Recipe: Fruit Salad with Baby Shrimps and Toasted Coconut

(Click the above to view 4 pictures. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 7.) I am back to the normal posting cycle and most importantly, the comfort of my home. Let's just say that I am just very happy to be home, so much so that I was practically lying there on my bed and couch for the whole weekend--doing nothing and consuming only Indomie instant noodles but still feeling utterly happy. Happiness lies in the fact that I can just relax and sleep on my own bed, under my own roof, and be with my LK...it's a bliss. Anyway, I am also glad that I didn't have to make something just for the sake of creating new content for my blog; I have quite a few recipes saved in my draft--dishes that I'd made prior to my recent trips but haven't had a chance to post, for example, this luscious looking tropical fruit salad... If you recall, I made some jerk chicken skewers with mandarin oranges salsa, so this fruit salad was the leftover result of that post. I tossed in baby shrimps, a mango, topped the fruit salad with toasted coconut and got a healthy and light meal. This is especially refreshing for those in Southern California now because of the heat wave, so here is the recipe to share with you. Recipe: Tropical Fruit Salad with Baby Shrimps and Toasted Coconut Ingredients: 1 can mandarin oranges 1 mango (cut into small cubes) 1 tablespoon honey 5 Italian basil leaves (chopped finely) 1/4 small onion 1 lime (extract juice) 1/4 cup baby shrimp 2 tablespoons grated coconut (toast the coconut in a skillet until golden brown) Method: Toss all the ingredients above in a mixing bowl and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve cold and topped with toasted coconut. Continue Reading "Recipe: Fruit Salad with Baby Shrimps and Toasted Coconut"

Recipe: Spinach and Tofu Salad with Japanese Sesame Miso Dressing

(Click the above to view 5 pictures. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 7.) My cheekbones have gone missing. I have been looking for them in the mirror--during day time under natural sun light; indoor under soft tungsten light; in the office with bright fluorescent light--but they are nowhere to be found. They have indeed gone missing. What I see in the mirror--and most evidently from my travel pictures--are fats, or fat cells, as my gym instructor on Norwegian Cruise Line would refer to. These fat cells have overtaken my face and swallowed up my cheekbones. They have claimed their green card and permanent residency on my ever bulging and protruding stomach and waistline. That's not all; they have also crawled into the contour of my face, staked their claims on my thighs, my arms, my butt, even my toes! They are pervasively and invasively everywhere... Those are the sad consequences of what would have been a perfect cruise vacation. When I mentioned I packed on pounds in my previous post about binge eating during my trip, I wasn't half joking. I have indeed put on weight. I have become "bulat" in Malaysian language, meaning r-O-O-O-O-O-u-n-d. As a remedy, I have to start starving myself eating healthy to shed those unwanted cells; I resort to vegetables, fat cells' worst enemy. Eating healthy doesn't mean that one has to swallow tasteless and unappetizing food. (Check out VeganYumYum who whips up droolsome vegan foods; she is also the real QUEEN of food porn in my sincere opinion.) I started off my healthy eating diet today with a bowl of this pleasing, fresh, and delicious spinach and tofu salad with sesame miso dressing--a wonderful salad served at my favorite Japanese joint. I felt great after eating this spinach and tofu salad. Listen fat cells, I am fighting back, and now get off my cheekbones please!!! :::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for more Japanese recipes? Check out the following on Rasa Malaysia 1. Miso Soup with Clams (Asari Miso Soup) 2. Bacon-wrapped Cherry Tomatoes 3. Panko-crusted Soft Shell Crab with Ginger Ponzu Sauce :::::::::::::::::::::: Recipe: Spinach and Tofu Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing Ingredients: 1 pack organic baby spinach (I got mine at Costco) 1 pinch sesame seeds (for garnishing) 1/2 block tofu (cut into small cubes) Low Fat Japanese Sesame Miso Dressing: 1 tablespoon white miso 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (ground with mortar and pestle) 1/4 cup water Method: Mix the sesame miso dressing ingredients until well blended. (You can heat up the dressing in a small sauce pan and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before use.) Wash the baby spinach and drain excess water. In a salad bowl, toss the baby spinach with tofu and sesame miso dressing. Dish out and serve cold. Continue Reading "Recipe: Spinach and Tofu Salad with Japanese Sesame Miso Dressing"

