Showing posts with label Home Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home Food. Show all posts

February 04, 2011

年初一 Cuisine (CNY 1st Day)

GONG XI FA CAI!!!

It's finally the Year of the Rabbit. After the previous night's indulgence, we usually have something lighter on the 1st day of the Chinese New Year.

October 23, 2010

Bitter Gourd Speciality @ Restoran Fu Kua, Taman Megah

If you're mad about bitter gourd, this is a good restaurant to go to. EV recommended this restaurant as she had gone to it with her parents previously when they visited from Kuching.

We ordered four dishes for the three of us.

I couldn't remember if it was the Marmite Pork Ribs or the Sweet & Sour Pork Chop was good. So, we ordered the Sweet & Sour Pork Chops ("Pai Kuat Wong"). It was served differently as the pork chop was cut into small pieces. The pieces of pork was soft and easy to chew - good for older folks.

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My parents love bitter gourd. I, on the other hand, could never tolerate it being cooked as the bitterness just seeped into everything that it is cooked with. So, they had to order a separate vegetable dish - stir fried kai lan.

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Anyway, I felt a bit adventurous and tried the rest of the dishes my parents ordered.

The stir fried bitter gourd with salted egg tasted good but according to my mom, it was not as good as the one cooked at this other restaurant in Subang Jaya (which is no longer open).

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The bitter gourd soup is highly recommended and seems to be the "specialty" dish of the restaurant. The soup was absolutely bitter but funnily though, the bitter gourd pieces did not have any bitterness at all. I wondered if my tongue had lost all its ability to taste other flavours. LOL!!

The soup is a boiled soup with minced pork, pork stomach and pigs blood pieces. Sounds disgusting but the soup tastes great!

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The entire meal was around RM53 which included drinks and rice. Can be slightly expensive but if you're crazy about bitter gourd, this is the place to go!

June 16, 2010

Bak Chang.... Yum!!

Happy Bak Chang festival!

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Kekekeke... Actually, it's the Dragon Boat festival but most of us remember only the yummy rice dumplings during this time of year.

March 23, 2010

Craving for Bi Bim Bap

I've been pretty much silent lately in my blog as I've been preoccupied with other stuff.

Lately, I've been hitting the gym at least 4 times a week and ever since I've caught up with my old personal trainer, I've been working out even harder during my sessions.

So, between exercising, coming home to have a quick bite, playing with my nieces & dogs while catching up with my TV shows, I barely have enough time to blog. :-(

Anyway, I'll have to readjust my schedule a bit as I'll find some time to write.

This post is a little outdated as I've been meaning to blog about some of my favourite Korean dishes. One of it is the famous Bi Bim Bap.

At first I was turned off by the dish because the sauce was red which looked like kim chi but it turns out to be hot bean paste which doesn't have the sour taste of kim chi. However, once I had a taste of it, I can't seem to get enough of it!

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The last Bi Bim Bap I tried was at Ko Hyang Korean Country Delights at Mid Valley Gardens. I've blogged about this little cafe before where I've tried their Bulbogi Beef. It turns out that they make a pretty good Bi Bim Bap too.

Bi Bim Bap is a pretty well-balanced dish with a lot of vegetables accompanying the rice. It is usually topped off with an egg which is cooked sunny-side up.

To eat it, you just stir everything in the bowl together. In some variations, the bowl is a hot stone which heats the rice and the ingredients through.

This version is done in the stainless steel bowl and the dish is like a cross between mixed rice with a slightly cold salad.

Personally, I prefer the hot stone bowl version as it just heats up the hot bean paste and rice making it feel like a claypot rice dish.

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As usual, there were some side dishes which came long with the main dish. I didn't quite like the fried anchovies as it was a bit too salty for me. However, I do like a bit of kim chi even though it tends to be too sour for my taste.

Do give it a try, you might just love it... ;-)

January 05, 2010

Mixed-Herb Roast Chicken @ Home

Since one of my goals this year is to be healthy, I've been on a quest to discover some healthy recipes (low salt, sugar, fat) to cook at home.

This is a simple roast chicken recipe which I've adapted from Jamie Oliver.

Ingredients
  • 1/2 fresh chicken
  • Olive oil (about 2 tablespoons but depends on size of chicken)
  • Dried Mixed Herbs from MacFoods
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • Pepper and Salt (optional)
Method
1. Clean the chicken and pat it to dry.
2. Mix the dried mixed herbs with olive oil, pepper (and salt) and juice of 1/2 a lemon into a bowl. Keep the lemon skin as it can be used for roasting the chicken later. Spread the marinade on the chicken.
3. Leave chicken to marinade for 1-2hours.
4. When ready to roast the chicken in an oven, cut the lemon skin and place on the roasting rack of the oven. Place the chicken on top of the sliced lemons. Do remember to place a tray underneath the rack to catch the drippings from the chicken.
5. Roast at 300F for at least 45 minutes or until the thickest part of the chicken is cooked.
6. Rest the chicken under tin foil before serving.
7. Serve with steamed vegetables and starch of choice.

You may also make a bit of gravy from the drippings provided the excess oil and fat has been discarded first. If you like to make it a bit more spicy, add a bit more cracked black pepper for taste.

