Food Trails

Steamed fishhead with Duo Bean Sauce

2008-08-01T08:40:00.001+08:00

Steamed fishhead with Duo Bean Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is a mimic dish, eaten in KL, during a treat of my brother YF, years ago. It was ER’s choice of having fish head for dinner tonight and he especially chose this flavour…so, I tried. Anyway, he is so satisfied with the taste that he gave comments not only once :)

Dinner - Double-boiled Chicken Fish Maw White Fungus Soup

2008-07-31T09:33:00.001+08:00

Dinner - Double-boiled Chicken Fish Maw White Fungus Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

An evergreen and among the favourite soups that I like to serve~

Dinner - Stir-fried Cabbage with Black Fungus

2008-07-31T09:29:00.001+08:00

Dinner - Stir-fried Cabbage with Black Fungus
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is a simple dish: soaked some dried black fungus and dried lily flowers separately in water till softened. Washed cabbage and fungus and cut them into bite-sizes, then stir-fried these vegetables with lots of chopped garlic, few slices of ginger and seasonings in olive oil till tender. Use a little chicken broth to keep moist if necessary.

Fried Mee Siam

2008-07-27T17:52:00.002+08:00

Fried Mee Siam
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

The 1st ever fried mee siam, spicy and tangy in taste, I had cooked. Pretty yummy~

This should be a nonya dish, Peranakan cuisine, which I may have done different. I had this in a neighbour's party long ago~

Steamed Scallops - After

2008-07-26T12:52:00.003+08:00

Steamed Scallops
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

When ER and I were heading to Hong Lim Park, the sundry shop we walked past attracted me. At 1st we were looking at other dried shell fish that can be used in soups, but, when another shop assistant spoke to me while I was looking at dried scallops from China and Japan, I was interested in the baby ones. They appeared so fresh and inviting, so I bought some, which is really affordable, just a fraction of the cost of the Japanese varieties. Another plus point is that they are less fishy and salty now.

The above dish is adopted from my mother’s steamed white baits, a dish I have not eaten for years because those little whole fish is high in cholesterol. Today, I had used dried scallops from Qingdao that were so fresh and not so dehydrated and of the right tenderness, so I did not soak them before steaming. If the variety you have is dried and hard then it is good to soften them by soaking in hot water before cooking. If you do this step, don’t throw away the stock, reserve it for other uses. This dish is so appetizing and really great with plain rice or plain porridge~

Prawns with Egg Sauce II

2008-07-26T03:50:00.002+08:00

Prawns with Egg Sauce II
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

During my 1st trial with prawns with egg sauce, I left the shells intact. As I had run out of white vinegar, I used Zhejiang vinegar, the type we eat with "jiaozi" instead. Today, the prawns were shelled for convenient eating. The white rice vinegar made the egg sauce more delectable. The leftover that was chilled tasted even better. ER said it is good to serve this as a cool dish which I agree too.

Sardine Fish Salad

2008-07-07T08:03:00.001+08:00

Sardine Fish Salad
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This was my quick fix of cold dish for dinner. Sliced red chillies, lime peel and peeled rose shallots were marinated in sugar, salt and lime juice for at least half an hour. This was ladled over a can of sardine fish sitting pretty in my new plate.

Stir-fried Baby Chinese Spinach

2008-07-07T08:02:00.001+08:00

Stir-fried Baby Chinese Spinach
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Almost an hour was spent just on peeling, plucking and washing two bundles of this veggie! Every bit of the effort is worthwhile as this is really a nice one to tuck in. This leafy veggie is tasty in soup too~

Steamed Fish

2008-07-07T08:00:00.002+08:00

Steamed Fish
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Our evergreen dish, the ingredients used are almost always the same on any fish that is steamed.

Meat and Fish Patties

2008-07-07T07:57:00.001+08:00

Meat and Fish Patties
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Whenever I made patties, be it with pure fish or mince or like this one: meat and fish, I would certainly cook the last few with chopped chillies especially for myself :) It is a healthier choice than eating them with bottled chilli sauce.

Dipping Sauce

2008-07-05T20:34:00.001+08:00

Dipping Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is an evergreen good dipping sauce with lots of ginger, chillies etc that satisfies our palates. A yummy accompaniment to have whether we are serving steamboat, patties steamed mince and all types of dumplings or seafood or meat soups!

Prawns with Egg Sauce

2008-07-05T20:20:00.003+08:00

Prawns with Egg Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

YH has been suggesting cooking fish with sweet and sour hot egg sauce. Today without fish, I tried it with prawns, still it is yummy~

Lunch with Jessie - Garlic Chicken

2008-07-05T10:35:00.001+08:00

Lunch with Jessie - Garlic Chicken
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is my 1st try of garlic chicken using the deboned thighs, which turned out to be just as good as any cut~ while I was doing pan-frying, Jessie and I were chatting. She said something that's really encouraging about my cooking :)

With my guests arriving in just two hours, I managed to share a meal of mixed vegetables and spaghetti with scallops besides this.

Minced Char Siew Noodles

2008-07-05T10:18:00.001+08:00

Minced Char Siew Noodles
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

It was tasty noodles (sheng mian) mixed with homemade char siew and its sauce garnished with spring onions for that extra flavour~ Yum!

