Steamed Fish

Mum loved fish and I must have learnt from her in how to appreciate the whole fish.
Mum and dad absolutely loved this dish whenever I had the opportunity to cook it.
It was a privilege and joy to cook for them and seeing the satisfaction on their faces made me extremely happy indeed.
My favourite parts of the fish are the stomach, cheeks and fins etc. I love fish of any variety and there are a myriad ways of steaming a fish. One of my indulgences is steamed fish topped with crispy ginger slivers.











This is my style and hope you will appreciate them as much as my parents.

Ingredients:
1. One medium sized whole fish about one and a half lbs, scaled, gutted and patted dry.
2. Three tablespoons of onion oil or oil of your choice. (http://hungrybear-hungrybear.blogspot.com/search/label/Chinese%20Miscellaneous)

For steaming (A)
1. Two spring onions or bunch of parsley/coriander, sliced into halves and three ginger slices to stack loosely to form a bed for the fish.
2. Stuff loosely a few pieces of each herb into fish's stomach.

For garnishing (B)
1. One spring onion, sliced including the white part.
2. Thumb of ginger or more, sliced into very thin strips.
3. ¼ freshly sliced red chillies or more (optional).

Sauce:
1. Two tablespoons of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew.
2. Three tablespoon of light soya sauce or more depending on your taste.
3. Four tablespoons of warm water and a very small pinch of rock sugar. Mix well to dissolve.

Method:
1. Bring steamer to a rapid boil.
2. Pat fish dry, this is important so that the fish steams immediately.
3. Rub lightly with few drops of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew over fish including stomach cavity (you can skip this part if you `prefer)
4. Adopt step under 'For steaming (A)'
5. When water is boiling rapidly, lower to medium and steam fish gently for between eight to nine minutes depending on size of fish.
6. When fish is steaming, heat up a small pot. When pot is very hot, add light soya sauce followed by a splash of Hua Tiao Chew. Quick swirl, lower flame, add water solution with rock sugar. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your taste. Keep sauce simmering on lowest heat possible or microwave to heat up later.
7. In a separate small pot, heat onion oil and gently fry the strips of ginger till crispy. Dish ginger, set aside and strain oil. Pour oil back into pot and heat oil up till smoking point. Do this only when you are about to serve.

Serving:
1. Discard herbs, juices from steamed fish and place it on warm serving plate.
2. Drizzle sauce around fish and inside stomach cavity.
3. Garnish fish with sliced spring onions and chillies if used and spoon over with smoking hot oil.
4. Top with crispy ginger and serve hot.

Faster Method:
1. Skip steps under Method for (3), (6) and (7).
2. Splash some light soya sauce on cooked fish and garnish with spring onions, fresh ginger slivers and fresh chillies if used.
3. Heat three tablespoons oil of your choice till smoking and drizzle over vegetables and fish.
Serve immediately. The sizzling sound of oil when in contact will whet your appetite.
4. If using fillet, choose white fish with thick cuts. Skip For Steaming (A) and reduce steaming time.
Enjoy!

Love is ......

Quote:
“For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” Judy Garland

Unquote:
Isn't this true and how beautifully said?. HB

Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Lemon

Ingredients:
1. One medium sized whole fish, scaled, gutted and patted dry.
2. One dried mushroom. Soak for a minimum of twenty minutes in hot water. Strain and reserve water. Slice mushroom
3. Thumb of ginger, sliced
4. One carrot, cut into thin strips.
5. Bunch of flat spring onions/parsley or coriander including stalks. Slice bunch in half
6. Few slices of Spanish onion or any onions you have in stock
7. Half a lemon, sliced thinly
8. Pinch of salt
9. Dash of white pepper

Method:
1. Preheat oven on maximum.
2. Stack loosely a bunch of spring onion/ flat parsley or coriander at bottom of baking dish.
3. Season fish with salt. Stuff some dried mushrooms, ginger and carrots loosely in fish's stomach and place on top of spring onions/parsley/coriander.
4. Spread rest of vegetables around fish but top fish with tomatoes and lemon slices.
5. Pour quarter cup of water from dried mushroom with a pinch of salt and splash around fish and vegetables.
6. Sprinkle some white pepper on top of fish and drizzle EVO on lemon and tomatoes.
7. Wrap dish loosely with aluminium foil and bake in a hot oven for about twenty minutes.
8. Remove foil and bake for another five minutes.
9. Drizzle extra EVO on fish before serving hot.

Note:
1. Cooking time differs due to different oven temperatures.
2. The fish goes very well with the slightly caramelized lemon slices and is delicious with rest of ingredients.
3. Season fish with sea salt ONLY when you are able to place in baking dish to prevent fish from dehydrating.
4. Looks complicated but is so easy and healthy.

Various fruits

How many types of fruits can you differentiate from the photo?
The key in saving money is in buying seasonal fruits at their freshest and also cheapest.
Buy bananas at different stages of ripeness to prevent wastage as in all fruits.
For example, I will choose a nectarine just ripe for eating immediately and the other piece to be eaten at a different day.
This logical way of purchasing applies to all classes of fruits.
Papayas are very expensive here. The piece in the photograph cost about 1.95 Euro
(S$4).
Fruits on the stand will last us about three days normally.

We do not leave fruits in the fridge. They are displayed in the living room so the incentive to eat and enjoy them is greater.

==============
I am very happy to reciprocate in taking care of my friends' garden whilst they are back in England.
Couldn't resist taking photographs this evening and hope you enjoy them too.
Don't you wish to bite into one?

Number Phrases 1

Example how to play this game ...

a. 88 K O A P denotes 88 keys on a piano
b. 21 G S denotes 21 gun salute.

Can you guess the following:

1. 2 S to an A (Hint squabble 5 words)

2. 26 L in the A (Hint letters 5 words)

3. O (Hint classical music 1 word)

4. R and J (Hint Shakespeare 3 words)

5. 8 P in a G (Hint liquid measurement 5 words)

Have fun and good luck.

Love is ...............

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”
Mother Teresa quotes

Hummus

Ingredients:
1. Half a can or bottle of chick peas/garbanzo beans, drain but save about four tablespoons of water from can/bottle
2. Juice of a quarter lemon or more depending on taste
3. One or two cloves of garlic depending on taste
4. Sprinkling of hot paprika/cayenne pepper
5. Few stalks of parsley, plucked into tiny pieces or chopped finely
6. 3 tablespoons EVO
7. Pinch of sea salt
8. One tablespoon of Tahini (optional)

Method:
1. Set aside about a tablespoon of chick peas for garnishing. Place balance chick peas, juice of lemon, water of can/bottle, garlic, sea salt, tahini and blend till smooth on low to medium speed.
Add some oil or more juice from chick peas to help the blade along if necessary.
2. Spoon on serving bowl and use a fork to 'rake' the chick peas.
3. Pour EVO over chick peas.
4. Top with balance whole chick peas.
5. Sprinkle hot paprika/cayenne pepper and parsley
6. Serve at room temperature

Note: Delicious on it's own with warm tortillas/pita bread, served with crudités or as a dip for grilled meat.

Hummus can be refrigerated for about two days or freeze for half a month.
If hummus has dried up, simply add additional EVO and stir.

I have made some without tahini and it's delicious too.