Papaya Soup with Groundnuts

中文版

This soup I have learned from my grandma. Last time I’m not realized the benefit of this soup. When I grow I just know that this soup not only nourishing and good for one’s complexion, but also very suitable for those want to slim down.

Ingredients

½ Papaya which not fully ripe (peel off and cut into pieces)

2 handfuls Groundnuts

1.5oz Dried Oyster

500g Pork Ribs

20 Red Dates

Seasonings:

Some Salts

                                                                                                                                                                       

Method:

1. Clean the pork ribs and rinse it with hot boiled water. Remove the seed from the red dates.
2. Boil 8 bowls of water, and then add in the pork ribs and others ingredients cook with highest heat for 10 minutes, then turn to lowest heat and continue to cook for 1 hour.
3. Add in the salt bore turn off the heat.

Note:

1. Some people will put white fungus instead of groundnuts, or cut off the usage of pork ribs by add in chicken feets and pork tails.

Stewed Lamb Shoulder Steak with Szechuan Seeds

中文版

Personally I love lamb very much, some more I am very afraid of cold, and some one told me that ate more lamb or beef can keep my body warm. That day I have just asked my colleague to buy me some mutton. Because I am just recover from sick and don’t want to eat grilled food that much, so I go through my recipe book and finally decide to stew the mutton. As the result, the gravy is too much and I prefer thickened gravy, so that I have made some adjustment on my recipe.

Ingredients:

350g Lamb Shoulder Steak / Mutton

2 pieces Beancurd Preserved

3 Star Anises

½ teaspoon Szechuan Seeds

350ml Water

Seasonings:

1 teaspoon Bean Paste

10g Rock Sugar

2 tablespoons Light Soya Sauce 

Method:

1. Rinse the lamb shoulder steak and cut into convenient pieces. Blanch into boiling water for a moment. Dish up, and remove the fat of the lamb shoulder steak.
2. Bring the water and the rest of ingredients and seasoning to a boil in a deep pot. Add in lamb shoulder steak, covered. Braise over a low heat for 1 hour until the lamb meat are tender and the flavor has been absorbed, or until the gravy is thickened and slightly syrupy. Dish up. Serve hot.

Note:

1. If you feel that the gravy is too less, you may add in some hot water.
2. If the gravy is too oily, you may cook it by highest heat to make the oil float on top, then just take it out from the gravy.

Chinese Yam with Pork Ribs Soup / Congee

中文版

This is a soup which contain high nutrition, because Chinese Yam (Shan Yao) contains Vitamin C, Iron Frolic, Calcium  and many others nutrition. It is good to our spleen and stomach, and it’s also able to strengthen the Lungs and replenishes Jing (essence of life). One of the functions of Chinese yam is help to anti-oxidise and built up our immune system. It is also help to slowdown deteriorate of age. Actually I cook this soup to be the base for the macaroni, but my mum-in law said it will be bit hard to my father-in-law, so that I used it to cook the congee for him.

Ingredients:

500g Pork Ribs

½ Chinese Yam   (Shan Yao)                                    

30g Chinese Wolf Berries (Gou Qi)                      

2 Slices Ginger             

Some Salts
                           

Method for Soup：

1.       Clean the pork ribs and rinse it with hot boiled water. Peel off the Chinese yam and cut it into small pieces.

2.       Boil 8 bowls of water, then add in the pork ribs and ginger, cook for 30 minutes. Put in the Chinese yam and wolf berries, continue to cook until the Chinese yam is completely done.

3.        Add in the salts to taste and serve.

Method for Congee:

1.       Put a handful of rice into 3 bowls of soup which with some Chinese yam to cook for 1hour in the lowest heat.

Note:

1.       Chinese yam must peel off to avoid the feeling of itchy. For the fresh Chinese yam can clean with the water which have add in the vinegar to avoid slippery and get cut accidentally. Steep the cut Chinese yams into the water with salt to avoid the colour turn into black after oxidize.

2.       The peel of Chinese yam will cause skin sensitiveness, it is better to wear hand glove when peel off the Chinese yam, and wash your hand immediately after cutting the Chinese yam.

3.       You may add in the soup during the process of cooking if you feel the congee is lack of moist.

    Chinese Yam with Pork Ribs Soup

Chinese Yam Pork Ribs Soup with Macaroni

Brocoli Soup

中文版

That day I was having my lunch with my colleague in a restaurant in town. We have ordered the broccoli soup. I feel that the soup is quite nice, and it is high nutrition but low calories. This soup may replace the porridge for the babies too.

Ingredients:

500g Brocoli                 

3 – 5 Potatoes

3 – 5 Onions

150ml Thickened Cream

Seasonings:

Salts

Pepper                            
                           

Method:

1.       Steam the broccoli, potatoes and the onions for 20 minutes.

2.       Blend the broccoli, potatoes and the onions with 3 cups of water.

3.       Cook the blended ingredients with medium heat and keep stirring. Add in the thickened cream and seasonings then serve.

