A Place to Shop for Kitchen Utensils

"A hidden treasure in Eunos, where I bought my kitchen precious with varieties, sizes, colours, designs, materials.. etc, @ Kitchen.Mart"

I am not a spokeman for any of these shopping places, but if you are interested to know where to get cheap/ good/ varieties of kitchenware, I will tell you where I got some of my kitchen stuff.

Kitchen.Mart is a big warehouse-like shop which meants for business users or wholesalers to buy their kitchenware and utensils in bulk. However, this place does accept walk-in customers, and hence, you won't see crowds here, even on a weekend.

This place was found by my hubby, and he was certain that I will like this place to get my new wok. So, he brought me there few weeks ago. I ended up with a big bucket of kitchen wares home (laughing)!


I was glad to find this place as it is so huge and complete with all the kitchenware you need, with reasonable price, too! Like I said, this place is meant for wholesalers or business users. If you intend to open your own food business, this will be the place for you!


You may find most of the items come in different sizes and colours.

I bought a large tradition claypot as my existing one cracked. It costs only S$7.50 for a large one. I will use it to cook claypot chicken rice!

I got the deep stew pot from here, too, for double boiling use. I intend to steam my bird nest soup or sweet pear soup in due. As you can see, the large pot costs only S$4!

Assorted stainless steel pots. I did not get any of these as I have enough pots, so far. But I got more baking pans here, though.

And, most of all, the WOK, all kinds of materials and sizes!! They sell those modern wok/ large pan with single-handle at one side, too. However, I am bored with using that expensive kind of wok now. So, I chose a Chinese wok, but not the iron/ stainless steel kind. I got a black non-stick Chinese wok. It is indeed truely non-stick, and I find it good to use, so far.

And guess what, for the usual $120 branded single-handle pan/ wok I have gotten from departmental stores all the time, I got this non-stick Chinese wok here for only $28 (plus a $3 simple-looking metal lid which I matched it on the spot with the options they have it there).

By and large, this place is good to shop for varieties of not-so-branded kitchen items with good prices. You have all your freedom to walk around this huge place and get all you wanted for your kitchen, from modern to traditional designs.. You can even find large eletronics, such as, food processor/ oven and fridges, here.

We spent 2 hours here and got a load of kitchen items home, just $130 for the bill!

Well, you must be anxious to know how to get there?

As you could see my GPS location, the address is:
105 Eunos Ave 3, Eunos Industrial Estate, Singapore.
Tel: 6746 9919
Retail operating hour:
Monday - Saturday, 10am - 7pm
Sunday & Public Holiday, 10am - 5pm

This place is more an industrial area where you may find many surrounding buildings. Kitchen.Mart is located at the ground floor in a building, not too far in. To get there by train, I think the nearest MRT station there should be Paya Lebar station. Take a cab, and it will not be too far from there. Sorry that I could not advise you more details on getting there, as hubby fetched us there during a weekend afternoon.

Chinese Braised (Pork Belly & Egg) in the Croak Pot

"Hearty one-pot dinner, Braised Pork Belly and Braised Egg (卤五花肉&卤蛋), try this simple Chinese braise dish that whets appetite! Do it simple, with your slow cooker."

I braise often as I think this is the easiest 1-dish-meal as an express cooking for the working class, like myself. Braise or stew, they are both good cooking method that make your cooking less hassle, which you could have this robust 1-pot dinner packs in meat, mushrooms, tofu, and/ or eggs. The flavourful gravy from the braised pork dish truly whets your appetite, too. A plate of plain steamed rice or a few Chinese steamed bun is the only accompaniment you need for a complete meal.

My girl loved this braised dish so much, especially the egg! My girl seldom eat meat, and she took only the braised egg and refused to eat any meat, at first. I had to persuade her to take some. Finally, she tried. And guess what? She ended up eating more meat than usual, and even yearned for more. She told me that the meat was so tender, and she loved the flavourful gravy to go with her rice. Of course, we completed the whole pot of braise, at last (smile).

I used pork meat to do the braising, usually, with addition of Chinese Shitake mushrooms, tofu, tau pok (tofu puff), and/ or hard-boiled eggs. And, I have a few different braising methods with some variations on ingredients used, which posted previously. This, is another recipe of my braising dish. Simple, and delicious home cooked Chinese braise. This braised meat is also perfect to cook when hosting a small gathering at home, to stretch your dollar on the food ingredients and satisfy the crowd at the same time. It’s, too, simple to cook and presentable to serve.

Serves 3 – 4
Ingredients
300 - 400 grams of pork belly, thickly sliced
4 eggs, hard boiled

Seasoning for pork belly:
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
Pinch of grounded white pepper

2 tablespoons of cooking oil (*for sautéing of pork belly)

Ingredients for braising sauce (卤水汁 "Lu Shui Zhi"):
2 cups of water (about 500ml)
3 star anise (八角)
4 dried cloves aka Syzygium aromaticum (丁香) *see right pic
1 cinnamon stick (桂皮)
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons of fish sauce
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon of rice wine or *Mirin (Japanese rice wine, preferred)
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
Dash of grounded white pepper

Pinch of salt (Optional)

Method
1) Slice pork belly into chunks, rinse and season with the listed condiments. Marinate overnight (if you are going to cook before going off work in the morning), or at least 1 hour on the same day. Keep it in the refrigerator before use.

