Black Pepper Rib Pasta

I had Black Pepper Rib Pasta at Pizza Hut the other day. Rib was alright, the pasta was so-so. I only tasted the spiciness of the black pepper sauce. Not much of other flavors. If I were to order a pasta dish off the menu from Pizza Hut again, I will most probably skip the Black Pepper Rib Pasta and order something else instead.

As bad as it might sound, this dish has its allure. I actually find myself craving for Black Pepper Rib Pasta at times. Maybe it's due to the fact that I cannot live without my chili and spices. Food that causes me to tear and sniffle usually keeps me going back for more.

Ingredients
100g of preferred pasta
100g of prime rib
50g of bell pepper (chopped)
2 tablespoons of black pepper sauce
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
100ml of water

Preparation
Marinate prime ribs with soya sauce and sugar for an hour or more.
Cook pasta according to the instructions at the back of the packaging.
Set aside and drain.
Grill marinated ribs till well browned.
Dissolve black pepper sauce in 100ml of water and bring to a boil using medium high heat.
Add in the chopped bell pepper, drained pasta and grilled ribs.
Toss thoroughly and dish out once most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Serve immediately.

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.

Sirloin Steak served with Mashed Potatoes & Veggies

Ingredients
2 sirloin steaks
1/2 a broccoli
1/2 a carrot (with skin removed and sliced)
200g of potatoes (skin removed)
1 tablespoon of butter
10ml of low-fat milk
1/2 a chicken stock cube
Dark soya sauce
Salt
Pepper
Grounded black pepper
Cornstarch

Preparation
Veggies
Toss broccoli and carrot into boiling water and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Remove from heat and drain away excess water.

Mashed potatoes
Cook the potatoes in boiling water for at least 20 minutes or till they turn soft.
Remove from heat and set aside to drain away excess water.
Mash up the potatoes and return them to the pot.
Using low heat, add in the butter and milk.
Blend thoroughly until butter has been fully dissolved.
Add in salt and pepper to taste.

Steak
Rub the steaks with salt and black pepper before grilling.
Remove from heat when cooked. (depending on how you like it. I prefer mine to be medium well. ;))

Gravy (for mashed potatoes)
Dissolve the chicken cube in 300ml of boiling water.
Add a dash of black pepper and few drops of dark soya sauce for the color.
Pour in the cornstarch slowly to thicken the sauce.

Hainanese Pork Chop AKA 海南猪肉扒

Hainanese, one of the Chinese dialect groups, they are rather well-known for being in the food trade. The early Hainanese immigrants in Singapore mostly work as waiters and servants in the local hotels, restaurants, bakeries and bars. Many of them also became coffee shop owners, stall holders and chefs.

Today, Hainanese cuisine is one of the most sought after cuisines in Singapore. Hainanese Chicken Rice, Hainanese Curry Rice and Hainanese Pork Chop are just some of the popular and classic dishes. (I was told that the traditional Hainanese Pork Chop is not served with tomato sauce.)

Ingredients (Adapted from a magazine cutting - by Chef Zhang Tian)
200g of pork loin
1 egg
1 tomato (diced)
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
50g of sliced onion
20g of frozen green peas
120ml
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1/2 teaspoon of dark caramel soya sauce (optional)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Cornstarch

Preparation
Pound pork loins with meat tenderizer. Flatten to about 1/2 inch in thickness.
Rub meat with salt and pepper.
Coat the meat with cornflour and shake off the excess.
Dip into beaten egg.
Coat well with breadcrumbs.
Deep fry till it turns golden brown.
Set aside.
Stir fry garlic and onion till slightly brown.
Add caramel soya sauce, water and ketchup.
Bring to a boil before tossing in the tomatoes and green peas.
Leave to simmer.
Thicken sauce with cornflour if necessary.
Add salt/pepper to taste.
Pour sauce over the pork chops.
Serve immediately.

Black Pepper Chicken

I was browsing the web for dinner recipes when I came across this particular one. I happen to have all the required ingredients at home. So I decided to give it a go. I didn't follow the recipe exactly as I have a bottle of black pepper sauce at home, so I used that instead.

