Salmon cakes - Feature recipe for My Cooking Hut

Ever since I was a child, I perceive and express better through pictures instead of words. In scientific term, I am a right brain person. (No wonder I did badly in written essay in my school years. ) Now, whenever I search for recipes online, I am easily sold by impressive-looking photos. They motivate me to try the recipes out as soon as I can lay my hands on the ingredients. If you love to see beautiful photos as much as I do, then you should take a peep at the photo gallery of My Cooking Hut. It is one of those fabulous food blogs I am really hooked on. Every shot taken by Lee Mei, who is a freelance photographer, is awesome and of professional-quality. With excellent food styling skills and perfect propping, she set the right mood and theme for her readers. Every time I visit her blog, I love to admire her photo shots, more as a piece of fine art than just a normal food photo. It gives me lots of inspiration, tips and ideas in food photography. Apart from photography, she is also a very talented cook. You can find a variety of Eastern and Western cuisines featured in her blog that ranges from Asian stir-frying dishes to French delicate dessert. Her blog is my main reference for simple yet delicious recipes.

When Lee Mei wrote to me to ask if I am interested to be her guest writer, I was awe and surprised . I started scratching my head as what to feature on her beautiful blog. After some discussions, we decided on salmon cakes with an Asian twist. Today, I feel so honoured to be the guest writer for My Cooking Hut. Without further delay, let me bring you over to visit Lee Mei’s nicely decorated “hut” and savour my salmon cakes virtually with just a click here.

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Stuffed gluten balls (酿面筋卜)

It has been a while since I featured the step-by-step instructions on “how to make a smooth & springy fish paste”, and only recently have I found the time to make them again. With a few batches of fish paste stored in my freezer, I started browsing thru my collection of cookbooks to look for new fish paste recipes. Amongst them is a recipe I had tried that ended up with the most satifying results.

It was adapted from the Quick and Easy Hawkers’ Fair (简易上手大牌档菜) cookbook. The gluten balls are very tasty and goes well with chilly sauce. They are also a good choice for finger foods. The methods used are simple and easy-to-follow and the dish itself is healthy as the gluten balls are to be simmered instead of deep-frying.

If you want to have nice looking stuffed glutten balls, I would recommend you to follow a few more important steps that are not stated in the original recipe. These steps are highlighted in red for easy referencing.

Ingredients:
12 gluten balls – soaked, blanched over hot water and rinsed (Note: Be careful not to break the balls)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
Some vegetables (broccoli or choy sum, blanched)

Filling ingredients:
200g minced meat
100g fish paste (I used my homemade fish paste) – it can be substituted with minced prawn paste
2 tbsp dried Chinese shitake mushrooms – soaked & chopped
2 tbsp carrots - chopped
2 tbsp water chestnuts – chopped
2 tbsp spring onions (green part only) – chopped
½ tsp salt
Dash of sesame oil and pepper

Seasonings:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
Dash of sugar, sesame oil and pepper
300ml water

Methods:
1) Put all filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir in one direction until very sticky. Keep in the fridge and marinate for at least 1 hour.
2) Stuff the prepared filling into the gluten balls. Heat up wok and pan-fry the balls under medium heat till the skin sticks tightly to the ball. Dish up and set aside.
3) Heat up 1 tbsp oil and sauté chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in stuffed gluten balls and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the gravy has thickened. Turn the stuffed gluten balls occasionally so that they are cooked thoroughly. For better presentation, pan-fry slightly the balls again.
4) Dish up and serve with blanched vegetables.

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Cod fish with miso paste (pan-fry)

When I started introducing fish to my son, I steamed fish fillet. It is less risk for him to get choke with fish bone. Even now, I still prefer to steam fish for the family because it is easy, healthy, no-messy and will bring out its original flavour. Usually, I select fish fillet instead of whole fish which can be easily fitted into my electrical steamer. (This steamer can be used to cook rice and reheat food too!). Sometimes, for a change, I will pan-fry salmon and cod fish. I made this dish during my mother-in-law’s current visit and she loved it very much.

