Steam Fish with Mushroom Pork

A normal Sunday, we have to go back to Sg. Buloh (Mr. Slim’s parent place) for dinner. This Sunday, we were not going back! Hahaha~ sounds happy ya! Mainly was because it was a heavy rain day, and Mr. Slim going to Singapore the next morning. He needs to catch the flight by 8am, and he hasn’t packed his luggage yet. So, I decided to cook our dinner at home.
A simple one will do ~

Ingredients:
1. Fishes (2)
2. 4 shallots (chopped)
3. 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
4. 3 mushroom (sliced)
5. 200gm Pork (sliced)
Method:
*1. To make the fishes tasty – rub on 1/2 tsp Sesame oil and 1 tsp Oyster sauce.
* 2. To make the nice stocks – 1 tbsp of Shao Hsing Wine mixed with 1/2 cup water, marinate the sliced pork and sliced mushroom.
~ Pour over (*1 and *2) fish and let it marinate for at list 15min.
* 3. Fry the chopped garlic until fragrant.
Before steam ~ add 1 tbsp of Fish Sauce.
Steam the Fishes for 20min … garnish with chopped garlic and SERVE!

I’m lazy yet like to have dinner at home, so a plate of simple fried vegetable would be a nice dish to serve with the Steam Fish and mushroom pork.

Fried Vegetable

Earth Hour – ready… OFF!

Saturday, 28th March 2009 both me and Mr. Slim getting so ready to join the Earth Hour!

I was carving what to have for dinner, because the Earth Hour start at 8.30pm and that was our dinner time. Dinner outside or at home?

Went out for appointment the whole evening, while I was on the way home, jam every where and rain cats and dogs! Thinking to cook at home, but nothing much left inside the fridge. Only a pack of salted sour marinated vegetables, small little slice of pork, dried mushroom, Organic Long Beans and still some eggs.

Argh! Finally I decided not to go out for dinner. And suddenly in my mind… candle light dinner would be the best choice to welcome the Earth Hour!

Here I come~

Ingredients:
1. 4 dried mushroom (soak and cut in slices)
2. 200g Pork, sliced
3. 4 cloves garlic (fine cut)
4. 300g Salted Sour Marinated Vegetables
5. Few long slices carrot
* Marinate Pork with ½ tbsp Oyster Source, 2 cloves of fine cut garlic and 1/3 tsp of pepper.

Methods:
1. Heat sufficient oil and fry the garlic with 3 tbsps of cooking oil until it changed yellowish.
2. Pour in sliced Pork and stir fry over medium heat until cooked.
3. Fry the Marinated Pork with the Salted Sour Vege, sliced carrot and sliced mushroom for at least 10 minutes.
4. Add 3 glasses of water and stew for 10 more minutes over law heat.
I believe you will have to add another bowl of rice if you serve with this!

This is the most easier way to ready the long beans and eggs. What else, easy and mouth watering!
Diced Long Bean with Stir Eggs

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~We have everything ready to be served on our dinning table before 8.30pm.

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~8.30pm sharp! Off the Light!!!

Candle Light Dinner Serve!

Spring Onion Sambal Pork

Oh dear all… how to explain I miss every one here and couldn’t have a free time to let me sit down like tonight here!
I’m BACK and really back…


Ingredients:
1. Pork 250gm (sliced)
2. Spring Onion (sectioned)
3. 1 Red Chili (sliced)
4. 4 Cloves Garlic (grated)
5. 4 shallots (grated)

Marinate Pork:
* Some chopped garlic and shallots, corn flour, pepper.

Methods:
1. Heat up 2 tbsps cooking oil, fry grated garlic and shallots until fragrant.
2. Pour in Marinated Pork, stir fry with low heat (5 min)
3. Add in sliced Chili and fry until become fairly dry.

If you remember I made the Sambal Shrimp Paste few weeks ago…

I have kept the some of my Home Made Sambal Shrimp Paste in the fridge and using it whenever I want to have my dish in a little spicy way.

