Picks of September 2011

While I was writing this post, Pick of September 2011, I went through my September posts and realised that I have only written 10 posts this month - one recipe every three days, is it sufficient? Last month I have 26 posts, it meant I have been posting almost everyday! =)

Actually the reason why I have not been posting so often as I am worried that one day, I will be lack of recipe to post up. =( Hence, I need to spread out my post, 3 posts per week. I hope this is still a reasonable frequency.

Below is the list of recipes that I have posted for September categorised into Chinese and Western styles:

Chinese

• Chinese Cabbage with Carrot Soup
• Steamed Drunken Chicken
• Steamed (Tofu) Beancurd with Minced Meat in Oyster...
• Fried Eggs with Minced Meat

Western

• Aglio Olio Linguine with Bacon and Mushroom
• Stir-Fry (Pan-fry) Portobello Mushroom
• Grilled Scallops Wrapped with Bacon
• Vongole (White Clams) in White Wine with Garlic Br...

I have chosen 2 Picks for this month; One each for Chinese and Western Styles:

Pick for Chinese Dish

Steamed Beancurd (Tofu) with Minced Meat

Pick for Western Dish

Grilled Scallops Wrapped with Bacon

I hope that you will like the two picks for this month. =)

Aglio Olio Linguine with Bacon and Mushroom

Aglio Olio Linguine with Bacon and Mushroom

Oh no... I am so in love with Bacon recently... Pls bear with me if I am going to post more recipes with Bacon as one of the ingredients...

Sharing another Aglio Olio Linguine recipe with a different ingredients - This time with Bacon and Mushroom.

Pasta lovers, here you go... =)

Ingredients (Serve 2 Pax)

1. Linguine or Spaghetti
2. 1 1/2 Streaky Bacon
3. 5 Swiss Brown Mushroom (Cut into Thin Slices)
4. 1/2 Big Yellow Onion (Chopped)
5. 1 1/2 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
6. Italian Herbs (eg. Brand Masterfood) or Chopped Fresh Parsley
7. Chilli Flakes (Optional, eg. Brand Masterfood)
8. 5 tablespoons of White Wine
9. Salts
10. Olive Oil

Steps

1. Add 1 tablespoon of Oil and 1 teaspoon of Salt in boiling water
2. Add Pasta and cooked as per indicated on Pasta packaging (approx 7 to 11 minutes for Al Dente)
3. Once cooked, drain water and raise with cold water to stop heating process
4. Add Oil into hot pan
5. Add Bacon and stir-fry until fragrant
6. Remove from pan and Cut it into small slices
7. Add 4 - 5 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan
8. Add Onion into hot pan and stir-fry until fragrant (when it become translucent)
9. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (before it turn brown)
10. Add Mushroom and stir-fry for approx 2 minutes
11. Add White Wine
12. Add 1 teaspoon of Salt
13. Add Bacon and stir-fry for approx 1 minutes
14. Add Pasta into pan, lower heat and toss for approx 1 minute for flavors to blend into pasta
15. Sprinkle Mixed Herb or Fresh Parsley and Chilli Flake and toss until it is well mix into the pasta

Serve while Hot!

Good to serve with Side or Finger food.

Tips and Comments

• Garlic is an important factor in Aglio Olio Pasta, hence, it is important that the right amount of garlic is added.
• Adding Onion increase the taste to this dish as I have to say that it is not easy to master a plate of tasty Aglio Olio.
• I prefer Linguine than Spaghetti for Aglio Olio but this is a personal preference!

Chinese Cabbage with Carrot Soup

Chinese Cabbage with Carrot Soup

Sharing a light and healthy soup that is easy to prepare with minimal ingredients. This is good for detoxing and dieting! =)

Ingredients (Serve 3 Pax)

1. Half Cabbage cut into slices
2. 1 Chicken Bones
3. Half Carrot cut into thin slices or cubes
4. 1/4 beancurd cut into cube (Optional. eg. Brand Fortune)
5. 2 tablespoons of Light Soya Sauce 

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 Cabbage and Carrot into pot
4. Boils it for 30 minutes and turn to slow heat for at least another 20 minutes.
5. Add Beancurd and boil for another 10 minutes
6. Add Light Soya Sauce to taste.

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

Steamed Drunken Chicken

Steamed Drunken Chicken

I learned this dish from my boyfriend's mum. I have not tried any drunken chicken that taste exactly the same or close to the one she cooked, I guess probably is because of the wine that is used.

This is a light and appetizing dish and it goes very well with its gravy on plain rice.

It is a very simple dish that requires very little preparation and the best part is, there is no need to touch on the pan, it is a steam dish! You can simply stack this into the rice cooker while cooking the rice, and there you go, another dish on the dining table.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 Chicken (Deskin, Cut into small pieces)
2. 3 to 4 Sliced of Peeled Ginger
3. 3 to 4 Cloves of Garlic (Slightly smashed without skin)
4. 200 to 250ml Harvey Bristol Cream (enough to cover the chicken in the steamed-proof container, preferably a bowl)

Preparations

1. Add all ingredients into a container (steamed proof), leave it for 15 minutes

Steps

1. Put into steamer or rice cooker for approx 15 minutes

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Plain Rice with a 2 to 3 more Chinese Dishes.

Stir-Fry (Pan-fry) Portobello Mushroom

Stir-fry (Pan-fry) Portobello Mushroom

There are a lot of different types of mushroom and Portobello Mushroom is my favorite. 

Portobello Mushroom is good for different ways of cooking, be it pan-fry or grilling and it is also suitable for both Chinese and Western recipes, depending on how you are going to cook it.

Mushroom can be considered to be on a higher price tag comparing to other day-to-day vegetables. Hence, whenever there is a mark down for portobello mushroom in the supermarket, I will grab one to two back home! =)

Ingredients

1. 6 Portobello Mushroom (Cut into Slices)
2. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
3. 1 1/2 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
4. 2 teaspoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
5. 1 teaspoon of Hua Diao Jiu (Chinese Wine)
6. 3 teaspoon of Red Wine Sauce (Optional - Good to go with Steak. eg. Brand Masterfood )
7. 2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (Optional - Good to go with steak. eg. French) 
8. Rosemary and Basils (eg. Brand Masterfood)

Steps

1. Stir-fry Garlic until fragrant
2. Add Mushroom and stir-fry for approx 3 minutes
3. Add all sauces and stir-fry to mix well
4. Add approx 2 to 3 tablespoon of water and simmer in low heat for at least 5 minutes
5. Add Rosemary and Basils and stir for 1 to 2 minutes

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Steak as a Side or Rice with a few other chinese dishes.

Steamed (Tofu) Beancurd with Minced Meat in Oyster Sauce

Steamed Beancurd with Minced Meat in Oyster Sauce

Protein is important to our body, it helps to repair our body tissues and build up our immune system. More to it, it strengthen our hair and for guys who are training up, protein should not be lacking in our daily food consumption.

There are a lot of high protein food, eg. eggs, beef, chicken, etc.. and Beancurd or Tofu in Chinese is one of the "healthier" choices.

There are a lot of different varieties of beancurd dish, for this recipe, it is a light and appetizing dish that go very well with rice.

A healthy, easy to cook and taste good dish. Try it now! =)

Ingredients

1. One pack of Bean Curd (Tofu) (eg. Brand Fortune)
2. 100 grammes of Minced Pork
3. 1/2 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
4. 2 teaspoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
5. 3/4 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
6. 1/2 teaspoon of Sugar
7. 1 teaspoon of Corn flour
8. Fine White Pepper

Preparations

1. Add 2 teaspoons of Light Soya Sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of White Pepper into Minced Meat, mixed them together and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes
2. Mix Corn flour with 1 tablespoon of water into a starch mixture
3. Slice the Bean Curd into 4 pieces
4. Place Bean Curb flat on a steam-proof plate with some depth (1 to 2cm will be good enough) to contain the gravy and steam it for approx 10 minutes

Steps

1. Add Garlic into hot pan and stir-fry until fragrant before it turned brown
2. Add Minced Pork and stir-fry until it is 80% cooked approx 3 to 4 minutes
3. Add Oyster Sauce, 3 tablespoon of hot water and stir to mix well
4. Slowly add starch mixture while stirring for approx 1 minutes
5. Pour mixture to onto beancurd and it is good to serve 

Serve while Hot.

Good to go with Rice and 2 to 3 other Chinese Dishes

Grilled Scallops Wrapped with Bacon

Grilled Scallops Wrapped with Bacon

Not long ago, I bought a box of frozen scallops for trying out the dish, Scallops with Bean Vermicelli (Glass Noodle). So I thought that I should experiment with more Scallops Recipes since there are quite some left behind in my small freezer compartment.

This is my first try and I succeeded. The taste and fragrant of the bacon blend in so well with the sweetness from the scallop. My boyfriend and I simply love it! =)

This dish that 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. 12 Medium Frozen Scallops
2. 6 Bacon
3. Chives (Cut into approx 5cm in length)
4. Salt
5. Coarse Black Pepper
6. Mixed Herbs (Rosemary, Basils, Parsley, Oregano. eg. Brand Masterfood)
7. Lemon Juice

Preparations

1. Put Scallops in a sealed bag. Defroze Scallops by soaking the sealed bag in tap water
2. Once defrozed, sprinkle a little salt on Scallops
3. 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 Scallop and Chive and secure it using a toothpick
3. Sprinkle a little Pepper and Mixed Herbs on it
4. Place them into Preheat Oven, Grilled Function for approx 15 minutes
5. After 10 minutes, check if Scallops are cooked. (Once Scallops turn translucent, it is cooked)
6. Squeeze some Lemon Juice on it once it is done

Serve while hot!

