tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36688093755916644222024-03-07T15:40:46.231+08:00LingomaniaStart the day well with a good breakfast.
Live the life well with lesser processed food.Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-32221856646970390962021-04-11T15:26:00.002+08:002021-04-11T16:28:10.098+08:00Chilli Crab - Mum Cooks<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love chilli crab but I don’t really enjoy eating it outside. It’s always so messy and the sauces will be dripping from the fingers. It is a waste not to lick the fingers but it is also not so pleasing to lick the fingers in public. Dilemma, always. And the clumsy me may have the crab claw, shell or sauce flying all over and stain my clothes or others.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So I really love it when my mum cooks this. I can eat it as carefree as I want at home. I don’t cook this myself as I don’t dare to ‘silence’ the crabs. So we devised this plan of bringing my mum and the crabs to our house for this filming. And this gets us to think of a new series - Mum cooks. We will get my mum to cook a few more dishes and we will film her cooking them.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcU3uzaqad2MtZIHZgJvEpoI_bYyA5PoEA7BjI9vQeuACPCwc9vOHimexVBGhTCo2TyzzTEaO-w1x3w2Zq9V570RyYhLt_qP-3n8_lE4RgnCEJeO1BuIKrR4KPCB48o2qhEtU9Hs3Aus/s2048/IMG_6450.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcU3uzaqad2MtZIHZgJvEpoI_bYyA5PoEA7BjI9vQeuACPCwc9vOHimexVBGhTCo2TyzzTEaO-w1x3w2Zq9V570RyYhLt_qP-3n8_lE4RgnCEJeO1BuIKrR4KPCB48o2qhEtU9Hs3Aus/s320/IMG_6450.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chilli Crab</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prepping my mum for the recipe filming is not too difficult as she has seen us doing it a few times. We prepare the sauces with the measuring spoons instead of her usual way of ‘agar agar’ pour into the wok. But she needs constant reminders before she adds things into the wok before the phone camera is ready. It was fun filming her doing the cooking.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We tweak her recipe a bit. She normally uses ketchup. But we hate ketchup and hence replace it with tomato paste. We also suggested adding tau cheo (fermented soy bean paste) to add additional umami into the dish.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The crabs that we used this time are not as big but they are fresh and alive. Crabs need to be killed just before cooking for the meat to be firm and good.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Ingredients</u></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4<span> <span> Small crabs</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span>4<span> <span> Garlic</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>4<span> <span> Shallot</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Eggs</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 tbsp<span> Oil</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Tau Cheo (fermented soy bean paste)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6 tbsp<span> Tomato paste</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>1 tbsp<span> Worcestershire sauce</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span>1 tsp<span> Chilli paste</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>300ml <span> W</span>ater</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><br /></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><b><u>Instructions</u></b></span></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you don't dare to kill crabs, then forget about this recipe and eat this in a restaurant.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Use chopsticks to poke into the crabs and they will stop moving in a few minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wash and clean the crabs. Peel off the shell. Chop the body in halves and pull off the two claws. So each crab will have 5 parts: shell, 2 body parts with legs and 2 claws. Put the body and claws together and put the shell separately.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Mince the garlic and shallot.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Heat up oil in a wok.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add the garlic and shallot and fry for a few minutes until it's fragrant.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add the crabs into the wok and fry for a few minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add tau cheo and tomato paste. Mix well and cook for a few minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pour in the water and bring it to a boil.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add Worcestershire sauce and chilli paste and mix well.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place the crab shells on top.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cover the wok and let it braise for a couple of minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The crab shells will turn bright orange colour when cooked.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crack and beat 2 eggs and pour into the gravy.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you want the sauce to be thicker, add a few tbsp of slurry (mix 2 tbsp of corn flour to 3 or 4 tbsp of water).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let it cook for a couple of minutes and off the heat.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Serve on a plate and eat with some steamed or pan fried mantou.</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can watch the cooking video in my YouTube channel.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X0GwXDHzYS8" width="320" youtube-src-id="X0GwXDHzYS8"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div></div>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-14360040984767303542021-04-01T10:33:00.001+08:002021-04-01T10:34:39.250+08:00Delicious and Simple Chicken Rice One-Pot-Rice<p>Chicken rice is the most popular local hawker food in Singapore. Almost every hawker centre will have at least one stall selling this. Some stalls score well in the chicken and some in the flavoured rice and some in the sauces. Regardless of the scores, most Singaporeans just can’t get enough of this. It’s a comforting plate of food.</p><p>We love a good plate of chicken rice. But we couldn’t go out during the Circuit Breaker (lockdown) last year and didn’t want to pay for food delivery. So we attempted to cook this at home using a rice cooker. We used secrets shared by some chicken rice stall owners and improvised and cooked it using a rice cooker. The flavour turns out to be fantastic, especially the rice. I have shared this on my Instagram and many have tried it and love it. Some told me that they've cooked this many many times as her family can't get enough of it.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoZArUi5fAze9zD-JxesSkqm6a9ceJwvKD84bq2Qja0oobJn0kSMHn4efAHJuGq5O90XGmlOxVK2t6qsOwKUkxzvbgyKIK-QGVIqODDBS8dBknzAhTVFTFvEgfomW_xr2zfkFl-MslNQ/s2048/IMG_5746.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoZArUi5fAze9zD-JxesSkqm6a9ceJwvKD84bq2Qja0oobJn0kSMHn4efAHJuGq5O90XGmlOxVK2t6qsOwKUkxzvbgyKIK-QGVIqODDBS8dBknzAhTVFTFvEgfomW_xr2zfkFl-MslNQ/s320/IMG_5746.