Baked Fish In Banana Leaves & Sambal Long Beans

Fish is one dish that best served simple. Like this one. Easy and simple. Satisfying and yummy :)
I had this fish with light soya sauce mixed with cut chili padi as a dip (not in the picture)

 

 

Recipe is from Nob Cook

 

What you need:

 

1 whole fish (I used seabass, you can use red snapper as per original recipe)

1 large banana leaf, divide into 2

1 1/2 tbsp ginger juice (peel, grate and squeeze old ginger)

2 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tsp lime juice

dash of white pepper

 

Method:

1. Rinse clean fish including the inner side. Make a few slits on each side. Pat dry with kitchen towel
2. In a small bowl, combine ginger juice, light soya sauce and lime juice also white pepper. Stir well
3. Brush the mixture all over the fish. Marinate for about 1hour at least
4. Place banana leaf over stove (low fire) to make it soft. Another way is to rinse with hot boiling water
5. Place the leaf on the baking tray (I used Happy Call pan which has been preheated). Place the fish at the centre and pour the remaining marinade mixture. Cover it with another piece of banana leaf and secure all sides with toothpick
6. Lock the pan and cook over very low fire til fully cooked, about 20mins (you may bake it in the preheated oven of 170degC for about 15mins
7. Once cooked, transfer to a serving plate including the banana leaf (discard the top part)

 

 

 

 

Side dish is sambal long beans. I find they compliment each other really well :)

 

I cooked this dish simply by sautéing garlic and mixed in my Indonesian white condiment paste and some deseeded and coarsely blended large red chilies. Stir til fragrant and add in cut long beans and a little bit of water. Cook til long beans softened. So simple :)

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 :)

AFF Indonesia - Siomay Bandung Ala Abang2

One of the ever famous Indonesian street food
Don't ask me why it's called siew mai when it doesn't even look like one LOL I guess it refers to the meat mixture which is similar to the commonly used in siew mai we usually eat whenever we eat dim sum

Last time I could just wave my hand in front of my home back in Indonesia whenever I feel like having some
Here in Singapore, nowhere to be found. I still remember I did crave for this dish when I was pregnant with Abby, and my sweet mum sent a box by air! LOL
So happy I now can make this yummy dish on my own. When the craving strikes, I can just go to the market to buy the ingredients and go ahead to my kitchen. In fact, I made this big batch to keep some in the freezer :)

Recipe is from HERE

What you need:
(with some modification)

The meat mixture:

350g minced chicken
250g batang fish fillet (weight just the fillet with no bone and skin), minced til form like a paste
250g peeled chayote, cut and steam, let cool and grind til smooth
80ml coconut milk
300g tapioca starch
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 stalk of spring onion, chopped finely and grind til fine

To grind smooth:
7 shallots
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp white pepper powder

Seasoning:
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp chicken stock powder

For the peanut sauce:

250g peanut powder (non sweetened)
5 cloves of garlic, cut
7 red chillis
50g palm sugar, shaved
3 tbsp concentrated tamarind water
500ml water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
a little cooking oil

Garnish:
limes
dark sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)
tomato ketchup
bottled chilli sauce
steamed potatoes, peeled and cut
hard boiled egg, peeled and cut
steamed cabbage, fold and cut (this time I didn't use)

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix minced meat and fish. Add in coconut milk, followed by grinded chayote, then grinded spring onion, mix well
2. Add in egg, grinded shallot+garlic+pepper mixture, and lastly the seasonings. Mix well
3. Add in tapioca starch and stir til thoroughly mixed. The batter should be soft and shapable, not mushy
4. Prepare steamer, oil the strainer and shape into balls (normally is oval shape) using two spoons and arrange on the oiled strainer
5. Cover steamer and let it cook for about 30minutes over medium high fire

For the peanut sauce:
Sautee cut garlic til fragrant. Let cool slightly. Using blender, mix in all ingredients together (except salt, sugar and palm sugar also tamarind water)  til you get the desired thickness. Pour in a pot and cook. Add in salt, sugar, palm sugar and tamarind water. Bring to boil. Adjust the taste. Ready to use

To serve:
Place siomay balls on a serving plate together with steamed peeled cut potatoes, sliced hard boild egg. Pour over the peanut sauce. Drizzle with kecap manis, ketchup, chilli sauce and lime

Nom nom nom....

