Christmas Dinner 2007

My hub invited his secondary school buddies and their wives to our house for a Christmas Dinner.

I thought it was going to be an easy affair since we bought the so-called ready-made turkey/pork ribs/ham from NTUC and would be using disposable plates and cutlery. But I was oh, so wrong. :P There were certainly much more preparation work than just that.

Just the food alone took me nearly 2 hours to prepare. >_<"

Ham: To make it look presentable, I had to slice the ham into equal thickness. However, it wasn't easy to do so.

Pork Ribs: Cutting this into pieces was easier than it seems. I had all the pork ribs cut into sections in a jiffy. :)

Turkey: Then we need to stuff the turkey with the necessary ingredients (aka good stuff), namely Gourmet sauce and waterchestnut stuffing (that has to be steamed for 15 minutes before it can be put 'in place'). See, I used plastic gloves in the preparation of my food. Hygienic hor? ;)





We roasted the turkey in Healsio for a good 30 minutes. My good ol' Healsio.



Beef: The meat was really tough. It was like sawing a piece of wood. My dearest hub was so worried that I will cut myself as I was using so much strength. I kept telling him I wouldn't. I don't know if it was self-fulfilling prophecy or what, but I did poke myself on the hand in my haste to cut that piece of meat into half. :P

This was followed by the roasting of the ham, pork ribs and beef for 8 minutes each. The end products...

Roasted Turkey

The torn skin is such an eyesore, isn't it? My hub wanted to stuff ALL the waterchestnut stuffings and the gourmet sauce given to us into the turkey and in the process of doing so, tore the skin apart. *shakes head*



This is embarrassing, but I have never tasted a roasted turkey before. Thus, I was really looking forward to have a slice of it this Christmas dinner.

I was a little disappointed. It tasted like chicken and the meat was a tad too dry and bland for my liking. What's more the 'ho leow' (good stuff) didn't seem to have any effect in enhancing the flavour of the meat. I had to add tomato sauce to it. Maybe the part my hub has cut for me, just wasn't the 'right' part?

Ham

Pretty standard. It tasted very nice when it was just taken off the oven but it didn't taste as nice after it has turned cold.



Pork Ribs

I thought that was pretty nice and savoury. However, it was rather difficult to handle it as we were using plastic forks and knives! :P



One of the girls commented that it was a guys' gathering as there were no vegetables around. I didn't realised that until she mentioned it. I told my hub that this is just like the 'Carnivore' dinner we had in Vivocity and he agreed. hee!

Beef

I overcooked it. I guess this kind of 'habit' was inherited from my mother. My mother is someone who would rather overcook than risk letting us eat something that is not fully cooked. His poor friends have to spend minutes just to chew on that bite-sized meat. I was so paiseh on this. :P



I did not take the beef (as usual) nor the sauce, but the latter looks absolutely tasty.



Assorted sushis from Sakae



From the empty space (the size of a sushi), It seems as though I have popped a sushi into my mouth while preparing the food, huh? But nah... I didn't take much from this plate of sushis. In fact, I only had one! The star shaped egg. :P

Just the above orders from NTUC costs $155. We ordered 2 medium pizzas from Canadian 2-for-1, some tidbits, drinks and a bottle of wine. That sums up to more than $200!

We were so busy over this seemingly simple dinner, but I guess it was really worth it because my hub said he really enjoys going through the planning, purchasing and preparation (3 Ps!) with me. I thought that was rather sweet of him to say that. :)

I am also glad to be able to co-host this get-together to give his friends a simple, but enjoyable dinner. Now, that's the spirit of Christmas eh?

