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Friday, April 30, 2004 Char Grill Teriyaki Chicken with Onions over Japanese Medium-Grain Rice and Tom Yum Soup
The grill. Our dinner I bought a cast iron grill/griddle yesterday evening for fairly cheap at US7.00 and decided to break into it today.That is after drenching the device completely in oil, blasting it atop the stove to non-stick proof it of course.The chicken had a hint of smokiness which I found rather appealing to the tastebuds.Think along the lines of bbq chicken:) Teriyaki marinade is made from scratch:- 2 and half tablespoons of light soy sauce 2 tablespoons of rice wine 3 tablespoons of mirin 1 tablespoon of minced ginger(i used a food processor for that) 1 lb chicken strips Grill the marinated chicken strips and onions on cast iron till done. I didn't add any egg or garnish for dinner but you are certainly welcome to do so. Thursday, April 29, 2004 Baked Sweet n Sour Fish with Silken Tofu
Sweet and sour marinade consists of one cup kikkoman sweet n sour sauce, one tablespoon minced garlic, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon yeo's spicy chilli sauce, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 4 tablespoons shaoxing wine.Lightly dust fish with salt and ground black pepper.Place fish in baking tray then pour marinade over the fish.Pieces of silken tofu around the fish.Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 25 minutes.Serve immediately. I know it's pretty tasty because the husband ate 2 full bowls of rice today;) Oh and they're selling for US11.00 per fish at a restaurant whereas i spent only US5.00 for making 2. Wednesday, April 28, 2004 Green Curry Fish 
Mae Ploy green curry paste is da bomb!No fuss delicious green curry is just a tub away i'll say!Ok I went to walmart for some grocery shopping today and got a US1.97 oval-shaped oven baking tray for some stove-top cooking.It stood up to my green curry cooking pretty well:):) Green Curry Process:- The usual shallots and cilantro on a heated deep tray till fragrant. Vegetables, fish(tilapia), low fat milk together with mae ploy green curry paste are added next(one fish is saved for hub's lunch tomorrow). Flip the fish and place some crabsticks around the tray Finished dish We also had vegetable and onion soup for dinner. Tuesday, April 27, 2004 Asian Spicy Seafood Fried Rice
Ok i am not posting pictures of my dinner( assorted vegetable and potato soup,hot bean paste fish and japanese gohan aka rice)tonight...I assume you should all know how they look like by now=)Instead, I shall do a step by step on how to make spicy seafood fried rice since I am making it for hubby's lunch anyway=) Fry minced garlic, chopped onions and a handful of cilantro in a heated wok. Fry chinese sausages first, then an egg.After browning them, add in your baby octopus. When octopus is almost done, your prawns goes in next. Chinese cabbage.Stir fry till it's just wilted. Toss cooked jasmine rice in together with some red chilli powder, ground black pepper and fish sauce. In a lunch box for my husband's lunch tomorrow=) Will touch on gohan making another time. Monday, April 26, 2004 Pork Congee
Hubby wants a light lunch for tomorrow and i am cooking pork congee over the crockpot now. Pork slices are marinated with light soy sauce, ground black pepper and sesame oil.Congee is made with one cup(180cc) of washed raw jasmine rice, equal amounts of water and chicken broth.One part rice:8 to 9 parts liquid.Salt to taste after congee is done. Sunday, April 25, 2004 Thai Red Curry Prawns/Baby Octopus/Chicken,Chai Tow Kway,Assorted Veg Soup
Hiya people!!I am glad it's saturday already...which means Min will be browsing at barnes &noble after dinner.Okay enough about me for now.I had more time to take pictures of my cooking process today...hopefully it will at the very least be fairly informative to you.Hub's also helping me wash the dishes now(yah why not just dump everything in the dishwasher right?heh heh) therefore giving me some opportunity to describe more narratively. We got a number of good asian foodstuff(particularly pastes) at Lam's.Thailand's Mae Ploy curry pastes taste really authentic not to mention cheap!It should not cost more than US2.00 per small tub.My gosh!Please check it out on your next asian grocery store visit guys.I seriously find getting some off the shelf pre-made curry pastes way more cost-effective plus convenient than say..purchasing galangals,basils,kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and pounding it with a mortar and pestle.I checked out those individual spices today and boy were they expensive! Thai Red Curry Prawns/Baby Octopus/Chicken I sweated chopped shallots and a handful of cilantro in a large stockpot with some heated olive oil then added a couple of tablespoonsful of Mae Ploy red curry paste.Stir fried till fragrant. Tossed a few pieces of cut up chicken(optional becos i had some laying in the fridge) and low fat milk.When chicken was almost done, i added some baby octopus and prawns.Allow all the ingredients to slowly simmer for a couple of minutes till fully cooked. Chai Tow Kway Coarsely chopped up turnip cakes and pickled radish in a bowl I fried the minced garlic till fragrant Added in turnip cakes and pickled radish.Broke up the cakes alittle bit. Eggs and sambal gandaria Red Curry, Chai Tow Kway(garnish with cilantro and sweet dark sauce) and Assorted Veg Soup(szechuan mustard, chinese cabbage,onions, gailan, eggs with canned chicken broth...made in crockpot which i found changed the colour of green leafy vegs:(..the soup tastes better than it looks) It was a really good dinner!And we had plenty of leftovers for lunch so no lunch pics tomorrow Saturday, April 24, 2004 Friday's dinner
I made less food for dinner tonight as hub's not working tomorrow.Well... actually he is but he'll be back early. Veggie Soup and Stir Fry Pork with Green Beans Friday, April 23, 2004 Tonight's Dinner
I fiddled with my camera settings and the pictures ended up looking dark.Bleah. Today, fresh steamed fish was lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, light soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, minced garlic and 3 pickled plums.It tasted really good. 
