Fish Sauce Sesame Salads Dressing

Oh Yes! It is salad again. Love those crispy cooling salad during these hot season. Another version of Thai/Vietnam style salad.

Ingredients:

Handful of chopped lettuces

Half a bowl of cherry tomatoes

3 clovers Garlic

a knob of Ginger

Chilis (bird eye- for spicy salad)

2 -3 limes (6 tbsp lime juices)

2 tbsp fish sauces
1 tsp of soy sauces

1 tbsp brown sugar

1tsp peanut oil (optional)
1 tbsp of toasted sesame seed

Handful of chopped Coriander

Some chopped Spring Onion

Method:

1) Grind the ginger and garlic into fine paste.

2) Squeeze the lime, drain the seeds.

3) Mix all the wet ingredients together with sugar, chilies, coriander & spring onions.

Mix  

4) Mix the cherry tomatoes in. You can half some of the cherry tomatoes, it looks more appetizing.

5) Toast 1 tbsp of sesame seeds over the hot pan.

6) Mix the salad dressing with all the greens & sprinkle the sesame seed last.

Enjoy.

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Pan Fry Norwegian Mackerel

Fish is fast to cook & taste great with simple seasoning. Let's Pan Fry Norwegian Mackerel. If you use Japanese style soy sauces, it will taste very close to teriyaki. If you use Chinese style soy sauces, it will taste so classic & old school just like how my grandma fry it. Simple yet delicious.

Ingredients:

Cleaned Norwegian Mackerel (dry the fish with paper kitchen towel)

Salt (not too much as we will flavour with soy sauces)

Pepper

Soy Sauces

Frying oil

Method:

1) Season the fish well with pepper & salt.

2) I am using very little oil to quote the base of the non stick pan. Hot the pan with medium fire.

3) Slide the fish with skin side down. Let it simmer with medium fire for 2-3 mins.

4) When flesh starts changing colors & texture. You can see the fish became more solid & the flesh will turn white instead of semi-transparent. Turn the fire over. Let theother side simmer for another 2-3 mins.

5) When the fish is almost done, last in a dash of soy sauces (roughly about 1 tbsp)

6) Quickly flip the fish to coat it with soy sauces in the hot pan, off the fire & we are done.

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Stir Fry Oyster Mushroom (Vegetarian)

Sometimes I do out of stock on "meat" supplies in the fridge due to any kind of businesses- busy with the kids, works, career, classes, baking etc....My kids are kind of carnivorous, of course, I always have a back up plan.

Mushroom to the rescue! Mushroom seriously taste like meat especially its texture. It is always good to add mushroom to our diet as it is very healthy & delicious too. What I like about the fresh mushroom - easy & fast to cook. With very little effort, we can have super delicious weekdays dinner.

Mushroom is high in Vitamin B2, D, Fiber, Potassium, low in calories, cholesterol free, enhances immune system & blood circulation & it is a perfect diet food.

Ingredients:

Handful of fresh mushroom (e.g. Shimeiji, Maitake, Grey Osyter etc)

Some chopped coriander/ spring onion

Lot of minced garlic (4-5 cloves)

Salt & Pepper

Optional (chicken stocks 1 tsp)

Only with these simple ingredients, we just need to cook these up in 5 mins.

Preparing the fresh mushroom, I always buy those "no need to wash" mushroom. If you are not able to get those, it is ok, just brief use running tap water to rinse the fresh mushroom. DO NOT soak mushroom in water, otherwise, it will become too watery when you stir fry the mushroom.

Method:
1) Stir fry garlic with one tbsp of olive oil, then add in the fresh mushroom.

 

2) Sweat the mushroom for 2-3 mins.

3) Add in the coriander or spring onion,chicken stock (it makes the mushroom taste like chicken), salt & pepper to taste.

P/S: There is an alternate version of non vegetarian stir fry mushroom, just add any left over roast meat when stir fry together with the mushroom. Taste superb too.

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Simple & Delicious Salmon Pasta

Pasta - I don't know why kids love pasta so much. I love pasta for a different reason, it is easy & quick to cook. No problem in feeding the kids or rush them to eat their meal. They will just automatically slurp everything from the plate. They just enjoy doing it. I do appreciate the simplicity & unpretentious of pasta. Sometimes, things doesn't have to be too complicated. It just kinda remind me on the thick SOP book.

Pan Fry the salmon fillet ahead of time. Slice the salmon into smaller pcs. Season with sea salt & pepper. Pan fry it until it is fully cook. Set aside.

Ingredients for the Pasta (3 serving):

250g Spaghetti

3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 tbsp chili flakes
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tomatoes (remove the skin & chopped)
250ml of fish stocks
100ml of  cooking cream

1) Start cooking pasta first with pinch of salt. Cook 250g pasta follow the package instruction until al-dente. Do not over cook pasta, follow the instruction strictly.
2) In the mean time, start browning the garlic & chili flakes in olive oil  (small fire). It takes about 4-5 mins. Do not burn the garlic.

 

 

3) Add in the chopped tomato, stir fry for a minutes, add in the fish stocks. Simmers for a while.
4) Lastly, add the cream, let it boils & reduce the liquid slightly , toss the al-dente pasta in for a minute. Serve hot immediately.

Tips: How to poach tomatoes to move the skins:

1) Make a cross at the bottom of every tomatoes.

2) Boil a pot of hot water.

3) Put the tomatoes in to be boiled for about  2 mins.

4) Lift it out from boiling hot water into cook tap water.

5) Just peel off the tomatoes skin. It is very easy.

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Thai Salad Dressing

This simple delicious main course salad is full of flavor & it can be done without using any oil. My kid love this salad so much.  This is a salad that is guaranteed to become a family favorite. It is a perfect side dishes to any seafood- cooked prawn, cooked squid (sotong), grilled fish.

