Lotus root soup with pork ribs, red dates and beans

I'm feeling a little under the weather so I decided to make a soup.  The Chinese always believe that drinking certain soup will nourish the body.  Well, I was rummaging through the vegetables compartment in the fridge last night and found the unused lotus roots which I bought last week.  So it'll be lotus root soup today.  In this recipe the soup is double-boiled but you can also boil it using normal pot on top of the stove (see footnote).

Ingredients (for 2-3 persons):
2 small sections of lotus root (about 300-400g) - washed, skin peeled and cut into pieces
300g pork ribs - scalded
10-12 red dates
1 handful of beans - washed. People normally use peanuts but I don't have it in my kitchen so I used white lablab/hyacinth beans instead
2-3 dried oysters - optional
1 honey dates - optional
5 cups boiling water
salt to taste

clockwise from left: lotus root, pork ribs, lablab beans, red dates, honey dates
center: dried oysters

Method:
1. Put boiling water in the slow cooker enough to cover 3/4 of the double-boiler.  Set the slow cooker to high.
2. Put in all ingredients except salt into the double boiler.

I use a medium big size porcelain double-boiler

3. Pour in the 5 cups of boiling water.

4. Put the double-boiler into the slow cooker, cover the lid and boil it for 2-3 hours under "High" setting.

be careful of the hot lid of the slow cooker.

5. Just before the end of boiling time, add a little salt (about half teaspoon) to the soup or to taste.

6. Ladle out the soup and serve hot/warm.

Note:

If boiling using normal pot over the stove, use about 10 cups of water instead of 5 cups.  Boil using medium fire for 1 and half hours.  

Download the recipe in pdf here.

Simple fish head curry with vegetables

On the day I cooked the chicken curry to eat with the string hoppers (see here), I also made a simple fish head curry.  With two types of curries to go with the string hoppers, it was a tasty dinner indeed!  Anyway here's the recipe for the fish head curry.  And this time the method will come with photos of the step-to-step cooking~

Ingredients (for 2-3 persons):
1 medium sized fish head (I use red snapper's) - marinated with a bit of salt
1 small brinjal - cut into 5cm length, 2cm width pieces, washed with some salt water and drained dry
4-5 lady's fingers - cut into halves
1 large tomato - cut into wedges
1 onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic - chopped


to be made into paste:
25g fish curry powder+1 tsp chilli powder+2 tbs water

2 and 1/2 cups water
1/2 cube vegetable stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbs tamarind juice (you may also use calamansi juice)


1 cup oil

red snapper fish head

lady's fingers, brinjal, tomatoes

left: fish curry powder+chilli powder
right: chopped onion and garlic

Method:

1. Heat up wok with medium small fire and pour in the cooking oil.  When oil is hot, semi-deep fry the brinjal until they are light brown.  Dish up and put aside.

2. Scoop up the oil until about 1/3 cup remains.  Sauté the onion and garlic until aromatic.

3. Then add in the fish curry paste and continue sautéing until aromatic.

4. Pour in the 2 and half cups of water.  When slightly boiling, put in the fish head. Put in the vegetable stock cube and salt.

5. Simmer for a few minutes.  Flip the fish head to the other side and add in the lady's fingers and tomatoes.  Continue simmering for a few minutes.  Add in the tamarind juice and sugar.  You may adjust the sourness of the curry by adding more tamarind juice or sugar.

6. Then put in the brinjal and simmer for a minute before turning off the heat.

7. Dish up and serve.

Download the recipe in pdf here

Simple chicken curry with potatoes

On Sunday morning at the fresh market, I bought some string hoppers or putu mayam that were freshly made on the spot.  They were packed with some brown sugar and grated coconut, but I was thinking to eat them with some chicken curry.  So here's a simple recipe for one.

Ingredients:
2 chicken whole leg - cut into pieces, marinated with 1 tsp salt, 1 tbs meat curry powder and 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 medium potato (I used Russet) - skin peeled then cut into pieces, soaked a while in some salt water and drained dry
1 small red onion - skin peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic - skin peeled and chopped


to be made into paste:
25g meat curry powder
1 tsp chilli powder
3 tbs water


1 cup oil
3 cups water

marinated chicken

potatoes

meat curry powder+chilli powder

the curry paste

chopped onion and garlic

Method:

1. Heat up wok under medium small fire and pour in the cooking oil.

2. When the oil is hot, put in the potatoes and fry until light brown.

3. Lower the fire and scoop up the oil until about 1/3 cup remains.

4. Fry the chopped onion and garlic until aromatic.

5. Add in the curry paste and fry for a while before adding in the chicken.  Fry for a while until the chicken meat changes colour.

6. Pour in the 3 cups of water, stir well and add in the potatoes.

7. Keep the fire medium and simmer until the chicken is cooked, the potatoes are soft and the gravy is reduced to the right consistency.

8. Turn off the fire and dish up and serve.

Note:

For extra aroma, you may add 2 crushed lemongrass stalks and few sprigs of curry leaves when sauteing the chopped onion and garlic.  You may also add 2-3 kaffir lime leaves too.

For extra flavour, you may add 1/3 cup of coconut milk towards the end of cooking few minutes before turning off the fire.

curry chicken also goes well with white rice and bread~

By the way, these are string hoppers:

they taste similar to rice vermicelli

Download the recipe in pdf  here

p/s: I made fish head curry as well, will share the recipe next time~

Fried glass noodles with vegetables, chicken and squid

For dinner today I decided to fry some glass noodles.  They are made from mung bean and I love their soft and smooth texture when cooked.  You can use other ingredients as preferred and today I'm using whatever I found in the fridge =)

Ingredients (for 2 persons):
80g glass noodles - soak in warm water until soft then drained
1 small carrot - shredded
1/2 japanese cucumber - shredded
2 soaked chinese flower  mushroom - shredded
1 medium sized squid - cut into rings
50g chicken breast - cut into strips and marinate with 1/2 tsp soy sauce, dash of pepper, dash of sesame oil and 1/2 tsp cornflour
2 cloves garlic - chopped

glass noodles, before soaking

clockwise from left: carrot, cucumber, chinese mushroom, garlic

from left: chicken, squid

4 tbs cooking oil

2 tbs oyster sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce (optional, for colour)

1 cup water

1. Heat up wok with medium small fire and pour in the oil.  

2. Fry the garlic until aromatic and then put in the carrot.  Stir-fry for a minute and put in the cucumber and continue to stir-fry for half minute.

3. Put in the oyster sauce, give it a quick stir before pouring in 1 cup of water.  Add salt, sugar, soy sauce and dark soy sauce.

4. When boiled, put in the soaked glass noodles and mix well.  Increase the fire to medium.

5. When the sauce is nearly soaked up, put in the chicken and stir for half a minute before putting in the squid.  Give a quick stir (as squid cooks easily and will turn rubbery if left to cook longer) and turn of the fire.

6. Dish up and serve hot (you may garnish with chopped spring onion or coriander for extra flavour~).

fried glass noodles ready to be served~

Download recipe in pdf here