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

Taucheo or fermented bean paste is salty but when sauted with fresh ginger and garlic, the gravy makes a perfect combination with steamed fish.  If you like the gravy to be slightly spicy, toss in some  birdeye chillies and add in a bit of sugar to taste.  This steamed fish is quick and easy to prepare and is extremely appetising.  But do bear in mind that steamed fish must be eaten straight from the steamer as the taste differs when the dish is cold. Steamed ikan kembong with bean paste ~  豆酱蒸鱼 Ingredients 400 gm ikan kembong 4 tsp garlic and ginger, chopped 1 Tbsp fermented bean paste (taucheo) 2 birdeye chillies 1/2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water Spring onions to garnish Method Clean up the ikan kembong, season with some salt. Heat up some oil in a pan, saute the garlic and ginger till fragrant, add in the bean paste.  Add in 1/2 cup water.  Fine tune to taste with some sugar.  Add in cornstarch thickening. Set aside. ...

Steamed minced pork with salted fish is quite a common dish in Chinese households.  The salted fish is an acquired taste and it can be sweet smelling to some while others may simply detest it.  There are variations to this dish, some people may use minced pork and others may use thinly sliced pork belly. Steamed Minced Pork with Salted Fish ~  咸鱼蒸肉饼 Ingredients 300 gm minced pork (with some slightly fatty pork) 2 tsp Shaoxing wine 2 Tbsp water 2 tsp cornflour 1/2 tsp ground ginger 30 gm salted fish, sliced 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp sugar some finely julienned ginger sesame oil to drizzle Method With a pair of chopsticks mix the minced pork with the wine, water,  cornflour, salt, sugar and ground ginger to form a paste Let rest for half an hour Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof plate and level with the back of the spoon Place sliced salted fish on top  Sprinkle with the julienned ginger Steam under ra...

The mild taste but firm  texture of the Grouper fish blends well with the bland silken tofu and black bean sauce.   A simple and quick to prepare dish which goes very well with white rice or just plain white porridge. Fish fillet steamed with Tofu  ~  豆腐蒸鱼片 Ingredients 200 gm Grouper fish fillet 1 box silken tofu 1.1/2 Tbsp fermented whole black beans/tau cheong 1/2 tsp sugar 2 tsp cornflour a small piece of ginger, chopped pinch of seasalt pepper olive oil spring onions to garnish Method Marinate the fish fillet with some seasalt and sugar, set aside. Slice up the silken tofu into 10 pieces and place on a dish. Place the seasoned fish fillet on top of the tofu. Sprinkle on some chopped ginger. Mix the black beans with sugar, cornflour and 2 Tbsp of water. Pour the mixture over the fish fillet. Steam on rapidly boiling water for 6 mins. Fine tune to taste, garnish with some chopped spring onions, a dash of pepper and drizz...

Too lazy to cook dishes for a meal, I opted to whip up this one-dish baked fish for dinner......a wholesome, satisfying and healthy meal.  For me, most important is that it's fuss-free, simple with  no aftermath of cleaning a greasy kitchen! Baked fish ~  烤鱼 Ingredients 1 Threadfin fish 1 tomato - sliced 1 lemon - sliced Garlic - chopped Olive oil Seasalt Freshly ground black pepper Salad greens to serve Method Clean the fish, pat dry and score the fish by making 3 diagonal slits on both sides of the fish Rub in seasalt and freshly ground black pepper all over the fish Insert 2 slices of lemon and tomatoes into the fish cavity Sprinkle on the chopped garlic and olive oil Pour some oil onto a sheet of alluminium foil Place the fish and wrap it up Bake in a preheated oven @ 220 deg.C for 15 mins. Open up the foil and place the fish on serving plate Garnish with some shredded purple cabbage and carrot Serve immediately ...

Very rarely do I steam black pomfret as I normally like to fry it.  But I was assured by the fish monger that this black pomfret tastes just as good, steamed.  Steaming a whole fish is also a great and quick way to cook and with a vegetable dish on the side, dinner is served in a jiffy. Recipe for Steamed fish with preserved radish and dried shrimps ~  甜菜脯蝦米蒸鱼 Ingredients 300 gm black pomfret 1.1/2 Tbsp preserved sweet radish 1 Tbsp dried shrimps 4 pips garlic, chopped 1 heaped oyster sauce Oil for frying Sesame oil Spring Onions Method Wash the fish, pat dry and make 2 slits on the fish.  Season with a bit of salt.  Set aside. Heat up a pan with some oil, saute the chopped garlic with dried shrimps, toss in the radish, stir fry. Add in the oyster sauce and fine tune to taste.  Set aside. Heat up a steamer, place the fish on a plate and steam the fish over rapidly boiling water, for 8 mins. Pour the radish mix...

