[$20 Budget Meal] Winter Melon, Woodear and Pork Ribs Soup, Stir-fry Nai Bai and Steamed Threadfin With Zha Cai

With S$12.00 on hand what do you usually order for dinner to feed a family of 3 - 4 person? Is it a S$3.00 packet of Chicken Rice or those mixed vegetables Economical Rice(Chap Chye Rice)? Here with S$12.20 we managed to whip up a hearty Winter Melon Soup to cool down the heat, Stir-fry Nai Bai for the greens and a plate of healthy Steamed Threadfin to increase daily protein in-take especially for growing kids.

This is a very light and refreshing soup with the nature sweetness from the sweetcorn, red dates and wolfberries. The adding of winter melon helps to cool down the body system whereas the woodear(black fungus) in Chinese herbal medicine term it is usually use to increase the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation.

WINTER MELON, WOODEAR AND PORK RIBS SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
300g Of Pork Ribs
150g Winter Melon, cut into chunk
2 Cluster of Fresh Woodears(Black Fungus/木耳), cut into big pieces
1 Sweet Corn, cut into sections
6 Big Red Dates

Method:-

1. Blanched pork ribs in boiling water for 2 - 3 minutes, remove and rinse with tap water. Set aside.

2. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil in a soup pot.

3. Add in all the ingredients except wolfberries and when the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes.

4. Lastly drop in wolfberries and season with salt to taste according to own preference.


Total cost for this dish is about S$6.00 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Pork Ribs = S$3.00
~ Fresh Woodear = S$1.00
~ Fresh Winter melon and Corn= S$2.00

This is one type of Baby Bok Choy or also known as "China Nai Bai(乃白菜)" that comes with curl and dark green leaves compared to the other type with lime green leaves. I usually bought this type "mini" veggie instead of the full-grown size to use for stir-fry as they are more tasty and crunch. And what you need to do is just trim the leaves/stalks, rinse it with water to get rid of the dirt/soil in between before cooking.

Ingredients:

1 Packet of Baby Bok Choy Nai Bai Cai(乃白菜)
2 Slices of Ginger
2 Cloves of Garlic, light pound
Pinch of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
Some Wolfberries, optional

Method:-

1. Heat up a large frying pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.

2. Add in garlic and ginger, saute it for about 30 seconds till fragrant.

3. Quickly throw in drained bok choy and stir till the leaves begin to wilt.

4. Season with salt, cooking wine and add in the wolfberries, give it a quick toss before dishing it up on serving plate.


Total cost for this dish is about S$2.00 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Baby Bok Choy Nai Bai Cai(乃白菜) = S$2.00

STEAMED THREADFIN WITH SALTED PICKLES(ZHA CAI)

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Piece of Threafin Fillet, around 300g
50g of Salted Pickles(榨菜)
2 Stalls of Spring Onion, cut into sections
Few Slices of Ginger, jubilee
1 Chili (optional), cut into thin slices

Seasoning:
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
Dash of Pepper

Method:-

1. Clean and remove any scales from the fish, rinse and pat dry using kitchen paper towel. Set aside.

2. Rinse salted pickles under tap water, drain well and cut into 0.5cm thick strips. Put 1/2 portion of it on steaming plate together with some ginger and spring onion before placing the fish on top.

3. Top fish with the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with seasonings.

4. When the pot of water comes to boil, steamed fish over medium high heat for about 10 - 15 minute till the fish is cooked through.(you can test using a fork to flake the fish meat after 10 minutes to check)

5. To serve, drizzle some extra sesame oil and dash of pepper on it and spoon some sauce at the bottom of the fish to moist the fillet and enhance the taste.

Total cost for this dish is about S$4.20 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Threadfin = S$3.50
~ Salted Pickles = S$0.30
~ Ginger, Chili and Spring onion = S$0.40

[Blog Event] 2 Dishes plus 1 Soup

Recently we have come out a blog event on $20.00 Budget Meal with aim to encourage those who loves to prepare simple homecooked meal to share with us their meal planning and budget tips. We hope to take this opportunity to learn from each other on how to plan and prepare some quick and easy nutritious dishes even with minimum sum of budget given.

So far I have a few responds and enquires from readers but I do hope to see more supporter(s) for this event if you/your helper do prepared a budget meal smilar to this post. For example below shows the 2  Dishes plus 1 Soup menu which I spent a total of S$19.20 to prepare and serves 4.



