Spooky Halloween Trick or Treat

What are you planning on this year Halloween which is just two days away on Sunday, 31 October 2010? This year there are a lot of exciting Halloween activities found in most tourist attractions such as Singapore Night Safari, Sentosa (spooky event) or even some restaurants or pubs are having Halloween parties and special dining menu to brings up the spooky atmosphere.

For this coming Halloween, I would like to share with you our quick and easy "not so" spooky Halloween treat which is the "Pumpkin Soup" and "Spooky Pizza".

For those who frequent my recipes site I am sure you would notice that I hardly touch on any western soup. This is because I always have a mind set that it would be rather more complicate to prepare Western type compare to Asian. But since these few weeks there are a lot of pumpkins on sales, I decided to get some and try out my very 1st western-style pumpkin soup.

Here are some of the ingredients and steps for making the pumpkin soup. Actually when you look at this step-by-step photo explanation above, making some restaurant quality of pumpkin soup is not as hard as what we thought of.

Ingredients: (serves 2 )
10g Butter
1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
100g Large Leek, sliced thinly
350g Pumpkin(without skin), cut into cubes
150g Potato(without skin), cut into cubes
300ml Chicken Stock
100ml Water
20ml Pouring Cream

Garnishing:
1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh spring onion
1 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
20ml Pouring Cream, optional

Method:
1. Heat butter and oil in a stock pot, cook leek stirring on and off until soften.
2. Add in pumpkin and potato into the leek mixture and saute for another 2 - 3 minutes on low heat then add in the chicken stock and water.
3. When the mixture comes to boil again lower the heat, covered and simmer for about 30 minutes then off the heat.
4. Cool the soup till room temperature, blend it in two batches until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the soup pot and bring it to boil on low heat.
6. Slowly stir in the pouring cream then season it with salt to taste.
7. Serve soup with extra cream, dash of spring onion and freshly ground pepper together with some toast of your choice.

Note:
~ You can replace spring onion with chives if you prefer.
~ It is optional to season the soup with salt as it would depend on individual preference.

With about an hour of cutting, simmering, blending and etc. Finally this is my very first batch of western-style pumpkin soup. I love the smooth and creamy texture of this soup that is lightly infused with a hint of leek and pumpkin fragrant. The adding of potato cubes also act as a thickening ingredient to this soup so that the end product would be more creamy and filling. Everyone of us loves this soup and it indeed boost up my confident to try out more western soup in the future.

In order to pair with the pumpkin soup for a more "horror/spooky" feeling, we decided to make some Halloween theme pizza to go with it. I use the pitted black olive to make a cute little "spider" on the 1st pizza above and Lychee stuffed with pitted black olive for eyeballs on the scary "monster face" below. And I am sure you could also whipped up something interesting for this coming Halloween Treat with your creative mind and whatever ingredients you have in the pantry. For more photos about this post, you can click HERE.

Lastly I would like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween on this coming Sunday. So do you want Trick or Treat????????

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Seah's Emperor Herbs Chicken

We love Steam Herbal Chicken either with steam rice or blanched noodles where we could drizzle those delicious sauce over it. Whenever we unwrapped the chicken parcel, the dining room will be filled with wonder aroma of the herbs. And with the usual tight working schedule, preparing a simple and yet delicious meal is always something challenging for me. So often I would need to settle some of our meals with those quick and easy ingredients or products which can be easily purchase off shelf from the supermarket.

Since most of us are craving for herbal chicken, I decided to fix one over the weekend using one of my favourite Seah’s Emperor Herbs Chicken Spices. This is definitely a quick and easy meal and the main ingredients that you required would be either some chicken parts or the whole chicken plus a packet of ready spices. This recipe I only used half of the chicken for steaming while the other half for making “Chicken, Longan and Burdock Soup” (recipe HERE).

Ingredients:
1/2 packet of Seah's Emperor Herbs Chicken Spices
1/2 Whole Chicken, around 500g
Aluminum Foil & Wrapper(included in packet)
3 Red Dates, cut into thick strips
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries
1 1/2 Tablespoon of Drinking Water

Method:
1. Trim, rinse and use some kitchen paper towel to pat dry the chicken.
2. Rub the spices on the external skin and internal of the chicken.
3. Top with red dates and wolfberries then drizzle the water over the top.
4. Wrap the chicken with the wrapper(tie a knot) then follow by aluminum foil.
5. Steam for about 1.5 - 2 hours depending on your preference of the meat texture.

