Recently, after hurting my right elbow, I was “forced” to cut down lots of my personal activities (blogging, baking and photo-shooting), except for cooking and routine housework. Felt like being handcuffed! Luckily it’s just a minor injury. Now I’m about 90% recovered and much of the inconveniences I had to put up with are nearly gone. Yay! Just can’t wait for full recovery and getting back to my regular activities.

While my readers in the northern hemisphere are enjoying their hot summer, the tropical climate in Singapore is getting unbearable of late. It’s not just hot, but highly humid as well that causes you to be sweaty and sticky. My tiny flat becomes hot and stuffy as evening approaches as sunlight beams directly into the living room. Oh gosh! My son and I felt like being “cooked” by the heat. Clearly, when it comes to cooking dinner, any dish that requires firing up the stove or heating up the oven is a no-no to me for now. I opt for steaming method instead. Less cooking, less washing and healthier too! If you browse through my “ALL RECIPES” page, you will find many healthy and delicious meals that you can easily whip up using steaming method.

Nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam) is a tuber, and a type of yam that can be cooked in ways similar to that for potato. Unlike potato, it has a very refreshing and less starchy taste. To the Japanese, it is even be eaten raw and grated, an exception to the rule that yam must be cooked before consumption. It is also referred as 淮山(huai san) or 山药(shan yao) and commonly used (in its dried form) for medical purposes in traditional Chinese medicine.

Nagaimo is low in calories, high in protein, and rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Apart from its nutritional value,  it is also known to reduce high blood pressure, regulate digestion and relieve fatigue. You can find nagaimo at the wet markets, supermarkets or Japanese specialty stores.  

When peeling or touching nagaimo, some people may experience itching due to allergic reaction. You can soothe the itching by applying lemon juice to the itching part or rinsing off the substance with diluted vinegar. To prevent itching, you can soak nagaimo in vinegar diluted water before cooking and wear a pair of kitchen gloves as further pre-caution.

Before that, I only used nagaimo to make soup such as fresh huai san soup and liu wei soup. It was a pleasant surprise to chance upon a steamed  nagaimo recipe from a cookbook. After some reseaches, I discovered that nagaimo is very versatile in its usage. It can be made into salad, entrees and even desserts. You will find the recipes from this link.

This is my first attempt pairing nagaimo with shrimp paste. Nagaimo yields a crunchy texture if steamed lightly, but turns softer and smoother when steamed over a longer period. During steaming, the juice flowing out of the marinated shrimp paste gets soaked up by nagaimo, thus adding extra flavour to its otherwise bland taste. This healthy yet tasty dish goes very well with rice. My hubby commented that it’s classy enough to be served as an entrée in a high-end restaurant or as finger food at dinner parties.  Hope your family will enjoy this dish. Happy trying!!

How to choose nagaimo:
- Choose fresh nagaimo that is thick, heavy and firm with few fibrous roots. The skin should be smooth and flawless (ie no bumps, bruises or discolouration.) (Source: click here)

Other reading references:
- Amori Nagaimo
- About Amori Nagaimo
- Nagaimo: The Wonderful Japanese Vegetable

>>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Nagaimo and shrimp paste recipe………

 
You probably heard a lot about Omega-3, the polyunsaturated fat that is essential in life. It protects against heart disease, promotes healthy skin and joints and is essential for proper neurological development in unborn babies and young children. The American Heart Association’s (AHA) dietary guidelines recommend that adults eat at least two servings of fish high in Omega-3 per week. 

If you want more Omega-3, then add more salmon in your daily diet as salmon is an excellent source of Omega-3. One 4-ounce serving gives you 2.1 grams of Omega-3. For more information, visit Salmon Facts. 

Salmon is one of my family’s favourite fish. Besides its nutritional value, the price of salmon at supermarkets in Singapore is also reasonably cheap (S$23.90 per kg) as compared to cod fish (S$30 per kg) and threadfin (ranging from S$30- S$50 per kg). Even with the approaching Lunar New Year, where prices of most fishes generally inflate “out of control”, the price for salmon isn’t affected much at all. Hence, I have been buying and consuming more that usual amount of salmons in the past two weeks.

