Green Bean Barley Dessert

With the heat and the haze, we need to cool the internal heat of our body.
Green bean and barley are known to have lots of benefits. And I am not going to bore you guys up with the lengthy goodness. So I will just go straight into the recipe.

Ingredients
1 cup green beans
1/2 cup of pearl barley
1/4 cup of sago
4 pandan leaves
8 strips of candied winter melons
2 pieces of honey rock sugar
2 to 2.5 litre of water
Directions
Wash the pandan leave thoroughly. There tends to be soil trapped between the leaves.
Once washed, tie the pandan leaves into a knot.
Place this pandan knot in the pot of water and start the heat at high,
Rinse the green beans and pearl barley. Add them into the pot of water
Bring it to a boil.
Rinse the sago in a small bowl. Add some hot water and leave it to soak for 5 minutes.
Drain and pour the sago into the pot.
Lower the heat.
Add the candied winter melons and honey rock sugar. Give it a few stirs.
If it isn't sweet enough for you, add more candied winter melons/honey rock sugar.
Let it simmer til your preference. *I like my green beans & barley fluffy just like in the photo.
Turn off the heat.
You can serve it hot or chill it and serve later.
Cheers!

Tori Yaki Udon (Chicken Stir Fry Udon noodles)

Tori Yaki Udon

Ingredients (6 servings)
3 chicken thighs (cut into bite sizes)
3 packets of pre-cooked udon noodles (approx. 200g per pack)
4 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
1 cabbage (chopped)
1 green onion (thinly sliced)
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
Sliced fishcake (optional)
1 cup of Chicken stock
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
A dash of ground white pepper





Direction
1. Pour hot boiling water into a pot with the  frozen pre-cooked Udon in it. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes or so.
2. Heat up the wok with a tbsp of olive oil. Stir fry the chicken pieces with the green onions and mushrooms for 2 minutes.
3. Drain the pot of udon & toss the udon into the wok.
4. Add the carrots & cabbage into the wok and stir fry.
5. Pour the chicken stock, sesame oil and soy sauce into the wok and stir fry until heated through. A dash of ground white pepper and mix thoroughly 
6. Garnish it with scallions and drizzle sesame oil before serving.
Note: If you are a seafood lover, you can add shrimps and clams into this dish. However if you are a vegetarian, simply omit the meat and change the chicken stock to vegetable stock.

Stir Fry Shrimps in XO Sauce

Well it is just another holiday here, so I decided to whip up something easy from what I can find in my fridge. Shrimps! I have abundance of shrimps frozen in the freezer. So I guess shrimp is on the menu. 

Opening my cupboard full of canned food and I saw my XO sauce. I have been thinking what to cook with it. Now its the time!

Stir Fried Shrimps in XO Sauce

Ingredients

15 pieces of shrimps (deshelled)

1 green onion (you can choose to use red onion)

3 cloves of garlic (chopped into small pieces - rice grain size)

2 tbsp XO sauce

1 chili padi sliced

Sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tbsp rice wine/sherry wine

2 tbsp water

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp of corn flour

Method

1. Slice the green onion.

2. Mix the ingredients under the Sauce and set aside. 

3. Use a small paring knife, cut along the outer edge of the shrimp's back and de-vein it. This also allows the shrimps to curl into a ball (for presentation).

4. Heat up the frying pan with 1 tsp of cooking oil, add in to the chopped garlic & onion. Stir fry for a few seconds. 

5. Add in the shrimps &  XO sauce. Stir fry for 1 minute. 

6. Pour in the mixture that was prepared earlier and sliced chili padi. Coat the shrimps evenly. 

7. Once all the shrimps are beautifully curl and turn orange. Dish them up immediately. 

8. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

Note: You can add some vegetables such as celery or asparagus or capsicum in this dish. As I don't have any on hand, I have to make do with it. 

Chicken Stew

It was raining cats & dogs. Something warm will be nice. So I decided to make chicken stew. 

It is so easy to prepare and tasty too.

