Whenever I made these bite-sized chicken and apple balls, my hubby and son never seems to have enough. As they kept requesting me to cook this dish, I think I had cooked it more often than any other dishes in my family meal. So, what makes these eggless chicken balls taste so good? The secret lies with apple, cheese and a tingle of herbs, making them truly delicious and flavourful on their own even without a dip. I’m so glad to have discovered the use of apple to cut down artificial sugar in cooking. The hidden bits of apple keeps these balls so moist and tender, as well as fills with subtle natural sweetness. We really enjoyed every mouthful of it. My son claimed that they are by far the best chicken balls he had ever tasted!! Yeah!!

Making these chicken balls isn’t difficult but you may find it a bit tricky to get the balls round and smooth. Perhaps you can try out some by the following tips (or tricks?) which I find them quite useful:

• squeeze out the excess juice from the grated apple as much as you can;
• keep the balls in the fridge to firm up.
• wet your cleaned hands a little with either water or oil before shaping the balls
• mince the chicken and onion finely. In this case, food processor or blender will do a better job.

If you don’t like them in balls form, then you can make them into patties which take lesser time to firm up and much easier to pan-fry. Well, this means that you gonna miss the most fun part of it. You know what, my hubby and son volunteered themselves to shape the balls. They even competed with each other to see who gets the nicest and roundest ball! This is the only time I see them having no complaint about their “shared responsibilities”.
These chicken balls make great party food for both kids and adults. Just serve them on plate or thread them on skewer to impress your guests. Don’t forget the barbecue dip. It goes very well with the chicken balls.

>>>>> Get the RECIPE for CHICKEN AND APPLE BALLS WITH BARBECUE DIP at PAGE 2 BELOW.…………

I am a great soup lover, and will always be. Nothing can be more comforting than having my stomach filled with a bowl of hearty and nutritious homemade soup during mealtime. So do my hubby and son. I think it’s already in our “Cantonese” genes.

Lately, the weather in Singapore has been hot. So drinking soup is a great way to replenish the fluid losses in our body. Speaking of which, we prefer to consume light soups over the creamy ones to start our meal with as it is more refreshing. And, this clear and light tasting fish soup has been our favourite choice.

In my previous post, I talked about how to make your own fish stock. With the fish stock on hand, making this fish soup is certainly easy-peasy. It only takes me 15 minutes to prepare a steaming hot bowl of nourishing soup for my family! Hence, this dish is ideal for busy working mothers who are looking for quick and easy home-cooked meal.

I use a combination of fish fillet, silken tofu, tomatoes, wakame (Japanese seaweeds) and spring onions to enhance the flavour as well as the nutritional value of this dish. The shredded ginger is added to get rid of any unpleasant “fishy” smell from the soup. A sprinkle of toasted and lightly ground sesame seeds will also be good to give a nutty flavour to the dish. It will be even more fun to treat the fish stock as a steamboat base and create your own version of fish soup. Some popular ingredients that I love to include in my fish soup are homemade fish balls, prawns, crabsticks (surimi), fresh mushrooms (shitake, shimeji and enoki), Chinese seaweeds, egg, corns (baby corns or corn on the cob), lettuce and cabbage. The secret to a good fish soup recipe lies in the stock and the ingredients used. So, I can’t emphasize more that you should only use fresh ingredients especially for fish and prawns to yield great flavour.

This soup can be served with rice, noodles or even pasta if you like. Besides having it as a starter, you can also tweak the recipe and turn it into a one dish meal that your entire family can enjoy.

-> Get the recipe for quick and easy fish soup at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Homemade fish stock makes a great soup base for soups, congee, rice, braises, stews and sauces. It gives any seafood-based dish an immeasurable flavour even to the simplest recipe. Apart from flavour, it is extremely nutritious too as it’s a rich source of gelatin and minerals that our body requires. This is further mentioned by by Sally Fallon (author of Nourishing Traditions) in her article titled Broth is Beautiful. An excerpt of this article is as follows:

“Fish stock, made from carcasses and heads of the fish, is especially rich in minerals including all-important iodine. Even more important, stock made from the heads, and therefore the thyroid glands of the fish, supplies thyroid hormone and other substances that nourish the thyroid gland.”