STIR-FRY BITTER GOURD WITH EGG

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Small Bitter Gourd(苦瓜), about 150g
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Shrimps, soaked till soften
2 Eggs
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
50ml Hot Water

Seasonings
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
Dash of Light Soy Sauce

Methods:-

1. Remove seeds from the bitter gourd and slice it thinly before rubbing it with with 1 teaspoon of salt. Rinse well with water and set side to drain.

2. Preheat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, saute dried shrimp(pound lightly before use) until fragrant, add in garlic and continue to fry for another 10 seconds before adding in the drained bitter gourd.

3. Fry for a another 10 seconds, add in powder chicken stock, water and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Lastly crack in eggs, give it a quick stir and simmer till the mixture became thicken.

5. Add in dash of light soy sauce, stir, dish up and serve.


Bitter Gourd (苦瓜) being rich in all the essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron. It can also be use to treat complications such as hypertension, eye complications if consume regularly. For this quick and nutritious dish it cost around S$2.10 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$1.00
~ Egg = S$0.40
~ Dried Shrimp and Garlic  = S$0.70




STEAM KURAU FISH WITH SALTED VEGETABLES

Ingredients: (serves 4)

400g of Kurau Fish(马友鱼), tail portion
150g of Preserved Salted Vegetable, cut into slices
2 Fresh Shittake Mushroom, thinly slice
1 - 2 Stalks of Spring Onion, cut into sections
3 Slices of Ginger, cut into thin strips
1 Chili, seed removed and cut into slices

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Clean and remove any scales from the fish, rinse and pat dry using kitchen paper towel. Set aside.

2. Rinse salted vegetables under tap water, drain well and cut into slices. Put 1/3 portion of it on steaming plate together with some ginger and spring onion before placing the fish on top.

3. Top fish with the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with seasonings.

4. When the pot of water comes to boil, steamed fish over medium high heat for about 12 - 15 minute till the fish is cooked through.(you can test using a fork to flake the fish meat after 12 minutes to check)

5. To serve, drizzle some extra sesame oil and dash of pepper on it and spoon some sauce at the bottom of the fish to moist the fillet and enhance the taste.


  Out of the 3 dishes, this steamed fish is consider to be the most expensive as the Kurau Fish cost around S$3.00per 100g. Total cost for this dish is about S$14.40 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Kurau Fish Tail = S$12.90
~ Salted Vegetable = S$0.60
~ Mushroom = S$0.40
~ Chili and Spring onion = S$0.50



BLACK MOSS TOFU SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Box of Silken Tofu, cut into small cubes
50g Minced Pork
1 Tablespoon of Black Moss, soaked in water till soft
1 Shallot, finely chopped
2 Slices of Ginger, optional
1.2 Litres Hot Water
1/2 Chicken Stock Cube
1 Tablespoon Cornflour Solution
Some chopped Spring Onion

Method:-

1. Rinse the beancurd and cut into small cubes. Rinse the soften black moss and cut into shorter lengths.

2. Marinate mince pork with 1.5 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1.5 teaspoon cornflour and dash of pepper. Stir well and set aside.

3. Heat up 1/2 tablespoon of oil in soup pot, add in chopped shallot, ginger and saute it till fragrant.

4. Add in minced pork, press and stir with a spatula to break the pork into bits.

5. Pour in water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the stock cube, beancurd and black moss.

6. When the mixture comes to boil again, stir in some cornflour solution(mix 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1/2 tablespoon water) to thicken the soup.

7. To serve, top with ground pepper and chopping spring onion or coriander.


This quick and easy soup is done in less than 15 minutes of cooking time which you can prepared while steaming the fish so that you do not need to reheat it before serving. Total cost for this dish is about S$2.70 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Silken Tofu = S$0.90
~ Minced Meat = S$1.00
~ Black Moss = S$0.50
~ Shallot and Spring onion = S$0.30



For more read up or ideas on how to submit your homecooked dish for this event, you can also refer to these 2 submission below:- or follow the link HERE. Hope to see your entry soon, closing date EXTEND to next Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2359 Hours.


SINGAPORE: with total costs of S$19.50


2 Dishes, 1 Soup (两菜一汤 ) by WaiFong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

BANGKOK: with total cost of THB 340 or S$14.30

2 Dishes plus 1 Soup by Amy of  Mothering Corner

Closing Date: Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2359 Hours.

