Squash with Dried Prawns and Kek Zi

When I was warded in hospital for a major operation two years ago, my friend, Isabella insisted in staying the night over with me in the hospital as she said it would be comforting should I wake up in the middle of the night and see a familiar face and in addition, she was there should I need help in the middle of the night.

I have never forgotten her kindness and it was a blessing to have a friend to care enough to do so unconditionally.

Isabella was in the hospital for an eye operation and I was so blessed to be in a position to reciprocate.

I was wondering what I should cook for her and knowing that we have the same taste, it wasn't much of an issue at all. Green vegetables were not an option as I was clueless as to what time she was allowed food.

The safest bet would be vegetables that can be re-heated without marring the nutrient values which are beneficial to her health.

With this in mind, I decided to cook squash before her scheduled operation.








Ingredients:
1. Four cups of squash, sliced in wedges
2. Two or more cloves of garlic, slightly bruised but left whole
3. One small onion, sliced
4. Two tablespoons of dried prawns, sieve off the impurities
5. One stalk of spring onion/coriander, sliced
6. Dash of white pepper
7. Few drops of sesame oil
8. One teaspoon of corn flour, mixed with two tablespoon of water
9. One cup of chicken stock
10. Two tablespoons of Kek Zi, rinsed and patted dry (optional)
11. Three tablespoons of onion oil or oil of your choice
12. Pinch of sugar
13. Pinch of sea salt

Method:
1. Heat pan and add oil. When pan is hot, lower heat to medium, add garlic, fry still lightly golden, and add dried prawns. Fry till fragrant without burning.
2. Add onion slices and fry till aromatic. Add squash and dash of white pepper. Mix well and fry for about three minutes.
3. Add chicken stock, stir well and leave it to simmer till pumpkin is tender or soft according to your taste. Add more stock if necessary.
4. Add corn flour/potato mixture, kek zi, spring onions and dash of sesame oil. Mix well
5. Serve hot.

Note: Kek Zi aka known as Wolfberry. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry

Love ....

“Love keeps the cold out better than a cloak.”

Baked Chicken With Garlic and Potato

Ingredients:
1. One chicken breast with skin and bone in.
2. One potato, thinly sliced
3. Half a leek, sliced into rings
4. Half a Spanish onion, sliced
5. 9 whole cloves garlic with skin (depending on taste)
6. One cup of hot chicken stock
7. ¼ cup of white wine - optional
8. A teaspoon of coarse black pepper
9. Sea salt
10. Sprig of rosemary
11. Glug of EVO

Method
1. Place sliced potatoes, leeks with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil till vegetables just about to be tender, drain and kept warm.
2. Switch oven to maximum heat.
3. Rub chicken with sea salt
4. Grease warm baking dish lightly with oil/butter of your choice.
5. Layer potatoes, onions, leeks and pour combined hot cooking liquid over vegetables.
6. Sprinkle dash of coarse black pepper on vegetables.
7. Place chicken on top of vegetables and scatter whole garlic cloves.
8. Wrap aluminium foil loosely around dish and bake on maximum heat for twenty minutes.
9. Remove aluminium foil and brown chicken skin till slightly golden.
10. Serve on warm plate and drizzle more EVO on dish before serving.

Note: Optional to serve peas with fresh mint on a side

Carrot and Squash Rice

I love winter squash, pumpkin, acorn and butternut squash etc. I hope you enjoy this humble offering of mine too.

Ingredients:
1. One cup rice, preferably long grain or basmati
2. One carrot, sliced in small wedges
3. Two cups squash, sliced in small wedges
4. Half red onion, sliced
5. One or more whole garlic cloves, skin removed
6. Pinch of ground cumin
7. Pinch of ground coriander
8. 1½ cups chicken stock
9. Pinch of saffron, soaked with three tablespoon of warm water
10. Three tablespoons of onion oil or oil of your choice
11. One tablespoon unsalted butter
12. Pinch of sea salt
13. Thumb of ginger, diced into cubes
14. Pinch of castor sugar
15. Dash of white pepper

Method:
1. In a pot, water level two inches above rice, bring water to a rapid boil. Add rice, stir occasionally on high heat for about five minutes. Drain water and keep warm.
2. In a separate non stick pot (same pot you are going to cook the rice in later), on high heat, add ginger, stir and immediately lower heat to medium. Add garlic cloves, fry till ginger and garlic are slightly golden, add onion, and stir till aromatic.
3. Add butter, stir for a few seconds, add vegetables, dash of white pepper, castor sugar, cumin, coriander powder, sea salt, mix well for about three minutes, add about a tablespoon of chicken stock and mix well.
4. Top vegetable with rice, spoon saffron water around edges of rice and on rice; pour balance HOT chicken stock over rice. Press rice down gently with a spatula but without compacting it too much.
5. Cover lid tightly and simmer gently for about twenty minutes or till rice is cooked.
6. Place plate over pot to invert rice.
7. Serve hot.

Note:
1. The vegetables are heavenly to eat and rice good enough to eat on its own. Pumpkin is very yummy in this recipe too. Oooooooooooo, the crust and yes the crust .....
2. For a more substantial meal with meat warrants a different recipe.

Fried Fish With Ginger

Sauce for fish



I used fish fillet to cook for Dad when he was hospitalised and his eyes never failed to light up when he saw the dish. I was sad and happy to see him chuffed so quickly too.

Whenever I have the opportunity to cook at my sister's house, she will remind me of this dish as both she and my brother-in-law love it too.

This is my style and hope you will enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:

1. One medium sized whole fish about one and a half lbs, scaled, gutted and washed.
2. Sprinkle some salt in cavity and inside the fish head. Leave for about five minutes, rinse and pat dry.
3. Dash of sesame oil

For garnishing
1. One spring onion, sliced including the white part.
2. One or more thumbs of ginger according to taste, sliced into very thin strips.
3. One fresh sliced red chillies or more (optional).

Sauce:
1. Two tablespoons of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew.
2. Three tablespoons of light soya sauce or more depending on your taste.
3. Two tablespoons of warm water and a very small pinch of castor sugar. Mix together with item '2'.

Method:
1. In a medium hot frying pan, fry ginger till crispy, set aside.
2. Fry fish and set aside in a warm serving plate.
3. Drain oil but leave about one tablespoon, reheat pan till high, add in spring onion and chillies, quick stir for a very few seconds. Top fish with garnish.
4. Reheat same pan to high heat, splash Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew, stir in sauce and dash of sesame oil. Quick stir and pour over fish. Top with crispy ginger.
5. Serve hot.

Number of Breaths

'Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,

but by the moments that take our breath away.'

'Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together.'

Chicken with Ginger in Black Soya Sauce

Three meals were created from one chicken. This dish was a balance from the poached chicken cooked on the previous day.

Ingredients:
1. Left over chopped up chicken pieces
2. Thumb of ginger, diced into cubes
3. One spring onion or coriander, sliced at an angle
4. Two cloves of garlic, roughly chopped.
5. One shallot, sliced thinly
6. Three tablespoons of black soya sauce
7. One tablespoon of light soya sauce
8. One teaspoon of Cheong Chan Caramel Sauce (optional)
9. Dash of white pepper
10. Pinch of castor sugar
11. ¼ cup of hot chicken stock
12. Splash of Shao Hsing Hua Tiao Chew or dry sherry
13. One tablespoon onion oil
14. Dash of sesame oil

Method:
1. Heat up frying pan, when hot add onion oil and lower flame to medium heat.
2. Lay chicken pieces skin side down first at side of frying pan and fry ginger till slightly golden, add shallots, garlic, stir round then add spring onion/coriander. Add dash of white pepper and pinch of sugar, when aromatic, mix ingredients well with chicken pieces.
3. Add chicken stock, stir and cook for about five minutes or when stock had reduced by half.
4. Add light, black and caramel sauces if used. Stir well. Scrape bottom of pan to prevent skin from sticking.
5. When sauce is about to dry up, increase flame to high, splash wine into pan, stir well. Add a dash of sesame oil before dishing up.
6. Serve hot with plain rice.

Note:
1. If you prefer dish with more sauce, adjust stock accordingly. I prefer just the sauce sticking to the meat pieces.
2. It's delicious cooking left over roast pork with this method too.
3. It's tantalizing for the taste buds when biting into a piece of ginger