Tom yam soup had water, kombu, small florets of cauliflower, mushrooms, black fungus, tom yum paste, hotdogs and beaten eggs simmered in a crockpot.Some cilantro was stirred in to give it extra punch.I am going to add ground beef later for hubby's lunch tomorrow. Another photo edited for brightness Thursday, April 22, 2004 Another typical dinner(Miso Soup, Mixed Veg & Tomatoes Omelette, Japanese Stew) 
I tweaked the ingredients of miso soup and japanese stew a little bit for tonight's dinner.Hey my food pictures are starting to look the same lol!Posting the pic in case anyone still wants to see it=) Miso Soup(refer to april 17th post too):- One sheet of kombu One litre water One cut up small corn Half cake of tofu Small florets of cauliflower Some napa cabbage 2 tablespoons soy bean paste Japanese Stew:- Dashi stock(miso soup prior to adding soy bean paste) Potatoes Ground beef Onion Mirin Light soy sauce Rice wine Cornstarch Salt Serve with fluffy, high quality thai jasmine rice. Wednesday, April 21, 2004 Garam Masala Vegetable Stew, Braised Fish, Steamed Eggs with Mixed Veggies 
Nothing creative with tonight's dinner.Garam Masala stew has hotdogs in it.I used fat-free hotdogs from Oscar Meyer which made me poorer by US4.00.Man!This thing better be fat-free or I'll be really pissed!!Braised fish recipe is the same as steamed fish just different methods of cooking.I also added a couple of tablespoons fish sauce.Steamed eggs is a common dish in chinese homes so i won't go into that. Edited to include braised/steamed fish recipe and steamed eggs recipe: How to for braised fish:- Lightly marinate cleaned/gutted fish with salt and ground black pepper.Spray hot skillet with fat-free olive oil and fry the ginger slices till fragrant.Add some water, fish sauce, bean paste, dark soy sauce and shaoxing/rice wine.Place your fish in gravy and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes max. How to for steamed fish:- Lightly marinate cleaned/gutted fish with salt and ground black pepper.Rub liberal amounts of beanpaste(spicy or normal is fine tho' i normally use spicy), light soy sauce and shaoxing/rice wine.Put ginger and tomatoes slices on top of the fish.Steam for 20 minutes max. How to for steamed eggs:- Beat 3 eggs in a bowl and pour in some water/broth.Season the mixture with light soy sauce, salt, pepper.Add in whatever meats or veggies you like.Minced pork, minced beef, mixed veggies, hotdogs etc are good examples.Steam in rice cooker till done. Tuesday, April 20, 2004 Our Clean Simple Dinner 
It's one of those days again people.I am having yet another cycle( one of my many cycles) of insomnia.Feeling exhausted and slightly cranky, i decided to throw together some ingredients and call that dinner.Why not just order takeouts you may ask?I'm not sure too...it probably has to do with a combination of my nearest chinese restaurant serving below-average food and us prefering homeprepared meals.I hope i don't come across as being picky about food or a food snob.Really I am not.My last kongpao chicken takeout dinner from the above mentioned restaurant had blood in it.Raw poultry is definitely not acceptable. Assorted Soup has ham choy, pickled plums, tomatoes, potatoes, napa cabbage, tofu, lightly marinate beef meat balls, crabsticks, eggs, wedged onions in a thick chicken broth. An overview Min and hubby's simple dinner tonight.I will say this is fairly typical of chinese homecooking.Please correct me if i am wrong:)Sidetrack: I always make extra food for hub's lunch the next day.Am trying to cut down burgers and fries in our diet. Monday, April 19, 2004 Thai Style Spicy & Tangy Chicken 
Before I left for my road trip, I casually mentioned(well maybe not that casual..I was practically screaming on my foodblog lol) I was going to make assam(tamarind) fish.Well, I regretfully didn't have the time to gather my assam fish ingredients that week so i kinda had to abolish the idea. Today, Hubs and I dropped by another oriental store( named Manila) downtown to purchase some ingredients for tonight's dinner.On the spur of the moment, i decided that i would cook thai style spicy & tangy chicken instead because getting a good size fish in my state is virtually impossible if not pricey as there're no nearby oceans.I know, how sad.Anyway, we scored gai choy, red onion, white onion, cilantro and 2 rice bowls there.Each rice bowl costed US0.99 tax inclusive.I wonder if i had gotten a great deal.We couldn't find fresh chillies but i stored a bottle of sambal olek( a blend of red chillies,salt,vinegar,sugar) in my fridge so it was all good=) I sweated one diced red onion, white onion and cilantro on a heated wok with some olive oil and added a couple of tablespoonsful of the sambal olek.Stir fried until the spices were fragrant.Put in half a cut up chicken and sliced eggplant.Browned the chicken, then poured in enough lowfat milk to cover the ingredients.Allowed the chicken in spicy gravy to simmer over medium heat for a good half an hour or so.Then 3 tablespoons of fish sauce.Added in some tamarind and sugar.Served the chicken dish with white fluffy jasmine rice.