tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90467532251712141282012-01-29T19:37:02.913Z~ Mainly about Tastes of the Orient ~Sunflowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271086431517595611noreply@blogger.comBlogger3241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-69816640797325251392012-01-18T21:59:00.021Z2012-01-18T22:07:46.607Z

This recipe is so simple easy and tasty. Only takes 5 - 10 minutes! Great with rice, noodles or pile high on fresh bread. 1 x (200 - 250g) packet of raw or frozen (or fresh) peeled king prawns about 150 - 180g of Chinese chive (if not available sub with spring onion/scallion) 4 - 5 eggs a little light soy 1 tsp cornflour few drops of sesame oil some ground pepper pinch of salt some cooking oil

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-66267581711749410492012-01-17T23:18:00.002Z2012-01-17T23:32:35.093Z

Pig trotter and ginger stewed in sweet black vinegar is an old traditional Cantonese recipe originally formulated for mothers after birth, to keep new mums warm during the first month after birth. Also many Cantonese families who has new baby will cook a shed load of this, together with some red coloured hard boiled eggs in their shells and some some chicken cooked in homemade rice wine, all

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-41061173476958564722012-01-15T06:06:00.004Z2012-01-15T06:16:46.851Z

Chinese New Year is just a week away. In Chinese tradition, fish is always a must have for the festive meal. Fish is auspicious to symbolise there will always be plenty year after year. In Chinese phrase it is called 'nian nian you yu' 年年有餘 or 年年有魚. Here the word fish 魚 sounds the same as 餘 which means plenty left. Steamed fish is very popular for any Chinese festive meals. Fish for steaming

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-53494402487036426272012-01-11T00:18:00.004Z2012-01-11T00:22:32.355Z

Today's I will introduce to you a Taiwanese speciality with an unusual name called "chang ying tou" 蒼蠅頭 or in English "flies' heads". The flies' heads relate to bits of fermented black beans or dousi. This is a pungent, salty and spicy stirfry with chive flowers, pork and fermented black beans flavoured with some garlic and chillies. It's tasty with plain rice or eaten as part of a Chinese meal.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-26909085800610797162011-10-25T21:39:00.000+01:002011-10-25T21:39:18.176+01:00

黑椒豬柳 Hak jiu gee lau (Cantonese), or Hēi jiāo zhū liǔ (Mandarin) - Pork fillet with black pepper sauce Pork or beef fillet with black pepper sauce is a modern (westernised) Cantonese dish. In the restaurant this is normally serves on a red hot cast iron sizzling dish, the sauce sizzled on the hot iron giving out a lovely smoky flavour waffling in the air makes everyone around mouth watered.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-65291737197333122572011-10-13T23:10:00.000+01:002011-10-13T23:10:42.913+01:00

Who doesn't like curry chicken with rice? This recipe is slightly different, it's east meets west. It's curried rice topped with a saucy chicken curry and cheese. This fusion (or bastardised if you prefer) curry chicken rice bake can be found in Hong Kong/ Macau cafe style restaurants 茶餐廳. I think Japanese also have similar recipe. Curry and cheese does not sound matching but this combination is

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-47852922258358105042011-10-04T00:13:00.003+01:002011-10-04T00:30:00.079+01:00

I have no time to post any recipes lately, life was hectic I was working 6 - 7 days a week.  This blog has been neglected hopefully you did not miss me much :). Today's recipe is vegetarian, a cheap and cheerful stir fried cabbage with a rather unusual sauce. The secret ingredient is fermented red beancurd or hong fu ru 红腐乳. This recipe looks Sichuanese but I am quite sure it is from Beijing.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-40694785478554444762011-08-31T23:25:00.003+01:002011-09-04T17:11:14.778+01:00

Yang Rou Pao Mo 羊肉泡饃 The weather has suddenly turned cooler. I was craving for something filling and warm. I bought a piece of lamb shoulder last week, time to make some yang rou pao mo. I can eat some and store the rest in the freezer for later. Yang Rou Pao Mo 羊肉泡饃 is a famous xiao chi 小吃 (small eat or snack) from Xian, warm and comforting. Yang Rou 羊肉 is lamb, Pao 泡 is soak and Mo 饃 is a

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-78373268924923643512011-08-28T21:05:00.001+01:002011-08-30T23:45:17.264+01:00

I did not update this blog for a very long time, was feeling lazy and uninspired. Today recipe is a moreish spicy beef with cumin. Zi Ran Niu Rou 孜然牛肉 Cumin beef originates from the Muslim populated North-West of China. This dish is popular in many parts of China like Sichuan and Hunan, over here in UK I believe this has become very popular in many Sichuanese restaurants and home cooking

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-42962994145247456862011-06-23T17:11:00.003+01:002011-06-23T17:51:46.816+01:00

There are many ways to make a bowl of comfort beef stew. This non authentic recipe is one of my favourite and good way to clear up the vegetable drawer in the fridge. The stew looks ordinary like any tomatoey beef stew but with few oriental ingredients this will taste quite different. Gochujang gives a lovely chilli flavour without being too spicy hot. Star anise is great added to any beef stew

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-67817256677021049612011-06-19T19:35:00.011+01:002011-06-20T10:51:02.981+01:00

Liang fen 涼粉 is a jelly noodles made with starch and water. Starch and water is cooked to a thick custard, set and chilled.  It is then cut into whatever shape and size you like then dressed in a Sichaun spicy sauce with some spring onion, coriander and few sesame seeds etc... If you like rice noodles you will love liang fen. This jelly noodles is much springier and better texture than rice

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-71906065205146403402011-06-19T19:18:00.002+01:002011-06-20T10:02:52.336+01:00

Fu zhì jiang you 複製醬油 loosely translated as replicated soy sauce. Another common name you may come across is red soy sauce 红酱油 for tian sui mian 甜水麵. This is an aromatic sugar and spice infused/reduced soy sauce for many Sichuanese dishes especially for snack xiaochi 小吃 and salad 凉菜 including noodles. 1 cup light soy 生抽 2 tbsp dark soy 老抽 1 piece rock sugar/ plain sugar (about 2 tbsp) 冰糖/ 白糖 4