Although I discourage the use of raw onions on cooked food, but really, to get that enhanced taste, it's so irresistible. Take care though to wash spring onion under running tap water several times before using the raw!

Char Siew Fried Rice

2008-07-05T10:09:00.001+08:00

Char Siew Fried Rice
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is a good way to use up left over rice. And what's added to make it delicious? I had used my homemade char siew, chopped dried shrimps that had enhanced the taste very much, slight beaten eggs and lastly chopped cabbage. This meal was delicious~

Noodles with Mince and Mushroom

2008-07-05T10:01:00.001+08:00

Noodles with Mince and Mushroom
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I bought a packet of "sheng mian" as ER wished. Unlike the cooked yellow noodles from the wet market stall, these noodles are in raw stage, which needed to be cooked in rapid boiling oiled and salted water before use.

Today I have made a minced pork mushroom sauce to serve with it. Blenched "choy sum" or mustard greens eaten with it, thus offered a healthier meal.

Tofu with Mushroom Sauce

2008-07-05T09:45:00.001+08:00

Tofu with Mushroom Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Beside using dried mushrooms for the sauce, with chopped shrimps added, this is the yummiest silken tofu I cooked so far~

Meatballs and Fishballs

2008-06-29T17:05:00.001+08:00

Meatballs and Fishballs
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This bowl of homemade fish and meat balls were cooked with long cabbage in soup. Fishballs especially, never seem to get tired of it~ I have decided to beat up two kilo of fish each time when I spend time to do it and yes, eats to our hearts are contended. From fish paste which is a versatile ingredient in my cooking, I could whip up many dishes. I used it in my “niang tofu”, stuffed eggs, stuffed mushrooms, chilli fish cakes, meat patties, etc. Moreover, it keeps well and fresh in the chiller compartment~

Dom Coffee topped with whipped cream

2008-06-27T10:14:00.001+08:00

Dom Coffee topped with whipped cream
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Rika had left some whipped cream in the fridge after making a birthday fresh cream cake. And that made me recalled the special coffee I had once drank years ago. So I made two cups, one for YH. This is a pretty nice drink flavoured with Dom and yet the taste of cream was not overwhelming~

Spaghetti with Mince

2008-06-20T19:16:00.001+08:00

Spaghetti with Mince
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is one of the pasta dishes with lots of fresh tomatoes in the sauce that we would dig in happily. This meal is light and satisfying~ today; I had substituted beef with minced pork and used green onions to garnish it.

Sambal Blachan Cauliflower with Asparagus

2008-05-29T03:56:00.001+08:00

Sambal Blachan Cauliflower with Asparagus
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is a refreshing and yummy combo cooked with spicy ground ingredients.

Assam Sea Bream

2008-05-29T03:51:00.001+08:00

Assam Sea Bream
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Assam fish, for those who love this dish need no introduction, right? Anyway, Chinese leeks instead of ladies' fingers are a tasty vegetable to add in.

Sliced Soy Sauce Pork

2008-05-29T03:30:00.002+08:00

Sliced Soy Sauce Pork
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

The ingredients used to make this are the same as “Soy Sauce Chicken with Rose Wine”, which is available here.

Stir-Fried Vegetable with Wheat Gluten

2008-05-03T18:58:00.001+08:00

Stir-Fried Vegetable with Wheat Gluten
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This dish is not only pleasing to the eyes, it was delectable.

Udon with Soy Sauce Chicken

2008-05-03T18:54:00.001+08:00

Udon with Soy Sauce Chicken
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

In this meal blenched udon was tossed with soy sauce chicken gravy, garnished with pieces of stewed soy sauce chicken with rose wine and served with blenched long cabbage leaves.

Soy Sauce Chicken with Rose Wine + Recipe

2008-05-03T18:48:00.001+08:00

Soy Sauce Chicken with Rose Wine + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I was inspired by this recipe and soon started looking for “mei gui lu jiu” or rose wine. My neighbourhood supermarkets do not carry this cooking wine and only managed to buy it from Yue Hwa on second attempt.

I followed the original recipe faithfully, but half an hour into the cooking, I realized that the gravy was too light in flavours. Hence, I searched the net for more information and finally made adjustments by adding more spices and seasonings. At the end of the cooking, I was rewarded with thicker, delicious and aromatic gravy that I prefer.

The Original Recipe:

Ingredients:
1.5 kg chicken
2 sticks cinnamon
1 tbsp cloves
1 large piece of dried Chinese Mandarin orange peel
50 mls Chinese wine [mei gui lu jiu or rose wine]
50 g rock sugar
200 mls dark soya sauce
Water – enough to cover ¾ way up the chicken

The extra spices, Chinese herbs and seasonings I put in:
2 pcs star anise
3 pcs gan cao 甘草 [licorice root]
3 pcs dang gui
½ tbsp sugar
½ tbsp dark brown sugar
Pinch of ajinomoto and salt to taste

Please follow the instructions of cooking soy sauce chicken with rose wine from here.

Sayur Lemak

2008-05-03T18:45:00.001+08:00

Sayur Lemak
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Shown in this photo are cabbage, glass noodles, and prawns in creamy coconut gravy.