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chicken rice</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>We cooked the chicken rice rempah before adding it together with the chicken and rice in the rice cooker. The fat from the skin of the chicken and the rempah infused with the rice so that the rice is so flavourful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZTVWicd3isYhm2NaiTz8khO-fMHRGVba38aZUtBrkQ6-8YBcO7V-QjyZJDy0vZ19hvrDH09EVkepaM_GGLb80tyur2MFujYEzSrySWG8fvtUqL_83xf06GyZqV-pLt0wifwqeNRZxUE/s2048/IMG_2287.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ZTVWicd3isYhm2NaiTz8khO-fMHRGVba38aZUtBrkQ6-8YBcO7V-QjyZJDy0vZ19hvrDH09EVkepaM_GGLb80tyur2MFujYEzSrySWG8fvtUqL_83xf06GyZqV-pLt0wifwqeNRZxUE/s320/IMG_2287.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000;"><u>Ingredients</u></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">450g<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span>Boneless chicken legs with skin<br /></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span> Pandan leaves</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>1 rice cup<span> <span> <span> Rice</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>220ml<span> <span> <span> <span> Water or Unsalted chicken stock</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1/2 tsp<span> <span> <span> Salt</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>Rempah:</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>4<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span> Garlic</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>2<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span><span> Shallot</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1 thumb size<span> Ginger</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>Chicken seasoning:</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1.5 tbsp <span> <span> <span> Chinese cooking </span></span></span>wine</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1.5 tbsp <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span>Sesame oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1/2 tsp <span> <span> <span> S</span></span></span>alt</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1.5 tbsp <span> <span> Corn </span></span>flour</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1 tsp<span> <span> <span> <span> W</span></span></span></span></span>hite pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;">Dressing sauce:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1/2 tbsp <span> <span> </span></span>Light soy sauce</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1/2 tbsp <span> <span> </span></span>Sesame oil</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">1 tsp <span> <span> <span> <span> H</span></span></span></span></span>oney</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">2 tbsp <span> <span> <span> <span> W</span></span></span></span></span>ater </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Instructions</u></span></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Marinate the chicken with the seasoning and </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">refrigerate for 30 minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Blend the ingredients for the rempah in a hand blender or food processor.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Heat up a pan with some oil. Add in the above and fry until it’s flavourful. Set aside.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Wash the ice and put into the rice cooker pot. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Add the pandan leaves and rempah.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Dissolve 1/2 tsp of salt in the water and pour into the rice cooker pot.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Lay the marinated chicken on top of the rice. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Cook it in the Rice mode.</span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While waiting for the chicken rice to be cooked, prepare a dressing sauce. Mix</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"> the sauces for the dressing sauce and set aside.</span></li><li><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the rice is cooked, remove the pandan leaves. Take out the chicken and cut them into slices</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Mix the rice and the rempah and plate them on a plate. Then add the chicken on top of the rice and drizzle some sauce over.</span></li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can refer to the cooking video of this to see how easy you can make this plate of chicken rice for you and your family.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fib4wthjgLM" width="320" youtube-src-id="fib4wthjgLM"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><p><br /></p>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-45598893556303919042021-03-29T13:17:00.002+08:002021-03-29T16:02:15.405+08:00‘What’s in my lunchbox’ - Soba and Tofu in Miso Broth<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My previous post talked about the background of this lunchbox series and I have posted a picture and recipe that I have cooked for myself to bring to work years ago. I hope this series can give some ideas to those who want to cook a simple lunchbox to bring to work.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This new lunchbox series will come with accompanying cooking video. My lunchbox won’t be </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">those pretty looking ones that take lots of time, effort and skill to make but practical ones which I’ve made for myself for years.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMRHTvijUGyUYiLvJVNXLXAsfu75L2EhjliQD7k0QpLKtLOfsAFddkUd35BWYBjuDIiFmXnHpuFG650Wk3KcaSb1MaI7J1FwKzORxJOeCccfT8phL4vFQ55pV7LF_9jkguE2USdaff8Y/s2048/47F7CD7B-3171-44EB-A235-E28573FB65BD.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvMRHTvijUGyUYiLvJVNXLXAsfu75L2EhjliQD7k0QpLKtLOfsAFddkUd35BWYBjuDIiFmXnHpuFG650Wk3KcaSb1MaI7J1FwKzORxJOeCccfT8phL4vFQ55pV7LF_9jkguE2USdaff8Y/s320/47F7CD7B-3171-44EB-A235-E28573FB65BD.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Soba and Tofu in Miso Brother </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This Soba and Tofu in Miso Broth lunchbox is one that I often cooked last time. It’s not easy to bring soupy kind of food in a lunchbox, it’s heavy and noodles definitely can’t be soaked in the broth for so many hours. This solves the problem and it’s also easy to cook. This is also, at the same time, healthy and delicious. I have also cooked different variations of this which I will share in future posts.</span></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span class="s1"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Ingredients (for 2 pax)</u></span></span></h3><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 bundles Buckwheat soba noodles</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 block Silken Tofu</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tbsp Miso Paste</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spring onion </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Furikake </span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u><span style="color: #990000;">Instructions</span></u> </span></span></h3><ol class="ol1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boil a pot of water.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the water boils, immense the soba in the water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Transfer the soba to a strainer and retain the water to cook the tofu.