No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

    Chinese New Year marks the beginning of the lunar new year and for 2023 it is the year of the water Rabbit which falls on Sunday 22nd January.  Sumptuous food is served in Chinese households and I believe that this Emperor Herbal Chicken dish can be added to your menu of glorious food. Emperor Herbal Chicken   ~  药材皇帝鸡 Ingredients 600 gm (1/2 a full range chicken) 8 seedless red dates 2 pieces Dang Gui (angelica root) 2 pieces Bei Qi 15 gm Huai San 15 gm Dang Shen 20 gm Yuk Zhu 5 gm wolfberries (to add on after chicken is cooked) 2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1/2 Tbsp seasalt 1 tsp light soya sauce Method Rub the chicken with seasalt and a bit of light soya sauce.   Place the chicken on 2 pieces of parchment paper. Wash the red dates, dang gui, bei qi, huai san, dang shen, yuk zhu and  spread them on the chicken.   Pour in the Shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Wrap the chicken and place it on a plate. Heat up a steamer and steam the chicken on boiling water for about 20 mins.,

  These Almond Sable Cookies are a must try during this holiday season, it's a Christmas Butter Time Cookie.  I have posted a simpler recipe before, French Butter Cookies , but this recipe that I am sharing with you today has almond meal and I added in Cointreau to give some oomph to the flavour. Almond Sable Cookies  ~   杏仁奶油曲奇饼 (adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 160 gm butter 80 gm icing sugar 2 egg yolks 2 tsp Cointreau 200 gm plain flour 50 gm almond meal 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg yolk for egg wash   Method Cream the butter and sugar till well incorporated.   Add in the egg yolks, one at a time. Sift in the plain flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix well with a spatula. Mix in the almond meal, followed by the Cointreau. Dough is sticky.  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick, in between two plastic sheets and place in the freezer to harden, about 30 mins. Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter (4.5 cm dia.)  Place the cookies on a parchment lined baki

  This dish of steamed chicken with slightly chewy and crunchy cordycep flowers (scientific name Cordyceps Militaris), also known as   虫草花   is delicious with added aroma from the Shaoxing wine and sesame oil.  This dish can also be served as confinement food and I have posted a Cordycep flower chicken soup quite a while back.  You can check it out 'here' . Steamed Chicken with Cordycep Flowers Ingredients 450 gm chicken, cut into bite sizes 8 gm Cordycep flowers 3 thin slices of ginger, cut into strips 10 red dates, deseeded 15 wolfberries (to sprinkle after chicken is cooked) 1.1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1.1/2 Tbsp sesame oil 1.1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp cornflour 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce 2 Tbsp water Method Marinate the chicken with wine, light soya sauce, sesame oil, cornflour and oyster sauce for a few hours or overnight. Wash and rinse the cordycep flowers and red dates. Mix into the marinated chicken, add in water and steam chicken on hight heat for about 20 minutes o

  These simple pumpkin muffins are easy to make as the ingredients are very basic.  These moist muffins brimming with cinnamon are suitable for breakfast, a lunchbox or after school snack for kids.  The whole house smells amazing while these are baking in the oven. Simple Pumpkin Muffin  ~   简单的南瓜玛芬    Ingredients 200 gm plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1.1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 tsp salt 2 'L' eggs 75 gm brown sugar (light or dark) 75 gm caster sugar 60 ml milk 1/2 cup oil 280 gm pumpkin puree (from fresh pumpkin) Method Cut the pumpkin, remove the stringy core and seeds, steam till soft.  Scrape up the soft pumpkin and use a fork to mash up the pumpkin or you can puree it in a blender.  Measure out 280 gm.  Set aside. In another mixing bowl, whisk flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Whisk till well incorporated. In another mixing bowl, whisk oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, brown and caster sugar till well combined.  Mi

Protein rich Silken Tau Fu/Beancurd by itself is bland in taste and therefore it needs to be cooked with some meat or seafood with some sauces added to it to make the dish tasty.  Tau fu with minced pork is a home-cooked dish that's very commonly found in a Chinese house-hold.  This is also a very quickie and easy way to cook tau fu to serve on the dining table in a relatively short time.  Mashed Silken Tau fu/Beancurd  ~  粉碎 豆腐     Ingredients 1 tub silken beancurd 2 shitake mushrooms, soaked to soften and cut into small pieces 50 gm pork fillet, cut into cubes 2 pips of garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp oyster sauce (divided) 1 tsp light soy sauce 1 egg white (optional) 1 tsp cornflour Salt to taste Sesame oil Method Season the pork with 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and cornflour, set aside. Saute the seasoned pork with the chopped garlic till fragrant.  Add in the shitake mushrooms, some water, simmer for a few minutes till the meat is cooked. Add in the silken

  One of my family's favourite to have for breakfast or tea is the evergreen Chiffon Cake, be it in whatever flavour.   I have posted different flavours of chiffon cakes on my blog and this time I used matcha powder, and chocolate powder mixed with matcha powder not only for flavour but to create some swirl patterns.  As always chiffon cakes are light, airy, soft and most delectable. Chocolate and Matcha Chiffon Cake  ~   巧克力抹茶戚风蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 6 'L' egg yolks 90 gm caster sugar 75 ml milk 75 ml oil 75 gm plain flour 3 Tbsp cornflour a pinch of salt 2.1/4 tsp matcha powder (divided) 1/2 tsp chocolate powder 1/8 tsp vanilla (B) 6 'L' egg whites 65 gm caster sugar Method Sift the plain flour with the cornflour and salt.  Set aside. Whisk the egg yolks with sugar till creamy, add in the oil followed by the milk and mix till well combined.  Add in the sifted flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Divide the batter into 3 portions.  Sift in 1 tsp matcha powder into one por

  This is an easy peasy chicken dish to whip up in the kitchen which can pair well with plain white rice or plain congee.  Ingredients are not complicated and mostly available in the kitchen, but it's best to season the chicken first before stir frying them. Black Bean Sauce Chicken   ~   黑豆酱鸡 Ingredients 450 gm  chicken, cut into bite size (whole leg of chicken and breast) 2 tsp black bean sauce 4 pips of garlic, chopped 1 big onion cut into wedges 1 chilli, chopped 1 small Carrot, cut into slices Curry leaves Bit of sugar to taste Method Season the chicken with a pinch of salt. Saute the chopped garlic with the curry leaves and black bean sauce till fragrant. Add in the seasoned chicken, stir fry and sprinkle on some water if the dish is too dry. Simmer till chicken is cooked and tender. Add in the sliced carrot and onion wedges.  Fine tune to taste with a bit of sugar. Toss in the chopped chilli. Dish up to serve.