Baked Rice with Cheese

Hey! Baked rice with cheese! Sound very familiar and such a tantalizing, quick & easy one pot dish. I came familiar with this dish when I dined in one of the famous Hong Kong restaurant in town, their baked rice with cheese is simply delicious that can make you hook into it. Now, even my family loves baked rice with cheese to bits. Thus, I make my own version of baked rice with cheese at home. It save a lot of cooking and washing time too.

Since I want to make a wholesome meal, a balance and nutritious ingredients from several food groups will be a good combination in this dish. This is a good way to let my little boy to consume various food pyramid group especially vegetables. I also added some Italian dried herbs to enhance the taste. Great way to cook a quick & easy dish that tastes delicious. If you are looking for a simple, quick and easy one dish meal, do give this a try! You may also want to try the Seafood Baked Rice!

Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 cups cooked rice 200gm chicken fillet, cubed or sliced 12 pcs large-sized prawns, removed shells & veins 10 florets broccoli, blanched with boiling water & salt 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 nos shallots, minced 2 tbsp butter Olive oil Shredded cheese - Mozarella or Cheddar Dried parsley, oregano, basil or any preference herbs Salt & pepper to taste Methods: 1. Prepare 4 cups of cooked rice. Set aside. You may need to adjust the rice according to personal appetite. 2. Wash prawns. Remove shells and veins. Pat dry. Marinade prawns with pinch of salt, sugar & pepper. 3. Marinade chicken fillets with pinch of salt & pepper. 4. Blanch broccoli with boiling water & a pinch of salt. Drain & set aside. 5. Heat up olive oil, pan-fry prawns until 80% cooked. Dish up & set aside. 6. Heat olive oil again, stir-fry chicken fillet until 80% cooked. Dish up & set aside. 7. Heat up butter in another wok, saute garlic and shallots until fragrant. 8. Stir in cooked rice, stir-fry until rice is fragrant & well coated with butter but not too soft. 9. Add in chicken fillets, prawns & broccoli. Sprinkle some dried herbs, salt & ground black pepper. Mix well. 10. Transfer half of the rice to a baking dish. Sprinkle some shredded cheese, mix well. 11. Add in the remaining rice. Sprinkle more olive oil & dried herbs. Top or cover the rice with cheese. 12. Bake at 350ºF until cheese is melted but not golden brown. In this way, you will have creamier cheese taste. 13. Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with extra ground black pepper if you prefer stronger pepper taste. Serve. Note: • You may choose your own selection of vegetables & meat. • The cooked rice may vary on the person consumption.

»»  read more

Banana Muffins

My family loves banana to bits, we consume bananas almost every week. It is not only nutritious but also one of the easiest to find local fruit around. It has become one of the popular fruits serve during various occasion or most of the hawker stalls. Here, we can have banana in various ways and cooking, one of the famous all time snack is "banana fritters", you can have it almost everywhere during tea-time. Banana is such a versatile fruit - this fruity, fleshy & soothing fruit can be used in many dishes, such as banana cakes, banana split, "pengat pisang" (banana sweet dessert - one of the Malaysian traditional desserts), banana smoothies & of course banana muffins! Banana became one of the first baby food I have introduced to my son. Besides its nutrition, its soft and sweet texture has become one of the favourite food for babies & toddlers. It is a great food for all round health benefits.

There is so much of health benefits of eating banana. The combination of carbohydrates and B vitamins present in a banana helps provide an energy boost which makes them great to eat 30 minutes before a workout, or even at breakfast to help boost energy at the start of every day. It is also high in fiber, helps in healthy bowels & protection from ulcers. Bananas also a good source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining cardiovascular health, protection from strokes and improving blood pressure. Besides, it also helps to reduce water retention. Isn't it great to consume bananas for good health? Reference from here.
More reference of banana

Since my family love bananas so much and I managed to bought some fresh, fleshy, juicy and simply delicious bananas, I am so eager to bake some banana muffins! Even my son was waiting eagerly to savor the muffins from the oven! He requested to eat the muffins freshly out from the oven, the satisfaction on his face complimented me so much. I also packed some for him to bring to his weekend nursery class. What a great pleasure to make the little one happy!

