Showing posts with label Asian Tofu Dish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asian Tofu Dish. Show all posts

Thursday 30 August 2018

[recipes + video] 3 One Pan Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals

Here are three quick and easy Asian one-pan dish which are a real time-saver for weeknight dinners. Furthermore these dishes also make great family meal ideas because you just need a reliable frying pan to cook with and serve. Therefore it cut down working time in the kitchen too.

Friday 24 October 2014

[30 Minutes Meal] Express Meal Using Lee Kum Kee Menu-Oriented Sauces

Have you ever tried preparing a decent "3 dishes + 1 soup (三菜一汤)" meal within 30 minutes (excluding preparation of ingredients and marinating)? In this post I would be sharing some tips and recipes on how to cook-up four delicious home cook dishes and get them ready on the dining table within 30 minutes.

Since this task is part of the criteria from Lee Kum Kee MOS Blogger Competition which I am taking part, I decided to put myself on a test to see whether am I able to complete the assigned task within the time frame.

Monday 10 March 2014

[Weekly Meal Planner] 5 Recipes On Our Weekday Meals #2

After planning and cooking for weeks, months and even years it sometimes make SAHM (Stay At Home Mum) feels that all these routines seems to be a "hectic chore" which are never ending. Often we just wanted to create some decent and healthy meals that are less time consuming and "hopefully" they suits everyone's preference in the family too.

So after much thoughts and suggestions from readers, I decided to start a new column on this blog known as "Weekly Meal Planner" from 01st March 2014 onwards featuring our weekday dinner menus hopefully on Mondays base on a bi-weekly timeline. The featured dishes might vary from Asian, Western or even just 5 recipes on soup or dessert for the week which I hope it would help to inject some new ideas into your weekly menu planning.

Wednesday 30 January 2013

{5 New Recipes} Pre Chinese New Year Dinner Gathering

Last Saturday evening, a few of us get together to have an early Chinese New Year dinner over at my place. Although this was not the first time I prepared food for such as big group of friends other than my family,  I am still very nervous and a bit stress up with planning the dishes as well as preparations.

Thanks to Jacob and Shiting who initiate to help up with the Yusheng as well as preparing the ingredients for the dishes in order to put this dinner together. I hope everyone enjoys the meal and I apologize if the dishes are not up to expectations due to my clumsy hands and mind in the kitchen :)

Monday 10 September 2012

{6 New Recipes} Lunch Gathering At My Place

Recently I have invited a few foodie friends over for a lunch gathering and I was quiet nervous about what to include on that day's menu. To be frankly this is my very first time cooking so many dishes within 2.5 hours to serve 10 person. And the stress level is pretty "high" on my end as most of invited are "food bloggers" who tried many delicious food from all over the restaurants and cafes.

And although this is a casual lunch gathering, I still hope to receive honest feedback on my cooking in order to fine tune my skills not only to cook for my family but for friends who loves food as well. So during the lunch, everyone exchanged views and comments on the food and I am glad everyone enjoys the dishes. Below are a few new recipes of the dishes we had  on that day which you might be interested to try at home.

Menu For The Lunch Gathering!


BAKED ROSEMARY HONEY CHICKEN MID-JOINTS


Photo Credit: Celes from Celestial Delish
This is one of my favourite potluck dish which is very easy to prepare. What you need to do is to marinate it with rosemary, honey and etc before leaving it in the fridge overnight or at least an hour or two. Instead of baking it in the oven, you could also use it as one of the BBQ items too. Recipe can be found HERE.



BAKED SALMON WITH SWEETCORN, TOMATO AND CHEESE


In our household, our favourite way to prepare salmon is to bake it together with lots of shredded cheese, sweetcorn and Japanese Mayonnaise. We love the creamy taste of the mayonnaise and cheese covering the crunchy sweetcorn kernels and juicy salmon cubes. Occasionally I would also throw in some cherry tomato to enhance the flavour.


