Simplee Snack : Zucchini Bites

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes 

Made : 9 bites

This afternoon I have an appointment with the fiber optic cable guy and the installation takes so long, more than 4 hours. So instead of sitting there watching him, I planned to kill time with some baking, snack perhaps. Searching in my fridge for ingredients and guess what? A Zucchini! Lets cook something out of this plain vegetable.

Ingredients

1 cup zucchini, grated

1 large egg

1/4 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

Dash of mixed dried herbs

cooking spray.        

Methods

1) Preheat oven to 300°.  Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

2) Grate the zucchini into a clean dish.  Wring all of the excess water out of the zucchini. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs to taste.

3) Fill each muffin section to the top, pushing down on the filling with your spoon so it's nice and compacted so they don't fall apart when you take them out of the tin.

4) Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are golden.

5) Use a rubber spatula around the edges of each bite to remove them from the muffin tin. Bon appetite!

How to clean raw prawn

There are many ways to clean prawns. And there is no right or wrong way of doing it. But I particularly like to maintain the tail and shell. 

 1) Rinse prawns with tap water.

2) Trim off the spear above its head.

3) Trim off the eyes.

3) Trim off its legs.

4) Clean body.

5) Trim off the pointy part at the bottom.

6) Lastly, cut along the back of the prawn's shell, remove the vein.

You are done..

Simplee Kiddy Meals : Creamy Spinach Millet

Preparation time : 5 min

Cooking time : 30 min

Holiday is around the corner, and kids are asking for something new for lunch. Oh well, mummy is definitely not in the mood of kneading and frying on a lazy Raya eve. What is easy and simple will be mummy's first option. (Giggles)

Ingredients:

1 cup millet

1 medium potato (shred)

1 cup chopped baby spinach 

3 cups water

50g dory fillet (cut small)

2 slices of cheese

Dash of parsley flakes

Salt to taste

Methods:

1) Mix millet, shredded potato & water, bring to boil. Keep stirring.

2) When content turn thick, add in cheese keep stirring till cheese melt. 

3) Add in parsley flakes, spinach and fillet, cook for another minute, add salt to taste, turn off flame.

4) Bon Appetite.

What is STIR FRYING?

what is STIR FRYING?

Stir frying is a pair of Chinese cooking techniques for preparing food in a wok: chǎo (炒) and bào (爆). The two techniques differ in their speed of execution, the amount of heat used, and the amount of tossing done to cook the food in the wok. 

(source from Wikipedia)

Simplee Dinner Ideas : Ayam Brand Sardines Mee Hoon Goreng (fried vermicelli with sardines)

Simplee Dinner Ideas : Mee Hoon Goreng Ayam Brand Sardines Ayam Brand Sardines (fried vermicelli with sardine)


Preparation Time : 20 min
Cooking Time : 15 min

Ingredients
1/3 packet vermicelli
4 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp dried shrimp (wash, soak for 5 minutes, drained)
4 pieces of Ayam Brand Sardines (from can)
2 eggs (beaten, then fry)
2 onions (chopped)
1 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 stalk spring onion (cut small)
1 packet tom yam powder
salt to taste

Methods

1) Soak vermicelli in water till soften, then drained excessive water.
2) Mash Ayam Brand sardine with fork. Marinate with 2 tsp tom yam powder
3) Heat a clean wok with medium flame, till hot pour in cooking oil then add in onion, garlic and dried shrimp. Fried tillyou could smell the aromas of the dried shrimps.
4) Add in vermicelli, mix well and keep stirring. Add in mashed sardine, mix well.
5) At last, add the remaining tom yam powder & salt to taste.
6) Use a clean pan, fry egg then cut them in slices and place on top of the vermicelli. Top all spring onion and serve hot.
7) Bon appetite.

Ayam Brand Sardines is Calcium and essential nutrients. Sardines contain two times more calcium than milk and also provide your body with Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese, Lycopene and Vitamin B.

Simplee Kiddy Snack : Petite oeufs en cocotte & Egg in ramekins

Simplee Kiddy Snack : Petite Oeufs en cocotte - Mini Egg in ramekins.

While you have some leftover tuna and a ripe avocado in your fridge, what you could cook for your children? I have tried out a new recipe with these two key ingredients together with some eggs & cheeses. Easy to make and yet my kids love it too.

Ingredients:

1/2 Ripe Avocado (mashes)

1/4 cup cheese

2 eggs (beaten)

3 tbsp can tuna 

Salt & oregano flakes (to taste)

Methods:

1) Add Mash avocado, tuna, salt & oregano flakes and mix well.

2) Coated mini ramekins/mini muffins tray  with oil. Pour in beaten egg into each ramekin. Then scoop in tuna & avocado paste in the middle of the ramekin. Lastly top with some cheeses.

3) Pre heat oven at 280 degree celsius. Put ramekins/tray in and bake for 9 minutes or till it turns brown.

4) Bon Appetite.

Simplee Dinner Ideas : Shrimp Asparagus Gratin

My husband and I went to the morning market yesterday and saw one of the stall selling fresh Baby Asparagus. It was so beautiful, we bought it. I have not much cooking experiences in cooking Asparagus, after all the research and browsing online. Finally I have decided to try "Gratin Dish" that I could recall from our last Paris trip.