This recipe was really awesome! The muffins were moist, fluffy and risen beautifully. This recipe is simple, the banana muffins are ready within a short period and it uses simple ingredients, make it fast and easy to bake! Want some fresh from oven banana muffins for your upcoming event? Try this recipe!

Recipe adapted and modified from HERE Makes 10 - 12 muffins Ingredients A: 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour / I used Cake flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt Ingredients B: 3 large bananas, mashed 3/4 cup white sugar / I used brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 1/3 cup butter, melted Methods: 1. Pre-heat oven at 350F. Sift ingredients A. Set aside. 2. Combine ingredients B in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture and mix until smooth. 3. Scoop batter into muffin cups about 85 - 90% full. (I used aluminum foil cups as the base) 4. Bake in preheated oven for about 25 - 30 mins (for large muffins), 10 - 15 mins (for mini muffins) 5. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped. Insert a skewer or toothpick to test the muffins, if the skewer comes out clean, the muffins are done! 6. Cool them on the rack. Serve. Note: • Use cake flour will give you softer and more fluffy muffins! • You may also add 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Essense & 1/2 tsp of ground Cinnamon powder to enhance the taste. Suggestion from the author's site. • If you are using muffin tray, you need to grease the tray or use paper liners/cups. You may put 90% of the batter for muffin tray to get the dome effect. • If you do not have muffin tray, you may use aluminum foil muffin cups as the base of the muffin paper cups. Aluminum foil cup can also make the muffin rise beautifully almost like the dome effect. I used large muffin cups. • Baking time & temperature may vary depending on your oven's function and size of muffins.

»»  read more

Yam Cake

I love to eat yam, regardless of dishes or desserts, such as yam rice, yam cake, yam fritters, yam basket (a Chinese popular dish), fried yam with sweet potato & nian gao (年糕) and many more. I believed many Asian love to have yam in their meal, especially yam rice which has become one of the daily consume dishes in Asia. As a worker, we have to eat out during lunch everyday, one of the most convenient and affordable place to have lunch is food stalls which give you variety of selection. We can find yam rice easily at the food stall, and also my all time favorite "yam cakes". We consumed yam cake frequently during our childhood, it is also one of the must-have item during festive season or any special occasion. I still remember my grandmother used to make yam cake during baby full moon (when baby turns to 1 month old), birthdays, bridal shower's night, bachelor's night, prayer day and many more. We can savor most of it as it is so pleasant, tasty and sumptuous. It brings back a lot of childhood memories when we have "yam cake" at home now.

I made yam cakes for few times which the end result either too hard or too soft, the texture and the taste is definitely not up to the standard. This made me stop making yam cakes for sometime until I found this "accident-free" recipe from MyKitchen! It was a great recipe, the yam cakes turned out to be "just nice", not too hard nor too soft, the combination of the ingredients are just what I am looking for, it is easy and hassle-free. You can get those ingredients within your kitchen or at any grocery shop. I have modified the recipe a little for my own preference. I was thrilled with the result and my family loves it very much! It is ideal to be served with some chilli sauce or sweet sauce (but I don't have it at that time). Even it is good just to eat it on its own. This will definitely be in my list if I happen to throw any tea-time party in the future! Or it is just a great snack during snack time or guest visit. You may also add or minus any extra ingredients in the recipe. Some prefer the dried shrimp & fried shallots to be serve on top of the yam cakes instead of mix in it. I will try to make some plain yam cakes without any extra ingredients the next time to have 100% yam texture and taste. Not matter how you do it I believe it tastes good.

I was curious to know the nutrition and benefits of yam. Thus, I googled and found out many goodness of consuming yam and also a lot of information on it. Yams have a very starchy and slippery texture and when cooked, will either be creamy or firm, depending upon the variety. Their taste is earthy and hardy. Yams offer a good source of vitamins B1, B6, and C. They also provide a very good source of potassium and fiber. Potassium - a mineral that helps to control blood pressure and protect against cardiovascular disease. Yam also contributing in blood sugar and weight control. What a great source to maintain a healthy and ideal weight.

