Braised Fish Slices with Garlic

I love garlic! I add in garlic to almost every dish which I cook. When I see this dish featured in my favourite Taiwan cooking show "吃饭皇帝大", I immediately remember all the ingredients and steps in cooking this dish. The original recipe uses fish head, but my husband don't like to eat that because there are too many bones. Therefore I decided to use frozen swai fillets which I can find in the supermart here. I think I will experiment with other types of fish like fresh snapper when I cook next time. At least it is not frozen so should be fresher and sweeter.

If you like garlic like me, you should add more. I regretted not adding more if not it will have a more fragrant garlic taste. One thing to note is that you cannot heat up the oil too hot when frying the garlic if not it gets burnt easily. So a bit of patience is needed in frying the garlic. I am basically an "aga aga" cook. That means the amount of seasoning and ingredients I used is all based on estimation. Therefore do feel free to change to your liking ;)

Ingredients:

1) Fish Slices (around 10 to 15 small slices)

2) 10 cloves of garlic (you can add or reduce according to your liking of garlic)

3) 3 mushrooms cut into strips (do not throw away the water for soaking the mushrooms)

4) Half big onion cut into strips

5) 1 tablespoon of Dark soya sauce

6) 1 tablespoon of Oyster sauce

7) 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine

8) Pepper

9) Sesames seed oil

10) Half a tablespoon of sugar

11) Flour

Direction:

1) Season the fish slices with some salt and pepper. Coat the fish slices with some flour. Pour some oil into the pan and shallow fry (煎) the fish slices. You can also deep fry if you want. But shallow fry is more healthy since we do not need to add a lot of oil for shallow fry. When it is slightly golden brown we can scoop it up and set aside.

2) Pour some oil into the wok and slowly fry the garlic till golden brown. The oil cannot be too hot if not the garlic will be burnt. When it is done set it aside.

3) Using some of the oil used for frying the garlic, add in the big onion slices and ginger slices. Stir fry it until the onion sweats. Than add in the mushrooms and stir fry until the fragrant of the mushrooms come out.

4) Add in the garlic and fish slices. Stir fry for a minute.

5) Add in dark soya sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine and sugar. Stir fry until you can smell the fragrance of the sauces.

6) Add in some of the mushroom water. Stir well with the sauces. Cover the pot and let it simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.

7) Open the lid and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. If it is still watery, you can add in corn starch water. If you like it to be slightly watery than you can don't add the corn starch water.

8) Add in a few dashes of pepper and sesames seed oil and it is ready to be served!

Scallop Provencal and Baked Asparagus

This is one of the few western meal which I have learnt. Thanks to Ina Garten again. It is a simple one dish meal. I will cook this whenever I feel lazy to cook a 1 soup 2 dishes chinese meal on a Sunday.

Besides being a one dish meal, I like it cos it is not meat nor prawns. Since have high cholesterol, I have restrained myself from eating prawns. I hope scallops should be ok ;p The food served in restaurants here are mostly meat dishes so I try not to cook too much meat dishes at home too. Another reason for liking this dish is it has white wine as one of the ingredients. Any food with alcohol added just has another depth of flavour. Yummy!

The original recipe of Scallop Provencal from Barefoot Contessa can be found in this website http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/scallops-provencal-recipe/index.html. I have made really minor changes to the recipe. There was once where I have no white wine and I have added the Chinese Shaoxing wine. It turn out pretty well too! Than there was another time instead of white wine I have added Sherry and Brandy cos I bought them for another of Ina's recipe. So you can be adventurous with whatever wine you have at home and try it in this recipe. Hmm.. but i think red wine might not match though, cos seafood dishes by right should match with white wine.

Ingredients:

1) 1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops

2) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3) All-purpose flour, for dredging

4) 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

5) 1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large or 4 small)

6) 1 garlic clove, minced

7) 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

8) 1/3 cup dry white wine or Shaoxing Wine

9) 1 lemon, cut in 1/2

10) 2 Shitake Mushrooms sliced (optional)

11) Asparagus

Directions

1) If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.

2) In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total.

3) Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, mushrooms and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.

4) Preheat the oven at 375 degree F (around 200 degree C).

5) Spread the asparagus on a baking pan. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper.

6) Put it in the oven for around 10 - 15 minutes or until the veggie is tender.

I think this dish is great to eat with bowl of rice!