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic

1 bird eye chilies or 1 long big red chilies

1 knob of ginger

2 -3 limes (6 tbsp lime juices)

2 shallots

2 tbsp fish sauces

1 tbsp brown sugar

1tsp peanut oil (optional)

Handful of chopped Coriander

Some chopped Spring Onion

Salads (cleaned, wash & spin dry):

Lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cherry tomato, any salad vegetables

Optional:

Some cooked prawn

Some cooked squid

1) Mix fish sauces with sugar, stir to melt the sugar, squeeze the limes, pick out the seed of the limes. 

2) Grind the ginger, garlic into fine paste.Add in to the salad dressing. The colour of the mixture will change slightly after add in the ginger and garlic paste.

3) Add in all these ingredients that need to be chopped finely- tomatoes, shallots, chilies (hot- bird eye) or big chilies (mild). Mix all these into the salad dressing.
4) The best method to mix the salads well is by using both hand.
5) Pour all these well mixed chopped salad on the green lettuces.
6) Serve Immediately or chill in the refrigerator.

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Easy Sambal Ikan Bilis ( Spicy Chilies Condiment in Anchovies -Malaysia Style)

As I have promised, I would like to share my Easy Sambal Ikan Bilis. Trust me, this taste as good as the original recipes that start from scratch. Looks yummy?

3 simple Ingredients:

1 tub of store bought Sambal Chili paste

Half bowl of dried anchovies ( rinse with running tap water)

1 medium size red onion 

Pinch of salt & sugar

Method:

1) 3-4 tbsp of vegetable oil, fry the ikan bilis (pre-wash & drained dried anchovies) until crispy.

2) Drain the excess oil with kitchen towel & put aside.

3) 1 tbsp of vegetable oil into the non stick pan, red onion in, brown it with medium fire. By using non stick pan, we reduce the oil needed to cook the sambal ikan bilis.

4) Stir fry for 3-5 mins in medium fire, add in 2-3 table spoon of the sambal paste ( chili paste). You can add more if you think it is not enough. Don't worry, cooking do not need to be so accurate compared to baking.

5) Tips: Need to add pinch of salt & pinch of sugar ( 1-2 tsp). The sugar will caramelize the onion in the sambal & it taste even better. Feel free to adjust it to your liking:

* Add more sambal paste if  you like it hotter

*Add more onion & sugar if you like it sweeter (kids love this)

6) Finally, stir in the fried ikan bilis & let it simmer for a while about 2-3 mins.

Serving recommendation: Taste best with Nasi Lemak & Curry Chicken. Stay tune for the Curry Chicken Recipes.

Thanks to my sister in Singapore, the below recipies was her home science recipes in secondary school.

I think she doesn't even remember this was the recipes she shared with me. I could still remember my late father who was so supportive & he was trying so hard to finish the sambal. Why? My sister double the spiciness of this recipes. 

Here is the traditional Sambal Ikan Bilis if you like to make it from scratch.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp dried anchovies (cleaned & pre-washed)

4ea shallots

1 knob of gingers (sliced thinly)

6 dried chilies

1cm dried belacan ( dried shrimped paste, toasted- optional)

1 stalk of lemon grass

1/2 cup of asam juice (mix some asam paste with water, drain the juice)

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of sugar

2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

1) Grind all these ingredients or you can smash it finely using a mortar & pestle- dried chilies, lemongrass, shallots, ginger, belacan.

2) Heat 2 tbsp of oil & fried the anchovies until crispy. Put aside & drained.

3) Then, add in all the no (1) finely grind ingredients, fry until become thick, you can see that the oil is turning into slightly red color & the aromatic smell of spiciness.

4) Add in the asam juice, let it simmer for a while. Add in salt & sugar.

5) Finally, let the mixture simmer & add it the fried anchovies, let the sauces become slightly thicken.

6) Serve the sambal ikan bilis with Nasi Lemak, accompaied with cucumber slices, hard boiled eggs (sliced half), fried peanut. This is a authenthic Malaysian breakfast!

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Hot & Spicy Korean Rice Cake (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki 떡볶이- 炒年糕)

Who doesn't like Hot & Spicky Korean Rice Cake (Ddeokbokki/Tteokbokki)? It is a very easy recipes. Anyone can cook & it is so hard to fail. Love to cook this on a lazy weekend when I don't feel like cooking at all . There are times we felt too tired to cook.  This is a super easy one.

Ingredients (4 pax):

600g Korean Rice Cake 

400ml-500ml Water

1 packet Ddeokbokki Hot Sauces

Some Mix Vegetables -

Bell Pepper

Kimchi

Spring Onions

Cabbages

Onions

Optional : extra ingredient for meat lover: fish balls, meat balls, squids or prawns.

Rice Cakes Hot Sauces

Simple instructions for cooking Korean Rice Cakes:

1) Pour water into a pan to cook together with the rice cakes. Make sure the water cover the rice cakes. Cook for about 4-5 mins over medium high heat. 

Tips: Can add 1 tsp of anchovy powder to cook the rice cake with water. It will taste even better. 

2) To check if the rice cakes is ready for the sauces. After 5 mins, just use a scissor to cut one of the rice cakes. If you can cut it through, it means the rice cakes are ready for the sauces.

3) Pour in the rice cake hot sauces & let it simmer. Stir occasionally. It is getting even more starchy.

 

4) Add in all the mixes vegetables & continue to cook for about 2-3 mins. Stir occasionally.

5) Serve hot immediately.

Tips: For younger kids who can't really stand too much spicy food, please reduce the hot sauces. Instead of using the whole packet, I only use half a packet.

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