Steamboat For Reunion Dinner :)

This year we celebrated CNY a little different from the previous years. It’s different because we were home alone for the very first time in 26years without the kids . We had an early reunion dinner about a week ago and it was not only a reunion but also a small celebration for Joanna’s solemnization of Marriage at the Registry. 

So with just the two of us home alone we decided to have a simple but very cosy Steamboat for 2. Steamboat is also known as Sukiyaki in Japanese or Korean BBQ Hot Plate. This manner of cooking over a pot placed on a hotplate is good for bringing people closer together.Its ideal especially in cool climates as it produces a lot of heat over a boiling pot of nice meaty stock which is the soup base.This was how we did it with lots of our own favorite type of meats , seafood or specialty meat ball type of meats. Vegetables are a must have not forgetting 3 types of dipping sauces.

we had chicken tenders ( marinate with garlic oil and salt ), fresh sea prawns,

salmon fillets , bawal emas and tofu...

my favourite enoki and mini king oyster mushrooms, different variety of meat balls

and some yong tau foo from the famous noodle stall in old town 

We had a wonderful time eating and wishing our kids were with us :p

A toast to a better year....peace , joy and happiness !

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Happy Chinese New Year 2014

Wishing family, friends and blog readers, 

"   Gong Xi Fa Cai   "

May the year of Horse brings all of us joy, happiness, peace, good health and prosperity

Vegetable And Prawns Curry

I do indulge in some sinful tucking once in a while....this curry is so delicious that I almost finish the whole bowl of curry soup.  The prawns added extra sweetness to the coconut milk sweetness...mmmm yummy!  I used the bought curry paste from the market , I just have to saute the paste and lemongrass till fragrant and add in the veggies and prawns together with the thin coconut milk and cooked till the veggies has softened and the prawns are cooked.  Add in the thick coconut and cook a while before dishing up.  So easy with the ready curry paste.  The veggies I used are eggplant, cabbage, tomatoes and long beans.  Garnish with garden grown mint leaves :)  Yummy.....if my doctor were to see this dish....she will shake her head... " now I know why the cholesterol reading is on the rise "  LOL!

Enjoy !

Ssambap - Korean Rice Wrap With Lettuce

Ssambap - Korean Rice Wrap With Lettuce.  Ssam means " wrap " in korean and bap means " rice " . I promised Piggy Jo that we will have Ssambap , a country style Korean food ,for dinner when she is back for the weekend.  She and myself are great fan of Korean cuisine and ssambap is on of her favourite korean food.  I prepared some succulent stove grilled pork belly and made some pickled garlic slices for the rice wraps.  The best crisp lettuce is the green coral lettuce. The kimchi I made came in handy and in it goes for the rice wrap. I wanted to make some ssamjang (condiment sauce made of guchojang paste and soybean paste) for the ssambap but Jo told me with the kimchi , the ssambap would be flavorful enough. 

How to make ssam

Start with the lettuce , choose a smaller leaf.   Place the lettuce in your hand, add a small mound of rice, stack grilled meat on top, finish with some kimchi and a few slices of pickled garlic . Wrap the whole thing into a neat package ( about the size of a golf ball ) and eat it in one bite.  Try not to make the whole thing too big, because then you are stuck with two messy options: stuffing it in your mouth or biting into the ssam and spilling its contents everywhere.

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Making Kimchi Again :)

I should live in South Korea come to think of it , thinking of kimchi all the time.....I love Korean cuisine and especially this side dish...kimchi !!!!  I must have this side dish when I have rice for dinner.  I made another load of kimchi for my Piggy Jo.  She loves kimchi ( I guess she has my genes more ) and yay ! she is coming back next week.  I have them ready for her to cart back to her hostel..the Uni has a fridge for her so she can now keep kimchi in her room :p

I can make kimchi with the eyes closed ,  hahaha just kidding, that I do not need to measure out the ingredients.  I just go by instinct.  And most of time it turned out better than the last time  :p  Yea, I know my Piggies will be rolling their eyes if they read this and will tell me to my face ..." Mom , be humble ya " hahaha yea...ok ok...I will be humble then.  This time, I cut up the cabbage into 1 inch length and soak them in brine for a day in the fridge , the cabbage turned out crispy and gosh it tasted so good that I have a bowl of it , all to myself.  So good that, I salivate each time I open the fridge door and this tupper of kimchi starring at me , asking to be savored.  