[My husband enjoyed the dish a lot.] We also had a stir fry gaichoy dish on top of that.I wanted something light and clean to balance out the chicken dish. No picture of our entire meal today sorry. Made a nice fulfilling salad last night and a tuna and cheese sandwich(toasted bread) for lunch today.Hubs assembled ham, tuna and cheese sandwich(?weird but i think that tasted rather good).Salad recipe can be found a few posts back.Goodnight=) Sunday, April 18, 2004 Oyako Don(Chicken and Egg Donburi) for saturday lunch OIISHII!! 
First off, I made dinner last night but didn't post pics of it as I had done a similar entry before(it was steamed fish and stir-fry kailan).I figured nobody wanted to see another boring post of it=) Yesterday, hubby and myself went to an exclusively japanese oriental grocery store downtown called New Tokyo Market thereabouts.The food selection was miniscule and everything prepackaged.Not fresh ingredients we were hoping for(they had interesting magazines albeit pricey there though)  .Feeling rather disappointed, we drove back to our usual oriental market(Lam's) which was just a couple of minutes away and made some good japanese purchases there.
Konbu or Kelp(US2.09) for making soup stock Fermented Soy Bean Paste(US2.99) a humongous packet for making Miso Soup 2 pieces of washed konbu placed in 1 liter water to simmer NOT BOILING.About 45 minutes or so later, mix in 2 tablespoonsful of soy bean paste for miso soup.I added small florets of cauliflower and tofu in it. How to for the chicken:- one chicken breast(sliced,lightly marinated with salt, black pepper, light soy sauce) and one white onion were browned in a hot skillet sprayed with PAM, before pouring in some soup stock(ie prior to adding the soy bean paste).Allow the entire contents to slowly simmer.Then 2 tablespoonsful of mirin(jap sweet cooking wine), 2 tablespoonsful of rice wine and 2 tablespoonsful of light soy sauce.Cornstarch to thicken the mixture.Serve.Slightly sweet and salty.Very delicious. Some rice at the bottom of the donburi bowl, chicken and onion stir fry in the middle, crack an egg at the top.Garnish with parsley.I ODed on the parsley*blush* Miso Soup middle of this picture in the white bowl.In japanese restaurants, they serve miso soup in smaller individual bowl per person but i was feeling real lazy today:p Apparently, miso has many healthy benefits like improving blood circulating, reducing high blood pressure etc.I will definitely be preparing more of this broth for my husband. Friday, April 16, 2004 More previous cooking adventures;christmas eve dinner last year
Sweet n Sour Prawns 1 pound prawns/shrimp(marinate with salt,pepper,3 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbspful chinese cooking wine) 5 to 6 tbspful of sweet sour sauce(Lachoy brand from walmart) 3 tbsp minced garlic 2 tbsp ketchup 1 tbsp chilli sauce 1 egg How to: Lightly brown minced garlic.Cook marinated prawns for abt 3 mins.Add sweet sour sauce,ketchup,chilli sauce and 1 beaten egg.Stir fry till done. Roast Chicken Sprinkle salt, ground black pepper and abt 5tbsp of dark soy sauce on half a cleaned chicken.Coat chicken liberally with honey and 5 spice powder.Baked in a 375F oven for about 45 mins. Sambal Baked Fish Sprinkle salt, ground black pepper, juice of 3 limes, a little sugar and abt 4 tbspful of sambal on 2 catfish fillet.Add half a sliced onion on top.Baked in a 375F oven for abt 20 to 30 mins. Just reached home and am feeling pretty exhausted as we were on the road about 12hrs daily for the last couple of days(trying to see as much with the least possible time).I wouldn't recommend anyone do that at this time of the year though...it's too dangerous  . I will probably take the next few days to rest, tidy up my place a bit and squeeze some home-cooking in between.Ok as for what we ate during the trip...we had a good asian dinner at las vegas taiwanese restaurant, an average japanese express lunch at denver,burger king's fire-grilled chicken whopper at santa fe(NM) tasted really good and numerous subway sandwiches.Hmmm nothing too exciting.