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-65744437495381971602011-06-19T14:15:00.001+01:002011-06-21T18:24:16.385+01:00

Toyomansi is my latest favourite sauce. It's a Filipino soy sauce with calamansi lime juice, a sourish soy with a citrus fragrance. I like it but having had fresh calamansi before, I have a suspicion some flavouring other than real calamansi is added but on the label flavouring is not listed. Toyomansi is available from most oriental supermarkets, quite cheap under £2 for a large bottle of 750ml.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-63076327934931813062011-06-06T09:53:00.001+01:002011-06-06T09:56:16.921+01:00

水晶粽子 水晶 shui jing  = water crystal 粽子 zhongzi  = leaf wrapped dumpling Here is another unusual zhongzi. The recipe is based on Thai tapioca dumplings, Sawku Sai Muu. The pastry dough is made with tapioca pearls. They are called crystal zhongzi because the pastry is translucent.  The pastry is very soft, bouncy, rubbery and chewy. I really like the texture. The filling is delicious and spicy

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-25801894301523026602011-06-06T02:23:00.008+01:002011-06-06T13:15:25.530+01:00

Ker ja bun zong 客家粄粽 Zhongzi can be written as 粽子 or 糭子 Today is Duan Wu Festival 端午節 or Dragon Boat Festival. The origin and story behind this festival see Wiki. Zhongzi or leaf wrapped dumplings are a must to be eaten during this festival. There are few ways to wrap zhongzi. Most people use bamboo leaves, available dried in most countries and fresh is available in some S E Asian countries.

Sunflowerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271086431517595611noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-8806099626202643862011-05-30T19:00:00.003+01:002011-05-30T21:08:50.086+01:00

炸 (zha) = deep fried 蒜 (suan) = garlic 米 (mee) = normally this word is rice, but in this context it means tiny pieces. Crispy fried garlic like crispy fried shallot is very common in S E Asia. Chopped garlic is deep fried till golden it is not bitter but has slightly sweet, caramelised and strong garlicy flavour and deliciously crunchy. Only two ingredients are needed, plenty of garlic and

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-41261829697566610642011-05-30T17:34:00.001+01:002011-05-30T17:38:10.443+01:00

Pearl barley = 薏米 yee mee (Mandarin) or yee mai (Cantonese) Water chestnut = 馬蹄 ma tee (Mandarin) or ma tai (Cantonese) Beancurd stick = 腐竹 fu chook (Mandarin or Cantonese) Sugar water (or more appropriately as sweet dessert soup) =  糖水 tang sui (Mandarin) or tong sui (Cantonese) Sweet soup or tong sui is Cantonese speciality eaten as dessert.  Tong sui is as common as savoury soup for

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-14396568487314742752011-05-30T15:33:00.000+01:002011-05-30T15:33:23.671+01:00

This simple rice is something I can indulge quite often since I know how to make my own lap cheong. DIY lap cheong is so much cheaper and I know there are no hidden ingredients or preservatives. The is a simple meal, steamed lap cheong with rice and some steamed/blanched green vegetable. To add more flavour I added a dollop of ginger spring onion sauce. Cook rice using a rice cooker or on the

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-36663918961039735272011-05-20T11:01:00.002+01:002011-05-21T06:31:22.987+01:00

Chuan wei ma la xiang chang (in Mandarin) 川味麻辣香腸 川 = Sichuan    味 = flavoured    麻 = numbing 辣 = hot   香 = fragrant    腸 = sausage Lap cheong (Cantonese)/ la chang (Mandarin) 臘腸 lap / la  臘,  in Chinese this normally means wax but in this context it means cured.cheong is Cantonese for sausage, in Mandarin it sounded as chang. I have been making my own lap cheong many times now I no longer buy

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-35815884863400881182011-05-18T00:37:00.003+01:002011-05-19T12:38:14.351+01:00

Ever since I made tea smoked chicken I am hooked. The meat has such deep rich flavour and texture of  meat is so tender and juicy. I now tried tea smoked belly. As expected the flavour and texture is excellent. This is probably the best piece of porky I have made. The meat is cured with soy sauce and spices, the curing salt makes the meat a lovely pink colour. 1. Curing Ingredients  1.5 kg

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-9082071985684993012011-05-10T13:24:00.001+01:002011-05-20T09:27:55.615+01:00

Su shao luo bo 素燒蘿蔔 Luo bo 蘿蔔 (萝卜) this can mean either daikon (mooli or oriental radish) or carrot. Su 素 is vegetarian Shao 燒 in cooking terms can mean boil, bake, roast, braise or stew. It's confusing I know! This braised mixed root vegetable is rather tasty. I can eat this happily and don't miss any meat at all. Ingredients: 400 - 500g daikon or mooli 350 - 400g carrot 2 clove of garlic,

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-7473600936218886362011-05-09T16:34:00.004+01:002011-05-09T22:54:35.804+01:00

Hu pe jian jiao 虎皮尖椒 I was pleased to find some large green chillies from the market. I asked the store keeper if they are spicy he just shrugged his shoulders how helpful! In the end I bought a handful (just over 1/2 lb) to try in case they are not as nice as I thought. These chillies were quite long about 12 - 15cm long. I love Sichuan Hu pe jian jiao 虎皮尖椒 or stir fried blistered green

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-40417570844173470152011-05-08T15:49:00.000+01:002011-05-08T15:49:23.442+01:00

I often find similarities between western and oriental food like this stir fried potato which is similar to rustic English bubble and squeak (not the cake shaped type). Here to introduce to you a classic home cooking from Yunnan called lao nai yang yu 老奶洋芋 or old granny's potato. The reason why old granny or lao nai 老奶 is named after this is because this potato dish is soft suitable for grannies

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-26302001409415948602011-05-07T15:23:00.001+01:002011-05-07T15:45:52.848+01:00

