Mum's Recipe: Seafood Platter!

We had a Seafood Platter of Prawn Fritters and Calamari today! Went well with Kwepie Mayonnaise, Tartar Sauce, Ketchup and even Ranch Dressing!

Prawn Fritters

Not your usual Ebi Tempura, Mum used another kind of batter which makes it ever lighter than the Tempura batter. This batter creates a thin but crispy layer which envelops the flesh within.. Awesome!!


Calamari

Delicious Fried Squid Rings using Panko as the batter! They were crispy on the outside, and chewy-licious inside! Definitely one of my favourite fried finger snacks! :)

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Willin's Recipe: Chicken in a Biscuit

This is Chef Willin's Recipe from Channel U's Instant Chef: 家简成厨， Chicken in a Bisuit. It's Sakura Chicken Breast Meat breaded with Chicken in a Biscuit biscuit crumbs.

Notice that the crumbs are not crushed too finely so that you can get a good crunchy and crispy layer! We also used pork meat as a variation and we all agreed that as tender as the Sakura breast meat may be, pork loin still wins our vote for its firm and tender bite.

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Mum's Recipe: Curry Pork and Potatoes

Delicious potato curry with a twist!! Instead of the usual chicken, Mum used pork meat and it turned out amazing!

She did not use long pork ribs because they are rather lean and tend to be a little tougher (siap). Instead, she asked the butcher who recommended the slab of meat above the ribs. What also made this a success was that Mum used fresh coconut juice which she extracted herself! Lots of hard work indeed! :D


Ingredients
500g Pork Meat (choose portion at tip of ribs along spine)
Boiled Potatoes
Dry Chillies
5 Buah Keluaks
1/2 Bowl Shallots
1 medium size Onion
3 stalks Lemongrass
2-3 pieces Lengkuas
2 Tbsp Curry Powder
Milk from 1/2 Coconut (separate first squeeze in small bowl and second squeeze in big bowl)
1 Cube Chicken Stock
Salt to Taste
1 stalk Pandan leaf (Optional)

Method
1. Grind Dry Chillies, Buah Keluak, Lengkua, Lemongrass, Shallots and Onion.

2. Fry until fragrant and add curry powder.

3. Add Pork Meat and stir-fry for a short while.

4. Add Coconut Milk. (big bowl: 2nd squeeze)

5. Add potatoes, chicken stock and bring to boil for about less than 30 minutes. Be careful not to overcook pork meat as they might turn dry (siap).

6. Finally, add the first squeeze coconut milk to your own liking. We added just a little bit.


The curry is not too spicy or oily, yet fragrant and bursting with curry-goodness! You can eat this with rice, crispy toast.. or on its own! Even a non-curry lover like me fell in love with this dish immediately!

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Friends: Roasted Chicken

This delicious Roasted Chicken was a get-well gift from my lovely tuition teacher! Just a dash of garlic brings out all the flavour of the chicken! :)

Like my Mum, she used a Turbo Cooker to roast instead of an Oven. In fact, using a Turbo Cooking is great, even for roasting Potatoes and Chicken Drumsticks!

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Mum's Claypot Rice (Sar Po Fun)

A family favourite Cantonese dish, Mum really knows how to dish up one mean claypot rice! We added Salted Fish, Chinese Wax Sausages, Chicken Meat and a drizzle of Dark Soy Sauce.


This is just before adding soy sauce!


Add a drizzle of Dark Soy Sauce, and Mix! Mix! Mix!

The rice was so fragrant and the chicken tender and juicy! Mmmm... Even a noodle-eater like me simply can't resist Mum's delicious Claypot Rice! :P

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Experiment: Rack of Lamb Bak Kut Teh

I really appreciate creative fusions such as the Rack of Lamb Bak Kut Teh which I came across in My Space@Humble Home, Tung Lok. Inspired by the Singaporean's favourite Bak Kut Teh, and creating a whole new taste and dimension by using the Rack of Lamb instead of Pork Ribs. I really wanted to experiment with this idea, so I tried a version out at home.

Unfortunately, after the re-vamp, we noticed that Meidi-Ya's rack of lambs have changed since, and the musty taste was stronger than before. But the soup was quite a success once the oil was removed from the soup. A good idea would be to add Chinese Black Mushroom and use unprocessed herbs and spices instead of ready-made buk kut teh spice powder.

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Recipe: Korokke コロッケ (Potato Croquette)

I simply love potatoes, and I love them baked, roasted, boiled, mashed and deep-fried!! Here's a recipe for Japanese Croquette (called "Korokke" コロッケ) which can be found here. You can add minced meat, corned beef and frozen vegetables too! They taste great with extra onions, a bit of garlic... and the best part is, it tastes good even with just little salt!

Ingredients
Potatoes, boiled til soft
1 Egg
Onion (1 medium)
Garlic Powder
Flour
Oil, for deep frying
Panko パン粉 (Japanese Breadcrumbs)
Herbs, Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mash potatoes until fluffy. (Do not use a machine or it will become too smooth!)

