 to 5 tablespoon of Shang Tang (eg. Chicken Soup/ Dried Scallop Soup/ Dried Mushroom Soup)
7. 2 tablespoon of Cooking Oil

Steps 

1. Boil Broccoli & Scallops in hot water for approx 4 minutes
2. Drain it and leave it aside
3. Add Oil in hot pan
4. Add Garlic and fry until fragrant (before it turns brown)
5. Add Broccoli and Scallops and fry for 1 minutes for garlic flavor to immerse into them
6. Add Oyster Sauce and Shang Tang and stir to mix well.
7. Let the mixture boil for approx 3 to 4 minutes for the scallops to be cooked.
8. Add Cornflour mixture slowly to avoid lumping and mix well

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Rice, Soup and 2 more Stir-fry dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• Thaw 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.

Deep Fry Breaded Prawns (Using Ritz Crackers)

Deep Fry Breaded Prawns (Using Ritz Crackers)

This is an easy recipe that required just a few simple steps. It is not hard to prepare and before you know it, a plate of decent deep fry breaded prawns, that are well liked by people from all ages, is on your dining table. 

In addition, you can simply use the remaining Ritz Crackers, crushed it like they are your enemy and it will works exactly like breadcrumbs. You have just save $3 bucks to purchase pre-made bread crumbs. =)

Ingredients

1. 250g of Tiger Prawns (deshell - keep the tail and devein)
2. 1 egg (beaten)
3. 40g of Ritz Crackers (crushed it into very fine bits and it will work like bread crumbs)
4. Cooking Oil

Preparation

1. Dry Prawns using paper towels
2. Drip Prawns into egg and drip it into the crushed Ritz Cracker

Steps

1. Add Oil into hot pan
2. When Oil is hot, add prawns one at a time so that the oil temperature will not reduce suddenly
3. When one side of the prawns turn golden brown, turn to another side

Serve while Hot!

Good to serve as a Side of a Main Course or as a Party Finger food.

Tips and Comments:

• Only add prawns into hot pan when oil is hot, or the result of the prawns will be very oily.
• Oil has to remain hot throughout the deep frying process if not, similarly, the result of the prawns will be very oily.

Stir-fry Chicken and Tomatoes with Oyster Sauce

Stir-fry Chicken and Tomatoes with Oyster Sauce

With some tomatoes and chicken meat left in my fridge, I decided to use these ingredients to cook a dish with our "Must-Have" oyster sauce. To my surprise, the result is very appetizing with the tantalizing sourness and sweetness of the tomatoes that goes very well with the oyster sauce.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 small Chicken, deboned and cut into small slices
2. 2 Tomatoes Cut into big pieces
3. 3/4 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
4. 1 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
5. 2 tablespoon of Cooking Oil
6. 3 tablespoon of Hot Water

Steps

1. Add Oil in Hot Pan
2. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (before it turns brown)
3. Add Tomatoes and stir-fry for approx 2 minutes
4. Add Chicken and stir-fry to mix well until it is cooked (when chicken meat turn white)
5. Add Oyster Sauce and Hot Water and stir-fry to mix well

Serve while Hot!

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