2) Boil a pot of water to cook the eggs for 10 minutes, or till it turns completed solid as hard-boiled eggs. Let it cool before peeling the shell. Reserve for later. If you have time, do this in the morning. Boil the egg while sautéing the pork. Then, do the peeling after settling the pork belly in slow cooker. Otherwise, pre-boil the eggs the night before and place it in the refrigerator, if you don’t mind.

3) Heat wok with oil over medium-high fire. Pat dry marinated pork belly a little, using kitchen towel, to minimize the splashing of oil when place it into heated oil. Sauté pork belly on both sides till lightly browned. Remove from wok and drain on wire strainer.

3) Return sautéed pork belly and place into the croak pot, followed by adding of all listed ingredients of braising sauce. Then, place the croak pot into the slow cooker, cover with lid, and turn on auto/ low shift mode. Then, go peel the shell of the hard-boiled eggs now (if you did not prepare it in advance), and then, place the eggs into the croak pot to braise it together with the pork belly. Now, you can off to work. Or, braise it in slow cooker for at least 5 hours, or until pork belly turns soften and both pork and eggs are ‘colored’ brown (fully coated with the braising sauce).

4) Do a taste check. Add some salt, if more briny flavor preferred. Otherwise, ladle into a large serving bowl to serve it hot, with steamed rice or bun.

A portion of Chinese braised pork belly with a braised egg counts about 420kcal. Skip the pre-sautéing may save some calories intake. If prefer it with Shitake mushroom, choose this recipe: Braised Pork & Shitake Mushroom. As for spicy braised, choose this recipe: Braised knuckles.

Variation: Add also some tofu puff (tao pok), as desired.

Tips: Using pork belly for braising is the best option as pork belly will be very tender and full of flavor. Choose leaner belly, for less greasy choice.
*The purpose of sautéing the pork belly is to enhance the texture and flavor of the meat. Leave it, if you do not wish to do so.
* Make sure the braising sauce covers all the meat and eggs while simmering in slow cooker.
* Chinese braise is supposed to use Chinese rice wine, but I chose and preferred Mirin because it has a hint of sweetness which helps to enhance the braised. I think it makes good addition to my recipe. If you have Mirin, add it instead. Otherwise, use rice wine.

Homebaked Mango Cake for Birthday Celebration

"Making of round-shaped Fresh Mango Cake as birthday cake."

I first baked this mango cake (in square shape) as 'tea cake' for my hubby's meeting at office. And, I had readers would like to bake this for the birthday celebration. And, I am sure this will be a good choice, for a easy baking, and yet, impressive enough to surprise and make the loved one happy!

So, I would like to share this mango cake, but in round shape, which tends to be more  like a birthday cake, traditionally and personally think, too. Yes, I baked this for special occasion. So, I am sharing the pictures of my round shape mango cake now, just to give you an idea how your round shape mango cake will look like, as compared to the square one which I have posted previously, even though the recipe is the same.

See recipe here: Mango Cake Recipe

And, some photos of the round mango cake in steps:

Trim away the brown layer on top of the cake, for easier creaming and better mouthfeel later. May also trim away the sides, if desired.

Gently slice the cake, horizontally, into two layers. Place them on a flat surface.

Spread mango filling on a layer. Leave some space around the edges.

Place the top layer of cake on the filling.

Do the creaming now. Creaming will be easier, if you have a revolving cake base. Well, if you can't smoothen it just like the professional work, it's OK as it will covered up with mango slices and almond flakes, anyway (winking smile). Design the cake, as you wished.

As for my cake, I decorated it with thin mango slices on top (Just slice it with peeler). And, please get some toasted almond flakes to decorate the sides. Get a packet of almond flakes, off the shelves. Method: Toast flakes in oven at 150°C, for 8 - 10 minutes, before use (Watch out the toasting constantly, to avoid burning). Otherwise, leave the sides as it is, if creaming design preferred. Actually, you may also glaze the surface of mango slices with apricot gel, for more shinny effect. Get a small tub of apricot gel from baking supplier. Method: Mix 100 gram of apricot jam and 25ml of water in a saucepan and stir well until it is thoroughly blended and mixture is smooth. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, and then, press boiled mixture through a fine wire sieve. Let it cool a little, and brush warm glaze over the cake.

Remember to get honey mangoes, really sweet ones. Otherwise, it will ruin the overall taste of the birthday cake. Choose more yellowish flesh for better looking appearance.

See, it looks pretty nice, isn't it? Ok.. not very perfect looking, but the taste of my cake was delicious! Mango was sweet, cake was soft, and cream was smooth and tasty.

I am sure this is simple enough to bake by your own at home, and good enough to impress and serve for an occassion.

Happy Baking!

Effective Ways for Mother to Slim Down

“Mummy, how do you keep your waistline in shape?”