Simple lunch today, tomato and egg fried rice. Tomato and egg are such good combination, universal favourite. I am sure there is at least one dish made with tomato and egg in every country. Just Chinese dishes I can count at least half a dozen classics with just two simple ingredients like: Stir fried egg and tomato 西紅柿炒雞蛋/ 番茄炒蛋 Omelette crepe and tomato soup 番茄煎蛋湯/ 西紅柿煎蛋湯 Tomato and egg geda

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-73853593490991291982011-05-06T11:15:00.003+01:002011-05-06T12:30:56.011+01:00

Yesterday I spotted a whooping bag (almost 1.3 kg) of red chillies for quick sale at the Chinese supermarket for a mere £3. The chillies were a little off their best, slightly wrinkly but still looking pretty good. I have to take the lot home, too good to leave it. What a bargain! I always buy chilli sauce because fresh red chillies are quite expensive over here around £10/kg normal price, it

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-5138520008086510362011-04-29T09:57:00.002+01:002011-04-29T10:11:20.977+01:00

Few days ago this Guardian article mentioned aubergine has more nicotine than other vegetables. Guess I may be addicted to this humble spongy vegetable. I have posted quite a few oriental recipes with aubergine. Aubergine is one of those vegetables that must be thoroughly cooked to give it a silky texture and sweet flavour, utterly delicious IMO. Undercooked aubergine is awful feels and tastes

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-82741245379456022922011-04-26T09:33:00.001+01:002011-04-26T09:36:21.925+01:00

This tempeh is sweet. salty, spicy and sour. Very moreish. The recipe is based on Indonesian tempe kering (dry tempeh) with my own twist. I used Korean chilli paste which has a sweeter more mellow flavour. I don't have any lime leaf so I sub with lime zest. Ingredients: about 300g tempeh 1 chopped onion 2 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang) 2 tbsp soy sauce some sugar

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-14548961836695399962011-04-23T20:39:00.003+01:002011-05-03T05:57:12.021+01:00

Green ginger wine makes a great refreshing cocktail with lime and fizzy water.  I also use it for oriental cooking.when I am out of Chinese cooking wine. Stone's is nice. I also like Lidl's (silly me! just remember it's Aldi not lidl) own brand but it is only available around Christmas time. This stewed pork recipe was created when I had a bottle of old ginger wine to use up quickly. I was

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-27073406005098647552011-04-21T17:42:00.002+01:002011-04-21T18:57:09.591+01:00

Xi hong shi chao ji dan 西紅柿炒雞蛋 = fun chair chow dan (fan qie chao dan) 番茄炒蛋 The above names all mean the same stir fried tomato with egg or scrambled egg with tomato, the Chinese way. These tomatoes I used were so red, the juice looks deliciously red too. There is no regional boundary where this dish comes from in China, it is popular among all Chinese not just in China but also worldwide

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-18148771925602966332011-04-18T17:06:00.001+01:002011-04-18T17:13:53.484+01:00

Stir fried mantou is a tasty way to use up stale mantou. An all in one meal/snack super quick and easy to prepare. A good way to use up anything in your fridge. Use any vegetables you have and some meat like leftover cooked meat, bacon, ham, lap cheong, spam etc... add the usual garlic, spring onion, chilli etc.. for more flavour. I love to coat the mantou with beaten eggs. Cut 3 stale plain

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-33483413955806708782011-04-18T14:22:00.002+01:002011-04-19T08:59:10.782+01:00

What is the difference between Chinese bao/baozi 包/包子 and mantou 饅頭? Boazi is bun with filling and mantou is without filling. The word bao 包 in boazi means 'wrap' so it is obvious with filling. Mantou 饅頭 is the staple carb for Northern Chinese more than rice, it is eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner in place of rice. Plain mantou's texture is normally a bit chewy not like Cantonese cha siu

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-35710660968434945032011-04-12T21:15:00.008+01:002011-04-13T10:23:50.405+01:00

If you think supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is not easy to remember try the most complex Chinese character related to a noodle's name. This word is so complex it is not in any Chinese dictionary or any computerised Chinese type set. Take a look at one single Chinese word with 57 strokes! This word reads as 'biang' Biang biang mian (in Chinese charaters) Biang biang* mian is a well

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-5528402761556163102011-04-09T21:13:00.007+01:002011-04-10T19:36:02.466+01:00

Chu liu bai chai (cu liu bai cai) 醋溜白菜 Chu liu bai chai is a simple vegetarian dish, a well known Lu Chai 鲁菜 from Shandong 山東 region where it is famous for the production of good quality vinegar. This stir fried Chinese leaf or napa cabbage main flavour is the vinegar to give it a sharp taste. The vegetable is stir fried briefly to keep it crunchy. Ingredients: About 600g Chinese leaf or Napa

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-77504598900054918762011-04-04T21:31:00.001+01:002011-04-04T21:32:31.387+01:00

Chow hwang gua jiang 炒黃瓜醬 Most people have cucumber raw or pickled, I love stir fried cucumber. This is a simple stir fry but the recipe is not that common. The original recipe is from Ching Imperial kitchen specially made for Empress Dowager Cixi as condiment or side dish. Traditional  raw vegetable pickle was normally served but because Doweger had a tender tummy, her chef made this cooked

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-36910906345488559692011-04-02T18:11:00.011+01:002011-04-02T21:05:32.066+01:00

I love honey, lemon and ginger hot drink. I have it quite often with or without a cold. This combination also works for a Chinese style sweet and sour. Here is the recipe for this simple fried fish with honey lemon and ginger sauce. Ingredients: about 500g fish fillet 1 tbsp soy sauce pinch of ground pepper 2 tbsp plain flour 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) 1 egg beaten 1/2 cup of cooking oil

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-10245384815511211282011-03-31T16:22:00.005+01:002011-03-31T18:31:43.001+01:00

Gon Jin Ha Look 干煎蝦碌 This is my mum's Cantonese dried fried prawns with garlic we called gon jin ha look. Simple and so tasty. We always used very large king prawns (about 5 - 6 " long) and always with the shell and head on. Shells and heads are so good licking and sucking the sweet juice from the head. The garlic cloves are fried till light brown and very sweet. Large raw king prawns can be

