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.

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!

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.”

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.

Ahhh….fresh from the oven. Yum!

stay home

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

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]

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

The joy of making soy milk

March 17, 2018 | Newbloggycat

“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

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♥

Clay pot chicken rice – Rice cooker version

June 21, 2014 | Newbloggycat

Clay pot chicken rice is one of the many local dishes in Malaysia that I adore. Traditionally the rice and chicken are cooked in a clay pot and served hot straight from the stove. I don’t have a clay pot, so the best way to replicate this at home is by using the rice cooker. This is a quick and easy meal on a lazy day.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

400 – 500g chicken cut into small pieces (chicken breast or whole leg)
200g – rice (add enough water to cook – see method 3 below)

Marinade

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir-fry (chicken)

5 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons grated ginger
50ml water
Oil (vegetable/light olive oil)

Drizzling Sauce (Mix together)

1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons hot water
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Garnish

Chopped spring onions/coriander for garnishing
1/2 Chinese sausage, sliced (optional)
2 pieces salted fish (optional)

Method

1. Combine the marinade ingredients and allow chicken to marinate in it for at least an half hour in the refrigerator.

Marinade chicken

2. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan, sauté garlic, onion and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add marinated chicken (add sliced Chinese sausage) and stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink. Add 50 ml water and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Dish out and put aside.

Saute garlic, onion & ginger

Add chicken and stir-fry

3. Wash the rice and cover the rice with water until it reaches the first line of your index finger (from bottom of the pot). Turn on the rice cooker and cook rice as usual. Once the rice starts to bubble, start adding the chicken mixture and stir until well combined. Close then lid and let it continue to cook till rice is completely cooked.

Cook rice in rice cooker

(3)…add chicken mixture and stir well

4. Pour the drizzling sauce over rice and dish rice into serving bowls/plates.

(4) Pour drizzling sauce over rice before serving

5. Garnish with chopped spring onions or coriander leave. Serve hot.

Note: If adding salted fish, slice the salted fish up into tiny pieces. In a small saucepan, heat up a tablespoon of oil, and shallow fry the salted fish pieces. Set aside for garnishing later.

You might also like Clay Pot Chicken (A French country-style, one -pot chicken dish)

Easy Banana Pancake Recipe

November 30, 2013 | Newbloggycat

My family loves to have banana pancakes for breakfast on Saturdays. This is an easy pancake recipe that makes light and fluffy pancakes. Lightly scented with vanilla essence and cinnamon powder, these pancakes are absolutely scrumptious with sliced bananas on top. It is yummy as it is or you may have it with some honey and a squeeze of lemon/lime.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking power

2 eggs

3/4 cups milk, more or less

2 tablespoons of plain yogurt (Optional)

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 tsp cinnamon powder (optional)

2 – 3 medium/large bananas (sliced)

Method:

1. Sift the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder) together. Add in sugar.

2. In another bowl, mix eggs, milk and melted butter together until smooth.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add in wet ingredients (item 2) all at once. Stir until just combined.
(Note: Over-mixing makes tough pancakes. It’s okay for the batter to be lumpy)

4. Spoon onto hot non-stick pan (if not using non-stick pan, then oil the pan first) and quickly place the sliced bananas on the pancake until bubbles form.

5. Flip over till slightly brown.

6. Serve hot with honey/maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon/lime.

Enjoy!

Note: Batter can be kept overnight in the refrigerator.

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.

Share this:

Like this:

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.

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

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.

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.

Finally, dish out and serve immediately.

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

Happy Saturday, everyone! Stay blessed!

Share this:

Like this:

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.

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

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.

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

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

Share this:

Like this:

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.

Share this:

Like this:

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.

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!

Share this:

Like this:

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.