Braised Pork with Italian Chestnuts

2008-04-27T18:56:00.001+08:00

Braised Pork with Italian Chestnuts
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

For the time being, Rika loves this dish. This was cooked upon her request.

The chestnuts used were dried ones imported from Italy. They had been soaked overnight so as to loosen the bits of dried skins, which had to be removed. They were then steamed for 20 minutes and then fried with garlic before braising with meat.

Prawn Paste Chicken + Recipe

2008-04-27T18:21:00.001+08:00

Prawn Paste Chicken + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Pre-mixed prawn paste chicken sauce in bottle is hard to find although the pre-packed powder is easily available. The later is milder in flavours so I tried to concoct my own. The comment on this dish was: it tasted pretty close to those we had ordered at eateries. Still I want to adjust the recipe below. I will reduce "lam yee" to a quarter piece and increase prawn paste to 2 tablespoons.

My version:
Recipe:
Prawn Paste Chicken

Ingredients:
1 kg drumsticks – deboned
1 pc “lam yee”
½ pc “fu yee”
1 tbsp 5-spice powder
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp prawn paste
½ an egg white
½ tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp pepper
1 ½ tbsp wine
Ajinomoto to taste
¾ tbsp ground red yeast rice
1 tbsp corn flour

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with all the above ingredients and set aside for 1 hour.
2. Fried chicken, skin side down first, till cooked.

Red yeast rice is also known as red fermented rice or hong qu mi / 红曲米in Chinese. If you want to know more about this ingredient, click this and here's lam yee or red beancurds.

Threadfin with Sauce

2008-04-27T18:18:00.001+08:00

Threadfin with Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

“Siamese twins”...that was ER's giggling remarks. Both fishes could not be separated during their oil bath...i.e. frying. Haha. His child-like giggles were contagious; I was smiling along with him :)

Curry Vegetables + Recipe

2008-04-27T18:15:00.001+08:00

Curry Vegetables + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

When the craving struck, here's a simple vegetable curry that I cooked. We served this with plain rice and also used it as a soup with Japanese udon.

Cook udon separately in boiling salt water, drain, place in a bowl and ladle soup over and garnish your noodle soup with boiled fish balls, hard-boiled eggs or cooked - shelled prawns for a delectable meal.

My version:
Recipe:
Curry Vegetable

Ingredients:
1 head of Beijing cabbage [500g to 600 g] - washed and cut into bite-size
2 carrots - peeled and sliced
15 French beans - sliced
¼ cup silver fish - fried
4 cloves garlic - chopped
4 shallots - chopped
4 tbsp curry powder + 1 tsp turmeric powder- blend into a paste with some water
200 mills thick coconut cream [1 packet]
1 cup chicken broth
Just enough of hot water to cover the vegetables
Salt, sugar and ajinomoto to taste

Method:
1. Heat up some oil in a wok, fry garlic and shallots till aroma arises, add curry powder paste and stir-fry for a while, making sure the spices do not burn. Add a little water if necessary.
2. Add in fried silver fish and all the vegetables, pour in chicken broth and enough hot water to cover the veggies. Bring contents to a boil. Lower the heat.
3. Stir in coconut cream, seasonings and let simmer till the vegetables are tender. Stir contents occasionally.

Thick Soup

2008-04-27T18:12:00.001+08:00

Thick Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I had used frozen vegetables here with chicken cooked in soup, a last minute idea since ER and I were too lazy to walk to PP for a meal. The soup was thickened with roasted plain flour.

Steamed Eggs with Crab Sticks

2008-04-21T10:55:00.001+08:00

Steamed Eggs with Crab Sticks
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I have forgotten to lower the flame and thus steaming eggs at high heat had caused it to cook too fast and hence the rough surface. The taste was not affected in any way. In fact, instead of using water, replacing it with chicken broth had made this dish
yummier~

Noticed the spicy hot sliced chilli padi on one corner? That section is always mine :)

I have a recipe here.

Reusable Plastic Bottles

2008-04-21T10:48:00.001+08:00

Reusable Plastic Bottles
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

When we had finished the yummy pork floss in these little bottles, I would reuse them, trying to reduce waste, to organize small amount of ingredients that I keep in the refrigerator.

Tofu with Oyster Sauce

2008-04-21T10:46:00.001+08:00

Tofu with Oyster Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Oyster sauce combined correctly with other seasonings gives a wonderful twist and certainly will liven up a bland dish.

Butter and Char Siew Buns - Fresh from the oven

2008-04-09T22:14:00.002+08:00

Butter and Char Siew Buns - Fresh from the oven
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is my trial batch of baked char siew buns that delighted the hearts. We enjoyed eating them for tea break and breakfast. ER ate them with coffee but, I had them with a cup of chrysanthemum ginseng tea during tea break. Personally, I am satisfied with the result.

Butter and Char Siew Buns

2008-04-09T22:12:00.001+08:00

Butter and Char Siew Buns
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Filled buns are left to double in size again, roughly 30 minutes, before baking.

