Braised Seabass & Other Food I Cooked 4 Chinese New Year

I know Chinese New Year was just over, I just want to share what I have been cooking during the festive season this year :)

This year, there was only 1 new dish I cooked for Chinese New Year
The rest were dishes I did last year, simply because I was craving to eat them again :)

Here is the new dish, braised seabass
Recipe is from Peng's Kitchen, she used red snapper instead

This is a must try dish, really delicious!

 

What you need:

1 whole seabass (or red snapper)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
50g spring onion, finely sliced
6 large dried shitake mushrooms, soaked til soft and sliced (original recipe only used 3, but I love mushrooms so I added LOL)
300ml water
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp ikan bilis stock powder
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp shallot oil
dash of pepper
red chilli and spring onion for garnish (I skipped)

Method:

1. Rinse fish and pat dry. Heat some oil in wok, add in fish and pan-fry for 5mins til light brown. Flip over and fry another 5mins. Drain and set aside
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same wok. Add in garlic, spring onion and mushrooms and stir quickly for 30secs. Stir in remaining ingredients and slide in fish. Cover wok and bring to boil. Cook over medium heat til sauce reduced by half. Dish up and serve immediately

 

 

Other dishes I did were Cantonese Pan Fried Prawns I also cooked last year, and a simple fried noodle dish with eggs, pork balls and fish cake slices

Recipe for the prawn dish can be viewed HERE

 

 

 

The fried noodles is just a simple one

I made scrambled eggs and set aside. Also I prepared egg noodles as per instruction in the packaging, after draining I mixed in fish sauce and a little canola and sesame oil to the noodles.

Then I sautéed minced garlic, add in sliced fish cakes and pork balls, stir in soya sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper then mix everything well

Add in noodles, followed by the scrambled eggs, toss and serve immediately

 

 

 

 

The last dish I cooked also this year was the Fish Maw with Mushroom Stew. This year I added some enoki mushrooms
Too bad I didn't take any pic of the dish this year
Anyway you may view the recipe for the delicious dish HERE

Picture taken last year:

 

So, there you are, all of my cooking aside from the usual steamboat I always have for the eve of Chinese New Year. You should try too, all are really yummy :)

More Dishes I Cooked During CNY

Been attacked by blogging blue bug again lately...

I know this is late, but never mind. Gotta share the feast I had during the CNY time, besides of course the usual hotpot :)

Stir fry leeks with baby corn - just a simple stir fry dish with this must eat veggie - leeks, cooked with minced garlic, salt, pepper and chicken stock

 

 

Fish Maw with Mushroom Stew - so yummy dish, recipe from Yen from Eat Your Heart Out

What you need:

4 pcs of fishmaw
6 dried shitake mushroom, soaked til soft about 2 hours
1 inch old ginger, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
50g chicken, diced
2 tbsp oil
700ml water
2 tbsp oyster sauce
about 8 sweet beans

Method:

1. Soak the fishmaw in a bowl of cold water til soften, about 1-2 hours. Drain and cut into about 5cm length
2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger, fry for 2 minutes til fragrant. Add in chicken and mushrooms, cook for another 2 minutes, til chicken are lightly browned
3. Place fish maw into the pot and pour water and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to low heat and simmer for 45 minutes, covered
4. Add oyster sauce. Add sweet beans and cook for 1 minute. Serve immediately

Cantonese Pan Fried Prawns, very delicious dish, recipe from Wendy from Table for 2... or more

Recipe for the prawn dish:

What you need:

1kg large prawns (either XL grey prawns or tiger prawns)
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 stalk of spring onion, white & green separated, thinly sliced
100g ketchup
20g premium oyster sauce
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Wash prawns and snip the eyes and long legs. Cut the back with scissor and remove the intestines. Don't remove the shells
2. Combine ketchup, oyster sauce, worchestershire sauce and sugar in a bowl, set aside
3. Heat a wok til very hot, put in 2 tbsp oil. Put in some prawns and sear on both sides (about 10secs for each side). Dish up and do the same to the remaining prawns. Do in batches
4. Add 3 tbsp oil in the wok, cook garlic and shallots til fragrant. Add in both chillis and white part of the spring onion, cook til everything is fragrant
5. Return prawns into the wok and add in the ketchup mixture. Toss everything well til the prawns are well coated with the sauce
6. Put in green parts of the spring onion, toss and dish up
7. Serve immediately 

What I Cooked During CNY

Singapore weather is getting crazy for the past week! It's so hot and humid in the morning til afternoon, and suddenly dark clouds hanging in the air before it pours, for awhile, which doesn't help much in clearing the heat and humidity

