Tag: home-cooked food

Lemongrass Beef Rice Vermicelli Salad

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As you all know, the holidays are here and because of that I get to spend more time with the hubs and also have more time and energy to spend making things in the kitchen! And I have to admit, I’m loving it! (: Not needing to rush the cooking process to get food on the table after work and cooking the same dishes over and over again. No more clock-work, not for the next 2 and a half weeks anyways!

Remember the lemongrass beef vermicelli salad we had at MissChu’s a few days back? The mr loved it so much, he asked me to try and make him some for dinner a few nights back. And so I did! Looking for recipes to help me make some lemongrass beef and off to the market I went and straight back into the kitchen.

So glad I did give this a shot. It was so so good, the Mr said he doesn’t mind having it every day! hehe I decided to just make up my own dressing for the salad, according to what I thought I tasted. haha Thankfully, it turned out really well. Sour, sweet and just a tad bit of spicy! So do give it a try! It’s really something I wouldn’t mind having every day and you could easily change the protein! I’ve tried it with chicken and it was super yums as well! Might try it with prawns or a firm fish as well. hehe but if you like red meat, can never really go wrong with beef! (:

This was the chicken thigh fillet version. Works equally well! (:

Lemongrass Beef Rice Vermicelli Salad

For marinade (adapted from epicurious.com)

1 stalk fresh lemongrass, finely chop the tender part (about 6-inches of the bottom)

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tbs fish sauce

1 tbs light soy sauce

3 tsp caster sugar

2 tbs vegetable oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

500g beef scotch fillet (or other proteins you like)

Preparation :

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and marinade the steaks in a large ziplock bag or container. Place it in the fridge and allow it to marinade for at least 2 hours. The longer you marinade, the tastier it gets!

For the dressing :

4 tbs sweet chilli sauce

2 tbs white wine vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 tbs fish sauce

For the salad :

150g dried rice vermicelli (the thicker ones)

25g bean shoots/sprouts (blanched and cooled)

150g mixed salad leaves (washed and spun dry)

1/4 cup coriander (wash well and spun dry)

1 lebanese cucumber (deseeded and thinly sliced diagonally)

2 tbs fried shallots, for garnish

Steps :

1) In a large bowl, soak the noodles in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain noodles and blanch it in hot water. Careful not to leave it too long in the boiling water, as it will turn too soft (1 min max). Still want the noodles to have a bit of a bounce. Run the noodles under cold water to stop them from cooking further. Set aside while preparing the beef.

2) Preheat the oven at 200 degrees celcius. Heat a non-stick pan on high heat and sear both sides of the scotch fillets. Place them on a baking rack and bake them for 10 minutes. While waiting, prepare the salad dressing.

3) For the dressing : Mix all the ingredients together until well combined and sugar has dissolved completely. Taste it and you can adjust the amounts of vinegar or sugar depending on your personal taste.

4) Take the beef out and place it on a chopping board and let it stand for 3-4 minutes. Slice diagonally.

5) Plating up : Place the salad leaves and half of the coriander at the bottom of the bowl. Then pour the dressing a tablespoon at a time, mixing and coating the salad leaves well (about 1-2 tbs). Top the salad leaves with the noodles and the sliced cucumber. Place the beef on top of the noodles, garnishing with the rest of the coriander and the fried shallots. Drizzle another tablespoon of dressing over the top and serve.

ENJOY! (:

The Mr definitely enjoyed his salad, look how clean it is! hehe (:

So here you go, an asian spin to the usual salad just so you got more options now! hehe Hope you all will like it as much as we do!

Sour Cream Maple Banana Cake

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What’s your favourite childhood cake that you still can’t get enough of now? For me, the banana cake from the neighbourhood bakery would be the clear winner! The moist and soft texture of the cake, and every bite is just full of banana-y goodness! I’ve made a few banana cakes before but nothing came close to those I had when I was back in Singapore. It either came out too dense, or too burnt or too dry.