Merry Christmas, Everyone! :)

Mee Sua Soup

My hub can only afford to take PM leave to go out with me as he has many things to clear at work. -.-

I was lazy to walk down to the hawker to buy breakfast, so I decided to cook this for myself. :)



Ingredients

• 1 bundle of mee sua
• 5 small pieces of mock meat
• 2 mushrooms (cut into strips)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp of oil
• 2 cups of hot water

Seasonings

• 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp concentrated chicken stock
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• dash of pepper

Method

1) Add mushroom and mock meat to heated oil
2) Add oyster sauce and stir fry
3) Set the mushroom and mock meat aside
4) Fry egg and return mushroom and mock meat to the wok
5) Add hot water and concentrated chicken stock
6) Add Mee Sua and stir for 30 seconds
7) Add light soy sauce and salt to taste
8) Before turning off the fire, add sesame oil and pepper
9) Best served with fried shallots (I added it after taking the photo)

It turned out pretty tasty, even though I did not follow any particular recipe. ;)

Baby Kailan with Mushrooms

Nothing beats seeing him finish all the food that I have prepared for him. It really warms my heart to know that I am able to whip up a meal that he truly enjoys, after he had a long and hard day at work. I guess this is the contentment and joy shared by many housewives or working wives like me, who cooks. :)

He particularly liked this kailan dish that I have cooked. For someone who hardly take mushrooms, he surprised me by finishing all the mushrooms I have left for him. I felt so handsomely rewarded. Well, spiritually. :P



Ingredients

• Baby Kailan
• 2 Mushrooms (soaked and cut into strips)
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Seasonings

• 3/4 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 cup of water (from the soaking of the mushrooms)
• 1/2 tbsp cooking wine

Method

1) Stir minced garlic in heated oil for 30 seconds
2) Add mushroom and oyster sauce
3) Add water and simmer for 1 minute
4) Add baby kailan and stir briefly
5) Add soy sauce and cooking wine
6) Add cornstarch solution (optional)

Fried Rice with Pork Cutlet

Both of us had our own appointments on Monday and that means that I will only need to cook once this week. My hub tried to make keep things simple for me and suggested having a one-dish meal - Fried Rice. He didn't want the vegetarian version I have cooked for him before as he wanted some real meat in it.

Before he carried on with his next sentence, I knew that he wanted to ask for Pork cutlet. Somehow, he just loves the pork cutlet that I have made. Feeling that this combination would turn out quite heaty, I suggested adding a vegetable dish to 'balance' the meal.

So it turned out that I still have to cook 3 dishes. *pengz* So much for keeping the meal 'easy and simple'. >_<"



Click here for pork cutlet recipe.

Ingredients

• Steamed Rice (1 cup of uncooked rice)
• Mixed vegetables (carrot/pea/corn)
• 2 eggs (beaten and with 1 tbsp of light soy sauce and a dash of pepper added)
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasonings

• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• a pinch of salt
• a dash of pepper

Method

1) Add mixed vegetables to 1tbsp of heated oil
2) Add a pinch of salt and stir-fry
3) Set aside the mixed vegetables in the wok and add another tbsp of oil
4) Fry the egg
5) Before the egg is fully cooked, add the steamed rice to the mixture
6) Add the light soy sauce and stir until the colour is evenly distributed.
7) Sprinkle a dash of pepper over before serving

Oh, on a side note, I managed to fry rice without any burnt marks at the bottom of the wok today. It was so easy to manage the rice this time round, even though I cooked the rice on the spot (and not left overnight in the fridge).

I guess it has got something to do with keeping the fire to the minimal and letting it slowly and evenly heat up the rest of the wok. The salesman's comments on the nature of the wok suddenly start to make sense to me. After 1 year plus. :P

Almond Jelly with Longan

My recent craze is Almond Jelly. I simply love the smell of it... *sniff sniff* ^_^



Ingredients

• 2 cups of water
• 2/3 cup of evaporated milk
• 5 tbsp sugar (yes, quite a lot ya? Now we know how much sugar intake we are consuming from desserts... :P)
• 2 tsp Agar Agar powder
• 1 tsp almond essence
• 1 can of longan

