Asian Pickled Cucumber

With the strong heat, I have been buying more cucumbers for our consumption.  Cucumbers have a high water content which helps meet our daily fluid needs and stay cool.  Let me share this Asian Pickled Cucumber with all cucumbers lovers.  It's easy to prepare and doesn't take up much time in the kitchen.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Japanese cucumber (large)

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/2 tablespoon sugar (add more if you prefers slightly sweeter)

3 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped) - adjust to your liking

2 birds eye chili (cut into slices) - adjust to your liking

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon salt (for marinating the cucumber)

Methods:

1. Wash and cucumbers.  Cut into half and remove the seeds.  Cut into strips and place in a bowl.
2. Mix the salt with the cucumbers and let them marinate for 1 hour.  Wash the salt off the cucumbers and squeeze out any excess water.  Place the cucumbers in a clean bowl.
3. Mix in sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, chili and garlic.
4. The pickled cucumbers are ready to eat.  I prefer to let it chill in the fridge and stir to ensure even marination.

This recipe is adapted from 'cookingwithlei.com' with slight adjustment to suit my preference.

Coffee Bean Cookies

A recipe I have added to my 'To-Bake List' for not sure how long ago, maybe 2 years ago??  Yes, it's definitely years ago hehehe... ~ smile ~

This recipe is adapted online, not able to name the source as it's in Chinese, and thankful that the recipe and instructions have English added, or else I won't be able to bake it.

Ingredients:

150 g. Cake Flour (sifted)

15 g. cocoa powder (unsweetened)

9 g. coffee powder

45 g. caster sugar

75 g. unsalted butter (room temperature)

15 g. milk

1 1/2 g. baking powder (sifted)

Methods:

1. In a small pot, heat milk and coffee powder and stir until dissolved, then set aside to let it cool.
2. In a mixer bowl, add sugar and butter, beat until pale.  Then add flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.  Mix until well combined.  Add coffee milk to form a dough.  I add additional few teaspoons of milk as the dough is quite dry.
3. Divide dough into 10 gram portions, shape into coffee beans, press a line in the center, using the back of a small knife.
4. Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree Celsius (top heat) and 140 degree Celsius (bottom heat) for 14 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cookies on a wire rack to let it cool down.  Enjoy!

Ready for baking

Baking in progress

Asian Cucumber Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

1 cucumber (I use Japanese cucumber, can use the normal type)

1 small handful of black fungus (washed, soaked, remove hard core) - can add mushrooms, if desired

3 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)

Dashes chicken stock granules (to taste)

1/4 cup water (for cooking, add more if needed)

1 teaspoon corn flour mix with 1 tablespoon water  

Enough cooking oil

Methods:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan/wok over medium heat.  Add the egg and fry until it's cooked, then cut into small pieces with spatula and set it aside.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in the same pan/wok.  Saute garlic until slightly golden, then add the cucumber, egg and black fungus/mushroom and chicken stock granules, stirring until well combined.  Pour in 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan with a lid.  Cook until the cucumbers are cooked through.  Remove the lid.
3. Reduce the heat and add the cornstarch water mixture.  Stir until everything is well coated.
4. Switch off heat and dish onto a plate.
5. Serve immediately when still hot.

I adapted this recipe from 'Cooking With Lei' with slight adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

Fried and Simmered Eggs

This simple egg dish is packed with flavor.  It is first fried, then simmered in few simple sauce ingredients, and WOW!!  Let's enjoy this egg dish with freshly cooked hot fluffy rice - YUMMY!

Ingredients: (serves 2)

3 eggs 

1/2 onion (peeled and sliced)

1 tablespoon Kicap Manis ABC

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons chili sauce

2 bird's eye chilis (thickly sliced)

200 ml. water

Cooking oil

Methods:

1. In a heated wok, add enough cooking oil and fry the eggs according to your preference, and set aside.
2. In the same wok, add a bit more oil.  Add in sliced onion and saute till soft and fragrant.
3. Next, add in Kicap manis, tomato ketchup, chili sauce and water.  Simmer for 1 minute.
4. Return the fried eggs to the sauce.  Ladle the sauce over the eggs, flip the eggs over to ensure even cooking.
5. Add in chili and simmer for a quick minute.
6. Dish up and serve immediately!

This 'Simple Yet Yummylicious' recipe is adapted from 'Mama Pearl Asian Kitchen' by Pearl Ng, with slight adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Fried-Cooked Fish

This savory fish dish is cooked twice; first fried in oil, then cooked with ginger, chilis and preserved bean paste, which is widely known as taucu or tau cheong.  Most Chinese home cooks are specialized in this dish.  It is a 'Simple Yet Yummylicious' dish!  This time round, I did not add chili into it as my pantry is out of chili.  Will grab some when I go for my next grocery shopping.

I have cooked this dish before, so to get the full recipe click this link here.

Hope you all love this savory dish as much as my family 👍

Easy Stir Fry Rice Vermicelli

Ingredients:

2 portions rice vermicelli (prepared according to package instructions and drained)

1/2 carrot (peeled and julienned)

1/2 cup chicken breast (washed and diced)

1/2 onion (peeled and sliced)

1 cup cabbage (cut)

5 button mushrooms (sliced)

2 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Stir-fry sauce: (mix in a small bowl)

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (amount depending on the darkness of your dark sauce)

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Dashes of white pepper powder

1 tablespoon water

Methods:

1. Marinate the diced chicken with 1 tablespoon of stir-fry sauce for 15 minutes and set aside.
2. In a heated wok over medium-high heat, add cooking oil.  Saute garlic until fragrant.  Add chicken and cook until browned.  Toss in onions, veggies and button mushrooms; stir fry until just tender but still crisp.  Add the noodles and pour in the remaining sauce, and stir over high heat until everything is well combined.
3. Remove from heat into separate serving dish and enjoy with my must-have bird's eye chilis with light soy sauce and vinegar/lime juice.

This recipe is adapted from 'khinskitchen' with slight adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Pandan Butter Cake

 

Ingredients:

200 g. unsalted butter (room temperature)

100 g. caster sugar

4 large eggs (beaten)

200 g. cake flour (sifted)

1 tsp. baking powder (sifted)

1/4 tsp. salt

50 ml. coconut milk

30 ml. pandan juice (blend 8-10 pandan leaves with a little water and strain, or use pandan paste mix with water)

Methods:

1. Cream butter and sugar with a stand mixer until pale, fluffy and light.
2. Gradually add beaten eggs in 4-5 portions, mixing well after each addition.  Ensure each portion is fully absorbed before adding the next to prevent curdling.
3. In a bowl, add cake flour, baking powder and salt, mix to combine.
4. In a jug, mix coconut milk and pandan juice.
5. Add flour mixture alternately with pandan coconut mixture into the butter, sugar and egg mixture.  Add 1/3 flour mixture, mix gently; then 1/2 pandan coconut mixture, mix gently.  Repeat until all combined, finishing with flour.  Do not overmix.
6. Pour the batter into prepared lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.  Tap lightly to remove air bubbles.
7. Bake in a preheated oven of 170 degree Celsius for 45-50 minutes or when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Remove from oven, and let cool slightly before unmolding.
9. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

I adapted this recipe from 'Travel Food Tech TV' with a slight adjustment to suit my baking preference.