I had talked about 10 Diet Mistakes in my Note of my FaceBook Fan Club which you already read, or probably like to read about it (*Go log in to join me at my FB fan club!). These 10 Diet Mistakes which I have shared were highlights which have to be avoided, in order to make ourselves more healthy and enhance the effectiveness of any work-out sessions or slimming programme.

This time, I came across an article which I would like to talk about, about eating home more often! I am, truly a strong believer in home cooking, and hence, this article adores me very much!

It’s true about the theory, and that’s what I believed and am practicing, still.

Why eat at home more? Correct, it’s one of the ways to slim down and get healthy with no more excuses about being fat due to being too busy to having work out like crazy in order to slim down.

COOK & EAT AT HOME MORE OFTEN
When cooking at home, you tend to control the amount of oil used in your cooking. For using less oil in your cooking, and limit deep-fried food to once or twice a week, it helps to reduce your oil intake by 50%, as compared to by eating out! You may put less salt and no MSG in your cooking which will further improve your health. With a healthy body, slimming down will then be an easier task to be achieved, in long run.

Try to cook more vegetable dishes than meaty stuff. For instances, for family of 3 – 4, it's normally 2 dishes and 1 soup in a dinner meal. So, cook 1 meat + 1 vegetable + 1 veggie soup, or 2 vegetables dishes + 1 meat soup. Always have more or larger portion of vegetables than meat dish.

If you can't cook or eat all 3 meals at home (of course), eat at least one meal says dinner, would it be fine?

Cook a vegetables medley may further allure your kids to have more vegetables as there will be varieties of vegetables in different colors that make the dish looks much more appealing than others. My girl loved my“Chap Chye” dish (Stir-fried assorted vegetables dish).

And, as parents, we are always the role model for our kids. When mummy and/ or daddy is eating healthy, they will tend to follow the same, gradually. It works for my girl who loves vegetables more than meat.

SAY NO TO LEFTOVERS!
One more thing to highlight here! Don’t eat children’s leftovers, please. Discard any leftovers. And, cook less next time, or give the children less, if they always have trouble finishing their food. Alternatively, save the ‘keepable’ leftovers and ‘transform’ it to a ‘brand new’ dish by adding some new ingredients into it to cook for subsequent meals, if it makes you feel better. I do this sometimes, too. See one of my recipes cooked with leftovers!

So, you like these ideas, don’t you (smile)?

Poached Egg

“How to poach a perfect egg? Here are the steps to obtain good egg poaching result.. And, I poach egg to make sandwich with cheese for breakfast.”

Eating poached egg is better than sunny-side-up egg, in a way, as you don’t need to add oil to cook the egg. I personally preferred poached egg for healthier diet choice as well as less hassle of cooking it. What you need is just a pot of water and vinegar to do the job without worries of resulting an oily stove or table top after cooking (smile).

Poaching an egg is not a difficult chore, but some might need a few practices to get the poaching done perfectly and beautifully. A poached egg that considers good should have consistency of springy cooked egg white (without any remaining of raw albumen) and yolk should be soft with slight runny (but slightly harden around the edges), but the doneness of the yolk can be tailored to your preference, simply by adjusting the duration of poaching.

I think poached egg makes a good breakfast. Simply eat it with plain bread or make the Egg Benedict (see my Hollandaise Sauce, if wish to make Egg Benedict) for a good breakfast to start our bright day ahead! I made a poached egg and cheese sandwich for hubby’s breakfast this time. Let’s see the steps and how to go about it.

Serves 1
Ingredients
For poaching egg:
1 large egg
Pinch of grounded white pepper
Just a touch of salt

1 pot of water, about 700 - 800ml
1 tablespoon of vinegar

For sandwich making:
2 - 3 slices of plain bread
1 slice of Cheddar cheese
Butter/ Margarine spread

Method:
1) Heat a pot of water over medium-high fire. When boiled, reduce heat to low fire and bring to a gentle simmering. Add in vinegar.

2) Swirl the simmering water first, and then, break an egg into the whirlpool. Hold on for 3 seconds to let the albumen set a little to cook and form initial shape, before stirring the water again (in quick one-direction motion) to set the egg further, using the back handle of a metal spatula or a large fork to do it. Do not hit the egg while stirring to form shape and let it swirl together with the water for about 2 minutes. If prefer firmer yolk, let it boil for another minute, before scoping up gently with a large slotted spoon, and place on a dish.

If for sandwich making, you might want to drain it on kitchen towel on a flat dish instead.

3) Sandwich: Trim the edges of bread slices (*For more crunchy bites, toast the bread. Otherwise, just leave it plain). Spread butter on each slice. Place a slice of cheese on a slice of bread, and then, top with another slice of bread. Place poached egg on it, sprinkle white pepper and salt (just a touch of it using two finger tips). Or, you may also choose to top another slice of bread on the egg, if desired. Serve.

A poached egg counts about 75kcal, while making it into sandwich with cheese, it counts about 330kcal.

Tips: Choose white wine vinegar or simply use the Chinese white vinegar for the poaching.

