WINTER MELON CHICKEN SOUP

November seems to be a good month for young couples tying the knot before the end of 2015. There were many wedding invitations received, can say every weekend there have been wedding dinners to attend. Having eaten too much, I started looking back at my collection of recipes, trying to find some easy, light, simple, healthy yet delicious dishes to cook during the week days.
I have tried several and will be sharing some easy home cooked dishes here and hope you may find these recipes useful if you happened to be facing the same situation as me.
This clear soup is very homey with just 2 main ingredients yet it is most welcome for dinner at home. It can be double-boiled or just cook it in a soup pot or claypot like I did. It is quick to cook, too.

Ingredients
[serves 3-4]
200 gm winter melon – peeled and fibrous material and seeds removed – cut big chunks
3 chicken wings [or 300 gm chicken thigh] – cut bite size pieces
5-6 red dates
1 small piece dried cuttlefish or 2 dried scallops
½ tbsp white peppercorns – crushed
2 cloves garlic
700-800 ml water
Dash of msg and ½ tsp salt to taste

1. Blanch chicken pieces in hot water and rinsed.
2. Put all ingredients in soup pot or porcelain tureen of double boiler. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20-30 minutes until chicken and melon are tender [If using double boiler, it takes about 1 hour].
3. Taste to fine tune seasoning.
   
   

Tips: If using a slow cooker – it takes about 1 – 1 ¼ hours with medium low heat.

STEAMED BANANA CAKE

Here is an easy steamed banana cake recipe....  I had jotted down this recipe from somewhere in my little notebook but forgotten to write down the source. Sorry if this is your recipe, please notify me so that I can link it to yours. I can’t remember whether it is from a printed media or blog.

Anyway, this steamed banana cake turned out well. It is soft, moist but not dense, has the fragrance of the cinnamon that blends well with banana flavour.  The sweetness is acceptable to me. By the way, I used the Cavendish bananas which I bought from Tesco.

With this recipe you can get to enjoy banana cake, steamed instead of baked or even replace the oily fried banana cake [ kuih kolok].

Ingredients

[use a 6 inch square baking tin or aluminium foil tray]

3 eggs

60-80 gm brown sugar

1/8 tsp salt

65 ml corn oil

200 gm mashed bananas

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp Rum

100 gm plain flour

1 tsp each of baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder

1. Prepare steamer and greased baking tin.
2. Sieve flour, baking powder, soda and cinnamon powder together, set aside.
3. Whisk eggs, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the corn and continue to whisk until well combined. Add in mashed bananas, mix well.
4. Fold in the sifted ingredients lightly until well combined.
5. Pour batter into baking pan and steamed over medium high heat for 20 minutes. Test with a skewer , if it comes out clean then the cake is done.
6. Remove to cool on wire rack before slicing to serve.
   
   
   
   
   

BAKED CHICKEN PARCELS

These days, I am using fuss-free ways of preparing tasty, delicious food in my kitchen. Remember the Baked Nam Yee Spare Ribs, Baked Spicy Nyonya Chicken and Baked Pandan Chicken? These are normally prepared by deep frying method.  If these can be baked and yet taste as yummy as fried ones why not for Fried Chicken Parcels [Chi Pau Kai]. Moreover, it is so much healthier and the flavours are well infused in the meat instead of diffusing into the oil.

The baked chicken wrapped with greased proof paper is tender, moist, aromatic and very tasty. I served it with mashed potatoes and a vegetable dish. This makes a complete meal for a carefree Sunday dinner.

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No. 89 [modified]

Ingredients

[serves 3]

3 pieces deboned chicken whole leg with skin – trim off excess fats

3 pieces greased proof paper [15”x15”]

Marinade

1 tbsp each grated ginger, garlic, small onions and Shaoxing wine

2 tbsp each light soy sauce and oyster sauce

1 tsp each dark soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil

¼ - ½ tsp salt to taste

1. Marinate chicken pieces with marinade for at least 3 hours or overnight in the fridge.
2. Take a piece of greased proof paper, place a piece of marinated chicken whole leg in the centre and wrap up like a parcel, staple to whole the edges.
3. Arrange parcels in a baking tray.
4. Baked in preheated oven at 210 degrees C for 20 minutes or until cooked through. 
5. Remove from oven and serve with mashed potatoes or rice, buns and fried vegetables or fresh salad.
   
   

 Click here for other Roast Meat Recipes

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #28 [November 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

FRIED PORK TENDERLOIN IN SZECHUAN SAUCE

This is a very easy dish to prepare yet surprisingly delicious and tasty with rice.

The meat is fragrant and well coated with the tasty, sourish sweet sauce. Even the ginger slices are tasty.

