Baked Salmon with Macaroni and Cheese

Baked Salmon with Macaroni and Cheese  

There is no Cheese Lover that would say NO to Macaroni and Cheese especially the very cheesy one. I have two cheese lovers that can finish this dish as fast as thunder bolt.

I bought some nice and fresh Salmon from the supermarket and I think it will be a great pair with Mac and Cheese. I baked the Salmon in Air Fryer and the result was very good.

Ingredients:

Macaroni and Cheese

1. Macaroni 1 Cup

2. Grated Cheese 1 Cup

3. Bread Crumbs 1/2 cup

4. Cooking Cream 2 Cups 

5. Milk 1/2 Cup

6. Oregano and Rosemary some

7. Salt and Pepper to taste

8. Mince Garlic some

Baked Salmon

1. Salmon about 300g

2. Salt and Pepper to taste

3. Olive Oil

Methods

Macaroni and Cheese

1. Cook Macaroni in salt water, cook them and drained. Set aside.

2. Pre Heat Oven for 180 C

3. In a saucepan, heat some olive oil, put in garlic cook till aromatic. Add in cooking cream, Milk, herbs, salt and pepper, when its boiling add in half portion of the Cheese and Bread crumb mix well and stir in the Macaroni.

4. Transfer to a baking dish, Sprinkle the remaining cheese and bread crumb on top of the macaroni and bake for 20 minutes in 180 C or until cheese is brown.

5. Serve hot.

Baked Salmon

1. Clean Salmon, pat dry with kitchen towel.

2. Rub olive oil around Salmon's surface, and sprinkle some salt and pepper and rub in.

3. Lay with baking paper or Aluminium Foil, place salmon skin up in tray and start baking at 180 C for 15 min.

4. Serve with Macaroni and Cheese.

Monk Fruits (Lo Han Guo) and Pear Soup (dessert)

The haze has been driving me and my family crazy lately. We are so worried to go outdoor and had cancelled most of the outdoor activities too to avoid putting our health in danger. We can't do much to the weather at this moment but we can prevent ourselves by falling ill. Keep ourselves hydrate and rest well. 

Besides water, I believe "nourishing soup" can help our body to stay healthy. Just a few simple ingredients and it turned out delicious and nourishing. Try it!

Monk Fruit and Pear are good for lungs nourishing, the sweetness of these two fruits blended so well and it moisturised our throat too.

Ingredients

Monk Fruit (Lo Han Guo) x 1

Dried Pear Slice x 3

Dried Longan x 1/2 cup
Honey Dates x 5
Water x 5 bowls

Methods

1. Put all ingredients in a pot, close lid and turn the stove to high flame. When it's boiling, turn flame to low and keep boiling for 2 hours.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Creamy Garlic Chicken

IngredientsDrumstick x 4
broccoli x 1 cup
garlic x 3 cloves 

Marinate
Soya X 5 tbsp
Dark soya X 5 tbsp
Dried Italian Herbs (adequate amount)
Marinate for 2 hours

Sauce
Full cream milk. X 1/2 cup
Cheddar Cheese. X 1/2 cup
Corn Flour. X 1 tbsp
White Wine (optional) x 1/4 cup
Chicken broth. X 1 1/4cup
Butter X 2 tbsp
Olive oil. X 1 tbsp
Chopped garlic. X 4 cloves
Dried Italian Herbs. X 1-2 tbsp

Method
1. Pan fried chicken until cook, skin is brown. Set aside.
2. Using the same pan, add olive oil and butter stir till butter melt then add in chopped garlic. Don’t burn garlic just till u smell the aroma add in corn flour and make roux (mix well with liquid in pan keep stirring to avoid lumps. Add wine. Wait till boiling add in milk and cheese. Keep stirring and mix well. Add in dried a oregano to taste.
3. Lastly, add broccoli and stir till it wilted and add in chicken. Coat them well with the sauce.
4. Voila... 😋

Stew Drumstick

Ingredients:

4 drumsticks

2 carrots (cut into 2cm lengths)

Button Mushroom (halves)

4 cloves Garlic (remove skin)

1 large tomato (cut into big chunks)

1.Marinate Drumstick with salt and pepper. Coat with a little corn flour/flour. Using a non stick pan, add in very little

Cooking oil, enough to cover it surface will do. Then put in drumstick, just need to brown chicken skin. Set aside.