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-66920706769779937112011-03-29T08:24:00.005+01:002011-03-30T08:29:46.372+01:00

Ayam pongteh is nyonya braised chicken with shitake mushroom and potato. This is a popular nyonya dish eaten at most festivals or celebrations. This dish is normally not spicy (unless chilli is added) but quite rich in flavour enriched by lots of shallots, garlic and fermented yellow beans. The recipe is pretty much influenced by Chinese. To add a very Nyonya touch to this dish, sambal belacan

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-5849453052285934202011-03-28T08:39:00.002+01:002011-03-30T08:33:02.071+01:00

Sambal belacan is pungent and delicious. This paste is used a condiment or sauce for many Malay or Nyonya dishes including curries, vegetable stir fries or salad (kerabu). I have already posted two recipes for sambal belacan previously on this post (raw) and this post (cooked). Because I love this condiment so much I am going to repost the raw version with a slight change of recipe. To eat as

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-43636160194387488832011-03-27T10:37:00.005+01:002011-03-27T14:26:53.724+01:00

Fried potato cakes make great snack anytime. Perkedel I think is an Indo-Dutch fusion. There are various spellings all mean the same potato cake if you ever come across them. perkedel = berkedel = bergedel = bergedil This is home cooking make perkedel with any mixtures you like. Other than the potato there are no strict rules what else can be added. Tinned corned beef or minced beef is common,

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-20164063173785561132011-03-25T22:08:00.001Z2011-03-27T19:00:21.602+01:00

Finally got the laptop back after a week. Phew! Kung po or kung pow chicken (gong bao ji ding 宮保雞丁) is probably the most famous Sichuan chicken dish outside China. It is listed in nearly all Chinese restaurants or takeaways menu worldwide. There are many versions or westernised kung po chicken, many include diced vegetables and most used cashew nuts. The real Sichuanese style has few

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-13273609217018193922011-03-23T09:51:00.000Z2011-03-23T09:51:27.248Z

Apology to all readers. I have problem with the computer and my hmtl. My computer is still on repair. I have to use the library service. I have managed to open the blog to view again. Thank you for your support.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-18042305206366185412011-03-16T08:58:00.004Z2011-03-16T11:37:27.350Z

Growing my own tempeh has been on my list of things to try. I have recently received a free sample of tempeh starter from Tempeh Info. So way I go to give it a try. I was a bit nervous to keep a constant temperature of around 30deg C to incubate the beans. I don't want to spend ££ to buy/build an incubator, so I racked my brain and find what I already have at home. I started gathering a few

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-63322266883115700382011-03-13T16:45:00.002Z2011-03-16T09:26:48.790Z

Guo ta dou fu 鍋塌豆腐 is from Shandong. It's fried tofu pieces coated with beaten egg then cooked in a sauce. If you like tofu this is a lovely light dish. To prepare this, Take 2 - 3 pcs of firm tofu, cut into 1cm thick. Marinate with pinch of salt , a dash of cooking wine and pinch of pepper. Chop some spring onion, one small clove garlic, a small piece of ginger and a little red chilli for

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-87792029334434062662011-03-05T18:11:00.002Z2011-03-05T18:18:05.881Z

I made a couple of jars of fermented chilli few months ago, there is still some in the fridge in good condition no sign of mould or smelling bad. It has lasted longer than I thought. This chilli has a great flavour and is very spicy hot due to the added Thai chillies. For next batch I will use milder chilli so I can use more of it. Here is an easy and straight forward recipe with chicken. About

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-40188400912744753712011-03-02T10:41:00.002Z2011-03-02T11:19:37.671Z

Yogurt was not common years ago in China. Yogurt has been and still eaten mainly by the upper northerners, Mongolia area or muslim population who raise sheep/goats and goat milk yogurt is quite common and traditional among them. Today many bigger cities in China are no difference to any cosmopolitan cities in the world, western style yogurt or yogurt drinks are available everywhere. I don't want

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-56233933849021241732011-03-01T17:18:00.002Z2011-03-01T22:03:46.481Z

If you ask me what do I cook most, my answer will probably be Chinese and Malay food. I love the rich and aromatic Malay/Nyonya curries, salad, cakes and cookies. I can get most of the spices, herbs and other Malay ingredients over here to make almost anything I want, though many ingredients can be quite expensive over here than back home. Today recipe is a Malay style pumpkin and prawn curry

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-20289359805516049352011-02-27T21:26:00.006Z2011-02-27T23:01:38.948Z

There are so many types of Chinese pickled vegetables. If you have visited one of the larger Chinese supermarkets, you may be baffled with the array of dried or wet pickled vegetables: salt pickled, vinegar pickled, spice pickled, sweet pickled etc.. Everytime I go to those Chinese supermarkets in London I always find something I have never tried or heard before. So many to choose from and

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-70781670966499034442011-02-23T14:21:00.005Z2011-02-23T16:13:44.077Z

Red bean or aduki bean is a common oriental ingredient making into thick bean paste filling for buns/cake and also made into sweet soups or tong sui 糖水 We Chinese love sweet soups for dessert, there are numerous varieties. Red bean soup with mandarin peel (chan pei) is a common Cantonese dessert. It's easy to make just take a bit of time to cook. Here is how I make mine. 1 cup of red beans (

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-45882195449577109492011-02-21T16:41:00.002Z2011-02-21T16:46:29.950Z

I love baked beans with English breakfast, on toast or on baked potato. Ever had stir fried baked beans? Since I was a kid I adored baked beans with pork ala Chinese style. I think many Chinese kids brought up in the far east are familiar with this. It's cheap and tasty, perfect comfort food with rice.  Ingredients:  1 regular tin size baked beans150 - 200g pork* a little soy saucepinch of

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-52527825608136719202011-02-20T18:57:00.004Z2011-02-20T20:05:52.388Z