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I decided to serve my chicken with some steamed broccoli and baked sweet potato. Of course, I removed the skin before I ate... Kekeke...

The chicken is quite different from your average roast chicken which is usually with salt, pepper and honey or malt as the marinade. This roast chicken is fantastic when paired with a tomato-based pasta as well.

Hope you all will try it out soon!

January 04, 2010

Healthy Breakfast Options

The holiday season is about to end. Am sure that everyone is busy with getting the kids/themselves back to school/work.

I've been spending the last couple of days stocking up on my cereal supplies for breakfast. I was looking for a particular brand of cereal as I've got to ensure that there is no added sugar/salt in the cereal. Yes, one has to be more careful with nutrition these days.

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I've shared my Dad's breakfast oats recipe previously and of late, I've decided to use skimmed milk instead of water to soak the oats. After adding a variety of fresh fruits with the oats, the results is a very delicious and fulfilling breakfast.

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Another variety was to add cereal with sliced almonds and dried fruits on top of the fruits. It sounds quite complicated but in fact, is a very quick and simple breakfast to prepare. Not only that, it is highly nutritious with all the required vitamins and fibre for a good start.

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When there is home-baked bread at home, I often like to make toast with it. A recent favourite of mine is to have peanut-butter toast with sliced bananas. The recipe is so simple & quick, I didn't realize why I hadn't thought about it earlier!

The only ingredients required are:
  • Thick slice of wholemeal bread
  • 2 teaspoon of peanut-butter (no added sugar/salt would be best)
  • 1/2 slice of medium-sized banana (not too ripe)
The steps are equally simple:

1. Toast bread.
2. Spread peanut-butter on toast.
3. Slice bananas.
4. Arrange bananas on toast.
5. Eat and enjoy with a glass of cold skimmed milk or hot drink. (^.^)

Have a great start to the week everyone!!!

November 17, 2009

Healthy Pasta Recipe - Chunky Tuna

Here's another healthy recipe idea... This time, I happened to have some fettuccine and tuna left over and decided to have a quick pasta dish.

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Ingredients for 1 person's portion:
  • Fettuccine - 1 portion
  • Garlic (sliced) - 2 cloves
  • Onions (sliced) - 4 small onions
  • French Beans (sliced) - 1 portion
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Tuna chunks (in water or olive oil) - 1 portion
  • Salt and Pepper - to taste (optional)
Method:

1. Mix some sliced onions with the tuna chunks. If the tuna chunks was in water, drain the water first and mix in a bit of olive oil to moisten the mixture. If you like the tuna to be a bit sour, add some squeezed lemon juice.

2. Cook the pasta as per instruction on the packet.

3. Heat the pan with the extra virgin olive oil.

4. Cook the onions and garlic until it is soft. Becareful not to burn the garlic. I find that by cooking the onions first and then adding the garlic, I tend to not burn the garlic.

5. Add the tuna chunk mixture and stir well.

6. Add the cooked pasta and if possible, add in a bit of liquid used to cook the pasta.

7. Add in the sliced french beans. The french beans may be steamed first if you prefer them to be soft; otherwise, the crunchy french beans add a lot of texture to the dish.

8. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste. This step is optional if you intend to keep it low sodium.

9. Add some extra virgin olive oil to finish the dish.

This is definitely a very quick dish to make especially when you don't have the time when you're back home from work or school.

Hope you like it!

November 08, 2009

Healthy Pasta Recipe - Tomato Based

Due to my food restrictions, I've been looking out for some healthy pasta recipes which I can cook.

I managed to find my whole wheat pasta and low-salt tomato pasta sauces from Cold Storage. I bought Preggo's Heart Smart Pasta Sauce which is made up of tomatoes, onions and garlic. It has low salt and has been approved by the US Heart Association. The sauce was a little pricey RM12 for a large bottle but I was lucky as I got the whole wheat pasta free together with the bottle!

Anyway, my recipe does not have any added salt or sugar as the sauce would have adequate seasoning.

Ingredients for 1 person's portion:
  • Whole Wheat Spaghetti (I got San Remo) - 1 portion
  • Garlic - 2 cloves
  • Onions - 2 small red onions or as many as you like
  • Cherry Tomatoes - 3
  • Heart Smart Onion and Garlic Pasta Sauce - 5 tablespoons
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon
  • Parsley Flakes
  • (optional) - Salt and Pepper to taste
Method:

1. Boil the spaghetti in hot water. The pasta will take around 8-10 minutes to cook since it is whole wheat. If you have specific diet restrictions, cook the pasta until aldente, i.e. still chewy and not too soft. Drain most of the water from the pasta.

2. Heat the pan with extra virgin olive oil.

3. Cook the onions and then add the garlic. Garlic tends to burn easily and so, do watch the heat of the pan.

4. Once the onions and garlic look soft, add the pasta sauce and keep the pan to medium heat.

5. Add the cooked pasta and some of the pasta water to make the sauce. Mix well. (Optional - You can add salt and pepper for taste at this point)

6. Add the cherry tomatoes and turn off the heat when the sauce and pasta has mixed well.

7. Sprinkle the parsley flakes.

8. Eat and enjoy. ;-)

There is also an optional step to this recipe which is to add a bit of skimmed or low fat milk to make the sauce creamy. Also, since this is a vegetarian dish, you can also add meat to the sauce too. The important step is to brown your meat first and then cook your sauce in the same pan.

