BLACK HAIR HERBAL TONIC

Black Hair Herbal Tonic

is nice to drink as a soup, nice & sweet!

It is good if you want a thicker, black and shiny hair!

To me, it doesn't really matters whether it helps or not, 

the soup is nice to drink!

It is boiled with the following

'BLACK' ingredients:

Black Hair Herbal Tonic

Herbs:

20g Heshouwu

50g black beans, soaked

3 black date or red dates, halved

1-2 dried mushrooms, soaked & cleaned

15g black fungus, soaked & cut smaller

3 longan

20g wolfberry

Either: 1/4 kampong chicken or

            1 black chicken or

            300g spare ribs

1 litre or more boiling water

Method:

1) All herbs, except wolfberry, into the slow cooker

2) pour in 1 litre (or more) boiling water

3) slow cook on 'HIGH'

4) when boiling, add meat & wolfberry, continue to cook on 'HIGH'

5) After 2 hours of boiling, set on 'LOW' to simmer until ready to serve.

Note: can be served with or without 'salt'

FRIED CUCUMBER EGG

Fried Cucumber Egg

is a simple dish

having different textures in one dish!

These are the ingredients:

Fried Cucumber Egg

1 small cucumber

1 egg, beatened

some dried cloud ears, soaked, cleaned & cut smaller

2 garlic, mashed with chopper

1" carrot, sliced thinly

1 Tbsp cooking oil

oyster sauce

salt & sugar to taste

1) wash cucumber, slice off part of the skin

2) cut lengthwise into 1/4, slice away the seeds & cut diagonally

3) heat up a little oil & fry the egg, remove from heat & cut into smaller pieces

4) heat up remaining oil & fry garlic until fragrant

5) add cucumber, cloud ear, egg and carrots to fry

6) add some water & allow to simmer little while

7) add seasoning & dish up.

Note:

Do not cook the vegetable too long as it will be soften!

SINGLE PROOF KILLER TOAST

Single Proof Killer Toast

It has gone viral among the Chinese baking sites 

after the $5000 bread!

It is so soft and fluffy,

yet it is very easy to make,

simply dump all ingredients into the bread machine to knead.

You can also knead in a mixer,

or by hand.

 If you do so, please make sure you get the window panes!!!

Do not like loaves?

Make into buns or rolls.

Children will love its irresistible texture.

Single Proof Killer Toast

390g bread flour (I replace 40g with wholemeal flour)

1.25 tsp instant yeast

250g - 280g  (2 eggs + fresh milk) 

45g sugar

1/2 tsp salt

45g butter

1) all ingredients into the bread machine, bread dough cycle, knead only

2) when done, divide and shape into 2 small loaves

3) allow to proof 60min until double

4) brush with milk before sending into the oven

5) bake in preheated oven 170'C for 45min

Note:
 Add more milk if the dough is dry 

EASY BRAISED CHICKEN FEET NOODLE

Braise chicken feet noodle looks yummy and complicated.

No worry,
braising chicken feet is not too difficult afterall if you know the way.

The beauty of it, is you can braise it and keep it for the next day.

In fact it tastes better after sitting in the fridge.

This is the braise chicken feet prepared ahead

Do you like a no fuss recipe?

Easy Braised Chicken Feet

7 pairs chicken feet, cleaned & chopped 1/2

3 mushrooms soaked overnight & 1/2ed or 1/4ed

2 sea cucumber, soaked and cleaned & softened

2" cinnamon sticks

3 star anise

5 dried chillies

1 large clove galic, whole wedges

few slices ginger

some pepper seed

soya sauce, salt & sugar to taste

dark soya sauce for colour

1) heat up a little oil in a pot, fry the ginger until fragrant

2) add mushroom and sea cucumber & briefly fry

3) add enough water, allow to simmer until mushroom & sea cucumber are softened

4) add chicken feet and the spices and continue braising

5) when done, add soya sauce, both light & dark, salt and sugar to taste

Ideas to serve

1) I have opened a can of abalone to serve with it.

    Just slice the abalone & warm the pieces in the hot gravy.

    cooking it will toughen the abalone!

2) pour the braised chicken feet over the plate of cooked noodle.
    Remember to sprinkle some fried shallots and spring onions for added flavour

PEACH GUM DESSERT

Peach Gum Dessert

is sweet and flavourful because of the abundance in ingredients.

Love it especially when chilled!

This is made with the following dried peach gum

bought from the Chinese Medical Shops.

Other ingredients include red dates, dried longan and goji berries.

I have added 3 pandan leaves for the pandan fragrance.

Peach Gum Dessert

1/2 handful of peach gum, soaked overnight, remove the impurities

3 pandan leaves, knotted

red date, slit open

dried longan

goji berries

rock sugar to taste

1) bring 1/2 pot of water to a boil

2) add pandan leaves & red dates & peach gum, allow to simmer for 10min

3) add dried longan, continue to simmer

4) remove pandan leaves, add goji berries and sugar to taste

5) when sugar has dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool

6) best served when chilled

TAMARIND CHICKEN

Tamarind Chicken
has a sweet and sour taste
with aroma of turmeric and not spicy!

