我的试验室 My Lab

This is the second Tofu dish that I would like to introduce to you.

Ingredients:

• 300g minced pork
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 10 stalks of spring onion - chopped
• 1 tbsp salted black bean for porridge http://shlau06.blogspot.com/2010/10/salted-black-bean-for-porridge.html
• 1 tbsp soy bean paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 300g silken tofu - cut into 1.5 cm cube

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients except tofu.
2. Lay tofu cube on the plate.
3. Spread mixture on the tofu and press lightly to make a flat surface.
4. Roughly poke the flat surface with a spoon(optional).
5. Steam for 20 minutes or until cook through.

It is nutritious, decicious and most of all, it is easy :-O

Crazy about salad lately.  Simply because it is very easy to prepare and it taste great!

Ingredients:

• 400g macaroni pasta
• 1 can 425g Tuna in brine - drain and flake it
• 2 stalk celery stick - chopped (add more if you like the crunch)
• Dressing is the same as potato salad http://shlau06.blogspot.com/2010/11/potato-salad.html

Procedure:

1. Cook pasta according to packet instruction. Drain it thoroughly.
2. Mix well all ingredients except tuna.
3. Lastly, add tuna.  Mix carefully to avoid tuna become mushy.

Serve hot or cold.

Do you know that you can cook porridge without boiling it for 30 minutes (or even longer) continuously?  Especially when you use a small pot, not to mention the overflow..

Here is how....

Procedure:

1. Cook rice with enough water until it boils.  Do not open the lid, turn off the heat.
2. 1 hour later, it will become 'Teo Chew' moi.  If you want it very mushy, heat up the stove again, wait till it boils.  Turn off the heat.
3. Wait for another hour before serving.

Interesting right?

Finally, I decided to try to put cold salad into their lunch boxes.  Luckily, they didn't reject it, which is a real good news to me, especially during hot weather.

Ingredients:

• 12 potatoes peeled and cubed
• 2 hard boiled egg - mashed
• 10 stalk of spring onion - chopped

Dressing:

• 6 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Homemade Thai sweet chili sauce http://shlau06.blogspot.com/2009/12/thai-sweet-chili-sauce.html
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic - minced

Procedure:

1. Boil potato until it is just cooked and drain well.
2. Mix all ingredients with potatoes.

Serve hot or cold.

After having some Chinese friends, then only I realised that Northern Chinese have dumpling during Chinese New Year.

Ingredients:

A.  Dumpling wrapper

• Same as tortilla wrap, but omit the butter  http://shlau06.blogspot.com/2009/11/tortilla-wrap.html

B.  Filling

• Same as Hamburger veggie combo meat patty  http://shlau06.blogspot.com/2010/10/hamburger-veggie-combo-meat-patty.html

Procedure:

Knead dough until smooth

Roll it into a log

Cut the log into pieces



Turn pieces so that they face upwards as above



Take 1 piece and put on chopping board



'Piak!' Good idea?



Slightly flatten it a little bit more with rolling pin



Add 1 tbsp of filling



Pleat it and it is done.


Cooking tips:

1. Fill a pot which is enough to cover the dumpling and boil it.  Wait for the water to boil.
2. Add the dumpling, leave the pot open, don't close the lid.
3. When the water start boiling, add 1 bowl of cold water.  Wait for the water to boil again.
4. Repeat until after adding 3rd bowl of water.  When the water boil, they are done.

Note:  These dumpling freeze well in the freezer.  Freeze it before cooking.

Next time, when you have leftover chicken, you can consider make it into chicken porridge.

Ingredients:

• leftover chicken - boned and shredded
• 2 tbsp/ to taste soy sauce(optional, depends on the flavour of the leftover chicken)
• 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• chicken stock
• rice
• salt to taste
• spring onion - chopped
• fried garlic

Procedure:

1. Marinate shredded chicken with light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce and sesame oil.
2. Cook porridge in chicken stock.  You can also add some diced celery/carrot for extra fibre.
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Ladle a bowl of porridge, spread 2 tbsp of marinated chicken, sprinkle 1 tbsp of spring onion, then add 1 tsp of fried garlic.

Serve hot.