Method

1) Mix everything together and bring to a boil
2) Cool it and put it in the fridge for the mixture to solidify
3) Serve with longan

Tofu Soup with Bean Sprouts and Meatballs

This is supposed to be a Tofu Soup with minced pork balls and salted vegetables. I couldn't get salted vegetables, somehow. My meatballs are expiring this week, so I had to make adjustments to the soup. My hub is one fussy pot especially when it comes to soup, so when he said that the soup is not bad, I just had to document it down! :D



Ingredients

• 300g tofu
• 6 meatballs
• 1/2 carrot sliced (all sank to the bottom of the bowl :P)
• 1/2 cup beans sprouts
• 5 cups of chicken stock*

Seasonings

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• a dash of pepper

Method

1) Boil the chicken stock
2) Add carrot and meatbals
3) Add tofu and beans sprouts
4) Once ingredients are cooked, add the seasonings

* I used the unwanted skin and bones from the chicken breast of another dish to prepare the stock. No food wastage and you get a more flavourful soup. I kept in the fridge overnight and when I took it out, the fats from the soup solidifies, making it very easy for me to remove it. Health prevails! :)

Chye Sim

I got this recipe from a blog. I find the taste quite okay, but my hub begged to differ. And this means that I will only post the photo for my records... At least it looks pretty decent on photo, yes? :)

Bean Sprouts with carrots and mock meat

I crave for the Taiwan breakfast I had a few weeks back. Congee and beansprouts. Healthy, simple and yet tasty.




Ingredients

• 1 cup Bean sprouts
• 1/2 carrot cut into strips
• 6 pieces of mock meat
• 1 tbsp oil

Seasonings

• 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 30 ml water
• salt to taste

Method
1) Heat oil
2) Add carrot strips and stir-fry till moderately soft
3) Add mock meat and stir-fry till cooked
4) Add bean sprouts
5) Add water
6) Season with light soy sauce and salt


I have really enjoyed eating this dish I have cooked today. And yes, I had it with congee... :)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Strips

I gave up frying with my wok. It always stick. I wanted to buy a fryer, but I don't want to waste the money nor do I want my kitchen top to be cluttered with yet another electrical appliance.

I have decided to fry food in my small pot. Surprisingly and much to my delight, it works! No sticking of food to the wok. I get to cover the pot and prevent oil from splattering, without having to use a big cover (for the wok). This means less washing for my hub and less effort in mopping the floor for me. :)

Anyways, I was trying to 'replicate' the delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken balls we had at the kopitiam tze char. I didn't manage to get the exact taste but the product was just as tasty, especially when the chicken strips are still piping hot from the pot. :) Eh? Hot. Pot. It rhymes. Heh...



Ingredients

• Chicken Fillet (4 strips)
• Pineapple (5 cut pieces)

Seasonings

• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sugar

Marinades

• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Light soy sauce
• Dash of Pepper
• 1 egg
• Flour

Method

1) Marinade the chicken with light soy sauce, oyster sauce and pepper
2) Coat with chicken strips with Egg and flour
3) Fry the chicken strips till golden brown
4) Combine the seasonings and pineapple and heat it over moderately low heat.
5) Mix the sweet and sour sauce with the chicken strip

My hub was pretty pleased with all the dishes I have cooked today. It really makes my day! :D

Spicy French Beans with Minced Meat

I guess the role of a home cook is not only to produce tasty and healthy meals, but also to avoid any wastage of food. Careful meal planning is needed especially for someone like me, who only cooks twice a week.

I wasn't quite sure of what I should do to the extra minced pork initially. There is no way that I will leave it for next week, as it wouldn't be fresh anymore. So I decided to use it together with the french beans and my, what a good choice! The two ingredients really complement each other well.