2. Use back the same pan, slightly sautéed all vegetables.

2. Put 3cups of chicken broth and all sautéed vegetables in a pot, when broth is boiling, Put drumstick on top, turn fire to low and cover for 30mins. Off fire and keep close for 30min before served.

Crispy Fried Chicken

2 Egg (beaten)

Kentucky Flour (any brand)

1. Drumsticks- dried with kitchen towel. Marinate with salt and pepper.
2. (A)Dip drumstick in beaten egg, coated well all surface. (B)Transfer to Kentucky Flour (usually I place is a shallow bowl) coated well all surface. 
3. Repeat step A&B
4. In a deep saucepan/pot fill half with cooking oil. Preheat oil till bubble appears. Keep flame in medium, Slowly place drumstick in. Turn the drumstick after 5-7minutes. Cook each side for 5-7minutes. To make sure if it's cooked, use a skewer to poke at the thickness part of the flesh, if easily go through then the drumstick it cooked and ready to be served.
5. Voila!

Roast Herbs Drumsticks

Ingredients :
4 drumsticks (cleaned)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Dried Rosemary
Olive Oil

Marinates:-
- 2 tbsp Soya Sauce
- 2 tbsp Dark Soya
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- Chopped Fresh Marjarom, Rosemary & Sage (some)

Methods:-
1. Marinate drumsticks with marinates ingredients
2. Rub chopped herbs on drumstiucks.
3. Pre-heat oven at 180 degree, put drumstick at oven proof tray. Apply olive oil, sprinkles salt, pepper and dried herbs. Place tray at the middle rack, roast for 5 minutes at Top and Bottom heat. Turn the drumstick, apply olive oil and roast for another 7 minutes (poke with chop stick, if the chopstick go through, means the meat is cook. Place the tray at the highest rack and roast for another 2 minute in High heat ( 220 degree) for crispy skin.
4. DONE!

Baked Portabellos with Spinach

Ingredients

Portabello X 6

Mince Pork 500g

Vegetables for roast (broccoli, cauliflowers, zucchini, garlic and carrot)

Marinates

1. Salt - 1/2 tsp

2. Pepper - pinch

3. Corn starch - 1/4 tsp

4. Water - 1/4 cup

5. Herbs - oregano & parsley - 1/4 tsp each

6. Olive oil - 2 tbsp

7. Mince garlic - 2 cloves

Ingredients

1. Cheese - 1 cup

2. Chopped the mushroom stem

Methods

1. Marinate pork for 30min.

2. Clean mushrooms.

3. I use broccoli, cauliflowers, zucchini, garlic and carrot. Clean and cut them, using BC on stove. Use medium flame, drizzle some Olive oil in BC and add in cut vegetable, sauté for 5minutes add dried rosemary, salt and pepper to taste Off flame.

4. In a small pan cook marinated pork till it turns white, add chopped mushroom stem, add 1/2 portion of the cheese. Till cheese melt, off flame.

5. Scoop mince meat to the mushroom and lay nicely on top of bed of vegetables.

6. Lastly sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes in 180 c, top heat. Or if cheese is brown.

7. Voila.

CNY auspicious dish : waterless steam fish

I still remember when I was a kid my dad, which is a very good cook will always prepare steam fish for the 2nd day of CNY and also known as "Hoi Nin" 開年.  My dad said the reason of having Fish is because "Nian Nian You Yu" is a greeting Words for chinese new year, Meaning abundant Year By Year, which always means "Money"." Fish" and "abundant" have the same pronunciation "Yu", but in different character~ therefore, chinese always using fish to represent abundant.

And this year, I will follow my dad's foot step and carry on with this tradition. 

Waterless Steam Fish

1.Tiger Grouper 龙虎班 approximately 1.2kg

(clean and scaled, dry with paper towel, marinate with Sea Salt and Rice Wine)

2. Egg Toufu, Spring Onion, Ginger and Corriander.

Method:

1. Using 27cm OFO, place spring onion, ginger slice and tofu, Pour 1/2 cup water at the bottom of OFO. 

2. Lastly place fish on top of all ingredients. 

3. Turn on High fire, when water started to get warm and once you see the steam, cover the lid and turn down to medium flame and cook for 10minutes and keep lid close for 2minutes (if your fish is smaller than 1kg, you may reduce cooking time to 8min)

4. Boil cooking oil pour over fish then followed by gravy (soya sauce x 2tbsp, fish sauce x 2tbsp, sugar) and spring onion and corriander.