These website also provide plenty of tips on how to choose and how to store yams to preserve the freshness and prolong the life span.
References from:
WHFoods
Natural Food Benefits

Recipe adapted and modified from MyKitchen: Ingredients: 300g yam (net weight - weight after peeled and diced) 50g dried shrimp, soaked and chopped coarsely 5 nos. shallots, sliced thinly 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 no. red chili, seeded and sliced Coriander leaves / spring onion, chopped Batter 170g fine rice flour 40g tapioca flour 500ml water 1 tsp salt (I used 1½ tsp salt) ½ tsp ground white pepper ¼ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder (I used ½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder) ½ tsp chicken or fish stock (powder) - (I omitted) Methods: 1. Line a 8" round pan with baking paper or grease it lightly with some oil. 2. In a large bowl, mix all the batter ingredients. Set aside. 3. Heat oil in wok, stir fry yam until lightly browned. Remove yam from wok and set aside. 4. Stir in shallot to the same wok, fry until golden brown. Drain and remove from shallot from wok and set aside. 5. Stir in dried shrimp and fry until the aroma is released and lightly golden brown (do not over-fried). 6. Pour the batter in the wok, stir in yam and half amount of fried shallot. 7. Stir quickly & gently at extremely low fire until the batter is thickened, approximately 1-2 minutes. (do not over cook the batter). 8. Transfer batter into the pan, steam for 30-40 minutes. (Yam cake might looks a bit wet at this stage but it is alright). 9. Remove from wok and cool completely in the pan (you need to cool the yam cake completely before cutting - yam cake will be harden by now, it makes the cutting much more easier). 10. Cut to your desire shape and garnish with red chili, fried shallot and coriander leaves / spring onion. Serve with chilli sauce or sweet sauce. Tips: • To prevent itchiness on your hands while peeling or cutting the yam, do not wash the yam before peeling or cutting. • Choose yam that is firm, do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. • Do not buy yams that are kept in the refrigerator in the department store because the cold temperature can alters their taste. • Yams should be stored in a cool, dark and well-ventilated place where they will keep fresh for up to ten days. • Keep yams out of exposure to sunlight or temperatures above above 60°F (around 15°C), this will cause them to sprout or ferment. • Do not store yams in a plastic bag, they should be stored loose or just wrap with papers. Uncooked yams should not be kept in the refrigerator.

»»  read more

Chocolate Cake

Are you a chocolate cake lover? I did once in a while, especially a bittersweet rich chocolate cake with a cup of hot coffee or English tea. It definitely gives me a "zest" after a long day work. Awesome! The rich taste of chocolate cake is simply fulfilling and tantalizing! Besides, chocolate cakes, I do love chocolate muffins, brownies & chocolate swiss rolls too. As I happened to browsed through some websites, I chanced upon this simple and easy recipe, the author called it "Pantry Chocolate Cake" which means all the ingredients can be reached within the house pantry or kitchen. It is indeed true enough, the recipe ingredients are simple and easy to bake especially for those that is new in baking chocolate cake.

I have modified this recipe a little to accommodate my own taste and preference. I used cake flour instead of all-purpose flour to enhance the cake's texture. Besides, using butter can make the cake moist and tastier. You may also add your own ingredients such as nuts or seeds to have an exotic taste of the chocolate cake.

This recipe is simply easy, delicious and satisfying, the beauty of it is; you can bake it for any occasion in a short period. I did some with small muffin cups too for a gathering at my house last week. It is simply awesome and everyone is happy with it. Do try this out if you are having time constraints in throwing a kid's party!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 3/4 cup boiling water 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour / I used cake flour 1 cup sugar / I used caster sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso or instant coffee (optional) / I used Nescafe instant coffee 1/3 cup vegetable oil / I used melted butter 1 large egg (beaten) 1 teaspoon vanilla essence Toppings: Dash of chocolate rice Some chopped almond Methods: 1. Line a 8" X 4" X 4" rectangular baking pan or bread tin with grease proof baking paper. 2. Whisk cocoa and the boiling water in a bowl until dissolve. Let the mixture cool slightly. 3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and instant coffee in a large bowl. Set aside. 4. Mix melted butter, beaten egg, vanilla essence and cooled cocoa mixture together. Stir well. 5. Pour butter mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth. 6. Give the batter a final stir with a wooden spatula to make it is completely mixed. 7. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter. 8. Sprinkle chocolate rice and chopped almond on the batter. 9. Pre-heat oven at 250ºF for 10 mins. Bake cake at 450ºF for 20 - 25 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the cake cool completely on a rack about 1 - 2 hours. Cut into your desire shape. Note: • The quality of the cake depends a lot on the quality of the cocoa powder. • Using cake flour instead of all-purpose flour can make the cake texture softer. • Using butter can make the cake moist and tastier. • Make sure the batter is lump free and mix well. • The baking time is vary depending on the function and features of your oven. You may need to adjust according to the oven's functions. • You may make some chocolate frosting to ice the cake. Give an extra richness to the cake. If you prefer to ice the cake you need to omit the toppings. You may get the quick chocolate frosting recipe here.

