Scrambled eggs w/ tomatoes (黄金满屋，鸿运当头)

Have you seen a TVB Hong Kong cooking show called “SO FAR 苏 GOOD”? It is hosted by Susie Wong (苏施王). I love watching her show as she is straight-to-point, sprinkled with lots of typical Hong Kong humour.

When I first chanced upon her show, she was teaching a group of newly wed couples (all inexperienced in cooking) on how to make the perfect scrambled eggs with tomatoes (蕃茄炒蛋). Although it is not a new dish to me, I was very impressed with the method she taught them. It was totally different from those western methods I have read/ tried before. Having tried it myself, I find her way of cooking produces scrambled eggs with a smoother texture. Below is her recipe (with some slight modifications):

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tomatoes (I replaced with 1 tomato and some canned diced tomatoes)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)

Seasonings:
Tomato ketchup
Light soya sauce
Sugar
Pepper
Cornflour (mixed with water)

Methods:
Group (A)
1) Boil water (volume should be enough to cover the tomatoes). Remove the stems of the tomatoes. Use the tip of a knife to cut a very shallow "X" on the bottom of the tomato. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water. Keeping them in for just 30 secs and taking them out quickly. Once the tomatoes get cooled, peel off the skin with your hands and dice.
2) Heat up wok with oil. Sauté onion until fragrant.
3) Add in diced tomatoes and simmer until they turn mushy.
4) Add in tomato ketchup (according to your personal preference). Start with 2 tbsp.
5) If it is too sour, add dash of sugar. If it is too sweet, add dash of light soya sauce.
6) If the tomato gravy is too dry, add dash of water.
7) Thicken with cornflour solution. Dish up and set aside.

Group B
1) Separate egg whites and egg yolks.
2) Beat egg yolks. Add in light soya sauce (salt should not be used) and pepper.
3) Mix with some cornflour solution to produce a fluffy texture. (I learnt this tip from a cookbook).
4) Combine with egg whites and stir until it is well-combined. Do not beat the egg whites.
5) Heat up wok with oil under high heat. When the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture. (The egg mixture will not stick to the wok if the oil is hot enough). Stir quickly until the eggs are firm and set. Dish up and pour over group A. Use a spoon to mix well the scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Serve.

Since we are still in Chinese New Year celebration mood, which last for 15 days, I like to name this dish as "黄金满屋，鸿运当头"(House gets laden with gold, prosperity has arrived)! This auspicious name is derived from the colour combination of this dish. Yellow (egg) signifies gold and red (tomato) signifies prosperity. If that sounds auspicious to you, why wait? Try it out.

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Grandma's pancakes (aka mommy's pancakes)

During our childhood days, this pancake was made from the leftover batter used for french toast or pan-fried nian gao (Chinese New Year glutinous rice cake). It was always a hit in the family. Due to the limited supply, we always walloped the pancake first even though it was still hot from the pan.

Nowadays, it has become a hit to all my nieces and nephews too. For those who are staying overseas, my mother will definitely prepare a batch of pancakes specially for them upon their arrival or departure.

This recipe requires only a few simple ingredients that every household would have in their kitchen. The measurements are just an estimation given by my mother. You are welcome to modify it according to your personal preference.

Ingredients:
10-12 tbsp plain flour
5-6 tbsp sugar
5 eggs (medium)
Water/ milk (if necessary)
Butter (add on pancake)

Methods:

1. Add sugar to the flour and mix well.

2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixure and add in 3 eggs.
3. Beat eggs slowly to combine well with flour and sugar. The batter should be smooth and creamy.
4. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter. If you do get lumps, press it through a sieve using the back of a spoon.

5. When the ingredients are well mixed, add in the remaining 2 eggs.
6. Mix well and ensure the batter is at the right consistency (not too liquid or too thick).
7. Add water or milk if necessary.

8. Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.
9. Scoop the batter onto the pan and spread evenly.
10. Cook for 2 mins and add a small knob of butter on top.

11. Flip over the pancake and cook for another 2 mins.

12. Fold the pancake lengthwise and cut it into halve.

Other pancakes that you maybe interested in:
a) Banana pancake (1)
b) Banana pancake (2)

Wishing you a MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! Enjoy all the lovely food!

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Scrambled eggs with cauliflowers

Previously, my son always rejected cauliflowers but I managed to "convince & confuse" him with this recipe. Since then, he can easily accept cauliflower in other cooking methods. Sounds like "Crouching tiger, hidden dragon" as described by my foodie friend? In fact, this is the most effective way to coax a child to eat certain vegetables. This recipe is adapted and modified from Special Quick & Delicious Vegetable Cookbook.

