Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I will be away from next week and will not be doing any new posting in my blog during this period.

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

5 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken pieces
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 button mushrooms, quartered
½ cup red wine
1¼ tbsp wine vinegar
1¼ tsp fresh chopped parsley
2½ tsp fresh chopped oregano
2½ tsp fresh chopped basil
1 bay leaf
1 tin canned tomatoes
½ cup chicken stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar

Method:

In a large frying pan heat the oil and lay the chicken pieces, skin side down in one layer.

Brown for 3-4 minutes, then turn each piece over. Continue turning the chicken pieces until all surfaces are well-browned.

Remove the chicken pieces to a plate and keep warm.

Add the onions and garlic, to the oil and chicken juices in the frying pan. Cook lightly for 2-3 minutes or until they are just beginning to brown.

Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour the wine and vinegar into the pan and boil rapidly to reduce to about half the original quantity.

Add the herbs, bay leaf and tomatoes, stirring well to break up the tomatoes.

Stir in the chicken stock and season with pepper and sugar.

Return the chicken pieces to the tomato sauce and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Simmer for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender.

Serve with pasta.

Ham and Green Pepper Omelet

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2½ tbsp milk
Freshly ground black pepper
1¼ tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup chopped green pepper
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
2 oz lean meat, cut into small dice

Method:

Break the eggs into the bowl and beat in the milk and pepper.

Heat the oil in a omelet pan and fry the green pepper until it is just soft.

Stir the tomatoes and the ham. Heat through for 1 minute.

Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan over the vegetables. Stir the mixture briskly with a wooden spoon until it begins to cook.

As the egg begins to set in, lift it slightly and tilt the pan to allow the uncooked egg underneath.

When the egg on top is still slightly creamy, fold the omelet in half and slip it onto a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Stuffed Eggs

Stuffed eggs make an attractive and delicious party appetizer

Ingredients:

18 small quail eggs
¼ cup unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup cooked, peeled shrimp, finely chopped
¾ tsp finely chopped fresh basil
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Cook the eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and plunge them immediately into cold water.

Allow the eggs to cool completely, then remove the shells. Rinse and drain.

Cut each egg in half lengthwise and carefully remove the yolks.

Put the yolks into a large bowl and beat in the butter and garlic. Mix well.

Add the shrimp, basil and pepper to the creamed egg yolk mixture. Beat thoroughly until a soft consistency results.

Fill each egg white half with a little of the prepared mixture, piling it attractively into the cavity left by the egg yolk.

Refrigerate until required.

Japanese-Style Peanut Dipping Sauce

This beautiful sauce, which has chunky texture, is best served with fresh raw slices of salmon, some shredded carrot and shredded Japanese seaweed, making a dish that’s ideal as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp chunky peanut butter
4 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp miso
2 tbsp sugar to taste
1 tsp finely chopped young ginger
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1 tsp chopped cili padi

Method:

Put all ingredients into a small mixing bowl. Mix well until the sugar dissolves, the peanut butter is smooth and everything is well-blended. Pour into individual bowls for serving.

Fish and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 medium whole fish (about 600 g) such as white or black pomfret or red snapper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 ginger, sliced
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium-sized carrot, sliced
1 rib celery, diced
3 larges tomatoes, skinned and diced
600 ml water
1 tbsp chopped parsley or spring onion
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Clean and gut fish, and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Cut head into two halves.

To make the fish stock, heat oil and fry the ginger and fish head until half-cooked and add water. When cooked, strain to leave only the liquid for the stock.

Heat oil in a roomy pan and “sweat” onion, garlic, carrots and celery until translucent, but not browned. Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes before adding fish stock.

Simmer soup over low heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Just before serving, rub a little salt and freshly grounded pepper on fish slices and slip them into the soup. Bring to the boil and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Ladle the soup into deep soup bowls and sprinkle liberally with chopped parsley or spring onion and serve immediately.

Tips for Better Cooking

If you can’t find good ripe tomatoes for pasta sauce, buy a good Italian brand of plain canned tomatoes. Tomatoes are usually canned when at their very best, very ripe and full of flavours.



Buy dry spices whole and keep them in a dry and cool place – they’ll keep for years. Before using, roast them in a dry pan to release the flavours, then grind them down with a mortar and pestle.



Use fresh rather than dry herbs, but remember their flavours are very delicate and subtle. Most herbs will lose their aroma if cooked too long, so add your herbs at the end of the cooking. Some sturdier herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano and bay leaf can be cooked longer without losing their flavours.



To keep green vegetables bright green after cooking, blanch them in hot salted water for a few minutes. Immediately plunge them into a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking process and to fix the chlorophyll. Overcooked vegetables lose their crunch and most of their vitamins.

