Joining the Happy Call craze - Bak Kwa, Stir-fry Choy Sum and Grilled Teriyaki Saba

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Bracing into a brand new Year, a good head start with healthy cooking and diet would be my aim for this 2012. As age is catching up we have to be more careful with the food we eat and the way it is prepared. So since two months back I have being trying to in cooperate more steamed and baked dishes such as at least two steamed fish per week and daily stir-fry/blanched green vegetables.

We also tried to cut down or replace fatty meat and high carbo stuffs to perhaps once a week or every two weeks. Sometime I think working in the kitchen is rather more difficult and hectic than working in the office. As we have to plan the daily menu, grab fresh ingredients and at the same time monitor the in take of food in order to create a healthy life-style which I think is not an easy job. In this post, I would love to share with you a new pan and a facebook group which I have discovered recently and I hope it might add some good tips to your kitchen pantry and meal planning too.

Actually I got to know Happy Call pressure pan(HPC) quite long ago through my mum as she is using it for cooking since 2 years back.  And since I have my own loyal brand of non-stick pan I didn't bother to find out more about Happy Call pan from mum and I also seldom use it in my daily cooking. It's only until recently that I bump into a Happy Call group(known as Munch Ministry) in facebook where the members use it to cook up a lot of delicious and effortless dishes then I realise the magic of this pan.

I have two sizes of Happy Call pressure pan - which are the Normal pan and Deep Ocher Pan both can be used for cooking, baking and steaming. Below are 3 quick and easy recipes using HCP which I hope you would find it useful if you do own a HCP too. (for your information this is not a advertorial post, it is only base on my personal view and sharing)

BAK KWA - BBQ PORK

Chinese New Year is barley about 3 weeks around the corner and everyone is busying with spring cleaning, storing up groceries and etc. Recently at the Happy Call facebook group where most of its members are using Happy Call pressure pan to make interesting snacks and pastries. And since Chinese New Year is approaching everyone is joining the craze to make Bak Kwa - BBQ Pork. 

Recipe adapted from Munch Ministry website, HERE.
(Make: 5 pieces | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 - 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
250g Minced Pork Meat
1 Tablespoon Maltose
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking/Rose Wine
1 Teaspoon Red Glutinous Rice Lees
1/4 Teaspoon Five Spice Powder
2 Tablespoons Sugar

Method:-

1. Marinate the minced pork with the rest of the ingredients for about 30 minutes or more in the refrigerate.

2. Cut the baking paper according to the size of your Happy Call pan, set aside.

3. Spoon about 1 - 1 1/2 tablespoons of meat mixture on prepared baking paper, spread out thinly according to your preference. (refer to the photos above)

4. Preheat Happy Call pan (without oil) for 1 minute, place a sheet of the meat spread on the pan. Once the base is cooked, flip the meat over and slowly remove the baking paper.

5. On low heat continue to pan fry each side until cooked and a bit charred. Remove and repeat on another sheet of meat spread. (you can wipe the pan with paper kitchen towel in between to remove any burnt residue or stain )

Although ours is not as nicely done as compared to those commercial ones outside but this is indeed our 1st time making Bak Kwa at home and it is definitely something interesting.  At least we know what kind of ingredients is being used and we can to control the amount of sweetness and taste accordingly to our preference too. For more information and video on how to make Bak Kwa you can refer to the website at HERE.

STIR-FRY CHOY SUM

Using Happy Call pressure pan to stir-fry vegetables retain it's natural green and crunchy texture which our family loves.  And moreover the quick cooking due to the heat pressure enable food to cook faster and less hassle due to oil splashing and etc during cooking.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 5 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Baby Choy Sum, cut into sections
3 Fresh shiitakeMushroom, thickly sliced
3 Slices of Ginger
2 Clove of Garlics
1 Teaspoon of Oil
1 Teaspoon Knorr Hao Chi All-in-1 Seasoning 1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Soak and rinse the vegetables at last twice before draining it well and set aside.

2. Preheat Happy Call pan for about 2 minutes, saute ginger, garlic cloves and mushroom with some oil for about 1 minute(pan closed and locked).

3. Open the pan, give the wilted mushroom a quick stir, evenly spread the drained vegetable on top. Cover the pan, locked and cook for 20 seconds before flipping the pan and cook another 20 seconds.(flipping the pan enables the dish to be evenly cooked)

4. Flip the pan over, open(red seal facing upwards) and drizzle some cooking wine and seasonings over the vegetables, give a quick stir and remove from pan.