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rinse the soba in the strainer under tap water. This will prevent the noodles from sticking to each other.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pour the soba into the lunchbox.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cut the silken tofu into cubes and cook in the same pot of hot water for a few minutes.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Strain and add on top of the soba.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sprinkle some finely chopped spring onion.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scoop 1 tbsp of miso paste and add on the soba.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Close the lunchbox and pack it in the lunch bag, together a packet of furikake.</span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Store in the fridge when you reach office. </span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When it’s lunch time, boil some water and pour into the lunchbox. </span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then use a pair of chopsticks to stir and dissolve the miso paste. </span></span></li><li class="li1" style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sprinkle some furikake.</span></span></li></ol><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And that’s a nice and hot bowl of soba for lunch.</span></span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20.3px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="s1"></span><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can watch the cooking video in my YouTube channel.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i0IbZrN99Lw" width="320" youtube-src-id="i0IbZrN99Lw"></iframe></div><br /><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></p>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-63274361930651287732021-03-25T14:44:00.003+08:002021-03-29T16:02:25.805+08:00Lunchbox - Will it be an In-thing in the Covid Era<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #262626;">The Straits Times ran an article, ‘Beware the Aftershocks of the Covid-19 recession’. And I cannot agree more. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">While we rejoice the availability of the vaccine to more in the population and looking forward to life as per normal, we need to also be prudent and realistic. The slow down in economy during this past year will not bounce back so quickly. As said in the article, many companies and in turn employees may feel the impact after the end of this month when the government support ceases.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);">So it’s not the time to splurge. It’s time to stay prudent. Eating more homecooked meals is not just saving money but also healthier. We are very glad to see that there are more working adults started to cook more since the Circuit Breaker and even until now as the default mode of work is </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);">still WFH (Work From Home). But from April 5, this default mode will change as the government is allowing 75% of staff to return to office.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Those who have enjoyed cooking and eating homecooked meals all this while can continue to do so by preparing lunchbox. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);">I prepared lunchbox almost every day when I was still working. And I’ve done that for years.</span></span></span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1I_yMjEf3D71Zrbeu4z_tQlmaKluv-mHQw_6yExBNxkcPMztugTAfMQWT3Deo26T2rdJiL6xY8vrEg71hBLv-qF_Vbtt1IgpnwWjOQZjjLJ2R8Bt71uh25hgNrBWF5w6ZN4eOH8MfRU/s2048/IMG_5677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1I_yMjEf3D71Zrbeu4z_tQlmaKluv-mHQw_6yExBNxkcPMztugTAfMQWT3Deo26T2rdJiL6xY8vrEg71hBLv-qF_Vbtt1IgpnwWjOQZjjLJ2R8Bt71uh25hgNrBWF5w6ZN4eOH8MfRU/s320/IMG_5677.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lunchboxes and Bag</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626;"><span></span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many may think that preparing a lunchbox will take a lot of time. To me, the time to walk to the lunch venue and then queue to buy the food or wait for the food to be served will involve more time than the preparation of the lunchbox. Singapore's weather is also not that conducive to walk during the lunch hours.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626;">I have started the habit of preparing my lunchboxes when my office was re-located to a semi-industrial area. There was a canteen within our office building but the food choices were limited and the chap chye png (economy rice) was salty and oily. Nearby eating places were limited and were always so crowded during lunch hours and we were always soaked in sweat when we reached the lunch destination.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626;">The situation forced me to cook something simple but healthy for my lunches. A few of my colleagues also started the habit and we had fun sharing lunch box ideas while </span></span></span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">enjoying our homemade lunch boxes in the pantry. We eventually moved out to the city with many eateries nearby a few years later. But my habit of preparing my lunchbox continued.</span></p><p><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">I have tried different types of lunchboxes and the ones I used the most are those in the picture above. I like Corelle (the front most) the most. It is glass but light. I bought one glass lunchbox that is so heavy even before the food is in. I used it only a few times. The plastic ones are mainly for salad or overnight oats.</span></p><p><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Storing food properly before consuming is important. Some food may not last too long in this hot and humid weather in Singapore. I used a thermal bag to transport the lunchbox from my home to the office. Normal thermal bag may keep the food warm for an hour or two. It is better to store the lunchbox in the fridge and microwave it before consumption. For me who don't believe in microwave oven, I placed my lunchbox on a cup warmer which kept the food lukewarm.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);">Over this space in the next few weeks or months, I will share some of the simple and healthy lunchboxes I used to make. The lunch box picture below was taken years ago. It was a colourful, delicious and somehow healthy lunchbox.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj31Hz8g0Rb4r-En1ojyY_bxowUfah-rB51oD2iWk7JmgaW1wnBEz1klkYkUBldYHl02v9m8w56_wSpgrjpRoFUscP9xG1bcvR0CpIDGs495p-T8oSmGXfPnA_Gg01c0TZxmwKLSyMG2U/s1241/IMG_5679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj31Hz8g0Rb4r-En1ojyY_bxowUfah-rB51oD2iWk7JmgaW1wnBEz1klkYkUBldYHl02v9m8w56_wSpgrjpRoFUscP9xG1bcvR0CpIDGs495p-T8oSmGXfPnA_Gg01c0TZxmwKLSyMG2U/s320/IMG_5679.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked bratwurst with salad</td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><u>Ingredients</u></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);">2<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span> </span></span>Smoked bratwurst</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><span><span>1/2 cup<span> <span> <span> </span></span> Rocket salad</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><span><span><span>3 to 4<span> <span> <span> </span></span><span> Cherry tomatoes</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><span><span><span><span><span>8 to 10 slices<span> Yellow squash</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><span></span></span></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><u>Instructions</u></span></span></h3><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Rinse the rocket salad and transfer to the lunchbox.