About Me

I love to cook and more importantly, I like to improve the way I cook certain dishes. As such, this blog is borne out of a desire for a simple and organized way to manage the different variations of the dish that I tried. I will be posting recipes, pictures and comments on what works for me and what don’t. Hopefully, you will enjoy your time here, and do remember to give your feedback! Cooking is a constant evolution, a process and definitely not an end result!

Chinese Clear Vegetable and Beancurd (Tofu) Soup

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Chinese Clear Vegetable and Beancurd (Tofu) Soup
Sharing a simple, healthy vegetable soup!

Ingredients (Serve 3 to 4 pax)
  1. 1 packet of White, Soft Beancurds (Tofu eg. Brand Unicurd) (Slices into 8 to 10 pieces)
  2. Half Carrot (Cut into thin slices)
  3. 1 Tomatoes (Cut into slices)
  4. 10 leaves of Lettuces (Cut into 2 to 3 parts per leaves)
  5. 3 stalks of Spring Onions (Cut into 0.5cm, separate the white and green parts)
  6. 8 Button Mushroom (Cut into 3 to 4 slices per mushroom)
  7. 4 cups of Water
  8. 1 tablespoon of Cooking Oil
  9. 1.5 tablespoon of Sesame Oil
  10. Salts
  11. White Fine Pepper
Steps
  1. Add oil into hot pan/pot (use a pan/pot that can hold all the ingredients)
  2. Add the white part of Spring Onion and stir-fry for approx 1 minutes
  3. Add Water and bring it to boil
  4. Add Beancurds, Carrots and bring it to boil for approx 10 minutes
  5. Add Tomatoes, Mushroom and bring it to boil for approx 5 minutes
  6. Add Lettuces and boil for approx 2 minutes
  7. Add Sesame Oil, Green parts of Spring Oil and sprinkle Pepper and Salts to taste
And you are good to serve!

Good to go with Rice and two to three Chinese Dishes.

Pan-fry/Stir-fry Black Pepper Tempura Beef with Onions

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Pan-fry/Stir-fry Black Pepper Tempura Beef with Onions
Ingredients
  1. Approx 150g Beef (Slice thinly)
  2. 2 Big Red Onions (Cut into slices)
  3. 4 Shallots (Chopped)
  4. 2 tablespoon of Tempura Sauce
  5. 1 1/2 teaspoon of Coarse Black Pepper
  6. 2 teaspoons of Light Soya Sauce
  7. 1/2 teaspoon of Sugar
  8. 1 tablespoon of Cooking Oil
Preparations
  1. Marinate Beef with Ingred no. 5 to 7 for approx 15 minutes

Steps
  1. Add Oil into hot pan
  2. Add Onions and stir-fry until fragrant (approx 1 minutes)
  3. Add Shallots and stir-fry until fragrant (approx 1 minutes)
  4. Add Beef and pan fry for approx 2 minutes
  5. Sprinkle Black Pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute
  6. Add Tempura Sauce and stir to mix well. (approx 2 minutes, (depending how you wish the beef to be done))
Serve while Hot!

Good to go with a bowl of rice, 2 to 3 more Chinese Dishes with a bowl of Soup.

Stir-fry Chicken and Button Mushroom with Oyster Sauce

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Stir-fry Chicken and Button Mushroom with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients
  1. 1/4 Chicken (Cut into small pieces)
  2. 7 to 10 Button Mushroom (Cut into 2 to 3 parts per mushroom)
  3. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
  4. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Shallot
  5. 1 1/2 tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
  6. 1/2 tablespoon of Dark Soya Sauce
  7. 3 tablespoon of hot water
  8. Olive Oil
Steps
  1. Add 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan
  2. Add Shallot and stir-fry until fragrant (when it turns translucent)
  3. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (before it turns brown)
  4. Add Chicken and stir-fry for approx 3 minutes
  5. Add Mushroom and stir-fry for approx 2 minutes
  6. Add Oyster Sauce and Dark Soya Sauce and stir-fry to mix well
  7. Add hot water and stir to mix well until chicken is cooked (Taste and add more /less water accordingly)
Serve while Hot!