Ingredients:
70g chicken thigh/ breast – shredded and marinated with light soya sauce, sugar and cornflour.
170g cauliflower – cut into small pieces and blanched
35g carrot – shredded
½ potato – boiled and diced (optional – This is the leftover from my pumpkin soup)
½ red onion - sliced
2 eggs – mixed with pinch of salt and pepper and beaten lightly

Note: You can subsitute chicken with fresh prawn or 2 tbsp dried shrimp .

Seasonings:
1 tbsp – oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce – 1 tsp
Dash of pepper

Methods:
1) Heat up oil and stir-fry chicken until cooked. Dish up and set aside.
2) Add in onion and sauté until fragrant.
3) Add in carrot and stir-fry. Add in cauliflower, potato, cooked chicken and seasoning, and mix well. If it is too dry, add in 1-2 tbsp water.
4) Add in eggs. Stir fry until the eggs are cooked. Dish up and serve.

This dish paired well with rice and pumpkin soup. My son loved the combination so much that he can gooble up his meals super duper fast on that day. This soup recipe is slightly different from my original pumpkin soup as I used lesser water (enough to cover all the ingredients for simmering) and replaced fresh milk with thickening cream.

For dinner, I made teriyaki chicken skew. Fingers lickin' good!

(Did u notice something is missing from the first bamboo stick? Guess who's the culprit?...........Both my son and I! Shhhhh........ We just couldn't resist the temptation to grab a bite. Hehehe!)

If you are looking for recipes to coax your kid to eat vegetables, I strongly recommend these recipes:
- zucchini cakes
- simplified "kwai fa chee"
- ridge or sweet gourd with prawn omelette
- spaghetti bolognese

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Zucchini cakes - revisit

As mentioned in my early post, when I first made zucchini cakes, I didn't have a large zucchini so it didn't turn out close to the original recipe I followed. This round, with a large zucchini on hand and adding 1 extra egg, I made a revisit to this recipe. For recipe, please refer to here.

If you have a picky eater who refuses to eat vegetables, give it a try. But remember to control the amount of salt you add as the cheese is quite salty.

When I am writing this post, I wonder whether Japanese cucumber can be used to replace zucchini. Has anyone tried it before and like to share it with me?

Which one do you like, the 1st attempt or the one below?

I am submitting this recipe to Vegetarian Thanksgiving Recipe Carnival hosted by Fun and Food Cafe. Thanks to Mansi for her invitation.

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Special egg rolls with rice, salmon and spinach

This egg roll is not a pre-planned dish. The idea came to me when I was cooking lunch for both my son and myself on one Saturday afternoon when my hubby was away for his overseas trip. Basically, I just combined some ingredient from my cooked dishes and followed the method in this recipe. (If you can read chinese, refer to this site). Thus, I didn’t have the exact measurement. You may need to use your own discretion to experiment it.

Ingredients:
Salmon (marinated with salt, then steamed with mirin, soya sauce and sugar)
Chinese spinach (blanched, chopped and tossed with fried shallot oil and oyster sauce)
Cooked rice
Black and white sesame seeds
1 egg (lightly beaten and season with salt and pepper)

Methods:
1) Cook rice as usual.
2) Flake steamed salmon with a fork
3) Squeeze out excess water from the blanched Chinese spinach.
4) Roast both sesame seeds over medium low fire until fragrant
5) Heat up oil on a non-stick pan. Use a kitchen paper to wipe the pan so that it is well-coated with oil. Reduce heat to small. Pour egg mixture over the pan and swirl to form a thin layer of omelette. Cook for 1 min and flip over the other side to continue cooking. Remove from pan and set aside.
6) Put rice, sesame seeds and Chinese spinach in a bowl and mix well.
7) Cut out a cling wrap and lay on the chopping board. Put ingredients in item (6) and roll it tightly until it became the shape of a sausage (as per picture).


Close and twist both ends


8) Put item (7) and salmon flakes on the omelette. Roll it up and cut into small rolls (about 2cm height).
9) Serve with wasabi or tomato sauce.



Note: You can add salmon flakes to the rice mixture and roll with the cling wrap.

