My good mood food/drink

Reason of posting this is because I have a very bad mood today. My day was spoilt by a bad attitude customer who was yelling at me over the phone this morning. At that moment which I can’t express my real feeling back to the customer, how I wish I will have these wonderful drink/food with me.

• Starbucks green tea latte
• Starbucks white chocolate mocha with mint syrup
• Jasmine boba milk tea
• Hot chocolate
• Caramelized popcorn
• Chile lime flavored potato chips
• Donuts

 How I wish I could drink or eat as much as i can just like there is no tomorrow!

 

Dried Osmanthus Jell-O (桂花糕)

First taste at the Elite Restaurant and since then it becomes my favorite. Love the flowery fragrance which is so refreshing.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Knox original unflavored gelatine (contains 4 envelops)
• 4 cups of cold water
• 2 pieces of Yanan Bridge Brand rock candy
• 1 tablespoons of dried osmanthus

Instructions:

• Dissolve 4 envelops of Knox gelatine in 4 cups of cold water
• Bring the mixture to boil
• Add rock candies and stir till completely dissolve and set aside.
• Gently wash the dried osmanthus and stir them into the hot gelatine mixtures
• Pour the gelatine mixture into mould
• Let the gelatine cool down under room temperature
• Refrigerate till firm, about 3 hours.

 

 

Happy tummy, happy heart. This is totally true. Good meals that satisfy your tummy can light up your heart and cheer up your day. It doesn’t matter if it fulls your stomach or not. The point is it satisfies you.

I like to cook. I never think that I will master in cooking one day. Even though I am not there yet, but I am able to cook something that make people happy.

I learn cooking from my dearest husband. I regret that I did not pick up the skill from my dearest mummy and granny. To me, mummy’s cooking is always the best.

People said “no two women in one kitchen”. This is true. Different people have different ways of preparing meal. If your dare to put them into one kitchen, you will hear arguments.

Will you share your recipes? Will you share your secret ingredients? I like to share mine. I promised my friend to post her a recipe on dumpling and here it is.

Ingredients:

• Pork - Minced
• Cabbage - Minced
• Shrimps - Minced
• Cilantro - Minced
• Dried mushroom - Soak and cut into small pieces
• Chinese chives - Cut into small pieces

** I don’t have an exact measurement. You can adjust the portion according to your own preference.

(Note: E.g. more porks if you like your dumpling to be meatier. More shrimps if you are a shrimp lover. I like mine with more minced cabbages, to add crunchier).

Seasoning:

• Salt - Adjust according to your own preference
• Pepper - Adjust according to your own preference
• Sesame oil - Just a touch
• Corn flour - Just a touch

** In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and seasoning, mix well to combine.

The wraps:

• Dumpling wraps - a package or two

** Apply some beaten eggs or water around the potsticker skin, take about 1/2 tbsp of filling and fold into a half moon shape. Secure the edge by pressing it tightly.

(Note: I used Wing Hing Panda brand potsticker wraps. http://www.winghing.com/foodservice/wraps.php)

Soup:

• Any of your favorite soup.

** E.g. vegetable soup, anchovies soup, chicken soup, beef soup, etc.

(Note: For time saving, I use Swanson's Chicken Broth. Dilutes it with equal portion of water. Add salt to taste. Add some fried shallots for aroma).

Sauces:

• Dumpling Sauce - I used Weichuan Dumpling Sauce
  http://www.weichuanusa.com/a_product_cs_sauces.htm
• Sambal Oelek - I use Huy Fong Sambal Oelek
  http://www.huyfong.com/no_frames/index.htm

** mix two sauces to form a heavenly taste.

Steps to preparing dumpling:

1. Boil a big pot of water, bring to a boil, and throw in your dumplings. Make sure you have enough water to cover the dumplings. At least 1-2 inches above your dumplings.


2. When the dumplings start floating to the surface, transfer them to your boiling soup. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.


3. Transfer the cooked dumplings to a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve with the sauce. Enjoy!

Roasted Pork Noodle

If I can’t skip cooking after a busy day, I prefer something simple and easy.

Normally, I will drop by the Chinese BBQ-To-Go Restaurant on my way heading home. The restaurant has several different varieties to choose from: roasted duck, roasted pork, barbecued pork, soy sauce chicken, steamed chicken, etc. Soy sauce chicken is my favorite among all.

But today, I choose roasted pork which cost me about $10.00 for the pork belly portion. When back home, all I need is to prepare the noodle, vegetable and sauce, which takes me about half an hour.

