Seafood tofu puff (海鲜油豆腐）

Ingredients:

2 boxes of 10piece tofu puffs

750gms of prawns

1box of fish paste (approx 200gms) 

1 spring onion ( thinly chopped)

2 cloves of garlic ( finely chopped) 

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil 

1/2 tablespoon cornflour

1 egg white

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method: 

1- peel and devein the prawns. Keep the shells aside for other dishes.

2- chop all prawns into small pieces.

3- blend garlic, fish sauce, sesame oil, cornflour, egg white and salt & pepper.

4- add 3/4 of the prawn and blend together

5- add fish paste and mix together

6- add the remaining chopped prawns, spring onions and mix well.

7- cut a slit in the tofu puff like a pocket. Invert the puff with the porous side facing out. 

8- stuff the paste into the puff

9- deep fry until cooked

10- place on kitchen towels to absorb oil before plating.

Stir fried nai bai with double eggs (双蛋奶白菜）

Ingredients:

500gms of Nai Bai

1 salted egg ( separate yolk and white)

1 century egg (cut into small pieces)

2 cloves of chopped garlic

200ml stock

100ml of water

1tsp of vegetable seasoning

A pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon hua tiao cooking wine

Dash of pepper

Method:

1- Cut the salted egg yolk and century egg into small pieces

2- heat the oil and sit fry the garlic until fragrant 

3- Add nai bai and stir fry till half cooked. Dish out and set aside.

4- Bring stock and water to boil. Add vegetable seasoning, salt, sugar, sesame oil, cooking wine. 

5- Add back nai bai and stir fry till cooked.

6- Add a dash of pepper before serving.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
1 shallot,  cut into small pieces
2 cloves garlic
250g beef, cut into small cubes
100ml of water
1/2 daikon, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon soya sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine


Method:
1. Heat up a claypot with the oil and add the shallot and garlic, stir-fry until aromatic.
2. Add the beef into the claypot, followed by the daikon.
3. Add the water and all the seasonings, stir to combine well.
4. Cover the claypot, turn the heat to low, simmer and cook until the beef becomes tender.

Sambal Grilled Wings

Ingredients:

8 chicken midjoint
2 tablespoon of sambal chilli
1 calamansi (juice)

Method:

1) Wash and pat dry the chicken wings
2) Marinate the chicken wings with sambal chilli in a ziplock bag, rub it and leave it in the fridge for 4 hours.
3) Preheat oven and grill at  220C for 10mins, flip and grill for another 10mins
4) Squeeze clamansi over wings before serving.
 

Cordyceps Militaris with Chicken Soup (虫草花鸡汤)

Ingredients

1 Chicken
15grams cordyceps militaris
8 pieces of mushrooms (presoaked)
2 tablespoon wolfberries
Few slices of ginger
8 seedless red dates
2 honey dates
1500ml water
salt

Method

1) Remove chicken skin, trim fats.  Wash and cut into chunks.
2) Blanch chicken
3) Bring water to boil.  Put chicken, cordyceps militaris, ginger, red dates and honey dates, and mushrooms into 1500ml of water.
4) a) For thermal pot, let it boil for 15mins over stove before putting into outer pot.
    b) For slow cooker, let it boil for 10mins on high before simmering for 2hours.
5) Heat thermal pot soup, or switch on high for slow cooker and add wolfberries and boil for another 5mins.
6) Add salt to taste if desired.

Was told by doctor that when you're coughing, dont eat chicken as it causes phlegm.  So do take note when not to drink this soup. 

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)
- See more at: http://food-4tots.com/2009/08/14/chicken-and-cordyceps-militaris-soup/#sthash.QGjyzjlJ.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)
- See more at: http://food-4tots.com/2009/08/14/chicken-and-cordyceps-militaris-soup/#sthash.QGjyzjlJ.dpuf

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (about 1 kg) (I used free range chicken/ 甘榜鸡)
12g cordyceps militaris/ chong cao hua (虫草花)
5 sticks dang shen (党参)
2 tbsp wolfberries (杞子)
2 slices of ginger (姜)
12-15 red dates (红枣)
1200-1500 ml water (adjust accordingly)
- See more at: http://food-4tots.com/2009/08/14/chicken-and-cordyceps-militaris-soup/#sthash.QGjyzjlJ.dpuf

Cordyceps Militaris soup with Shark's fin Melon 虫草花和鱼翅瓜汤

Ingredients:

500grams Shark's fin melon (about half melon)
1- carrots
250grams pork ribs
1.5 litres water
20 grams cordyceps militaris
2 tablespoon wolfberries
8 dried seedless red dates
2 honey dates
Salt to taste ( I usually skip )

Method:

1. Remove the skin and seeds of the shark's fin melon, cut the carrots & melon into chunks
2. Blanch the pork ribs
3. Put the pork ribs, cordyceps militaris, red dates, honey dates, shark's fin melon and carrot to boil in the thermal pot or slow cooker.

 4)   a) -Thermal Pot: Boil over the stove for about 15mins, then place the inner pot into the thermal cooker.  I'll usually either let it cook overnight or from morning till dinner time.
           -Just before meal, heat up the soup.  Add wolfberries and boil for 5mins.
           -Add salt to taste if desired

4)   b) - Slow cooker: Switch on high and bring to boil for about 10mins then switch to low and simmer for about 2hours.
          - Add wolfberries 5 mins before serving
          - Add salt to taste if desired

Cordyceps militaris

Recently a friend reminded me of cooking with cordyceps militaris when Si En's bronchitis has been relapsing too often recently.


In Traditional Chinese medicine, cordyceps has a long history of use as a lung and kidney tonic, to increase sperm production and for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis and other diseases of the respiratory system.
There are two types of cordyceps, cordyceps sinesis and cordyceps militaris. 

Cordyceps sinesis can cost quite a fair bit from $30 for two strands, whereas militaris cost only about $20 for a bottle that can make 4-5 times of soup. Although the strength of the militaris is less comparable as compared to sinesis, but it's pretty worth it for just a fraction of the price.

I'll post up some soup recipes that you can cook with cordyceps militaris either in the slow cooker, or thermal pots.

Here's the cordyceps militaris that I've gotten from hock hua.

Here's the benefits as stated on the label.