Snake Beans Fried Egg

The Only Snake I like...

I'm a very happy person right now, because I got myself a new toy...It's the Lumix LX5 camera. I've been hearing and reading good reviews about this camera...but it's not until I actually use it that I understand what are all the fusses about. My husband asked me why do I need a compact camera when I already have a SLR? OK, my defense was I needed a decent camera that I can carry whenever and wherever I want, without the bulkiness and the heaviness of SLR and LX5 is the answer! It is definitely an affordable and outstanding compact camera.

Anyway, today I want to share with you guys another super easy recipe that I recently got from my friend. When I saw my friend had this for her lunch, it straight away caught my curiosity to find out how to prepare this dish, it looked so yummy and easy to make.

Trust me! you only need 20 minutes to prepare this delicious dish. It's perfect for kids too as the small sizes make it easy for them to eat, even my sister in law was surprised when my niece finished the very last bean in her lunch box at school. The recipe is Snake Beans Fried Egg. ( I used snake beans because they are softer, however you can use any type of your preferred  green beans)

Snake Beans Fried Egg

Ingredients (please adjust your measurement accordingly):

- 3 bunch of snake beans

- 6 eggs (beaten)

- 3 cloves of garlic (minced/chopped)

- Cooking oil

- Salt

- White pepper

Method:

1) Chopped the snake beans to small sizes (approximately 1 cm)

2) Heat up the wok and add cooking oil.

3) Add in the garlic and stir until fragrant

4) Add in the chopped beans, stir occasionally. You can add a little bit of water and leave them simmer until the beans are soft (approximately 3-4 tbsp).

5) Add in the beaten eggs, leave it for one minute before stirring. Season with salt and pepper.

6) Stir evenly and turn off the heat once the egg is dry and cooked.

7) And there you go, the simplest and delicious recipe to cook after a long day at work.

Before I go... Happy Chinese New Year everybody! 

To keep the tradition going, make sure you wear new clothes, eat Chinese food and have lots of Chinese cookies as part of your celebration

Here wishing you guys prosperity and good luck in this year of Rabbit

Ginger and Shallots King Oyster Mushroom

My brother and his family have moved back to Sydney last week and they are staying at my place temporarily, so my house are pretty happening at the moment, especially with the presence of my niece and nephew. My free time has been pretty much occupied with watching cartoon, story telling, playing toys and of course keeping them out of trouble.

But today, when I came home I found the house empty...Yes!!!...that means few hours of freedom for me! (but don't get me wrong I love having them around but I wouldn't mind a few hours of 'alone time' at home) =p

So today after finished cooking, I watched a bit of TV, then I opened up my laptop, while going through my folders I realised I still have quite a few recipes and restaurants that I could share on my blog. So I picked this super easy recipe to share with you guys today.

I love all kind of mushrooms.... whether is Asian mushroom or Western mushroom, I love all of them! The first time I had the similar King Oyster mushroom was at a Korean stall in a food court. Since then, I've always wanted to cook the same one at home. So, here's my homemade version of Ginger and Shallots King Oyster Mushroom.

Ginger and Shallots King Oyster Mushroom

Ingredients:

-  3 king oyster mushrooms (sliced thinly like I have on the picture)

-  3 cloves garlic (chopped)

-  2 inch fresh ginger (sliced)

-  2 stalks shallot/spring onions (cut into 2 inch length)

-  1 carrot (sliced thinly)

-  Cooking oil

Seasoning:

- 1/2 tbsp Oyster sauce

- 1/2 - 1 tsp sugar

- 1/2 tbsp Soya sauce

- 1/2 tsp corn starch 

- 3-4 tbsp water

(You can adjust seasoning according to taste)

Method:

1) Heat up the wok with cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic, give it a quick stir then add in ginger slices.

2) Stir-fry the ginger until aromatic and add in shallot, then add in carrots. 

3) When carrot soften, add in the mushrooms and stir.  

4) Add in seasoning and continue stirring until mushroom is cooked.

5) Dish out and serve hot with steamed rice.

Soto Ayam Medan (Medanese Style Chicken Soup)

 

Medan Must Eat - Soto Medan

After a long day at work, all I can think of is going home for my Mum's delicious Soto. Soto is a traditional yellow soup commonly found in Indonesia. It has a strong distinct flavour mainly from Tumeric and other spices. However, different regions have their own version of Soto. Some of the popular soto are Soto Betawi, Soto Madura, Soto Bandung and Soto Medan (All named after the geographic regions where they were originated from).

I personally think Soto Medan is the best among all, not because it's coming from my hometown, but because it has a hint of coconut milk inside which gives an extra richness to the soup, without being too heavy or fatty. The typical meat used in Soto Medan is either chicken or beef.

 My mum is a non beef eater, so the choice of meat is obvious...

