Stir-fried Arrowroots

This unique root vegetable are only available a month or so before Chinese New Year.  As it is a seasonal vegetable, I will buy them and cook it often in my kitchen, the moment it's available in the supermarket.

I have tried frying it with Chinese Sausages, chicken and prawns, and all taste delicious.  This Arrowroot dish is normally stir-fried with a must-have vegetable of Chinese Leeks.  I will also add some red carrot slices to go with it.

This is one dish which is also included for last year's Winter Solstice Festival.

Stir-fried with Chinese Sausages

Stir-fried with chicken thighs

Stir-fried with prawns

Stir-fried with more arrowroot slices, lesser leeks and chicken breast slices

To get the full recipe, click the link here.  Hope you all enjoys cooking Arrowroots as The Lunar New Year is just round the corner. ~ CHEERS ~ 

Pong Pong Fried Prawns

In relation to the earlier post and last year's Winter Solstice Festival or Dongzhi Festival; I have decided to cook something simple for just me and hubby. The first dish on the list is Pong Pong Fried Prawns, as I have some big prawns left in the freezer.  I first tried out this recipe in the year 2020, thus I decided to make a come back of this dish ... love the texture of the crispy/crunchy batter.

Click the link here for this recipe.

Glutinous Rice Balls or Tang Yuan

As usual on every Winter Solstice or commonly known as Dongzhi Festival, I will never miss preparing glutinous rice balls or tang yuan to enjoy, and also to reminisce our childhood years.  I remember my mum used to tell us, 'come let's eat tang yuan so you will be a year older!'

This is my Tang Yuan which I made to celebrate Winter Solstice for Year 2024.  I upload it in my blog post for remembrance.  

 

I roll the tang yuan into different sizes and color of white, pink and mixture of white and pink, to make it more presentable.  Nowadays people love to make tang yuan with many different colors, but I still prefers the classic style of white and pink.

May we all have a blessed New Year 2025, and Cheers!

Chinese Style Braised Black Pomfret

 

Ingredients:

1 medium black pomfret

4 pieces ginger slices

1 tbsp. light soy sauce

4 tbsp. hot water

1 tbsp. Shaoxing Wine

1/2 tbsp. Oyster Sauce

1 tsp. Sesame Oil

1/2 tbsp. sugar (to taste, according to your preference)

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

Some salt, for sprinkling both sides of the fish

Enough cooking oil, for frying

For garnishing:

1 red chili, sliced

1 sprig spring onion, chopped

1 tbsp. fried shallot

Methods:

1. Clean and dry the fish with kitchen paper before making some incisions on the thickest part of the fish with a sharp knife.
2. Sprinkle some salt on both sides, as well as the cavity of the fish.  Use your hand to rush the salt onto the fish.  Rest the fish for 5 minutes.
3. In a bowl add the remaining sauce ingredients and whisk to dissolve the sugar, and set aside.
4. In a heated wok, add cooking oil for frying the fish.  First, lightly fry the sliced ginger pieces until the edges just begin to turn brown.  Carefully place the fish into the oil.
5. Fry the fish on medium heat until browned.  Flip the fish and continue cooking until both sides are golden brown.  Bring down the heat to low, and use a spatula to push the fish to the side of the wok.  Remove excess oil, then push the fish back into the wok.
6. Bring up the heat to medium, then pour the sauce into the pan.  Cover with the lid and cook another few minutes, turning the fish over to ensure even distribution of the sauce into the fish.
7. Turn off heat and dish the fish onto a serving plate.
8. Garnish with chopped spring onion, sliced chili and fried shallots.
9. Serve the dish immediately with rice.

I adapted this yummylicious recipe from 'The Domestic Goddess Wannabe' by Diana Gale with slight adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

During my second time of cooking this fish dish, I add in more water and a bit more light soy sauce and oyster sauce to make the dish with slightly more sauce, than the first attempt, which I just follow the recipe accordingly, and turns out quite dry.

Soft and Fluffy Avocado Milk Bread

This is another bread recipe which I have been wanting to bake for quite a long while... Recently, a friend gave me a nice large Avocado, which ripens just on the right timing for me to bake this delicious bread.  Thumbs Up!

To get the full recipe, click this link here.

It's my greatest pleasure to share a few photos throughout the process of baking this beautiful bread.

Ready for first proofing

Dough has rose to double in size

Knead few times, roll into ball, cover & rest 5 minutes

Rolled dough ready for second proofing

After second proofing

Baked

Remove onto a wire rack to let it cool down

It's time to slice, slather with your favorite spread, and enjoy with a cup of freshly brewed tea or coffee...

