Stir Fry Baby Scallops

The beauty in cooking seafood is it takes such a short time and yields fabulous flavor.  Make sure your seafood is very fresh, and all you need is the simplest of seasonings just to enhance the fresh sweetness.

Mint Omelet

In my previous post on Chives Omelet, i mentioned that i will do another omelet post using mint leaves.   Well, this is it.  My mum used to cook this quite often when we were young. My dad hates mint, which is great as he will not touch this and that means more for us kids!

Blanched Beansprouts ala Ipoh style, with a twist!

This is such a humble recipe that I am almost too shy to post about! But it is very simple to prepare and so appetising that I felt it would be such a shame not to mention about it.

 

Braised Spare Ribs with Yam

*NOTEFLASH*

This post has been updated on 10 June 2013 with new photos and cooking instructions using the AMC Cookware and pressure cover called Seququik.  Using the AMC Seququik Pressure Cover speeds up the cooking even faster than a normal pressure cooker.  It also enhances the flavour and makes dinner possible in just 30min flat. 

 

 

A few weeks ago, we had a dinner potluck at a friend's house.  I rummaged through my fridge and found an abundance of pork ribs, fish, a brinjal and a yam. Can't really bring a steamed fish, so pork ribs and yam it shall be.  

Easy Chocolate Sauce

After I made my banana sorbet, it occurred to me that it would be nice to have it with some chocolate sauce.  I went looking for a bottle in the supermarket, but the only brand that i like was Hershey, and it was quite pricey.  So I thought, maybe I can try to make my own.

Pan Seared Rib Eye Steak with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce

We got some good deals on NZ rib eye fillet a few weeks ago, so I decided to cook two pieces for our lunch - the bigger slab for hubby and a smaller one for me.

Terengganu Braised Chicken (Kay Hong)

 

 

I am normally not a big fan of tauchu (preserved bean paste) based dishes, but this recipe piqued my interest as it is swimming in gravy - I LIKE!  One of my favourite ways of eating rice is to flood it in soup or some sort of gravy :p.  My hubby can't stand it, but I am slowly but surely changing that habit HOHOHO!

Stir Fry Broccoli with Bacon and Mushroom

Children are naturally picky eaters, especially when it comes to vegetables.  As with all mothers, I try to encourage my kid to eat his greens.  I remembered when he was about 3+ years old, he turned really picky about which type of vege he ate, and even developed this naughty habit of being able to self induce vomit if he ate something not palatable.


But I am quite a firm parent, and I use my parental authority liberally to get him to eat at least two mouthfuls of any type of greens (read "force-feed"), then I let him off.  So he dutifully chows down two mouthfuls, then plea with all the innocence he could muster. ;P 


Thankfully that phase has passed now that he has turned 5.  I also liked to think that due to all those force-feeding sessions (!), he has actually discovered that not all vege taste horrible.  He has a few favourite greens, mainly broccoli, spinach, french beans, watercress and lotus root (not quite a veg i know).  So i cook these quite often, and paired them with other palatable ingredients such as prawns, fish balls, eggs and of course bacon. 

When choosing broccoli, look for those that have compact florets, and as small the green buds as possible.  We love Australian broccoli - it is much more tender than the China ones, but also 4-5 times more expensive! Last time I checked, Jusco was selling them at almost $30 per kilo.



Stir Fry Broccoli with Bacon and Mushroom

• 1 medium size floret of broccoli
• 3 rashes of bacon
• 1/2 packet of hokto straw mushroom
• 2 pips garlic, chopped
• 2-3 slices of ginger, slivered
• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
• Dash of chinese cooking wine
• Dash of salt and pepper

1.  Cut the broccoli into small, bite size florets.  Rinse and pour the florets into a deep bowl with a sprinkling of water.  Microwave on medium high for about 60secs or until half cooked.  Drain thoroughly and set aside.


2.  Trim the fat from the bacon rashes and cut into small pieces.


3.  Heat the oil and fry the garlic, ginger and bacon together for about 1 min until fragrant.    Add the mushroom and fry for another minute.






I love these hokto mushrooms; available from most supermarkets. 
They have a nice bouncy texture, and are
perfect for either stir fries or in soup.

4.  Add the broccoli and the seasonings.  If the dish is too dry, sprinkle some water to moisten it.  Adjust the taste accordingly and serve immediately with steam rice.

Cold Tobiko Pasta

You are gonna see a lot of photos in this post because I just can't help photographing those beautiful, translucent orange pearls! 

Assam Laksa - with a Thai twist

There is a fair bit of preparation to this recipe, but it is totally worth it :)