2. Mince onions or slightly blend chopped onions in a blender.

3. Pan fry onions until they turn brown. (but not bitter!)

4. Mix the onions with the potatoes, and add the seasoning.




5. Mould the potatoes into flat, smooth shapes of around 8 cm thickness. The traditional Japanese Korokke is a round, oval shape.

6. Coat the potato pieces with flour.

7. Dip each piece in beaten egg, then coat evenly with Panko (Breadcrumbs).



8. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden-brown and crispy.










Mmm... try it with a dip if it's not tasty enough. Creamy dips go very well with Korokke!! (:




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Dim Sum at Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant

One of those special occasions where we went to eat dim sum at a grand Chinese restaurant. My favourite dim sum restaurant has always been Ah Yat Abalone Forum restaurant at Allson Hotel, and my family always go there during special occasions since young. Their standards are still good, and being a regular, we are known by the warm and friendly staff there. I am known as the "Goose Web Girl" for setting record high of downing 8 goose webs in a row when I was a kid.

Anyway, we decided to try out the other dim sum restaurants and decided on Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant at Carlton Hotel for lunch. We had lots of dim sum, cold dishes and a couple of heavenly double-boiled soups plus sago dessert.

Cold Pig's Trotter with Jellyfish is a must-order cold appetizer dish. It's slippery, QQ texture is delicious! I also love cold jellyfish! As you can see, I really enjoy food with a good bite to them.



Har Gao, a prawn dumpling dim sum, is a must-order for us. The prawns are really "crunchy" and plump, and the skin translucent.



Crystal Vegetable Dumpling, just the way Mum likes it: Lots of veggies and little meat!



Another favourite order: Steamed Chicken Feet!! Yes, I love feet of all kinds, be it chicken, duck, goose or pig! Meat with bones in them really do bring out the carnivore within! :D



This is something new we ordered; if I remember correctly, it is Abalone Pastry. A very unique dim sum which my Mum loved at first bite!



Shown above is some sweet pastry dim sum...



The soup Mum had (and I stole quite a bit of) is Double-boiled Winter Melon Soup. This was really fantastic. I've always appreciated Cantonese cuisine for their amazingly good double-boiled soup and superior stocks. Rich in flavour yet not overwhelming or too heavy. (:

Wah Lok Cantonese Restaurant
Address:
76 Bras Basah Road
2F Carlton Hotel

Tel: 6311 8188 / 6311 8189

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Cantonese Roasted Pork

One of the must-orders when I'm in a Cantonese Dim Sum Restaurant is the Roasted Pork (烧肉). These tiny cubes layered with crispy roasted skin, oh-so-sinful fat and meat are just delectable. The combination of crackling skin, chewy meat and juicy fat is just heavenly.

I tried this in Mayim Chinese Cuisine restaurant, a very mixed Asian Cuisine restaurant. They have Korean, Cantonese, Jiang Su and Shanghainese fare including La Mian.

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Food Court: Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

My Mum had this at a Food Court, but she said that it didn't taste very good. The person just handed her a plate of pre-fried noodles that already lost its Wok Hei. Fried noodles like Char Kway Teow and Fried Prawn Mee are best eaten straight from the wok, just after frying to get that aromatic Wok Hei.

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Pu Tien Restaurant: Xing Hwa Cuisine

Mum and I like to go to Pu Tien restaurant, a fast-growing Xing Hwa cuisine restaurant with several branches across Singapore. Their main branch is at Kitchener Road. They have several unique dishes that really sets them apart from the usual Chinese cuisine.

This dish is called Mixed Cold Pork Intestine, but it is actually made of Pig's Stomach, along with the other ingredients such as pork meat, carrot and century egg.



This soup is known as Wonton Soup in their menu, but better known by their Chinese name, 扁肉汤. The wontons are not like the cantonese version, but are small and the skin is translucent white. They add vinegar to the soup, which makes it extremely appetising to drink. It tastes very refreshing when cold!

Here are some other dishes we tried before:



I love their Braised Pig Intestine, which is chewy and full of bite! It's not like your usual Kway Chap, and you can see that they rolled the small intestines into the big one! Sounds gruesome, but not until you've tried it!



These are Spicy Pigs' Ear, but I do not see it in their menu now.

Other interesting dishes to try that Mum and I order are (as named in their menu): "Pu Tien" Lor Mee, "Pu Tien" style w bottle gourd (胡瓜烙), "Pu Tien" Sweet and Sour Pork in Lychees. I also like their Or Nee (Yam Paste with Ginko Nuts).

You can see their menu here.

Main Branch:
127 Kitchener Road
Singapore 208514
Website: http://www.putien.com/

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Favourite: Hwa Heng Beef Noodle

One of my most favourite (and rather sinful) hawker foods is the Hainan Beef Noodle. I've loved it since young, and I usually always order the Dry Version for the savoury, viscous gravy plus the bonus soup.

Hwa Heng Beef Noodle @ AMK Hub Food Cout

I used to eat at Hong Heng Beef Noodle at Ang Mo Kio (especially since it's near my place) all the time, and it was a long favourite. The owner recognises me and calls me "Xiao Jie" (Chinese for Little Miss), as I was known to have the dry version without any vegetable. (Spring Onions, Beansprouts etc.)

