Deep-fried Whole Fish In 3-Flavoured Sauce

This is a fantastic fish recipe with a 3-flavour sauce -- sweet, sour and spicy. The fish is cooked and served with the head and tail on the plate. Hub especially like to eat the head. 

Deep-Fried Whole Fish In 3-flavoured sauce

Ingredients

800g whole snapper - cleaned, scaled and gutted

2 tbsp chili paste / chili powder

Corn starch

Turmeric powder

Salt

Vegetable oil -  for deep frying

1 sprig of fresh coriander leaves – coarsely chopped

For the 3-flavoured sauce

2 garlic cloves – minced

4 shallots – minced

10 bird’s eyes chillies – coarsely chopped

3 tbsp oyster sauce

½ tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp water

2 tomatoes – diced

2 slices of pineapples / 1 green apples - chopped

3 tbsp tomato sauce

3 tbsp cooking oil

White Sugar – to taste

1 tbsp corn starch – dissolve in 3 tbsp water

Directions

Pat the fish dry with paper towel, both inside and out. Make 3 deep diagonal cuts on both sides. Rub the fish, on both side, with salt, turmeric powder, chili paste and lightly coat with corn starch.

Deep fry the fish, turning it over until golden and cooked through on both sides. Drain on paper towel and place on a serving plate. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok on medium high. Add the garlic and shallots then sauté until aromatic.

Add the chopped bird’s eyes chillies and stir for 15 second or so. Stir in the pineapples / apples and tomatoes.

Season with oyster sauce, tomato sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Add water and bring to a simmer.

Stir in the corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the fish and top with the chopped coriander leaves. Serve with steamed rice. 

Orange Cake

A friend was 50 years old when she and her husband became parents again — this time to their grandson. It seemed like a clear case of someone just not ready for motherhood yet.  

Nowadays, most grandparents are raising children and the most common reason is because parents are unable to give up their social life. They had the children because of unplanned pregnancies or sometimes to just experience it but realizing down the road that it is not as rosy as it looks like. Most people have a natural desire to have kids also because "that is what everyone else does". Also, in most Asian families, there is always a pressure to have a child because there are these endless relatives who usually inquire untiringly about any "good news" soon after two people are married. However, after having kids, the sweet part usually falls apart when there are endless sleepless nights and zero social life. That is the part of having babies that nobody ever warns us about.

It is not a grandparents’ job to raise their grandchildren. Some parents need to grow up and take care of their kids. No, sorry I am not one of those that can dump my kids off to the grandparents every weekend or school holidays so I can enjoy my life. I believe these kinds of parents are not a bad parent. It’s just that they are too busy doing what they want so they think that there’s no time left for their children. So good thing that grandma, grandpa and younger sisters are always available to feed, bath and put their babies to bed.

Personally, I believe that how we are raised and brought up plays a significantly important role in most of the decisions we make in life. There’re so many times when I am judged at how I raised up my children but I raised them without the help of my extended family. Both my children grew up sleeping in my room until they were 12 years old and I often received raised eyebrows when people found out that I breastfed my daughter until she was 4 years old. Everyone has their own way in raising their children. 

This cake has a strong orange flavor. It is a pretty straightforward recipe. Fantastic idea to use the orange juice and zest, so no waste! 

Orange Cake

Adapted from Azie Kitchen



Ingredients

150 gram butter

120 gram castor sugar

160 gram all-purpose flour – sifted

1 tsp baking powder - sifted

3 whole eggs

2 tbsp Sunquick cordial / orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest - optional 



Directions

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a 7”x7” baking pan with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Beat in the flour and baking powder mixture alternating with Sunquick cordial / orange juice. Stir in the orange zest. Beat until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan or spoon it into a 12-hole muffin tin line with paper cases until they are 3/4 full, not all the way to the top. Bake it for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. For a thicker cake, just double the ingredients and use a 8”x8” baking pan then bake it for 1 hour.

Leave the cake / cupcakes to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Claypot Chicken Rice without Claypot

Hub is out of town again. So every time he’s not around, I will whip up a one-dish meal for the 3 of us. Around here my kids eat what I make. Sometimes I make something new and the rule is they have to try a bite (chew and swallow) before they are allowed to declare they don't like it. If they don't eat dinner because they truly don't like it then they can have fruit afterwards but that's it. They either eat it or they don't, no crying about it. I don't have time for that. If they're "not hungry" then I'll save their plate for later. 

A satisfying chicken and rice one-pot that makes a great family dinner. You don't need a clay pot to whip up a fragrant clay pot chicken rice. This tasty dish is one-pot cooking at its best. 

Claypot Chicken Rice without Claypot

Adapted from Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients

2 cups rice
2 skinless chicken breast
1 stalk scallion - chopped
3 inches ginger - peel the skin and chop into thin strips
6 shitake mushrooms - soak in hot water for 30 minutes and cut into halves
1 small piece salted fish - cut into small pieces
½ bunch of Bok choy – remove the lower part, rinse and drained

Seasoning for chicken

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp chicken boullion powder
½ tsp corn starch
½ tsp sesame oil
5 dashes white pepper powder
¼ tsp sugar

Seasoning for rice

2 tbsp soy sauce
½ tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp cooking oil
1 pinch of salt

 

Directions

Chop the chicken breast into 2-inch pieces.

Add the chicken seasoning and mix well. Marinate for an hour in the fridge.

Rinse and clean the rice in a rice cooker as if you are making steamed rice after the chicken is marinated for an hour.

Add the rice seasoning and cooking oil into the rice and start cooking the rice.

At the same time, heat up a wok with some cooking oil then sauté the ginger until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and shitake mushrooms. Stir for a minute to mix well.

Stir-fry the chicken until fully cooked. Add in the chopped scallions. Dish out and set aside.

Deep fry the salted fish and blanched the bok choy. Set aside.

Add the chicken into the rice cooker when the rice is almost dry (about 7-8 minutes) and continue to cook till rice is completely cooked.

Leave the rice cooker on “Stay Warm” for 15 – 20 minutes before serving.

Top the chicken rice with fried salted fish and blanched bok choy. Serve immediately.

Steamed Taro Talam (Talam Keladi)

This kuih consists of two layers. The bottom layer is made with rich taro flavour. You’ll absolutely love the topping. 

I love anything with taro; taro ice cream, taro powder flavoured drink, taro rice, taro cake, taro fritters, yam basket, taro chips, taro cheesecake, taro stew, you name it, so how could I give this kuih talam a miss! I love the slightly sweet but nutty very unique flavour of taro especially the large variety with purple flecks in the flesh.

Photo courtesy of Google

Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a tropical tuber that has a starchy texture, kind of gluey, when cooked. It can’t be eaten raw, it needs to be cooked first as it contains oxalic acid which can irritate your throat and mouth. That goes for the leaves and leaf-stems too.  Scrub them well, put on a pair of gloves and remove the skin with a paring knife or a vegetable peeler. Gloves are called for due to the presence of oxalic acid crystals which can irritate sensitive skin. Some people are sensitive to oxalic acid that their hands get all itchy just by touching it. If you don’t have disposable gloves then coat your hands with cooking oil before peeling and remember not to touch your eyes! Simply rub some oil on your hands when handling it and this should help keep the taro rash away. Oxalic acid is not deadly, just unpleasant.

Once the corms are peeled, cut or slice them as needed for your intended use or place in a bowl of salty cold water to prevent discoloration.

Steamed Taro Talam (Talam Keladi)

Source : Chef Asma

Ingredients for Bottom Layer

2 cups rice flour

3 tbsp tapioca starch

300 ml thick coconut milk

8 tbsp sugar

1½  tsp garam

700 ml water

300 gm diced taro

Directions

Prepare a 10"x10"x3" baking tray and line with plastic wrap.

Peel the taro, wash with salty water and dice, slightly thicker than half cm. Steam for 5 minutes until soft then weigh it. Set aside.  

Mix the rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut milk, sugar, salt and water. Stir until smooth. Strain into a medium sized pot. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula until the batter begins to thicken slightly but still runny enough to pour.

Add the taro and give it a quick stir. Pour onto the baking tray, level surface with a plastic spatula and steam on high heat for 30 minutes. 

Ingredients for Top Layer

1½ cup all-purpose flour

250 gm sugar

3 whole eggs

250 ml coconut milk

500 ml water

A few drops of purple colouring

Yam flavouring – optional

Directions

Mix the ingredients and stir until smooth. Strain into a medium sized pot. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens slightly but still runny enough to pour.

Pour over the taro layer. Cover the top of the baking tray with a cling wrap then steam on high heat for another 40 minutes. After 30 minutes, take of the cover of the steamer and steam (uncovered) for 10 minutes.

Take out from the steamer and remove the clip wrap. Leave to cool before cutting into diamond-shaped or rectangle-shaped pieces with a plastic knife.

Roti Canai (Indian Flatbread) #2

Here is another recipe for Roti Canai that Hub always make. The recipe is so much simpler than the one that Hub used to make which has lots of ghee and condensed milk.

Of all the slightly difference recipes that we have tried, this turn out the best and are the easiest to flip and stretch. We only leave the dough to rest for about 20 minutes. I know it is actually harder to stretch the dough without tearing it but as the saying goes “Practice makes perfect”. 😁

Roti Canai (Indian Flatbread) #2

(Adapted from HomeKreation)
(makes 16 to 18 pcs)

Ingredients

1 kg all-purpose flour
600ml water (I used 500ml only)
1 whole egg
3 tsp sugar
1½ tsp salt
3 tbsp margarine - melted
Vegetable Oil

Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients except for margarine and vegetable oil. Knead till smooth and the texture of the dough is not too sticky and gooey. 

Add the margarine. Knead again. Divide and shape into 16 to 18 equal size balls. Place in a bowl. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes.

Oil the kneading space slightly.

Take one dough ball, oil it slightly and flatten it further with palm then flip gently a few times to make thin film, as thin as possible. Sprinkle some oil on it, fold into square or desired shape.

Preheat a pan, grease it and pan-fry the bread for 2-3 minutes each side. Transfer the bread onto chopping board, whack it side way with both hands to separate the layers to make it fluffier. Transfer to serving plate. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Serve warm with your favourite curry.

Steamed Chocolate Cupcakes

My daughter is a chocolate lover. If she’s had a bad day this is certainly something that will brighten it for her.

The great thing about this recipe is that the cake batter really can be made in a bowl without the use of a heavy-duty mixer. Be sure to check with the skewer for doneness. This cupcake is also perfect for all sorts of get-togethers. 

This recipe yield 53 small cakes. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Steamed Chocolate Cupcakes

(Adapted from: AzlitaMasamManis)

Ingredients

2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup condensed milk
1 cup corn oil
1 cup water
2 whole eggs
1 tsp soda bicarbonate
4 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions

Blend sugar, condensed milk, corn oil, water and eggs to mix well. Sift in flour, soda bicarbonate and cocoa powder. Blend well to make sure the batter is evenly mixed. 

Spoon the batter into small cup, three-quarter full then tap a few times. Steam over high heat for 15 minutes. (do not open the steamer during the steaming process or the cake might collapse).

Put the steamed cake on a wire rack to slightly cool down before unmoulding.

Malta Beef Stew

My daughter loves this.  A savoury slow cooker stew with potatoes, carrots, celery and herbs. I used a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking process or else you’ll need to cook it for about 1 hour or so to soften the meat. If you wish to have a thicker stew then add more corn starch. We like our stew very thick. We also like it beefy so I always add a little more beef. For beef I always use chuck steaks and for lamb I like shoulder chops.

You can use beef broth over beef stock cube and water.   I love the flavor the herbs give to it. The browning process also really put some great flavor on that meat and the yummy bits stuck to the bottom of the pan easily came off during the deglazing with the liquids.

Malta Beef Stew

Ingredients

600g beef – cut into 1-inch cube

1 yellow onion - cut into wedges

4 cloves garlic - crushed

4 sticks celery – chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 carrots - chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 potatoes – peeled and diced

1 can (about 320ml) Malta Malt Drink

2L water

1 beef stock cube

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried rosemary

2 bay leaves

½ tsp coarsely ground Black pepper

Parsley - chopped

1 tbsp corn starch 

Directions

Season the beef with salt, pepper and coat with a little flour. This helps to dry the surface of the meat and helps better browning.

In batches, brown the beef in a thick-based pan with some olive oil. Transfer the meat into a bowl. Set aside.

Add a little more olive oil into the pan. Sauté the onion and garlic for a minute to soften the onion.

Add the celery and carrots then stir to combine. Cook this for about 2-3 minutes.

Pour the Malta Malt Drink into the stew. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula, to release the black bits.

Transfer to a pressure cooker. Pour the water into the cooker and add the beef stock cube. Return the beef into the stew.

Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, ground black pepper and potatoes then bring to a boil.

Put on the cover and allow this to cook for about 30 minutes.

Dissolve cornstarch in 3 tbsp cold water and stir into the stew to thicken the gravy. Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Baked Cream Cracker Cake (Bingka Cream Cracker)

Not everyone loves cream cracker. But this baked cream cracker cake is soft, moist and deliciously rich. This is my daughter’s favourite cake and pink is currently her favourite colour.

It’s so much easier to make this cake, just need to mix everything together and bake. The cake tends to be rather soft when you first take it out the oven. If you find it is under baked then simply return it into the oven to continue baking till completely done. Still tasty though! Enjoy it after it cools down for a firmer texture. This cake can be eaten during breakfast, as an afternoon snack or just as dessert. 

Baked Cream Cracker Cake

Ingredients

140 gm cream cracker
85 gm all-purpose flour
1 cup castor sugar
3 whole eggs
700 ml evaporated milk / coconut milk (500 ml coconut milk + 200 ml water) 
1 tbsp butter – softened
½ tsp pink colouring
½ tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
½ tsp sesame seeds

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 180C for about 15 minutes. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil and pop in the oven for 10 minutes.

In a food processor, blend the cream cracker together with the flour until fine crumbs are achieved. Set aside.

Blend eggs, sugar, evaporated milk, butter, pink colouring, vanilla extract and salt to mix well. Add the mixture of flour and cream cracker. Blend well to make sure the batter is evenly mixed.

Take out the baking pan from the oven and pour the batter into the baking pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake for 1 hour until golden brown.

Remove the cake from the oven and cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. Unmould and leave to cool for another 1 hour or so. Cut into rectangular pieces. 

Enjoy!