Homemade Savoury Durian Cake Recipe

"Singapore's All-Time-Favourite Durian Cake"

If you have not came across durian, let me tell you briefly about it. Durian is a seasonal tropical fruit in Southest Asia which we regard it as the "King of Fruit". Durian has this very distinctive and penetrating scent which you either love it, or disgust by it. However, you might not like to scent when smell it, but love its taste in the palate. I don't know, it is to me, to find the scent quite disturbing when first got the durian smell, but it yields a complete opposite effect when comes to the palate as the same scent of durian has becoming so fragrant and tasty when eat it!

Texture of good durian flesh should be felt dry on your finger tip when lightly touch/ press on the most outer layer of the flesh, with soft and creamy texture as a whole. Some durians tasted sweet while some are bitter-sweet, all depending on its species. I preferred bitter-sweet durian, if I were to eat it direct, but to use it as cake filling, it's better to request for pure sweet taste (more yellowish flesh.. *see picture on right..) instead of bitter-sweet type (more pale flesh) when selecting durians from the durian store, as sweet ones make better flavor as cake filling.

Get a better type of durian since it's for own consumption. I got the mid-level kind which is D24, imported from Malaysia, it costs about S$10 per kilogramme. You need only about 1 kg of durian (total weight includes husk) for the cake filling of my recipe. Hence, it ends up much more economical to make your own durian cake, instead of buying from the cake shop where 1kg of durian cake may easily cost you S$40 - 50.

I loved durians, fresh ones, especially. So, I used purely fresh durian flesh to make durian cake, without mixing with any sugar, cream or artificial flavouring. Durian from Malaysia tastes much more fragrant and delicious and it has more intensive flavour than those imported from Thailand. Hence, I recommend using Malaysia durians as the cake filling, because I am not too sure if you need an addition of airtificial flavour or sugar to enhance the taste of your cake filling, if you are getting the 'subtle-tasted' Thailand durian.. I am serious (winking).

Hubby and my girl loved durians, too. However, they hardly eat the fresh durian with their bare hand which it should be the usual way, as they worried about leaving strong odour on their hands for quite awhile (a day or so). Hence, making durian into cake is the best alternative for them to enjoy this favourite fruit without what the considered a hassle. And so, I'll be the one who do all the job, because I love them (smile).

Anyway, it worths all the effort, to see them indulge in such a good sweet savoury. I, too, get to satisfy my sweet tooth, with both my favourites, the durian and cake. This homemade durian cake is very good, indeed! Most of all, it's the effort that counts.

One more point I would like to bring up here, I did not blend the durian flesh, but merely used a fork to briefly mash it before using it for the filling. I liked its firmer mouthfeel. If you prefer smoother and more creamy mouthfeel, blend the durian before use, then. It will give you more a cream-like consistency, as desired.

Yields 8"/ 9" cake (about 800 - 900 grams per whole cake)
Ingredients
250 grams of sponge cake premix (Optima Ready Mix from Bake King brand)
3 medium eggs (about 200gram)
50ml water (about 1/4 small cup)
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

Filling:
6 – 8 seeds of fresh and sweet durian, seeded and mashed into durian paste with a fork (or blender, for smoother cream-like texture)

Creaming:
200ml of whipped cream (get the ready-to-use instant whipped cream or click for my Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe)

Utensil:
Lightly greased (with olive oil or butter) 8" or 9” round baking pan

Method
1) Extract durian flesh and place in a medium container. Use a fork to briefly mash and stir it till paste-like texture. Cover durian paste and keep refrigerator, reserve for later.

2) Pre-heat oven for 15 minutes, set temperature to 180°C (top and bottom heat on).

3) Break eggs into large mixing bowl. Then, add in cake premix flour, water and vanilla essence. Beat mixture with electrical mixer at medium speed (No. 2 or 3), for 10 minutes. Texture of the end-result of mixture (after beaten) should look light fluffy and creamy with some resistance.

3) Pour cake batter into the greased baking pan. Place baking pan at centre rack. Bake for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the centre comes out completely clean. The top of the cake baked should appear slightly bloated/ rounded instead of flat surfaced.

4) Allow cake to completely cool in the pan on wire rack, for about an hour, before removing from pan.

5) In the meantime, you may whip the fresh cream. Store whipped cream in the refrigerator before use.

6) When cake is cooled, gently slice it into 3 layers, horizontally. For easy spreading of whipped cream on the sponge cake, you may also remove the very top brown (baked) layer of the cake, with knife or gently peel with bare hand. Then, place the bottom layer of cake gently on a flat surface/ flat cake board, spread a thick layer of durian filling evenly on the layer of cake. Leave some space around the edges. Repeat the same for second layer. Then, top the most top (slightly rounded surfaced) layer of cake on the second layer cake. Lightly press the layers for a better hold of the cake in 3 tiers.

7) Creaming: Spread whipped cream on the entire cake, and decorate cake with some poky and sharp edgy patterns, resembling the durian thorns, all over the cake.

And, the purpose of baking the sponge cake slightly rounded on top is also to create a better shaping of durian husk design (You may even find green food coloring to mix into whipped cream for making even real-looking durian designed cake.).

Chill decorated cake in the refrigerator till ready to serve.