Asian-style Baked Sutchi Fillet

Sutchi Fillet is a white and greasy fillet of “Catfish” with a fancy name. This fillet is usually found in the frozen department in most local supermarkets which is cheap and great for cooking processes such as steaming, breaded, pan-fried or baked. Even though it might have slight frozen smell or fishy taste but the texture of was rather smooth and fine which is easy to consume by kids.

For this dish, I marinated the fillet with sesame oil, ginger and garlic at least an hour or more before cooking time in order to mask up the frozen taste of the fillet.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Pieces of Sutchi Fillet, thawed
4 Slices of Ginger
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame oil

Seasonings:
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Fermented Black Beans(豆豉)
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
4 - 5 Slices of Ginger, julienned
2 Shallot, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 Small Chili, thinly sliced diagonally
1/2 Stalk Spring Onion, thinly sliced diagonally

For this dish, I spent around S$5.00 with sutchi fillet cost around S$2.00 for 1 piece, $3.00 for baby bok choy, ginger, chili, shallot and etc.

Method:

1. Grease 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on baking tray or disposal foil tray. Top with fish fillet.

2. Combine oyster sauce, cooking wine and sesame oil in a small bowl.

3. Spoon the seasoning sauce over fish fillet, top with ginger, chili, spring onion(half portion) and fermented black bean. Cover the tray with foil.

OR

~ Saute the ginger and shallot over medium heat till sligh golden brown, toss in fermented black bean, chili and spring onion and continue to fry for another 10 seconds before adding in the sauce mixture (oyster sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil).

~ Spoon mixture evenly onto the prepared fillet, cover the tray with foil.

4. Bake for 15 minutes in oven toaster, remove the foil cover and continue to bake for another 5 minutes uncovered till fish is cooked through.

5. Sprinkle with reserved spring onion and serve together with prepared baby bok choy.

Pan-fried White Spotted Rabbitfish With Leeks

Chinese New Year is just a few days away and I believe every household is busying with preparing the food, beverage, clothing and etc before the coming New Year. Or perhaps some of you are having reunion dinner this weekend while everyone is off work and available at home. For Teochew family like us, our Chinese New Year reunion dinner can never go without this “Pan-fried White Spotted Rabbitfish With Leeks” when my dad was still around.

If you often frequent those Teochew Porridge stalls in food centre or coffee shop, I am sure you will be familiar with their signature Steam White Spotted Rabbitfish(清蒸白肚鱼) which goes well with their traditional dipping sauce make with "salted bean paste(豆豉), minced garlic and cut chilies".

As you know Leeks belong to the same category as onion family where you will link to those thick stalked European leeks that are commonly found in supermarkets which have a mild sweet flavor that is suitable for making soup or pie. But as for Chinese leeks on the other hand they are smaller and thinner which resemble thick scallion that has strong flavor, which makes them a staple ingredient in most Chinese cooking. Also most of the Chinese believe that by storing more LEEKS(蒜)at home it means you will have more money to COUNT(算)as both have the same pronunciation in Mandarin.

  Every year during Chinese New Year these “White Spotted Rabbitfish(白肚鱼)” will be highly in demand at both the wet and local supermarkets. And for your information the price of these fish can go as high as up to S$35.00 – S$40.00 per kilogram. These fish also has another name known as “Pei Tor” and by eating it most of the Chinese believe it brings good luck and prosper during the year. Also during this breeding period of the year, these fish are big in size and they do comes with roes that are particularly relished too.

Here is a photo of  the steps on preparing this dish.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

3 - 4 Medium Size (350g) White Spotted Rabbitfish
3 Stalks of Chinese Leeks, cut into diagonal sections
2 Slices of Ginger
1 Teaspoon of Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
80ml Hot Water

Method:

1. Clean and rinse the fish, pat dry with kitchen paper towel and set side.
2. Preheat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, pan-fry the fish on both side for about 3 minutes under medium heat or till slightly golden brown. Dish up.
3. Using the same pan add in ginger and minced garlic, sauté till fragrant before adding the sliced leeks.
4. Continue to stir-fry the leeks for another 2 – 3 minutes until soften add in 80ml of hot water and chicken stock powder to taste.
5. Place the cooked fish on top of the leeks and simmer for another 1 minute on medium low heat, carefully give it a quick stir in between to let the fish absorb the flavour from the leeks mixture.
6. When done dish up and serve with hot steamed rice.


If you do cooked this white spotted rabbitfish at home, it would be great if you would like to share with us how you prepared them. Because for us, we only cooked it with leeks or steam and eat it fresh with light soy sauce.