(Serves: 2-3  | Preparation: 10 minutes  | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1 Salmon Fillet (350g), cut into 1.5" cubes
  • Some Japanese Mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Corn Kernels
  • 4 - 5 Cherry Tomato, halves
  • 1/2 Cup of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
  • Some Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method:-
1. Arrange salmon cubes on a baking plate, top with generous amount of Japanese mayonnaise and sprinkler some freshly ground black pepper on it.

2. Evenly scatter sweetcorn kernel and tomato on the salmon cubes and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

3. Bake prepared salmon in an oven toaster or preheat 200 degree Celsius oven for 15 - 20 minutes or till salmon is cooked to your preference.

Tip:
~ If cherry tomato is not available, you can replace it with a tomato and cut it into wedges.



FRIED CP GYOZA AND FISHBALLS


Photo Credit: Celes from Celestial Delish
CP Chicken Gyoza with Lime and Chilli Mayonnaise Sauce is one of my "new" recipes which I have collaborated with CP Frozen Food for their new Chicken Gyoza. Recipe will be available on their website or recipe cards soon.


OKARA OMELETTE


Using the left over Okara (soybean residues) filtered from my Homemade Organic Soybean Milk to prepare this simple and yet delicious "Okara Omelette" for the guest. Recipe can be found HERE.



RED WINE LEES CHICKEN


Red Wine Lee Chicken is one of the popular dishes taken during confinement. It is prepared using glutinous rice wine, red wine lee and Ginger. Ginger is use to enhance the fragrance of this dish as well it posses warm and healthy properties which can “expel winds” in the body. Whereas wine is helpful in warming and nourishing the body, which promotes blood circulation.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 Portion Chicken, chopped to smaller pieces
  • 250ml Glutinous Rice Wine (米酒)
  • 2 Tablespoon Red Glutinous Wine Lees (红槽)
  • 6 Slices Ginger, cut to thin strips
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
  • 2 Small Cubes Rock Sugar (about 3 - 5g)
  • Some Coriander

Method:-
1. Heat up a wok or claypot with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add ginger and fry them till fragrant and slightly brown.

2. Add marinated chicken pieces (lightly season it with 1 teaspoon each of cornflour, sesame oil and light soya for 3 - 5 minutes) and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked on the surface.

3. Add in red wine less, dark soy sauce and fry for a few seconds before pouring in the glutinous rice wine. Stir well. Cover with lid and let it simmer on low heat for about 8 minutes.

4. Next add rock sugar for sweetness as well as enhance a beautiful glazed finish. Simmer with lid closed for another 8 - 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.

5. Turn off heat, drizzle one tablespoons of Hua Diao Jiu (紹興花雕酒) and splash of sesame oil for extra fragrance and taste.

6. Garnish coriander and serve with steamed white rice.




STEAMED CHICKEN WITH RICE WINE


Steamed Chicken With Rice Wine is one of quick and easy dishes that I learnt from my friend, Tracy during one of my visit to her place. You could prepared everything ahead and put it in the fridge a few hours before steaming to let the rice wine and ginger taste infused into the chicken. We simply love this dish and especially the "wine" taste gravy which is the a "nutritious" chicken broth.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 30 - 45 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 Portion Of Chicken (600g), cut into pieces
  • 5 Red Dates, sliced
  • 3 Slices of Dang Gui
  • 4 - 6 Small Shittake Mushroom, optional
  • 1 Tablespoon Wolfberries (枸杞)
  • 150ml Sweet Glutinous Rice Wine
Marinade:
1/2 Tablespoon of Fresh Ginger Juice
1/4 Teaspoon of Salt

Method:-
1. Trim, clean and pat dry chicken pieces, marinate it with ginger juice and salt for 5 minutes.

2. Place marinated chicken together with the rest of the ingredient in a steaming bowl or wrapped it up in aluminum foil with baking paper that resemble a parcel.

