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

My family never gets tired of having chiffon cakes for their breakfast or to snack on, all because of their soft, fluffy texture and on top of that they are not overly sweet.  Another plus point is that they can be kept in an airtight container and stay nice and soft even after a few days, that is provided they're not finished off by the next day! Peppermint Tea Chiffon Cake ~  薄荷茶戚风蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 4 teabags of Peppermint tea 200 gm sifted cake flour or plain flour 3 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 6 egg yolks 70 gm caster sugar 100 ml canola oil 150 ml hot water (steep in the 4 tea bags for about 10 mins) 3 Tbsp tea leaves from the tea bags (B) 6 egg whites 70 gm caster sugar Method Sift the flour twice.  Add in the baking powder and sift again.  Set aside. Place the egg yolks in a mixing bowl, add in sugar and beat with the paddle attachment, till pale. Whisk in the oil, followed by the tea, then the 3 Tbsp tea leaves.  Fold i

This sweet corn and chicken soup, prepared the Chinese way, is a heart warming comfort soup, perfect for lunch or dinner.  The texture is velvety and didn't call for a can of creamed corn or whipping cream. Chinese Sweet Corn and Chicken Soup ~   中式甜玉米鸡汤 Ingredients 1 chicken frame, about 300 gm 1 chicken breast, about 250 gm 1 ear of sweet corn 1 egg lightly beaten 7 cups of water Seasalt to taste 2 Tbsp cornflour + 1 Tbsp water to thicken Pepper Mixed dry herbs (optional) 1/4 Knorr chicken cube (optional) Method Remove the husks and silks from the sweet corn, slice off the kernels vertically, set aside.  Chop up the corn cob. In a pot, bring the water to a boil, add in the chicken frame, corn cob and chicken breast. When the chicken is cooked, remove and let cool before shredding. Discard the chicken frame and corn cob. Pour in the corn kernels, let it simmer for a while.  Add in the Knorr chicken cube, give it a stir. Add in cornstarch thi

These ribs can be easily made at home, not necessary to order when at a restaurant.  The ribs are tender and the meat falls right off the bone.   I rub the ribs with spices, cook them in a pressure cooker and finished on the grill with a simple homemade barbecue sauce. Juicy Pork Ribs ~  美味排骨 Ingredients 800 gm pork ribs Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper Paste 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp chilli paste, 2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder, 1/2 tsp mixed dry herbs 2 Tbsp golden syrup BBQ Sauce 1 small piece ginger 2 pips garlic 1 tomato, pureed 30 ml Rum 1 Tbsp white vinegar 2 Tbsp brown sugar 100 ml water Method Combine paste with 2 tsp of sea salt in a bowl. Clean and pat dry the ribs, rub all over with the paste. Cover with cling film and leave to marinate, overnight, refrigerated. Cook the ribs in a pressure cooker with 200 ml water. Remove and place the ribs on a sheet of parchment paper, grill for a

I was watching a HK TVB drama and there was this mention of 'Drunken Chicken'.  To satisfy my curiosity, I googled and found quite a number of different versions of preparing this dish.   But I was attracted to the 'rolled' type of Drunken Chicken as they look very pretty.  This is normally served as an appetiser and can be kept refrigerated for about ten days and yet retain their texture and flavour. Drunken Chicken ~  醉鸡 (adapted from 'here' with modification) Ingredients 3 whole leg of chicken, debone but skin intact, bones for stock 4 cups of water 2 pcs of ginger 1 stalk of spring onions 1 tsp salt Brine 1.1/2 cups of chicken stock at room temperature 1/3 cup Shaoxing wine 2 tsp sugar 1.1/2 tsp sea salt 1 Tbsp Goji berries, rinsed and pat dry 2 pcs Tong Quai, break into small pieces 6 pcs Ginseng 1 tsp sesame oil Method Bring 4 cups of water to the boil, add in the ginger, spring onions, chicken bones and

Too lazy to cook dishes for a meal, I opted to whip up this one-dish baked fish for dinner......a wholesome, satisfying and healthy meal.  For me, most important is that it's fuss-free, simple with  no aftermath of cleaning a greasy kitchen! Baked fish ~  烤鱼 Ingredients 1 Threadfin fish 1 tomato - sliced 1 lemon - sliced Garlic - chopped Olive oil Seasalt Freshly ground black pepper Salad greens to serve Method Clean the fish, pat dry and score the fish by making 3 diagonal slits on both sides of the fish Rub in seasalt and freshly ground black pepper all over the fish Insert 2 slices of lemon and tomatoes into the fish cavity Sprinkle on the chopped garlic and olive oil Pour some oil onto a sheet of alluminium foil Place the fish and wrap it up Bake in a preheated oven @ 220 deg.C for 15 mins. Open up the foil and place the fish on serving plate Garnish with some shredded purple cabbage and carrot Serve immediately

This is an easy to make, simple comfort soup.  The apples and pears help to soothe and moisten the throat and lungs which are what we need right now to combat this extremely hot, humid and hazy weather.  I added in some lean pork and seedless red dates which help to enhance the flavour and make the soup sweet. Apple and Pear Soup ~  苹果梨 汤 Ingredients 300 gm lean pork, cut into bite size 2 red apples 2 Chinese pears 10 seedless red dates 3 litres water Sea salt to taste Method Remove the skin and seeds from the apples and pears, cut into quarters Bring the water to the boil, and add in the red dates, apples and pears Let it simmer for about 10 mins., then add in the meat Cover and let it boil for about 10 mins under medium heat Lower flame and let soup boil for about 2 hours Fine tune to taste and ladle onto serving bowls Serve.

I've never done any bakes without using eggs as an ingredient and when I saw a recipe of eggless muffins on FB, I was curious to find out about the taste, texture, etc.  So without much hesitation and as all the ingredients were at hand, I gave this recipe a go and the result....... soft, moist muffins with pretty swirls! Recipe for Eggless Zebra Muffins ~    无蛋斑马玛芬     ( adapted from  'here' ) Dry Ingredients 195 gm plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda a pinch of salt 2 Tbsp skimmed milk powder Wet Ingredients 250 ml milk 2 tsp vinegar 1/4 cup oil 140 gm brown sugar 1/4 cup hot water 1 Tbsp vanilla Chocolate layer 2 Tbsp cocoa powder 1.1/2 Tbsp hot water Method Mix vinegar and milk in a bowl, set aside. Sift or whisk flour, milk powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. In another bowl, whisk brown sugar, hot water, oil and vanilla thoroughly.  Then mix in the milk vinegar mixture. Pour thi

How about some Korean dish for a change, one of my family members asked.  Yes, why not, but first I've got to rummage through my fridge to see what are the Korean sauces still available.    Found some Bulgogi sauce and with some chicken wings just bought from the wet market, I cooked this simple yet delicious Chicken Bulgogi. These drummets were indeed flavourful and paired well with white rice. Recipe for Chicken Bulgogi ~ 韩式炒鸡柳 Ingredients 700 gm chicken drummets 2.1/2 Tbsp Bulgogi sauce 1 Tbsp Ssamjang sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar 4 pips garlic, chopped 3 onions, sliced sesame seeds lightly toaste sesame oil to drizzle seasalt to taste Method Marinate the chicken with the sauces, sugar, choipped garlic and onion slices for a few hours or preferably overnight. Place the marinated chicken in a non-stick wok, add some water and cook till tender. Fine tune to taste. Drizzle on some sesame oil and sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Serve immediate