Garlic Fried Rice

Ingredients:

500 gm cooked rice
2-3 eggs
10 cloves garlic, chopped
10 shallots, sliced
100 gm barbecued pork or ham chopped
100 gm bacon, chopped
100 gm prawns, shelled
2 tbsp sesame oil
8 tbsp oil
1 tbsp thick soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
5-6 pieces lettuce leaves
4 tbsp green peas (optional)
4 tbsp carrot cubes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Red chilli slices, fried shallots and chopped parsley for garnishing

Method:

Heat the two types of oil and fry shallots and garlic to a light golden brown. Add meats and stir fry till prawns are half-cooked. Add rice and all the rest of ingredients. Stir fry till all the meats are cooked and the seasoning well mixed.

Arrange lettuce leaves on a big plate and put rice in the centre.

Decorate with the garnishings and a fried egg sunny side up.

Storage Tips for Vegetables and Fruits

Do your vegetables and fruit spoil before you get around to eating them? Here’s now to prevent that.

To increase the life of salad in bags, rinse leaves, drain and put into a shallow container. Drape a piece of damp kitchen paper over, cover and chill.

Remove herbs from packaging and roll tightly in damp kitchen paper and then cling film.

Don’t use foil to wrap acidic foods such as sliced tomato, citrus fruit or cabbage. The aluminum will affect the taste.

Mangoes, avocados and bananas are some of the fruits that do not benefit from being refrigerated.

Fruits such as apples, bananas, peaches and pears give a natural gas that causes other fruits and vegetables to ripen more quickly. Carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce are affected so they should be stored separately.

Crab Cakes with Chilli Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

250 g fresh crab meat
250 g cod steak or fillet, skin and bones removed, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, plus extra to garnish
1 egg white
Salt and black pepper (to taste)
Oil for frying

For Chilli Dipping Sauce:

8 large red chillies, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp unrefined caster sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp olive oil or groundnut oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 small red chilli, chopped, to garnish

Method:

Place the crab meat, cod, garlic, chilli, lemongrass, ginger, coriander, egg white and seasoning in a blender or food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan and place heaped tablespoons of the crab mixture into the pan, flattening with a spatula. Fry for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden. Cook in batches and keep warm.

Make the chilli dipping sauce. Put all the ingredients except the soy sauce in a saucepan. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add the soy sauce. Heat for 2 minutes.

Serve the crab cakes with fresh coriander, chopped chilli and the chilli sauce.

Essential Kitchen Utensils for Better Cooking (1)

Long Chopsticks

For deep-frying foods, use long chopsticks to avoid being scalded by the cooking oil. The long chopsticks are particularly good for flipping and retrieving the fried foods from the oil. You can use the chopsticks to check the oil, when little bubbles rise along the chopsticks, the oil is hot enough for frying. Buy the bamboo types which are heat resistant and durable. They are also inexpensive, so if they get burned, or marred in any way, you can always get another pair. The bamboo chopsticks can be used on non-stick surfaces.

Kitchen Tongs

Use a pair of kitchen tongs for stir-frying vegetables and frying meats in a pan. It is also good for tossing noodles so that the sauce is thoroughly mixed with the noodles. You can also use it to serve salads, pasta or noodles. It is a must have utensil for use with barbeque or when you are grilling food on a hot plate. Buy the type made of plastic so that it won’t scratch your non-stick pan.

Fried Chicken With Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

1 chicken (about 1 kg) jointed
2 egg whites, beaten
20 gm cornflour ) mix together
50 gm plain flour ) well
2 big onions, cut in rings
Salt, pepper and mustard to taste
Oil for deep frying
3 red chillies, chopped
20 gm cornflour
4 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ litre water

Lemon Sauce:

Juice of 3 big lemons
Salt and sugar to taste
Dash of mustard and pepper

Method:

Season chicken. Dip in beaten egg white and coat well with the two thoroughly mixed flours. Deep fry in hot oil over medium heat till golden brown and chicken is cooked.

Strain oil into another clean wok and let it heat up again.

Season onion rings with salt, pepper and mustard and dredge them in the remaining flours. Deep fry till golden.

Spoon three tablespoons of the oil into a saucepan. Fry garlic till light brown. Mix cornflour with water and pour over the garlic. Bring to boil. Add sugar and seasonings. Stir well.

Turn off heat and stir in the lemon sauce. Serve with the chicken pieces.