Celery Cabbage with Mince

2008-04-09T22:07:00.001+08:00

Celery Cabbage with Mince
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Double-boiled Herbal Soup - All time favourite

2008-04-09T22:05:00.001+08:00

Double-boiled Herbal Soup - All time favourite
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Sliced pork loin and shoulder butt double-boiled with wolfberries, yoke chok, dang sheng, wai san, bei qi and longans for almost four hours. Three to four hours is a time frame adequately long enough for the Chinese herbs to release their flavours.

Four-angled Beans with Mince

2008-04-09T21:58:00.001+08:00

Four-angled Beans with Mince
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Pan-fried Curry Chicken Fillets + Recipe

2008-04-06T14:12:00.002+08:00

Pan-fried Curry Chicken Fillets + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I just craved for something spicy and here's what I came up with.

My version:
Recipe:
Pan-fried Curry Chicken Fillet

Ingredients:
500 g chicken fillets
3 cloves garlic – chopped
2 shallots – chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
½ tsp sugar
1 tbsp light soya sauce
¼ tsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp corn flour
½ egg white
1 tbsp oil
Salt, pepper and ajinomoto to taste

Method:
1. Marinate chicken fillet with all the listed ingredients, adding in the oil last.
2. Use a meat mallet to tenderize all the fillets.
3. For a start, pour 2 tablespoons of oil in a heated non-stick pan and fry the fillets till golden in colour, a few at a time.
4. Add in more oil to the frying pan when needed.

Stir-fried Veggies with Egg + Preparation Directions

2008-04-06T14:08:00.002+08:00

Stir-fried Veggies with Egg + Preparation Directions
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Simple and delicious, it's my own concoction at the spur of the moment again. I had used random amount of mustard green and fresh mushrooms in this dish. The stir-frying was simple. Half a tablespoon of chopped garlic was sautéed in olive oil. A slightly beaten egg was added when the garlic was aromatic. Vegetables were added next together with seasonings like pepper, salt and pinch of ajinomoto. Contents were stir-fried briskly with some chicken broth till cooked.

Cheesy Tuna Pizza for Dinner

2008-04-06T00:01:00.001+08:00

Cheesy Tuna Pizza for Dinner
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This was the result of sudden craving~ Dinner was late today as I only started making the yeast dough at 8 PM. I did not cook the pizza sauce, but concocted it with a mixture of tomato paste, tomato ketchup, chopped garlic, oregano and pepper. I was delighted with the outcome, the sauce tasted very close to my homemade one. The topping was as usual except without button mushrooms.

Seafood Parsley Udon

2008-04-05T23:49:00.001+08:00

Seafood Parsley Udon
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

A refreshing lunch of udon stir-fried with scallops, Chinese parsley and sliced tomatoes sitting pretty in my new porcelain plate. The addition of tomatoes rendered the noodles flavoured with mild tanginess which was pretty tasty.

Prawns, Chinese Sausage and Cabbage Fried Rice + Preparation Directions

2008-04-03T23:01:00.001+08:00

Prawns, Chinese Sausage and Cabbage Fried Rice + Preparation Directions
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I was out of idea on what to cook for lunch. This does happen on and off. Rika was quick to suggest fried rice. She reminded me to use the leftover prawns from last dinner too. ER and YH had not eaten their share.

In this meal, rice cooked in advance was stir-fried with chopped garlic, diced shelled prawns and julienned Chinese sausages with skins removed. Seasonings like pepper, salt, light soya sauce and pinch of ajinomoto were added to taste. Lastly a slightly beaten egg was added in and stir-fried for a while; followed by cabbage, just stir-fried contents for a little longer to cook the cabbage and it’s done.

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner IV

2008-04-01T16:09:00.002+08:00

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

For this meal on Saturday, marketing was done on the same day, ER and I went to the wet market first to get the seafood, rice noodles and beancurds and then adjourned to the supermarket, in the same building, to get more vegetables, chicken and other stuffs.

As "ikan batang" was available, my preferred fish is “ikan tenggiri” though, we made our own fish paste which was the main ingredient in "niang dou fu". All the items in "niang dou fu" platters e.g. stuffed ladies' fingers, stuffed red chillies, fishballs etc were homemade. ER is always a willing partner, a good assistant. While I prepared the food items, he took care of the steaming. For a change we steamed all the items in advance. All these preparations took ER and me hours to get things ready for this enjoyable steamboat dinner.

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner III

2008-04-01T16:08:00.002+08:00

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Our choice of vegetables today include button mushrooms, golden mushrooms, choy sum/mustard green, young corn, sweet peas and long cabbage leaves.

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner II

2008-04-01T16:07:00.002+08:00

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Bits of beancurd left behind while making stuffed beancurds were used up in this dish. The beancurd bits were mashed to combine with extra fish paste and minced meat mixture to fill the ladies' fingers. The leftover were made into beancurd balls as shown here :)

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner I

2008-04-01T16:05:00.002+08:00

"Niang Dou Fu" & Seafood Steamboat Dinner
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Homemade "niang dou fu" platter

"Nai Bai" with Bacon Chips

2008-04-01T16:02:00.001+08:00

"Nai Bai" with Bacon Chips
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Donuts - 2nd batch

2008-03-25T16:35:00.001+08:00

Donuts - 2nd batch
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Donuts made today were coated with icing sugar and a mixture of icing sugar and Van Houten pure soluble cocoa powder. Some were left plain. The chocolate ones were especially delicious and liked by both Rika and YH. These donuts were really tasty when eaten warm.