Jo, this is for you ....you will love it !

For the kimchi recipe

click here

Enjoy !

Braised Pork Ribs With Brown Tofu And Tao Pau

Braised Pork Rib has been the family favorite dish . Wherever we eat out, this is a dish we will most probably not miss out.  Homecooked ones are just as good as those served in restaurants.  I tried braising them with tao pau and brown tofu and it turned out delicious and brings comfort to me when the appetite is not good. You can either serve them with porridge or rice.  For WB and myself, we served it with porridge.  Sunday lunch was this tasty and flavorful dish with teochew porridge.  Yumz !

Braised Pork Ribs With Brown Tofu And Tao Pau - WB's Kitchen

1/2 kg meaty pork ribs - cut into 2" inch length - seasoned with light soy sauce and corn flour
2 pieces of brown tofu - Cut into halves
1/2 piece of tao pau - lightly deep fried, cut into smaller pieces

1 tbsp of vegetable oil

sauce:
1/2 tbsp of thick soy sauce
2 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
4 pips of garlic - crushed
1/2 tsp of  ground white pepper

1.5 cups of water - add in more if the ribs are still not tender

thickening

1 tbsp of corn flour + 3 tbsp of water

Method:

Heat up oil in a medium sized pot, when oil is hot, add in crushed garlic and saute till fragrant.  Add in the seasoned ribs and seared it for a few minutes.  Mix the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Add  the sauce mixture to the seared ribs and stir it together till well combined.  Add in the water and let the ribs simmer under medium low heat till soft.  Half way through cooking add in the fried tao pau and brown tofu.  Continue to simmer till ribs is tender soft.  Add in thickening last.  Off the heat when the gravy thickens. Serve with porridge or rice.

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Stir Fry Pumpkin With Abalone Mushroom And Fresh Wood Ear Mushroom

I love all types of mushrooms , fresh or canned type.  I bought a can of abalone mushroom some months back and last week , while looking through the kitchen cabinet, found a can of mushroom that is quite near to expiry date.   I told WB that we must cook it straight away or we will have to throw  it away.  I have no idea what to do with it but thanks to WB 's suggestion to cook a vegetarian dish with it. Luckily, there is still a wedge of pumpkin left in the fridge, some fresh baby corns, wood ear mushroom.  With the addition of the abalone mushrooms, this simple stir fry dish looks impressive :) And of course it tasted good with some crispy garlic slices garnishing added to it.  And what more it is a healthy dish.

Stir Fry Pumpkin And Abalone Mushroom

Ingredients

a wedge of pumpkin - diced

a can of abalone mushroom - slice the mushroom into thick slices

a few fresh baby corns - cut into halves

a few pieces of fresh wood ear mushroom

1 tsp of chopped garlic

1 tbsp of veggie oil

thickening sauce

1 tsp of corn flour

5 tbsp of water

1 tsp of oyster sauce

1 tsp of thick soy sauce

1 tsp of light soy sauce

a few pips of garlic - slice thinly and fried till crispy - for garnishing

Method:

Saute garlic with a tbsp of oil in a non stick wok till fragrant. Add in the  pumpkin cubes , fresh baby corns , abalone mushroom slices and fresh wood ear mushroom and stir fry till well combined.  Add 1/4 cup of water and cover wok with lid and cook over medium heat.  When the pumpkin, corns and mushrooms are cooked, add in the thickening sauce .  When the gravy thickens, dish up and garnish with the crispy garlic slices and serve hot.    