Actually, I thought my sponge cake was slightly too thick as I used a 7.5" round pan, even though I didn't mind to have thick layers as I loved the softness of my sponge cake which goes so well with its durian filling, but what I'll suggest, if you do prefer thinner layers, is to use a bigger baking pan to bake the sponge cake, for instances, a 9" or 10" baking pan, so that you cake will be baked wider but thinner (in term of height) in whole. Alternatively, use a smaller, 7" pan, to bake a thick cake, and then, slice it into 4 layers, to make two separate 2-tier cakes instead. You should have enough durian flesh for its fillings. Otherwise, remain as how my recipe does.

And, I hope you don't mind, frankly speaking, I am no expert in cake creaming. Perhaps, this durian cake is not pretty to you at all. Well, you know, I emphasize mainly on the quality and taste of my food, cake as well. My baking is purely for own consumption, and sometimes, as a treat to close friends. So, they won't mind if my cake does not look so pretty, as long as it's still appealing and taste genuinely delicious (laughing)!

A thick slice of creamy durian cake counts about 450kcal. I have already used only pure durian and reduced sugar amount in the sponge cake. Anyway, do enjoy the durian cake, if you are one of the durian lovers, like us (smile).

Though durian is delicious and too hard to resist, but eat durian (or durian cake) moderately. It is not only about keeping your waistline in shape (as durian is high GI fruit), it's to also avoid increasing of body heat, as Chinese believes that durian is a 'heaty' fruit which may cause heatiness in our body after taking too much of durian. So, to balance up body coolness, drink more water, herbal tea or eat some mangosteens (which it's, on contrary, regards as cooling fruit.. *See picture on left), after eating durians. I believed in drinking some salted water right after eating, for more effective cooling result.

P/S: My durian cakie was ended up a big hit to my family, and even colleagues.. Brought to work today to share with some close colleagues, and we rushed to eat it so that the office pantry would not smelt too strong (laughing).. They were pretty impressed and well-commented the cake.. Oishi! :D

Tips: Smaller baking pan used will make the top part of the bake 'pops up' slightly, it was for me to create semi durian husk-like cake design. It's OK if you sponge cake turns out flat on top, if you are using larger pan for a thinner cake, simply cream and decorate it with your some fresh ideas of your own. You have all freedom on your own cake (smile).
* This is an express & hassle free cake baking. So, go get the sponge cake pre-mix off the shelves. I've gotten it from NTUC Fairprice Extra (at their baking section).

Fried Egg with French Bean (豆角炒蛋)

“Fragrant and delicious egg dish with French bean, easy cooking for both the seasoned and beginner cooks”

There are more reasons for me to resist heavy food for now as Chinese New Year is approaching, and further more, I will be going on vacation soon. I've to cut down on food amount for the next two weeks in order for me to feel less guilty for pigging out during those two occasions (smile).

I tried to cook light plain rice porridge for dinner more often, but for the sake of my family who need not to 'suffer' with me, I will cook more dishes, but healthier ones to go along with the rice porridge. One of the dishes I could think of, is this fried-egg with French bean (String bean), which imaginably delicious and matched to put them together. Unlike long bean which will be softened after long-enough cooking, French bean, by nature, has its crunchy texture, even after cooked, which makes the biting more interesting. And, without much greenish taste from the bean itself, it will never affect the fragrance of the egg, naturally.

See, my egg dish, too, fulfills the need of balanced diet with the addition of vegetable, isn’t it? And, for its very low in fat nature, this has become one of my reasons for liking French bean so much.

This dish is very easy to prepare and cook, actually. I will also cook this dish even if we aren’t taking porridge, but the steamed rice. Its pleasant briny taste complements both the porridge and steamed rice. Moreover, it will never go wrong with cooking egg dish as it will always suit the taste bud of both my hubby and my girl. They both are egg lover!

Serves 3 – 4
1 small bunch of French bean (about 4 – 5), sliced diagonally into 1cm long, crosswise
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 – 2 tablespoon of cooking oil

Seasoning for eggs:
1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
1 - 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
Drops of sesame oil
Dash of grounded white pepper

1) Break eggs into a medium bowl and add in the listed seasoning. Beat with a fork till all mixed well and lightly foamy on the surface of the egg solution.

2) Heat wok with oil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium fire, add in garlic and stir fry till fragrant. Add French bean and sprinkle some salt. Stir-fry for few minutes, till it appears darker green in colour which means it’s cooked. Then, briefly spread the French bean on the entire wok evenly.

3) Pour egg on the French bean. Let it fry for 1 – 2 minutes to have it slightly set and lightly browned, before stirring it gently with a wooden spatula (or you may just leave the egg as one large piece size instead of breaking it). Flip the egg over to brown the other side of it. Do not cook the egg for too long, in order to retain the moist in the egg. Serve with plain rice porridge or hot steamed rice.

A portion of fried egg with French bean counts about 100kcal.

Tips: For better mouthfeel, try to tear away the thin fiber along the sides of the French bean, if possible.
* If you do not wish to have too saltish taste, omit or reduce the amount of salt which to be added in while frying the French bean.

