Ginger Scallion Sauce

Condiments are so important. They usually play very good supporting role for all the mains. So today, I was supermarket-ing and saw a small bottle of ginger sauce and it is retailing $6.95! Well, I just had to have a try in doing a home-made bottle. 

Ingredient: 

Scallions (Spring Onions) x 3 sprigs

Ginger x half (about 20 slices)

Garlic x 3 large cloves

Oil x half cup

Salt x 1 teaspoon 

Remarks: the portion of the scallions : ginger : garlic should be 3:2:1

Steps:

1. Chop the scallions.  Set aside.

2. Sliced the ginger into strips and chop small. Set aside. 

3. Chop the garlic and set aside. 

4. Heat up the cup of oil. 

5. Pour the mixture together including the salt in a blender. Pour in the boiling oil. 

6.  Blend away. Dish out to cool before storage. 

Happy making!

Happy mum

Addictive Meatballs and Money Pouches

Here something amazingly simple but addictive that almost anyone can prepare in their kitchen. This will also be one of those dishes that you can rope in your little ones to bond over with while preparing for this. 😊

Ingredients:

A packet of mince meat ($2-$3 worth)

A tub of fish paste (I love the Bobo fish paste.)

3 pcs water chestnuts (minced roughly)

Half stick of carrot (minced roughly)

1/4 teaspoon of salt 

Dash of pepper

Dash of 5-spice powder (五香粉)

For money pouch:

Wanton Skin (云吞皮) - for money 

For meatball:

3 pcs Cream Crackers (break them up into crumbs)

The ingredients above makes about 50 pcs assorted of the money pouch and meatballs. 

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients (except cream crackers and wanton skin) using a fork until the paste becomes gluey. 

2. Separate the mixture into 2 parts. One set will be used for meatballs and the other will be used as money pouches. 

3. Working on the money pouches first, scoop about 3/4 teaspoon of paste onto the center of a piece of wanton skin.  Gather the excess skin and stick them together to create a pouch. 

㊙️ Tips: You can also wrap them up differently. Some ideas: samosa shapes, dumpling shapes or anything u fancy, so long the fillings doesn't spill out. Take care not to fill up the skin with too much fillings too to prevent the wanton skin from breaking.  Set aside. 

4. For the meatballs, roll the paste in your palm into little balls, about 3cm in diameter or slightly smaller than a rocher chocolate. Coat the balls with the cream biscuit crumbs. Set aside. 

5. Heat up a wok of oil in medium fire. When the oil is hot, fry the money pouches batch by batch. It will take about 2-3 mins for the skin to turn golden brown. Dish onto a plate of paper towels and set aside. 

6. Next, fry the meatballs. The meatballs will be done on about 2-3 mins too, depending on how big or small you have rolled them. 

㊙️ Tips: As the meatballs are coated with crumbs, you should first fry the money pouches then followed by the meatballs. Some crumbs may fall off from the meatball and will turn black (from over frying).  Hence if you fry the meatballs first follow by the money pouches, you will notice the wanton skin may be coated with these blackish crumbs. 

Happy Huat-ing!

Happy mum

Hong Kong Style Steamed Greasy Grouper

Ok, the eldest son super loves steam fish with soy sauce. He is a picky eater and whenever we dine at restaurants, he will always request for that one dish only. As it is, that is a super expensive dish and I can't keep feeding him with that!  Hence, I decided to show him that he can have his favorite at home too, at one-tenth of the restaurant price. 

Ingredients:

Greasy Grouper

Salt (rub over the fish and its cavity)

Salted Plum x 1

Spring onions x 2 sprigs (chopped into 2 inch length)

Ginger (5 big slices and 3 slices julienned - strips)

Rice Wine

Shao Xing wine

Sauce:

Mixture of:

Light soy sauce (2 table spoons)

Sesame oil (1 table spoon)

Water (3 table spoons)

Oil (2 tablespoons) - set aside. 

Steps:

1. After washing of fish, pat dry with paper towel. Salt the fish totally including its stomach. 

2. Lay 1/3 of the spring onions and 1/2 of the big slices of ginger on the plate. Stuff the fish stomach with another 1/3 of the spring onions and 2 slices of ginger. 

3. Rest the fish on the spring onions and ginger slices. Garnish the fish with the slices strips ginger. Place a sour plum next to the fish.

4. Pour 1 teaspoon of rice water over the fish. Then another half cap of the ShaoXing wine over the fish. 

5.  Send the fish into the steamer for 10mins. 

6. Prepare the soy sauce mixture. 

7. Heat up the oil. 

8. When 10 mins is up, remove the plate and pour away the water on the plate (from the steaming process). Place the fish back into the steamer. 

9. Add in the last 1/3 of the spring onions on top of the fish. 

10. Pour the hot oil over the body of the fish and onto the newly added spring onions. You will hear the lovely sizzling sound. 

11. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the fish. 

12. Cover back the lid of the steamer. 

13. Off fire after 1 min. Dish to serve 

There you go, an inexpensive dish that is so expensive in restaurants. The greasy grouper is $6 from NTUC.  The last steamed fish we had from a restaurant recently is a whopping $180. That's crazy crazy!

Happy mum

田七泡参排骨汤

So I have a growing 13yr old at home and mum has been reminding me to brew the so important soup for the son once a month for 3 months. This 田七is said to be very nourishing for growing boys (and adults too) and is supposedly to :

- improve blood circulation 

- expel bad blood

- heal internal injuries 

- improve appetite 

- grow stronger and taller

- many more

So, I made a trip to the Chinese 药材店 and learned more from the shop assistant and got what is required to brew this soup. 

