Grilled Salmon With Orange Marmalade

Chinese New Year (CNY) is less than a month away and I am sure everyone is busying with spring cleaning, planning New Year reunion dinner, gatherings as well as what to cook for the visiting guests and etc. Over the years, I have some collection of Chinese New Year recipes on dishes, desserts and bakes which you might be interested to take a look and hopefully it would help to spark up some inspirations for your CNY menu.

GRILLED SALMON WITH ORANGE MARMALADE
(using Frezfruta Orange Marmalade)

To shorten the cooking process of the usual CNY dishes like Braised Mushroom With Sea Cucumber, Fish Maw Soup, Braised Soy Duck, Chicken Curry and etc. Here I have a quick and healthy Grilled Salmon with Orange Marmalade that served with steamed vegetables which I think it would be great idea to add  into your New Year Menu.

(Serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 - 15 minutes)

Ingredients:

• 2 Pieces of Salmon Fillet (200g each)
• 3 Tablespoons Frezfruta Orange Marmalade
• 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine
• 1/2 Tablespoon Freshly Grate Ginger
• 2 Clove Garlic, lightly smashed
• Extra 1/4 Cup Frezfruta Orange Marmalade

Sides:
Assorted Steamed Vegetables

Method:-
1. Check and remove all the bone from the salmon fillet using a tweezer.

2. Combine all marinade and marinate the salmon for 5 minutes.

3. Lightly grease a griddle pan, grill the salmon fillet with skin side down first for about 4 - 5 minutes each side over medium heat.

4. To make the marmalade sauce: remove the salmon from the pan, add in ¼ Cup Frezfruta Orange Marmalade to the marinade mixture and simmer till mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat.

5. To serve, top salmon fillets with Orange Marmalade Sauce and steamed vegetables as sides.

I choose salmon because I love the taste and texture when combined with the marinade especially the orange marmalade which helps to boost up it taste. But just remember not to over cooked the salmon or else the meat would be too dry. 

Lastly I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover.

Celebrate Luna New Year With Tai Sun Nuts and Goodies

With Chinese Luna New Year getting closer, I believe everyone is busying with a list of  "must buy" ingredients, goodies, tidbits and etc in order to prepare and feed the guests who are coming over for new year house visiting.  This year, thanks to Tai Sun and 20twentypr for the early New Year goodies which definitely come in handy for us due to it's wide selections of snacks for our guests.

The snacks are packed neatly inside this traditional bamboo basket which resemble those olden day (60s) food carrier or sort of like our modern picnic basket. And this unique basket is sure a keeper for me as my kid already hint for a picnic date with it soon on one of the weekend.

Macadamia Delight @ S$11.80 per jar (300g)
Rolled Pineapple Tarts @ S$10.80 per jar (380g)

Inside the bamboo basket, there are two tubs of Chinese New Year cookies from NOYA (under Tai Sun (Lim Kee) Food Industries too) such as Macadamia Delight and Rolled Pineapple Tarts which you can read more about them at my review post on NOYA products HERE.

Apart from the NOYA Chinese New Year cookies, there are also Roasted Cashew Nuts and Hei Bee Hiam Spring Rolls which are two of the popular snacks among guests.

On top of that, there are also some varieties of broad beans (satay and wasabi flavour) which are a great source of dietary fibre that helps to promote a healthy digestive system. For your information:- 100g of broad beans give you more fibre than eating 4 apples or 10 carrots.

Other than broad beans, Tai Sun also have other nuts products like roasted peanuts, cashew, almond and etc for your to select too. 

But if you are looking for something more towards nature flavour, perhaps Nature's Wonders which has a premium range of nuts and dried fruits might suits your preference. Their products comes with good source of dietary fibre as well as rich in protein. Furthermore Nature's Wonders products are naturally trans fat free with no added salt which makes it a healthy and high energy snack that helps you on the go!

So for this coming Chinese New Year if you are looking for some nuts or snacks to stock up for your guests perhaps you could take look at Tai Sun, NOYA or Nature's Wonders range in leading supermarkets too.

Lunar New Year Lo Hei At Grand Park, City Hall

Chinese New Year is about less than a month from now and most of the hotels and restaurants are all coming up with lists of attractive Luna New Year Lo Hei menu catering for everyone preference and budget. And just last Saturday, I have attended a Media Lunch at Park Palace where I would share some of their highlight New Year dishes which you might be interested with.