I came upon a recipe from Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey? while blog hopping and saw a recipe I just couldn’t resist trying out. I wasn’t sure if it would turn out like those from back home, but it was definitely worth a shot! Especially since it’s also an upside down cake, and I’m kinda into that now, after making my upside down mandarin cake. haha

The recipe calls for maple syrup. I walked the aisles of the supermarket and contemplated on the maple flavoured syrup, as I never really wanted to spend almost $10aud on a bottle of pure maple syrup. But I decided to spoil ourselves and got a bottle of the real stuff and boy was I glad I did. It adds a unusual nutty flavour to the cake, which was perfect! The sour cream made the cake really soft and moist. And nothing could beat the smell of banana cake baking in the oven. It fills the whole house with the yummy aroma which makes you wanna dive your fork into it immediately once it’s taken out of the oven!

 I felt that this cake was a slightly healthier version as it has way less sugar and butter as compared to the mandarin one (well, I would like to think that! haha). Though they were both really yummy, this just brought me back to my childhood, and felt like I was back in Singapore for that 30 minutes of tea time. haha Yes, yes. I have to admit, I am really home sick. But I’ll be fine. (: Nothing a banana cake couldn’t fix!

So thank you so much Meeta, for sharing this awesome recipe. It’s definitely a keeper, and my mum has made me promise to make this for her when I get back at the end of the year! (:

Sour Cream Maple Banana Cake (Adapted from What’s For Lunch Honey?)

Ingredients : 

5 ripe bananas (3 for the base of the tin, and mash the other 2)

100g unsalted butter, plus extra to butter the tin

9 tbs maple syrup

200g dark brown sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

300g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

200g sour cream

Steps :

1) Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celcius and butter a 20 x 20 square tin well. Pour 5 tablespoons of maple syrup into the tin and swirl it around to make sure the base of the tin is well coated.

2) Slice 3 bananas into half length-wise and lay them, cut side down, in the tin.

3) In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the dark brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla paste and the mashed bananas. Mix until well combined. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda. Fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula, then stir in the sour cream.

4) Carefully spoon the mixture into the tin, making sure the bananas at the base do not get displaced. Bake for 45 mins, then open the oven door and place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the tin so that it doesn’t get burnt. Bake it for a further 5-10mins until a skewer comes out clean after being inserted into the middle of the cake.

5) Take the cake out and poke the top all over with a fork. Spoon the last 4 tablespoons of maple syrup over the top and allow it to be soaked through (about 5 mins).

6) Use a knife to run through the sides of the tin, careful not to cut into the cake, then place a large plate over the baking tin and carefully over-turn the cake. Voila!

7) Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. ENJOY!

This is one recipe I can be certain everyone would enjoy! Especially those of you who are like me, who absolutely loves banana cake! The old school bakery ones! NOMS!

{Quick & Easy} Smoked Salmon Pasta

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Aren’t there days that you just want to whip something up in the kitchen as quickly as possible? We came back way past lunch time and just needed to get some food in our system. So I looked into our fridge and found a packet of smoked salmon. Perfect! (: I got the dish plated in less than 30 minutes! Talk about quick aye?

Cream and Tomato Smoked Salmon Pasta (serves 2)

100g smoked salmon

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

6 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 tbs tomato paste

50ml dry white wine

100ml thickened cream

50g butter

salt & ground black pepper, to season

chopped parsley & chilli flakes, to garnish

100-125g dried pasta (cooked according to the packet, drained and set aside)

Steps : 

1) Place a heavy-based pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic, onion and sundried tomatoes and fry till the onions soften. Careful not to burn the garlic, as it will turn bitter.

2) Add the white wine and cream and allow it to come to a boil. Add the tomato paste and mix till well combined. Pour the pasta into the pan and mix it well, making sure the pasta is coated well with the sauce.

