BBQ Chicken Wings

As I was cleaning out my fridge today, I found cubes of McDonald's BBQ sauce dip. Not wanting to waste the sauce dip, I made BBQ Chicken Wings out of it. Instead of using it as a sauce dip, I used it as a marinate. 

This recipe is extremely easy. Honey is not necessary in this recipe as the BBQ sauce will caramelize the wings giving it the slightly charred taste.

Ingredients
4 chicken wings (separated into drumlets and wings)
1 McDonald's BBQ sauce dip
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 cap of shaoxing wine
A pinch of black pepper

Preparation
Marinate the chicken with oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, pepper and 1/2 of the BBQ sauce for at least 2 hours.
Place the marinated chicken wings into the toaster oven.
Brush the sides of the chicken wings that are facing up with BBQ sauce.
When the wings starts to brown, turn the the chicken wings to the other side and brush with BBQ sauce again.
Remove from oven when well-cooked and serve hot.

Stir-fry Beef with Oyster Sauce

Ingredients

450g of beef (sliced thinly)
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine
2 teaspoons of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of cornflour
Spring onions (chopped)

Preparation
Marinate the beef with soya sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine and cornflour for 20 minutes or more.
Stir fry the beef slices till slightly browned.
Add in the oyster sauce and mix well.
Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.

Blanched Chye Sim AKA 油菜

Green leafy vegetables are good for health. Especially essential for Mummies-to-be because green leafy vegetables contain folic acid.

Ingredients
1 packet of chye sim
1.5 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
A pinch of fried shallots

Preparation
Add a little oil and salt to a pot of boiling water.
Blanch the vegetables and arrange them on a plate.
Mix the oyster sauce, sugar and 1/3 cup of water and bring it to a boil.
Pour the cooked sauce over the vegetables.
Garnish with fried shallots before serving.

* Alternatively, you can also pour the oyster sauce directly from the bottle onto the chye sim.

Claypot Chicken Rice

Also known as 瓦煲鸡饭，it is typically served with Chinese sausage and vegetables. More often than not, the rice is cooked in the claypot first and cooked ingredients like diced chicken and Chinese sausage are added in later. Traditionally, the cooking is done over a charcoal stove, giving the dish a distinctive flavor. Some places serve it with dark soya sauce and also dried salted fish. Salted fish enhances the taste of the claypot chicken rice, depending on the diner's preference. - Wiki

This one dish meal is one of my favourite comfort food. I often cook this dish at home but using a rice cooker. The only disappointment about this homecooked claypot chicken rice is the lack of a crispy, slightly burnt layer of rice at the bottom of the pot. I miss those crunchy rice bits. That is like the soul to a yummy claypot chicken rice. Whenever we have traditional claypot rice when dining out, my husband and I would fight for the crispy layer of rice till every last bit is being scraped off the claypot. But on the other hand, home-cooked claypot rice is much softer making it the perfect food for my toddler. :)

Ingredients
200g of rice
approximately 220ml of water (40-60ml lesser than the usual amount of water)
1 pair of Chinese sausage (sliced diagonally)
300g of chicken (cut into bite-size pieces)
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of sweet soya sauce
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
1.5 tablespoons of rice wine
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
Pepper

Preparation
Marinate the chicken with oyster sauce, soya sauces, rice wine, sesame oil and a dash of pepper for at least an hour.
Cook the washed rice in a rice cooker.
Place the chicken together with the marinade and the sausages on top of the rice when it is half-cooked.
Stir well when all the ingredients are cooked.
Finish with a drizzle of dark soya sauce. (optional)
Serve hot.

Stir-fry Cellophane Noodles AKA 炒冬粉

Cellophane noodles are usually used in stir-fry as the noodles do not have much flavor in them. Another important factor is they tend to pick up the taste of other ingredients and absorb the sauce very well. Thus, creating a flavorful stir-fry.

They are widely used in Chinese, Thai and other Asian cuisines. Other than in stir-fries, the noodles are also used in broths, spring rolls and salads etc.

But I've read from the Net that cellophane noodles are quite high in carbohydrates and doesn't have a lot of nutritional value. Yet another sinful indulgence. 

