Creamy Broccoli Soup with Croutons

Ingredients:

Croutons

6 cup Baguette/hard bread, cubed
4 clove garlic, mashed
pinch of salt
2 tbsp chopped/dried parsley
1/3 cup olive oil

Soup

1 large head broccoli, washed, stem removed & roughly cut
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, roughly sliced
2 cup water/stock
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
150 ml heavy cream
150 ml milk

Garnish

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 handful broccoli
some water for sprinkling
pinch salt
dash black pepper

Method:

To prepare the croutons:

Preheat oven to 200 °C.

In a large mixing bowl, mix bread cubes with all the ingredients and stir well to coat homogeneously.

Spoon onto a baking tray and spread out evenly into single layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and stir occasionally about two times during baking.

Remove from oven and set aside.

To prepare the soup:

In a pot, melt butter in 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat, saute onion until softened with occasional stirring.

Add-in half of broccoli, and stir for short while.

Pour-in stock and bring to boil.

Reduce heat, cover and let simmer until broccoli is tender.

Add-in the remaining broccoli, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and blend it into smooth puree in several batches (depending on the size of your blender).

Transfer into saucepan/pot, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, then stir in cream and milk over low heat right before serving.

Garnish with sauteed broccoli and serve with croutons.

To prepare the garnish:

In a saucepan, heat oil over moderate high heat and stir-fry broccoli for shot while.

Sprinkle-on some water, reduce heat and seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cook the broccoli accordingly with occasional stirring.

Homemade Fish Balls and Soup

Ingredients:

Fish Balls Ingredients

600 g white fish
1 tbsp water
1 tsp salt

100 ml water
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
3 tbsp cornflour

bowl of water
1 tsp salt

Soup Ingredients

reserved bone & skin of fish
1000 ml water
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
1 tbsp tong choi (Chinese preserved radish)
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp light soy sauce

Method:

To prepare the fish balls:

Fillet fish with sharp knife by removing fresh meat from bone and skin.

Further scrape out the remaining fish meat from skin and bone with metal spoon, reserve the bone and skin.

Blend fish meat with 1 tbsp water and half tsp salt till very fine or alternatively pound it with the back of chopper and gradually add-in the salt solution.

Transfer fish paste into big bowl and stir rigorously till sticky.

Gradually, stir-in the 100 ml water, 1 tsp salt, pepper and corn flour.

Lift up handful of fish paste and throw against bowl till springy on whole.

Grease hands with oil and form fish paste portion by portion into balls via gently squeezing the paste out between thumb and index fingers.

Drop fish balls into a bowl of water added with 1 tsp salt and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes.

To prepare the soup:

Pan-fry the reserved bone and skin till fragrant and golden brown, remove from heat and set aside.

Bring water to boil in a pot or wok.

Return the fragrant bone and skin into the boiling water and let simmer over low heat for about 1 hour.

Drain the stock into another pot and bring to boil.

Drop-in fish balls and simmer over low heat till fish balls floated.

seasoning with salt, soy sauce and tong choi.

Sprinkle-on chopped spring onion on hot soup right before serving.

Chicken Soup with Glass Noodles (Fins Soup Style)

Ingredients:

1 handful of dry 冬粉/bean threads/Glass/Cellophane Noodles, soaked 30 minutes to soften, drained and cut into 2 inch length
4 dried big Chinese mushroom, soaked to soften, drained and sliced
1 cup of leftover cooked chicken (from any kind of cooking method or boil raw chicken till cook), shredded
3 crab-sticks, shredded
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
3 cup bone broth or water

Seasoning:

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sesame seed oil

2 tsp cornstarch or as prefer (thickener)
pepper and black vinegar for serving

Method:

In a pot or wok, bring broth to boil.

Add-in mushrooms and seasonings, let to simmer for short while.

Add-in chicken, crab-sticks and glass noodles.

Gradually, stir-in cornstarch while the soup is boiling.

Once soup reach the preference consistency, slowly whisk-in egg whites.

Remove from heat once egg whites obviously appear.

Best serve with pepper and vinegar.