Donuts filled with Pineapple Jam

2008-03-25T16:22:00.001+08:00

Donuts filled with Pineapple Jam
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This was our trial version of filling donuts with jam...other fillings that we may try include kaya, butter with sugar, cheese and sweet red bean paste. While we have all these ideas, I somehow, missed and crave for our local type of donuts made with sweet potatoes. It is something I have yet to find it in Punggol 21.

Double-boiled Herbal Soup - Recipe from sis SD

2008-03-20T12:19:00.003+08:00

Double-boiled Herbal Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

The herbs that made this delectable soup include ginseng, "huang qi", wolfberries, red dates and "dang gui". The original recipe given by my sister SD is to boil the herbs with water and sweetened the brew with rock sugar. Well, after recalling the advice of a Chinese medical hall owner, I changed my mind. He once said, "Instead of brewing herbs, which could be boiled with soup, with rock sugar, it would be much more nutritious when cooked with meat." Heeding his advice once again, today I did likewise. I had used chicken in this soup and at the end of cooking just seasoned it with sea salt. This soup is aromatic and the taste is pleasant.

If you are interested in knowing more about Chinese herbs, click this: Uses + Pictures

Steamed Japanese Pumpkin

2008-03-20T11:37:00.002+08:00

Steamed Japanese Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Pumpkin belongs to the gourd family. It is nutritious and a valuable source of Vitamin A. Bright orange pumpkin is loaded with beta-carotene, an antioxidant. Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer and offers protection against heart disease.

I especially like its subtle sweet and pleasant taste, Japanese pumpkin is also my mealtime favourite when it is in season. Just like steamed sweet potatoes, steamed pumpkin with its skin on makes a healthy delicious finger food too. After steaming, the pumpkin skin just melted in the mouth, yummy!

Steamed Mince with "Da Tou Cai"

2008-03-20T11:32:00.001+08:00

Steamed Mince with "Da Tou Cai"
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is my childhood dish, a long forgotten one made with chopped da tou cai.

Hawker-style Long Beans

2008-03-20T11:29:00.001+08:00

Hawker-style Long Beans
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Stir-fried Fresh Mushrooms

2008-03-20T11:26:00.001+08:00

Stir-fried Fresh Mushrooms
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Fresh Chinese mushrooms are delicious when stir-fried. Remember though; always wash any variety of fresh mushrooms under running tap water to avoid sogginess.

Fermented Beancurd Chicken + Recipe II

2008-03-17T09:50:00.001+08:00

Fermented Beancurd Chicken + Recipe II
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Weeks ago bought a bottle of fermented beancurd [lam yee] from Yue Hwa in Chinatown. Naturally, I will think of other ways I could use this ingredient in.

The idea of cooking fermented beancurd with chicken came along as I wanted to try out whether the taste would be close to the prawn paste chicken that we love to eat. Something was still obviously missing from my concoction. But, it was not all disappointment, after all this dish turned out to be yummy~

This Picture was taken on 2nd attempt before lunch on Saturday. An extra ingredient, ginger juice was added and instead of egg white, I have used the left over egg yolk here.

If you would like to look at my first attempt, click this: Fermented Beancurd Chicken + Recipe I

My Version:
Recipe:
Fermented Beancurd Chicken

Ingredients:
1 kg drumsticks – deboned and scored the thickest parts
2 tbsp corn flour

Marinate:
5 cloves garlic – chopped finely
½ tsp ginger juice
2 pieces fermented bean curd [lam yee] - mashed
1 tbsp blachan - roasted
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp soy sauce
A little dark soya sauce – for color
¾ tsp salt
½ tbsp wine
Pepper, sugar and ajinomoto to taste

Method:
1. Place deboned drumsticks in a metal bowl, add in all the marinating ingredients, rub in well and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Just before frying, add in the corn flour the marinated chicken, mix to coat well.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan, add in 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the chicken, skin side down first, till both sides are golden. Spend about 10 to 15 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat.
4. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Prick the thickest part of the meat, if juices run clear, this indicates that the chicken is done.

Home Dried Mandarin Orange Peels

2008-03-17T09:36:00.001+08:00

Home Dried Mandarin Orange Peels
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This batch of five Mandarin orange peels will be more than sufficient for a year to be used in my cooking. With this, I would want to try a recipe with soya sauce chicken when I have a bottle of “Mei Gui Lu Jiu”, a type of flavoured wine which is not available from my neighbourhood supermarkets.

YH's Breakfast

2008-03-17T09:32:00.001+08:00

YH's Breakfast
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Today YH attended a seminar; ER prepared him a big breakfast including bread spread with homemade pineapple jam.

Stir-fried China “Nai Bai” with Button Mushrooms

2008-03-16T10:32:00.001+08:00

Stir-fried China “Nai Bai” with Button Mushrooms
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

“Nai Bai” from China is seasonal and looks like small dwarf “bai cai” except that the leaves are crinkled. It is much costlier than “bai cai”. This vegetable sold well in the supermarket.

Shown in the above is my own concoction, a delectable veggie dish.

