Marmite Salmon (Version 2)

This is usually how I cook salmon. :)

Ingredients:
Salmon
Salt
Pepper
Marmite Sauce
Sugar
Corn Flour
Water
Onion
Spring Onion


Method:
1. Marinate salmon with salt and pepper for at least 30min.
2. Using a non stick pan, pan fry salmon until both sides are cooked. Dish up on a plate.
3. Heat a little oil and stir fry onion. When onion is a little soft, add in spring onion.
4. In a bowl, mix marmite sauce, corn flour, sugar and water.
5. Pour the mixture in and cook till sauce thickens.
6. Pour onto salmon. Serve hot with rice.

Strawberry Jam Cheese Tart

These definitely don’t look as nice as those sold in the bakeries but taste just as yummy. It’s perfect for afternoon tea especially when it’s fresh out of the oven. Mine’s a bit burnt as I over-baked them a little. 10 minutes should be good.


Ingredients:
Plain Flour (250gm)
Butter (150gm)
Cold Water (a few tbsp)
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Cream Cheese (~150gm)
Butter (30gm)
Strawberry Jam


Preheat oven at 190C

Method:
1. Mix salt into the flour.
2. Dice butter (150gm) and rub it into the flour mixture.
3. Add cold water slowly to the mixture and form a dough. Do not knead.
4. Wrap dough with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30min or so.
5. Take out the dough and roll the pastry into 3-5mm thickness. Cut and press into tart mould.
6. Bake the pastry for 15-20min or until light golden brown.
7. Leave the pastry to cool.
8. Beat cream cheese with butter until light and smooth.
9. Spoon some cream cheese mixture into the pastry case. Add in some strawberry jam and swirl the mixture.
10. Bake for ~10min.

Egg-less Wheat Germ & Wheat Bran Mango Muffins

This is IT….the healthiest muffins I’ve ever baked. It has no egg but added with wheat germ and wheat bran. Check out the benefits for both wheat germ and wheat bran here:
http://www.harvestcoop.com/oldSite/pages/resource/nutrition/sndbites/496.html

I’ve always wanted to bake muffins without using egg not because I am a vegetarian (far from it ;p), but because egg is one of food to avoid if you have problems with cholesterol level. Since I omitted the egg, I added 2 more tbsp of yoghurt to the mixture but I think an extra 1 tbsp instead of 2 will do too.

The verdict? The muffins smells great when I took them out of the oven and the texture reminded me of whole wheat bread. I think it’s due to the wheat bran because I have added wheat germ before in muffins but it didn’t give the same texture as these. They’re also very moist (am sure, thanks to the yoghurt) and not too sweet. I don’t quite like the mangoes in the muffins though as it turned soft after baking. Probably, apples would be a better choice (if you do apples, make sure to add some cinnamon and nutmeg powder as these 2 spices combine so perfectly well with apples). Adding some nuts e.g. walnuts would be great too!

Oh, if you’re not a fan of whole wheat bread or anything healthy, you can skip this lest you curse me for wasting your time baking ;p


Ingredients:
Plain Flour (1 ½ cup)
Wheat Germ + Wheat Bran (1 cup)
Note: it’s up to you whether you want both in equal amounts or in different proportions
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Baking Powder (3 tsp)
Caster Sugar/ Brown Sugar (3/4 cup)
Plain Yoghurt (4 tbsp)
Milk (1 cup)
Oil (1/4 cup)


Preheat oven at 190C

Method:
1. Mix plain flour, wheat germ, wheat bran, salt and sugar well.
2. In another bowl, mix milk, yoghurt and oil.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture in no. 1.
4. Spoon into muffin cups/tray and bake for 30min or until cooked.

Soy Noodles in Fish Soup

This is what we had for lunch today. Another simple and easy to prepare one-dish meal.


Ingredients:
Soy Noodles (soaked in water till soft)
Carrot
Tomatoes
Tofu
Ginger (cut into slices)
Fish Fillet
Garlic
Sesame Oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Sugar
Salt
Cooking Wine
Oil


Method:
1. Marinate fish with salt, black pepper and sesame oil for 30min.
2. Boil water and add in carrot, tomatoes, tofu and ginger.
3. Season with salt, sugar and cooking wine. Simmer for 30-40min.
4. While the soup is cooking, heat some oil in a non stick pan.
5. Saute garlic and ginger. Add in fish and pan fry fish until both sides are cooked.
6. Add the fish into the soup and let it cook for 10min.
7. Add in the noodles and cook for 1-2min.
8. Drizzle in some sesame oil. Serve hot.

You could also add in some green vegetables such as ‘siew pak choy’ and cook it together with the noodles.

Before serving, I tore the fish meat into small pieces and sprinkle it on top of the noodles.

