Ka's sushi

Had a minor buying spree at DAISO (IMM) the other day.. this may not look nice, but I do enjoy making it as it is very simple and you don't really need to plan ahead. This was prepared within one hour after a sudden craving for sushi set in.... Plus I did not use a sushi-mat so the shape is kinda out... (^_^)

Ka's Sushi

Ingredients:
1 big bowl Sushi rice (NTUC sells cheap and good calrose rice)
Seaweed ($2 for 5 giant squares - DAISO)
2 tbsp Sushi flavouring ($2 for a bottle - DAISO)
Filling of your choice
(I had canned tuna, taiwan sausage and chicken nuggets)

Method:
[1] Spread the sushi rice out in a bowl and fan it or leave to cool. Stir in the sushi flavouring and continue fanning. The rice should look shiny after that. The rice should be slightly sourish.
[2] Place a piece of seaweed on a dry surface. Spread a thin layer of rice over the seaweed. Leave the beginning 1 inch or so empty so you can place your filling.
[3] Place your filling on the beginning part of the seaweed.
[4] Roll up the sushi. Remember to tuck and press as you roll. Give it a final press after rolling, and cut it to pieces. Water your knife so the rice does not get stuck to the knife.

*Tip to get fluffy sushi rice. Was the rice grains, and leave them to soak for 10-15min before cooking.

The kids enjoyed doing their own handrolls too. Kinda versatile, we even tried it pizza-style. Nice way of getting your kids to get their veggies. (^_^)

Ka's Teriyaki Crabs

Cooked this dish last week when I saw mud crabs going for $3 each... Bought 2.. Recipe's pretty simple, partly due to the use of terikayi sauce (I like the thicker teriyaki marinade sauce by Kikoman)

Ka's T Crabs

Ingredients:
2 mud crabs, cleaned
4 tbsp teriyaki marinade sauce
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp chinese wine
1 tbsp oil
1 cup water

Method:
[1] Chop the garlic finely. Put aside.
[2] Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry the garlic till fragrant.
[3] Add the crab and wine. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
[4] Add the water, teriyaki sauce and pepper. Cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.
[5] Remove the cover, turn the heat up to high, and stir fry for another 5 minutes. The liquid should have thickened up and/or evaporated. Serve warm with plain bread or rice.


This is easy right? Haha... You can leave the crabs in the freezer if you do not fancy killing them yourself... It does get kinda grisly, especially when their muscle reflexes set in and they start twitching after getting chopped up.... (T_T)

Ka's Pork Cutlet

Supermarkets have started selling FROZEN pork recently... They are SUPER CHEAP and taste alright! I gave it a go and made pork cutlets.. Here's the recipe:

~~ Ka's Porklets ~~

Ingredients:
1 pack frozen pork loin (other cuts if you prefer) - 6 slices
Oyster sauce - to taste
Pepper - to taste
2 tbsp Chinese wine
1 egg
1 cup plain flour
1 cup breadcrumbs (I prefer Korean brands)
Oil for deep-frying

Method:
[1] Pound the pork lightly with a meat tenderizer or the back of a chopper.
[2] Season with oyster sauce, pepper and chinese wine. Leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
[3] Prepare 3 plates. Sieve plain flour into the first plate, crack the egg into the second (beat it lightly) and pour the breadcrumbs onto the third.
[4] Take the pork out of the fridge. Coat with flour and shake off excess. Dip both sides into the egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. Press lightly to make sure the crumbs stay on.
[5] Heat a wok of oil. Fry the cutlets till golden brown. Serve warm.

Fusion dinner (PArt 2)

If you look carefully, you can spot the potato balls I made. Haha. Refer to the earlier post for the recipe...

Here's the recipe for the braised chicken..

~~ Ka's Braised Chicken ~~

Ingredients:

6 chicken drumlets (thaw it completely if using frozen ones)
1 small carrot
1 clove garlic
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp chinese wine
half cup water (I used the water left from boiling the potatoes in the previous recipe)
1 tsp cornflour + 1 tbsp water (thickener)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

[1] Wash the drumlets and drain.
[2] Wash and slice the carrots (any shape you like, but thinly)
[3] Heat a wok on medium and add about 1 tbsp oil.
[4] Fry the garlic till fragrant.
[5] Add in the drumlets and carrots. Stir-fry a while till the drumlets are browned, then add in water and seasoning (DO NOT add the thickener yet)
[6] Once the mixture boils, turn the heat to LOW and simmer for 15 minutes.
[7] Just before turning off the heat, stir in the thickener.

Serve warm.

