Chinese Recipes | Cooking Tips | Good Eats

I was doing some research on the quality of fresh vegetables versus frozen ones. Reason being sometimes I just cannot finish eating all the fresh vegetables I bought and I have to throw them out, which is such a waste. Also, unlike in the wet markets or supermarkets in Singapore, I find that the Chinese vegetables here are sold in HUGE bundles here. It’s so boring to have to eat the same vegetable for a few days, my taste buds are complaining.

If you like me are wondering if frozen and canned vegetables are as nutritious as fresh vegetables, the answer to this question depends on both the time between the harvesting of the vegetable and the canning and freezing process. Frozen fruits and vegetables are blanched (cooked for a short time in boiling water or steamed) and frozen within hours of being picked and processed at their peak in terms of freshness and nutrition!

That is great news for people like me who cook in small quantities each time. Frozen vegetables fit into my weekly recipe schedule, because I don’t have to worry about using the whole packet of frozen vegetables quickly.

Unfortunately, I still have to buy my Chinese vegetables fresh. I don’t think I will ever find Kang Kong or Watercress in frozen form.

The above picture is a dish of Stir-fried Beef with Peppers, using frozen green, red and yellow peppers, pre-cut in strips. The fact that it is pre-cut makes the prep time even shorter (for lazy cooks like me).

Season beef with salt and pepper. Transfer to wok which has 1-2 tbsp of vegetable oil preheated. Add minced garlic and stir fry beef until color changes. Set aside. Transfer frozen peppers to wok. Add salt and pepper and stir fry for about 8 minutes or until they softened. Transfer beef back to the wok and add some oyster sauce. Mix well. Serve with steamed white rice.

Hooray for frozen vegetables! They last longer and saves on preparation time. What’s not to like about frozen vegetables?

So I DID IT. And prior to that, I got the butcher to do some work for me. What did management books tell you? To always delegate right? That’s what I did. I got help from the butcher.

I bought pork picnic without the bone, asked the butcher to remove the skin, and cut them into smaller pieces. In this way it was easier for me to manage when I got home.

I am a pork person. I grew up eating a lot of pork. It’s a white meat ya, so it’s still considered healthy.

For this pork and mushroom spaghetti dish, I took one of the small chucks of pork cut by the butcher, and cut it into even smaller pieces. I did this when I got back from the supermarket, because I already knew I wanted to make this dish during the week.

I don’t have the exact ingredient measurement for this recipe as this really depends on how much you like pork and shitake mushroom and then you cook accordingly.

Ingredients:

- pork picnic, cut into small, thin slices
- shitake mushroom, cut into thin slices
- garlic, minced
- spaghetti

Marinate for the pork:

- light soy sauce
- white pepper
- cornflour

Method:

1. Mix pork with marinate for about 15 mins. The marinate should be just enough to coat the pork. If you bought dried shitake mushrooms, soak them in warm water for 15 mins then drain. I bought mine dried and pre-cut, so I only needed to soak them and drain.

2. Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions. You will want to undercook them for a minute or so, as you are going to toss the spaghetti with the pork and mushrooms later, so there is additional cooking there.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. When oil is hot enough, add garlic, pork and shitake mushrooms, and stir fry until fragrant. Do a taste test and add more soy sauce if not salty enough.

4. Add spaghetti into wok and toss well to mix.

To serve:

You can choose to serve the pork in its original pieces or cut them into strips. Same for the mushrooms.

Cooking Tips:

1. If you are cooking this dish in advance, and serving it a few hours later, you should add some pasta water to it in step 4, so that the spaghetti is not too dry.

2. Also, try not to microwave the dish when you are reheating it. It’s better to steam it. This is because the microwave will reduce the moisture and make your spaghetti dry and chewy.

So I did it - I cooked an Italian noodle Chinese style.

Did you think I was joking about my potato peeling post?

