Bacon Fried Rice

Every now and then I will cook fried rice as I always have left over rice from hubby's lunch box. I tend to cook a little extra just in case he has enough to bring to work the next morning. When ever he can't fit them into his lunch box, I will fried them for lunch so I can cook a new batch for dinner.

What I have been cooking the past week when I have the extra rice is bacon fried rice since I bought a huge pack of bacon and I am trying to finish them as fast as I could. Can't be eating everyday so maybe every 3 days or so depending if I have the other ingredients with me. These fried rice is so nice to go with a cup of herbal tea :)

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Fried rice is one of the best one pot meals around and kids just love them! Mine do! Especially my girl who can be very fussy with food at times but she will eat fried rice. Probably I add in loads of ingredients! :D


Ingredients

• 1 bowl Cooked rice (from ¾ to 1 cup of rice)


• 6-7 rasher Bacon (cut into small strips)


• 1 stalk Spring onion (chop)


• 2 Eggs


• ½ Onion (chop coarsely)


• 1tbsp Garlic (minced)


• Salt and pepper to taste

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Methods

1. Heat up a non stick wok (or HCP if you have one!) and fry the bacon strips till fragrant (best when they are a little brownish on the sides). Lift up and set aside.


2. Using the oil from the bacon, saute the minced garlic then the onion till brown and fragrant, add in the eggs and slowly break them and mix them around. When the eggs are about 70% cooked (with some wet portions to coat the rice) toss in the cooked rice and stir till well mixed with the eggs.


3. Add in the chopped spring onion, stir till well mixed before adding in the bacon strips. Fry till the rice is loose and not clumped together. A good fried rice should have each grain on its own unless coated with egg. :)


4. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Notes

It is best to use freshly cooked rice than over night rice. Make sure the rice are dry if you decided to cook just before frying them.

Almond Cookies with a Crunch

Apart from baking pineapple tarts, I will definitely bake some almond cookies for Chinese New Year. Previously when I was still in Penang, I will normally get the premix from the local baking supplies shop which tasted very good. Now that I am in Melbourne, everything will have to be from scratch.

I checked the net and found a recipe but I tweaked it as I already have some raw almonds with me so I did not want to buy the almond meal separately. I just ground the almond myself. Also, I added some roasted sesame seeds for the extra flavor and crunch.

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These cookies are so addictive that I can't stop snacking on them! Since it used corn or sunflower oil, I guess it is has less guilt compared to those made of butter! Okie... I am just trying to console myself :P

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Ingredients

• 400 gm Plain flour


• 250 gm Icing sugar


• 2½ tsp Baking powder


• 1½ tsp Baking soda


• ½ tsp Salt

(sieve the above 3 times)

• 175 gm Chopped almonds (almond nibs)


• 180 gm Ground almond (I have mind with the skin on)


• 300 ml Corn/Sunflower oil


• ¼ tsp Almond extract (mix into the oil)


• Toasted sesame seeds


• 1 Egg (for egg wash)

Methods

1. Toast almonds on a frying pan on small fire till lightly brown, cooled and chop/ground accordingly.


2. In a large mixing bowl mix the sifted ingredients and mix with the ground almond and chopped almonds.


3. Add about ½ of the oil into the flour mix and rub into it to resembles bread crumbs. Then add in the remaining oil and knead until the dough is well incorporated.


4. Take about 12gm of the dough (I used a digital scale) and roll it into a ball, dip one end into the sesame seeds and let it coat half the cookie dough, gently roll to get the sesame seeds to stick onto dough. Flatten the cookies to about 1cm thickness.


5. Place rolled/flatten cookies onto lined baking tray with a 1.5 cm gap. Brush the first coat of egg wash onto surface and let it dry for 15 mins before brushing the 2nd coat.


6. Bake cookies in preheated oven of 160°C for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack and before storing in air tight container.

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Note

I've tried another batch using just 280ml of oil and it is a lot more easy to shape.

Pork Jerky / Bak Kwa / Long Yuk

Among all the Chinese New Year food that I like most is definitely the pork jerky or bak kwa (Hokkien) or long yuk (Cantonese). It is also a must have for the festive season especially when it comes to gift giving. For that, it command a high price when we purchase from the shops. The last time I bought, I paid RM26 for just 300 grams! Very expensive meat indeed!

I remembered that people actually queued for hours just to buy a few kilos in Singapore! It is insane but these bak kwa guys are reaping big money during CNY just like those mooncake guys during Mooncake festival! Well, I was never that crazy to queue for a few slices of fragrant meat :P Probably they are hard to make thus the high price?

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Actually, I can get them in the Asian grocers here in Melbourne but I decided not to since it is just as expensive as back home. Thought I can live without a few slices of meat :) Then, one fine day, a friend shared a link on how to make these fragrant meat slices and it has been home made since! Yeah! At least I know now what are being mixed into the meat that made them so addictive!

Believe me, it is not difficult to make these at all and imagine the amount of $$ you can save! Best of all, you can add or reduce the ingredients to suit your taste. The recipe I shared here is from another friend which I modified to suit my taste. You are free to adjust it yourself. Try not to press it too thin else it will not be nice... lack the chewy effects. :)

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Ingredients

• 1kg Minced meat


• 200 gm Sugar (sweeter taste nicer)


• 2 tbsp Black soy sauce


• 1 tbsp Light soy sauce


• 4 tbsp Chinese rice wine (glutinous rice wine or rose wine)


• 2 tbsp Fish sauce


• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce


• 4 tbsp Honey (more for glazing while baking/grilling)


• ¼ tsp Five spice powder


• ½ tsp Salt


• Pinch of white pepper


• Sprinkles of garlic powder


• Red food coloring (optional)

Marinade over night

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Methods

1. Spread a sheet of baking paper in the size of the baking tray/cookie sheet onto table and take a         chunk of the marinated meat and spread onto it, slowly pressing the meat around.

             

2. Using another piece of baking paper/clingy wrap to cover the meat, then use a rolling pin to slowly flatten the meat till about 2 to 2.5 mm in thickness. Keep adding more meat and flatten them with the rolling pin until you have filled most of the baking tray.

3. Try leaving a 1 cm gap from the sides of the tray as juices from the meat will ooze out during baking. You can also use the back of the knife to cut/mark some lines on the meat so you can easily fold or cut the meat later.

4. When you are done flattening the meat, remove the top baking paper/clingy wrap and transfer to greased baking tray (I greased with some oil) and remove the other baking paper as well.

5. Bake in preheated oven of 130ºC and bake for 15-20 minutes for both sides.

6. Take the meat out from the oven again, this time glaze them with some honey with a pastry brush as this will help to caramelise the surface to give it a nice charred effect and a beautiful shiny surface.

7. Then increase the temperature to 150ºC and bake/grill till brownish for about 10-15 minutes.

Notes:
You can add chilli flakes or chilli powder too if you like the spicy version.
If you are making beef, best to add some star anise powder to give it an extra kick.