Ingredients

• 100g minced meat
• 1 handful of French beans
• Spicy Dou Ban Jiang
• 1 tsp minced garlic

Seasonings

• 1 tbsp spicy Dou Ban Jiang
• 50ml water
• 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar

Method

1) Stir-fry garlic
2) Add minced meat and stir till it changes colour
3) Add spicy Dou Ban Jiang and French beans and continue stirring
4) Add water
5) Add light soy sauce and sugar
6) Simmer until french beans has slightly soften

Steamed Tofu with Egg and Minced Pork 2

Remember this post? Yeah, this dish is long overdue. I have been really busy, trying to catch up with the household chores and work after my 2 weeks holiday overseas.

Anyways, I have mustered up enough courage to try this for a second time and I am glad it worked. :)

I guess sometimes you really can't follow what you see on recipe books too closely. That explains for my previous failed attempt.

My hub actually likes it!



But when he scooped up the liquid at the bottom of the bowl to drink, I was like, 'Eh, 什么态度?' The main dish is the solid food, not the liquid. >_<" But then again, I did that with Chawanmushi too... so I can understand the tempation to do so. :P



Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 150g of tofu
• 100g of minced pork
• 50 ml of chicken stock (not 400ml! as stated in the recipe book. *slaps forehead*)

Seasonings

• 1/2 tbsp of light soy sauce
• A dash of pepper

Method

1) Beat the eggs
2) Add the minced pork into the egg mixture and mix well
3) Add the stock and the seasonings
4) Add the tofu
5) Steam in Healsio for 20 minutes

My Cooking

I invited my mother over for dinner.

What's for dinner?

- Mapo Tofu
- Spicy Kang Kong
- Pork Cutlet
- Bittergourd Soup

All repeated dishes. I personally feel that I have improved... because...

Now you see them...



... Now you don't! :D



It was a complete wipe-out! It has been more than a month since I cooked. Glad that my skills has not gone rusty. :)

My mummy's cooking

Unlike most mothers who started cooking in their 20s, my mummy only started cooking in her 50s. Nobody taught her how to cook and she doesn't know the computer well enough to search for recipes online. Which makes it all the more commendable that she is able to whip up a meal that I truly enjoy. I can really feel the love she puts into preparing all these dishes.

Sweet and sour pork (10/10)

Yums! One of these days, I am gonna ask her how she did it. :P



Sweet and sour sauce (to go with the pork) - 9/10



Fried beancurd (9/10)



Xiao Bai Nai (7/10)

Just look at the way she presented her dish! Nice right? Though I've got a feeling it wasn't a deliberate effort. :P



Watercress Soup (9/10)

It's really tasty. When I asked her what seasonings she added, she actually said none! Must really watch her cook 'live' someday. :P



I am so glad that I had my dinner at my mummy's place today. I love you, Mummy!

Pork Chop

A1 Bak Kut Teh

My hub insisted that I should cook Bak Kut Teh using the ready-to-cook A1 Bak Kut Teh off the rack so that I can 'learn' how the 'correct' BKT taste like.

It turned out that the Bak Kut Teh I have cooked for the first time is even tastier than this ever-so-famous A1 Bak Kut Teh. I wonder what's the rave all about. :P The easy way out may not always be the way to go...

My hub agrees that this BKT is not that fantastic too. Poor thing, he still did not get to taste the Bak Kut Teh he likes.

It was much later that we learnt that there are actually two types of Bak Kut Teh in Singapore.

The Teochew coolies were the founders of this BKT with a lighter colour and is blander. It was the Hokkiens who follow suit and made modifications to it :P, to make it darker, more robust and with a strong taste of spice. He likes the former, and I like the latter.

That explains everything eh? I am a Hokkien and he is a Teochew. I like hokkien prawn mee, hokkien mee (it's different from hokkien prawn mee), whereas he likes teochew fishball mee. Before knowing that the the two types of soup are actually from two dialect group, we already have preference for the soup from our own dialect group. Amazing eh? It's IN us. :P

All along, I have been preparing the Hokkien style BKT. No wonder he complains. In any case, the version he likes is quite easy to prepare. Just spare ribs, garlic and salt! Maybe I should try it someday...

