No-Frills Recipes ... cooking, baking & excerpts on travel

The lotus root with its unique 'wheel shape' cross-section, blends well with most vegetables and its sweet and crunchy texture is appealing and tasty in stir-fried dishes. Recipe for Lotus Root with Chicken and Mushrooms Ingredients 450 gm Chicken, cut into bite size pieces 6 Shitake Mushrooms soaked and cut into quarters 3 pips Garlic, chopped 3 Dried Chillies soaked and cut 200 gm young Lotus root sliced diagonally Oil for frying Seasoning for Chicken 1.1/2 Tablespoon Oyster sauce 1 Teasp Sugar 1/4 Teasp Salt 1 Teasp Light Soya Sauce 1/2 Teasp Dark Soya Sauce 1/2 Teasp Sesame Oil Dash of Pepper Thickening of Gravy 1 Teasp Cornflour 3 Tablespoons water Method Marinate the chicken pieces with the above seasoning for about 2  hours Lightly  saute the chopped garlic till aromatic Add in the cut dried chillies Add in the chicken pieces, mushrooms, fry for a while Add in about 1/2 cup water and simmer till the chicken meat is cooked

We went for a short holiday to China, and one of the places we visited was Wuxi, literally meaning 'No tin', in the Jiangzu province.  It's an arts and cultural centre famous for its clay figures, Yixing pots and the many mountains and lakes and one of them is the beautiful 'Tai Hu'. An item on the itinerary was a visit to a movie world, where they film the Chinese epics, and there were Chinese junkboats and  palaces of some dynasties.  What impressed us most was the live show of a battle field, with Mongolian herdsmen on horseback, fighting with spears and it was a show performed by stuntsmen who acted in movies.  It was there that we saw a lot of vacuum packed Wuxi Pork ribs on sale.  Well, some of our tour members bought them after a long haggling over the exorbitant opening prices.  Upon venturing into the city, later on our own, at leisure, we discovered that Wuxi Pork ribs is their speciality, a sort of signature dish, and of course the prices were much c

Sometime ago, while dining in a restaurant in Melbourne China town, my friend suggested that we order a La-la dish.  Then I found out that La-la, known in Malaysia is referred to as Pi-pi in Aussie land.  Well, be it La-la or Pi-pi, to me 'Clams' is more appropriate and better understood. Now, back to this one-dish meal, it's easily prepared and very tasty, especially the soup ..... slurp, slurp to the last drop.  For the health conscious, round it up with a hot cup of Green tea, which may help bring down the cholesterol level after consuming such delicious crustaceans.  tasty prawns, fish fillet, good old La-la and  some greens. indulging once in a while, is acceptable ..... mmm ...... isn't it tempting ...... try me a must have .....  some freshly chopped chilli padi/birds' eye chillies and garlic to go with it Recipe for Seafood Vermicelli Ingredients 300 gm Chicken bones to make stock 8 cups of water 300 gm Fish fillet 300 gm Prawns

I was cleaning  my fridge one weekend and stumbled upon some left over red, green and black- eyed beans, so I just put them to the boil and came up with this Mixed Beans 'tong sui'.  Just nice to enjoy while relaxing and watching my favourite movie drama. plucked some Pandan/Screwpine leaves from the backyard ....... Red, Black-eyed, Green beans, Sago pearls and dried Pak Hup doesn't take long to make this, nice and refreshing on a hot afternoon Recipe for Mixed Beans Sweet Soup Ingredients : 100 gm Red Beans 150 gm Green Beans 50 gm Black-eyed Beans 150 gm Rock sugar 20 gm dried Pak Hup 10 gm Sago Pearls 7 cups water Pandan/Screwpine leaves Method : Put 3 cups of water in a pressure cooker and add in the red beans and cook on medium heat. Once the pressure is released, then add in the green and black-eyed beans, rock sugar, pandan leaves and another 4 cups of water, and cook till the beans are soft. Meanwhile, wash and soak the dried pak hu

I had a reunion with some of my ex colleagues whom I haven't met since I stopped work ages ago and so I whipped this cake up for them as a dessert.  I was a bit disappointed with the appearance upon cutting it, but nevertheless  gave some to my neighbour, the ex Swiss chef cum my ' food taster', to sample.  I was so delighted when he sms-ed me 'Cake is lovely, thank you.' That lifted up my spirits a little. So don't be misled by outward appearnce for the inside is much to behold, and my ex colleagues gave me the thumbs up too. Oh, what a disappointment  ..........  the melted choc chips is so messy fortunately, the taste speaks for itself , the melted choc chips blend well with the Green tea flavour personally, I find that it's better than with Adzuki beans ~   at least some consolation  ~ Recipe for Green tea yoghurt with choc chips Adapted from Greentea MarbleYoghurt Cake Ingredients 6 oz Plain Flour

