Pumpkin Jelly

Ingredients:
450g pumpkin
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp chia seeds
500ml water
2 1/2 tsp agar-agar powder
7 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lemon juice

Methods:

1. Clean, peel and deseed pumpkin, cut into slices and steam until soft.
2. Hand puree pumpkin with 1/3 cup water until smooth, or use a blender to blend.
3. Add 500ml water into a pot with agar-agar powder.  Boil at medium heat and stir with a hand whisk.  Add honey, lemon juice and chia seeds and continue to stir for about 1 minute.
4. Pour pumpkin puree into agar-agar mixture in (3) and keep stirring for another 2 minutes, and off the heat.
5. Pour pumpkin mixture into desired mould and chill for at least 2 hours or until the jelly sets before serving.

This recipe is adapted from Ann Low with slight adjustment.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Once a while I will opt for a nutritious glass of healthy-filling Smoothie for lunch rather than a heavy meal of rice and other dishes.  I am sharing this yummy recipe with everyone out there who are interested to join me to go 'healthy'...

Ingredients:
2 medium bananas (peeled, sliced and frozen)
1 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup fresh milk (cold)
1/2 tbsp raisins
1/3 cup rolled oats
1 tsp chia seeds
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Methods:

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender bowl and blend into a smooth consistency.
2. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

"Pumpkin lovers" are sure to fall in love with this "Simple yet yummylicious" easy-to-make Muffins.  With the cream cheese toppings it is indeed a muffin worth craving for and to bake in our home kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups plain flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

15 oz pumpkin puree (fresh)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese topping:

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

Methods:

1. In a medium bowl, sift in plain flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, baking soda and salt.  Using a hand whisk, mix until well combined and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar.
3. Add eggs and continue to whisk and follow by vegetable oil.  Slowly whisk in flour mixture until there are no lumps.  
4. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan.  Fill with the pumpkin mixture 3/4 full.
5. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add in sugar and egg yolk and beat until well combined and creamy.
6. Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.  
7. Bake muffins in a preheated oven of 190 degree Celsius for 20 - 25 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool muffins on a wire rack.  Consume at room temperature or slightly chilled.  Any leftover can be place in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes:  My table top oven can only bake 12 muffins at a time, which is two, six muffin pan.  Thus for my second batch of muffin I did not swirl the cream cheese mixtures into the pumpkin, instead, I just topped the cream cheese over the pumpkin mixtures.  This is the outcome of the last batch...

This recipe is adapted from "The No Rice Chef" with some amendments.

Lion's Head Meatball

Ingredients:
(A)
300g minced pork
1/2 egg white
2 pcs dried mushrooms (soaked and chopped)
1 tsp ginger juice
1 tsp Shaoxing Wine
Dash of sesame oil
2 tbsp cornflour
Salt and pepper (to taste)

(B)
3 leaves Chinese cabbage
3 pcs button mushrooms (halved)
2 pcs dried mushrooms (soaked till soft and halved)
Few slices of carrot
2  cups water (add more if needed during cooking)
1 tsp cornflour
1/3 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp chicken stock granules 

Methods:

1. In a large bowl add all ingredients (A) and mix until well combined.  Shape into larger balls.
2. Heat up 3 tbsp cooking oil and fry meatballs till golden brown on both sides. Discard excess oil while leaving the meatballs in the wok.
3. Add in ingredients (B), stir well and taste for correct seasoning. Simmer until sauce is reduced. Off the heat.
4. To serve, in a deep plate lay the cabbage on the bottom and dish the rest of the ingredients over the cabbage.

I adapted this recipe from Recipe Book "Meatballs and Dumplings" by Evon Kow.

