Steamed Cod Fish 清蒸鳕鱼

This dish is perfect for first timers who wish to learn how to steam a fish.
This is because the high fat content of Cod Fish makes it more forgiving on timing - fish doesn't become chewy and tasteless even if slightly over-steamed.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb Cod Fish fillet, defrosted and washed.
- Seasoning: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine, 4 tbsp water, some sliced ginger and scallions.
Note: may add 1 tsp oil to seasoning
- Garnish (optional): cilantro, sliced red pepper

Method:
1. Cut fish into 10 pieces. Marinate with seasonings for 30 minutes.
2. Wrap separately in aluminum foil.
3. Steam 10 minutes on high heat.

Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts

With instructions from Tiff, I tried this dish last night and liked the result a lot!
Sprouts have absorbed all the flavor of butter, red onion, and with a good kick from the red pepper flakes.

The only imperfection was the sprouts were still on the harder side, which can be easily remedied by steaming the sprouts for 2-3 minutes (with lid on) as the last step.

Ingredients:
- Brussels sprouts, halved (the smaller the better)
- 1 medium red onion, sliced (according to Tiff, any other onion just doesn't taste the same)
- 3 tbsp butter (oh yeah)
- red pepper flakes (to taste)
- salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:
1. Preheat pan on medium heat. Melt 1 tbsp butter and fry red onion till brown. (Patience..) Add red pepper flakes.
2. Melt another tbsp of butter, add in Brussels sprouts.
3. Pan fry till slightly burned. Stir constantly. (More patience..) Season with salt and pepper.
Note: Brussels sprouts can take quite some salt.
4. Add in some water and cover with lid. Steam till water is gone and sprouts are still crunchy but not too hard.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wing (with Video)

Some wings are just hot, but Jerk wings are hot and flavorful with the crunchy black pepper dancing on the taste bud!
It has always been a must for me whenever I hit a wing joint.
Since wing joints are so hard to find in the Bay Area, I found this recipe on YouTube and decided to do it myself!

Definitely a party pleaser!

Spicy Crispy Garlic Wings (with Video) 香脆蒜辣炸鸡翅

This is what I am going to try for dinner tonight!
Simple ingredient list, easy to make, and finger licking good!

Grilled Chicken Wing Tips from Taiwanese Chef (with Video) 烤鸡翅

A few important tips I learned from this video when grilling chicken wings:
1. Slit once or twice on the wing would help marinate and easier for the wing to cook through
2. Slit (but do not completely cut off) the joint between the flat and the tip, so that when grilled, the wing stays straight. Or, you can use a bamboo stick

The problem I found with Asian recipe videos, is that often times they do not provide more exact ingredient measurements.
I listed out the ingredients used, but you may have to refer to the video to have a better idea of how much is used.

Here you go!

Hot and Spicy Buffalo Wings 2 (with Video) 美式香辣奶油鸡翅膀

The simplest version of Buffalo wings I have seen so far!

Spicy Thai Chicken Wings (with Video) 香辣泰式鸡翅膀

Recipe videos are great for demonstrations, but they don't not come with the written ingredients and method.
Since I'll have to write down the ingredients and steps for myself anyways, I'm sharing them here.

Steamed Chicken Mushroom Rice with Rice Cooker (with Video) 电锅冬菇鸡饭

Came across this video on YouTube and tried it at home.
It's one of my favorite 30-minute dinner!

The chef did a few very smart things:
First, he put in just a few clams to add twist to the rice.
Lastly, he wipes some sesame oil on the outside of the bowl before serving - so that you get the enjoy the fragrance but not the calories!

Buffalo Wings 美式酸辣奶油鸡翅膀

There are a few things that I miss about my years living in the Midwest.
All those finger-licking-good chicken wings were one of them.
Few nights ago I finally tried out this recipe, and it made me a very happy gal!

Now my quest is to look for organic free range wings, which I wonder if they exist since wings are not considered 'healthy'.

But hey, crispy-juicy-spicy-and-buttery-wing VS boiled chicken breast.
I know what I'm getting to go with my beer. ;)

Shrimp Thai Fried Rice with Tomato Sauce 茄汁虾泰式炒饭

Longing for an easy savory dinner, I tried this Thai fried rice recipe the other day.
The result was .. of course it was good, else this recipe won't make it to my collection here. ;)

Ok enough boosting.
The fried rice is a perfect mix of savory, sweet and sourness.
You can taste the shrimp, the tomato sauce, the lemon juice and the cilantro.
None of each overpowers the others!

And, it's easy to make.

Mmmm... just recalling the taste makes my mouth watering! ;p~

Vege, Shrimp, and Milk Soup with Vermicelli 鲜虾牛奶汤米粉

This soup is inspired by my favorite Malaysian food "Fish head vermicelli 鱼头米粉".

Know one of those days when it's cold and foggy outside?
Those days always make me crave for a bowl of hot steaming soup.