Note: In the picture, it is served with plain rice, lettuce, black olives and my famous potato balls. No onions have been added due to the sensitive taste buds of the kids...

Fusion Dinner (part 1)

After a hiatus of .. some time (lost track).. Kaka is back!

I've been cooking. Yes I have. But somehow it did not strike me that I should take photos.. Even today's dinner... But it was quite well received so I thought I'd share it here....

~~ Ka's Potato Balls ~~

Ingredients:

1 large potato
1 small carrot
4 tbsp minced meat

1 tbsp chinese wine
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp butter

Plain flour (as needed)

Method:
[1] Peel and vegetables. Cut them into small pieces and boil till soft. Keep the water for use if you're cooking part 2 as well.
[2] Mash the boiled vegetables with the butter. Add in the minced meat and seasoning.
[3] Here's the fun part. Using a teaspoon, scoop a heaped spoon of mixture and put it on your palm. Using the spoon, scoop it and drop it on your palm repeatedly till it is round.
[4] Once you have a ball, drop it onto a bowl of sieved flour. Roll the ball until it is coated evenly with flour.
[5] Heat a wok of oil on high heat. Drop the balls in and turn the heat to medium. Fry till golden brown (about 6-8 minutes). Drain and serve with chilli sauce.

Last week's cuisine

Nephew requested for curry... Guess it's the only item I cook that he likes. Haha.. (^^)

Ka's Mild Curry

Satisfied consumers.. (^^)

Ingredients:

2 potatoes
2 carrots
1 cup meat (whichever cut you prefer.. I prefer no meat....) - marinade with soya sauce and wine
1 cup evaporated milk (skim milk if you prefer)
1 cup water
4 tbsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 tbsp tomato ketchup

Method:

[1] Wash and dice the vegetables.

[2] Heat a wok on medium, fry the vegetables and add the meat.

[3] Pour in water and milk, stir till it bubbles slightly.

[4] Add in curry powder and seasoning.

[5] When the mixture is bubbling, sitr in the tomato ketchup and season to taste.

[6] Leave it half-covered to simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes and serve warm.

Ka's Chicken Stew!

Came home at 4pm, decided last minute to cook this dish... First time and it turned out well. Even my sister-in-law, who's a carnivore, polished off everything (including the veggies!)

Ka's Chicken Stew

Ingredients:
4 chicken wings
1 large onion
3 small potatoes
2 carrots
1 clove garlic, chopped

Sauce:
2 cups water
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp charsiew sauce
1 tbsp chinese wine
1 tbsp sugar

Prepare the ingredients as shown (Just cube all the veges, chunky is good)

The brands I used

Method:

[1] Fry the garlic in some oil. Stir till you smell the fragrance.

[2] Add in all the vegetables and chicken.

[3] Add in the sauce ingredients. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes (Check every 5 minutes to make sure the bottom of the pot/wok/pan is not burnt).

[4] Serve with hot fluffy rice. Enjoy!

Ka's Brownies

Here's something more challenging... I've tweaked the recipe slightly to suit my family's tastes. You can do the same too. Due to lack of a tin, I've made them into cupcakes. Hence the name "Cup-nies"

Ka's Cup-nies

Ingredients:

100g milk chocolate, broken into pieces
200g butter
4 eggs
200g caster sugar / icing sugar
100g walnuts, toasted and chopped
165g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp baking powder

Method:
[1] Melt the butter and chocolate in a large bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
[2] Sift the flour into a bowl and add in the cocoa and baking powder.
[3] Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence together with a whisk till well-combined. Pour this mix into the flour. Stir will till well combined.
[4] Stir in the chopped walnuts. Here's what the batter looks like at this stage:

[5] Carefully pour the batter into paper cups (or a non-stick cake tin) and bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.
[6] Leave the cup-nies in the tin till completely cool. This recipe makes about 20 cup-nies.

Enjoy!

Potato Croquettes

Here's something to get your picky eaters to start eating their vegetables.. Something to note.. I quizzed my P1 and 2 kids, and more than 60% of them do not know that french fries come from potatoes. Interesting..

Ka's Potato Croquettes

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes
half a red apple
4 tbsp of minced meat (chicken or pork)
breadcrumbs (korean brands are better)
seasoning - salt and pepper

Method:
[1] Peel the potatoes and boil them. Leave to cool.
[2] Peel and chop the apple. Sprinkle some salt on them to prevent browning.
[3] Place the potatoes, apples and meat in a mixing bowl. Mash everything up with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
[4] Shape the mixture into patties and coat with breadcrumbs. Press everything tightly to make sure the crumbs stay on.
[5] Heat a wok of oil on medium heat. Fry the croquettes till light brown and drain. The colour will darken slightly upon cooling. This recipe makes about 6-8 medium-sized croquettes.