Honestly, most people living in urban area find it hard to get fish carcasses due to its limited supply. I consider myself lucky to find a constant (yet still limited) supply of fish bones from my nearby supermarket (NTUC Fairprice) and wet market (Tampines round market) at reasonable prices. Don’t be despair if you aren’t as lucky as me. You can always ask your local fishmonger to save the carcasses for you. That’s what I did whenever I was desperate for a bowl of comfy homemade fish soup. So, start sourcing for your fish bones. If the amount is too little, freeze them first until it’s sufficient to make the stock.

This western style white fish stock I shared here is very simple and easy to make. The inclusion of vegetables adds a great more flavour and nutrients to the stock. As they are cut into small pieces, they can release their maximum flavour in the shortest time. Making this stock doesn’t take you long. A gentle one-hour simmer is all you need to yield a good clear and tasty stock. Avoid using oily fish as highly unsaturated fish oils will become rancid during long cooking process. I use fresh coriander leaves to enhance the flavour but other fresh herbs such as parsley and thyme work just fine. This stock can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and up to 3 months with deep freezing. Having this stock on hand, you can easily whip up many delicious dishes such as my seafood beancurd soup. If you need more ideas, please stay tune for my upcoming quick and easy soup recipe!

-> Get the recipe and step by step tutorial on How To Make Fish Stock at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Last year, I submitted my frozen tofu salad recipe to Annabel Karmel’s member recipe column for fun. Being one of the first 10 recipes unloaded in Autumn, I received a copy of Annabel Karmel’s “Top 100 Finger Foods” cookbook. And, the wonderful thing is that, it reached me two days before Christmas!! This book features a collection of many quick and easy recipes for both babies and older children. This sweet potato crisp is one of  the recipes that I am fond of after trying it out. It tastes slightly sweet yet healthy that you can make for your kids (or maybe your loved ones) this Valentine’s Day.

If you goggled about sweet potato and its nutritional value, you will have no reasons not to love it more. Not only is it sweet in taste, inexpensive, readily available and versatile, it’s also packed with many essential nutrients beneficial to our health. It’s low in calories and contains no saturated fat and cholesterol. Besides that, it is loaded with flavonoid anti-oxidants (such as beta-carotene and vitamin A), vitamins (vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin D), minerals (iron, potassium and magnesium), and dietary fiber (if eaten with skins).

Sweet potato is one of our family’s favourite root vegetables. I had introduced it into my son’s diet since his weaning stage. Even until now, he never get bored eating it. In the past, I added it into congee, made it into dessert or just steamed and enjoyed it plain. Well, making these crisps is definitely new to me but had been done by others around the world such as Simply Recipes and Tiny Urban Kitchen.

Given that they are baked rather than fried, these oven baked crisps are low in fat yet still retain their natural sweetness and crispiness as fried chips when freshly baked from the oven. So, trust me, kids would definitely love it and ask for more. My son complained that I should make more as he didn’t get enough with his share. THEY.ARE.SO.ADDICTIVE!!!

This snack is so easy to prepare that no one should give it a miss. You can slice your sweet potato with either a swivel peeler or mandolin. Make sure the slices are thin and even in thickness so that they can be browned and crisped at the same time. Having them soak in water to help get rid of the excess starch which will make them crispier when baked. But, keep an eye on them when baking, especially towards the end of the cooking time as they can turn brown easily.

  I wish you all HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! 

-> Get the recipe and step by step tutorial at PAGE 2 BELOW.

In the past, every Lunar New Year, my mother would surely bake some festive cookies for the family. Being her key assistant cum tester, I had the least interest in making peanut cookies. To-date, I still find them neither tasty nor appealing in looks. Hence, they never make it to my “to-bake” list for Lunar New Year. As they say, never say never. I had a change of heart recently and decided to bake these “dreadful” peanut cookies. Oh!!! Woman, woman, you are a complete mystery in the universe. Professor Stephen Hawking is so right. lol!