Final note:- Will definitely post pics if i manage to whip up an excitingly different dish.Most days i just prefer to have light dishes or meals:) Saturday, April 10, 2004 A pic of last night's salad taken today.Very substantial I must say.
If you have to prepare your salad in advance let's say for a party, seasoned salt should be added shortly before serving.Salt pulls water from your lettuce and potatoes(osmosis) and makes your tossed salad soggy. PS. This foodblog will probably not be updated with homecooked meals till April 18th.I'm going on a roadtrip.. a trip that we've not really started planning  .Yeap hence we'll be drafting our route today and tomorrow..leaving on sunday hopefully.But do check back this blog after 18th. 
Friday, April 09, 2004 Low Fat Salad Dressing Recipe
I didn't take a pic of my salad dinner tonight but I'm certain everyone knows how a salad looks like yes?:)My hubby and myself had many servings of the tasty but healthy salad.Oh one thing to note when you're reading my foodblog, i rarely use olive oils(liquid) or vinaigrette in my dressing and try as much to make my seasonings and ingredients low fat unless i feel the sacrificial of oils or fat will compromise the taste of a dish.I've also replaced olive oil with fat-free olive oil spray for stir-frying.No decrease in yummy factor despite these minor adjustments:) Recipe Lettuce Boiled potatoes Crabsticks( a good addition) Canned tuna( in brine) Cherry tomatoes( so sweet and taste like a fruit..yummy) Boiled eggs Dressing( personal concoction) Low fat mayonnaise Prepared mustard Rice wine vinegar Ground black pepper Seasoned salt(those used to make roast chicken and turkey types) How to:- Cut ingredients into bite size pieces and place in a salad bowl.Add in your dressing and toss.Having some croutons in the salad is also a tasty option.Spread low fat butter(5g fat per serving/tablespoon) on toasted bread and slice into cubes with a knife.Try it people I'm sure you'll love it:) Thursday, April 08, 2004 Wanton Noodle Soup
Marinate ground beef with light soy sauce, salt, black pepper, rice wine, oyster sauce, a little bread crumbs(binding agent) and spring onions.Adding some egg is pretty good or drizzle sesame oil for better flavour.*Oh and when choosing ground beef, get the ones with 96%/4% or 98%/2%.Larger the percentage, the more lean meat there is.* I just dab the corners with water and squeesh it together Noodle soup(See the orangy stuff? I tried making fishballs using SALMON!YUCKS!!DON'T EVER THINK OF IT!! I should probably type my entries when i'm more awake or the day after so they wouldn't seem half-drunk.Ahh well:\ Cooking bigger portions( to feed some of hub's friends) prove to be rather tiring with all that tedious stirring etc  .