Salmon and Rice Cakes

Ingredients:

1 cup (200 g) Calrose rice*
1 salmon steak (about 200 g)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
½ tbsp finely chopped parsley
Salt and freshly grounded black pepper

Method:

Cook rice in a rice cooker with 1½ cups of water and ½ tsp of salt. When ready, fluff up with a fork and leave to cool.

Season salmon with salt and pepper and pan fry on medium heat for 3-4 minutes on either side. Transfer onto a plate and using 2 forks, roughly flake the fish and remove all bones and skin. Combine the fish, rice, ginger and parsley. Season to taste.

With clean, moist hands, press the rice mixture into “burger” shaped patties, roughly 5 cm across. Compress the cakes well so that they won’t fall apart when pan-fried.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease it by wiping it with a paper towel that has been dipped in cooking oil. Cook the rice cakes until lightly browned and crisp on both sides.

Serve immediately with tomato and onion salsa.

*This Japanese rice has the perfect sticky texture for this recipe but if you don’t stock it, substitute by using ½ cup glutinous rice and ½ cup regular rice.

Five Low-Fat Ways To Cook Potatoes

1. Make your own oven chips. Heat oven to 200ºC. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain, dry and cut into thick chips. Brush a non-stick baking tray with a little oil. Toss chips in beaten white of 1 egg. Shake off the excess and spread chips out on tray. Bake for 35 minutes turning half way through.

2. Mash potatoes with skimmed milk and low-fat spread instead of butter.

3. Serve jacket potatoes with low-fat natural yogurt or add lemon juice and black pepper.


4. Low-fat roast potatoes. Parboil the potatoes. Heat oven to 200ºC. Mix ½ teaspoon salt with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Coat the potatoes in the oil, then place on a baking tray and roast for 50-55 minutes, until crispy.

5. Make boulangére potatoes with stock instead of cream and cheese. Thinly slice potatoes and an onion. Soak the slices in cold water for 15 minutes. Heat oven to 180ºC. Drain and dry the potatoes and onions. Layer with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg in a shallow ovenproof dish. Pour over 600 ml vegetables stock mixed with a crushed clove of garlic. Dot with a low-fat spread and bake in oven for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Tomato and Onion Salsa

Ingredients:

1 ripe medium-sized tomato, diced
½ medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp chilli sauce
1 freshly squeezed lime juice

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and chill until required – the salsa can be made up to an hour earlier and kept refrigerated.

Barley with Bean Curd

Ingredients:

50 gm barley grains
1 sheet thin soya skin (foo pei)
4 pandan leaves
100 gm shelled gingko (pak kor)
100 gm shelled lotus seeds
100 gm dried melon sticks
200 gm rock sugar
2 litres water

Method:

Rinse all ingredients and put to boil with the water in a deep pot. When the barley grains are softened and the rock sugar melted, remove the pandan leaves and serve the drink with a bit of each ingredient, in individual dessert bowls or glasses.

Prawn Sambal

Ingredients:

500 gm medium sized prawns, shelled
Salt to taste
4 kasturi limes
6 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sugar (optional)

To grind:

20 dried chillies
10 fresh chillies
10 gm belachan (shrimp paste)
6 buah keras (candlenuts)
20 twin shallots

Method:

Heat oil in skillet and fry ground ingredients till fragrant. Add prawns and toss briefly before adding salt and sugar. Prawns are cooked when they changed to pinkish colour.

Remove from heat at once and squeeze lime juice over. Serve hot with cucumber slices.

Steamed Egg with Cream Corn

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 glass of water
4 tbsp cream corn
1 tomato, diced
Some green peas

Sauce:

½ glass of stock
Some sugar, salt and sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce and cornflour

Method:

Beat eggs up. Stir water and seasonings in. Pour into a deep plate. Steam for about 10 mins.

Heat some oil to sauté diced tomato, green peas and cream corn. Add sauce in for boiling until done. Pour into the steamed egg.

Chicken Wings with Shredded Dried Mandarin Peel

Ingredients:

8 chicken wings (mid-section)
1 dried mandarin peel, shredded
1 tsp cornflour
Some ginger slices

Marinade:

2 tbsp water
1 tsp cornflour and light soy sauce
Some sesame oil and sugar

Sauce:

½ glass of water
1 tsp oyster sauce and light soy sauce
Some sesame oil and sugar

Method:

Marinade chicken wings for 15 mins. Scald and drain.

Heat 1 tbsp oil to sauté slices of ginger and shreds of dried mandarin peel. Add in chicken wings for stir-frying.

Add in sauce, cook briefly. Then thicken with sauce. Dish-up.

Getting Rid of Kitchen Smells

Here are some tips on how to get rid of kitchen smells.

