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

  'Tau you bak' in Hokkien or 'Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce' in Cantonese is a very homey dish.  The main sauces are light and dark soy sauce with the addition of some spices like cinnamon, pepper and star anise and in this recipe I also added some oyster sauce, which is optional.  The addition of hard boiled eggs infused with the intense gravy makes this a very delicious and tasty dish.  Pair it with some sambal belacan to make it more appetising and appealing. Tau Yu Bak  ~   Braised Pork Belly in Soy Sauce ( 豆油肉 ) Ingredients 700 gm pork belly cut into 1.1/2 inch 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 Tbsp light soy sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp dark soy sauce 8 cloves garlic 1 cinnamon stick 2 star anise some pepper rock sugar to taste Hard boiled eggs Method Marinate the pork belly with oyster and light soy sauce for a few hours or preferably overnight. Saute the garlic with cinnamon stick and star anise with some oil in a wok. Toss in the marinated pork.  Stir-fry, ad...

Lactation cookies are Greek to me until I googled for more information.  My daughter introduced this to me and she said they are easily available online. These cookies are mainly for nursing mothers who require an ample flow of milk supply to feed their babies especially the new borns.  The three key milk-boosting ingredients which have been known to increase milk supply are Brewer's yeast, Flaxseeds and Rolled Oats.  Some recipes do not require Brewer's yeast and yet yield good results and some recipes use coconut oil, vegetable oil instead of butter.  Basically they taste just like healthy Choc chip Oatmeal cookies but the added ingredients do help to generate more milk in nursing mothers. Lactation Cookies  ~  哺乳期曲奇饼   Ingredients 125 gm butter 160 gm brown sugar 1 egg 120 gm plain flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 185 gm rolled oats 20 gm chopped almonds (optional) 85 gm dark chocolate chips 2 Tbsp Brewer's yeast 1 Tbsp Flaxseed meal (ground Flaxseed)...

  Previously I used the breadmaker to help me make bread using the tangzhong method as I find the dough a bit wet and messy to handle by hand.   I was very keen to give it a try after browsing through the posts of  ''Bake with paws''  and was indeed very happy when I finally, yes, finally managed to handle the dough by hand.  I noted her tip of not adding the milk all at once and to add it gradually as different types of flour have different degrees of absorption.  I managed to get 10 soft, slightly chewy buns and I freezed some of them for a few days, defrosted and reheated before consumption.  They were just as good as freshly baked.   Baked Char Siew Buns ~ (Tangzhong method) ~  叉烧面包  (adapted from  'here'  ) Ingredients  - Tangzhong 25 gm high protein flour 120 ml water Main dough 300 gm high protein flour 1 tsp dry yeast 2 Tbsp sugar 20 gm milk powder 1/2 tsp salt 30 gm butter, softened 40 gm whisked egg 1...

  I was a bit apprehensive when I wanted to try making a chiffon cake with wholemeal flour.  If I were to use wholemeal flour totally, will the chiffon turn out to be dense or will it not rise or only rise a fair bit? As wholemeal flour is heavy and coarse I had to make adjustments to the normal recipes I used for my chiffon cakes.  So I browsed through my chiffon cake recipes and decided on a mixture of wholemeal and plain flour with an additional egg white to fluff up the batter.  I was delighted when the finished product turned out well, the cake didn't collapse when inverted and the taste was good, light, soft and refreshing wthout much hint of coarse wholemeal.  Wholemeal Chiffon Cake   ~   全麦戚风蛋糕 Ingredients (A) 5 'L' egg yolks 30 gm light brown sugar or caster sugar 75 ml vegetable oil 75 ml milk 75 gm wholemeal flour 45 gm plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp vanilla a pinch of salt (B) 6 'L' egg whites 75 gm light brown sugar or c...

  Fish Maw is the commercial term for dried fish bladders of large fishes like sturgeon.  Fish Maw (鱼鳔)  is cheaper and more affordable than shark fins or birds nest but the higher grade Fa Gau  ( 花膠) is very much more expensive.  Fish maw is bland in taste but the spongy texture allows it to absorb flavours from the other ingredients.  Here I am sharing with you a Fish Maw stew which can be easily done at home far more cheaper than what you have to pay for when eating this in a restaurant. Fish Maw Stew ~  鱼鳔羹  Ingredients 4 shitake mushrooms, soaked, stemmed and sliced 25 gm dried fish maw, soaked in hot water and cut 150 gm chicken breast meat, shredded 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tsp chopped ginger 1 litre chicken broth 1 Tbsp oyster sauce 1 egg, beaten 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water for thickening 2 tsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine Pepper Salt to taste Balsamic vinegar (optional) Method Saute the mushrooms with the chopped garlic and gin...

