EZCR#36 - STIR FRY BITTERGOURD WITH SHREDDED MEAT

A Chinese dish. Good serve with rice or porridge. The blanched bitter gourd pieces are crunchy with a bite and not bitter at all. The marinated pork strips are tasty and tender. 

It is so easy to prepare this dish yet awesome.

Ingredients

[serves 3-4]

200 gm bittergourd – washed, halved and scrape off the white pith with a metal spoon and cut slantwise

150 gm tender pork meat – cut strips and marinate with 1 tbsp each of light soy sauce, wine and cornstarch, mix well

1 red chilli – seeded and sliced

1 stalk spring onions – cut 1 inch length

50 ml water

Seasoning

1 tbsp preserved soy bean paste

1 tbsp each of light soy sauce and wine

Dash of msg [optional] or sugar

1. Bring some water to boil. Blanch bittergourd for awhile until it turns bright green. Drain.
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick wok, stir fry marinated pork strips until cooked through [best to use a pair cooking chopsticks], push aside add in red chilli and some spring onions. Stir fry until aromatic. Add in blanched bittergourd and seasoning ingredients.
3. Stir fry to mix ingredients and add in water. Let it boil and dish up to serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   

EZCR#35 - MEAT, EGG AND YAMBEAN PORRIDGE

This is not the thick and mushy type of porridge. The rice is grainy but soft and the broth is a little soupy for the Chinese crullers to soak it up. It is a very simple and easy porridge to prepare and the yambean cubes stay crunchy.

A homey porridge for the family, serve with a simple stir fry vegetables makes it a complete easy meal.  Love this easy meal which is perfect for busy days.

Ingredients

[serves 4]

1 ½ cups rice

2 litres water

200 gm yam bean – cubed

150 gm pork meat – cut strips

1 large egg [I used duck egg] – lightly beaten

Some chopped coriander and spring onions

Some crispy fried garlic

1 piece Chinese crullers [Eu Char Koay/Yutiao] – cut small pieces [click here on how to fry soft crullers till crispy]

Seasoning

2 tsp salt

½ tsp chicken stock granules or msg

½ tsp pepper

2 tbsp cooking wine

1. Marinate meat strips with 1 tsp light soy sauce, wine, dash of pepper and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
2. Boil rice with water in a big pot. Add in yam bean cubes and salt when the water boils. Cook until rice is soft over medium heat [about 30 minutes].
3. Add in marinated meat to cook, stir to mix well. Pour in beaten egg and do not stir until after cooking for 10 seconds.
4. Lastly add in msg, pepper and wine to taste.
5. Scoop porridge into individual bowls to serve yutiao, fried garlic, chopped coriander and spring onions.
   
   
   
   
   
   

YEZILIN COFFEE COTTONY CAKE [OGURA CAKE]

My neighbor was back from Shen Zhen, China and gave me a pack of instant beverage mix.  As usual, I will use it to bake cakes especially Ogura and chiffon cakes.

The cake has all the aroma of the beverage drink, soft, moist, spongy and light.  Made this for a gathering.  Easy and good.  So if you do happen to have too many of these instant beverage mix that you aren't drinking, perhaps you can use them for baking cakes.

Ingredients for Egg Yolk Mixture

[use lined  9" square tin]
65 gm superfine flour - sifted

1/4 tsp salt

5 egg yolks

1 whole egg

60 ml corn oil

3 sachets 3 in 1 [15 gm/sachet] Yezilin Coffee dissolve with 80 ml hot water - set aside to cool

1. Place the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and make well in the centre.  Add in eggs, corn oil and coffee milk mixture.  Using a paddle hook, beat ingredients until creamy and well combined.   Set aside. 
2. Pour 1 and 1/2 cups water into baking tray, place baking rack on the tray and  preheat oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

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 and whisk 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 batter into a 9" square tin [line base with baking paper at the bottom only]. 
4. Smooth the surface with a spatula and steam bake in oven at 160 degrees C for 10 minutes, lower heat to 150 degrees C and bake for a further 55-60 minutes.  [Note: for the water bath, use 1 and 1/2 cups water for the duration of baking.  This way the cake base will not be soggy after baking].
5. Invert the cake after baking on a wire rack and let it cool slightly [about 5 minutes] before removing the pan and baking paper [there maybe some vapour on the baking paper].
6. Cool cake completely before slicing to serve or refrigerate before slicing to serve later.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

EZCR#34 - ANG CHOW CHICKEN WITH ERYNGII MUSHROOMS

This Chinese dish I was told is a healthy dish, especially good for our blood vessels. Ang Chow [red rice wine residue] is supposed to regulate cholesterol in the blood. Looks like we can enjoy this chicken dish without worries….

Both the chicken and mushrooms are tasty and flavourful with the seasonings. Tasted savoury, a little sourish and aromatic. Appetisingly good to serve with steaming hot rice.

If using a non-stick wok, no oil is needed to cook this dish.

Ingredients

[serves 3]

2-3 pieces deboned chicken thighs – cut bite size pieces

1 packet eryngii mushrooms – cut 1 cm rounds

1 stalk spring onions – cut 1 inch lengths

2 cloves garlic - sliced

1 red chilli – seeded and cut

Seasoning

1 tbsp each of Ang Chow, light soy sauce, cooking wine and apple cider vinegar

¼ tsp sugar

1. Marinade – 1 tbsp cooking wine, dash of salt and pepper and 1 tsp cornstarch.
2. Marinate chicken pieces with marinade for 30 minutes.
3. Heat up a non-stick wok without oil, pan fry mushrooms until water oozes out and lightly brown. Dish up.
4. Using the same wok, pan fry chicken pieces [skin side down first] until golden brown, flip over to fry the meat side until cook through using the fats released from the chicken skin.
5. Add in garlic, red chilli and some spring onions. Fry until aromatic. Return fried mushrooms into wok, stir fry to mix then add in seasoning.
6. Continue to fry until almost dry. Lastly add in balance spring onion. Stir to mix and dish up to serve.