Steamed Glutinous Rice

Can someone tell me how in the world did those rice bugs come about and managed to get into my packet of glutinous rice that was not even opened yet??? It really puzzled me. Anyway, I had to salvage the packet of rice or it will be such a waste to throw everything away (mum's story of starving kids come to mind). Moreover, you won’t die from eating rice attacked by rice bugs (I don’t know what you call them but I call the monster rice bugs) provided you clean the rice properly.


So, what to do with the glutinous rice? Loh mai kai? Hor yip fun (where to find the hor yip)?? OK la, don’t care. Just cook something out of it and since I am too lazy to arrange pieces of chicken and mushroom in bowls like what you get in loh mai kai, I’ll just do my own version of glutinous rice.

This is so delicious!!!! (Pls wipe off your saliva…) I am really happy it turned out so well since it’s a first attempt. Of course, hubby is delighted to get to eat some unhealthy stuff….hahaha.


Ingredients:
Glutinous Rice (soaked overnight)
Ginger (ground or chopped finely)
Garlic
Shallots
Dried Shrimps (soaked and chopped)
Dried Mushroom (soaked till soft and cut into small pieces)
Chicken Meat (cut into small pieces)
Light Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce
Salt
Sugar
Pepper
Oyster Sauce
Sesame Oil
Cooking Wine
Oil

Method:
1. Marinate chicken with sesame oil, light soy sauce and pepper for at least 30min.
2. Heat some oil in a wok and sauté garlic, ginger and shallots till fragrant.
3. Add in dried shrimps and mushroom. Stir fry for 2-3min.
4. Add in chicken meat and stir fry for 1min.
5. Season with oyster sauce, salt, sugar, cooking wine and pepper.
6. Mix in glutinous rice.
7. Season with dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. You can add other seasoning such as salt, sugar and oyster sauce – just season until you’re satisfied with the taste.
Pls try the taste now or it will be too late when we start to steam the rice.
8. Add some water. Stir and cook till rice soaks up the water. (You may not want to pour in one whole bowl of water if unsure, it’s better to add the water as you cook the rice. Keep on stirring s the rice won’t stick to the wok and use low heat).
9. Scoop the rice mixture into small bowls.
10. Steam it for 40-45min or until the rice is cooked.

It’s yummy with or without chili sauce. :)

Steamed Minced Meat with Tung Choi

This is a traditional dish that my mum cooked quite often when we were small. I like the tung choi although it can be very salty if you add in too much of it and didn’t soak it in water first. It goes well with porridge and white rice. To me, this is one of those comfort food that you cook when you miss home or your childhood.


Ingredients:
Minced Pork (I used lean meat but it tastes better if you use meat with some fat)
Tung Choi (a kind of preserved vegetables)
Sesame Oil
Pepper
Light Soy Sauce


Method:
1. Clean the tung choi a few times – it tends to have some sand in it.
2. Soak the tung choi for at least 30min, otherwise it will be very salty.
3. Add some sesame oil, pepper and light soy sauce into the minced meat and let it marinate for ~30min.
4. Squeeze excess water from tung choi and mix it into the minced meat.
5. Steam until cooked. I steamed it while cooking rice and it’s done when rice is cooked.

Sponge Cake with Durian Cream Cheese

I had one container of durian and had to think of ways to finish it. Since hubby had sore throat, I am the only one who has been eating the fruit. It’s not much fun eating durian alone so I decided to do some baking with it. Vicky requested a durian cheese cake like those sold in Secret Recipe (apparently, I she was dreaming because my baking skill is definitely not up THAT standard yet and I don’t know when will I ever reach there). Anyway, we can always do an adaptation, so this is my version of ‘durian cheese cake’. Hahaha….her comment “Not enough cheese”. Well, this is my first attempt and I didn’t follow any recipe in making the durian cream cheese mixture, so cannot expect it’ll be perfect loh….;p


Sponge Cake

Ingredients:

Sugar (130gm)

Egg (4)

Plain Flour (120gm)

Butter (80gm) – melted

Preheat oven at 180C

Method:

1. Beat sugar and eggs till it’s light and fluffy, ~2x its original volume.

2. Fold in the flour.

3. Mix in melted butter till combined.

4. Bake for 30min or until cooked.


Durian Cream Cheese

Ingredients:
Durian Flesh
Cream Cheese

Note: I didn’t measure the amount used. Just agak-agak…so, you can add either more durian or more cheese or both in equal amount depending on whether you like cheese or durian more ;p


Method:
1. Blend the durian flesh using a blender.
2. Pour the durian flesh into a mixing bowl.
3. Add in cream cheese and beat till both are well combined.

To assemble:
Once the sponge cake is cool, just cut it into 2 layers. Sandwich the durian cream cheese in between. Best served chilled so you can refrigerate it for a few hours before serving.