Chocolate Chips Cookies

 Trays of chocolate chips cookies waiting to be baked.

Chocolate Chips Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanill
1 cup flour plus 4 tbsp. more flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups oatmeal regular
2 pkts (6 oz) chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Methods

1. Cream butter and sugar
2.  Add egg, vanilla and water
3. Sift together flour, salt and baking soda.
4.  Add to cream mixture
5. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips.
6. Drop by tsp onto greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 350 degress celcius for 10 - 12 mins.

Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Onion (洋蔥五花肉)

Stir-Fried Pork Belly with Onion (洋蔥五花肉)



Ingredients 

 - 200g pork belly sliced diagonally (against the grain)
- 4 slices of ginger, sliced thinly
- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 large onion, thickly sliced
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 stalks spring onions (scallions), cut to 5cm/2-inch lengths
- 1-2 chilli padi, sliced (omit or adjust to your liking)
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Hua Diao or Shaoxing) (optional)

- 1/2 tsp sugar
 - 40ml water (optional)

Marinade (A)
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp corn starch

Directions

 1. Marinate the pork belly slices in the marinade ingredients (A) for at least 5 to 10 mins.
 2. Heat oil, fry ginger for a few seconds. Then add garlic and chilli and stir fry till fragrant.
 3. Add pork belly, stir fry till cooked.
 4. If you like some gravy, sprinkle some water. Drizzle some Chinese Cooking Wine.
 5. Add the Spring Onion.
 6. Off the flame.
 7. Garnish with some roasted sesame seeds.

Tang Yuan (汤圆) Glutinous Rice Ball - DongZhi Festival

Tang Yuan (汤圆) is usually eaten during Dong Zhi festival (冬至) where family get together. Tang Yuan can be either large or small, filled with paste or non-fill depending on personal preference. The round shape of the ball symbolise the family togetherness. 

Uncooked  Tang Yuan Balls 

Tang Yuan (汤圆) Glutinous Rice Ball

Ingredients:

Rice Ball:
1 cup of glutinous rice flour
½ cup of water (For making the dough)
Red colouring

Sweet Soup:
4 cups of water
2 pandan (screw pine) leaves, tied in a knot
80g Ginger bruised
½ cup of brown sugar (may substitiute with rock sugar or gula Melaka morsels)

Directions:

1.   In a large bowl, add in flour and water together and roll it into a dough.

2.   If the dough is too soft, add more flour.

3.   If the dough is too hard to press, wet your hands with water and continue to press. This will soften

      the dough.

4.   Continue to knead the dough for a few minutes.

5.    Divide the dough into 2.

6.    In one of the dough, add in red food coloring. Knead till the color is spread evently.

7.    Leave 1 part of the dough white.

8.    Roll into balls. Simply shape the dough into even-sized balls.
9.    Bring a pot of water (enough water to submerge the rice balls completely) to boil. Add the tang
       yuan into the boiling water and cook until they float to surface. Transfer them immediately to a
       large bowl of water until cooled.
10. To cook the sweet soup (糖水), add 4 cups of water, pandan leaves, brown sugar and ginger to a  

       pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until sugar is fully melted.
11. To serve, add tang yuen to a serving bowl and ladle the sweet soup over.



ShenZhen ( 3rd Dec to 9th Dec)

      Jin Dao Yuan  Restaurant - the best seafood claypot porridge

     Shi Chuan Dish     

    Love the deco of this restaurant.

      Dim Sum Breakfast

      Steam Boat Dinner

     Dessert Time

     Lunch @ Pappa Gourmet

     Seafood Dinner    

    Amusement Park

     Chunmanyuan Restaurant for Dim Sum

    Cooking Tom Yum for my brother and his family.

   

      Dinner @ Japanese Restaurant - Cheap & Good

    Lunch @ Mian Dian Wang

 

Clam Chowder & Garlic Bread



Clam Chowder & Garlic Bread



   Ingredients for the Clam Chowder

Clam Chowder

Ingredients

20g Butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large potatoes, diced
225g diced bacon
2 cups milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup cream
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
200g can clams, drained
2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground black pepper

Methods

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft.
3. Add potatoes and bacon.
4. Cook, stirring over low heat for abt 30 mins until golden.
5. Stir in milk, stock, cream and clams.
6. Simmer gently for 10 mins.
7. Stir in parsley
8. Season with pepper.

