Braised fish with bittergourd

If you know me well enough, you know I don't take fish ... So this dish was specially ''ordered'' by him to cook.. Well well, first try and unexpected feedback - son likes it! 

Ingredients -
550g Fish meat (I use ang go li)
300g Bittergourd (cut into slices)
20g ginger slices 
5 cloves of garlic (lightly smashed)
3 stalks of spring onion (only the white part)
3 cloves of shallots (sliced)
2 tbsp fermented black beans 
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 cup water

Marinate -
550g Fish meat
1 egg white
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp ginger juice
Few dashes of pepper
1/4 tsp salt
*Mix well and marinate for 30mins

Steps -
1. Marinate the fish meat and set aside
2. Coat the fish meat with potato flour and deep fried until golden brown. Drain and set aside.
3. In a wok with 2 tbsp of oil, saute the ginger slices, then garlic, spring onion, shallots and add in fermented black beans. Give a good stir.
4. Add in bittergourd slices, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, pepper, sugar. Stir and mix well.
5. Add the ready fried fish meat in. Mix well with the sauce.. Splash the Shaoxing wine around the wok.
6. Pour 1 cup water in. Bring it to a boil, let it simmer in medium heat for 2 mins.

Garnish with spring onions (green part) and slices of red chilli...

Recipe from MeatMenChannel.

Curry Chicken (Paste by Daddy Seah)

For my own record purpose :D

First try to use Daddy's paste to cook Chicken Curry, I no longer need to buy A1 paste :)
Result - Excellent, whole pot finished!

Ingredients -
Half chicken + 1 big chicken thigh
2 big potatoes
4 big hip of chilli paste
2 stalks of curry leaves
1 lemongrass if you like
400ml water
200ml kara coconut milk
Salt to taste (2 tsp)

Steps -
1. Fry the chilli paste till fragrant is out. Couple of minutes only.
2. Then add the chicken pieces in, stir to mix well.
3. Add curry leaves in (add lemongrass if you like), mix well.
4. Add water in. Let it come to a boil, boil for 10 minutes.
5. Add potatoes in, let it cook for 15-20 minutes.
6. Add salt to taste, follow by coconut milk. Off heat, cover with lid.

Easy Chocolate Muffins

pardon my piping as i pipe without a tip

Recipe 

Ingredient 1 -
2 large eggs (about 100g) room temperature
110g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
240ml buttermilk, room temperature (I use normal milk, added 1 tbsp lemon juice in and rest for 10 mins)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp coffee extract (optional)

Ingredient 2 -
225g plain flour (sieved)
60g unsweetened cocoa powder (I use hershey dark powder), sieved
230g light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
180g semisweet chocolate chips

Steps - 
1. In a big bowl - combine the plain flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well then add the chocolate chips in.
2. In another bowl, whisk the eggs with balloon whisker. Then pour the cooled butter, buttermilk and vanilla extract in. Whisk to mix well.
3. Make a well in the center for step 1 and pour the step 2 in. Fold in and stir to mix well. Note - do not overmix the batter else the muffins will be tough.
4. Fill 3/4 batter onto muffins cup.
5. Bake in preheated oven 190 degree celsius for about 19 mins, bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. 

Frost with nutella :)

Note to self - 
190 degree celsius baked for 17mins.

Pork Wanton Dumpling

Simple wanton dumplings recipe

Ingredients -
250g minced pork meat
1 stalk of spring onion (chopped)

Marinate -
1 tbsp Ginger juice
1-2 tsp light soy sauce (Lee Kum Kee)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp Shaoxing wine 
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix well in one circular motion and wrap. 

Curry Fish Head

This is the first time i cook Curry Fish Head as i'm not someone who takes ''fish'' ... Anyway my first attempt and thanks to Sharon who shares with me to try this curry paste. Was a success and completely wiped out by partner/kids.

Sorry no plating, first time handling fish head :p

Ingredients
1 whole fish head 
1 packet A1 curry fish paste
10 curry leaves
5 lime leaves
1-2 stalks of lemongrass
120ml coconut milk
200ml water
Tamarind (2 tbsp of it with 3 tbsp water)
2 tomatoes cut into quartered
6-8 lady's fingers
Few pieces of Taukee (deep fried first)
Yellow onion
salt to taste

Steps - 
I follow the instructions from the packet

1. Steam the fish head for 8-10 mins depending on how big the fish head is.
2. Pour the chilli paste into the wok. Add the yellow onion in and stir fry in low heat.
3. Add water in, follow by lady's fingers, taukee and tomatoes. Let it come to a boil. Then add tamarind.
4. Pour in coconut milk, add salt to taste. Stir to mix well. Let it come to a soft boil. Add the steamed fish head in. Cover with lid, simmer for a while. And done. Plate!

Chicken Tom Yum Soup

Ingredients
4 cups of chicken stocks
2 chicken thighs 
1-2 stalks of lemongrass, cut diagonally into few parts
4-5 pieces of lime leaves, teared
350ml water
15g red onion
1 packet of the Tom Yum paste (as shown below) or 1.5tbsp Tom Yum paste
1 tomato, cut into quartered
1 tsp Knorr chicken powder
Fish sauce (about 3 drops) adjust accordingly
150ml milk

Optional -
1-2 chilli padi
Prawns
Soft Mushroom Oysters
Shimeiji Brown/White Mushroom


Steps -
1. In a pot with 4 cups of chicken stocks, put the chicken thighs in and let it cook for 20minutes. Discard the stock. Set the cooked chicken thighs aside.

2. In a clean pot with 350ml water - boil the lemongrass and teared lime leaves until it boils.

3. Then add the red small onions and tom yum paste in.

4. Add the oysters mushroom, shimeiji mushroom in and let it cook. Follow by adding the tomato.

5. Add the knorr chicken powder in and the few dashes of fish sauce. Chilli padi in if you like it spicy.

6. Add the cooked chicken thighs back into the soup as well as the prawns and let it come to a boil.

7. Once boil, pour the milk in and let it come to full boil and you are done. Garnish with scallions if you like.

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