But, in fact, I was inspired by my reader, Sandy Goh. Two weeks ago, she shared with me a precious peanut cookie recipe that she had learned from her “master sifu”. What fascinated me is that only four basic ingredients (eg peanuts, flour, sugar and oil) are used, and they are mixed according to a fixed ratio. This ratio works well whether you measure the ingredients in cups or grams. To that, I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding salt and butter. I also used more peanuts and lesser flour. So, what’s the verdict? I am pleased to say that the peanut cookies turned out to be crunchy at the first bite, and then softly crumbled with a melt-in-the mouth texture as soon as they hit your tongue. These cookies were fully packed with the fragrance of both finely grounded and tiny bits of roasted peanuts. The sweetness is just right and well balanced by a hint of salty flavour. Not only my family and friends gave it a thumb up, I also couldn’t resist the temptation to pop these little golden morsels into my mouth, one after another, and another, and……

Although this recipe is very simple and straightforward, there are a few things you need to watch out. First, as peanut is the key ingredient in the recipe, I would strongly recommend you to buy good quality peanuts and roast them yourself. This is to ensure that you get to taste more aroma of peanuts. Second, you may grind the peanuts to be superfine and smooth, but I prefer mine to be a bit coarse so that the cookies would give me something to munch on. Last but not least, remember to weigh each cookie dough to the same grammage so that they can be cooked evenly. Don’t skip this step!

Given that peanut is one of the most common food allergies, this recipe is not recommended for kids below 3 years old (age as recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics), kid who has a family history of allergies or kid who has had a food allergy in the past. If this is the first time you introduce peanuts to your child, please consult your pediatrician for further advice.

We will soon be heading back to my hubby’s hometown to celebrate the Lunar New Year. So, before I end this post, let’s me wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous Lunar New Year!!

在新的一年，祝大家龙年大吉，龙气冲天，财源滚滚，发得像飞龙，身体壮得像斗龙，龙年快乐！

-> Get the recipe and step by step tutorial at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Other festive cookies that you may bake for the Lunar New Year:

Before my son turned one, I excluded salt, sugar and oil from his diet. For this reason, I put off the idea of using dried anchovies (or ikan bilis) to make stock for his porridge. Only when he grew older, I began to use anchovies to prepare fish soup for him.

Actually, I had bookmarked one very simple and easy anchovy recipe from a Japanese cookbook that I would like to share with you for a long time. But with too many recipes sitting in my to-try list, I almost totally forgot about it. Luckily, it struck my mind again when I came across some good quality tiny dried anchovies in the wet market recently. This recipe is called Tazukuri (dried anchovies) which is a snack prepared during New Year in Japan. The already sun-dried anchovies (or sardines) are further dried roasted, and then cooked briefly in a skillet with a sweet soy-flavoured sauce. This dish reminds me of my favourite spicy anchovies (or sambal ikan bilis) that are served with nasi lemak (a popular Malay cuisine). The difference is that there is no chilly used in Tazukuri. Hence, it makes an ideal kids-friendly dish for my son.

I had given the original recipe a little tweak. I used tiny dried anchovies (dried whitebaits, 银鱼仔 ) instead of the normal dried anchovies (江鱼仔) that are commonly used for soup as they are less salty and easier to handle by kids. Roasting is an important process in this recipe. It will help to enhance the crispiness of the anchovies as well as reduce the fishy smell to some extent. With the help of oven, I roasted the anchovies till crisp and crunchy. This method is healthier and less messy than deep-frying. After roasting, they are then coated with my concoction of teriyaki sauce, and topped with some toasted sesame seeds. This is a very versatile recipe. You can make any adjustment to the seasonings to suit your family’s liking. Once these crispy anchovies are cooled, store them in an air-tight container. If you keep them in the fridge, they can last for 2 weeks. Well, I doubt that you will have problem to clear them on time as mine was gone in just a few days! Both my hubby and son are seriously addicted to it.

It’s a great side dish to be served with rice, porridge and even noodles. However, I do not recommend it as snack for toddlers as it is considered salty for their age. For parents who are looking for calcium rich food for your kids, do give this recipe a go.

Before jumping to my recipe, let me share some good news with you all. Not long ago, a REAL FAIRY knocked on my door. She is the FAIRY HOBMOTHER who came from Appliance Online. Besides selling all kinds of white goods, her job involves spreading joy and granting wishes. Before this, she had visited Angie and gave her a lovely gift. When she saw my wish in Angie’s blog, she wrote to me and sent me an Amazon gift card of USD100 to treat myself with something nice!!

