Sambal Anchovies with Belimbing

The belimbing tree is flourishing with fruits! This time round I managed to harvest plenty of them, more belimbing dishes for the coming weeks! 

Ingredient

• 5 dried chilli, softened & deseed
• 2 fresh red chilli, deseed
• 5 red shallots, peeled
• 5 garlic, peeled
• 1/2 tsp toasted belacan
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, crushed
• 20 pcs fresh belimbing, trim both ends
• 100gm anchovies, rinsed thoroughly 
• salt and sugar to taste

Method

1. Place chilli, shallots, garlic and belacan into a blender. Process till a smooth paste is formed. Add in a little water for ease of blending. 
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add in anchovies and fry till crisp and golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper. 
3. With remaining oil in pan. Add spice paste and saute over medium heat for 5 mins until fragrant and oil separates. 
4. Add in onion and kaffir lime leaves, fry till onion soften. Add in belimbing and mix well. Drizzle in a few tbsp of water and simmer over medium low heat for about 3 mins till belimbing is tender. Add in sugar and salt to taste and continue to fry till mixture thickens. 
5. Stir in fried anchovies and mix well 

Pumpkin porridge with side dishes...Onion sardines, pickled vegetables, garlic broccoli, fishcake and sambal anchovies with belimbing

Babi Asam Belimbing

Trying out a new dish tonight...braised pork belly with sour starfruit! The belimbing really give a nice tangy taste to this savoury braised pork, very appetising indeed! 

Recipe ref : travellingfoodies.com

Ingredient

• 300gm pork belly
• 8 pieces belimbing (sour starfruit)
• 1 large red onion, cut into chunks
• 2 green chilli, cut into half
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 heap tbsp taucheo, mashed
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1-2 tsp dark soy sauce
• dash of pepper

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pork belly and cook till done. Cool down slightly and cut into 1/3 cm thick. Remove stalk of belimbing and cut into halves.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add onion and fry till soft and fragrant.
3. Add in pork belly slices and dark soy sauce and fry until lightly brown. Add garlic and fry till fragrant.
4. Add belimbing, green chilli and enough water to cover all the ingredients. 
5. Mix well and cover. Simmer on medium low heat for 20 mins until pork belly is tender.
6. Remove lid, add sugar and pepper. Turn heat to medium high and continue to cook till sauce reduce to desired consistency. 

Telor tempra....click here for recipe

Asian Inspired Pizza : Chilli Crab Pizza & Salted Egg Yolk Seafood Pizza

I was invited by Mission Food Singapore to create asian inspired pizza by using their newly launched pizza crusts, which comes in plain and wholemeal version. It is indeed quick and easy to D.I.Y pizza with these soft and thin pizza crusts! While brainstorming for ideas of asian inspired food, the first food which come across my mind is chilli crab!! hahaha Chilli crab is definitely one of Singapore iconic food don't you agree? 😁 Another crazy idea of mine is to make a salted egg yolk sauce  unlike the usual tomato base sauce for pizza. Both pizza turned out really delicious! When I asked my food taster which one they like most....they could not decide! hahaha....I let you decide which one looks and taste more appealing to you. 😜

Chilli Crab Pizza
Ingredient

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red chilli, deseeded & diced
• 300gm crabmeat

Chilli Crab Sauce (qty enough for more than 2 pizza)

• 5 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli paste
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 200ml water
• 2 tbsp corn starch solution
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Toppings

• mozzarella cheese
• cheddar cheees
• 12 crab sticks
• 1 egg
• spring onion

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan, sauté garlic and ginger till fragrant.
2. Add in onion and chilli and fry till onion is softened.
3. Add in sauce ingredient and crabmeat, simmer for 1 min.
4. Thicken gravy with cornstarch solution. Add in beaten egg and stir to mix. Remove from heat.

To assemble the pizza : Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread a layer of chilli crab sauce over the base. Arrange crab stick over the sauce and sprinkle cheese over. Crack an egg onto the middle of the pizza. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 10 min until cheese melted and golden brown. Garnish with spring onion and serve immediately.