Ingredients
50g of cellophane noodles
25g of carrots (cut into thin strips)
75g of cabbage (cut into strips)
2 Chinese mushrooms (pre-soaked and sliced)
50g of chicken (sliced)
1 egg (beaten)
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of sambal belacan chili
100ml of water

Preparation
In a bowl, soak the cellophane noodles with tap water.
Drain away the water when the noodles are softened and set aside.
Fry the beaten egg and remove from heat when cooked.
Cut the omelette into strips and set aside.
Stir fry the carrots, mushrooms, chicken and cabbage in the oiled pan.
Add in oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, belacan chili and 100ml of water.
Stir and mix well.
Return omelette strips and cellophane noodles into the pan.
Turn heat off and toss until all ingredients are well coated with the sauce.
Garnish with sliced red chili. (optional)
Serve immediately.

Spicy Minced Pork

I just realised I haven't done much updating on my food blog. My last post was like more than 1/2 a month ago. BUT, there's Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year Eve, New Year and a fun-filled wedding. Funny and cute couple. Even the groom's daddy is humorous. Though I only had a brief conversation with him, but it was enlightening.

Ahem. As I was saying with so many events, I can hardly make time to blog. Haiz. I have to admit I'm getting a bit lazy on updating my blog nowadays as well.

I shall list updating my food blog more often as one of my many New Year's Resolutions for 2010. ^^

Hope I am not too late in wishing everyone all the best and a great year in 2010! Lastly, sharing the recipe for Spicy Minced Meat as follows:

Ingredients
150g of minced pork
100g of long beans (chopped)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of sambal chili
Dash of black pepper

Preparation
Stir fry sambal chili till fragrant before adding in the minced meat.
Continue to stir fry till meat half-cooked.
Add in the soya sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and black pepper.
Stir well and add in the chopped long beans.
Remove from heat when the long beans are cooked.
Garnish with chopped chili before serving. (optional)

Bunashimeji & Black Pepper Chicken Pasta

May I present to you my new creation - Bunashimeji & Black Pepper Chicken Pasta 

I would say it's quite a nice dish if you ask me. Mushrooms, good. Chicken, good. Pasta, good. What 's there not to love about this dish? Sounds like Joey in Friends? Haha.

If you are concerned about the mild bitter taste of the bunashimeji, your worries are unfounded. The bitterness disappears completely upon cooking.

Ingredients
120g of preferred pasta
50g of chicken (sliced)
75g of bunashimeji (cleaned)
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of black pepper sauce
60ml of low-fat milk
Black pepper
Butter

Preparation
Cook pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
Drain and set aside.
Melt a small knob of butter in a heated pan.
Stir fry the garlic till slightly browned.
Add in the chicken.
Stir and toss in bunashimeji when chicken is just cooked.
Add in oyster sauce, black pepper sauce and a dash of black pepper.
Mix well and pour in the milk.
Bring to a boil, simmer and turn heat off when the mushrooms soften.
Return pasta to the pan and toss well.
Serve immediately.

Braised Dried Oysters with Chinese Mushrooms

Been procrastinating on the posting of this recipe. Well, not exactly the recipe itself but rather the photos. Can you tell the mushrooms and dried oysters apart? Everything is so dark in color! I didn't add black moss in because it was a last minute dish and I have ran out of them. But even if I did, I doubt the moss will be visible in the picture. T.T

Anyway, I think the photos are doing this dish a great disservice. It might not look appealing here but it's absolutely delicious. This dish is quite common among the Cantonese who usually cook this during the Chinese New Year as the ingredients sound auspicious in Cantonese’s pronunciation.

Ingredients
8 chinese mushrooms (stems removed)
6 dried oysters
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
Sesame oil
Cornstarch

Preparation
Soak the dried oysters for 15 minutes and the dried chinese mushrooms till soften and squeeze out excess water.
Add oyster sauce and sugar to 400ml of water.
Bring everything to a boil and toss in the mushrooms and oysters.
Simmer for another 30-45 minutes.
Add in a few drops of sesame oil followed by cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Ready to serve.

Deep Fried Egg Tofu

Ingredients
2 rolls of egg tofu (cut into about 1" in thickness)
1.5 tablespoons of mixed veggies
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Cornstarch

Preparation
Deep fry the tofu till they turn into a nice golden brown.
Remove from heat and set aside to drain away excess oil.
Dissolve oyster sauce and sugar in 1/2 cup of water.
Bring to a boil and add in the mixed veggies.
Add in cornstarch slowly to thicken the gravy.
Pour gravy over tofu and serve hot.

Stir-fry Beef with Ginger & Spring Onion

This recipe is all about speed. Take too much time and the beef gets overcooked.

