Chinese sausages fried rice

Every Chinese mother sure know how to cook this easy, simple and yummy fried rice. When i run out of idea what to cook for dinner, I will just fried this rice and serve with a cup of hot coffee, simply yum yum..

Chinese sausages..

Chinese sausages fried rice
* serves 5-6 pax
(printable recipe)

Ingredients
4 cups of rice, (cooked and cooled, prefer overnight rice)
400g fresh shrimps, roughly chopped
4 Chinese sausages, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 whole garlic, chopped
4 stalks of spring onion, chopped
6-8 tbsp of cooking oil or more (easy to stir and glaze the rice)

Seasonings
1 and ½ tsp salt or to taste
A dash of white pepper powder
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1tsp of Chinese wine (optional)

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok over high flame, add in chopped Chinese sausages, stir fry till fragrant and brown.
2. Add garlic, quickly stir fry. Add in chopped shrimps and stir fry till turn pale.
3. Push sausage and shrimps mixture to the side of the wok, add in egg and scramble the egg.
4. Put in the rice, toss well to combine.
5. Add salt and pepper, pour light soy sauce and Chinese wine from the side of the wok (this way will be more fragrant).
6. Keep stirring until the rice starts to “jump”. Combine all the ingredients together and fry until heated through.
7. Dish out, sprinkle with chopped spring onion, serve hot.

Happy Cooking !!

Ang Ku Kueh, glutinous rice steamed cake with sweet filling

My 1st time did “Ang Ku Kueh” but not “Ang” (red) colour but purple, but I love the natural purple from the purple sweet potato, This is a traditional Chinese cake with small oval shape (the usual is in red) with glutinous rice as outer layer and sweet filling inside. See my mom’s Ang Ku Kueh here.

Before doing this kueh, I called to my mom to check the ingredients, as usual she just agak-agak (estimate) the ingredients. Luckily I remember Reesekitchen made this kuih before, so I use her recipe as reference and incorporate my mom’s recipe. Thanks to Reese for kind sharing.

Ang Ku Kueh ( Glutinous rice steamed cake with sweet filling)
(printable recipe)

Sweet Filling
250g mung beans/green beans
140g sugar
3tbsp corn oil

1. Rinse mung beans several times till water run clear, soak in clean water for 1hour or more.
2. Discard the water, place beans on a steaming tray, steam over medium flame for 45mins.
3. While beans still hot, place beans, sugar and oil in a food processor, process till fine.
4. Shape into 10g small ball

Sweet Potato dough
300g sweet potatoes, cut into big pieces
200g glutinous rice flour
1tbsp rice flour
2tbsp sugar
3tbsp corn oil
180ml water

1. Steam sweet potatoes till soft, about 15mins.
2. Use a fork, mashed the cooked sweet potatoes, add in glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar, and corn oil, slowly add in water to mix well till soft dough, keep aside and rest 30mins.
3. Shape into 30g small ball

To shape and cook Ang Ku Kueh

1. Grease the “Ang Ku Kueh” mould by brushing some corn oil.
2. Flatten the sweet potato ball, place a mung bean ball, cover and shape into round ball.
3. Place the ball in the mould, press evenly, then knock out and place on greased banana leaf.
4. Arrange on a steaming tray and steam for 10mins over high flame.

my notes:-
1. Difference sweet potato has difference texture, some is soft and watery, do not add all water at one go, slowly add and knead till a soft dough. If the dough is too soft, then you may add more glutinous rice flour.
2. Keep the balance sweet filling in air-tight container and keep inside the fridge for later usage.

My son Desmond would like to present to you this lovely "Ang Ku Kueh"

Happy Cooking!!

Baked Cheese Rice Cake

When I see this recipe in a magazine, I know this cake will well received by my kids, becuase the cheese...immediately i tried out for yesterday lunch....Wor, simply yummy.

-before bake and before add cheese...

I made few changes to the original recipe, and added extra cheese on top of rice cake. I especially like the crunchy rice crust, so yummy!

