How to open live cockles

鸟蛤

Live cockles (also known as 'see-hum') are hard to find in wet markets nowadays. We get our cockle fix from Tanglin Halt wet market and Jurong West wet market.

Watch this video on how I remove live cockles from their shells and retain their precious red haemoglobin liquid (rich in iron). 

Method:

1. Soak the cockles in lightly salted water (just enough to cover the cockles) for half an hour.

2. Drain the cockles and discard the water.

3. Use a knife (with pointed tip) to pry open the shell.

4. Once opened, remove the cockle excrement from one end of the shell.

5. Use a small spoon or the same knife to scrape the cockle from its shell.

6. Keep the cockles chilled in the fridge and consume within 3 days. We cook omelette and kway teow with the cockles. 

Sweet Wheat Porridge (Mak Zhuk)

麦粥糖水

This dessert is called "mak chuk" (Cantonese for "麦粥"), wheat porridge (   in Chinese) or bubur terigu in Malay. We like to buy whole wheat kernel but these are rarely sold in Singapore or Malaysia now. In one of our trips to Taiwan Taichung, we found it in a shop selling all sorts of grains and bought some back. What you can get in Singapore/Malaysia now are milled wheat grains (wheat bran removed).

Ingredients:

250g wheat grain

1 litre water

Rock sugar

60 sago pearls (optional)

A few pandan leaves (optional)

Method:

1. Soak wheat grain overnight.

2. Drain and discard the soaking liquid. 

3. Put soaked wheat grain and water in a deep pot and bring water to a boil. Then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the grains expand soften. Add in sago pearls (if using) and stir to prevent them from sticking together and to the bottom of the pot. Once they turn translucent, they are ready. Add in pandan leaves (if using) at this stage (my late mother in law taught me) so that the pandan essence will not be boiled away during cooking.

4. Add in rock sugar to taste.

5. Serve by drizzling coconut milk (or even whipped cream) into the porridge. Enjoy!

Note: for thicker wheat porridge, you could add some rolled oats and cook together with the wheat grains in step 3.

Japanese Mixed Rice (Takikomi Gohan)

炊き込みご飯

Itadakimasu! This is my favourite Japanese comfort one pot meal. 

Ingredients (serves 6 - 7 pax)

2 cup Japanese short grain rice 

150g cabbage leaves

2 pieces kombu (dried kelp)

5 pieces square deep fried tofu puff (use aburaage, Japanese version if you like)

half carrot (about 60g)

seasoning: 1 tablespoon mirin, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt

* other ingredients which can be used to make this dish are: gobo (burdock root), gingko nuts, yam and asari (clams), dried shiitake mushrooms and sweet potatoes. 

Method:

1. Make Kombu Dashi: Soak kombu in a pot with 400ml water for 1 hour. Then, place the pot on the stove and boil the kombu over low heat until just before it comes to a boil. Remove the kombu and set aside to cool before cutting it into thin strips for use later. 

2. Wash rice quickly for a few times until water runs clear. Drain in a colander and set aside.

3. Place the tofu puffs in a bowl and pour hot water over them. This is to remove excess oil from the deep fried tofu puffs. Drain the water immediately and use the back of a spoon to press against the tofu puffs to remove the water. Set aside the tofu puffs to cool down. Once cooled, cut them into thin slices or small cubes. 

4. Squeeze the liquid from mushrooms and retain the soaking liquid. Trim off the stems and cut the mushrooms into thin slices or small cubes.

5. Cut the carrot into thin slices or small cubes, and slice the cabbage leaves thinly.

6. Heat wok with some cooking oil. Stir fry the minced pork/chicken until almost cooked through. Add the carrots, cabbage leaves, tofu puffs and mix in. Add seasoning and kombu dashi (from step 1). Cook over medium-low until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

7. Set a colander over a bowl and transfer the cooked meat and vegetables into the colander. Let the liquid from cooking drain into the bowl and set aside to cool down.

8. Measure the cooking liquid (in step 7) and add enough to make up 360ml (10% less water compared to cooking normal Japanese short grain rice).

9. Put the washed rice (from step 2) and measured liquid (from step 8) in the rice cooker/pot. Soak for 15mins, then cook the rice as per normal. Once the rice is cooked, add the cooked meat and vegetables on top of the rice but do not mix in yet. Put the lid back and fold the meat and vegetables into the rice after 10 minutes.

Serve hot!