Plastic containers and plastic-lined jam or lids can become smelly if left closed. Fill with or soak with water, adding 3 tsp bicarbonate of soda per half litre. Leave overnight.

Frying pans with ageing non-stick surfaces can absorb the smell of fish or spices. Fill with water, add 4 tbsp of vinegar and bring to the boil.

To remove the smell of garlic, cheese or smoked fish from your hands, rub them with half a lemon. This will also remove stains.

Keep foods wrapped in the fridge to prevent smell contamination. Don’t keep root vegetables or onions in there at all – they spread smells and store better in a cool dark space.

To get smells out of the air, halve an onion and leave it lying out in a saucer.

Deep Fried Noodle with Prawn and Egg

Ingredients:

½ pkt egg noodle
250 g large prawns – clean and shell
50 g snow peas
½ tin button mushrooms
50 g carrot – cut into pcs
1 egg – beat lightly
2 cloves garlic – smashed
3 tsp cornstarch – mix with water
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat wok with oil until smoky. Deep fry noodles very briefly. Keep aside.

Heat work with 2 tbsp oil, fry garlic until fragnant, add peas, carrot, mushrooms and prawns. Stir-fry for one minute and 2 rice bowls of water and bring to boil. Add beaten egg, stir-fry and then pour in corn starch to thicken the sauce.

Pour sauce over the deep fried noodles and serve.

Pasta in Basil and Tomato Shrimp Broth

Ingredients:

300g prawns (peeled and set the shells aside)
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
1 onion
6 cups of water
Spaghetti for 4 persons
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 onion (chopped finely)
White wine
4 ripe tomatoes (chopped)
Fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Make a seafood stock by boiling 6 cups of water with prawn shells, carrot, celery and onion in a pot and simmer till reduced.

Cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling salted water till al dente or slightly firm to the bite. Drain noodles and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a hot pan and sauté the garlic and chopped onion till soft. Add a splash of white wine to moisten. Strain stock into the saucepan and add in the ripe tomatoes.

When boiling, add the prawns. Turn off the heat and wait for the prawns to turn pink. Ladle broth and prawns over drained pasta, just enough to cover, dress with fresh basil leaves and pepper and serve hot.

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 medium size cucumber
2 red chillies, sliced
2 green chillies, sliced
30 gm dried prawns, roasted and coarsely pounded
1 big onion, cut into rings
Juice of 5 kasturi limes
Salt and sugar to taste

Ingredients:

Wash and groove cucumber with a fork, then slice thinly. Keep cucumbers in refrigerator until ready to use as they taste better chilled. Mix and toss all the ingredients in a salad bowl just before serving.

Remoulade Sauce

This is a wonderful sauce for cold seafood, prawns, crabs and steamed fish. Serve it also with fish and chips or use as a salad dressing and sandwich spread.

Ingredients:

3 cups of mayonnaise
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp capers, finely minced
1 tbsp mustard
Juice of half a lemon
4 tbsp pickled gherkins, chopped
1 tbsp spring onion, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Method:

Mix all ingredient and store in a jar in the refrigerator. This sauce keeps up to a month or more in the refrigerator.

Yam Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups rice – wash and drain
250 g yam – cube
3 to 4 tbsp oil
4 shallots – slice
3 dried mushrooms – soak and chop finely
25 g dried prawns – wash and drain

For seasoning:

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame sauce
½ cub chicken stock
½ tsp sugar to taste
3 cups of water
2 pandan leaves – knot

Method:

Heat oil in a wok and lightly brown the shallots. Remove the shallot crisps and drain well. Leave aside.

Add dried prawns and sauté until fragrant. Stir-fry yam and mushrooms. Add rice and seasoning. Stir-fry well.

Dish rice mixture into an electronic rice cooker. Add water and pandan leaves and cook rice as usual. Stand rice in cooker for 10 to 15 minutes before dishing out to serve. Serve rice with a sprinkling of shallot crisps, chopped spring onions and coriander.

Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken pieces
4 cloves garlic
6 tbsp oyster sauce
12 black mushrooms
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 cups Chinese rice wine
2 tbsp thick soy sauce
½ litre water
2 cm piece ginger, bruised
6 tbsp sesame oil
Salt to taste
Spring onions and Chinese parsley (for garnishing)

Method:

Soften mushrooms by soaking them in a bowl of water. Dish out mushrooms but do not throw water away. Peel garlic.

Heat oil in a work and fry ginger till a light golden brown. Add chicken pieces and mushrooms. Stir fry till chicken is half cooked before adding the rest of the ingredients. Add the mushroom water, more if necessary till all the meat is nearly covered.

Cook for about 35 minutes or until half the liquid has evaporated.

Serve with rice.