Ingredients:
1 cod fish fillet (180g)

For marinating:
2 ½ tsp miso *
2 tsp mirin (Japanese sweet sauce/ wine)
¾ tsp sugar

Methods:
1) Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.
2) Clean the fish. Pat dry with kitchen towel. Place on a ceramic dish.
3) Spread (1) over the cod. Cover with cling wrap. Set aside in the fridge for 1 - 2 hours.
4) Lightly scrape off (using a spoon/ butter knife) or wipe off (using fingers) any excess miso mixture on the cod.
5) Heat up ½ tbsp oil in a non-stick frying pan. Use a kitchen towel to spread the oil evenly on the pan.
6) Pan-fry the cod fillet with medium heat for about 3-5 mins, turn to another side to pan fry for another 3-5 mins or until it is golden brown. Dish up and serve.

Note: I must make a confession. I have very little knowledge about miso. Most of the miso sold in the supermarket is written in Japanese. When I bought mine, I chose the one with lighter colour and less sodium. After reading this, I realized that miso can be categorized into white miso, light-coloured miso and red miso. I guess mine is fall under light-coloured miso. Different type of miso is used in different cooking methods as mentioned in this link.

Other references for miso:
- Wikipedia
- The Cook Thesaurus
- About.com

Other recommended pan-fry dishes:
- pan-fried salmon with teriyaki sauce
- zucchini cakes
- tofu and crabstick patties

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Tuna pasta

I haven’t posted any new pasta recipe for quite some time. This doesn’t mean we have stopped eating pasta. Pasta is always our family "all-time favourite " especially for my son. He eats a variety of pasta – spaghetti, angel hair, shell, macaroni, fusilli (spiral), penne, linguine & alphabet.

Good news to all the busy mommies and career women!

I am going to share a very simple pasta dish that takes only minutes to prepare. This recipe is adapted from Children’s Healthy & Fun Cookbook. I had slightly modified the recipe by adding extra vegetables to make it a wholesome meal. This is also my usual “fridge-cleaning” exercise. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone??. Hahaha!



The key ingredients for this recipe are tomatoes and tuna, the rest is up to your own creation (either add more vegetables or follow strictly the original recipe). Below are both my version and the original version for your comparison:

(My version)
Ingredients:
85 tinned tuna in olive oil (drained and broken up into chunks) – approx ½ tin
277g tomatoes (I didn’t have enough tinned tomatoes so I topped up with some fresh ones #)
80g shape pasta - I used fusilli (organic durum wheat semolina pasta)
100g red capsicum*
43g carrot*
* - other vegetables: celery, cauliflower, sweetcorns, beans and chickpeas.
1 clove garlic (crushed)
½ red onion (chopped finely)
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp olive oil
Dash of dried oregano & basil
½ tsp sugar (to taste)
salt and pepper
cooked broccoli (for garnishing) – Note: Vitamin C in the tomato sauce will help you to absorb the iron in the broccoli.

(Original version)
Ingredients:
200g tinned tuna in olive oil (drained and broken up into chunks)
800g tinned chopped tomatoes
275g pasta bows
2 large cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
½ tsp sugar (optional)
salt and pepper

# Tip on how to peel off tomato skin
– cut a “x” at the bottom of the tomato, put inside the boiling water for 1 min. Drain and let it cool off. Then peel off the skin with a knife .

Methods:
1) Cook pasta according to the packet instructions, until the pasta is tender but not too soft.
2) Heat oil in a large saucepan, over a medium heat. Fry garlic for 1 min. Stir in oregano & basil (if any), vegetables (if any), chopped tomatoes and tomato puree/ paste.
3) Bring the sauce to the boil and reduce the heat. Half cover the pan and simmer for 15 mins or until the sauce has reduced by a third and thickened.
4) Stir the tuna into the sauce. Half-cover the pan and heat through for 2 mins, stirring occasionally. Add some sugar to the sauce if necessary and season.
5) Drain the pasta but save 2 tbsp of the water. Return the pasta to the saucepan. Add the water and stir in the sauce until the pasta is coated.
6) Serve with grated cheese and cooked broccoli.

I am submitting this simple pasta dish to Presto Pasta Nights, founded by Ruth of Once Upon a Feast, and hosted by Inge of Vanielje Kitchen this week.

Other pasta recipes that you may like to try:
Pesto pasta
Italian pasta soup
Spaghetti bolognese

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How to make "smooth & springy" fish paste

Fish paste can be used in different cooking methods. Eg, boiling (fish ball or yu wat 鱼滑), steaming (with beancurd 老少平安, otak-otak）, stuffing (yong tau fu 酿豆腐）, pan-frying or deep-frying (patties, fish cakes).

My mother-in-law is an expert in making fish paste. She learnt the techniques by watching her neighbour doing it since she was a child. I enjoyed eating those dishes she made using homemade fish paste but never put an effort to learn the techniques. When I started my own cooking, I missed her homemade fish paste a lot because those commercial fish paste (in term of taste and texture) is nothing up to her standard. I tried to make it on my own but it was a failure. During her current visit, I had asked her to demonstrate the techniques in making "smooth & springy" fish paste.

STEPS-BY-STEPS ON MAKING "SMOOTH & SPRINGY" FISH PASTE:

- We used spanish mackerel fish (ikan tenggiri or kau yu, 鲛鱼）. For beginner, try to get a small size fish (approx 600g) as it is easy to handle. Choose one with some dots on the skin.


- Remove head and all the internal organs. Clean the fish and pat dry. Slice both side of the fish. Retain the fish bone to make fish stock in future.


- Use a spoon to scrape the flesh (include those flesh on the bones).


- This is the flesh from scrapping.


- Prepare 1 tsp salt


- Sprinkle 2/3 tsp salt and dash of white pepper powder on the flesh


- Add water to the remaining 1/3 tsp salt


- Use the back of the knife to chop the flesh evenly. If you notice any fish bones, remove it from the flesh. Otherwise don't blame me if anyone gets choked by the bones.


- Add the salted water during the chopping process. A little bit at a time. You will find that the flesh will become sticky and make the chopping getting harder. Continue to add the salted water as and when required.


- At this stage, my mother-in-law was tired and I took over. I used my hubby's "coffee presser" to do the chopping. You can either continue using the knife or a hand grinder.


- When the fish paste is evenly chopped, wet your hands, make a ball and start "throwing" the whole fish paste. HA HA! Time to "de-stress". But make sure you throw it right back to the target (chopping board) and not elsewhere. "Throwing" is the most critical part in achiving a "springy" fish paste. Do pay more attention! Don't laugh.


- Can you see "all the hidden stress"? (Just joking). Add 1 tbsp cornstarch and some water into the paste and knead until well combined.


- If you wet your hands and apply a layer of water on the paste, you will see that the texture is shiny, moisture, soft............ "the more you practice , the more you will know" - Advise from my mother-in-law.


- Divide the paste into a few portions (according to your personal preference), keep it in a container and store it in the freezer.


- Boil water and cook 2 tsbp fish paste to test the taste.

Ingredients:
600g spanish mackerel (kau yu)
1 tsp salt
Dash of white pepper powder
1 tbsp constarch
water (iced or tap water) for mixing the paste

Other useful tips to note:
-Make sure the chopping board is not used for ginger before hand.
-It is better to chop the fish paste on the floor with some newspaper underneath.
-Add enough water to reach the consistency and softness you want. Fresh fish needs more water.

If you like fish paste, try these recipes:
- pan-fried patties
- stuffed taufu poks (beancurd puffs)
- steamed egg rolls with fish paste (1)
- steamed egg rolls with fish paste (2)
- steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (1)
- steamed mashed beancurd and fish paste (2)

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Fancy sandwiches with sardine fillings

Cookie cutter is my “effective tool" to encourage my son to eat more breads (especially wholemeal) during breakfast time.

Among all the shapes, “gingerbread man” is his top pick because he loves the story of “Gingerbread Man”.



This recipe is adapted and modified from Novum’s Kitchen Cooking for Kids cookbook. The sardine filling is both my hubby and son’s favourite. Usually I will cook it for our dinner and save some to make sandwiches for breakfast.

Ingredients:
100g canned sardines with tomato sauce (I used Ayam brand)
½ onion (chopped finely)
8 slices bread (white/ wholemeal) – I used multigrain wholemeal bread

Seasonings:
3 tbsp tomato sauce (mix with 1 tbsp water)
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp lime juice (1-2 small limes)
1 tsp finely chopped wild ginger flower (optional)
3 tbsp butter (for spreading on bread)

Methods:
1) Use fork to mince the sardines into flakes. Set aside.
2) Heat up wok with 1 tbsp oil.
3) Sautee onion until translucent and fragrant.
4) Add in tomato sauce, sugar and water. Stir well.
5) Add in sardines and wild ginger flower.
6) Turn off the heat and add lime juice.
7) Spread butter on bread. Spread the mixture on 1 slice of the bread.
8) Cover up and use cutter to cut out several shapes.