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Not my usual lunch

This afternoon, I had created a very “fusion” combo for my son and myself.
=> Cabbage omelettes + sesame seeds rice balls + stir-fried mushrooms.
(However, my son who is a fan of soup, after finishing his meals, said “Mummy, where is today’s soup?” :-[ )

This lunch combo is also great to use as a bento set. Recipes for cabbage omelette rolls and sesame seeds rice ball are adapted and modified from Mitong’s (小小米桶) website.

A) Cabbage omelette rolls (高丽菜/包菜蛋卷)
– For step-by-step illustrations, please refer to this link.

Ingredients:
100g cabbage (washed, drained and shredded finely) – discard the hard parts
1 clove garlic (pat it flat and minced)
1 tsp dried shrimp (washed, soaked, pat dry and chopped coarsely)
Dash of salt and white pepper

For omelette:
4 eggs (lightly beaten) – divide into 4 portions, 2 portions for 1 omelette
(Use fork/ chopsticks to slowly beat the eggs in a small circular direction to avoid creating bubbles)
Pinch of salt

Methods:
1) Heat up a non-stick pan with oil. Sautee minced garlic and dried shrimps until fragrant.
2) Add in cabbage and stir-fry until cooked. Add in seasonings. Dish up and set aside.
3) Heat up the pan again with a little bit of oil (Make sure the pan is clean). Use a piece of kitchen towel to wipe the pan so that it is well-coated with oil.
4) When the oil is heated, pour 1 portion of the egg mixture over the pan, swirl the mixture to form the omelette, cook under low heat.
5) When the omelette is 50% cooked, add in cabbage. Use a chopstick/ spatula to roll up the omelette.
6) Push it to the side of the pan. Pour another 1 portion and cook until 70% harden. Then under low fire, slowly fold/roll up the omelette.
7) When the folding is done, cook it with medium heat until the surface turns slightly to
golden brown.
8) Dish up and cut with a knife.

Note:
You can watch a video clip for ideas on how to roll up the omelette (tamagoyaki).

B) Sesame seeds rice ball
- For step-by-step illustrations, please refer to this link.
- I had omitted bacon and spinach from the original recipe (bacon spinach rice ball 培根菠菜饭团) because I didn’t have these 2 ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:
Cooked rice – 1 rice bowl
Black and white sesame seeds – ½ tsp each
Pinch of salt

Methods:
1) Put black and white sesame seeds in a frying pan. Dry fry over a low heat until fragrant.
2) Pour rice, both seeds and salt on a bowl, mixed well and divided into the required portions.
3) Scoop up 1 tablespoonful of rice mixture and put on top of a cling wrap/ plastic paper (cut into square shape). Shape it like a ball. Make sure the cling wrap is closed tightly.

Notes:
1) Prepare some water in case the rice sticks on your hand.
2) For a more tasty rice ball, cook rice with concentrated stocks.

C) Stir-fry mushrooms
- Similar to recipe in mushroom rice

Ingredients:
100-150g enoki bunch mushrooms + button mushrooms (chopped) (any combination)
2 tbsp minced garlic

Seasonings :
1 tbsp Chinese cooking rice wine
1 tbsp mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
2 tbsp light soya sauce
Dash of sugar and pepper

Methods:
1) Heat up pan with oil. Sautee minced garlic until fragrant.
2) Add in mushroom. Add in dash of sugar. Stir fry for a while.
3) Add in mirin and light soya sauce and cooked until the sauce has thicken.

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Pan-fried patties

These patties are made using the following:
a) 50% of the remaining ingredients from this stuffed tofu poks
b) 1 egg (lightly beaten)
c) Dash of sugar and pepper

Methods:
a) Heat up a non-stick pan with 1 tbsp oil. Use a piece of kitchen to wipe the pan so that the oil will be spread evenly on the pan.
b) When hot, use a laddle to scoop up the mixture and make small batters on the frying pan. Make a few batches. Cook for 3 mins or until golden brown. Turn the patties over and cook for another 2 mins or until golden brown.
c) Dish up and place on a kitchen towel to absorb any excess oil. Serve hot.

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Simplified "Kwai Fa Chee" (桂花翅）

I saw a recipe from a cooking magazine on how to cook the real fried sharkfin. Long list of ingredients and complicated steps. Too difficult for me to "digest" as a beginner in cooking. Hence, with some tips from my mom, I had derived at my own simple version of "kwai fa chee". This is also a dish that I managed to "convince" my son to start eating cabbage.