Anyone remembers and still eats Chan pei mui 陳皮梅? Chan pei mui is a traditional Chinese candy. I love it since I was a kid. It is a fruit candy, looks brown/black soft and chewy with a strong citrus peel flavour. From the name chan pei mui 陳皮梅, you can guess the ingredients include chan pei or mandarin peel and the other is plum or in Chinese 梅 ('mui' in Cantonese or 'mei' in Mandarin). I have

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-84345825824916152202011-02-19T11:24:00.005Z2011-03-16T09:15:05.971Z

Chan pei 陳皮 directly translated as 'ancient old skin', it is basically dried mandarin or tangerine peel. The reason why it is called ancient old skin is because it is not freshly dried peel it must be aged for at least a year before used. Towards the end the year to spring, many people will eat a lot mandarins, tangerines or satsuma. Have you ever thought of using the peel instead of chucking

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-26065290041167115412011-02-17T21:52:00.004Z2011-02-18T10:36:07.258Z

Tang Yuan 湯圓 are boiled soft chewy balls normally made with glutinous rice flour. Today is the last day (day 15) of Chinese New Year called Yuan Xiao Festival 元宵節. It's also a full moon day today. CNY starts on the 1st day of lunar month and end on full moon. To end this festive season, many Chinese will eat soft chewy tang yuan. Most people will have the sweet type but savoury ones are also

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-80707201420226372742011-02-15T21:02:00.002Z2011-02-15T21:24:53.686Z

台式香菇肉燥 - Tai Shi Xiang Gu Rou Zao This is Chinese spag bog sauce Taiwanese style. The flavour is similar to this chunky style recipe. Cheap, flavourful and very versatile, this sauce is great with plain rice, any noodles (dry or soup), stir fries vegetables or serve with plain rice cake. I normally make a big batch, store some in fridge for up to a week or freeze till ready to use. Hard boiled

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-37018816307975875302011-02-15T16:21:00.001Z2011-02-18T13:43:56.317Z

This is a refreshing pudding and easy to make. The mandarin peel makes the pudding quite fragrance. Pumpkin skin is quite tough to peel. I cooked the pumpkin with the skin on, once cooked the skin will become very soft. For this recipe I cooked about 450g of de-seeded pumpkin with skin, wrapped in baking paper then put in the microwave on high for about 12 - 15minutes (time depends on micro

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-46301985406777289852011-02-11T14:35:00.000Z2011-02-11T14:35:22.001Z

Chinese five spice is a classic flavouring in many Chinese cooking. I have bought and used many different brands of five spice powder. I noticed they all smell different and some didn't have much aroma at all. Though it is called five spice, it is not a concrete rule to use only five type of spices. Five spice powder can contain 5 or more spices in any proportions. Common spices used can be

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-68261194363772999052011-02-09T16:43:00.007Z2011-03-16T09:21:13.232Z

Fermenting cooked rice is a very old Chinese, Japanese, Korean and other S E Asians tradition, the main use is to make rice wine. Fresh partially fermented rice is very sweet, great to eat as it is like a rice pudding or use for cooking. In Chinese sweet fermented rice is called 甜酒釀 'tian jiu niang'  or 醪糟 'lao zao'. This is not rice pulp after rice wine is filtered. The cooked rice is only

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-43896473737326913512011-02-09T06:17:00.000Z2011-02-09T06:17:00.006Z

Happy Birthday to all!  It's the 7th day of CNY again. In Chinese tradition it's everybody's birthday. We called today 人日, reads as 'Ren le' in Mandarin or 'Yan Yak' in Cantonese, literally means 'people's day'. See previous post and some recipes related to today celebration like yu san and 7 ingredients soup and the reasons why they are selected as special for Ren le. For a change I am going

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-60418534236446812402011-02-07T09:45:00.014Z2011-02-07T10:55:28.636Z

Golden Pumpkin Cake 黄金南瓜糕 One of Cantonese favourite Chinese New Year's cake is lo bak goh (turnip or mooli cake). This year I subbed mooli with pumpkin. The cake has a mild sweetness and lovely pumpkin flavour. It has a nice golden colour. Gold or golden colour is auspicious during CNY to symbolise wealth and prosperity. So why not try this to celebrate with friends and family. I know it's a

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-34230289169784939622011-01-31T19:50:00.000Z2011-01-31T19:50:32.022Z

Chinese New Year 2011, 3rd  - 17th Feb Happy New Year to all who celebrate the year of the Rabbit. 在新的兔年祝你和你的家人:  In the year of the Rabbit, wish you and your family: 萬事如意  All wishes come true好運連連  No end of good lucks青春健康  Feeling young and healthy甜甜蜜蜜  Love is sweet幸福快樂  Blissful and happy

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-78391469283551826102011-01-29T11:49:00.004Z2011-01-29T13:53:54.040Z

For a change this is not a recipe. I just like to brag about the cheap and cheerful sausage making tools I have been using recently. Last year I started making Chinese sausages lap cheong and other homemade fresh sausages. Unwilling to pay £££ for a stuffer machine I had been using a standard plastic funnel and a stick as a plunger to stuff the sausages. It was hard work! I searched on the

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-56941312037936100342011-01-28T01:20:00.007Z2011-01-28T01:59:25.765Z

Hello and belated New Year greeting!. Apology for neglecting the blog again for many weeks, I had disappeared to California enjoying the sun and hopefully has escaped the worst of English winter. Chinese New Year is coming soon. This year is the year of the rabbit and 1st day of CNY is next Thursday 3rd Feb. One of my CNY favourite snack is sweet bbq pork from Singapore (and West Malaysia too).