5. To serve, top it with some fried shallot to enhance the flavour.

GRILLED TERIYAKI SABA

Finally at the 1st day 2012, I managed to spot fresh Saba fish at one of seafood stalls in my wet market. So without hesitate, I bought medium one to try out our favourite grilled Teriyaki Saba. Even though we love fish especially those pan-fried or grilled over stove but the stinky fishy smells always put me off cooking it until I discover this Happy Call pressure pan.

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

Ingredients:
1 Medium Size Saba Fish, halves
Freshly Ground Salt and Pepper
2 Tablespoon Homemade/Bottled Teriyaki Sauce

Method:-

1. Rinse and pat dry the fish with kitchen paper towel. Lightly marinate it with some salt and pepper, set aside for 5 minutes.

2. Preheat Happy Call pan for 2 minutes on low heat. put in the fish as shown above. Cover, locked and cook for 3 minutes before flipping over and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. (I cook on medium heat for the last 1 minute to get that golden brown and crispy skin)

3. Lastly flip the pan over open, evenly drizzle the teriyaki sauce over the fish and let it cook for 10 second on low heat.

4. Remove and serve with either rice or noodle.

As you can see from the photo above, Happy Call pressure pan can cooks meat and fish perfect leaving it with a moist and tender texture. This fish is cook for around 8 minutes and we love its juicy and soft texture which compared some dry ones sold in certain Japanese restaurants or food center. And moreover the most importantly fact is it reduce that stinky fishy smell when frying fish and as well minimize the greasy area around the stove.

For the next Happy Call post, I would try making some cakes/pastries which I hope I would be able to share my experience with you too.

Yacon And Lotus Roots Peanut Soup

After a long day at work, a bowl of hearty home cook soup is always something that I look forward to. And I can even starts to imagine the fragrant and taste of the soup during my journey back home. As a frequent reader(s) of this blog you will notice that I loves to try out using different ingredients to prepare my soup. And today we are looking into a new ingredient known as "Yacon - 冰山雪莲果" which is commonly used for either soup or salad in Singapore.

Yacon(冰山雪莲果) is a sweet and crunchy vegetable that has a flavour similar to an apple. It grows in a variety of different colors including pink, orange, white or purple. In the United States, Yacon that is sold in markets is typically white compared to the orange type that we have in Singapore. According to some google read-up this vegetable is very high in fiber and low in calories which makes it a healthy and nutritious snack. (read more HERE)

From a glance at this Yacon, sometime you might even mistaken it as the some kind of Sweet Potato due to it's shape and colour.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
300g Pork Ribs (排骨)
1 Medium Size Yacon(冰山雪莲果)
150g Lotus Roots(莲藕)
50g Soup Peanuts(花生)
4 - 6 Red Dates (红枣)
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries(枸杞), optional

Method:-

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

2. Soak peanuts in hot/warm water for about 5 minutes, rinse well and set aside.

3. Remove the outer skin of the yacon and cut into thick chunks. Whereas for the lotus roots remove the skin and cut into thick slices.

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

5. Add in all the ingredients except wolfberries and when the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 40 minutes or until peanuts soften.

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

[$20 Budget Meal] Bitter Gourd Soup, Stir-fried Leek with Firm Tofu And Stuffed Squid With Minced Pork

For some of you who look at this photo, does it look something familiar to you which brings back some of your Childhood memories? While sharing the photo of this dish with some of my facebook friends, some of them comments this is one of their favourite dish which they have not eaten for very long time.

From those comments it occurs to me that some how or rather these traditional dishes seems to be fading away due to generations. But I am consider lucky that my mum still knows a few traditional dishes on hand where she could pass down the recipes to me. So from what she has told me I managed to replicate my own Stuffed Squid with Pork Mince dish that we think is quite similar to what we used to have.

Due to the recent hot and humid weather it is always good to have a bowl of homemade soup to increase fluid intake as well as clear the heats from the body. The most common cooling soup among Asian family will be either, Watercress Soup, Winter Melon, Old Cucumber Soup, Bitter Gourd Soup and etc. Initially I always thought that bitter gourd soup will be "bitter" but after adding carrot, red dates and wolfberries this soup taste rather sweet with a just a bit of "dry bitter" taste which I find it very appetising especially on Hot day.

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1/2 Medium Bitter Gourd (苦瓜), about 100g
300g Pork Ribs(排骨)
1 Medium Carrot (红萝卜), cut into chunks
6 Red Dates (红枣)
1 Tablespoon Wolfberries (枸杞子)

And to remove most of the bitter taste, you have to give the bitter gourd a good "Spa" rub with some salt before cooking so that you won't end up drink a pot of bitter soup.