Sizzling Tofu

Ingredients:

12 slices of homemade tofu
2 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 dried chinese mushroom, soaked, drained and chopped/slices
handful of bay scallop, (optional)
handful of minced meat (pork/chicken/beef), (optional)
2 cups shrimps/pork/chicken stock/water

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 ½ tbsp soy sauce or to taste
1/2 tsp sugar or to taste
1/4 tsp white pepper powder or to taste
cornstarch solution (2 tbsp cornflour in 1/4 cup water)
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp sesame oil

enough chopped green onion for sprinkling

Method:

Heat oil in pan/wok over medium high heat, fry both sides of tofu till golden brown.

Remove tofu from oil and drain-well on absorbent paper towel.

Transfer tofu onto a serving plate; set aside.

Add garlic to hot pan and saute till fragrant.

Add-in mushroom and meat, stir-fry till meat is tender and just right cooked through.

Pour-in stock and bring to boil.

Seasoning with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and pepper.

Pour-in cornstarch solution, bring to boil for 1-2 minutes.

Whisk-in egg to form fine streaks.

Drizzle-on sesame oil.

Remove gravy from heat and pour over tofu.

Sprinkle-on chopped green onion and serve immediately with rice.

Bah Kut Teh (Chinese Meat Herbal Soup)

Ingredients:

1 liter water
1 package (50 g) bah kut teh mixed herbs and spices (any brand of your choice)
200 g pork spareribs/chicken/beef, cut to bite size
Some lean meat
5 dried chinese mushroom, soaked and drained
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled
1 bulb garlic, peeled and crushed

2 slices dong kwai
1 tbsp chinese wolfberry fruits

2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar or to taste
1 ½ tsp salt or to taste

Optional Garnish:

needle mushroom
pork internal organ
chinese lettuce leaf (place on the surface of hot soup just right before serving)
chinese cabbage (place on the surface of hot soup just right before serving)
deep fried bean curd (add into hot soup just right before serving)
deep fried tofu (add into hot soup just right before serving)
chinese cruller (add into hot soup just right before serving)

Method:

In a pot, bring water to boil over high heat.

Add-in meat, 1 sachet of bah kut teh mixed herbs and spices, mushroom, eggs and garlic; bring to boil covered for at least 1 hour (if boil for longger period, may need additional water).

Remove meat and add-in dong kwai, chinese wolfberry fruits and another small sachet of mixed herbs and spices (if applicable).

Seasoning with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and salt.

Cook covered for another 10 minutes.

Return meat into the pot and cook for another shortwhile.

Dish-up and serve hot with rice or as it alone.

(Note: best serve on the next day by keeping it warm covered in slow cooker)

Peanut Filled Tang Yuan (Kuih Ee) in Pengat (Penang Style Bubur Cha Cha)

Ingredients:

Tang Yuan Filling:

1/2 cup skinless peanut, toasted and coarsely grounded
1 ½ tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp icing sugar

Tang Yuan Dough:

1 ½ cup glutinous rice flour
1 tbsp rice flour
1/2 tbsp wheat starch
small dust of pink food coloring
3/4 cup hot boiling water

Pengat Dessert Soup:

1 small yam/taro (prefer purple color yam), cut to bite size
1 small sweet potato (prefer orange color sweet potato), cut to bite size
1 (400 mL) canned thick coconut milk diluted in 1 cup water or dilute coconut milk, freshly pressed from fresh coconut for the second time
1/2 cup thick coconut milk/cream (canned or freshly pressed from fresh coconut for the first time)
2 ripe banana, cut to 2 cm lengthwise
1 ½ tbsp sugar or to taste
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Note: Pre-cooked black eye beans and tapioca starch jelly can be added.

Method:

To prepare the filled tang yuan:

In a bowl, mix together all the filling ingredients till clump together, divide into 13 portions and shape into small balls; set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of glutinous flour, rice flour, wheat starch and food coloring.

Gradually, stir-in hot boiling water till sticky dough form.

Slowly, knead-in the remaining glutinous flour till smooth and elastic dough, divide into 13 portions and roll up to dough balls; set aside covered with wet kitchen towel.