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

[Guest Post] Answers to Everything You've Been Wondering about Organic Food by Michelle Rebecca

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Do you love food? I know I do! I love it so much that I consider it to be a personal passion. While I'm always game to try something new, I care a lot about what I put into my body.
Over the course of talking to others about my own research and learning, I've noticed that there's quite a bit of confusion surrounding organic food. While a lot of the people I've talked to are interested in this topic, they're frustrated by not being able to find straight answers to their questions. To help remedy this situation, I want to provide clear answers to the questions I hear the most:
What Does Organic Actually Mean?
There are two main factors that separate organic food from that produced by standard farming operations. The first applies to crops. Instead of using chemical fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides, organic farmers use sprays from natural sources. The second factor applies to chicken, beef and other meat. Standard farmers use antibiotics to maximize the growth of their animals. Organic farmers avoid those measures and feed their animals natural food sources.
How Do You Know if Something is Actually Organic?
If you walk through a grocery store, it may seem like just about everything is organic. But if the supposed widespread availability of the highest quality food strikes you as off, your intuition is correct.
Because more consumers now care about the quality of their food, many companies are trying to capitalize on the interest through misleading marketing. Although "natural" sounds great, it has absolutely no meaning on a food label.
 Unlike the term "organic," there are no restrictions around using the word “natural. As a result, the companies responsible for marketing food products can slap the term on just about everything. The same is true for phrases like “hormone-free,” “free-range” and “all natural.”
Can You Trust the Term "Organic" on Labels?
Yes. However, there are a few different ways it can be used. If an item has a USDA Organic seal, it's 95% or more organic. If a label says 100% organic, it means exactly that. But in order for a label to say "made with organic ingredients," the total item can be as low as 70% organic. The easiest way to find true organic foods is to keep an eye out for labels that have either of the first two designations.
What If You Don't Have Access to Organic Items?
Depending on where you live, getting access to the organic items you want may be a challenge. Whether it's the result of cost or because you can't find exactly what you want, there's always the option to grow your own. If that sounds like a lot to take on, start small. Instead of growing an entire garden full of different foods, start with just one. This will make it easier to learn, and to keep your total cost down.
One of the nice things about starting with just one item is you won't need tons of supplies. With just some basics like hydroponics organic, you'll be able to start growing your own organic crop!
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.

Apple Roasted Chicken

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On the tray

In the oven

Apple Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
  1. Half Chicken
  2. 1 Carrots (Cut into Big Chunks, approx 1.5cm thickness)
  3. 1 Russet Potatoes (Cut into 4 to 6 pieces)
  4. 2 Red Apple (Cut into Slices, approx 6 to 8 slices/apple)
  5. 3 to 4 Big Red Onions (Cut into Big Chunks, approx 2 to 4 chunks/onion)
  6. 4 Cloves of Garlic (Slightly Smashed with Skin)
  7. Sea Salts
  8. Coarse Black Pepper
  9. Dried Mixed Herbs (Rosemary, Parsley, Basil, Oregano. eg. Brand Masterfood) or Dried Rosemary and Parsley (eg. Brand Masterfood)
  10. 1 cup of Apple Juice (eg. Brand Peel Fresh)
Preparations
  1. Sprinkle Salts (approx 1/2 teaspoon) and Black Pepper (approx 1/3 teaspoon) all over Chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.
  2. Add 1.5 teaspoon of Rosemary, 1.5 teaspoon of Parsley into Apple Juice. Pour it over Chicken and marinate for 30 minutes.
  3. Spread Apples, Onions, Potatoes, Carrots on baking tray (Vegetables/Fruits that are easier to cook should be placed under Chicken to avoid overcook) and Sprinkle Salt, Rosemary and Parsley (approx 1/2 teaspoon each).
  4. Place Chicken over the Fruits and Vegetables.
  5. Pour Marinated Apple Juice (Prep no. 2) over the Chicken, Fruits and Vegetables.
Place the chicken into thepreheat oven (220 degree celsius, approx 35 to 45 minutes).
Turn the chicken after approx of 20 minutes, and spread the apple sauce over 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.

Tips and Comments:
  • Roast the chicken inner part first, after approx 20 minutes, then turn the chicken over. This is to prevent the skin from tearing apart when you are flipping it.
  • If the chicken skin is roasted to near golden brown, but the chicken meat is still uncooked, you can microwave it. This will prevent the skin from burning and yet, cook the chicken meat to tender.
  • You can keep the bones after savouring the chicken. The bones can be used for a yummy chicken stock for soup!