Monday 3 March 2014

[Weekly Meal Planner] Double-Boiled Winter Melon Soup And Pan-fried Batang Fish

Time flies and now that we are already in the 1st week of March where most of the primary school kids are having their CA1 (Continual Assessment Test) I am sure most of the parents will be busy with the revisions. In this post I will be sharing how to prepare individual serving portion of Double-boiled Winter Melon Soup as well as one of our favourite dish; Pan-fried Mackerel (Batang / 马鲛鱼).

Different Types of Ceramic Soup Pot
I am sure you have seen these ceramic soup pot (炖盅) while ordering double-boiled soup from restaurants or food center. Above are some of the collections that I have for different type of soup ranging from savoury to dessert. For your information, you can either used individual soup pot for a bigger pot for sharing purpose, meaning it all depends on what type of soup and the serving methods.

* Ceramic Soup Pot can be purchased in some big scale Supermarkets (kitchenware sections), Departmental Stores, Kitchenware Shops and etc. Prices might range between SG$2++ to SG$20++ depending on the size.



DOUBLE-BOILED WINTER MELON SOUP


Winter Melon (冬瓜) which is commonly used in dishes, stews or soup is known to remove heartiness and help detoxify the body. But since it is one of the cooling ingredients, it should be carefully consumed and avoid during the 1st stage of pregnancy or when one is having diarrhea or loose stool.

For the recipe below I added dried scallop and red date in order to enhance the sweetness and flavour of the soup. Also due to my "weak body" as prescribe by the Chinese Physician I am advice to add in a slice of ginger to "warm" the soup nature.


(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 60 minutes)

Ingredients:
150g Winter Melon (冬瓜), skin removed and cut into cubes
2 Big Dried Scallop (干贝)
2 Chicken Maryland, cut into quarter each
6 Red Dates
2 Small Slices Of Ginger
1 Piece of Dang Sheng (党参), halved
800ml Hot Water
2 Ceramic Soup Pot (炖盅)

Method:
1. Blanch chicken pieces in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove, rinse and drain well.

2. Bring 800ml water to boil, add in chicken pieces and winter melon, bring to boil then simmer for at least 5 minutes to release flavour.

3. Divide the rest of the ingredients (red dates, scallop, dang sheng, ginger) into 2 individual soup pot, fill it with winter melon soup and leave at least 1cm allowance.

4. Cover soup pot with lid, steamed/double-boiled for at least an hour to hour and a half. Season with salt (if prefer) and serve.



PAN-FRIED MACKEREL (BATANG) FISH


If you have being following my Instagram (@cuisineparadise) postings you would probably notice that our family loves fish especially Mackerel and Cod Fish. And this Pan-fried Mackerel (Batang) is one of our favourite which I often includes in our weekly menu. For my method I love to add in ginger and/or lemongrass to perfume the fish so that in a way it helps to get rid of those fishy smell too.

Between just for your information Batang is also known as "Spanish Mackerel / 马鲛鱼" which contains great source of protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins A, B and etc.

(Serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 8-10 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Pieces of Mackerel (Batang) Fish Steaks
2 Stalks of Lemongrass, cut into section and bruised
2 Slices of Ginger
Cornflour for dusting
3 Tablespoons of Cooking Oil

Method:-
1. Rinse and pat-dry Mackerel steaks then lightly dust them with cornflour.

2. Preheat frying pan with 3 tablespoons of oil, add in ginger and lemongrass then saute them for 10 seconds on medium low heat before sliding in the mackerel steaks.

3. Pan-fry the fish for 3 - 5 minutes (depend on the size and thickness) till golden brown and crispy. Turn over and continue to fry the other side till golden too.

4. Remove fish steaks on serving plate, drizzle 1/2 tablespoon each of light soy sauce and oil from cooking the fish and serve immediately.

1 comment:

  1. I like the way your cooking style!

    ReplyDelete

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