Watercess Spare-ribs Soup

Its been ages since i last had watercess. I dun reali like those where the soup stall sells as the watercess tends to be yellowish & will feel very thirsty after drinking the soup.
I've always love to eat my greens "Green".To me the point is, if greens are overcooked,no point eating them as they've already lost its nutrients & vitamins.

Ingredients;
500g spare-ribs
20g wolfberries
6 red dates
3 glove garlic
Boiling water
Salt to taste
1 bunch watercess

Method;
-Wash & clean spare-ribs.
-Cut off stem from watercess.
-Wash & clean garlic, do not remove skin.
-Bring a pot of water to boil
-Add boiling water to the slow cooker, set mode on high auto.
-When boiling water high boils, add spare-ribs, garlic & red dates.
-Let soup slow cook for about 1 hr, add salt to taste.
-Juz b4 serving, add watercess to the soup, boil for another 5 mins.
-Serve hot.
-Enjoy!

*Do not cover the pot while cooking watercess, otherwise it will turn yellowish.

Spicy Sambal Fried Fish

After the steamed red flower which which i had few days back, couldn't resist temptations to had the 2nd red flower fish which we bought from pengarang on sunday.
Decided to cook a spicy sauce to serve together with the crispy fried fish, make it some sort like those where we can buy from the malay hawkers.

Ingredients;
1 red flower fish
1-2 tbsp potato starch
3 tbsp rojak flower sambal chili paste
10g assam paste
30ml water
½ tbsp sugar
Dash of salt
Oil for frying

Method;
-Soak assam paste in water, rub & squeeze. Drained & discard residue.
-Wash & clean red flower fish, dry with kitchen towel.
-Coat with a thin layer of potato starch.
-Shallow fry in hot oil till crispy & golden brown.
-Drained on kitchen towel to remove excess oil, place on serving dish.
-Prepare gravy by frying chili paste with 1 tsp oil, add assam water.
-Bring to boil, season with salt & sugar.
-Drizzle gravy over fried fish, serve with plain rice.
-Enjoy!

降"胆"茶

此胆非比GUTS。此胆是指胆固醇的胆。

Dad has been consuming lots of f0od which are high in cholesterol recently.
Food like like pig's trotter, bak kwa, liver, seafood & eggs.The best thing is that all the supplements which i bought for him, hasn't been touched at all.Haiz...when will dad start to feel scare? I mean like even though u dun wanna eat supplements, should at least avoid certain food which are high in cholesterol & fats.

I made this 降"胆"茶, force dad to drink. I was thinking will he oppose me if he knows wat's its purpose? To my surprise, he like the taste. I even cooked more early this morning to let dad brings to his office.
I've decided to cook this tea 3 times a week. Heard from the elderly that its good & should be drank quite often.

Ingredients;
1200ml water
35g black & white fungus
10 red dates
20g wolfberries
3 tbsp black sugar

Method,
-Soak fungus in water for 15-20mins.
-Once soften, trim off any hard parts like the wood.
-Cut into smaller pieces.
-Bring water to boil, add in fungus & dates, boil for 8-10mins.
-Add wolfberries,boil for another 5 mins.
-Add sugar to taste.
-Serve hot or cold.
-Enjoy!

Steamed Red Flower Fish in Soy Garlic Sauce

Red flower fish is also known as 红花鱼.We bought 2 of it during our pengarang trip.

Normally for steamed fishes, u gotto eat it while its hot, otherwise the meat will harden & gives off fishy smell.Tt's why most pple dun like to eat steamed fish. However, red flower fish is different. I steamed 1 for dinner, set aside 1/2 for dad & by time dad reached home at about 9 plus, the meat is still soft & fresh. Yummy.....