Lung Nourishing Chinese Tonic Soup (止咳润肺汤)

"Delicious lung nourishing soup with mild sweet taste that makes it so good to drink in normal days, even if you are not having cough or so"

I am sorry to hear that one of my reader’s dad had suffered from pneumonia (肺炎). And, she asked me for a good soup to be taken by his dad who had now discharged from hospital. I knew I wouldn’t able to help much or certain that this Chinese tonic soup is helpful in such recovery, but I promised her to post a soup recipe that is good to be taken, if her dad wishes to take this soup on the usual days as it nourishes lungs and strengthens function of respiratory system.

I hope she will be able to find the soup ingredients in USA and try to cook it for her dad and even for other family members, if they do like Chinese tonic soup (smile).

I cooked this soup, whenever my family suffers from cough as it helps in relieving cough. I will even cook this soup as and when I feel like, just to drink it for nourishing purposes. It’s fine. And, we all liked this soup as it tastes mild sweet in the palate. I enjoyed chewing the almonds as they appeared so crunchy to be eaten, just like nuts, even after long boiling hours. Besides the crunch that makes the biting so interesting, these almonds are almost tasteless, while the figs were tasted sweet inside. As for the "Chuan Bei Mu" (main lung nourishing herb), though it has more green taste and not so crunchy, but still alright to eat it, if desired. Other than the abovementioned and the common wolfberries, the rest of the Chinese herbs were mainly to be cooked to extract its essence and nutrients. And, there's no need to laddle all the herbs ingredients when served. The bowlful of herbs in my soup was for illustration purposes only. I discarded and left only those I wanted to eat in the bowl, when served the soup to my family during our dinner meal (laughing).

Serves 4
Ingredients
10 - 15 grams each of the following Chinese herbs (*amount each about 1 tablespoon):
Fritillaria Bulbs “Chuan Bei Mu” (川贝母) *see pic on right
Glehniae Root “Sha Shen” (沙参)
Solomon's Seal Rhizome “Yu Zhu” (玉竹)
Liquorice Root "Gan Cao" (甘草)
Sweet Almond/ Southern Almond “Nan Xing” (南杏)
Bitter Almond/ Northern Almond or Chinese Almond “Bei Xing” (北杏)

1 teaspoon of Fructus Lycii aka Wolfberry “Gou Qi Zi” (枸杞子)

1 small Dried (Sugar Coated) Tangerine “Gan Ju Bing” (干桔饼)
8 – 10 Dried Figs “Wu Hua Guo” (无花果)

1 pot of water, 50% filled (about 800ml)

Optional:
200 grams of lean pork meat or ribs, blanched
Pinch of salt to taste
**If opted for adding these, you may wish to reduce the dried tangerine to half a piece instead, depending on how sweet you want the soup to taste.

Method:
Boil soup in slow cooker:
Add water, blanched lean meat/ ribs (if opted) and all ingredients into a croak pot. Then, place croak pot back to its slow cooker. Turn into auto shift mode and simmer for hours. At least 5 hours in low/ auto shift, or keep it simmer from morning before work, till evening after work. Do a taste check before adding salt, 10 minutes before serve.

Or, boil soup on stove:
Heat a pot of water over high fire. When boiled, reduce heat to low fire. Add blanch lena meat/ ribs (if opted) and all ingredients into the pot. Simmer for 2 - 3 hours. Do a taste check to see if salt is needed. Serve warm.

My soup (shown in the picture) was added with ribs and salt, but also reduced the amount of dried tangerine to just adding half a piece instead of one whole piece of dried tangerine as I preferred a briny-flavoured soup, with just subtle sweetness to bring up the flavour even better, for dinner.

However, it's fine to cook with or without adding meat/ ribs. Addition of salt is, thus, optional. Moreover, this soup is already sweetened, and originally tasteful enough by the dried (sugar coated) tangerine and sweet figs. I cooked it this sweet way, too, sometimes.. I also heard that it’s best try to abstain from meaty stuff during the process of recovery from lung related illnesses. Hence, the choice is yours.

This is a low-fat soup with merely 100kcal for a serving of regular bowl, if without addition of meat.

Tips: If you are unable to find dried tangerine, replace with 3 – 4 honey dates (蜜枣).
* You may do a taste check to determine if you need to add salt or not.
* Variation in choice of meat: If you do take pig's lung, add it instead of pork ribs. Thickly slice pig's lung, rinse and steep in water for 30 minutes. Blanch in boiling water and drain, before puting to simmer in the soup.

Stir-Fried Pig's Liver with Spring Onion and Ginger (姜葱豬肝)

"Stir-fried pig's liver with scallion and Hua Diao rice wine. You will like this, if you like livers, but if you don't vary the dish with other meat types and adapt the recipe, it's still perfectly fine though!"

Of course, I was following up with the the other "Scholar dish", or perhaps, it's just the usual stir-fried pig's liver dish, I shall called it now (smile).

I wanted to recommend this dish as I think having the best and freshest pig's organs is to have it dealt and cooked by your own! I have never tasted any fresher pig's livers from outside stores/ food centres than those I cooked at home, seriously. It's simply because you will choose the best liver, probably bought it freshly from the market first thing in the early morning, then store and chill it perfectly. Then, cook it almost immediately to retain its freshness, with the best cooking method you've learnt.

