Egg Noodles with Shrimps & X.O. Sauce （XO 酱蛋面）

Egg Noodles with Shrimps & X.O. Sauce （XO 酱蛋面）

Recipe source :  Doris Choo

Ingredients

250g egg noodles
3 tbsp XO sauce
2 tsp soya sauce
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
3 tbsp cooking oil
150g shrimps, with shells removed

Instructions

1.  Prepare the egg noodles as described in my previous post and blanched them in boiling water accordingly.
2.  Heat wok until hot. Add cooking oil and saute chopped garlic until fragrant.
3.  Add prawns and stir-fry briskly until cooked.
4.  Switch off the flame and add in XO sauce into the wok and tossed in the par-boiled egg noodles.
5.  Mix evenly and dish up.
6.  Ready to serve.

Pan Meen - Dry Style 干捞板面

Pan Meen - Dry Style 干捞板面

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


I wanted to make "mee hoon Kuay". You know, the type of soupy pan meen where the dough is torn and pulled into odd pieces by hand. I love soupy "mee hoon kuay" with lots of vegetables  and deep-fried anchovies at my favourite mee hoon kuay hawker stall at the bridge.

I started out in high spirits. I took out my pasta machine with the intention of making the dough and then using it to roll out flat sheets of dough to be torn into pieces later. Alas, halfway through gathering the ingredients, laziness got the better of me!  All of a sudden I did not feel like boiling stock from scratch and I began to shudder at the thought of having to pull and tear the dough into bite-sized pieces! So I changed plan and quickly completed the process of making egg noodles and used that as my pan meen. Since I was too lazy to boil stock I decided to make pan-meen dry-style instead.

It was a unanimous thumbs up!

Ingredients

300g  egg noodles
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
3 tbsp garlic oil 
1 tsp soy sauce

Preparation Instructions for Egg Noodles

1.  Place the three types of sauces and garlic oil in a large bowl or plate.
2. Par-boil the egg noodles as per the instructions in my post on egg noodles. 
3. For this pan meen - dry style, you will need to rinse the egg noodles with hot boiling water again after par-boiling and rinsing with running tap water.
3.  Transfer the blanched egg noodles into the large bowl of sauces and garlic oil. Mix well. Set aside.

 Egg noodles mixed with sauces and garlic oil

Ingredients for Minced pork & mushroom sauce

180g minced pork

40g dried mushrooms, soaked until soft and cut into thin slices

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp cornflour

1 cup water

Preparation Instructions for the minced pork & mushroom sauce

1.  Heat wok and add cooking oil.

2.  Saute minced garlic until fragrant.

3.  Add in sliced mushrooms and stir-fry for one minute.

4.  Add in minced pork and fry until the  minced meat is broken into pieces and turned whitish.

5.  Add in water and all the seasoning ingredients.

6.  Cook until almost dry. If you like more gravy, add in more water.

Minced pork and mushroom sauce

Optional choices :

I added stir-fried amaranth greens for a more balanced diet. 

If you are interested to know more about this dish, please read up my post on Stir-Fried Amaranth Greens With Anchovies 
 

Stir-fried amaranth green with anchovies

Deep-fried Anchovies

40g anchovies or ikan bilis 

1.  Wash and drain the anchovies. 

2.  Pat dry with paper towels

3.  Deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

Serving:

Now we have the egg noodles, meat sauce , stir-fried amaranth greens and deep-fried anchovies. They are all ready. All you need to do is spoon noodles into individual bowls or plates and add in the meat sauces, anchovies and vegetables of your choice.

Enjoy this very delicious pan meen-dry style !

Thumbs Up!

Pandan Flavoured Snow Fungus & Gingko Nut Dessert

Pandan Flavoured Snow Fungus & Gingko Nut Dessert

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


A simple and sweet  dessert which we love to enjoy every now and then. We like to add hard-boiled quail eggs to this "tong-sui" or sweet soup. This dessert requires just a few basic ingredients yet a very tasty soup is brewed.  

I do not normally add pandan leaves to boil this sweet soup. But today, since I have some pandan leaves left  in my fridge, I added a few blades of these fragrant leaves to enhance the flavour. 

Well, I have no complaints. The flavour is definitely better with the added pandan leaves.
 

Ingredients

50g snow fungus, soak until soft and cut into bite-sized pieces
100g gingko nuts, remove shells and membranes
10 quail eggs, hard-boiled and remove the shells
3 blades pandan leaves, knotted together
120g cane rock sugar
1.5 litres water

Instructions

1.  Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil.
2.  Add in the pandan leaves, softened snow fungus and gingko nuts and boil for 30 minutes.
3.  Remove and discard the pandan leaves.
4.  Add in cane rock sugar and hard-boiled quail eggs.
5.  Boil for a further 10 to 15 minutes or until the cane rock sugar dissolves.

 
I am linking this post to Joceline Lyn of Butter. Flour & Me

This event is linked to Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids

and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

The ingredient for September is "pandan"

Mini Lemon-syrup Sponges

Mini Lemon-syrup Sponges

Recipe source : Nigella Lawson


When I saw the mini lime-syrup sponges from Joyce,  I had it bookmarked immediately. They looked so cute and delicious. 

I have some lemons sitting in my refrigerator and I immediately thought about those lovely mini loaves which Joyce had baked using Nigella's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess". 

 I substituted lemons for limes. The amount yielded nine lovely pieces of mini sponges.

These mini lemon-syrup sponges were awesome! Super delicious!

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
zest of half a lemon
1 cup +  2 tbsp self-raising flour
a pinch of salt
4 tbsp milk

Syrup

4 tbsp lemon juice
zest for decoration
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Instruction for making the lemon-syrup

1.  Place the lemon juice and confectioner's sugar into a small saucepan.
2.  Heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Set  aside.

Instruction for making the mini sponges

1.  Preheat oven to170 degree C.
2.  Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and lemon zest, beating well.
3.  Add self-raising flour, salt then milk. Beat well.
4.  Spoon into muffin pan and bake for 25 minutes.
5.  As soon as the mini sponges are baked, take them out from the oven and prick with a bamboo skewer all over.
6.  Spoon syrup all over the mini sponges. Set aside to let the syrup be absorbed.
7.  Remove the mini sponges while slightly warm otherwise it is difficult to remove them when they are totally cooled.
8.  Decorate with lemon zest on top of the mini sponges.

Spoon lemon syrup over the mini sponges immediately upon removing from the oven

Mouth-watering !

Yummy! These are super delicious!

I am sharing this post to Cook-Your-Books #4




hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours

Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles (Ree Drummond)

Buttery Lemon Parsley Noodles (Ree Drummond)

Recipe source :  Ree Drummond

I used egg noodles to make this dish instead of pasta. It is very smooth and buttery with a tinge of sourish taste from the lemon. The chopped parsley complimented and enhanced the flavour of the noodles.

The flavour is very unique. Perhaps it is because I am more accustomed to Chinese and Asian cooking. I guess it is more suitable for people who like Western food.  

Nevertheless, it was a very pleasant change from my routine and broadens my exposure to different ways of cooking and different cultures as I blog along happily. 

Now,  I suddenly crave for a glass of wine to go with this!

Cheers!

Ingredients

120g egg noodles
2 tbsp butter
2 stalks parsley, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
zest from 1/4 of lemon
salt to taste
dash of pepper

 Parsley and lemon

Some home-made egg noodles

Preparation Instructions

1.  Blanch egg noodles in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside,
2.  Melt butter in a wok over medium heat. Throw in the blanched egg noodles and cook for a minute or two.
3.  Add lemon juice and lemon zest. Then add in the chopped parsley.
4.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Toss to mix everything together.
6.  Dish up and serve immediately.

I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star" 

 

Hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out, 

Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Mich from Piece of Cake 

Mini Corn Loaves With Cranberries & Pecans (Ree Drummond)

Mini Corn Loaves With Cranberries & Pecans (Ree Drummond)

Recipe source :  The Pioneer Woman


I made a batch of these super tasty muffins and brought some to the office the next day. During morning tea break, I put them in the  microwave oven to warm up and they were snapped up in no time! In fact there were not enough to go round. Luckily the rectangular paper cases were long and my colleagues shared the muffins among themselves. I was so happy when the ladies immediately asked for the recipe!

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 whole egg
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla            
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans
 

MAPLE BUTTER

 
1 stick softened butter
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Extra maple syrup and melted butter, for brushing

( I did not make this maple butter as the muffins were good enough brushed with melted butter and maple syrup)

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Combine corn meal, flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, egg, and baking soda. Stir to combine.
4. Add melted shortening, stirring constantly.
5. Add vanilla extract, then stir in dried cranberries and pecans.
6. Spoon with rectangular cups.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or so, or until golden brown.
8. Cool for a few minutes after removing from the oven.
9. Mix together a little melted butter and maple syrup, then brush it over the tops of the loaves.

To make the maple butter

1. Combine the softened butter and maple syrup.
2. Stir until totally combined, then spread into a ramekin, drizzle the top with maple syrup, and serve with the warm muffins. (Butter can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge)

I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star" 

Hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out, 

Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Mich from Piece of Cake  

Pandan And Fruit Sushi 香兰水果寿司

Pandan And Fruit Sushi 香兰水果寿司

Sweet fruity sushi for my family.  

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


I used pandan leaves and pandan juice to steam the sweet glutinous rice. When the rice has cooled down, I cut them into rectangles to make the sushi base. Then top up with strawberries and kiwi fruits to make fruit sushi. Mangoes will be nice too. Guess I need to try topping up with mangoes next time. 

Ingredients

150g glutinous rice
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
80ml santan,  (coconut milk)
250ml water
3 pandan leaves, cut into pieces
2 pandan leaves, knotted together
3 strawberries, sliced
2 kiwi fruits, sliced

Instructions

1.  Blend together 250ml water with 3 pandan leaves. Strain for the juice. Discard the pandan leaves.
2.  Wash glutinous rice and place them in a square or rectangular container.
3.  Add in the strained pandan juice, salt and santan to the glutinous rice. Add in the knotted pandan leaves and steam over high heat for 30 minutes. Leave to cool.  Once cooled down, cut into rectangles.
4.  Place kiwi fruit slices and strawberry slices on top of the glutinous rice.

I am linking this post to Joceline Lyn of Butter. Flour & Me

This event is linked to Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids

and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

The ingredient for September is "pandan"

Stir-Fried Amaranth Greens With Anchovies 苋菜炒江鱼仔

Stir-Fried Amaranth Greens With Anchovies 苋菜炒江鱼仔

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


Amaranth greens is reported to be among the world's healthiest vegetables. It is rich in vitamins and minerals and is a  powerful antioxidant. 

I enjoy cooking amaranth greens by simply stir-frying it with garlic and bird's eye chillies or chili padi. Today, I added a couple of anchovies for a richer flavour.  A very nutritious vegetable dish and very tasty too!

Ingredients

250g amaranth greens, cut into sections of 3 cm
40g anchovies, wash and drain
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 pips garlic, coarsely chopped
4 chili padi
1 tsp salt
200ml water

A bunch of amaranth greens

Instructions

1.  Heat wok and add cooking oil.
2.  Saute chopped garlic over low fire until fragrant, add anchovies. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
3.  Over high fire, add in amaranth greens and chili padi. Stir to mix well and fry till the amaranth greens has softened.
4.  Add in water and salt.
5.  Continue to stir until almost dry.
6.  Dish up.

Calzone Pizza

Calzone Pizza

Recipe source :  Adapted from Pearl Magazine
Pizza dough from :  The Pioneer Woman


I came across this Calzone pizza which basically uses cheese, cheese and more cheese. Three different types of cheeses. The featured recipe called for ready-made pizza dough. But I made the pizza dough using recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Cream cheese was used as a spread instead of the usual tomato paste or pesto. Mozzarella cheese for the toppings. I omitted blue cheese. 

This Calzone pizza is definitely not for those who are looking for the traditional pizzas with rich toppings. This Calzone pizza has a very simple theme. 

Ingredients For The Crust (recipe from Ree Drummond) 

1 teaspoon dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil 


This amount is enough to make two Calzones.

Preparation Instructions For The Crust

1.  Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cup warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
2.  In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. 
3.  Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
4.  Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. 
5.  Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it.


Note: Ree said it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance.

Ingredients for the filling

160g turkey ham or sausages,cut into small pieces
40g cream cheese, melted   
20g blue cheese                     ( I did not use this )
200g Mozzarella cheese
20g pesto                                ( I used fresh chopped basil instead )    

Method

1.  Divide the dough into two portions.  
2.  Brush cream cheese generously on surface of the pizza base.
3.  Arrange turkey ham or sausages and Mozzarella cheese on half the base.
4.  Fold in half to form a crescent shape. Use a fork to press along the edges.
5.  Brush cream cheese and sprinkle Mozzarella cheese and chopped basil on top of the crescent.
6.  Repeat process to make another Calzone.
7.  Bake the crescent shaped pizzas at 200 degree C for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
8.  Serve piping hot!

I am linking this post to  Cook-Your-Book #4 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

                 
                     

I am also submitting this post to  Aspiring Bakers #35: A Palate for Pizza (September 2013)

 hosted by Joey from Little accidents in the Kitchen

Apple Fritters ( Ree Drummond )

Apple Fritters ( Ree Drummond )

Recipe source :  The Pioneer Woman Cooks

I was browsing through Ree Drummond's extensive recipes when I saw this apple fritters using green apples. I read through her easy to follow step-by-step photo shots and it seemed easy to make.  I have a few green apples sitting in my fridge and all the essential ingredients to give it a try without having to expend any extra effort to source for ingredients. To borrow Ree's phrase, I have the full "cast of characters" all lined up.

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp sugar           ( I did not add this to the dough )
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 big eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 tbsp melted butter
2 green apples, peel and dice
oil for deep frying    

Note :  I have omitted the glaze. Instead, I used 3 tbsp powdered sugar to dust the fritters after frying.

The apple fritters were just as good without the powdered sugar

 Instructions

1.  In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
2.  In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add milk, melted butter
3.  Fold dry and wet ingredients together until just combined (do not over mix.) 
4.  Fold in apples. 
5.  Heat oil over medium to medium-low heat. 
6.  When it gets hot, drop teaspoons of batter into the hot oil. 
7.  Cook them long enough to make sure the batter is cooked through or has turned brown.
8.  Remove and drain on a paper towel. 
9.  Dust very generously with powdered sugar.  

For a more detailed step-by-step instructions, follow Ree's link above. 

See the pieces of apple in the fritter ?

I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star" 

 

Hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out, 

Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Mich from Piece of Cake 

Pizza Ree-a ( Ree Drummond ) 比萨

Pizza Ree-a ( Ree Drummond ) 比萨

Recipe source :  The Pioneer Woman


After reading Mich's post I hopped over to The Pioneer Woman's pizza recipes as I was intrigue by the pizza crust that requires more than 24 hours to proof. And after reading Ree's posts on pizzas,  I had a hard time deciding which pizza to make because all the featured pizzas looked awesome! 

Pizza Ree-a is all vegetables. I adapted the original recipe. I added ham to cater to my family's taste buds. I prefer a plain base, so I omitted using pesto as a spread.  And I baked the cherry tomatoes together with the crust instead of pouring them over the baked crust and is supposed to be eaten as tomato-basil salad.

Ingredients For The Crust

1 teaspoon dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil 

Preparation Instructions For The Crust

1.  Sprinkle yeast over 3/4 cup warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
2.  In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. 
3.  Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
4.  Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. 
5.  Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it.


Note: Ree said it’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance. ( I made the crust 42 hours in advance )

Ingredients For Topping

Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup prepared pesto                          ( I did not use pesto ) 
5 cloves minced garlic
170g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise 
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce                  ( Ree used balsamic vinegar )
16 whole basil Leaves, shredded
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella cheese

Note :  I used only Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese 

Preparation Instructions For Topping

 
1.  In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. 
2.  Add garlic and stir, lightly frying for about a minute, removing before the garlic gets too brown. Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
3.  Add tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, basil, salt and pepper to the bowl. 
4.  Toss to combine, then taste and add more basil if needed, and more salt if needed. Set aside.
5.  Roll out the pizza dough as thin as it will go and transfer to an oiled baking tray. Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and smear it around with your fingers. 
6.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
7.  Sprinkle with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
8.  Place pieces of ham on top. 
9. Spoon the tomato-basil mixture on top. Sprinkle with more cheese.
10.  Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes at 200 degree C or until crust is golden.
11. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve!

  

Before baking

After baking 

A slice of the awesome pizza

I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star" 

Hosted by Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out, 

Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and Mich from Piece of Cake  

I am also submitting this post to  Aspiring Bakers #35: A Palate for Pizza (September 2013) hosted by Joey from Little accidents in the Kitchen