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

Tofu or soy bean curd is nutritious, full of protein, low in carbohydrates with no oil or sodium.  Rather bland in taste on its own but pairs well with many ingredients.  This is a very easy dish to prepare  with minced meat and Shitake mushrooms topped with salted egg yolk.  The egg yolk adds a golden hue to the colour of this dish.   A fuss-free dish which goes down very well with a bowl of hot, fluffy, white rice. Recipe for Salted Egg steamed Tofu Ingredients 4 pieces white soft Tofu 100 gm mince pork 1 Shitake mushroom, soaked, stemmed and chopped 1 salted egg  Sesame oil Seasoning for mince pork and mushrooms 1 tsp each of oyster sauce and light soya sauce. 1.1/2  tsp cornflour 1/4 tsp sugar 3 tsp salted egg white a dash of pepper  Method Season the meat with the above seasoning.  Set aside. Place the 4 pieces of Tofu on a plate. Scoop some seasoned meat and mushroom paste onto the tofu, level the surface. Sprinkle on some mashed up sa

This is a light and refreshing salad which is simple, tangy and super easy to whip up for all seasons and occasions.  You can serve  this as a meal on its own.  I used leftover roast chicken, tossed in some vegetables and mango slices, drizzle on some dressing and it's  done! Recipe for Chicken Mango Salad Ingredients 1 chicken breast seasoned with some seasalt and pepper, pan fried and sliced. 1 mango, sliced thinly Cherry tomatoes, cut Mescluin mix vegetables Dressing - Mix altogether 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp honey, 1.1/2 tsp sesame oil and 1/2 tsp light soy sauce Toasted peanuts Method Arrange the salad green, cherry tomatoes on a serving dish. Top with the sliced mango and chicken slices. Drizzle on the dressing and sprinkle on some lightly toasted peanuts. Serve immediately.

Don't you think this look lovely?  A refreshing cooling dessert to beat the heat in this hot and hazy weather...... tangy and fragrant! Recipe for Lemon Kumquat Osmanthus Jelly Ingredients 250 ml Lemon Kumquat Vinigen 1000 ml water 1  Tbsp dried Osmanthus flowers Method Pour 1 packet of Konnyaku Jelly powder into a pot. Add 1 litre of water and 250 ml Lemon Kumquat Vinigen, mix well, keep stirring   and cook till free from lumps.  Once the mixture is boiling, turn to low heat, add in the Osmanthus flowers, stir well for another 3 minutes.  Turn off heat and add in the malic acid, stir till dissolved. Pour mixture into jelly moulds.  Allow  jelly to set  before placing into the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Serve chilled

There's  neither oil nor fat in this Biscotti and with reduced sugar, one can pamper oneself with  a few extra pieces without feeling guilty and worrying over the waistline.  Dunk them into either hot coffee or tea ...... enjoy! Recipe for Walnut and Date Biscotti  (adapted from   'here' with slight modification) Ingredients 100 gm caster sugar 2 eggs 1  tsp vanilla 1  tsp baking powder 1/4  tsp salt 230 gm plain flour 60 gam walnuts, coarsely chopped 75 gm dates, chopped Method Beat sugar and eggs on high speed till thick, palte and fluffy.  Add in vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, mix well. Add to the egg mixture and beat till well combined. Fold in chopped walnuts and dates. Transfer dough to a well-floured suraface and toll into a log, about 12 inches long and 3.1/2 inches wide. Place log onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake @ 180 deg C for 20 to 25 m

This is a very easy, fuss-free chicken dish which is finger-licking good.  Just marinate the chicken with some sauce for a few hours, preferably overnight, put them under the grill and you'll be rewarded with a delicious meal.  This is also a quick way to serve something delicious which is also very affordable. Honey-Glazed Grilled Chicken Ingredients   3 pieces chicken thigh, deboned        6 cloves garlic, minced       10 gm  ginger, minced Marinade   1  Tbsp honey, 1/2  Tbsp lemon kumquat vinigen  1.1/2 Tbsp light soya sauce, 1.1/2  Tbsp cooking wine    1.1/2 tsp each of oyster sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil. Method Rinse chicken thighs. Pat dry.  Make some cuts on the chicken thighs.   Mix with the minced garlic, ginger and marinade for a few hours, preferably overnight. Place marinated chicken thighs on an alluminium foil lined baking tray.   Glaze with some marinade. Grill both sides for about 6 mins. Remove  and glaze with t

