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An auber-genius recipe🍆

February 20, 2022 | Newbloggycat

There are so many ways to cook aubergine, eggplant, brinjal or whatever you call this purple fruit.

I’ve tried cooking it with minced pork Chinese style, in fish curry, grilled, stewed, fried (tempura style). But nothing beats this recipe which I’m going to show you now.

First, you need to peel off the skin and cut them into bunches of strips like this.

And after cutting, they should look like those cotton mops you find in the supermarket 😅

Then you soak them in water mixed with some salt for a few minutes. Then leave them to dry in a colander. If you’re in a hurry, then use some kitchen towels and pat them dry.

Now let’s get them ready for frying. Powder them up lightly in corn flour or plain flour. For me I like to mix both the flours.

Next dip them in the egg mixture. I have 6 bunches here, so I’m using 3 eggs.

Then I let them roll in some breadcrumbs.

Now let’s heat up the wok and get frying.

Fry them until it’s nice and brown. Once it has turned brown, remove and leave them on the cooling rack.

It’s crispy and yummy as it is. And it goes well with the salsa dip too.

Even my furry boy couldn’t get enough of it. Before I could say anything, he just jumped and snatched the piece right off my fingers. He forgets his good manners when it comes to delicious food. He’s such an auber-genius dog.

0

Simple stir-fry noodles – NBC

June 13, 2020 | Newbloggycat

Stir-fry flat rice noodles or commonly known as “Char Kuey Teow” is a famous street food/hawker food in Malaysia and Singapore. It is basically stir fried noodles with shrimp, blood cockles, bean sprout, eggs & chives on a mix of light and dark soy sauce.

Today, I’m going to show you a similar recipe but minus the shrimp, blood cockles and chives simply because I do not have these ingredients in my refrigerator. So, I’m going to substitute them with fish cake and fried bean curd (tofu).

It is a simple, no fuss stir-fry recipe where you can substitute the shrimp/fish cake with any leftover meat like roast chicken or roast lamb.

Ingredients:

500gm flat rice noodles

2 pcs chinese fish cake (cut into thin slices)

4 pcs fried bean curd/tofu (cut into smaller pieces)

1 or 2 cups bean sprout

3 – 5 cloves garlic, 1/2″ ginger, 2 shallots (blend together)

1 or 2 large eggs

3 – 5 tbsp light soy sauce

1 – 2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp chili paste/sauce (optional)

2 – 3 tbsp oil for frying

Ground pepper powder (white/black)

Step 1. Heat wok or pan into high heat. Add oil into wok, the add the blended garlic, ginger and shallot. Sauté until fragrant. Add the chili paste.

fry ginger and garlic and chili paste

Step 2: Sauté fish cake and tofu for about 15 – 20 seconds.

fishcake n tofu add fishcake n tofu

Step 3: Add noodles to wok, add in the dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. You can mix soy sauce, dark soy sauce and pepper evenly as this would save time. But, I do it the traditional way where I just do a few quick dashes of both the sauce without measuring.

Step 4: Add in the bean sprout. Give it a few stirs.

bean sprout add bean sprout

Step 5: Then, add the egg(s) to the noodles. Flip the noodles and cover the egg for about 10 seconds.

Step 6: Add some pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another 10 seconds and it’s done.

it's done

Finally, dish out and serve immediately.

My daughter love to have these noodles with some homemade Kimchi.

homemade kimchi

Happy Saturday, everyone! Stay blessed!

2

Comfort food recipe – Tuna patties

March 31, 2020 | Newbloggycat

My daughters just love these tuna fish cakes. It’s easy to make and it’s the best thing you can do with a can of tuna. And it goes really well with ketchup, mustard or chili sauce.

Today I’ll show how you how to make these pawfect patties. Crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside.

This healthy comfort food will never break your heart or destroy your diet. May your soul and belly be comforted in this time of restricted movement.

Ingredients:

500g (more or less) potatoes, boiled

50g butter

1 can of tuna

Some chopped onions

About half cup of grated carrot (squeeze the juice out) – Optional though

2 eggs, beaten

Plain flour and breadcrumbs (Japanese golden breadcrumbs is great for this recipe)

Salt, pepper (white & black)

1 or 2 tbsp of fish curry powder

**********************************************************************************

Step 1. Boil the potatoes

Step 2. Mash the potatoes with butter.

Yeah, just sMash the potatoes and let go of your frustration.

Step 3. Mix in tuna, carrot, curry powder, salt, pepper, to taste and 1/4 of the beaten eggs

Give it a good mix and then add 1/4 beaten egg.

Step 4. Put the mixture in a container and chill for at least 30 minutes in the freezer

Step 5. Shape each into a flat round about 5 cm in diameter. Coat in plain flour, dip into the remaining egg, then coat with breadcrumbs.

Do I look like a snowman?

Now the yolk’s on me.

Look at the crumbs all over me.

We’re ready to be fired….errr I mean fried

Step 6. Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the patties on each side until golden brown and heated through.

Flip them over…looking good.

Step 7. Let’s cool down. We’re almost ready to be served

And Shaye says, “yummy for my tummy.”

