Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

I didn't have to cook for a couple days as we have too many leftovers to clear out. Now its time to clear some raw ingredients out of the fridge. Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup - clear out my celery, onion, carrot and potatoes and chicken breast. Marinate the chicken breast with some zesty herbs, pan fry then, shred and set aside. In a different pot, boil water, dump chopped celery, onion, carrots and potato, add some ground pepper, cook for 30mins or until carrots are tender, add shredded chicken, cook over low heat for about 15 minutes, add cooked spiral pasta, salt and chicken bouillon to taste. DONE!!! 这真是个消灭掉一堆中国芹菜的好方法啊！又快又容易， 昨天办公室的pot luck, 红毛人很喜欢。

Nasi Kunyit with Chicken Curry

I will just post the recipe for nasi kunyit (Turmeric Rice), the chicken curry is the same I made for my Nasi Lemak. Do you notice that my rice is not glutinous rice? Yes, I use sushi rice instead, because I am having indigestion problem with glutinous rice recently. It tasted not bad at all, but the texture is a bit different. May be it is healthier?

Here is the recipe for my turmeric rice (sushi rice version).

A)
1. 2 cup (approx. 300g) sushi rice - wash and rinse
2. 100g fresh turmeric
3. 3 shallot
4. Couple while peppercorns
4. water just enough to cover the rice

B)
1. 2~3 tbsp thick coconut milk
2. 80~100 ml water
2. 1/4 tsp salt
3. 1/2 tsp white peppercorn
4. 4~5 pandan leaves - knotted


Steps :
1. Pound the fresh turmeric, shallot and white peppercorn together, squeeze the juice, repeat few time with adding some water. Discharge the pulp.
2. Soak the rice with turmeric juice, add some water just enough to cover the rice.
3. Soak the rice for 60 mins.
4. Drain the rice, wash and rinse once.
5. Add in coconut milk, salt, white peppercorn, some water, pandan knotted.
6. Steam over high heat for 20~30 minutes, stir once for evenly cooked.

芋头糕 (Steamed taro cake) Or Kuih

I have been craving for this kuih for long time. The one sold at Dim Sum restaurant here is different, I can't see any taro bites in it. So, I decided to make this for my friend's birthday and uploaded the photos to my FB, my friends asked for recipe. Here you go! Please note that my version has a lot of taro cubes it in, it makes the cake firmer, if you reduce the amount of the taro, you may have to reduce the amount of the salt too. Best to be eaten with some sweet chili sauce! Enjoy.



芋头糕当然要有瞒瞒的芋头块才叫芋头嘛！如果想减少芋头的份量， 记得也要调整盐的用量哦！

Recipe & Steps :


Ingredient A
1. 2tbsp oil in a heated non-stick pot
2. 2 tbsp crispy onion (洋葱酥）
3. 550-600g taro (cubed)
4. 1 1/2 tsp 5 spices powder
5. 1/2 tsp white pepper powder

Ingredient B - mix the following ingredient in a big mixing bowl, stir to mix well and smooth.
1. 1.5 Liter water
2. 300g rice flour (水磨粘米粉）
3. 75g corn starch
4. 2 1/4 tsp salt
5. 1/3 tsp white pepper powder

Ingredient C - garnishing/topping - can adjust to your personal preference

1. 40~45g dried shrimp (stir fried with little oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat for 3~4 minutes)-chopped (optional)
2. 1/3 cup chopped green onion
3. 1 red chili - seeded and chopped.
4. 1/3 cup crispy onion


Steps :

1. Stir fry ingredient A in a non-stick pot until the seasoning is well combined. Turn to medium heat.
2. Pour in Ingredient B, cook and stir constantly until thicken.
3. Pour everything into a round pan (10" diameter, 2" depth)
4. Steam on high heat for 45~50 minutes.
5. Remove from steamer and let it cool for little while before topping your garnishing ingredients.
6. Serve with some sweet chili sauce.

Simple Grilled Lobster Tails

Made this simple yet delicious dish over the long weekend. Yummy! The lobster flesh itself already tasty, you don't need to put too much seasoning on it. Here is my simple recipe.




