Har Cheong Gai ( Shrimp Paste Chicken)

I search and search for ideas for chicken dishes one day and chance upon this recipe, Har Cheong Gai (Shrimp Paste Chicken).  Many of us grow up with this chicken dish.  My childhood favourite whenever we go for zhi char dinner with family.  I am sure it will not taste exactly the same if I make it at home.  However, with a party coming up, I am determine to make it.  Clever people will tell me Never Ever experiment new recipe for a party but I guess I may not be so clever hahahahhaa  Verdict.... children are asking for more after they tried it.  So this is the second time I am making this dish.

Har Cheong Gai

1 kg Chicken Mid Wings

3 Tbsp Shrimp paste

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp sesame oil

3 Tbsp Chinese Wine

1 tsp white pepper

80g plain flour

80g potato starch

1 egg

100ml water

1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1. Mix chicken with Shrimp paste, sugar, sesame oil, wine and pepper. Make sure chicken are well coated. 

2. In another big bowl, mix plain flour, potato starch, egg, water, bicarb and baking powder.  Beat batter till smooth. Add the batter into the chicken mixture. Marinate for 8 hrs or up to 2 days.

3.  Heat oil to 180 degree celsius and gently adding in a few wings.  Use chopsticks to separate the wings after about half a minute so they do not stick together.  After about 1 minute, the oil temperature should have dropped to 160 degree celsius if not lower the heat.  Fry for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Ready to serve!!! (Serve with lime or sweet chilli sauce if you like)


Note:  The recipe called for MSG so it will taste like real deal.  I will not use MSG at home so I opt this ingredient out.

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Patties

I was at supermarket one day, thinking about what to cook for the night. That is the kind of day when my brain freeze. Then I spotted broccoli!! Seriously??? Broccoli?? Kids will rather not eat dinner then. Somehow I still decided to buy it having no idea what and how am I going to do with it. Hahaha.... came home that afternoon, looking at the green monster, thinking real hard. Finally I got an idea. Broccoli Potato Patties!!!. I remember seeing recipes for broccoli patties but was too lazy to look through the internet so I decided to create my own patties. My impromptu mix and match and tada...... this is it. With the help of potatoes and cheese,  my new dish was served hot and crispy and non of them complain!!! They love the dish!!!

Broccoli and Potato Patties

1 1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 big potato, boiled smashed
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten



1. Boil broccoli in boiling water for abt 1 min. Drained and chopped finely.

2. Add chopped broccoli, cheese, salt and pepper into mashed potato. Mix well.

3. Scope a spoonful of the broccoli mixture and make make a ball then flatten it. This is when you try to give a tight but not too hard press to the patty to make shape. 

4. In a pan, heat oil for deep frying.

5. Coat each patty with potato starch then shake off excess flour.  Next dip patty into beaten egg and the coat with bread crumb. Do the same for the rest of the patties.

6. Fry patties in medium heat for about 3 mins each side or till golden brown.

7. Drain excess oil and serve hot.


Note: Ingredients are all cooked, patties just need to be fried til crispy on the outside so do not fry for too long. I also serve it with Japanese mayo.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Just when I have time to post on the blog...Ahhhh my daughter did this to the keyboard!!! Having a hard time now......

I feel guilty not keeping up with the posting but was so busy.  Work and kids took up so much of my time.  Feel exhausted most nights and usually ended up sleeping on the sofa while TV watching me sleeping.... No excuse anyway.  Here I am now sharing again.

Though been busy but I have been cooking. Making different dishes to satisfy the children.  Here is one worth sharing.  It the Pulled Pork that is so soft that it can melt in the mouth and easy to cook.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp ginger

1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder

1/2 kg Shoulder pork

1 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup chicken broth or water

1/2 tbsp oil

1. Combine soy sauce, honey, hoisin, galic, ginger       and five-spice in a big bowl.  Mix well.

2. Place pork into the sauce mixture and coat it well.         Marinate for at least an hour.

3. Heat pan with oil till hot. Brown pork on all sides in high heat. (This is an important step. It is to lock the flavour in the pork)

4. Pour remaining marinate into slow cooker and add the browned pork. Coat pork with marinate again.

5. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

6. Remove pork to a dish and keep warm with a sheet of aluminum foil. 

7. Pour liquid into a saucepan. In a small bowl stir cornstarch and broth together and boil til thicken.    Whisk while boiling.

8. Shred pork into smaller pieces with a fork.

9. Drizzle gravy over pork and keep remaining gravy for served plain rice.

10. All you need to do now is start eating!!!!  Enjoy  :)

Homemade Apple Crostata

When my girl was young, she hated apple pie.... I tried many times to get her eat but she just did not like it.  I have no idea why because it is so delicious.  One day I was watching a cooking show by Ina Garten.  She was baking Apple Crostata. I was immediately captured by the look of the tart.  Crostata is an Italian baked tart in the form of pie.  The following day, I decided to try out the recipe and to my surprise, my girl ate!!!!  I was so delighted and since then, Apple Crostata has become our frequent visitor to the kitchen :)

Apple Crostata

For the pastry

1 cup of all-purpose flour

2 tbsp superfine sugar

1/4 tsp salt

113g cold unsalted butter, diced

2 tbsp ice water

Filling

3 large apples

1/4 tsp grated orange zest

1/4 cup flour

1/4 superfine sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

58g cold unsalted butter, diced                                                                                    

1. For pastry, place flour, sugar and salt in a bowl, combine. (You can use food processor. I just use a spatula) Add butter. (I use mixer for this part) when its crumbly, add ice water. Combine well but do not over beat. 

2. Turn the dough onto a well floured board and form into a disk. (Try to do a flat surface disk. This makes the rolling easier later. Ensuring the dough will be even in thickness)

3. Wrapped with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

4. Preheat oven at 230° 

5. Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11" circle on a lightly floured surface. (Do not over work the dough) Transfer it to a baking sheet.

6. For filling, cut apples into wedges. Toss apples with orange zest. Cover the tart dough with apple leaving 1 1/2" border. 

7. Combine flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix well then add butter. Use your clean fingers to rub til holding together and crumbly. 

8. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the bolder over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.

9. Bake 20 - 25 mins.

Anyone who loves apples tarts, apple pie should try this recipe.  It is amazing!!

Enjoy!!!

Mua Chee

I am back once again!!  A lot of struggle lately.  Being a single mom is not easy and is triple hard at times.  Fighting for rights, fighting for a better future, most importantly fighting to be heard (by my kiddos ahahha) On top of all these, facing a history (my ex husband) sucks.  Too much unnecessary problems invented by him....Wonder why is there someone like this on earth.  Well.... enough said.  I have to refocus, focus on my life with the kiddos, with the people I love most.  I will not be here today without all the love by those who love me truly.  

I have been cooking and baking but not been posting.  Owe friends some recipes I tried and finally able to sit down, compose myself and do my posting.  I miss posting actually, the feeling of sharing is satisfying.  One of the hot favourites I have is Mua Chee.  It is basically made up of glutinous rice flour, water and sugar.  Extremely simple dish to make.

                          

Mua Chee

250g Glutinous rice flour

375g water

3 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp oil

a packet of peanut powder ( I use the one with sugar)

1. Combine all ingredients and whisk til smooth.

2. Oil a non-stick steamboat pan, pour the flour mixture in and cook under low heat or steaming 

    mode for 40 mins.

3. Once done, use tong and scissor, cut the cooked flour mixture into bite size. Roll them in peanut 

    powder.  

4. Ready to serve warm.

This recipe is so savoury.  The mua chee is soft and light. Yummy, a must try if you love mua chee!!!