一两田七 (bought 1 两, spilt into 4 packets)

泡参  (bought 1 两)

Ingredients:

- Tian Qi 田七 (use 1 packet)

- Pao Shen 泡参 (use 8-10 slices)

- wolf berries (use a handful, prob 8-10pcs)

- lean meat / spare ribs / chicken

- pinch of salt

- 4 bowls of water

Steps:

Add all the above ingredients (except salt) into a pot and brew on high fire for 30mins then switch to low fire to slow boil for 1.5hrs (or until meat is tender and cooked). Add salt towards the end when about to off the fire. 

Happy brewing

Happy mum 

Yong Tou Fu (Ampang Style)

Was at the wet market when I saw a stall selling freshly made Yong tau Foo ingredients. Couldn't resist and hence got a couple of items. Picked the red and green chillies, brinjals, tau kees etc. All the items came fully stuffed with fish paste. Yums!  

For this recipe, you may pick and choose any type of YTF ingredients. 

Ingredients:

- assorted YTF items 

- minced meat

- oyster sauce

- light soya sauce

- salt

- white pepper

- sesame oil

- corn flour

- potato starch

Step 1:

Marinate the minced meat with sesame oil, pinch of salt, light soya sauce and white pepper.

Step 2:

Heat up the pan and add oil. When oil is hot, add in the minced meat and give a good fry to loosen the meat.  Continue frying.

Step 3:

Add in a tbsp of oyster sauce and continue to fry the meat.

Step 4: 

When meat turned white (80% cooked), add in half cup of water and continue frying. 

Step 5: 

Mixed corn flour and potato starch with water. Slowly add into the meat, stirring as you pour. The gravy will thickened. Dish up and set aside for later use. 

Step 6:

Using same pan, add in some oil.  When oil is hot, add in the YTF items one by one, starting with those that require longer time to pan-fry. E.g. Brinjals, tau Kwa, tau Kee, Chilli etc.  

Note: if you do not want to mix the Chilli, you can pan-fry them separately and set aside for the final plating. 

Step 7: 

When the items turned slightly browned or when the fish paste becomes white, add in the minced meat and gravy.

Step 8:

Quick fry and give the pan a good shake to toss the items. Before you dish up, add a little sesame oil to enhance the smell and taste. Using a tong or chopstick, pick up the items and place in a plate. Once all are nicely plated, pour the meat and gravy over the YTF items. 

Happy cooking!

Happy mum

Salted Veg Duck Soup (Itek Tim)

I'm Nothing beats a bowl of hot soup. And when I saw a pack of half duck and some salted veg a distance away at the supermarket, I knew I had to satisfy my craving of a nice rich soup by whipping up a pot of Itek Tim (salted veg duck soup)

Ingredients:

- half duck, de-skinned (can feed 4 adults)

- salted veg (soak for 15mins or slightly longer to rid the excess salt)

- 3 sour plum

- 5-6 thick slice of ginger

- 1 bulb of garlic/6-8 cloves  (unpeeled and gently smashed)

- 1 tomato (cut into 4 wedges)

Step 1: 

Boil 2 pots of water 

Step 2: 

Upon the first pot that boiled, add in the duck meat to blanch. The water will soon turn cloudy and greasy. This process helps to remove excess oil and impurities. Remove blanched meat. 

Step 3:

Add the duck meat into the 2nd pot of boiling water together with the garlic, ginger, sour plum and salted veg. Let it boil over 1 hr. 

Step 4:

Add in tomato wedges and continue to boil under medium fire for another 1 hr before turning to low fire and continue boiling for 30-60 mins. Taste and add very little salt if require.  

Happy cooking!

Happy mum

Tau Suan + You Chr Kway

Whoohooooo! PSLE is finally OVER!  It has been a torturous 10 months this year, and the best way to reward the boy, is home made tau suan + you char kway.  Ok, never mind, he'll choose play over food anytime.  Stilll... hahahahah

Here's the recipes for future reference.  :)


Ingredients:

For Tau Suan:
- 500g mung beans (get those ready packed 500g ones from supermarket) soaked for at least 1 hour
- 12 washed Pandan leaves (6 to chop into 2 inch length and 6 to tie into knots)
- Honey Rock Sugar
- 200 g white sugar
- one pot of water


For Thickening:
- 80 g Sweet Potato Flour
- 250ml Water


For You Tiao:
- 220g bread flour
- 180ml water
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 3/4 tbsp. salt (I like mine salty.  you may reduce to 1/2 tbsp.)
- 1 tbsp. veg oil

For preparation of Tau Suan:

Steps:
1. Soak the mung beans for at least 1 hour.  Drain off the water, set aside

2. Placed half the chopped pandan leaves on a large plate (for steaming), pour in the mung beans and place the balance chopped leaves on the beans.  Send in to the steamer for 10 mins.

3. As the steaming takes place, boil a pot of water, adding in the knotted pandan leaves and one-two cubes of honey rock sugar and bring to a boil.

4. Now that step 3 is taking place, start preparing the ingredients for the You Tiao, if you haven't done so.  Procedures for You Tiao making will be indicated below to prevent confusion :)

5. After 10 mins, remove the steamed mung beans.  Heat up a flat pan using medium heat.  Gently pour in the beans and fry them.  Colour should start to darken a bit.  Add in 3 big spoons of the white sugar and continue to fry.  The sugar will crystalise and the beans upon coated, will turn darker yellow.

5. By then, the pot of pandan water should already been boiled.  Add in the beans gently and let it continue to boil for another 10 mins

6. Mix the sweet potato flour with the water and ensure well mixed.  Gently pour into the pot.  Keep stirring as you pour in the mixture gradually.  The water should start to thicken and becomes sticky.  Off fire and you are done!

Will update the You Tiao recipe again as I am chiong-ing out for a date with my kids!