Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Speedy soy spinach

This one is a real quick dish as you can prepare it anytime you want. Just remember to wash the spinach really thoroughly before hand as you wouldn't want to be biting sand lol...I've added in a slight variation to the dish and hope you'll love the taste.

Speedy soy spinach(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
200g spinach, washed
2 tbsp soy sauce
a handful of goji berries(in chinese 枸己)
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation method:

1. Wash and rinse spinach until it's clean off sand and dirt. Peel leaves off stems and keep leaves.(you can also have the stems in together, just cut them into sticks).
2. Soak and wash the goji berries. Make sure all water is drained out from the spinach and goji.
3. Heat oil in a pan, then cook the garlic. Tip in the goji and the spinach, then cook for 2 mins stirring often until the spinach begins to wilt.
4. Drizzle over the soy sauce, toss through and then scatter with sesame seeds.

It's a really quick dish to prepare :) enjoy!

Monday, August 03, 2009

Spaghetti with asparagus, mint & chilli

Just tried to cook something vegan over the last weekend...it's really simple and easy to prepare...here's the recipe to be shared:

Spaghetti with asparagus, mint & chilli (serves 2)

Ingredients:
  • about 200g spaghetti
  • 40ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 200g asparagus, thinly sliced
  • handful of fresh mint leaves
  • sea salt and ground black pepper
  • grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation Method:

1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve a quarter cupful of the cooking liquid before draining the pasta.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli and cook for 30 secs stirring. Add the asparagus and continue to stir for 1-2minutes until it is bring green and tender crisp. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and simmer for 30 secs.
3. Add the hot pasta and mint leaves to the asparagus and toss together. Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated cheese.

Bon Apetite~!

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Pancake

Making the batter for the pancake is really simple. It's one of the easiest and fastest breakfast you can prepare(although sandwiches are definitely faster).

To make the batter for pancakes:

Batter for 8-10 pancakes:

Ingredients:

125g plain flour
1 large egg
300ml milk
Vegetable oil/Olive oil

Preparation method:

1. Put the flour into the bowl and make a well in the center. Break the egg and add a little milk into it. Then, start whisking the egg with the milk. The flour will mix with the liquid and thicken it.

2. Continue whisking and as the batter thickens, gradually pour in more milk. Once all the ingredients combine, the batter should be smooth and the thickness of pouring cream.

3. Allow the batter to stand for about 30minutes before use to give the starch time to swell and less floury. If the batter thickens, add a little milk. Don't leave the batter for more than 6 hours.

4. Heat a thin layer of oil in a small frying pan until smoking hot. Then, pour a little of the batter into the pan. Immediately tilt and twist the pan so that the batter spreads to a very thin layer.

5. Cook the pancake for about 1 minute until the underside is golden. Test by lifting the edge with a spatula.

6. Turn the pancake with the spatula and cook until the underside is golden too. Place the product onto a plate and repeat steps 4 to 6 for the remaining batter.

Pancakes can be kept overnight. Wrap it in foil or greaseproof paper and freeze it. Thaw overnight or several hours in a refrigerator.

Pancakes can be served with countless ways. Best way in the morning, for me, would be maple syrup, some cut fruits like strawberries and bananas would be a fulfilling breakfast before starting off the day.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tortilla

I did a tortilla with onions last weekend, simple, tasty and hearty. You practically can put in different types of ingredients into tortillas and it tastes good! Just to share the recipe for all to make a quick an easy meal here...

Tortilla (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil or butter
650g waxy potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped to cubes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Large eggs

Preparation Method:

1. Season the potatoes and onion with salt and pepper
2. Heat a non-stick pan(medium sized) over medium-high flames and add in the oil. Let the oil be very hot but not smoky. Then, add in the potatoes and onion.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, cook and stir occasionally so that the produce does not get browned, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. This process takes about 15-20minutes.

(The potatoes and onions were very lightly browned)

4. Beat the eggs in a large bowl, add salt and pepper and whisk eggs, then add the potatoes into the bowl and mixed it together.

5. Pour the mixture into the pan, spreading it evenly and allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes over medium-low flame.
6. Once the bottom is cook, flip the tortilla over and cook for another 3-5minutes.
7. Once done, serve it on a place and bon apetit!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Deliciously Delight

Behold the delightful desserts, thou shalt enjoy the wonderful cakes that can indulge you and send you to the next dimension. Desserts gives everyone the sugar rush and it's the best way to enjoy an evening after a hearty meal with friends and family. Just to share about the types of dessert that have I have tasted. I love chocolates...just melts me haha...


La-Manila's Chocolate Heaven that sends you to heaven with your first bite


and Chocolate Indulgence - A Must try!