5. Serve with white rice will be perfect.

CNY auspicious dish: Pan Seared Scallop & Prawn Aglio Olio

Chinese New Year is always the time for gathering and good food. My husband and children will always looking forward to my new dish and sometimes they do order what to be cook. As a mother of 2 and a wife this is a blessing isn't? What could be more rewarding than seeing a Big Smile on their faces😁. Since my children are pasta lover, Inhave twist this recipe a little by replacing the "tong fun" to angel hair.

As a Chinese, we always believe in auspicious and prosperity wishes. Prawn is call "HAR" in cantonese, it has the same sound as just like "laughing". And Scallop is call "Dai Zi", captured the same reading as "Dai Hung Dai Zi" means Suceesful and Well establiment. I have 2 dish here, first one is "Hee Har Dai Siu" means Happy and Loud Laghing and the second is "Dai Hung Dai Zi".

I hope those who has eaten these 2 dish will get a well and auspicious luck.

Recipes as below.

Hee Ha Dai Siu

- Tiger Prawn (clean and marinatenwih salt, pepper and some rice wine)

- 200g angel hair (blanch in salt water, drained)

- mince garlic x 2 tbsp, ginger x 1tsp

- olive oil 

- chopped coriander 

Methods:

1. Using Buffet Cassarole, heat some olive oil. Pan fried Prawn. 1 minutes each side. Set aside.

2. Using the same BC, add in 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic and ginger. Stir fry till aromatic then add in pasta and stir and mix well. 

3. Arrange Prawns on top of the pasta and sprinkles chopped coriander on top.

2. Dai Hung Dai Zi

- Scallop (I use frozen ones) (defrost, wipe dry with kitchen towel then sprinkle salt and pepper on both side)

-Baby Spinach (I use handpicked Australian Spinach)

- olive oil

- 2 tbsp mince garlic

Methods

1. Using Buffet Cassarole, preheat 2 tsp olive oil. Place Scallop in BC and pan fry in high fire for 2min each side or till brown. Set aside.

2. Using the same BC, add in mince garlic ad stir fry till aromatic then add on Baby Spinach and keep stiring till Spinach is wilted add salt to taste.

3. Arrang Spinach at the bottom of the bowl and place Scallops on top.

Baked Star Garoupa with Cheese

Ingredients 

Star Garoupa (marinate with salt & pepper, rub some cumin powder)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp Turmeric powder 

1 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp salt to taste

Some sugar to taste (my children like sweet curry taste)

1 cup Cheese

Methods 

1. Pan fried sides of fish fillet, a quick one don't over cooked. Each side approximately 10 sec. if your fillet is thin, u pan fry for shorter time. Set aside.

2. Use back the same pan, add some chopped garlic (optional), mix water and all dried ingredients and stir till well dissolved. When boiling add 1/2 cup cheese keep stirring till melt. Pour gravy to a oven save bowl, place fish nicely on top and sprinkles cheese on top.

3. Bake in high heat for 8 min, or until cheese turns brown.

Ojiya/ Soup Rice

Ojiya or Soup Rice has been a favourite dish of my  kids, they love it because the broth/soup makes the rice soft and yet its not as thick as porridge. And as a busy mother that without any helper nowadays, this is one of the One Pot Meal that I would like to include in my Dinner Menu too.

All you need is a good broth and some seafood or meat. I will normally out prawn or fish, so it makes the broth even tastier.

You can try this when you have run out of ideas of what to cook tonight.

Recipe :-
1. 1/2 cup rice (washed)
2. 1 litre Broth (any broth, I use mushroom broth)
3. Some Meat Ball
4. Some Shrimp
5. Egg (beaten)
6. Seaweed (korean, salted)
7. Furikake (Japanese Sprinkle on Rice)

Method:
1. Boil broth till boiling in high fire, add rice. Don't cover, stiring for 1 minute, after you see rice started to expand, turn to medium fire and cover lid for 10minutes, stir the rice so it didnt stick at the bottom. If the rice is soft, turn to high again, add in meat balls prawns. stir in beaten egg, meanwhile swirl egg with chopstick to form egg drop (蛋花）

2. Serve with Seaweed and Furikake.

One Pot Meal : Baked Red Sauce Chicken Leg on Coconut Rice

One Pot Meal : Baked Red Sauce Chicken Leg on Coconut Rice

I love to cook for my family specially my children because they give me the best compliments ever. Actually the main reason is because I want them to have more home cook meals. Cooking is an art and also one of the way to unwind. I love one pot meal, its easy to make and most important I clean less utensils after cooking.