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-80342266716070195172010-12-11T10:29:00.001Z2011-03-16T09:16:41.285Z

Duò jiāo 剁椒 is a pickled/fermented chopped chilli popular in Hunan and Sichuan. It does not contain any vinegar but lactic acid is produced during fermentation. This pickle is easy to make at home and ready to eat after few days but if you like it tastes sour best keep it for 2 - 3 weeks before use. This pickled/fermented chilli is a popular ingredient for steamed fish especially fish head. Take

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-34862864638032370362010-11-30T14:26:00.000Z2010-11-30T14:26:43.564Z

Life have been a bit hectic lately and I had neglected the blog for a while. To welcome me back I presented you with a sweet treat. It's a pandan and coconut pound cake with butter frosting. This recipe is something I made up with ingredients I thought nice together. Cake Ingredients: 50ml pandan juice (extracted from 10 - 12 pandan leaves + 2-3 tbsp water) 4 medium size eggs 200g plain

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-26077385633358152112010-10-21T10:48:00.002+01:002010-10-21T10:57:14.837+01:00

Beef rendang is probably one of the most popular Malay curry. I haven't met anyone who does not like this fragrant spicy dried beef curry. Nearly every Malay festive celebrations, there is always rendang of some sort, beef, chicken, lamb, dried or wet rendang. Preparing the rempah or spice paste is important to give maximum flavour. Usiing a mini blender it only takes less than a minute to

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-85898515600455618022010-10-08T21:47:00.000+01:002010-10-08T21:47:44.799+01:00

I was talking with Josh of Cooking The Book the other day about canned fried dace with black bean 'dou si lian yue 豆豉鯪魚' and how difficult to find them these days due to limited import because of suspected contaminated fish used for manufacturing. I have a craving since for this salty chewy leathery fish with yummy black beans.  Couple of days ago I was shopping in Lidl and they had frozen

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-37344366280304869502010-09-11T21:34:00.000+01:002010-09-11T21:34:50.234+01:00

This stew is so easy to make. One of those recipes I have repeated time after time when I crave for a warm hearty stew but could not be bother or too tired to hang around long in the kitchen. All I have to do is cut the vegetables and chicken, then just add water and boil till just about tender then add spicy sauce. That is it. Couldn't be simpler, grease free cooking. It does look good with a

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-58837160483365444452010-09-08T14:10:00.014+01:002010-09-08T16:24:05.753+01:00

This recipe is inspired by two of my favourites, fish fragrant aubergine and jiaozi dumplings. This isn't a classic recipe but a tasty combination. If you don't believe me give it a try you will be addicted. The dumplings are tasty with a nice spicy flavour. Tasty enough without needing any dipping sauce, but I still make a ginger spicy vinegar to go with. Unlike standard fish fragrant

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-11915114564222380862010-09-04T13:28:00.010+01:002010-09-04T14:34:05.318+01:00

Sweet corn is in season again. One of the simplest way I like with fresh sweet corn is to make juk for breakfast/brunch. It's so simple just two ingredients plus lots of water. This juk is similar to Cantonese sweet corn soup without the chicken bits, meat stock etc..., very simple but refreshing with a lovely sweet flavour.Take about 3/4 cup of glutinous rice. Rinse and soak with 1 cup of water

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-47236236323149072272010-09-01T19:40:00.005+01:002010-09-02T09:20:57.708+01:00

It's still Ramadan at the moment. Hari Raya or Eid is coming soon. When I was still living in the Far East, one of the sweet cookies I remembered popular during Hari Raya is Kuih Momo. In Brunei and East Malaysia, these cookies are commonly known as Kuih Momo and in West Malaysia I think they are more commonly known as Kuih Makmur.Other than Hari Raya, we also make these cookies for Chinese New

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-91412687864379846572010-08-31T21:10:00.005+01:002010-08-31T22:39:08.188+01:00

Kongguksu is an interesting bowl of noodle soup. It is icy cold great for the warm weather. It has an unsual cold soy milk broth with added nuts for more flavour. The broth is mild, nutty, delicious and healthy. If you like strong flavoured noodle soup this recipe is not for you.This soy milk broth is not the normal soy milk. Soaked soy beans are boiled then blended with water to a creamy thick

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-78078878520537280372010-08-29T10:45:00.018+01:002010-08-29T18:38:15.649+01:00

Chinese name: Hakka chai guo 客家茶粿 or Hakka chai bao 客家菜包 In Brunei we called these dumplings chai kuih. I remembered in our family we used to have them for breakfast nearly every weekend, we buy them from the kuih lady in the market. Eventually we learnt how to make them and have them as and when we feel like making some. I have never seen these dumplings in UK restaurants, the only way I can

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-77688539391223828812010-08-26T13:24:00.023+01:002010-08-26T21:07:00.809+01:00

This colourful steamed cake is a Chinese Nyonya fusion, soft and slightly chewy. I love this since I was a kid. I like to peel the layers one by one and eat it that way.This cake is more like a pudding than a western cake. It is normally called nine layers cake due to the number of layers. It is not essential to have nine layers but that has been a tradition passed down from generation to

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-45582168676642332382010-08-25T20:54:00.019+01:002010-08-26T19:09:21.698+01:00

重慶酸辣粉 Chongqing suan la fenChongqing hot and sour noodle soup is one of the world favourite Chinese noodles, popular not only in Chongqing but also in Sichuan. I love it, it's spicy, salty, sour, garlicy and the noodles are soft and slippery. A bowl of red hot slurping goodness. This noodle soup can be a fast food, can prepare in minutes if all the components/ingredients are prepared in advance.A

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-52803339867252392002010-08-22T16:27:00.018+01:002010-08-22T17:34:04.985+01:00

This is yet another lovely aubergine (eggplant) recipe. This is a Cambodian recipe. I don't know much about Cambodian cooking. I got this recipe from a friend.I like the way the aubergine is first chargrilled whole then shredded, the aubergine is sweet and has lovely smoky flavour. I don't have a charcoal grill. I chargrilled the aubergine with direct flame.Here is what I did.Chargrill the

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-43647677297502998822010-08-17T18:40:00.030+01:002010-08-18T09:21:58.589+01:00