Salted Egg Yolk Seafood Pizza

Ingredient

• 8 medium shelled prawns
• 150gm squid, slice into ring
• 100gm fish fillet
• 2 cloves, garlic minced
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp chinese wine
• salt & pepper to taste
• mozzarella cheese

Salted Egg Yolk Sauce

• 50gm unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 120gm salted egg yolk paste
• 100ml evaporated milk

Toppings

• mozzarella cheese
• parmesan cheese
• red chilli
• curry leaves, deep fried

Method

1. Marinate seafood with salt and pepper for 30 mins.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan. Saute garlic and ginger till fragrant.
3. Add in seafood and fry for a min. Add in wine and mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Using the same pan. Dissolve butter. Add in salted egg yolk paste and sugar and fry till fragrant.
5. Slowly add in evaporated milk and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture over low heat till thickens and reduce slightly. Remove and set aside.

To assemble the pizza : Place pizza crust on a baking sheet. Spread a layer of salted egg yolk sauce over the base. Arrange the seafood mixture evenly follow by mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake in preheated oven at 200 deg cel for 10 mins until cheese melted and golden brown. Drizzle with some salted egg yolk sauce and garnish with red chilli and curry leaves. Serve immediately.

Braised Chestnut with Chicken

Come lets have a 2 dishes 1 soup hearty dinner again! What's on our table today?....Braised chestnut with chicken, tomato fried egg and cabbage fishballs soup 😍

Ingredients

• 300g fresh chestnuts 
• 800g fresh chicken pieces (I've used whole chicken leg)
• 250gm fresh mushrooms
• 3 tbsp wolfberries, rinsed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 350ml water
• 1/2 tbsp Knorr all in one seasoning powder
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp dark soya sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• pepper to taste
• cornstarch water for thickening

Methods

1. Marinate chicken pieces with 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp five spice powder, 1 tsp Knorr seasoning powder, 1 tsp sesame oil and dash of pepper for at least 30mins.
2. Wash chestnuts and place in a saucepan of water. Bring to boil and simmer over medium hat for 15mins. Drain away water and soak the chestnut in cold water. Use knife to peel off the skin. Cut the chestnut into halves.
3. Heat up wok with 1 tbsp oil.  Add garlic and fry till fragrant. Add chestnuts and stir-fry for a while.
4. Pour in water and seasoning. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 mins or until the chestnuts are tender.
5. When the chestnut is tender, add in mushroom and marinated chicken pieces. Top up 150ml water and bring to boil again. Cover and simmer for another 25 mins until chicken is cooked. Adjust taste accordingly.
6. Stir in softened wolfberries and mix well. Add in cornstarch water to thicken the gravy. Remove from heat and serve.

Braised Bittergourd with Pork Ribs

Its been a while I've cook such a hearty meal...2 dish and 1 soup! hahaha been very lazy and usually one pot meal settles all which is fast and easy. I miss eating braised bitter gourd with pork ribs prepared by my mother, and this is the first time I'm cooking this!  I've make this dish more saucy as I know my kids will love the savoury braised sauce though they don't really fancy bitter gourd. They manage to taste one slice each. 😓 Nevermind that they still not able to accept bitter gourd, I've prepared their two favourite dishes, luffa fried egg and ABC soup! Happy dinner!

Ingredient

• 450gm bitter gourd* (I used white version one)
• 400gm soft pork ribs
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• thumb size ginger, minced
• 2 tsp black fermented beans, rinsed and chopped
• 200ml water
• 30gm rock sugar
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• cornstarch solution
• handful of chopped coriander

Marination

• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp oyster sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp cornflour

Method

1. Combine pork ribs and marination ingredient and mix well. Allow to marinate for a least 30mins. 
2. Slice bitter gourd into chunks. Marinate with 1 tsp salt and set aside for 30mins. Bring a pot of water to boil. Rinse bitter gourd and add into boiling water and cook for 1 min. Drain away water and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Add ginger and black fermented beans, saute till fragrant. Add in garlic and fry briefly. 
4. Add pork ribs and toss to mix well. Fry for 2 mins. Add in bitter gourd and stir to combine. Add in water and sugar. Bring to boil. Cover wok with a lid and simmer over medium heat for 20 mins until the pork ribs are tender.
5. Add in light and dark soy sauce, sesame oil and cornstarch solution. Continue to simmer until gravy thickens. Toss in coriander and dish up.