Cooking with french oven is also my favourite because it save time and food turned out to be tastier (haha). Le Creuset's colour are too attractive and hard to say no isn't? 

One Pot Meal : Baked Red Sauce Chicken Leg on Coconut Rice

Cooked rice with RFO, and meantime I steam broccoli in it to save cooking time.

Ingredients

Chicken Whole Leg - deboned
Broccoli - 1 cup
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil - 2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 cups

Marinates
Dark Soya - 1 tsp
Soya - 1 tsp
Fish Sauce - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Red Sauce
Spaghetti Sauce

Slice Cheese - 2

Methods
1. Wash rice and add water, salt and coconut oil to pot, when boiling turn fire to low and cook for another 10 minutes. I put in my broccoli at the last 5 minutes and keep lid cover for another 5 minutes.

2. Marinate chicken leg with the marinates ingredients.

3. Another non stick frying pan, fry chicken leg for 5 minutes each side on medium fire.

4. Mix broccoli and rice. Set the chicken on top of the rice. Use the same pan without rinse add in spaghetti sauce and cheese on low fire, keep stirring. Transfer the sauce to the chicken and spread evenly.

5. Bake in oven on HIGH heat for 7-10 minutes till brown.

6. Voila!

Ayam Pongteh

I always love nyonya cooking and suddenly feel like cooking Ayam Pongteh but instead of potatos I substitute with okra. We all love okra.

I'm using my own recipe as this is the taste that I have been craving since my last had at a nyonya restaurant.

Thank god, everyone specially kids love it.

Ingredients 

1. 4 Drumsticks cleaned, marinate with salt & pepper. (I add some garlic salt marinate)

2. 1/2 cup flour

3. 800ml water (need to cover my drumsticks)

4. 2 tbsp cinnamon powder

5. 1 tbsp Tumeric powder

6. 1 cup cooking milk/santan

7. 2 tbsp soya

8. 3 Anise stars

9. 2 cinnamon sticks

10. 2 medium onion (chunk)

11. 4 cloves Garlic (peeled)

12. 8 okra trimmed head and tail

13. Dash of fish sauce (optional)

14. Salt & black pepper to taste 

Methods

1. I usually brown the skin of my drumstick with non stock pan. Set aside

2. Heat some oil in a pot, put in onion, garlic, anise star and cinnamon and quick stir till aromatic. Add in drumsticks, keep stiring.

3. Mix water, flour and cinnamon powder till complete dissolve. Pour in the pot and cover. 

4. When boiling turn flame to low, then simmer for 15minutes. Add in okra, cover with kid and simmer for another 10minutes, add in milk stir well.

5. Cover for another 10minutes before serving.

*im using a cast iron pot, and if U r using an ordinary stainless steel pot, cooking time might varies.

Roasted Honey Glazed Drumstick

Ingredients 

4 drumsticks 

2 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp Dried Rosemary Herbs

2 tbsp Dried Oregano Herbs

1/4 cup honey

Dark Soya (optional)

Garlic

Methods

1. Clean drumsticks. Use half the portion of salt, pepper and herbs to marinate the drumsticks. Rub in well. I like the drumsticks to have a little tan, so I rub dark soya on the surface/skin.

2. Pre heat oven at high 200 degree, place drumsticks and garlic on a heatproof tray. Rub olive oil on the bottom of the tray to avoid drumsticks sticking on the surface.

3. Roast for 5minutes, bring out drumsticks to apply a generous amount of honey, sprinkle 1/4 portion of salt, pepper and herbs then continue baking for 10minutes. Flip side, apply honey and sprinkle the remaining salt, pepper and herbs then roast for another 10minutes at medium rack.

4. Place drumsticks nearer to the top heat and roast for 2minutes or till nicely brown.

Chocolate Chips and Muesli Cookie

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup castor sugar

2 1/4 cup flour (add in baking powder, sieve well)

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

2 cups choco chips

100 g (muesli cereal, pounded)

1 tsp vanilla essence 

Methods 

1. Mix butter, sugar till well beaten.

2. Add in eggs & vanilla essence, beat well

3. Add in flour + baking powder, mix well

4. Pre heat oven 180 degree

5. Use small ice cream scoop to scoop batter. Bake for 20mins till brown.

Cantonese Style Braised Rice

 Colour

Ingredients 

2 cups cooked rice

Seafood, mixture of prawns and squids 

Pork slice (marinate with soya,cooking oil and some corn flour)

Garlic minced

Kai Lan, sliced stem (easier for kids)

2 eggs beaten

3 cups chicken broth (any broth)

4 tbsp corn flour, mix with water to make starch.