3) Take the pan off the heat, and put in the smoked salmon. Fold the salmon into the pasta and bring it back onto the heat for a further 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4) Serve and garnish with parsley and chilli flakes. ENJOY! (:

Easy peasy, quick & easy!

{Quick & Easy} Breakfast

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Ever woke up in the morning and just feel like something quick and yummy for breakfast? Boy do I have a quick fix for you! Something naughty and nice (or good, but nice sounds better haha) (:

Baked eggs! Bacon and eggs with a touch of cheese. haha Knowing me, it’s not really a touch. It’s more like an overdose of cheese. But well, that is entirely up to you! You can change the amount of cheese you want, and also change what you want in your baked eggs. And the nice (or good) part – avocado on toast! Wish I had some feta. Would be awesome! (: Anyways. Here is the recipe, hopefully you will get your quick fix at home this weekend!

Have a great weekend ahead everyone! xo

PS : I’ve got mixed reviews on the recipe cards, especially the last one I used. I’ve change the font and made it clearer (I hope!) so let me know if this is better! I will be mixing it around, and the recipe cards will only be used for short and quick recipes! (: Enjoy!

Garlic and Chilli Clams

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Been missing home quite a bit lately and one thing that gives me great comfort is food. Not just any food, but specifically mummy-inspired food! When I do head back for the holidays, I try to have as many meals as I can at home, cause mummy would just make all my favourites. Yup, I’m very blessed (:

So last Friday, when I was walking around Springvale market, and feeling homesick, I decided to make a dish that would make me warm and fuzzy inside. And one thing came to my mind – garlic and chilli clams. Spicy and the broth that accompanies it would be perfect with rice/quinoa and the best thing to have on a cold night!

and it’s really not difficult to make. Could get it from the pan to the dining table in less than 30 mins! We had this with the cheesy butter prawns in my previous post and with steamed jasmine rice, everything was just finger licking good! (I mean it, you need to use your hands to pick the clams up and SLURP! haha) Doesn’t food just taste better when you use your hands?

Garlic and Chilli Clams (Adapted from mummy’s Recipe)

800g clams, cleaned well soaking in cold water for at least 1 hour (changing water frequently)

8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 large chillies, finely chopped

small knob of ginger, slice thinly

1 tbs shaoxing wine

2 tbs fish sauce

1 cup water

2 tbs vegetable oil

salt and pepper, to season

fresh coriander, to garnish

Steps :

1) In a heavy-base wok, heat the oil on high heat and fry the garlic and chilli till fragrant, not till the garlic turns brown and be careful not to burn the garlic or there will be a bitter taste.

2) Add the clams and fry till well combined. Add the shaoxing wine and allow the wine to cook down. Add the fish sauce and season with salt and pepper. Add water and cover the wok, lowering the heat, allowing the clams to simmer for 15mins or until all (if not most) of the clams have opened. Discard those that are close.

3) Serve in a large bowl and garnish with coriander. ENJOY! (: Remember to use your fingers and slurp all the remaining broth that’s leftover once you’re done with the shells! hehe

So what’s the food that comes to your mind when you think of home? (:

Cheesy Butter Prawns : A Family Project

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You must be wondering, how is this post a family project. Let me explain.

My whole family is quite hilarious. We set up a group chat on Whatsapp and named it “Super Group” (of course! haha) and have been chatting to each other ever since. The 6 of us are a funny bunch and we chat about everything and anything. We are close like that. (: But the main topic that we usually discuss is of course, FOOD! We are quite a foodie family, I must admit. We enjoy cooking and we definitely enjoy eating. haha

A recent topic has been this particular dish we had at Jumbo Seafood Restaurant when they had a branch at Serangoon Gardens Country Club a few years back. It’s a favourite among the kiddos in the family and we never fail to order them when we are dining there. And now it’s gone, and we have been craving for it since!

