Char Kway Teow

 炒粿条

This is a very popular dish in hawker centres and food courts in Singapore. Also commonly sold in the street side hawkers in Malaysia. I actually learnt to cook this dish from a hawker in Endau Rompin, Malaysia. 

Ingredients

600g yellow and flat rice noodles

2 tablespoon minced garlic

12 pieces of big prawns, de-shelled and de-veined (optional)

1 large egg

3 handful of bean sprouts (soaked in water to make them crunchy)

5 stalks of chives (cut to 2 inch length)

3 tablespoons of crispy pork lard (refer to my post here on how to make them)

blood cockles (optional)

fish cake (optional)

Seasoning: 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 3 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce (I use "ABC" brand), 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, chilli paste (optional)

Method

1. Heat the wok until it is smoking, then turn off the fire.

2. Add one tablespoon pork lard (or cooking) oil into the wok, followed by the minced garlic. Quickly stir fry the garlic for a few seconds.

3. Add the prawns and stir fry quickly for a few seconds. 

4. Add the yellow noodles, sprinkle 1 tablespoon water on the noodles and give the quick stir to mix the noodles with the prawns. Add the flat rice noodles and turn on the fire to high heat.

5. Add the seasoning and give a quick stir to evenly coat the noodles with the seasoning.

6. Crack the egg and add it directly into the wok. Wait for about 15 seconds before scrambling the egg with the noodles. Add in blood cockles if using and stir fry for a few seconds.

7. Drain the bean sprouts and add them into the wok together with chives, followed by sprinkling 1 tablespoon water. Quickly mix the bean sprouts and chives with the noodles.

8. Dish out onto a plate and serve. Top with crispy pork lard.

Cream Cheese Bun 2 (with egg)

 芝士餐包

Chanced upon this recipe as I have some balance cream cheese in my fridge. Gave it a try as it is slightly different from the cream cheese bun in my earlier post. This is also very soft and fluffy even on the next day.

Recipe from Apron.

Ingredients

50g cream cheese (I increased to 60g)

300g bread flour

30g sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5g instant yeast

150g warm milk (I reduced 10g as my egg is large (58g) 

1 egg (50g)

1 spoonful of love

Method

1. Put all ingredients (except salt) into stand mixer and knead for 5mins. Kneading time is only a guide as it may differ depending on mixer and brand of flour used. I am using SPAR mixer and dough hook with speed 1.

2. Add salt and knead for another 10mins or until you get window pane (which indicates that the dough is fully kneaded) whichever is earlier.

3. Lightly grease a bowl with olive oil and transfer dough to it. Cover the bowl and let it proof at room temperature for 1 hour or until double in size, whichever is earlier. 

4. Meanwhile, line your baking tin with parchment paper. 

5. After 1st proofing, punch down the dough and divide into small pieces. I divided the 640g dough into 12 pieces and shape them into balls to fit my 28cm x 5cm x 19cm pan. Rest the balls for 15 mins. After that, reshape into balls, cover and let it proof at room temperature for 1 hour.

6. 15mins before end of 2nd proofing, preheat oven to 180 deg cel. Bake the buns at 180 deg cel for 15mins.

Basic Scones

司康 / 比司吉

These scones are wonderfully buttery and flaky. They are sweet enough to be eaten on their own without jam, butter or clotted cream. 

Ingredients:

180g plain flour

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

50g unsalted butter (cold and just out from fridge, cut into small pieces)

100-110g cold whipping cream (just out from fridge)

Method:

1. Sieve flour with baking powder into mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt and mix roughly with a fork.

2. Add cold butter and use your fingers to quickly but gently rub the butter into the flour until the mix looks like breadcrumbs.

3. Add whipping cream and use fork to mix until dough just come together (ok to have small bits of flour).

4. Turn the dough to lightly floured tabletop and use hands to lightly press and level the dough to about 2 to 3cm thick Do not over mix.

5. Wrap the dough with cling wrap and chill in fridge for 30minutes.

6. Cut the scones to your favourite shape (round, square or triangle) or lightly shape with hands. If you use a cookie cutter, gather the trimmings together and lightly press/level again to cut more scones.

