Steamed Chicken, Abalone Locos, Scallops, Mushroom

Steamed Chicken, Abalone Locos, Scallops, Mushroom 

It is a very simple dish that requires very little preparation and it is very suitable for Chinese New Year. This dish does not require to touch on the pan, it is a steam dish! 

Ingredients

1. 1/4 Chicken (Cut into small pieces)
2. 1 Chinese Mushroom (Washed and immerse into Hot Water until soften. Then slice it)
3. 10 Dried Small Scallop
4. 2 tablespoon of Hua Diao Jiu (Chinese Rice Wine)
5. 1 1/2 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce
6. 2 tablespoon of Water
7. 1 tablespoon of Wolfberry (Washed)
8. 3 piece of Yu Zhu (Washed)
9. 2 Abalone Locos (From Cans, eg. Fortune Chef, Cut into Slices) 
10. 3 tablespoon of broth from Abalone Locos's can

Steps

1. Add ingred no. 1 to 8 into a container (steamed proof bowl), cover it with Aluminum foil and put into a steamer for approx 20 to 30 minutes
2. Add Abalone Loco and the broth into the above and continue to steam for approx 5 minutes

Serve while Hot!

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

Steamed Seabass in Cantonese Style

Steamed Seabass in Cantonese Style

 Ingredients

1. 300g to 400g Seabass
2. 3 thin slices of Ginger (Peeled and Cut into slices)
3. 2 Shallots (Peeled and Chopped, approx 2 tablespoons)
4. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
5. 3/4 teaspoon of Sugar
6. 2 tablespoon of Hua Diao Jiu (Chinese Rice Wine)
7. 2 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce
8. 4 tablespoon of White Wine
9. 2 1/2 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Rinse Seabass with Water and wash it with White Wine (Ingred. No. 8)
2. Mix Ingred No. 2 to 7

Steps

1. Place Seabass on a steam-proof plate
2. Place into steamer or rice cooker for approx 10 to 15 minutes
3. 5 minutes before Seabass is cooked, heat up pan and add Olive Oil
4. Add Prep No. 2 and stir-fry for approx 1 minute (before Garlic turns brown)
5. Once Seabass is cooked, drain off the water. Spread Light Soya Sauce on the seabass and add the mixture above (Step No. 4) on the Seabass

Serve while Hot!

Good to go with Rice with a few other chinese dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• Slices a few slashes on the fish body will help to ensure that the fish is easier to cook and also, increase the flavours of the ingredients in the fish.

Steamed Herbal Chicken in Aluminium Foil

Steamed Herbal Chicken in Aluminium Foil

This is a similar as Steamed Herbal Chicken in Mini Porcelain Pot except that I have used an Aluminium Foil instead.

Ingredients

1. 1 Chicken Thigh
2. 2 tablespoon of Water
3. 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon of Hua Diao Jiu/ Chinese Rice Wine
4. 3 Medium Red Dates (Washed)
5. 4 pieces of Dan Gui (Washed)
6. 4 piece of Dang Shen(Codonopsis Root) - (Washed)
7. 3 pieces of Yu Zhu(Solomon's Seal Rhizome) - (Washed)
8. 1 tablespoon of Gou Qi Zi(Wolfberry) - (Washed)
9. 1 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
10. 2 Dried Chinese Mushrooms (Washed)

Preparation

1. Marinate all ingredients, except for water and mushroom for 30 minutes

Steps

1. Add Ingredient No. 4 to No. 8 and Mushroom into Aluminium Foil, then add chicken, add pour marinating sauce onto chicken and add water
2. Place the Aluminium Oil into a steamer or rice cooker and steam for approx 20 minutes/ until the chicken is cooked.

Steamed Drunken Chicken with Mushroom



Steamed Drunken Chicken with Mushroom

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 Chinese Mushroom (Washed and immerse into Hot Water until soften. Then slice it)
3. 3 to 4 Sliced of Peeled Ginger
4. 3 to 4 Cloves of Garlic (Slightly smashed without skin)
5. 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 approx 10 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.

Steamed Bean Curd (Tofu) with Minced Meat and Wolfberry

Steamed Bean Curd (Tofu) with Minced Meat and Wolfberry

This is a very simple dish that required almost no skills in cooking. It is very suitable for busy professional and starters or simply if you just need another dish on the dining table.

All you have to do is to ensure that the Minced Meat is cooked and not overcooked. And the best point is that you don't need a pan, just stack it into the rick cooker or steamer and there you go, it is done after 15 minutes.