Methods 

1. Heat up wok/pot. I use cast iron pot for better heat transformation.

2. In medium flame, drizzles some cooking oil, add in minced garlic & pork. Stir fried for 1minute, add in vegetables, keep stirring for another 2minutes. Add broth, and turn flame to high and wait until it's boiling. 

3. When it's boiling, stir in beaten eggs, meanwhile keep swirling the eggmixture to form egg drop, add in starch water. Mix well.

4. Lastly, add cooked rice. Add salt to taste, but if u r using a seasoned chicken broth, you don't need to add salt. 

Braised Nam Yue Pork with Peanuts and Mushrooms

Braised Nam Yue Pork with Peanuts and Mushrooms

Ingredients 
500g Pork Belly (五花肉）
3 slices of young ginger （mince)
4 cloves of whole garlic
100g peanuts, soak for 1hr
5 pcs mushrooms, soak till soft
2 stalk spring onions, separate white and green
2 small star anise

2 honey rock sugar (golf ball size)

1/4 cup cuttlefish floss (soak for 15, cut thin)

3tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp rice wine
2 pc of Nam Yue (red fermented beancurd)
2tbsp of Nam Yue water
4 cups water
1tbsp dark caramel soy sauce, for coloring

Method

*Cut pork into size of a mahjong. Marinate with 1/2 Nam Yue (mash) for 30minutes.

1. Heat oil in a cast iron pot or heavy bottom pot, sauté ginger, garlic, white part spring onion, star anise, and cloves till aroma.

Meanwhile, use a non stick pan and fry the pork for a short period of time, 6 seconds or till skin brown. I did this because I want the juice of the meat to lock as I braised and the skin will hv a little brown effects. Set aside the pork.
2. Add in Nam Yue and Nam Yue water, mix well.
3. Add in pork, peanuts and mushroom, cook for a while.
4. Add in water, season with rock sugar, light soy sauce and rice wine and lastly add in cuttlefish floss. Stir well.
5. Braise over low heat for 2.5 hrs or until pork tendered, stir from time to time.
6. Last add in dark caramel soy sauce and mix well.
7. Dish out, garnish with green spring onion and serve hot with steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Cumin Briyani Rice

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Basmati Rice/long-grain rice 
2 tbsp vegetable oil 
1 cup mushrooms, sliced 
1 onion, finely chopped 
1 clove of garlic, crushed 
1tomato, chopped 
1/2 tsp medium curry powder 
1 tsp cumin powder 
1 cup frozen peas 

METHOD

1.Cook the rice in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes, until tender. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and gently fry the mushrooms, onion, garlic and tomato for three to four minutes, until softened. Add the curry powder and cumin powder and stir for another minute, then add the peas and cook for one or two minutes, stirring often. Drain the rice and add it to the frying pan. Season and stir. 

Pumpkin Puree Sweet Dessert with Corn

Pumpkin Dessert with Corn and Sago

Chinese New Year is about auspicious and good wishes and conjunction with it I make Pumpkin Dessert for yesterday gathering. Pumpkin call 金瓜 means Golden Fruit, isn't auspicious. I hope all my guest will find their golden fruit after they had my dessert.

This is also my hubby's favourite, he requested me to make it for our get together. So here you go Mr Tham...

Ingredients:

1 medium size pumpkin, removed skin.

2 cups water 

1 packet instant santan (150ml)

1 cup sago (pre-cook)

1 cup corn (I use frozen corn)

1/4 cup sugar (adjust own sweetness)      

Methods:
1. Steam pumpkin till soft. Blend with water (I use the corn water that used to boil the frozen corn) till purée.

2. Put sago is boiling water, when sago turns transparent, off flame and drain sago, set aside.

3. Boil frozen corn, I keep the water and to add in together with the steamed pumpkin then blend.

4. Transfer the purée to a pot. Add sago and corn, then santan and sugar to taste. A little pinch of salt to taste.

5. Voila!