Beef Goulash

I was down with fever for the past two days and thus confined to the bedroom. Hubby took the opportunity to put on the apron and cooked a meal for the kids.I was really surprised that this partner of mind can churn out such a fine presentation.The kids were just as amazed.A simple dish, beef stew called 'Beef Goulash' in European countries.He said this particular dish is commonly eaten by the lower income group because cheaper cuts were used.And during his students days in London,cheap cuts such as beef flank, breast of lamb,belly of pork are the regulars on his dinner table.Methods or ways of cooking were restricted to boiling, steaming and stewing.Frying was definitely out, because of the smell being confined in a bedsitter's environment is quite unbearable.So a meat stew is the best he can do.
Beef 'top side' was used in this dish.Cut meat into big cubes and seasoned with corn starch,pepper,oregano,parsley and Lea & Perrins sauce. Heat oil in stewing pot and cook meat cubes till slightly brown. Add water to cover meat.Lower heat and simmer till tender.Salt to taste.Serve with any veg. Potatoes and carrots were used in this case.European normally cook the meat and veggie together, and serve with bread.

Chicken Herbal Soup

There's an old chinese saying that a good bowl of soup will nourishes one's ageing body.Sad to say,nobody seem to have the time, or bother to cook a proper soup these days. They either buy those can or packet for a quick-fix soup.Many of us however do consume 'essence'of chicken to replenish our body.I for one like to cook my own chicken herbal soup. Not much of a hassel actually, just put chicken whole or chopped pieces into pot, add herbal mix [best from Chinese herbal shops] or ready packed from supermarkets.Add water and double boiled for four hours.My suggestion,use the old chicken,the soup will turn out clearer and without doubt more flavour.

Deep Fried Beancurd Delight

Recipe:

300g minced Chicken or prawn (finely chop)
1 packet beancurd (300gm)or 2-3 pieces white beancurd
60g Nestum
1 egg
1 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Corn flour
1/2 tsp Pepper
oil for deep fry

Method:

1.Marinade meat(minced chicken or prawn) with light soy sauce, egg, corn flour and pepper.

2. Mash the beancurd and mix well with the meat and Nestum. Divide into small pieces.

3.Heat up wok with oil and fry the mixture paste (scoop into pieces) until golden brown, lift up and put aside.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/2 cups cubed fresh pumpkin
• 1 teaspoon fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• Toasted bread cubes.
  

Directions

1. Cut pumpkin into cubes.
2. Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion and garlic. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes uncovered.
3. Puree the soup using a food processor or blender.
4. Return to pan and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes, uncovered. Stir in heavy cream. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley and toasted bread cubes.

Salted Chicken "Yim KuK Kai" #1

The children wanted to eat out at Lucky Restaurant, Old Penampang Road. They liked the crabs served in that particular shop , a viariety of flavours. Hubbi suggested that we have the "Yim Kuk Kai" dish [ Chicken Baked in Salt ] instead, for dinner tonight. It'd been a long time since I last cooked this dish. This is one of my Chey family favourite dishes, whenever I cooked YKK, the aroma reminds me of my late mum [ GOD blessed her soul ]. My mum used to cook this dish very so often for us. Those wonderful time we spent with her, so much laughter so much fun. (suggestion, you eat with your fingers) She was such a good cook, so much so that she could cooked up a dish without referring to a single recipe. I dearly missed her and her cooking of course.

Ingredients

2 kg chicken (whole/quarters chicken)
6 kg coarse salt
2 tbs of wine or cooking wine
pinch of salt
rice paper for warping

Method
1. Seasoning chicken with wine and pinch of salt. Set aside.
2. Heat salt in wok, keep frying for 15 minutes. Take half of heated salt out from wok.
3. Warp chicken with rice paper and place on top of the salt still in the wok. Fill up the wok with reminding heated salt.
4. Cover and cook for 35 - 45 minutes.
5. Serve hot or cold with white rice.

Radish Dumpling

Ingredients
300 gm glutinous rice flour
50 gm rice flour
60 mil oil
320 ml boiling water
some banana leaves for steaming

Method
1. Mix glutinous flour and rice flour together.
2. Add in oil and boiling water and mix well.
3. Then knead with your hands until will combined.
4. Divide dough into 40 gm each and wrap with filling.
5. Steam with banana leaves as base (banana leaves grease with oil) for 10-15 minutes.
6.Brush with oil immediately before serving.

