Cheryl's Homemade Carrot Cake

Cheryl's Homemade Carrot Cake

Connie and I had a fantastic treat today of homemade carrot cake by our friend Cheryl. Thanks very much Cheryl! The cake was moist and delicious and the cream cheese frosting was amazing! We detected pineapple, carrot and roasted pecans in the cake. It did not take us very long to finish it between cups of Earl Grey Tea. We have to get Cheryl's recipe to recreate this wonderful cake in our home. :)

Spaghetti Vongole

Spaghetti Vongole

Our work in progress - we are working on improving the recipe. Come back soon!

Steamed Sea Bass Over Silken Tofu

Steamed Sea Bass Over Silken Tofu

Who does not love freshly steamed fish? It is delicate, healthy, delicious, simple and needs minimal effort to prepare. The most onerous task, we believe is finding good, fresh fish. Not so much a problem back home in Singapore; but it can be at times a little challenging here in the mid west US. We cook this dish at least once a month at home, and every time we taste it, we are reminded of how fond we are of this dish. This is Connie's mom's recipe - tried and tested and it has our highest recommendations. So give it a try at home.

Level: Easy

Time for Preparation: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized fillets of sea bass
• 1 tub of silken tofu (cut  2-3 inches by 1 inches and 0.5 inch thick)
• 2 cloves of garlic (sliced)
• 5 stalks of spring onion (sliced)
• 2 inches of ginger (sliced into strips)
• 1 small bunch of cilantro
• 3 - 4 tbsp of olive oil (adjust to taste)
• 3 - 4 tbsp of soy sauce (adjust to taste)
• 2 drizzles of sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 - 3 pieces of Thai chilies (sliced, adjust to taste)

Preparation

1. The fresh produce should look like the above, ready for steaming.

2. Arrange in a shallow metal or glass pan, the sliced silken tofu at the base, then the fish fillets on top of the tofu. Remember to place the skin of the fish facing upwards.

3. Sprinkle the 3/4 of all the spring onion, cilantro, chilies, ginger (reserve 1/4 portion for later) over the fish and tofu randomly.

4. Put 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar in a bowl. Mix well, pour on top of the fish and tofu.

5. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil and a drizzle of the sesame oil over the fish and tofu.

6. Cover the pan with aluminium foil

7. Get the steamer ready in the meantime, wait until the water boils.

8. When the water has boiled, place the pan in the steamer, and steam for 25 - 30mins.

9. The length of time for steaming depends on the thickness of the fish, so be sure to check.

10. Once the fish is cooked (color is opaque and the flesh is flaky), heat in a small pan, the remaining olive oil. Warm it up for 40seconds at medium heat.

11. Put in the balance of garlic and chillies in the pan.

12. When the garlic starts becoming golden, turn off the heat.

13. Put the balance of the green onions, cilantro, ginger on top of the cooked fish.

14. Pour the hot oil over the pan (it should make a sizzling sound).

15. Pour the remaining soy sauce on the dish, and also the a drizzle of sesame oil.
16. Enjoy this delicious dish with steamed rice!

Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Simple Vegetable Stirfy

Simple Vegetable Stirfry

Super H Mart in Niles, Illinois was one of the happiest finds for both of us because we miss Asian greens. Most American supermarkets do not sell the sort of vegetables that both of us grew up on. So we stock up on many kinds of Asian greens whenever we make a trip to Niles. Seen above is 'chye sim / choi sum' (in Mandarin and Cantonese respectively) or 'yu choi' as they are called in Chicago. Wow - I never imagined it had so many names. Here is a recipe of a stirfry that we cook very frequently at home - our own recipe.