As a result, Ian had his slight flu last week, and I had the "priviledge" to get the virus from him *sigh*
Started with sore throat and turned to slight cough, and then gave me a good feeling of recovery yesterday morning
However, as the cough almost disappeared, yesterday afternoon I started to have stuffy nose and headache :(
At the same time, Ian's runny nose was also back yesterday, and this time with quite bad phlegmy cough and slight fever :(
This morning after back from running errands, I still felt unwell, and as I'm writing this post, I drink my hot ginger tea to clear my blocked nose :S
Still have my bodyache and headache, after this I will take my medication and crawl to my bed to have my beauty sleep :)

Just want to share what I cooked during Chinese New Year last month
Not many, as most of the time we're outside
And the menu also wasn't really much different from the previous years
I just cooked what I felt like eating at that point of time, and usually it's always back to the same thing
Nevertheless, we enjoyed them so much :)

Chinese New Year's eve, always the same menu, just like the previous years :)
Chicken hotpot soup with all our favorite ingredients, fried taukee and fried cuttlefish balls

This hot chilli padi dipping sauce is really good and addictive, first time I made this, recipe is from Noobcook

What you need:

10 chilli padi (bird’s eyes chilli), sliced (I used 5 red)
3 large red chillis (I added)

4 cloves of garlic, cut

2 tbsp light soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 tsp sesame oil

some sugar (I added)

Method:

1. Using a food blender, blend chilli padi and garlic cloves together. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Add light soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice and sugar to taste

Below is stir fry scallops, shitake mushrooms and brocolli in oyster sauce, I made this last year, you may view the recipe HERE , accompanied by crispy fried fish

 

Recipe for this delicious, crisp on the outside while juicy in the inside as follows...

What you need:

300g tilapis fillet, cut into chunks
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tbsp juice of large lime
1 tsp salt
a dash of pepper

To coat:
2 tbsp plain flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
150g breadcrumbs

Sauce:
Mix together:
100ml mayonnaise
1 tbsp juice of lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
a dash of pepper

Method:

1. Mix evenly fish with garlic, lime juice, pepper and salt
2. Coat fish with plain flour, dip in egg white and coat with breadcrumbs
3. Set aside til it's a little dry
4. Heat oil and deep fry til crisp
5. Serve immediately with the sauce

Below is stir fry Chinese leeks and fishmaw with beancurd, recipe is from Peng's Kitchen
Yum yum yum... all my favorite things inside :)

 

What you need:

20gm fish maw, softened

3 stalks spring onion, sliced

a thumb size ginger, sliced

about 2 cups water
20g beancurd sticks, softened (I added)
5 stalks chinese leek, sliced diagonally
1 tbsp sliced ginger
3 cloves of garlic, chopped

6 tbsp chicken stock

1 tbsp osyter sauce
1 tbsp chinese wine
1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Place ginger & spring onion with water in a pot, bring to boil. Add fish maw and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook for 15mins. Drain away water. Slice fish maw into 3 cm length. Set aside
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil wok, add garlic & ginger. Stir fry for 1 min. Add leek and fry for 2mins.
3. Add beancurd, fish maw, chicken stock and seasoning. Simmer for 2mins. Remove from heat
    

Yes, that's all! The rest, we ate out LOL
Hopefully I will be able to cook more variety next year :)

Okay, it's late now... my bed is calling me, bye :)
Wish Ian and also me a speedy recovery okie.... DH is around during weekend so I at least can really rest, but this mummy need to get back to her superwoman duties on Monday LOL

Fish Maw Soup

Yesterday was Chap Go Meh and I cooked this dish for dinner, since I still have fish maw left
Recipe is from Peng's Kitchen
This soup is so yummy and when it's almost ready I saw a can of pacific clams standing pretty in my cupboard, I quickly opened it up and added them in this soup :)

What you need (a little modified to suit my taste (and greediness :P)):

50g fish maw - softened
2 stalks spring onion - sliced
3cm ginger - sliced
300g pork ribs
1 chicken breast bone
4 dried oyster - softened
3 slices ginger
around 700g chinese cabbage - cut into big chunks
20pcs chicken mushroom balls
1 can pacific clams - drain water
water, salt

Place ginger and spring onion in a pot of water, bring to boil. Add fish maw, bring to boil
Lower heat, simmer for another 15mins - drain away water
Cut fish maw, set aside
Blanch pork ribs and chicken bone in boiling water, drain away water
Bring to boil  water, chicken bone, pork ribs, ginger, dried oyster sauce
Lower heat, let simmer for 30mins
Add cabbage, simmer for 1 hour
Add balls, fish maw and clams - simmer for another 30mins
Add salt to taste - off heat