Basically, we can easily find this kind of Sambal Shrimp Paste is selling in the Hypermarket, but mostly added a lot of preservative to prevent mould. Home made Sambal Shrimp Paste is always healthier without the preservative. If we keep it in the right way, the Sambal Shrimp Paste can even keep for at least a month.

Follow the steps below; you can always keep the Home Made Sambal Shrimp Paste fresh and longer.

How to keep the Home Made Sambal Shrimp Paste longer?
* Use clean and dry spoon to scoop out the needed portion.
* Make sure our fingers or hands do not touch on the Sambal Shrimp Paste.
* Keep inside the meat tray in the fridge.

Fried Egg with Long Bean

Simple and just fried…
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When your mind is some time too lazy to think of what to cook… this dish is definitely suitable when we are lazy… hahaha :)
* Just diced the long beans and stir an egg with some Soya sauce.

This is the Organic Long Beans I bought from Tesco, and it was actually placed at the Organic Rack. And I found the prices between Organic and Non Organic are just about few 10 cents difference.

Ingredients:
1. 4 cloves Garlic (grated)
2. 5 pcs Long Beans (diced)
3. 1 Egg (stir well)

Methods:
1. Rinse Long Bean and diced.
2. Heat up 2 tbsps of oil, add sufficient salt, and fry Minced Garlic and Long Bean until fragrant.

3. Pour in egg evenly on the Long Bean.

4. Fry over high heat for 2 min.

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When I was home last year, I remember my mom’s “mini-farm” planted some long beans too… and I remember that was an evening and mom asking to choose some matured long bean and asked me to pick down some for dinner.

Living in a big city like where I stay now… we don’t have a big house for gardening, don’t even have a backyard to plant anything like what my mom has. That is why I always appreciate when I have a chance to go home, and the next thing I will do is bring my camera and take down photos.

Here are some of my mom’s results from her backyard, and we even found some snails crawling at the vegetables, lady-birds hiding at the Bird Eye Chili Trees, and some time we even can see frogs hiding underneath the Pandan Leaves.

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*Took ~ when I was home last year…



~ supply never stop whole year... :)

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~ greatest and hottest Bird Eye Chilies (light green color)

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~ froggie and x-name insect

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~ insect and chili - same color



~ wondering is this a huge lady-bird baby?!

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~ different types of Lady Bird :)

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~ Lovely Home Sweet Home ~

Land Below The Wind- Sabah

Black Pepper Pork

Gravy~ Black Pepper Gravy~ I Love Black Pepper Gravy~

Believe or not… A plate of tasty black pepper pork will come along with a perfect marinate process.

I always love the black pepper gravy… but always so curious about why people only cook Black Pepper with Beef and too rare to cook with Pork.

BigFish Cook Book is trying to make a different here. If u read my previous post ~ I tried this dish before with Beef and shoot with a photo which didn’t actually shown the dish great.

This time, Panda help to shoot the photo properly with so many failure shoots. And I choose from those and I think this is the best among all.

Ingredients:
1. 250gm Pork (sliced)
2. 1 Red Big Onion (sectioned)
3. 5 cloves Garlic (grated)

Marinated:
Pork – some Black Pepper, Corn Flour, Sesame Oil and some brown sugar.

Black Pepper Seasoning:
Mix some Corn Flour, 1 tsp Black Pepper, ½ tsp White Pepper, ½ tsp Brown Sugar, Black Soya Paste and Grated Black Peppers with ½ rice bowl water.

Methods:
1. Heat up 2 tbsps cooking oil and fry grated garlic until fragrant.
2. Pour in Marinated Pork and stir fry for 5min.
3. Add sectioned Red Onion and fry together.
4. Pour in Black Pepper Sauce and stir well, fry for another 5min.
5. Garnish with some Chinese Celery and Serve!

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Trust me, no matter how good the gravy, the pork have to marinate nicely and at least for 20min. And you will find absorption of every pieces of sliced pork taste really good from Inside Out!

I prefer to use the Red Big Onion instead of the normal Onion. The color is nicer and the smell stronger.