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Stir Fry Watercress With Belacan And FoodPanda Voucher Giveaways

After having been out of action in the kitchen for the past 3 months, I look forward to hijack my kitchen back from WB.  He is really lousy when it comes to cleaning up after each cooking.   Ok, he can cook alright but when it comes to cleaning up , I would rate him as 3/10.  I still have to supervise him till every bit of grease or dirty plates are cleaned up :p  Anyway , I have to thank him for taking care of me the last 3 months.  This is what I cooked for dinner after hijacking back my kitchen. Stir Fry Watercress With Belacan.   Love this dish , but the preparation takes a bit of time though and the whole house smell of belacan....LOL!   

After having rested for 3 months, I tired out easily after an hour in the kitchen :p . Guess age is catching up. I was chatting with a friend the other day and was complaining to her about my recent tiredness and she straight away told me to have food delivered to the house whenever I feel tired to cook or too lazy to eat out.  Isn't it a great idea to order food online from one of our favorite restaurants and get the food delivered to our home !  I am sure WB will be happy to hear this. 

Food delivery in Malaysia ,Foodpanda , has made it easy for everyone who lives in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Penang, Melaka, Johor and Perak .  All you have to do is log on to their homepage, type in your location, choose a restaurant and pick your favorite dish and tada the food will be on its way to your doorstep.  So simple and easy. You can either pay cash on delivery or through paypal.  They have a list of favorite restaurants you can choose from.  You can download the app to your mobile phone and the fastest way to order food on the go. They have deals of the week and you will have Remember this, too tired to cook or too lazy to eat out , try FoodPanda .  With FoodPanda, life will be much easier for us :)  And the family gets to be pampered too with the delicious food from the best restaurants in town .  Kids will love it too !  

I have 15 RM10 vouchers from FoodPanda to be given away to readers staying in the mentioned cities in Malaysia only .All you have to do is leave me a comment that you like FoodPanda , your name and email address. The vouchers are valid from 3rd January 2014 till 3rd January 2015.   

Stir Fry Watercress With Belacan ( Shrimp Paste )


500 g watercress - take the young shoots and leaves only , soak in salt water , wash clean, drain dry

1/2 " cube shrimp paste
3 pips of garlic - chopped
4 bird's eye chillies - sliced
1.5  tbsp of vegetable oil
4 tbsp of water

Method:

Heat up wok , add in the oil and when oil is smoking hot, add in shrimp paste, garlic, and chillies. Stir fry till fragrant, add in the watercress and stir fry till it wilted, add in water and continue to cook till the watercress is cooked and soft .  Dish up and served with piping hot rice.

Enjoy !

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Greetings From Charco To Start 2014

This is my first post for 2014.  A very Happy New Year to all.  May 2014 brings you Joy, Peace and Health :)  Charco my four legged son wishes Mommy's readers a very  Happy New Year... woof woof ! 

He is four years old and the pride of my life . He is a cross between an Alsatian German Shepherd and a Rottweiler.  Sometimes he looks like a Rott when his ears are down and sometimes he stands tall like an Alsatian but at times he looks like a donkey LOL!  No matter how he looks, he brings JOY to WB and myself.  He understands English very well and has learned many tricks during his four years with us.  We love his cute cute expressions and the way he cocked up his face each time Daddy and myself are in conversation as if he understood every word we spoke :p   He fills up our loneliness and a great companion to us.  I cannot imagine life without Charco....

My friend Jessica is thrilled and amazed by his intelligence . His intelligence is on par with a three year old child.  He knows WB as Daddy and me as Mommy :) He is darn cute and makes us laugh all day long with his darn cute expressions.  Jessica stays in Brisbane and is looking for a pet dog like him :)  So I recommended her to check out this site  and if you are looking for a pet dog check out this puppy website. Try this site if you are looking for an excellent site, easy to navigate, quick to load and no waiting for pictures to come up. They have many puppies that you will want to take home with you.  When I retire in a year time , I will want to get another puppy so that Charco will not be lonely and will not be overly pampered.  He can then share our love with the new puppy. 

Toast to a Happy 2014......more blogging and more sharings :)

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