金箔顺德黄尾鱼捞起
Golden Shunde Yu Sheng

This Spring Festival, Park Palace brings you the the art of tossing Yu Sheng where you would get a shimmering gold boost with its Golden Shunde Yu Sheng (S$88.00++).  As what shown above, their yu sheng was quite different from the usual one we had as they replaced shredded lettuces with crispy fried vermicelli. On top of it, this dish was also given the finishing touch with gold dust and gold flakes.

The Golden Shunde Yu Sheng also comes with two plates of Fresh Yellowtail rather than salmon slices.

Tossing our way "High Up (撈起)" together with a list of auspicious wishes hoping that each and everyone of it will come true soon.

Other than crispy fried vermicelli, Golden Shunde Yu Sheng also consists slices of ginger, spring onion, crunchy capsicums and finely grounded peanuts which tossed in their special combination of fragrant peanut oil and premium soya sauce.

乐宫乳猪皇
Imperial Suckling Pig (first course)

I am sure most of you love Suckling Pig especially it's thin and crispy outer skin which goes well with the steamed pancake and savory sauce. At Park Palace, the piglet used for the Imperial Suckling Pig (S$238.00++) weighs about 5kg and it was air-dried and roasted in the restaurant itself. So in order to avoid disappointment, guests are advisable to make reserve for the order at least one day in advance. 

Some of us were amazed by the thinly sliced cracking skin which we could hardly see any fats or meat on it. The skin was also flavoursome even without the accompany serving sauce and it leaves you craving for more servings too.

乐宫香茅翻烧
Imperial Suckling Pig - Oven Baked with Lemongrass (second course)

Other than the crackling skins, the left over portion (the meat) was then made into another dish by oven-baked it with lemongrass and other seasonings. Each piece of the meat was infused with lemongrass fragrance and the taste was also not too overpowering.

鱼跃龙门庆丰年
Golden Happiness Crispy Garoupa

Even though I am a fish lover, I don't really fancy this Golden Happiness Crispy Garoupa  perhaps it was a bit too dry towards my liking even though it was served together with some special sweet and sour sauce drizzling on it.

火焰乐宫团圆盆菜
Chinese New Year Flambé Pen Cai

Prosperity Flambé Pen Cai was the highlight of the day where it boasts 18 luxuriant ingredients and with a twist it was infused with Cognac, and flambéed to bring out the rich flavours and tastes of its ingredients with a tang of alcohol.

Prosperity Flambé Pen Cai is available for both à la carte and takeaway from 21 January to 24 February 2013 at:-

~ S$268++ (for six persons)
~ S$428++ (for ten persons)

As you could see from the above, this delicacy is brimming with 18 luxuriant ingredients including Sliced Abalone (鲍鱼片), Sea Cucumber (海参), Whole Conpoy (柱脯), Prawn Balls (明虾球), Scallops (带子), Roasted Duck (烧鸭), Roasted Pork Belly (火腩), Duck Web (鸭掌), Soya Chicken (油鸡), Sliced Sea Perch Fillet (鲈鱼片), Fatt Choy (发菜), Black Mushroom (北菇), Lotus Root (莲藕), Broccoli (西兰花), Radish (白萝卜), Beancurd Skin (豆筋), Gingko Nut (银杏), Black Fungus (云耳) and Tien Shin Cabbage (津白) with quality stock in a casserole pot.

The pot we had (refer to above) was actually for 6 persons serving and yet the 10 of us at the table can't even finished it! So you roughly could gauged there were indeed a lot of treasures in the pot and you might be surprised on what you could scoop out from it too!

鹅肝腊味糯米饭
Auspicious Glutinous Rice with Foie Gras And Preserved Meat

As usual the second last dish is always either noodle or rice, and on that day we had something fusion which served in individual portion that was known as Auspicious Glutinous Rice with Foie Gras and Preserved Meat.

Each glutinous rice ball was wrapped with diced preserved meat fillings, pan-fried till crispy at the base and served with a generous slice of Foie Gras on it.  The juice and fragrance from the preserved meat had definitely enhance the taste of the glutinous rice but most of us find portion of the rice was a bit too much for an individual serving.

南瓜庆团圆
Steamed Mini Pumpkin Dumpling with Green Bean Paste

Dessert was served in a bamboo steamer and when the lid was opened, everyone was in excitement because of the bright orangey pumpkin alike dumplings. These Steamed Mini Pumpkin Dumplings were made using the natural colour from the pumpkin puree and wrapped with generous amount of green bean paste which is lightly fragrance with tangerine peel or something similar.

Lastly I would like to thank Jean (Assistant Marketing Communication Manager of Grand Park City Hall) and Park Hotel Group for the warm invitation and hospitality at Park Palace.