I've tasted this Acar fish, long, long ago and I remember that my dad loved it. Traditionally, if I can recall, the sliced garlic, turmeric and ginger need to be dried under the sun before frying.  I didn't adopt this method, just patted them dry with paper towel and let them air dry at room temperature. As for the fish, I pat them dry with paper towel before seasoning them with some salt and setting them aside for a few hours before deep frying them.  This dish is truly very appetising and I'm sure you can't resist having a second helping of rice when this dish is served. Recipe for Acar Fish Pickle  ~    啊 杂 鱼 Ingredients 300 gm silver mullet  300 gm mackerel fillet 50 gm young ginger, cut into matchsticks 50 gm fresh turmeric, peeled and  sliced thinly 2 bulbs of garlic, sliced thinly 5 red and green chillies, sliced 5 birdeye chillies Lightly ...

This is another homey dish which will pair very well with plain white porridge.  I spotted this dish in an economy rice stall the other day and then I remembered that I haven't had this dish for a long, long time....... Recipe for Mince Meat with Anchovies    葱炒肉碎江鱼 仔 Ingredients 250 gm  minced pork, seasoned with a pinch of salt 50 gm anchovies 1 onion, sliced 1 chilli, sliced 1 Tbsp tau cheong/bean paste Sugar to taste Method Heat up some oil in a pan and shallow fry the anchovies till light brown and a bit crispy. Dish out, set aside. Saute the bean paste till fragrant, add in the minced pork, stir-fry till cooked. If dish is too dry, sprinkle on some water, add in the sliced onions, stir-fry. Toss in the chilli and the anchovies and add sugar to taste. Dish out and serve.

This is quite a common dish in households and my mum used to whip this up whenever we had plain white porridge for lunch.   I'm not so keen on the fish, but will make a beeline for the  beancurd sticks and puffs instead! Recipe for Braised Fish Fillet with Black Beans     豆豉焖鱼 Ingredients 2 pieces of fish fillet about 125 gm each, seasoned with some salt 6 beancurd puffs cut into half 50 gm beancurd sticks, soaked and cut into 2 inch lengths 4 pips of garlic, chopped 1 small piece of ginger, chopped 1 Tbsp black bean  1 tsp sugar or to taste 1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsp water to thicken 2.1/2 cups water 1/4 tsp dark soya sauce 1 Tbsp oil for frying Method Heat up some oil in a wok, fry the chopped garlic and ginger till fragrant, toss in the black beans, stir-fry. Add in water, let it simmer, add in the beancurd sticks and puffs, continue to simmer. Add i...

Salmon En Papillote simply means wrapping a piece of Salmon in parchment paper, folding up the paper like a little parcel and then baked, bag and all.  This one-dish meal is not only easy to preprare, it's nutritious too. The Salmon is moist and tasty with some baked potatoes, just what you need for a complete one-dish meal.  Most important of all ..... less cleaning up :)) Recipe for Salmon En Papillote   ( adapted from an ASDA magazine with modifications) Ingredients 300 gm Salmon fillet 300 gm potatoes 150 gm French beans Some mixed dried herbs Seasalt, Black pepper, lemon juice and zest Method Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper, 12 ft square. Boil the potatoes util just tender.  Drain. peel off the skin and cut into quarters Blanch the French beans , drain and set aside. Divide the potatoes between  the two squares of parchment paper, add in some sprinkling of sea salt. Put a piece of Salmon on top. ...

This is a quickie dish to whip up if you're short of time.  I've never tried steaming fish with Ginseng and I added a bottle of Chicken essence as well.   Yes, it's ultra delicious especially the nutritious sauce..... definitely need more hot rice to mop it up.... Yum! Ginseng Steamed Fish Ingredients 250 gm Garoupa fish fillet 1 bottle of Essence of Chicken 1 tsp wolfberries 2 slices Ginseng 2 tsp Shaoxing wine Seasalt to taste Method Season the fish fillet with some seasalt, set aside. Steam the essence of chicken with the Ginseng slices for 10 mins.  Add in the wolfberries.  Set aside. Steam the fish fillet for 6 mins.under rapidly boiling water. Remove and pour in the Ginseng mixture.  Drizzle on the wine. Serve immediately with hot rice.

I whipped up this simple noodle salad for a quick lunch during the weekend as it was too hot and humid to eat out.  There's no exact recipe for this salad.  I just panfried the piece of seasoned Salmon, break it up into chunks, cooked the noodles, tossed in whatever veggie that was in my fridge, squeezed on some lemon and it's done! Salmon Noodle Salad Ingredients 250 gm Salmon Some salt, pepper and mixed dried herbs Cabbage, Carrot, Coriander and Tomatoes Fish Sauce and some Olive oil Dried noodles 1 Lemon Method Season the piece of Salmon with some salt, pepper and mixed dried herbs Pan fry the Salmon, 2 or 3 mins. on each side Dish out and break into chunks, set aside Slice up the cabbage and carrot Dice the tomatoes Cook the noodles in a pot of  boiling hot water Drain off  the water and put noodles onto a plate,  drizzle on some fish sauce and Olive oil, toss it well Arrange some Salmon chu...