Turmeric Fried Mee Hoon & Laksa Meat Patties

My kids love all kinds of meat patties. Depending on what ingredients I have on that particular day, I always come up with different flavours meat patties. I want to clear a pack of laksa paste, so here is my special laksa meat patties! hahaha....Its a simple concoction of minced chicken, fish paste, some fresh herbs like laksa leaves and spring onion and minimal seasoning as the laksa paste is rather salty. As usual without fail both my kids happily polished up all the meat patties. ^0^ 

This is a special fried mee hoon infused with fresh turmeric! Really fragrant and appetising as some pickled onions is tossed into the fried mee hoon at the end of the cooking process. You should try this out! 

Turmeric Fried Bee Hoon

Ingredient

• 200gm rice vermicelli
• 50gm fresh turmeric, sliced
• 8 pieces kaffir lime leaf, thinly sliced
• 60gm carrot, shredded
• 100gm beansprouts
• 50gm Chinese chives, cut into sections

Pickles

• 100gm shallot
• 4 tbsp calamansi juice
• 3 tsp sugar

Seasoning (mix well)

• 3 tsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp chicken stock granules
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Method

1. Soak rice vermicelli  for 10mins until softened. Drain and set aside.
2. Combine pickles ingredient together and allow it to marinate for at least 30 mins.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Saute turmeric in hot oil till golden brown. Discard the turmeric. Add in kaffir lime leaves and fry till fragrant.
4. Add in softened rice vermicelli and mix till the turmeric oil is evenly coated with the bee hoon.
5. Drizzle in seasoning and toss evenly.
6. Add in carrots, beansprouts and Chinese chives and mix well over medium high heat.
7. Lastly added in pickled shallots together with the liquid. Mix well and remove from heat. Serve.

Laksa Meat Patties
Ingredient

• 250gm fish paste
• 250gm minced chicken 
• 1 small egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp laksa paste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
• 20 laksa leaves, chopped

Method

1. Mix all ingredients to form a smooth sticky paste. Cling wrap the bowl and chill in fridge for 30mins to firm up the mixture.
2. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Wet a spoon and scoop a small portion of the mixture and gently drop onto heated pan. Pan fry over medium heat for 3 mins on each side until golden brown. Repeat till mixture are completed.

Mini Pinic on NDP 2017!

Not wanting to squeeze with the crowd, I prepared a simple spread of finger food to enjoy while watching NDP 2017 in the comfort of our home sweet home! Finally I've attempted this salted egg yolk chicken which was most well received by my kids. ^0^ Other then this addictively delicious wings, there were sardine potato cake, cold sesame noodle, oriental cucumber salad and finally a cup of cooling water chestnut and sugar cane drink to complete the meal.

Salted egg yolk wing adapted from Delishar

Oriental cucumber salad...

Cold sesame noodle

Sardine potato cakes

Mui Choy with Pork Belly 梅菜扣肉

Bewarned....this is not an easy dish to prepare but tasted so sinfully good! And make sure to cook more rice to go with the addictively savoury sauce! I mentioned not easy to prepare as I've braised the pork belly first followed by steaming it for over an hour. This method yield a tender and melts in the mouth texture. If you can't bother to steam it, cut the pork belly in smaller sizes and braise it longer over low heat. 

ref. from dreamersloft with modifications

Ingredient

• 1 slab 500gm pork belly
• 200gm sweet mui choy 甜梅菜
• 200gm salted mui choy 咸梅菜
• 40gm ginger, minced
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 30gm rock sugar, crushed
• 1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 600ml broth from cooking the pork belly