5

Comfort food recipe – Challah

March 29, 2020 | Newbloggycat

I posted this recipe in 2017. Since then, this has been my favorite comfort food to make for my family and friends. And I guess it will be a long while before I can invite anyone over for dinner.

So, here’s the recipe (Challah in a bag) for you to try in the comfort of your own home. May this bread brings you smiles and much comfort during the lockdown period.

challah

Ahhh….fresh from the oven. Yum!

stay home

7

STOveLEN moments

June 25, 2018 | Newbloggycat

A couple of months ago, I saw this traditional Chinese charcoal stove by the roadside near my house. Without hesitation, I took it home as it reminds me of my grandma’s stove and it brought back warm childhood memories.

I grew up watching my grandma cook with this stove. When my brother and I were older she taught us how to light the charcoal stove. Back then, we would pour a bit of kerosene on the charcoal before using a matchstick to light it. Then we use a handheld fan made from palm leaves to fan the flames. And I remember my brother and I would get up early on a Saturday morning to light the charcoal stove to boil a big pot of soup for lunch.

I kept this complimentary charcoal stove in the yard together with the rest of the empty flower pots. Recently, Sydelle asked me to cook something with this stove. Both my daughters thought that this little stove was kind of fascinating.

Last Friday, I bought a bag of charcoal. On Saturday morning, hubby helped to light the charcoal stove. He’s an excellent helper when it comes to stuff like this. It takes about 15 – 20 minutes for the stove to heat up. Then I put in a big pot of chicken soup to boil.

After one and a half hours, the chicken soup is ready and it smells amazing.

soup is ready

Next, I cooked some tomato rice. This is something quick and easy and it goes really well with the soup.

Pour some olive oil. Saute onion, garlic and bacon

add canned tomato

Add a can of tomatoes

Stir and add some black pepper and salt

add rice

Pour in the rice[pre-cooked]

Give it a good mix. Remove pot from stove and cover it for about 10 minutes.

lunch is served

Lunch is served! Loved the smoky taste!

5

Green Spaghetti! – kids friendly

June 20, 2018 | Newbloggycat

Bon Appétit

My two daughters are 12 and 7 and they are not a big fan of green vegetables. But this is one dish that they love and I cook it at least 2 or 3 times a week.

It’s really easy to prepare and it’s super delicious. Let me show you how to prepare this healthy green spaghetti.

1. Wash a bunch of English parsley (approximately 12 stems – a little more or less is fine)

2. Put the parsley in the food processor/blender and add 3 – 4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp ginger powder (or grate some fresh ginger) and 1/2 tsp of salt. Add about 150ml of warm water.

[Note: You can also add a few walnuts. Me and hubby like walnuts but my two girls do not. I guess having two nutty parents is more than they could tolerate. LOL!]

3. Give it a good blend and you will get a nice healthy green mixture.

4. Pour mixture into a big bowl and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle some black pepper. Mix well and keep aside.

5. Boil the spaghetti and when it’s ready, drain and pour it into the green mixture.

drop spaghetti into mixture

6. Give it a good mix and you’re ready to serve. My girls like to have this spaghetti top with fried bacon and a few sprinkles of parmesan cheese. This recipe would go well with roast chicken or any grilled meat of your choice.

Enjoy! Eat well & be happy!

spagethi8

11

Homemade roasted barley tea

June 14, 2018 | Newbloggycat

In Malaysia, barley is a common staple drink. However, It is not known as barley tea but as a refreshing drink. I was told from young that it is a healthy drink but honestly, I did not like the taste. For decades, this refreshing drink is prepared the same way at home or in the restaurants – white pearl barley is rinsed, boiled with a few Pandan/Screwpine leaves to enhance the aroma and when it is almost done, sugar will be added to taste. Yes, I know. It sounds boring.

Recently, I went to a Korean Restaurant for tea with my mom and we ordered Boricha (Korean barley tea). Somehow, the aroma of Korean barley tea hits my senses and I instantly fell in love with the aromatic and nutty smell of this tea. It has such an amazing toasty and slightly bitter taste. It’s a great substitute for coffee but I’m not thinking of giving up coffee as it will always be my first love.

I have since included this intoxicating drink in my daily routine mainly because of its health benefits. I really do not know where to buy Korean barley tea, so I decided to try roasting the pearl barley and prepare this tea in the comfort of my own kitchen.

I will now share and show you how to make this delightful beau-tea recipe.

How to toast your own barley

I like to roast a bit more and store them in a jar. The pearl barley I bought comes in 300g/packet.

1. 600 g of pearl barley washed and rinsed well

2.You will need a pan or a pot. But I like to use the wok. Heat up the wok on medium heat and pour in the pearl barley.

3. With a wooden spoon, stir the barley every 30 seconds to a minute. It’s very much like toasting nuts and it gets burned easily. It will take about 20 minutes or longer until the barley turned dark brown and it should smell a bit burnt.

4.Pour the roasted barley onto a tray to cool before storing it in a jar.

How to make roasted barley tea

You can boil the roasted barley in water as it is but I like to blend the roasted barley first before boiling it for more flavor.