This Caramel Bundt Cake of mine does not have a caramel topping or a glaze and I just tossed in some nibbed almonds to help give this cake a little facelift.  Now, where's the caramel you may wonder for Caramel Bundt Cake is the theme for July's Bundtamonth.  Ah... the caramel is inside the cake! I did burn the caramel syrup a little, must admit, and it tasted a wee bit bitter on its own.  Fortunately, this was not evident in the baked cake.  In fact, the dark amber syrup helped in giving the cake a nice golden colour. Recipe for # Bundtamonth :   Salted Caramel Bundt Cake (adapted from ' here'  with modification) Ingredients - for the Cake 240 gm plain flour 1/2  tsp baking powder 144 gm salted butter  (Add a pinch of salt if unsalted butter is used) 140 gm sugar (original 250 gm) 2 eggs 1/2  tsp vanilla 1/3 cup salted caramel syrup 1 cup milk Nibbed almonds (optional) Salted caramel 200 gm granulated sugar 3/

Ginger, young and old be it  sliced, julienned or chopped  is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking.  I used fresh young ginger in this quick and easy dish of mine, simply put, it's Steam Fish with Essence of Chicken.  Ginger pairs well with fish and other seafood as it helps to neutralise the excessively strong fishy flavours and also it adds aroma to the dish. Recipe for Steam Fish with Essence of Chicken Ingredients 220 gm Garoupa  fillet 1 bottle of Chicken Essence 1 small knob of young ginger, finely chopped 2  tsp fish sauce 1/4  tsp sugar 2  tsp garlic oil A red chilli and spring onion to garnish A bit of seasalt to season Dash of pepper Method Wash and pat dry the fish fillet, place on a plate, and season with a bit of seasalt and a dash of pepper. Combine the chicken essence, fish sauce, sugar and chopped ginger. Drizzle the sauce onto the fish fillet. Steam on high heat for 5 mins. Drizzle on some garlic oil and garnish with spring oni

This is another French 'tea cake' with Dilmah tea .... Dilmah Cranberry and Apricot Friands.  These little cuppies are fruity, light and moist but I couldn't really detect the taste of  tea in them.  They are at their best, served warm with a hot cup of tea.   Recipe for Dilmah Cranberry and Apricot Friands Ingredients 4 egg whites 115 gm butter, melted 60 gm almond meal 80 gm icing sugar, sifted 50 gm plain flour, sifted 60 gm dried cranberries, chopped 40 gm dried apricot, chopped 1 Dilmah teabag + 60 ml boiling water Icing sugar for dusting Method Add boiling water to the tea bag and let steep for 10 mins.  Set aside. Place egg whites in a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Add melted butter, almond meal, icing sugar and flour.  Stir till well combined. Squeeze the remaining water from the tea bag and remove it.  Add tea and  chopped cranberries and apricots to the batter.  Fold through gent

Braised chicken feet in black bean sauce is a common sight at Dim Sum restaurants and most of  the time they are pre-fried. Being the lazy me, I just dumped them into the slow cooker together with the chicken, added in some spices and let them mingle together while I attended to my other household chores.  I put the slow cooker on 'high', attended to it some three hours later and after adjusting the taste, it was ready to be served. Recipe for Slow Cooker Braised Chicken and Chicken Feet Ingredients 300 gm chicken feet 400 gm chicken, cut to bite size 3 slices ginger 8 cloves, garlic, crushed 3 dried chillies soaked in water to soften 3 star anise 4  tsp light soya sauce 1  tsp each of dark soya sauce, rock sugar and seasalt 2.1/2 cups water 2  tsp cornflour + sauce to thicken Method Season the chicken pieces with some salt, light and dark soya sauce, set aside. Blanch the chicken feet in boiling water for about 10 mins to rid of