THERMAL COOKER - GINGKO NUT CHICKEN PORRIDGE

Some facts about Gingko Tree - regarded as the symbol of longevity, love, bearer or hope and the immeasurable past.  A sacred tree of the east, commonly planted in temple gardens, near shrines and worshipped like God in Japan and China.

Some facts about Gingko Nut - has many health attributes such as: improves brain function by increasing brain cell ability to make use of glucose, thereby improving brain nerve cell transmission, - a tonic to increase sexual energy and when cooked is said to stabilise sperm production, - used as an astringent for heart and lungs, asthma and for regulating urinary frequency, diarrhoea, skin disease, fever and many ailments [information obtained from my selected cookbook for this month Cookbook Countdown Event#6 - Home Cooking June 2001 issue].

Here is a therapeutic and flavoursome savoury porridge using Gingko nut from the cookbook.  A nutritious porridge for light meal.

Recipe slightly modified.

Ingredients

[serves 3]

150 gm fragrant rice - washed and drained

1/4 tsp oil + 1/2 tsp salt

1-2 sticks dried beancurd [foo chook]

30 gingko nuts - shelled and skinned

1/2 dried squids - washed or 50 gm small scallops [soaked 1 hour before use]

1 chicken whole leg - cut bite size pieces

1.5 - 1.8 litres water

salt, msg and pepper to taste

1. Marinate rice with salt and oil for 20 minutes or more.
2. Soak foo chook until soft and break into smaller pieces.
3. Bring water to boil with rice in the inner pot for 10 minutes or until rice grains are soft.  Add in the remaining ingredients, bring to boil.
4. Add seasoning to taste, cover pot with lid and transfer to outer pot of Thermal cooker, close cover and leave it to cook for 1 hour or so.
5. Serve hot in individual bowls with some chopped spring onions.
6. If using normal pot, combine rice and other ingredients with water.  Bring to boil, then lower heat and let it simmer for 1-2 hours or until rice grains swell with the ends blossomed out.  Texture should be smooth.  Serve hot.

I am sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by 

Kitchen Flavours and Emily's Cooking (Makan2) Foray

CRISPY TEMPEH FRITTERS

What is tempeh?  According to my mere knowledge of tempeh, its origin is from Indonesia.  Made from soybeans into a cake by natural culturing and fermentation.

It is firm in texture and high in nutrition,  widely as a staple source of protein in vegetarian cuisine.  Tempeh keeps well in room temperature for 2-3 days. Was told not to keep it in the refrigerator which is moist and damp.  

I have used it to cook curries and in several vegetarian dishes.  Here, it is coated with batter and deep fried until crispy and serve with a sweet, sour and spicy dipping sauce.

These fritters makes a great snack for afternoon tea and best to eat them right after frying while still hot.

Ingredients

2 pieces [250 gm] tempeh [fermented soybean cake]

1 tbsp each chopped red chilli and spring onion

Batter [combined into a batter]

100 gm seasoned all purpose flour [spicy or non-spicy]

sugar to taste

2 tbsp oil

water

Dipping Sauce [combined]

2 tbsp chilli sauce

2 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp plum sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

dash of salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Combine batter ingredients into a runny consistency.  
2. Cut tempeh into bite size pieces.  
3. Heat up oil until just hot.  Dip tempeh slices into batter and deep fry until crispy and golden in colour.
4. Dish up and drain off excess oil.
5. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.

EZCR#59 - FRIED STREAKY PORK IN APPLE CIDER VINEGAR SAUCE

Sometimes it is good to have in hand a variety of sauces that is easy to prepare to go with fried meat [poultry or pork etc].  This sauce is an easy sauce which is suitable for fried pork fillet or fried chicken and the common ingredients like Apple Cider Vinegar, soy sauce, wine, sugar and pepper are available in most kitchens.

This dish looks simple yet it taste awesome, appetising and tasty to serve with rice.  I ate more rice with this dish which tastes sourish, sweet and savoury.  The mushrooms and pork fillets are full of flavours and aromatic.

Ingredients

200 gm streaky pork fillet - cut 2 inch lengths

4-6 dried mushrooms - soaked, drained and keep whole

1 tbsp each of chopped garlic, red chillies and spring onions

Seasoning Sauce [combined]

2 tbsp each Apple Cider Vinegar, light soy sauce and wine

1 tsp sugar to taste

dash of pepper

1. Marinate pork pieces with some light soy sauce.
2. Heat up a non-stick wok without oil, pan fry streaky pork fillet and dried mushrooms until brown and fragrant.
3. Remove excess oil from the pan,  saute garlic until fragrant.  Pour in combined sauce and add in 100 ml water.
4. Bring sauce to boil with fried ingredients.  Lower heat and braise until sauce is thick or reduced.  Add in spring onions and red chillies.
5. Dish up and serve with rice.
   
   
   
    
   

Note: Increase the sauce ingredients if you are cooking a bigger portion of meat.

EZCR#58 - SESAME OIL CHICKEN RICE

This is a homey yet delicious rice dish which I tried for a One Dish Meal.  The original recipe uses glutinous rice which I have substituted with Calrose rice [the type used for cooking Sushi rice].

