Braised Red Cabbage with Chinese Roasted Pork

Seasonal red cabbage with a little oriental touch.

Portion for: 2-3 people
Cooking time: 30 minutes

What you need?
1/2 small Red Cabbage (chopped)
200g Cantonese Roasted Pork "Siu Yuk" (chopped into about 1.5cm width)
1 ripe Peckam Pear (peeled, cored, chopped)
1 Carrot (peeled, chopped)

1 medium Onion (peeled, finely chopped)
1 knob of Butter
1 1/2tbsp Apple Vinegar
Salt, Black Pepper, Sugar to taste
1/4 cup Water
Some Walnuts (chopped)

How to cook?
1 Melt butter in a large pot, add onion and pear. Cook and stir until onion turns soft and caramelised with pear.
2 Add in carrot and red cabbage, season with pepper and salt.
3 Stir in vinegar, sugar and water. Add in roasted pork. Cover pot and cook for another 20 minutes until cabbage are soft enough.
4 Mix in walnut and serve warm.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Feel like getting a little naughty?

Portion for: 2-3 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

What you need?
3 Sweet Potatoes (peeled with some skin left; sliced into strip size you desire)
Cooking Oil
1tbsp Paprika Powder

Some Salt

How to make?
1 Preheat oven to 230°C.
2 Line baking tray with baking sheet.
3 Put Sweet Potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Toss in oil and Paprika Powder.
4 Spread them onto the baking tray. Bake them for about 20 minutes until golden brown, turning them occasionally.
5 Transfer them onto layers of kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Let them cool for about 8 minutes.
6 Sprinkle some salt onto the fries before serving.

Angel Hair with Natto & Beech Mushrooms

I think Natto, Laver and Butter go so well together. Try this!

Portion for: 2-3 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes

What you need?
Angel Hair
Bunashimeji (Brown Beech Mushrooms)
3 cloves of Garlic
1 small knob of Butter
Oyster Sauce

(Garnishing)
Natto (with Mustard & Soy Sauce mix)
Shredded Dried Laver

How to cook?
1 Cook Angel Hair according to packaging & drained.
2 Melt Butter in a saucepan and the toss in Garlic till lightly golden.
3 Stir in the Mushrooms. Season with some Oyster Sauce.
4 Pour in Angel Hair and mix well.
5 Top pasta with Natto and Shredded Laver.

Banana Chocolate Loaf

This makes a great loaf in a 21cm x 11cm loaf tin. It tastes great warm with Vanilla Ice Cream :-)

What you need?
2 large ripe Bananas (mashed)
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Egg
50g Butter (softened, cut to smaller chunks)
1/2tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 1/2 cup Self-raising Flour (sieved)
1tbsp Milk
100g Dark Cooking Chocolate (chopped) (or 2tbsp Nutella)
1/2 cup Walnut (chopped)

How to cook?
1 Mix all ingredients together except Walnut and Chocolate.
2 Gently mix in Chocolate and half of the Walnut.
3 Pour cake mix into lined loaf tin.
4 Sprinkle with the remaining Walnut.
5 Bake in 180°C oven for approximately 50 minutes.

Lemon and Brown Sugar Topping

This simple fresh topping is one of my favourites of all time. Free from artificial colourings or flavourings.

What you need?
Fresh Lemon Wedges
Raw / Brown Sugar

Try this topping on
• Prata Bread
• Waffle
• Mini Pancake

Burmese Chicken Curry (Kyet That Ka La That)

Saw this recipe in a flight magazine. Wish to visit Myanmar in the near future.

Portion for: 2-4 people
Cooking time: 30 minutes

What you need?
200g Chicken Fillets
1/2tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2tsp Salt
1tbsp Corn Flour

1tbsp Cooking Oil
1 medium Onion (diced)
3-4 Garlic Cloves (chopped)
1 small knob of Ginger (grated)
3 cups of Light Chicken Broth
500g Winter Melon (peeled, seeded, cut into small pieces)

Fish Sauce (to taste)
1 fresh Red Long Chilli (seeded & cut into long strips)
Small bunch of Fresh Lemon Basil Leaves (chopped)

How to cook?
1 Marinate Chicken with Turmeric Powder, Salt and Corn Flour. Set aside.
2 Heat pot with Oil. Stir in Onions, Garlic, Ginger and then the marinated Chicken. Stir fry till partially cooked.
3 Pour in Chicken Broth and Winter Melon. Let it simmer for 15 minutes until Winter Melon are soft.
4 Add Fish Sauce to taste. Mix in Chillies and Basil Leaves. Serve with steamed rice.