Now, here’s your chance to make your wish come true. It’s very simple. Just leave a comment below this post, provide a valid email address (important!!!) and make a wish (loud and clear, please!). If you’re lucky, the Fairy Hobmother will give you a gift too just like me! Once again, thank you Fairy Hobmother from Appliance Online and good luck to all of you!

-> Get the recipe and step by step tutorial at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Burdock is a biennial plant, cultivated for its root to be consumed as a vegetable. Burdock root 牛蒡 (other popular names: Arctium lappal, Greater burdock, edible burdock, Lappa burdock) is also called “gobō” in Japan and “u-eong”u-eong” in Korea. When I first saw burdock root at the wet market, I had mistaken it with a tuber called huai san 淮山 or shan yao 山药   (also referred as nagaimo, a Japanese mountain yam). Burdock root can grow up to 1 meter long (2.5ft to 3ft) with a diameter between 2cm to 4cm. It has a sweet but slightly muddy flavour.

Burdock root is rich in nutrients such as proteins, vitamins (Vitamin A, C, B1, E, K and folate), minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphoros) and dietary fiber. Given its high nutritional value, burdock root is also regarded as “Oriental Ginseng” (东洋参).

Burdock root provides plenty of health benefits. It is used as a diuretic, diaphoretic and a blood purifying agent in traditional herbal remedies. It aids peristalsis of the intestines, prevents constipation and abdominal flatulence. It also enhances blood circulation, prevents high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cerebrovascular disease and cancer. It’s also used to treat skin diseases (such as psoriasis and eczema) and burns. Burdock root oil is useful to strengthen and beautify hair by improving scalp circulation, combat hair loss and dandruff. Chinese medicine practitioners combine burdock root with other herbs to treat measles, tonsillitis, colds and sore throat.

Even though burdock root is loaded with nutrients, it may trigger certain side effects. Burdock root can cause allergy reaction to those who are already sensitive to daises, chrysanthemums, or ragweed. As a diuretic, it is also not recommended for people who are suffering from dehydration. Pregnant women should also avoid burdock root as it may cause uterus stimulation. Since burdock root may also affect blood sugar level, people on diabetic medication should also avoid it. More write-ups about these side effects can be found HERE and HERE. If you intend to use burdock to treat any specific ailment or consume it as supplement, it is recommended to consult a trained medical practitioner or doctor prior to using.

Burdock root has also gained popularity for its culinary uses in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Burdock root can be cooked in a variety of ways such as an appetizer, stew, addition to soup, baked as bread and cakes, and even made into snack food.

So far, my son didn’t really show much interest for soups that I made with burdock root.  But, this burdock root soup I am featuring today is an exception. It is a combination of corns on the cob, carrot and burdock root. I used the natural sweetness of corns and candied dates to cover the earthy taste of the burdock root. Hence, the overall taste is very delicious and welcoming to kids. When my son took a sip of the soup, he got hooked immediately. After drinking the entire bowl of soup, he ate all the ingredients served in it, including the burdock root slices too! Wow! I couldn’t believe my eyes! My trick works!!

This “kid-approved” soup is very nourishing and full of nutrients. It makes a great start for those who are new to burdock root. If you drink the soup and eat the cooked ingredients,  then you will get to enjoy more health benefits from this soup and minimise any wastage.

Other reading references:

- Wikipedia
- 百度百科
- Buzzle
- About.com
- Dick Contino

Get the recipe for BURDOCK ROOT SOUP at PAGE 2 BELOW.

Being a curious person, I always love asking questions. Since becoming a mom, a home chef and a food blogger, I have even more questions to ask – more than ever before! Unfortunately, most are still unanswered.   But I believe if I keep asking questions, it will surely lead me to some pleasant discoveries.

“FROZEN TOFU” – I found this “mysterious” ingredient in Wendy’s post when browsing her great blog. True enough, the very next moment, my mind is overloaded with question marks.

“What is it?  How does it taste?  Why do I need to freeze it?  How do I freeze it?  How can I cook it?”

Driven by curiosity and without giving much thought, I immediately went ahead to freeze a block of tofu. I felt so amused with this impulsive act. Anyway, I spent some time to explore further. After cooking this frozen tofu, I find myself prefer the texture of frozen tofu over that of the fresh ones. Why? Just read on.