  These healthy Chocolate Almond Muffins are grain free and serve as a perfect breakfast for the whole family or to snack on at any time of the day. They are moist, soft, full of chocolate flavour and bursting with chocolate chips with added crunch from the almond slivers. Chocolate Almond Muffins  ~    巧克力杏仁玛芬 Ingredients 188 gm plain flour 45 gm cocoa powder 1 Tbsp cornstarch 130 gm caster sugar 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt 2 'L' eggs 1 cup buttermilk (milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to make 1 cup) 1/2 cup oil 1 tsp vanilla 50 gm chocolate chips Almond slivers to sprinkle Method Sift flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl.  Add in sugar, whisk to combine. In another bowl, whisk eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix just to combine.  Overmixing will make tough muffins. Divide the batter between the paper lined muffin pan.  Spr...

  This is a very common dish but delicious and appetising.  The method of cooking this dish is less labour intensive and does not incur frying.  I marinated the whole legs of chicken overnight which made them more tasty and the sauce is the essence of this dish.  You can also throw in some hard boiled eggs and with a veggie dish on the side, you can serve this with plain white rice or plain congee. Soy Sauce Chicken ~  豉油鸡 Ingredients 2 whole leg of chicken, deboned 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1.1/2 cup water 2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 tsp dark soy sauce 1.1/2 tsp Shaoxing wine 1.1/2 Tbsp rock sugar 1 tsp cornflour + 2 tsps water to thicken White part of spring onion White sesame seeds lightly toasted (optional) Method Season the chicken with the chopped garlic, light and dark soy sauces for a few hours or overnight. In a pan, boil the water with the white part of the spring onion and add in the seasoned chicken,. Add in the rock sugar and let the chicken simmer till...

  Looks like I'm hooked on making bread and trying to 'perfect' the recipe through trial and error.  Needs a lot of practice and I've tried bread making using the tanzhong (aka 'water roux') method with the help of the breadmaker.  Ever since the breadmaker died on me, I have switched to using the stand mixer to try the tangzhong method.  Bread made using the tangzhong method is soft and fluffy and here I have made a Chocolate and Matcha marble loaf. Marble Chocolate Matcha Bread (Tangzhong method)   ~   (汤种大理石面包） Ingredients for Tangzhong (aka 'water roux') 25 gm high protein flour 120 ml water Method Mix the flour with water and  cook on low flame till it forms a paste and lines can be drawn. Cover with cling wrap with the wrap touching on the surface of the paste to prevent it from drying.  Let cool or preferably chill in fridge overnight.  Bring it to room temperature before using. Ingredients for Main dough 300 gm high protein ...

  This is a mild gingery and tangy dish, not too spicy and with the correct amount of sweetness to whet your appetite.   This a very appetising dish as I like to cook it till semi-dry so that the sauce can be nicely infused into the meat to make it more tasty. Mild Tangy Braised Pork Shoulder  ~  酸红烧猪肩  Ingredients 650 gm pork shoulder, cut into bite size 4 pips of garlic, chopped 3 slices ginger, chopped 4 dried chillies 2 pieces tamaraind skin 1 Tbap dark soy sauce 1.1/2 Tbsp light soy sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar or rock sugar and to taste Method Soak the dried chillies in hot water to soften. With some oil in a pan saute the chopped garlic and ginger till fragrant.  Add in the pork shoulder, stir fry, add in the dried chillies and tamarind skin.  Add in the dark and light soy sauces, sugar and enough water to cover the meat.  Once it starts to boil, switch to medium flame, cover with lid and let it simmer till the pork is tender.  Cook t...

  These hearty cupcakes are packed with grated carrots, crunchy walnuts and soft mashed bananas.  They are full of texture, taste like carrot cake but yummier because of the addition of bananas which makes them soft and moist. These cuppies are made with oil instead of butter which is more 'heart-healthy' and is an easy grab-and-go at breakfast. Moist Carrot Banana Walnut Cupcake  ~  胡萝卜香蕉核桃 杯子蛋糕                   Ingredients 158 gm plain flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup oil 150 gm brown sugar 2 'L' eggs 100 gm over ripe bananas (mashed) 148 gm shredded carrots 50 gm walnuts, slightly toasted and chopped Method Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside. Whisk oil, brown sugar and eggs.  Stir in mashed bananas, vanilla and shredded carrots, mix well. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add in chopped walnuts and mix till just combined. Divide...

  I have blogged  'Kaya' or Coconut egg jam and  'Pandan Kaya'  before but it was indeed a tedious job as it entails a lot of standing and stirring for long hours in order to achieve the golden and creamy kaya.  I was very eager to try out the Easy Kaya Recipe when I stumbled upon Bake with Paws blog.  Compared to the authentic, traditional way of making kaya, this is truly a Godsend recipe.  The trick is to only use whole egg yolks with no trace of egg whites plus coconut cream and palm sugar.  For more details regarding this 'short cut' kaya recipe, do take some time to read 'here'.   Quick Fix Kaya ~   十五分钟咖椰    ( adapted from 'here' ) Ingredients 3 'L'egg yolks 30 gm cane sugar or granulated sugar 30 gm gula melaka (palm sugar), chopped fine 150 gm Kara coconut cream 4 Pandan (screwpine) leaves Method Separate the egg yolks from the whites and try to remove as much egg whites as possible.  Or you can sieve ou...