This dessert ( 红枣桂圆莲子百合枸杞糖水）is suitable for all seasons. It can be served hot or cold. According to this posting, the combination of lotus seeds and lily bulbs provides the equivalent effect of bird nest. My modified version is as follows: Ingredients: 20 fresh/ dried lotus seeds (I used the dried lotus seeds) 2 whole pods fresh lily bulbs /20 petals dried lily bulbs (I used the fresh...

Under the current hot weather, it is beneficial to drink some nourishing soup. I found this recipe from here. Another similar soup without using sweetcorn can be found over here. Ingredient A: 20g white fungus 银耳(washed, soaked and torn into small pieces) 20g yu zhu 玉竹 (washed) 20g lily bulb 百合(washed) 10g red dates (removed seeds) / 15g candied dates (I used 2 big candied dates) 100g carrots (washed,...

Ingredients: 135g long beans (small cubes) 50g red capsicum (small cubes) (it can be substituted with 1 red chilly) ½ red onion (approx 30g) 150g tau gua/ dried beancurd (cut into small cubes and pat dry) 70g minced meat (marinated with light soya sauce, sugar and cornflour) 38g pickled lettuce (chopped) Seasonings: 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp soya sauce Pinch of sugar Dash of pepper and sesame oil Half rice...

Every time when I go to the market, I cannot resist the temptation to take a few close-up looks at these beautiful borlotti/ cranberry beans. But I didn’t buy any because I had no clue on how to cook it. Until recently, I discoverred that using them to boil soup is not only easy but so tasty as well. My son felt so much “in love” with the beans until he ate 80% of them from the soup! Ingredients: 150g...

Huai shan(淮山) or shan yao (山药) (Chinese yam – English), is a type of vegetable which is neutral and sweet in nature. As mentioned in this site, Chinese yam is effective in relieving cough but should not be taken for cases with abdominal swelling and pain. Nowadays, fresh Chinese yam can be easily obtained in the wet market and supermarket. It can be used in cooking a variety of recipes ie porridge...

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...

Ingredients: 125g minced meat – marinated with light soya sauce, sugar and cornflour 125g mixed vegetable 1 large brinjal (about 360g) – diced and soaked in salt water (to discard the bitter taste) 1 red onion (about 70g) – chopped Seasonings: 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp light soya sauce ½ tsp sugar ¼ tsp salt 1 tsp sesame oil Dash of pepper ¾ rice bowl of water 1 tsp cornflour (mixed with...

I saw a recipe from a cooking magazine on how to cook the real fried sharkfin. Long list of ingredients and complicated steps. Too difficult for me to “digest” as a beginner in cooking. Hence, with some tips from my mom, I had derived at my own simple version of “kwai fa chee”. This is also a dish that I managed to “convince” my son to start eating cabbage. Ingredients: 200g...

In my earlier post about steamed egg rolls with fish paste, I took my pictures under poor lighting and the effect was not impressive even after some editings. So I decided to try this recipe again in the morning. I noticed that with more eggs and lesser fish paste, I manage to make a better and firmer egg rolls. You can try the following 2 new combinations: a) 2 eggs and 150g fish paste; or b) 3 eggs and 200g...

Ingredients: 200g Chinese chestnuts (fresh) 2 chicken thighs (de-boned & skinless) – marinated with 2 tbsp light soya sauce, dash of sugar and cornflour for at least ½ hour 5 fresh mushrooms 2-3 tbsp wolfberries (kei chi – 枸子） 4 cloves garlic (bruised) Coriander leaves (for garnishing) 300ml water Seasonings: 2 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp concentrated Maggi chicken stocks（上汤） Dash...