Ka's Foods

Beer Mussels!

2010-07-18T18:54:00.006+08:00

On a rainy and lazy weekend, what can one do to get warm? Have beer of course! Mom doesn't drink, so I came up with this recipe just for her....

Ka's Beer Mussels (KBM)

Ingredients:

1kg mussels

1 onion - sliced

4 cloves garlic - chopped

1 can beer

3 chilli padi - sliced/chopped

salt to taste (about 1 tsp)

Method:

[1] Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan, medium heat.

[2] Add in onions and garlic.

[3] Stir fry till soft.

[4] Turn heat to high. Add mussels, chilli padi and beer (just pour everything in).

[5] Cover and leave to cook for 5min.

[6] Turn heat off and serve hot.

Happy mum!

stir-fried spaghetti.... droolz

2010-06-04T10:23:00.008+08:00

Craving for comfort food, so made stir-fried Black Pepper Spaghetti for dinner.. woo.....

Ingredients:
Black pepper sauce
Oyster sauce
Spaghetti (or pasta of choice)
Pork belly - sliced (marinade with light soya sauce and rice wine for 5 min)
2-3 leaves cabbage - shredded
3 cloves garlic - chopped
2 cheese sausages - sliced
2 eggs - beaten
water - 3 tbsp

Method:
[1] Fry the eggs (ala scrambled) and set aside.

[2] Heat some oil. Fry the pork belly till brown.

[3] Add the cabbage.

[4] Add the water.

[5] Add the sauces (I used 2 tbsp black pepper sauce and 4 tbsp sauce).

[6] Add the spaghetti and sausage.
[7] Toss in the eggs.

[8] DONE!

Use high heat throughout; this dish takes only 5 minutes to cook. Enjoy!

Ribby Corn Soup

2010-01-09T20:05:00.004+08:00

What better to make on a cold day? Hot soup of course. (^_^)

Ka's Easy Ribby Soup (KERS)

Ingredients:
200g prime ribs (chopped into pieces)
2 cobs of corn
4 carrots
1 cube chicken stock
white pepper - to taste
2 litres water

Method:
[1] Cut corn into chunks as shown.

[2] Peel and cut carrots into chunks. Trim the sharp edges of the carrots so they will not disintegrate during cooking. The carrot chunks should look rounded as shown.

[3] Put the corn and water in a pot. Simmer on low heat for 30minutes, half covered.

[4] Turn up the heat to get full boil, then add the ribs. This helps prevent scum from forming on the water surface. Once the water boils again, turn the heat back to low and simmer for another 30 minutes, half covered.

[5] Turn up the heat again; once fully boiling again, add the carrots. Wait till soup mix boils again, then turn the heat back to low and add stock cube and pepper, then simmer again for 30 minutes, half covered.

[6] Once done, serve hot. KERS. Super easy, with 3 ingredients, 30min per stage. (^_^)

Dumplings!!

2010-01-07T01:17:00.004+08:00

Rainy day.. depressed over recent family issues... so... making dumplings with the hope of cheering myself up....

Ka's GIANT dumplings

Ingredients:

FILLING
100g minced pork (or any other lean meat)
1 medium onion - chopped
5-6 leaves cabbage - chopped/shredded
1 tbsp rice wine
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 egg
3 tbsp cornflour

DOUGH
2.5 cups plain flour
1 cup COLD water
half tsp salt

Method:
[1] Sift flour in a big bowl. Dissolve salt in water; and drizzle slowly over the flour. Mix with a fork (avoid using hands at this stage; you don't want the mixture to warm up..)
[2] When the flour has become clumps of dough, flour your hand and lightly knead so it become s a lump. Sprinkle with some flour and chill for at least one hour (also to relax the dough so it won't toughen up)

[3] Mix all the filling ingredients together. The mixture will be a little .. watery, but it's normal. DO NOT add too much cornflour else the filling will be too tough after cooking.
[4] Roll the dough into a tube, and cut off equal-sized chunks (about thumb sized is nice). Roll each chunk out till thin; it does not have to be round at this stage.
[5] Place about 2 tbsp filling (they're GIANT, remember?) on each rolled-out piece of dough; press edges together. Use a knife to trim off excess dough, then pinch the edges to get a pattern (this step is optional).

