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

  This is my first attempt baking a chiffon cake without using the chiffon cake pan but instead with a normal round 7 inch pan and a parchment lined base to ensure a smooth surface for 'frosting' the cake with almond spread.  And I inverted the cake with the support of 2 overturned glasses.  I adapted the recipe from anncoo's Pistachio Chiffon Cake but I substituted  ground pistachio with almond meal.  The cake turned out well, delicious, light  and soft like any other chiffon cake. Almond Chiffon Cake  ~  杏仁戚风蛋糕     ( Adapted from 'here'. ) Ingredients (A)                                                             4 egg yolks, (70 gm) with shell 45 gm caster sugar 45 gm vegetable oil 30 gm almond meal 60 gm plain flour 2 Tbsp cornflour 1/8 tsp salt 60 gm almond spread 50 gm milk Almond spread and flaked almonds for decoration (B)   4 egg whites         40 gm caster sugar Method Line the base of a 7 inch round pan with parchment paper.  You can use a pan with remov

  This is a very simple, easy to prepare, fuss-free dish which will go very well with plain white rice.  Also a very popular dish with kids and adults alike.  If the kids cannot accept too much chilli, you can omit it and the chilli sauce too.   All you need to do is just to dump all the ingredients into the wok and  cook.  Here's how ........ Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs ~  甜醋排骨 Ingredients 500 gm pork ribs, cut into 2 inch lengths 60 gm shallots          30 gm garlic                10 gm ginger            2 bird eye chillies      2 tsp chilli sauce 1 tsp tomato sauce 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 4 cups water 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar, or to taste Thickening -  1.1/2 tsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water Preparation Wash the pork ribs and blanch them in hot water, rinse under running tap water, drain and set aside. Lightly pound or smash the shallots, garlic, ginger and bird eye chillies. Put the pork ribs into the wok together with the pounded ingredients in (2) above.  Add in sugar, salt, chilli an

  A quick and easy pumpkin stir-fry,  just that I partnered it with some bittergourd to infuse  with the sweetness of pumpkin.  A comforting and healthy dish and it's delicious to load spoonfuls of it onto a bowl of hot plain white rice. Pumpkin and Bittergourd Stir-fry ~   南瓜炒苦瓜 Ingredients 150 gm kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin), thinly sliced with skin 150 gm bittergourd, sliced 10 gm dried shrimps 3 pips of garlic chopped 1/4 cup water or more if needed Light soy sauce to taste Oil for frying Some curry leaves (optional) Method Add some salt into the sliced bittergourd, let sit for about 15 mins.  Squeeze out any juice, rinse.  This helps to extract some bitterness from the bittergourd. In a pan, saute the dried shrimp, garlic and curry leaves till fragrant. Toss in the kabocha and stir-fry.  Add some water to cook the kabocha.  When it's semi-cooked, add in the bittergourd, continue to stir-fry, add water if necessary. Use a fork to poke into the kabocha and bittergourd t

This is a srummy moist cake with minimum prep time that you'll want to make it time and again.  This walnut yoghurt cake with a hint of sourish yoghurt is tender and delicious and can be served as a mid morning snack.  Or just treat yourself to a slice with a cuppa in the afternoon. Walnut Yoghurt Cake ~    核桃優格蛋糕          Ingredients 90 gm plain flour 90 gm walnut meal 1 Tsp baking powder 1/2 Tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/4 Tsp seasalt 2 'L'eggs 90 gm caster sugar 1/2 cup oil 180 gm plain yoghurt (at room temperature) 1 Tsp vanilla 1 Tsp orange or lemon zest (optional) Icing sugar to dust (optional) Method With an electric whisk, beat eggs with sugar and zest till creamy and pale. Add in oil, beat well. Add in yoghurt and vanilla and continue beating till well incorporated. Sift in the dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a parchment lined 4.5 x 8.5 x 2.5 inch loaf pan.  Spread evenly. Bake in a preheated oven @ 175 deg. C for 35 to 40 mins. till g

  I like to steam fish as it has less fat which makes it healthy, easy and most of all, the kitchen is non-greasy which means less cleaning for me!  But steaming fish with herbs is my first attempt and I must admit that it's delicious and the herbal gravy pairs very well with plain white rice. Oh, look at that, the chewy muscle of the fish tail ....... simply yummy! Ingredients 400 gm Garoupa - tail portion 3 slices Dong Quai - tear to pieces 6 seeded red dates  - cut 1 Tbsp Kei Chi ~ Wolfberries 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine Chopped spring onions - garnish Seasoning  1 Tbsp oyster sauce 2  tsp light soya sauce 1/4 tsp sugar 1/2 cup water Preparation Clean and scale the fish.  Make 2 slits about 1.1/2 inch apart across the side of the fish.  Rub in with some salt. Combine herbs and seasoning in a saucepan and let it simmer for about 10 mins. till the herbal flavours are infused in the stock.  Test for taste.  Let it cool. Prepare a steamer and let the water boil. Pour the  cooled  seasoning

  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