Frozen tofu, also known as “Thousand Layer Tofu” (千葉豆腐), is nothing new if you go to dig more from Wikipedia (Yes, I know. I’m so slow to learn this.). Freezing tofu will not affect its nutritional value but would trigger a change in its texture from smooth and creamy to spongy and porous. Large ice crystals developed within the tofu during the freezing process cause the formation of large cavities which appear to be layered. Frozen tofu will take on a yellowish hue. When thawed, the tofu loses a fair amount of water. At this point, you can easily squeeze out any excess water from the tofu. This will give the tofu a greater capacity to absorb whatever flavour you’re cooking or marinating with.

Though you can freeze any types of tofu, the firm or extra firm ones (for silken tofu) are much easier to handle and work best. It’s also important to drain the tofu before freezing. This will ensure little moisture is retained in the tofu, which will make it structurally more stable and firm after being thawed.

Learning how to freeze tofu is as simple as it sounds. Simply follow the step-by-step tutorial in PAGE 3. Tofu can be frozen as a whole in its original container, or drained and wrapped in plastic wrap until it’s needed. The former produces a softer consistency texture than the latter. Or, you can also choose to cut it into slabs or cubes prior to freezing, separating them with greaseproof or plastic paper. The method chosen will depend on how you plan to use it.

Due to its “leathery” texture, frozen tofu is not suitable to use for creamy dishes such as smoothie, spread or dips. However, it’s perfect for stir-frying, grilling, addition to soup, stews or salad, and sandwich filling. It can also be sliced, breaded and pan-fried like cutlets. If you are looking for a vegetarian substitute that produces a chewy, meat-like texture, then frozen tofu is a good option.

I make frozen tofu salad for my family recently. It’s such a refreshing meal to enjoy during this superhot weather. After the tofu is thawed, I cut the tofu into cubes and pan-fry them till nicely brown. To give this salad a colourful touch and crunchy bite, I add cherry tomatoes, Japanese cucumbers and sweet corns. A sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds over the salad will add some wonderful aroma and crunch too. Feel free to try out other ingredients of your choice. You can eat this salad either at room temperature or chilled from the fridge. You can also include some cooked pasta and turn this salad into a wholesome one dish meatless meal.

I concocted a Japanese creamy sesame dressing to compliment this salad. The dressing is burst with fragrant sesame flavour. For a creative twist, you can prepare this sauce as a delicious dip and serve it with mini vegetable skewers or colourful vegetable sticks. It’s another effective way to encourage your little ones to eat more vegetables. This simple salad is so good – healthy, easy to assemble and flavourful. I told myself that I could eat it everyday.

A happy ending to my new discovery!

Other recommended reading references:
- 100 things to do with tofu
- Frequentlt asked questions about tofu
- How to freeze tofu wit tips and its benefits
- How to freeze tofu (cooking information and techniques)
- Can you freeze tofu?

Get the recipe for FROZEN TOFU SALAD WITH CREAMY SESAME DRESSING at PAGE 2 BELOW

Learn HOW TO FREEZE TOFU with step by step tutorial and tips at PAGE 3 BELOW

Mushi-pan ( 蒸しパン ), literally translated as steamed cupbread. But if you ask Uncle Google, you will also find it being associated with buns, cakes or muffins. Personally, I like to call it a “cake” as its texture is closer to a light version of mini cupcake, but not as dense and chewy as the tradition Chinese prosperity cakes (“fatt gou/ huat kueh” 发糕).

I must say that mushipan is the easiest thing to make when compared to all the other baked goods that I had tried so far. The original mushipan recipe only uses six basic ingredients, namely egg, sugar, low protein flour, baking powder, milk and salad oil. Mix them well, pour the batter into moulds and steam them!  With just 15 minutes of preparation and another 12-15 minutes of steaming, your piping hot steamed cakes will be ready on your table. The best thing is no electrical mixer and oven are required. If you want to learn how to make a basic mushipan, you can refer to Mushipan-Steamed cupbread/ cake recipe posted by Alice of Bits-of-Taste.