</span></li><li><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Cut some slits in the bratwurst. Halves the cherry tomatoes.</span></li><li><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Heat up some </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">olive oil in a pan. Add the bratwurst and cook for a few minutes or until they are cooked. Transfer them to the lunchbox.</span></li><li><span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Add the tomatoes and yellow squash into the same pan. Season with a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Cook for a couple of </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">minutes and transfer to the lunchbox.</span></li><li><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Calibri;">Sprinkle more <span style="caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);">black pepper over the salad.</span></span></li></ol><p></p><br /><p></p>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-64408510451317039882021-03-10T16:04:00.002+08:002021-03-10T16:09:01.996+08:00Home-cooked Superior Chicken Stock<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love to drink soup. But whenever we have soup outside, we will wonder what do they add to make the broth tasty. Many restaurants and eateries may add MSG or chicken powder to enhance the flavour of the broth. That is why sometimes we get so thirsty after drinking soup. And my body somehow reacts to an overdose of MSG. My cheek or lips will feel numb and it will normally take hours to get over the numbness.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Years ago, we used to buy packet chicken stock to cook dishes. But I have never use any chicken powder or chicken cubes in my cooking. Yes, they are convenient. But after we started to make our own stock, we don't turn back anymore. We know what we add into the pot of stock and we know how good it will taste.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We normally cook one big pot and store them in containers and freeze them. They can last weeks. No additional preservatives, just the refrigerator.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lsjRWa4o5r8zuDgnprITAeKJjZXjO_FTYr7e2q0eyrj3N3Rp4gVAJub2EUeUKQDuZ09EZoig1TFMZGMRbm0_n7-9IelyPHS_50EeY9uvOfn-IFy9Hz4oFbuZLOVHKhF9MpZpI-iFjSU/s679/IMG_4143.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="679" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lsjRWa4o5r8zuDgnprITAeKJjZXjO_FTYr7e2q0eyrj3N3Rp4gVAJub2EUeUKQDuZ09EZoig1TFMZGMRbm0_n7-9IelyPHS_50EeY9uvOfn-IFy9Hz4oFbuZLOVHKhF9MpZpI-iFjSU/s320/IMG_4143.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Superior Chicken Stock</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;">Many dishes depend on a good stock to bring the dish to a different level. A good pao fan 泡饭, soup noodles, porridge, pen cai or the recent trio eggs spinach that we have cooked taste so much better with a good stock.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are different types of stock that can be cooked easily cook at home. For more fancy dishes on special occasions such as Chinese New Year, birthdays, we make superior chicken stock.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We normally use bones and some vegetables for the base of the stock. Vegetables have natural sweetness in them and cook them over time will extract the sweetness into the stock.</span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Ingredients</u></span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">500g<span> <span> <span> </span></span>Chicken bones</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>1<span> <span> <span> <span> </span>Jinhua ham or Waxed chicken leg</span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> <span> </span> Carrot</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> <span> </span>Leek</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> <span> </span>Celery</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>2 litres<span> <span> </span>Water</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><u><br /></u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><u>Instructions</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cut the carrot, leek and celery into slices.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add the chicken bones and the chopped carrot, leek and celery into a slow cooker pot.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add the jinhua ham.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boil the water and pour into the slow cooker pot.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cook over low heat for 8 hours.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Strain the stock after 8 hours. The stock will be clear and smell fantastic.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Store the stock in containers and refrigerate them. If you intend to cook them days or weeks later, store them in the freezer.</span></li></ol><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><br />Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-78296743814085519222021-03-07T15:49:00.001+08:002021-03-10T15:42:33.569+08:00Slow-cooked Soup<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most Chinese will have a soup dish on the dining table and hence the common phrase </span>三菜一湯.<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> We don't cook 3 dishes and 1 soup all the time unless we have more people over for meals. For the two of us, we sometimes cook one big pot of soup and have just that for our dinner.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love to cook soups using my beloved slow cooker which has been with me for about 20 years. When I was still working, I normally throw in the ingredients for the soup in the morning and set it to cook in low heat. When we were back from work, a pot of delicious soup was ready for us. Soups cook in low heat will be clearer yet have all the flavours from the ingredients added. This is the reason why we continue to cook our soup and even homecooked stock using our slow cooker.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_2bwP6qzEZsGEvix3EV0SaVhmTMyS1d8R2V0sZ2431LO6rUskCHEM8UirrBud4sYzVS4O2z8I9HEpVOJ_Yuz0Q0_-_o63yp1MU_q2lEExdxnWMJl2GO4L_c1WgTcPUCY_T-6Hj4Hzag/s2048/IMG_3565.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP_2bwP6qzEZsGEvix3EV0SaVhmTMyS1d8R2V0sZ2431LO6rUskCHEM8UirrBud4sYzVS4O2z8I9HEpVOJ_Yuz0Q0_-_o63yp1MU_q2lEExdxnWMJl2GO4L_c1WgTcPUCY_T-6Hj4Hzag/s320/IMG_3565.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Watercress Pork Rib Soup</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div style="text-align: justify;">One of our favourite soups is the Watercress Pork Rib Soup. We drink this soup since young and whenever I can get watercress from the grocery store, I will cook this soup.