菠菜蟹肉羹 Spinach crab meat thick soup

前：菠菜蟹肉羹。后：杏鲍菇炒海参（下次介绍）

自从更换了一个新的卫星电视公司，家里不仅就多了几个华文电视台收费还比较便宜呢！实在太棒了！现在，我可以观看我最喜欢的TVBS华文电视台。最近，我无意间发现TVBS华文电视台有一个烹饪节目“吃饭皇帝大”，一看就迷上了！一天的节目我至少可以学习三道菜，而且还是帅哥主厨亲自下厨呢！哈哈！节目中所介绍的菜都是为新手人妻所设计，所以是蛮简单但又美味的菜色。我从节目中学会了好几道不错的菜肴。我会陆续把食谱记录下来和大家分享。

今天介绍的是其中一道即简单又健康的汤。菠菜富有高铁质对女性是很好的。我以前不爱吃菠菜总觉得有一个怪味。现在自己煮饭，为了能煮多几样菜，什么都开始尝试吃。好像以前我不喜欢吃葱、芫荽、红萝卜，现在我都吃。而且还很爱吃呢 ：）喜欢清淡口味的朋友们，不妨尝试煮煮这道汤。

食材：

1） 菠菜一把

2）小的蟹钳肉一碗（当然如果你喜欢吃螃蟹可以加多一点）

3）豆腐半盒切成小块状

4）蛋一颗

5）盐少许

6）绍兴酒少许

7）胡椒粉少许

8）镇江醋少许

9）高汤四碗 （如果你用市售的高汤那么两碗的高汤加两碗的水）

10）太白粉水

步骤：

1）将菠菜放入一锅烧水烫熟。然后将烫熟后的菠菜放入冰水中浸泡大概5分钟。这样菠菜就会保持翠绿的颜色。

2）把菠菜从冰水中取出，挤干水分然后切成条状。

3）将高汤倒入锅中煮开。然后加入蟹钳，豆腐和菠菜。

4）等到汤再次滚开，加入盐调味。

5）加入太白粉水。太白粉水的分量要根据你喜欢的稠度慢慢加入。

6）把火关小。把鸡蛋轻轻打散然后绕圆圈式加入汤中。不要急着把搅散鸡蛋。等一会儿，才开始搅散。这样就能煮出漂亮的蛋花。

7）把汤盛在汤碗后加入少许胡椒粉。

8）如果你喜欢的话可以加入少许的醋，就像吃鱼翅那样。我个人觉得加入醋后，能使羹更鲜甜。

Curried Chicken Avocado and Celery Salad

Since I have been very free in Houston, my favourite pass time is watching cooking shows to get some inspiration for dinner. Besides watching Chinese cooking shows (cos my husband still likes to eat chinese food), foodnetwork is also one of my favourite channel. I like to watch Barefoot Contessa. Her recipes are simple and the dishes featured are flavourful. When I saw Ina Garten's Curried Chicken Salad , I decided to give it a try cos it looks so yummy! This Curried Chicken Avocado and Celery Salad is adapted from her Curried Chicken Salad. Her recipe does not have avocado and mine does not have chutney raisins and nuts. This is because I don't want to buy chutney raisins and nuts just for this salad and avocado is good for health.

Let me side track a bit here. Since I have been told by the doctor here that I have high cholesterol and high blood sugar I should watch my diet. I have been slowly adjusting my diet. I started to eat chicken breast which I have never liked as I find it too tough after being cooked. Than after searching the net, I get to know that eating celery is good in reducing cholesterol and eating avocado is good for the heart cos it has both monosaturated and polyunsaturated fat and contain potassium. Therefore these 2 I have decided to add in these 2 items in my version of the curried chicken salad.

I really love this salad ! The chicken breast turn out to be tender! The secret to the tenderness is using chicken breast with bone-in skin-on. This trick is taught by Ina. The salad is rich in flavour and most of the ingredients are good for health too. Do give it a try! PS: If you don't have time to bake your own chicken, just buy it. Or you can use your left over chicken from your previous meal.

Ingredients:

1) 2 medium chicken breast bone-in skin-on

2) 1 avocado cut into cubes

3) 2 stalks of celery cut into medium dices

4) 2 small shallots (if you like shallots can add more) cut into small dices

5) 2 chopped spring onions

6) Olive oil

7) 1 cup Olive oil mayo (normal mayo will do too. Olive mayo is more healthy )

8) 3 tablespoons of curry powder

9) Salt to taste

Directions:

A) Preparation of baked chicken breast

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or near to 175 degree C.

2) Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can sprinkle salt and pepper on the meat under the skin if you are afraid that the seasoning does not get into the meat. If you want it to be more flavourful you can also add some roast chicken seasoning which you can get in the supermarket.

3) Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Wrap the chicken with aluminum foil so that the juices of the chicken will get back into the meat. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and dice the chicken into large bite-size pieces.

B) Preparation of the dressing

1) Combine the olive oil mayo, curry powder and salt. If you find it too thick you can add in some olive oil.

C) Putting the salad together

1) Combine the chicken with enough dressing to moisten well. Add the celery, scallions, onion,spring onion and avocado, and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature. You can add in a dash of black pepper if you want.