Delicious' English Scones are a hearty pair with a cup of tea/coffee


And their Classic Chocolate Cake just melts me everytime :D


Midori's way of serving you green tea - a soft serve ice cream with green tea which tastes pretty fine


Secret Recipe's Black Forest - I only love it for the berries in the cake...


and, also Secret Recipe's Hazel Cheesecake is just way too sweet - awful


Starbuck's Opera - Nice with the multiple layer of chocolate and cream with a thin tasty crust at the bottom, tastes chocolaty but not too sweet, awesome!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Omelette

Omelette is a household favourite. I thought of just writing this because a friend was looking for omelette recipe today. Just for your information, Omelettes should be plump, set on the outside and moist, almost runny in the center. Have your ingredients ready before you start cooking.

Cheese and Bacon Omelette For 1 serving

Ingredients

3 eggs
15g butter
Cheddar or Parmesan Cheese, grated (i'm not specifying any amount because it's up to your liking)
Bacon, diced and fried(also to your liking)
salt and pepper

Preparation Method

1. Crack the eggs into a bowl and thoroughly whisk them with little salt and pepper

2. Add the grated cheese into the eggs

3. Heat butter in pan until melted and just on the point of browning. Tip in the eggs and push the mixture from the sides into the center. This is to make sure that all of the egg gets cooked. Use a fork to pull in the cooked mixture until very lightly set all over.

4. Add in the bacon. Spread it evenly on the eggs. Then, flick one half over the centre of the omelette with the fork, roll it out of the pan onto the plate and it's ready to be served! Bon Apetit!

Thursday, July 02, 2009

焖伊面 Mun Yee Mee Recipe

Well, I was checking thru nuffnang analytics and noticed that there were search for Mun Yee Mee Recipe. It's quite a simple dish to prepare and cook at home, my mom used to cooked at least once a month for us and I would help in the kitchen back then.

Here's the Recipe for shares:

Mun Yee Mee 焖伊面 (serves 4)

Ingredients:

3 or 4 dried yee mee noodles(quantity is up to you)
350g chicken, sliced(season with a little salt, oyster sauce)
300g prawns, peeled(do leave the scale at the tail area so that the flavor of the prawn can be absorbed by the noodles too, fresh prawns please!! season with salt and pepper too)
200g fishcake, sliced
300g cabbage, sliced thinly
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
6 tbsp Oyster sauce
4 tbsp Dark Soya sauce
2 tbsp Light Soya sauce
Chicken Stock(About 1 litre)
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Preparation Method:

1. First, heat wok under high flame. Then, pour in the oil(about 6 tablespoons) into the wok and let oil heat.
2. Next, add the garlic and stir til light brown, then add in the chicken and stir-fry a moment then add in the prawns and fishcakes. Prawns cook very quickly therefore it has to be quick.
3. Pour in the Oyster sauce, dark and light soya sauce, to taste and the chicken stock. Add the yee mee in and cook under high flames still with the cover on the wok. Bring to boil to allow the stock to reduce. The gravy should be thick but make sure that it's not too dry.
4. About 5-8minutes later, add the cabbage and salt to taste and simmer for until noodles are soft(about 8minutes)
5. Noodles should be soft but chewy, try not to overcook.

Hope you'll enjoy the recipe. Cheers~

What you need in a Kitchen

Hmm, well, just to introduce a what we need essentially in our kitchen to be able to cook a hearty, good meal, we don't need to buy all those extravagant-high tech-cooking equipments. Back then at home my mom has just a handful of utensils and equipments to be able to cook. Just to share here with everyone what essentials we should have in the kitchen:

1. Knives and scissor
A good cutting knife for meat cutting, a smaller one for fruits and vegetables. A cleaver for
hacking bones for making soup base.

2. Tongs
For tossing salads to flipping meat on a griddle.

3. Rolling Pin
For rolling doughs.

4. Grater
For grating cheese, fruits and other ingredients like cucumbers, nutmegs etc.

5. Chopping Board
I prefer polycarbonate or plastic as compared to wooden because wooden will have bacterias
on it over time after using for cutting meat.(Never mix a chopping board for meat with fruits
and vege to avoid food contamination)

6. Mixing Bowl
A large one for easy mixing and tossing for salads.

7. Pestle and Mortar
For grounding flavors out from spices and nuts and other ingredients. Recommended to get
marble made.

8. Whisk
For mixing foods well so that no coagulation is present.

9. Peelers
The most effective way to skin your fruits and vegetables!

10. Spatula
For your stir-fry cooking.

11. Colander/Strainer/Sieve
For retrieving and draining fried or boiled foods.

12. Wok
For your chinese cooking.

13. Non-stick Griddle pan
For cooking your meat fillets and vegetables by giving them the grill marks.

14. Non-stick frying pan
For all your normal frying needs.

15. Single deck or double deck steamer
For steaming food.

16. Stock Pot
For preparing soup!

17. Blender
Fastest way to blend your products to produce pastes

You're welcomed to give your inputs on what else you should have in your kitchen. This list is compiled based on what I have in my kitchen. Thank you for reading!