Chicken Baked Rice 2

Refer to the previous post. Added more cheese for my hub. Aww... just look at how nice the browned part of the cheese turned out to be... 'Cheesy'... :o~~~

Chicken Baked Rice

My hub is working overtime again today. I guess this gives me yet another opportunity to try a new dish. So what shall I cook with ingredients that were originally meant for a Chicken Cutlet Spaghetti meal? The title of this post says 'Chicken Baked Rice', so this has to be it. heh!

Notice how the chicken protrude out of the cheesy top? Try putting all the chicken slices (meant for two persons) into a single plate!



Surprisingly, the end product was pretty good and nothing like an 'experiment' to me. The rice was slightly on the saltish side (I shouldn't have stir-fried it with light soy sauce as the salt from the concentrated cream sauce will give it the necessary flavour it needs). Other than that, it was a yummy treat for me. :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of cooked rice
• Mixed vegetables (carrot, corn, peas)
• Sliced Chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup of mushroom cream sauce
• 1 cup of mozzarella cheese

Marinade

• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• Few drops of sesame oil
• dashes of pepper

Method
1) Cook the rice
2) Marinade the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes
3) Preheat oven to 200 degree celcius

While waiting for the preheating to complete,

4) Stir fry/blanch mixed vegetables and mix well with rice
5) Place the mixture of rice and vegetables in a casserole (or in my case, plate)

6) Spread 1/2 of cream sauce over the mixture
7) Stir-fry chicken pieces
8) Add chicken pieces on top
9) Spread remaining cream sauce
10) Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese generously to cover all the ingredients in the plate.
11) Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese turns to a beautiful brown.

Crispy Mock Meat

Vegetarian Congee

How to know I am cooking for myself only

1) I re-use utensils and bowls so that I don't need to wash additional ones later on. (My hub usually does the dish-washing)
2) I dump all the ingredients available into the pot to make it into a one-dish meal so that I can save on the effort and time on preparing different dishes
3) I am easy on the taste. Anything edible goes. :)
4) I... I don't care about the food presentation... pls see the photo below. :P

Bak Kut Teh

I didn't know I can cook BKT that I enjoy so much. The aroma was so strong and fragrant and the taste simply fantastic! Yums!



Ingredients

• Pork Spareribs

Marinade

• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp sugar

Mixture A

• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp preserved soya beans

Mixture B

• 2 segments star anise
• 1 inch piece of cinnamon bark
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dark soya sauce
• 1.5 litres of boiling water

Method

1. Marinade spareribs with pepper and salt
2. Add 3 tbsp oil to hot wok
3. Fry sparerib till it turns colour and remove from pan
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil and caramelize the sugar till light brown.
5. Add Mixture A and stir fry for 30 seconds
6. Add fried spareribs and Mixture B
7. Boil for 10 minutes in a thermal pot and transfer it into the thermal container to simmer.

Braised Pork with Onions

Ingredients

• Loin Pork
• 1 Large Onion
• 5 button mushrooms
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups water

Mixture

• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp wine
• Salt to taste

Seasonings

• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Dash of pepper

Method

1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil
2. Fry ginger and garlic till fragrant
3. Stir in onion
4. Add and cook pork till it changes colour
5. Add mixture and stir well
6. Transfer the dish to the thermal pot and heat for 15 minutes
7. Add seasonings before serving

Sambal Kang Kong (Ma Lai Feng Guang)

I cook this with a ready-made-sauce. Just heat the sauce and throw in the kang kong and you have a really delicious dish to go along with steamy white rice... :)



Hey, don't go yet. Hee! Although this is not home-cooked-food from scratch, but it is not as unhealthy as other ready-made sauces.

Ta-da! Allow me to introduce, Ah Hai's Shrimp Sauce! No preservatives, No colourings and no MSG! It comes with that Healthy Pyramid sign too!