So I decided to make my mom proud and pack in lots of nutritious ingredients into this soup dish: vegetable, mushroom, shrimp, and milk.

After a few renditions, I made it for my boyfriend just now and got both his thumbs up.
(You must think that he basically only had the choice to say "oh it's so yummy!" But the truth is, we always critique our kitchen experiments with the most unbiased attitude ;)

Here goes..

Gambas a la Plancha

I love shrimps - steamed, stir-fried, fried, raw!

Ran across this yummy-yet-simple recipe from the DailyCandy: just enough ingredients to showcase the shrimp!

Remember to get very fresh ones.

Guacamole Dip

My boyfriend makes kick-ass Guacamole dip!
He said the key is to get good ripe avocado - a little soft to the touch with dark green skin.

Let the party start!

Enjoy!

Pineapple Fried Rice (凤梨炒饭)

I've always loved this dish. The few years when I stayed in the little town in Indiana where Asian cuisines were scarce, I used to improvise and make pineapple fried rice. Lacking the taste of following rules, I disliked following recipe either. So the fried rice came out different every single time (my poor housemates!).

Years later I came to appreciate having a recipe.
Found this pineapple fried rice recipe in a Curry cookbook and decided to add it to my collection.

Apple Chicken Salad (苹果鸡丁沙律)

A nutritious and low-carb diet - slimming down doesn't have to be tasteless!

Radish Glutinous Dumplings (萝卜粄)

My grandma used to make the best radish dumplings!
The sweetness of radish combined with the taste of sea (dried shrimp).
Even better, dip it in chili sauce!
I'll definitely have to try this out to see how close I can mimic the taste from my childhood.

I wish I had written down all the recipe of her popular dishes....

Spare Ribs with Preserved Vegetable (梅菜排骨)

Recipe

Ingredients:
1. spare ribs - 1lb
2. preserved vegetable (梅菜) - 300g
3. chicken stock granule - 2 pieces
4. soy sauce - to taste
5. oyster sauce - to taste
6. garlic - 1-2 cloves
7. tapioca flour - a little
8. water - 3 bowls

Method:
1) Wash the preserved vegetable thoroughly.

2) Stir fry chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in spare ribs. Add in chicken stock granule, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stir fry spare ribs until fragrant (even a little burned on the outside). Remove from pan/wok.

3) Stir fry chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in preserved vegetable and stir fry. Remove from pan/wok.

4) Boil 3 bowls of water and add in spare ribs and preserved vegetable. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

5) When spare ribs are soft and sauce are slightly thicken, dissolve tapioca flour with a little water. Add in dissolved tapioca flour to thicken the sauce. Ready to serve.

Marmite Shrimp Recipe

This is an easy-to-make yet flavorful Hakka* dish.
Savory, sweet and crispy - a dish that both grandparents and grand kids share the liking for!

* see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_people to learn about the Hakka people

Mouth-Watering Spinash Salad with Sesame Sauce (凉拌菠菜)

Perfect appetizer especially during summertime.

Recipe

Ingredients:
1. spinach - 1 bunch

Dressing:
1. garlic - 1 clove
2. sesame sauce - 3 tbsp
3. sugar - 2 tsp
4. white vinegar - 1 tbsp
5. warm water - 2 tbsp

Method:
1) Thoroughly clean the spinach. Cook in boiled water for about 30 seconds (do not overcook). Remove from water, and soak in cold water until cool. Remove and drain. Cut into 2-inch sections. Set in plate to be served with dressing later.

2) Dice the garlic. Add in sesame sauce, warm water, sugar, and vinegar. Stir until even. Pour over spinach. Ready to serve.

Chives Cakes 韭菜餅

This mouth-watering tit-bit is a good choice for party tit-bits.
Easy to make and always gets wiped out.

Of course I might be a little biased as chives and beansprouts are my personal favorites. ;)

Curry Puff (薯仔Curry角）

This is the Chinese / Malay version of Samosa.
Unless you don't like spicy food, it's hard not to like this snack - crunchy on the outside; soft and spicy on the inside.

Potato Balls with Spicy Filling ( Sambal 蕃薯蛋 )

Way to spice up the party!

Recipe

Ingredients:
1. sweet potato (orange color) - 4 (about 1kg)
2. flour - 150g
3. salt - 1/2 tsp
4. water - 2 tbsp
5. cooking oil - 3 tbsp
6. white sesame seeds (for coating the balls)

Spicy filling:
1. shallots - 3
2. garlic cloves - 3
3. fresh ginger - 2cm
4. dried chillies - 5
5. lemon grass - 1 stem
6. fresh turmeric - 2cm
7. dried shrimps - 20g
8. grated young coconut - 300g
9. turmeric powder (黃姜粉) - 2 tsp
10. sugar - to taste
11. salt - a pinch

Method:
1) Rinse the sweet potatoes and cook in boiling water until cooked and soft. Remove from water. Peel and mash. Combine with flour, salt and water, knead to form into dough.

