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Monday 29 October 2012

Recipe - Seafood Yee Mee (Claypot Noodles)

This brown colour noodles have many names. Yee mee, Poh Chai mee and Yee Fu Mee are some of the names given to these noodles. These are wheat noodles fried till crispy brown. These noodles have a nice aroma and flavourful taste when cooked.

The noodles are commonly served in a claypot, stewed with seafood or other kinds of meat. They are just as tasty when served as a soup dish or stir fried.

In this recipe, I stir fry the noodles with squid and prawns, and added some vegetables to make it a complete one dish meal. It is a quick and easy dish and 1 piece of the noodles is enough to serve 2.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 piece yee mee.
1 large squid, about 250 grams, clean and cut into rings
4 prawns, peeled and devein
2 leaves of napa cabbage (wong bok), slice thinly
4 stalks of xiao bai chye, cut into bite size
A handful of bean sprouts
1 egg, beaten
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs of oyster sauce
1 tbs of oil

Method
Heat the oil in a wok or pan on medium till hot
Toss in the onions and garlic, fry till fragrant, about 1 minute
Toss in the noodles, napa cabbage and xiao bai chye
Add a cup of water, just enough to cover the ingredients.
Stir and cover the wok or pan to steam for about 2 minutes
Add oyster sauce, prawns and squid
Stir fry for another 2 minutes
Add more water if needed
Finally, when the dish is almost done, toss in the egg and bean sprouts,
It is done when the egg is done.
The egg adds extra flavour.

    

A short 2 minute showing how yee mee is cooked with prawns



Sam Leong cooking seafood bee hoon. He blanches everything before frying.



A six minute video on stir fry noodles with prawns

 


Thursday 25 October 2012

Recipe - Stir Fry Dow Miao (Pea Shoots) With ChaoShanSi

The dow miao or snow pea shoot is a tender leafy vegetable with mild taste. They can be eaten raw as in a salad. Just toss and mix the leafy vegetables with some other ingredients. Or they can be given a quick stir fry as in this recipe.

The dow miao is a delecious and nutritious vegetable. It has a high content of vitamins A, C and folic acid. Vitamin C helps to protect the body from free radicals. Vitamin A from beta-carotene is important for the skin and helps to keep the immune system healthy.

What is chaosansi ? The can of chaosansi is a mixture of crunchy and spicy mix of shredded pork, shredded shitake mushrooms and shredded bamboo shoots. It is used to spice up the dow miao in this stir fry recipe.

The best part about this dish is that it is easy to prepare.
For the chaosansi, just open the can and it is ready for cooking.
For the dow miao, just give a rinse and they are also ready to go, stems and leaves.

Ingredients:
1 can of chaosansi (198 grams)
100 grams of dow miao
1 tbs oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
dow miao

Method:
Heat the oil in awok or pan on medium till hot
Toss in the garlic and stir fry for a minute, till fragrant.
Toss in the dow miao and give a quick stir fry
Toss in the chaosansi.
Stir fry the mixture for about 2 minutes and it is done.
Enjoy.


    

A short 2 minute video on stir fry dow miao with garlic

Friday 19 October 2012

How To Catch Salmon

Every year grizzly bear families in North America depend for their survival on a spectacular natural event: the return of hundreds of millions of salmon from the Pacific Ocean to the mountain streams where they were born

The bears do it this way:
















A short video on how bears catch salmon




Wednesday 17 October 2012

Zinc And Health Benefits

Doctors say that consciously adding zinc into your daily food in-take literally improves all aspects of your health and overall well-being. Researchers write that “zinc is such a critical element in human health that even a small deficiency is a disaster.” Once you start being more mindful about getting zinc into your diet a plethora of benefits await!


The top ten benefits are as follows:
Improve Athletic Performance and Strength

Support Male Reproductive Health and Fertility

Support Female Reproductive Health and Fertility

Prevent Cancer and Boost Immune Function

Improve Cardiovascular Health

Become More Sensitive to Insulin and Prevent Diabetes

Get The Super Antioxidant Effects of Zinc

Detoxify The Brain of Heavy Metals and Prevent Alzheimer’s


Boost Brain Function and Treat ADHD 
Elevate Mood and Avoid Depression

Zinc is found in meat, eggs, oysters and other seafood, black-eyed peas, wheat germ, and tofu.


Monday 15 October 2012

Recipe - Stir Fry Enoki Mushroom With ChaoSanSi

What is chaosansi ? The can of chaosansi is a mixture of crunchy and spicy mix of shredded pork, shredded shitake mushrooms and shredded bamboo shoots. It is tasty on its own if you do not mind that it is a bit salty. It goes very well with a bowl of porridge or congee. Chao menas stir fry and san si means shredded three.

The can of chaosansi is also very versatile as an ingredient for stir fry with other vegetables. In this way, the dish won't be so salty.

A variety of vegetables can be added. Bean sprouts, dow miao (pea sprouts), shredded carrots are some examples. It is really up to you. Vegetables add colour, crunch and a whole lot of goodness to the dish. In this recipe, I simply stir fry the chaosansi with a bunch of enoki mushrooms.

Ingredients:
1 can of chaosansi (198 grams)
1 bundle of enoki mushrooms, 100 grams


Method:
Cut off the base of the mushrooms and rinse with water

Heat a wok or pan.
Toss in the chaosansi and mushrooms and stir fry for about 2 minutes.