Chinese Sausage with Brinjals

Ingredients:
2 brinjals, cut into 1 1/2" lengthwise
1 Chinese Sausage (soak in hot water, remove the casing and diced)
2 black mushrooms (soaked and diced)
1 red chili (chopped)
1 sprig spring onion (chopped)

Seasoning:
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
Salt (to taste)
1 tsp cornflour
100 ml water

Methods:

1. Deep-fry brinjals in hot oil until cooked.  Dish, drain and arrange onto a serving plate.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil using medium heat, stir-fry mushrooms and Chinese sausage until fragrant.  Add in the seasoning and bring to a boil.
3. Add in red chili and spring onion and stir to mix well.
4. Off the heat and scoop the ingredients over the center of the brinjals.
5. Serve hot with a plate of warm rice.

I adapted this recipe from "Yum Yum Magazine 2013" with slight amendments.

Pan-fried Chicken Fillet

Ingredients:
300g chicken thigh, deboned and with skin
Green leafy vege (of your choice) - washed and blanched

Marinade:
1/2 egg
1 tbsp Maggi Seasoning
1 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp corn flour

Sauce:
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp Maggi Seasoning
1 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1/2 tbsp sugar (to taste, add more if needed during cooking)
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce

Methods:

1. Cut the chicken thigh into quarters or any preferred sizes of your choice.
2. Place the chicken pieces with the marinade in a large bowl and let sit for about 30 minutes.
3. Heat about 4 to 5 tbsp cooking oil in a pan, pan-fry marinated chicken meat until both sides are golden brown.  Dish up.
4. Cook sauce in a clean wok until thick and taste for correct seasoning.  Add in fried chicken and stir-fry well mixed.
5. Dish up and serve with blanched leafy vegetable on the side.

This recipe is adapted from Recipe Book "Hawkers' Fair, Best of all time favourites" by Chef Phang Fah with slight amendments.

Traditional Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (113g) butter, softened
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
1/2 tsp salt, sifted
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Topping:
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Methods:

1. In a stand mixer, cream butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Beat in yogurt.
4. In a bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and stir using a rubber spatula until moistened.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips and stir to mix.
7. Fill in paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
8. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter.
9. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
10. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.

Notes: This muffins can be served warm, at room temperature or even chilled from the fridge.  As the weather is very hot lately, I store the leftover muffins in a covered container in the fridge and the texture of the muffins taste awesome!

This recipe is adapted from Taste of Home by Kelly Kirby, Westville, Nova Scotia with very slight amendment.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups flour (sifted)
1 1/4 cup caster sugar
1 tsp baking soda (sifted)
1 tsp ground cinnamon (sifted)
3/4 tsp salt (sifted)
1/2 tsp baking powder (sifted)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (sifted)
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup raisins

Methods:

1. In a large bowl combine flour, caster sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, baking powder and ground nutmeg.
2. Whisk together eggs, pumpkin, butter and water until well combined.
3. Stir the egg mixtures into the dry ingredients  until just moistened.
4. Fold in raisins and stir until well mixed.
5. Pour into a lined loaf pan.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for about 70 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home by Joyce Jackson, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia with slight adjustments.

Fried fish with onions in dark soy sauce

Ingredients:
3 pieces mackerel
1 onion (peeled and sliced)
Dash of salt 
4 tbsp cooking oil
Dark soy sauce (amount differs from types of sauce used)
1/2 cup water
Dashes of grounded white pepper
Dash of sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. Rinse fish, dry with kitchen paper, rub with a bit of salt and set aside for about 15 minutes.
2. Heat cooking oil in a wok, add fish and fry until both sides are lightly brown.  Dish, drain and set aside for later use.
3. Heat the remaining oil and saute onions until soft, quickly drizzle in dark soy sauce, stir to lightly caramelize, then add water, pepper and sugar.  Taste for correct seasoning.
4. Bring to the boil, then add fish and simmer until the fish has absorbed some of the sauce and sauce has reduced.
5. Off the heat, dish the fish onto a serving dish and topped with the onions and leftover sauce.
6. Serve when hot with a plate of freshly cooked rice.

 Notes: To have a nice contrast in colour, add some sliced chilies to the onions.  I did not add in my cooking as my grandson is not a fan of chilies.