Ophe's Char Siu Pork

I don't really enjoy the red coloring on the char siu pork so I decide not to use it for my version of char siu pork... The Japanese ramen type :) Brown ones...



Ingredients
-1 1/4 lbs pork tenderloins
-1 1/2 inches fresh ginger, grated
-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-1/4 cup light soy sauce
-1/4 cup rice wine (Mirin)
-2 spring onions, chopped finely
-3 tablespoons brown sugar
-1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
-2 tablespoons soy bean paste
-1 tablespoon vegetable oil
-1/3 cup honey
-1 pinch salt
-1 pinch fresh ground black pepper

Directions
1) Using a sharp knife, make slashes along the top and bottom of the pork fillet.
2) Combine all the remaining ingredients, and marinade the pork for 2-3 hrs or overnight if you can
3) Preheat the oven to 350.
4) Drain the pork from its marinade, and place on a rack set over a roasting pan, half-filled with hot water.
5) Cook the pork for about 15 minutes, then coat with some sauce.
6) Turn the meat over so it colors on all sides.
7) Baste regularly with the extra marinade while cooking.
8) Cook for 15-25 more minutes more, testing at 15 minutes to see if it's done to your liking.
9) Let sit for 10 minutes to distribute juices, then slice into 1/4" pieces, and serve.

Crispy Fried Chicken Spring rolls

Crispy Fried Chicken Spring rolls

These are delicious! I was surprised... Sweet and tangy! Yesterday, attended Waldo's 1st birthday and we bought a roast chicken from Safeway to the party. And we had so much of the leftover chicken I decided to shred it into pieces and made chicken porridge today. After making the chicken porridge, there were still more shredded chicken left and so I researched online and chanced upon this nice easy recipe. Carrots checked! Popiah skin checked! Cabbage checked! Mushrooms checked! Shredded chicken meat checked! So crispy fried chicken spring rolls here we go!



Ingredients (Makes approximately 30pieces)
-2 tablespoons peanut oil
-1 medium carrot (shredded)
-1 small cabbage (shredded)
-100 g mushrooms, thinly sliced 200 g cooked chicken (shredded)
-1 pinch white pepper
-3 teaspoons caster sugar
-1 tablespoon light soy sauce
-1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
-2 teaspoons sesame oil
-2 tablespoons cornflour
-30 spring roll wrappers
-vegetable oil (for frying)

Directions
1) Heat the peanut oil in a wok.When hot,stir fry the carrot for 1 minute.Add the cabbage,mushroom,and chicken and fry for another minute,stirring all of the time.

2)Season with a little pepper,add the sugar,both soy sauces and the sesame oil.

3)Combine 2 tsp of the cornflour with about 3 tbsp of water and stir into the filling while still on the heat.Any juices will soon thicken.Remove from heat and leave to cool.

4)Combine remaining cornflour with enough water to make a thin paste.Lay out a spring roll wrapper and put 1 tbsp of filling across one end.brush the edges of the wrapper with cornflour liquid to help it stick.

5)Fold the two opposite edges of the wrapper over part of the filling and roll into a tight cylinder.Pinch the edges together to form a good seal.

6)Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

7)Heat the veg oil in a deep fryer,and cook rolls in batches until golden and crisp.

Serve with your favorite sauces... Chili sauce, ketchup, mayonaisse?!

Cheese Toast with Eggs

This is delicious, I learnt from a lady in a forum... Super easy and delicious with a nice glass of Chilled orange juice!!!

Ingredients (For 2 pax)
- 4 slices of bread
- 2 eggs
-2 pieces of your favorite cheese
-pepper, salt and basil leaves

Directions
-Make a tiny hole in the center of 2 pieces of bread
-Place a piece of cheese in between a piece of bread and the piece you had made a hole in
-Place the eggs in hot water for 3- 4 mins
-Beat one egg into the center of the hole in the bread
-Pre heat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit
-Place bread and toast till desired browness...

Chocolate Nut Brownie

Brownie, recipe shared by my darling Manqi! Courtesy of Women's weekly I think.
Ice cream and Hershey topping, idea thought of by me! =) Enjoy!



Serves 4
Ingredients
-90g of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
-4 tbsp of canola oil
-2 eggs
- 90g of sugar
-1 tsp salt
-55g of plain flour, sifted with 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/8 tsp of baking powder
-60g nuts, chopped coarsely

Directions
-Pre heat oven at 160 degrees celcius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit
-Grease lightly a 20cm by 20cm baking pan
-Melt chocolate by stirring in a bowl over a pot of hot boiling water
-Cool slightly then slowly whisk the oil into the chocolate, mix well
-In another bowl, beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt together
-Stir in chocolate then flour, until lump free
-Add nuts, reserve about 1 tbsp
-Pour mixture into pan, Sprinkle remaining nuts over
-Bake for 25mins
-Cool and cut into slices

Serving
-Before I serve, I warm the brownie in the mirowave for 30secs (Who doesn't love nice, warm brownie?!)
-A scoop of vanilla ice cream (Vanilla goes best with chocolate, that's what I felt) and drizzle hershey's double chocolate sauce all over the dessert!