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to taste as good as before when I was in Primary School, and the owner says that they watered down the recipe and raised prices a little to cope with the heavily increased rent.

Hwa Heng has been a long-timer since many years ago, when my Dad actually knew the current boss's father. My Dad told me that he remembered his father at the old stall, always slicing beef non-stop. But it was very popular and many people queued up to eat his beef noodle. After many years of selling traditional beef noodle, they have branched out to food courts, two I know of in AMK Hub and Junction 8. The current boss tends to the stall at AMK Hub, and that's where I usually get my beef noodle fix.

I admit the photos may not look much, firstly because of the dark, dull colour against the dark bowl. But it certainly tastes much more delicious than it looks.



Hwa Heng Beef Noodle has become my favourite beef noodle stall ever since. The soup is full of bone marrow, a result of all that boiling of beef bones! It is robust and has a rich, full-bodied taste. You can certainly see that they didn't dilute this soup very much! It's also quite reasonable for a Food Court meal at $3.50 per bowl. I usually request for less sauce and more noodles. (additional $0.50)

AMK Hub Food Court
NTUC Foodfare
(Level 3) #03-12


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Mum's Recipe: Mum's Roast Chicken

When Mum roasts chicken in a turbo, she adds a drop of orange food colouring to make them look irresistably delicious. This was what my Ah Gong (grandfather) used to add to his roast chicken. Can you believe I once downed 8 salt-free chicken drumsticks in one go? Presentation does make a difference!! ;)

Seasoning:
Fresh Garlic, Mashed
Mexican Chilli Powder
Ichimi Togarashi
Pepper
Salt and Sugar to taste

Lime Juice (Serve together)


These Chicken Drumsticks were absolutely delicious! Goes well with a little lime juice to excite the tastebuds! We had this together with Mum's super-SHIOK Tom Yam Soup!

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Online Food Photo Communities!

Check out the tons of food photos on these online communities! Everything food and anything delicious... looking! Let your eyes do the tasting,..hmm? ;)

Foodgawker.com

Great professional-looking photos from many sources, some linked to their recipes. Bon appetit!


Tastespotting.com



Thanks to Camemberu's for her heads-up on the reopening of Tastespotting.com!

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Experiment：Red Rubies and more Jewels!!

This image has only been resized; otherwise there is no other editing done to the photo.

Ingredients
Water Chestnuts, skin removed
Tapioca Flour (about 2 heaped Tbsp for 2 Water Chestnuts)
Drop of Food Colouring
Ice Water

For Thai Red Ruby Dessert:
Sugar Syrup (Dissolve sugar in boiling water)
Coconut Milk
Shaved Ice


Method:
1. Chop Water Chestnuts to about 1cm3 cubes.

2. Add a drop of food colouring and mix with hands. Add a bit of water (just a bit!!) and leave it for 5 minutes.

3. Put the Tapioca Flour in a plastic bag. Dry the Water Chestnuts before adding them in, and shake the bag to coat the Water Chestnuts. Make sure they are fully coated with the Tapioca Flour.

4. Use a sieve to rid any excess flour. Don't do this too vigorously, or too much will fall off, exposing the Water Chestnut.



5. Cook the Water Chestnuts in boiling water for about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, I use chopsticks to separate rubies that start sticking to each other.

6. Gather the rubies in a sieve and quickly dump in Ice Water.

7. Drain the rubies and soak them in Sugar Syrup for sweet taste.

8. For the Thai Tub-tim Krob dessert, drain Rubies from Sugar Syrup and serve with Coconut Milk, Shaved Ice and a little extra Sugar Syrup.

P.S. Here's a tip from Thai Table: Spray the Water Chestnuts with water after taking them out from the bag and coat them with flour again for bigger rubies! Also, you can have natural food colouring such as beet juice from boiled beets.

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Mum's Kong Bak Bao Recipe up now!

Due to popular demand (*hem hem*), Mum's Kong Bak Bao Recipe is up on the original post! Click here to see!

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Experiment: Crispy Fried Chicken

And now I post the unhealthier sequel to the Steamed Chicken, the Crispy Fried Chicken Experiment!

I actually dredged it too early before dinner and had no choice but to leave it til time was up. I actually wanted to bake it, but the thought of using the oven made me decide to just throw it to my Mum to fry. Thanks, Mum! :)

...So you could say this was a 50-50 success... :p


Ingredients:
500 grams Chicken (Drums, Wings etc.)
1 Egg

Flour Mixture
Plain Flour:Rice Flour
5:1

Seasoning
Mexican Chilli Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Ichimi Togarashi Chilli Pepper
Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Black Pepper


What I did:

1. Mix seasoning inside flour mixture, ratio 1:6.

2. Crack the egg and beat it until well mixed. Coat chicken with egg all over.

3. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, "massaging" the flour and seasoning in.

4. (I baked it slightly before this.) Deep-fry until golden-brown and cooked inside.


Well turned out pretty ok, I guess, for a first-timer... It needs a little more salt and still lacks that kick from the seasoning.. :/



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