Chinese Recipe: Fried Rice, Deluxe Version

(Click the above to view 4 pictures. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 7.) Chinese fried rice, everyone's favorite rice dish needs no further introduction from me. As ubiquitous and simple as it is, there are probably dozens of fried rice recipes--plain, with chicken, shrimp, lap cheong (Chinese sausages), pork, beef, vegetables, kimchee, salted fish, eggs, or any combinations of the ingredients above and more. Regardless of the ingredients used, fried rice always pleases my palate and appetite. What I had for dinner tonight was a deluxe version of Chinese fried rice. I love Cantonese chicken and salted fish fried rice (咸鱼鸡粒炒饭), but I also wanted Chinese sausage/lap cheong and baby shrimps in it, hence I came out with this deluxe version of Chinese fried rice.... The best fried rice calls for overnight rice. If overnight rice is hard to come by in your household, here is what you can do and you don't have to wait a day and a night for your rice to turn into overnight rice. The next time you have takeout or eat out at Chinese/Asian restaurants, get an extra serving of steamed rice. Keep it in your fridge for a night, and the next day, your extra steamed rice becomes the perfect overnight rice that you can use to make fried rice. I "cheat" like this all the time...it's so convenient. Try this and I hope you will like it! Recipe: Chinese fried rice with chicken, shrimp, Chinese sausage (lap cheong) and salted fish Ingredients: 4 cups overnight rice 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce 1/8 tablespoon salt 1/4 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (ABC Kecap Manis) 3 dashes white pepper powder 1 skinless and boneless chicken breast (cut into small cubes) 1 Chinese lap cheong/sausage (diced into small pieces) 1/2 cup baby shrimp 1/2 cup green peas 2 tablespoons cooking oil 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 2 eggs (light beaten) 1 small piece of salted fish (diced into small pieces) Method: Heat up a wok with two tablespoons of oil. Add salted fish and fry until aromatic, set aside. Using the same oil, saute the garlic until aromatic. Add in chicken, baby shrimp, Chinese sausage and peas and stir fry until they are half cooked. Season with salt and continue to stir-fry until they are 80% cooked. Add in the overnight rice and stir well with the ingredients. Add in soy sauce, fish sauce, sweet soy sauce, white pepper powder and continue to fry the rice for a couple of minutes. Make a "well" in the middle of the wok and pour the beaten eggs in the middle of the rice. Wait for 30 seconds and then cover the "egg well" with the rice. Leave it for 30 seconds and continue to stir-fry the rice so the eggs form small pieces and mix well with the rice. Add in the fried salted fish and do some quick stirs, dish out and serve hot. Continue Reading "Chinese Recipe: Fried Rice, Deluxe Version"

Recipe: Restaurant-style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce

(Click the above to view 4 pictures. Best viewed with Internet Explorer 7.) I have been asked too many times how to make a simple Chinese greens dish ala Chinese restaurant style...so here it is, the secrets, tips, and recipe to make all your vegetables taste and picture perfect, just like top Chinese/Cantonese chefs do. Chinese greens with oyster sauce is an easy dish to prepare but not many can make it right. I have seen too many overcooked vegetable dishes served—at homes and even at restaurants. Once you grasp the basic techniques and skills of making this dish, you can pretty much cook any vegetables or Chinese greens you want—choy sum, kai lan (Chinese mustard greens), bok choy/baby bok choy, or any green leafy vegetables. Without further ado, I unveil the following secrets, tips and tricks after the jump.... Rasa Malaysia's Guide to Making Restaurant-style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce: Buy fresh vegetables – select the freshest greens available in your market. Such as the baby bok choy shown in my pictures. Use garlic oil – I use a lot of garlic oil in my Chinese cooking. It adds a lot of depth to simple dishes and infuses the veggie with garlicky flavor and aroma. Use cooking oil wisely – Add a drop or two cooking oil into the water before blanching the vegetables. The cooking oil coats the vegetables so they look fresh and green, not purple. Don't kill your vegetables, they are already dead! – Don't overcook your vegetables by leaving them too long in the boiling water. Perfectly blanched vegetables should be somewhat crunchy, not limp and wilted. Discard excess water from the vegetables before plating/serving – Drain the water from the vegetables so it doesn't dilute the sauce. Excess water in the vegetables will make your vegetable dish watery. Now that you have the chops, complete your Chinese meals with a plate of fresh, green, and delectable Chinese greens. Trust me, vegetables never look or tasted this good from now on. :) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Want more garlic oil and oyster sauce Chinese cooking? Check out these recipes on Rasa Malaysia: Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Oil Stir-fried Napa Cabbage with Garlic Oil Ginger and Scallion Chicken :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Recipe: Restaurant-style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce Ingredients: Your favorite Chinese greens (I used 6 baby bok choy for my dish) 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand preferred) 1 tablespoon water 1/4 teaspoon cooking oil 1/2 teaspoon sugar 2 dashes of white pepper powder Garlic Oil: 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 teaspoon oil Method: Prepare the garlic oil first by heating up your wok and stir fry the minced garlic until they turn light brown. Dish out and set aside. Heat up a pot of water and bring it to boil. Add two small drops of cooking oil into the water. Drop your vegetables into the boiling water and quickly blanch them for about 20-30 seconds (depends on the quantity). As soon as they turn slightly wilted, transfer them out and drain the excess water off the vegetables. Arrange the vegetables on a plate. In a wok, heat up the cooking oil, and then add the oyster sauce, water, sugar, and white pepper powder. As soon as the sauce heats up and blends well, transfer and drench it over the blanced vegetables. Top the vegetables with the garlic oil and serve immediately. Cook's Note: For the garlic oil, the garlic will continue to cook in the oil so as soon as they turn light brown in the wok, you should dish it out. Eventually, they will turn golden brown. :) Continue Reading "Recipe: Restaurant-style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce"