Soto Medan is never complete without Perkedel (Indonesian potato croquette). Perkedel is a fried potato cake made from mashed potato, chopped celery and some other ingredients. Beef is commonly added in preparing Perkedel too. It's very simple to make and is an excellent side dish/appetiser.

 Perkedel (Potato croquette)

Even though I don't have my mum's recipe here, I managed to find the recipes of Soto Medan (here) and Perkedel (here) for you guys. Do try these delicious Soto Medan and Perkedel at home. They make the perfect lunch/dinner dish during a cold winter day.

 Soto Medan (chicken)

 

Soto can be served with vermicelli, but I still think the best way to eat Soto is to have it with plain steamed rice plus some crackers on the side.

Steamed Yam Cake (Taro cake)

One of My 'Must-ask-mum-to-prepare' food

Steamed Yam cake is a traditional Asian savoury cake (known as kuih) that is made with fresh yam (taro) and served with ground dried shrimp, fried onions(shallots), spring onions and fresh chilli/chilli sauce (optional). This has been one of the local's favourites among the Asian countries and it is also one of my 'Must-ask-mum-to-prepare' food when my mum is around.While typing up this post, my mind is filled with all kind of local kuih that I could devour back home. But this purple colour cake should satisfy my craving temporarily.

  The Plain Steamed Yam Cake

The difficulty of preparing this cake is getting the right texture, it should be just firm and slightly sticky (it can't be too soft nor too hard). Mum's version of yam cake always come with her homemade chilli sauce that goes perfectly well with the cake.

 Ground Dried Shrimp (Pan fried)

Homemade Fried Onions (shallots)

I always wonder how mum always get it right because her recipe is always based on estimation only. I guess it all comes with experience. Finally, the easy and fun part is assembling the cake. First, place the cake on the plate then garnish it with generous amount of ground dried shrimp, fried onions(shallots), spring onions and chillies/chilli sauce. 

I need to apologise for not posting the recipe, because mum's recipe is all based on estimation, so if you are interested in savouring this mouth watering cake, why not try googling it online. I'm sure there's plenty of recipes available for you to try =)

After assembling the cake (without the chilli sauce)

After assembling the cake (with chilli sauce)

Hope this post will give you some inspiration for your next visit to the kitchen!

Next time, I will try to prepare this cake myself too.

Gado Gado (Salad With Peanut Sauce)

Gado Gado - The Heavenly Peanut Salad

Gado Gado is another popular street food in Indonesia. It's a traditional salad of mixed vegetables that is served with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce. It can be easily found in many Indonesian restaurants around Sydney. Therefore, for many non-Indonesian, gado gado is not alien anymore. This traditional salad can be easily prepared at home at your convenience, the key ingredient which is the peanut sauce can be made freshly or it's also available from most Asian groceries. It usually comes in block, although I have to reveal that the freshly-made peanut sauce definitely taste better, however off-the-shelf sauce is not too bad either.

Fried silken Tofu (Pre-fried tofu from the shelf can be used too)

The common vegetables used in Gado Gado are cabbage (boiled/fresh), boiled egg,  fried tofu, boiled bean sprout, boiled potato and boiled long beans. However, any kind of vegetables can be used too. So feel free to bring out your inner creativity and include any vegetables of your choice. Cracker like prawn cracker is another common ingredient in Gado Gado, but why not try other type of crackers like nachos, corn chips or any plain unsalted chips? They might turn out to be a good substitute.

The too good to be true Peanut Sauce. Thanks to mum for bringing it all the way from Indonesia.

 Ready to be mix vegetables

This salad can be prepared in no time and is as easy as a pie. All you need to do is prepare your vegetables/ingredients (steamed, boiled or fresh). Prepare your peanut sauce as per packet instruction (make sure it's thick in consistency for maximum enjoyment). Add the peanut sauce into vegetables and toss well.

Grilled Orange Chicken + White Radish Soup

"Happy and successful cooking doesn't rely only on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life." (Georges Blanc, Ma Cuisine des Saisons)

 

I printed this recipe online a while ago. This is a delicious and easy to follow recipe. This can be the perfect grilled chicken for your BBQ next time. The original recipe required the chicken to be grilled for 45 mins, but because I want to cook fast, I actually pan fried the chicken first, then I put in the oven to grill for 10-15 minutes. I think by pan frying the chicken first, it actually makes the chicken less dry, so it's up to you how you like your chicken to be and you can always try both ways to see which one you prefer.