Poached Prawns in Young Coconut Juice

Prawns are very versatile ingredients that could be used in different way of cooking methods such as deep-fried, steamed, grilled and etc. In Singapore the common way of eating live prawns would be steaming it with minced garlic or poached in cooking wine or herbs. But In Vietnam culinary this Poached Prawns in Coconut Juice (Tom Hap Nuoc Dua) is one of their common way of cooking live prawn which you could easily find in their ordering menu.

In Vietnam they usually used live river prawns for this dish and it is steamed in young coconut juice which is very simple and easy to be prepared.  And by soaking the prawns into the coconut juice it would also increases the sweet and delicious flavour of the dish. But for this recipe I trying using frozen prawns instead of fresh live prawns and it taste just as good as it is too.

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 3)

1 Young Coconut
10 - 12 Medium Prawns

Dipping Sauces:
1 - 2 Small Red/Green Chilies, sliced
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Fresh Thai Lime Juice
1/2 Tablespoon of Drinking Water

Method:

1. Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together and set aside for use.


These are some of the collage photos of the ingredients and preparation steps for this dish.

Method:
1. Slowly cut and remove the lid of the young coconut and pour the juice into a small saucepan. Set aside.
2. Next use a spoon carefully scrap down the flesh from the side of the shell and leave the flesh in it.
3. Bring the pot of coconut juice to boil on low heat while trimming get ready the prawns for cooking.
4. When the coconut juice comes to boil, add  in half of the prawns and let it simmer on medium heat for about 2 minutes or so till the prawns are cooked through.
5. Removed prawns on plate and repeat the 2nd batch of prawns.
6. After all the prawns are done, pour the coconut juice back into the shell and place the cooked prawns hanging around the top of the shell. (refer to the photo above)
7. Served immediately with dipping sauce.


With Chinese New Year around the corner and the increasing of seafood prices during pre-festive season perhaps you can consider getting a box of this new CP Frozen Raw Head-On Shell-On Shrimp. It is packed using only the fresh and superior quality of live shrimps that are flash-frozen to a temperature lower than -18 degree for safety consuming.
Retail Price: S$6.95 per box (about 20 - 25 Size L Prawns)


Even though I used frozen prawns for this recipe but surprisingly the end-result still turns out well too. The prawns are crunchy when bites and the sweetness and aroma of the young coconut juice definitely brings up the taste of this dish. Just to share in  Vietnam culture they only dipped the prawns in the coconut juice without drinking the soup but for me I think the juice itself is rather fragrant and with that extra sweetness from the cooked prawns. I think perhaps by adding some cooked rice vermicelli this could turn out to be a great one dish meal too.

Braised Fish Head with Fermented Black Bean

I am sure for those who frequent Cze Cha Stall(煮炒摊) would have tried the "Fish Head with Bitter Gourd and Fermented Black Bean - 苦瓜豆豉鱼头" before. Some stalls marinate the fish head parts with seasoning then coat with some flour and deep-fried till slightly golden in colour before cooking it together with the bitter gourd and etc.

For those who have little one at home, eating fish in such manner might be slightly difficult and have to be extra careful. But if you wish to give this a try, I suggest perhaps you can consider to swap the fish head with fish fillet or chicken wings, for a similar recipe read HERE.

Ingredient: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Packet of Fish Head Parts, about 500g
3/4 Tablespoon Fermented Black Beans(豆豉)
2 Small Red Chilli, cut into slices
1 Medium Size Red Onion, cut into wedges
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
3 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

Seasoning:
100ml Water
3/4 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

Method:
1. Wash and wipe fry the fish parts then Marinate them with 1 teaspoon each of light soy sauce and corn flour together with dash of pepper and sesame oil. (leave it in the fridge for at least 20 - 30 minutes before cooking)
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the wok, pan-fry the marinated fish parts on both side till slightly golden, removed and set aside.
3. Next add in the chopped garlic, red onion, spring onion, chilli(optional) and fermented black bean, give it a quick stir and sauté till fragrance.
5. Add in the fish parts and seasoning (mix all the ingredients till combined) together, when the mixture comes to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer(remember to cover the pot) for about 5 minutes so that the fish can absorb the seasonings while simmering.
6. Removed and serve warm with rice.

Note:

~ You can get pre-packed fish head parts in major super markets or you can purchase whole fish head from wet market and ask the fishmonger to cut it into pieces for you.