Visit Rasa Malaysia - Black Pepper Chicken for the recipe.

Clam Chowder

Adapted the recipe here. It's a terrific recipe for clam chowder. But recently due to the email circulations of the experiments done and the scary facts on the use of microwave, I've cut down greatly on microwave cooking. Only use it to reheat some of my food occasionally.

And because microwave cooking freaks me out now, I decided to do this soup on my stove instead. Ingredients are the same. Changed only the quantity. By the way, you can also add in celery to the clam chowder. It tastes just as great.

Ingredients
100g of clams (chopped)
100g of onions (chopped)
200g of potatoes (diced)
500ml of low-fat milk (divided)
100ml of clam juice
1/2 teaspoon of butter
1 tablespoon of flour
Salt
Pepper
Bacon bits

Preparation
Melt butter in a pot.
Stir fry the onions till fragrant.
Stir flour into 50ml of milk. Pour into the pot.
Add in the clam juice.
Stir in the remaining milk.
Toss potatoes and clams into the mixture.
Simmer for an hour or till the potatoes turn soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with bacon bits before serving.

Steamed Eggs AKA 蒸水蛋

This is a easy dish to prepare but a difficult one to cook. Blur much?

Easy and simple are the ingredients and preparation. Complicated marinates, cutting and preparing of ingredients are spared. The difficult part of this dish is the control of the heat. Success or failure depends on the steaming process. Overcook it and you'll get a dish of pockmarked, rough-tasting steamed eggs.

There is no definite quantity of water to be added to the eggs as sizes of eggs vary. Best bet would be to follow the ratio 1:2. E.g. Beat 1 egg into a bowl, fill up the cracked eggshells with water twice and add to the egg.

Ingredients
2 eggs
1.5 tablespoons of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of cooked onion oil/ cooked oil
Dash of pepper

Preparation
Beat the eggs into a bowl.
Fill up the eggshells with water and add to the eggs.
Add in 1/2 tablespoon of soya sauce and dash of pepper before beating up the egg mixture.
Steam beaten eggs for 10-15 minutes depending on the heat.
Remove from heat when cooked or when the egg is set.
Drizzle cooked oil and 1 tablespoon of soya sauce over the dish.
Serve hot.

*Add in 1 dried scallop for extra flavor. (pre-soaked and shredded before adding to the beaten eggs)*

Steamed Tofu AKA 老少平安

Traditionally, this steamed dish is made up of mainly tofu and fish paste. And egg white is added to bind these two ingredients together. But over the time, many different versions have been adapted. Mushrooms, dried shrimps and minced meat are being added.

As a parent myself, I wish for the well-being of the elderly and the young in my family more than anything else. And the name of this dish - 老少平安 (loosely translated as: safe and well-being of both elderly and young) always bring a smile on my face as these 4 simple words carry an important and heartwarming message.

Both tofu and fish paste are soft so the elderly and the young can enjoy this dish without worrying not having strong teeth to chew on the food properly or choking on fish bones. Practically a safe dish for all ages. Thus the Chinese name.

Personally, I feel that this dish doesn't really break up into pieces that easily so I omitted the egg white in my recipe.

Ingredients
300g of tofu
200g of fish paste
Cooked oil
Soya sauce
Pepper

Preparation
Mash up the tofu and mix well with fish paste.
Set in a shallow dish.
Using medium heat, steam for 10-15 minutes.
Drizzle cooked oil, soya sauce and a dash of pepper before serving.
Garnish with spring onion or coriander. (optional)

Spicy Hot & Sour Soup

Ingredients
1 chicken stock cube
100g of chicken (sliced into thin strips)
25g of chinese mushrooms (soaked in water, stem removed and cut into thin strips)
15g of black fungus (soaked in water and cut into thin strips)
1 firm beancurd aka tau kwa (cut into cubes)
1 egg (beaten)
1 tablespoon of light soya sauce
1 tablespoon of dark soya sauce
6 tablespoons of chinese rice vinegar
4 teaspoons of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 teaspoon of chili oil