 

 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest: Indonesia, hosted by me, Alice from I Love. I Cook. I Bake       

Rosemary Cheesy Salmon (Happy Call)

Simple dish but really delicious!
Thanks for the inspiration to Peng's Kitchen

What you need:

a piece of salmon fillet
1/2 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 tbsp honey
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp black pepper (I only used 1/2)
1 slice cheddar cheese, shredded
a handful of broccoli, blanched
pinch of salt

Method:

1. Combine butter, honey, rosemary & pepper together. Rub the mixture evenly over fish fillet. Set aside for 10mins
2. Heat up Happy Call pan for 1 min. Add fish, skin side down and closed pan (locked). Cook for 3min on medium heat
3. Flip the pan and cook the other side of the fish fillet for 2mins. Flip over the pan again, place shredded cheese over fish and scatter blanched broccoli around the fish
4. Sprinkle pinch of salt over the broccoli. Close the lid (do not lock) and cook till cheese melted. Serve immediately

This post is linked to the event, Little Thumbs up organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen from My Little Favourite DIY, hosted by me, Alice from I Love.I Cook.I Bake

Perak MFF - Kampar Jau Yun @ Fried Fish Dough Balls

We are a deep fried food lover family. So when I saw Wendy posted those little crispy wrinkly balls, I wanted to try too


These balls have a real crisp outer skin and chewy in the inside, really delicious!

 

 

These balls are relatively easy to make. And I love the fact that I don't have to shape them into perfect rounds :)

What you need:
(modified a little)


100g fish flesh (I used toman fillet)
1tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
white pepper powder
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
50g water
150g tapioca starch

Method:

1. Pulse fish, salt, sugar, pepper and chicken stock powder til pasty
2. Add in water, pulse again til forms paste
3. Add starch, pulse again til forms coarse crumbs. If looks pasty, add starch
4. Get some of the crumbs with fingers, form into balls (do not roll, press or compact them - make small, it will expand slightly when fried)
5. Deep fry til golden color

What I take note the next time I cook this again:

*The recommended fish meat to use is yellowtail fusilier
I couldn't find it and I used toman fillet instead
I found out later on that it would affect the texture of the balls, after a chat with Wendy, since toman fillet is tougher than yellowtail fusilier. Also toman fillet is lacking in taste
Yes, my balls were chewy - as it should have been, but a little too tough indeed
I reckoned it's from the type of fish I used
The next time I cook this again, I'll find the suggested fish meat :)

*The original recipe uses anchovy stock cube. I used chicken stock powder
It did make the balls real tasty, but those eating the balls I fried would not be able to tell whether chicken or fish used :)
I will try to use anchovy stock cube next time


The texture inside somehow looks different from what I saw in Wendy's post
But overall, this is a real tasty snack, especially eaten with Thai sweet chilli sauce
Once you pop, you won't be able to stop LOL

 

 

I'm submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest (Perak) hosted by WendyinKK from Table for 2 or more

 

Mushroom Omu Rice with Pan Fry Salmon & Stir Fry Cabbage with Fishcake and Mushroom In Thick Gravy

A simple meal for my family :)

 

 

I used the same recipe for the omu rice, it can be seen HERE
But this time I only used sliced shitake mushroom and chopped yellow capsicum for the rice
For the pan fry salmon, I only rubbed the salmon fillet with salt and pepper and pan fried over medium low fire til golden brown and cooked

And I cooked another dish to complete the meal...

I just sautéed garlic and added in sliced fishcake, sliced mushrooms, stir well
Added in salt, pepper to taste and a pinch of chicken stock powder. Poured in water and bring to boil. Threw in sliced cabbage and cook til the vegetable softened, about 2 minutes
I mixed in corn flour and water mixture and stir til I got the thickness I desired

Simple, isn't it? But it's tasty and the whole family enjoyed them
We ended our dinner with all plates and bowls empty :)


This post is for  Little Thumbs Up May - Mushroom, organised by Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids and  Doreen from my little favourite DIY, hosted by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours

Grilled Fish In Mango Sambal Sauce & Bittergourd Tomato Soup

Delicious dishes I had to remind myself about how much rice I took LOL

Grilled milk fish in mango sambal sauce

 