3. Steamed over medium heat using either stove or electrical steamer for about 30 - 45 minutes till meat is tender.

Tip:
~ If glutinous rice wine is not available, you can replace it 100ml of Cooking Wine - Hua Diao Jiu (紹興花雕酒).

~ You can use either fresh or dried shiitake mushroom according to your preference.



STEAMED DRUNKEN PRAWNS


There are a few methods to prepare "Drunken Prawns" where you could soaked the prawns in either cooking wine, rice wine or drinking liquor like XO to draw the flavour of the prawns. Here as I wanted to retain the sweetness and flavour of the prawns, I soaked it with glutinous rice wine and steamed till cooked before I drizzle some "Huiji Waist Tonic (汇集补腰精)" to further enhance the taste.

(Serves: 2-3  | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 7 - 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 10 - 12 Fresh Large Prawns
  • 3 Slices of Ginger, shredded
  • 1 Stall of Spring Onion, cut into section
  • 1/2 Tablespoon of Wolfberries (枸杞)
  • 100ml of Sweet Glutinous Rice Wine
  • 1 Cup (20ml) Huiji Waist Tonic (汇集补腰精)

Method:-
1.Trim the feelers of prawns, rise and arrange on a deep steaming plate with some shredded ginger and spring onion below.

2.Top the balance shredded ginger, spring onion, wolfberries and rice wine over prawns and let it soaked for about 5 - 10 minutes.

3. Steam over medium high heat using either stove or electrical steamer for about 7 - 10 minutes.

4. When done, remove and drizzle Huiji Waist Tonic (汇集补腰精) over it and serve immediately.

Tip:
~ If glutinous rice wine is not available, you can replace it 50ml of Cooking Wine - Hua Diao Jiu (紹興花雕酒).



STEAMED EGG WITH SALTED FISH MEATBALLS


It has being long since I last made this dish because I can't really make good steamed egg custard which look "smooth" without big pocket holes (like those shown above). But this is indeed one of my favourite childhood dish that my dad used to cook for us. I love the salted fish fragrant and taste from the meatballs which contrast well with the egg custard.


(Serves: 2-3Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 - 12 minutes)

Ingredients:
100g Minced Pork/Chicken Meat
20g (1/4 portion) Mackerel Salted Fish
2 Eggs (55g)
160ml Drinking Water

Seasoning:
1/4 Teaspoon Cornflour 1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce / Fish Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar

Method:-
1. Marinate minced meat with chopped salted fish and seasoning together for about 10 minutes or an hour more in the fridge for better flavour.

2. Divide the marinated minced meat into small portions to form meatballs.

3. Arrange them on steaming plate and set aside while preparing the egg mixture.

4. Whisk eggs for a few seconds, add in water and mix till well combined.

5. Strained egg mixture into the prepared meatballs plate, cover with aluminum foil and steam over medium low heat for about 10 - 12 minutes.

6. Garnish with some fried shallot and spring onion before serving.



STEAMED FISH FILLET WITH KIWIFRUITS


You might be wondering how is the taste of this dish and is it worth "experimenting" this recipe on your fish. To be more simplify, this "Steamed Fish Fillet With Kiwifruits" taste just like "Teochew" style steamed fish with either salted vegetables or preserved plum.

Surprisingly the kiwifruits taste slightly sweet and sour and it indeed flavour the fish and sauce of this dish. Very appetizing dish that worth trying.


(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 12 minutes)

Ingredients:
  • 300g of Fish Fillet
  • 1 Zespri Kiwifruit, cut into wedges
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
  • 4 Slices of Ginger, Shredded
  • 1 Stall of Spring Onion (optional), cut into sections
  • Some Wolfberries (枸杞)
  • Freshly Ground Pepper
  • Some Sliced Chilli, optional
Method:-
1. Clean and pat dry fish fillet, arrange it on steaming plate together with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Steam it over medium using stove or electrical steamer for about 12 minutes depending the thickness of the fish.

