Mee Hailam

 

Ingredients:

(A)

1 pkt. yellow noodles

200 g. chicken breast/thigh (cut into bite-size pieces)

1/4 tsp. salt (to marinate the meat)

1 tsp. light soy sauce (to marinate the meat)

Dash of oil (to marinate the meat)

(B) Gravy

2 tbsp. cooking oil

2 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)

3 shallots (peeled and sliced)

1/2 tbsp. chili paste (add more if you prefers spicier)

3-4 stalks of Choy Sum (cut into sections, separate the stems from the leaves)

1 piece fishcake (cut into slightly thicker slices)

6 shrimps (shelled and deveined)

1 tomato (cut into chunks)

3 cups water (add 2 cups first, and add gradually as and when needed)

3 tbsp. tomato sauce

2 tbsp. chili sauce

1 1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce

Chicken stock granules (to taste)

1 tbsp. dark sweet soy sauce

2 tsp. cornflour + 2 tbsp. water (to form slurry)

1/4 tsp. ground white pepper

(C) Garnish

Sliced chilies

Coriander leaves

Lime wedges

Methods:

1. Blanch the yellow noodles in hot water to remove the excess oil.  Drain the noodles into a colander.
2. Marinate the chicken meat with salt, light soy sauce and oil for about 15 minutes.
3. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a pan, saute the shallot and garlic until becomes aromatic.
4. Then add the marinated chicken and chili paste, and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked.
5. Season with ground white pepper.
6. Next, add the Choy Sum stems, and stir to combine.
7. Pour 2 cups water into the pan to cook for a minute or two until the vegetable stalks are almost soft.
8. Season with chili sauce, tomato sauce, dark sweet soy sauce and oyster sauce.
9. Add the fish cakes and shrimps. 
10. Finally, add Choy Sum leaves and tomatoes.
11. Thicken the gravy with cornstarch slurry.
12. Add in the noodles and stir until well combined.
13. Remove into a serving dish.
14. Garnish and serve!

I adapted this recipe from 'tasteasianfood.com.'

Crunchy Oat Fried Chicken Tender

Ingredients:

6 chicken tenders (large)

1 egg (place in a wide bowl and lightly beaten)

Rolled Oats (pour into a plate)

Enough oil for frying

Marinade:

1 tsp. salt

Pinches of white and black pepper (grounded)

1 tbsp. grated ginger

1 tbsp. grated garlic

1 tsp. red chili powder

1/2 tsp. white vinegar

Flour coating: (mix in a wide bowl)

2 tbsp. plain flour

1 tbsp. cornflour

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Tumeric powder

Dashes of ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

Methods:

1. In a bowl, add in the chicken tenders and all the marinade ingredients.  Combine well to ensure even marination, and leave it in the fridge, covered until time of cooking.
2. When it is time for cooking, get all the ingredients ready.
3. In a heated saucepan, add enough oil for frying.
4. First, roll each pieces of the marinated chicken tenders in the flour coating and arrange them in a plate.
5. Dip the coated chicken with beaten egg.
6. Coat chicken with oats.  Ensure they are evenly coated.
7. Place the coated chicken into the hot oil. I use medium-low heat.  Do not over-crowd the pan.  I fry mine in batches.  Fry until the oat coating becomes golden and crisp.  Remove from oil and repeat until all is done.
8. Serve immediately to enjoy the crunch.
9. I serve mine with Pasta Salad using my homemade Thousand Island Dressing.

I adapted this Crunchy Oat Fried Chicken Tenders from Youtube 'Dapur 2020.'