Tips:

~ The purpose of adding water is to have more gravy for the end product.

~ Red dates and wolfberries will further enhance the taste and fragrant.

~ For stronger taste, you can also drizzle a spoonful of D.O.M Benedictine Liquor over the pipping hot chicken before serving.

You can get this Seah's Emperor Herbs Chicken Spices at any leading supermarket or provision stalls near your area. And if you would like to try something different, perhaps you can try this less than 30 minutes oven baked "Salt-Roasted chicken Spices" too.

Although this dish might sounds a bit timing consuming where you need to steam the chicken for about 2 hours. But from another view you can treat this as a bonus dish with less washing and cutting in the kitchen. And at the meantime, takes the opportunity to finish the rest of the household chores and be assured that dinner will be served just in time too.

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Stir-fried Shiitake with Lean Pork

We love to have some mushroom in corporate into our weekly menu. Usually I would just stir-fry it with some olive oil and garlic cloves to retain its nature flavour. But for today’s mushroom menu, I decided to add in some pork fillet and chili to spice up its taste and flavour.

Shiitake mushrooms are originate from China where it has been successfully cultivated for more than a thousand years. With a long history of medicinal use, Shiitake mushrooms are rich in vitamins and minerals. This mushroom is also known to enhance the immune system whereby it aids the body to fight infection and disease.

Shiitake mushroom has a rich and “woody” flavour, with a meaty texture and a distinctive aroma. This versatile mushroom is best used for braises, stir fries, soups and etc.

Here are some of the ingredients used for this dish. You can omit or change the pork fillet to chicken fillet according to your own preference.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
150g Pork Fillet, cut into strips
250g Shiitake Mushroom, cut into thick slices
3 Cloves of garlic, skin removed
1 Red Onion, cut into wedges
2 Stall of Spring Onion, cut into sections
2 Small Chili, optional
3/4 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce

Method:
1. Rinse and cut the pork fillet into long strips and marinate it with 1/2 teaspoon each of light soya sauce, sesame oil, corn flour and a dash of white pepper for at least 15 minutes.
2. Heat up the wok with 1/2 tablespoon of oil and sauté HALF of the onion wedges and, spring onion together with the garlic and chili (cut into diagonal section) till fragrant.
3. Add in the pork fillet and give it a quick stir for about 1 minute until the meat is almost cooked through, dish up and set aside.
4. Using the same wok, add in another 1/2 tablespoon of oil, add in the remaining onion and spring onion and sauté for 20 seconds then add in the mushroom and continue to stir-fry for another 1 minute till it soften.
5. Transfer the pork fillet back into wok with the mushroom, add in oyster sauce and cooked for another 30 seconds or so.
6. Remove and serve with steam rice.


Adding extra chili bring up the flavour of this dish which gives it a spicy taste. But if this is a family dish for kids, perhaps you would like to omit chili and add in dash of black pepper before remove it from the wok.

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Double-Boiled Pork Muscle with Burdock Soup

What do you need most during these humid and scorching days? I am sure lot of fluid intake in any form such as drinks, soup, dessert and etc becomes the most important task in our daily life. Today I would like to share with you a new ingredient that I have used only once for making the Korean Chicken Soup.

This is a very nutritious and popular soup for kids as the sweetness from the sweet corn and gaint red dates could actually mask off most of the "root" taste from the burdock. You can either serve this soup before or together with your meal.

Burdock comes as a long tapering, soil-covered root, also known as niu bang (牛蒡) by the Chinese. There are many reasons why you should include this root vegetable in your diet. This root is high in fibre and low in calories, rich in potassium and it is also a moderate source of iron and calcium.

The root is often peeled and shredded or cut into chunks, and prepared in soups, porridge, rice and pickled and stuffed into sushi rice. Once the skin is removed, the flesh oxidises quickly so be sure to have a bowl of lightly salted water to prevent browning if you wish to use it for salad.

Here are some of the ingredients used for the soup. Using of pork muscle for a double-boiled soup is always a good choice, as it will retain the flavour of the soup and also usually the meat is discard and we drinks only the soup.

