Mee Hoon Soup

I'm grateful for peeled ikan bilis (anchovies)...

from my mother-in-law!

Mee Hoon Soup Ingredients

Mee Hoon Soup

Mee Hoon Soup (30 mins)
Mee hoon
Peeled ikan bilis (anchovies)
Siu pak choy / baby pak choy / 油菜 in Beijing
Dried mushrooms
Fu chok (dried beancurd skin)
Eggs
Salt

1. Soak the dried mushrooms and fu chok (dried beancurd skin) separately in warm water to soften it. Soak the mee hoon in cold water.
2. Rinse the ikan bilis (anchovies).
3. Start boiling the ikan bilis soup by adding the washed ikan bilis and 3 bowls of water to a pot. The formula is X + 1, with X being the number of people eating. So, if I'm cooking for 2 people, it's 2 + 1 = 3 bowls of water.
4. Soak the siu pak choy and then wash each leaf by rubbing it under running water. 
5. After the laborious task of washing the siu pak choy, the ikan bilis soup should have come to a boil and you would have lowered the fire to let it simmer. 
6. Cut both the softened mushrooms and fu chok into more edible-friendly sizes with a pair of scissors, then add it all into the ikan bilis soup.
7. After letting it boil for about 5 minutes, add in the mee hoon and siu pak choy. Give it all a stir.
8. Crack in the egg and cover the egg with some mee hoon to help it cook faster.
9. Taste the soup, if bland, add some salt. Add water if the soup dries up.
10. Once the egg is completely poached, serve.

Stir-Fried Lotus Root

I discovered this dish in Beijing and...
YUMMY! 
Need I say more?

Stir-Fried Lotus Root

Stir-Fried Lotus Root (15 mins)
Lotus root
Garlic
Salt

1. Wash the lotus root by rubbing it under running water.
2. Chop off the ends, then peel off the skin.
3. Slice the lotus root as thin as you prefer and half the slices if the lotus root is fairly big.
4. Crush, chop and dice 3 cloves of garlic. 
5. Heat up the non-stick frying pan, pour in some oil.
6. Fry the garlic until they get a little golden brown.
7. Throw in the lotus root slices and fry it just a bit.
8. Cover the frying pan for about 30 seconds.
9. Stir-fry for awhile more; pour in a little water and add a dash of salt; mix it up evenly.
10. Serve.

Mee Hoon with Long Beans and Eggs

Just use whatever there is in the fridge.

~ Papa

Mee Hoon with Long Beans and Eggs

Mee Hoon with Long Beans and Eggs (30 mins)

Mee hoon

Long beans

Garlic

Eggs

Soy sauce

1. Soak the mee hoon in a basin of water.
2. Wash the long beans by rubbing each bean under running water.
3. Dice them or slice them longwise, whichever you prefer, although my friend Yoong says that slicing longwise is aesthetically better.
4. Crush, chop and dice 3 cloves of garlic.
5. Beat the eggs into a bowl together with a teaspoon of soy sauce and some pepper.
6. Heat up the non-stick frying pan, pour in some oil.
7. Fry the garlic until they get a little golden brown.
8. Throw in the long beans and stir-fry them for a bit.
9. Then add in the mee hoon and then the eggs. 
10. Stir it all to ensure they're all well-mixed.
11. Before dishing it out, add soy sauce so that the mee hoon will have some flavour and colour.
12. Serve.

Black Sauce Chicken

My parents introduced the magic saver cooker to me and 
it was the best present ever!

Black Sauce Chicken and veggie assortments

Black Sauce Chicken (1 hour)
Chicken pieces
Potatoes
Black sauce
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Corn flour
Garlic
Ginger

1. Wash the defrosted chicken pieces under running water, rub them with salt, then rinse them. 
2. Marinate the chicken pieces by adding 2 tablespoons of black sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of corn flour. Mix it all well, then leave it for half an hour. Of course, the longer you leave it to marinate, the better the taste will be.
3. Skin and slice the potatoes into thin slices. 
4. Chop up the garlic and ginger. 
5. When the chicken is ready, heat up the non-stick frying pan, pour in some oil.
6. Fry the garlic ginger until they get a little golden brown.
7. Throw in the potatoes and give them a little stir-fry.
8. Add the chicken and stir-fry them until the chicken meat shrinks and changes colour.
9. Transfer the chicken to the magic saver cooker pot and pour in water.
10. Boil the whole concoction over the stove for about 10 mins, then let the chicken self-cook in the magic saver cooker.
11. When ready to eat, give it another boil before serving.