Method:-

1. Wash and blanch pork ribs in boiling water, rinse and set aside.

2. Wash and cut the bitter gourd into half length wise, then remove the seeds and rub it thoroughly with 1/2 tablespoon of salt to reduce it's bitter taste.

3. Next rinse the bitter gourd, cut it into 1cm thick rings and set aside.

4. Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil add in all the ingredients(except wolfberries).

5. When the soup comes to boil again, lower the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat, season with salt and serve.


Total cost for this dish is about S$4.20 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$1.00
~ Pork Ribs = S$3.00
~ Carrot = S$0.20

Firm Beancurd can be consider as a good choice for a stir-fried dish that requires longer cooking time such as stewed or braised. Here I have do a twist with one the the stir-fried beancurd dish(recipe) which I have shared a few months back.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
2 Pieces Firm Tofu
2 - 3 Stalks of Baby Leeks
1 Chili, sliced
1 Big Cluster of Fresh Black Fungus, cut into thick slices
3 Garlic Clove, skin removed and lightly pound
3/4 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
80ml of Hot Water

Method:-

1. Rinse and remove any soil that trapped in between the green leaves of the leek, pat dry and sliced the leek diagonally into sections and set aside. (refer to the photo above)

2. Heat up frying pan with 1/2 tablespoon of oil to pan-fry the beancurd till slightly golden brown on each side. Remove, cool and cut into bite-sized portions.

3. Using the same frying pan, saute garlic till fragrant before adding in leek, black fungus and chili slices. Continue to fry for another 1 minute until leek leaves are cooked, stir in oyster sauce and give it a quick stir.

4. Add in beancurd and hot water, mix well and simmer the mixture on low heat for about 3 - 4 minutes till the leek turn soft and beancurd absorb the flavour from the sauce.

5. Dish up and serve with steamed rice.

Total cost for this dish is about S$1.90 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Leeks = S$0.80
~ Firm Beancurd = S$0.60
~ Fresh Black Fungus and Chili = S$0.50

This is one of my favourite childhood dish which appears occasionally on our dinning table together with the "Orange Sauce" shown in the photo below. While sharing a photo of this dish in facebook I was surprised that there are still a lot of people whom love this "traditional" dish which are prepared either by their grandparents, relatives or parents. And I assume in most modern household this dish could be consider as something new or just one of their childhood dishes.

Ingredients:

1 Large Squid, about 250g
80g Pork Minced
1 Salted Egg Yolk, minced
2 Fresh Water Chestnut, minced
1 Teaspoon Chopped Spring Onion

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour
Dash of Ground Pepper

Note:

~ You can omit salted egg yolk but increase the amount of light soy sauce to 1.5 teaspoon.
~ Usually we love to dip this steamed squid with this "Orange Sauce" which is our all time favourite.

Method:-

1. Clean the inside of the squid, remove the head, intestines and etc. Rinse and set aside.



3. Marinate the pork minced with the rest of the ingredients and seasonings for about 10 - 20 minutes.

4. Stuff the pork mince mixture into the squid until its full(use toothpick to pierce a few holes at the end of the squid to allow air to escape). Secure the opening of the squid with two toothpicks in a criss-cross manner.

5. Arrange the stuffed squid on steaming plate over some spring onion together with the head and steamed over medium high heat for about 10 minutes or when you are able to pierce through the squid using a fork.

6. Remove from heat, cut the cooked squid into thick rings and place in serving place and serving with either plum sauce or cut chili with dark soy sauce.


Total cost for this dish is about S$5.00 with breakdown shown below:-
Cost of Ingredients:
~ Large Squid = S$3.00
~ Salted Egg = S$0.50
~ Pork Minced + Water Chestnuts + Spring Onion = S$1.50

With around S$11.10 mum and I managed to come out with these 2 dishes 1 soup that brings back a lot of our old time memories where she used to cook these for us when we are just about my boy's age. Time flies now it's my turn to practise with all these homecooked dishes so that one day I might be able to pass it down to whoever whom is keen in learning. Do you have any special homecooked dishes that you would like to share with us. If you have, do email me your blog link(s) to ellenaguan.hotmail.com or drop me a note to share with us on our facebook page(HERE) or comment box below.

CLOSING DATE For [May $20 Budget Meal] Event:

~ Wednesday, 25 May 2011, 2359 hours and all entries will be compiled and posted on 31st May 2011.

