Fish Head Noodles Soup

Lunch is Fish Head Noodles Soup...So blessed to have one last fish head in the freezer...my mind works overtime. Told the meat eater, let's have fish head noodles soup for lunch. He said no problem as long as I pick the bones for him. So I gave him the meaty part. That's how much his wifey loves him 😜. I tried to replicate the taste from the famous fish head noodles stall and also our favourite. Taste is almost there but my soup is not milky in looks coz I didn't boil the fish bone long enough. The soup comprises of fried fish head ( I kept the meaty part last) Napa cabbage, tomato preserved salty Vege,  sour plum, and Chinese rice wine. Lunch taste good when one is exceptionally hungry.

I am so proud of myself, taste good even the meat eater says it is good

deep fried fish head pieces till cooked and lightly  brown and crispy 

Coat the fish head pieces with corn flour

before frying

even after a month in the freezer

it is fresh looking

Ingredients for the Fish Head Soup

1 medium sized fish head -cut into 6 pieces - season with salt and pepper and coat with corn flour

1/3cup chopped salted vegetable

A few Napa cabbage leaves- cut 1/2 inch length

1 pickled sour plum

1large tomato - cut into wedges

a drop of sesame oil - optional

3 slices of ginger

A  tsp of Chicken powder seasoning

3 tbsp of Chinese rice wine 

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1.Heat up enough oil for deep frying. Once it is hot, add in the coated fish head pieces and deep fried till cooked and lightly brown . Dish up and place them on paper towel to drain off excess oil. 

2.Heat up 1000ml water in a soup pot. Once water is boiling, add in ginger slices , the boney part of the fish head and put aside the meaty part. Boil for 30 mins, add in salted Vege, sour plum, tomato, Napa cabbage , close lid and let it simmer till the Napa cabbage has soften. Add salt to taste, a drop of sesame oil if needed.  Add in Chinese rice wine and serve as a stand alone fish head soup or go with noodles of your choice. Garnish with spring onions or Chinese parsley.

Silken Tofu With Hot Sizzled Soy Sauce Garlic Oil

Silken Soft Tofu with lots of homegrown spring onions as toppings . Pour over the the spring onions topping with hot soy sauce garlic oil and garlic crisps .So aromatic. A truly easy peasy kind of food that can be whipped out within 20mins.

Ingredients

One block of silken soft tofu

Chopped spring onions - 2 stalks

To make Hot soy sauce garlic oil

3 cloves of garlic - chopped

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp of light soy sauce

3 tbsp olive oil 

First steam the tofu for 5 mins. Take out and drain off excess water. Add chopped spring onions on top as toppings. Prepares the hot soy sauce garlic oil by first frying the chopped garlic in olive oil till light golden color and crispy. Off heat and quickly add in soy sauce to sizzle . Then quickly pour over the spring onions topping. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Ikan Pari Assam Pedas

Tonight's one dish meal...Ikan Pari Assam Pedas with Tean's Gourmet Paste. I really have to thank my gal in Melbourne for the intro. Teaching the mommy to make life easier 🤣And the taste is quite authentic too. I have tried their Chicken Curry Paste and this Assam Pedas so far.  With this store bought ready packed paste, cooking this dish is do easy. Just follow the instructions on the back of the package and dinner can be served in less than 35 mins.  

ready packed paste makes cooking this dish so easy

I added Bunga Kantan and Daun kesum for deeper flavour though the paste already has the bunga and daun

The paste smells so good

Just have to add Ikan Pari ( Ray Fish) okra, tomato, Daun Kesum ( Vietnamese Coriander) and Bunga Kantan( Torch- Ginger Flower)

Raisin Bun

These raisin buns are soft and fluffy. It has become our favourite homemade buns since I made the buns for Easter Day. I used back the same recipe since it is so good and not that difficult to make. Hubby requested and as many of my friends knows that his wish is my command . Deep down I am happy as I know I will have fun making them. We had them for our tea time with home brewed coffee. Seriously, the aroma of freshly baked buns and brewed coffee is truly intoxicating. 

