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

  This Chicken in Herbal Yellow Wine is a nutritious chicken soup which is also suitable as confinement food for postpartum mothers during the first 30 days of their confinement period.  It is traditionally believed that Chinese rice wine can help speed up womb recovery, helps blood circulation and ultimately helps the body to speed up recovery. Dangguai -  當歸  (angelica root) helps to warm the body and Yu Zhuk -   玉 竹 (Solomon's Seal) helps to relieve dry cough.  Nowadays this dish of yellow wine chicken is not only served as a confinement dish but as a comfort dish for family members.  This dish is delicious with misua ( 麵線) and is also available at some Asian eateries too. Chicken in Herbal Yellow Wine ~   黄酒药材鸡   Ingredients 2 free range chicken drumsticks cut into bite size, about 420 gm 1.1/2 cup yellow wine 1.1/2 cup water 6 shitake mushrooms, reconstituted and cut 5 gm cloud ears, reconstituted to soften 3 gm dangguai (angelica roots) 15 gm yu zhuk (solomonseal rhizome) 1 t

  This is a dairy-free orange cake and with so few ingredients, baking this cake is a breeze.  This cake is tender and soft, full of orange flavour, thanks to the orange zest and juice.  Made with oil, this cake is light and you can't wait for seconds.  A perfect dessert to serve after a hearty meal. Orange Cake with Oil  ~  橙子油蛋糕                    Ingredients 3 eggs 125 gm caster sugar 150 ml oil 150 ml orange juice 220 gm plain flour 2 tsp baking powder or 10 gm pinch of salt vanilla zest from 1 or 2 oranges Icing sugar for dusting (optional) Method In a mixing bowl mix orange zest and sugar with a ball whisk till fully incorporated. Add in eggs and beat with a handheld whisk till light and creamy. Add in oil and mix with a spatula till well combined.  Add in orange juice and mix well. Sift the flour with baking powder and salt onto the egg mixture.  Fold in but do not overmix. Mixture is of pouring consistency.  Pour the mixture into a parchment lined loaf pan of  4.5 x 8.5 x

  This is a vegetarian stir-fry dish which you can whip up with whatever you have in the kitchen.  You only need to pan fry the dao bao till crispy and add onto the stir-fried cucumber and carrot before dishing up to serve. This is a light and refreshing dish for dinner especially if you had been having meat dishes and a heavy lunch. Cucumber, Carrot and Dao Bao Stir-fry  ~   翻炒胡萝卜黄瓜和豆包 Ingredients 180 gm cucumber 50 gm carrots 2 slices of ginger 3 pcs Dao Bao (soy chips) 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine 1 Tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce 2 tsp cornstarch and 1 Tbsp water to mix A dash of sesame oil Salt to taste Method Shallow fry the dao bao, drain off oil, cool and cut into bite size.  Keep aside. Partially peel the cucumber, slice into half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.  Slice up the carrot as well. Saute the ginger slices till fragrant, add in the carrot slices, stir-fry for a while, then add in the cucumber slices, stir-fry. Toss in the dao bao, mix and add

  This is another cookie within a cookie and easy to make with a few basic ingredients.  There's no need to use a mixer and the end product is a rich, crispy and chunky chocolate cookie. Choc ripples with White choc bits cookies Ingredients 115 gm vegetable oil 70 gm caster sugar 185 gm plain flour 100 gm Arnotts chocolate ripples, crushed 20 gm white choc bits and more to put on cookie before baking 1 egg 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt Vanilla Method Sift flour with baking soda and salt, set aside. In a mixing bowl and a handheld whisk, whisk oil and sugar till creamy.   Mix in an egg, beat till well incorporated. Fold in the sifted flour, mix well. Add in the crushed chocolate ripples followed by the white choc bits.  Mix well till well incorporated. Cover the mixture with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins. Scoop up some dough, roll into a ball, place extra white choc bit on top and place on a parchment lined baking tray, about 2 inches apart.   Bake in a preheated

  This is a delicious yummy chicken dish which can be whipped up in a short period of time.  Suitable for working mothers who are always in a hurry.  The chicken is tender, smothered in a thick honey sauce.  An easy recipe to serve on the table and which pairs deliciously with white or brown rice. Honey Chicken ~  蜂蜜鸡 Ingredients 6 drumsticks about 680 gm 2 Tbsp honey 1/2 Tbsp oil 3/4 Tbsp dark soy sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp chopped garlic 1 cup water or more if more gravy is desired Sesame oil to drizzle  Method Put some oil in a non-stick pan and place the drumsticks in it. Pour in the honey, cover and let cook for about 10 mins. Open the lid and add in the chopped garlic, light and dark soy sauce.  Add in water, cover and let cook for another 15 mins.  Can add in more water if the dish is too dry.   Mix well with a wooden spoon till the chicken is tender and cooked through.  Drizzle on some sesame oil.  Dish out and serve.