 

Recipe is my mum's, which she got from her mum.. simple yet so yummy :)

What you need:

1 large milk fish - washed and cleaned
5 large red chillis, cut
2 red bird's eye chillis (or more)
a thumb size of fried belachan (shrimp paste)
salt, sugar
dark sweet soya sauce
juice of a large lime
green mango, grated

Method:

1. Preferably to cook the fish in the pressure cooker 2 cycles first to soften the bones (milk fish is notorious in having a lot of little tiny bones besides the big ones too)
2. In a lightly oiled pan, grill fish in the oven using top fire til cooked for both sides
3. Put chillis, fried belachan, salt and sugar in food processor til quite smooth
4. Add dark sweet soya sauce and lime juice into chilli mixture and mix well
5. Spread chilli mixture over the grilled fish and eat with grated green mango

Bitter gourd tomato soup

 

 

Recipe is from Peng's Kitchen, a very tasty soup with minimum artificial flavourings, very healthy kind of soup, we all love it!

What you need:

1 large bitter gourd
4 tomatoes
2 large carrots
2 slices ginger
300g lean pork, pounded
salt to taste

Method:

1. Blanch lean pork in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain away water
2. Remove seeds of bitter gourd and slice in small chunks. Cut tomatoes in quarters
3. Slice carrots into small chunks
4. Place all ingredients in a pot with about 3L water, except salt
5. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Season with salt

I'm submitting this post to:

* Grilled milk fish in mango sambal sauce: Aspiring Bakers #29：Heirloom and Local Dialect Recipes 家传菜/ 籍贯菜 (March 2013 ) hosted by FHL of Faith Hope Love

 

* Bitter gourd tomato soup: Little Thumbs up with theme of the month of March: "Tomato", organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Doreen from my little favourite DIY

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

Negeri Sembilan MFF - Fried Fish With Chillies

This dish was gone in minutes during dinner time :)
The fish was so delicious and with the chillies, it's just perfect
But the star was the chillies! It's so tasty and after some adjustment, the spiciness was just nice for me to endure enjoy :)

Recipe is from Wendy's site

What you need:

1 medium tilapia (I used black tilapia), cleaned and scored
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt

1pc asam gelugor
1/2 cup oil (I used less than 1/4 cup)
salt

Blend together:
1 red onion
3 red chillies (I used 5 large red chillies)
10 bird's eye chillies (I used 7 red bird's eye chillies)
1 inch ginger
4 garlic

Method:

1. Marinate fish with turmeric powder and salt for about an hour
2. Heat oil and fry fish on both sides til golden and crisp
3. Remove fish from pan
4. Sautee the chilli paste with the remaining oil and asam til fragrant and glossy. Season with salt
5. Smear the paste on both sides of the fish. Serve immediately

The next time I cook this dish again I will double the chilli paste
It's so good I can eat it just with plain rice! :)

I'm submitting this post to Malaysia Food Fest, Negeri Sembilan month hosted by Hody of Cook 4 you & me

Kedah Perlis MFF - Fried Fish Cake (Lempiang Ikan)

My second dish for Malaysian Food Fest: Kedah Perlis, also a dish I know the whole family will love
And it's a good way to make my kids eating fish, hence I divided the batter into two parts, one used chilli and the other one did not
One thing I forgot was the lime leaves used
The supposedly nice fragrant was apprently not well received by them
After a few bites they complained about the 'lemony' taste
Noted that the next time I make this I will omit the lime leaves too for them (but not for me LOL)

This yummy dish tastes really similar to Thai fish cake, even the chilli dip
Recipe is from My Kitchen Snippets' site

What you need:

300g fish paste (I blended tilapia fillet til smooth)
2 long beans - finely chopped
3pcs kaffir lime leaves - finely chopped
1 spring onion - finely chopped
1 small egg
1 red chilli - finely chopped
1 tbsp chilli paste
1 tbsp oyster sauce
salt (I didnt use cos the chilli paste I used had salt in it)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
cornstarch to coat

1. Mix everything except long beans and cornstarch
2. Add in long beans and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes
3. Shape into balls, flatten into disc and coat with cornstarch
4. Fry both sides til golden brown

Sauce:
2 fresh red chillis - ground into paste (I used 1 tbsp chilli paste)
3 tbsp white vinegar
6 tbsp sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
200ml water
salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil
2. Simmer til thick

Serve immediately. Dip the fried fish cake into the sauce. Yum!