Level: Easy

Time: 15mins

Ingredients:

• 0.75 lb of chye sim / choi sum/ yu choi. (chopped in 2-3 inch lengths)
• 2 fresno peppers (sliced)
• 1 medium sliced carrots (cut into thin strips)
• 2 - 2.5 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tsp of sesame oil
• 2 stalks of spring onion (sliced)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• A small bunch of cilantro (chopped)
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and sugar to taste

Preparation

1. Heat wok  in medium heat, pour olive oil in wok 

2. When the oil is adequately hot, fry garlic, peppers, spring onion and cilantro

3. Add the stem of the vegetables and the sliced carrots, fry for 2 minutes - the stem takes longer to cook so stir fry this first

4. Add soy sauce and sesame oil

5. Add the greens, fry for another 1 minute

6. Add one third of a cup of water to the wok - continue to stir fry until cooked.

7. Add salt and sugar to taste


Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros is a popular breakfast dish in Latin America. Coming from Singapore, I was extremely intrigued when I first took a bite of this delicious, savory dish. It consists of 2  tortillas (made of cornmeal, a staple in Latin America), a sauce made of roasted tomatoes, garlic, chillies, onions, salt, pepper and cilantro - doused over eggs fried over easy.  For lack of other examples, I would say that the tortilla is similar to either the Indian 'chapati' or 'puri' (only that this is not fried like the puri). I love how the egg yolk bursts into the sauce - each bite is a mix of savory goodness - the roasted tomatoes work so well with the cilantro. The other ingredients to complete this meal are fried plantains ('pisang tanduk') and frijoles, which is a paste made of refried black beans. I have since tried this dish in many diners, but nothing can quite beat the one we make at home.

If anyone wants the recipe let us know - we will be happy to post it here. 

Steamed Chicken With Shrimp Paste

Steamed Chicken with Shrimp Paste

This is a homey dish that you may not find in any recipe book or in a restaurant, but is often served at the dinner table in a Chinese home. It is comfort food to many. The essential ingredient to this chicken dish is shrimp paste - which brings out the sweetness of the chicken. Dark meat is preferred for this dish, although breast meat will also work. The shrimp paste used in this case is the Chinese shrimp paste, which you may purchase in an Asian supermarket. We used the 'Lee Kum Kee's Shrimp Sauce (Finely Ground) for this recipe. It is easy to cook and goes perfectly with steamed rice.

Level: Easy

Time to cook: 30 - 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Tips: When frying the shrimp paste, beware of the splatter. However this step is essential because it enhances the flavor. Also be careful of the use of shrimp paste because of its intensity. A little bit goes a long way!

Ingredients:

1. 6 medium sized chicken thighs

2. 1 fresno pepper (sliced)

3. 3 cloves of garlic (sliced)

4. 1 tbsp of olive oil to fry shrimp paste

5.  0.5 tbsp of olive oil to line the pan

6. Cilantro to garnish

7. A drizzle of sesame oil to garnish

8. 1 to 1.5 tbsp of shrimp paste - depending on how salty you want the dish to be

Preparation

1. Debone chicken, remove excess fat and cut as thinly in slices as possible.

2. Heat pan over medium heat, pour 1 tbs of olive oil.

3. Fry the shrimp paste in the oil together with the chili and garlic for no more than 1 min

4. Pour the paste over the sliced chicken as follows

5. Mix thoroughly

6. In the meantime, set the steamer up and wait for the water to boil. If you don't have a steamer, place a rack inside a wok, pour water up to the height of the rack and cover. Wait until the water boils before proceeding.

7. Place the marinated chicken in a greased glass or metal plate, then cover with aluminium foil.

8. Cook in the steamer for 20 to 25mins. Make sure you cover it.
9. Sprinkle cilantro and drizzle sesame oil.

10. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!


Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Thai Minced Beef and Basil with Fried Egg

Minced Beef and Basil with Fried Egg

This is the simplest, most satisfying and easy lunch you can make for yourself. Connie and I give it a 3 thumbs up for flavor and simplicity. In earlier versions, I cooked this dish with a number of extra ingredients like sweet onion and diced carrots, but today, I wanted to make it as authentic as the ones they serve in Bangkok. So thanks to a Thai website I have recreated this dish, along with its most appropriate accompaniment - which is an over easy fried egg. I highly recommend this dish, give it a shot.

Level: Easy

Time: 15mins

Tips: Use seasoning to your own taste for saltiness and spice.