Grilled Orange Chicken

Ingredients:

- 5 chicken drumsticks ( I chopped into half, you can keep the drumstick as a whole too)

- 1 clove garlic (minced)

- 2 stalks of spring onions (finely chopped)

- 1 tsp minced ginger

- 8 tbsp fresh orange juice

- 1 1/2 tsp orange zest

- chopped chillies (desired amount)

- 1 tbsp sugar ( I used brown sugar)

- 1 tbsp soya sauce

- 1 tbsp dark soya sauce (sweet soya sauce)

- 1 tsp chinese wine ( I used Shao Xing)

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp sesame oil

- 1 tsp peanut oil

Note: You can always increase or decrease the ingredients and sauces according to taste when you pan fry the chicken. Make sure you don't add too much ginger, as too much ginger will overpowered the flavour of the orange.

Method:

1) In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients and sauces. Mix well. Add the chicken and mix well. Ideally, the chicken is to be marinated in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours, but I didn't have that much time, I actually left it for half and hour only. And turning the chicken pieces occasionally if you can.

2) Heat up the pan with cooking oil, add in the chicken, keep stirring until the chicken is cooked.

3) While cooking, preheat the oven at 200 Celcius. Once, chicken is cooked, place the chicken on a baking tray or roasting and spead some of the marination sauce on the chicken and roast. You can add more marination sauce over chicken after 5-10 minutes. Grill for another 5 minutes until chicken turn brown.

And to complement this tasty chicken, is a plain and simple white radish soup. White radish is a quite versatile vegetable that can be cooked in many ways, such as the turnip cake and stir fried. It is known to benefit the digestive system, for diabetics, to stimulate appetite, to clear runny nose and to ease sore joints. However, it's believe to have no benefits for patients under medical treatment as it prevents the absorption of the medical values. Give this soup a try, it's so easy!

White Radish Soup

Ingredients:

- 1 white radish (cut into large chunk)

- Pork ribs/Pork bones/ Chicken drumsticks/Chicken bones 

- A Handful of red dates

- Some dried scallops (optional)

Method:

1) Bring to boil water in pot. Add Pork/Chicken part, red dates and dried scallops, cook until you get your desired soup broth.

2)Add in white radish, cook until white radish soften, add salt if desired.

3)Turn off the heat and enjoy your soup.

Larb Gai (Thai Minced Chicken Salad)

Gourmets rank Thai cuisine among the best in the world, for its subtle curries, imaginative use of herbs and spices, textural contrast, and above all harmony in taste. The Thai food is a blend of Asian and European influences adopted through centuries of trade and diplomatic exchanges. (Hrayr Berberoglu)

Larb Gai is a popular classic Thai salad. It's fragrant, slightly spicy with an interesting mix of flavours.  Low in fat and low in carb. The core flavour elements are the lime juice and fish sauce. This delicious warm salad can be eaten on its own or with steamed rice.

This recipe is actually an easier version of Larb Gai. I excluded the roasted rice powder which is commonly added in the salad. Please increase or decrease any of the ingredients according to taste.

Larb Gai

Ingredients:

- 400 Gram minced chicken (breast preferred)

- 1 chopped tomato

- 1/2 chopped red onion

- 2 cloves chopped garlic

- 1 chopped cucumber

- Handful of chopped chillies

- Handful of chopped Kaffir lime leaves

- Handful of Mint leaves

- Fish Sauce

- Sugar ( I used brown sugar)

- Fresh lime juice

- Fried onion (optional)

Method:

1)  In a big bowl, add in the tomato, red onion, cucumber, garlic, 1/2 portion of kaffir lime leaves, mint leaves, chillies and fried onion.

2) Heat non-stick pan, add cooking oil, add in chicken, stir for 2 minutes, add in the other half of the kaffir lime leaves. Add in 1 teaspoon of fish sauce. Stir chicken until cooked. Remove from heat.

3) Add in chicken into the bowl and mix well.

4) Add in sugar, fish sauce and lime juice until you get your desired taste.

Note: Chopped lemongrass and chopped coriander can be added to the salad too.

Belacan Kangkung (water spinach)

Each country in the world has its own particular ingredient or condiment that epitomizes umami. In Japan it is dashi stock, in the USA, tomato ketchup. In Malaysia, meanwhile, it is belacan.

(REPORT on the Umami Symposim held at the Putra University of Malaysia)

Belacan Kangkung is probably the most popular vegetable dish in Southeast Asia. It is well loved by people of all ages. I often hear people saying,"I don't eat vege, except kangkung". Kangkung is also known as water spinach or morning glory.

The main ingredient in this dish is belacan (dried shrimp paste). Belacan is one of the essential ingredients in southeast asian cooking, the smell is really strong and pungent, however it adds a sharp and interesting aroma to the dish. Just make sure you leave your window open widely while cooking with this, it will surely stink your whole room.

