Lotus Root Soup

If you have the time and fancy some soup, why not try the lotus root soup. The lotus root soup is easy to prepare and cook. If you have the time, double boiling the soup would enhance the flavour of the soup further. But if you do not have the time and especially doesn't want to waste too much time cleaning, just boil the whole thing in a pot. Enjoy.

Roasted Carrots

Good food doesn't necessarily to be difficult to prepare and cook. Good food can be obtained with fresh ingredients and the correct way of cooking them. This is a simple and fast way for a quick fix of carrots. I hope you will like it.

• 12 carrots
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or 2 tablespoons parsley

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise.
3. Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices.
4. Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.
6. Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.

Tom Yam Kung / Tom Yam Shrimps Recipe

I went to Bangkok last year and I had a chance in dining in this restaurant which serves really good tom yam kung. It is easy to find tom yam paste in our local market or stores, but do you know that if you cook it from scratch, the tom yam would sometimes taste even better? All it takes is just practice. Practice makes perfect. Below are the ingredients and steps for making a good yummy tom yam kung. Have fun cooking.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1/2 lb fresh shrimp
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 6 -8 fresh lime leaves
• 8 tablespoons fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons chili paste
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 -3 fresh jalapenos
• 2 green onions (Sliced)
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh galangal root (About 1/8th inch slice)
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Steps:

1. Remove the heads from the fresh shrimp and set aside the heads and the shells. With a heavy object bruise the sides of the lemon grass. Then cut into 2-3 inch sections. Take the lime leaves and make 3 to 5 slices each side.Slice the galangal in about 1/8" sections. Take a 12 inch square piece of cheese clothplace the lemongrass, shrimp heads and galangal in the center tie it shut with some string.
2. Add chicken broth, fish sauce and ,lime leaves cheese cloth spice bag into pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Uncover the pot add jalapeno's, onion and sugar.
4. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add chile paste,and fresh mushrooms. Simmer for 2 more minutes. Add green onions and shrimp simmer for 1 minute.
5. Turn off the heat and add lime juice and garnish with coriander or cilantro. Serve warm with rice.

Baked Spaghetti

I was watching a recipe channel the other day on television on baked spaghetti. I never bake my spaghetti before and most of the time, I did the traditional way, which is to cook it in a pot. So today, I tried something different. I cook my spaghetti by baking it. All the ingredients are still the same, but the only thing that is different, is the cooking method. Basically, I think this method is quite straightfoward and easy. Just place everything in a casserole dish and bake. Here's how I baked my spaghetti.

Clams steamed with ginger and rice wine

I find that seafood tastes the best if we had them fresh with very little seasoning. I went to Malacca the other day and I had a chance of eating this wonderful steamed clams. I asked the cook how he cook my clams and he told me that he didn't had to do much as the clams were so fresh, it is good even without any seasoning. But if you like just a little bit of seasoning, here's my tip on how to cook clams with ginger and rice wine.

Ingredients:

• Clams
• Ginger
• Rice wine

Steps:

1. Prepare a wok to steam the clams.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, place the clams evenly on a plate.
3. Spread thinly sliced ginger over the clams and pour in some rice wine.
4. Once the water is boiled, place the plate into the wok and steam until all the clams are open.
5. Serve warm.

Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Kung Pao Chicken is a favourite for many Chinese restaurants. Out of the many Chinese recipes, I think most people, especially the Westerners would know how kung pao chicken tastes like. I personally love kung pao chicken as I love the thickness of the sauce which goes very well with the chicken. The spiciness of the dried red chillies made all the difference. So here you go, kung pao chicken recipe. I hope you like it.

Teriyaki Chicken

I first fell in love with chicken teriyaki when I was introduced to it when I dine at Sushi King, one of the largest Japanese chain in Malaysia. Since then I have been wondering many times how did they create the marinate which tastes so good. Then after many failed research, I finally decided that, if I can buy the teriyaki sauce, why should I create the marinate myself. So if you would like to keep things simple, I would recommend you to try the Kikkoman's teriyaki sauce. Anyway, here is a recipe for those who are more hardworking and would like to know exactly what ingredients they have in their marinate.

Ingredients:

• 8 -12 chicken drumsticks
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon ginger (optional)

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
2. Brown chicken pieces in hot oil.
3. While chicken is browning, mix together the soy sauce, sugar, water, and ginger.
4. Add the sauce to the chicken.
5. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and let simmer, uncovered, for about 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce has thickened.
6. Turn chicken pieces occasionally during cooking process and serve with rice when it is ready.

Fried Kai Lan

Cooking is very easy as long as you have the patients to learn about all the ingredients. Different ingredients reacts differently with heat. If you are doing a Chinese style of frying vegetables, you need a very hot wok. If you are frying fish, you will need a very hot oil, but once you place in your fish, you need to use low fire. In order to know how ingredients react to heat, you need a lot of practise. Reading about it isn't enough, as it also depends on the weather and the type of cooking utensils that you are using. Sometimes, there is also a difference between using a stove and an induction cooker. So depending on the above, just practise, practise, practise. Here is a recipe on how to cook the perfect chinese style green vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 350 g baby kai lan or 350 g broccoli, washed and drained
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• oyster sauce, to drizzle

Steps:

1. Heat oil in a wok and add garlic.
2. Add vegetables, stir, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times. Then add salt.
3. Remove and serve it on a dish and thereafter, dot a few drops of oyster sauce on top.
4. Serve hot, with other main meal dishes and rice.

Hot Dog Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs onions, chopped fine
• 2 teaspoons salt/li>
• 2 tablespoons chili powder/li>
• 2 cloves garlic/li>
• 1/4 cup brown sugar/li>
• 4 cups tomato puree/li>
• 2 cans tomato paste/li>
• 1 tablespoon paprika/li>
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes/li>
• 4 cups water/li>

Cooking Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients and put it in a pot to boil.
2. Then lower the heat and simmer all together for about an hour or until desired consistency.
3. Serve over hot dogs on buns, smother with finely-diced onions, if desired, and enjoy.

Chicken Rice

In almost every state in Malaysia, you will most likely heard that the food that you must eat in that state is chicken rice. In Malacca, we have the chicken rice balls. In Ipoh, we have the Ipoh chicken rice and chicken kuay teow noodles. They all claim to be the best among the best. But essentially, all chicken rice are the same. The thing that makes the difference is the type of chicken that they use and the type of seasoning they put in it. I personally thinks that the best chicken rice is the Seremban Chicken Rice. It is my opinion that you cannot put your conclusion of the best chicken rice in Malaysia before you try the chicken rice in different states.

Chicken

• 1 roasting chicken
• 2 ounces fresh gingerroot, crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 scallion, tie in a knot
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• chili sauce or soy sauce, for dipping

Rice

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
• 3 3/4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt

Steps:

1. Wash the chicken and dry thoroughly. Stuff the body cavity with the ginger, garlic, scallion, and salt.
2. Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.
3. Place the chicken in the pan. When the water is boiled, reduce the heat and cook for another 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken and rinse under running cold water for 2 minutes to prevent any additional cooking. Drain, then rub the oil into the skin. Set aside.
5. Next, prepare the rice by frying the garlic and shallots and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add the rice and vigorously stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add the stock and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the rice steam for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the rice grains are tender.
6. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with rice.