Ingredients:
200g cabbage (shredded finely)
40g carrot (shredded finely)
60g vegetarian chicken (shredded finely) - You can subsitute it with chicken, pork, ham or crabmeat
20g glass noodle (粉丝) - soaked till softened, pressed dry and cut into 6-7cm long sections
2 eggs (lightly beaten)

Seasonings:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
Dash of pepper

Methods:
1. Heat up wok with 1 tbsp oil.
2. Add in vegetarian chicken to stir fry. Then add in carrot and 3 tbsp water. Stir fry with high heat.
3. Add in seasoning and cabbage. Quickly mix well with a pair of long chopsticks until the cabbage shrink. (Cabbage will produce water so do not add too much water)
4. Stir in glass noodle.
5. Reduce heat to medium and add in beaten eggs. Stir-fry until cooked. Dish up and serve.

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Steamed egg rolls with fish paste (2)

In my earlier post about steamed egg rolls with fish paste, I took my pictures under poor lighting and the effect was not impressive even after some editings. So I decided to try this recipe again in the morning. I noticed that with more eggs and lesser fish paste, I manage to make a better and firmer egg rolls. You can try the following 2 new combinations:
a) 2 eggs and 150g fish paste; or
b) 3 eggs and 200g fish paste

Tips: To make a nice layer of omelette, cook with low flame.

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Ridge/ sweet gourd （丝瓜）with prawn omelette

I always try to introduce as many variety of vegetables as possible in my son's diet so that he has a more balanced diet but it is not an easy job. For instance, cooking ridge/ sweet gourd is a BIG challenge to me because it is not my son's favourite. My past attempt (eg, braised sweet gourd with bean curb) was not well-accepted at all until I had tried out this cooking method based on my MIL's verbal description. To my surprise, it turned out to be a great hit! This omelette is indeed sweet, fluffy and juicy.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
50g prawn
40g vegetarian cha xiu （叉烧）(shredded)
1 ridge/ sweet gourd (shredded)
1 red onion (shredded)

Seasonings:
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp light soya sauce
Dash of pepper and chicken stock granules
1½ tsp cornflour (mixed with 1 tbsp water)

Methods:
1. Wash and devein prawn. Pat dry, chop coarsely and marinate with pinch of salt, sugar and cornflour. Refrigrate for at least half an hour.
2. Heat 1½ tbsp oil in a frying pan and stir fry onion until translucent. Add in ridge/ sweet gourd and stir fry until it turns soft. Then add in prawn and cha xiu, stir well and quickly turn off fire.
3. Beat eggs lightly. Add in seasonings and ingredients into the eggs and stir well.
4. Heat up wok again with the remaining oil. Pour in mixture and pan-fry at low heat until set. Cut it into 8 pieces, flip over and fry until golden brown. (When the gourd is cooked soft enough, it will produce some water and make the omelette juicy.)
5. Dish up and serve.

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Steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (老少平安) - 2

This is another version for 老少平安.

Ingredients:
1 tube of beancurd (for steaming) - 200g
200g fish paste
1 egg (lightly beaten)

Seasonings:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp light soya sauce
½ tsp chicken stock granules
½ tbsp sesame oil
Dash of pepper
1 tbsp cornflour
Bits of fried onion/ garlic oil
Spring onions and coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Methods:
1. Use fingers to combine all ingredients & seasonings in a mixing bowl (make sure your hands are washed thoroughly for hygiene purposes) so that the mixture will not be too smooth. Stir in 1 direction. **I was told that this is how this dish was prepared in the olden days.
2. Put on a steaming tray and level the surface with a spoon.
3. Steam the mixture for 10 mins or until cooked.
4. Remove from the steamer, put some fried onion oil on top and garnish with some spring onions and coriander leaves

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Hey! Pancake

"Rrrrrrrriiiiinnnngggg...WHACK! Shhhhhhh, alarm clock. .........Why get up, for goodness' sake?........Wait...that smell....could it be....? Pancakes!.... I am flap Jack in the hotcake seat. Check out the stack that I'm going to eat. .......Shazzam! It disappears right before your eyes!.......save some for later in a secret place....."

An excerpt from "Hey! Pancake" a scholastic book written by Tamson Wetson - one of my son's favourite books. He loves this book very much as well as the banana pancake I made for him.