There is no need to add oil or salt.
You still get a spicy and crunchy dish of mixed vegetables with shredded pork.

    

A nice 5 minute video on stir fry chicken with bamboo shoots and wood ear mushrooms.

Saturday 13 October 2012

Joke - What's For Dinner

A husband feared his wife wasn't hearing as well as she used to, and he thought she might need a hearing aid. 

Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family doctor to discuss the problem. 

The doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the doctor a better idea about her hearing loss. 

"Here's what you do," said the Doctor. "Stand about 40 feet away from her and in a normal conversational speaking tone, see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response."


That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and the husband was in the den. 

He says to himself, "I'm about 40 feet away, let's see what happens." 


Then in a normal tone he asks, 
"Honey, what's for dinner?"
No response. 


So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, 
"Honey, what's for dinner?" 
Still no response. 


Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, 
"Honey, what's for dinner?" 
Again he gets no response. 


So, he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. "Honey, what's for dinner?" 
Again there is no response. 


So he walks right up behind her. "Honey, what's for dinner? " 
"Ralph, for the FIFTH time, CHICKEN!"

Friday 12 October 2012

Recipe - Watercress Stir Fry With Minced Pork

Watercress is a leafy green vegetable that grows near natural water sources. The soil has to be wet for the watercress to thrive. It has mild spicy flavour.

It is very rich in vitamins A,C and K. It is a good source for minerals like potassium, sodium and calcium.

Watercress helps to fight against anemia, strengthen bones, improves blood circulation and help to regain hormone balance. It is best known for its skin cleaning properties. It helps to heal chronic pimples, acne and eczema.

Watercress is rich in glucosinolates and also phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and has recently been found to protect against smoke-induced lung cancer.

A popular way is to cook the watercress in a soup with some meat. In this recipe, I stir fry the watercress with minced pork. The minced pork add sweetness to the dish.

Ingredients:
200 grams watercress
100 grams, minced pork
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbs of oyster sauce
watercress
Dash of pepper
2 tbs oil for frying

Method
Cut and discard the base of the stems of the watercress
The soft stems at the top are edible
Rinse the vegetables

Heat the oil a wok or pan on medium till hot
Toss in the garlic and fry till fragrant, about 1 minute
Toss in the mince pork and stir fry till cook, about 3 minutes
Add the oyster sauce and

Finally, toss in the watercress.
The watercress will shrink and it takes about 2 to 3 minutes to cook
Serve and enjoy.


    

A 6 minute video on watercress stir fry with tofu

Thursday 4 October 2012

Recipe - Pan Fry Black Pomfret With Chilli Paste

The black pomfret can be found in the Indo Pacific coastal areas.  The sociable brown fish forms large schools.

The black pomfret has light texture and a sweet, rich flavour. It has high fat content.

Fish is a high protein, low fat food. Fatty fish are high in heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, the good fats.

A popular way to cook this fish is to fry it, either shallow fry or deep fry, giving a crispy skin and a juicy meat on the inside.

By itself, the fried black pomfret is very flavourful, but you can spice up the dish with a variety of sauces like Thai chilli sauce and oyster sauce or sweet sour sauce. In this recipe, I add chilli paste to go with the fish.

Ingredients - Fish
3 black pomfrets, about 500 grams, gutted

black pomfret
Prepare fish for frying:
Rub the fish lightly with salt
Sit for 15 minutes and rinse with water
Pat dry and coat with turmeric powder and corn flour

Ingredients - chilli paste
10 pcs dried chilli, blend finely
1 large onion, coarsely blend
Half teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Method
Heat 2  tbs of oil in a wok or pan on medium till hot
Slide the fish into the hot wok and fry each side for about 3 minutes, till golden brown.
Set aside on serving plate

Use the remaining oil and fry the blended onion till fragrant, about 2 minutes
Add chilli paste, salt and sugar and fry till fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Serve the fried chilli paste on top of the fish.
Squeeze lime juice for extra fragrance.
    

A short 2 minute video on how to steam black pomfret


Another way to enjoy fried fish with spicy bean paste, 6 minute video.



Yet another way to enjoy braised fish. Pan fry and add condiments and water.
This Taiwanese video shows how to braise fish.
The chef brush egg on the fish before frying and add other condiments.
Nice.


Wednesday 3 October 2012

Inspirational - A Tribute To Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan - born February 6, 1911, departed Jun 5, 2004

40th President of USA from 1981 to 1989.

He is remembered for ending the cold war with communist USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) and also for tearing down the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He did all these without firing a single bullet.




He is also known for his jokes.

A collection of his jokes



Tuesday 2 October 2012

I Ask God


I ask God:
Let all my friends be healthy and happy 
forever !

God said:
But for 4 days only !

I said:
Yes, let them be every Spring Day, 
Summer Day, Autumn Day and Winter Day !

God said:
3 days !

I said:
Yes, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow !

God said:
No, 2 days !

I said:
Yes, a bright day (daytime) and a dark day (night-time).

God said:
No, just 1 day only !

I said:
Yes.

God said:
Which day ?

I said:
Everyday in the living years of all my friends!

God laughed and said:
All your friends will be happy and healthy Every Day!

Send this to your friends and bless them with health and happiness.