Jiu Hu Char (fried shredded cuttlefish and yam bean)

Today I am going to prepare fried shredded cuttlefish and yam bean or in Hokkian is called Jiu Hu Char.  This is a must dish during most of the Chinese festivals during our younger days, like Chinese New year, Chap Goh Meh, Cheng Beng, Tong chik and so on.  In fact I like this dish very much . I used to cook this dish whenever I can get hold of the yam bean.
The ingredients are,

 

500 g yam bean,

1 medium carrot,

80 g shredded cuttlefish,

50 g dried prawn, soaked.

5 dried mushrooms, soaked and shredded,

chicken fillet or pork. shredded,

1 tsp. chopped garlic,

3 tbs. cooking oil

1 tsp. salt or to taste,

1 tsp. sugar,

1 tbs. dark soy sauce,

1/4 tsp. pepper.

 

Heat up oil and saute garlic until fragrant, add dried prawn and cuttlefish and fry until both begin to pop.  Continue stir fry for a few minutes.  Dish out and set aside.

 

With the left over oil, fry the chicken/pork and mushrooms until heated through. Add in yam bean and carrot.  Fry until soft and dry.

Mix in seasoning and return the pre-fried dry prawns and cuttlefish to the wok.  Continue to fry until
dry.  Scoop up onto a plate.

Serve jiu hu char with sambal belacan together with some lettuce leaves.  We will put some of the jiu hu char on a leave, fold up and dip into the chili sauce.  Mme...taste like our younger day's jiu hu char, those were the days.....unforgettable.

 



Mini Apple Pie

I used to like apple pie and I will go and buy a slice from nearby cake shop.  I never bake any apple pie because I found that apple pie is usually quite a big portion for most of the recipes.  I was very delighted when my friend share with me a mini apple pie recipe.  This recipe can make only 8 to 10 mini apple pies.  I gathered all the necessary ingredients and I bake the apple pies this morning.

The ingredients that I need are,

For the dough,
1/2cup of butter (softened),
1/2 tsp. salt,
2 cups of all purpose flour,
1/4 cup ice water.
1 egg(beaten) combine with 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tbs. water, for brushing.

Fro the filling,
2 tbs. butter,
2 cups apple,
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar,
1/4 tsp. cinnamon,
1/2 tsp. lemon juice,
1/4 tsp. lemon zest,
2 tbs. raisins(optional)



Core and dice the apples, add in the lemon zest and pour the lemon juice over the dices apples.   Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Add in cored and diced apple and cook until soften,  about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add brown sugar and the raisins.  Cook and stir until the sugar is dissolved and the juices from the apples begin to thicken,  about 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove apples from heat, add in cinnamon powder and stir well.  Set aside.

Now, prepare the dough.  Combine the flour, salt and butter in a mixing bowl.  Mix together until crumby.  Add in the ice water and mix until dough is formed.

 

Using rolling pin to roll out the dough.  Using pastry or cookie cutter to cut 10 round (4')

 

 

 

 

Place cut dough on the greased baking sheet.  Top half of each round with a tablespoon of filling.  Fold opposite side.

Cut a small slit on top of each pie to vent the steam.

Brush the top of each pie with the egg mixture.

Bake pies in preheated oven of 170 degree C for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

When cool, just loosen with a spatula and they just come right out.

Though the pies are not very pretty, but the taste is good.  I will try and bake this pie again.

 

 



 

 

Steamed chicken with dried mushrooms

Today I am suppose to cook chicken stew, but my son suggested and he wish to have steam chicken rather then the stew chicken.  I change my menu to steam chicken.  This is a very simple and olden way of steaming chicken.  I learned this recipe from my mom since I was young.  The ingredients are simple as well.  I need

500 grams of chicken, chopped into serving size,
1 tsp. salt,
1 tsp. pepper,
6 dried mushrooms (soaked and sliced),
1 piece of old ginger( 2 inches, sliced)
2 tbsp. rice wine /(shio heng)

Wash the chicken and drain.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper for at least 1/2 hour in a bowl.  Put in the freeze. The chickens will more tasty if I season for overnight.  For I am going to serve for dinner, I mange to season for 7 hours from the morning till evening 6pm.  I will remove the chicken from the freeze at 5.30pm before I steam it at 6 pm.

Boil some water in a steamer or a wok.  Meanwhile, put in the ginger, mushrooms and the wine into the seasoned chicken.  Steam the combined ingredients for 20 to 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.  Serve hot with rice.

The chicken meats are well cooked and tender, and the essence from the steaming of the ingredients really yummy!

Fish Soup

 have been cooking  many types of soup but never try cooking fish soup.  Today the fish monger recommended me to buy some sea eels but  I refuse because the fish has too much side bones and I do not know how to prepare and handle this type of fish.  She was so very persuasive and encouraging.  finally she cut 3 slices of about 6 inch long of the eels.  She gave me a simple fish soup recipe that I will never regret and sure will share with friends and relatives.  I shared with my relatives, but none of them had tried before.  Here I would also like to share out the recipe as well.