Note: Wild ginger flower (姜花末) is used to remove the fishy stench of the sardines.

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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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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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Stuffed tofu poks (beancurds puff)

This recipe is adapted and modified based on Stuffed Glutten Balls from Quick & Easy Hawkers’ Fair. Instead of using gluten balls, I use tofu poks. I had just bought 10 tofu poks and eventually only utilised 50% of the ingredients. Guess what did I do with the rest of the ingredients? The answer is here.

Ingredients:
25 tofu poks
100g minced meat
100g minced prawn paste
100g fish paste
2 water chessnut (chopped finely)
4 medium size fresh/ dried shitake mushrooms (chopped finely)
30g carrot (chopped finely)
2 tbsp spring onions (chopped)

Seasonings:
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cornflour
Dash of pepper and sesame oil

Gravy:
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp spring onion
Dash of sugar, sesame oil and pepper
300 ml water

Methods:
1) Put all the filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir in one direction until very stick.
2) Stuff the prepared filling into the tau poks. Put the stuffed tau poks on a plate and cover with cling wrap. Keep in the fridge for ½ hour.
3) Heat up 1 tbsp oil and sauté chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in stuffed tau poks and gravy seasonings.
4) Bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook until the gravy has thicken. Dish up stuffed tau poks and serve.

Note:
1) For fresh mushrooms, blanch over boiling water.
2) For tofu poks, wash and blanch over hot water. Squeeze away excess water.
3) For ready-made fish paste, do not add too much salt. I use more salt for my homemade fish paste.
4) For prawns, wash, devein and pat dry. Using a chopping knife to pat the prawns flat, then use the back of the knife to chop the prawns until it turns into paste form.
5) For minced meat, prawn and fish paste, can use different combinations.
Eg 200g minced meat + 100g minced prawn paste;
200g minced meat + 100g fish paste
6) Instead of using 25 tofu poks, it can be substituted with 12 gluten balls (生根/面筋卜)

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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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Pan-fried salmon with teriyaki sauce

Ingredients:
400g salmon
4 tbsp teriyaki sauce (referred to the picture below)
Dash of salt and pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice

Methods:
1. Wash salmon, cut into half. Pat dry.
2. Marinate with salt and pepper for 15 mins
3. Heat up 1 tbsp oil, grill salmon at medium heat until slighly golden brown, turn to another side to grill. (Be careful not to overcook it as the meat for 80% cooked salmon is very tender and juicy). Dish up and set aside.
4. To prepare the sauce, heat up the oil leftover from pan-fying.
5. Boil teriyaki sauce with pepper until thicken. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice.
6. Serve salmon with ½ portion of the sauce. Leave the remaining sauce for dipping.

I personally prefer this brand because of its taste. Its ingredients consists of light soya sauce, mirin (japanese cooking wine) and sugar.

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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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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 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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Kiddy porridge

Ingredients:
¼ cup uncooked rice
¼ cup millet (u can replace with uncooked rice)
10 sunflower seeds
10 pumpkin seeds
10g fresh lily bulbs
50g pumpkin (cut into cubes)
2 baby sweetcorns
20g fish (cut into slides)
Broccoli stem (cut into cubes)
Handful of frozen green peas
Spring onion (chopped)
Water for boiling

Seasonings:
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of sesame oil

Methods:
1. Wash rice and millet. Add in enough water (approx 3x the rice amount), sunflower seeds & pumpkin seeds in a cooking pot.
2. Cook with high heat until boiling. Reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook (with lid slightly open) for another 15 mins.
3. Add in pumpkins, baby sweetcorns & broccoli stems. Cook for another 10 mins.
4. Add in lily bulb, green peas and cook for another 1 min.
5. Add in fish and seasonings and stir-well. Cook for a while and turn off the heat.
6. Put some fried onion oil (optional) and sprinkle with spring onion.

Note:
There are many ways to cook porridge - eg cooking pot, slow cooker and claypot. I prefer to use claypot as the texture turns out to be smoother compared to others.

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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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