To us Chinese, fish (鱼) symbolizes “abundance” (余). So, it’s a must-have dish when celebrating the Lunar New Year. Today I like to share with you a simple yet healthy fish dish which I had chanced upon from Annabel Karmel Family Cookbook. This dish is cooked in parchment (also known as en papillote in French). The fish fillet is sealed inside a folded package of parchment paper and baked briefly in an oven.  This method cooks the enclosed fish in its own moisture and creates its own sauce of natural juices. As a results, this helps the fish retains its full flavour, hence making it juicy and delicious. 

Besides fish, this method is also suitable to cook any cut of meat, chicken, pasta and vegetables. It has now become my favourite cooking method because it is incredibly simple, easy-to-clean up and fun to see the aromatic steam releases when tearing out the packaging. Cooking such prosperous yet healthy fish dish during CNY will surely bring a smile to your diners. May the Year of Tiger bring you and your family lots of joy and happiness! Gong Xi Fatt Cai!! 

Other CNY dishes that you may be interested:
- Braised dried oysters with minced meat
- Scrambled eggs with tomatoes
- Luo Han Zhai/ Loh Han Chai 1
- Luo Han Zhai/ Loh Han Chai 2 

>>>> Click on page 2 below for Teriyaki Salmon in a Parcel recipe…………. 

My first experience in tasting stir-fry udon was at a Chinese restaurant many years ago. After trying it out, I got hooked on udon, especially this stir-fry version even until now. But I never expect my son to also enjoy eating this fat and chewy noodle as much as I do. In fact, udon is his first choice among all Japanese noodles (such as somen, soba and ramen) on the menu at a Japanese restaurant when ordering. As part of my “cost-saving’ project, I started to make udon noodle soup (kitsune udon) and stir-fry udon (yaki udon) to please our cravings.

The first stir-fry udon I experimented making was adapted from an udon recipe in Cooking for Kids by Pansy Seng. (This cookbook is very useful guide to me as it provides many creative ideas and methods for mothers to prepare interesting dishes suitable for their toddlers ranging from main dishes to desserts.). After several “trial and error” attempts, I finally came up with this simple, nutritious yet tasty recipe (using my own concoction) to share with you.

The method I used in this recipe is slightly different than the usual stir-frying. As udon is quite bland in taste, I blanched it lightly first and then used the braising method to let the udon absorb the seasonings. This makes the noodles more flavourful.

It is a versatile recipe when it comes to the selection of ingredients. As colour is important in our diet (as mentioned in my previous post, I select my vegetables from different colour groups so that it will give this dish more nutritional value. For example, capsicum (red), carrots (orange), baby sweet corns (yellow) and snow peas (green). You can replace these vegetables with any other combinations of your choice. Other suggested alternatives are french beans, fine french beans, lettuce, mushrooms (enoki, shitake or button) and bean sprouts. As for prawns, you can either substitute it with or add in other types of seafood such as crabsticks, slices of fish or squids. Since you can have so many combinations, remember to go through all the stuffs in your fridge first before rushing out to buy any ingredients. I like to do this kind of “spring-cleaning” exercise from time to time as it can be real fun and challenging. Sometimes I also get to discover new recipes too.

I hope you will enjoy preparing and savour this one-dish meal!

Note: You can learn more about udon from: here and here. 

I am submitting this dish to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Girlichef  this week.

>>Click on page 2 below for stir-fry udon with prawns recipe…………

Fish and tofu (beancurd) are great source of protein. What will you do if you have both in your fridge? I would have recommended steaming them as it is the easiest and healthiest way of cooking. But what if you or your family members are bored with the usual steamed food? The recipe I am sharing today may just be the alternative solution for you. It gives an interesting twist in the cooking method compared to the common steaming method.