Ginger Wine Thread Noodles / “Mian Xian”

2008-03-15T13:36:00.001+08:00

Ginger Wine Thread Noodles / “Mian Xian”
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Seen in this photo is ER’s well remembered dish that he ate once during his mother’s confinement after delivery. He termed it as “very previous noodles”. He remembered too that my mum cooked it in KL, Malaysia and he had his share too. When he mentioned ginger wine thread noodles again lately. I said I would cook it for him. While he chose to have his egg cooked whole, I prefer the omelette with julienned ginger in it. If you were here with us when he ate his noodle soup, you would have seen his pleased composure that went along with multiple “mmmmmm, really nice!” :)

Duo-flavours Pancakes + Recipe

2008-03-15T13:32:00.001+08:00

Duo-flavours Pancakes + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Making pancakes from scratch…this is a good way for me to finish my feta cheese, an idea from ER. I have forgotten to measure the water use in this recipe though.

Nice snacks that we enjoyed with coffee while watching TV.

My version:
Recipe:
Duo-flavours Pancakes

Ingredients:
8 oz. flour + 4 tsp baking powder – sift together
2 eggs
3 ½ tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
¼ cup UHT milk
½ tsp vanilla essence
50 g Danish feta cheese
Water

Method:
1. Beat eggs with sugar and salt till thick and creamy. Add in ½ teaspoon vanilla essence.
2. Place flour mixture in a mixing bowl, stir in egg mixture, milk and enough water to achieve pancake batter consistency.
3. Divide pancake batter into two portions; leave one portion as it is. To the 2nd portion, crumble the feta cheese and stir in.
4. Heat up a non-stick frying pan, brush with oil, pour in some batter, when batter has set and bubbles appear, flip pancake over and cook the other side.
5. Repeat till batter is used up.

Kimchi Cucumber Salad with Limes

2008-03-15T13:30:00.001+08:00

Kimchi Cucumber Salad with Limes
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Kimchi Shallots Salad with Limes

2008-03-15T13:28:00.001+08:00

Kimchi Shallots Salad with Limes
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I am trying out various ways to eat my homemade kimchi as a salad. I still have at least half a kilo in the refrigerator.

Hakka Za Yoke

2008-03-12T02:50:00.001+08:00

Hakka Za Yoke
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is my mother's festive cum her signature dish: Hakka "za yoke"! Um...it has been years since I last cooked this. This time, Rika had requested it. She only could relate it as a dish that her eldest "yi ma" or aunt, had prepared for a gathering :)

I dread preparing this dish because of oil splashing when marinated pork was deep-fried. With a willing assistant, ER, things were made easier for me. ER did the frying. Through watching a Taiwanese cooking programme, he found a way to cut down the instances of accidental burn by splashing oil i.e. put on the lid of the frying pan when pork slices were fried. But, I still heard a few times: “Wah! The oil is splashing!” :)

The last stage of cooking was easy. Soaked and cleaned black fungus was stir-fried with lots of garlic in a pot, poured in fried crispy pork, mashed “lam yee” and enough of water just to cover the contents, seasoned and braised till done.

While I was half way through with this entry, ER was enjoying a dance by some middle age and elderly ladies on CCTV4...he called out excitingly, “Hey, come and see those Chinese ladies are doing street dance!” Yes, I joined him and watched and appreciating those ladies dancing to the tune of western music without panting! Nice and neat...Bravo! The oldest in the group is 69 years old.

Stir-fried Snow Peas

2008-03-12T02:45:00.001+08:00

Stir-fried Snow Peas
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Snow peas are in season now…really fresh and crunchy with a hint of sweetness! Buy some and add them at the last stage of cooking with your favourite mixed vegetable dishes!

YH's Salad

2008-03-10T20:46:00.001+08:00

YH's Salad
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Seen here is a well chilled simple salad of lettuce, seedless grapes, cherry tomatoes and Feta cheese with a drizzle of olive oil. ER prepared this.

Korean Seafood Pancakes + Recipe

2008-03-10T20:43:00.002+08:00

Korean Seafood Pancakes + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

A truly delicious savoury pancakes made easy with pre-made Korean pancakes mix. Chopped hot spicy chilli padi was added to the last two pancake batter just before frying...for myself~ I love them hot and spicy!

My version:
Recipe:
Korean Seafood Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 ½ cup Korean pancake mix
2 ½ cups water
1 ¼ level tsp sea salt
6 spring onions – cut into 2-cm long
2 small carrots – peeled and julienned
Chillies – optional
Prawns – random amount
Fresh scallops – random amount
Pinch of ajinomoto

Method:
1. Mix Korean pancake mix with water and sea salt into a batter. It’s OK if the batter appears lumpy.
2. Shell prawns, devein and cut into small bits. Cut scallops into thin slices.
3. Add in all ingredients to the batter. Mix well.
4. Heat up a non-stick pan with small amount of oil, ladle some pancake batter into the hot pan, spread out the mixture evenly and cook each side for 2-3 minutes over low heat.
5. When the pancake has set, and the edges have turned golden, flip it over and cook the second side.
6. Repeat until the batter is used up.