If you are planning for family,  office gathering or business lunch this coming Chinese New Year perhaps you would like to take note of their Early Bird Special: Book now and dine in from 21 January to 07 February 2013 and enjoy 20% off Lunar New Year Set Menus and a la carte at Park Palace.

Chinese New Year Set Menus (view full menu details here)
~ $78++ per person (a maximum of two persons)
~ $288++ per person (for four persons)
~ $438++ per person (for six persons)
~ $588++ per person (for eight persons)
~ $788++ to $2388++ (# for ten persons)

*Orders to be made at least one day in advance
# Enjoy a complimentary bottle of house wine per table with booking of ten tables or more (ten pax per table)


PARK PALACE
Grand Park City Hall
Mezzanine Level (level 2)
10 Coleman Street
Singapore 179809
Telephone: (65) 6432 5543
Website: http://www.parkpalace.com.sg/

Hakka Abacus Seeds - 客家算盘子

Time flies fast and today it's Friday again where we have another interesting recipe theme for our Photo Friday. Just for a quick introduce, the above Abacus Seeds is one of the Hakka's specialty where the family will get to eat them during special occasions or gatherings. Since olden time till now, the side ingredients have become varied such as minced meat, cuttlefish, mushrooms, dried shrimps, tau kwa (firm beancurd) and etc.

Teochew Style Steamed White-spotted Rabbitfish

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Every year before and during Chinese New Year (CNY) period you would definitely be able to see this auspicious "White-spotted Rabbitfish(白肚鱼/拜年鱼)" available at all wet market fish stalls as well as the seafood sections at major supermarkets. These fish taste especially delicious during this season and they are also big in size and comes with roes that are particularly relished too.

Last year I have shared with you a similar Teochew style recipe known as "Pan-fried White Spotted Rabbitfish With Leeks"(recipe HERE) whereas for this year it would be the steamed version which consists similar ingredients.

TEOCHEW STYLE STEAMED WHITE-SPOTTED RABBITFISH

My dad used to cook this dish and according to my mum who taught me this recipe over our phone conservation, she mentioned that in order to maintain the texture and taste of the fish it would be good if I blanched it in boiling water before steaming. (in this case the fish is half cooked and it would not release so much water during steaming which will affect the texture of the meat)

So since I wanted to achieve what my dad used to cook for us, I follow my mum's suggestion and steps to dot and surprising it works well. My steamed white-spotted rabbitfish taste almost 90% like my childhood food. Now at least I have master another traditional food in our household which might comes in handy one of these days.

(serves: 2 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
2 Large White-spotted Rabbitfish(白肚鱼/拜年鱼)
2 Stalks Chinese Leek, cut into diagonally sections
2 Slices of Ginger
3 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1 Tablespoon of Oil
1/2 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce
50ml Water

Method:-

1. Clean and rinse the fish, cut a diagonal slit on the fish(refer to the photo stated no. 1 above) to shorten cooking time.

2. Add water to about 1/4 level of the pan and bring it to boil before blanched the fish for about 20 seconds on each side. Remove, rinse, pat dry using kitchen paper towel. Stuff the ginger slice into the stomach area(to get ride of the fishy smell) of each individual fish and set aside on steaming plate.

3. Next saute minced garlic with oil till fragrant, add in leeks and continue to fry for another 20 seconds, before adding in the oyster sauce and water.

4. Simmer the mixture over low heat for another 1 minute or so, remove and drizzle it evenly on top of the prepared fish.

5. Prepare a steamer with boiling water and steam the fish for about 7 minutes or till fish is cooked through. (can take reference from the eyes which would turn white and puffed out) Serve immediately with steamed rice or porridge.

Chinese New Year is almost coming to the end on 06 February 2012(the fifteen day) and I would be submitting my last CNY dish Teochew Style Steamed White-spotted Rabbitfish to this month Aspiring Baker #15 - Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) that is hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight.

Have a great weekend everyone! Cheers! Can't wait for our Chinese New Year Steamboat Gathering with all my foodie friends tomorrow!!!!

What we EAT during Chinese New Year

Every year throughout the 15 days of Chinese Lunar New Year(CNY) celebration we would have some house visiting and food gatherings among relatives and friends. As usual from reunion dinner onwards everyday there is at least 1 food gathering where we get to feast different kinds of CNY goodies or special new year dishes.

This post shows how our family feast during the 1st 7 days of Chinese New Year.

