My Kitchen Story

~ Tau Suan (Mung Beans Dessert) -  绿豆爽  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 4) Ingredients 300g mung beans 1 1/2 piece cane sugar 1.1 litres water Pandan leaves 1 you tiao (fried dough fritters) - optional Thickener 40g sweet potato starch (not flour) 120g water (Mix it and set aside) Methods: 1. Soak the beans in hot water for 30 min 2. Drain off the water, add some pandan leaves on the mung beans and over high heat steam for 10 min or until they are soft (with a bit of bite and not mushy) 3. Heat the pot and add in 1.2 litres of water with the pandan leaves and sugar. Let it boil for about 10 minutes 4. Add in the mung beans and boil for another 5 minutes. 5. Remove the pandan leaves and add in the thickening mixture. Continue stirring until the tau suan slowly thickens. Serve with fried you tiao.

~ Pickled Green Mango (Sour Plum Powder Version) -  腌青芒果  ( 酸梅粉版 ) ~ Ingredients 600g green mango 2 tsp salt 6 tbsp sugar (I used unrefined brown sugar) 1 tbsp sour plum powder Methods: 1. Peel the green mango, remove the seeds, and cut into thick slices. Add salt and stir well. Marinate for 2 hours 2. Wash off the salt with clean water, then soak in ice water for half an hour, drain the water, and set aside 3. Add sugar and sour plum powder to the green mango slices and stir well 4. Store in the refrigerator overnight and enjoy

~ Canned Sardines Potato Curry -  罐头沙丁鱼土豆咖喱  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 2) Ingredients 1 can Ayam Brand™ Sardines in Tomato Sauce 155g 1/2 large onion, diced 2 medium potato, peeled and diced 1 medium tomato, chopped 2 cloves garlic, sliced 1 cup water 1/4 Ayam Brand™ chicken stock Garnish 1 stalk spring onion, diced 1 chili, sliced Methods: 1. Remove the sardines from the can (remain the gravy in the can) and set aside 2. Pour the canned sardines gravy into the pan, put in the onions, potato, tomato, garlic, chicken stock and water to simmer for 10 min (or until the potato is soft) 3. Put in the sardines into the pan and stir fry for 3 minutes 4. Dish out, sprinkle with spring onions and chilies. Served while hot. 

~ Rice Cooker Vegetarian Fried Rice -  电饭锅炒斋饭  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 2) Ingredients A 1 1/2 cup of jasmine rice, washed and set aside 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced 6 stalks long beans, washed and diced 1 small onion, peeled and diced 3 cloves garlic, minced Vegetarian luncheon meat/char siew, diced 3 Shiitake mushroom, soaked and diced (optional) 1 tbsp Mushroom Powder 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce 1 tbsp Sesame Oil 1 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce Pepper Ingredients B 2 eggs, fry in the rice cooker (as shown) Oil for frying Use a spoon to break the fried eggs into small pieces Dish out and set aside Garnish 1 stalk spring onion, diced (optional) Red chili, diced Methods: 1. Mix all ingredients A in the rice cooker bowl 2. Set the rice cooker to white rice normal, cook until it is done. 3. Open the rice cooker cover, put in the eggs and use a spatula to mix in the rice cooker bowl evenly. 4. Dish out, sprinkle with spring onions and chilies. Served while hot. 

*Recipe contributed by my princess daughter Sandra K. ~ Kimchi Fried Rice -  泡菜炒饭  ~ Ingredients: 1 cup Jasmine rice (pre cooked in rice cooker,lesser water than usual to avoid mushy) 1/2 can spam (diced)  300g of Kimchi  4 tbsp sesame oil 1/2 tbsp gochujang  1 Garlic (chopped) Garnish Sesame seeds (to your preference) Methods: Heat up pan, pit 2 tbsp sesame oil  Add garlic, fry for 10 second and stir in the spam  Add kimchi, cooked rice and gochujang continue to stir fry, mix everything together  Add 2 tbsp sesame oil at the end and mix Scoop it out to a bowl and garnish with sesame seeds