7. Arrange scones on a lightly greased tray and brush with olive oil (or milk). Bake at 190C for 20 mins or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Good with a cup of cofee or tea. 😋

Fluffy Pumpkin Buns

 南瓜餐包

If you have leftover pumpkin in your fridge, you have to make this bun. They are so pillowy soft and yummy.

Ingredients:

260g bread flour 

20g cake flour 

3g instant yeast 

90g steamed and mashed pumpkin

30g unrefined brown sugar

6g milk powder 

80g whipping cream 

35g water (pls do not dump all in)

2.5g salt 

10g unsalted butter softened

Method:

1. Mix flours, yeast, pumpkin, sugar, whipping cream, milk powder together. Add in water slowly and knead until a soft dough is formed.

2. Add in butter and salt and continue to knead until window pane. Shape the dough into a ball and place in lightly oiled container. Cover with clingwrap or plastic and proof for 40-45minutes or until double in size. 

3. De-gas, divide into 9 portions, roll into balls and benchrest for 10 minutes.

4. Reshape the dough into balls and put into baking tin. Cover with clingwrap or plastic and proof until for 30 minutes or until double in size.

5. Apply egg/milk wash if you like. Bake in preheated oven at 180c for 15-20minutes or until golden brown.

6. Transfer to cooling rack to cool down. ENJOY!

Pork Steak

猪肉排

Came across this pork chop recipe from FoodNatics. It is so good I have been cooking it at least once a month.

Ingredient

2 pieces of pork steak (1 inch thick)

Brine: 800ml water, 2 dried bay leaves, 6 garlic cloves (smashed, with skin), 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. 

Marinade: 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 tablespoon cooking oil

Method

1. Prepare brine by boiling for 5 minutes. Then leave to cool to room temperature.

2. Place the pork steaks into the brine and soak overnight in fridge or at least 30 minutes.

3. Remove the pork steaks from the brine and dab dry with kitchen towel. Discard the brine solution. 

4. Prepare the marinade and mix it well. Brush the pork steak with the marinade. Set aside for at least 1 hour.

5. Heat up the heavy iron skillet until it is smoking. Add a tablespoon of oil and lower flame to medium heat. Place the pork steaks into the skillet and fry each side of the steak until the edges are nicely browned and crisp.

6. Transfer the steak to serving plate and top with salad and french fries. ENJOY!

Homemade Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar

苹果醋

Apple cider vinegar is vinegar made from fermented apple juice. We use apple cider vinegar a lot at home and thus it makes economic sense to make it at home as store bought apple cider vinegars are expensive (around S$15 for 1 litre). Fter going many youtubes and articles, I've distilled the following recipe. 

Ingredients:

Apples*

Sugar (approximately 1 teaspoon for 1 small-medium sized apple)

Enough water to cover the apples. I use boiled & cooled water. Use bottled drinking water if you have. Chlorine from tap water will kill the naturally occurring microbes that perform the fermentation.

Method:

1. Sanitize big glass jar with hot water.

2. Thoroughly wash the apples and cut it into small pieces. Remove the apple core and seeds but it is not necessary. Put the cut apples into the big glass jar.

3. Dissolve sugar in water based on ratio of 1 teaspoon to 1 apple. If you are using 4 apples to make ACV, add 4 teaspoons of sugar to the water. Pour the sugared water into the big glass jar. Weigh the apples down with a small cup so that all the apples are under the water. Cover the jar with a breathable cloth or kitchen towel (to release carbon dioxide, a by-product of fermentation) and a rubber band. Place the jar in a cool dark place (e.g. kitchen cupboard) to ferment for three weeks. Note: If you have store bought raw/cultured/unpasterised ACV, you can jumpstart the fermentation (as well as prevent mold from forming) by adding a little bit of dark floating bits that settle at the bottom of the ACV. That is the vinegar mother and it contains acetic acid bacteria that converts ethanol (alcohol) into acetic acid (vinegar). 

4. For the first week, stir the apples every day with a plastic or wooden spoon to aerate the ferment, encourage microbial activity and help to prevent formation of mold.  You will see bubbles formed in a few days. This is a good sign that the fermentation is well under way. Below is a picture if my ACV after 4 days.

5. For the second and third week, stir the apples every two to three days.

6. At the end of third week, strain the apples into a clean jar using a non metallic strainer. Lightly cover the jar with a lid (do not close it tightly) and place it back in the cool dark place for second fermentation for another four weeks. Keep the cultured apples separately.