Drizzling sauce (for 2~3 tails) :
1. Lime Juice (squeezed from 1 lime)
2. 3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
3. 2 red chili padi (chopped)

Seasoning :
1. Sea salt
2. Parsley flakes
3. Black pepper

Steps :

1. Preheat grill in high heat
2. Cut the lobster tails in half (length-wise, leave the end stay connected)
3. Drizzle the tails (both sides) with the lime sauce, sprinkle with some sea salt, parsley flakes and black pepper before grilling.
4. Oil the grate, places the tails flesh side down on the grill, turn to medium heat, with cover down, grill for 4~5 minutes each side.
5. Sprinkle with some lime juice (optional) when serve.

Homemade Assam Laksa

This is special dedicated to my high school schoolmate whom came to visit me in AZ, I am really happy she kept her promise. She told me she would like to learn how to make assam laksa without the overwhelming “her kor” – prawn paste flavor, which is exactly the same as my preference. So, I decided to take this opportunity to record my making of assam laksa properly, as you may know, all the while, my cooking is always based on “agak-agak” – estimation. Gigi, 你的面子够大了吧？老娘为你从出江湖！ :-p

My version of assam laksa soup is clearer, taste more close to Malay version with a lot of chunky fish fleshes (again, my preference), if you like the typical Penang Chinese version of assam laksa, just add another 2~3 tbsp of her kor (prawn paste). I usually cook the soap one night ahead before serving.

Ingredient and steps for the soup:

1. 4 lbs Indian Mackerel/Ikan Kembong

2. 3.5~4 liter water

3. 1 bunch kesom leaves (Vietnamese mint)

4. 2 stalks lemon grass – smashed

5. 5~7 tamarind skin

6. 1 – 2” cube salted markerel fish – slightly roasted and mashed. (yes, salted fish, my secret recipe :-p).

7. Tamarind Juice – 1 pingpong ball size of tamarind paste mixed with 400~500ml of water, rub the paste until the flesh dissolve in the water.

Spices – grind/blend the following ingredients

1. 400~450g shallot

2. 18~20 dried chili (soaked)

3. 5~6 fresh red chili (I couldn’t get this from the store, substituted it with 4 chili padi, thats why my soap is not that red in color)

4. 1 large sweet onion (chop to cubes before grinding)

5. 1 – 1” cube belacan (slightly roasted)

Seasoning

1. Salt to taste

2. Adjust your preference taste with the following solutions :

   • spiciness – add more chili padi

   • sourness – add more tamarind skin or tamarind juice

   • sweetness – add more onion or prawn paste (if you like it)

Steps :

1. Bring the water to boil, add in fishes, cook for about 10~12 minutes.

2. Take out the cooked fishes to a big bowl and let it cool.

3. Add in kesom leaves, tamarind skin, lemon grass, salted fish and ground spices to the fish stock, bring it to boil again, turn to low heat.

4. When the fishes are cool, peel the fleshes and discharge the bones. Mash the fleshes with fork into chunky or tiny pieces.

5. Before adding the fish fleshes back into the stock, pick up the kesom leaves from stock first (you don’t want all the fish fleshes stick on the leaves later).

6. Add in the fish fleshes, tamarind juice (reserve some for later adjustment) bring to boil and turn to low heat, continue to cook for at least 3 hour before serving. Or you can let it sit overnight (with the heat off).

7. Season with salt. Adjust the taste to your personal liking with the following solutions :

• spiciness – add more chili padi

• sourness – add more tamarind juice

• sweetness – add more ground onion or prawn paste (if you like it)

薄荷奶虾米粉 (Mint Prawn with rice noodle)

Just wanna post something made from instant paste, fast and easy for a working mom. Wish I have time to post some new recipes soon....(I am day dreaming, my baby just stared to crawl, I can't even keep my eyes out of her...lol)
太久没po食谱了， 朋友送来两包薄荷虾酱料，加水，淡奶， 虾一起煮， 上桌的时候加些薄荷， 烫了一些米粉来拌多余的汤汁， 又是美味可口的一餐了。 对要上班， 又要照顾宝宝的我来说， 越简单， 越快越好。 希望很快又可以写食谱了吧。。（在幻想中) . 宝宝已经开始会爬了， 要写食谱也不知道要等到什么时候了。。。