Homemade Kimchi in a Glass Bottle

2008-03-10T20:39:00.001+08:00

Homemade Kimchi in a Glass Bottle
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

For history and health benefits of this Korean traditional dish, please visit: Kimchi

For my kimchi experience: Making Kimchi

Tofu Omelette + Recipe

2008-03-09T18:18:00.001+08:00

Tofu Omelette + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is a quick and nutritious way with eggs and tofu / beancurd.

My version:
Recipe:
Tofu Omelette

Ingredients:
1 square of tofu [small] - mashed with ½ tablespoon of corn flour.
2 eggs
3 stalks spring onions - chopped
Salt, pepper and ajinomoto to taste

Method:
1. Beat the eggs lightly with pepper, salt and pinch of ajinomoto.
2. Add the mashed tofu and spring onions to the beaten eggs. Incorporate the ingredients well.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan, add in some oil, pour in the egg mixture, spread and level it over the frying pan, when the omelette has set, turn over and brown the other side.

Breakfast for YH

2008-03-09T03:57:00.001+08:00

Breakfast for YH
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

The cherry tomatoes were meant to be eaten raw but at a spur of the moment, ER thought it would make a good breakfast with steamed rice and beef. True enough, the steamed tomatoes released a wonderful aroma which YH enjoyed eating.

Stuffed Chillies + Recipe

2008-03-05T12:05:00.002+08:00

Stuffed Chillies + Recipe
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This dish was made easy with the ready-made fish paste available from the supermarket.

My version:
Recipe:
Stuffed Chillies

Ingredients:
11 green or red chillies - slit open and deseeded

Filling ingredients:
180 g "saito" fish paste [available from NTUC supermarket]
½ a slightly beaten egg (small)
½ tbsp corn flour
Pepper, sugar and ajinomoto to taste
1 tsp sesame oil

Method:
1.Combine the stuffing ingredients except sesame oil and beat to a smooth paste .
2.Add in the sesame oil, blend it in well.
3. Open up the slit chilli and fill each with fish paste.
4. With the stuffing side down, fry the stuffed chillies in oil until done.

Note: Ready-made fish paste is salty so no salt is needed in this recipe.

Stir-fried Beef With Onions

2008-03-05T12:03:00.000+08:00

Stir-fried Beef With Onions
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This is a delicious dish that I love to eat.

I noticed the prices of beef has gone up a lot...for beef flank, the price has gone up double compared to the day I started to use it.

Fried Shandong "La Mian"

2008-03-05T12:01:00.000+08:00

Fried Shandong "La Mian"
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

This drizzling evening without fresh yellow noodles, I just cooked the Shandong dried noodles in salted water till al dente, drained and tossed them with some lard to prevent lumping. Next, I sautéed 4 cloves of chopped garlic in oil, put in the sliced lean meat to stir-fry till it changed colour and then stirred in the shelled prawns to cook till they turned pink. Cooked noodles were returned to the wok with seasonings and dark soya sauce, tossed and mixed the contents to get an even colour and it’s ready for serving. I had wanted to use “choy sum” but, without any, we made do with iceberg lettuce instead upon ER’s suggestion.

My family was pleased with the noodles, which were made without "kan sui" or lye Water (alkaline). Rika was not keen to eat noodles with iceberg lettuce but, was interested in what type of noodles I had used.

Stocking up a packet or two dried noodles is sure handy.

Shandong "La Mian"

2008-03-05T11:59:00.000+08:00

Shandong "La Mian"
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

A brand I would like to remember~

Stir-fried "Choy Sum"

2008-03-05T11:45:00.001+08:00

Stir-fried "Choy Sum"
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Simple and delicious~

Noodles In Ginger Wine Chicken

2008-03-05T11:43:00.001+08:00

Noodles In Ginger Wine Chicken
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I teased ER for eating such food that fits for a newborn mother in confinement!

I had used up my last bottle of Stone's ginger wine...tried to order half a dozen from Cold Storage but was told that they had discontinued with this label. This type of ginger flavoured dry white wine is not available from NTUC supermarket and Giant Hypermarket too.

Salad

2008-03-05T11:41:00.001+08:00

Salad
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

ER made this. He is so eager to finish up the Feta cheese we bought from Mustafa Shopping Centre~ He even suggested that I use it in my pizza.

Ham Sandwiches

2008-03-05T11:35:00.001+08:00

Ham Sandwiches
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

ER made this~

Braised Mushrooms With Sea Cucumber

2008-03-05T11:33:00.001+08:00

Braised Mushrooms With Sea Cucumber
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

I was lucky today to be able to get some prepared sea cucumber from the supermarket. Most of the time, they are overdone and too soft before I even use them in my cooking.

Pasta In Corn Soup

2008-03-05T11:30:00.001+08:00

Pasta In Corn Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

These are the ingredients that went into the corn soup: chicken, corn on the cob, dried scallops, carrots, onions and if you have, add in potatoes.

Tuna Pasta Salad With Aioli Sauce

2008-02-28T12:41:00.001+08:00

Tuna Pasta Salad With Aioli Sauce
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

There was a 3-in-1 effort here, Rika made the aioli sauce, I cooked the pasta and ER did the rest.

