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

From the onset, I had the impression that Shangjian Bao can be quite an intimidating recipe to attempt but after sitting down and surfing the internet for various versions on how this bao is being made, I was quite confident to give this a try.  It wasn't that difficult after all and I really enjoyed biting into the golden brown crisply fried bottom and they stayed crispy even after some time. Will definitely make these again and perhaps use chicken filling instead. Recipe for Shengjian Bao ~ Pan-fried Pork Buns ~  生煎包 (adapted from 'here' with adjustments) Ingredients Dough 200 gm plain flour 110 ml warm water 1/2 tsp dried yeast 1.1/2 tsp sugar 1 tsp oil Pinch of salt Sesame seeds to garnish Filling 200 gm minced pork 2 Shitake mushrooms, soaked and cubed 1 stalk of spring oinions, chopped Seasoning for Filling 2 pips of minced garlic 1 Tbsp light soya sauce 1/2 tsp sugar 1 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp water 1 tsp ses...

With the current sweltering heat, drought and unplesant humidity no thanks to the El Nino,  I'm at a loss sometimes thinking of what to serve for dinner.  Not much appetite for rice, just longing for something soupy with a fair amount of protein, carbohydrates and vegetables, quick to prepare with not much standing in the 'toasted' kitchen .... yes  a bowl of Vietnamese Chicken Noodle for a change.   Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup ~  越南鸡肉面条汤 Ingredients                         1/2 kg free-range chicken Rice sticks a small piece of ginger 1 star anise 1 small piece cinnamon stick 2 onions spring onions 1/4 Knorr chicken cube 1 small piece rock sugar Seasalt to taste Basil leaves Bean sprouts Bird eye chillies Fish sauce Lemon or lime wedges Method Clean the chicken and boil some water in a pot. Once the water is boiling, add in the chicken, the water should be abl...

As the name implies, this is soley the work of  my Kenwood breadmaker and I just followed the step-by-step instructions faithfully and be rewarded with this sweet smelling loaf of bread for my dinner. For ease of reference, I append below the ingredients that were used for this 1 lb loaf of bread. Ingredients - Time (2hrs 50 mins) 280 ml/10 fl oz of water 15 ml/3 tsp of oil from the the bottled sun-dried tomatoes OR olive oil 400 gm/14 oz high protein or bread flour 50 gm/2 oz wholemeal flour 25 gm/1 oz finely grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 1.1.2 tsp salt 10 gm/2 tsp sugar 5 gm/1 tsp dried yeast 25 gm/1 oz well-drained sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped (This to be added when the machine makes an audible sound) I had this with a dip of olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

These Lotus paste chicken floss pastries are getting very popular here in Ipoh and some of them are with Pandan Lotus paste.   To me, at Rm2.50 for an approximate 2 inch diameter size pastry, is a bit on the high side, so why not try to DIY it I told myself.  Well, I did and here's what I'm going to share with you today........ I enjoyed the fruits of my labour with a nice cup of hot local coffee. Recipe  for Lotus chicken floss pastries ~   莲蓉 鸡肉 松 酥 饼 Ingredients Water dough 100 gm plain flour, sifted 40 gm shortening 10 gm caster sugar 30 to 50 ml water to be added gradually Oil dough 80 gm plain flour, sifted 60 gm shortening 250 gm lotus paste Chicken  floss Sesame seeds Egg wash - 1 egg  beaten  Method  For the water dough, mix the flour, shortening, sugar together, then add in water gradually and knead to form a soft dough.  Cover with cling wrap and let rest for 30 mins. For the...