Salted Egg Yolk Chicken

 

Ingredients: (serves 2)

(A)    Marinade the chicken

        200 g. chicken thighs

        1/4 tsp. salt

        A pinch of ground white pepper

        1 tsp. light soy sauce

        1/2 tbsp. rice wine

(B)    The salted egg sauce

        2 salted egg yolks (cooked and mashed)

        2 sprigs curry leaves (remove stem)

        1/2 tbsp. garlic (chopped)

        2 bird's eye chili (cut into pieces)

        A pinch of sugar and salt (to taste, if needed)

(C)    Others

        1 egg white

        Corn flour (to coat the chicken pieces)

        Cooking oil (for deep frying)

        15 g. unsalted butter

Methods:

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.  Season the chicken with salt, ground white pepper, light soy sauce, Chinese wine and corn flour.  Set it aside for about an hour.
2. Heat oil in a pan for shallow frying the chicken.
3. Dip the marinated chicken, piece by piece into the egg white, then coat them generously with corn flour.  Shake off any excess corn flour.
4. Fry the chicken until both sides turn golden brown.  Remove from oil and place on a kitchen towel to absorb any remaining oil.  Repeat until all is done.
5. In a clean pan, heat butter over low heat.  Add garlic, bird's eye chili and curry leaves.  Saute until aromatic.  Add mashed salted egg yolk, increase the heat slightly, and continue cooking until the mixture starts to foam.  Taste and adjust seasoning, add a bit of sugar/salt, if needed.
6. Finally, return the chicken pieces to the pan and mix them thoroughly  with the butter and salted egg sauce. Once everything is well combined, remove from heat onto a serving plate.

I adapted this recipe from 'Taste of Asian Food' with slight adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Chocolate Butter Cookies

This is my last bake for Year 2024. It's an overdue recipe from my to-bake list, supposedly to bake for Christmas, but just couldn't find time to do so.  Anyway, it is better late than never!

Ingredients:

148 g. unsalted butter (room temperature)

70 g. icing sugar

170 g. plain flour (sifted)

30 g. corn flour (sifted)

5-6 tbsp. milk

Milk chocolate (melted) - optional

Methods:

1. In a mixer bowl, add butter and icing sugar.  Beat until nice and creamy.
2. Fold in flour and corn flour with a rubber spatula.  Add milk and mix until the mixture is smooth.
3. Remove mixture into a piping bag with a tip of your choice.
4. Pipe out cookies on a lined baking sheet.
5. Freeze the piped cookies for 5-10 minutes.  Then bake in a preheated oven of 180 degree Celsius for 12 minutes.
6. Remove cookies onto a wire rack to cool.
7. Once cooled, dip half side of each cookie in melted chocolate and decorate with some sprinkles of your choice, and place on parchment paper or wire rack to set.
8. Once completely set and cool, store in an airtight container.
9. Let's enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from 'My home bakery' with a slight adjustment to suit my baking preference.

Steamed Eggs With Minced Chicken

 

Ingredients:

(A)    4 eggs (about 200ml)

        300 ml. water, cooled boiled water

        1/4 tsp. chicken stock granules

(B)    150g. minced chicken (breast and thigh)

        1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

        1/4 tsp. salt

        1 tbsp. light soy sauce

        1 tbsp. cooking oil

        1 tbsp. garlic (minced)

(C)    2 tbsp. light soy sauce

        2 tsp. sesame oil

        1 tbsp. oyster sauce

        Spring onions, thinly sliced (garnish)

Methods:

(A)    Prepare the minced chicken:

1. Heat some oil in a wok on medium heat.
2. Add the minced chicken and loosen it with a spatula.
3. Season the chicken with light soy sauce, ground white pepper and salt.
4. Add the minced garlic.
5. Continue frying and stirring over low heat until all the juices from the chicken evaporate and the meat turns lightly brown.
6. Remove the cooked minced chicken into a bowl and set aside.

(B)    Prepare the steamed eggs:

1. Mix ingredients A in a bowl.
2. Beat the mixture until homogeneous.
3. Pour it into a flat dish with raised edges through a fine sieve.
4. Use a spoon to remove any bubbles on the surface.
5. Cover the plate with a flat plate or cling film.
6. Steam over low heat for eight minutes.
7. Switch off heat and remove the plate or cling film.

(C)    To serve:

1. Spoon the cooked minced meat onto the custard.
2. Drizzle some sesame oil, oyster sauce and light soy sauce (ingredients C) on top.
3. Garnish with thinly sliced spring onion

This recipe is adapted from 'tasteasianfood.com' with a slight adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Goodbye Year 2024 and Welcome Year 2025

Year 2024 seemed to be fleeting by so quickly; there are still quite a handful of cookies recipe in my to-bake list, but just couldn't find time to bake them.  Turning back the pages to the year 2024, I have baked many new bread, buns, and rolls; and have been happy as all turns out great!  A shout-out to all the bakers out there, who are willingly sharing out their delicious bread/buns/rolls recipes, including tips for me to journey through bread making.  Thank You all indeed!

Welcome Year 2025!  I am looking forward to try out more new recipes, either for bread, cakes, cookies and dishes of all kinds.  

I have to admit that, there are some back log from last year, which I have yet to write and get them posted in my Blog, and sharing them with all my readers.  A BIG Thank You to all who follow me through my Blog.  Hopefully, I will be sharing more great recipes in the days ahead... See you all!!  Happy New Year 2025 ~ CHEERS ~