The first time I was trying out this recipe, I was very jittery at the stove. Nearly knocked the bowls and ingredients over. My first attempt resulted in rubbery beef. But after several practices, now it takes about 7 minutes to complete the dish with the beef just cooked.

Ingredients
200g of beef (thinly sliced)
25g of ginger (sliced)
1-2 stalks of spring onions (cut into length of about 3" long)
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cap of shaoxing wine

Preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
Pan fry the ginger slices till edges start to brown or fragrant.
Add in the beef and stir fry till semi-cooked.
Toss in the spring onions.
Add in oyster sauce and sugar.
Using medium high heat, stir fry everything and add in shaoxing wine.
Turn heat off when beef is cooked.
Serve hot.

* Substitute beef with pig liver and you get - Stir-fry Pig Liver with Ginger & Spring Onion.

Stir-fry Tofu with Shimeji Mushrooms and Dried Scallop

Ingredients
300g of silken tofu (cut into cubes)
100g of shimeiji mushrooms (cleaned)
30g of dried scallop (soaked, break into strands)
1 stalk of spring onion
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
280ml of water
Cornstarch

Preparation
Stir fry the mushrooms and scallop in an oiled pan.
Add in oyster sauce, sugar and water.
Stir to mix well.
Add in the tofu.
Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 5 minutes or so.
Thicken gravy with cornstarch.
Sprinkle with spring onions before serving.

Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms & Black Fungus

Ingredients

8 pieces of chicken (I used drumlets and mid-joints)
2 large chinese mushrooms (soaked in water and cut into thin strips)
2 large black fungus (soaked in water and cut into thin strips)
1 small red chili (cut into strips or chopped)
1 slice of ginger (cut into thin strips)
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 capful of shaoxing wine

Preparation
Marinate the chicken with oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and shaoxing wine for about 2 hours.
Sprinkle mushrooms, fungus, ginger and red chili on top of the marinated chicken.
Steam for 30 minutes over medium high heat.
Serve hot.

Stir-fry Enoki Mushrooms AKA 炒金针菇

Enoki Mushrooms are crunchy and mildly fruity, without the earthy flavor of other mushrooms.

Medicinal Benefits: These mushrooms can fight liver disease and gastroenteric ulcers. Plus, they're anti-tumor, antibiotic and good for the immune system. (courtesy of Sixwise.com)

Ingredients
1 packet of enoki mushrooms (roots trimmed off)
50g of chicken fillet (cut into thin strips, about 3" long and 1/2 cm wide)
1/3 of a carrot (cut into thin strips, about 3" long and 1/2 cm wide)
3 chinese mushrooms (pre-soaked and cut into thin strips, about 1/2 cm wide)
(I used 3 because mine are small in size. If yours are the larger ones, 1-2 should be sufficient)
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 cap of shaoxing wine
Sesame oil to taste

Preparation
Stir fry the chicken over medium low heat in an oiled pan.
Add in the chinese mushrooms and carrots when the chicken is half-cooked.
Cook for a minute or so before adding in the enoki mushrooms.
Stir well.
Mix oyster sauce, sugar and around 1/3 cup of water together.
Pour into the pan and bring everything to a boil.
Add shaoxing wine and a few drops of sesame oil before turning off the heat.
Mix well and serve hot.

Stir-fry Broccoli with Prawns

Ingredients
1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 broccoli
5-6 prawns (shells removed & devined)
1.5 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar

Preparation
Stir fry the garlic in a oiled pan.
Add in the broccoli when the garlic turns fragrant.
Add in the prawns when the broccoli is semi-cooked.
Mix the oyster sauce, sugar and around 1/2 cup of water together.
Pour into the pan and bring everything to a boil over medium low heat. (keep lid covered if you prefer your broccoli to be softer)
Ready to serve.

Deep Fried Egg Tofu II

Ingredients
1 roll of egg tofu (cut into about 1" in thickness)
50g of minced pork
2 large prawns (halved)
2 chinese mushrooms (pre-soaked and sliced)
Few slices of carrot
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
Cornstarch

Preparation
Deep fry egg tofu till golden brown.
Remove from heat and set aside to drain away excess oil.
Stir fry minced meat over low heat.
Toss in the carrots, chinese mushrooms and prawns when the minced meat is semi-cooked.
Stir fry everything for another minute or so before adding in oyster sauce, sugar and 100ml of water .
Bring to a boil.
Add in cornstarch slowly to thicken the gravy.
Arrange the tofu on a serving plate.
Pour gravy over tofu and serve hot.