»»  read more

Nutritious Herbal Soup (药材汤)

Herbal soup has become a favourite soup among the Chinese family. It is nutritious and delicious to consume especially during the cold season. Herbal ingredients have many goodness in it and it is known to promote good health, prevention sickness & boost our general well being. Each of the herbs has its own goodness and its own function in promoting good health. Herbal soup is a mixture or combination of several herbs that make the soup nutritious, sweet, flavorful, savory and tasty. Nevertheless, there is some bitter taste herbal soup too, which promote other goodness in it. It is your own preference in choosing and boiling herbal soup according to your taste bud. I would prefer something more savory taste than sweet taste. Herbal soup can be boil with pork meat or chicken meat. Thus, some prefer to boil it with other poultry or frog (田鸡) - a kind of frog species). Different herbal soup has different boiling method. Each method gives you different result and taste. Many of us used "double-boiling (炖)" as one of the most effective method to preserve the goodness of the herbs and meat. It makes the soup extra flavorful and delicious!

Double-boil soups mean to place the soup pot over another pot of boiling water. The soup is cooked using the heat from the boiling water and not directly from the original heat source. Usually, they use a special ceramic pot known as a double boiling jar to be place in another pot of boiling water. Double boiling let the soup ingredients slowly release their nutrients into the soup. Double boiling is a fairly long cooking process. The average cooking time is about 4 hours. Reference from here

You may need to find the suitable combination of herbs in making herbal soup according to your taste, the benefits of it and the goodness that you are looking for. The following recipe was adopted & modified from THE STAR newspaper according to my own preference. I like the goodness of this recipe and also the combination of sweet, savory & a little bitterness from the ginseng roots' hair (洋参须). It is indeed a clear, soothing and refreshing soup for the whole family.


Other ingredient such as Huai San (Dried Chinese Yam - 干淮山) has plenty of goodness in it, Chinese yam has been recorded as having the ability to enhance vigor, promote muscle growth and repair worn-out tissue, and alleviate bodily weakness after a long-term illness. The herb has also been used to counter diabetes, diarrhea, kidney defects, coughing and dehydration. It can, however, cause frequent urination and perspiration. So be careful not to over-use. With the combination of this herb and meat, it also aid digestion, regulates body's sugar level and control inflammation of the uterus.

Red dates also known jujubes, red dates are widely considered as the "living vitamin pill" by the Chinese. It contains Vitamin B, C, E, P, phosphorus, calcium, iron and more. Red dates are well known of its function on replenishing blood in our body. As the result, those that lack of red blood cells (anemia) can consume red dates soup or water to nourish their body. Scientists have also found that cyclic adenosine monophosphate found in red jujubes can slow down the growth of cancer cells.

Another great herb is Yu Zhu- Solomon's seal (玉竹). It believed to be moisturizing and therefore an excellent herb for use in dry winters where skin tends to become very dry. At the same time, it is also believed to be excellent for alleviating a host of ills, including throat, and lungs ailments. Reference from HOMEMADE CHINESE SOUPS

Since I was a child, I have consumed variety of herbal soup. It continues until today and herbal soup has become one of my favourite. As I am cooking for my little boy, I would surely include herbal soup as one of the main dish occasionally. It is good to explore & experiment variety of herbal soup that promotes natural general well being for us and also for children. Since I started to learn about Chinese herbs and soup, I gained plenty of information that I never ever know about it last time. I hope to gather and get more information and recipes on Chinese herbs to nourish my knowledge too!

Ingredients: 2 large apples (红萍果）, quatered and cored (I used Fuji Apple) 500g Chicken meat (breast / Thigh/ Drumsticks), skinned 2 litres water Salt to taste Herbs: 15g Yu Zhu - Solomon's seal (玉竹） 10g Dried Huai San - dried chinese yam (干淮山) 10g Dried Longan （干圆肉/干龍眼肉） 5 fig fruits (无花果) - I used fresh figs 10g hair's of ginseng roots (yong sum soe - 洋参须 ) 4 red Dates (红枣), removed seed 5g Kei Chi (杞子) Methods: 1. Rinse all the herbs well. Drained & set aside. 2. Wash chicken and blanch chicken with boiling water. Drained & set aside. 2. Bring water to the boil and add chicken meat and herbs except Kei Chi. 3. Simmer at medium heat for 30-40 mins. 4. Reduce to low heat and add the apples. Simmer for an hour. 5. Add in Kei Chi after 45 mins. Then, add salt to taste. Serve.

»»  read more

Anchovy Special

Anchovy is a small silvery fish with a greenish tint. Anchovy rarely exceeds five inches (12 cm) in length. It is an ocean going fish species found in a large range of environments. They taste good and are plentiful in the market. Anchovy has become a popular ingredients in making porridge, soup, stir fry, deep fry or as a snack in combination of other ingredients. Many population in the world regardless of race uses anchovy widely in cooking. We consume anchovy since childhood, our grandparents or parents like to make anchovy's soup as the base of other dishes, such as Wanton (dumpling) Soup (as per my previous post), pan-mee noodle soup, mixed vegetables soup and variety of traditional soup.

Anchovy was cheap during the past but now it's selling with various grade in the market with different pricing. The higher grade of anchovies are more pricey but they are cleaner, fresher and surely tastier. In Malaysia, you can get good quality anchovies at the islands where fishermen bring back fresh fishes everyday. I bought these anchovies in Pangkor Island, one of the islands in Malaysia. It really looks fresh and taste good compared to those sell in the hypermarket. The anchovies are whiter & cleaner in colour, smell really good. The bones have been removed for convenient use. You can choose how much of anchovies you want to buy because all are displayed in several huge barrels. Besides anchovy, you can buy variety of preserved seafood, dried fishes, dries shrimps, authentic pastes, scallops, oyster and many traditional condiments in Pangkor Island.

These are some of the photos captured during our trip to Pangkor Island.
The beach side view at Pangkor Island

The view at the Jetty

Beautiful scenery of the fisherman's boat

The place where they build the fisherman's boat

A close up of sea shell on the sea shore

Since, I have some good quality anchovies in hand. I thought of this recipe. This is one of the old recipes of my maternal grandmother, passed down to my mum and it has become our favourite side dish now. My grandma recipe called for fresh red chillies which can be eaten with the taucu paste (fermented soy beans in salt). I have modified the recipe with some dried chillies to bring more spiciness and "kick" to the paste. We will occasionally make this dish if we are keen of something more flavourful and appetizing. It surely enhances the main dishes with this recipe. We would also eat it with plain porridge or (Teochew porridge). Since, it is a traditional recipe from the old generation, it will be great to enhance and improve the recipe with other ingredients or condiments in the future! Isn't it great? Hopefully this will become your family favourite side dish too.
More information & references on anchovy here.

Ingredients: 200g Anchovies, halved - removed bones Sunflower oil for frying Paste ingredients: 5 pcs Dried Chillies (or 2 fresh red chilli - minced) 4 tbsp Minced Taucu (fermented soy beans in salt) Method: 1. Wash & soak dried chillies for 10 mins. Drained. 2. Remove the seeds, cut into smaller portion. 3. Rinse anchovies, drain with a colander until it is fully dry. Best to put under the sun. 4. Heat up oil, deep fry anchovies. Drain and put onto kitchen towel to absorbs oil. 5. Heat another 2 tbsp of the oil used for deep fried the anchovies. 6. Saute dried chillies for 2 mins, add in taucu. Keep stirring for about 2 mins (do not burn the paste). 7. Put taucu mix at the middle of a plate. Arrange anchovies around it. 8. Serve with plain rice. Note: • Get the pre-packed anchovies with the bones removed. • Deep fry anchovies until golden brown, drain up immediately & put on a kitchen towel to absorb excessive oil. Do not burn it. • You may substitute dried chillies with fresh red chillies, mince the red chillies. • Keep remaining fried anchovies in an air-tight container and consume in 3 days. • You can adjust the amount of anchovies and paste according to your own consumption.

»»  read more