This is the porridge that my late mum used to cook for us whenever we complained of gum pain or any of my siblings had their tooth extracted, or during hot, humid weather.  This is to help 'lower the fire in our body',  (cool down our body heat), so she used to say. And it is usually accompanied by freshly made Yau Char Kway or Chinese Donut,(so often seen in Hongkong movies),  either cut and sprinkled on top of the porridge, as a garnishing  Or just separate it, dunk in, slurp, and chew away,  ..................  Recipe for Salted Egg & Meat Porridge Ingredients : 200 gm lean pork, diced 1 Salted Egg 1/2 cup Rice 2 Tablespoons Quaker instant Oats - soak in 4 Tablespoons of hot water 4 cups water Yau Char Kway/Chinese Donut Spring Onions and Pepper for garnishing Salt to taste Sesame oil - optional Method : Dice the lean meat and marinate with 1 teasp salt, set aside. Boil the rice with the 4 cups of water in a rice cooker, under 'Porridge'

The amazing Lotus is an aquatic plant, rising out of muddy waters and in Buddhism it's a symbol of purity and the flower signifies enlightenment.  Every part of the Lotus plant is useful, from the flower, to the seeds, leaves and  root.  The Lotus root is actually the rhizome of the Lotus plant and it's low in fat and cholesterol, high in fibre and full of vitamins. Lotus root is crispy and crunchy and often boiled in soup  -  can help  clear body heat, improve your appetite and restore good health. Recipe for Pork Meat with Lotus Root Soup Ingredients : 400 gm lean Pork Meat 400 gm old Lotus Root 50 gm Groundnuts for soup 10 gm  dried Fish Bones 3 large Preserved Dates without sugar   (Mut Choe) 3 litres of water Method : Blanch the pork meat with some hot boiling water.  Discard water and set aside. Scrape or peel off the skin of the lotus root, cut diagonally into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Boil the 3 litres of water in a pot and once it starts to boil,

Kampar Bread Chicken ..................No, no, this emerged from the kitchen of No-Frills Recipes, a wholesome one-dish meal, a little bit spicy, but sumptous, suitable for lunch or dinner this is the Chicken Curry that I made with the A+1 meat curry paste, and in the background is the Kenwood breadmaker which helped me with the dough for the bread the A+1 meat curry paste, it's spicy, so I used only half the paste the Chicken Curry wrapped up in 2 layers of parchment paper, ready to be 'hidden' in the dough the bread is all done now ....................'Open Sesame'............like a blooming lotus flower, slowly opening up its petals, revealing ............ what's the 'hidden treasure' ....................mmmmmm.............aromatic Curry Chicken! what are you waiting for, .......... dunk it in .................. Enjoy ..... Yummy Recipe for Bread Chicken Ingredients for the Curry : 800 gm free-range Chicken  -  cut  into bite s

Following the goodness from consuming Green Tea, here's another recipe that I churned out. Recipe for Green tea Marble Yoghurt Cake Ingredients : 6 oz Plain Flour 3/4  Teasp. Baking Powder 3 eggs 4.1/2 oz  Caster sugar 1/2  Cup Cannola/Corn Oil 1/2  Cup Yoghurt 1  Teasp. Vanilla 2  Tablespoons Greentea powder 1  Teasp. lukewarm water 1/2  Cup Adzuki Beans (Discard the syrup) Pinch of salt Method : Discard the syrup from the Adzuki beans and coat with some flour.  Set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside. Cream the eggs with the sugar till creamy, add in the oil, then the yoghurt, followed by the vanilla. Gradually fold in the flour and blend thoroughly. Mix the greentea powder with the lukewarm water to a paste. Divide the batter into 2 portions.  Add the greentea paste into one portion and leave the other plain.   No need to swirl. Pour half the batter into a lightly greased and floured Bundt cake tin.  Toss in the flour c

In the month of Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to have at least 3 dates either fresh or dried and sip some water in  between, when they break fast.  Adding dates to home-made bread, cakes, muffins or cookies adds richness and nutrition, and the natural moisture of dates adds to the quality of the final product. As the name suggests, Chewy Oatmeal Dates Cookies are not crispy and crunchy, but chewy, which you'll enjoy tucking into while relaxing and watching your favourite drama, or perhaps Muslim viewers may also like to add this cookie to their wide range of Raya goodies.  Selamat Hari Raya. Recipe for Chewy Oatmeal Dates Cookies Ingredients : 4 oz Plain Flour 1/4 Teasp. Salt 1/4 Teasp. ground Cinnamon 1/2 Teasp. Baking Powder 1/2 Teasp. Baking Soda 125 gm Butter/Margarine 3 oz Soft Brown Sugar 2 oz Caster Sugar 1 Teasp. Vanilla 1.1/2  Tablespoons Milk/Sugarless Soyabean Milk 1 Egg 135 gm Quaker instant Oats 50 gm Dates  -  Chopped Method : In a mixing b