Sauce
Ingredients:
1. light soy sauce
2. black soy sauce
3. oyster sauce
4. sugar
5. salt
6. black pepper
7. sesame oil
8. hot water

Again, I don’t have an exact measurement of each of the sauce ingredients above. My secret is adding a little bit portion of each. Trust me, add a little bit of all sauces that you have in your kitchen will create an unexpected amazing taste. It is a magic, at least it works for me.

Noodle
1. a pack of wonton noodle
2. a pot of boiling water

Make sure your have enough boiling water to cover the noodle. Add some cooking oil and boil the noodle for one to two minutes, depends on how tender you like. Rinse the noodle under cold water for few seconds, drain the excess water and set aside.

Vegetable
Pick any vegetable you like, for example, broccoli, pak choi, spinach, or any green vegetables. Bring a pot of water to boil, add a little salt and cooking oil into the boiling water. Add the vegetables and continue to boil for about a minute. Discard the water and set aside the vegetables.

Now you are almost done. Arrange the noodles in the middle of a plate. Top the noodle with roasted pork and vegetables. Finally, pour in the sauce. You can add some deep fried shallots for extra flavor.

Vinegar Pork

As a child, I think we all have one thing in common, that is we agree that mom’s cooking is always the BEST.

My mom makes perfect vinegar pork. I am regret that I didn’t pick up any cooking skill from her. So, when I am craving for foods, I have to spend days and nights on the internet searching for recipes.

Today I am making one for myself and I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

One piece of boneless pork leg (prefer without skin - afraid of high cholesterols)
Handful of gingers (depends on how spicy you want it to be)
Handful of dried chilies (depends on how spicy you want it to be)
2 cups of black sour vinegar
1 cup of black sweet vinegar
4 cups of water
A pinch of brown sugar to taste
A pinch of salt to taste

1. Wash the pork leg properly, and cut into desired size.
2. Smash the gingers and set aside.
3. Boil the pork leg in a big pot of hot water for couple of minutes. Drain and wash it properly with cold water. This is to wash the blood and unwanted residues away.
4. Pour a little oil into a hot pot, pan fry gingers till fragrant.
5. Add the pork meat and fry for another few minutes.
6. Pour in vinegar and water, bring to boil then turn into low heat. Simmer for an hour.
7. Add dried chilies, simmer for another 15 minutes.
8. Add brown sugar and salt.

Okra with soy sauce

Okra, also known as lady’s finger, is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B complex, iron and calcium. Okra is also low in calories and fat-free. It provides a good source of dietary fiber and therefore contributes to colon health. Besides, okra has also been used as a remedy to lower the cholesterol level and control the blood sugar level in diabetic patients.

I really dislike okra when I was young due to its slimy and sticky texture. Believe or not, when we grow up, our taste towards foods change. I used to be a meat lover and love all kind of sweet stuffs. But now, I eat more vegetables and reduce my sugar consumption.

I love okra with curry. I really think that okra and curry are perfect match. But surprisingly, I found okra also taste good with soy sauce, and here's the recipe.

1. One pack of okra. Bring a pot of water to boil. Throw in the okra, boil for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Mix a little bit light soy sauce, black soy sauce, sugar, salt, water and sesame oil into a bowl. I do not have a specific measurement on this. Just use your kitchen instinct.
3. Handful of garlic. Mince and fried till fragrant. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. Bring it to boil.
4. Pour the sauce into the okra and enjoy.

Italian hard-boiled egg yolk cookie

Italian hard-boiled egg yolk cookies, also called “住在意大利史特雷莎的玛格丽特小姐”.

I found this recipe from the internet. If you are a beginner in baking, this is the best recipe to try out because of its zero failure rate. With fewer ingredients, it creates an amazing taste. According to what I have found from the internet, this recipe is created by an Italian bakery chef with the purpose of pleasing a beautiful lady named Margaret.

Unsalted butter 100g
Low gluten flour 100g
Corn starch 100g
Powdered sugar 60g
Hard-boiled egg yolk 2 each

1. Bring the unsalted butter to room temperature. Add in powdered sugar. Beat in one direction until the mixture becomes fluffy, feathered-like textures.
2. Hard-boil 2 eggs. Use only the egg yolks. Crumble the egg yolks and strain through a sieve. Add the strained egg yolks into the butter mixture and continue to beat in the same direction until well combine.
3. Sift the low gluten flour and corn starch into the mixture. Fold gently with a rubber spatula. Knead into a dough ball. Wrap dough with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
4. While chilling, preheat the oven to 280°F. Cover the baking tray with aluminum foil paper.
5. Shape the chilled dough into several small balls. Flatten it with your thumb to form a flower-like shape.
6. Bake in a 280°F oven for about 45minutes.