2) To make filling, put Spicy filling ingredients 1-7 in blender. Blend until it turns into fine paste. Remove, stir fry with 4 tbsp of hot oil till fragrant. Add in grated coconut and turmeric powder. Stir well until aromatic. Season with salt and sugar. Continue stirring over low heat till dry. Remove and leave to cool.

3) Divide the dough into small portions. Form each dough into ball, then press lightly. Scoop 1 1/2 tsp of spicy filling into the center of the dough. Wrap up and roll into ball shape again. Dip with a little water, then coat well with sesame. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown. Remove, drain and serve.

Rainbow Apam (彩虹小鬆糕 / 發糕)

One of the most commonly used Altar offering items in Chinese Malaysians' households, I call Apam (發糕) the Eastern muffin.
Compared to muffin, Apam is not as sweet and is more chewy in texture.

Last Chinese New Year, my Taiwan-born-America-raised friend Sue bought two big boxes of Apam to the party. Because Apam is called the Prosperity Cake in Chinese, Sue made whoever she could get her hands on, to eat one Apam.

To Prosperity!

Kuih Dadar / Kuih Gulung 椰絲薄餅卷

This is one of those easy-to-make-crowd-pleasing dessert!
The faint pandan fragrant of the wrap combined with the sweet and juicy coconut shreds inside.

Need I say more?

Glutinous Rice Ball (No Mi Chi) 糯米茲

What makes a good No Mi Chi?
After devouring tens and hundreds of them, I have developed a certain picky-ness towards the dough - it has to be thin and freshly kneaded.

Biting into a good No Mi Chi always makes me smile.
mmm... Soft and chewy dough mixed with crunchy and fragrant peanut fillings. Got No Mi Chi?

Thai Tako 馬蹄糕

Ma and I always get two packs of Thai Tako whenever we go to Pasar Malam (night market).
We like it best after being refrigerated for a few hours - the cold bits of water chestnut are especially refreshing at those hot summer nights.

Pulut Panggan 香燒糯米飯

Watched the soap opera "The Little Nyonya" with mom till 2am last night.
The 80-year-old mama eating Pulut Panggan made me crave!

The spicy savory stuffing combined with the fragrant chewy glutinous rice.
I am officially hungry now..

Kuih Koci 貴粿滋

Kuih Koci Recipe

Dough Ingredients:
1. glutinous rice flour - 300g
2. pandan juice - 50ml
3. water - 250ml
4. caster sugar - 1 tbsp
5. banan leaves - adequate

Stuffing Ingredients:
1. cooking oil - 1 tbsp
2. palm sugar / gula Melaka - 100g
3. grated coconut - 150g
4. water - 2 tbsp

Method:
1) Wash the banana leaves and pat dry. Cut into 7-inch round shapes. Keep aside.

2) To make stuffing, cook and dissolve palm suger with cooking oil and water. Blend in grated coconut, mix well. Remove from heat and leave to cool.

3) To make dough, mix water and sugar. Stir in glutinous rice flour and pandan juice carefully, mix well. Knead to form dough.

4) Divide dough into 20 portions. Wrap each dough with adequate stuffing, then wrap well with a piece of banana leaf. Arrange on a heatproof plate and steam over high heat for 20 minutes. Ready to serve.

Pandan Kuih Talam 香蘭丹蘭糕

Duet of coconut and pandan* with the white layer on top of the green, Pandan Kuih Talam is one of the must-have of many overseas students when home for vacations.

Fried Chilli Prawn Cake 辣味脆香蝦餅

It is misleading to call it a cake.
Strictly speaking, I am not even sure if it should be categorized under "Kuih-muih" *
But it is my #1 favorite snack during high school, so it will have to make the list. ;)

When done right, the cake should be golden color and crunchy on the edges.

Baked Tapioca Cake 燒木薯糕

When done right, the color of the kuih should be golden yellow, with the top slightly burned.
Texture should be chewy with the unmistakable fragrance of freshly grated tapioca.

The Little Nyonya

My mom and I have been following the recently popular Singapore soap opera - "The Little Nyonya". *

Fascinated and inspired, I decided to kick-start this blog by sharing the recipe of some of my favorite Nyonya kuih. **

* Quoted from Wikipedia, Peranakan and Baba-Nyonya (traditional Chinese: 峇峇娘惹) are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants to the NusantaraBritishStraits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who have adopted partially or in full Malay customs to be somewhat assimilated into the local communities. region during the Colonial era. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who have adopted partially or in full Malay customs to be somewhat assimilated into the local communities.

** Kuih (also kueh, kue, or kway; from Hokkien: 粿 koé) is the term given to various manners of bite-sized food items in the Malay Archipelago, much like Spain's tapas. They are usually - but not always - sweet and intricate creations, including cakes and puddings. Kuihs, plurified kueh-mueh or kuih-muih in Malay are more often steamed than baked, and thus very different in texture, flavour and appearance from Western cakes or puff pastries.