Recipe: Stir-fried Napa Cabbage

(Click on the image above to view the complete photoset of 5 pictures) A simple and delightful dish--stir-fried napa cabbage with dried shrimp (and straw mushrooms). Straw mushrooms are optional but I put them into the stir-fry as I had some leftover in the fridge. Surprisingly, they transformed this humble recipe and added extra flavor, texture, and color to my stir-fried napa cabbage. I loved it! If you are a Chinese-Malaysian or Chinese, I am sure many of you have had this dish growing up; perhaps you are still preparing it at home. It's one of those homey dishes that reminds you of your mother's--or your grandmother's--cooking... I served my napa cabbage with a dollop of garlic oil and fried garlic on top of this dish. What a great idea. It infused the serving with garlicky aroma. You should try it, too! To make other nostalgic and homey Chinese-Malaysian dishes, AKA the food of my childhood, please check out my recipes below (recommended and pair well with stir-fried napa cabbage): Malaysian Sweet and Sour Eggs (Eggs Masak Branda/Belanda) Stir-fried Eggs with Red Onions and Shrimp Bean Sprouts with Salted Fish Malaysian-style Ladies Fingers/Okras Pork Ribs and Lotus Root Soup Bean Curd Sticks and Pork Ribs Soup Stir-fried Bean Curds with Leeks Braised Bean Curd/Firm Tofu with Mushrooms Steamed Tofu and Ground Pork Steamed Eggs with Cincaluk/Steamed Eggs with Fermented Shrimp Recipe: Napa Cabbage with Dried Shrimp (and Straw Mushrooms) Ingredients: 3 cups chopped napa cabbage 6 straw mushrooms (cut into halves) - optional 3 cloves garlic (chopped finely) 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (soaked in warm water for 10 minutes, drained and set aside) 1 teaspoon oyster sauce 1 tablespoon cooking oil Method: Make the garlic oil first by stir-frying the chopped garlic with the cooking oil. Dish out half of it when the garlic turns golden brown. With the remaining garlic oil in the wok, add in the dried shrimp and do a few quick stir until you smell the aroma of the dried shrimp. Add in the straw mushrooms and do a quick stir, then follow by the chopped napa cabbage. Stir fry for 1 minute and then add in the oyster sauce. Stir well and dish out the napa cabbage when it's still somewhat "crunchy" and not over-cooked. Top the stir-fried napa cabbage with the remaining half of garlic oil. Serve immediately. Continue Reading "Recipe: Stir-fried Napa Cabbage"