Marinate sauce for the chicken
1 teaspoon of light soya sauce
1 teaspoon of shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar

Preparation
Add all the ingredients for the marinate sauce to the chicken.
Toss well and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Fill a pot with 1 litre of water and bring to a boil.
Add in the marinated chicken and simmer for a few minutes.
Followed by the mushrooms, fungus and beancurd.
Leave to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Add 2 teaspoons of sesame oil to the beaten egg and pout the mixture into the stock in a thin steady stream.
Pull the egg into strands using a fork.
Remove the soup from the heat and add in the light and dark soya sauces, pepper and vinegar.
Stir well before adding the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil and chili oil.
Stir again and serve hot.

Chili Chicken Wings

As I still have leftover flour mixture from the making of Chili Squids the last time, I decided to use it to deep fry some chicken wings time time round.

They taste as good as the chili squids much to my delight. A perfect accompaniment to a frosty beer!

Ingredients
4 chicken wings (separated into wings and drumlets)
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
Dash of black pepper
Flour mixture

Preparation
Marinate the chicken wings with soya sauce, sugar and black pepper for at least an hour.
Coat the marinated chicken with the flour mixture.
Deep fry the chicken wings till golden brown.
Remove from heat and drain away excess oil.
Ready to serve.

Orange Flavored Chicken

Ingredients
250g of chicken fillet
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Pinch of salt and pepper
Cornflour
1/2 a large-sized orange

Preparation
Cut the chicken fillet into bite-size pieces.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
Coat the pieces with cornflour and deep fry them to a golden brown.
Set aside and drain away the excess oil.
Cut a few thin slices of orange for garnishing.
Grate some orange rind and squeeze out the juice from the remaining 1/2 an orange.
Add 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar and the grated orange rind to the orange juice diluted with 30ml of water.
Bring everything to a boil using medium low heat.
When the mixture thickens, toss in the chicken.
Ensure that every pieces are coated evenly with the sauce.
Serve hot.

* Note: More or less sugar might be required, depending on the acidity of your orange.

Preserved Radish Omelette AKA 菜莆煎蛋

The last time I had this dish is vague. If I do remember correctly, it should be when I had it with Teochew Porridge. As the taste of this dish is salt-ish, it goes exceptionally well with warm white rice or porridge.

Ingredients
2 eggs
40g of preserved radish(soaked, cleaned and chopped)
Dash of pepper

Preparation
Add pepper to eggs and beat well.
Stir fry preserved radish in an oiled pan till fragrant.
Add in beaten eggs.
Cook over medium low heat.
Flip the omelette over when the underside turns golden brown.
Remove from heat when the other side of the omelette is cooked.

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)

Deep Fried Shrimp Paste Chix AKA 虾酱鸡

Ingredients
4 chicken wings (separated into wings and drumlets)
1 tablespoon of fine shrimp paste sauce
A dash of black pepper
Cornflour for dusting (optional)

Preparation
Marinate the wings with shrimp paste and black pepper for at least 30 minutes.
Deep fry the wings over medium high heat till golden brown.
Ready to serve.

Long Bean Omelette

From what I gather, this is one of the most common dishes that Mommies whip up to coax their kiddos to eat more greens. For some reasons, kids love eggs but they are just not into the greens. This recipe is a saviour!

Ingredients
3 eggs
150g of long beans (chopped)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
Dash of pepper

Preparation
Add soya sauce and pepper to the eggs and beat well.
In an oiled pan, stir fry the long beans till they turn into a brighter shade of green.
Add in the beaten eggs and cook over medium low heat.
Flip the omelette over when the underside turns golden brown.
Remove from heat when the other side of the omelette is cooked.

Ngoh Hiang or Five-spice Meat Roll AKA 五香

Ngoh Hiang is also known as five spice. But over here, it simply refers to the meat roll instead of the five different spices - Cinnamon, Cloves, Cummin, Star Anise and Fennel Seeds.