the aroma of freshly baked buns

is truly intoxicating

Proof buns are ready for the oven

one load of the recipe can make 10 pieces of buns

by looking at the dough, you will

know whether the bun will soft and fluffy

the dough has risen double after an hour

the dough is slightly sticky but 

do not add extra flour

the bread flour I used is the Japanese

High Protein Pan Syokuinin, my favourite bread flour for now

Raisins Bun

Ingredients

(A)

300gm high protein flour

100 gm raisins

1 egg

1 tsp salt

(B)

5gm instant yeast

150 ml warm milk

40 gm castor sugar

(C)

30gm unsalted butter ( room temp)

Method

In a bowl ,mix ingredients (B) together and leave in bowl for 5 mins till frothy.

Place ingredients A in a mixing bowl. Add in milk mixture to (A) and using a electric mixer with a dough hook, mix till all the ingredients are incorporated and become a soft dough. Add in butter and continue to knead till butter is incorporated into the dough.  Take out dough and gently knead again till dough becomes lighter. Place the dough in a bowl and leave to proof for an hour till it doubles in size.  Knock down dough and divide dough into 10 equal portions. Shape into round balls. Place in greased pan and leave to proof for 30 mins. 

Once the buns have risen, bake them in preheated oven @200c for 35 mins till golden brown. Take out and brush butter on surface of bun.

Oven Roast Porkbelly With Oriental BBQ Sauce

Dinner is simply Oven Roast Pork Belly with Lee Kum Kee Oriental BBQ Sauce and a simple Cucumber Tomato, Carrot salad with Roasted Sesame Yuzu Salad dressing. What to expect from a Home Chef who is at the moment hooked on a new Kdrama series "Search www " 😜😆😝 Of course let the oven do the cooking 😉

the porkbelly is tender and juicy,

 Lee Kum Kee Oriental BBQ sauce

is a good choice for oven roast 

I added garlic paste and soy sauce

to the LKK BBQ sauce for extra flavours

Best to marinate the meat overnight for deeper flavour and roast at 200c for 40 mins.

Chicken en Papillote

Had a sudden craving for Chicken en Papillote ...so this nothing better to do Home Chef took out half a chicken from the fridge ,seasoned chicken with salt, garlic and a tsp of chicken powder and wrapped the chicken pieces with greaseproof paper. Heat up coarse salt in the wok ( my old wok used for smoking chicken). Once the salt is heated up, bury the wrapped chicken in the the hot salt, cover lid and cooked under med low heat for first 20 mins. Unearth the parcel and flip over and cover with salt again and cooked a further 20 to 25 mins. This is one of my favourite method of cooking chicken. This method of cooking makes the chicken more flavourful, tender and juicy. Made a simple cucumber salad with Yuzu Sesame salad dressing.  Dinner is simply delicious😋

I have the whole leg to myself plus 

my favourite cucumber salad

meat turned out tender and juicy

my favourite way to cook chicken

season chicken parts with garlic, 

chicken seasoning powder

Note:

You can use the oven instead of cooking in a wok, just use a deep baking tray, hear up the salt and cover the wrapped  parcel with hot salt top and bottom. Adjust the time ,maybe shorten by 10 mins . Bake at 190c 

Chicken Curry And Roti Jala

Woke up early, cooked half a Chicken Curry using Tean's Gourmet Chicken Curry Paste ( my favourite brand since my gal introduced to me 😜) and quickly whipped up a two persons portion of Roti Jala/ Malaysian Net Crepes. Brunch was exceptionally delicious. A bit of work but worth all the efforts. Banana Leaf from my lil space 😂. Save washing up.

the roti Jala is soft and fragrant

the chicken curry is delicious

using store bought curry paste

Tean's Gourmet

I love my Roti Jala bottle with

5 holes, giving the Roti Jala a

beautiful lacy look and 

easy to handle too

flour,egg, turmeric powder,

coconut milk ,salt and water

make up this Roti Jala batter

this is the brand that I used to cook the curry 👍

Click here for the Roti Jala recipe.