毛瓜鱼圆粉丝汤

来到休斯顿做煮饭婆，每天都要想煮些什么让老公吃。我的“原则”是每一餐一汤两菜。因为我是广东人习惯了每一个晚餐都喝汤，可说是“无汤不欢”。以前住靠近妈妈家，每天都有妈妈的煲汤喝，真是太幸福了！现在远在他乡，只好自己煮汤了。一些基本煲汤款，如：苦瓜汤，西洋菜汤，玉米汤等都难不倒我。可是喝多了，难免有些腻了。所以有时想与其煲汤不如就煮汤吧！不但不需要长时间熬煮，还可以换换口味呢！

但是要煮什么汤呢？

我开始回忆妈妈以前煮过的汤。她最常煮的就是毛瓜鱼圆粉丝汤。我在这里的华人超市经常看到那儿卖毛瓜。但是长得就是和新加坡吃的不一样，所以也没买。这次做这个汤就尝试用这里的毛瓜，看看味道会不会一样。主角搞定！接下来是配角－－鱼圆。刚来到这里的时候，很想吃鱼圆。尝试了台湾、中国及美国制造的鱼圆，但是都没有新加坡鱼圆来得Q。后来，在这里认识的新加坡朋友告诉我她在另一家超市找到新加坡的DODO 鱼圆！我马上到那间超市买了好几包（这时我可展现新加坡人“怕输”的心态；p）。终于，可以“一解想吃鱼圆之愁”，哈哈！

全部材料买齐后，终于可以下厨。成品有点失望。因为没有妈妈煮的汤那么有味道。我猜想，可能这里的毛瓜真的跟新加坡卖的不一样。毛瓜没有什么味道。我记得妈妈煮的汤，毛瓜味还蛮浓的。但是我的汤却没有任何一丝毛瓜的

味道 ：（ 没关系，汤少喝点，可以吃我喜欢的鱼圆喝粉丝 ；p。

食材：

1）毛瓜一条

2）鱼圆10颗

3）粉丝一捆

4）江鱼仔（手抓一把的量并把头的部分拔掉）

5）冬菜少许（如果你怕咸，可以用水泡一下）

6）盐或酱油少许

7）胡椒粉少许

8）水四碗

步骤：

1）将四碗水倒入锅中煮滚。然后把江鱼仔倒入水里以中小火滚15到20分钟。可以把鱼仔捞出丢掉。

2）把毛瓜、粉丝、冬菜、鱼圆放入江鱼仔高汤里。把锅盖盖起来用中小火煮滚至毛瓜及粉丝变成透明。

3）根据自己的口味加入盐或酱油。

4）把汤倒入碗中后可以加少许胡椒粉。你也可以加些芫荽做装饰。

日式鳗鱼饭 UNAGI DON

I just love Japanese food! Since I saw the supermarket at Chinatown selling one of my favorite Jap food---eel, I immediately grab one. Unagi Don is an easy one dish meal, great for someone lazy like me. It is also one of my comfort food. I have tried cooking it in Singapore but just doesn't taste and look as good as those serve in restaurant. It's too dry. I like food which has alot of gravy.

After watching one of my favorite cooking show 冰冰好料理， I finally knew the secret to this dish. I had always fry the egg first and than add the sauce that's why the eggs were overcooked. That's why the eggs did not managed to thicken the sauce. After the trying the way the show taught us, the dish came out just the way I liked! Bingo!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1) Eel

2) 2 eggs slightly beaten do not beat until the yolk and white mix together

3) 1/2 big onion

4) 2 cloves garlic

Seasoning:

1) Dash of Pepper

2) 1 tablespoon ShaoXing Wine

3) Mirin (if you don't have, can use sugar)

4) Sukiyaki sauce or the sauce used for Jap noodles (if you don't have can use oyster sauce, soya sauce and sugar mixed to your taste. If you are doing this you can omit mirin)

5) Water or chicken broth

Steps:

1) Cook 1 cup of rice in the rice cooker. When it is done. scoop it into two bowls and set aside.

2) Heat up the pan with some oil, stir fry some garlic and big onions. If you like the big onions to be crunchy than don't stir fry for too long.

3) Add in the eel and seasoning and water. You can add in soya sauce if you find the sukiyaki sauce too sweet. The amount of water depends on how much gravy u like for the rice. I always "agar agar" the amount. But you must remember cannot be too dry cos after you add the egg the sauce will thicken.

4) Wait for the sauce to simmer than you can add in the egg. Do not stir too much.

5) Wait for a while for the eggs to be slightly cook but not fully cook (like the half boil eggs we eat at the kopi thiam) and you are done.

5) Add it to the rice in the bowl and voola you have an easy and yummy meal.