Sweet Red Bean Soup

红豆沙

Ingredients

200g red beans

dried lotus seeds (around 10% of weight of red beans)

dried lily bulbs (around 10% of weight of red beans)

a few pieces of dried mandarin peels

1 litre water 

brown sugar (12% of weight of red beans)

rock sugar (10% of weight of red beans)

Method

1. Rinse the red beans and soak them for at least 6 hours, then drain and set aside. 

2. Rinse the lily bulbs, lotus seeds and mandarin peels. Then soak them for at least 1 hour. Drain and set aside. For lotus seeds, remove the bitter green stems inside the seeds as they are bitter.

3. Transfer the red beans and mandarin peels to a deep pot and add water. Bring to a boil and simmer over lower heat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

4. Once the red beans have softened, scoop up 2/3 of the beans and mashed them through a sieve (placed over the pot of red bean soup). Scoop red bean soup and pour into the sieve to 'wash' the mashed red bean flesh into the pot. Diacard the husks.

5. Add the lily bulbs and lotus seeds, and continue to simmer for 45minutes or until the lily bulbs and lotus seeds softened.

6. Add brown sugar and rock sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolve.

Enjoy this dessert, hot or cold.

How to cook chickpeas

 

Kacang puteh is one of my favourite childhood snacks, especially steamed chickpeas (also called kacang kuda in Malay and garbanzo beans). Easy to make and chickpeas are a good source of plant based protein. Isn't it wonderful?

Dried chickpeas

Water

1. Soak chickpeas for a few hours.

2. Drain and discard the soaking liquid. 

3. Put chickpeas in a pot and fill with water sufficient to boil for an hour. Add some salt.

4. Bring water to a boil (make sure to keep the lid slightly ajar to prevent the water from boiling over especially if your pot is small or not deep enough) and lower heat to simmer for an hour.  

5. Stop simmering when the chickpeas are soft and tender, based on your preferred texture.

6. Store in airtight container in fridge for a few days.

Sourdough Discard Waffles

When I have accumulated a big tub of sourdough discard, I will make sourdough waffles. They are yummy as afternoon tea snacks or even breakfast.

Ingredients

120g unfed sourdough discard (reduce if using more egg)

200g fresh milk

22g melted butter

23g egg (lightly whisked)

120g plain flour

8g baking powder

14g sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Method

1. Make sure waffle pan is well oiled and piping hot (i.e. smoking).

2. Mix sourdough discard with melted butter and egg using a whisk until well combined. 

3. Add milk and whisk to combine.

4. Add sugar, salt, plain flour and baking powder. Use whisk to gently fold in. Do not overmix.

5. Spoon the batter into hot waffle pan and cook for 2 to 3.5minutes (medium-low heat) on each side or until the waffle is golden brown.

6. Enjoy the waffles while they are warm. They are crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. The waffles will soften after a few hours, but will turn crispy again if you toast them in the oven. 

Steamed Bun (Gold Ingot Shape)

蒸元宝

CNY Day 9 is the most important day to the Hokkiens who celebrate by praying to the Heavenly Jade Emperor. I came up with this recipe to make gold ingot shaped steamed buns so that my mother can use them in her celebration.

65g plain flour

10g wheat starch

1/4 tsp instant yeast

8g brown sugar, x2 15g

10g cold milk, x2 22g

1g vegetable cooking oil 

40g pumpkin puree (660g pumpkin can make 300g puree.)

pinch of salt

Method:

1. Cut baking paper into small pieces of 10cm x 10cm. 

2. Prepare pumpkin puree: Remove the pumpkin skin and seeds, then cut into cubes and steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Mash the pumpkin and set aside to cool.

3. Put all ingredients except oil and salt into the mixing bowl and use dough scrapper to combine before using hand to knead into a dough. Cover the dough and rest for 15 minutes. Then add the oil and knead until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. Do not knead for too long as the bun will be chewy. Form a ball and proof the dough (covered with cling wrap) for 15 minutes.

4. Punch down the dough and knead until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into equal pieces (around 40g each), form a ball then roll into a small thick log (about 3inch long). Use the index and middle fingers on both hands to press the two ends of the log simultaneously. Fold the ends upwards and gently form the ingot shape. Place it on a piece of baking paper. Repeat this process for rest of the dough. Refer to video. Place the shaped buns in a steamer rack and proof for 20 minutes. 

 

5. Once 20 minutes is up, turn the heat on the steamer up. When steam comes out of the steamer, reduce heat to medium and continue to steam for another 10minutes. Do not open the steamer lid during steaming as the buns will collapse. Once steaming is done, do not open the lid immediately. Let the buns rest in the steam for 5 minutes. 

6. The buns taste good even on their own. Re-steam for 5 minutes before serving if you like.