Dumpling Soup 水饺汤

Chinese dumpling in soup is simply delicious and I will surely go for it if I happen to dine in the "Wan tan mee" stalks or Chinese restaurant. They will normally cook it with soup or deep fry it and serve with dipping sauce. Like what I have done on the previous post ... Fried Dumpling.

The ingredients in the dumpling or the soup is very important to make the dumpling appealing and flavorful. I bet most of the Chinese will surely loves it to bits...

Dumpling Ingredients:
150gm Chicken fillets, minced
300gm Prawns, removed shell & vein, minced
3 pcs Water Chestnut, chopped
Handful of Spinach, chopped

Seasonings:
5 tbsp Light soya sauce
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 tsp White Pepper
1 tbsp ShioXing Rice Wine

Soup Ingredients:
Leftover fish bones
One handful Anchovies
1 big Yellow onion
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
2 slices Ginger
HKG Baby Choy Sam

1 packet Dumpling skin (水饺皮)

Methods:
1. Mix dumpling ingredients with seasonings. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hours or longer.
2. Boil 1 liter of water in a pot. Add in soup ingredients except HKG Baby Choy Sam.
3. Boil for 1 hour in slow fire till soup become concentrate.
4. Drained ingredients, retain the soup and set aside.
5. Put 1 tbsp of batter on the dumpling skin. Fold into half & close the top end.
6. You may get approximately 20 - 25 dumplings.
7. Heat up soup, put in the amount of dumplings that you want to consume at that moment.
8. Bring to boil for about 6-8 mins. Add in baby choy sam. Once the choy sam is cooked. Off fire.
9. Dish up and serve immediately with rice or noodles. Or on its own.

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Beef Stew with Pinto Beans

Beef stew with plenty of vegetables have became one of my favourite. The thick and flavory gravy simply delicious with rice or noodles, make the meal wholesome and fantastic, especially for kids! This is my few attempts in making beef stew but I loved this recipe ever compared to the previous recipes. By simply stir frying the beef chunks before hand can brings out extra flavour and tenderness of the meat, and not to forget to choose a suitable parts of the beef. The beef meat must not be too lean, a little bit of fats attached make magic of it.


This time, I added some "Pinto Beans" into the stew. Pinto beans or variety of mix beans always my top favourite in making soup, stew or braised. Check out my "Mix Beans Soup" !
I knew that beans have good Protein, High in Fibre and plenty of goodness in it but not that's all until I googled and found all these information from the net to share with all of you!

Pinto beans have a beige background strewn with reddish brown splashes of color.
They are like little painted canvases, á la Jackson Pollack; hence their name "pinto,"
which in Spanish means "painted." When cooked, their colored splotches disappear,
and they become a beautiful pink color.

Take a look at these Goodness and Benefits of Pinto beans...

Health Benefits
Pinto beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber,
as are most other beans.

A Fiber All Star
Pinto beans, like other beans, are rich in fiber.

Lower Your Heart Attack Risk
Pinto beans' contribution to heart health lies not just in their fiber,
but in the significant amounts of folate, magnesium,
and potassium these beans supply.

Pinto Beans Give You Energy to Burn While Stabilizing Blood Sugar
In addition to its beneficial effects on the digestive system and the heart,
the dietary fiber found in pinto beans helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

Sensitive to Sulfites? Pinto Beans Can Help
Pinto beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral,
molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase,
which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites.

Iron for Energy
In addition to providing slow burning complex carbohydrates,
pinto beans can increase your energy by helping to replenish your iron stores.

...and many more information on the Goodness of Pinto Beans...

Check out all these:
• How to Enjoy
• Tips for Preparing Pinto Beans
• A Few Quick Serving Ideas
• Safety in preparing Pinto Beans and Purines

Resources from WHFoods

Ingredients:
300gm well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into smaller chunks
1/2 cup Pinto beans, washed & soaked overnight
1 Carrot, cut into chunks
1 stalk Celery, cut in to chunks
1 Yellow onion, cut into 8 portions
2 medium-sized Tomatoes, cut into cubes
1 medium-sized Potato, cut into cubes
500ml water or beef broth
10 florets broccoli
Olive oil

Seasonings:
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Ground black pepper
1 tsp Dried basil leaves or Italian Mixed Herbs

Methods:
1. Soak pinto beans overnight. Drained. Set aside.
2. Blanch broccoli with some salt & olive oil. Drained. Set aside.
3. Marinade beef with salt and ground black pepper for 2 hours.
4. Heat up 3 tbsp of olive oil, stir fry beef till tender & soft (about 8 mins)
5. With the remaining oil, stir fry carrot & pinto beans for 2 mins.
6. Add in potato & onion. Stir fry another minute.
7. Add in celery & tomato. Stir fry and mix well.
8. Add beef & stir fry for another 2 mins.
9. Add water or beef broth, bring to boil.
10. Add seasonings. Simmer till gravy thicken.
11. Dish up, garnish with broccoli & serve.


My bits of tips:
*You may use other beans besides pinto beans, e.g. Lima beans, Cranberry beans, Navy beans & so on.

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Baked Chicken & Potatoes with Fresh Herbs

I have came across many recipes on baked chicken with fresh herbs but just didn't have the zest on baking one, until last weekend I finally lifted up my arms to baked some whole leg and potatoes with fresh herbs. Hey! Since I am a big fan of fresh herbs especially Western fresh herbs, it was indeed a good opportunity for me to try out variety of recipes on it. This round I picked up some rosemary & italian parsley with basil on this recipe. Fresh herbs really did an awesome tricks on this recipe with their aromatic smell and fantastic taste!

Since my son is able to accepts fresh herbs in my cooking, it would be a good opportunity for me to add fresh herbs in his diet. Potatoes are good combination with chicken in this recipe. It is so savoury and added an extra flavour as a side dish. Just marinade and dump in all the ingredients, baked it in the oven... and hoala... a wholesome delicious dish for dinner! How I love those quick and wholesome food!

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, removed skin - cut into chunks
3 large chicken whole leg
Butter for coating

Marinate:
30gm fresh rosemary, removed stems, chopped
30gm fresh Italian parsley, chopped
30gm fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 tsp salt
3 tsp ground black pepper

Methods:
1. Chopped and combined fresh herbs.
2. Slit fresh herbs under chicken skin evenly.
3. Season chicken whole leg with salt & black pepper & some fresh herbs.
4. Sprinkle with some olive oil. Put in a zipper bag. Marinate in the fridge for 2 hours.
5. Marinade potatoes with fresh herbs, dash of salt & some olive oil. Set aside.
6. Grease a baking tray with some olive oil.
7. Arrange potatoes on the baking tray.
8. Transfer chicken whole leg to the baking tray onto potatoes.
9. Coat chicken with some butter.
10. Sprinkle additional olive oil.
11. Baked at 450ºF for 1 to 1 & a half hour or till chicken turn golden brown.
12. Turn over chicken to the other side after half an hour.
13. Prick the chicken with a skewer to make sure the chicken is well cooked.
14. Cool on the rack. Serve with rice or on its own.

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Omelette Rice Roll

One evening, I suddenly thought of making something similar to sushi for my fussy eater son as he consumes very little food at times. So, I had some sushi rice still, some crab sticks & a bunch of organic red spinach. It would be nice to make rice roll which is attractive and easy to eat. So, I started to "wok". Make a simple omelette, blanch some red spinach & crab sticks, everything seem to be quite fast and easy.
This simple finger food consists of Carbohidrate, protein, fibre & vitamins. All in one simple snack! Isn't it great? Just about to finished, my little boy woke up from his nap. He grabbed the omelette rice roll and graciously ate 2 pieces of the big rice roll. Lovely and I was so happy to see him eating the omelette rice rolls. Mummies know the best? *wink*

Ingredients:
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Japanese rice (short grain rice)
10 leaves of Spinach, chopped (I used organic red spinach)
4 sticks Crabstick

Seasonings:
Salt to taste
1 tsp Light soya sauce
Dash of pepper

Methods:
1. Cook Japanese rice according to the instruction. I cooked 1/2 cup of rice with 1 cup of water in rice cooker.
2. Add dash of salt in the rice before cooking.
3. Beat eggs with light soya sauce & pepper.
4. Heat oil, pour half of the portion to make a thin omelette. Dish up & cool it.
5. Pour another half and make another omelette. Dish up & cool it.
6. Blanch spinach with some oil & salt. Drained & chopped
7. Cool rice. Mix with chopped spinach.
8. Rinse crabsticks with hot water. Drained.
9. Lay omelette on a board. Spread rice on the omelette evenly.
10. Arrange crabsticks in the middle.
11. Fold and roll omelette.
12. Cut into 4 - 6 pieces, according to your preference.

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Humble Muffins

Why I called it "Humble Muffins"? Well, because it is just plain, simple ingredients yet delicious muffins. This recipe adapted and modified from Children's Healthy & Fun Cookbook (Sticky Date Muffins). I wanted to bake some simple yet moist muffins for the whole family or any occasion in the future.
I came through this recipe which is simple and easy to find ingredients. I didn't have dates in hands, so I omitted it. Just went ahead with those ingredients that easily grab! The result was good, it was flavourful, moist & risen beautifully. I will surely use this recipe for any future party or occasion. It would definitely more savoury by adding more fruits and nuts in the muffins. Let's share and savour!


(The ingredient can baked approx. 10 large muffins)

Ingredients:
200gm white or wholemeal plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
125g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200gm dried raisin (you may add dried mixed fruits / apricot / nuts)
1/2 tsp salt
175ml milk
1 large egg (lightly beaten) - (I used 2 medium sized eggs)
140gm butter

Methods:
1. Preheat oven to 200ºC / 400ºF. Line the mufin tin with the paper cases.
2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl.
3. Stir sugar, cinnamon and salt into the flour and baking powder.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan over a low heat.
5. Pour the milk into a jug and add the egg and melted butter.
6. Beat together lightly with a fork. Pour into the flour mixture. Add in raisin.
7. Fold the ingredients together gently and evenly with a wooden spoon until flour is just mixed in.
8. Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until it is almost to the top.
9. Bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Use a skewer to prick at the middle of the muffin to make sure it is well baked.
10. If the skewer is clean, the muffin is well baked.
11. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.

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Tomato Rice

Tomato rice is so appetizing when you dine in a Mamak (Indian Muslim) restaurant serve with your choice of curry, such as Kurma Chicken Curry, mutton curry or beef rendang. We loves tomato rice serve with cashew nuts, the flavour of both brings out the exotic taste and delicious touch.
I wanted to cook tomato rice myself for a long time. So, last weekend I finally give it a try. It was indeed quite simple and easy to cook by using rice cooker. It saves a lot of cooking time too especially we are in a rush preparing lunch for the whole family.

At the same time, I added a can of Tomato puree to makes the rice more moist and savoury. Tomato is rich in vitamins & lycopene which still maintain the level of the nutrients even you have cook it or keep it for long time. I love tomato and anything that is cook using tomato, such as sweet & sour prawns, ABC Corn in Cob soup (mix vegetables), pasta sauces, stew chicken with tomatoes, fish with cherry tomatoes & so on... Do you like "tomato"? If yes, you should give this a try... quick and easy!


Ingredients:
2 cups Rice (washed & soaked)
5 - 6 Tomatoes (cut into pieces)
2 medium Onion (cut into pieces)
1 can Tomato Puree (140gm, I used Duchef Tomato Puree)
2 pc Ginger (Sliced thinly)
4 flakes Garlic (minced)
4 Cloves
1 pc Cinnamon Stick
2 nos Star Anise
3 Cardamons
2 tbsp Butter / Ghee
1 tsp Sugar (Optional)
1 tbsp Cashew nuts (Optional)

Methods:
1. Wash and soak rice for 20 mins in water. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat butter/ghee, fry cloves, cinnamon, star anise & cardamons till fragrant for a minute.
3. Add ginger & garlic. Fry another minute, add in onion. Stir and mix well.
4. Add tomatoes and keep on frying for 2 mins.
5. Pour in rice, keep stir frying for 2 mins. Add in tomato puree. Mix well.
6. Add in some water if the mixture is too thick. About 140ml water.
7. If you find the rice is too sour, add a tsp of sugar and mix well.
8. Transfer rice to rice cooker, fill water to cover the rice. Cook accordingly.
9. Once the rice is cook, fold in cashew nut & serve.

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Pan Fried Fish with Basil

Sometimes, we wanted some fast delivery dishes or something that is easy to prepare. Since I have plenty of basil leaves in hand, I grabbed some Dory fish fillet, easy to get in the hypermarket. Dash some salt & pepper, pan fried it ... hoala... another basil leaves simple delicious and healthy dish for dinner! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 Kg Dory fillet or any white fish fillet
10 stalks Fresh Sweet Basil Leaves, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper

Methods:
1. Prepare fish fillets, cut into 5 inches long.
2. Marinate with other ingredients for 1 hour.
3. Heat olive oil, pan fried until fish is cooked.
4. Dish up and serve.

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Mee Siam • Spicy & Sour Vermicelli

Mee Siam has been our favourite. The spicy & sour taste of this dish makes you more appetizing. In Malaysia, we can have mee siam all time long in the Malay's restaurant. Spiciness & sourness are the main key of this dish. We just love the exotic taste of this combination. You may also add your own selection of ingredients, such as prawns, tofu, fish cake, bean sprout & so on...

Since my hubby craved for this dish the other day. I would like to give it a try and the result is so satisfying. This was my first attempt & my own modified recipe. I used only simple ingredients which I found in my kitchen.
For those who loves spicy & sour food, I guess this dish is one of the good selection! Give it a try!

Ingredients:
1 packet of Vermicelli (MeeHoon / 米粉)
2 stalks Choy sam, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 Carrot, sliced thinly
2 Kalamansi lime, cut into half (Limau kasturi)
Salt to taste

Seasonings:
20gm Dried shrimps
2 Shallots
2 Garlic
2 Red onions
2 Lemon grass (about 2 inches long)
6 Dried chillies
Tamarind juice (2 tbsp tamarind paste + 200ml water)

Methods:
1. Soak meehoon for 30mins or till soften.
2. Put tamarind paste with water. Squeeze a little with hand to brings out the flavour. Set aside.
3. Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend the ingredients until turns paste.
4. Heat up 2 tbsp of oil in a wok. Saute blended paste till fragrant, about 10 mins in slow fire.
5. Add in carrot, stir for 2 mins. Then, add in choy sam and stir for another 2 mins.
6. Stir in meehoon, stir fry till all ingredients well mixed.
7. Add in salt. Add more tamarind juice if you find the meehoon is too dry.
8. Once the meehoon is soften, dish up.
9. Fried scramble eggs in a non-stick pan. Mix with the meehoon, serve with a squeeze of lime.


My bits of tips:
• You may add variety of ingredients into it, e.g. prawns, tofu, fish cake or tau kua.
• To have fragrant blended ingredients, slowly stir & mix with slow fire for longer period.
• I prefer to fry the scrambled egg separately to retain the taste & the texture of the egg.

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Steamed Prawns with Garlic & Chilli

Prawn - one of everyone's favourite, be it fried, steamed, deep-fried or stir fry. My family loves it very much too. Instead of deep frying which is not so healthy. I tried this simple yet healthy recipe, steamed prawns with garlic & chilli. I have trimmed off the prawn's head which is high in Cholesterol. By steaming it with some chinese rice wine (ShaoXing Wine), it brings out the great aroma of the wine and the sweetness of the prawns. Topped up with some garlic oil and chilli, make the prawns more appealing and nice to chew on.
This dish saved me a lot of cooking time especially for dinner. Perfect easy dish for "working" and "wokking" Mum like me! *wink*



Ingredients:
1 Kg Big/Medium-sized prawns
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks scallion/spring onion, chopped
1 red chili, removed seed, chopped

Seasonings:
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sesame oil
1 tsp White pepper
2 tbsp ShaoXing Rice Wine

Methods:
1. Washed, removed head & butterflied the prawns with scissors. De-veined. You may also just trim the head and tiny legs.
2. Marinate prawns with seasonings for 10 mins.
3. Heat 3 tbsp oil, saute garlic till golden brown. Dish up, set aside.
4. Steam prawn with hot boiling water for 5 mins.
5. Garnish with chopped scallion, red chilli & fried garlic oil.

My bits of recommended recipes:
Pan Fried Prawns with Butter
Japanese Tofu with Prawns
Sweet & Sour Prawns

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