Tip:
~ You can use any type of fish fillet such as Threadfin, White Snapper, Grouper or even salmon to your preference.



STEAMED TOFU WITH MINCED MEAT


Tofu is an excellent ingredients to cook in term of it's cost and health benefits. It is economic and yet contains good source of high protein and calcium which is good for the family. Here I am using both minced pork and shrimp for this recipe but you could always replaced minced pork with minced chicken or omit shrimp depending on your preference. For a better texture and crunch, I added some chopped water chestnut and carrot to enhance it's flavour too.


(Serves: 2-3   | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 6 - 8 minutes)

Ingredients A:
  • 1 Tube Silken Egg/Plain Tofu
  • 50g Minced Meat
  • 2 - 3 Prawns (optional), finely chopped
  • Some Wolfberries (枸杞)
  • 1 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
  • Coriander Leaves, optional

Ingredient B:
  • 1 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
  • 1 Teaspoon Corn Flour
  • 1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 Water Chestnut, finely chopped
  • 2 Slices Carrot, cut into strips and chopped
  • Some chopped Spring Onion

Method:-
1. Mix minced meat and prawn together with "ingredient B" till well combined and set aside for at least 5 minutes.

2. Cut tofu into circles and arrange on steaming plate, top each slices of tofu evenly with the marinaded meat mixture.

3. Place some wolfberry and coriander leave on the prepared tofu, drizzle 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce around the tofu.

4. Steamed for 6 - 8 minutes depend on the thickness of the meat mixture.

5. Garnish with some chopped spring onion, coriander leave or fried shallot and serve immediately.

Tip:
~ Egg tofu can always be replaced with square silken tofu that is suitable for steaming.

Photo Credit: Celes from Celestial Delish
Lastly, hope these quick and easy recipes above are useful to help you in your daily or weekend cooking ideas.

Photo Credit: Celes from Celestial Delish
Other than the above homecook dishes, Celes also bake a Chocolate Mocha Mousse Cake (recipe HERE) to celebrate Hazel's birthday.

Photo Credit: Celes from Celestial Delish
Whereas Hazel from 爱makan baked us some Pandan Cupcakes with yummy cream cheese spread.

Friday 13 January 2012

Happy Call Pan Recipes - Baked Sweet Potato, Sizzling Tofu and Claypot Rice

It's Happy Call Pan(HCP) recipes again! As I have mentioned before this is an "IN" kitchen gadget which is it one of the hot discussion topic in forum and Facebook. With it's quick and easy pressure cooking method, this pan has won the hearts of many people especially homemakers who aim to cook healthier dishes for the family.

In this post I would be sharing another 3 recipes using this HCP to Bake Sweet Potato, cook Sizzling Tofu and our favourite Claypot Rice (without using claypot).

Friday 5 August 2011

Savory Steamed Tofu with Unsweetened Soy Milk

Weekend is approaching and for those who is on leave next Monday, you will get to enjoy a long weekend due to Singapore National Day on Tuesday, 09 August 2011. So if you thinking of what to cook for the family during this weekend perhaps you could read up more on today's homemade "Savory Steamed Tofu with unsweetened Soy Milk", guest post by HL(Tigerfish), writer of "Teczcape - An Escape To Food" food blog and author of "The Everything Rice Cooker Cookbook". (sample of the recipes can be found HERE)

I love to read up HL's blog posts where she always shared quick and easy recipes which most of us could easily follow and whipped up a hearty meal within a short time frame. And most important she always try to create healthy dishes that are nutritious and healthy for her family. So now let's welcome HL and her homemade Savory Tofu dish.


Savory Steamed Tofu with Unsweetened Soy Milk



I have been following Cuisine Paradise by Ellena for some time. Ellena is one super creative cook, baker and food blogger; consistently churning out homey delicious recipes that inspire. It is indeed my privilege to guest post at her award-winning blog. Thank you for your kind invite, Ellena.