Fried Sardines

Porridge reminds me of childhood days...

Porridge with Fried Sardines, Chinese Mustard Greens and Century Egg

Fried Sardines (15 mins)

Fresh sardines, not the canned variety

Oil

1. Wash defrosted sardines under running water. Pat dry with a kitchen towel.
2. Heat up the non-stick frying pan and pour some oil (not too much, we're not deep frying) into it.
3. Line as many sardines as you can in the pan but be sure that they don't overlap.
4. Once they're brown on one side, use a pair of chopsticks to flip 'em over to allow the other side to brown. 
5. Pat away the excess oil from the fried sardines with a kitchen towel.
6. Serve. 

Stir-Fried Brinjal and Eggs

I just learnt that brinjal is also known as guinea squash!!!

Fried Brinjal and Eggs

Stir-Fried Brinjal (Eggplant/Aubergine) and Eggs
Brinjal
2 eggs
Garlic
Soy sauce

1. Wash the brinjal by rubbing it under running water.
2. Cut off the edges and then slice it as thin as you can muster.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and beat it. 
4. Crush, chop and dice 3 cloves of garlic.
5. Heat up the non-stick frying pan, pour in some oil.
6. Fry the garlic until they get a little golden brown.
7. Throw in the brinjal and fry it for a bit so that it becomes drier, not so squashy and wet.
8. Add the eggs and fry the whole thing for a bit more.
9. Cover the frying pan for about 30 seconds.
10. Add a dash of salt; mix it up evenly.
11. Serve.

Stir-Fried Broccoli

My friend once described broccoli as 

"that veggie that looks like a mushroom but is green".

Stir-Fried Broccoli

Stir-Fried Broccoli (15 mins)
Broccoli
Garlic
Salt

1. Soak the broccoli for awhile.
2. While the broccoli is soaking, crush, chop and dice 3 cloves of garlic.
3. Wash the broccoli under running water and using a pair of scissors, cut it into bite-sized pieces. I find that scissors instead of a knife, helps minimize the crumbly bits that fall out when you cut the broccoli.
4. Heat up the non-stick frying pan, pour in some oil.
5. Fry the garlic until they get a little golden brown.
6. Throw in the broccoli and fry it just a bit.
7. Cover the frying pan for about 30 seconds.
8. Pour in a little water and add a dash of salt; mix it up evenly.
9. Serve.

Steamed Chicken

What I love best about cooking is that I can control the amount of salt and oil in my food.

Steamed Chicken

Steamed Chicken (10 mins preparation, Total = 40 mins)

Chicken

Wolfberries

Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes.
2. Wash the defrosted chicken pieces (which were helpfully chopped up by the chicken seller) by rubbing each piece with salt carefully and rinsing it.
3. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel.
4. Rub the chicken with salt for taste.
5. Rinse the wolfberries.
6. Line the oven tray with aluminium tin foil, fold up the edges so that it forms a sort of bowl. Grease the foil with a very thin layer of oil so as to prevent the chicken from sticking to it.
7. Place the chicken pieces on the foil and pour water into the aluminium foil 'bowl'. The amount of water should be as much gravy as you would like to have. Sprinkle a little salt into the water.
8. Bake the chicken at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes or until cooked.

Steamed Turbot with Cherry Tomatoes

Apparently, it's advisable to eat at least 2 servings of fish a week.

Steamed Turbot with Cherry Tomatoes

Steamed Turbot with Cherry Tomatoes (30 mins)

Turbot

Cherry tomatoes

Ginger

Salt

1. Pre-heat the oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes. 
2. Wash the fish (which has been cleaned by the seller) thoroughly under running water, then rub it all over with salt.
3. Chop some ginger. 
4. Wash the cherry tomatoes and half them. 
5. Line the oven tray with aluminium foil, fold up the edges so that it forms a sort of bowl. 
6. Lay the fish in the middle and the cherry tomatoes around it. Liberally sprinkle the ginger over and around the fish. 
7. Pour water into the aluminium foil 'bowl'. The amount of water should be as much gravy as you would like to have.
8. Sprinkle salt in the water for taste and stick the tray into the oven for 20 mins or until cooked.
9. Serve.