Salad with Oil-based Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 serving of greens
• 1 small tomato (cut into chunks)
• 1 small red onion (thinly sliced)

Dressing:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin/Japanese sweet cooking wine
• 2 tbsp komezu/Japanese rice vinegar
• 4 tbsp virgin olive oil
• 0.5 tsp sugar

How to:

• mix everything evenly in a big bowl - how easy can this be?

Herb Scented Rice

to be honest, the name of this recipe sounds strange. I was considering "Lemongrass Rice" at first, but the main ingredient is not Lemongrass. So yeah.. please bare with me :)


Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Jasmine rice
• 2 cups of water
• 1 stalk of Lemongrass (slightly bruised and cut into 2-inch lengths)
• 1 stalk of green onion (tied into knot - optional)
• 3 Khaffir lime leaves
• 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 2 thin slices of ginger (slightly bruised)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tsp Thai fish sauce
• 0.5 tsp salt
• Corriander leaves (optional)

How to:

• cleanse and soak the rice while preparing other ingredients
• heat the cooking oil in a non-stick pan. Saute the red onion, garlic, and ginger until fragrant (~1 min)
• drain the rice. Add in the sauted red onion, garlic, and ginger
• bring to boil 2 cups of water and the Lemongrass cuts
• strain the Lemongrass and pour the juice into the rice mix
• add in the remaining ingredients and mix well
• steam the rice in a rice cooker
• garnish with Corriander leaves

3 Flavors Chicken

Ingredients:

• 200 g chicken thigh fillet (cut into bites)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp of finely chopped ginger
• 1 stalk of green onion (chopped)
• cooking oil

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp mirin/Japanese sweet cooking wine
• a sprinkle of salt
• a dash of white pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce:

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• 1-1.5 tbsp sugar (adjust according to your ketchup sourness)
• 1 tsp ryori-shu/Japanese cooking wine
• 4 tbsp water

How to:

• deep fry your chicken bites until golden brown. Drained using kitchen towel and set aside
• heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil on a non-stick pan. Add in garlic and ginger
• when you can smell the fragrant smell of garlic and ginger, add in the sauce. Stir till thickened
• return the chicken bites to the pan and toss till evenly covered
• sprinkle with green onion and serve for 2

Pickled Cucumber

Ingredients:

• 1 Lebanese cucumber (thinly sliced and squeezed out as much water as you can)
• 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 small red chili pepper (thinly sliced) - optional
• 0.5 tsp of salt
• 2 tbsp  of white vinegar
• 1 tbsp of mirin/Japanese sweet cooking wine
• 1.5 tbsp of sugar

How to:

• in a container mix all the ingredients evenly
• left overnight in the fridge to be consumed for the next few days to weeks

Korean Spicy Fish Roe Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 piece of frozen Pollack fish roe (cut into bites)
• 8 small prawns (deveined and deshelled)
• 3 stalks of green onions (sliced into 8cm long)
• 1 root of coriander (coarsely chopped)

Dashi/stock:

• 8 dried anchovies (soaked and finely chopped)
• 1 sheet of kombu/kelp (~8x8cm)
• 1 small turnip (sliced into 1.5cm thick)
• half white onion (diced)
• 6 garlics (smashed)
• a thumb of ginger
• 2 tbsp fish sauce OR 1 tbsp bonito dashi
• 1.5 tbsp gochujang/Korean red pepper paste
• 1 tbsp mirin/Japanese sweet wine
• 1 tbsp sake/Japanese rice wine
• half tbsp gochugaru/Korean red pepper powder

How to:

• bring to boil 3 bowls of water
• add in all the stock ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes
• remove kelp. Add in fish roe and prawns. Simmer for another 5 minutes
• add in green onions and coriander. Cover closely and set aside for another 5 minutes
• serve with jasmine rice

Indonesian Fried Tapioca Starch (Cireng)

Yep, fried tapioca starch! sounds horrendous indeed, but it tastes GOOD when you eat it HOT!!! it tastes like rubber when cold :) 

This recipe is for 12-15 balls

Ingredients:

• 100 g tapioca starch
• 50 g plain flour
• 1 tsp of chicken essence powder OR 1 tsp salt + 2 dashes of white pepper
• 1 stalk of coriander (finely chopped)
• hot water
• cooking oil for deep frying (~1 inch deep)

How to:

• in a bowl, mix all the ingredients except water and oil
• pour in hot water bit by bit until you get the texture where you can mold a ball using 2 spoons
• heat your oil - medium heat, else the center will still be raw while the outer layer has already charred!
• using 2 spoons, mold a ball (the size of a fish ball) and fry till crispy
• eat while it's HOT!!!