Ingredients;
1 red flower fish 红花鱼
2 clove garlic, minced
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1½ tbsp light soy sauce
½ tbsp brown sugar
80ml water
Oil

Method,
-Wash & clean fish, cut 2 slits on each side of the body.
-Rub with oil & steam on high heat for 10 mins or till cooked.
-Sprinkle some spring onions onto fish, cover for 1 min.
-Prepare sauce by frying minced garlic in oil till fragrant.
-Add sauces, sugar & water.
-Bring to boil, drizzle over steamed fish.
-Sprinkle remaining spring onions over & serve.
-Enjoy!

Pengarang Trip III

Despite been to pengarang so many times, i still love to travel there with family & frens cuz of the gd food there, most importantly dad has many frens there & we are always being welcome warmly.

Rise & shine, woke up as early as 6am, took a bum boat from changi terminal & we reached pengarang at a very early timing of 9 plus in the morning.
Hmm....ride on bum boat is full of excitement. haha....
As we reaches early & uncle davide onli open for business at 11am. We met up with uncle david & his wife for breakfast at the nearby coffeeshop. After coffee, i walked around the place to explore. Having been here for so many times, i find tt the place is still worth exploring. I haven been to the temple & beach.

This is the 1 & onli shell petrol kiosk there. Not bad ya!

As i walked around, i chance upon a fire station & I didn't noe that they have 1 there. The model of their fire engine is a very old skool type. Hmm...actually i'm wondering does it serve the purpose there? Izzit meant to be of use or izzit more for displaying purpose!

Wow.....a glass house wor! Heard tt the owner spent lots of $ on building this house. Oso heard tt there's a swimming pool of the roof top!Shiok ar? The owner reali knows how to enjoy life.

This is uncle david's in-law house. I been there to visit the elderly b4 but i'm terrified of the 2 big dogs they have.
Actually it will be vey to stay over at this kinda houses, away from the noisy cities like wat we have here.

See, there's even a mini garden to grow some lovely flowers.
Or by the drain outside the house.

Erm.....over the fence as well!

Even in pots outside the house along the roadside.

Wow...so lovely!

Everytime i passed by this mango tree, i tends to stand below it & admires the lovely mangoes.

Weather is so hot that even stray dog seeks shelter under the tree.

After my exploring experience, its almost timing tt uncle david open for business.

I saw him catching some lobsters out from the tank, oh mine, they are reali active ya, keep splurting water juz when they are about to be lifted.

I managed to catch 1 big lobster by the feelers.Any idea izzit male or female? Ans is its a male. How to differentiate male & female lobster? Well, u gotto take a look at their legs. Female lobsters has split end while the male doesn't have.

While waiting to be served, we had some red wine.

Wow...our usual yi pin wo, oh ya & its onli available upon ordering in advance. :-)

My favourite Steamed Red Flower Fish. They juz arrived straight from the fishing port tt morning. Can u imagine how fresh they were? & the flesh is so sweet & tender!

Dad's all time favourite fattening & sinful food~Braised Pig Trotters with Yam.

Another of our usual order~Hotplate Oyster Egg.

Stir Fry Chye Sim with Garlic

Stir Fry Wild Boar Meat, as compared, i still prefer the braised wild boar meat.

Steamed lobsters~ i reali loved steamed dishes.

Steamed Prawns with Gingers.

This is my favourite of the day~Claypot Stewed wild piglet. In fact this is my 1st time having this dish. The sauce is thick & full of flavours.

Assorted fruits after meal, the pineapple is sweet & juicy.

I bought some tiramisu ice-cream from the minimart next door. Can't find them in singapore.

Having ate too much, i went for a walk with Adam b4 we leave for singapore.
The last time i saw this kind of water dispenser was when i was in bangkok sometimes back. I didn't expect that i could find it in a ulu & quiet place like pengarang.

I tot it would be of no use as normally residents would cook water for own consumption.However, i was rather surprise when i saw pple filling up many giant bottles.