Well, I confess that I did think the video was interesting but I had my doubts. I tried the potato peeling trick only recently, and holy canoly, it works!

Here are some summary pointers on how to peel a boiled potato:

1. Scrub the potato clean and cut a slit around the potato.

2. Put the potato in a saucepan of room temperature water with the water level covering the potato.

3. Boil for about 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potato. Mine was a medium sized russet potato. You don’t want to plunge the potato in a saucepan of boiling water cos then the cooking will not be even (i.e. the exterior of the potato may get overcooked by the time the interior is cooked properly)

4. Test if the potato is cooked by piercing a fork or long toothpick through it. When cooked, it’s easy to pierce.

5. When potato is cooked, transfer to a bowl of cold water.

6. When cooled (such that you won’t be tossing a hot potato) scoop it out onto a plate and let the fun begin.

7. Slowly but surely, slide the skin off with your fingers. (Refer back to Youtube video for the action)

Dr Miriam Stoppard, a well-known authority on the health of women and children, said: “Potatoes are much maligned and underrated, but they are extremely nutritious, so do include them in your diet. A potato contains about 1oz (3g) of protein, together with calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin, plus seven times as much Vitamin C as an apple. If you don’t want to add a lot of calories, don’t fry the potatoes. Try to cook them in their skins, whether you are baking, boiling whole or mashing; peeling the potatoes first means you lose fiber, most of the protein, many of the vitamins and half the iron.”

I love it when I succeed in something. For some, they say they will be happy when they make a million dollars. For me, it’s something as simple as making a chicken curry puff and making a real good one. It’s your life. You set your own rules on what makes you happy.

The chicken curry puff inspiration was triggered by the fact that I had to pay $1.50 for one tiny puff, so I decided to make some myself. The recipe for the chicken curry puff filling is exactly the same as the chicken curry recipe using the Rasaku Chicken Curry Mix.

Here’s the rest of the cooking method:

1. Follow the puff pastry box instructions and defrost one piece of puff pastry for 40mins (I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets). While doing so, cover the puff pastry with a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying.

2. Meanwhile, cook the curry chicken and potato according to the Rasaku packet instructions. When ready, cut the chicken and potato into small pieces.

3. Sprinkle some flour onto a cutting board. When puff pastry is soft and at room temperature, cut the puff pastry into 4 equal pieces. Sprinkle some flour onto the rolling pin to prevent the puff pastry from sticking to it. Use the rolling pin to “expand” the puff pastry. Sprinkle more flour if necessary.

4. Using a spoon, transfer the cut curry chicken and potato to the puff pastry.

5. Carefully fold into a triangular shape and squeeze out as much air as possible.

6. Using a fork, crimp (make fork prints) the edges to seal the puff pastry. (If you have trouble making them stick, apply some water to the adjoining edges before crimping.) After that, poke the fork onto the “body” of the pastry puff to make holes. This is to allow steam to escape so that your chicken curry puff will not explode in the oven.

7. When you are done with the crimping of the edges of all 4 chicken curry puff pastry, brush the top with butter, margarine or egg wash, so that they will brown nicely. Transfer them to a 400 degree F preheated oven and cook until the pastry turns golden brown. This will take about 25-30 mins, depending on your oven.

8. Voila! Done! I did! I DID! I did increase my PUFF - My Chicken Curry Puff.

I haven’t been cooking
If that’s what you are asking

Just reading other food blogs
Checking out recipes and cooking talk

I found a few real interesting ones
With recipes like Char Kuay Teow and Chow Hor Fun

Msaufong has pics for every cooking step!
No more excuses saying you don’t know how to do this or that.

Chubby Hubby has got very nice pics
And food you cannot wait to dig

Tigerfish is a friend to me
She said “Have your beef stew and eat it three”

She also said she bought Sambal Chilli
Soon I’d be making Sambal Kangkong and Hokkien Mee

Oooh! Yippee!
My tastebuds are going frolicky!