My dinner last night,- sambal tumis telur, cut into halves- nasi minyak serai (lemongrass oily rice) with crispy shallot- keropok (prawn crackers)- cucumber slicesHere is the recipe for the rice. I use 50:50 basmati and red rice. This red rice is Thai, bought from oriental supermarket.Nasi Minyak Serai (Lemongrass Oily Rice)Ingredients: (enough for 4), cup size 250ml1 cup basmati rice1 cup red

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-84718499935664944452010-08-17T16:59:00.013+01:002010-08-17T18:33:48.514+01:00

Born and breed in Brunei Malay food and cooking play an important part in my foodie life. Authentic Malay food is not easy to find in the Western world. I am so glad I have learnt enough to cook myself some decent Malay food before hopping on a plane over here to England many years ago. Clearing the cupboard yesterday I found a jar of sambal tumis I made a while ago. Sambal tumis is very

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-21260062086797091332010-08-15T15:13:00.019+01:002010-08-19T18:03:26.585+01:00

This morning I suddenly have a craving for some Pop Pan spring onion crackers, I was too lazy to go down to the shop. I thought of making something similar. I had a tub of chicken stock jelly with fat collected from roasting a chicken. Thought it might be a good idea to use that to flavour these crackers. No sure how this concoction would turn up I just mixed the dough, rolled it out and baked

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-3535942536971964202010-08-13T13:24:00.036+01:002010-08-19T17:14:46.272+01:00

Xinjiang da pun ji 新疆大盤雞, translated as Xinjiang big plate/bowlful of chicken. Xinjiang is the North West part of China, Muslims majority. I found this chicken stew recipe a while ago, very similar to Sichuan spicy flavour which I like a lot. What special is no water is needed just plenty of beer to stew the chicken. I just got to try this recipe. Here is a big wokful of this stew, colourful and

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-10926455446912787352010-08-07T17:40:00.011+01:002010-08-13T22:43:01.439+01:00

Fu Ru Yen Shu Ji 腐乳鹽酥雞. This recipe is a delight from Taiwan, though not super healthy it's finger licking good. I have made this several times. Chicken has lovely flavour, the coating will stay crunchy for quite long time and the fried basil chips so crunchy they melt in the mouth. The recipe is easy as long as you have some fermented beancurd and some fresh basil.Here is the recipe if you like

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-67596634505919978552010-08-05T19:10:00.021+01:002010-08-06T15:26:39.421+01:00

Has anyone tried something like this in Taiwan or Taiwanese restaurant? This is a bowl of chewy sweet potato chunks called 'dee kwa yuan 地瓜圓' or 'fun shu yuan 番薯圓', a popular Taiwanese dessert. These chunks are similar to Cantonese glutinous rice balls 'tang yuan 湯圓' but much chewier. The first time I made this dessert following a recipe I found on the internet, it was far too chewy for my taste

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-44442818520820146322010-08-04T18:10:00.018+01:002010-08-05T08:34:13.190+01:00

A simple dough and some tasty garlic chives filling make really good stuffed pancakes or pasties. This is a classic Chinese snack called jiu chai hur zi 韭菜盒子. In Chinese it means garlic chive box, box being the pastry. This snack is one I like to make for weekend brunch, simple and filling. What is garlic chive or jiu chai 韭菜? It's a vegetable similar to spring onion (scallion) but the green '

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-12646595007125923562010-07-31T18:19:00.006+01:002010-07-31T18:55:42.078+01:00

For all the aubergine (eggplant) fans out there, if you like my aubergine recipes here is another one for you. The recipe is something I put together what I can find in my fridge and overload of basil in the garden. It's Thai flavour combining some of my favourite ingredients together. It's not pretty but very yummy. If you do try hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Ingredients:2 medium

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-79224341384260435252010-07-29T23:56:00.028+01:002011-04-22T22:29:08.144+01:00

Have you ever eaten S E Asian style Konjac candy, rubbery jelly/jello cups that look like these? I like them but in recent years this candy had very bad press and banned in some countries due to some children choked to death eating them. I reckon children could eat these jelly cups without chewing and also sucking the jelly out of the plastic cup can be dangerous because the lump of jelly can

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-39817533084491064522010-07-27T19:29:00.010+01:002010-07-27T22:24:41.238+01:00

I love all kinds of stir fried rice noodles to name a few like Malaysian/S'porean/Bruneian chow kway teow 炒粿條, Thai pad thai, Hong Kong beef with soft scrambled egg 滑蛋牛河 (wat dan ngau ho), but today I am cooking Hong Kong style dried stir fried rice noodles with beef 乾炒牛河 (kon chow ngau ho), similar to chow kway teow.I have eaten many kon chow ngau ho 乾炒牛河 in Wong Kee (London China town) years

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-78480706787952048252010-07-26T09:40:00.004+01:002010-08-13T22:43:24.604+01:00

This recipe is based on Vietnamese caramel pork belly. I have been cooking this repeatedly for many years and still not tired of it. It's a rewarding recipe with only few ingredients and simple method. The wings are succulent and full of flavour, sweet and salty. Finger licking good. Whenever I cook this, all I need is just plain white rice, nothing else.If you like cola wings you will love this

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-57370206438908696732010-07-25T13:41:00.002+01:002010-07-25T15:20:17.145+01:00

I haven't posted any Japanese recipes. This recipe today isn't traditional Japanese it's western influenced potato salad. I love this, it has so many bits added giving it interesting texture and colourful. It's a meal on its own. Great for a hungry munchy anytime of the day or night. Lovely as filling for crunchy baguette or serve with BBQ.Here is how I make this tasty potato salad.Ingredients:

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-80087675532322051922010-07-23T16:00:00.011+01:002010-07-29T10:11:16.672+01:00

Almond tofu is the Chinese version of panna cotta but much much healthier without the heavy cream and vegan friendly.Almond tofu in Chinese is 杏仁豆腐 read as 'sin ren do fu' in Mandarin or 'hung yen dou fu' in Cantonese. This is a Cantonese cold dessert great for the summertime. Most Cantonese dim sum restaurants will have this dessert on their trolleys whizzing around you with all the other

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-52587791917930676192010-07-22T18:02:00.009+01:002010-07-22T20:40:13.065+01:00