Fried Long Bean with Pickle Radish

That was a night, we worked late and came home late…

Panda suggested me not to cook and we eat outside because both of us worked late. But finally I told him about my mood of cooking that night was like extremely high… and we both agree that we take some light good first. Then I will go home and cook the dinner.

So we had dinner after 9.30pm that night. This fried long bean is one of the dishes I had from my BigFish Cook Book. It is so simple… for a working lady like me, always hope to cook at home, but time is so tight. I bet this simple and easy recipe is definitely suit to me some times.

This idea was getting from the Fried Egg with Pickle Radish (Choy Bor). A lot of people like to have Fried Egg with Pickle Raddish to serve with Porridge. And I think this dish helps a lot to make our appetite better.

*Less Oil and Healthier! Can either serve with Rice or Porridge …

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Ingredients:
1. 4 cloves Garlic (grated)
2. 50g Pickle Radish - Choy Bor (grated)
3. Long Bean (sectioned)

Methods:
1. Rinse Long Bean and sectioned.
2. Heat up 2 tbsps of oil, fry minced Garlic and minced Choy Bor until fragrant.

3. Pour in Long Bean and stir fry till cooked.

4. Add in sufficient salt, fry over high heat for 1 min.

Non Spicy Curry Prawns

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Ingredients:
1. 15 Fresh Chilies
2. 7 Medium Shallots
3. 4 Garlic (Big)
4. 1 stalk Torch Ginger
5. 3 Stalk Lemon Grasses
6. 1 big piece Giner
7. 2 stalks Curry leaves
8. 6 Bird Eye Chilies
9. Some Star Anise
10. 8 Lady Fingers
11. 2 Tomatoes (sectioned)
12. 1 Round Brinjal (sectioned)
13. 3 Stalks Spring Onion (sectioned)
14. 2 Stalks Chinese Celery (sectioned)
15. 20 medium size prawns

* Blended – Fresh Chilies, Shallots, Garlic, Ginger, Torch Ginger and Bird Eye Chilies.
* Cut -Tomatoes and Round Brinjal into cubes.
- Spring Onion and Chinese Celery (1 inch)
* Trim and cut the back of the prawns and deviant.

Methods:
1. Heat up Frying-pan with 5 tbsps full cooking oil.
2. Fry Blended Ingredients until fragrant. (at least 20min)
3. Add Curry Leaves and “pat kok” flower, fry for another 10min.
4. Add 2000ml water and mixed well “Serai” with all ingredients.

5. Pour in Brijal, Lady Fingers, Tomatoes, Spring Onion and Chinese Celery.
6. Add sufficient salt and Brown Sugar, then pour in Prawns.
7. Simmer for another 15min and SERVE!
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Some of my friends love curry but yet they can’t take too spicy!
That was a potluck gathering we had in a friend’s house. And I have made a Curry which is not spicy and I was trying to make the curry without adding those ready made Curry Powder.

With all the raw ingredients I bought… went through blending and cutting. I was also making my own seasoning taste for the curry. I was quite happy that the Curry turn how reddish, not too oily and yet not too spicy…

And this recipes ~ NOT USING COCONUT MILK...

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Reserve:

(1/2 rice bowl) Blended Ingredients.
With the reserve blended ingredients, I decided to have another recipe for the prawns.


Ingredients:
1. 30g Shrimp paste (Belacan)
2. 3 Stalk long bean (cut 1 inch)
3. 15 medium size prawns (remove heads and shell)

Methods:
1. Heat up Frying-pan with medium heat, fry shrimp paste until fragrant without oil.
Pound or grind Shrimp Paste with a little bit water.
2. Heat up Frying-pan with 3 tbsps full cooking oil.
3. Fry Blended Ingredients until fragrant. (at least 20min)
4. Add shrimp paste and stir fry until mixed well.
5. Add Prawns and fry evenly together with Long Bean.
6. Add sufficient salt. Stir fry for another 5min and SERVE!

The Making of Rice Wine

Making dish with Glutinous Rice wine … try this and you will never regret!