I have omitted the bitter gourd in this dish but if you prefer you still can add them in by referring to this recipe HERE. As you can see from the photo, although this might be some fish head parts but they are still worth buying with those thick chunk of meat attached. Sometime you might be able to find some real good salmon fish head for making miso soup too.

Baked Salmon With Lime ~ 香烤鲑鱼

Everyone in our family loves fish especially Cod and Salmon, so eventually these two choices are always in my purchase list. Today I would like to share a quick and easy “Baked Salmon with Lime” dish that are ready to be served in less than 30 minutes. This will be a great weekday healthy dish for working mothers whom need to prepare dinner after a hectic day at work.

You can choose any parts of the salmon from cutlet to fillet depending on your preference or what you can snap from the supermarket. As for the Lime, try to get those huge one from supermarket rather than those common small type that used our juice or garnishing.

Ingredients:
1 Salmon Cutlet, about 350g
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
5g Of Shredded Ginger
1 Chili, deseed and cut into strips (optional)

Seasoning:
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
Rind of 1 Lime
1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns, lightly crashed
5g of Butter, cubes

Method:
1. Clean, remove all the scales and pad dry the cutlet with paper towel and place it on baking tray or foil.
2. Season the fish all around with cooking wine, lime rind and lime juice then top it evenly with crashed peppercorns, shredded ginger, chili, spring onion and butter cubes.
3. You can either baked it in a pre-heated oven at 200 degree for 12 minutes or you can toast it in the oven toaster for 15 - 18 minutes depend on the thickness and how well you want it to be cooked.

Note:

~ You can omit the chili if it is too spicy for the kids.

~ You can prepared all the ingredients ahead and store in the fridge, just assemble them and bake when you reach home.

~ If you prefer something light for mid-week, perhaps you can consider this dish with some blanched broccoli or mashed potato instead of rice.

This will definitely be a refreshing dish due to the use of fresh Lime rind and juice together with freshly crashed black peppercorns to give that extra hint of aroma when baked. If you don’t like salmon, you can always replaced it with any firm fish fillet that are suitable for baking such as Dory Fillet, Cream Snapper, Barramundi fillet and etc. (you can also refer to this LINK for my past recipes on Salmon)

Steam Salmon Fillet With Herbs

Here is another Chinese New Year auspicious dish from Cuisine Paradise Kitchen. Despite of the Cod Fish that I always used, Salmon is another type of fish that is always on my shopping list. And since now is near to the Chinese New Year festive season, I think having something which is "BRIGHT" and "RED" will be a great presentation to impress our guests during Chinese New Year gathering...... So let me share with you my 2nd Chinese New Year "Fish" dish which I called it "鸿运当头" due to the colour of the salmon slices and herbs like red dates and wolfberries.

The idea of steaming salmon with Chinese Herbs came into my mind because I wanted to prepare something different using the salmon fillet that I bought. Instead of the usual pan-fry, bake with herbs or poaching.... I think maybe I can in-cooperate some Chinese Herbs to it and turn the Salmon into a Auspicious Chinese New Year dish.......... There are a few types of Salmon available in the supermarket or Japanese seafood stall, but usually those that we get from the local supermarket are the Norwegian Salmon which is sold in pre-packed of different parts of the salmon fillet from head to tail. No matter how you like to consume your salmon in a way from RAW to grill or poach, I am sure every different methods will brings up another level of taste in the salmon.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Pieces of Boneless Salmon Fillet, abt 400g
10g Shredded Ginger
1 Stall of Spring Onion, cut into long section
4 Red Dates, soften and cut into halves
1/2 Teaspoon of Wolfberries
2 Slices of Dang Gui, break into smaller portion
Drizzle of Sesame Oil, optional

Method:
1. Rinse the Salmon fillet, pat dry and cut into slices and set aside.
2. Place some spring onion on a steaming plate, top with some Dang Gui slices and arrange the salmon slices on top of it.
3. Scatter the red dates and wolfberries evenly on the salmon slices then get ready a pot of boiling water for steaming.
4. While waiting for the water to boil, pre-heat a small frying pan with about 1 tablespoon of oil, sauté the shredded ginger till fragrant and golden brown, removed and set aside for garnish.
5. When the pot of water boils, place some saute ginger on top of the salmon slices, drizzle some ginger oil and scatter some extra chopped spring onion and steam it over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes depend on the thickness of the salmon slices.
6. Before severing, top with the remaining saute ginger and oil and try to scoop a few teaspoons of the fish gravy(after steaming the fish, there will be some water/sauce appears below the fish) over the fish in order to make it look more glossy and presentable.