Spam is my regular store cupboard ingredient. A slice or two fried till golden on a bowl of instant noodles with a fried egg will always satisfy the junk food mood I am in sometime.To show my continuous support for all things spamalicious, spam fried rice does occur on my dining table every now and again, another fast food fix.Today's spam fried rice is slightly different. I have a jar of XO

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-27575067656192915022010-07-21T17:10:00.002+01:002010-07-21T20:46:58.440+01:00

Another aubergine (egg plant) recipe? You must think I am mad. Yes, every week when I go shopping if I see aubergines on offer I must bring some home. I bought four yesterday. I wanted to use half straight away because of limited fridge space and the other half later in the week.So what tickle my tastebuds this time? I want something guilt free (reasonably low fat), easy to make and tasty.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-84457214840152780452010-07-20T21:17:00.009+01:002010-07-20T22:49:32.645+01:00

I didn't know they have courgette (zucchini) in China, all the time I thought courgette is a Western vegetable. Oriental courgette (zucchini) is similar to western type but the skin is usually much lighter in colour, like pastel green. In China they called courgette 'si hu lu 西葫蘆'.There is one Beijingnese favourite snack 'xiao chi 小吃' it's courgette pancake which the Beijingnese given it a funny

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-40183861777351025592010-07-17T22:16:00.009+01:002010-08-13T22:44:23.624+01:00

I have a bumper crop of Thai sweet basil at the moment. Every summer I grow quite of lot of this favourite herb from cuttings. I bought a pack of basil, trimmed and put the stems in water, covered the leaves with perforated clear plastic bag and put in a cool light area. Change the water and clean the stems every few days to remove any decays. In about 10 - 14 days the cuttings would have long

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-38358804753266462842010-07-14T10:45:00.004+01:002010-07-15T10:16:21.881+01:00

I have just found out Blogger has a new blog template designer facility. Very easy to use and I quite like this new design I selected. Simple and easy on the eye. What do you think? Do you have any comments or things you like me to include.I am still in the process of formatting the design may change things around. So excuse the work in progress.

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-7219034072258152992010-07-13T17:08:00.010+01:002010-07-15T14:49:43.893+01:00

Sichuanese dried fried green beans. i.e. 'gan bian si ji dou' 干煸四季豆, are delicious with rice or just with beer. The beans are tender sweet and a bit spicy with yummy salty bits of dried shrimps and Sichuan preserved vegetable (zha chai). Many recipes like to add minced pork (ground pork) I find it unnecessary.The beans are fried in oil then stir fried. You may be disgusted how oily it can be,

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-6002073469163515972010-07-11T20:50:00.014+01:002010-07-12T10:13:15.145+01:00

It hot hot hot over here. I just want to keep away from cooking as much as I can.Cold noodles is something which is quite appetising in this warm weather. Cold noodles with sesame dressing 'ma jiang ren mian' 麻醬冷麵 is common in northern part of China as a snack for the warm summer. This cold dressed noodles can be plain (vegetarian) with a bit of vegetables like bean sprouts and/or cucumber. For

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-32991696821324332632010-06-26T20:56:00.017+01:002010-06-27T01:49:08.923+01:00

Dou fu fa (or just 'dou fa') = doh fu hua (or just 'doh hua') = tofu fa = doh now = beancurd jelly = soy milk curdIn Chinese this dessert is called 豆腐花 or 豆花, read as 'dou fu fa' in Cantonese and 'doh fu hua' in Mandarin, translated as tofu flower. There is another name for this dessert called 豆腦 'doh now' in Mandarin, translated as 'soy brain' because it is as soft as brain and look/texture

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-39463217481520981762010-06-26T18:52:00.010+01:002010-06-26T20:54:33.396+01:00

It's dreadfully warm over here today. In this warm weather soy milk is a very good beverage. Soy beans are a ying or cool food. Drinking soy milk especially cold can sooth the throat and body in this warm heat.Chinese drink soya milk hot, warm and cold, sweetened, with salt or plain. Chinese soy milk is usually slightly thinner than some of the local western supermarket brands soy milk in a

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-78356787852485712532010-06-23T13:46:00.027+01:002010-06-26T18:08:13.312+01:00

Chinese believe heat in the body can cause all sorts of health problems. This heat is caused by very warm weather and/or eating too much heaty food like fried food, durian etc. This heat in the body called 熱氣 read as 're chi' translated as 'heat gas', can cause heat rash, sore throat, mouth ulcers, heat headaches etc.... To cure/relieve this heat in Chinese referred as '清熱解毒 chin re jae duk'

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-36024429946808485452010-06-17T16:13:00.006+01:002010-06-17T16:36:27.204+01:00

Prawn omelette is always a favourite with everyone in the family. Simple, easy and delicious. Can make this about 10 minutes from prep to dining table if you have peeled prawns all ready for you fresh or frozen. I normally buy smaller peeled raw prawns for this, unless peeled king prawns are on offer. Not bad with frozen cooked prawns too if you don't have raw prawns.Using different herbs will

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-56871473968589509612010-06-17T15:41:00.010+01:002010-06-17T17:21:49.253+01:00

Whenever aubergine is on offer I just got to buy a few. I got a large aubergine (eggplant) to use up, but I just can't be bothered to fry or braise like I normally do, the weather is so warm to stand in front of the cooker. Opting for the easy way, I steam it and cover it with a simple sauce. Nice and simple, the aubergine is soft and slippery. One extra I added which adds lots of flavour is

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9046753225171214128.post-26378673609965473912010-06-16T09:40:00.020+01:002010-06-16T11:32:29.828+01:00

I nearly missed the correct date for Duan Wu Jet 端午節. I knew it's the 16th but my silly head keep thinking it's Thursday instead of Wednesday today.I made another batch of zhongzi last night, this time is savoury with ground roasted peanuts and pork only, flavoured heavily with five spice. I think this is Hakka style zhongzi, we used to buy these at the market all year round when I was still

Sunflowernoreply@blogger.com4