Below is a recipe for banana pancake from Children's Healthy & Fun Cookbook (written by Nicola Graimes):

Ingredients:
100g self-raising flour
40g self-raising wholemeal flour (I use normal wholemeal flour as I can't find the self-raising one)
2 tbsp castor sugar
1 egg
175ml milk
2 big sized bananas (peeled) - must be fully ripen
butter (for frying)

Methods:
1. Sieve both types of flour into a mixing bowl, adding any bran left in the sieve. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre of the mixture.
2. Measure the milk in a jug and then crack the egg straight into it. Lightly beat the egg and milk with a fork or whisk until they are mixed together.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the well in the centre of the flour and sugar. Beat with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, creamy batter. (It is important that the batter is free from lumps. If you do get lumps in your batter, press it through a sieve using the back of a spoon.)
4. Leave the batter to rest for about 30 mins - this will make the pancakes lighter. Mash the bananas in a bowl then stir them into the rested batter.
5. Heat a small knob of butter in a frying pan. Add 3 small ladlefuls of batter to make 3 pancakes, each one about 8cm in diameter.
6. Cook for 2 mins, or until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip the pancakes over and cook for another 2 mins, so both sides are light golden.
7. Keep the cooked pancakes warm in a low oven while you cook more pancakes with the rest of the batter, adding a little knob of butter between each batch.

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Steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (老少平安）- 1

Ingredients:
½ block beancurd (for steaming) - 150g
200g fish paste
1 egg (lightly beaten)
Small handful of frozen mixed vegetables (corns, carrots & green peas)

Seasonings:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp light soya sauce
½ tsp chicken stock granules
1 tbsp cornflour
Dash of sesame oil and pepper
Fried onion/ garlic oil

Methods:
1. Combine all ingredients & seasonings in a mixing bowl. Stir in 1 direction.
2. Put on a steaming tray and level the surface with a spoon.
3. Steam the mixture for 10 mins or until cooked.
4. Remove from the steamer, put some fried onion oil and garnish with some spring onions.

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Steamed silky eggs

This is my hubby's all-time favourite.

Ingredients:
300ml warm water
3 eggs

Seasonings:
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper and chicken stock granules

Garnishings:
Spring onions
Fried garlic or onion oil
Dash of light soya sauce

Methods:
1. Combine all ingredients and seasonings and mix well with fork or chopsticks.
2. Use a sieve to strain the mixture into a steaming tray.
3. Steam at low heat for 10 mins or until set.
4. Use a small knife or fork to prick the centre. If it comes out clean, it is cooked. Remove.
5. Sprinkle spring onion, garlic or onion oil and light soya sauce on top of the steamed egg.

Tips:
1. To ensure a smooth custard, do not steam eggs on high heat. In between, open lid to release steam.
2. Lightly beat the eggs to avoid too much air from getting in.

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Steamed egg rolls with fish paste

Ingredients:
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
200g fish paste
Handful of spring onion (chopped)

Seasonings:
Pinch of salt (depending the type of fish paste)
Dash of pepper and sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour

Methods:
1. Stir in spring onions and seasonings into the fish paste. Stir in 1 direction.
2. Add in some chicken stock granules, light soya sauce and pepper into the eggs and beat lightly.
3. Heat up oil, pour half of the egg mixture into the frying pan to make 1 large, round, flat and thin omelette.
4. Lay the omelettes on a chopping board and spread evenly half of the fish paste on the omelette. Roll it up into a tight roll.
5. Repeat for the step 4 for the 2nd omelette.
6. Place the rolls on a steaming tray, transfer to steamer and steam for about 15 mins with high heat.
7. Slide the roll into 0.5 cm slices and serve with either chilli sauce or tomato ketchup.

Recipe adapted and modified from Chubby Hubby

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Silver fish (银鱼仔）omelette

Ingredients:
Eggs
Silver fish (fresh)
Red onion (chopped finely)
Spring onion

Seasonings:
Light soya sauce (u can also subsitute it with terriyaki sauce)
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Cornflour (mix with dash of water)

Methods:
1. Break eggs into a mixing bowl, add in cornflour solution (it will made the eggs more fluffy), salt and pepper.
2. Light beat the mixture until well combined. Set aside.
3. Wash silver fish and blanch it over hot water. Drain with a sieve and pat dry.
4. Heat the oil. Sautee onion lightly.
5. Add in silver fish and stir fry with light soya sauce and sugar.
6. Pour onion, silver fish and spring onion into the beaten eggs and mix well.
7. Heat the frying pan again (put a bit of oil).
8. Pour in egg mixture and fry until set.
9. Turn it over and continue to fry until golden brown.

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