The ingredients are,

800 grams of eels,
 4 medium tomatoes,(cut into quarters)
1 piece 2 inches old ginger, (cut into slices)
1 medium size cha choy, (soak and cut into thin slices)
1.5 lt.  water.
chopped spring onions(garnishing)

Bring the water to boil in a soup pot.  Meanwhile wash and clean the fish.  Pour some hot water over the fish to get rid off some of the fishy smell. Prepare the tomatoes and the cha choy.

Put in all the ingredients when the water is boiled. Simmer for about 1 to 1 1/2 hour in low fire.  My fish is ready.  Serve hot and garnish with spring onions.

I can taste the sweetness from the fish, a little sourness mix with light  sweetness from the tomatoes and a little saltines with very little taste of chili from the cha choy, the soup is clear and taste good!  I like it very much.  Before cooking this soup , in my mind I was thinking that the soup may be taste fishy that I will not be able to drink it.  However, it turns out to be so good, I love this soup and will  cook this soup  more often as long as I can get the eels from the market.  This soup is very nutritious too.

Sweet and sour sauce with boiled pork.

 

I have been cooking pork, stew, braise, steam but today I going to prepare boil pork with sauce.  This is a very simple way of cooking.  I found this  recipe from a blog that I just happen browse through. I did some modification by using red chili instead of small hot chili because my whole family can't take the hotness of the small chili.

The ingredients are,

300 grams of pork tenderloin,
Some cherry tomatoes, for garnishing,
2 tbsp. chopped garlic,
5 -10 small chili, I used big red chili, chopped,
1 tbsp. chopped coriander/ basil leaves,
1 tbsp. sugar,
1 tbsp. light soy sauce,
2 tbsp. fish sauce,
3-5 tbsp. lime juice(kasturi)
1 tsp. salt,
1/2 tsp. pepper,
1 tsp. oil.

Wash and slice the pork into thin slices.  Season the pork slices with salt, pepper and oil for 10 to f20 minutes..

Meanwhile, combine chopped garlics, chili, sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce and the lime juice in a small bowl.  Taste to your own liking, some may like a bit sour and some may prefer a bit more sugar.  Se t the sauce aside.

Bring some water to boil in a sauce pan.  Put in the pork slices to boil until just cook, about 4 minutes. Drain and place the cooked pork on a serving plate decorate with halved cherry tomatoes.  Pour the well mixed sauce over the meat.  Garnish chopped coriander leaves.  Hey...my sweet and sour sauce pork is ready.  Serve with rice or also very appetizing to go with boiled noodle as well.

 



 

Soy Sauce with Fried fish

This morning bought 2 slices of very fresh Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel from the wet market.

 

See the lines of the fish are so clear and the flesh is so nice and juicy.

 

I decided to fry and prepare a simple and nice soy sauce over it.

 

 

The ingredients are,

500 grams fish,

enough oil for frying,

2 tbsp. soy sauce,

2 tbsp. chopped garlics,

1 tsp. sugar,

1tbsp. vinegar,

3 tbsp. water,

dash of pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt (season the fish)

dash of corn flour.

chopped spring onions for garnishing.

 

Wash and pat dry the fish.  Season with salt and pepper for 20 to 30  minutes.  Heat up the oil in a wok,  dash some corn flour on both side of the fish ,then  put the fish in the hot oil to fry until golden brown.  Remove from the wok and place on a serving plate.

 

 



                                                                                    

 

Scoop out the oil from the wok and leave about 1 tbsp. for frying the chopped garlics.  Saute  the garlics until fragrant, add in the soy sauce, water, vinegar and sugar.  Stirring the mixture until boil, scoop up and place on top of the fish.  Garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot.

 

 

 

The fish is very fresh and sweet of it own taste and the soy and vinegar just match perfect with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Pumpkin Soup

As I promised yesterday that I will share a simple yet delicious pumpkin soup.  Pumpkin was very cheap last week, it cost only .99c per kilogram as compare a few months ago, the price went as high as 4.99 per kilogram.  I was greedy, I manage to choose 2 medium sized pumpkins from Tesco  hypermarket.  I make some pumpkin jam and some pumpkin steam pau as well.  Now I am going to share my way of preparing simple Pumpkin soup.  This recipe serve 3 to 4 persons.

The simple ingredients are,

600 grams of pumpkin,
1 onion,
1 tsp. salt,
1 tsp. pepper,
3 cups of water,
1/2 cup of coconut milk/milk.
sour cream(optional)

Wash , peel and cut the pumpkin into small pieces, cut the onion into half.

Put pumpkin, onion, salt and pepper and 1 cup of water in a sauce pan, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.  Pour into blender and blend until all become fine.

Pour the blended pumpkin back into the sauce pan, add the balance water.  Use slow fire to cook until boil, stirring all the time until it boil.  Add in the milk and have a quick stir and boil.  Serve hot with sour cream .  I prefer it to remain as the pure natural pumpkin taste, I  do not add cream.

 

I have the pumpkin soup go with my whole meal roll for dinner.