Ingredients: (serves 2 - 3)
250g Burdock, cut into thick chunks
2 - 3 Pieces of Pork Muscle
1 Sweet Corn, cut into section
6-8 Red Dates
1/2 Tablespoon Wolfberries, optional
1.5 Liter of Boiling Water

Method:
1. Trim, clean and place the pork muscle in boiling water for about 2 minutes, remove and rinse well. Set aside for later use.
2. Wash and scrab the burdock with a brush then cut in into thick chunk, alternatively you can use a vegetable peeler to remove the outer skin before cutting it into thick chunk.
3. Remove the husk and leaves of the corn, rinse and cut it into 3 sections and halves.
4. Bring 1.5 Litre of water to boil in a medium soup pot, add in all the above ingredients except wolfberries.
5. When the mixture comes to boil again, lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour or alternatively you can transfer the soup to a slow cooker and cook it on AUTO for about 2.5 hours or so. (add in wolfberries 15 minutes before cooking time)

Often Burdock is used together with other herbs to treat a variety of illness such as colds, throat infections, pneumonia and tonsillitis. This root vegetable is also a great blood-cleansing ingredient that makes it indispensable in treatment for skin disorders. So if you have not try using this wonder ingredient perhaps this soup might gives you a good head start with it.

Lastly, thanks to all the lovely readers from Cuisine Paradise facebook page (link) for their suggestions on using burdock. Here are some of their suggestions which you might be interested to take a look.

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Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Multigrain & Mixed Fruits

I have almost forgotten this yummy chiffon cake that has being hiatus inside my half-drafted post section since late August till now. As regular readers of this blog, I am sure you knew we love anything that is made of chocolate. So for this chiffon cake I used some cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips and dark chocolate chunks as main ingredients. And in order to enhance it’s outlook, I sprinkle generous amount of store bought Multigrain mixture and dried mixed fruit for that extra texture and colour.

This is the cross section of the inner texture of the chocolate chiffon cake where you can find some trace of the chocolate chunks and chips.

Here are some of the dry ingredients used for the chocolate chiffon cake.

Ingredients: (for 7" tube pan)
3 Large Egg Yolks
40g Caster Sugar
40ml Corn Oil/Vegetable Oil
60ml Water
50g Top Flour/Cake Flour
30g Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
30g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped
30g Mini Chocolate Chips
5 Large Egg Whites
30g Caster Sugar

Toppings:
70g Pre-mixed Multigrain Mixture
30g Pre-mixed Dried Mixed Fruit

Note:
~ I used the "Breakfast Mixed" from cold storage that consists of raisins and cranberries
~ Usually I prefer to use 70% Dark Chocolate for baking.

This photo shows the steps on preparing the chiffon cake batter.

Method:
1. Separate the egg yolk and white into two separate mixing bowls. (carefully do not leave any trace of egg yolk in the egg whites mixture) then use a balloon whisk to whisk the egg yolk and castor sugar(add in 3 separate additions) till thick and sticky.
2. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continue to whisk at the same time, follow by adding the water and whisk till the mixture is well combined.
3. Add sifted flour mixture(flour, cocoa powder and baking powder) into the egg batter and continue to whisk till the flour is fully incorporated into the batter.
4. Next by using a spatula, stir in the chocolate chunks and mini chocolate chips till combined.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degree.
6. Beat egg whites and 1/3 of the caster sugar with an electric mixer until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Add in another 1/3 of the sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until almost soft peaks form then add in the last 1/3 of the sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. (the whole process takes about less than 5 minutes)
7. Use a balloon whisk to whisk in the stiff egg white into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, with the 1st addition to incorporate the whites into the yolk mixture till combined leaving no trace of whites.
8. Next add in the 2nd and 3rd addition of whites using the balloon whisk in a gentle manner in order not to knock off the air in the whites, just fold till no trace of whites and the mixture are well combined.
9. Before pouring the mixture into the tube pan, use a spatula to give it a final stir to make sure there is no flour or egg whites mixture at the bottom of the mixing bowl.
10. Lift up the bowl to height, then pour the mixture into the tube pan and tap the pan 2 - 3 times on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.