Baked Cheese Rice Cake
*Serves: 4 – 5 persons
(printable recipe)

2 cups of cooked rice (any rice is okay, I use Japanese rice)
100g bacon, chopped
50g ham, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1tbsp Olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1tbsp honey
230g Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4tsp black pepper
1/2tsp Parsley flakes,( optional or use any other fresh herbs )

1. Lightly grease a 8” round springform pan. Line base with baking paper.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan, stir fry chopped bacon and ham till slightly golden brown.
3. Add chopped onion and garlic, stir fry for a while.
4. Add parsley flakes and stir well. Remove from heat, stir through honey.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice, bacon and ham mixture, 1 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese and egg. Season with salt to taste.
6. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, pressing down firmly so there are no gaps.
7. Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 25mins.
8. Remove from oven, set aside to cool. Remove the rice cake from baking pan.
9. Sprinkle the balance of grated Mozzarella cheese on top of the rice cake, and bake again at pre-heated oven at 200c for 15mins or until golden brown.

Happy Cooking !!

Mango Yogurt muffin

Since I have baking for quite a while, now at least I know how to mix and match with the overstock in my kitchen, I got this idea to bake mango yogurt muffin when I try to figure out as how to finish up the excess stock of mangoes and soon to expire yogurt.

Mango Yogurt muffin*makes 12 muffins
(printable recipe)
125g unsalted butter
150g cake flour
110g sugar
200g chopped fresh mango
100g yogurt (natural flavour)
2 eggs (medium)
1tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt

1. Beat butter, salt and sugar till pale and creamy.
2. Add egg one at a time, mix well.
3. Sift in flour, baking powder and baking soda, add in yogurt, combine well
4. Add in chopped mango, and lightly mix well.
5. Spoon batter into a muffin pan, sprinkle some chopped mango on top.
6. Bake at preheated oven 180c for 25mins or till golden brown.

Happy Baking !!

Penang Char Koey Teow (fried flat rice noodles)

How to cook a plate of yummy Penang Char Koey Teow? A very famous local street food in Penang,Malaysia, a simple stir fry flat rice noodles.

First check the ingredients:-

1) Fresh Koey Teow (flat rice noodles), checked

2)Bean sprouts and chives, checked

3)Fresh cockles (Xi Ham-in Hokkien), checked

4) Fresh prawns, checked

5)Chinese sausages, checked

6)Chili paste, chopped garlic, pre-mixed sauce, checked

Recipe adapted from Obhin (original from Wendy), they advised to cook plate by plate but not big wok at one go. So I pretended myself like a hawker and asked my internal customer (my family ) their preference, and cook plate by plate. I made slightly changes to recipe, anyway, Thanks Ohbin and Wendy for kind sharing.

Penang Char Koey Teow (stir fried flat rice noodles)
(printable recipe)

Pre-mixed sauce
In a bowl, mix below seasonings and stir well:-
1/3 cup light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1tsp oyster sauce
1tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2tsp salt


Ingredients for a plate (per pax)

200-250g fresh Koey Teow (flat rice noodles), loosen it
2tbsp cooking oil ( I use lard oil)
1tbsp chopped garlic
few fresh prawns (personal preference)
some bean sprout (personal preference)
few slices of Chinese sausages (personal preference)
few fresh cockles
some Chinese chives (personal preference)
Chili paste ( I use homemade chilli paste)
1 egg

Method (Fast –appx 3mins, High heat)

1. Heat up a wok over high flame, add a table spoon of oil.
2. Add garlic, stir few seconds, then add in Chinese sausage, prawns and chilli paste, quickly mix well
3. Add koey teow, immediately follow with a 1~1.5 table spoon of the pre-mixed sauce, stir to coat well.
4. Stir the koey teow to the side of the wok, grease the middle of the wok with 1tbsp of oil, drop an egg.
5. Cover the egg with the koey teow, add 1tbsp of pre-mixed sauce, quickly stir and mix well.
6. Last add in cockles, bean sprout and chives.
7. Stir to mix well, remove from heat and serve hot.

Happy Cooking!!

Zoo Negara

I brought my kids to Zoo Negara yesterday since it was a Public Holiday (Wesak). And this is also my own rule for every my kid must visit Zoo at least once, as to let them get to know how the animals looks like. . So this was my 3rd times but for youngest son Desmond was 1st time to Zoo, he was really excited to get to know all animals in the Zoo, but my daughter felt so boring as she has been to Zoo for 3 times already, hehehe...
This zoo still looks the same when every time I visited, the only thing difference is the animals are getting older, hahaha..