If you loves to whipped some quick and budget healthy dishes for your family. I would like to invite you to join us in our May Budget Meal event to share your homecook dishes with us(more detail HERE).

Stir-fry Mani Cai Wth Egg - 马尼菜炒蛋

During my childhood time my granny used to prepare this Stir-fry Vegetable at least once in alternate week. But ever since she passed away, this dish seems to be vanished in our menu list. Last weekend while doing my usual weekly groceries, I spotted  a few bundles of these Mani Cai (马尼菜) (also known as sweet leaves) at one of the vegetable stalls in the market.

Before consuming these Mani Cai, there is an interesting preparation step that you have to take note before you can turn these bitter leaves into edibile leaves. From some of the information that I gather from the facebook readers suggestions(here), these leaves has to be removed from the stalks then rubbed with salt to sweat out those bitter juices. And if without this treatment these leaves will taste bitter instead of sweet.

Ingredients:
1 Bunch of Mani Cai(马尼菜) , about 350g
3 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons Water
Some Wolfberries, optional

Method:-

1. Remove all the edible leaves from the mani cai stalks which should yield about 200g.

2. Discard stems. Rinse and wash leaves, drained well.

3. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of salt on the drained mani cai leaves, mix it thoroughly and rubbed it with fingers till sweat.

4. Squeeze dry the juice, rinse thoroughly then squeeze dry again.

5. Preheat the frying pan, add 3 tablespoons of oil and heat till heat up. Add minced garlic and saute till golden brown then add in the leaves.

6. Stir till the mani cai leaves wilted, add in chicken stock powder and mixed well.

7. Add water and stir till water evaporates then break in the egg and stir it through the leaves till cooked.

8. Lastly toss in some wolfberries. Turn off heat and dish up on serving plate.


There are still many different ways of preparing this Mani Cai, some people loves to add it into soup together with noodles while others loves to stir-fry it with Sambal Chili too. Do share with us your cooking tips/methods in preparing this vegetables too.

[$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

[S$20 Budget Meal] Steamed Glutinous Rice Parcel, Stir-fry Spinach and Apple with Dual Fungus Soup

Remember our S$20 Budget Meal event (read more HERE). Here is another set of our quick and budget meal for the week with Steam Glutinous Rice Parcel, Stir-fry Spinach and Apple with Dual Fungus Soup. Even though sometime with a controlled budget, I am sure we still could make something simple into a presentable dish that makes cooking and dining a fun way to live with.

My family simply adores soup irregardless of those quick and easy canned soup, double-boiled herbal soup or any combination of ingredients that I could thought of. But usually my boy will request for his favourite ABC soup because he loves the natural sweet and sour taste of the soup with lot of sweetcorn and potatoes.

APPLE WITH DUAL FUNGUS SOUP

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

5 Medium Size Apple
8 - 10 Big Red Dates
2 - 3 Cluster of Black Fungus
1/2 Cluster of White Fungus
1 Piece of Dried Tangerine Peel, soaked till soften
* 1/2 Piece of Candied Tangerine
350g Lean Pork
1500ml Hot Water

Method:-

1. Soaked apples in warm water for 2 - 3 minutes, give it a good rub, rinse and cut into 6 - 8 wedges per apple depending on it's size.

2. Soak the dried tangerine peel in water till soften, use a small spoon scrapped out the white pith from the peel to prevent bitterness.

3. Blanched the lean pork in boiling water, rinse well and get ready a soup pot with 1.5 litres of water.

4. When the water boils, add in all the ingredients and let it simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes before low the heat and let it simmer for about an hour or so till the fungus are soften and soup is flavourful. OR

5. Add in all ingredients except apples and let the mixture simmer for about 30 - 40 minutes before adding the apples and continue to simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes till the soup is flavour and fragrance.


Note:-
~ As I am using those whole piece, round type of white fungus, I used only half portion for this recipe.

~ For this recipe I add in extra 1/2 pieces of candied tangerine to enhance the taste of the soup.


As most of the readers know, I love to cook soup using different kinds of ingredient and my biggest challenge was the "Double-Boiled Durian Chicken Soup - 榴莲炖鸡汤" which I have made last year. Since I saw some really good and cheap apples in the market, I decided to make this "Apple with Dual Fungus Soup" which cost about S$6.50 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ 5 Apples = S$2.00
~ Red Dates = S$0.50
~ White and Black Fungus + Dried Tangerine Peel = S$1.00
~ Lean Pork = S$3.00

* I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March (March 2011) hosted by Jess @ Bakericious.