</div></span><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMU2AjyIgl_CpbOE-PvvaWRRqtZT5LIARh0dC2GLiRm6Ox8CBlyPUzj7pdSfFjrShWBOfezJdfABSQNx_D2-5eYVSZy-yaDUyZov1DwbMusFEWYV1esKvj9EHp-sNXKCnz-rMmX7gEAB8/s2048/IMG_3536.heic" style="font-family: Calibri; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMU2AjyIgl_CpbOE-PvvaWRRqtZT5LIARh0dC2GLiRm6Ox8CBlyPUzj7pdSfFjrShWBOfezJdfABSQNx_D2-5eYVSZy-yaDUyZov1DwbMusFEWYV1esKvj9EHp-sNXKCnz-rMmX7gEAB8/s320/IMG_3536.heic" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Ingredients</u></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">300g<span> <span> <span> </span>Pork ribs</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">250g<span> <span> <span> </span></span></span>Chicken feet (optional)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 packet<span> <span> </span>Watercress</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>2<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Sour plum</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><u>Seasoning:</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Salt</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">White pepper</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><u>Instructions</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3><div><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Cut and separate the stems and leaves of the watercress.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Blanch the pork ribs in a pot of water. The scums from the pork ribs will float onto the surface of the water. </span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Transfer the pork ribs, without the scums, to the slow cooker pot.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Add chicken feet to have an even nicer broth that has a gelatin texture.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Add the stems and half of the leaves of the watercress into the pot. I have added the watercress in two different batches. The watercress flavour will be infused in the soup with the first batch added. The remaining leaves will be added later so that they will not be too mushy.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Add the sour plums.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Boil a pot or kettle of water. Pour the boiling water into the slow cooker pot. This will allow the soup to start its slow cooking immediately.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Switch on the slow cooker and cook in low heat for about 8 hours. The longer it cooks, the better is the flavour.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Add the remaining watercress leaves 1 to 2 hours before eating.</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Add some salt and white pepper before serving.</span></span></li></ol><p></p></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-75971869982019501542021-02-23T19:31:00.002+08:002021-02-23T19:31:49.684+08:00Cheese Twists<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Roti Prata is such a popular hawker dish in Singapore that frozen prata doughs are common in the supermarkets for people to satisfy their craving any time they want at home.</span><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love roti prata. My hubby and I will travel to places to try different versions of it. Some crispy, some doughy. But I have never purchased the frozen version of it until last year during the Circuit Breaker. We were afraid, just like most people, that there might not be enough food as the borders were closed or restricted. So we bought food that can last, just in case.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But the food supply in Singapore was not affected much. So the packet of frozen prata dough sat in the freezer for months. When our freezer was almost bursting, we decided to use it to clear some space for fresh food. We experimented with it to create different things instead of eating it like the normal roti prata. And now, we love it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYe_7w8Ex4Ly79jPyKOJgm0UNq1umH1AH-YqAOzAjBUzBu6cG0cGmM7WI_my_9PSuBje93LMynZSjiOE3HuOcHGZIYHovbIvx204RQ8Orj_nIs2BGmRNwnug_8LaoRpOpv-hTuLZekjo/s2048/IMG_2754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYe_7w8Ex4Ly79jPyKOJgm0UNq1umH1AH-YqAOzAjBUzBu6cG0cGmM7WI_my_9PSuBje93LMynZSjiOE3HuOcHGZIYHovbIvx204RQ8Orj_nIs2BGmRNwnug_8LaoRpOpv-hTuLZekjo/s320/IMG_2754.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cheese Twists</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>Some of the things that we have made with it are Curry Puff, Tarts, Sausage Rolls (or Pigs in a Blanket), You Tiao, Churros, Pizza and more. The recipe here is Cheese Twists, made using frozen prata dough.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Ingredients</u></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>4 <span> <span> <span> </span> </span>Frozen Prata dough</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/2 cup</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Grated Parmesan Cheese</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> Egg</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Plain Flour</span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><u>Instructions</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thaw the prata dough in batches. Thaw two doughs for a couple of minutes. Then work on them immediately else they will be too soft and sticky to handle. Thaw the next two doughs after you have finished twisting the first batch (step 8).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dust some flour on the work top. Lay one frozen prata dough on the work top.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Beat an egg and brush the egg wash on the prata dough. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sprinkle cheddar cheese generously on the dough. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then cover it with another prata dough.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dust some flour on a rolling pin and use it to flatten the prata doughs.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Use a pastry cutter to cut the prata dough into strips of about 1cm wide. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Twist the strips and then place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Apply egg wash on the twisted dough. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on each twisted dough.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bake the cheese twists in a pre-heated oven at 200 Celsius (no fan) for 18 minutes or until they’re golden brown.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Serve them immediately. Enjoy it with coffee or tea</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u2IP6vVKgwc" width="320" youtube-src-id="u2IP6vVKgwc"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Notes</u></span></h3><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frozen puff pastry can also be used for this.</span></li></ul></div><p></p><p></p>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-64015323767942832542021-02-22T15:05:00.003+08:002021-02-22T15:45:48.770+08:00Rice Cooker Recipes<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rice cooker is normally used as a tool to cook rice in most Asian families. This is probably one of the first kitchen appliances that we bought when we moved in to our own home. For years, we used it to cook white rice and porridge and on some rare occasions, we cooked some bean desserts with it.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the pandemic started last year and during the Circuit Breaker (lockdown), we cooked all 3 meals every day. It is tiring to cook 3 meals each day for a prolonged period of time. So we thought of some simple and easy way of cooking some of the meals. And hence, the birth of our one-pot-rice or rice cooker recipe series.