I am submitting this to MFF: Kedah Perlis hosted by Table for 2...or more

Fish & Chips

Recipe for the fish is from Vivi's site
The fries - it's frozen supermarket bought LOL

Served with cream of tartar - store bought too, and bottled chilli sauce

Crisp outside, juicy inside - yum!

What you need:

2 tilapia fillets, cut as desired (can also use sutchi / dory)
salt, pepper
1 tbsp rice flour
canola oil for frying

For the batter:
250g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder (optional)
1 egg
350ml soda water

1. Rinse fish fillet and, dry with kitchen towel
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Prepare rice flour on a small plate
4. Mix all batter ingredients
5. Heat oil in a wok
6. Coat fish with rice flour and dip in the batter, deep fry til golden brown
7. Serve immediately with french fries, tartar sauce and chilli sauce

Very nice! I love the crispy batter while the fillet inside was still oh so juicy
Perhaps I should try replacing the soda water with my favorite beer, I heard many great reviews about this one :)

Fried Tilapia (Happy Call) With Mango Salsa

Nice combination, tasty fish with refreshing mango salsa
I love the salsa so much I can eat it on its own! it's sour, spicy, with a hint of sweetness too, and the shallot, vegetables plus the mango itself are so crunchy, so refreshing! Yum yum...

Recipe is from Fong's site

What you need:

1 large black tilapia
soya sauce
pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
corn flour
oil to fry the fish

*For mango salsa, mix the ingredients below just before serving:
1 green mango, shredded
shredded carrot
shredded cucumber
red chillies, sliced
spring onion, cut
3 shallots, thinly sliced
lemon juice
approx 1 tbsp palm sugar, break into pieces
fish sauce
pepper

1. Marinade fish with soya sauce and pepper
2. Rub with beaten egg and then dust with corn flour, set aside
3. Fry til golden brown on both sides, drain excess oil

Since I prefer the fish to remain crisp, I didn't pour the salsa over

Those sour and spicy food lovers, this is a must try! :)

Indonesian Grilled Fish Fillet (Happy Call) (Barefoot Contessa)

I came across this recipe when I was browsing for Ina Garten's recipes in yummly.com
I was curious how the taste is cos it's stated Indonesian but when I saw the seasonings, I was not very certain it would be the Indonesian taste :)

I prepared this dish for dinner this evening, it's quite nice, not the authentic style, but it's nice in its own way
However. I found it too salty
The next time I make this, I will omit the salt

What you need:
(modified to suit my preference and portion)

500g fish fillet (I used premium sutchi fillet)

Marinade:
40ml soya sauce
30ml canola oil
1 tsp grated lemon zest
30ml lemon juice
10g finely minced ginger
2 garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard

dark sweet soya sauce to brush during grilling

1. Mix the marinade ingredients and put fish in it and marinade for minimum of 4 hours, overnight will be the best
2. Prepare Happy Call pan, brush a little oil on top and over medium low heat, grill the marinated fish around 5 minutes each side / til cooked, brush each side with dark sweet soya sauce
3. Place on serving plate, and cover with aluminium foil for 10 minutes before serving

Nice to eat with hot fluffy rice :)

I'm linking this to Cook Like A Star blog hop event, hosted by Zoe, featuring Barefoot Contessa as the celebrity chef for the month of May

Breaded Fried Fish Fillet

This was originally from fish and chips recipe from MamaFaMi's site but this time I served this dish with rice and soup for the kids since they, especially Abby, doesn't really like 'dry' plain white rice

Very nice indeed, either with chips or rice, it doesn't really matter :)

2 fillet of fish (I used premium sutchi, tilapia / dory would be nice too)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain flour
1 egg white
enough japanese panko breadcrumbs
enough oil for frying

1. Wash fish and pat dry with kitchen towel
2. Coat with lemon juice, salt and pepper
3. Coat with plain flour
4. Dip in egg white and followed by breadcrumbs
5. Deep fry in hot oil til golden brown

Simple and nice :)