Teochew Orh Nee/Yam Paste

 

Ingredients:

300 g. yam (peeled and sliced)

1 shallot (peeled and thinly sliced)

1/2 tbsp. lard oil

1 tbsp. granulated sugar (taste for sweetness of your preference)

Gingko Nuts, cooked (for garnishing)

1/3 cup coconut milk

Pinch of salt

Methods:

1. In a steamer, steam the yam slices until soft.  In a blender puree the yam until smooth and set aside.
2. In a heated saucepan add lard oil, and fry the sliced shallots until golden brown.  Strain to obtain the shallot oil and set aside.
3. In a clean heated wok, add 2 teaspoon of shallot oil.  Add the yam paste and stir until the yam has absorbed all the oil.  Add sugar and continue to stir until the yam paste has turned smooth and glossy from the infusion of the shallot oil.  Taste for sweetness of your preference, and add more if needed.  Remove yam paste into a bowl and set aside.  
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, add coconut milk and a pinch of salt.  Stir to combine until it starts to bubble at the sides.  Turn off flame once this happens as overcooking the coconut milk will create unnecessary oil on top.
5. To serve, scoop the yam paste into individual serving bowls and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.  Top with gingko nuts.  Drizzle coconut milk over the top.  Let's enjoy!

This recipe is adapted from 'The Silver Chef' by Jennifer Li with adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

Oatmeal with Banana and Nuts

 

Ingredients: (serves 1)

(A) Base recipe

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup milk of choice

1/2 cup water

a pinch of salt

(B) Topping

1 medium/small banana (sliced)

1/2 tbsp. almond slices (toasted)

1/2 tbsp. sunflower seeds (toasted)

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Maple syrup (for sweetness)

Methods:

1. In a small saucepan, bring water and milk to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low and pour in the rolled oats.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are soft and have absorbed most of the liquid.  Remove from the heat, cover and let stand for 2-3 minutes.
4. To assemble; pour the cooked oat into a serving bowl, arrange the banana slices on the top, sprinkle the ground cinnamon, the almond slices and sunflower seeds, and drizzle maple syrup.  Add a bit more milk, if desired.
5. Serve warm...

This recipe is adapted from 'feel good foodie' by Yumna Jawad with a slight adjustment to suit my preference.

Waffles

 

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups plain flour (sifted)

2 1/2 tbsp. caster sugar/superfine sugar

Pinch of salt (for baking)

4 tsp. baking powder (sifted)

1 1/3 cups milk (full fat, slightly warmed)

1/2 tsp. vanilla essence

4 large eggs (at room temperature)

150 g. unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)

Methods:

1. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Whisk to mix.
2. Whisk in milk, eggs and vanilla until combined.  Add melted butter, then whisk until lump free.  The batter should be pourable but thick.
3. Cover, then refrigerate overnight, or for at least 2 hours.  Softer insides and better flavour.  You can also proceed immediately with cooking.
4. Preheat the waffle maker. A non-stick one will not need oil, plus there is butter in the batter.
5. Use a ladle to pour batter in to just cover the iron.  Don't get greedy, as it will leak out the sides.  Cook until golden and crisp.  The time needed depends on individual waffle maker. 
6. To serve, transfer into plates and serve with desired toppings.
7. If you intend to serve it warm as you continue cooking, put on a rack and keep warm in a preheated oven of 70 degree Celsius.
8. I keep my leftover waffles in an airtight container in the fridge; and will warm it up in the oven to consume.

I adapted this recipe from 'recipetineats.'

Matcha Streusel Bread

This Matcha Streusel Bread is super YUMMY!  Being a huge fan of Matcha, I will never say 'NO' to it.

I adapted this recipe from the link here.

I share a few pictures throughout the process of making this bread...

(1)  Matcha Streusel mixtures

(2)  Spread the matcha streusel over the bread dough

Let's have tea!

Raisin and Cranberry Loaf

 

This bread recipe which I came across recently, from Savor Easy really tempted me; and without further ado I check out my pantry for available ingredients for the filling.  Since I have dried raisins and cranberries, I decided to use these two ingredients for the filling, instead of the original recipe which used raisin and walnuts.

For the full recipe click the link here.

I love the texture of this bread loaf.  This recipe will be added to my 'to bake list' and will also use different filling.

Let's enjoy this beautifully baked and yummy bread for breakfast or any time of the day ~ smile ~