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Fish Balls

(Click on the image above to view the complete photoset of 7 pictures) For most Asian countries, fish ball is a very common ingredient that can be found in everyday cooking. In Malaysia, fish balls are mostly used as toppings to noodle-based or soup-based dishes (noodle soup, fried noodles) and also served in soups. Fish balls are very versatile and I often keep a packet or two of frozen fish balls in my fridge. I love cooking fish balls dishes such as curry fish balls, braised fishballs with bean curd and daikon in claypot, and sweet and sour fish balls featured above. Sweet and sour fish balls are very easy to make; I prepared mine in less than 15 minutes. It calls for very simple and easy-to-get ingredients. What I love most about the dish is that it can be a main entree that goes very well with steamed rice, but it can also be converted to a little snack--one that you can eat pretty much anytime of the day when you're hungry. Want something fancier? Sure. Find yourself some toothpicks and suddenly, they transform into some nice Asian-style hors d'oeuvres that would please your crowd at parties... While I love fish balls, I must say that not all fish balls are created equally. Some bad fish balls have strong fishy odor, others are plain "powdery" (too much flour used and not enough fish). I can't get any "Made in Malaysia" fish balls in the US, so I would always go for those Made in Thailand or Singapore. Currently, my favorite brand is Dodo fish balls from Singapore with a springy texture. To view examples of fish ball found in Malaysia, please click here. (They are just the simplest kinds; there are many other shapes and forms to choose from!) Before I share the recipe, I wanted to call you attention to Menu for Hope. I am the west coast host this year and would love for you to be a part of this charity event. Kindly read this post and send me your entry latest by tomorrow, December 7th. Thanks in advance! NEW: Rasa Malaysia Suggested Menus This sweet and sour fish balls would go well with Stir-fried Chive Buds Bean Curd Sticks and Pork Ribs Soup Indian Squid Curry (Gulai Sotong) Recipe: Sweet and Sour Fish Balls Ingredients: 10-12 fish balls 1 1/2 tablespoon tomato sauce/ketchup 1/2 teaspoon Sri Racha chili sauce (or any spicy chili sauce) 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce 1/2 teaspoon oil Sesame seeds Method: Deep fry the fish balls until they turn golden brown. Dish out and set aside. In a sauce pan, add in 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil, ketchup, chili sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and stir until the sauces are well blended. Toss in the fish balls and coat them well with the sauce. Dish out, top with sesame seeds, and serve hot. Continue Reading "Recipe: Sweet and Sour Fish Balls"

Recipe: Asari Miso Soup (Miso Soup with Clams)

I can’t seem to find anyone who doesn’t like Miso soup—the ubiquitous Japanese soup that is commonly served with Japanese lunch combos (bento boxes) in the United States. I am a big fan of miso soup. It’s light, invigorating with the simplest of ingredients (no scary animal fat floating at the top of the soup!) I love slurping Miso soup—especially when it turns cold in the western hemisphere--holding up the bowl in my two hands and drinking it down. It’s such a comfort food. This is my Asari Miso Soup, or a deluxe version of plain Miso soup. The addition of clams infuses the traditional serving with a tint of brininess of the clams--an ingredient that perks up the taste immediately. Recently, I had Miso soup with tofu puffs at a Japanese restaurant—another brilliant ingredient that add some texture to the soup... It took me less than 20 minutes to make my Asari Miso Soup; it’s perfect for a quick lunch meal or light dinner. Just don’t forget the steamed rice. Other Japanese recipes can be found here. Recipe: Asari Miso Soup (Miso Soup with Clams) Ingredients: ½ pound Manila Clams 3 – 4 cups water 2 tablespoons Dashi-flavored Miso paste or to taste (I used red Miso paste) 4 small tofu puffs (cut into pieces) ½ block soft tofu (cut into small cubes) Some chopped scallion Method: Bring the water to boil. Add the Miso paste and make sure it dissolves well before adding in the soft tofu and tofu puffs. Add clams and boil for about 2 minutes or until all clams are open. Top with the chopped scallion and serve hot with steamed rice. Continue Reading "Recipe: Asari Miso Soup (Miso Soup with Clams)"