Calrose rice is short grain rice, it is moist and sticky [when cooked] but not as sticky as glutinous rice which makes it a good substitute for the dish.  So it is good news for those who does not eat glutinous rice to try this sesame oil chicken rice with Calrose rice.

This sesame oil chicken rice [Mua Eu  Kay P'ng] is aromatic and tasty.  Love the rice grains that looked so distinct, soft and moist.

Ingredients

[serves 2]

1 cup Calrose rice - cooked as normal, fluff up and cooled

1 deboned chicken whole leg - cut small pieces

2 dried mushrooms - soaked and diced

15 slices old ginger

1 tbsp wolfberries [kei chee or goji]

some chopped spring onions

2 tbsp sesame seed oil

Seasoning

2 tbsp each or light soy sauce and wine

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/4 tsp sugar

dash of pepper

50-70 ml water

1. Heat up a non-stick wok, add sesame seed oil and ginger slices.  Fry until ginger is aromatic and slightly crispy at the edges or golden brown.
2. Add in chicken and mushrooms, fry until chicken is brown.  Add in light soy sauce and wine, stir fry to mix well, then add in remaining seasoning, water and goji.  Bring to boil until sauce is slightly reduced.
3. Lower heat, add in cooked rice, stir and toss until well combined and sauce is well soaked up by the rice.
4. Scoop into individual bowls.  Invert onto serving plate.  Garnish with chopped spring onions.  Serve immediately.

THERMAL COOKER - PEARS, WHITE FUNGUS SWEET DESSERT

Another lovely sweet dessert which I prepared using my Thermal Cooker.  Again, it is so easy that I just leave it to cook without having to watch over the stove after boiling the ingredients for a specific time.  Cooking it this way, the water does not vapourised yet the ingredients especially the white fungus are soft and smooth.  

I boiled the ingredients for a longer time as there are the sweet and bitter almonds in this dessert.  Love the nuts which is crunchy and the pears tender.  The sweetness is just nice.

 It can be served warm or chilled as a refreshing and tasty dessert after a spicy meal.  My niece ate this and gives a Thumbs Up.  

Ingredients

2 Chinese pears - skinned and cut wedges or big cubes
2 florets white fungus - soaked and break into smaller florets
10 red dates
20 gm lum  hung [sweet almonds]
20 gm pak hung [bitter almonds]
1-2 tbsp wolfberries [kei chee]
2-3 blades screwpine [pandan] leaves

2 litres water

140 gm rock sugar

1. Place white fungus and almonds in the inner pot with water, bring to boil for 20 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients, boil for a further 20 minutes.
2. Cover with lid and transfer to outer pot. Leave to cook for a further 1 hour or so. 
3. Serve immediately or bring to boil again before serving, or chilled in the fridge.
4. Ladle into individual bowls to serve.
   
   
   
   

Note - the sweet and bitter almonds are available from Chinese Medical shop

STEAMED BLACK SESAME YAM PAUS

I had some leftover yam paste filling from my Baked Yam Buns.  Instead of baking another batch of baked buns, I used the yam paste filling to make these steamed buns.

These buns are soft, light, fluffy and chewy [QQ].  It's aromatic with the addition of black sesame powder.  A workable combination of yam with black sesame.

Filling - Yam Paste [from here]

Ingredients for Filling 
[half portion of this recipe is enough to make these paus]
300 gm yam
100 gm sugar
50 ml thick coconut milk [you can use dairy whipping cream]
a pinch of salt

1. Steam yam until soft.  Mash it into a paste while still hot.  Transfer to a non-stick wok, add in sugar, coconut cream and a pinch of salt. 
2. Stir over low heat until dry but still moist.  When the paste leaves the side of wok clean, it is ready.  Dish up and leave to cool before use.

Ingredients for Pau Dough

[makes 16 paus]

350 gm pau flour sifted together with 1 tsp double action baking powder
2 tbsp black sesame powder

Mix together - 200 ml lukewarm water, 40 gm caster sugar and 1/4 tsp vinegar

1 tsp instant yeast

1 tbsp shortening

1-2 tbsp some toasted black sesame seeds

Using a Dough Mixer or Hand Knead

1. Combine all the ingredients [except shortening] in a mixing bowl.  Knead until soft [about 5-10 minutes].  Then add in the shortening, continue to knead until soft, smooth and elastic [very important step].
2. Shape into a ball and cover to rest for about 20-30 minutes or until double in size.
3. Punch down dough and remove dough to a floured surface, divide into 2 round balls.   Then divide each ball into 8 equal portions. Shape each into a ball, then roll into flat circle [the number depends on the capacity of your steamer, for mine I made 8 at a time].
4. Wrap filling with each flatten dough.  Gather the edges and shape into pleated paus or round balls.  Place on parchment or greased proof  paper in the steaming tray.
5. Leave to prove for 15 - 20 minutes.
6. Steam over high heat for 10 minutes in a steamer.  Off heat and leave paus for a further 3 minutes before uncovering to cool on rack. This is to prevent wrinkle, rough skin [sometimes  they may be a little wrinkle - probably because of proofing time but the texture is unaffected].

These paus were given to my mother and mother in-law.  I have forgotten to take some shots on the cross section of this pau when I tried one.