Have you ever tried to recreate a dish that you tried at a restaurant/cafe? This was a first for me. My mum did try once a few years back, but it didn’t turn out quite the same, though still yummy. This time, I read up on some recipes online and realise it was the type of cheese we used. We always thought that we have to use the fancy cheeses. Shredded tasty, mozzarella and was pretty close to getting the expensive gruyere  to give it the last shot. But thanks to Bee from Rasa Malaysia, I found out that what chinese restaurants use is actually the slice Kraft cheese! I couldn’t quite believe it. But if there’s someone I would trust, it’s definitely Bee! So I told my mum to try using the slice cheese and being the spontaneous people we are, she made it that very night the conversation took place! haha

I planned to cook it the next day, as Friday was seafood day. Mum gave me feedback the night she cooked it, and told me that using slice Kraft cheese was perfect! It worked out well and tasted very close to the once we had at Jumbo! I got really excited. Couldn’t wait to try it!

Cheesy Butter Prawns (Adapted from Rasa Malaysia)

500g prawns, leave shells on

30g salted butter

1/4 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

75ml thickened cream

50ml milk

4 slices Kraft cheese

3 heap tsp of corn starch, to coat the prawns before deep frying

vegetable oil, for deep frying the prawns

salt and ground white pepper to season

coriander, for garnish

Steps : 

1) Prepare the prawns, take the heads off and keep it for other use. Carefully slice the prawn into half, length wise, keeping the shell intact and devein. Put the corn starch and coat the prawns well. Deep fry the prawns in very hot oil until the prawns are crispy and the shells have turned orangey-red. Drain and set aside.

2) Heat up a non-stick pan and add the butter. Add the garlic and onion, frying till fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic, as it will leave a bitter after taste. Pour the thickened cream and milk into the pan, bringing it to boil. Add the prawns and lay the cheese slices on top of the prawns. Cover the pan, leaving the heat on high, and let it simmer for a few minutes or until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. If the sauce is too thick, just add a bit more milk, a tablespoon at a time.

3) Take the lid off and stir to combine the cheese well with the prawns. Season with salt and ground white pepper. Dish out and garnish with coriander.

Serve and eat immediately with steamed jasmine rice! ENJOY!

The good thing about leaving the shell on is that it retains more of the cheese sauce which is really delicious and it’s so crispy you can just devour the whole thing! (: Well the mr and I sure did! I foresee us cooking this dish very often from now. haha Think I got to lift more weights to burn those calories off! Luckily, I’ve got a husband who is a Personal Trainer! *phew*

I declare our first family project a success! (:

Stir Fried Okra (Lady’s Finger)

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I never really liked okra when I was young. The only memory I had of okra of is using it during Arts and Craft lessona at school. Have you done those vegetable prints before when you were little? We use to do heaps! And using okra was very popular as it makes pretty flower prints!

(image credit to http://bkids.typepad.com)

So I never really knew how it tasted! Also, the slimy texture on the inside kinda puts me off as well. Always thought it was kinda gross. haha My brother still thinks it’s gross! But he was never a fan of slimy or soft textured food. The first time I had it was in the fish head curry my mum cooked and I loved it! But I didn’t know if I liked it cause of the curry gravy that made it yummy! So mum sitr fried it during dinner one night and I absolutely loved it!

This is my mum’s version of the stir fried okra! Mine looks a little different. haha Hers is still a little crunchier and is less gooey. I think my wok wasn’t hot enough! :O But nonetheless, it was still yummy and the taste was quite similar! So I was really happy with my first attempt of cooking it!

I guess there are many ways you can slice your okra. I prefer mine thin and cut at an angle. But even if you cut it round, it would look nice too! Just that when it’s slightly thicker, might take a longer time to soften. So do take note!

Also, I am really lucky that my dearest mum made me a huge bottle of her own sambal chilli. But if you don’t have sambal in your fridge, just slice up a large chilli thinly and it would work too!

