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

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Bittergourd Pork Tail Bones Soup ~ 苦瓜猪尾骨汤

This is a very refreshing soup to serve during this 'lock down' period and when the weather is so hot and humid. It also helps to cool down one's temperament when some people can be so frustrated and highly strung when the Government ordered us to 'Stay At Home'. You can serve this at your meals or just enjoy it on its own. Don't be intimidated by the word 'Bittergourd'... it only has a slight hint of bitter but cool taste.

Bittergourd Pork Tail Bone Soup ~ 苦瓜猪尾骨汤

Ingredients

500 gm Pork tail bones170 gm Bittergourd 1 burnt garlic3 dried oysters (soaked for a while)50 gm seedless red dates2 lt waterSea salt to tasteMethod

Blanch the pork bones in hot water for a few minutes, take out and rinse in water, drain and set aside.Remove the seeds from the bittergourd, cut into quarters.Bring 2 lt of water to the boil and add in the bittergourd, pork bones, burnt garlic, dried oysters, red dates, simmer and cover the lid. Let …

Banana Steamed Cake ~ 蒸香蕉蛋糕

These steamed banana cupcakes are very delicious, not only are they soft, but very aromatic. You can serve them for breakfast or for afternoon tea and they still maintain their soft texture. If you prefer them a bit warm just steam them for a few minutes and they are ready to go!

Banana Steamed Cake ~ 蒸香蕉蛋糕 (adapted from 'here'')
Ingredients
225 gm cake flour or plain flour1 Tbsp baking powder1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda3 'L' eggs135 gm caster sugar1/2 tsp vanilla3 very ripe bananas (mashed)112 ml vegetable oila pinch of saltMethod Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, salt, mix well.Beat eggs til foamy at low speed, then slowly add in sugar to combine. Increase speed to medium for about 5 mins. until mixture is pale and reaches ribbon stage.Add in the mashed bananas and vanilla.Fold in the the flour mixture OR you can sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture, in 3 batches, till just combined. Lastly add in oil.Spoon mixture into…

Salted Egg Yolk Seafood Tofu ~ 咸蛋黄海鲜豆腐

During this MCO or Movement Control Order 'lock down' period, my friends and I have been sharing pictures of what we cook daily. Well, we inspire each other and at least I picked up some tips on how to cook certain dishes which I had never thought of trying. I was inspired by a friend who showed a picture of her 'Salted egg yolk Seafood Tofu'! Since I have some seafood tofu stocked up, and since no deepfrying is required, I gave this a shot. This dish is quick to prepare and very tasty. I guess whatever is cooked with salted egg yolk is yummy and delicious.

Salted Egg Yolk Seafood Tofu ~ 咸蛋黄海鲜豆腐 Ingredients 10 pieces seafood tofu
1 salted egg yolk
1 tsp sugar
a drizzle of sesame oil
Curry leaves
Birdeye Chillies/Chilli Padi
Method
Steam the salted egg yolk for about 5 mins. Mash it
Pat dry the seafood tofu and lightly panfry. Dish out
Add some oil into the pan and fry the mashed egg yolk
Toss in the curry leaves and chillies, add in sugar
Toss in the seafood to…

Loh Mai Kai ~ 糯米雞 (Glutinous rice steamed with chicken)

Loh Mai Kai is the transliteration of 糯米雞 in Cantonese, meaning glutinous rice steamed with chicken. It is a common dish in any dim sum restaurant and you can't miss it. Some of them are served in a small steel bowls while some are steamed in alluminium foil cups. The glutinous rice is steamed with chicken, mushroom and Chinese sausage, but in my recipe today, I had to omit Chinese sausage as I wasn't able to get it during this 'lock down' period. Hence, I substituted with some dried shrimps and dried scallops. The taste of the glutinous rice is just wonderful as it has been infused with these flavours. It's best to use drumsticks, deboned or with bones, absolutely your personal preference. You can enjoy Loh Mai Kai for breakfast or brunch or whenever you feel like it.

Loh Mai Kai ~ 糯米雞 (Glutinous rice steamed with chicken)

Ingredients for the Rice
350 gm glutinous rice2 cloves garlic, chopped3 shallots, chopped1 Tbsp oyster sauce1 Tbsp sesame oil1/2 Tbsp l…

Bak Kwa Tomato Rice ~ 肉干番茄饭

A very easy one-pot meal for working mothers who are bogged down with other household chores. Other than bak kwa, you may opt to use chinese sausages or even ham or fried bacon. And the rice will taste just as delicious.

Bak Kwa Tomato Rice ~ 肉干番茄饭 (recipe adapted from 'here')
Ingredients
1.1/4 rice cup of Basmati rice 1 cup water1 medium size tomato about 160 gm60 gm Bak Kwa pieces, diced1/2 cup Broccoli, blanched and cut into tiny floretSalt to tasteMethod Wash and rinse rice, pour into rice cooker, add water accordingly. (A little less water than the ordinary measurement because there will be some juice from the tomato).Mix in the bak kwa bit and a bit of salt. Make a criss-cross cut on the bottom of the tomato and place it on the rice. Select 'cook' function.When the rice is cooked, smash the tomato, toss in the blanched broccoli, Mix well.Drizzle on some sesame oil, mix well.Serve

Pork Belly Slice Stir-Fry ~ 炒五花肉片

This is a very simple stir-fry dish yet tasty to go with rice. As the pork belly are thinly sliced, they are quick to shallow fry, not much time is required in preparing this dish.

Pork Belly Slice Stir-Fry ~ 炒五花肉片

Ingredients

18 gm Pork Belly slice 100 gm French beans, sliced Salt, light soya sauce and a dash of sugar to taste
Method

In a pot with a bit of oil, shallow fry the pork belly slice. Dish out
In a wok, lightly saute the French beans and then toss in the pork belly slices
Add a dash of salt, light soya sauce and sugar to taste
Dish out and serve.

Fun Kot/Arrowroot Carrot Soup ~ 粉葛猪尾骨胡萝卜汤

In this hot, humid weather and more so during this 'lock down' period, it's good to have your meals with a refreshing and light soup. Here, I'm sharing with you a Fun Kot/Arrowroot Carrot Soup with some pig tail bones. Arrowroot is a type of root vegetable which is free from gluten, low in calories and high in protein. I shared another Fun Kot soup in my blog, long time ago and you can check it 'here' if you want a variation.

Fun Kot/Arrowroot Carrot Soup ~ 粉葛猪尾骨胡萝卜汤
Ingredients 350 gm Fun Kot300 gm pig tail bones2 medium size carrots10 seedless red dates2 lt waterSalt to tasteMethod Bring some water to a boil and blanch the tail bones to remove any impurities. Drain, rinse and set aside.Remove the skin from the Fun Kot, cut into chunks.Peel the skin of the carrot, and cut into chunks.Boil 2 lt or a bit more water in a stock pot, add in the red dates, tail bones, fun kot and carrots. Bring to a simmer.Cover pot with lid and let it boil under medium low heat…