Roasted five-spice chicken and Turmeric rice

At first I think to cook Hainanese fried chicken rice, but a bit hesitate to fry the whole bird of chicken and very oily, end up I roasted the chicken and cooked turmeric rice, something simple and delicious.

This time, the rice is just perfect, fluffy and not too wet.

Roasted five spices chicken and Turmeric rice (from Nasi Lemak Lover)
(printable recipe)

Roasted five-spice chicken

1.5 kg chicken, cut into 6 big pieces

Marinate chicken with below:-
Use a mortar and pestle to pound below to a coarse paste and extract juices:-
2” ginger
10 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
2tbsp honey

1. Marinate chicken pieces with all ingredients for 2 hours
2. Arrange chicken on a baking pan, cover with aluminium foil.
3. Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 30mins.
4. Remove foil and bake at 200c for 20mins or until golden brown.
5. Serve with Turmeric rice.

Turmeric rice

4 cups rice
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1 and ½ tsp of salt
1tsp chicken stock powder
750ml water
2 shallots, sliced
5 slices of ginger
Few pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)

1. Heat 2tbsp oil in a wok, sauté shallots and ginger.
2. Add in rice and all seasonings, quickly mix well and turn off heat.
3. Transfer rice to a rice cooker, add in water and pandan leaves, set to cook.
4. Sprinkle some fried shallots and serve with roasted five spices chicken.

Chili dipping sauce

4 fresh red chillies
1” ginger
4 cloves garlic
2 Kasturi lime, finely grate the rind, and extract the juices
¼ salt
¼ sugar

1. Blend all above ingredients with some water.
2. Serve with roasted five spices chicken and turmeric rice

Happy Cooking !!

Sweet Potato Soup

I like to cook sweet potato soup especially during lunch time, quick and easy, and best to eat with a plate of fried mee hoon (rice vermicelli) .

This is too easy to cook, thus no recipe need to be provided. Just add sweet potatoes pieces in a big pot of water, add few slices of young ginger and pandan leaves (screwpines leaves), cook for about 30mins over medium flame and add sugar to taste.

Happy Cooking !!

Deep fried sweet and sour fish

I don't know much about fish, usually my mom help me to buy fresh fish from my kampung (my hometown is a small fishing village), she help to clean and cut and freeze it for me. The other day when I went back to hometown, my mom told me she managed to buy for me a very fresh and big fish, about 5kg in weight, the fish name in Mandarin is 马友鱼, sorry I don't know the English name, this is the fish image (Latest update-Thanks Pete informed me the English name of this fish, it is called as Threadfin or Kurau in Malay).
Since the fish is too big for my family at one go, I separated into four parts, I use the 1st part (fish body) to cook this yummy sweet and sour fish. Later I will share with you how I cook for the rest of the fish parts.

-Deep fried fish meat, vegetables and sauce. Just eating the deep fried fish meat, also really good, sweet and juicy.

Deep fried sweet and sour fish
(printable recipe)

800 fish meat, cut into cubes
1tbsp light soy sauce
1/2tsp salt
1tsp sesame oil
A dash of white pepper powder

1 green capsicum, cut into wedges
1 yellow capsicum, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 fresh tomato, cut into wedges
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 slices of young ginger

Sauce (combine in a bowl)
5tbsp tomato ketchup
3tbsp vinegar
2tbsp sugar
1tbsp chilli sauce
1tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp salt or to taste
¼ cup water (or adjust accordingly)

•1/2 tsp corn flour/tapioca flour, mixed with 1 tbsp water for thickening

1. Season fish meat with soy sauce, salt, sesame oil and set aside for 10mins.
2. Coat fish with corn starch/tapioca flour. Deep-fry in hot oil till cooked and crispy. Remove and place on a serving plate.
3. Heat up oil, saute garlic and gingers until fragrant.
4. Add yellow and green capsicums and tomato. Stir-fry briskly. Pour in sauce ingredients and bring to a boil.
5. Add thickening, then add in fried fish and mix well.
6. Dish out and serve hot.

** I can't get good and clear photo especially when I take picture for the dishes that I cooked for dinner, due to the low light condition in the kitchen during evening time. So no choice, I need to use very high ISO (ISO 800) and use the Canon software to do some adjustment, please accept this poor pictures..

Happy Cooking !!