Lot of friends asking~ is Glutinous Rice Wine same as the normal rice wine. For me, I think there’s bit different in such a point of view on ways and methods of transforming, but always fermented and rice-based.

Since questions asked, I was actually thinking to make my own Home Made Glutinous Rice Wine. I called up my mom and some friends to ask them about the process and things to ready. Then I found out … the whole process taking a few weeks to just get a little Rice Wine to be done.

Finally, I shed off my thoughts to make my own Wine at home, and also started to search online to look for more information… here are some photos and information I found.
Kadazan Method and China Method

I’m a Malaysian from the Borneo Island - Land Below the Wind, Sabah. So I believe my mom’s methods of making wine are the mixture of the two Traditions ~ China method and KadazanDusun Method.

Here they are Steps to make the Glutinous Rice Wine:


* Step1:
Ingredients: 1.5 kg long grain Sticky rice
In a big container soak the rice in water for at least 12 hours or over night, making sure you cover all of the rice.


* Step2: Steam
Sticky rice for 20 minutes or until just cookedRinse and wash the rice thoroughly then place evenly into steamer. Using chop sticks stab with holes for more even steaming.

* Step3: Allow the cooked sticky rice to cool down
Rinse and wash thoroughly under cold running water, make sure to separate all the individual grains. Drain.

* Step4: Ingredients: 1 pkt dried yeast (2 heaped Chinese soup spoons)
Add and mix yeast and sticky rice into ceramic vessel - save a little for step 5

* Step5: Pat down the sticky rice and level
In the middle make a small hole and sprinkle the rest of the yeast inside and around

*Step6: Place lid and store in dry warm place, undisturbed for the next 36 hours

If need wrap up in thick towels, sheets or blankets

* Step7: Wine is ready when vessel is tilted and rice separates from the sides

If you can not see the "freshly fermented wine" in the hole then replace lid and kept fermenting

Here you are, naturally sweet fermented home made Glutinous Rice Wine!!!

These are what my mom told me when she wanted to make the Wine at home:-
Many taboos have to be observed during the making of rice wine. Thus one is not allowed to swear or fight during the cooking process, or to talk bad and loudly. Other taboos are connected to practical hygiene, such as the rule that one cannot touch lemons or any other sour thing during the preparations. This could turn the wine sour. Hygiene is paramount, and in olden days often the whole family was banned from the house when mother prepared rice wine.

Often a piece of charcoal, or a small knife called is placed on top of the jar with the fermenting rice, to prevent bad spirits from entering the recipient and spoil the wine – lihing, being an entirely natural wine, will turn into vinegar when left exposed to air.
*I still remember… I was really young and still studying. Mom making her rice wine and during her first checking time, I was standing beside her and saw her taking out a small knife which placed on top of the container. Then the next thing she asked me to do is “Keep My Mouth Shut”.

The three main ingredients that contribute to the unique characters of various wines are the grains, the water, and the liquor starter. Other ingredients that alter the color or taste of the final product may also be added.

Glutinous Rice Wine well knows as Sticky rice wine, traditionally, can be eaten as a dessert, with sweet sticky rice balls as a snack, drunk with a meal, but mainly the Chinese consider it as a "health food/drink".

Then from the research, I am so surprised that the local people of Sabah produced their own Rice Wine and done with beautiful packaging design for sale too.

Well known and labeled as Lihing Rice Wine.

Instand Noodle & Durians

That was a night… and I was so wanted to cook my dinner.
But friends call and they wanted to have an Extreme Fear Factor Action that night… Go for DURIAN!!!

I am not a Durian lover, but still without cutting off their mode, I decided to go enjoy “the scene” with them too. Panda loves durians some times, but we were just had it a week before, so his urge was not so strong…

I prepared my stomach to fill with something before the Durian session, because the rest of our friends going to have Durians as their Dinner that night. I was so confused and didn’t know what to have as easy and light food… Then my brother came home and he cooked his instant noodle nicely, sitting at the sofa and serving with a cup of Milo. He is a BIG BIG EATER. Usually before my dinner done, he will just have a pack of instant noodle to full fill his urge while waiting for my cooking.