There are a few types of Asian Spinach available in the supermarkets such as Round Leaves, Long Leaves, Purple Leaves and etc. According to the vegetable seller(s) in the wet market usually different type of spinach is used for different purpose like stir-fry or soup. But despite of all the different varieties, our favourite is still the Round Leaves Spinach.

STIR-FRY SPINACH

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

1 Packet of Round Leave Spinach(苋菜)
15g Dried Whitebaits(银鱼), rinse and drain
1 Tablespoon Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic, skin removed
1 Small Chili, sliced
1/2 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder/Dash of salt

Method:-

1. Trim the spinach into leaves and stems, soak it in water for 5 - 10 minutes, rinse twice to get ride of the sand and dirt.

2. Heat up oil in a flying pan, add in whitebaits and fry over low heat till golden brown, remove and set a side.

3. Using the same frying pan, add in garlic cloves, chili and saute till fragrance before adding in the drained vegetables.

4. Give the vegetables a quick stir together with chicken stock powder and stir-fry till leave wilted and cooked. Remove

5. Sprinkle fried whitebaits on top and serve.

This can also be a changeable dish where you can either do a stir-fry or soup version according to your preference.  Total cost for this dish is about S$1.40 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ 1 Packets of Round Leaves Spinach = S$0.70
~ 15g Dried Whitebaits = S$0.70


Using of dried lotus leaves to wrap and steam this glutinous rice adds-on an extra traditional taste and fragrance to this dish.

STEAM GLUTINOUS RICE IN LOTUS LEAF

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

2 Debone Chicken Drumstick with Thigh, cut into bite sizes
250g Glutinous Rice, soaked overnight
3 Fresh Shittake Mushroom, cut into slices
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, sliced
2 Pieces of Dried Lotus Leave

Seasonings:
1 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Five Spice Powder
3 Cloves of Garlic, lightly pound
Dash of Pepper


The reason to cook and soak the dried lotus leave is to make is soft and easier for wrapping as well as cleaning purpose.

Methods:-

1. Rinse and soak the glutinous rice over night or at least 6 hours prior cooking time. (this will help to cut down the steaming time of the glutinous)

2. Marinate the chicken with seasonings for at least an hour or more in the refrigerator.

3. Pre-heat a small frying pan, saute minced garlic with 1/2 tablespoon of oil till fragrance then add in the mushroom. Cook till mushroom is soft and absorb the flavour from the garlic. Remove and set aside.

4. Drain the glutinous rice well, transfer to a big mixing bowl, add in cooked mushroom and seasoned chicken, stir till mixture is well-mixed and set aside while preparing the lotus leaves.

5.To prepare the lotus leave, bring a big pot of water to boil and immerse the leaves in the water and cook for about 1 minute or till leave is slightly soft. Remove and soak in water for another 1 minute before use.

6. Drain the leave well. Fold it into half to get a fan shape, lay a sheet of baking paper on it, spoon half portion of the rice mixture on top and fold the sides of the baking papers to form a rectangle parcel. (refer to the 3 photos on the top row)

7. Next place the rice parcel near the edge of the lotus leaves and repeat the same folding procedure to wrap up another layer for the rice parcel.

8. Place the wrapped parcel in steaming with boiling water and steam it over medium heat for about 45 minutes to an hour. (open one of the rice parcel to check after 45 minutes to test the softness of the rice)


Note:-
~ You can buy dried lotus leaves from major Chinese Medical Hall or grocery stalls from the traditional wet market.


Lovely rice parcel that serves individual with extra topping such as chopped spring onion and dried shallot to enhance the flavour. For another version and taste, perhaps I shall replace chicken with pork belly and add in an extra salted egg yolk to lift up the taste of this dish. Total cost for this dish is about S$6.10 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ 2 Debone Chicken Drumstick with Thigh = S$3.60
~ 250g Glutinous Rice = S$0.80
~ 3 Fresh Shittake Mushroom = S$0.60
~ Garlic and Spring Onion = S$0.30
~ 2 Pieces of Dried Lotus Leave = S$0.80

Steamed Glutinous Rice Parcel


With a total of S$14.00 we have a great dinner that consists of 1 Rice dish, 1 Vegetable and 1 Soup which can feed a family of 3 - 4. I am sure this quick and easy dishes will bring smiles and satisfaction to both you and your family members. So perhaps you can drop down the ideas of buy S$3 Chicken/Duck Rice, Laksa, Fishball Noodles etc but starts your own planning today with some quick and budget meal for the family too.




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