Pan Fried Pork Patties

I was making some stuffed squids for a project and was left with some of the pork stuffing used so decided to just pan fried them. Turned out they are pretty yummy cooked this way too! Kids loved it so asked if I could cook again? Can't say no since it is such an easy dish to do!

Ingredients

250g         Pork mince
½ tbsp      Minced ginger
½ tbsp      Minced garlic
2 stalks    Spring onions (white parts - chopped)
½             Red chilli (chopped coarsely)
2 tsp        Fish sauce
2 tsp        Light soy sauce
1 tsp        Corn flour
                A dash of pepper

Methods

1. In a mixing bowl, mash up the pork mince with minced garlic, minced ginger, red chilli, fish sauce, light soy sauce and corn flour. Lastly, add in the white part of the chopped spring onions. Mix well.
2. Roll the meat mixture into a huge ball and drop from a height back into the mixing bowl for at least 10 times. This step will help to bind the meat with all the ingredients.
3. Divide into desired portions about 8 to 10 and roll into a ball.
4. Heat up frying pan with some oil and flatten each ball before frying for 4 to 5 minutes on each side till cook.
5. Garnish with chopped green parts of the spring onions.

Fresh Turmeric Chicken

One thing I've been dying to eat during my confinement was this fresh turmeric chicken. However, due to jaundice in baby, I was 'advised' by a few friends to avoid any ginger in large amount especially turmeric. I do not know how much effect turmeric has on newborn jaundice so to be on the safe side, I avoided it for almost 3 weeks. That means my chance of having this particular dish is pretty limited!

So, die-die on the 3rd week I begged my mom to cook it for me else I'll never have a chance! :lol: Not that I don't know how to cook it just that I don't wish to handle all the yellow stuff in my kitchen! Yeah, it can get a little colorful sometimes! :) Normally I will use turmeric powder which is less fragrant. Usually I will have them pan fried but you can always deep fried it or grill it... it is an individual preference.

I asked my mom to add in some curry leafs this time as these leafs give the dish an extra flavors! They are oh so yummy! :)
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Ingredients

• 2 pcs Whole chicken thighs


• 80-100g Fresh Turmeric (crushed/blender)


• 2 strands Curry leafs


• Sesame seed oil


• Salt for taste


• Black pepper

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Methods

1. De-bone the chicken thighs (optional) and marinade with crushed fresh turmeric, some salt and black pepper for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better as the turmeric juice can absorb better) and mix in the curry leafs before cooking.


2. Heat up frying pan with sesame seed oil and pan fried both chicken thighs till cooked.

Egg Omelette with Chives and Shrimps

The other day we went to the old Sunshine Farlim which has been converted into a warehouse style of wet market cum hypermarket to get some stuff for the coming Lunar New Year. The place was rather quiet though it was about 5pm in the evening on a weekend.

Though the conversion was less than a year, a few tenants have moved... probably due to the poor patronage. There used to be a few vege sellers occupying the 'wet market' area but now it was left with 2 or 3 sellers only. Business was brisk that day though..

After we gotten what we intended to buy, we went to check out some of these vege stalls and I saw some very fresh ku-chai or chives. It has been a while since I cook chives and I kinda miss it so decided to get a bundle.

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Ingredients

• 2 Eggs


• 50g Chives


• 50g Shrimps (shelled)


• Salt & pepper for taste

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Method

1. Heat up frying pan with some oil (put more if you're not using non-stick pan).


2. When oil is hot, toss the shrimps in and stir fry lightly for a minute before tossing in the chives (cut into 1" section) and stir fry for another minute.


3. Beat eggs in a bowl, add in some salt and pepper.


4. Pour in the fried shrimps and chives into the bowl of beaten eggs and mix them well.


5. Add new oil into the frying pan and when it is heated up, pour in the egg mixture and fry the omelette till golden brown.

Stir-fried Ginger and Spring Onion Pork

Though confinement is only for 30 or 40 days, it is still very important to have variations as it can be very boring to be eating the same few dishes day in day out for that one month period. During my first confinement, I had almost the same dishes everyday since both my mom and myself were not too sure which ingredient can be eaten at which period. Since this is our second time, things have sure improved.

The only thing is, this time we make it very simple since my mom has to take care of Darrius and my nephew. Therefore, I told her to cook all the simplest dishes she can think of beside the few which I requested. Here is another dish which I really like...

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Ingredients

• 300g Pork (the face section which is very smooth and tender) - sliced thinly


• 50g Ginger - thin strips


• 2-3 stalks Spring onions


• Corn flour + water solution (to marinade sliced pork)


• 3tbl Sesame seed oil


• Light soy sauce for taste

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Method

1. Heat up wok with sesame seed oil and saute the ginger till fragrant.


2. Toss in marinated sliced pork and stir till 70% cook. Add in spring onion which has been cut into 2" sections.


3. Sprinkle some light soy sauce and stir till well mixed before serving.

Peppered Pork Slices (Confinement Dish)

Wow! It has been 2 months since I last posted anything here! My sincere apology!

Well, currently I am 2 weeks post natal and I am still on confinement. There are still a lot of adjustment needed juggling 2 kids now and in another 2 weeks, I will be on my own when I return home to Penang. I can't imagine my days ahead!

I count my blessings as my mom is helping me with my confinement now so I know I am in good hands. This time we decided to do it as simple as possible since my mom is baby sitting my nephew and also helping me to care for Darrius as I am not allowed to do heavy chores. One of the things I enjoyed during this period is of course those yummy confinement food which we can't really consume when we are not in confinement! As most of these dishes are rated as 'extremely heaty' during normal days, some of us only can take them once in a while while not in confinement.

Since I don't get to eat these special dishes all the time, I just want to share it with those of you who are looking for some simple yet delicious confinement dishes which you can incorporate into your confinement menu especially for those of you who did not engage a confinement lady to help. One of my favorite is this peppered pork dish which I have been having almost any other day!

The other reason why I prefer to have pepper over ginger is because my baby is suffering from newborn jaundice and I was 'advised' by some to limit my ginger intake for the first 10 days post natal.

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Ingredients

• 200g Pork loin (Sliced thinly and slightly knocked with the back of a cleaver)


• 10g Peppercorns (crushed)


• 3tbsp  Sesame seed oil


• Light soy sauce for taste


• Corn starch


• 1tbsp Glutinous rice wine (optional)

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Methods

1. Cut the pork loin into thin slices, knocked with the back of cleaver and marinade with the crushed peppercorns, some light soy sauce and some glutinous rice wine for 15 minutes.


2. Heat up sesame seed oil in frying pan, sprinkle some corn starch onto the sliced marinated pork before frying on medium low heat till cook.

Ketchup Fish

We had steamed fish at least 2-3 times a week, at the very least. Sometimes we had it like 5 times! My PiggyBeng feels that steamed fish is better as the juice from the fish will not 'evaporate' away so the nutritional value will be in the sauce. Well, I'm not too sure about that but I kinda get sick of steamed fish if we have it too often. :P

Another reason for steaming food is that our kitchen will stay grease free for a longer period. Therefore, there will be less cleaning up to do.

So, to get away from the ordinary, I decided to do some pan-fried fish for a change. Something simple and something my Darrius will like. Which is something with ketchup! :P

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Ingredients

• 1 slice Fish fillet (I used Barramundi/Siakap)


• 1/4 cup Frozen mixed vegetables


• 1 Bombay onion (the purplish type) - sliced


• 2tbsp Ketchup


• 1tsp Corn flour


• 1/2 cup Water


• 1tsp Light soy sauce


• Dash of pepper

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Methods

1. Wash the fish fillet and dry it with a paper towel. Sprinkle some corn flour all over both surfaces (this will avoid the fish from sticking to the frying pan)


2. Heat up frying pan with some oil. Make sure the oil in the pan is hot (you can see steam coming up) before you lie the fish on the pan. Fty till both sides turned golden brown. Lift up and set aside.


3. Using the same pan, saute the sliced onion and then the mixed vegetables until 80% cooked.  Pour in the ketchup mixed together with corn flour, light soy sauce, water and a dash of pepper and cook till boil.


4. Put the fish fillet onto the sauce and let it boil for a while before lifting it up and serve.

Pan-Fried Oyster Sauce Drumlets

I have been doing quite a lot of kids bento for Darrius lately which prompted me to come out with a lot of finger food recipes.  Though Darrius is pretty receptive to what ever I served him but there are still food that he will refuse. Therefore I will try to create different recipes using the same few ingredients.

Darrius is a huge fan of the pan-fried soy sauce chicken so I used that recipe to make drumlets which is very convenient to be packed into bento box as compared to chicken drumsticks. Today I am using oyster sauce instead.

Previously I never keep any oyster sauce at home simply because PiggyBeng believed that oyster sauce was made of left over water from fish in the market. o_O Yeah, apparently my BIL who used to operate a Chinese restaurant in Europe and he was told that this was how oyster sauce derived from. :P

Luckily I do watch TV and I've learned from a Master Chef (Tho-tho) from Hong Kong that oyster sauce actually came from boiling the fresh oysters with some ingredients.

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Ingredients

• 6 Chicken drumlets


• 1tbsp Oyster sauce


• 1tsp Brown sugar


• 1/2tsp Dark soy sauce


• Dash of pepper

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Methods

1. Wash and dry the chicken drumlets with a paper towel. Marinade the chicken drumlets with all the ingredients and best leave over night.


2. Heat up the wok with little oil (the skin from the chicken will release oil) and pan fried all the drumlets on low heat.


3. When the drumlets are about 90% cooked, pour in the remaining sauce from the marinade and cook till all the drumlets are fully glazed with the sauce.

Simple Chicken Teriyaki on Skewers

Yesterday I went to Tesco to do my weekly marketing and has wanted to look for some chicken wings but they ran out of stock. Only saw some miserable chicken thighs and some ok looking chicken breast meat so decided to get a pack of the latter.

Normally I'll use them for stir-fying with some vegetables but since I have quite a few pieces, I decided to de-bone them and make some simple teriyaki chicken on skewers since Darrius likes eating 'satay'. I pan fried it as I was lazy to start the oven. :P

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Ingredients

• Satay/bamboo sticks


• Japanese cucumber

Marinade

• 300g Chicken breast meat fillet (cut into square bite size)


• 1tsp Black sauce


• 1tbsp  Light soy sauce


• 1tbsp Mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)


• 1tsp Corn flour


• 1tsp Olive oil


• 1tbsp Brown sugar


• Dash of pepper

Sauce

• 1tbsp Brown sugar


• 1tsp Corn flour


• 1tsp Black sauce


• 1tbsp Light soy sauce


• 1/2 cup Water

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Methods

1. Debone the chicken meat if there's any, wipe dry with a paper kitchen towel and cut into square bite size.  Marinade and leave it for a few hours in the chiller.


2. Heat up frying pan with some oil and slowly pan fried the chicken cubes till cooked. Lift then up and put aside.


3. Continue on the frying pan with the sauce ingredients and cook till it comes to a boil and toss in the chicken cubes and let the sauce absorb into the chicken cubes on low fire. Lift up and skewer them onto bamboo sticks  and alternate with a slice of Japanese cucumber.

Pan Fried Tom Yum Chicken

After away from Penang for almost 2 weeks, I do crave for something sour and spicy. I have wanted to get my Asam Laksa fix from the hawker behind our house but with the weather so hot, I dreaded walking out of the house.