Tada... Enjoy!

Chicken or Pork Katsudon

Recipe found in a forum known as Les Dames!



Ingredients to make chicken katsu
2 slices of chicken thigh, deboned
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour, mix with 1/2 tsp of salt and half tsp of pepper
2 - 3 cups panko
oil enough for deep frying

Method
1) Beat the 2 eggs in a medium bowl
2) Coat chicken with flour mix, dip into beaten egg, then coat with panko.
3) Double dip the chicken once again to ensure a nice crust after frying
3) Fry in oil till cooked & golden brown.

Ingredients to make the broth
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp of sugar
4 slices of ginger
1 white onion, thinly sliced

Method
1) Simmer onions, broth, mirin, soy, sugar and ginger in a large pan over low heat for 15 minutes

To serve the Chicken Katsudon
1) 4 eggs, beaten
2) 2 stalks green spring onion, cut into 2 inches slice
3) Heat a frying pan
4) Add in 1 cup of the broth
5) Once the broth is simmering, add in the Chicken Katsudon
6) After about half a minute, pour in half the amount of egg
7) Let the egg curdle, then pour in the rest of the eggs. Allow the egg to be fully cooked.
8) Serve over hot white rice and top up the dish with the left over gravy



*Pork may be substituted for Chicken to make Pork Katsudon

Chai Tow Kuey

My very own recipe with credits to Jessica Yap!
Copied her Cantonese Style carrot cake and reproduce our very own!





Ingredients for the kuey
-80g rice flour
-10oz water
-½ tsp pepper
-½ tsp sugar

-100g shredded radish
-60g shredded carrot

To Do
1. Combine ingredients for savory cake mixture. Set aside.
2. Fry radish and carrots.
3. Add in rice flour mixture.
4. When it thickens, pour mixture into greased tin .
5. Steam for 1 hr.

Allow steam kueh to cool before cutting

Ingredients for White Chai Tow Kuey
-1 Egg
-1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce
-Pickled radish (Chai Po)- depending on how much you like it
-1 chopped garlic
-1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Directions for White Chai Tow Kuey (For 1 person)
-Beat egg, fish sauce and pickled radish together, set aside
-Heat oil in pan and add in chopped garlic
-Once garlic is aromatic, add in the Kuey
-Fry for about 2-3 mins
-Stir egg mixture and pour into the pan
-Flip the mixture of Kueh and egg until desired crispiness
-Garnish with Coriander leaves
*My mum used to put squid and prawns on the white chai tow kuey and and I find them exciting!!!

Ingredients for Black Chai Tow Kuey
-1 Egg
-1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce
-Pickled radish (Chai Po)- depending on how much you like it
-1 chopped garlic
-1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil
-2 tbsp of Kechap manis (More if your desire it to be darker)

Directions for White Chai Tow Kuey (For 1 person)
-Beat egg, fish sauce and pickled radish together, set aside
-Heat oil in pan and add in chopped garlic
-Once garlic is aromatic, add in the Kuey
-Fry for about 2-3 mins
-Stir egg mixture and pour into the pan
-Add in the kechap manis
-Black Chai Tow Kuey are "wetter" in texture then in the white ones

Claypot Chicken Rice

This recipe is from Lily Wai's blogspot!

Serves about 4-5 pax

Ingredients:

2 cups rice, washed and drained

3 cups chicken stock

2 chicken drumsticks cut into pieces (bone in chicken pieces can also be used)

5 Chinese mushrooms, soaked, cut into half

1 Chinese sausage, sliced

1 ½ cm thick salted fish, sliced thinly, fried till crispy

1 tbsp black soya sauce4 tbsp garlic oil

Marinade:

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tsp of ginger juice (grated a knob of ginger and squeeze)

1 tbsp sesame oil

½ tsp pepper

½ tsp sugar

½ tbsp corn flour

Garnishing:

Spring onion chopped

Method:

1. Mix chicken, mushrooms with marinade and ginger, season for 30 minutes.

2. Put rice and chicken stock into a clay pot, cover and bring to boil lower fire and cook with low heat till holes are formed on top. (About 15 minutes)

3. Spread marinated chickens and mushrooms, Chinese sausage on top, cover and cook with low heat till rice is dry and chicken pieces are cooked (another 15 minutes).