Cashew Chicken

Ingredients:

• 250 g chicken thigh fillet (cut into cubes)
• a handful of unsalted cashews
• half red capsicum (cut into cubes)
• 1 small shallot (cut into cubes)
• 2 garlic clove (minced)
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp white rice wine
• a few drops of sesame oil
• 1 tbsp corn starch

Sauce:

• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp white rice wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• a few dashes of white pepper
• 1 tsp of cornstarch + 3 tbsp of water

How to:

• marinate the chicken for 30 minutes
• heat 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Add in the chicken and stir fry till outer layer is cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside
• add in another tbsp of oil. Add in capsicum, shallot and garlic. Stir-fry till fragrant.
• return the chicken to the pan. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked
• add in the sauce and cashews
• Mix well and serve

Potato Banchan

Ingredients:

• 3 small potatoes (cleansed, peeled, and cubed)
• 1/2 small onion (roughly chopped)
• 1 stalk of scallion/green onion (cut into 1 inch length)
• 1 tbsp minced pork
• 60 ml water
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning:

• 2-3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• a few dashes of white pepper

How to:

• microwave cook your potatoes and set aside
• heat your oil in a non-stick pan
• add in onion and minced pork. Stir-fry till fragrant
• add in potatoes and water
• add in seasoning and taste
• serve as side dish - it tastes good even it's cold!

Black Pepper Pork Stir-fry

Ingredients:

• 100 g pork neck/lean (sliced thinly)
• 1 stalk of scallion/green onion (cut into 1 inch length)
• 2 garlic cloves (bruised)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

How to:

• in a bowl marinate the pork for at least 1 hour
• heat your oil in a non-stick pan
• add in scallion and garlic. Stir-fry till fragrant
• add in the marinated pork. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Do not over-cook, else the meat will be tough!
• serve for 2

Roast Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

• 200 g pork ribs (chopped into bites)
• 1 small red onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 1 small red chili-pepper (sliced)
• a few fresh coriander leaves - optional

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce - I use Lee Kum Kee Choysun
• 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce - I use Indonesian Kecap Manis ABC
• 1 tsp Chinese rice wine - I use Shaoxing wine
• a few dashes of black pepper

How to:

• in a bowl, mix all the ingredients and marinate for at least 1 hour
  
• preheat your oven (fan-forced) to 200 degrees
• pour all the marinated ingredients into an oven bag. Tied well and remember to pierce a few holes around the top to avoid bursting
• roast for 30 minutes
• garnish with coriander leaves and serve for 2

Stir-fry Eggplant Sichuan Style

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized Asian eggplant (quartered and cut into 1 inch lengths)
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
• 1 red chili-pepper (finely chopped) - deseed to reduce hotness
• a thumb of young ginger (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• a small stalk of coriander (coarsely chopped)
• 4 tbsp of cooking oil

How to:

• rub the eggplant with 2 tsp of salt and leave for at least 30 mins - to remove the moisture at such it won't absorb too much oil
• pan-fry the remaining salt and peppercorn without oil until the salt turn grayish
• using mortar and pester grind the salt and peppercorn into powder
• using kitchen towels, dry your eggplant - to avoid oil mess while frying later
• heat your oil in a non-stick frying pan (~1 min). Add in the eggplant. Stir-fry till turned slightly yellowish. Remove and set aside
• add in chili-pepper, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry till fragrant
• add in the salt-peppercorn powder
• add in coriander
• add back the eggplant and stir well
• serve with jasmine rice for 2

Xinjiang Lamian

Ingredients:

• 2 serving of wet/dry Chinese Ramen (boiled and strained)
• 200 g of lean pork (sliced thinly) - original recipe is using lamb
• ¼ cut of red bell-pepper (sliced)
• ¼ cut of green bell-pepper (sliced)
• 1 fresh tomato (coarsely chopped)
• 2 red onions (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• a thumb of ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 stalk of spring onion (chopped into 1-inch length)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of chicken stock powder
• ¼ tsp of cumin
• 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup
• 100 ml of water
• 3 tbsp of cooking oil

How to:

• heat your oil in a non-stick pan for 1 minute. Add in onion, garlic, and ginger. Sauté till fragrant (~10 seconds)
• add in pork slices, salt, and cumin. Sauté till the meat changes color
• add in red/green bell-pepper and tomato. Sauté for about 10 seconds
• add in tomato ketchup, chicken stock and water. Let it simmer for 1-2 minutes with lid on while we prepare the Ramen
• add in the Ramen and spring onion. Stir well and serve for 2

Fruity Prawn Salad

Ingredients:

• 6-8 medium sized prawns (deshelled, deveined, and halved)
• 2 tbsp of cubed apple
• 2 tbsp of cubed pineapple
• 3 tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1-2 tbsp of condensed milk
• a squirt of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp parsley flakes (optional)

How to:

• bring to boil a cup of water and cook the prawns quickly (lift just after they curled and turned red)
• in a serving bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients
• add in the prawns and mix well
• sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve for 2

Curry Flavored Crispy Pork Belly

Ingredients:

• 300 g of pork belly ( sliced into 3 mm thick) - too thin the slice, you won't feel the meaty bite at all, and do try to find a less fatty one for healthy purpose :)
• 1 cup of tapioca starch
• oil for deep frying

Marinade:

• 1 block of Japanese Kare
• 2-3 tbsp of hot water - the idea is to make a medium thickness Kare paste

How to:

• marinate the meat for at least an hour
• coat the marinated meat with tapioca starch
• heat your oil and deep fry the coated meat until golden brown
• serve with sweet chili or your favorite sauce

The Bluffer Curry

My husband strictly avoids coconut milk and chili, and he always gives me a loooooooong sigh whenever I cook curry. SO, I created this recipe. It looks like any other savory fish curry, but contains neither coconut milk nor chili ^o*

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of Dory fish fillets (cut into small chunks)
• 2 peeled, cooked, and chopped tomatoes
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp paprika powder
• 1 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

Paste:

• 2 red onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 candle nuts
• a thumb of galangal
• 1 tsp coriander powder

How to:

• marinate the fish for at least half an hour
• using a blender or pester and mortar to create the paste
• heat your oil in a non-stick pan. Add in the paste and stir-fry till fragrant (~1 minute)
• add in paprika powder, and stir for 10 seconds or more till the paprika fragrant is released
• add in the tomatoes and simmer for 1 minute (covered)
• add in the fish and simmer for another 1 minute
• adjust taste with salt/fish sauce
• add in fresh chopped coriander, stir twice and serve for 2 with jasmine rice

Pork Curry with Prawns

Ingredients:

• 200 g pork (cut into cubes)
• 100 g prawns (deveined and deshelled
• 3 boiled eggs
• 3 khaffir lime leaves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup of light coconut milk
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil
• a sprinkle of salt

(to pound/blend)

• 4 small red onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red chili-pepper
• 1" galangal
• 1½ tbsp tamarind paste
• 1½ tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 cup of water

How to:

• heat up the cooking oil in a non-stick pan for 1 minute. Add in the pork cubes and sprinkle with salt
• pour in the pounded/blended ingredients. Stir till fragrant
• add in coconut milk while stirring
• add in bay leaves and lime leaves
• simmer for 5 minutes. Add in boiled eggs and prawns. Turn off the fire when the prawns are just cooked! you won't like overcooked prawns :)
• garnish with sliced red chilli-pepper if you prefer
• serve with steam rice for 2

Mushroom & Bacon Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of white button mushrooms (quartered)
• 60 g low fat ham (coarsely chopped)
• 1 medium sized tomato (coarsely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (sliced)
• ½ tbsp sour cream
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp red wine
• ½ tsp Italian herb
• 2 tbsp olive oil

How to:

• heat the olive oil in a frying pan for ~1 minute
• add in garlic and ham. Stir-fry until fragrant
• add in tomato. Stir-fry till soften
• add in the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add water if necessary
• serve for 2

Egg en Cocotte

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 4 egg whites
• ½ tsp margarine
• 60 g smoke bacon (coarsely chopped)
• 2 medium white belly buttons (sliced)
• ½ cut of small yellow onion (minced)
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• a pinch of salt
• a pinch of black ground pepper
• a pinch of turmeric
• a pinch of basil flakes

How to:

• preheat your oven to medium heat (~160 Celsius)
• in a frying pan, melt the margarine and saute bacon, mushrooms, and onion till fragrant. Then add in sour cream and turmeric. Stir till forming a soft mixture
• divide the mixture into 2 ramekins
• add 2 egg whites and 1 egg yolk on top of the mixture
• sprinkle salt, pepper, and basil flakes to taste
• put the ramekins into a huge baking dish filled with water up to half of the height of the ramekins (pre-boiled water is preferred)
• baked for 10 minutes or less if you like the egg to be runny :)