7. At the end of four weeks, the fermentation is complete and the ACV is ready for use. Pour the ACV into a clean jar and close it tightly. There will be a rubbery disk floating on top of the ACV, and it is referred to as vinegar pellicle (combination of vinegar mother and cellulose). Filter the solution if you like clear ACV. I like mine raw and unfiltered. Keep the 'vinegar mother' separately to culture future batches of ACV.

* Other ways of making homemade ACV:

• Using freshly squeezed apple juice (3 cups) and vinegar mother (1/4 cup) based on this recipe from fermentingforfoodies. Steps are the same as above. I've tried this method using juice from 4 red apples and some mother from store bought ACV. It works.
• Using freshly squeezed apple juice and cultured apples (step 6 above).
• Using apple scraps and vinegar mother.

How to make Crispy Lard And Lard Oil

猪油渣

Here is how I make pork lard that are super crispy and crunchy, and stay crisp longer.

Ingredients

200g fresh Indonesian pork lard 

Pinch of salt

Water

1. Lightly rinse the pork lard with water. Cut into cubes if your butcher had not done so.

2. Put pork lard cubes into wok and add just enough water to cover the pork lard. Add salt. Quick stir to mix the salt into the water. Turn on the flame to medium heat and boil the lard cubes until all the water has evaporated. At this point, reduce heat to low to slowly render the pork fat. Pork fat will be bubbling away as it is released from the lard cubes. 

3. Once the lard cubes turn light golden brown (you will also see that the bubbles have reduced significantly), increase the heat to high for last 20-30seconds. Turn off flame. 

4. Transfer the lard to a plate laid with kitchen towel to drain excess oil. Once cooled, keep in air tight container. When the lard oil has cooled, filter it and store in container for use later.

Tea Leaf Smoked Chicken

茶叶熏鸡

Tea leaf smoked chicken is a straight forward dish which you can cook at home using simple equipment and ingredients. It involves a 2 stage process: first cooking the chicken, then wok-smoking it over a mixture of tea leaves, rice, sugar. For stage 1, there are 2 methods: steaming (which is faster) and poaching (slower but yields a juicier chicken).

Based on this website, the tea smoke mix comprises dried tea leaves (for flavour and aromatics), raw/uncooked rice (to moderate the burn off of the tea leaves) and sugar (to help the smoke penetrate and adhere to the food). 

Ingredients:

2g dried tea leaves (I use oolong tea leaves)

30g raw/uncooked rice (alternative: 2g dried osmanthus flowers, guihua,  桂花 )

15g brown sugar 

sugarcane leaves, cut into short pieces (optional)

1 kampong chicken (approximately 1.2kg)

2 teaspoon salt

Poaching stock ingredients: 50ml light soy sauce, 1/4 tsp light soy sauce, 60ml shaoxing rice wine, 3 stalks of scallions (cut into lengths), 2 star anise, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp szechuan peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, 4-5 slices of ginger.

Method:

1. Wash and clean the chicken. Dab dry with kitchen towel and marinate it (inside out) with salt for at least 3 hours. Optional step: Butterfly the chicken by cutting it into two from the backbone. 

2. Steaming Method:

Place the chicken on a steaming rack, and put the rack in a dish/tray to collect the chicken juices (to make stock). Steam for 30 minutes on high heat. Remember to monitor the water and top up if required. 

3. Poaching Method:

Combine the poaching stock ingredients in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Hold the chicken by its neck (or use a pair of fork/tongs) and dip it into the boiling stock, cavity first so it fills up with the liquid. Lift the chicken up to drain and submerge it again. Do this 3 times.

After dipping, submerge the whole chicken (breast side down) into the stock. Cover the lid, bring the stock to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer the chicken for 30minutes. After 30minutes, flip the chicken over and let it simmer for another 10minutes.

Remove the chicken from the stock, let the liquid drain out from the cavity. Place the chicken on a wire rack set over a tray. Air-dry the chicken for at least 45minutes to an hour until the skin is slightly tracky to the touch. If the chicken is wet when it goes into the smoker, the smoke will turn acidic and taste bitter. 