Then remind me also my mom always cook the instant noodles and added a lot of extra vege, eggs or meat to serve with. I always love it when I was at home last time… Instant Noodles but it is just More Than normal instant noodle!

I marinated the Beef with Shao Hsing Wine, and fried some chopped garlic with sesame oil. Then have the fresh vegetables. Ohhh… I swear you will love to have the Instant Noodles in this way!


* I swear ~ u will love this!

The King of Fruits~
Go with them for Duriansss… I found out that they are the greatest Durian Eater I ever found in town now!
*You ever see ppl standing there and eating non-stop until their face changed color!? Hahahahaa ~

This Durian Stalls is located at Ampang area, some where between Kosas and Bkt. Indah. Is a small internal Village belongs to Ampang area.

Service is Extremely Good! The boss is from North Malaysia and now staying in K.L. Very kind and honest! We normally have to call and ask him to reserve. So he will have his greatest stocks there to wait for us…

Here the DURIANssss!

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Glutinous Rice Wine

Can imagine how busy I were for the pass 1 week, I have tons of pictures of my cooking, but no time to “decorate” them. So sad ~

So keen and wanted to share with you all about my cook books!!! Still every time I turn on the computer… Start with going up to blogger friends’ comment box, when I got those comments done nicely, that would be about time for me to rest already!

2 weeks ago, 1 of my ever good friend called me up and told me about her mom was making their own Home Made - Glutinous Rice Wine, and she reserved a bottle for me! Before I got the Wine home, again… the “CLOUDsss” came out from my mind, picturing myself in the kitchen again…cooking Chicken, Beef and etc with the Glutinous Rice Wine…
*This remind me of my mom, she always do that whenever she is free and start to chit chat with me about dishes and cooking at home.

Mom is a very sincere Buddhist, she never take Beef cos of the religion. Remember Mom’s Cook Book, and she has a lot of way to cook Pork and Chicken with the Glutinous Wine. But just not beef…

I’m bit different from mom, my family giving us 100% freedom to choose on our religion. Since very young, parents sent me to a Kindergarten under a Church in Sabah (my home town). That was the reason I became a Christian since that. I respect her as I don’t take Beef at home, but outside home… I have my 100% freedom to choose on whatever I wanted to have. Hehehee…

Learn from my Mom’s Cook Book, I’m going to try my BigFish Cook Book cooking the Beef with Glutinous Rice Wine.

Surprisingly, result was unexpected too GOOD…

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Beef with Glutinous Rice Wine

Ingredients:
1. 200g Lean Beef (sliced)
2. Carrot (sliced)
3. A few pcs Curry Leafs
4. 1 stalk Spring Onion (cut 1 inch)
5. 1 stalk Parsley (chopped)
6. 3 tbsps Glutinous Rice Wine
7. 4 cloves Garlic (minced)

Marinate the Beef~
1 little pinch of Salt, Pepper and Brown Sugar.
1 tbsp of Glutinous Rice Wine, Chopped Parsley and 1 tsp Sesame oil.
* At least 20min.

Methods:
1. Heat up frying pan with medium heat, and pour in 2 tbsps cooking oil.
2. Pour in Minced Garlic and curry leaves fry until fragrant.
3. Add in Marinated Beef and Sliced Carrot stir fry until cooked.
4. Mix 3 tbsps Glutinous Rice Wine and mix with 2 rice bowl of water.
5. Add in Spring Onion, use medium heat to cook for 10 min.

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Chicken with Glutinous Rice Wine

Ingredients:
1. 1 whole chicken tight (sectioned)
2. 50g Ginger (fine sliced)
3. 1 stalk Spring Onion (cut 1 inch)
4. 1 stalk Parsley (garted)
5. 3 tbsps Glutinous Rice Wine
6. 4 cloves Garlic (minced)

Marinate the Chicken~
1 tbsp of Oyster Sauce, 1 little pinch of Salt and Pepper.
1 tbsp of Glutinous Rice Wine, Grated Parsley and 1 tsp Sesame oil.
* At least 20min.