And neither is it a composition of various meats and vegetables and other ingredients that is commonly found in hawker centres, also known as Ngo Hiang. Apparantly, Ngo Hiang is a Hokkien dish as stated in Wikipedia.

The recipe that I am sharing here is a Nonya dish. Ever seen the local drama - The Little Nonya? There is mention of Ngoh Hiang in one of the episodes. And it is from this show that I learnt that Ngoh Hiang needs to be steamed before deep frying. =P

Ingredients
200g of minced pork
150g of water chestnut (finely diced)
4 pieces of beancurd skin (cut into 20cm x 25cm)
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of five-spice powder
Dash of pepper
1/2 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
1 egg
Cornstarch

Preparation
Add water chestnut, soya sauce, five-spice powder, pepper, spring onion and egg to minced meat.
Mix well.
Leave in fridge to marinate for an hour.
Wrap marinated mixture with beancurd skin into rolls.
Seal edge with cornstarch.
Steam for 10 minutes.
Deep fry till golden brown.

* Alternatively, you can cut up the rolls before deep frying.

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.

Baked Half Shell Scallops

Ingredients
Half shell scallops
Mozzarella cheese
Pasta Sauce
Black Pepper

Preparation
Run the half shell scallops under running tap and clean gently.
Boil a pot of water and cook the half shell scallops for a minute or so.
Set aside and drain.
Cover each scallop with a tablespoon of pasta sauce.
Add a dash of black pepper on top.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese generously over the entire shell.
Bake/Toast till the cheese turns golden brown.
Serve immediately.

Tonkatsu AKA Deep Fried Pork Cutlet

Tonkatsu has Japanized over the years more so than other yōshoku and is today usually served with rice, miso soup and tsukemono in the style of washoku (traditional Japanese food)

Tonkatsu is most commonly eaten with a type of thick Japanese Worcestershire sauce called tonkatsu sauce (tonkatsu sōsu) (トンカツソース), often simply known as sōsu ("sauce"), and often with a bit of spicy yellow karashi (Japanese mustard) and perhaps a slice of lemon. Some people like to use soy sauce instead. In Nagoya and surrounding areas, miso katsu—tonkatsu eaten with a miso-based sauce—is a specialty.

Prices for a tonkatsu vary from 198 yen for a pre-cooked tonkatsu from a supermarket to over 5,000 yen in an expensive restaurant. The finest tonkatsu is said[citation needed] to be made from kuro buta (black pig) from Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. - Wiki

Ingredients
2 pork loins
1 egg (beaten)
Plain flour
Breadcrumbs
Salt
Pepper
BBQ sauce

Preparation
Pound pork loins with meat tenderizer. Flatten to about 1/2 inch in thickness.
Rub meat with salt and pepper.
Coat the meat with cornflour and shake off the excess.
Dip into beaten egg.
Coat well with breadcrumbs.
Deep fry till it turns golden brown.
Serve with BBQ sauce.

Dumpling Soup AKA 水饺汤

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! I did! I had so much fun and good food that I am suffering from a sore throat now. So, no more deep fried/baked food for me! At least, not for a while. 

This is a soup version of Deep Fried Wantons. Equally nice. Add some noodles and vegetables to it and it's a meal on its own. Ingredients and preparation remains pretty much the same except for tiny weeny bit of changes here and there.

Ingredients
1 packet of dumpling skin
300g of minced pork
5 water chestnuts (peeled and finely diced)
20 prawns (small sized)
1/2 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
1 chicken stock cube

Preparation
Mix pork, water chestnuts, spring onions and egg together in a bowl.
Season with soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper and cornflour.
Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Wrap a prawn together with the marinated ingredients for each dumpling.
Cook the dumplings for 5-10 minutes in a pot of boiling water over medium high heat.
For the broth, add the stock cube to 800ml of water and bring it to a boil in another pot.
Drain and drizzle some cooked oil before ladling soup over the dumplings .

Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.