Japanese Chicken Curry Rice Combo

Had this wonderful combo in Osaka and really love it! It's not hard to make it at home :-)

Portion for: 2-3 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

What you need?
(for Curry)
Japanese Curry Cubes (as per packaging instructions)
1 Medium Onion (diced)
3 Garlic Cloves (chopped)
1 Carrot (diced)
1 Chicken Fillet (diced)
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 cup Chicken Broth

(for Omelette)
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil

(for Tomato Sauce)
1 small can Tomato Puree
1 tbsp Water
Sugar to taste

(Others)
1 cup of Japanese Rice
Some Cabbage (shredded)

How to cook?
1 Cook rice in rice cooker.
2 Fry Onion & Garlic in a medium pot. Put in Carrot and Chicken Fillet until partially cooked. Pour in Chicken Broth and cook for around 10 minutes. Remove pot from fire and blend in Curry Cubes. Set curry aside on small heat.
3 Mix Eggs, Milk with Salt & Pepper in a medium bowl with a fork. Heat Oil in a saucepan. Pour in Egg mixture and cook omelette till half-runny. Arrange omelette in serving plate.
4 In a saucepan, heat up Tomato Puree with Water and Sugar. Pour cooked tomato sauce at the side of omelette.
5 Scoop cooked Rice onto plate.
6 Pour Curry onto rice. Serve with Cabbage as side vegetable. Happy dining!

Mint-Garlic Yoghurt Dip

Great dipping sauce for roasted/fried chicken, keropok, fries, carrot strips or baguette.

What you need?
1 small bunch of Fresh mint leaves (finely chopped)
1 small cup Plain Greek Yoghurt
1 Garlic Clove (finely chopped)
1tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2tsp salt

Seafood Claypot Rice (a.k.a simple Paella)

Just love Paella. Let's make it with claypot!

Portion for: 2-3 people
Cooking time: 30 minutes

What you need?
(for the Rice)
1 cup of Rice (rinsed)
1 medium Onion (chopped)
3 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1 big Tomato (diced)
1 knob of Butter
1 1/2 cup of Chicken Broth or Water

(Seafood)
8 medium Prawns (cut legs and antennae with scissors)
1 Squid (de-skinned & sliced)
6 medium Mussels

(Garnishing)
Some Parsley (rougly chopped)
Lemon Wedges

How to cook?
1 In a claypot, melt Butter, toss in Onions, Garlic then the chopped Tomato. Pour in Rice, Chicken Broth and 2 Prawns. Cook for around 10 minutes until Rice are partially cooked.
2 Arrange other seafoods onto the cooking Rice.
3 Cover the claypot and cook for another 5-8 minutes.
4 Mix in chopped Parsley. Serve each portion with freshly squeezed juice from the Lemon wedges.

Pan-Fried Salmon with Miso Ponzu Sauce

I like pan-fried, grilled and steamed Salmon fillet. But what to eat them with? I'd suggest this dipping sauce.

What you need?
Miso paste
Japanese Mayonnaise
Ponzu Sauce

My mix proportion
1 part Miso : 3 part Mayo : 2 part Ponzu
(Adjust ingredient to suit your taste)

Salmon Avocado Salad in Miso Lemon Dressing

Portion for: 2 people
Preparation time: 7 minutes

What you need?
(For the Salad)
1 box Salmon Sashimi (from supermarket)
1 Avocado (ripe, ready-to-eat)
some Rocket Leaves (washed)

(For the Dressing)
2tbsp Lemon juice
1tbsp Miso Paste
Sugar (to taste)

How to prepare?
1 Cut avocado into approximately 1cm thick slices.
2 Arrange salad in a serving bowl.
3 Whisk lemon juice and miso paste into smooth texture. Add sugar to suit your taste.
4 Serve salad chilled.

Asparagus in Ginger Miso Sauce

Portion for: 3-4 people
Preparation time: 5-7 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

What you need?
500g Asparagus (woody ends removed)
2 knobs of Butter (room temparature)
1tsp Miso paste (mixed with 2tsp water)
1/2tsp Freshly Grated Ginger
1 clove Garlic (finely chopped)
1/2tsp Sesame Oil
1/2tsp Sugar
1/4tsp Fish Sauce
Sesame Seeds (garnishing)

How to cook?
1 Preheat oven to 190°C. Spread asparagus evenly on baking tray. Place butter on asparagus. Lightly mix them up. Bake asparagus for approximately 10 minutes. Thick asparagus may need longer cooking time.
2 Mix together the remaining ingredients to make the Ginger Miso sauce.
3 Pour sauce onto cooked asparagus and garnish with sesame seeds.

Enoki in Bacon Strips

200g Enoki Mushrooms (base trimmed & divided into 20 bundles)
10 strips of Bacon (halved into 20 long strips)
2 Spring Onion leaves (cut to mushroom length)
Black Pepper (freshly ground)

Cucumber strips

Grilled Mushrooms

Portion for: 2 people
Preparation time: about 5 minutes
Cooking time: 7-8 minutes

What you need?
4-5 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms (you can also try with Portobello)
2 Small Cherry Tomatoes
2 Medium-size Fresh Prawns (peeled)
2tbsp Kewpie Japanese Mayonnaise
1tsp Miso
1tsp Honey

How to cook?
1 Cut out stems from the mushrooms and chop them finely with the fresh prawns and tomatoes.
2 Mix in Miso, Mayonnaise and honey.
3 Place the mushroom caps (bottom facing up) on baking tray.
4 Spoon in the Miso-Mayo mixture on the mushroom caps and bake in 'toast' mode for approximately 7 minutes.
5 Serve hot.