ABC Soup

Ingredients:
Chicken with bone or Pork ribs
Tomatoes, cut into cube
Carrot, cut into cube
Onion, cut into cube
Potato, cut into cube
Garlic
White peppercorn
Water

Seasoning:
Salt & light soy sauce to taste

Method:
1. Blanch the meat and drain.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil, then add in all the tomatoes, carrot, onion, potatoes, garlic and white peppercorn. Boil it for 10 minutes.
3. Add in the meat. Continue boiling at slow fire until all the vegetables and meat are tender.
4. Season the soup and ready to serve.

Claypot Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients:
300gm Chicken fillet
1 stalk Spring onion, cut into 4cm length
2 clove garlic, chopped
some ginger slices
3 nos Dried Shitake mushroom, soaked and sliced into 1cm thick
6 nos Straw mushroom, sliced into half
1 tbsp oil

Chicken marinate:
1 tbsp Oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
a dash of pepper to taste

Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oyster sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Thickening:
1 tsp Corn flour
1 tbsp Water

Method:
1. Marinade chicken fillets for 30 minutes or longer.
2. Heat a claypot to slightly warm, add oil and fry the ginger and the white part of spring onion until slightly brown.
3. Add in garlic, continue to fry until fragrant.
4. Put in the chicken fillets, cook until it slightly turn white colour.
5. Add in both the mushrooms and mix well.
6. Pour in water, enough to cover the meat. Put on the lid and bring it to boil on a slow fire.
7. Add in seasoning and continue to cook for 10 minutes at a very slow fire.
8. Put in the remaining spring onion and stir well.
9. Pour in the corn flour mixture and stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Ready to serve. Caution: Claypot is hot!

Claypot Instant Noodles

Simple yet comfort food

Ingredients:
1 pkt Chicken soup flavour instant noodles
Some Green vegetables leaves (eg. pak choi, lettuce)
1 nos Egg
Some chopped spring onion for garnish

Method:
1. Bring water to boil in the claypot, cook the instant noodles according to the instruction on the packaging.
2. Add in vegetables and egg and boil for 1 minute.
3. Ready to serve.

Seafood & Vegetables Tempura

Simple Homemade Japanese Meal

Tempura is an all time favourite in Japanese food. It is much easier for people to accept this dish as it is served hot with dipping sauce-Bonsu sauce.
I do not have all the ingredients for Bonsu sauce(so I did not make it this time). However, I served my tempura with light soy sauce or chili sauce or Thai chili sauce.

Ingredients A:
1 tbsp Plain flour
1 tbsp Corn Flour
Salt & Pepper

Ingredients B:
100gm Tempura flour
170ml Ice cold water

Tempura Flour

For Seafood Tempura:
6 pcs Prawn, shelled
6 pcs Fish fillet
1 nos squid, cut into 6cm x 4cm
Some Salmon skin, cut into 7cm long strip and 5cm width
Salt & pepper

For Vegetables Tempura:
10 pcs French Bean
1 nos Sweet Potato, sliced
1/2 nos Carrot, sliced

Things to prepare before you starts deep-frying:
a pairs of wooden chopstick or tong for deep-frying
1 skimmer
1 plate with kitchen towels

Preparation:
1. Make sure all the seafood and vegetables are clean and dry with kitchen towel.
2. Season the fish and squid with some salt and pepper.
3. Mix Plain flour and Corn flour with some salt and pepper in a deep plate (A).
4. Mix well Tempura Flour with ice cold water in a bowl until it become a smooth paste (B).
5. Heat oil for deep-frying at 170-180 c
6. Stand by a plate with kitchen towels.
7. Slightly coat all the seafood and vegetables with (A) keep aside.

Cooking Method for Vegetables Tempura:
1. When the oil is hot enough for deep-frying.
2. Dip the Vegetables in the mixture (B) and put into hot oil to deep-fry for 1-2 minutes or when you see the vegetables are floating with very little bubble(means there are ready).
3. Best to deep fry the root items first like sweet potato and carrot, then the French bean.
4. Use chopstick or tong to dish out the vegetables one by one and place them on to a kitchen towel.
5. Arrange it on the serving plate. Serve it hot.

Vegetables Tempura

Notes:
1. You may use other vegetables like Capsicum/bell pepper, Oyster mushroom, Lady finger, Shitake mushroom, asparagus.
2. Do not cram the vegetables in the hot oil, as each piece needs to be able to float freely.
3. Move them frequently as sometimes the flour mixture might stick together.
4. Skim the flour batter which is floating in the hot oil first before continue the second batch of deep frying.

Cooking Method for Seafood Tempura:
1. When the oil is hot enough for deep-frying.
2. Dip the Seafood in the mixture (B) and put into hot oil for deep-fry for 1-3 minutes or when you see the meat are floating with very little bubble(means there are ready).
3. Best to deep fry the Fish first, then Squids, then Salmon Skin and lastly prawn.
4. Use chopstick or tong to dish out the seafood and place them on to a kitchen towel.
5. Arrange it on the serving plate. Serve it hot.

Seafood Tempura

Notes:
1. Do not cram the seafood in the hot oil, as each piece needs to be able to float freely.
2. Move them frequently as sometimes the flour mixture might stick together.
3. Skim the flour batter which is floating in the hot oil first before continue the second batch of deep frying.

Salmon Sashimi

Salmon Sashimi

Sashimi is very easy to prepare and nice to eat-as you are tasting the original texture and flavour of the meat.
However freshness of the seafood and hygiene is very important when it comes to handle the raw meat and the preparation.
I always use Ice Water to clean the sashimi(to kill the bacteria) which I have learned this from my sushi chef when I did my kitchen training in the Japanese Restaurant at Hyatt Regency KK.
Here are some guide on how to prepare Sashimi

Ingredients:
Fresh Salmon Fillet (tips: best to get the belly part or fatty salmon will do)
Wasabi
Pickle ginger
Japanese Soy Sauce
1 bowl of clean ice cold water

Japanese Soy Sauce(for Sushi and Sashimi) & Wasabi

Method:
1. Make sure you have a very clean work station- clean chopping board, clean & sharp knife, a plate with kitchen towel ready and a serving plate.
2. Clean the salmon & also the skin part(If the salmon you bought is with skin). Then remove the skin.(Don't throw away the skin, keep it for tempura).
3. Place the bowl of Ice cold water aside.
4. Cut the Salmon fillet to strip with a width of 5cm.
5. Slice the salmon into 1cm thick.
6. Plunge the sliced salmons into the Ice cold water.
7. Wash and dry your hand with clean towel, prepare a the plate with kitchen towel.
8. Dish out the salmon and put it on the kitchen towel and pat dry.
9. Arrange it nicely on a serving plate.
10. Serve it with some wasabi, pickle gingers and Japanese Soy Sauce.

Tips: You can prepare this dish in advance. Make sure it's neatly covered with cling film and keep it in the fridge.

Miso Soup

Simple Homemade Japanese Meal

Miso Soup Ingredients: (serve 1 person)
1 pkt Instant Miso soup mixture
160ml Water
Some diced Tofu
A little bit of sliced spring onion/Leek

Method:
1. Boil water, put in the tofu and instant miso soup mixture.
2. Bring to boil for 1 minute.
3. Add in spring onion or leek.
4. Ready to serve.

Instant Miso soup mixture
As per the instruction on the packaging- Just pour the mixture in a bowl and pour in 160ml of hot water. Stir and ready to serve.