The basic recipe, which served as a reference guide, can be tweaked to become a sweet or savoury version depending on individual’s creativity. I have been doing some experiments on both types but end up liking the savoury recipes more. Today, I have selected my favourite savoury recipe (which is adapted from a mushipan cookbook) to share with you. This Japanese-inspired recipe created a touch of fusion by using cheese, sweet paprika and sausage. This perfect pairing makes the mushipans so tasty and fun to chew on. These mushipans are soft and flavourful when served warm. Even when they have cooled down, they still taste good. Of course, the warm ones taste better.

I bet your little ones would find these savoury mushipans totally irresitable as there are hidden bits of sausage and subtle cheese flavour. If you prefer a healthier version, simply substitute sausage with cooked chicken meat or frozen green peas. As these mushipans are small in size, they are easy to handle by your tots and ideal for outing, party, or packed lunches.

If you have tried and liked the steamed pumpkin muffins recipe I posted earlier, then this is another great recipe that should go to your bookmark list. This post is also specially dedicated to those who love baking but do not own any electrical mixer or oven. By putting a little effort, your family will get to enjoy this healthy yet cost saving homemade treat. Happy trying!!! (and succeeding)

Other mushipan recipes:

• Basic mushipan recipe (with milk) – Bits of Taste
• Basic mushipan recipe (with condensed milk) – La Fuji Mama
• Chocolate chips and corn cheese – Just One Cookbook
• Sweet potatoes with pandan (screwpine leaves) flavour – Cuisine Paradise
• Sweet corns – Cuisine Paradise
• Butternut squash – Pigpigscorner

=> Get the Japanese steamed sausage cakes recipe and step by step tutorials at PAGE 2 BELOW.

My family had a wonderful time during our recent holidays. We went to Kuala Lumpur first, then to Cameron Highlands and lastly ended in Penang. The only regret was that our duration in Penang was too short to cover our usual to-eat (no, must-eat) list. Just thinking of this food heaven, my stomach has already started rumblimg….oh my! I will share with you some photos I had taken during our Cameron Highlands trip in my next post.

Have you heard, seen or eaten Japanese steamed cake/ bread (mushi pan) before? I was very intrigued with this mushi pan when I first saw it sold at a specialty store in a shopping mall. Since then, I had been searching for the recipe. Lately, I had bought some mushi pan cookbooks and had tried out some of the recipes. However, some failed while some were far from perfection. Undaunted, I will continue my experiment and hopefully I can share my success story with you soon. So, wish me luck!

Meanwhile, here is my favourite steamed pumpkin muffin recipe that is especially dedicated for people who love baking but have neither oven nor electrical mixer, or both. The recipe is fairly simple and quick to make even if you are a novice in baking. It applies the same muffin/mixing method used to make baked muffins. You just need a hand whisk and a mixing bowl. Yes, it’s as simple as that. The wet ingredients are combined with the dry ingredients to form a batter. Then the batter is spooned into the moulds and steamed instead of baking. It’s so hassle-free and requires less washing too!

Even though the muffins are steamed, they produce soft and fluffy cake-like texture unlike the tradition Chinese prosperity cakes (“fatt gou/ huat kueh” 发糕) that are dense and chewy. Its gorgeous “open mouth” effect (which according to the Chinese’s belief symbolizes good luck) is what I adore most about these muffins.

Besides that, they taste yummy too!!! Each bite is packed with subtle smell and taste of coconut milk that blends well with the pumpkin flavour. As Australian pumpkin comes with  natural sweetness, I use lesser sugar than what is required in the original recipe. So the sweetness could be just perfect for those who don’t have a sweet tooth. By mashing the pumpkins and mixing it well with the batter, I am sure your picky eater won’t notice its existence when consuming it.

These muffins are not only enjoyed a lot by our family but my friend’s family as well. After sampling my muffins, she (a working mom with 2 kids) quickly requested for the recipe and made them on the same weekend – 2 days in a row!

These muffins can be frozen in the fridge for later consumption. On the day you want to eat them,  just take them out from the freezer to thaw lightly and steam again under high heat for 10-12 minutes.  It’s best to serve them warm. You can also add a dollop of jam to go with it.

=> Get the recipe and step-by-step tutorial with photos at PAGE 2 BELOW.