Hubby liked pig's liver more than I do. I did not really eat pig's organs, especially liver, due to its 'strong' smell and powdery texture in the palate which I have tasted from many food stores. However, I came to know that I won't get that kind of powdery texture and strong smell was lessen so much, if I cook it by my own at home.

Follow my cooking steps in my recipe posted previously. And, just take note of the following tips, I guess it's not hard to achieve what I meant, freshest and tastier dish of pig's liver (winking smile).

When you handle pig's liver:
1) Get the bright red liver instead of dark red or purplish one from the market or ensure the packing date is on the even date, if you got it from supermarket.

2) Keep liver in the refrigerator once reach home, and bring it out only till the moment of slicing or cooking it.

3) Just rinse the whole liver once, then slice it very thinly. Or best if you could get the butcher to do the slicing for better cut result. Then, briefly rinse one more time, when sliced.

When you cook the liver:
1) You have to do the cooking pretty quickly. Heat up a pot of water with adding some salt in it (and add even slice of ginger, if desired), then heat off once it's boiled or almost boiled. Plunge liver slices into the hot water, preferably on a strainer, for easier manipulation. Shift the strainer constantly while blanching. If you do not have a strainer, then it's OK. Just plunge liver slices in the pot of hot water. Use a chopstick to stir the liver while blanching.

2) Need not to blanch it too long, about 10 - 15 seconds will do, even it is  still very raw. I just blanch it briefly to get rid of some impurities from the meat. By the act of blanching, it also help a little in eliminating the strong smell of the liver.

3) When you cook it, do it very quickly. Stir-fry the ginger and spring onion/ scallion first. Then, here add the liver slices, and condiments. You may get all the necessary condiments mixed first or ready on hand, so that you may just add them in immediately after adding liver. Stir-fry just a little more with fast hand, reduce heat, if it is too strong.

4) Heat off and you may let the remaining heat in the wok to further cook it, but dish up once it's just done and still remained tender.

This liver dish I cooked, definately without any strong smell of the "pig's taste" or weird texture. The robust flavour cooked with this recipe does help to make it more pleasant to taste, too. You may even add some chopped Chili padi (Bird's eye chili) to spice the flavour up a little more!  Well, if you are a pig's liver lover, you will surely like this recipe!

*Just a post to share my cooking experience.

Pan-Fried Tofu with Spring Onion

"Check out what are the tips and tricks on making this sautéed tofu dish a success in both taste and appearance!"

Hey! I continued to post about this tofu dish... Mind me, it was because I wanted to tell you more about this particular dish and to introduce it to you as usual Chinese dishes now, since this is not the 'original' version, but the modified one by pan-frying/ sautéing method (smile).

No worries, I am not repeating the recipe which you may find it in previous post, I just wanted to share with you my experience in cooking this tofu dish down to details, with some cooking tips and cautions to be taken starting from preparing till cooking, too.

When you prepare the tofu:
1) Cut tofu in large pieces, to minimise tofu from disintegrated later when stir-frying.

2) Pat dry the tofu cubes with kitchen towel/ paper, so that the oil would not splash so much while placing them into the heated oil.

When you cook the tofu:
1) Heat the oil in wok over high heat, and sprinkle some salt on the tofu before placing them into wok. Do not put so much oil to pan-fry it as I want to use the shallow frying method instead of deep-frying. Use a wok/ lar frying pan to do the pan-frying will do, unless you are always there to monitor your deep-fryer. Using the deep fryer with much more oil in it will be good only to make the browning more evenly, but you have to monitor the frying all the way so that the tofu will not be fried for too long till totally crisped. The tofu is required to be only slightly sautéed, in order to remain its tenderness inside out.

2) After frying tofu, drain on kitchen towel to lessen the oil intake.

3) Be gentle when you return the sautéed tofu to the wok to stir fry it with the sauce and spring onion. Otherwise, tofu will be easily disintegrated and affect the appearance on the dish later.

4) If you prefer more gravy, add more chicken broth. Eliminate or lessen the adding of the cornstarch slurry if you find the gravy is thick enough for the dish.

5) Place the spring onion/ scallion only on last stage. Dish up gently, too.

As Vegetarian dish:
This should be a vegetarian dish. For religious purpose, simply omit the adding of garlic, and cook this dish to serve as your vegetarian meal. However, I understand some of the more particular vegetarians are not even allowed to take spring onion. So, it depends also on your religious belief, in that case. for me, I am going to cook it on my next vegetarian day.

Scholar Dishes (状元肴)

“Two important dishes to be eaten on the 1st day of school to symbolise an auspicious start of formal education for schooler"

How your cooking and dishes would help in your kid's studies? Nothing about supplementary food or valuable nutrients in the food you cooked, it's purely our personal belief, or called it a superstition in our family...

I am going to cook these two dishes tonight because today's the 1st day of school of new grade for my girl. This is a traditional belief inherited from my hubby's family, to have the scholar dishes eaten on the first day (or second) of school.

I called them the inteligent dishes (聪明菜) as the Chinese pronounciation of  inteligence (聪) and scallion (葱) are the same as "cong". After taking the dishes to symbolise a good start of school on every 1st day, hopefully the kid will become a scholar in due. So, I have also personally named the dishes as scholar dishes. Whatever you called it, just get the dishes cooked and be eaten by the kid, regardless it helps or not, or you may call me a superstitious freak, I believed that at least it does sort of boost up the confidence level of the kid that she/ he is now becoming cleverer, after taking these auspicious dishes (laughing). It plays a mental support role, too.. In fact, I believed in this ritual, partly because it was "evidenced" by my hubby who took the dishes, cooked by his mon, every year of those 1st school days when he was young. Even though he did not really score with flying colours immediately after taking the dishes or in early primary school, but he finally got his first-class honor in university, and later a Master degree graduate (winking smile).

So, being Chinese who have traditional mind and thinking, like me and my hubby, he insisted on the dishes. And, I think it is better to just follow the ritual than be 'lazy' (anyway, I have to cook dinner.. :p). It has no harm taking these usual meat and tofu dishes, afterall, it's not as if asking the little one to swallow anything taken of the ashes from burning the Chinese joss stick or talismen or what..

Anyways, I'll leave it to you to believe or just for your eyes.. or just cook it in usual days (smile). Well, if you are keen, go grab some of these ingredients from the market now for tonight's or next dinner, I've purchased mine this early morning before work!

Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients (Dish 1)
1 block of tofu, slightly firmer type (suitable for stir-frying use)
1 stalk of scallion/ spring onion (葱), cut into 2" long crosswise
½ small cup of chicken broth or water (about 100ml)
1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt and grounded white pepper
1 teaspoon of corn starch with 1 tablespoon of water, made into corn starch slurry
4 tablespoons of cooking oil (for sautéing use, it's optional!)

Ingredients (Dish 2)
1 piece of pig's liver (about palm size big), thinly sliced
1 stalk of scallion/ spring onion, cut into 2" long crosswise
2 small thin slices of old ginger
2 teaspoons of Shao Hsing Hua Diao rice wine (绍兴花雕酒)
2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
½ teaspoon of dark soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, minced
Pinch of sugar
1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 pot of water (for quick blanch)

Method for Dish 11) Cut tofu into chunk cubes. Gently pat-dry tofu with kitchen towel/ paper.

2) Heat wok with oil over high-medium fire. Add tofu and sauté till lightly crisped and browned. Remove from wok and drain on kitchen towel. Set aside.

3) Discard excessive oil and leave just a little of it. Add garlic and stir-fry till fragrant and lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium fire, and then, return tofu to wok. Add chicken stock (or water), and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes. Then, add white pepper, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Gently stir-fry to mix well.

Taste check. If prefer more briny taste (especially if using water instead of broth), add pinch of salt. Otherwise, omit it.

4) Add scallion into the wok. Stir-fry a little together with the rest of the ingredients. Then, pour in cornstarch slurry and gently stir-fry to thicken the sauce. Dish up and serve.

Method for Dish 2
1) Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Heat off when boiled. Place cleaned pig's liver slices on a strainer, and then, plunge liver in the hot water on the strainer, for 10 - 20 seconds. Shift the strainer occasionally to have the liver blanched more evenly. Drain and set aside.

2) Heat wok with sesame oil over high fire. Add garlic and ginger, stir fry till fragrant. Reduce heat to medium-low fire, add scallion adn stir-fry a little. Then, return pig's liver to wok, and immediately drizzle Hua Diao rice wine. Then, quickly add in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, stir fry quickly (to retain moisture and tenderness) to mix well. Dish up and serve with hot steamed rice.

The recipes were copied to me by hubby's mom, and I did follow exactly in the first two years of cooking them [** Food pictures were taken from last year's dishes as I am going to cook it again only tonight. However, I wish to share these recipes to you before the day ends, in case you are also keen to cook it tonight.. I'll update to latest photos after tonight's], but this year, I will try to sauté the tofu first to make it slightly crisped, hope that it will be even better taste and texture. You may or may not want to skip this step 2 though.

A decent portion of dish 1, the Stir-fried Tofu & Spring Onion, counts about 100kcal. Mild briny taste of the tofu dish, it is never too sinful to eat more. Sautéed version counts about 180kcal. As for dish 2, simply a dish of Stir-fried Pig's liver with Scallion/ Spring Onion and Ginger in Dark Sauce, it counts about 270kcal. Taste of this dish was robust and aromatic.

Tips: Do not blanch the pig's liver for too long to avoid hardening. You have to also cook the liver quickly in order to retain its moisture and tenderness.
* If find it too dry in the wok half-way cooking the pig's liver dish, you may drizzle some water to moist it.
* Use the whole stalk of scallion including the whitish part, just need to trim away the sandy roots part.

[Post Note: Tonight's cooking.. Sautéed tofu was indeed more delicious than non-sautéed ones. It has completely absorbed the essence of the sauce and makes it much more tastier. To view new photos of Dish 2 and more other photos, log on to my FaceBook Fan Club now. :)]