Well flour hands with glutinous flour, flatten dough balls, place-in a portion of peanut filling, wrap up nicely and roll back to round shape, set filled rice balls aside covered.

Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat, drop in filled rice balls and cook till float (within a minute).

Drain well and immerse into ice cold water for about 3 minutes.

Drain well and set aside covered still serve.

Note: Traditionally tang yuan is serve in ginger syrup.

To prepare pengat:

Bring dilute coconut milk to boil over medium heat.

Add-in yam and sweet potato, and cook till just begin to soft (about 10 minutes).

Reduce heat to low, add-in thick coconut milk, banana, sugar and salt, cook till banana just begin to soft (about 5 minutes or less).

Remove from heat set aside to cool to room temperature.

Drop-in the prepared tang yuan and serve warm or cold.

Tang Yuan (Tong Yun/汤圆) in Mung Bean-Sago Dessert Soup

Tang Yuan is a dish of glutinous rice balls served in a sweet broth. In Southeast Asia Chinese culture, it is traditionally served on Dong Zhi or known as winter solstice. We welcome the winter by eating Tang Yuan and become one year older.



















Ingredients:

Mung Bean and Sago Dessert Soup:

1/2 cup mung bean
5 ½ cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar or to taste
1 ½ tbsp sago

Tang Yuan:

5 cups water
3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1 ½ tbsp sugar
2 tbsp hot boiling water
1/3 cup water
dust of pink food coloring

Method:

Boil mung bean in water covered for about 40 minutes or till softened and cooked thoroughly (I use rice cooker).

Add-in sugar, stir to dissolve (adjust the taste accordingly).

Spread-in Sago and stir continuously for another 15 minutes or till sago is transparent.

Turn off the heat and set aside covered till cool completely.

To prepare the Tang Yuan, line a big tray with kitchen towel; set aside.

Bring 5 cups of water to boil (I use rice cooker again).

Dissolve sugar in 2 tbsp hot boiling water.

In a large bowl, mix flour with the prepared sugar syrup.

Gradually, pour-in 1/3 cup water while kneading till achieve soft and smooth dough (add more water if the dough become too dry to handle or continue the kneading process if the dough appears to be too wet).

Divide dough into two portions.

Dust-on food coloring powder to one portion, knead till the color is fully incorporated but remain it soft and smooth texture (sprinkle-on little bit water to ease the color spreading process).

With both hand palms, roll each dough to long strip shape (diameter about 1 ½ cm).

Divide strips into small cubes (length about 1 ½ cm).

With both clean hand palms, shape the cubes into Tang Yuan balls and drop on to the prepared tray (avoid balls from touching each other).

Drop all the Tang Yuan balls into boiling water.

Once Tang Yuan balls float up, drain well and run with cool water (best with ice cooling water) till completely cool down.

Add the drained Tang Yuan into mung bean-sago dessert soup and it is ready to serve.

Sweet Potato-Red Bean Dessert Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup dried red bean, soaked overnight
1.6 L water
1 large sweet potato, cut into bite size
1/2 cup rock sugar or to taste

Method:

Boil red bean for about 2 hours or till softened and cooked thoroughly (I used rice cooker).

Add-in sweet potato and sugar, continue simmering for another 10 minutes (not to over cook the sweet potato).

Serve warm or chill.

Kuey Teow Soup (Flat Rice Noodles Soup)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup boiled dry flat rice noodles (5 mm)
1 cup chicken/pork stock
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp oil

Garnish:

straw mushrooms, sliced half
prawns with tail's shell on
chicken/meat slices
fish/meat/squid/prawn balls
bean sprout
1 tbsp chopped spring onion leave

Method:

Bring a pot of water to boil, boil dried flat rice noodles according to the package direction, drained, set aside in a serving bowl.

Heat oil in a pan or wok, saute garlic till fragrant and golden yellow, remove from heat, pour over boiled rice noodles.

Bring chicken stock to boil.

Add-in fish sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper.

Add-in the preference garnish items, simmer for few minutes to cook thoroughly.

Pour hot over boiled rice noodles.

Sprinkles with spring onion and serve immediately.