This recipe only requires some very basic seasonings and ingredients which you can easily find in your kitchen. Besides being easy-to-make, it can be done super fast. From preparation to cooking, you can come out with a delicious yet nutritious dish for the entire family in less than half an hour. It can also be turned into a one-dish meal by adding some green peas to it. It goes well with rice. Doesn’t that sound great on days when you don’t feel like spending too much time in cooking?

If you are looking for a kid-friendly dish, this is definitely a good one to try it out!

>> Click on page 2 below for Minced Fish with Tofu recipe ………..

Ever since I was a child, I perceive and express better through pictures instead of words. In scientific term, I am a right brain person. (No wonder I did badly in written essay in my school years. ) Now, whenever I search for recipes online, I am easily sold by impressive-looking photos. They motivate me to try the recipes out as soon as I can lay my hands on the ingredients. If you love to see beautiful photos as much as I do, then you should take a peep at the photo gallery of My Cooking Hut. It is one of those fabulous food blogs I am really hooked on. Every shot taken by Lee Mei, who is a freelance photographer, is awesome and of professional-quality. With excellent food styling skills and perfect propping, she set the right mood and theme for her readers. Every time I visit her blog, I love to admire her photo shots, more as a piece of fine art than just a normal food photo. It gives me lots of inspiration, tips and ideas in food photography. Apart from photography, she is also a very talented cook. You can find a variety of Eastern and Western cuisines featured in her blog that ranges from Asian stir-frying dishes to French delicate dessert. Her blog is my main reference for simple yet delicious recipes.

When Lee Mei wrote to me to ask if I am interested to be her guest writer, I was awe and surprised . I started scratching my head as what to feature on her beautiful blog. After some discussions, we decided on salmon cakes with an Asian twist. Today, I feel so honoured to be the guest writer for My Cooking Hut. Without further delay, let me bring you over to visit Lee Mei’s nicely decorated “hut” and savour my salmon cakes virtually with just a click here.

During Chinese New Year, the most popular dish in Cantonese’s cooking is braised dried oyster/ ho si (蚝豉) with black moss/ fat choy (发菜). Both of these ingredients sound auspicious in Cantonese’s pronunciation. Ho si means good business（好市）whereas fat choy means prosperous (发财). Besides braising, dried oysters can also be used in porridge and soup.

Today, I will share with you my mother-in-law’s signature dish – braised dried oysters with minced meat (蚝豉松). This is my hubby’s most favourite dish among my mother-in-law’s cooking. It goes well with both rice and noodles. You can even eat it wrapped in lettuce.

Before posting the photos I shot in Penang, I would like to begin my 2009 posting with a food recipe.

Do you like salad? I never have a chance to made one so far as my Emperor is not supportive enough for this idea. But after all the Christmas and New Year festive celebrations, I desperately need one now. Remember what I mentioned in my last post? It is my 2009 New Year resolution! As we know, another festive celebration is approaching – Chinese New Year. During this period, we will have to attend family reunion dinner and friend and relatives’ open house. All the yummilicious stuff are awaiting for us!! If I don’t seriously watch my diet now, then I have to prepare to upgrade my clothing size after CNY. Oh, no! please don’t let this happen to me!!!!

Today I would like to share with you a light, simple and healthy recipe I found from my favourite cookbook – “Children’s healthy & fun cookbook”. Although this was my 1st attempt in making salad, to my surprise, my son could accept raw vegetables such as baby butterhead. He loved eating it so much. I guess it was because most of the ingredients used in this salad were his favourite (ie tomato, corns, raisin and prawns) and the thousand island dressing provides extra flavour to the salad.

This salad is very versatile. You can mix and match any ingredients using your own creativity. Below is my own modified version that is enough to serve both my son and me for today’s lunch.

