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. 

(Buta no Kakuni) Japanese Braised Pork Belly

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon oil
500 grams pork belly
4 eggs
2 leeks
1 knob fresh ginger
2 cups dashi stock
4 tablespoon sake
3 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon soya sauce

Method:

1. Pound the pork on both sides with a meat pounder or the back of the knife.
2. Mould back the shape of the pork belly and cut into 2 inch chunks.

3. Heat the oil in a pan and brown all sides of the pork belly with the fat side down first.
    (1 tablespoon of oil, or less if you're using HCP)

4.  When meat is nicely browned, transfer to a paper towel and wipe off excess fat.

5. Slice the ginger into thin flat slices.

6. Cut the leeks into two sections.  The green section into 2 inch pieces.  The white setion can be kept to make shiraga negi for garnish. *Note 1

7. In a large pot, place the pork belly, green part of leek, half of the sliced ginger, and enough water to cover the meat. Place on high heat.

8. Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to simmer for 2-3 hours turning occasionally. When the liquid is running low, keep adding water (or hot water) to cover the meat.Skim off any fats that floats to the surface of the water during cooking.

9. Meanwhile make the 4 hard boiled eggs

10. After cooking for 2 hours, take out the meat and lightly wipe off excess oil with paper towel.
      Discard the leeks and ginger.

11. Clean the pot, put the dashi, mirin, sakae and sugar into the cleaned pot and bring to boil on a high heat.
2 cups dashi stock, 4 tablespoons sake, 3 tablespoons mirin, 1 tablespoon sugar

12. Add the pork belly and cover lid and reduce heat to simmer until it is soft enough for the bamboo skewer to pierce the meat smoothly. Simmer for 30mins

13.  Add the hard boiled eggs and continue simmering for another 30mins. Remove any fat that rises to the surface while cooking.

14. Add 2 tablespoons of the soya sauce, cover lid and continue simmering for another 20mins.

15. Its ready to serve the pork belly and eggs with Shiraga Negi on top.

16. Or cool down the pot completely and store it in the refrigerator overnight. Next day take out the pot from the refrigerator and remove the solidified fat before heating up. Heat thoroughly and serve the pork belly and eggs with Shiraga Negi on top.



*Note 1- How to make shiraga negi
1. Cut the white part of the leek into 2inch long.
2. Make an incision lengthwise.
3. Take out the green core to keep for cooking with the green parts of the leek
4. Open the white part, lay it flat and cut into thin strips
5. To make it curl, soak into cold water for 10-15mins and drain dry. 

12/11/013

I'm a pretty lazy mum.  I've practically locked most of our postings as private as I couldnt find time to write proper english. 
Finally I've found time to do some updates, and redeco our blog diary.

Just love the meaning of this picture.  Rainbow used to mean nothing to me, just something that you'll be able to see if you're lucky after a rainy day.  Three years ago, something happened which made me change how I look at it. 
It can mean a fresh start after a rainy period. 
It can mean moving to a new light and seeing things with a new perspective. 
It can mean crossing from one phase of life to another
For Christians, appearance of rainbow also means sign of promise. 

Picture of a rainbow with a sunrise means: A new Beginning!
Picture of a windmill behind is just like we're each other's little energy generator in the backgound.

Doesnt that make the picture perfect?