Chicken Stew

Ingredients
1 yellow onion
3 boneless & skinless chicken thighs
6 baby potatoes

1 russet potato

½ carrot
A handful of snow peas (optional)

Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 drops of dark soy sauce (for colouring)

150ml of chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Dash of pepper
Cornflour (for thickening)

Preparation
Cut the chicken thigh into bite size and marinade them with light soy sauce, sugar & cornflour. Leave it for 15 minutes. 

Slice the onions. Quarter the potatoes and chop the carrots into any size you prefer. 

Mix the sauce in a bowl and set aside. 

Cooking method
Heat the oil and sauté the onion until fragrant. Add in the chicken, potatoes & carrots and stir for 30 seconds. 

Pour in the sauce & stir well.

Simmer it at medium heat until all cooked. 

In order not overcook our snow peas, toss them in when the stew looks almost ready. You can choose to omit it.

And there you have it. A bowl of warm chicken stew to warm the tummy!

Comfort food - Chicken Stew

Note: I prefer to use a mixture of baby potatoes and russet potatoes. The baby potatoes are more difficult to peel but the potatoes keep their shape and size. 

Update: Can use water if u don't have chicken stock at home. I forgot to buy...so just use water. It still tastes good. 

Cheers!

Claypot Chicken with Mushroom & Black Fungus

My husband prefers chicken over pork and so most of the dishes I cook for him are chicken or beef. For this dish, chicken will taste much better than any other meat. 

This dish has meat, mushrooms and I have added black fungus. Everything in a pot! So one dish to conquer the meal!

Ingredients:

5 pieces of chicken thigh (bones & skin removed), cut into bite sized
6 dried shiitake mushrooms

A handful of black fungus
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1-inch piece peeled ginger, cut into slices
1/2 cup water
2 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt to taste

Marinade:

1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
A few drops dark soy sauce, optional, for coloring purposes

Method:

Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 15 minutes. 

Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce in a small bowl, set aside. 

Soak the mushrooms and black fungus separately in warm water for 30 minutes or until softened. Remove the stems and slice the mushrooms. If the black fungus are too big, cut into smaller pieces.  

Heat up the claypot with the sesame oil & cooking oil. Add in the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. 

Add the chicken into the claypot and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the mushrooms and fungus, do a few quick stirs. 

Pour in the sauce, stir to combine well. Add the water and lower the heat to low. 

Cover the claypot and let cook and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. 

Add the scallions, give it a stir and this Claypot of Goodness is now ready to serve!

Hanjuku Eggs

Calling all egg lovers!!! Love those eggs that are served with Japanese ramen?
Love those eggs that have a firm white but a runny yolk? Here is the answer!!!

Ingredients

• 4 eggs at room temperature (you may prepare more in case some eggs are not nicely peeled)
• 1 tsp sea salt 

Step by Step Instructions

1. Bring water to boil & add in the salt.
2. Lower the heat & gently place the eggs into the pot.
3. Simmer the eggs for exactly 6 minutes.
4. While the eggs are simmering, prepare an icy cold bath.
5. Take the eggs out at exactly 6 minutes and put them into the cold bath you have prepared.
6. Let the eggs cool down in the cold bath for at least 5 minutes. This is to stop the cooking process.
7. Once the eggs are cool, peel them with care. 

For those who prefer slightly firmer egg yolk, simmer the eggs for 7 to 8 minutes. 

Okay and we are done!!!

Well...not quite. To have those Japanese Ramen eggs, you have to soak these eggs in a marinade. And I will be giving you the recipe in a second. 

Do note to prepare the marinade before cooking the eggs. Because we need the marinade to be cool. Here goes...

Marinade

• 50ml soy sauce
• 200ml water
• 25ml mirin
• 25ml sake
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or minced)
• 3 slices of ginger

Step by Step Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan & bring it to a boil.
2. Allow it to take time to cool. (Remember it has to be cool!!!)
3. Put the peeled eggs with the marinade in a plastic container like what I did below.

4. Occasionally move them around to avoid uneven colouring. Let them sit in the marinade for 3 hours to overnight. It really depends on your preference!
5. Voila! There you have it! Delicious hanjuku eggs or lava eggs!

Enjoy!