A quick stir fry dish that can be done within minutes.

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No. 67 [modified]
Ingredients
[serves 3]
300 gm pork tenderloin [Li Chi Rou] – thinly sliced
30 gm sliced ginger
1 red chilli – sliced stalk spring onions – cut 1 inch length
1 tbsp oil
Seasoning [combined]
2 tbsp each light soy sauce, black vinegar, shaoxing wine 
1 tbsp each ginger juice and sugar
¼ tsp salt to taste

1. Heat oil in a non-stick wok, sauté sliced ginger until aromatic. Add in sliced pork and stir fry over high heat until cooked and brown.
2. Pour in the seasoning sauce , add in red chilli and some water. 
3. Stir fry and braise until sauce is almost dry and coats the meat well. 
4. Lastly add in spring onions. Stir to mix and dish up to serve with rice.
   
   
   
   
   

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #28 [November 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

BAKED PANDAN CHICKEN

Honestly, I do not fancy Fried Pandan Chicken. I find them loaded with too much oil and the oil used to fry them must be discarded – too wasteful. Then, I came across this version of Pandan Chicken using baking method. Instead of cutting the chicken into small pieces then wrap with pandan leaves, I used deboned whole chicken leg, baked in foil with several pandan leaves at the bottom and top.

The nice fragrance of pandan is so aromatic while the chicken is baking in the oven. The baked pandan chicken was awesome with the fragrance of the spices that blend well with the pandan and tasty good. The meat texture is soft and moist.

Now I can enjoy fragrant Pandan Chicken minus the oil. This dish has no oil added at all, a much, much healthy version.

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No. 89 [modified]

Ingredients

[serves 3]

3 pieces deboned chicken whole leg [with skin] – trim off excess fats

5-6 pandan leaves

Marinade [Blend and Mix]

10 shallots – peeled

6 pips garlic – peeled

1 lemongrass – sliced

1 tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp white pepper

1 tsp kunyit powder

1 tsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp fish sauce 

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp oil [I omit]

1. Marinate chicken pieces with marinade for at least 3 hours or overnight.
2. Line a baking pan with foil, top with some pandan leaves. Place marinated chicken pieces on top in single layer. Top with extra pandan leaves, cover with foil.
3. Baked in preheated oven at 200-220 degrees C for 30 minutes. Uncover foil on the last 10 minutes, change oven mode to grill and grill chicken for about 10 minutes to brown them.
4. Remove from oven and serve with rice and fried vegetables or corn.
   
   
   
   

Click here for other Roast Meat Recipes

I am submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #28 [November 2015] hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

LEMONY MANGO YOGHURT COTTONY CAKE [OGURA CAKE]

Baked the Sicilian Orange Cake the other day which uses butter.  My family [especially my elders] prefer cottony cakes. They say it is soft, moist, light and fluffy and best of all the cake does not have the 'choking feeling' when eating it compared to butter cakes. 
I personally feel the same and this is a much healthier cake compared to butter cakes cos' it's low in sugar, fats and flour.  This cake texture is cottony soft and has a tangy taste cos' of the mango, lemon zest and juice. 

Ingredients for Egg Yolk Mixture

65 gm superfine flour - sifted

1/4 tsp salt

5 egg yolks

1 whole egg

45-60 ml corn oil [3-4 tbsp]

85 ml mango yoghurt 

1 tsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon

1. Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make well in the centre.  Add in eggs, corn oil, lemon juice, zest and yoghurt.  Using a paddle hook, beat ingredients until creamy and well combined.  Set aside.  Preheat oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes with a water bath [use 1 1/2 cups water for the water bath].
   
   

Ingredients for Egg White Mixture
5 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
65 gm castor sugar

1. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg white until frothy, add in cream of tartar until slightly foamy.  Add in sugar in 3 batches.  Whisk until soft to stiff peaks formed.
2. Using a spatula, fold in 1/2 of the meringue into egg yolk mixture.  Lift and fold until well combined, then add to rest of meringue.  Fold again until well mix.
3. Pour into a 8" square tin [greased lightly the sides with corn oil and lined base with baking paper at the bottom only].
4. Smooth the surface by shaking the pan lightly side ways and steam bake in oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes, then for 50 minutes at 140-150 degrees C.
5. Invert the cake after baking  and let it cool before removing the baking paper.   
6. Cool cake before slicing to serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Notes:

- can be served chilled 

- keeps well in an airtight container refrigerated.

I'm submitting this post  to the Little Thumbs Up (November 2015 Event: Mango) organized by Zoe (Bake for Happy Kids) and Mui Mui (My Little Favourite DIY) and hosted by Jozelyn Ng (Spice Up My Kitchen).