Chinese Potatoes and Onions Soup

Chinese Potatoes and Onions Soup

Ingredients

1. 1 Chicken Bone
2. 4 cups of Water
3. 2 Russet Potatoes (Peeled and Cut into big chunks)
4. 2 Yellow Onions (Peeled and Cut into Big Chunks)

Steps

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

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

Aglio Olio Linguine with Scallops and Prawns

Aglio Olio Linguine with Scallops and Prawns

Ingredients (Serve 2 Pax)

1. 3 tablespoons of Butter
2. 2 Serving of Linguine
3. 3 tablespoon of Olive Oil
4. 3 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
5. 3 tablespoon of Chopped Scallion
6. 1/2 tablespoon of Dried Chilli Flake (eg. Brand Masterfood)
7. 1 tablespoon of Dried Parsley / Fresh (eg. Brand Masterfood)
8. 8 Big Scallops (Thawed)
9. 8 Medium /Large Prawns (Deveined and deshelled)
10. Sea Salt
11. Coarse Black Pepper

Steps

1. Boil Pasta in boiling Water with 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil and Salt (approx 7 to 11 minutes for al-dente, follow the instruction on package)
2. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process
3. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoon of Butter in hotpan
4. Place Scallops and Prawns on pan. Sprinkle Salt and Pepper and pan-fry each side until slightly brown
5. Remove Scallops and Prawns from pan for later use. Leave the scallops and Prawns juice in the pan.
6. Add Olive Oil into same pan
7. Add Scallion and stir-fry until lightly brown
8. Add Garlic and stir-fry until lightly brown
9. Turn off Heat, and Add Chilli Flakes and stir until Garlic turned golden brown
10. Turn on to low heat, melt butter
11. Add Pasta and Scallops,Prawns and stir to mix well
12. Add Salt, Pepper and Parsley to mix well

Serve while Hot!

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

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 dried  parsley

Stir-fry Garlic Prawns in Oyster Sauce

Stir-fry Garlic Prawns in Oyster Sauce

This dish is very similar with a recipe that I have shared earlier, Stir-fry Prawns in Oyster Sauce and Black Pepper. This time, I have cooked this dish without black pepper and it tastes "sweeter" with lesser taste of spice. This dish goes very well with rice too! Seafood lovers, you will like this.

Ingredients

1. 8 Large Tiger Prawns (Devein, keeping the prawns shell)
2. 4 Slices of Ginger (Peeled)
3. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
4. 1 1/2 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
5. 3 tablespoon of hot water
6. Olive Oil

Steps

1. Add 2 tablespoon of 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 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan 
5. Add Ginger and fry until fragrant
6. Add Garlic and fry until fragrant
7. Add Prawns and fry for 1 to 2 minutes
8. Add Oyster Sauce and stir-fry until prawns is cooked approx 2 minutes
9. Add hot water and stir to mix well for approx 2 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:

• The easiest way to devein a prawns while keeping the shell is by using a kitchen scissor. Cut the back of the shell starting from the head end to the tail. Then use a small knife to devein.
• 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.

[Guest Post] How Do I Store This? A Guide for Fruits and Veggies by Michelle Rebecca

Every time we go food shopping and pick up various types of produce we watch in amazement at the seemingly random process by which things either ripen or go bad. To some degree you know that there are different ways to store things. But oftentimes, it’s all just a big mystery.

This short guide will help shed light on the dos and don’ts of produce storage.

The Golden Rule of Vegetable Storage

Note: Thou shalt not store your vegetables along with your fruit. There is a reason for this. Many fruits (I’m looking at you, banana) are just the slightest bit radioactive.

Now, now, don’t freak out. Bananas won’t make you glow in the dark, but they can act as ripening agents to other fruits. They continually give off a particular type of radiation that simulates the sun as far as other produce is concerned.

Bananas do this because they contain potassium 40. Other fruits might give off ethylene, which is another powerful ripening agent. This can be damaging to vegetables too. If you want to avoid having a pile of rotten vegetables in your crisper, keep the fruit in a separate place.

Not All Produce Needs Refrigeration

 

In fact, the fridge will actually damage certain types of produce. Potatoes and other tubers, for instance must never be refrigerated. The cold temperature breaks down their starch and makes them ferment—a nice way to say they will rot.

Also, there are few things as undesirable as rotten potatoes in your fridge. The thing to do is to throw them all into nice wire baskets and keep in them in the shade.

Contrary to popular wisdom, tomatoes should stay out of the fridge. Keep them dry and keep them cool. Another oddball veggie is the eggplant, which seems like it should be refrigerated but actually prefers room temperature.

There are also lots of fruits that have to stay out of the fridge. Apples do well outside the refrigerator, as do citrus fruits like lemons. Melons are another fruit that should never be put in the fridge. The cold ruins their texture, making them rubbery and bland.

Immediately Refrigerate the Following

On the flip side there are the fruits and veggies that must absolutely be refrigerated. Chief among these are berries; they’re so delicate they start going bad on the way home from the market.

This goes for soft fruit, such as peaches, too. Corn should be refrigerated immediately —especially if you don’t consume it the same day you bought it. Even though it appears durable, don’t hang on to corn, as it goes bad extremely fast.

In the oddball category you will find garlic. Unlike onions, garlic will stay fresh longer if you keep it cool.

A Final Tip

Don’t stack fruits and veggies. This promotes rotting. Give them as much breathing room as you can. Hopefully these tips will make save you money in the long run, which is always a good thing.

Michelle is an aspiring writer with a passion for blogging. She enjoys writing about a vast variety of topics and loves that blogging gives her the opportunity to publicly voice her thoughts and share advice with an unlimited audience.