Savory steamed tofu pudding/savory steamed tofu custard is a dish that I have cooked many times because it is extremely easy to prepare (no more than 15 minutes including prep. and cooking time!), nutritious, and within minutes, a comforting flavorsome dish.

Additionally, it is a dish that easily encourages you to play up your creativity with flavors and textures. Go little extra miles each time e.g. extra umami by adding mushrooms and tomatoes, extra "soy" by adding (unsweetened) soy milk or extra flavor depth by adding miso.

Super easy to make, super delicious and super healthy too!

See that? They belong to the same world. A soy milk "bath" for tofu (soy beancurd): Savory Steamed Tofu with Unsweetened Soy Milk. Here are some details and tips to make your very own.

Savory Steamed Tofu in Unsweetened Soymilk
(1) Soy Milk "Bath: Add unsweetened soy milk to about half the brim of tofu (tofu already laid out and gently mashed in a serving bowl). More soymilk if you like - about 3/4 brim of the tofu. Of course, you can also substitute soy milk with water or any broth you like. Whole milk also works.

(2) Tofu: Use soft or silken for smooth velvety texture. If you have medium-firm tofu - you could gently mash it down further with a spoon or if you have both varieties on hand - use a mixture (half soft, silken + half medium-firm). Play with textures if you wish. It can be as smooth as silky as you want.

(3) Ingredients: Add diced tomatoes and fresh mushrooms (Note: beech/bunashimeiji mushrooms or any delicate-textured mushrooms work better as the entire dish would just be gently steamed and within that short time of 5-8 minutes of steaming, the mushrooms can be easily cooked through). You can also add sweet corn kernels, shelled edamame beans, or sweet green peas.


(4) Garnishes: Generously garnish with finely chopped cilantro, fried shallots and nori seaweed, add 2-3 drops of sesame oil and dashes of white pepper over the dish before steaming. All these garnishing add flavor, depth and aroma!

(5) Finishing Touches: Set wok to do steaming and turn down the heat to medium to reduce the boil for steaming. Steam for about 5 minutes. After steaming, just another 1-2 drops of sesame oil to bring out the aroma. Salt and more pepper to taste.

Enjoy, and create your own tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Once again, thanks HL(Tigerfish) for her wonderful guest post on this Savory Steamed Tofu With Unsweetened Soy Milk dish. For more recipes on HL's blog, you could refer to the link HERE.


Monday 16 May 2011

[$20 Budget Meal] Winter Melon Soup, Steamed Silken Tofu with Salmon And Sweetcorn Plus Steamed Beef Steak with Onion

For this set of Budget Meal it will be slightly a bit more expensive than those I prepared previously due to the higher cost of Salmon and Beef. Here we spent a total of roughly S$18.60 for Winter Melon Soup, Steamed Tofu with Salmon and Steamed Beef Steak. And to your surprise this is also my very first time sharing a “beef” dish in this blog too.

Sometime cooking is way of art and mental planning too. For example this Soup of the Day is rather similar to my previous “Winter Melon, Woodear And Pork Ribs Soup” but I replaced the woodear with sweetcorn and carrot for a more refreshing taste.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
300g Pork Ribs
250g Winter Melon, skin removed cut into wedges
1 Sweetcorn, cut into sections
1 Medium Carrot, cut into thick slices
6 Red Dates

Method:-
1. Blanched pork ribs in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes, remove and rinse with tap water. Set aside.

2. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil in a soup pot.