20cents rm for 500ml is considered cheap.If i remembered correctly, the wan in bangkok is about 25cents sing for 1500ml, but tt time after i filled up mine, the machine still gushes out plenty of water & a thai lady managed to fill up at least 2/3 of her 1500ml water bottle.

A very traditional confectionary which sells handmade biscuits.

Wat's that? A mobile soy beancurd stall! yup, the last time i saw a kway teow stall & now its beancurd.

I bought a bowl of Soy Beancurd with Gula Melaka. yum...yum...wat a soft & smooth tau huay! Taste much more better than the selegie tau huay we have in singapore.

After our tau huay break, we proceed to the new custom to wait for our bum boat. I saw this aquarium with many different kinds of underwater creature living in it.

Erm...this long thingy is belongs to the prawn family. Its called "hai tang lang" sort of a sea mantis.

Surprisingly that there's a beautiful angel fish as well.

I bought some dried goods like dried shrimps & ikan bilis, my favourite coffee as well!

Last but not least, some local delights like tau sar piah, pong piah, homemade kaya. Some crackers & chocolate biscuits.I took the risk to smuggle a bottle of chewing gum back as well. haha...this is my favourite green tea mint flavour!

Veggie Potstickers

Potstickers potsticker & potstickers! i been hearing too much about them recently.
1stly it was T, who keep mentioning about how great those frozen potstickers from the supermarket taste.All she needs to do is warm them up in the microwave oven & its ready! To me its like they are afterall frozen, can't be as great as those freshly made.

2ndly, its was chua who said that after he ate a plate of potstickers which cost $4 from the foodcourt, spent nearly $100 to see a doctor. Well, he has leg problem & pple like him should avoid chives.
I decided to make a simplified style of veggie potstickers using wanton skins, giving chives a miss.Something unusual from the normal potstickers.

Ingredients;

Veggie fillings;
Some beijing cabbage
4 baby carrots
1 handful of dried woodears, soaked
2 beancurd puff
1 clove garlic, minced
15g dried shrimp
Oil for frying
Oyster sauce
Dash of salt
Stock

Wonton skin, round
1 tsp potato starch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
Oil for greasing

Method;
-Shred the 1st 4 ingredients.
-Wash dried shrimp, soak for 5 mins.
-Fry garlic in 1 tbsp oil till fragrant, add dried shrimps & carrot.
-Fry till carrot slightly soft, add in the remaining ingredients & seasonings.
-Pour in stock, cover for 5 mins.
-Remove from heat to let cool.
-When wrapping;
-Place 1 tsp veggie fillings onto a pc of wonton skin.
-Fold to form a 3D semi-circle shape, push up the sides to form an elongated shape.
-Seal edge with water.
-Grease a heated frying pan, lay prepared potstickers onto pan.
-Fry till bottom brown, pour in the potato starch water, cover to let steam for 3-5 mins.
-Serve with spicy sauce.
-Enjoy!

Colourful veggie fillings to be wrapped. They taste great, actually they goes well with plain rice as well. IO reserved a portion for Adam to eat with rice for dinner tonite. Erm....yup, for dinner cuz these potstickers will be for his starters b4 he eat rice. haha.....

麻婆豆腐

Been so bz over the week & thank god its finally weekend where i can get to rest after my halfday work. I wanna cooked something simple & easy. Went to the supermarket to get the ingredients so last minute.

Ingredients;
1 block silken tofu, cubed
200g minced pork
3 dried mushroom, soaked & dice
1 tbsp spicy bean paste
1 clove garlic, minced
Spring onions, chopped
Chili oil
Oil for frying

Sauce;
1½ tsp rojak flower sambal chili paste
½ tsp dark soy sauce
½ tbsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil
100ml stock
Dash of Sichuan pepper
Thickening agent

Method;
-Heat oil, fry garlic till fragrant.
-Add minced pork, fry till 80% cooked.
-Stir in spicy bean paste & mushroom.
-Add tofu & ingredients for sauce, except thickening agent.
-Cover & let simmer till sauce slightly dry.
-Stir in thickening agent & serve.
-Sprinkle chili oil & spring onions over.
-Enjoy!