Thai Recipe: Son-In-Law Eggs

(Click on the image above to view the complete photoset of 3 pictures) This past weekend, our neighborhood Ralph was giving away free eggs--a carton of 18 large eggs. Being the cheapo shopper that I am, I didn't pass up the opportunity, of course. I have always loved eggs and I do shop at Ralph, plus more eggs mean I can experiment with some baking and make my favorite egg dishes such as this and this. I did bake, but failed two times and wasted 8 eggs! I am not going to get into the excruciatingly painful and embarrassing details about my baking debacle (I am still in agony), but there was one thing that I did successfully with my eggs--this Thai recipe of son-in-law eggs... (Don't ask me about the name. I am puzzled. Why aren't they daughter-in-law eggs? Hmmm, I smell gender discrimination.) Anyway, these son-in-laws eggs are very good eggs. It's a simple dish with lots of flavor--tangy, savory, syrupy, and a little spicy. The taste is similar to my Malaysian sweet and sour eggs, but the eggs are first hard-boiled, deep-fried, and then topped with tamarind sauce. The sauce was so good that I practically had to dabble the very last bit of it--leaving not a single drop--with my fingers! Yeah, I kid you not. I suspect the same tamarind sauce would go every well with deep-fried fresh water prawns, but that is another post. ;) If you like what you see, please also checkout my related egg recipes and Thai food recipes below: Malaysian Sweet and Sour Eggs Stir-fried Eggs with Red Onions and Shrimp Tom Yum Goong Pandan (Screwpine Leaf) Chicken Thai Yellow Curry As the main ingredient of this post is eggs, I am entering this to CLICK: Oct 2007 Food Photography event hosted by Jai and Bee. Thai Recipe: Son-In-Law Eggs Adapted from Thai Cooking Made Easy Ingredients: 4 boiled eggs (shelled) 2 big shallots (finely shredded) Oil for deep frying Scallion or cilantro for garnishing Tamarind Sauce 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (or to taste) 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or to taste) 4 tablespoons tamarind juice (use about a small ping pong ball size of tamarind pulp and mix with water to extract the juice) 1 glove garlic (minced) 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes 1 tablespoon ground peanut 1 tablespoon oil Method: Deep-fried the eggs until the skin turns brown. Dish out and slice into halves. Arrange them on a plate. Deep fried the shredded shallots until golden brown, remove and place on paper towel to absorb oil. Heat up a sauce pan, pour in the oil and saute the minced garlic until light brown. Add the dried chili flakes, ground peanut, do a quick stir, and follow by the tamarind juice, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Bring it to boil and pour the sauce on top of the eggs. Top with fried shallots and scallion/cilantro. Serve hot with steamed white rice. Cook's note: Thai Cooking Made Easy (written in both English and Chinese) is a practical cookbook for Thai food. I have tried many of the recipes on the book and love the authenticity and flavors. A must-have for people who love Thai food. Buy now! Continue Reading "Thai Recipe: Son-In-Law Eggs"

Penang Chee Cheong Fun / Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimp Paste

What do I eat when I get very lazy? A plate of home-made Penang chee cheong fun (click here to see the real stuff), or steamed rice rolls with shrimp paste. Gourmet Food? No. Satisfaction? Yes. Nostalgic? Check. Certified-fresh, delicious, and hassle-free for lazy bums? Absolutely! Here are my quick guide to this lazy-person dish... Fresh rice rolls -- buy it at any Asian stores. Steam it (if you bother) or nuke it in the microwave (highly recommended for lazy people). Cut the rice rolls into bite sizes (as pictured). Penang shrimp paste sauce or "Hae Ko" -- get this thick, dark, gooey (but highly flavorful) sauce at Asian stores. In Southern California, you can get it at Hong Kong supermarket. If you are a Malaysian, smuggle it the next time you come back from Malaysia. Scoop up a spoonful or two and drizzle the sauce sparingly onto the rice rolls. If you want to sweeten the deal, add a teaspoon of Lee Kum Kee hoisin sauce to the shrimp paste and blend well. Cooking oil -- Add a spoonful to the dish. White sesame seeds -- Sprinkle generously on top of the rice rolls. A quick and lazy easy way to feed your hunger! To view more delicious foods from my hometown Penang, click here. Continue Reading "Penang Chee Cheong Fun / Steamed Rice Rolls with Shrimp Paste"

Recipe: Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Oil

If you have been following this blog for a while, you should know by now that I am addicted to shrimp. The hard evidence can be found on Rasa Malaysia recipes index--you can practically spot shrimp, more shrimp, and even more shrimp dishes on the page. Here is my simple and healthy (since it's loaded with garlic!) shrimp dish that is extremely simple to make. Just chop off the eyes part of the shrimp head, make a slit down the back, remove the vein, steam and then top them off with heaps of garlic oil. Ooh La La. With such versatility and wide range of flavors, now how can I not love shrimp?! Recipe: Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Oil Ingredients: 10 head-on shrimp 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 stalk scallion (chopped) 1/8 teaspoon of salt 3 drops fish sauce 5 drops sesame oil 1 1/2 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine 1 1/2 tablespoon of water 1 dash of white pepper powder 3 tablespoons cooking oil Method: Heat up the wok and add in the cooking oil. Lightly fry the chopped garlic until they turn golden brown. Set aside. Chop off the eyes part of the shrimp head, slit the back and deveined. Pat dry and place all shrimp on a plate. Season the shrimp with the ingredients above. Steam for 5 minutes. Top the shrimp with the garlic oil and garnish with chopped scallion. Continue Reading "Recipe: Steamed Shrimp with Garlic Oil"