  This Earl Grey Chiffon cake is a tea infused chiffon cake, and it's light, spongy, airy and not too sweet. Earl Grey happens to be one of my favorite breakfast tea and is typically a black tea flavoured with oil from the rind of the bergamot orange, a citrus fruit with the appearance  and flavour between an orange, a lemon, a bit of lime and grapefruit all in one.  Bergamot oranges are grown in Calabria, Italy and certain parts of France. The rind of this bergamot orange is dried and added to black tea leaves to produce Earl Grey. Earl Grey Chiffon Cake ~  伯爵灰茶戚风蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 6 'L' eggs 70 gm caster sugar 80 ml vegetable oil 1/2 cup Earl Grey tea from 4 bags of Earl Grey tea) 2 Tbsp Earl Grey tea leaves from the tea bags 150 gm plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla (B) 6 'L' egg whites 70 gm caster sugar Method Sift the plain flour with the baking powder, set aside. Steep 4 bags of Earl Grey tea in a cupf of boiling water.  Once cool, measure out 1/2

  This seafood prawn dish can be whipped up with some herbs that are easily available in any Chinese household.  The key ingredients are fresh prawns, some herbs and not forgetting the Shaoxing Huatiao  wine that will 'drunk' the prawns, hence the name 'Herbal Drunken Prawns'.  You can go easy on the wine for a slightly milder taste if this is also served to kids.  A super easy dish to prepare, just cook the broth, dump in the prawns but remember not to overcook them. Herbal Drunken Prawns ~   药材醉虾 Ingredients for seasoning prawns 300 gm large prawns 1 Tbsp sugar 1 to 2 Tbsp Shaoxing Huatiao wine Ingredients for herbal broth 10 gm yu zhu (fragrant solomon's seal) 5 gm angelica root (tung kwai) 5 slices ginger 4 gm dong shen 1 seedless red date 1 stalk of spring onion (white stem) 50 ml Shaoxing Huatiao wine 1/2 Tbsp goji berries (to add just before serving) 500 ml water Salt and sugar to taste Method Trim and devein the prawns.  Marinate with sugar and wine, set as

Here I am taking or rather using a very popular cookie to put inside a cookie.  Believe me, this cookie was a crowd pleaser amongst kids at a recent small gathering.  This cookie is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside and ready to tuck in after about 10 mins. baking time but of course needs a bit of patience to wait a little while longer for the cookie to cool further.  Can give this a try for the coming Chinese New Year which falls on 10th February 2024! Oreo Cookies ~  奥利奥曲奇                                        Ingredients 115 gm vegetable oil OR melted butter (I used oil) 80 gm caster sugar 1 egg 185 gm plain flour 1/2 teasp baking soda 1/4 teasp salt 9 Oreo cookies, with cream, crushed (110 gm) 1/4 teasp vanilla Method Sift flour with baking soda, salt, set aside. In a mixing bowl, with a hand whisk, beat oil and caster sugar till creamy. Break in an egg, beat till well incorporated. Fold in sifted flour, mix well with a spatula. Mix in the crushed Oreos thoroughly. Cov

  This cake is made with almond meal and yoghurt and has a delicate flavour with a hint of lemon and a tang from the yoghurt.  There was a sweet nutty smell wafting from the oven during the baking process.  This cake is rich and moist, perfect for breakfast, tea or with ice cream for a delectable dessert.  In fact this cake works for any time of the day. Almond Yoghurt Cake ~ 杏仁 酸奶蛋糕         Ingredients 90 gm plain flour 90 gm almond meal 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp seasalt 2 'L' eggs 90 gm caster sugar 1/2 cup oil 180 gm yoghurt at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla Zest from 1 lemon (optional) 20 gm chopped walnuts (optional) Method Sift the plain flour with the baking powder and baking soda, salt.  Set aside. With an electric whisk, whisk eggs and sugar till creamy. Add in oil, yoghurt and vanilla, continue whisking till fully incorporated. Sieve in the flour mixture, fold into the mixture. Sieve in the almond meal, mix well. Add in the lemon zest and chopped