Remove from fire.

4. Sprinkle salted fish on top, cover and leave to stand for 10 minutes till rice is dry and fluffy.

5. Before serving, sprinkle spring onion , black soya sauce and garlic oil, mix in to combine toppings and rice.

Chicken Chop

This recipe is from a forum known as Les Dames.
Very simple to make and yummy!

Ingredients (depending on whether you prefer pork or chicken....
1) Slice pork or chicken in ur desire cut
2) Marinate with soy sauce, pepper, sesame oil
3) one egg beaten
4) bread crumbs
5) one small pot of oil to fry

Directions:
1) After marinate for 1/2hr, dipped in beaten egg then to bread crumbs.
2) Fry the pork or chicken once the oil is heated, do not stir.
3) When it is golden brown, take out n drained off the excess oil.

I serve it with fries, some side vegetables and toasted garlic bread. I think salad would be lovely...

Cantonese Lemon Chicken

A pretty easy recipe and very yummy esp with white rice!The recipe uses chicken breast but I personally prefer chicken thigh, I find the chicken part much more tender... Enjoy
*Recipe adapted from "The essential Asian Cookbook"

Total cooking time: 25mins

Ingredients-
Chicken
:: 500g of chicken breast fillets
:: 1 egg yolk beaten
:: 1 tablespoon of water
:: 2 teaspoons soy sauce
:: 2 teaspoons dry sherry
:: 3 teaspoons cornflour
:: 1/2 cup of cornflour (extra)
:: 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of plain flour
:: Oil (for deep frying)

-Lemon Sauce
:: 1/3 cup (80mls) fresh lemon juice
:: 2 tablespoons water
:: 2 tablespoons sugar
:: 1 tablespoon dry sherry
:: 2 teaspoons cornflour
:: 1 tablespoon water (extra)

-Garnish:: Spring Onions
:: Lemon pieces

Directions
1) Cut the chicken meat into long strips and set aside
2) Combine the marinate and mix until smooth (Egg, water, Soy Sauce, Sherry and Cornflour)
3) Marinate the chicken meat into the mixture and set aside for 10 mins
4) Sift the extra cornflour and plain flour together on a plate
5) Roll each piece of chicken in the flour
6) Place the chicken in a single layer on a plate ready to be fried
7) Heat the oil of deep frying in a wok or pan
8) Carefully lower the piece of chicken individually into the oil and cook until golden brown
9) Remove the chicken and drain on paper towels
10) Let the chicken stand while you prepare the sauce
11) To make lemon sauce, Combine the lemon juice, water, sugar and sherry in a small pan.
12) Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
13) Stir the cornflour into the extra table spoon of water and mix to a smooth paste
14) Add it into the lemon juice mixture ( I did not add all, just a bit at a time until the sauce thickens to your liking) stirring constantly
15) Set the sauce aside

NOTE: The first frying of the chicken can be done several hours in advance

16) Just before serving, reheat the oil in the wok to very hot and add all the chicken pieces and fry for 2 mins until very crisp and a rich golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
17) Pile the chicken onto a serving plate and drizzle the sauce over, sprinkle the spring onion and serve immediately.

Chicken Pie

INGREDIENTS (Ingredients depends on how much and what kind you like to have in the pie.)
:: 2 pieces of Frozen Puff Pastry
:: 2 big chicken thigh meat-excess fat trimmed
:: A cup of brown mushroom ( I used the small portobello mushrooms) sliced or chopped
:: 1 Carrot chopped, steam or boil to soften
:: Half a French Onion
:: 1-2 Bay Leaves
:: 2 tbsp of butter or oil
:: Salt and Pepper to taste
:: 1 tbsp of cornflour mix with 1 tbsp of chicken stock

DIRECTIONS
:: Place chicken meat, onion, water and bay leaves to cover. Boil then simmer for 30 mins.
:: Remove, strain stock, shred chicken meat and discard bones (Darling prefers pieces of chicken instead of shredding them, so it depends on whether you prefer chicken chunks or shredded pieces)
:: Melt butter in pan over medium fire
:: Stir fry chicken, and mushrooms. Add vegetables like carrot and onions if you want at this point.
:: Add stock, simmer until mixture is runny.
:: Season with salt and pepper
:: Add the cornstarch mixture, stir and simmer for 30secs.
:: Preheat oven at 220 degrees celcius.
:: Meanwhile grease your baking dish and lined it with the Frozen Pastry. I lined the sides as well.
:: Prick the base with a fork. Spoon the filling into the dish.
:: Cover with a second pastry sheet.
:: Trim excess and press edges to seal.
:: Make light cuts on top and bake for 15 to 20 mins until lightly brown.