5 tbsp of roasted barley (blended but not too powdery)

5 cups of water (you can add more water if you find it too strong)

[Note: I prefer to bring the water to a boil first before I pour in the barley]

1. In a small pot, boil the barley and water and simmer it for about 15 – 20 minutes.

2. When it’s done boiling use the strainer to sieve the grains.

3. Serve hot or let it cool and chill it in the refrigerator.

[Note: If you have a filter bag for tea, you can skip step no. 2]

b0a2513d932662d4a983aff670f15edf

Care to join me for some Boricha? [www.pinterest.com]

7

The joy of making soy milk

March 17, 2018 | Newbloggycat

homemade soymilk

“I’ve bean drinking of you.”

I love the taste and the pleasant aroma of homemade soy milk. I find the commercial soy milk too sweet and recently I started making it at home. It was quite tricky to get the taste right the first time round. The raw bean taste was a bit strong. So, now I add some Pandan/Screwpine leaves and a slice of ginger when I boil the soy beans to get rid of the raw bean taste. And the result is simply amazing – rich, creamy and smells comforting.

And today, I’ll share this easy recipe with you.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups soybeans

12 cups water (about 4 cups for blending)

5- 6 Pandan/Screwpine leaves

1 slice of ginger

1 pinch of salt

Sugar, to taste ( Optional)

Method:

1. Rinse the soybeans. Soaked them in water overnight.

2.The next day, discard the water and rinse the soybeans. Fill some water and rub the soy beans to remove the hulls from the beans as much as possible. Pour away the floating hulls and fill up water and continue rubbing the beans – do it a few times. (I find this process rather therapeutic and I enjoy removing the hulls from the beans).

remove hulls.jpg

3.Drain and set aside.

rinse and drain

4. Fill the blender with soybeans. Add some water and blend well. I have a small blender so I had to do it in a few batches until all the beans are blended. (I use about 4 cups to blend all the beans)

5. Put the blended soybeans in a large pot and add the remaining 8 cups of water. Add the salt, Pandan/Screwpine leaves and ginger.

6. Boil the soy bean in medium heat for about 45 minutes. Remember to stir occasionally to prevent the blended soybeans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

add pandan and ginger

7. Turn off the heat once the soy milk is done. Tie a muslin cloth to an empty large pot to filter out the soybean residue. Squeeze the residue to ensure all soy milk is fully extracted.

8. Add sugar to taste.

add sugar to taste

9. It’s nice to drink the soymilk warm. The remaining soy milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 2- 3 days.

cat_with_bowl

7

Happiness is …

April 22, 2017 | Newbloggycat

challah

… homemade Challah.

animated-bread-image-0005

I found this recipe (Challah in a bag) on Youtube and it is so easy to make. You can try it too! ٩(*ゝڡ◕๑)۶♥

4

Easy Kimchi by NBC

July 7, 2016 | Newbloggycat

Kimchi is a Korean dish made of spicy and furmented seasoned catbage (Napa cabbage) in combination of white ratdish (Daikon), scatllions, ground red chili/pepper powder, garlic, ginger, sugar and salt.

Kimchi is one of the healthiest food on the planet. Kimchi is extremely low in catlories, fat and sugar. It is high in fiber and contain vitamins A, B, and C, but its biggest benefit may be in its “healthy catteria” called lactocatilli. Some studies show furmented catbage has compounds that may prevent the growth of cancer.

So, today I will show you how to make Kimchi the easy peasy way.

Ingredients:

5 lbs Catbage (Napa cabbage)

3 cups water

3/4 cup salt

2 – 3 cups shredded white ratdish (cut 1/8″ thick and 2″ long – need not be purrrrfect)

1 – 2 cups shredded scatllions (cut in 1 to 1 1/2 ” strip)

4 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

4 tablespoons chopped ginger

6 tablespoons red chili/pepper powder (more if you like it really hot)

6 tablespoons of fish or shrimp sauce (juice)

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoon seasalt

Steps:

Cut catbage into quarters lengthwise and put the quartered catbage into a large deep bowl. (I do not have a giant bowl, so I use two large mixing bowls).

Combine 3/4 cup salt and 3 cups of water and pour over catbage. Let it stand at room temperature for about 2 to 4 hours until the catbage softens.

Remove catbage from the bowl and rinse the catbage well with fresh water. Let it rain….errr, I mean drain.

Mix shredded ratdish and scatllions with garlic, ginger, chili powder, fish sauce, sugar and salt.

garlic, ginger & chilli

raddish & scallions

mix-in ginger, garlic, chilli, sugar & salt

Wash your hands squeaky clean and start mixing all the ingredients together. You could get someone with strong hands to do it for you. (The last time I did the mixing myself, I felt like my paws were on fire and I had to put my paws in the fish bowl). Alternatively, you can put use plastic hand gloves to avoid the heat.

animated-cat-image-0410

mixed the kimchi

Put the Kimchi into jars and cover tightly. Let it stand in a dark place at room temperature for 2 to 3 days to ripen. Then store it in the refrigerator.

homemade kimchi

CHIao!

animated-cat-image-0583

NBC

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