Also, if you want to add more interesting flavours, here are my suggestions:
  • Toasted pine nuts
  • Fresh parsley instead of dried parsley flakes
  • Fresh basil
Finally.. Here is the result of my quick recipe...

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Looks good, right? ;-)

March 29, 2009

Earth Hour 2009

So, Earth Hour came and went. How was your Earth Hour?

No fanfare or party where I was. I had already promised someone that I would cook pasta for dinner last night.

After visiting DCIM at Midvalley briefly (and coming out of the exhibition hall empty handed), we did a bit of grocery shopping and went home before the massive jams started outside. I was glad to have an assistant "chef" to do all the chopping and cutting. :-)

All that hard work in the kitchen paid off! This time I think I've found the right recipe to make a yummy pasta sauce... ;-)

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The ingredients for the pasta was simple - other than the Prego pasta sauce, I added extra garlic, onions, minced beef, Swiss Brown mushrooms and a few chopped cherry tomatoes. Salt, pepper and sugar (as the sauce can be quite sour) was added to taste. Of course, the ingredients were cooked in olive oil too.. :-P

I added extra cherry tomatoes, parsley and a few drops of olive oil to the pasta assembled. The yellow cherry tomatoes really made the dish quite cheerful.

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Of course we didn't just have carbohydrates alone. We had to have some salad to accompany our meal to make it balanced. So, my graceful assistant quickly sliced up some butterhead lettuce and cherry tomatoes.

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When 8:30pm approached, I decided to take a photo around the neighbourhood where my friend lived to see if there were any supporters of Earth Hour... :-)

At 7:52pm, the picture below was taken from my friend's balcony...

At 8:34pm, I took the next photo...

Not much difference.. MySpace

Maybe the folks around her neighbourhood were not aware of the campaign or perhaps, there are more lights on during the normal weekdays as folks are home from work? Oh well, we did turn off the lights and watched a show in darkness. We happened to be watching the first pilot episode of Fringe - an X-Files-like series from the Sci-Fi (or SyFy - to be rebranded in July) channel.

So, how was your Earth Hour like?

February 09, 2009

Yr of The Ox Celebrations - Part 1

I know I've not blogged in ages as I've been very busy with work in the last few weeks.

However, I managed to squeeze in some time to have some sense of Chinese New Year celebrations despite being so busy. (^.^)

This year, my youngest aunt decided to host the CNY Reunion dinner. She suggested that it should be pot-luck in nature, where everyone brings a little something. My mom cooked the steamed chicken and acar (pickled vegetables).

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The spread this year was just fantastic!! There was so much food around the table that we couldn't finish it. Plenty of leftovers for tomorrow's brunch. Kekekeke...

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One of my favourite dishes which I look forward to every year is the Sweet and Sour Pigs Trotters, i.e. 猪脚酸

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My mom's steamed chicken was absolutely divine. The garlic soya sauce dip which accompanied the dish suited the soft, delicate meat... Yuummm...

Anyway, for dessert, one of my aunts brought Konyaku jelly, which had fruits as a filling.

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After dinner, there was the usual Karaoke session which my relatives are so very fond of. I would have to say that my uncle has improved his technique, while my Dad really needs more practice. LOL!!

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It was a great night of feasting and merry-making. Although I rushed home to continue my work (late into the night.. :-( ), spending time with relatives certainly lifted my spirits then.

This has to be a short post as my next post will be about the CNY day visit and fun I had with my friends.

It's already Chap Goh Mei... So, Happy Chap Goh Mei to all!!

November 30, 2008

Thursday Night Dinner

Mom decided to prepare a simple dinner of 'Fish and Chips' minus the chips last Thursday night.

Mom had some prepared frozen fish bought from the store since she had to go out that day. So, with some cabbage, carrots, onions and potatoes, my mom prepared a coleslaw and baked potato.


Home-made coleslaw with cabbage, carrots and onions

The coleslaw is pretty simple. You do not need a lot of mayonnaise, just about 1 tablespoon for a large amount of cabbage. Half a lemon is squeezed to add some 'twang' to the slaw. Simple!!

My mom did not deep fry the fish as it already has been deep-fried before the fish was frozen. So, with a bit of olive oil, my mom pan-fried the fish just to heat it up.



Pan-fried Fish

As for the potatoes, it was boiled and mashed before we added a bit of butter and olive oil to the mash. Then, for something different, my mom decided to add a bit of cheese and baked it in the oven for 15 minutes. My mom didn't like us taking a lot of potatoes, so, she just boiled 3 medium-sized potatoes.


Small dish of Baked Potato

It was a balanced meal where we had some coleslaw leftover for sandwiches the next day... :-) We had some home-made bread too but my Dad had cut up the bread before I could take a picture of it.

Sometimes, it is just good to have simple food at home.
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