These Cola Chicken Wings cooked the Chinese way are finger licking good.  Easy to prepare with simple ingredients that can be found in most households.  Coke together with the soya sauce made a delicious sweetish and savoury glaze for the chicken.  Simply Yum! Recipe for Cola Chicken Wings Chinese Style ~  可乐雞翼   Ingredients 600 gm chicken wings 1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine 3/4 cup Coca Cola 2 tsp sugar 2 Tbsp light soya sauce some ginger slices 3 star anise 1 small piece of cinnamon stick 1.1/2 Tbsp oil Sesame oil dash of seasalt Method Cut the chicken wings into 2. Add cooking wine to marinate for a few hours or overnight. In a wok, add oil and sugar to caramelise on low heat. Add the wings and stir fry till yellow. Add Coke and soya sauce, star anise and cinnamon stick. Add 1/2 bowl of water to cover and cook till chicken is tender. Turn off heat and drizzle on some sesame oil Serve immediately.

I would like to share with you some pictures of the food we had for brunch at Scarvelli Cafe and an Italian dinner we had at Olive Jar during my recent trip to Melbourne. Poached eggs with chilli baked beans, bacon and multigrain toasts Fried eggs with dry cured bacon and BBQ garlic confit mushrooms and multigrain toasts Scrambled eggs with dry cured bacon and BBQ garlic confit mushrooms and sourdough toasts Wagyu beef Burger  Dinner at an Italian restaurant ~  The Olive Jar Cafe Hot Salami Pizza Salmon Fettucine Mixed vegetables And for dessert we had Tiramisu Followed by Chocolate ice cream to share And live entertainment from the Boss who belted out some Italian songs much to the joy of the diners!  I do like the picture of the sexy gal on the wall above him - famed Italian actress, Sophia Loren

I tried making this French Toast with some leftover pieces of sandwich loaf and was pleasantly surprised that they were so yummy, crispy on the outside and not dry or soggy.  I was contemplating whether to add any sugar into the egg batter but instead decided on making them savoury just to try.  So, added a pinch of salt and served them with honey as a sweetener. Meat Floss French Toast ~   鸡肉松法式吐司  Ingredients 2 eggs, 4 slices of stale bread, pinch of salt, chicken floss, oil, honey Method Whisk up the eggs with a pinch of salt, strain it Dip and press a piece of bread into the egg batter Place the piece of bread onto a lightly oiled and heated non-stick pan Spoon some meat floss onto the surface Top up with another piece of egg soaked bread Lightly fry and flip over the other side, till golden brown Dish out onto a piece of kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil Serve with some honey, immediately Enjoy! ...

This pork dish with Korean paste is delicious yet very easy to whip up.  And the sesame seeds garnishing does enhance the look as well helps to give it a pleasant fragrance.   Perfect to serve with a bowl of plain white rice. Recipe for Korean style pan-fried pork belly ~  韩式辣炒五花肉 Ingredients 350 gm pork belly, cut into bite size 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp minced ginger 1/4 tsp dark soya sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp Korean paste/Gochujang 1/2 Tbsp honey 1 Tbsp light soya sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds Method Season the pork belly with all the sauces except for sesame oil and sesame seeds, for about 2 hours.  (I marinated it overnight). Place on a non-stick pan and pan fry with some water till tender and cooked. Drizzle on the sesame oil and sesame seeds before dishing out onto a plate. Serve immediately with rice. This post is linked to the March 'Little Thumbs Up' event organised by Zoe of   Bake for Happy K...

These oatmeal cranberry cookies are quick and easy to prepare and they can be a hit with both the kids and adults.  Rolled oats are used in these cookies and the ingredients are easy to put together.  You can bake them in a shorter time if you prefer them to be soft and chewy in the centre or if you prefer crispy cookies, just bake them a little longer.  You can also make this as a gift for X'mas and the batter can be prepared, keep refrigerated and the cookies baked the next day. Recipe for Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies  Ingredients 226 gm butter 195 gm plain flour 100 gm soft brown sugar 30 gm caster sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt (reduce or omit if you're using salted butter) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 260 gm rolled oats 100 gm dried cranberries 40 gm choc chips Method Sift flour with bicarbonate of soda and salt, set aside....