4. Prepare the tea smoke mix by combining dried tea leaves, raw/uncooked rice, sugarcane leaves and sugar. Cut out aluminum foil of 40cm length, and lay it on the bottom of the wok. Spread the tea smoke mix evenly on the aluminum foil.

5. Place the chicken including the steaming rack on the aluminum foil. Cover the wok with lid and turn the stove/burner on high heat. When smoke appears, reduce heat to medium and set timer to smoke chicken for 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken rest inside the work (still covered) for another 5 minutes (to let the smoke settle and glaze the chicken skin). 

5.  Brush the chicken skin with a very thin layer of sesame oil for a glossy finish. Let it cool for 15 minutes before cutting it up to serve. 

Orh Kueh (Steamed Yam/Taro Cake)

芋头糕

I love to eat yam cake but store bought ones hardly have any yam inside. Here is my homemade yam cake recipe which is adapted from Kitchen Tigress and Lucinda Lau. It is packed with have lots of chunky yam pieces, mushrooms, dried shrimps and sometimes I added ginkgo nuts. So savoury and delicious, I can have it breakfast, lunch and tea break.

Ingredients

500-600g yam 

200g rice flour

45g tapioca flour (or wheat starch)

840ml water (including water for soaking dried shrimps and mushrooms)

20g dried shrimps

20g dried shiitake mushrooms

100g shallots

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Toppings: fried shallots, spring onions, red chilli, roasted white sesame seeds, coriander

Method

1. Line the steaming tray with parchment/baking paper (optional).

2. Soak dried shrimps for at least half hour. Chop the shrimps into smaller pieces. Retain the water for soaking dried shrimps.

3. Soak dried mushrooms until they are rehydrated. Squeeze the water from mushrooms, then thinly slice the mushrooms. Retain the water for soaking mushrooms. 

4. Mix the rice flour with tapioca flour in a mixing bowl. Add in 440ml of water and stir until you get a smooth mixture (i.e. no lumps), and set aside. 

5. Top up the water from soaking dried shrimps and mushrooms to make 400ml, and set aside. 

6. Cut the yam into small cubes. Note that yam contains calcium oxidase which causes skin irritation. If your skin is sensitive, you may want to wear gloves while handling yam.

7. Cut shallots into thin slices. Heat up wok and fry shallots over low heat until golden brown. Transfer the fried shallots to a plate.

8. Using the oil from frying shallots, fry garlic and dried shrimps over medium heat until fragrant. Add mushrooms and continue to stir fry. Add seasoning (1.5 tablespoon soy sauce and dashes of white pepper) and mix evenly. Add the yam cubes and fried shallots (keep 2 tablespoon as topping) into the wok and stir fry the yam for 2 to 3 minutes until the yam cubes are soft. Pour in 400ml of water (from step 5) and stir to combine. Bring to boil and simmer under low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off fire. Note: seasoning is deliberately light so as not to overpower the frangrance of yam)

9. Take the flour mixture (from step 4), stir it for a few seconds and pour it into the wok. Quickly stir to evenly mix the flour mixture with yam. The mixture will be very thick.

10. Transfer the yam to steaming pan and use spatula to level the mixture. Steam over high heat for 40minutes and remove from steamer when done. Check and top up water in wok/steamer accordingly. It is ready when you insert a skewer into the yam cake and it comes out almost clean. Cool down completely before cutting or un-moulding from pan.

11. Garnish with toppings (optional) and serve. 

Wafu (Japanese Style) Pasta

 日式意大利面

This meal is easy to prepare in under 15 minutes. It is a big favourite for my children.

Ingredients:

100g spaghetti (for 1 pax)

2 strips of smoked bacon

2 cloves garlic (smashed)

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)

Shredded noni seaweed (any desired amount)

Spring onion (for garnish, optional)

Method:

1. Boil approximately two litres of water with 1 teaspoon salt. Once boiling, add spaghetti and cook according to instruction on package. Drain and set aside once cooked. Reserve two tablespoons of the water.

2. Cut bacon into strips of 1cm in width. Heat up wok with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and lightly fry the bacon. Push the bacon to the side (or remove from wok) and fry garlic in the oil. Once garlic is lightly browned, add in the spaghetti. Add butter, shoyu and reserved water (from step 1) and toss with a pair of long chopsticks for a few minutes.

3. Garnish with shredded noni and spring onions, and serve hot.