Filling
300 gm radish (grated)
50 gm dried prawn (chopped)
5 pieces dry mushroom (soak & slice)
3 tbsp oil
3 shallots (chopped)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
pepper to taste

1. Fry shallots and dry shrimps until fragrant.
2. Then add in radish , salt, sugar and pepper.
3. Cook until dry.

Leftovers Supreme

It was raining for the whole afternoon. what a miserable day, and by the time I reached home it was almost six in the evening. What am I going to cook ? Well... perhaps PIZZA H., but who was going to deliver in this foal weather? So anything filling will do for the night. Ah... Ha... leftovers from the previous meal, beef bolognese. We had macaroni last night , pasta was a definite No...no. The bread bin was empty but luckily the freezer had something quite similar 'Pita' bread [ Arabic bread ]. I decided to make a meal out of it. It's simple and quick. Preheat oven @ 180C, fill bread with BB sauce. Add lots and lots of cheese, sandwich slices and cheddar. Baked for five minutes. Wah.....lah.. a happy meal for the kids and the adults too!

Potluck Dinner

"Eat and be merry" that's our fixed motto for the evening when ever the family members gathered for an occasion. Tonight we took the excuse to celebrate the home coming of Maggie and Ronnie from Singapore. By the way, the siblings did not congregate for the mid-Autumn ( Mooncake ) dinner this year, so we were looking for excuses to indulge. It was a potluck dinner. Some of us did the home-cooking, whereas others took the day off and bought ready cooked from outside. I was one of the lazy ones. I bought a roasted duck from Merdeka Supermarket instead, queuing time about 30 minites, for that period spend I wondered wether it's worth that while. An other effortless dish is Century-eggs with pickled ginger, add on with 'Baby Kai Lian' in oysters sauce. For the night, we had 16 dishes, plused all those fantastic durains.....D14, D24, XO, and those Thai viraities.

FRIED FISH SLICES

SINGAPORE PICKLE

ABALONE AND VEGETABLE WITH OYSTER SAUCE

BANBANGAN (SABAH PICKLE)

BEEF

ROASTED DUCK

STEAMED GAROUPA FISH

BABY KAI LAN IN OYSTER SAUCE

LEMON CHICKEN

"KAM HIONG" CHICKEN

CENTURY EGG & GINGER PICKLE

TAU FU "SUPER TANKER SIGNATURE DISH"

STUFF EGG PLANT WITH FISH PASTE

ROASTED DUCK (FROM MERDEKA SUPERMARKET)

SINGAPORE IKEA BEEF BALL

VEGETARIAN CURRY
LOOK AT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pandan Red Bean Pau

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine bought some Pandan Butter Milk Pau for us to try.I liked the Pandan smell ,and it was really good too. This give me an idea to make some red bean paste Pau with Pandan flavour.

I used Pandan Juice (Pandan leave blended with water) instead of water, for mixing with the flour to form the dough. The outcome was good and the Pandan flavour compliment quite well with the red bean paste.Wannie had three pieces and wanted more. soft and spongy.


Ingredients - Dough (20 pieces)

Pau flour 500gms
yeast 11 gms ( 1 packet )
sugar 90 gms
water 250 gms (pandan juice)
baking powder 5gms
fat or shortening 40 gms

Filling
500gms Red bean paste

1.
Mixed all the ingredients together into a dough.
2. Ferment for hour.
3. Mix again to form a smooth dough.
4. Divide into 20 pieces and round up.
5. Put filling and make into desired steaming.
6. Rest for 15 to 30 minutes before steaming.
7. Steam for 15minutes.

Sweet Red Bean

My recent purchase of a 'Hard Anodized Multi Purpose Cooker' triggered my interest to cook something which normally takes hours, before I can sit down and enjoy the sin of obesity. The packing box stated that cooking time will be reduced by half. To test their claim, I selected the humble red beans to cook. A very simple nourishing dish requiring little preparations just put 250 gms of red beans into pot, add dried tangerine peel and water [10 cups].Bring to the boil, lower heat to simmer till beans turn tender, add sugar to taste. Being Malaysian of chinese descents,we tend to change our taste so we add other ingredients into it. Some preferences,ie coconut milk, pandan leaves, lily bulbs, sago, ginkgoes, fresh milk, evaporated or condensed milk. My son , Kelvin will prefer two large scopes 0f ice cream to top it up. ABC ex.. special !

Mash Potato Pepperoni Cheese

Mash Potato
8-10 large potatoes, skinned n cut into cubes
50g butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Topping
100 g mature cheddar cheese (grated)
Pepperoni

1. Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain n mash with all the ingredients using a potato masher. Add butter, salt, pepper and fresh milk.

2.Divide in 4 portion and place in aluminum tray. Put peperoni on top and follow by grated cheese.

3. Bake in Oven at 250 C for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot.