Tomato, Bocconcini and Basil Salad

Ingredients: Truss tomato, bocconcini cheese, fresh basil leaves.

Dressing: balsamic vinegar and olive oil (1:2 ratio), sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

King Prawn Pizza

Ingredients (in the order of bottom to top layer): bbq pizza sauce, shredded seafood stick, mozzarella, mixed minced garlic and mayo, king prawns, sundried tomato, fresh cherry tomato, sweet chilli sauce swirl, mayo swirl. Out from the oven, then sprinkle some Japanese fish flake. Some oregano would be great, though I forgot to sprinkle it this time.

Ham, Tomato and Basil Pizza

Ingredients (in the order of layering from bottom to top): bbq & tomato pizza base, mozzarella cheese, shredded honey ham, sliced truss tomato. Out from the oven, then top with fresh basil leaves.

Spring Roll and Radish Salad

Berries Jelly

Ingredients: Berries, sugar, water, gelatine setting agent.

Steps: Add gelatine setting agent to berries-sugar-water mixture. Leave in fridge till harden.

家常菜之芙蓉蛋 (Steamed Egg)

This dish has an incredibly soft and smooth texture, just like soft toufu or custard. This is the Chinese version. The Japanese version is called Chawanmushi. Can also substitute water with stock or milk; and add things in the egg mixture, e.g. minced meat, prawns, etc.

Ingredients: 2 eggs, hot water, salt, shallot.

Steps:

(1) Whisk egg. Add in hot water. Egg:Water ratio is 1:1.

(2) Add some salt if desired.

(3) Cover with cling wrap. Poke a few holes with fork.

(4) Put in steamer. It is done when the egg-water mixture solidifies. This one takes about 8 min.

(5) Garnish with shallot. Serve.

家常菜之鹹魚雞粒豆腐(Toufu with Salted Fish and Chicken)

Ingredients: Soft toufu (1 large pack), straw mushroom (1 can), Szechuan pickle (little amount), chicken (0.5 breast, diced and coated with white pepper and corn flour), salted fish (diced), shallot (5 shoots), garlic (minced), soy sauce, chicken stock, brown sugar (1 tablespoon), peanut oil (3 tablespoons), sesame oil (few drops for the aroma), corn flour (to thicken sauce).

Steps:

(1) Heat 2 tablespoons oil, fry minced garlic and shallot. Add salted fish, then pickles. Push to one side of the wok.

(2) Add another 1 tablespoon oil, add the chicken.

(3) Mix everything together. Add in the mushroom. Add in the flavorings and stock. Add in the corn-flour-water mix to thicken the sauce.

(4) Cube the toufu, add in. Stir. Add few drops of sesame oil.

(5) Garnish with shallots. Serve.

Multi-Colored Steamed Buns

Fried Rice

There are many different ways to make fried rice, this is how I made it this time, with left-overs from the night before:

Ingredients (serve 5):

Cooked rice (1.5 cup when raw), 5 eggs, 0.5 iceberg lettuce, 3 shallots, 5 cloves garlic, leftover bbq pork & chicken (1 cup diced), some salted fish, 0.5 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 2 tablespoons peanut oil. Dice everything into small cubes.

Steps:

(1) Heat 1 tablespoon oil, fry minced garlic, finely chopped shallot, and small cubes of salted fish. Add meat. Set aside.

(2) Heat another 1 tablespoon oil. Add whisked eggs. Scramble.

(3) When the eggs are approx. 60% cooked, add the rice. Mix in.

(4) Add lettuce.

(5) Add (1) ingredients back in.

(6) Add white pepper and salt.

(7) Nom nom.

Vegan - Vegie Stew

Herbs: Oregano, Basil, Parsley

(1) Brown the onions & garlic in olive oil.

(2) Chuck in the cut vegie, stir around for a bit.

(3) Add tomato paste, crushed tomato, vegie stock, herbs.

(4) Cover. Left to simmer until soft, probably around 30-50min.

(5) Add pepper and fresh herbs to taste.

Vegan - Stirfry Rice Vermicelli

This uses fine rice vermicelli, which is sold in dried noodle form.

(1) Soak the rice vermicelli in warm water for 5-10 minutes (depends on the brands) till soft but not mushily-soft; so that it is still capable of soaking up more liquid during the cooking process.

(2) Hot oil, fry some minced garlic and shallot.

(3) Chuck in the vegie, from hardest to the softest, since the hardest requires the maximum cooking time.

(4) Chuck in the pre-soaked noodle.

(5) Pour in mixed sauce of soy sauce (for saltiness), brown sugar (for sweetness), dark soy sauce (for color etc.), sesame oil (for aroma), vegie stock (instead of water, for the "depth" of the taste).

(6) When all the noodle soaked up the sauce evenly, it is ready.

(7) Nom it.

Snack - Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Chips

1. Cut the sweet potato into any size you want. 2. Coat with olive oil. 3. Stick the tray in pre-heated oven till the chips turn slightly brown. 4. Sprinkle with some sea salt. 5. Nom them.

Home-Assembled (Not Home-Made) Peking Duck with Pancake

Sauce: Mix plum sauce with Hoisin sauce.

Greens: Skinless cucumber; and shallots (bottom part).

家常菜之鹹魚炒豆芽(Stirfry Bean Sprout w Salted Fish)

Snacks for LD~ Butter Cookie & Mini Butterless Banana Muffin