Methods:
1. Heat up frying pan with medium heat, and pour in 2 tbsps cooking oil.
2. Pour in Minced Garlic fry until fragrant.
3. Add in Marinated Chicken and Grated Parsley stir fry until cooked.
4. Mix 3 tbsps Glutinous Rice Wine and mix with 2 rice bowl of water.
5. Add in Spring Onion, use medium heat to cook for 10 min.

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~Parsley is not only for Decoration~
You will love it to cook the Beef and Chicken together with Parsley. Chinese rarely use Parsley as cooking ingredient. Most of the time, we use Parsley only for decorating and make the dishes look nicer.

I got this idea from a guy friend who loves cooking and his wife doesn’t know how to cook at all. He used Parsley to cook Fish with Star Fruit. Then he told me Parsley smell lovely after grated and cook with anything.

Sambal Shrimp Paste

Ingredients:
1. 20 Fresh Chilies
2. 10 Dried Chilies
3. 6 Medium Shallots
4. 4 Garlic (Big)
5. 60g / 80g Shrimp Paste (Belacan)
6. 1 Chinese Rice Bowl Dried Shrimps
7. 3 tbsps of Brown Sugar

* Heat up Frying-pan with medium heat, fry shrimp paste until fragrant without oil.
Pound or grind Shrimp Paste with a little bit water.
* Clean and Soak Dried Shrimps until soft.
* Blended – a) Fresh Chilies
b) Dried Chilies
c) Medium Shallots
d) Garlic
e) Dried Shrimps

Methods:
1. Heat up Frying-pan with 5 tbsps full cooking oil.
2. Fry Blended Ingredients a-d until fragrant. (at least 20min)
3. Add smashed Shrimp paste and fry for another 10min.
4. Add Blended Dried Shrimps and fry until mixed well with all ingredients.
5. Pour in another 2 tbsps cooking oil, stif fry for another 10min.
6. Add 3 tbsps Brown Sugar, stir fry.

** If you want spicier, can add few Bird Eye Chilies to blend with ingredients a-d.

Spicy Sambal Shrimps

That was the eve of 2007 Christmas Eve, I felt something wrong with myself … I have tons of ingredients came out in my mind like slide pictures ~ a lot of ingredients popping up: Chilies, Onion, Garlic, Shrimp paste, Shallots… etc…

Oooorrrggghh… again ~ again… I hate this feeling, because I know… I know… I can’t control again! I have to make a move to Tesco, and get all those things, and this mode was driving me that I have to make my own Shrimp’s Sambal Paste done tonight.

I’m lucky cos Panda always very supportive and he give his tongue to become the most sincerely dishes tester for me all the time. I told him, I want to have my Shrimp’s Sambal done. Then the first thing come across in his mind is that I always have to chop so many ingredients hardly with using the knife. Then he decided to buy me a new blender to make my cooking preparation easier. Hahahaaa… I treat this as my Christmas Present for 2007. Surprisingly, I was so satisfy with getting the new blender!

Told my friend about my Christmas Present and they laughed at me crazily…
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That night, he went out for a friend’s wedding dinner and I stayed home. I was so keen that I have to make my Mission Complete! Straight after dinner, I start my preparation…
Called my mom at first place, to make sure I have all the ingredients prepared correctly. Oh well, here I have to praise my mom about her cooking … she is just too gorgeous with her lovely hands. I never seen her failed with any dishes with “My MOM’s COOK BOOK!!!” Any dishes cook by mom are all lovely ~

I started from 9.30pm to clean all the ingredients. First thing, rinse and drain the Dried and Fresh Chilies. 30 Chilies … have to clean all the seeds! Orrrghhh… I was so regret for cleaning the seeds without wearing GLOVE! My hand was so HOT and SPICY … it last me for at least 5 hrs!!!

*Warning ~ Pls clean the Chilies Seeds with GLOVE!
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*Warning ~ Pls clean the Chilies Seeds with GLOVE!

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* My 1st Sambal Shrimps DONE~

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Methods … to be continue ~