3. Add in all the ingredients when the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes.

4. Lastly season it with salt to taste according to own preference.

Total cost for this dish is about S$5.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Pork Ribs = S$3.00
~ Fresh Winter melon, Carrot and Sweetcorn= S$2.80


This is the second time I have used “salmon” fillet in preparing steamed dish. The first one was about a year ago where I steamed the salmon fillet together with Dang Gui to create a Chinese New Year dish (recipe). In this post, I combined this month Budget Meal specific ingredients – “Tofu” together with salmon to prepare this “Steamed Silken Tofu with Salmon And Sweetcorn” where you get to enjoy 3 different textures in one dish.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1 Box of Silken Tofu
150g Salmon Fillet
1/2 Sweetcorn, remove kernels from cob
5 Slices of Ginger, julienne

Seasoning:
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Salt

The bland tofu blends well with the sweet and fragrant taste from the corn kernels as well as with a contrast between crunchy and smooth texture that makes you crave for more scoop. The adding of salmon increase the Omega 3 and Proteins of this dish, which makes it, perfect for everyone at home especially the growing up kids.

Method:-
1. Cut the tofu into slices of equal thickness, drained well and place it onto steaming plate.

2. Cut the Salmon fillet into cubes and scatter it together with the fresh corn kernels evenly on top and around the sides of the tofu.(refer to the photo above)

3. Next top with julienne ginger and spoon the seasoning(mix all the ingredients together)over the prepared tofu.

4. Cover the tofu plate with cling wrap tightly leaving just a little ventilation hole.

5. Steam it on high heat in a steamer/wok (with boiling water in it)  for about 10 minutes. Remove and serve.

Total cost for this dish is about S$5.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Salmon = S$3.90
~ Silken Tofu and Sweetcorn= S$2.00


If you have being following most of my blog posts, you will notice that this seems to be my very 1st "Beef" dish recipe from those hundreds of recipes that I have. Friendly speaking using "beef" as one of the main ingredients is something that I always phobia of because to me you can either ruin or perfect it in just a few seconds of cooking time.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
200g Beef Steak, whole/slices
1 Medium Red Onion, thinly slices
2 Stalks Spring Onion, cut into sections
Red Chili, slices
3 Garlic Coves, lightly pound

Seasoning:
10g Butter
1 Teaspoon Fresh Milk
1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns, crashed

Initially I was still quite worry about the taste and texture while preparing this dish but when it is out from the steamer I was totally surprised with the outcome. The texture of the beef slices is still quite good and tender despite of the steaming method. And the beef stock sauce was great with a hint of black pepper and onion taste too. Indeed this is a great chance on preparing steak on it's usual char-grilled or stew methods. (if you don't consumed beef, you can also replaced it with Pork Fillet(梅肉/腰肉) which is more tender in texture).

Method:-
1. Using paper kitchen towel lightly pat dry the beef steak. Set aside.

2. As I want the sauce and seasoning to infuse the steak in a faster way, I have cut the steak into slices before arranging them on steaming plate. (you can leave it as whole and serve as individual main course too)

3. Next arrange all the ingredients and seasonings on top of the beef steak.

4. Wrap the plate with cling wrap steam it over high heat for about 8 - 10 minutes depend on your preference.

5. Remove and serve with steamed rice or as individual main course with mashed/baked potato.

Total cost for this dish is about S$6.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Beef Steak = S$5.40
~ Spring onion, garlic, chili and onion = S$1.50




CLOSING DATE For [May $20 Budget Meal] Event:
~ Wednesday, 25 May 2011, 2359 hours and all entries will be compiled and posted on 31st May 2011.

If you loves to whipped some quick and budget healthy dishes for your family. I would like to invite you to join us in our May Budget Meal event to share your homecook dishes with us(more detail HERE).

Thursday 21 April 2011

[April $20 Budget Meal] Seaweed and Minced Pork Soup, Fried Bitter Gourd Omelette and Ma Po Tofu

I have being craving for those Cze Char style Seaweed Soup recently and after asking around for a quick and easy recipe. I managed to settle on Alice's version where she is very patience to guide me through  the steps during one of our chat on MSN. Her method was pretty good with boiling of  fresh ikan bilis stock and she also share on how to "clean" the seaweed by frying it dry in a non-stick pan which will enhance it's fragrance and at the same time removes any dirt that is trapped in between the seaweed.