Messy? This is how the table looks like after I play around with any flour.... >.<

The "pattern" after pinching

[6] Boil a pot of water on high; sprinkle 1tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil in the water (oil prevents the dumplings from STICKING together....)
[7] Place the dumplings in the water only when it is at full boil. The dumplings will float up when cooked (about 3-4 minutes)
[8] Serve warm with black rice vinegar+ginger or just plain. YUMMY!!

Almost big as my hand... woo!

I made 12 giants...

Hungry already?

Ka's Lazy Soup..

2009-12-30T16:26:00.004+08:00

Feeling lazy so came up with something simple....

Ka's Lazy Soup

Ingredients:
1 sachet dashinomoto (instant fish soup base - from DAISO)
1 carrot - cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tomatoes - sectioned
2 leaves cabbage - cut into pieces
4 pieces crabstick
4 pieces seafood tofu
1 hand scallops (mine was frozen hence the soaking..)

Method:
[1] Heat a pot of water on low; add in the carrots and simmer till just cooked (about 5-6 minutes).
[2] Add the soup sachet and cabbage leaves; simmer for another 5 minutes till the cabbage is soft.
[3] Add the scallops, crabsticks and seafood tofu pieces; turn heat to high and add tomatoes when boiling. Season with a dash of pepper.
[4] Serve hot. (^_^)

Goes well with rice or noodles. Come try! (^_^)

KBC - Ka's Braised Chicken

2009-12-24T00:22:00.005+08:00

Since the claypot was already out, Ka decided to maximise its usage.... hence...

KBC (Ka's Braised Chicken)

Ingredients:
6 chicken wings (get the whole wing that includes the drumlet)
1 medium onion - sliced
ginger - 10 thin slices (more or less to own preference)
1 medium carrot - cut into chunks
Quarter of a cauliflower - cut into florets
Water - 1 cup (about 350ml)

Method:
[1] Wash and cut wings into segments. Marinade with salt, pepper and rice wine. Leave aside
[2] Heat some oil in a wok on high and deep-fry the wings till golden. Drain and set aside. They don't have to be thoroughly cooked.

[3] Heat some oil in a claypot on medium.

[4] Add the onion and ginger; stir fry till fragrant.

[5] Once you can smell the onions, add in the carrots. Stir a bit so the carrots are coated with the oil.

[6] Add the water in and cover.

[7] Simmer for about 10min on low heat till the carrots are soft.

[8] Add the cauliflower and wings. Season with light soya sauce and pepper. Cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.

[9] Remove lid and stir. Add another half cup of water if too dry (don't forget to season again if you add water!). Once veges are soft, remove from heat and serve hot. (^_^)

Claypot fish...

2009-12-18T02:20:00.002+08:00

What better dish to cook when you're feeling tired on a cold day?

Ka's Claypot Fish

Ingredients:
2 medium slices mackerel (or any other fish)
1 bunch french beans - cut into pieces
half cauliflower - cut into small florets
1 medium carrot - sliced
1 kailan stalk - peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 knob ginger - sliced thinly
200g roasted pork - or any other roasted meat (this dish helps use up leftover meat...) - sliced
light soya sauce and pepper - to taste

Coating: 4 tbsp plain flour + 1 tbsp curry powder

thickener: corn starch + water

Method:
[1] Clean the fish slices; sprinkle with salt and pepper; then coat with the coating. Deep-fry on medium-high heat for about 2 min each side; need not be thoroughly cooked as it'll return to the pot later.

[2] Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a claypot on medium. Fry the ginger till fragrant, then add roast meat and carrots. Place the lid on and cook about 2-3 minutes.

[3] Open the cover and throw in the remaining vegetables.

[4] Add half cup water and let the pot come to a boil. Season with light soya sauce and pepper. Cover and cook another 5 minutes. Remove cover and add fish in. Stir a bit so the fish is at the bottom of the pot; Cover and cook another 3 minutes. Remove cover and add thickener - take note that you need to keep stirring when you add it; else you will have a chunk of goo...

[5] Once done, remove from heat and serve hot with fluffy white rice. Yummy!

Frogs.....

2009-12-18T02:04:00.003+08:00

After an early spree at Sheng Shiong one morning, Kaka decided to whip up the following lunch.. Recipe for KT Frogs will be provided below:

KT (Kaka's Teriyaki) Frogs

Ingredients:
3 frogs - last known price at SS was $6 for 3...
1 small knob ginger - sliced thinly
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
pepper to taste
spring onion / celery

Method:
[1] Clean frogs and cut into pieces. Try to follow the joints to avoid having sharp pieces of bone.
[2] Heat a wok on medium. Add about 2 tbsp olive oil in pan.
[3] Fry ginger till fragrant.
[4] Toss in frog pieces and seasoning - stir fry till done (about 3-4 minutes).
[5] Sprinkle with spring onion / celery just before turning off heat. Serve warm.

This was the lunch Ka served; total preparation + cooking time: 1.5 hours

Rainy day Popiah

2009-12-04T17:44:00.002+08:00

Hectic day and needed some deep-fried food (comfort food for the soul, if you get what I mean).. so....

Popiah

Ingredients:

5 leaves cabbage - shredded

1 carrot - peeled and shredded

1 piece lean pork (about 50g) - finely sliced (chicken works well too)

half cup frozen mixed vegetables

1 pack popiah skin (eggless)

1 tbsp terikayi marinade sauce

2 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tsp cornflour

pepper to taste

half cup water

Method:

[1] Marinade the pork with the cornflour and teriyaki. Set aside.

[2] Heat some oil in a pan on medium. Fry the carrot and mixed vegetables. Add the pork and toss lightly. When half cooked, add in the cabbage, soya sauce, pepper and water. Cover the pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. LEave the vegetables to cool. Make a gap in the middle so the vegetables cool faster (as in picture shown).

[3] Wrap the vegetables in the popiah wrappers when cool. I did a double wrapping, where I wrapped normally first time round and then wrap the completed popiah in another layer of wrapper. This ensures extra crispness after deep-frying.

[4] Heat enough oil in a pan to cover the popiah (as in pic). Heat should be medium. Once the oil is hot enough (bubbles when you dip a pair of wooden chopsticks in), slide in the popiahs. Fry about 2 minutes per side.

[5] They're done when they look golden brown. Serve hot!

Ka's steamed snapper!

2009-12-03T22:17:00.003+08:00

Dad finally bought fresh fish today... so... steaming's the best! Mom can't take sesame oil and chinese wine though (same "superstitions) so decided to try something new....

Ka's Steamed Fish

Ingredients:

1 red snapper (or any other fish you like) - cut up, with head split in half

1 box tofu (or 2 tubes) - cubed/cut into pieces

Sauce:

4 slices ginger (or more) - cut into fine strips
3 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 5 limes

2 chilli padi (can use more, but my plant only has 2 left... sob sob...)

1 tbsp light soya sauce

2 sour plums (tinned one, for steaming fish)

1 tsp sour plum juice

Method:

[1] Clean the fish and rub with salt. Set aside.

[2] Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When hot, add the ginger and stir fry till you can smell the ginger. Pour ginger and oil into a small bowl. Add the lime juice, soya sauce, chilli and sour plum juice. Mix well and set aside.

[3] Break the sour plums into pieces and rub all over the fish. Discard the seeds.

[4] Place fish and tofu on the serving plate. Drizzle the sauce over the fish.

[5] Steam over high heat for 10-15 minutes.

Note: How to tell if the fish is cooked - look and see if it's eye has "popped" out... Should be protruding from its sockets, as in the picture above. Else you may try poking with a knife and see if the flesh comes away easily. If yes, it's done. (^_^)

PSP fried rice!

2009-12-03T22:01:00.002+08:00

I just love the crunch of sweet peas... hence my pork and sweet pea fried rice... (YOu can see ASS fish beside it, and another fried fish without the sauce on (dad doesn't like ketchup)..

PSP Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Sweet Peas (amount to your liking; I used a handful) - remove ends and cut into bit sized pieces

2 bowls plain rice (best if overnight refrigerated rice)

lean pork - sliced thinly (again, amount as desired)

Light soya sauce and pepper - to taste

Method:

[1] Heat some oil in a pan/wok on high.

[2] Dump in the sweet peas and pork in. Might splatter a bit so be aware..

[3] Add in the rice and season with soya sauce and pepper.

[4] Use the spatula to break up the rice clumps in a chopping motion. DO NOT press the rice clumps down; it will result in gooey clumps of "fried rice"...

[5] Toss and "cut" the rice till the soya sauce has been mixed evenly ; the colour of the rice should be brownish (as in pic). Serve hot.

NOte: I did not add egg as mom is not allowed to have them (stitches not removed; might result in itch)... call me superstitious, but I'm not gonna let mom take any risks....

Sweet n Sour Fish

2009-12-03T21:37:00.002+08:00

What happens when you're asked to cook fish that doesn't have texture and is .. well.. fishy? Deep-fry it and coat it with a strong sauce! Haha.....

Ka's ASS (A Sweet n Sour) Fish

Ingredients:

2-3 medium sized fish

salt - to taste

Flour coating

half cup plain flour

2 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp baking powder (don't ask me why, i added it and it's nice)

1 tsp pepper

Sauce:

1 large onion

5 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp water

3 medium tomatoes - diced

Method:

[1] Gut and clean fish; rub some sat on them (both in and outside).

[2] Mix the flour coating. Coat the fish (both in and out) JUST BEFORE deep-frying. Drain and place on serving plate.

[3] Heat a pan on medium. Fry the onion in some oil till soft, then add tomatoes. Place the lid on and wait for a couple of minutes. Remove the lid. The tomatoes should be soft. Add the sugar, salt, water and ketchup and simmer on low for another 3-4 minutes.

[4] Remove from heat and pour over the fish. Enjoy!

Tuna Okomiyaki (Poor man's version)

2009-12-03T01:08:00.002+08:00

Ka was "forced" to come up with lunch with almost nothing in the fridge.. Not one to give up, she dug out some veggies and a can of tuna... and this is what she came up with...

Poor-Man's Okono

Ingredients:

2 leaves cabbage (Beijing cabbage works fine) - shredded

1 small carrot - shred or grate

tuna in brine - 1 can (drain liquid)

Batter:

4 tbsp plain flour

1 tbsp cornflour

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp baking powder

half cup water (or enough to make a watery paste)

Method:

[1] Mix the batter and set aside.

[2] Place the veges in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle some plain flour on top.

[3] Pour in batter mix and stir to coat veggies.

[4] Heat a pan on medium. Place 2 tbsp of veggie mix on pan. Flatten slightly.

[5] Place tuna (quantity to your own liking) on top of the veggies and top with some more veggies. (veggie-tune-veggie). Use the spoon to smoothen everything.

[6] Let the okono cook for about 2-3 minutes, then flip over (advised to use 2 spatulas if you want to keep the shape).. Cook another 2-3 minutes, and you're done!

Top your okono as you like it (I used mayonnaise and chilli sauce) and you have a meal!

Droolz...

Ka's Easy Boiled Crabs

2009-08-01T00:42:00.002+08:00

Decided NOT to cook chilli crab for once.. too hot a day anyway. so decided to boil them.... 1st time trying but I kinda got it right...

Ingredients:
1 lemon - sliced
1 onion - quartered
5cm knob of ginger - sliced
3 tbsp cider vinegar (or any other vinegar you like)
4 tsp salt
4 mud crabs

Method:
[1] Clean the crabs and wash. Leave aside.

[2] Put everthing except crabs in a pot and half fill with cold water.

[3] When the water boils, add in the crab; try to stack the shells on top so the roe does not drop everywhere....

[4] Lower the heat and cover (leave a gap so it does not boil out); simmer for 15 minutes. Serve warm (or cool). Optional: melted butter to dip the flesh in. Me and mom polished off all 4 crabs plain. Crab soaked in all the flavours from the boiling so was kinda nice and refreshing. (^_^)

Ka's Lazy Chicken Rice

2009-08-01T00:37:00.002+08:00

Ever been too tired to cook? Or plain stressed over dinner cos you have nothing in the fridge? Here's something you can whip up in half an hour...

Ingredients:
Brown Rice
White Rice (Brown to white ratio 2:1)
frozen chicken wings (as many/few as you want)
Chicken stock cube (half)
1 tbsp Chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
10 slices ginger

Method:
[1] SOAK the brown rice for at least 2 hours prior to cooking.
[2] Wash the rice grains (brown and white together) and dump it into the rice cooker with the ginger and garlic. Pour enough water in so that the water just covers your hand when you press down on the rice grains (old wive's method but works, so I don't question it...)
[3] add the chicken wings and stock cube. Cook (should be auto..)

There you have it! Healthy and easy chicken rice! (^_^)

Ka's Fishy Meal

2009-06-24T21:04:00.002+08:00

Mom had craving for salmon today, so..... Recipe serves 3 small eaters or 2 big ones.. (^_^)

Ingredients:

Tomato Salad
2 tomatoes - diced (scoop out the seeds if you don't like it sour)
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
juice of 1 wedge of lemon

Potato
6 small potatoes, scrubbed (you can use baby potatoes too, just increase the quantity)
3 tbsp light sour cream
1 tbsp mayonnaise
spring onion - chopped (optional)

Salmon
Salmon fillet (quantity depends on eater; I used 1-inch thick slices)
salt and pepper (to taste)
juice of 1 wedge of lemon

Method:

Tomato
[1] Mix the mayo, chilli and lemon juice till smooth.
[2] Stir in the tomatoes and chill in the fridge till ready to serve.

Potatoes
[1] Boil the potatoes till cooked (about 7-8 minutes)
[2] Mix the mayo and sour cream till smooth.
[3] Cut the potatoes into quarters and spoon the cream mix over them. Sprinkle with spring onion if using.

Salmon
[1] Clean and pat dry the salmon fillets.
[2] Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and drizzle some lemon juice over.
[3] Sear in a medium-heat pan (about a minute on each side).

To serve, assemble as in the picture.

Mom liked it enough to polish off everything. Kids enjoyed helping me mix the tomato salad too. Kinda healthy too since the only oil I used was for the salmon. Have fun! (^_^)

Curry Udon

2009-03-05T01:41:00.002+08:00

Craving kicked in one stormy night..... Managed to scrap some stuff to cook this...

Ingredients (Serves 1)
1 packet udon noodles (washed and drained)
1 cube japanese curry
1 tbsp sambal belachan chilli (or more to taste)
1 chicken drum/thigh/meat
1 onion, sliced
1.5 cups water

Method:
[1] Heat some oil in a wok. Fry the onion till fragrant. Add the chicken and fry a while more.
[2] Add in sambal belachan chilli. It will be a bit smoky (but tastes nicer). Fry a while and add water.
[3] Sitr in the curry cube. Wait till boiling, and add noodles. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
[4] Serve warm.

Easy? (^_^)

Apologies for the long hiatus....

2009-02-09T11:02:00.002+08:00

Ka is sorry that she's not been cooking recently.. however, if anyone has any request for a particular recipe, Kaka will try her best to try it and post it on her blog.

No baking recipes though. I have no microwave oven. (T_T)

Don't be shy, just request if you have a particular dish in mind that you're not sure how to cook/simplify. Kaka has no guarantee but she promises to try her best. (^o^)

Spring Onion Pancake

2009-01-09T01:23:00.003+08:00

Was frying some tempura eggplant (Ka LOVES eggplant, aka aubergine, aka brinjal...)

Had some batter left over, so I chopped some spring onions and added it to the batter, flavoured it with salt and pepper. and VOILA!! It's totally simple to make, and an utterly delicious munching-snack on rainy days...

Ka's SOP

Ingredients (makes one):

4 tbsp plain flour
half tsp salt
half tsp pepper
half tsp baking powder
6tbsp water
1 handful spring onions, chopped

Method:
[1] Mix everything together. Make sure there are no clumps of flour in the batter. Sieve the batter if necessary.
[2] Heat a frying pan on medium and add some oil.
[3] Pour entire batch of batter onto the frying pan and WAIT.... It sizzles, yes, but do not turn it or poke it. Wait for a full minute before checking to see if it's safe to turn.
Once you flip the pancake, drizzle some more oil on the edges to make sure the pancake does not get stuck to the pan. Fry for another minute, and you're done!

Serve cut into wedges. I like to top mine with some mayannoise. Yummy!

Ka's sushi

2008-11-01T10:51:00.002+08:00

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

2008-11-01T10:42:00.002+08:00

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

2008-10-15T20:39:00.002+08:00

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)

2008-10-07T22:46:00.002+08:00

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)

2008-10-07T22:39:00.004+08:00

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

2008-09-26T22:28:00.002+08:00

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!

2008-09-17T19:56:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-03T22:31:00.004+08:00

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

2008-09-03T22:26:00.002+08:00

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

2008-09-03T22:13:00.003+08:00

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

2008-09-02T18:41:00.003+08:00

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

2008-09-02T18:27:00.004+08:00

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

2008-08-25T19:09:00.003+08:00

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!

2008-08-22T20:01:00.002+08:00

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

Stay tuned!