Good as a finger food in a party or as a side or starter before the 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.
• 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
• Do not overcook the scallops as the meat will turn tough and chewy. Once the scallops turn translucent, it is done.

Shan's Recipes Published on eRecipecards

I have submitted my Aglio Olio Linguine with Prawns recipe to eRecipecards.

This is a website for food blogger to post their recipes and sharing it with other food bloggers and recipes looker.

Great to be invited by Dave from eRecipecards to post some of my favorite recipes!

P.S. Dave, Thanks for your encouragement and liking my FB page! =)
You have done a good job too! I will be posting more recipes there. =)

Vongole (White Clams) in White Wine with Garlic Bread

Vongole (White Clams) in White Wine with Garlic Bread

Today, I want to have a dinner without pasta, rice and noodle... Something different from what Asian normally have for our normal meal.

Vongole in White Wine with Garlic Bread comes to my mind...

I got this idea from one of my facebook friends who took a picture of this dish from a restaurant she dine in.

White Clam or Vongole, as commonly known in Italian are widely used in Italian Cuisine. You can see recipes from pasta, cold starter to soup with Vongole as the main ingredient. Aglio Olio Linguine with Vongole, Clam Chowder , just to name a few, should not sound too unfamiliar. I guess it got to do with the natural seafood sweetness in Vongole that bring out a savoury taste in simple dishes that ones can't forget...

Ingredients

1. 800g of Vongole
2. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
3. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Chives
4. 1/2 tablespoon of Chopped Chilli (Deseed) or Dried Chilli Flakes (eg. Brand Masterfood)
5. 1 tablespoon of Cornflour
6. 35g of Margarine or Butter
7. 350ml of White Wine
8. Italian Herbs (eg. Brand Masterfood)
9. Course Black Pepper
10. Frozen ready-made Garlic Bread (eg. Brand Sunshine)

Preparations

1. Leave White Clams in a Salted Water for an hour to three to ensure that sands in the White Clam is fully purge out.  
2. Add 1 tablespoon of Water to Cornflour mix into Starch for later use
3. Wrap Frozen Garlic Bread in Aluminium Foil and put it into Oven at 180 degree celsius for approx 20 minutes or accordingly to the package information

Steps

1. Add Margarine into hot pan
2. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, before it turned brown
3. Add Chilli and stir-fry for 30 seconds
4. Add Chives and stir-fry for 30 seconds
5. Add White Wine and bring it to boil
6. Add White Clams and spread them evenly on the pan
7. Cover pan and allow time for Clam shells to open
8. Discard Clams that failed to open
9. Add the starch preparation slowly into hot pan and stir fast to avoid starch lumps, stop adding once the sauce has thicken to the level which you desired
10. Sprinkle Italian Herbs and Black Pepper and it is good to be serve

Serve while hot with Toasted Garlic Bread.

Good to be serve as a Side or a Main Course if you are not too hungry! =P

Tips and Comments:

• Use fresh clams for the fresh seafood taste.
• Remember to allow time for clam to purge out the sands and toss hard to remove all the sands during preparation process.
• Once Clam shell are opened, it means they are cooked, overcooking will result in tough and chewy clam.
• Do not force open the clam shell if they failed to open during the cooking process. It could mean that the clam is not fresh and there may be sand in the shell.

Shan's Recipes Published on Petitchef!

We are published on Petitchef! =)

I will be posting my recipe on Petitchef soon. Stay Tune!

P.S. Thanks Vincent from Petitchef for the invite.

Fried Eggs with Minced Meat

Fried Eggs with Minced Meat

A simple dish with little preparation. In less than 15 minutes and it is good enough to serve!

Ingredients (Serve 4 pax)

1. 3 to 4 Eggs
2. 70g of Minced Pork
3. 2 teaspoon of Chopped Garlic
4. Half Red Onions (Chopped)
5. 1 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
6. White Pepper
7. Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Break Eggs into mixture bowl and beat it
2. Add Minced Pork, half portion of chopped Red Onion, Light Soya Sauce and Pepper and beat to mix well

Steps

1. Add Olive Oil into hot pan
2. Add another half portion of Chopped Red Onion and stir-fry until translucent
3. Add Garlic and before it turn brown, Add Mixture
4. Turn the Mixture when one side turn slightly brown
5. Once both side turn slightly brown, it is done

Serve while Hot with Rice and 2 to 3 more Chinese Dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• Garlic is added to improve the taste and fragrant, but it is optional.
• Half portion of Chopped Red Onion is added into mixture as the other half is added to the stir-fry process to increase the fragrant of this dish.