 

Belacan Kangkung

Ingredients:

- 1 bunch kangkung

- 1 tbsp toasted belacan ( I bought the ready toasted one from asian grocery)

- Chilli paste ( you can find the chilli paste recipe here)

- 3 chopped garlic (you can add more if you like)

- 1 chopped red onion ( this is optional)

- 2 tablespoon ground dried shrimp (sold in in Asian grocery)

- 1 tsp fish sauce

- Cooking oil

Method:

- Heat up the wok to high heat, add cooking oil and add in garlic and onion. Do a quick stir, add in the belacan, ground dried shrimp and the chilli paste and continue stirring until fragrant. Toss in the kangkung, stir until the leaves soften (but make sure the leaves don't turn dark), add in fish sauce. 

-Dish up and serve with steamed rice.

The taste of this exotic dish is so delicious and alluring, the stinky room is sure worth it!

Sang Choy Bow (Chicken Lettuce Wrap)

"Lettuce is like conversation: It must be fresh and crisp, and so sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it." (C.D. Warner, 19th century).

Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!!! No...unfortunately, I'm not cooking Irish food today. 

Initially, I wanted to make steamed egg with chicken minced, but I thought it tastes a little bit plain, because the other dish that I'm going to cook today is just a plain stir fry vege. Then, I thought about Sang Choy Bow (as known in chinese), so I decided to use my minced chicken to make Sang Choy Bow instead.

The direct translation of Sang Choy Bow is "Fresh Vegetable Wrap". It basically means having the dish with fresh vegetable. And what is the most popular vegetable to be eaten raw? Of course 'Lettuce'. On my way back home, I stopped at Coles to get some lettuces, ideally this dish is to be served with iceberg lettuce, but they ran out of it, so I bought Baby Lettuce instead.

Sang Choy Bow is a very famous dish that has found itself very much at chinese restaurants in Australia. Most of you should be familiar with Peking Duck, the Sang Choy Bow is usually the second course that you can choose to have with the remaining meat of your Peking duck.

Sang Choy Bow

Ingredients:

- 400gm minced chicken

- A handful of shitake mushroom (soaked in water and chopped finely)

- 5 Garlic cloves (if you don't like too garlicky, then reduce the amount)

- A handful of finely chopped spring onions

- 1 onion (chopped to dice size)

- Cooking Oil

- Fresh lettuce ( peel lettuce leaves, becareful not to break the leaves)

Marination sauce:

- 1 tbsp sweet soya sauce

- 1 tbsp oyster sauce

- 1 tbsp cooking wine ( I used Shao Xing)

- 1 tbsp soya sauce

- 1/2 tsp sugar

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp corn flour

- 1 tsp white pepper

Method:

1) Mix the minced chicken, chopped mushroom, chopped onions, chopped spring onions and marination sauce. Mix well and leave for 10-15 minutes

2) Heat up a wok and add cooking oil. 

3) Add in the garlic, saute until fragrant and golden.

4) Add in chicken mixture and stir it until chicken is cooked.

5) Dish out.

Optional:

- I use Hoisin sauce as the dipping sauce to add more flavour to the Sang Choy Bow.

Hold one lettuce leaf on your palm and scoop a spoonful of the chicken and place it on the middle of the leaf. Optional is to add a bit of hoisin sauce on top of it (becareful not to add too much, as hoisin sauce itself is salty). 

Wrap it up and have a mouthful of it!

To complement the already healthy dish, is the plain stir fry vegetable with garlic. 

Yum yum!

Chilli Brussels Sprout

“We kids feared many things in those days - werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday School - but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.” (Dave Barry, Miami Herald Columnist -1987)

I don't understand why so many people hate brussels sprout, I think this miniature cabbage doesn't just look cute, they are great in taste and texture too. After cooking,  the brussels sprout actually take on a little sweet flavour. Vegetable that is sweet...how can you not love it?

There are so many nutritional benefits in this mini vege, it is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, dietary fibre, protein and it could reduce the risk of certain cancers too.

The main ingredients in this recipe will be the ground dried shrimp and toasted shrimp paste (also known as belacan) where you can find in most of the asian groceries. The chilli is optional, if you like spicy you can find the chilli paste recipe here, it is the same one as I used in the Thai Chilli Chicken Basil recipe.

Chilli Brussels Sprout

Ingredients:

- 2 bags of brussels sprout (just any amount that you like)

- A handful of ground dried shrimp (grounded)

- 5 garlic cloves (chopped)

- 1 1/2 teaspoon of toasted shrimp paste

- Chilli paste

- Cooking oil

Method:

1) Heat up the wok and add some cooking oil.

2) Add in the garlic and ground dried shrimp, stir for 2 minutes.

3) Add in the toasted shrimp paste, stir until fragrant

4) Add in chilli paste, stir for 3 minutes.

5) Add in the brussels sprout

6) If it's too dry add in abit of water.

7) Keep stirring until brussels sprout soften but still crisp.

8) Turn off heat and dish up.

*Sometimes I add in some prawns too, so just add in the prawns before the Brussels sprout.

I wonder is there any restaurant that has Brussels Sprout on their menu?