This dish will definitely put a big smile on Olivia's face, not to mention she loves cheese but baked cheese!

Preparation time : 25min

Cooking time : 20min

Ingredients:

500gm Baby Asparagus

200 gm Shrimp

1/2 cup Grated Cheese

2 cup Water

2 tbsp Salted Butter

1 tbsp Parsley Flakes

1 tbsp Flour

1 tbsp Oliver Oil

Method:

1) Cut off the woody ends from asparagus. These will be used to make a quick vegetable broth that we’ll use in the recipe.

2) Simmer them for 5 minutes in a saute pan or skillet. Use slotted spoon to remove stems (discard), keep the water in the saute pan.

3) Now let’s cook the asparagus in that broth that we just made. Cover and cook just for 2 minutes until almost tender. We’ll finish cooking them in the oven.

4) Once the asparagus is done, remove with slotted spoon. Keep 1 /2 cup of that asparagus broth.

5) In a dry pan, heat Olive Oil and quickly toss the shrimps for 1minute. Set aside.

6) The same pan, add butter and when the butter is melted and begins to bubble, whisk in the flour.

7) Use a dry pan, add butter and when the butter is melted and begins to bubble, whisk in the flour.

8) Cook to create a roux. Pour the reserved asparagus broth into the pan.

9) Whisk then stir in the cheese. 

10) Pour sauce into casserole dish, lay asparagus on top, sprinkle remaining cheese.

11) Arrange shrimp on top of the asparagus. Broil for 6 minutes until asparagus is tender and cheese melted.

12) Bon Appetite!

Asparagus

Some of the key ingredients like butter, cheese and flour.

Simplee Dinner Ideas : Salmon Teriyaki

Salmon is a popular food in Japan and now it has become the favourite among us because of its high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids, and high vitamin D content. Salmon can be eaten raw and cooked, and I love both.

I came across these lovely Salmon Fillet at the supermarket last week and I bought 2 pieces. I have to make a dish that will attract Olivia as well. So finally I have decided to cook Salmon Teriyaki, because its sweet sauce will definitely gets thumb up from Olivia. I have modified it a little, so that it is easy & simple to prepare. 

Simplee Idea Dinner : SalmonTeriyaki

Preparation time: 15min
Cooking time: 20min

Ingredients 

2 Salmon Fillets (with skin)

3 tbsp Olive Oil (frying salmon)

Salt, pepper & oregano flakes (to marinate salmon)

Salt to garnish the salmon

Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup soya sauce
1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 tbsp mapel syrup/honey (optional)

Methods

1) Heat frying pan, add olive oil when the pan is hot. 

2) Fry salmon with it's skin side down for 2 minutes then change the other side and another 2 minutes. Salmon tend to get overcook very fast. If your fillet is thin (less than 2 inches) you may fry it for 90 seconds instead of 2 minutes. Set aside.

3) Prepare the sauce by mixing all the teriyaki sauce ingredient in a bowl then cook then in a skillet till sugar dissolved. I cook it for 1 minute in high flame just to thicken the texture.

4) Use cooking brush to apply the sauce over the salmon. 

5) Serve with rice. Bon-appetite.

Simplee Dinner Ideas : Kentucky Baked Chicken (less oil)

I enjoy home cook food very much but sometimes just hope to add some spices to the cooking. Like this dish I'm going to share, it was actually inspired by Kentucky Fried Chicken (yes the famous fast food). 

One day I saw my cousin posted her baked chicken and gosh they look pretty good and so she told me the recipe was simple. And I have give it a try tonight, guess what? The outcome is good...

Preparation time: 15min
Cooking time: 40min

Ingredients

2 Chicken Whole Leg

1/2 packet Adabi Kentucky Flour (you may use other brand)

Olive oil to coat the base of the baking dish.

Salt, pepper & oregano to marinate the chicken.

Methods

1) Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 

2) Coat the bottom of the baking dish with oil, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

3) Coat each chicken leg with Kentucky Flour. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

4) Place each piece of chicken in the baking dish. Skin side down.

5) Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through.

ENJOY!

Butter Curry Prawn

Ingredients

4 Tiger Prawns
2 slices of Kraft Cheese (optional for Cheddar Cheese)
2 tbsp Butter
2 stalks Curry Leaves
Salt & Pepper to marinate the prawns

Gravy (mix all)

3 tbsp Curry Powder
3 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 cup Water

Methods

1. Clean Tiger Prawn. Marinate with some salt and pepper.
2. Heat skillet with cooking oil and when the oil is hot, fry the prawn till cook or the shell turns pink.
3. Set aside the prawn.
4. To make the gravy, Using a clean wok/pan, heat up and add cooking oil. When the oil is hot add in butter. Melt the butter, keep stirring to avoid burn. Add curry leaves, keep stirring.
5. When you smell the aroma of the curry leaves, add in the gravy's ingredients and keep stirring.
6. when the gravy is boiling, add in cheese and mix well.
7. Use a spatula to scoop the gravy over the prawns.
8. Serve well with rice or spagetthi.
9. Bon-Appetite.