台湾卤肉饭 by Angela Seah

Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice 

Thumbs up dish by my 3 kids..

Ingredients -
600g pork collar (五花肉)
110g fresh shallots (minced)
2.5 tbsps dark soya sauce
3/4 tsp white pepper
1 tbsp minced garlic 
3/4 tsp five-spice powder
1 3/4 tbsps sugar
300ml water
Few sprigs of spring onions

Steps -
1. Cut the meat into your preferred size. Ideally smaller pieces.
2. In a non-stick pan, fry the meat until oil is released (from the meat/pork). 
3. Add in minced shallot.. cook until shallot is slightly charred and that fragrance is released. (Add bit of oil if it’s is too dry)
4. Add in the chopped spring onions. Stir to mix well. 
5. Add the minced garlic in and cook until fragrance.
6. Then add sugar, mix well. Let it caramelised..
7. Pour the dark soy sauce in (by drizzling round the pan).
8. Pour the 300ml water in. 
9. Reduce heat to low, then simmer for 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.
10. Pour the pork mixture over cooked rice and serve immediately.

Notes -
Inspiration from YouTube channel/the Taiwan Chef to cook this dish https://youtu.be/hrpRUXhp3-M

Ginger Scallion Fish Slice (姜葱鱼片) by Angela Seah

The men in the house love this dish! Quick and easy recipe, just few ingredients and there you have it ...

Servings for 4-5 pax

Ingredients -
800g red grouper
4 stalks of scallions
40g ginger (sliced)
oil

Marinade - 
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce - 
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp corn starch
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste (1/2 tsp)
150ml water
dashes of white pepper

Steps -

1. Marinade the fish for about ten mins.
2. Mix the sauce in a bowl
3. In a heated wok with oil, add the ginger in. Stir fry the ginger until aromatic and then add the fish slices in.
4. Add in the bowl of sauce when the fish slices are half cooked. Continue to stir fry until the fish is cooked through. Add in the chopped scallions and do a few quick stirs.

Dish out and serve!

Add caption

Hershey's Chocolate pound cake by Angela Seah

I have always love Hershey's chocolate especially using the special dark cocoa powder for baking. And I recall it was not easy to get this cocoa powder in Sweden (at least not from the city where i stayed). Remembering the days in Sweden, I would always remind my husband to get it for me whenever he's on a business trip to US. Here's the easy, chocolaty and moist pound cake..

Ingredients -
4 large eggs

180g cake flour 
4g baking powder
25g Hershey special dark cocoa powder
60ml hot boiling water
225g unsalted butter
225g sugar
100g Hershey chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk

Ganache (optional)

90g Hershey's milk chocolate bar

20ml heavy cream (36% fat content)

Steps -

Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius.

1. Grease your loaf pan and line with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix the Hershey cocoa powder with the hot boiling water and set aside to cool.
3. In another bowl, mix the sieved cake flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
4. In the mixing bowl, beat the butter until smooth.Then add sugar and vanilla essence in, beat till light and fluffy. Add the eggs in - one by one and beat till just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the cooled cocoa powder mixture.
5. Add the flour in by 2 additions and pour in the milk by 1 addition. Mix till it's just combined. Do not overbeat. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Pour onto the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes -
1. Every oven temperature varies. I baked my chocolate cake at 180 degree celsius for 50 minutes. 

The chocolate bar used for the ganache, fantastic!

KungBao Chicken 宫保鸡 by Angela Seah

KungBao Chicken


Recipe:

Marinate (an hour will do) -
4 pieces chicken thigh meat (remove skin), cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornflour
Few dashes of pepper

Sauce (mix them in a bowl) -
1 tsp black vinegar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp Nanyang dark soya sauce
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
120ml water

To Cook -
1 1/2 tbsp oil
30g ginger, slice
3 stalks scallion, white part only (green for garnish)
About 2 onions - 90g, cut
7 dried chili, deseeded or more
1 chili padi, deseeded

Steps -
1. In a heated pan with 1 1/2 tbsp oil, cook the ginger, onions, white part scallions until fragrant is out.
2. Add the chicken pieces in and stir fry until 70% cooked.
3. Dish out the meat. Clean the wok.
4. Pour the chicken back into the wok. Add in the sauce, both kind of chilli and cook till gravy thicken and that chicken meat is cooked. Off the flames and add the green part scallions in. 

And more scallions for garnish / serve with steamed rice!

Non spicy version

Fried Bee Hoon (Nanyang Soy Sauce) by Angela Seah

Ingredients - 

300g bee hoon, before soak (3 stack from brand Wai Wai)

3 cloves garlic, mined

3 red shallots, sliced

1/2 carrot, strips

3 tbsp Nanyang Premium Brew dark soy sauce

4 tbsp Nanyang Premium Brew light soy sauce

2 cups water

Steps -

1. Soak the bee hoon in water until almost soften (this is crucial not to oversoak). 

2. In a bowl, mix the dark and light soy sauce together.

3. In a wok with oil, saute the shallots first follow by the minced garlic, then the carrot. Dish up and set aside.

4. Add the water in, the sauce and the soaked bee hoon in. Turn the heat to medium-low. Toss to mix well with a pair of chopsticks. Cover with lid for couple of minutes or until the water dry up and bee hoon is soft. Add the point 3 back in and toss to mix well again. 

Done and serve!

Notes -

1. This recipe will work with using Nanyang Soy Sauce. Other brands of soy sauce, you will have to adjust the taste accordingly.

Prawn and Bacon Pasta by Angela Seah

Ingredients:
200g Pasta
5 streaks of bacon
300g - 400g prawn meat
30g butter
3 gloves garlic, minced

Steps:
1. Mix the garlic and butter together. Set aside.
2. Cook the pasta in a large pot. Follow instructions as per packet. Drain and set aside.
3. In a non-stick pan, pan fried the bacon for few minutes (just before starting to crisp). Remove and drain on paper towel.
4. Add half portion of the butter/garlic into the same pan. Add the prawns meat in and cook for few minutes until just cooked. 
5. Add the cooked pasta, bacon and the balanced butter/garlic in, toss and mix well.