So here’s the recipe for my version of the stir fried okra. I decided to put it in a recipe card for a change! What do you think?

Have this dish with a hot bowl of rice! *slurps* ENJOY! (:

Spicy Chicken Bulgogi

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It’s winter and I don’t know about you, but I always crave for something spicy or soupy during this time of the year. I have to admit. Winter is my least favourite season of the year. Gloomy, wet and freezing! All I want to do is hide under my blankets and hibernate! Definitely can’t wait till it is over. But for now, winter warmers are a must!

If you’ve been reading my blog (and thank you for you constant support!), you know that I’ve been obsessing about the korean cuisine. When I do go to a korean restaurant, I would find myself looking at either the hotpot or hotplate page of the menu and I would end up ordering bulgogi. A hot favourite is beef bulgogi of course. But I also enjoy the spicy version of bulgogi. Don’t you? I’ve had really good spicy chicken hot plate at 7&7 in Carnegie and tonight, I was just craving for some! So I decided to make it for dinner!

Matched with a variety of mixed vegetables – it’s my version of a perfect and balanced meal. You have your carbs, protein and fiber all in one dish. Plus the heat from the dish just brings comfort to our tummies. Definitely a win-win! Have to thank Bee from Rasa Malaysia for her recipe for bulgogi. It’s delicious! (: Thank you for helping me satisfy a craving!

 Spicy Chicken Bulgogi (Adapted from Rasa Malaysia)

Ingredients : 

2 skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips

1/2 leek, thinly sliced

1/2 carrot, thinkly sliced

1/4 chinese cabbage, cut into strips

100g enoki mushrooms

4-5 spring onion, cut into large pieces

2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs water

ground white pepper to season

For the marinade : 

3 tbs Korean red chilli pepper paste (gochujang)*

1 tbs Korean red chilli pepper powder (gochugaru)*

2 tbs light soy sauce

2 tbs mirin

1 tbs sugar

1 tbs sesame oil

1 tbs mince garlic

1 tbs grated ginger

pinch of ground black pepper

Steps : 

1) Mix all the ingredients in the marinade and add the chicken strips. Mix well and allow the chicken to marinade for at least 30 mins to an hour.

2) Heat a deep frying pan on medium-high heat and add 1 tbs of olive oil. Add the leek and carrot and fry till soft. Add the cabbage and enoki mushrooms and fry until the vegetable is cooked. Season with ground white pepper. Place in the serving bowl and set aside.

3) Add the other tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and fry the chicken till cooked. Add water and all0w the chicken to simmer for 5-10 mins. Add the spring onion and fry for another 3 mins.

4) Serve the chicken on top of the vegetables. Have it with korean rice and ENJOY! (:

Definitely spicy enough to warm up our tummies tonight. The Mr was very happy (: This recipe is a keeper and perfect winter warmer. Do give it a try and let me know what you think!

So dear readers, what do you order when you’re at a korean restaurant? Would love to know!

* Note : You can get the red chilli pepper paste and powder from most asian supermarkets. I got mine from KFL at Springvale. If you have a korean supermarket near you, ever better! (: 

Cooking in NZ : Courgette Polpette

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As a way to say thank you to my uncle, auntie and cousins for their kind and awesome hospitality. The hubs and I decided to cook dinner for everyone. There were 11 of us that night and needless-to-say I was quite worried with how the menu would turn out. Mum was super worried that there won’t be enough food. But of course, there was always WAY too much!

We were quite daring to try one of the recipes that we saw on a cooking show at Paihia a couple of days before the scheduled dinner – courgette polpette. Simply put, cheesy courgette balls! haha As funny as that sounds, it tasted surprisingly good!