Vegetable Korean Pancake/Yachaejeon

Light Lunch for us...Vegetable Korean Pancake /Yachaejeon with Sawtooth Coriander Dip .So yummy good. Of course I used the Korean Premix Pancake Flour. Easy to whip up

Recipe for two persons

1cup Korean Pancake flour ,1/2 cup water,1egg, 1/2 tsp chicken powder seasoning , 1/8tsp sesame oil, 1stalk leeks, 1small carrot and 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels. Mix them together till well mixed. Heat up 1/8 cup of olive oil in pan and Panfried till crispy and golden brown on both sides.

Favourite pancake since I introduced to hubby the Meat Eater.  Healthy and delicious. The sawtooth Coriander are homegrown. 

Dip recipe recipe: 2 tablespoon chopped sawtooth Coriander, 1 tsp Japanese rice vinegar, 2tsp sweet soysauce, 1tsp fishsauce and 1/2tbsp of toasted sesame seeds. Mix them together and serve with the pancake. A great dip for the Korean pancake. Saturday light and easy lunch for two person.

crispy edges

 tasty sawtooth coriander dip

I prefer olive oil for pan frying

the Korean pancake, crisps up faster

easy to mix , consistency should be thick

and not watery

Leeks, carrot and sweet corn kernels, great combination for this pancake

Enjoy and have a great weekend

Homemade Chee Cheong Fun/ Rice Noodle Rolls With Leeks

Brunch is simply comfort food. Homemade ' Chee Cheong Fun' /Rice Noodle Rolls....I chopped some leeks and added to the CCF batter. My homemade XO sauce came in handy. Delicious XO sauce with its umami flavour for the Chee Cheong Fun'. Worth the effort spent in the kitchen 😆

silky smooth texture and the chopped leeks adds extra flavour and colour

to the rice noodle rolls

the crispy fried shallots is a must have

for CCF

CCF batter recipe

110gm rice flour

40gm tapioca flour

10gm Wheat Starch

400ml water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oil

1 leek - chopped

Mix all the ingredients together till well combined, sieve the batter and rest 30mins. Stir batter before each steaming

Grease the steaming tray before pouring 2 scoops of the batter and steam for 4 mins. Repeat until all batter are used up

For the XO sauce 

Click here 

Hot Cross Buns

HE IS RISEN ! A blessed Easter Sunday to all my Christian Friends and loved ones ❤️

We only get to eat these delectable homemade Hot Cross Buns packed with raisins and spices this morning coz I could not make it in time for Good Friday 😅 Anyway , we still get to eat them this year. The Cross on the bun symbolises the cross He was crucified on  and the spices were used to embalmed his body after death. That's why Hot Cross Buns are made for Good Friday. Glad I made it last night 

traditional Hot Cross Buns

each bun is packed with raisins

and has spices like cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder

light and fluffy texture

one load of the recipe

can make 16 buns

I used Japanese Bread Flour

for better result

Dough Recipe

280 gm Japanese High Protein Flour

150 ml fresh milk

1egg (55gm)

100 gm black raisins

30gm castor sugar

1/4tsp salt

5gm instant yeast

1/8 tsp cinnamon powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg powder

30gm unsalted butter

Method:

Using an electric mixer with dough hook, mix all the ingredients together except butter till well combined. Add in butter and continue to knead till dough leave the side of bowl. Take out and knead manually for another 5 mins. Place dough in a mixing bowl and leave it to proof for 60 mins.

Knock down dough and divide dough into 16 pieces. Gently knead (tuck in method) and place in greased baking tray and leave it to proof another 60 mins. make a flour paste ( 2tbsp plain flour to 2 tbsp of milk )for piping the cross on the buns before placing into preheated oven for 20 mins to 25 mins  @180C

Once it golden brown, take out and brush on maple syrup for a glossy look.