11. Scatter the prepared toppings on top of the batter, baked the cake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or when the surfaces turns golden brown. (you can insert a skewer into the centre and test if it comes out clean)
12. Remove it from the oven and invert the pan immediately to let it rest on top of a cup. Make sure it cool completely before unmould.
13. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife(i use a small rubber saptula) around the inside of the pan and the center core.
14. Release the cake and run the knife/spatula along the base of the pan to remove the cake.
15. Cut into serving size and serve with a cup of tea or coffee

This is the final product after about an hour and a half of preparation, baking and cooling before you get to taste the cake. This is a soft and rich chocolate chiffon cake with an extra crunchy texture from the grains and dried fruits. You can always mix and match for your topping with assorted nuts or etc if you don’t have any multigrain or dried fruits available in your kitchen pantry.




Chocolate Chiffon Cake With Multigrain & Mixed Fruits

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Stir-fry Dual Broccoli Flower

You might have notice that I seldom or I only blog about vegetables dish once in a blue moon. It is not that we don’t eat vegetables at home but usually we just had blanched choy sum with a bit of oyster sauce, stir-fry broccoli or Chinese cabbage which I think there is nothing fancy to write about. But today, I would like to share with you this “new” all-in-one seasoning from Knorr. You can use it to season chicken wing for deep-fry or grill, add a teaspoon or so to your vegetables and etc.

This is our Dual Broccoli flower dish that I used to cook for my family. Why dual? That’s because, I love the green broccoli where my family only eats the white cauliflower so usually I would mixed them together into one dish. If you don’t prefer to use these instant seasonings, you can replace it with salt or oyster sauce. Add a few medium prawns or mushroom to this dish will make it taste even better too.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
80g Broccoli, cut into florets
80g Cauliflower, cut into florets
2 Medium Tomatoes, remove the seeds cut into wedges
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Teaspoon of Knorr HaoChi All-in-1 Seasoning
30 – 50ml Water

Method:
1. Trim the broccoli and cauliflower into florets soaked them in a basin of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt to remove dirt and worms if any for about 5 minutes.
2. Remove, rinse and set aside.
3. Heat up the wok with ½ tablespoon of oil, sauté the garlic till fragrant, add in the cauliflower first and let it cook for about 1 minute before adding the broccoli and tomato.
4. When the broccoli turns to brighter green in colour, drizzle in the seasoning, give it a quick stir and add in water.
5. When the mixture comes to boil, let it simmer for another 30 seconds before switching off the heat.
6. Remove on plate and serve.

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Braised Fish Head with Fermented Black Bean

I am sure for those who frequent Cze Cha Stall(煮炒摊) would have tried the "Fish Head with Bitter Gourd and Fermented Black Bean - 苦瓜豆豉鱼头" before. Some stalls marinate the fish head parts with seasoning then coat with some flour and deep-fried till slightly golden in colour before cooking it together with the bitter gourd and etc.

For those who have little one at home, eating fish in such manner might be slightly difficult and have to be extra careful. But if you wish to give this a try, I suggest perhaps you can consider to swap the fish head with fish fillet or chicken wings, for a similar recipe read HERE.

Ingredient: (serves 2 - 3)
1 Packet of Fish Head Parts, about 500g
3/4 Tablespoon Fermented Black Beans(豆豉)
2 Small Red Chilli, cut into slices
1 Medium Size Red Onion, cut into wedges
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
3 Clove Garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine

Seasoning:
100ml Water
3/4 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

Method:
1. Wash and wipe fry the fish parts then Marinate them with 1 teaspoon each of light soy sauce and corn flour together with dash of pepper and sesame oil. (leave it in the fridge for at least 20 - 30 minutes before cooking)
2. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in the wok, pan-fry the marinated fish parts on both side till slightly golden, removed and set aside.
3. Next add in the chopped garlic, red onion, spring onion, chilli(optional) and fermented black bean, give it a quick stir and sauté till fragrance.
5. Add in the fish parts and seasoning (mix all the ingredients till combined) together, when the mixture comes to boil, lower the heat and let it simmer(remember to cover the pot) for about 5 minutes so that the fish can absorb the seasonings while simmering.
6. Removed and serve warm with rice.

Note:

~ You can get pre-packed fish head parts in major super markets or you can purchase whole fish head from wet market and ask the fishmonger to cut it into pieces for you.