Healthy, easy to cook and taste good too! What are you waiting for? Try it now! =)

Ingredients

1. One pack of Bean Curd (Tofu)
2. 100 grammes of Minced Pork
3. Light Soya Sauce
4. Fine White Pepper
5. Wolfberry (Gou Qi Zhi) (One for each piece of beancurd)
6. 3 teaspoon of Hua Diao Jiu (Rice Wine)

Preparations

1. Add 3 teaspoons of Light Soya Sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of White Pepper into Minced Meat, mixed them together and marinate for 10 to 15 minutes
2. Slice the Bean Curd into 8 pieces
3. Place Bean Curb on a steam-proof plate with some depth (approx 2cm will be good enough) to contain the gravy
4. Add the Minced Meat on top of the Bean Curd
5. Tuck a Wolfberry into the Minced Meat
6. Spread 2 teaspoons of Light Soya Sauce & Hua Diao Jiu over the bean curds

Steps

1. Place the bean curd into a steamer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve while Hot.

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

Steamed Black Pomfret with Tomato, Chili and Ginger

Steamed Black Pomfret with Tomato, Chili and Ginger

Fish is one of the expensive dish to order when you dine outside. If you can cook this simple dish yourself, you can save cost and at the same time, eat healthily.

I bought the black pomfret at a discount ($0.89/100g), and as I am just cooking for 2 pax, I chose a small one (less than 300g). It costs less than $3 SGD. I am sure you can't find a fish that cost $3 if you dine out.

If you are worried about an oily and smoky kitchen, then you will definitely love this recipe. All you need is a steamer, or simply just stack the fish into the rice cooker and cook it together with the rice.

I love to eat steamed fish with plain porridge, perhaps because I am a Teochew (a dialect). I have added Tomatoes and Chili in this dish to add in a little sour and spicy taste. It helps to open up my appetite! =)

Hope that you will like this dish as much as I do!

Ingredients

1. 300g to 400g Black Pomfret
2. 1 Tomato (Cut into 6 slices)
3. 1/2 Big Chili (Cut into thin slices)
4. 3 thin slices of Ginger (Cut into thin slices)
5. 2 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce

Steps

1. Add all ingredients on pomfret (like in photo) on a steam-proof plate
2. Place into steamer or rice cooker for approx 15 minutes

Tips and Comments:

• Slices a few slashes on the fish body will help to ensure that the fish is easier to cook and also, increase the flavours of the ingredients in the fish.

Steamed Herbal Chicken in Mini Porcelain Pot

Steamed Herbal Chicken in Mini Porcelain Pot

Steamed Herbal Chicken in Mini Porcelain Pot

One year back, when I was shopping for my new home, I walked into Daiso (A shop in Singapore that sells every item at $2) and saw this mini porcelain pot. I fall in love with it as it is so cute. It stands at a height of approx 12cm and with a diameter of 8cm, with a cover. Not knowing what to do with it, I still bought 2 sets as it is too cheap and cute to resist.

It is until today when I am cracking my brain what to cook for the night and I happened to see these 2 cutie pots in my kitchen cabinet. I decided that I should use them today!

I used the mini pots to steam herbal chicken. One pot to serve a person. And the recipe that I have shared below is meant for a person.

Do not hestitate to try this recipe, even if you do not have the same mini pot. You can simply use an Aluminium foil and wrapping it up for the same effect. Remember to multiple the quantity of the ingredients according to the number of person you are cooking for.

Ingredients (Serve 1 pax)

1. 3 Medium Pieces of Chicken/ 1/6 of a Medium Chicken Cut into smaller pieces
2. 1 tablespoon of Water
3. 2 teaspoon of Hua Diao Jiu/ Chinese Rice Wine
4. 2 Medium Red Dates (Washed)
5. 2 pieces of Dan Gui (Washed)
6. 1/2 piece of Dang Shen(Codonopsis Root) - (Washed)
7. 2 pieces of Yu Zhu(Solomon's Seal Rhizome) - (Washed)
8. 1/2 tablespoon of Gou Qi Zi(Wolfberry) - (Washed)
9. 1 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)

Preparation

1. Add Ingredient No. 4 to No. 8 into a mini porcelain pot, then add chicken, add Hua Diao Jiu, Light Soya Sauce. Leave it for minimum 15 minutes.

Steps

1. Add 1 tablespoon of Water into the preparation. And place the mini pot into a steamer or rice cooker and steam for approx 15 minutes/ until the chicken is cooked.

Cucumber with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

Cucumber with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

If you don't like to eat fresh cucumber, this recipe give you another perspective to savour cucumber.

This dish looks simple but there are more steps than normal stir-fry as I steamed the cucumber to soften it before pan-fry to obtain a "grilled" type of texture. I have added worchestershire and red cooking wine to add on more flavors to the cucumber. If you prefer the cucumber to be more crunchy, shorten the time of steaming or just pan-fry it longer.

It can be served as a Chinese dish or a Western appetizer or as a side.

Ingredients

1. 300g of Cucumber (Deseed and cut into stem look alike)
2. 1 tablespoon of Garlic (Chopped)
3. 2 teaspoon of Red Cooking Wine (eg. Brand Virginia Dare)
4. 2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
5. Salt
6. 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Place Cucumber in steam-proof container, sprinkle Salt on it and steam for approx 10 minutes to soften the cucumber
2. Dry the Cucumber with Paper Towel

Steps

1. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan
2. Pan-fry Cucumber for approx 1 minutes, scoop it out and place it aside for later use
3. Add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in hot pan
4. Add Garlic and stir-fry for approx 1 minutes (before it turn brown)
5. Turn to low heat
6. Add Worcestershire Sauce and Red Cooking Wine and stir to mix well
7. Pour Sauce over the Cucumber or you can turn off heat and add cucumber into pan to stir to mix well

Serve while Hot or Cold.