Then I was running out of idea what to cook. PiggyBeng was ever so happy if I steam him his Barramundi fillets but to be very honest, I am so bored eating the same old dish a few times a week! Luckily I bought some chicken drumsticks as spares which I normally used for lunch.

Initially i have wanted to cook pan fried curry chicken with curry leaves. I even went to pluck some curry leaves from my neighbour's garden! Then I discovered I did not have the appropriate curry powder at home! Dang! PiggyBeng only bought those for curry fish since he cook curry fish all the time.

Therefore I have to change my menu. Luckily I spotted the Tom Yum paste which I bought for my instant noodles. Sometimes back I bought some Japanese instant noodles and the flavor sucks so I bought the Tom Yum paste to replace.

And tadaaaa.... we have Pan Fried Tom Yum Chicken! :)

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Ingredients

• 2pcs Chicken drumsticks


• 1tbsp Tom Yum paste


• Lemon juice

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Methods

1. Cut the chicken drumsticks into thin pieces and marinate with Tom Yum paste and let it stand for 30 minutes.


2. Heat up wok with some oil in medium heat and slowly pan fried the chicken pieces until cooked.


3. When done, squeeze some lemon juice before serving.

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This Peace Brand Tom Yum paste is not so spicy so kids can take them. :)

Pan Fried Soy Sauce Chicken

Ever since I started doing Bento, I have to find some easy to prepare dishes so I can put up my Bento in a jiffy. Then again, I have to consider whether my boy will like what I prepared for him... so sometimes it can be brain draining just to think!

It was a relief that my boy is not that fussy with food and would gladly gobble down what I packed for him... well, certain standards must apply lar! *grin*

This dish is one simple ones which I used to do back in my uni days when food are expensive when you are living on a budget. I was lucky I stayed with my aunt back then, and though she will prepare meals for me most of the time but I do not want to be such a free loader all the time so I will cook when ever I can... with stuff I bought myself.

And in Down Under, BBQ is a very common occasion so this dish is that flexible... can be pan fried as well as grill or roast!

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Ingredients

• 3 Chicken drumsticks (cut lines so heat can penetrate)


• Light soy sauce (enough to cover when marinade)


• 1-1.5tbsp Dark soy sauce (or enough to cover all the chciken)


• Dash of pepper

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Methods

1. Clean all the chicken drumsticks and cut lines on the thick area so heat can penetrate into the meat while you pan fried especially if you are using frozen chicken.


2. Marinade the chicken drumsticks with all the ingredients and let them sit for at least an hour before frying.


3. If you are using frozen chicken, after you are done frying, put them in the microwave for 1 minute high just to make sure the drumsticks are thoroughly cooked inside (you will see some blood oozing out).


4. There will be some sauce left after you fried the chicken which you can cook them after you lift up the chicken from the wok and glaze them after you boiled them on the wok till they thicken up.

Pan fried Salmon in Homemade Terriyaki Sauce

I hardly cook Salmon now as they can be a little costly. My PiggyBeng don't fancy them as he complaint that salmon is too oily. While I was preggy with Darrius, I ate a lot as I read from some medical articles that salmon has the highest amount of Omega 3 which is good for brain development.

Then while I was in Jusco during one of my shopping trip with Darrius, I decided to get a few slices for the both of us. And this is my fish dish...

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Ingredients

• 1 slice Salmon fillet


• 2tbsp Light so sauce (preferably the Kikoman special fragrant sauce)


• 1tbsp Sugar (I used brown sugar)


• 2tbsp Water


• Few dashes of ground black pepper


• Corn flour

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Methods

1. Wash salmon and dry it completely with a kitchen towel. Sprinkle some light soy sauce and corn flour lightly coating both surfaces. Heat up frying pan and pan fried on low fire. Remove from pan when both surfaces turn golden brown.


2. Using the same pan, add a little oil (1tsp) and pour in the mixture of light soy sauce, water, sugar and grounded black pepper and let it boil. The sugar will caramelized after a while and pour onto salmon fillet.