Garlic Bread

Ingredients

  6 large garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf baguette

1 tablespoons salted butter

Methods

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic. Add the parsley, oregano and black pepper.
3.  Brush over cut sides of bread.
4.  Place cut side up on a baking sheet.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees celcius for 8 mins. Broil for 2 mins or until golden brown.

Fruit Tart

It was my niece birthday and I baked this fruit tart for her. I was goggling for a pastry tart recipe and decide to use Okashi recipe instead. 

Receipe Source: Okashi by Keiko Ishida Pg.122

Short Pastry Crust
60g Cold unsalted butter
100g Pastry flour or top flour
1/4 tsp Castor sugar
1/8 tsp Salt
50g Ice-cold water

1. Combine butter cubes and flour in a plastic baf. Place in the freezer overnight.
2. Using a food processor, pulse butter and flour mixture, sugar and salt until the mixture resembles coarsr breadcrumbs. Add water and mix until a smooth dought is formed.
3. Place dough on a floured surface and knead lightly. Leave dough to rest in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Roll our dough to a thickness of 5mm on a floured surface. Brush away excess flour, then place dough over a 20cm or 22cm fluted tart in with a removable base. Gently press dough into the tin. Roll a rolling pin over the top of the tin to trim any excess dough. Prick dough with a fork, then leave to rest for abt 5 mins in the freezer before baking.
5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
6. Place a sheet of aluminium foil over the chilled dough(w/o vovering the edges of the dough), pressing it well into the bottom edges. Place baking weights into the tart tin and bake for 20 mins. Carefully remove weights and aluminium foil when pastry just begins to change colour around the edges, then continue baking until light golden brown for another 10 mins.
7. If tart shell is to be filled and baked again, cover with aluminium foil and fill with pie weights, and bake only 10 mins, then bake according to instructions in recipe.
8. Remove from heat and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Fish Head Curry & Saffron Rice

Fish Head Curry & Saffron Rice

   Ingredients for the Fish Head Curry 

   Fish Head Curry

Ingredients

1 Fish Head ( Ang Ko Li)
2 Large Onios, Peeled and cut into strips
4 Tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 to 2 Green or Red Chillies, Sliced
1 to 2 Sprigs of Curry Leaves
3 Cloves of Garlic } pound togegether
1/2 inch of ginger  }
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
6 to 7 okras, whole or halved
5 to 6 pcs Tau Pok
5 to 6 pcs Lady's Fingers
1 carrot
a bunch of long beans
1 tsp sugar (optional)
 cups water
1/4 to 1/2 cup tamarind juice

Dry Spices

6 to 7 heaped tsp Indian Fish Curry powder
1 tsp corinder powder
red chilli powder to taste
salt to taste

For the Garnish

some mint & coriander leave chopped
spring onion leaves, chopped

Method 

1.  Wash the fish head and marinate with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp turmeric powder and a tbsp of cooking vinegar.
2.  Mix the dry spices together with hald the tamarind juice, 1 tbsp oil and some water to form a smooth
     paste.
3.  In a pan, heat abt 4 tbsp oil and suate the sliced onions. Add the fennel, cumin and fenugreek seeds and
     fry until fragrant. Add the curry leaves, chillies and dry spices.
4.  Fry well for a few mins until the mixture starts to release oil.
5   Add the tomatoes (keep some for later use), tamarind juice, coconut milk and sugar to taste.
6.  Add abt 2 cups of water and bring mixture to the boil at a low-medium heat. Stir well and add the  fishhead. Bring to the boil again and simmer until the fish is half cooked.
7.  Add the vegetables and the remaining tomatoes, Cook until the fish and vegetables are tender.
8.  Garnish curry with mint, coriander and spring onions.

   Saffron Rice

   Ingredients

• 2 cups white rice
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1  cup water
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp ground cumin

  Methods

1.  Place the water in a pot and set over high heat. Add the saffron threads, salt, lemon juice and

     cumin to a boil.

2.  Saute the garlic with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the white rice and stir fried.

3.  Add the rice and coconut milk and stir continuously ( to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom)

4.  When the liquid is gently bubblin, reduce heat to low and stop stirring. 

5.  Cover pot tightly with a lid and cook for abt 15 mins our until liquid has been absorbed.

6.  Turn off heat, but leave the pot on the burner to steam for another 5 to 10mins.

7.  Before serving, fluff rice with a fork.

8.  Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Fish Curry.

ENJOY!