Sambal Egg

Ingredients:

• 5 small eggs (boiled for 7 mins and shell removed)
• cooking oil for frying (~1 inch deep)

Sambal:

• 2 large chili-pepper (finely chopped)
• 2 small red onions / a quarter of Spanish onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp of finely chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp of Thai Fish Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce
• 2 tsp of palm sugar
• 1 tbsp of cooking oil 

How to:

• pat dry your eggs using kitchen towel and pan-fry till the outer skin wrinkles and turns yellowish. Set aside
• heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil (~1min) and add in the remaining Sambal ingredients. Stir for 2-3 mins until the sauce has thickened
• pour the sambal on top of the eggs and serve

Stir-fry Tofu with Salted Fish and Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3 cubes of firm tofu (cut into 1 cm cubes)
• 1 tbsp of coarsely chopped salted fish - I use Malaysian ikan Kurau
• 30 g of chicken thigh fillet (thinly slivered)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 stalk of green onion (cut into 1 inch lengths)
• 2 tbsp of oil

Seasoning:

• 1 tbsp of Oyster sauce - I use LKK's Panda brand
• a dash of white pepper
• 0.5 tsp of potato/tapioca starch
• 0.5 cup of water

How to:

• heat your oil in a non-stick pan (~1 min). Add in the chopped salted fish and stir-fry till fragrant
• add in garlic and chicken slivers. Stir-fry till the chicken turned white
• add in the tofu and seasoning. simmer for 3-5 minutes
• add in green onion, stir twice and serve

Potato Pancake

Ingredients:

• 4 medium potatoes (washed, peeled, and shredded)
• 1 small onion (peeled and shredded)
• 2 small eggs (beaten)
• 2-3 tbsp of plain flour
• 1 stalk of Parsley (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 0.5 tsp of white ground pepper
• 0.5 tsp of Cayenne pepper
• a dollop of sour cream
• oil for shallow frying

How to:

• squeeze out as much water as you can from the shredded potatoes
• mix all the ingredients in a big bowl - except for the oil, of course
• heat your oil in a non-stick pan under medium fire (~1 min)
• take a spoonful of the mixture and fry till golden brown on each side
• serve with a dollop of sour cream

Pork Goulash

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of pork neck (cubed) - you may use any pork lean meats, I like pork neck as it's tenderer and no doubt a tad fattier :)
• 1 can of peeled tomatoes
• 1 small red Spanish onion OR half of the big one (thinly sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 red bell-pepper (sliced) - ideally, use half yellow and half red to add contrast to the dish
• 1 red chili-pepper (deseeded and finely chopped)
• 1 stalk of fresh Parsley (chopped)
• a dollop of sour cream
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Marinade:

• 0.5 tsp of salt
• 0.5 tsp of ground black pepper

Seasoning:

• 2 tbsp of Worcesteshire sauce
• 1 tsp of Italian herbs
• 0.5 tsp of Cayenne pepper
• 0.25 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp of salt

How to:

• marinate your pork cubes and let them sit for 10 mins
• heat the olive oil under medium fire (~1 min). Add in the marinated pork cubes and stir-fry for 6-10 mins to press out the essence and fat. Remove the pork cubes from the pot
• add in onion, garlic, and chili-pepper. Stir-fry till fragrant (~1 min)
• add in bell-pepper, tomatoes, and cooked pork cubes. Stir-fry for another 1 min
• add 1 cup of water - I use the can of the peeled tomatoes, about half of the can OR just enough to cover the meat
• add in the seasoning and simmer for 45 min - 1 hr
• prior to serving, stir in the chopped Parsley
• and serve with a dollop of sour cream

Sweet and Sour Eggplant

Ingredients:

• 200 g Asian eggplant (peeled and cut into cubes)
• 2 garlic cloves (sliced thinly)
• 1 red chilli-pepper (de-seed and sliced thinly)
• 1 stalk of scallion (sliced thinly)
• 4 tbsp of cooking oil

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of light soy sauce
• 0.5 tsp of chicken stock powder
• a pinch of potato starch
• 3 tbsp of water

How to:

• heat your oil in a non-stick pan (~1 minute). Add in the eggplant cubes and put on the lid (~3 minutes) - NOTE: eggplant absorbs lots of oil, and we don't want ending up eating soggy pieces. By putting on the lid, we are forcing the oil out
• tilt you pan a bit, so that you have the excess oil on one side. Add in garlic and chilli. Stir till fragrant
• add in the sauce and mix well (~1 minute)
• add in the scallion, stir twice and serve

Fish Fragrant Pork Slivers

Ingredients:

• 200 g pork-neck lean (slivered into 2 inch lengths)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 1 tbsp of chopped ginger
• 1-2 tsp of dried chili flakes
• 1 stalk of scallion (cut into 1 inch lengths)
• 1 small carrot (cut into matchstick size)
• 1 giant oyster mushroom (cut into matchstick size)
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tsp of Chinese red cooking wine
• 1 tbsp of potato starch
• 1 tbsp of water

Sauce:

• 1 tsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of dark vinegar
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of potato starch + 2-3 tbsp of water
• a sprinkle of salt/chicken stock powder

How to:

• marinate the pork for at least 30 minutes
• heat your oil in a non-stick pan for ~1 minute. Add in the pork and pan-fry for ~ 1 minute
• push the pork aside the pan and tilt your pan so that the oil flows out. Add in chili, garlic, and ginger. Stir till fragrant
• add in carrot, mushroom, and the sauce. Stir for ~ 1minute
• add in the spring onion and mix well
• serve for 2

Chicken Porridge

Ingredients:

• 0.5 cup of rice (soaked for 1 hour)
• 2 garlic cloves (lightly bruised)
• 3 thin slices of ginger (lightly bruised)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 0.5 tsp dashi/Japanese fish stock OR fish sauce OR soy sauce to taste
• a few dashes of white pepper to taste
• 1 small egg
• 1 stalk of green onion (chopped)

Stock:

• 200 g chicken breast
• 4 bowls of water
• 1 tsp salt

How to:

• soaked your rice for at least 1 hour, meanwhile
• prepare the stock by bringing to boil 4 bowls of water, add in chicken breast and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes
• remove the chicken breast from the stock and let it cool down, meanwhile
• add in the rice, garlic, and ginger. I use a big earthenware that is only half filled, if you use a pot that is almost fully filled REMEMBER to open the lid a bit, else you'll have a mess to clean up later :)
• simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice grains have softened. DO NOT worry about drying up, you can always add in hot water and flavor won't lost, as they are all absorbed by the rice :) meanwhile,
• tear your chicken breast into strings, and return them to the pot
• before serving, add in sesame oil, dashi, pepper to taste, and egg to create smooth texture. Stir well and taste
• sprinkle with green onion on top. I enjoy eating watery, smooth porridge with furikake/Japanese dry condiment