Enjoy!

Easy Cocoa Pudding

Something for a rainy day....

Ka's Easy Cocoa Pudding

Ingredients:

700 ml full-cream milk (skim milk if you're dieting)
1 level tbsp cocoa powder
1 pkt instant pudding mix powder (vanilla) [You can get this for about $1.50 from NTUC]

Method:

[1] Pour the milk into a small pan and simmer over low heat.
[2] Stir in the cocoa powder when it's warm. Whisk briskly and remove the pan from the heat. Leave to cool.
[3] Slowly, whisk the pudding mix into the milk. You will see the mixture thicken. Continue whisking. Don't be lazy!
[4] Pour the mix into containers of your choice and leave it to cool for at least 2 hours in the fridge. Enjoy!

Lemon Pie

I think this recipe is readily available, and is truly simple to make. Good for building up those biceps too. Hee.

Ka's Lemon Pie

Ingredients:
Half cup plain flour
4 tbsp butter
iced water
3 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Half cup lemon juice

Method:
[1] Sift the flour in a mixing bowl.
[2] Cut the butter into small pieces and mix into the flour (rubbing in method). The mixture should look grainy...
[3] Sprinkle about 3-4 tbsp of cold water onto the mix and press into a ball. DO NOT KNEAD.
[4] Roll out the dough and lay a pie tin (about a 10-inch tin will do) and prick the dough with a fork. Bake for 10mins in a 180degree oven. Leave to cool.
[5] Mix the condensed milk and eggs in a bowl. Beat for at least 2 minutes. Add in the lemon juice. The mixture will start to curdle. It's normal. DO NOT STOP BEATING WHILE ADDING THE LEMON JUICE.
[6] Pour the mix into the pie crust and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. Leave to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Ka's Curry Pie

I have made this a couple of times, each with different presentations. Traditional pie format, pizza-style, fold-over... You name it, it's prolly gonna work.

Here's how to make it. Recipe makes one medium pie or 20 curry puffs.

Ka's Curry Pie

Ingredients:

Short crust pastry:
Half cup plain flour
4 tbsp butter
iced water

Filling:
2 potatoes
1 carrot
1 onion
1 chicken thigh (meat only, skin on if preferred)
2 tbsp curry powder (for meat)
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
Pinch of salt

Method:

Pastry:
[1] Sift the flour in a mixing bowl.
[2] Cut the butter into small pieces and mix into the flour (rubbing in method). The mixture should look grainy...
[3] Sprinkle about 3-4 tbsp of cold water onto the mix and press into a ball. DO NOT KNEAD. Store in the fridge till needed.

Filling:
[1] Boil the potatoes and carrot. Leave to cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.
[2] Thinly slice the onions.
[3] Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinade with soya sauce, chinese wine and sesame oil.
[4] Heat a pan. Fry the onions first. Add the salt and chicken and stir-fry till the onions start turning soft. Add the potatoes and carrot.
[5] Add the tomato ketchup (more or less depending on taste buds) and curry powder. Stir till well-mixed, then turn off the flame and leave aside to cool.

Assembly:
[1] Take the pastry dough out of the fridge and roll three quarters out. Place it in a pie pan. Press the sides against the pan so it won't shrink too much during baking. Scoop the filling onto the pastry, and cover the pie with the rest of the pastry (Rolled out, of course). Seal the edges and cut some slits at the top with a knife (poke holes if you prefer)
[2] Bake at 180 degree celcius for 35 minutes. Serve warm.

Note: If you made it into puffs, you can try deep or pan-frying them.

Enjoy!

Bread Pizza

Let's start with something simple. I got my kids (niece and nephew) to do this by themselves, and they did a wonderful job. Adult supervision required for some steps only.


Bread Pizza (Serves 2)

Ingredients:
4 slices Softmeal bread / white bread
Butter (salted)
tomato ketchup plus sweet chilli sauce (ratio 2:1)
mozarella cheese
Pineapple cubes (canned ones are just fine)
chicken sausage / ham
Corn (boiled)
canned mushroom
Tomato slices

Method:
[1] Butter the bread and spread with the ketchup-chilli mix.
[2] Place your toppings on the bread and cover with a thick layer of cheese.
[3] Bake at 180 degrees for 10minutes.
[4] Serve warm.

Welcome!

After considering some issues, I have decided to create a separate blog for my culinary adventures.

Stay tuned!