On the 14th Day of CNY 2008 - Braised Pork With Chestnut

2008-02-23T00:42:00.001+08:00

On the 14th Day of CNY 2008 - Braised Pork With Chestnut
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

ER, although he does little cooking at home, he sure has ideas when mine runs out.

This dish was done according to his suggestion and preference. The sight of chestnuts had inspired this dish. Chestnuts have released a mild fragrance that assimilated into the meat. Nice...moreover, boiled chestnuts have always been my favourite snacks.

In the midst of preparing this dish, I had forgotten about mushrooms and ER who was watching TV in the living room was quick to remind me: The mushrooms, did you put in some mushrooms?

Braising, the cut that I love to use is always shoulder butt with the occasional streaky pork or pork belly added in...As I said before the later is a "luxurious" treat for us for I have consciously avoiding, using too much of animal fat in my cooking.

Rika said, "This dish is really yummy. I have not had tasted such flavour for a long time!"

On the 14th Day of CNY 2008 - Feta Cheese Rolls & Guava

2008-02-23T00:41:00.001+08:00

On the 14th Day of CNY 2008 - Feta Cheese Rolls & Guava
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Reheating the French loaf bought from Giant Hypermarket with a frying-pan, ER had made it so crispy and yummy!

On the 13th Day of CNY 2008 - Sambal Mee Goreng

2008-02-23T00:38:00.001+08:00

On the 13th Day of CNY 2008 - Sambal Mee Goreng
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Lunch on the 12th Day of CNY 2008 - "Niang DouFu" Soup

2008-02-23T00:35:00.001+08:00

Lunch on the 12th Day of CNY 2008 - "Niang DouFu" Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Dinner on the 11th Day of CNY 2008 - Peach & Snow Ear Dessert

2008-02-18T23:17:00.004+08:00

Peach & Snow Ear Dessert
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Light and refreshing!

Dinner on the 11th Day of CNY 2008

2008-02-18T23:14:00.004+08:00

Dinner On The 11th Day Of Chinese New year
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Dinner on the 11th Day of CNY 2008 - Stuffed Beancurd With Fish Paste

2008-02-18T23:13:00.004+08:00

Dinner On The 11th Day Of Chinese New year
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Dinner on the 10th Day of CNY 2008 - Curry Chicken

2008-02-18T23:10:00.006+08:00

Dinner On The 10th Day of Chinese New Year
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Click on this for more ideas on: Curry Chicken

Chilled chickens nowadays are so tender that I just have to reduce the cooking time. In curries, chicken meat tends to break away from the bones when over done. The curry shown here with the chicken just cooked was very “lemak” or creamy with coconut gravy but lacked the captivating layer of oily orangey reddish appearance that I love. However, once the cooked potatoes were added, contents brought to a boil and simmered for a while, a much awaited lovelier colour was achieved.

Dinner on the 10th Day of CNY 2008 - Stir-fried Vegetables

2008-02-18T23:07:00.005+08:00

Dinner On The 10th Day of Chinese New Year
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Dinner on the 10th Day of CNY 2008 - Sambal Prawns

2008-02-18T23:06:00.005+08:00

Dinner On The 10th Day of Chinese New Year
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Lunch on the 8th Day of CNY 2008

2008-02-15T10:34:00.003+08:00

Lunch On The 8th Day of Chinese New Year
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

"Suan Cai" / 酸菜

2008-02-15T10:29:00.001+08:00

"Suan Cai" / 酸菜
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

"Suan cai”: This is a childhood dish that I remembered well, something made out of leftovers seasoned mainly with dried chillies and "assam keping". Lots of "da cai" or a variety of mustard greens is added and boiled with the mixture with more chicken broth added in my cooking. You can see the varieties here: http://www.evergreenseeds.com/ormusgreen.html

Stuffed Capsicum And Beancurds

2008-02-15T10:11:00.002+08:00

Stuffed Capsicum And Beancurds
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

For a change, I only used fish paste to fill the triangular-shaped beancurds and then fried them.

During lunch, YH took a bite into a piece of stuffed capsicum and he said, “Um…the capsicum is sweet!” And ER said the filling has the right softness and nice. Minutes later, YH asked for some to be reserved for his supper. I did not make a lot this morning, so I told him may be I will make some for him again this coming Sunday if ingredients are available.

The filling was a last minute concoction using just fish paste and mashed tofu. I once read a recipe that uses a filling made with chopped chestnuts, shrimps, mushrooms, egg and mashed tofu for stuffed capsicums. This should be tasty too.

Fish paste packed in sealed boxes is available from our local supermarkets or the beancurd stalls in wet markets.

Dinner on the 4th day of CNY 2008

2008-02-14T15:03:00.006+08:00

Dinner on the 4th day of CNY 2008
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

Dinner on the 4th day of CNY 2008 - Abalone

2008-02-14T15:03:00.005+08:00

Dinner on the 4th day of CNY 2008
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

High Tea With Friends on the 3rd day of CNY 2008

2008-02-10T01:02:00.002+08:00

High Tea With Friends
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.

High Tea With Friends on the 3rd day of CNY 2008 - Tibits

2008-02-10T01:00:00.002+08:00

High Tea With Friends
Originally uploaded by Food Trails.