What to put in the lunch box tomorrow?  What about a Square Ham Moulded Egg Sandwich?  This is a quick and easy lunch box idea for kids, even for adults.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices Light Spam
• 1 egg

Procedure:

Add 2 slices of Spam, fry for about 2 minutes

Turn the Spam and arrange nicely  to make a 'square' shape

Crack an egg and swirl the pan to make a circle

Fold the egg to make it square



Turn and fry for a minute

It can be serve with baked beans and toast as a brekky too.  Yum!!

Probably we can reduce the saturated fat intake by adding some ingredients in the mayo? 

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 3 tbsp chili sauce
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 tbsp diced capsicum

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients.

Serve it with bake potato wedges.

No compromise on taste at all!!

Frankly, I just started to explore Tofu dish lately.  I have tried a few recipes, but, my kids love this recipe the best.  So, I would like to share it with you today.

Ingredients:

• 600g tofu - cut into 1.5cm cube
• 250g minced pork - marinated with 2 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp corn flour
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 1 cup cut spring onion
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp homemade chili oil - http://shlau06.blogspot.com/2010/10/chilli-oil.html
• 1 tbsp salted black bean
• 1 tsp soy bean paste
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce /to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp corn flour + 2 tbsp water
• 1 cup water

Procedure:

1. Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil, fry the marinated ground pork until brown.
2. Add minced garlic, fry for a minute, then add chili oil, soy bean paste, salted black bean, continue frying for another 2 minute.
3. Add tofu cubes, fry for another minute, then add 1 cup of water.
4. Add light soy sauce and sugar, thicken it with corn flour+water.
5. Pop in the spring onion and have the final stir.

It will take you less than 30 minutes from cook to serve!

Cucumber is really sweet and crunchy during this season.  Try this.  It is good.

Ingredients:

• 1 burpless cucumber - deseeded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic - chopped
• A few slices of red hot chili/ chili padi
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Procedure:

1. Slice thinly the deseeded burpless cucumber.
2. Add 1 tsp salt and mix well.  Let it stand for 15 min.  Clean away the salt with drinking water for 2 times then squeeze dry.
3. Meanwhile, mix sugar into lemon juice until dissolved, then add garlic, chili and sesame oil into lemon juice.
4. Pour it over cucumber and mix well.

Enjoy!



Try to make a change to white radish.  It tastes different!

Yes you can!!

Get a fry pan

Add some water

Throw in some bamboo chopsticks



Add fish in steel plate



Close lid and turn on the heat

15 minutes later.....



Dinner time!


I learnt this from Better Home and Garden.

Ingredients:

• 1 small lemon (extract the juice) - can be substituted by balsamic vinegar, apple cider,white vinegar,...
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar/honey (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seed (optional)

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients and store in the fridge.  Use it within 2 days.

Ready to serve.

What do we have in fruits? All the nutrients, vitamins and most of all, fibre.  However, when we have fruit juice, we extract all the juice using a juice extractor, then throw away the fibre!!  emmm.....

Why not try having this fibrous fruit juice with empty stomach in the morning?  Then, let our body have some time to digest and absorb the goodies from the juice.  Have your breakfast half an hour later(or longer)

Do not try to combine too many types of fruits and veggies at one time.  I am not sure whether there is any reaction/side effect for having too many fruit/veggies at a time, but one thing for sure, it will taste :-< 
I usually mix 3 only. Our favourite trio are:-

• orange, green apple and celery(try to include leaves too)  + 1 cup water
• orange, green apple and strawberries + 1 cup water

Blend them in the blender, not juice extractor.

I like to include orange/any citrus fruits because I find that its fibre will improve the texture of the juice and makes it taste better. 

If you are trying it for the first time, I would like to suggest that you start with only oranges, because the texture is the most similar to the juice from juice extractor.  If it is too sour, add some honey.

Even though I always have fibrous fruit juice for my breakfast, I still enjoy my ordinary fruit juice(without fibre type) when I eat out :O

Do you throw away all the used coffee grounds?  If you do grow some plants and have some holes on leaves, do keep the used coffee grounds next time.  It is useful.

Just sprinkle the coffee grounds onto the infected leaves. According to what was explained in Gardening  Australia, once the worms accidentally eat the coffee grounds, the caffeine will go into their 'blood stream' and kill them.

I usually keep the coffee grounds until about a small bowlful, then, I'll sprinkle it onto my mint.  Personally, I find that it is only about 70% effective comparing to real chemical pesticides.  However, I am 100% sure that it is not toxic.  So, I don't mind if there are still some small holes on the mint leaves.