I have omitted the bitter gourd in this dish but if you prefer you still can add them in by referring to this recipe HERE. As you can see from the photo, although this might be some fish head parts but they are still worth buying with those thick chunk of meat attached. Sometime you might be able to find some real good salmon fish head for making miso soup too.

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Chocolate Banana Muffins

Last month I have made some “Banana & Oreo Muffin” where you can make use of those oreo cookies in a new way rather than dipping them in fresh milk for snack. With the same concept, I replace the oreo cookies with some cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips to create another lovely flavour for chocolate lovers.

As you can notice from most of my posts, I love to make muffins especially those mini or mouthful size type. I find making these makes it easier for my kid to have it as tea snack or sometime it can be also act as a lovely gift for friends too.

These are some of the photos of the ingredients and steps on how to prepare the batter.

Ingredients: (makes 24 mini muffins)
110g Of Butter, soften
100g of Caster Sugar
120g Plain Flour
10g of Dutch Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
2 Medium Size Eggs
2 Medium Banana, mashed with fork
100g Mini Chocolate Chips
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1/4 Teaspoon Banana Essence, optional

Method:
1. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking power together and set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar with electric beater till light and fluffy(about 3 - 4 minutes on medium speed).
3. Add in egg one at a time and beat till the mixture is well combine without any egg trace.
4. Add mashed banana and vanilla essence into the butter mixture and give it a quick whisk.
5. Lower the mixer speed, add flour mixture and blend the mixture till smooth.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips till combined, scoop the mixture into prepared muffin cups to 3/4 full.
7. Top the muffin batter with some extra banana slices and chocolate chips, bake them in preheated 180 degree oven for about 15 - 18 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center and comes out clean.

You can also prepared some extra banana slices and chocolate chips for the garnishing before sending them into the oven.

Look at the soft and moist texture of these lovely mini muffins.

I love the combination of chocolate with banana as they make a great partner with each other. The taste of the chocolate cake brings out a light banana fragrant and a bit of melted chocolate chips in it. I am sure this will be a great afternoon tea-snacks for your guests. If you prefer, you can also swap the mini chocolate chips with some chopped 70% dark chocolate for that extra fragrant and taste.

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Baked Salmon With Lime ~ 香烤鲑鱼

Everyone in our family loves fish especially Cod and Salmon, so eventually these two choices are always in my purchase list. Today I would like to share a quick and easy “Baked Salmon with Lime” dish that are ready to be served in less than 30 minutes. This will be a great weekday healthy dish for working mothers whom need to prepare dinner after a hectic day at work.

You can choose any parts of the salmon from cutlet to fillet depending on your preference or what you can snap from the supermarket. As for the Lime, try to get those huge one from supermarket rather than those common small type that used our juice or garnishing.

Ingredients:
1 Salmon Cutlet, about 350g
1 Stalk of Spring Onion, cut into sections
5g Of Shredded Ginger
1 Chili, deseed and cut into strips (optional)

Seasoning:
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
Rind of 1 Lime
1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice
1/2 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns, lightly crashed
5g of Butter, cubes

Method:
1. Clean, remove all the scales and pad dry the cutlet with paper towel and place it on baking tray or foil.
2. Season the fish all around with cooking wine, lime rind and lime juice then top it evenly with crashed peppercorns, shredded ginger, chili, spring onion and butter cubes.
3. You can either baked it in a pre-heated oven at 200 degree for 12 minutes or you can toast it in the oven toaster for 15 - 18 minutes depend on the thickness and how well you want it to be cooked.

Note:

~ You can omit the chili if it is too spicy for the kids.

~ You can prepared all the ingredients ahead and store in the fridge, just assemble them and bake when you reach home.

~ If you prefer something light for mid-week, perhaps you can consider this dish with some blanched broccoli or mashed potato instead of rice.

This will definitely be a refreshing dish due to the use of fresh Lime rind and juice together with freshly crashed black peppercorns to give that extra hint of aroma when baked. If you don’t like salmon, you can always replaced it with any firm fish fillet that are suitable for baking such as Dory Fillet, Cream Snapper, Barramundi fillet and etc. (you can also refer to this LINK for my past recipes on Salmon)

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