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