General Tso Chicken

I can consider myself as a meat lover. Chicken is one of the meat I love to cook with. It is easy to prepare.

After cooking this dish for dinner, I am sold. It is one of my favourite chicken dish. 

Try cooking them at home. Its alot cheaper than having it at a restaurant. Yes it may be fuss free to have at the restaurants but when you can cook at home, you can control the oil. I tend to use minimal oil when cooking, its healthier. And I get to choose the meat part I prefer, removing the skins, bones and fats before cooking them. 

This dish may be a little tedious because of the deep frying but its worthwhile. With the sticky tangy taste, it goes well with a steamed white rice. 

For those who prefer chicken breast, feel free to replace the chicken thighs. I am biased towards chicken thighs! So pardon me here. :P

For those who prefer spicier food, you can increase the number of dried chilies. Well, I have added chili padi (bird's eye chili). Hot & spicy!!!

Here is the recipe, General Tso Chicken

Ingredients

4 to 5 pieces of boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite size

1/2 tbsp hua tiao/shaoxing wine

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tbsp oil

4 slices of peeled ginger (finely minced)

1 garlic clove (finely minced)

5 dried red chilies (rinsed and seeds removed)

2 stalks of scallion or spring onion for garnish

Sauce

3 tbsp of chinese rice vinegar

2 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce

1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce (for colouring)

1 tsp of hoisin sauce

1/4 cup of water

2 1/2 tbsp of sugar

1/2 tbsp of chinese wine

1 tbsp of cornstarch (for thickening)

Method

Marinate the chicken meat with chinese wine and salt for 15 mins. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Coat the chicken pieces generously with the 1/2 cup of cornstarch.

Heat up the oil for deep frying. Deep fry the chicken until they turn light golden brown.

Dish out with a strainer. To remove those excess oil, lay the chicken pieces on a dish lined with paper towels.

Heat up another work with 1 tbsp of oil. Add the minced ginger, garlic and dried chilies in and stir fry until there is a spicy fragrant.

Pour the Sauce into the wok. When the sauce boils and thickens, add in the chicken.

Stir and combine them well with the sauce.

Add in the scallion and stir a few times.

Dish out and serve immediately.

韭黄伊面 Ee Fu Noodles / Seafood Ee Fu Noodles

I cooked this many times and with different ingredients. And it always turns out to be one of the favourite among my family and friends.

It is simple and easy to cook. Plus you can be flexible with the ingredients. If you like, you can use either seafood or just yellow chives or add in meat. Just remember, if you are using meat, I will recommend you to season them with Hua Tiao Wine and cornstarch for 10 minutes before tossing them into the wok/pot.

For vegetarians, please use vegetarian mushroom sauce instead of oyster sauce. And just use bean sprouts, yellow chives (韭黄) and mushroom for this dish. Omit the garlic. Here you have it! This is the vegetarian one! The Braising sauce is the same. 

Seafood Ee-Fu Mian

Ingredients

• Prawns
• Scallops
• A combination of enoki and shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 handful beansprouts (heads & tails removed)
• 2 dried mounds Yee Fu Noodles
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil + 1 tsp white sesame oil

Braising sauce

• 2 tbsp oyster sauce (vegetarian mushroom sauce can be used too)
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce for colour
• 1/2 tsp of white sugar
• 1/2 tsp of Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao/Shaoxing)
• A dash of white pepper (optional)
• 1 cup of water

Directions:

1. Mix the braising sauce together and set aside.
2. Heat the oils in the wok/pot & add in the garlic.
3. When fragrant, toss in the bean sprouts and mushrooms. Stir fry for about 1 minute.
4. Pour in the braising sauce and allow them to simmer for 1 minute. Maintain medium-high heat.
5. Add in the seafood and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Add in the Yee Fu noodles, make sure they are submerge in the braising sauce for 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with a lid and let the noodles stew in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Open the lid and check for the tenderness of the noodles. There should be little or no sauce when the dish is done.
8. Off the heat & allow the residual heat to continue cooking the noodles.
9. Dish up on serving plate and enjoy!