Note:-
~ This dish is best to serve warm, just right after steaming or else the texture of the salmon slices will be tough and not smooth.

Finally, this is the end product of my "Steam Salmon Fillet with Herbs - 鸿运当头" which I hope those who consume this will have great Prosperity and luck in the coming year. If you are going to try out this dish, do let me know your feedback irregardless of good/bad :) Till then I will leave you with the two Chinese New Year Fish Dish that I have shared with you..... Will update more if I have any new ideas to share......

Steam Cod With Tangerine

Chinese New Year is just two weeks from today. The festival traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month (Chinese: 正月) in the Chinese calendar and ends on the 15th day. So for this coming festival, let me share with you one of the dish that I have prepared for my Chinese New Year Menu :) It's called Steam Cod With Tangerine and "如鱼得水" in Mandarin.

This is a very eye catching colourful dish that is full of favour. As you can see from the ingredient pictures, I actually used the New Year Tangerine as one of the ingredients because of it's wonderful colour and fragrance. The tangerine is an orange or red coloured citrus fruit and it is a variety of the Mandarin orange. The fresh fruit is also used in salads, desserts and main dishes. Tangerines are a good source of vitamin C, folate and beta-carotene. They also contain some potassium, magnesium and vitamins B1, B2 & B3. The combination of Cod and use of some Chinese Herbs will eventually brings out the natural taste of the dish with any seasonings.

There are a few versions that you can come out with using the ingredients shown in this dish. It's just a matter on how you prepare it to suit your family taste-buds. Eg. If you or your family don't like the strong fragrance of the Dang Gui - 当归片, you can omit it and it be be just like an normal steam cod dish without herbs. But since I am serving this as an individual portion, the usage of Dang Gui is only a small slice per plate just in order to fragrance the cod and cover the fishy smell......This is a very simple, and easy to prepare dish which you can do it even if you don't have tangerine, just replace it with Orange.........

Ok I will leave you with this Chinese New Year dish and I would also like to take this Opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year earlier just in case I am too busy to post anything till then.........

Ingredients: (serves 2)
6 Slices of 2" x 4.5" Cod Fillet(雪鱼)
2 Medium Size Prawns
1/2 Tablespoons Wolfberries(枸杞)
2 Small Slices Of Dang Gui(当归片)
2 Tablespoons Rice Wine(黄酒) or Mirin
1 or 2 Tangerines(桔子)

Methods:
1. Remove the shell of the prawns and leave the tail part on, devein and cut a small opening slit at the middle of the back and push the tail through the hole bending on the belly side.
2. Slowly remove the peel of the tangerine, then cut it into thin strips and set aside. Next remove the white pits of the tangerine flesh and separate each wedges and set aside.
3. Place 3 slices of the cod fish one on top of each other but leave about 1/2 cm allowance between each slice then roll it up and place it on a small plate.
4. Next place the prepared prawn on top of the fish slices (refer to ingredient picture, 1st row - column 2).
5. Break a slice of the dang gui into half then place it on the both side of the fish pyramid, sprinkler with some wolfberries and arrange some tangerine wedges on the side of the plate.
6. Upon steaming, drizzle 1 tablespoon of rice wine on the fish, top with tangerine peel strips and steam over medium heat for about 5 minutes or till cooked through depend quantity used.
7. Serve hot with rice or as starter.


Notes:
a) If you don't like cod, you can replace it with other fish fillet that is suitable for steaming, eg. Grouper - 石斑.
b) You can also omit the prawn and just purely using fish slices.
c) If you don't have Rice Wine, you can replace it with 2 Teaspoons of Hua Diao Jiu (花雕酒) instead as the taste is much stronger than the sweet rice wine.
d) You can also replace it with 2 Tablespoons of Chicken Stock if you do not wish to serve liquor to kids.

Comments from my food taster :)
* You can actually taste a few favour and fragrance in this dish. When you drink the gravy, it's full of tonic and sweetness because of the rice wine, cod and wolfberries and it's also scented with some tangerine fragrance.

*When you give a bite to the fish, it's smooth, silky and it has a combination of dang gui and tangerine peel taste which make it light and refresh.

Related Post:
1. Steam Cod Fish & Double Boil Frog Soup

2. Steam Cod Fish With Crispy Bean