Do not forget to cook more rice as it is very appetizing.

I have adapted this recipe from
Shirley Ong Geok Mooi's Assam/Tamarind Chicken.

Tamarind Chicken

2 chicken drumstick, chopped into bite size

2 Tbsp oil

1 big lemongrass, smashed

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

sugar & salt to taste

Rempah:

blend together

1-2 dried chilli, soaked in boiling water to soften

8 shallots

4 pips garlic

3/4" fresh fresh turmeric

1. heat up oil in a kuali, add the rempah & fry until fragrant

2. add lemongrass & chicken pieces, fry until chicken pieces shrink

3. add some water and allow to simmer until cooked

4. add tamarind paste, salt & sugar to taste

Note:

I have replaced the fresh turmeric with turmeric powder

so the colour is not so bright.

TONKIN JASMINE

Tonkin Jasmine
Scientific name: Telosma Cordata
is commonly known as
夜香花 or 夜来香
in Chinese

It is said in www.huabaike.com that it could improve vision,
reduce eye redness and irritation.

It is a flower but usually cooked and eaten as a vegetable.

It is only available from May to August every year.

2 common methods of cooking is

1) fry with egg

2) boil soup with minced pork

BRAISED SOUR PLUM PORK KNUCKLE

Braised Sour Plum Pork Knuckle

is an appetizing dish to go with steamed rice.

Braised Pork Knuckle
with Sour Plum

Some like to use the soaked plum sold in bottles

but I prefer the taste of dried sour plums.

This one I have added dark soya sauce!

Braised Sour Plum Pork Knuckle
450g pork knuckle, chopped

4 sour plum

1 Tbsp light soya sauce
dash of dark soya sauce for colour ( I added more because my hubby likes it dark)

1/2 tsp sugar, optional

1 Tbsp cooking oil
Either 3 sprigs of spring onions, cut into 1" lengths
           or 1 large onions, sliced

1.  pour boiling water over the pork knuckle pieces to remove smell and dirt.

2.  soak awhile then clean in running water.

3.  heat oil in a pot , add the white part of spring onions to fry

4.  add pork knuckle pieces to fry until shrink.

5.  add sour plum and enough water to cover the pork

6.  bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 30min

7.  add soya sauce and sugar to taste

8.  when meat is soft enough, add spring onions and dark soya sauce if necessary

9.  allow to sit until ready to serve.

Note:
1. Colour should be light, but I have added more because my hubby likes it dark.
    Dark colour will affect its taste!
2. The gravy should have boiled down to just enough to cover the bottom of he bowl.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS

Zucchini Fritters

I have never tasted Zucchini.
By its appearance, I thought it is another species of cucumber.

The vegetable seller told me it is nice to eat,
simply fry it will do.
So I bought one piece, yellow colour one.

Many of my Facebook friends gave suggestions of how to cook this.
My niece Linda Su suggested Fritters.
And here it is: Zucchini Fritters!

After I googled, I realized that it has 10 health benefits!

Here is an extract from Pinterest:

This recipe is found in www.justataste.com

Zucchini Fritters

1 zucchini 7" length, shredded

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 sprigs scallions, cut into small pieces

1 Tbsp oil

salt & pepper to taste

1. mix some salt to the shredded zucchini, and allow it to stand for 15min

2. squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as possible

3. transfer the zucchini to a large bowl, mix in flour, egg and cut scallions

4. add seasoning to taste

5. heat up oil in a pan

6. once the oil is hot, scoop 2 Tbsp mounds of batter into the pan, press lightly

7. cook for 2-3min, then flip over and cook another 2 min until brown and cooked through.

8. serve warm when it is crispy.

HONEY LEMON BUTTER POUND CAKE

Honey Lemon Butter Pound Cake

is a simple and yet surprisingly flavourful cake.

Without using the egg separation method

the crumbs are not fine but

It is the signature of a pound cake!

I love the bright yellow colour.

I have adapted this recipe from Barry Apek's

Honey Lemon Butter Pound Cake

4 large eggs, weigh & remove enough egg white to leave

175g of egg

50g lemon juice

25g honey, stir into lemon juice above

250g unsalted butter

250g self-raising flour

200g caster sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1. cream butter, sugar and salt until light & fluffy

2. add eggs, one at a time, beat until well incorporated

3. fold in flour in 3 additions, alternate with honey-lemon mix

4. pour into a greased, bottom-lined, 8" round pan or 2 loaf pan

5. bake in preheated oven @ 170'C 

6. 1st 15min at high level, next 45min at the bottom level.

7. leave to cool on rack