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

This is a homey, comforting dish which you can never find on the menu of a Chinese restaurant.  Perhaps you may find it in an economy rice stall.  There are two types of Mui Choy (梅菜) or preserved mustard, one is salty while the other is sweet and in this recipe, I used the latter.  The Mui Choy lends flavour and aroma to the dish and most often is paired with pork, either minced or pork belly chunks.  In this recipe, the minced meat must be with a bit of fat, otherwise the dish will turn out dry and dense.  Give this a try and see whether you like it or not. Steamed Minced Pork with Mui Choy ~  梅菜蒸猪肉  Ingredients  320 gm minced pork with a bit of fat 70 gm sweet mui choy (preserved sweet mustard green) Seasoning for minced pork 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp Shaoxing wine 1/2 tsp light soy sauce 1/2 tsp sugar 1 Tbsp oil 2 Tbsp cornflour 3 Tbsp water Method Marinate the minced pork with the above seasoning and stir the pork in one direction, till sticky.  Set

This is a simple recipe for flavourful Honey Lemon Cupcakes which serve well as a dessert after a hearty meal.  The cakes are soft, with a balance of sweet and tart and taste fresh with the whipped cream frosting and berries. Honey Lemon Cupcake  ~ 蜂蜜柠檬蛋糕                   Ingredients (A) 5 large egg yolks 160 gm superfine flour (sifted) 100 gm caster sugar 70 ml lemon juice + water to make up 128 ml juice 96 ml vegetable oil zest from 1 orange 1 Tbsp honey 1 tsp vanilla (B) 5 large egg whites 50 gm caster sugar 1/4 tsp cream of tartar OR 1/2 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar Frosting 300 ml thickened or whippig cream 50 gm icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla Method for whipped cream Chill a metal bowl in the freezer for about 10 mins. Pour thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla into the chilled bowl and beat on low speed.  Then increase to high speed till stiff peaks form.  Keep refrigerated till ready for use.  Frost as desired. Method

This was my first 'lock down' dinner on 18th March.  It's just a simple fried rice all-in-one dish as I had to finish off my 'lap cheong'  to make space to stock up food in my fridge because of the lock down.  It's super easy to whip up and I just garnish it with a sprinkling of fried garlic, but it was yummy!                Fried Rice with Chinese Sausages and French Beans   ~  臘腸炒饭 Ingredients 1/2 cup rice plus enough water to cook 85 gm (in a pair) Chinese sausages, sliced 90 gm french beans, diced 2 eggs Salt, light soya sauce as desired Method Heat up a pan with some oil, scramble the eggs with a bit of  soya sauce and salt.  Dish out. In the same pan, fry the Chinese sausages till cooked, dish out but leave the oil in the pan. With the oil from the sausages, fry the diced beans with a bit of salt.  Pour in the cooked rice, a bit of soya sauce, fry and mix well.  Test for taste. Mix in the scrambled eggs and sausages.

Since our country, Malaysia, has been 'locked down' or imposed with the 'Movement Control Order', many mums are confined to their homes scratching their heads what to cook or serve to their families.  So why not give this recipe a shot as the ingredients should be available in most households. These Choc-Chip Peanut Butter Muffins are moist, warm, and soft with melty and chooey choc-chips.  There's nothing like a peanut butter and chocolate combination.  These can be enjoyed as a mid-morning snack with a strong cup of coffee or as an after-dinner treat! Choc-chip Peanut Butter Muffins ~   巧克力花生酱玛芬 Ingredients 210 gm plain flour 200 ml plain yoghurt 120 gm caster sugar 2 'L' eggs 80 gm choc-chips 75 ml vegetable oil 1/2 cup milk (125 ml) 4 to 5 Tbsp peanut butter, microwave to soften 3 Tsp cocoa or chocolate powder 2 tsp baking powder a pinch of salt Method Sift or whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt in a mixing

This is another dish of juicy pork ribs steamed with ginger and black beans and the ingredients are more or less the same as per my previous post of  'Steamed pork spareribs with black beans' .  But I added sesame oil and 1 tsp of  Rose wine to marinate the pork ribs and another teaspoon onto the ribs once they are steamed.  The effect was just marvellous! Steamed pork ribs with ginger and black beans (2) ~ 豆豉姜蒸排骨   Ingredients 300 gm pork ribs 1/4 tsp sugar a pinch of salt 2 tsp or more RoseWine (1 tsp to season and 1 tsp to add on, after steamed) 1 tsp sesame oil  1 tsp chopped ginger 3 pips of garlic chopped 2 tsp cornstarch 2 tsp water 2 tsp black beans 2 birdeye chillies, chopped Method Season the pork ribs with the sugar, salt, Rose wine, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, cornstarch and black beans, for a few hours or preferably overnight. Place the marinated pork ribs on a plate and steam for about 8 mins. till the ribs are tender and cook

Each Chinese New Year, I would get a Nian Gao, sticky rice cake as an offering for prayers as Nian Gao is a homonym for  'higher year',  which symbolises increasing prosperity and higher achievement for the coming year.  Therefore it is considered good luck to eat Nian Gao during this period.  Instead of frying the Nian Gao with batter like what I did 'here' , this time I chose to just wrap it up with a piece of puff pastry and dump it into the oven, and the ultimate result,  yummy gluey Nian Gao with crispy pastry! Puff Pastry Nian Gao   ~   酥皮年糕 Ingredients 10 small pieces of Nian Gao about 1.1/2 x 3/4 x 1/2 inch  10 pieces of 4 x 4 inch Kawan puff pastry Egg glaze Method Place a piece of Nian Gao onto a piece of puff pastry Apply beaten egg all round the edges Roll up, and use a fork to seal the two ends Place seams side down onto a parchment lined baking tray Apply egg glaze Bake in a preheated oven @ 18

Poon Choy (盆菜) or 'Big Bowl feast'  is traditionally a Chinese New Year dish and it signifies an abundance of wealth and prosperity.  The choice of ingredients are your own preference and here I have prepared a seafood poon choi with nine ingredients.  The dish should be eaten layer by layer from the top to the bottom and not just dig up the whole pot from the bottom.. As this is my first attempt preparing this dish, I made a small portion on the 15th day or the last day of  CNY, which is Chap Goh Mey.  Having this dish in a Chinese restaurant is pretty expensive especially during the Chinese New Year period and preparing it youself is definitely more economical and moreover you get to eat what you like to eat.  For more information on Poon Choi, take a look at  'Wikipedia'. Layering the Poon Choi Seafood Poon Choy ~   海鲜盆菜 Ingredients 1 small Napa Cabbage 1 can of abalone 2 dried fish bladder 4 big shitake mushrooms 6 dried oyster