Dark Soy Pork Belly with Sea Cucumber

Dried sea cucumbers needs lots of preparations, go through many cleaning process b4 it can be eaten. For those pple who do not noe how to handle dried sea cucumber, its better than u purchase those ready soak ones from market.

Dad loves to purchase dried sea cucumbers & he collects them.On sunny day, he tends to sun his collection, take great care of them. These dried sea cucumbers can be kept for years if well taken care of. Always avoid contact of cooked rice & oil.
Dad's the one who boils & boil,ensure that they are big & soft enough while mum's the one who wash & clean, removes the unwanted tenticles from the tummy. And i'm the wan who cooks & eats them :-P Not forgetting that sea cucumber is a good form of collagen, no harm eating more. haha....

Ingredients;
½ sea cucumber, sliced
220g pork belly, sliced
1 pc 3 inches size ginger, shred
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp dark soy (thick)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Dash of salt
½ tbsp oil

Method;
-Fry garlic & ginger in hot oil till fragrant.
-Add pork belly slices, fry till cooked.
-Add seasoning, fry till pork belly is soft.
-Stir in sea cucumber, cover & let simmer for 8-10 mins.
-Enjoy!

This is 1 of dad's collection, purchased from Hock Hua gingseng. These precious cost $550 per kg. Prices varies depending on the sizes, thickness & the type it belongs to. Oh ya, its orginality as well.

鱼香茄子

This is 1 of my favourite dish. I dunno how come those vegetables which i dislike during my childhood, becomes my favourite veggie as time goes by. Or maybe its becoz as my culinary skills improve, i tends to cook better, able to handle veggie which i used to dislike.

Ingredients;
2 bringjal
150g mince pork
1½ tsp sambal chili paste
1 tsp hei bee hiam (spicy shrimp paste)
2 tbsp stock
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method;
-Wash & cut bringjal into bite sizes.
-Deep fried in hot oil till lightly browned, drained.
-Heat 1 tsp oil in wok,fry minced pork till 70% cooked.
-Add sambal chili paste & hei bee hiam, fry till well mixed.
-Return bringal to the wok, add stock.
-Cover wok to let simmer for 5 mins, gravy slightly dries up.
-Serve.
-Enjoy!

Spicy Tau Kwa Salad

As i woke up very early this morning, i'm feeling lazy to cook dinner. So was mum,initially she suggested eating out,but changes mind as i mentioned; "huh? eat outside food again,didn't we had outside food for breakfast this morning!"

How about a simple salad & tomyam noodles for dinner, at least its home-cooked. I'll do the cooking & mum to do the washing! haha....I've always like cooking, hate washing. That's y when i had home economic lessons during my secondary school days, i will pair up with those students whom dunno how to cook, den they can stand there throughout the whole lessons to do washing! haha.....

Ingredients;
Some deep fried tau kwa pieces
1 cup shredded radish
3 baby carrots, shredded
½ cup shredded japanese cucumber
1 shallot, sliced thinly
Juice from 1 lime
1 chili, finely chopped
Some coriander leaves
Some peanut powder & roasted sesame seeds
Some thai chili sauce

Method;
-Mix all the ingredients together & serve immediately.
-Enjoy!

桂圆红菇茶

Dad's fren got us some dried red mushrooms from overseas the other day & i heard that these red mushrooms are supposed to be cooked like hearbal tea & its beneficial to our health.

I remembered that grandma used to cook dried red mushroom drink when she was still around. She would forced me to drink it no matter what. As a child, I onli noe that i dun like its awful taste & it reali taste horrible. Therefore, the 1st impression i had when i saw these red mushrooms was; "yucks...disgusting!"

Mum said that the way grandma cooked is simple as she onli boils them with water, no taste at all. For these kinda red mushrooms, u muz noe how to handle them, otherwise it will turn out as awful as grandma's. haha....