Good as a Side or Appetizer to go with a Main Course, or as a Finger Food in a party!

Chinese New Year Recommendation

Just an hour ago, one of my secondary classmates, Geraldine, prompted me on MSN, asking if I have any recipes recommendation for Chinese New Year. Hence, I decided that I should write a post on some recipes from Shan's Recipes that will be suitable for Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner. Thanks Gerli for the inspiration!

It is quite tricky to choose from my list of recipes as most of them are very simple homecooked food. But, I still managed to find a few choices that I think that it will look great and taste good for a warm and cosy Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner.

I have chosen 1 soup, 4 dishes and 1 main course, good for a family of 4 to 6 person. For smaller family, you can choose 3 dishes instead of 4. 

My selection are:

Chinese Wongbok (China Cabbage, Bai Cai) Soup (Simplified Version)

Chinese Wongbok (Cabbage), Fishball, Fish Maw Soup (Full Version, better taste)

The reason for choosing this soup is because this is a Chinese New Year soup to me, at least. Every year, without fail, my mum will cook this soup for Chinese New Year, be it as a steamboat soup base or simply a bowl of soup on the dining table. Chinese Wongbok (China Cabbage, Bai Cai) Soup has always be my favorite soup and can never be replaced. You can add fish maw and some fishballs into the soup for a better taste - Chinese Wongbok (Cabbage), Fishball, Fish Maw Soup.

Chinese New Year, without fail, it's all about a big feast with the few commonly found "Chinese New Year" ingredients, like, Prawns, Abalone, Scallops, Chinese Mushroom, Dried Oysters and hence, this give me the thoughts that the following dishes will be great to be serve on that warmly night.

Braised Chicken with Dried Oyster and Mushroom

Scallops with Bean Vermicelli (Glass Noodle)

Stir-fry Prawns with Oyster Sauce and Black Pepper

The following 2 dishes are my vegetable selections. For people who do not like broccolli, you can choose baby kai lan. Add slices of Abalone to make it a wonderful Chinese New Year dish! =)

Stir-fry Broccolli and Scallops with Garlic

Stir-fry Baby Kai lan with Garlic (Qing Cao)

For families who prefer a main course than rice, I will recommend Ee  Fu Mian!

 Braised Ee Fu Mian (Noodle) with Chinese Mushroom

 The above are my selections, hope that it is close to your liking! =)

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.

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.

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

Scallops with Bean Vermicelli (Glass Noodle)

Scallops with Bean Vermicelli

I can't forget the Scallops with Vermicelli that I have tried in Crystal Jade Restaurant (Chinese Restaurant in Singapore). The delicious gravy blends in so well with the scallops and vermicelli that I am never satisfied with just one serving. Hence I went to the supermarket to source for frozen scallops, intending to try out this dish. I have done my homework by researching food blogs and the result is pretty good. Give it a try, especially if you like Hong Kong Cuisine! =)

Ingredients

1. 1 roll or 50g of Bean Vermicelli (Glass Noodle/ Tang Hoon)
2. 8 Frozen Scallops (Medium - approx 2cm in diameter, Dethawed)
3. 1 tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
4. 1/2 tablespoon of Grated Ginger
5. 1 tablespoon of Light Soya Sauce (eg. Brand Tai Hua)
6. 1 teaspoon of Hua Diao Jiu (Chinese Cooking Wine)
7. 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Immerse Bean Vermicelli into water until soften and drain it
2. Spread out Bean Vermicelli on a steam-proof plate
3. Place Scallops on Bean Vermicelli

Steps

1. Add Olive Oil into hot pan
2. Once Olive Oil is hot, add Ginger and stir-fry for approx 1 minute
3. Add Garlic and stir-fry until fragrant or before it turns brown
4. In very low heat or you can switch off the stove, add Light Soya Sauce and Hua Diao Jiu, stir to mix well
5. Pour the mixture onto the Scallops and Bean Vermicelli
6. Steam it for approx 5 minutes (Check if Scallops is cooked after 4 minutes and adjust the time accordingly

Serve while Hot with another 2 to 3 more Chinese dishes.

Tips and Comments:

• Peel the ginger before grating. If you do not have a grater, slice the ginger and chop it finely. If there is any ginger's juice, add them together during the stir-fry process.
• 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.
• Note that when grated ginger is added into hot pan with oil, it will start to react and "fly around", you can reduce the heat or turn off the stove once the oil is hot before adding ginger and garlic. If the heat is not strong enough to cook the ingredients, turn on the stove again.
• Do not overcook the scallops as the meat will turn tough and chewy. Once the scallops turn translucent, it is done.

Drunken Prawns in Harvey Bristol Cream

Steamed Drunken Prawns in Harvey Bristol Cream

Ingredients

1. 15 Prawns (Deshell - Optional and Devein)
2. 3 to 4 Sliced of Ginger (Peeled)
3. 3 to 4 Cloves of Garlic (Slightly Smashed with Skin)
4. 1 Cup of Harvey Bristol Cream

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 Rice