Note:

1.       The usage of the potatoes will affect the thickness of the soup, and the usage of the onion will affect the sweetness.

2.       For those dislike the dairy product can ignore the usage of thickened cream.

3.       Onions can be replaced by the carrots for those vegetarian.

4.       If you feel that the broccoli is bit expensive, you may mix with the cauliflowers, but the taste will not be so nice.

Huai Shan Congee

中文版

Recently my father-in-law admits to the hospital due to lungs disease and minor stroke. Our family is bit busy due to it. Because of the sickness my father-in-law is less appetite some more he is on soft diet too. Because of his sickness I have go through my recipe to found some food which his suitable to him. Actually Huai Shan is quite suitable to old people due to it is easy to digest and able to take care of our stomach. This congee benefits the spleen and the kidneys, stimulates body fluid secretion, strengthens the Lungs and replenishes Jing (essence of life). It is good for diabetes caused by Kidney-Asthenia too.

Ingredients:

30g Huai Shan

1 Pork Spleen

113g Rice

Salt

Method:

1.       Rinse the rice. Slice the pork spleen and set aside.

2.       boil 8 bowl of  water. Put in all ingredients and boil over high heat for 20 minutes. Then turn to medium heat and simmer for 1 hour. Season with salt. Serve.

Note:

1.       This congee is recommended to serve once a week.

2.       This congee is bit tasteless. For those old people used to stronger taste may add in some vegetable extract or seaweed sauce.
3.    It is suggested to use lean pork instead of pork spleen if you are giving it to your babies.

Salted Taste Yam Glutinous Ball

中文版

When I am small I have been eating the salted taste glutinous ball which made by my grandma, the taste is little bit odd to me and I don’t like it much. It may cause by the soup for the rice ball due to it’s just a normal soup we usually consume, it’s just too much ingredients in the soup & taste too strong for it. Probably it may also I’m still small and I’m more prefer the sweet taste and it make me don’t know how to enjoy the salted one. Recently from the TV shows & some recipe, I just know that salted glutinous ball is one of the traditional foods for the Hakka race, that’s not because of my grandma create it by herself because she more prefer salted taste food. Just wonder that my grandma is not the hakka race how come she just made it as our traditional food during some occasion. That’s one time I have cooked the yam soup and it leave so much yam from the soup. I feel that is so wastage if I just throw it away. After that I think that there is sweet potatoes glutinous ball, so I may just do the yam glutinous ball. As the result, it taste not bad, and I have made some correction at here to make it taste better.

Ingredients:

½ Yam                                           

1 bowl glutinous rice flour                                        

1 bowl Sauropus                       

½ Chinese Cabbage                                  

1 Carrot                                                                         
3 oz Ikan Bilis (Dried Little Fish)                          
1½ oz Dried Shrimp                            

Soup:
3 Whole Chicken Bone                         

300g Spare Ribs                          
2 liters Water                            
Salt to taste                              

Method：

1.       Clean all the Ingredients for the soup and cook for 2 hours. Add in the carrot to cook for 15 minutes and then continue with the Chinese cabbage for about 5 minutes

2.       Shave off the peel of the yam, cut into small piece. Steam until it done and then smash it. Put in the glutinous rice flour and little bit of salt to mix it until the dough is not sticky. 

3.       Make the dough into small ball and put it into hot water to cook it (the rice ball is done if it’s float on the water). Steep the cooked glutinous ball in some soup which haven’t add in the salt, until the soup cover all the glutinous ball.

4.       Fried the ikan billis and the dried shrimp until it crispy and blend it into powder.

5.       Add in the Sauropus and some salt to the soup then put it to the bowl which has already put in the mixed blended powder and last just add in the glutinous ball.

Note:

1.       Sauropus is the name that I found in the internet. The vegetable I used is mani chai which called in local and usually we are eat with the pan mee which sell in Malaysia. Money

2.        Do not put all the Sauropus into the soup, just put in the amount that you want to eat, if not the colour of the Sauropus will change after steep to long in the soup. The soup also just take out some to make hot, if not the soup will become salty after add in the salt and keep boiling. 

3.       For those don’t like the ikan bilis or the dried shrimp can take it out from the recipe and add in the fried onion, garlic oil or others Ingredients that you like.

4.       Glutinous ball need to steep in the soup to avoid it stick all together, and used the soup that haven’t add in the salt is to avoid the glutinous ball taste too salty after dipping in the soup for long time.

5.       For those prefer sweet can use the sweet potatoes to replace the yam and the sugar water to replace the soup.

Mashed Potatoes with Carrots

中文版

This is a meal that my mum provides to the children that she takes care when she is a baby sitter. This meal is different taste compare to the apple mashed with potatoes. This also being additional choices for those children which don’t like the porridge.