Ingredients;
1700ml boiling water
A handful of dried red mushrooms
15 red dates
30g dried longans
2 pieces rock sugar
2 pandan leaves, knotted

Method;
-Wash & cut off bits of steam from mushrooms.
-Pour boiling water into a pot with pandan leaves.
-Add red dates, red mushrooms & boil for about 20mins.
-Stir in dried longans, rock sugar & boil for another 10mins.
-Off heat, let cooled.
-Discard red mushrooms & serve chilled.
-Enjoy!

Our Breakfast Makan Trip

Its been ages since we last had breakfast & does some shopping at the market together. We used to does that every sunday when the market near our place is still around. But too bad, its been demolised last year.
In my early childhood days, dad would bring our whole family to Lorong Ah Soo market every sundays for breakfasts & drove us back b4 he goes to work.Erm..at that time dad has a car, but until Adam was born, the car was sold.

Since Jeaper & Adam was at home today & i need not work, all of us wake up early. So i suggested going to Lorong Ah Soo at hougang ave 1 for breakfast. As soon as Adam heard that, he immediately went back to sleep. He's juz being lazy as its quite inconvenient to travel from our place to there. Nvm, we still went ahead without him.

I wanted to eat nasi lemak from my favourite stall, however most of the famous stall had long Q, and the nasi lemak Q was untill the escalator. I counted, needs to Q at least 1/2 an hour b4 i get to eat. By den i waould faint as i'm already starving. Looks like i'm not fated to eat the nasi lemak, the precvious time i went late, by time it reached my turn to order, the auntie told mi she ran out of rice. :-(
Oh come on, singapore is a food paradise, no nasi lemak for me, i can always eat other food! haha....

My favourite Lor Mee from Fu Yuan Cooked Food #02-36.

Mum had Laksa from Fu Yuan Cooked Food #02-36. I bought her a fried doughstick to dip the laksa gravy! yummy...tt's how i always eat & i insist mum to try this method out. haha....She loves the combination, but the gravy isn't as nice, if its much thicker, that would be wonderful!

Jesper had fried vegetarian bee hoon from Shan Yuan Vegetarian #02-03. Heard from Jesper that its 1 of the popular stall there.

Jesper bought this famous carrot cake from Hup Huat Carrot #02-35. As the Q is rather long, Jesper Q for more than 10mins juz to eat this plate of carrot cake. Hmm...somehow or rather i remembered having eaten from this stall when i was in my early childhood. haha....

Soy bean milk & chin chow soy bean milk drink. Oh i was too thirsty, onli wanna drink it as soon as possible, therefore i forgot to note down the stall name & unit number.

My favourite red bean ham chi peng, butterfly from Cheng Fu You Tian #02-34.Oh ya btw, the fried doughstick which i got for mum for her laksa was oso from this stall. Yummy...all these fried food especially you tian is best to be eaten while its hot.

As Adam didn't join us for breakfast, i bought some of his favourite butterfly home for him.

Wow...crystal pau!

There's this shop~Molly's which sells lots of nonya kuehs, buns, bread stall, otah, nasi lemak in banana leaves etc....everything there looks so delicious, and its crowded as well.I juz feel like trying everything but i'm too full.

I bought this white crystal pau for Adam. The fillings inside is juz like soon kush.

Normally for these kinda crystal pau, they are available in black & white. White cystals are the salty ones with soon kueh fillings, whereas the black crystals are the sweet ones with red bean paste fillings.

I saw some green colour dim sum paus which looks like jade, & its glutinous rice with dried shrimps, oso a salty fillings.

Overal comment for our makan breakfast trip; enjoyable but tired as we gotto walk quite a distance.There's no direct bus from our place & we gotto walk to kovan to take bus home & by time we reach home, its already pass noon. All the food are being digested. haha.... wat to do? eat again! :-P