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QGbrSqkI_uUDW_5XcXxVq2zeJlaC1stZcdtE8yYAWoJBXEmAEm-mp3L8YfJ29zDCtDhxUJGBe1CERwNy7J9gnCZJhce5y6_pcgbLlWcm-2yeV54eSlaR61XP7ktknMBvPPZAWaev_Dk/s2048/IMG_2535.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QGbrSqkI_uUDW_5XcXxVq2zeJlaC1stZcdtE8yYAWoJBXEmAEm-mp3L8YfJ29zDCtDhxUJGBe1CERwNy7J9gnCZJhce5y6_pcgbLlWcm-2yeV54eSlaR61XP7ktknMBvPPZAWaev_Dk/s320/IMG_2535.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our good old rice cooker</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a name='more'></a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The very first rice cooker recipe that we experimented was the Ginger Sesame Chicken One-Pot-Rice. We knew that it would work when we started to smell the aromatics when the rice was still cooking in the rice cooker. And it was indeed tasty. We will update the recipe and record a video before posting here.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You can check out the different rice cooker recipes we have created at my Instagram account @Lingomania2021 (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/lingomania2021/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/lingomania2021/</a>) or use the hashtag #tscricecooker in Instagram. We have also uploaded some videos of our rice cooker recipes in our YouTube channel (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EWHIM-tfrUCouK2uILqTA/videos" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EWHIM-tfrUCouK2uILqTA/videos</a>). Check out the Rice Cooker Recipes Playlist.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span>Today, I will share the recipe of the second one-pot-rice recipe that we have created - The Rainbow Rice. We named this rainbow as it is colourful and there are 7 ingredients added on top of the rice. This Rainbow Rice was created in April 2020, during the Circuit Breaker (lockdown). It was created to cheer up people around us. Rainbow is seen after a rainstorm and we hope the pandemic storm will be over soon and reveal the beautiful rainbow. </span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB_Wf0eIzQ1SYwlwTrRovHzwwkMjQVTvbATSE1XHc3VG1VSJAEzb548rlc8MoUPAUTgGMJPGpKZmwCUaoKMRJV43tX7P3TVrb62bjEZ8Sk5__CLIQkSXp0KqLrsOy_oAKtY_JPNKuCyA/s2048/IMG_7994.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcB_Wf0eIzQ1SYwlwTrRovHzwwkMjQVTvbATSE1XHc3VG1VSJAEzb548rlc8MoUPAUTgGMJPGpKZmwCUaoKMRJV43tX7P3TVrb62bjEZ8Sk5__CLIQkSXp0KqLrsOy_oAKtY_JPNKuCyA/s320/IMG_7994.jpg" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><u><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri;">Ingredients</span></u></h3><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 rice cup <span> Rice</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Tomato</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span>1/2 cup<span> <span> <span> Sweet corn</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/2 cup<span> <span> <span> Shiitake mushroom</span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Small carrot</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1/4<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Zucchini or Cucumber</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>3 strips<span> <span> Bacon</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Egg</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><u>Dressing:</u></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Garlic</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1<span> <span> <span> <span> <span> Shallot</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 tsp<span> <span> <span> Salt</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tbsp<span> <span> Honey</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp<span> <span> <span> Oyster sauce</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp<span> <span> <span> Dark soy sauce</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp<span> <span> <span> Sesame oil</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>1 tsp<span> <span> <span> White pepper</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">220ml<span> <span> <span> Water</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><u>Instructions</u></span></h4><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dice the shiitake mushrooms, carrot, zucchini and bacon. You can use other ingredients to build your own rainbow.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wash rice in the rice cooker pot. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Build the rainbow on the rice. Place the tomato at the centre. Then add the other ingredients, except egg, around the tomato.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Prepare the dressing. Mince the garlic and shallot. Mix the minced garlic and shallot with the rest of the seasoning in the dressing sauce. Mix well.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pour the dressing over the rice.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cook in the normal Rice mode.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the rice is cooked, crack an egg and add into the rice. Close the rice cooker lid for a minute to slightly cook the egg.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then stir and mix all the ingredients with the rice.</span></li></ol>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-56468628635828778632021-02-21T09:30:00.007+08:002021-02-24T20:29:12.034+08:00Breakfast Ideas<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have to thank my mother and grandmother for inculcating the good habit of eating breakfast every day since young. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it replenishes the nutrients after the body is rested over the night. It helps to restart the body engine and makes one more alert and energetic for the day. I enjoy my breakfast with a cup of black coffee, no sugar and no milk. This gets me going and makes me alert in my job and now, recipe creation.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I started the habit of letting my phone camera eats my food before me when I started to make my own breakfasts at home. It started with store bought bread with homemade or store bought spreads or toppings. Then I started baking my own bread. Over time, we know the importance of consuming lesser processed food and hence I try to cook a lot using fresh ingredients instead of using bottled or canned food whenever possible. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_00WHXPlRMm5v9RYQEJQxDldGPaoecE_vpCHyMogkKbPKcwY5jp_90npOPLGwR4IgPVw5xA3vdYIYIViZWPBwnxXZLoc8drqZu9_jubQJMyZpZxCpocDFAqYNwyIKd8A1n2zkXaY75M/s2048/IMG_6656+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_00WHXPlRMm5v9RYQEJQxDldGPaoecE_vpCHyMogkKbPKcwY5jp_90npOPLGwR4IgPVw5xA3vdYIYIViZWPBwnxXZLoc8drqZu9_jubQJMyZpZxCpocDFAqYNwyIKd8A1n2zkXaY75M/s320/IMG_6656+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bread and Butter Pudding</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>About 10 years ago when cafe-hopping culture was on a high, we enjoyed doing that on weekends. But after seeing similar types of food in different cafes and after holes started to emerge in our pockets, we started to replicate cafe style breakfasts at home.</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> On normal working days, breakfasts can be scrambled eggs, various savoury sandwiches, fruit sandwiches, granola, chia seeds pudding, etc. On weekends, I will make waffles, pancakes, cakes, breads and more. It becomes a habit that I enjoy doing for years. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNzZdgayTE5WkWWeQ4C3R4TCnrhEdF1Y_yCB8T3ncPitrHQbby5Ilm0EWSs6XlQk63wL7nxQD4VQmDSjgdmjkrjvHMxW1akuVPUd_zGiWap5DC7UsZ1F9bjk4z91p6JqjMK2y6FTVTT4/s2048/IMG_2086.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLNzZdgayTE5WkWWeQ4C3R4TCnrhEdF1Y_yCB8T3ncPitrHQbby5Ilm0EWSs6XlQk63wL7nxQD4VQmDSjgdmjkrjvHMxW1akuVPUd_zGiWap5DC7UsZ1F9bjk4z91p6JqjMK2y6FTVTT4/s320/IMG_2086.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs sandwich</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgkkXYy6q3Zm_p5eYGkEkBk_rOUryplf1oXVVRjS2BjDq9kDcZLO3sZ4zwK2HMygmZIxm5n3X92KKGRGuXIyDVFnapgjTnm97kouRQps53jJ28F0H0brVw9AfFMyVgTDxIXOb7DRJrBk/s2048/IMG_1115+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNgkkXYy6q3Zm_p5eYGkEkBk_rOUryplf1oXVVRjS2BjDq9kDcZLO3sZ4zwK2HMygmZIxm5n3X92KKGRGuXIyDVFnapgjTnm97kouRQps53jJ28F0H0brVw9AfFMyVgTDxIXOb7DRJrBk/s320/IMG_1115+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Waffles with fruits</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">On this blog, I will post more of the breakfasts I make. Today, I will start with one simple recipe that can be done within minutes.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Calibri;"><u>Caramelised Banana with Peanut Butter 'Pizza'</u></span></h3><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxTUff0jGwxAR1jYrZ1Uq1pbllHs-ZV_M8bqrueJqoWD06AoF93Cg5rSG4Appwg7SfZqDMbCvE2qeovxh-ybqkw8nauf-nJW9oeTfbOziP5FVozXAjzfxmr7fKAt8iU3L0lLSFNSzkf8/s2048/IMG_1853+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXxTUff0jGwxAR1jYrZ1Uq1pbllHs-ZV_M8bqrueJqoWD06AoF93Cg5rSG4Appwg7SfZqDMbCvE2qeovxh-ybqkw8nauf-nJW9oeTfbOziP5FVozXAjzfxmr7fKAt8iU3L0lLSFNSzkf8/s320/IMG_1853+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Caramelised Banana with Peanut Butter Pizza</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><u>Ingredient</u></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1<span> <span> <span> </span>Chia seed wrap (or any Tortilla Wrap)</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span>2<span> <span> <span> </span>Banana</span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span>3 <span> <span> Strawberries</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>20<span> <span> <span> Blueberries</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1 tsp<span> Butter</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1 tsp<span> <span> Coconut Sugar (or Raw Sugar or White Sugar)</span></span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span>6 tbsp<span> Unsweetened Peanut Butter </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><u>Instruction</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></h4><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Heat up a pan. Toast the chia seed wrap on the pan for a couple of minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Slice the banana and strawberries.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Melt butter on the pan. Add the banana slices and sprinkle the coconut sugar.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cook both sides until they are caramelised (golden brown). Off the heat and set aside.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spread peanut butter on the chia seed wrap.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Add the caramelised banana, strawberries and blueberries.</span></li></ol></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-61563775885740610982021-02-17T16:09:00.007+08:002021-02-22T15:52:27.071+08:00Radish Cake<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Radish Cake or Lo Bak Go or Turnip</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Cake or Chai Tow Kueh. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is one of my favourite dishes that my mum has made. This is also the ONE recipe that triggered me to start writing down recipes properly.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdh6Nlf5icfpG-a9gApliG2cYpE7bp5uBOkOXxPYc15yj-N6UEx-2-FSx8kuhs_8YDs_nMUe9MD0LFPZfaAIktNyeXX8rltXKZEPINzRY5zVDRMpIJL5xt098abZNDz4ZZJOhNcdV-ow/s2048/IMG_3433.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdh6Nlf5icfpG-a9gApliG2cYpE7bp5uBOkOXxPYc15yj-N6UEx-2-FSx8kuhs_8YDs_nMUe9MD0LFPZfaAIktNyeXX8rltXKZEPINzRY5zVDRMpIJL5xt098abZNDz4ZZJOhNcdV-ow/s320/IMG_3433.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Radish Cake</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span><span><a name='more'></a></span>We are always overjoyed whenever my mum made this for special occasions. One day, I have decided to learn how to make this and asked the recipe from my mum. My mum, just like most mum, said, 'you need to add this and that, and the amount just goes by feel'. That wasn't helpful and I didn't dare to try as it involves quite a lot of work if you don't know the exact ingredients, exact amount and the steps. Then my kind sister scribbled down something when my mum made this again. But the scribbling is not too detailed, though it is better than the 'agar agar' recipe from my mum.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Using that scribbling and multiple phone calls to my mum and sis when I first made this, I have succeeded in replicating it. I was overjoyed and busy gobbling the radish cake down until I have forgotten to write down the details too. Then I tried a few other times, sometimes successful and sometimes not too successful. My hubby started to nag at me and asked me to start writing down the recipes. For a few years, I have always used time as an excuse until I have finally started writing down recipes since 2020. So, this is that recipe that triggers us to write recipes in digital platforms.</span><p></p><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><u>Ingredients</u></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4<span> <span> <span> <span> </span></span></span>dried m</span></span>ushrooms</div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 tbsp<span> dried shrimps</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span>2 tbsp<span> dried scallops</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span>1<span> <span> <span> Chinese </span></span></span></span></span></span>sausage (XO sausage)</div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1<span> <span> <span> duck liver sausage</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span>2<span> <span> <span> shallots</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> radish of about 800g</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><u>Seasoning:</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>1 tsp<span> Sarawak white pepper or normal white pepper</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">1/4 tsp<span> </span> salt</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">1/2 tsp sugar</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 tsp hua tiao wine</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 tsp light soy sauce</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><u>Batter:</u></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>130g<span> rice flour</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>25g<span> wheat </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>flour</div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">25g<span> corn flour</span></span></div><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span></span></span></p><h4><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><u>Instructions</u></span></span></h4><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">S</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">oak the dried mushrooms in water for 2 hours. Soak the dried shrimps and dried scallops separately for 1 hour. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pour all the soaking water into a container after soaking.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dice the mushrooms, shrimps and scallops. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peel the skin of the Chinese sausage and duck liver sausage and dice them.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mince the shallots. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Peel the skin of a radish. Use a hand grater to grate about 3/4 of the radish. Then use a knife to julienne the remaining 1/4. We want to have some thicker strips so that there’ll be some radish strands when you bite into it when it’s cooked.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pour the grated and julienned radish into a wok. Add in the soaking water of mushrooms, scallops and shrimps. Cook for about 10 minutes until the radish is softened. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strain the radish and cool down the liquid for a few min.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">Measure 1 cup of the liquid. Add in the rice flour, wheat flour and corn flour. Mix well to form a smooth batter.</span></span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat up some oil in a wok. Fry the shallots until fragrant.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Add in the diced sausages, mushrooms, shrimps and scallops. Fry for a few minutes to release the fragrance. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pour in the cooked radish. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Add all the seasoning. Mix well. Taste and add more salt if needed.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pour in the batter and mix well to get a sticky mixture. Off the heat.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oil an aluminum tray or baking dish. Pour the batter into the tray and smoothen the surface. </span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">Steam over medium heat for an hour.</span></li><li><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Calibri; white-space: pre-wrap;">After steaming, cool it down before flipping it over a plate. Garnish with some diced bak kwa and spring onion.</span></li></ol><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Calibri; font-size: medium;"><u>Notes</u></span></span></span></h4><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">The radish cake can be eaten after it has cooled down. Just slice it and eat it. You may add some chilli, but in my opinion, it is already very good and flavourful without the need of any chilli.</span></span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">I personally like to slice it and pan fry to crisp up the surfaces, just like how it is served in dimsum restaurants.</span></span></span></li><li><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">Another way to eat this is to cut it into smaller chunks and stir fry with eggs.</span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">The tray of radish cake </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">can be kept in the fridge for a few days. If you need to keep it longer, store it in the freezer.</span></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;">You can refer to our YouTube channel for the step-by-step video to see how this is made.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QtMGvOu2gJM" width="320" youtube-src-id="QtMGvOu2gJM"></iframe></div><br /><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p></div>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668809375591664422.post-11095990388320158762021-02-16T16:16:00.010+08:002021-02-22T15:53:03.651+08:00Welcome to My Blog<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My hubby has been pestering me to start a blog for a number of years. He has seen me getting frustrated when I can't remember the exact ingredients and steps for some dishes and frantically combing through my scrap books for the bits and pieces of the recipes scribbled in somehow illegible handwriting. I have also always wanted to document as many of the dishes that my mum has cooked since young which we have enjoyed so that we can preserve them and remember how to cook them.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I have been delaying this project. Time is always the excuse.</span><div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqL0d0N4m4WG3Yi9TKojE74MAnpkrMw9fq19cJUEluIeRf_UTyp94VHg0Fz0lunUsulunrefuZcfdY0h3S2WETuG0KUbSZRKkqblsNtGx13aTBLmHS-tnqu9pyM1fi3lt_4tyDiVuvrVc/s2048/IMG_2150.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqL0d0N4m4WG3Yi9TKojE74MAnpkrMw9fq19cJUEluIeRf_UTyp94VHg0Fz0lunUsulunrefuZcfdY0h3S2WETuG0KUbSZRKkqblsNtGx13aTBLmHS-tnqu9pyM1fi3lt_4tyDiVuvrVc/s320/IMG_2150.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thawed my MacBook Air after a long hiatus</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In February 2020, I decided to retire and I left my profession that has kept me very busy and stressed for years. The original plan was to relax, take things easy and travel. But it was also the time that the pandemic took all of us by surprise. Travel is out of the question. Next, Circuit Breaker (lockdown) started. Not only we can't leave the country, we can't leave the house unnecessarily too. Time was on my side then.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We cooked all our 3 meals each day during the lockdown. From cooking homely dishes, hawker dishes, cafe and restaurant style dishes, hacks to dishes to making our own breads, cakes and more. At the same time, I started documenting the recipes for the dishes we have cooked in my Instagram @lingomania2021 (</span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lingomania2021/" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/lingomania2021/</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">). Then we started to shoot short video clips which were uploaded in our Instagram posts and stories. These made following the recipes much easier for us, as well as our followers. Year 2020 became a busy year for us, in a good way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We reviewed our works and decided to make some improvements to our videos. We started to film the cooking videos in higher quality and properly edit them, with music added. We upload these videos in YouTube and we love how they look in YouTube. Hence, we launched our YouTube channel in January 2021 (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EWHIM-tfrUCouK2uILqTA" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0EWHIM-tfrUCouK2uILqTA</a>)</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, we are starting the next stage, a blog.</span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those recipes that we have cooked will be posted here over time, along with our new recipes. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Watch this space for recipes that we cook and enjoy.</span></p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>Lingomaniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08599383289440489106noreply@blogger.com1