Pork Belly with Preserved Chinese Mustard

Ingredients:

• 150 g pork belly (sliced into 1 cm bite)
• 1 bunch of Chinese preserved vegetables (cleansed and coarsely minced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tsp of fresh minced ginger
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sweet soy sauce
• a few dashes of white ground pepper
• 1 tbsp of oil

How to:

• heat your oil in a frying pan for 1 minute. Add in garlic and ginger. Stir-fry till fragrant
• add in the pork belly and stir-fry until half-cooked. Add in preserved vegetables
• add in 1 tsp of sugar, soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, and white pepper. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes.
• taste! if it is too salty (due to variable saltiness of the preserved vegetables) add in another 1 tsp of sugar.
• serve for 2

Crispy Squid with Plum Sauce

Ingredients:

• 150 g squid cubes
• 1 egg (beaten)
• ½ cup of tapioca starch
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ cut of red capsicum (sliced)
• ¼ cut of green capsicum (sliced)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 3 tbsp plum sauce
• 60 ml of water
• cooking oil

How to:

• in a bowl, mix the tapioca starch, salt, and black pepper. Dip each squid cubes in the beaten egg and coat evenly
• heat your oil (~1 inch deep) for 1 minute and deep fry the coated squid cubes until golden brown. Set aside
• heat 2 tbsp of oil in a frying pan for 1 minute. Add in the red and green capsicum slices. Stir-fry till fragrant
• add in oyster sauce, plum sauce, and water. Stir twice. Add in the fried squid cubes and toss until all are even coated with sauce
• serve for 2

Wonton

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of wonton skin - about 40-50 pieces
• 200 g lean pork
• 200 g prawn (deveined and deshelled)
• 2 water chestnuts
• 1 tsp of minced ginger
• 1½ tbsp of Abalone/Oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of Chinese red wine/shaoxing
• 1 tbsp of black vinegar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• a few dashes of pepper to taste
• oil for deep frying (~1 inch deep)

How to:

• except for the wonton skins and cooking oil, place all the ingredients in a food processor and minced well
• take 1 tsp of the filling and place in the middle of the wonton skin. Wet the edges of the skin and fold into a triangular shape (like a samosa). You may stop at this stage, unless you want a fancier look. Pull the two edges together and wet the tip to hold
• heat your oil for about 1 minute. Deep fry the wontons per batches until golden brown - for healthier option, you may steam/boil the wontons :)

Morrocan Chicken

Ingredients:

• 200 g chicken thigh fillet (cleansed and cut into thin pieces)
• 1 red chili (deseeded and minced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 tsp of Morrocan spice
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• a dash of ground black pepper
• a pinch of salt

How to:

• in a big bowl, mix all the ingredients and marinate for at least 1 hour
• heat your frying pan for (~1 minute). Pan fry the chicken fillets piece by piece with all the marinade until cooked (~5 minutes)
• serve for 2

Japanese Steamed Egg / Chawanmushi

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggs (beaten)
• 1 tsp dashi / Japanese fish stock
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1½ cup of water

Filling:

• 4 dried Shitake mushrooms (soaked and sliced)
• 100 g of chicken thigh fillet (cut into bites)
• 4 oysters - should be using Naruto/Japanese fish cake but I don't have it

How to:

• divide the mushrooms, chicken, and oysters into 4 portions. Place each portion into a porcelain cup/bowl
• mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl. Pour into the 4 cups/bowls
• preheat your steamer. Lower the heat, and steam the egg mixture for 15-20 minutes. Use a toothpick to test whether the chawanmushi is done or not
• serve for 4

Malay Stir-fried Green Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp dried shrimp
• 1 cup of cut green beans (~1 inch long)
• 1 small shallot onion (minced)
• 1 red chili (deseeded and minced)
• 1 tsp shrimp paste/belacan
• 70 ml water
• 2 tbsp of cooking oil

How to:

• microwave the belacan for 20-30 seconds to roast it a bit for enhanced fragrance. Add the water and mix well
• heat your oil in a frying pan. Saute the onion, chili, and dried shrimp till fragrant
• add in the green beans and stir-fry for 3 mins
• add in the belacan sauce. Simmer for another 3 mins
• serve for 2