Chye Sim (Cai Xin) Soup

I can't seem to find a decent recipe on Cai Xin Soup online. I couldn't find any either, on recipe books. I wonder why? It's such a popular soup in Tze Char stalls and a tasty one at that.

Nevertheless, I made an attempt using the 'cheater bug' method. I used an ikan bilis stock cube (that no-msg brand) as the soup base. It was not too bad, but not as flavourful as those in the Tze Char stalls.

Any better recipes to share, anyone?



Ingredients

• Chye sim
• Small corns
• Carrot
• Minced pork

Seasonings

• 1 Ikan bilis
• 1 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste

Method

1) Add ikan bilis cube to boiling water
2) Add all ingredients except chye sim
3) Add chye sim about 1 minute before switching off the fire
4) Add cooking wine, sugar and salt

Fried Meat Balls

This is the second time I am trying it and it still doesn't work. Anyone care to enlighten me with some recipes?

But erm... it looks pretty ok, eh? Love how the photo turned out. :D

Sweet and Sour Beancurd

Repeated dish. For my records.

Spicy French Beans

Fried Bee Hoon

Peanuts and Mock Ikan Bilis

The Ikan Bilis are actually fries potatos. Very crispy with a ka-zi ka-zi crunch. :D Bought it at Jurong Point vegetarian stall to go along with today's dishes. Serves as a good snack too. Anyone knows how to cook this dish? :P

Stir Fry Lettuce

Sweet and Sour Mock Chicken

Ok... I am repeating my recipes. Just want to keep it as a record for looking different. :)

Wanton Soup

I tell ya... the wantons are splendid! The prawns still taste fresh even though they have been frozen in my fridge for months. Wait a minute, did I say months? Fret not! Those are not the prawns I bought from the market... but ready made wanton. You know, the ready-to-cook ones? ;) heh! Getting lazy... but just want to introduce you this CP brand. Yep, the one that was advertised on TV...



Just add the powdered seasonings, maybe two tbsp of light soy sauce, a dash of pepper and top it up with some coriander or in my case, left over lettuce and you've got yourself a good soup to warm yourself up in cold days like this. ;)

Fried Egg Noodle

My hub didn't like it. :( I finished all the noodles on my plate, though. Ok, it wasn't fantastic, but hey! It wasn' that bad too! :P

But I guessed as much. My hub didn't even like our Kopitiam's savoury HK Mee, which I was full of praises for. Not to mention this is my first attempt on a fried noodle dish. Better luck next time! :)

Bittergourd Soup

"hmmm... this is nice" my hub commented as he tasted the soup in the pot that was still on the stove.

Trying to act like a food connoisseur, he added, "But there is something missing. I think you just need to add that something and it would taste like the one in kopitiam"

"Prawns lor", I immediately replied. In which, he responded 'ya ya ya'.

1) It does not make economical sense (cents) for me to buy prawns as I will only be cooking it on one day of the entire week.
2) I only need 2 or 3 of it and I guess nobody in the right mind would want to sell that pathetic number to me.
3) I don't like to handle prawns. Kinda scary to remove the legs and stuff, if you ask me. :P

In any case, I do believe that prawns play an important role in making this soup even tastier. So feel free to add it to the recipe below. :)

Ingredients

• 8 halves of Bittergourd
• Button mushrooms
• Corn cobs
• Sliced Carrot
• 1 Egg (beaten)
• 5 cups of water
• Ginger
• Mock Meat (optional)

Seasonings

• 1/2 tbsp concentrated chicken stock
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp seasme oil

Method

1) Add concentrated chicken stock and ginger to water and boil

2) Add carrot, mushroom, corn cobs and Mock Meat

3) Add bittergourd

4) Add the remaining seasonings except for sesame oil

5) While the soup is boiling, slowly pour the egg mixture in and stir

5) Add sesame oil 1 minute before switching off the fire and serve