Pork Meatball

猪肉丸

These bouncy and juicy pork meatballs can be added to soups or congee.

Ingredients:

500g minced pork

1 teaspoon salt

Half tsp soy sauce

Half tsp sugar

Dashes white pepper

Half egg (about 26g)

Half tsp water

Shredded dried codfish (optional)

Method:

1. Put all ingredients in a stand mixer and use mixer with k paddle attachment to mix until the mixture is pasty. Lift the meat mixture up and slam it against the mixing bowl. Repeat this slamming a few times. 

2. Use hand to shape the balls, then poach them in water until the meatballs are just cooked.

3.  The water can be used to cook pork porridge.

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.

Curry Chicken

咖哩鸡

Old school creamy curry chicken with minimal ingredients yet flavourful and tasty. Best of all, it is not spicy, which my family enjoys. I love to eat curry chicken with white bread and wiping the curry gravy with the bread. 

Ingredients

4 whole chicken leg (about 1kg), chopped into 3 parts

3 medium sized potatoes (cut into chunks)

1.5 teaspoon salt

2 large shallots (finely chopped)

2 large garlic cloves (finely chopped)

3 lemon grass, 4 inch from base, lightly smashed (optional)

1 sprig of curry leaves (optional)

40g curry paste (I've tried A1 and Ikan brands, both are good) or 

3 tbsp meat curry powder, mixed with 3- 4 tbsp water into a paste

300ml water

100g coconut cream (Heng Guan brand)

Method

1. Marinate chicken with salt for 30 minutes.

2. Heat wok with oil and fry garlic and shallots until fragrant.

3. Add curry paste and stir fry a little, until the oil releases from the curry paste. Toss in lemongrass and curry leaves at this step if using.

4. Add chicken and stir fry until the chicken skin is just cooked.

5. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut cream (upper layer of coconut milk) and cook until the milky colour disappears (i.e. milk has turned to oil).

6. Add water to chicken and bring it a boil. 

7. Add potatoes, mix with the chicken, lower heat to medium-low and cover the wok to simmer.  Stir ocassionally to prevent bottom burning.

8. Simmer until potatoes are tender and the curry gravy has reduced by half, around 20 to 30 minutes. Once ready, you can smell the curry chicken aroma in your kitchen!

9. Add salt and the remaining coconut milk. Stir in the coconut milk gently. Off the heat.

10. Dish up and serve with rice or bread (my favourite!).

Tea Leaf Egg

茶叶蛋

Missed Taiwan's tea leaf eggs so much! They are so delicious, we bought them from 7-11 convenience store everyday while we were holidaying in Taiwan in April 2024. I followed the recipe from this youtube and cooked 10 instead of 20 eggs.

Ingredients:

10 eggs

50ml soy sauce

20g rock sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 types of tea leaves (1 lipton tea bag and 1/2 teabag of wu long cha 乌龙茶 tea leaves)

2cm cinnamon stick

2 star anise

Method:

1. Put eggs in a pot and fill with sufficient water to cover the eggs. 

2. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat to low and boil the eggs for 20 minutes. 

3. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and set aside the eggs in the pot (do not drain the water) for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes, drain the water and use a spoon to crack the eggs by giving each egg a light tap on the round end, followed by 3-4 taps on the side of the egg. This is to create the marbled effet and to allow the flavors from the tea soup to infuse the eggs. 

5. Put the cracked eggs into the same pot and add the tea soup ingredients (soy sauce, rock sugar, salt, tea leaves, cinnamon stick and star anise). Add water until it just covers the eggs.

6. Bring to a boil, then boil over low heat 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the eggs soak in the tea soup for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, boil the tea soup for a final 20 minutes. Turn off heat and the eggs are ready to be eaten!

Blanched Orka

烫煮羊角豆

This is really a very simple dish to make which I learnt from Just One Cookbook. It starts with selecting the okras at the market. Choose those that are tender, small (less than 4 inches), free of blemishes (dark spots/marks/patches) and the stem is not dry/brown. That done, the rest of the steps is easy peassy.

1. Cut off the stem to about 0.5cm and peel off the hard part around the top of the okra.

2. Put the okras on the chopping board and sprinkle some salt over them. Then gently rub them by rolling on the chopping board. This step will remove bitter taste and bring out the bright green colour of the okras. Don't need to rinse the salt from the okras.

3. Boil some water in a pot/wok. Put in the okras and blanch for 2 minutes (or longer, depending on the size of the okras). Be careful not to overcook the okras as they will become mushy.

4. Drain the okras and transfer to serving dish! You can cut the okras into small pieces before serving if you like.