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

I have seen winter melon double boiled soup and I was surfing the internet looking for recipes to experiment with.  Steaming food in a pumpkin to use it as a serving bowl looks interesting and since I have some glutinous rice, why not let it mingle with pumpkin and see how it would turn out.  It's quite a straight forward dish, just like serving rice in a steamed pumpkin rather than on a plate and I do like the presentation.



Steamed Pumpkin Glutinous Rice   ~    蒸南瓜糯米饭   

Ingredients
1 kg Japanese pumpkin180 gm glutinous rice (washed, soaked overnight)80 gm pork, diced10 gm dried shrimps3 Shitake mushrooms, hydrated, stemmed and diced1 tsp oyster sauce2 tsp light soy sauce1/2 tsp dark soy sauce1 tsp chopped garlic1 tsp sesame oilSalt to tasteMethod
Wash the pumpkin, place on a plate and steam on medium heat for about 15 mins. to soften.  Then carefully cut a lid opening about 8 cm diameter around the stem with a sharp knife.  Keep the lid aside for presentation.Scoop out the pumpkin …

I adapted the recipe for this Sakura Chiffon Cake from my previous Coffee Chiffon with Cocoa layering  but tweaked it a bit by adding Cointreau and orange zest and placing the Sakura flowers at the base of the chiffon pan.  This chiffon cake is soft and moist with a subtle taste of Cointreau and a nice fragrance of orange.





Sakura Chiffon Cake  ~樱花戚风蛋糕 (adapted from 'here')
Ingredients (A)
70 gm plain flour5 large egg yolks20 gm caster sugar60 ml water2 tsp Cointreau70 ml vegetable oil1.1/2 tsp orange zest8 to 10 pickled Sakura flowers(B) 5 large egg whites80 gm caster sugar  )  Mix well10 gm cornflour      )   Method Rinse the pickled Sakura flowers to remove the salt and soak them for about 45 to 60 mins.  Gently pat dry the flowers with kitchen paper.  Line the flowers on the base of an ungreased 23 cm chiffon cake pan.Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, add in the oil, water, Cointreau and orange zest, mix well.Sieve in the plain flour and mix till well incorporated.In a clean …

I am not an ardent fan of 'Nam Yue', ' 南乳' but after seeing some recipes using this ingredient, I half heartedly gave it a try and I was amazed that this dish tasted so good.  'Nam Yue' is fermented beancurd made with a concoction of red  yeast '紅麴'', hence the red colour.
It can be an acquired taste and like I said before, I wasn't keen initially.  Let the flavours of the sauce infuse into the trotters and the dish will taste much better the next day.  You can serve this with plain rice or  noodles which I think will be just as satisfying.
















Braised pig trotters with nam yue  ~ 南乳焖猪手 
Ingredients
600 gm pig trotter, chopped into chunks1 piece nam yue (fermented beancurd)1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine1 Tbsp oyster sauce2 Tbsp light soy sauce1/2 tsp dark soy sauce10 gm piece sugar2 Bay leaves2 star anise3 slices ginger3 cloves garlic, chopped1 onion, slicedwhite part of spring onionMethod Wash and clean the pig trotters.  Bring a pot of water to the boil, add i…

Finally, yes finally I managed to see the 'Huat Kueh', 'huat' or smile beautifully at me.  I can't believe my eyes and was elated because this is my first attempt at this recipe and I'm so glad I succeeded and achieved what I wanted.  I had tried to make Huat Kueh a few times during the MCO (Movement Control Order) but none of them 'huat' so much as this one and some of the recipes I tried, left a weird after taste perhaps due to the amount of baking powder.  This kueh is soft and nice and remained soft the next day, kept in an airtight container.   But you can always steam them again for a short while if you prefer piping hot ones.  I'm very grateful to Marvellina of  'What to Cook Today' and I'm glad I found you.  Thank you!



Steamed Cocoa Huat Kueh aka Fatt Koh  ~   蒸可可发糕  Ingredients 250 gm plain flour1/2 tsp salt2 tsp baking powder65 gm brown sugar ) reduced from 65 gm caster sugar  ) 150 gm sugar1 Large egg150 gm milk100 gm cooking oi…

If you are a fan of Bittergourd 苦瓜 like me, you will relish this dish. This is a nutritious, easy to cook Chinese dish which you can easily prepare at home using 'sections of bittergourd stuffed with seasoned minced pork. The gourd will be soft after steaming but it is still firm in texture and there's the juicy broth for you to go with rice.



Steamed Stuffed Bittergourd with Minced Pork  ~  酿苦瓜 
Ingredients
160 gm minced pork40 gm shitake mushrooms, hydrated, stemmed and diced1 shallot, chopped1 clove garlic, chopped1 medium size bittergourdSeasoning for the minced pork 2 tsp oyster sauce2 tsp Shaoxing wine1 tsp sesame oil1 tsp light soy sauce1/4 tsp salt3 tsp cornflour1/4 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp saltDash of pepperMethod Cut the bittergourd into 3/4 inch sections.  Scoop out the seeds, place the bittergourds in a bowl rub with some salt and set aside for about 20 mins.  (This is to extract some bitterness from gourds.)Meanwhile season the minced pork with the above sauces, mix we…

This is a quickie dish that only involves two steps ~  pan-fry the seasoned chicken and add in the sauce.  I used chicken thigh because it is more juicy and tender than chicken breast meat.  Lemongrass has a pleasant and refreshing, slightly citrusy smell which can infuse well into the chicken while the fish sauce, although a bit stinky, enhances the flavour.  This can be served with rice or noodles with a salad or blanched veggie on the side.


Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken  ~   越南柠檬鸡
Ingredients
3 deboned drumsticks, about 300 gm, cut into bite size1 lemon grass, white part, finely chopped2 cloves garlic, finely chopped2 birdseye chillies, finely chopped1 onion, sliced1 tsp lime juice1 Tbsp fish oil1 Tbsp sugarMethod Season the chicken with a bit of salt, set aside.Lightly pan-fry the chicken till cooked, dish out.In a bowl, mix the fish oil and sugar, set aside.Saute the garlic and lemon grass till fragrant.Add in the sliced onion, mix well.Toss in the chicken, give it a good stir.Pour …

These Matcha or Green Tea Almond Muffins are soft and moist made with vegetable oil instead of melted butter.  My preference for oil is just vegetable oil but not olive oil as I find the flavour of olive oil too over-powering.   The sliced almonds are a good match with Matcha and these muffins can be enjoyed any time or over an afternoon cuppa.




Matcha Almond Muffins  ~   绿茶杏仁玛芬                      


Ingredients
140 gm plain flour1 'L' egg1 Tbsp green tea powder2 tsp baking powder70 gm caster sugar120 ml or 1/2 cup milk70 gm vegetable oil14 whole almonds with skin, slicedMethod Mix flour, green tea powder and baking powder, set aside.In a mixing bowl, whisk egg and sugar till creamy.Add in milk to mix, followed by oil.Sieve the flour mixture into the egg mixture, stir well to incorporate.Use an ice-cream scoop to scoop mixture into the prepared muffin pan.Sprinkle some almonds on top.Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg.C for 20 mins.  Test with a skewer till it comes out clean.Remo…