I was doing stock taking in the kitchen and stumbled upon some yoghurt in the fridge, long forgotten, gosh, I looked at the expiry date, thank goodness it still have a few more days of shelf-life.  So, together with some left-over dried pineapple, I whisked these up and shared them with some friends for tea, much to their delight. Recipe for Pineapple Walnut Muffins Ingredients : 150 gm Dried Pineapple  -  (Chopped) 135 gm to 150 gm Plain Yoghurt  -  (Depending on brand) 250 gm Self-Raising Flour 1  Teasp. Bicarbonate of Soda 1/4  Teasp. Salt 150 ml low-fat milk/Sugarless Soyabean milk 150 ml Cannola Oil 100 gm Caster Sugar 2 Eggs 50 gm Walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped  -  (Optional) 1 Teasp Vanilla Method : Combine yoghurt and chopped pineapple for about 30 minutes to soften the dried fruit. Sift flour, bicarbonte of soda, and salt, mix well. Add in sugar and mix thoroughly, set aside. In a large  bowl, beat the eggs lightly, add in th

Tantalize your taste buds with this Kunyit Chicken dish, not too spicy, yet tasty and delicious it's simply finger licking good.   .............  Yummy, yummy! Recipe for Kunyit aka Turmeric Chicken Ingredients : 6 Chicken Drumsticks about 1.2 kg, -  preferably with skin removed 20 gm fresh Kunyit/Turmeric 4 pips Garlic 10 Shallots 1 inch square of Belachan paste 6 dried Chillies  -  Soaked 3 sticks of Lemon Grass 1.1/2  Tablespoons Sugar 1.1/2  Teasp. Salt 1/8  Teasp. Dark Soya Sauce Method : Pound together the fresh kunyit, garlic, shallots, dried chillies and belachan paste.  Crush the lemon grass. Lightly make 2 slits on each of the chicken drumsticks, marinate them with the above pounded ingredients. Add in the salt, sugar and dark soya sauce, and leave to marinate for about 3 hours, turning and stirring after every 30 minutes. Heat up a wok/pan and cook the chicken drumsticks under medium heat, till the meat is tender.  No oil is required. Dish up th

This is the month of Ramadan and Dates are in abundance in all the supermarkets.  It is at this time of the year that we get to have a great variety of sweet, delicious dates, fresh or semi-dried, from the Middle Eastern countries and I've taken the opportunity to stock  up some. mmm ......... aren't they inviting ............   Recipe for Orange Date Muffin Ingredients : 8 oz Plain Flour 4 oz Light Brown Sugar 2  Teasp Baking Powder 1/2  Teasp Baking Soda 1/2  Teasp Salt 1/2  Teasp Ground Cinnamon 1  Tablespoon grated Orange rind 1/3  cup Orange juice 2/3  cup Milk/Sugarless Soyabean Milk 1  egg, lightly beaten 1  Teasp. vanilla 4  Tablespoons Cannola/Corn/Olive Oil 100 gm Dates -  coarsely chopped, and coat with some flour from the above 8 oz. Some granulated sugar for garnishing  -  Optional Method : Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a mixing bowl.  Mix well. Add in the brown sugar and orange rind and mix thoroughly. In

This is a very simple and easy to prepare stir-fry dish which can be done in a jiffy. and it blends well with the Sweet Potato porridge which I posted earlier. Recipe for Long Beans with minced Pork Ingredients 200 gm Long Beans  -  cut into bite sizes 150 gm minced Pork 3 pips of Garlic  -  chopped 1/2  Teasp. Oyster sauce 1/4  Teasp. Sugar 2   Teasp. ground bean paste  (Tau Cheong) Oil for frying Light soya sauce or Salt to taste Method : 1.   Heat up the pan with about 1 Tablespoon of oil, toss in the chopped garlic and fry till aromatic, but not brown. 2.   Add in the ground bean paste, sugar, oyster sauce and minced pork and fry till the meat is cooked. 3.   Add in the long beans, stir-fry and sprinkle with a bit of water.  Fry till three quarter cooked, dish up. 4.   Serve with rice or plain porridge. This dish goes well with the Taiwanese Porridge aka Sweet Potato Porridge  

My parents' generation would not want to eat this meal too often because they had been surviving on this during the Japanese occupation of the then Malaya from late 1941 to 1945. Due to the severe food shortage and rationing, they had to live on sweet potatoes, but then again sweet potatoes also have their dosage of goodness and nutrients too. Incidentally, this is among one of the favourites of my other half. Here's an excerpt on the nutrients of sweet potatoes, taken from World's Healthiest Foods' site. Sweet potatoes offer a host of nutrients and an impressive array of antioxidants. They taste delicious, are easy to prepare and can be used in a variety of dishes. Not only are they a more concentrated source of vitamin C, but they are also an excellent source of vitamin A. To keep the sweet potatoes looking fresh, you should cook them immediately after peeling and/or cutting them since the flesh darkens upon contact with air. If that's not possible, place