This set of Budget Meal cost about S$6.60 which is good enough for 2 - 3 servings.

SEAWEED SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
1/4 Portion of Dried Seaweed, cut from a 20cm round
60g Minced Pork
2 Garlic Cloves, lightly pound
1 - 2 Slices of Ginger
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
1 Medium Tomato, cut into wedges
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 Litre Hot Water
1/2 Cube or Knorr Ikan Bilis Stock

Method:-
1. Marinate minced pork with light soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and corn starch for about 5 minutes.

2. Heat up 1/2 Tablespoon of oil in a soup pot, saute ginger, garlic and spring onion till fragrant then add in minced pork and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes till cooked through.

3. Pour in hot water and bring to boil, add stock cube, let it simmer for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove the garlic, ginger and spring onion before adding in the tomato and seaweed.

4. Turn off the heat, slowly swirl in the beaten egg and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$1.80 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Seaweed = S$0.40
~ Egg = S$0.20
~ Tomato = $0.20
~ Minced Pork = S$1.00


Whenever we visit any Cze Char(煮炒) stalls, we will always order either their "Bitter Gourd Omelette" or "Egg Foo Yong(芙蓉蛋)". Here we can also prepare a simple version of this delicious omelette dish at home according to personal preference. If you are not sure on how to choose the bitter gourd, you can always ask the stall owner for help. But if you are getting it from supermarket, just try to get those with bright jade green colour and wider pattern lines so that they are not on the extreme bitter taste.

BITTER GOURD OMELETTE

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
2 Large Eggs
100g (1/3 Portion of a Medium) Bitter Gourd, thinly sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1 Teaspoon of Light Soy Sauce
Dash of Pepper and Sesame Oil
1.5 Tablespoon Oil for frying Omelette


Method:-
1. Before cooking the bitter gourd, add 1 teaspoon of salt and marinate for 5 minutes, wash and squeeze dry to reduce the bitter taste.

2. Heat up oil in frying pan, saute garlic until fragrant. Add in bitter gourd and mix well.

3. Stir-fry the bitter gourd until soft, slowly swirl in the beaten egg (beat egg, light soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper together till combined) .

4. Pan-fry at medium heat until set, turn it over and continue to fry until golden brown.

5. Dish up and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$0.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$0.50
~ 2 Eggs = S$0.40


It has being long since I last set my wok with this popular Chinese dish which is known as Mo Po Tofu(麻婆豆腐). It has a combination of tofu (beancurd) and minced meat that cooks in a spicy chili and bean based sauce. For this home version of Mo Po Tofu, I used the instant Lee Kum Kee Mo Po Tofu sauce which is slightly mild compare to the original "spicy" taste that we ate from Chinese Restaurants.

MA PO TOFU

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 4)
90g Minced Pork
250g Soft Tofu, dice in 1" cubes
2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar, optional
1 Packet of Lee Kum Kee's Ma Po Tofu Sauce

Method:-
1. Preheat frying pan with 1.5 tablespoon of oil and saute minced garlic till fragrance before adding in the minced pork.

2. Stir-fry minced pork till cook through, pour in Lee Kum Kee Sauce For Ma Po Tofu and simmer for 10 seconds.

3. Slowly add in the drained tofu and give it a quick stir to absorb the flavour from the Ma Po sauce and slightly thickened. (You can add in some sugar to balance the spicy and salty taste from the sauce)

4. Dish up on serving plate, sprinkle with some chopped spring onion and serve immediately with warm steamed rice.


Total cost for this dish is about S$3.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Silken Tofu = S$1.50
~ Lee Kum Kee Sauce = S$1.40
~ Minced Pork = S$1.00


Using simple ingredients like EGG and TOFU you can also whipped up something delicious like what we had for dinner. And I am sure most of you can also come out with some other delicious dishes using these simple ingredients too. Most important you know what is good for your family and  I am sure you will try to incorporate as many healthy ingredients as you can in your daily cooking.


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