Ingredients:

4 Potatoes

1 Carrot

Method:

1.       Shave off the peel for the potatoes and the carrot and steam it until well done then smash it.

Note:

1.       The measurement of the above ingredients must be adjust according to the baby’s appetite to avoid baby cry when it is not enough to eat.

2.        If it is tasteless to the baby you may add in some salt or the seaweed paste.

3.       This can be also a snack for adult after add in some salt and butter. If you want the taste being stronger then you may also add in some cheese.

                                                        Mashed Potato with Cheese

Apple Mashed with Potatoes

中文版

This is a recipe that I found. After refer to the food that my mum provides to the children that she takes care when she is a baby sitter, I think this is quite suitable for the babies. For those babies don’t like the porridge, this may be a nice choice for them.

Ingredients：

2  Potatoes

½ Apple

1 teaspoon Honey

Methods:

1.       Shave off the peel for the potatoes, steam it until well done then smash it.

2.       Shave off the peel for the apple and blend it.

3.       Mix the potatoes, apple and the honey together.

Note:

1.       The measurement of the above ingredients must adjust according to the baby’s appetite to avoid baby cry when it is not enough to eat.

2.       If decide to give the baby having this for 2 meal, potatoes can be make it done together but it is better to use the fresh apple during preparation for second meal.

3.       This would be a desert for an adult but the usage for honey should be more.

Fried Assam Prawn

中文版

This is a dish that I learn from my mum-in-law. I quite like this dish because it is quite apprized.

Ingredients:

½ catty Prawns                                    

1 tablespoon Crushed Garlic

5 Dried Chilies

Marinated：

2 tablespoon Assam

Seasoning:

5 tablespoon water

½ tablespoon sugar

Method:

1.       Dried chili soak it until soft, prawn marinate with assam for 2 hours. 

2.       Fried the crushed garlic with hot oil then put in the dried chili & sauté it quickly

3.       Put in the prawn stir fried it until half done, then put in the sugar, prolong the wok side pour in the water.

4.       Stir fried the prawn until it dry. 

Note:

1.       It is depends on the individual taste to add in the dried chili or not.

2.       The usage on the Assam & sugar can be adjusted to suit your own taste. 

Cake with Minced Meat and Dried Shrimp

中文版

In the shows “Yummy Taiwan” has introduce the Salted Cake which made from Taiwan and I just realized that there’s cakes with salted taste. I have referred to some recipe and my own experience then Ester’s Salted Cake has been created.

Filling:
1 tablespoon Crushed Garlic

1½ oz Dried Shrimp                            
3 Mushroom (cut into slice)
200g Minced Meat                          

Some Oyster Sauce, pepper powder & salt                            

Method for filling:

1.       Mixed the minced meat with the oyster sauce, pepper powder and salt for half an hour.

2.       Fried the crushed garlic with hot oil.

3.       Put in the dried shrimp, mushroom and then some oyster sauce.

4.        Add in the minced meat and stir fried it until it dry.

Ingredients for cake:
6oz Plain Flour
5 Eggs
5oz  Granulated Sugar                     
3 tablespoon Cooking Oil
1 Greaseproof Paper

Method:

1.       Sift flour twice. Set aside.

2.       Grease cake tray and spread greaseproof on it.

3.       Put all the filling equally into the tray.

4.       Put eggs into egg blender. Whisk well. Add white sugar gradually. Stir until stiff (as cream). Then add flour bit by bit. Mix well lightly. Add cooked oil. Stir thoroughly.

5.       Fold into cake tray, fling the tray lightly to make all the ingredients settle.

6.       Steam over high heat for 12 minutes. Take out and allow cooling. Cut into serving pieces.

Note:

1.       The Ingredients of the filling can be change accordingly to suit your own taste.

2.       The cake can be change other type, just have to make sure its texture is similar to the chiffon cake. 

Old Cucumber with Pork Ribs Soup

中文版

This is a recipe came from my grandma or may be earlier then her, and I drink this soup since I am small until now.  Old cucumber is full of protein and fiber, it can cool down our body and very suitable to consume during the hot weather.

Ingredients:

1 Old Cucumber

500g Pork ribs

20 Red Dates (remove seed）            

1½oz Dried Squid

Seasoning:

Some salt                            

Method:

1.       Clean up the old cucumber and remove the seed then cut it into eight pieces.

2.       Boil 6 bowl of water, put in the pork ribs which have been rinse with the hot water.

3.       Put all Ingredients into the boiled water and cook for 2 hours with the lowest heat then add in some salt and serve.

Note:

1.       Pork ribs must rinse with the hot water to remove the clotted blood on the bones, the soup will be more purity. 

2.       The old cucumber is better to cook with the peel to get better result on cooling down the body.

3.       Red dated must remove the seed to avoid parched.