               It wasn’t heavy even though there was quite a bit of cheese added, I didn’t cook the courgettes till they were overly tender, I preferred mine with a bit of crunch! But might actually be easier to roll and combine them when they are softer. haha. Personal preference! (:

Courgette polpette (adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in River Cottage Everyday)

2 tbs olive oil

3 medium courgettes, finely diced into cubes

1 egg, beaten

2 tbs grated cheddar

1/2 ball buffalo mozzarella, diced

50g breadcrumbs

1 tbs chopped parsley

Ground black pepper, to taste

Steps :

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and fry the courgettes for about 10 minutes, until tender and golden. Set aside to cool it a little.

3. Combine with all the other ingredients to make a thick, sticky mixture. Season with black pepper.

4. Take a heap teaspoon of the mixture and roll them into balls. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 mins or until it starts to brown. Serve them warm or cold. With bread or with salad. ENJOY!

ps : it’s vegetarian-friendly too! (:

Salted Vegetables Duck Soup (Giam Chai Ark)

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I love soup! When I think of soup, one word comes to mind – comfort.

They are a definite must during the super cold and gloomy days. Soups are the one thing I think of when I feel physically drained and especially when I’m down with the flu. After 8 weeks of work, I think my body is begging me to take a break and to have a good rest. Thank goodness the holidays are here! (: Unfortunately, I caught a kid-bug from school and am down with the horrible flu. This fluctuating weather in Melbourne definitely is not helping. Super cold in the morning and cold at night.

Back home, every dinner included a bowl of soup. Even though it was never cold in Singapore, soup was a necessity to begin and/or  end the meal. The Mr is cantonese, so before starting his meal, he had to have a few sips of soup. As for me, I’m Hakka, and have our soup at the end of the meal. So as you can tell, soup is very important in our culture.

Grandma’s pig stomach soup! noms!

One of my favourite soups is pig stomach’s soup. My grandma would always cook a whole huge pot for me when I am back in Singapore. This and stewed pork knuckle. Just thinking about it makes me salivate! The other soup that makes the top of my list is salted vegetables duck soup! My mum would make this occasionally and I would happy slurp down 2 big bowls of it!

We had a craving for it and decided to buy a huge duck from Costco. So the Mr deboned the duck and cut the carcass into a few pieces. I reserved the duck breast for future use and used the rest of the duck. It was my first time cooking it, so I was a little uncertain about how it would turn out. But with chinese food, alot is about trail and error. So I did! haha Thank goodness, it turned out well and tasted quite close to the one mum makes! yippee!

Salted Vegetables Duck Soup (An Original Recipe by Food Made With Love)

1 duck, deboned and cut into pieces (I kept the duck breast)

2 tomatoes, quatered

5 cloves garlic, chopped

6 dried shitake mushroom, rinsed and soaked (reserve the water)

1 can button mushroom (or any other mushroom you want)

1 packet of salted mustard greens*, soak in water for 30 mins and cut into big pieces

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 tbs shaoxing wine

1 tbs light soy sauce

1 tsp ground white pepper

1.5L water

Steps :

1) Heat a big soup pot over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. Fry the garlic till fragrant. Careful not to burn the garlic or the soup will have a bitter taste.

2) Add the duck and fry till the skin is nice and brown, add the shaoxing wine and the water. Allow it to come to a boil. Skim the foam off the top to make sure the stock remains clear. Once the foam is skimmed off, add the tomatoes and the salted mustard greens. Cover the pot with the lid and simmer over low heat for 30mins.

3) Add the soaked shitake mushrooms and the water. Add the light soy sauce and pepper, adjust according to your preference. Add the canned button mushrooms and simmer the soup for another hour or more. Check every now and then to make sure the soup is not over-reduced.

4) Serve with steamed rice or quinoa and ENJOY! (:

Note :

* Salted green mustard can be bought at any asian supermarkets. Remember to soak it for at least 30mins as it might be a bit too salty. Do also note that there is a sour version of this. The packaging looks similar, so read it to make sure its the salted one!

** You can also add some pork bones or chicken bones to add more flavour to the soup! If you do, you can just use half a duck and keep the other half for something else (: