Steamed Yam Cake
My favourite yam cake!! I only eat yam cake that my mum makes!
Ingredients:
1. yam 350g
2. (荷花牌 粘米粉) Rice flour 350g
3. corn flour 50g
4. water 1200ml
5. dried prawns (虾米) 40g
6. shallots 3 pieces (cut into fine slices)
7. Chicken shreds 100g (can be replaced with roast pork!! More fragrant!)
Seasonings for Marination of chicken shreds:
1. Soya sauce 1 tablespoon
2. pepper half teaspoon
3. ginger wine (姜酒) 1 teaspoon
Seasonings:
1. salt 3/4 tablespoon
2. Five-spice powder (五香粉)
3. Pepper
4. Sesame oil 1 teaspoon
5. Fine sugar 1 tablespoon
6. Chicken stock 1 piece
Method:
1. Steam the yam. Then cut into fine cubes. Mesh them up after that.
2. Season the chicken shreds for 30 minutes.
3. Mix the yam, rice flour and corn flour with the water.
4. Add 3 tablespoon of oil into wok. Stir-fry the shallots and dried prawns till fragrant.
5. Then add in the chicken shreds. Stir-fry till cooked.
6. Add in the mixture of yam, rice and corn flour and water into the wok.
7. Stir-fry till the whole mixture becomes thick.
8. Remove from heat.
9. Pour the whole mixture into a 9 inch mould.
10. Steam for 25-30 minutes. Test with a skewer to check if it’s cooked. (Poke the skewer into the middle of the yam cake. If it comes out clean, means cooked!)
11. Let it cool for at least 4 hours before cutting with a plastic knife.
12. Garnish with sesame seeds, deep-fried shallots, fried dried prawns, chilli, coriander and spring onion. THEN EAT!!
You can put the remainder into the fridge. Coat with some corn flour, then pan-fry them the next day to get crispy yam cake! I like to eat them with alot of sesame seeds, shallots, coriander and TABASCO!
Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables
A dish that we will eat once a year, during CNY. Because the deep frying of the pork belly is tedious. This dish will make you eat bowls of rice.
Ingredients:
1. 600g pork belly (五花肉)
2 400g salted preserved vegetable (咸梅菜)
3. 200g sweet preserved vegetable (甜梅菜)
4. 6 pieces of garlic with skin (蒜瓣 连衣)
5. 1800ml water (清水 )
Seasonings:
1. 1 tablespoon soya sauce
2. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3. Half tablespoon dark soya sauce
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
Method:
1. Soak the salted preserved vegetable in water overnight.
2. Next day, drain dry. Then cut into fine pieces.
3. After washing, soak the sweet preserved vegetable in water for 20 minutes.
4. Drain dry. Then cut into fine pieces.
5. Put the pork belly into boiling water and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the pork belly and wipe it dry.
7. Coat the pork belly with one teaspoon of dark soya sauce.
8. Deep fry the pork belly until it is golden brown.
9. Remove from the hot oil, and put into ice cold water immediately.
10. Soak for 20 minutes.
11. Heat in the wok 4 tablespoon of oil.
12. Throw in the 6 pieces of garlic into the oil for fragrance.
13. Pour in the 1800ml of water and the mixture of seasonings.
14. Add in the pork belly, the sweet and salted preserved vegetables and bring to boil.
15. Cover the wok and simmer for approximately 90 minutes or more so that the pork belly absorb the seasonings and also to turn soft.
麻辣诱惑 重庆火锅
My brother, cousin and I went to this place for our CNY steamboat. Luckily we were early there, otherwise, we won’t be able to get a sit and would probably face bad service. The place is well-conditioned, you wouldn’t feel hot as they make use of induction for their steamboat pots.
I found their food very fresh. The mala was quite good, even though I haven’t found one that taste as good as the one in Beijing. The chicken stock soup was good too.
We loved the dory fish and the thin slices of pork, beef and mutton were fresh and tasted good when done in shabu-shabu style. They do not serve rice. Instead there were packets of Maggi Chicken Mee. Lol, we loved that! There were also some traditional Chinese cooked dishes which we didn’t get to try.
This place serves a variety of Heaven and Earth can drinks. Its apple juice and lemon tea went down well soothing our spicy-ed throats.
There were two basins for you to wash your hands and a toilet that streaked of ammonia.
Price: $18.80++ without drinks. Go early to avoid disappointment.
Oh well, I’ll try the opposite restaurant Chuan Jiang Hao Zi the next time if I’m there.
Stall name: 麻辣诱惑 重庆火锅
Address: Kreta Ayer Shop Houses, Smith Street (Opposite Chuan Jiang Hao Zi Restaurant)
Nearest MRT: Chinatown
Home-cooked Bak Kut Teh
Method:
1. Buy the instant Bak Kut Teh packets (Seah Singapore Bak Kut Teh).
2. From the wet market, get pig’s stomach and pork ribs. Clean and wash properly to avoid the “smelly” taste from getting into your soup.
3. Throw one whole big garlic with the instant packs into boiling water. Basically just follow the instructions on the packet.
4. Add in the meat. Remove them after they are cooked so that they won’t turn soggy and soft.
5. Add some wolfberries just before serving.
6. Cut up chilli padi and dark soya sauce to eat with the meat.
Steamed Garlic and Huadiao Wine Prawns
Steamed Garlic and Huadiao Wine Prawns
Came up with my own recipe while trying to imitate the taste of drunken prawns.
Method:
1. Buy only fresh medium-sized grey prawns.
2. Diced 4 pieces of garlic finely.
3. Cut 4 chilli padi.
4. Place the garlic and chilli at the bottom of the plate. Then place the prawns on top of them.
5. Pour Huadiao wine (about 3 tablespoons) over the prawns such that the prawns are soaked in the wine. You can put more Huadiao wine according to your tastebuds.
6. Leave it on the table for about 20 minutes for the prawns to absorb some Huadiao wine.
7. Steam for 7 minutes.
8. Garnish and serve hot!
Restoran Guan Sin 源星冷气酒楼
My favourite type of restaurant when I’m in Malaysia – air-conditioned, clean and serves cheap food.
We had this for CNY dinner. There were 13 of us, and the mini pan cai (盘菜) was additional at RM$288. The total cost of this 9-course dinner was RM$728. This menu is CNY special. Their servings are big. Their scallops are big and chewy, mushrooms are thick, prawns are big and most importantly, their ingredients are all very fresh.
The RM$468 package menu includes:
1. 五福喜临门 starters
2. 蟹皇干贝翅 sharks’ fin (but didn’t see any crab roe)
3. 发财四色宝 broccoli with dried scallops and mushrooms
4. 香酥煎鳕鱼 deep-fried cod fish
5. 生捞香鲍角 abalone in thai sauce
6. 越式香酥虾 rojak prawns
7. 北风腊味饭 la wei fan
8. 冰皮玉米饼 dessert
On normal days, their servings are also equally big. If you’re nearby this vicinity, head down there for your meals! There are 4 VIP rooms up for reservations.
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- abalone in thai sauce
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- broccoli with dried scallops and mushrooms
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- deep-fried cod fish
-
- dessert
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- la wei fan
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- mini pan cai
-
- rojak prawns
-
- sharks’ fin
-
- starters
Restaurant: Restoran Guan Sin 源星冷气酒楼
Address: No. 144, 146 & 148, Jalan Putri I, Taman Putrimas, 86200 Simpang Renggam, Johor
Tel: +60 07 7551818
Fax: +60 07 7552929
Main Branch:
Address: Ground Floor 288, 290 & 292, Jalan Haji Mana, 86000 Kluang, Johor
Tel: +60 07 7763688
文尼城市面粉粿 Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle
You can hardly find hand-peeled mian fen guo in Singapore. This stall sells authentic old school home-made noodle. Their chilli is not the normal chilli you have at food courts. The chilli is spicy and goes very well with the bland mian fen guo.
Stall name: Poon Nah City Home Made Noodle
Address: City Plaza Level 5, 810 Geylang Road, #05-02, Singapore 409286
Opens daily from 1030 am to 830 pm.
Obolo Cheesecakes
A place where some good cheesecakes can be bought.
Stall name: Obolo (Boutique de Patisserie)
Address: 452 Joo Chiat Road Singapore 427665
Tel: 63489791
Email: sales@obolo.com.sg
Website: www.obolo.com.sg
Opening hours:
Tue – Thu: 1230 pm to 930 pm
Fri: 1230 pm to 10 pm
Sat: 1130 am to 10 pm
Sun: 1130 am to 930 pm
Closed on Mon and Public Holidays
Potato Stew
This is undeniably my very most favourite dish.
Method:
1. Marinate the minced pork with soya sauce, pepper and salt.
2. Heat up wok and add in some oil.
3. Stir-fry a little amount of diced garlic to make the oil fragrant.
4. Throw in the minced pork and stir-fry till 80% cooked. Scoop up for later use.
Alternatively, you can use roasted pork slices in replacement of the minced pork.
5. Heat the wok with oil. Throw in sliced potato and pan-fry till they are a little brown.
6. Add water, dark soy sauce, soy sauce and salt, and simmer the potato till they are cooked.
7. Add in the minced pork and simmer again. Cook thoroughly.
8. Serve.
Minced Pork Omelette
Me and my brothers’ favourite!!! I like the egg to be thick and a little wet inside.
Method:
1. Marinate the minced pork with soya sauce, pepper and salt.
2. Heat up wok and add in some oil.
3. Stir-fry a little amount of diced garlic to make the oil fragrant.
4. Throw in the minced pork and stir-fry till 80% cooked.
5. Beat up 3 eggs (depends on the amount of minced pork). Add in a pinch of salt into the eggs.
6. Scoop them up and add into the egg mixture. Stir evenly.
7. Heat up wok and add in oil.
8. Heat up frying pan with oil. Pour a little of the mixture into the pan and pan-fry each omelette slowly over gentle fire.
9. Serve.
White Radish Soup
Method:
1. Boil 5 big bowls of water.
2. Add in roasted pork bones (烧猪骨), dried octopus (干鱿鱼), dried oyster (干耗) and dried scallops (干贝) into the water to boil together. Alternatives are pork ribs or chicken bones. Boil under gentle fire for one hour.
3. Add pork into the boiling soup and boil for another hour.
4. Add in the white radish and boil for another hour or so.
5. Season according to your tastebuds – salt, soy sauce, pepper, chicken stocks.
6. Serve.
Pan-fried Curry-leaves Batang Fish
Method:
1. Marinate the Batang fish slices with salt and some curry powder.
2. Pan-fry the fish.
3. Wash clean the curry leaves. Wipe dry.
4. Heat up wok with oil.
5. Stir-fry the curry leaves till crispy.
6. Top up onto the Batang fish and serve. Eat with the curry leaves to enhance the taste.
Ginger Sliced Fish
Method:
1. Slice fish (生鱼) into thin slices. Marinate with pepper, sesame oil, soy sauce and a little corn flour. Deep-fry (过油) the fish slices quickly (10% cooked). This is to prevent the fish from crumbling when stir-frying later.
2. Slice ginger into thin slices. Cut spring onion into short segments.
3. Heat up the wok with oil. Put in the ginger slices. Stir-fry till fragrant.
4. Add in the fish slices and stir-fry. Be careful not to smash up the fish.
5. Add in the spring onions and stir-fry. Add in salt or soy sauce to season. Your choice if you want to make a little sauce for your fish.
6. Before whipping up, pour in an amount of Huadiao wine along the upper sides of the wok. This will make your dish more fragrant as the Huadiao wine evaporates as they streamed down the wok.
7. Serve.
Long Beans Omelette
Easy to cook and nice to eat! We three siblings had this very often while we were in Primary school.
Method:
1. Wash the long beans and dice into thin pieces. Not too thick, otherwise they won’t be cooked.
2. Beat up 3 eggs (depends on the amount of long beans). Add in a pinch of salt and cut up chilli padi into the eggs.
3. Heat up wok and add in oil.
4. Throw in the diced long beans and stir-fry till 80% cooked.
5. Scoop them up and add into the egg mixture. Stir evenly.
6. Heat up frying pan with oil. Pour a little of the mixture into the pan and pan-fry each omelette slowly over gentle fire.
7. Serve.
Watercress Soup
Personally I only like the soup. I don’t really eat the watercress. My youngest brother is usually the one eating them.
Method:
1. Boil 5 big bowls of water.
2. Add in roasted pork bones (烧猪骨), watercress’ thick stems (not the leaves and young stems), red dates, dried octopus (干鱿鱼), dried oyster (干耗), one plum (梅) and around 1 tablespoon full of bitter apricot kernels (北杏) into the water to boil together. Alternatives are pork ribs or chicken bones. Boil under gentle fire for one hour.
3. Add pork into the boiling soup and boil for another hour.
4. Add in the remaining watercress and boil for another half hour or so.
5. Season according to your tastebuds – salt, soy sauce, pepper, chicken stocks.
6. Serve.
Bittergourd Chicken
Ever since the day I began to eat bittergourd, this has remained my favourite.
Method:
1. Slice up the bittergourd into thin slices.
2. Cut up one whole chicken breast into slices as well.
3. Heat up wok and add in one tablespoon of oil.
4. When oil is heated, add in diced garlic. Stir-fry till fragrant.
5. Add in the chicken slices and stir fry till 70% cooked.
6. Remove the chicken from wok. Throw in the bittergourd and stir-fry.
7. Mix some dark soya sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and salt into water. (Mix more if you want more sauce.) Add into the bittergourd.
8. Cover the wok and let the bittergourd simmer. Don’t simmer for too long. Otherwise they will become too soggy and soft.
9. Remove the cover, and throw in the chicken and celery leaves. Stir-fry till cooked. Add in corn starch solution (corn starch dissolved in water) to thicken the sauce.
10. Before whipping up, pour in an amount of Huadiao wine along the upper sides of the wok. This will make your dish more fragrant as the Huadiao wine evaporates as they streamed down the wok.
11. Serve!
Carrot and Potato Soup
A very common soup drank since young, usually known as “ABC soup”, because my mum used to put in alphabet macaroni into the soup for us when we were little kids. It is important to get sweet carrots, onions and good potatoes, otherwise your soup will not taste naturally-sweet.
Method:
1. Boil 5 big bowls of water.
2. Add in roasted pork bones (烧猪骨) into the water to boil together. Alternatives are pork ribs or chicken bones. Boil under gentle fire for one hour.
3. Cut up large onions, carrots and potatos. Together with pork (addition: chicken legs), add them into the boiling soup and boil for another hour.
4. Season according to your tastebuds – salt, soy sauce, pepper, chicken stocks.
Fermented Black Bean Paste Steamed Fish
Method:
1. Heat up oil in the wok.
2. Add diced garlic and ginger into the hot oil.
3. Add in the fermented black bean paste into the hot fragrant oil. Stir-fry till fragrant under gentle fire.
4. Scope up, together with the oil, and place them on top of the fish. If you’re using fish head, place some into the stomach area.
5. Steam the fish for 10 – 15 minutes, depending on your fish size.
6. Garnish and serve. To add more fragrance, sprinkle fragrant oil on the fish after taking out from the steamer. Serve hot.
Method of fragrant oil:
1. Slice 3 pieces of ginger and one whole spring onion cut into 3 segments.
2. Heat up oil in the wok.
3. Throw in the ginger and spring onion. Switch off fire when the oil is fragrant.
Braised Japanese Tofu
Can’t seem to have enough of these Japanese tofu at the restaurant? Make your own!!
Method of Tofu:
1. Wipe dry after removing from plastic wrapper. Cut into a few pieces per tube.
2. Coat with a thin layer of corn flour.
3. Deep-fry till golden brown.
Method of Minced Pork:
1. Marinate the minced pork with soya sauce, pepper and salt.
2. Heat up wok and add in some oil.
3. Stir-fry a little amount of diced garlic to make the oil fragrant.
4. Throw in the minced pork and stir-fry till 80% cooked.
5. Dissolve dark soya sauce, soya sauce, salt, oyster sauce and sugar into water.
6. Add in the deep-fried tofu and mix. Bring to boil.
7. Dissolve one teaspoon of corn starch into water. Add into the sauce in spiral manner and stir while adding corn starch solution. This is to thicken the sauce.
8. Garnish and serve!
Oyster Sauce Stir-fry Prawns
If I didn’t remember wrongly, this was the first meat dish that I cooked more than ten years ago. I have never learnt this formally from my mum, but I used to watch her cook. So I had a rough idea how this had to be done. When I cooked this for the first time, my Dad and my brother were asking for more!
Method:
1. Wash the clean the prawn intestines. Cut away the first part of the head to prevent cuts while eating. Do not de-shell the prawns.
2. Heat up a little bit of oil in wok and stir-fry diced garlic and ginger till fragrant.
3. Throw in the prawns and pan-fry them.
4. When they are 70% cooked, pour in Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce.
5. Stir-fry. Add a little sugar solution (sugar dissolved in water) into the sauce. Stir-fry. Add some chilli-padi and stir-fry.
6. Before whipping up the prawns, pour in an amount of Huadiao wine along the upper sides of the wok. This will make your prawns more fragrant as the Huadiao wine evaporates as they streamed down the wok.
7. Garnish and serve.
Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria
A nice and sumptuous Brazilian buffet in a cosy setting located in CHIJMES. They have less than ten tables in the main air-conditioned restaurant. The majority of the diners are al-fresco style. The three of us were their first customers and their waiters were very friendly with us. Got so much attention that I wished there were more diners to compete with over the grills. We also ordered red wine to go with this huge meat buffet. We requested for it to be chilled. The buffet includes a big table of salad selections, wedges and side dishes to start with.
Their knife-welding Passadors (meat waiters) come to your table and slice the meat from large skewers onto your plates. At Carnivore, the meats are marinated and cooked over fire till perfection.
Picture taken from their website
Their Brazilian chefs will pamper you with an array of meats – beef, pork, chicken, lamb and fish. There were more than ten varieties of grills. These include an exotic whole big skewer of chicken hearts to refreshing pineapple grills. I personally love their pineapple grills and beef grills. A special selection of meats like crocodile, wild boar and ostrich is available during festive seasons.
I would love to bring my Dad here.
Restaurant: Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria
Address: CHIJMES BANQUET HALL.
30 Victoria Street, #01-03/06, CHIJMES, Singapore 187996
Tel: 6336 1818
Operating Hours & Prices:
Happy Hour Buffet Dinner: 6:00pm to 7:00pm
- $39++ per Adult
- $19++ per Child (Aged 5-11 years)
- Complimentary for children below 5 years old*
Buffet Dinner:
7:00pm to 10:00pm (Sun to Thurs)
7:00pm to 10.30pm (Fri, Sat, Eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays)
- $45++ per Adult
- $19++ per Child (Aged 5-11 years)
- Complimentary for children below 5 years old*
*Terms and conditions apply
Website: http://www.carnivore.com.sg
Jerry’s BBQ and Grill
Food on my menu queue:
Its buffalo wings go from Smoking, which is mildly spicy, to Intesi-fire,which has jalepeno pepper powder added to the spice mix, and Chef’s Challenge, the hottest option.
Price: From $12.95 for six wings at either the Smoking or Intensi-fire level and $13.95 for six wings at the Chef’s Challenge level.”
Adapted from The Straits Times. Lifestyle section, 14th February 2010.
Restaurant: Jerry’s BBQ and Grill
Address: 277 Jalan Kayu
Tel: 64840151
Address 2: 92 Club Street
Tel: 63234550
Opening hours: 12 pm to 10 pm daily
Beppu Menkan Japanese Noodle Restaurant
Food on my menu queue:
“Eight levels of spiciness are available for 13 types of ramen, including shiraike jigoku, which comes with vegetables such as assorted mushrooms, corn and bamboo shoot and the oniyama jigoku, which is topped with crispy fried chicken.
Price: From $7.80 for the shiraike jogoku. The price is the same for all levels of spiciness.”
Adapted from The Straits Times. Lifestyle section, 14th February 2010.
Restaurant: Beppu Menkan Japanese Noodle Restaurant
Address 1: 20 Cross Street #01-19 China Square Central
Tel: 64380328
Opening hours: Weekdays – 1130 am to 3 pm, 6 pm to 10 pm. Weekends – 1130 am to 10 pm.
Address 2: 302 Tiong Bahru Road #02-16 Tiong Bahru Plaza
Tel: 62730013
Opening hours: 1130 am to 10 pm daily
Buckaroo BBQ and Grill
Food placed on my menu queue:
“Its Buffalo wings come in 10 degrees of spiciness, from Combustion, the mildest level, to Level To Kill, which are the hottest wings. A free T-shirt is given to each table when its diners, regardless of number, finish a dozen Level To Kill wings.
Price: From $17.80 for six wings and $26.80 for twelve wings at the level of Combustion, to $28.80 for six wings and $45.60 for twelve wings at Level To Kill.”
Adapted from The Straits Times. Lifestyle section, 14th February 2010.
Restaurant: Buckaroo BBQ and Grill
Adress: 12B Andrews Avenue
Tel: 67542621
Opening Hours: 4 pm to 10 pm (Wed to Mon. Closed on Tues)
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