Anyway, am doing some online shopping..look what i found!So pretty! More at http://www.merae.com Arggh raining again.Pray it won't be another soup entry tonight LOL;) Wednesday, April 07, 2004 Thai Fried Rice and Roast Chicken
There are many variations of thai fried rice.I seasoned mine with fish sauce, some oyster sauce, chilli powder and white pepper which tasted pretty good.Remember, each ingredient must be sauteed separately and rice be made with lesser water/liquid than usual.Roast chicken recipe is my personal concoction that hubby and I absolutely love.I marinated the cut-up chicken with some salt, ground black pepper, 5 spice powder, good honey, dark soy sauce, rice wine and rosemary herbs.Oven roasted it at 375F till done. Thai Fried Rice( has parsley, green onion aka scallions, garlic, tomatoes, chilli powder, ham, eggs, mixed veggies in it) Roast Chicken( darkness of the chicken is cause by the glaze effect of honey and soy sauce.) I ate too much again.Goodnight people:) Tuesday, April 06, 2004 Ham Choy soup & Stir-fry You Choy with Mushrooms 
Sorry people soup again tonight.The cold seemed to be justifying it.But but, I came back from an indian grocery store in the evening and scored some tamarind(assam yes!!) as well as fragrant tea leaves(for drinking)..you can expect tamarind (assam yes!!) curry fish this week i think:) As for how to make the soup, i added liberal amounts of ham choy(salty veg), wedged tomatoes, pickled plums and cut-up chicken to water.Simmered it over the stove(alternatively crockpot is good) for an hour or more.Result was a great pick me up kinda soup. I stir-fried my veggies with garlic, oyster sauce and some salt.Simple yet delicious. Over the stove in a large stock pot Ham Choy Soup and You Choy with Mushrooms Monday, April 05, 2004 Hotpot Dinner( on a cold night)
Just felt like having hotpot dinner tonight.Been thinking about it since last night  .Ingredients can be easily purchased at any grocery store.
Hotpot in an UFO-ish whateverbleepbleep that is(has chicken broth, cauliflower, bak choy, broccoli, beaten egg, tofu, shrimp,crabstick..can't remember if there's anything else.Ack!Forgot to add in my can of bamboo shoots  )
Tonight's dinner pic PS. Yesterday's beef pot roast using bbq sauce marinate was actually inspired by a sweet american journal friend.I doubt she has the time to read this food blog but I think it's still proper to give her credit:) The pot roast recipe is good..do try it. Sunday, April 04, 2004 Beef Pot Roast(using crockpot)
1.7pound beef chuck is marinated with liberal amounts of salt, black pepper and rosemary herbs.Wedged onions are place at the base of the crockpot.Stack the roast on top.Add some potatoes and carrots(desired).Pour one measuring cup of BBQ sauce.Simmer the chuck and vegetables for 6 hours on HI.Lots of liquid will be generated from the cooking.You have to reduce the mixture by stirring in cornstarch towards the end.Serves 3. Roast is hidden by the stew. Goodnight. Teochew Porridge
Haven't had teochew porridge in a long while hence made it for lunch today.Drove down to our fav oriental market downtown at noon and bought a live tilapia for US6.70.Rather pricey.Nope actually it's super expensive!!AHH!!I need to go rob the bank or at least strike the lottery  .But the meat was fresh and we enjoyed the fish so I guess we can't have everything right?Sigh.Trying to comfort myself here.
Spicy Okra( sauce is hotbean paste, vietnamese garlic chilli sauce, sambal gandaria and oyster sauce, chopped garlic) Our lunch with our usual steamed fish and spicy okra Saturday, April 03, 2004 Not exactly instant ramen( but it's still fairly quick)
It's cold today because it has been pouring for the past couple of days( forecasted the next few days as well).Early Spring+Rain= bad combination.Contemplated buying frozen pizza and nuking abit but eventually whipped up simple tom yum egg noodle soup.I desperately needed the warming up.The broth consisted of tom yum paste, chicken stock granules and some salt to taste.After all the ingredients are done, add 2 small squares of dried egg noodles.Serves 2.Sidetrack: I got a couple of new plates from a thrift store.Saw the tropical-themed one below and felt kinda nostalgic so bought 2 of them:p Tom Yum Noodle Soup has ham, eggs, bak choy(huge state-grown ones...will take a pic next time), black mushrooms and crab sticks I had some good sleep last night..my pesky neighbour decided to give me a day off. 
Hope you guys having a great weekend 
Friday, April 02, 2004 Roast Chicken Rice
Roasted the chicken in the oven today.I followed the recipe from RecipeSource.com for chinese roast chicken.Frankly, I prefer my usual recipe marinate with rosemary herbs and 5 spice powder instead. The rice has chicken broth, salt, american leeks(huge ones), spring onions and ginger. Our dinner on the plate:) Not too visual:( No homemade meals tomorrow as I'm likely to be eating out.A break finally!:D Sorry, another brief post.UNBELIEVABLY tired.Hmmm maybe i shall have herbal chicken soup this weekend....Goodbye!:) Thursday, April 01, 2004 Breakfast food and salad for dinner
I am really exhausted today( i know how convenient) so i made a yummy simple breakfast-kind of dinner. Ham,cheese,toast & tomatoes for a sandwich/ Egg, potato & tuna salad Where's the asian touch though?The red stuff is Yeo's spicy sweet chilli sauce  . Salad dressing is low-fat mayonnaise, prepared mustard and rice wine vinegar.Good night:)
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