~ Vegetarian Hor Fun -  炒斋河粉  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 2) Step A Dried Hor Fun (A1 Brand) - 3 pieces, soak with boiling water for 5 min and drain it (or you can buy normal wet Kuay Teow from market/grocery), set aside Step B 5 Garlic, sliced Onions, diced Thumb Size Ginger, sliced 6 pieces Vegetarian Fish Balls, cut into 4 quarter 3 eggs, lightly beaten 6 stalks Choy Sum, washed and cut  2 tbsp Mushroom Powder 2 1/2 tbsp Cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp water 3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce 1 tbsp Sesame Oil 2 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce 4 cups Water Pepper Garnish 1 stalk spring onion, cut into 0.5cm long Red chili, cut Methods: 1. Fry the garlic, onion and ginger for few seconds, add in Choy Sum’s stems and continues to fry for 3 minutes 2. Add in the vegetarian fish balls and Choy Sum’s leaves, stir for 3 minutes 3. Add in water, vegetarian oyster sauce, sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, mushroom powder, cornflour mix and pepper until the stock thick...

~ Rice Cooker Salmon Fried Rice -  电饭锅三文鱼炒饭  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 2) Step A 2 eggs, fry in the rice cooker (as shown) Oil for frying Use a spoon to break the fried eggs into small pieces Dish out and set aside Step B 1 fillet Salmon, steamed & flake  (I put into microwave using Tupperware to cook it) Set aside Step C 1 cup Japanese rice, washed 1 cup water 1 tbsp Ikan Bilis Powder (as shown), or any brand avail 1 tbsp Terayaki Sauce (as shown)’ any brand avail 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil 1 tbsp rice brain / canola / vegetable oil Few dashes of white pepper to taste Few dashes of black pepper to taste Garnish 1 stalk spring onion, cut into 0.5cm long White roasted sesame Black roasted sesame Methods: 1. Mix all the ingredients (Step C) in the rice cooker bowl 2. Set the rice cooker to Japanese rice normal or white rice normal, cook until it is done. 3. Open the rice cooker cover, put in the eggs and flake salmon, use a spatula to mix in the rice cooker bowl evenly. 4. ...

~ Tuna Tofu Egg Cakes -  罐头金枪鱼豆腐蛋  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 2) 1 can Ayam Brand Tuna Omega 3 3 eggs, lightly beaten 1 packet soft tofu, mashed 3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped 1 red chilli, chopped 1 red onion, chopped Salt to taste Oil for frying Methods: 1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl 2. Heat enough oil for pan frying in a non-stick pan and add a tablespoonful of the mixture to fry till golden brown on both sides 3. Serve hot with rice or on its own as a snack

~ Canned Sardines Spaghetti -  罐头沙丁鱼意大利面  ~ Ingredients: (Serve 2) 1 can Ayam Brand™M Sardines in Tomato Sauce 155g 200g spaghetti 1 onion, diced 2 cloves finely chopped garlic 1 chili, sliced 10g coriander, chopped 1 tbsp tomato sauce (optional) 50g grated cheese (optional) Methods: 1. Bring the water to a boil put in some oil in the water and add in the spaghetti. Stir it occasionally until the pasta is cooked according to packet cooking instruction 2. While the pasta are cooking, start to sauté the onions. Then add in the garlic and chili 3. Add and stir in the sardines and the tomato sauce. Let it simmer for around 2 minutes 4. Put some pasta on the plate and pour the sauce onto the pasta. Then sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese optional) and chopped coriander.

Cocotte Staub Vs Le Creuset – Which Should I Buy? 3 MINUTE READ Good sharing by Dutch Ovens Cookware: https://www.dutchovenscookware.com/cocotte-staub-vs-le-creuset/ The big question, Cocotte Staub vs Le Creuset. It’s a fair question as you won’t find many brands that are as closely comparable as these two. However, there are differences which I will take you through. I suspect that you are here for the cast iron cookware comparisons. Le Creuset are such a big lifestyle brand that they now cover more areas than cast iron. They are also producers of ceramics, stainless steel and silicone accessories. This comparison will focus solely on the cast iron offerings of the two. Cocotte Staub vs Le Creuset- What do they make?  Le Creuset is the ore established of the two and clearly have a head start. As I mentioned above, they now produce more than cast iron cookware. Staub focus their efforts entirely on cast iron cookware. Therefore, to compare the two, I will focus on their cocotte/Du...