Recipe: Ginger and Scallions Chicken (姜葱鸡)

Stir-fried chicken with ginger and scallions (姜葱鸡) is a traditional Chinese dish. As simple as the ingredients sound, this is not an easy dish to cook well. This dish needs a lot of wok skills. Hence, this ginger-and-scallions style of cooking is often my litmus test when I go to a new Chinese/Cantonese restaurant. If a chef can make a mighty wok hei-infused ginger-and-scallions dish--be it chicken, beef, crab, or lobster--it's a sure fire sign that the food will be great. At home, I like cooking this dish when I want something quick and simple with my steamed rice (aka 30-minute meal) . I always marinate the chicken meat with potato flour (生粉) or corn starch. (This is one of the many secrets of Chinese cooking; this process will make the meat extra tender and smooth.) I once asked a master Chinese chef and he told me that potato flour is preferred as a tenderizing agent due to the gelatinous texture. He also told me that a wee bit of baking soda will do even more wonders to tenderize the meat. Ginger and scallions. Chicken and rice. My ideal and homey meal. Recipe: Stir-fried Chicken with Ginger and Scallions Ingredients: 1 chicken breast (deboned, skinned and cut lengthwise into 2-inch chicken strips) 4 stalks of scallions (cut into 2-inch sections) 2 inches fresh ginger root (sliced into pieces) 3 tablespoons cooking oil (one tablespoon for marinating chicken) 1/2 tablespoon of potato flour or corn flour 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil 1/4 teaspoon of sugar 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine 1 dash of white pepper powder Salt to taste Method: Marinate the chicken strips with potato flour or corn flour and add one tablespoon of oil to seal in the juice of the chicken. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. Heat up your wok and pour the remaining cooking oil into the wok. When the wok gets very hot and begins to smoke, add in the ginger and stir for a few seconds, then add the scallions and stir until thoroughly hot. Add in the chicken strips and continue to stir well. Just when the chicken strips start to cook, add in the oyster sauce, sesame oil, cooking wine, white pepper, sugar, and toss the wok a few times. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed white rice. Continue Reading "Recipe: Ginger and Scallions Chicken (姜葱鸡)"

Feeling Under the Weather...

I've been feeling unwell since Monday and lost much of my appetite. My severe headache is killing me, my throat is scratchy, I have blocked nose and can't breathe. Arrrghhh! Luckily this bowl of steaming hot beehoon/vermicelli soup came to my rescue. Unlike my mother's common belief that porridge/congee has magic healing power when one is sick, I opted for this dish instead. Ill or healthy, I've got to have my shrimp fix. A couple of head-on shrimps, a few dried shitake mushrooms, some fish balls plus the ultimate chili soy sauce, I think I am already feeling better. Recipe: Beehoon Soup/Vermicelli Soup Ingredients: 1 serving of vermicelli (soak in hot water) 1 can of chicken broth 1/3 cup of water 2-3 shrimps 3 dried Shitake mushrooms (soak in hot water, remove the stems, and cut into quarter's) 2 cloves of garlic (minced) 3 fish balls 1 stalk of scallion (chopped) Salt to taste A dash of white pepper powder 3 drops of sesame oil Method: Heat up the wok with some cooking oil and stir-fry the chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in the can of chicken broth and water and bring the soup to boil. Add in the shrimps, fish balls, and vermicelli. As soon as the shrimps and vermicelli are cooked, add in the seasoning, dish up and serve hot. Continue Reading "Feeling Under the Weather..."

Grilled Enoki Mushrooms Wrapped with Smoked Chicken Breast

Today, my quest for smell-friendly food continues with grilled Enoki mushrooms wrapped with smoked chicken breast. Inspired by Japanese yakitori, these grilled Enoki mushrooms are light, juicy, and appetizing--thanks to store-bought smoked chicken breast deli slices and the nice presentation. Lightly charred on the surface but still moist in the core, popping these little bites into my mouth was indeed satisfying. While I used chicken breast, any deli meats would work--turkey, sliced ham, bologna, or even bacon. Aside from the simple ingredients, these little hors d'oeuvres have the extra bonus of grilling in just minutes. Now this is what I call no-hassle food. Make them at home or for your next party; I can assure you that this recipe will be a crowd-pleaser! Recipe: Grilled Enoki Mushrooms Wrapped with Smoked Chicken Breast Ingredients: 1 pack of chicken breast deli slices 1 stalk of celery (sliced into small pieces for garnishing) 2 pack