EARLY REUNION DINNER @ JING LONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

Again this year our reunion dinner with in-laws is at their favourite Jing Long Seafood Restaurant (last year dinner HERE) located at Bedok North Ave 2. But this year their service was rather bad due to poor planning of dine-in timing and lack of serving staffs.

Deep-fried Soon Hock with Garlic - Crispy outer layer with tender and juicy meat inside.

Deep-fried Prawns with Special Sauce - Love these prawns that soak in tom yum taste gravy together with dong fen(冬粉) in it. The dong fen taste so delicious while soaking up the gravy.

Prosperity Seafood Noodles - This braised  Longevity Noodles with seafood is something new to me and I would want to replicate this yummy dish at home. For the sweet version of this longevity noodles you can refer HERE.

OUR REUNION DINNER AT HOME

This year I have prepared two simple dishes for our reunion dinner which is this Stir-fry Fu Gui Cai and Stuffed Mushrooms with Black Moss. (please refer to recipe HERE)

Second dish is this traditional Hakka Glutinous Rice Wine Chicken(黄酒鸡) where homemade rice wine is used to simmer the chicken pieces with ginger and perhaps some red dates for Chinese New Year auspicious colour. (please refer to recipe HERE)

CHINESE NEW DAY 1 - LUNCH

Braised Sea Cucumber with Mushrooms, Fish Maw, Abalone, Pork Tendons(猪脚筋), Dried Scallop(干贝), Black Moss and etc.

Love this Stir-fry Broccoli with Scallop. Very quick and simple homecook veggies.

One of the traditional Hakka dish - Braised Mushroom with dried oyster, roast pork and black moss.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 2 - DINNER

Since the coffee shop below mum's place is not opening during Day 2 of Chinese New Year, she has to source for another catering to provide the food for evening gatherings. Here are the food that she ordered from "Feng Wei Seafood(Block 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza)".

Braised Tofu with Mushrooms - Accordingly to mum the stall owner told her that they made this tofu themselves instead of store bought. The tofu is very silky soft and fragrance which blends well with the stewed mushrooms and sauce.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 6 - UNCLE ALAN'S HOUSE

For a chance Aunty Grace did not order her Chinese New Year Buffet from the usual cater company this year. Instead she tried another food catering which is smaller in scale and provide quality style of homecook food buffet.

We all love this Braised Pork Belly(Kong Ba Bao - 扣肉包) which is well-season. Each piece of the pork belly is so soft and tender and it goes very well with the white steamed bun. Can't resists to eat more but have to control :)

This round we have Pork Ribs Curry instead of the usual Chicken Curry. Taste wise still acceptable but there is still room for improvement on their curry spices.

Yummy homemade Cheng Teng(清汤) which is not too sweet and yet taste great with generous amount of ingredients such as dried longan, gingko nuts, barley and etc.

CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY 7 - UNCLE LIANG's HOUSE

Uncle Liang is my mum's 2nd brother who is also known as "2nd Uncle" to me. Every years during Chinese New Year he would invited everyone to his house for lunch where Aunty Irene (aunty-in-laws) would whipped up spread of delicious homecook food for us.

Aunty Irene is very thoughtful and she would always prepared some of these finger food for kids(we always have around 10 young cousin).

This "Braised Sea Cucumber" together with lot of other ingredients such as clam, mushroom, black moss, roast pork and etc is one of Aunty Irene signature dish. Everyone I would look forward to eat this dish and I have tried to replicate once using her recipe too. If you are interested to read up more please refer to the link HERE.

Aunty Irene's fried chicken wings is also another of her signature dish. Her chicken wings is very flavorsome and remains crispy even if it is cold. Everyone loves this and we can have 4 to 5 in one go.

Very colourful homemade YuSheng (鱼生) prepared by my 2nd Aunty-in-laws and everyone praised for its' taste and freshness.

My cute and forever young mum, aunty and aunty-in-laws: (Left from back: Small Aunty, Mum, 2nd Aunty-in-laws and 6th Aunty-in-laws; Left from front: 3rd Aunty-in-laws; Small Aunty-in-laws and Big Aunty-in-laws)

My uncles and uncle-in-law: (Left from back: Big Uncle, 6th Uncle, Uncle-in-laws; Left from Front: 2nd Uncle and Small Uncle)

Although different people has different view of Chinese New Year, some might look forward while others might being "running" away from this festive season. But no matter which category you belong to, my advise it family bonding is always something heartwarming and it's good to gather everyone together and enjoy even a simple homecook meal. For more photos of our Chinese New Year celebration, you can check it out at Cuisine Paradise Facebook page "Usher Into the Year of Dragon" album HERE.