Method

1. Trim off the stem of the mui choy. Rinse thoroughly (3-4 times)to remove excess salt and sand. Soak for 1 hour and rinse again. Squeeze dry and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
2. Rinse pork belly. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in pork belly and simmer (covered) over medium low heat for 25 mins. Carefully remove the pork belly from the pot and submerge it in a bowl of icy water. 
3. Pat dry the pork belly. Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Fry the pork belly till golden brown on all sides. Cover the wok while frying as it splatter a lot!! Remove the fried pork belly and submerge in cool water for 20 mins. When the pork belly is cool enough to handle, cut into slices. Add in 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar, marinate for 30 mins. 
4. In a dry wok, add in chopped mui choy and fry till dry and fragrant. Remove and set aside. 
5. In the same wok, add in 2 tbsp oil. Add chopped ginger and garlic, saute till fragrant. Add in mui choy and fry briefly. Add in marinated pork belly and fry for a minute.
6. Add in broth and seasoning. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer (covered) for 45 mins.
7. Preheat a steamer. Carefully remove the pork belly from the wok and arrange it in a deep casserole. Ladle the mui choy and gravy over the pork belly. Cover the casserole with a foil.
8. Steam over medium low heat for 1.5 hours. Cool completely before storing. Allow the dish to be served the next day to allow the flavours to develop. To serve, scoop an appropriate portion and steam till heated through.

Lemongrass Meat Skewers

Thank you Singapore Home Cooks and Drool Cook Club for the invitation to attend the potluck canapés party! Get to taste 30 different canapés created by some members of SHC. Great party to mingle around meeting new friends and catching up with good old friends too. I must say that there's lots of creative tasty canapés, making mine so pale looking among them. 😆Really thanks to their support, I've managed to be one of the six winners for our canapés dish! 

This is my canapé dish I've prepared for the party, Lemongrass Meat Skewers. Simple looking meat skewers but packed with different flavours and texture! Its a mixture of minced pork, fish paste and prawns mixed with garlic, shallots, coriander, spring onion and water chestnut. Tested out a batch and my kids loved it a lot and they called it faked drumstick hahaha 😂😂. As my the other half don't take prawn so I tested a portion without it but the texture and taste simply not as good as the one with prawns! 

Do not skip the dipping sauce! The sweet and sour herb sauce compliments the meaty skewers so that you will not feel jelak even eating a few at a go.

Ingredient (approx 35 skewers)

• 500gm minced pork
• 200gm fish paste
• 200gm minced prawn
• 1 stalk coriander, chopped
• 1 stalk spring onion, chopped
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 5 water chestnuts, peeled and chopped
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp corn flour
• 35 lemongrass stalks (approx. 10 cm long)

Seasoning 

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 3 tsp chicken stock granules
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp hua tiao jiu
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp turmeric powder

Sauce

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 stalk chopped lemongrass (white sectioned)
• chopped coriander
• chopped chilli

Method

1. Combine minced meat, fish paste, coriander, spring onion, shallots, garlic and all seasoning in a mixing bowl. Stir well in one direction till paste is sticky. 
2. Add in minced prawn, water chestnut, egg white and cornflour and mix till well incorporated. Cling wrap the bowl and allow to marinate in fridge for 1 hour or overnight.
3. Wet hands with some water. Take some meat mixture and wrap over a lemongrass stalk and place it on a lightly greased plate. Repeat till all mixture is used up.
4. Heat oil in wok. Pan fry the meat skewers, in batches, over medium heat till golden brown. Drain well on kitchen paper. Serve warm with sauce.
5. To make sauce, place chopped lemongrass, sugar, water and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook till sugar is well dissolved. Remove from heat and cool down. Add in chopped chilli and coriander. 

Soda Crackers Fried Meatballs

This cute little meatball is a hit with my kids! Initially I thought using 1kg worth of minced pork is quite a lot, but they almost wanting to polish off in one meal. Hahaha goodness I've to stop them so I could save some of the meatballs for next meal. :P Its a straight forward recipe which you just need to mix everything up. The only chore is to chop up all the ingredients finely so that the meat mixture can bind up nicely. Stir vigorously till mixture is sticky, but I find is best to use your hand to knead and slam the mixture for a better texture. Give this recipe a try, I'm sure your kids will love this too!

Ingredient

• 1kg minced pork
• 1/2 turnip, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 shallots, minced
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped
• 10 pcs soda biscuit, processed till fine
• 1 egg

Seasoning:

• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp rice flour

Method

1. Combine all ingredients and seasoning and stir till mixture is sticky.
2. Transfer to fridge and chill for at least 1 hour.
3. Shape mixture into small balls. Heat oil in a medium pot. Deep fry meat balls in batches, till golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. Serve warm.