Ingredients:
60g pasta shells – cooked and drained well
4 large prawns – cooked and peeled, cut each prawn into 4 portions
1 medium size tomato – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
½ ear of large sweet corn – steamed or boiled, kernel removed from cob
1 small Japanese cucumber – removed seeds and chopped into cubes
Handful of black raisins and sunflower seeds
A few leaves of baby butterhead (cut into strips)

Other ingredients you may consider:
- small tomatoes (ie cherry or roma tomatoes), carrot, potato, avocado, lettuce leaves, green peas, capsicums, celery, cooked egg, pine nuts, ham,  chicken (instead of prawn), tofu (instead of prawn for vegetarian)

Dressing (thousand islands sauce):
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp lemon juice (start with 1 tsp)
2 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Dash of pepper
Sugar or salt (if necessary)
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for mixing later)

Methods:
1) Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and follow the cooking instructions on the packet. Drain well and leave to cool.
2) Prepare the dressing, cover with cling wrap and keep in the fridge.
3) Prepare all the ingredients.
4) Put all the ingredients into a salad bowl and mix well with the dressing. Alternatively, you can divide the ingredients between the serving bowls and then drizzle over the dressing. Serve and enjoy!

I am submitting this pasta salad to Presto Pasta Night, founded by Ruth of Once Upon A Feast, and hosted by Ivy of Kopiaste this week.

Other recommended colourful dishes:
- special egg rolls with rice, salmon and spinach
- millet porridge
- stir-fried capsicums & cucumber with stewed vegetarian mutton

My hubby loved this soup so much that after drinking the soup, he also took an extra portion to mix with his rice so as to give him a “braised rice” flavour.

This recipe is adapted from Hawker’s Fair Simplified cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 piece soft beancurd – mashed into puree (it can be substituted with egg bean curb or homemade beancurd)
1 fresh squid (about 200g) – shredded
6 crab sticks – shredded
2 pieces ham – shredded
3 black mushrooms – soaked and shredded
6 water chestnuts – peeled and shredded
2 egg whites
1500ml stock (上汤）

Seasonings:
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper and chicken stock granules
3 tbsp corn flour (mixed with 5 tbsp water for thickening)
1 tbsp chopped spring onion

Methods:
1. Bring stock to boil. Put in all ingredients, seasonings and bring to boil.
2. Add in corn flour water and mix well. Then add in egg whites, mix well and remove from heat.
3. Dish soup into individual serving bowl, sprinkle chopped spring onion on top and serve with black vinegar if desired.

Note:
I had made some slight modifications to the ingredients used because I need to clear some of my stocks in the fridge.

Ingredients (my version):
1 tube Japanese egg beancurd ( 150g) – mashed into puree
5 water chestnuts – peeled and shredded
5 fresh shiitake mushrooms – blanched over boiling water, shredded
2 slices bacon flavour vegetarian ham – shredded
120g surimi crab legs (imitation of crab legs) – shredded (I think it will taste even better if use original crab meat because of its textures and taste)
3 egg whites
1100 ml stocks (I use chicken bones to boil the soup first)

I had replaced chicken stock granules with some concentrated chicken stocks. Before adding egg whites, you may also need to adjust the seasonings according to your own preference if neccessary.

This recipe is adapted from Women’s Weekly Foodbook magazine (tofu and crabmeat patties) with some slight modification.

Ingredients:
240g crabstick filament (chopped finely)
150g tofu (½ block) 板豆腐
1 stalk spring onions (chopped finely)- use green part only
30g breadcrumb (You can substitute with crushed plain crackers)
2pcs waterchestnuts (chopped)

Seasonings:
4 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soya sauce
½ tsp sugar
1 egg (lightly beaten)
2 tbsp oil

Dipping sauce:
4 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp sugar

Methods:
1. Mash tofu and add in all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in seasonings and then add in beaten egg. Stir until mixture is well blended. Shape in 4-5cm diameter patties.
2. Put on a plate and cover with clip wrap. Refrigerate for about 30mins.
3. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium fire. When hot, add patties in batches. Cook for 3 mins on one side. Turn patties over and cook for another 2 mins or until brown.
4. Dish up and drain on kitchen towel.
5. Serve with dipping sauce.

Tips: Drain tofu and waterchestnus on kitchen towel so that the patties will be firmer.