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1. 0.3lbs minced beef 

2. 2 full handfuls of fresh basil leaves

3. 2 fresno peppers (sliced very thinly)

4. 5 (quick) dashes of fish sauce (probably equivalent to 3-4 tbsp)

5. 2 (quick) dashes of soy sauce (approx 1 tbsp)

6. 2 eggs

7. 4 tbsp olive oil

8. 5 cloves garlic (minced)

9. 1 tbsp sugar

Preparation

1. Heat pan, add olive oil. Fry egg over easy. I love crispy edges on my fried eggs - it adds a nice crunch to the meal.

2. Using the same pan, fry the minced garlic and sliced fresno pepper for 1-2mins.

3. Add the minced beef. Stirfry for 2mins.

4. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce

5. Add the sugar - and continue to strifry until ingredients cook. 

6. Use your spatula to break the beef so that it is not clumpy.

7. Add the basil leaves and cook for another minute.

8. Adjust the seasoning according to your liking. This dish is meant to be a bit salty, but don't be worried because it will not be overly salty when you eat it with rice.

9. Serve on a plate with steamed rice and the fried egg. Enjoy!

Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Beef Broth (Sup Daging)

Beef Broth with Flank Steak

This is a simplfied beef broth recipe that I cook in Chicago, which I had to improvise based on available ingredients. It makes the perfect accompaniment to the bergedil (the dish I highlighted earlier). It is perfect for winter; warms you up inside especially after a day in the cold. It is easy to cook with minimal ingredients.

Level: Easy

Time: 15 mins

Servings: 2

How to eat: Alone with steamed rice, or with Bergedil, sambal and steamed rice.

Ingredients:

1. 0.5lbs beef flank steak

2. Half a large sweet onion

3. 1 large carrot

4. 2 stalks of spring onion

5. Salt and sugar to taste

6. 1 tsp soy sauce

7. 2 tbsp corn starch

8. 2 tbsp olive oil

9. Fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Slice flank steal as thin as you can, then use the knife to smash each slice. This makes it tender.

2. In a bowl, season the beef with soy sauce, sugar and corn starch. Mix and set aside. This is to marinate the meat.

3. Then slice the onion and cut carrots cross-setion wise as follows.

4. In a pot, stirfry the onions and carrots

5. Cook until the onions wilt.

6. Then add water to cover the onions and carrots - about 500 - 750 ml. Add more if you prefer it more diluted.

7. Cook in medium heat until carrots cook.

8. Add the beef, cook for another 5mins. Because the meat was cut very thinly, the cooking time is very short, so be on the lookout.

9. Cut the spring onion in slices 2 inches long.

10. Add the spring onion to the pot, and cook for another 3 mins.

11. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually use at least 1.5 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp fresh cracked pepper because I like it spicy.


Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Bergedil (Potato Patties with Minced Beef)

Bergedil

I have come to realise that often, each culture has their own take on a popular food item. Case in point, potato patties. The Europeans and Japanese have potato croquettes, Americans have the potato pattie and the Malays have.... the Bergedil! I grew up on this dish, and love it when my mom makes it for our lunch / dinner. Like many Malay homecooked meals, there is a complimentary dish(es) that go along with the Bergedil - which are Beef Broth (Sup Daging) and a Sambal.  So here's my interpretation of the Bergedil - I actually tested this recipe with my mom. My mom is my rock star chef, so it means a lot that she has asked me to cook this dish a couple of times at home. :)

Level: Easy

Time: 30mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1. 3 potatoes (boiled then mashed)

2. 3 stalks of spring onion (diced)

3. 1/2 sweet onion (diced)

4. 1tsp white pepper powder

5. Salt to taste

6. 2 tbsp olive oil

7. 0.25 lbs minced beef

8. 1 egg, whisked

Preparation

1. Heat pan and pour oil. When hot add the diced sweet onion and cook until wilted.

2. Add the minced beef and stirfry.

3. Season minced beef and diced onion with white pepper powder and salt.

4. Stirfry until cooked.

5. Add the minced beef to the mashed potato in a bowl

6. Add the diced spring onion

7. Add more salt and pepper if necessary

8. Then mix the above mixture with hands.
9. Take a handful and shape into little oval spheres like below.

10. Then in a bowl, whisk 1 egg. Add a pinch of salt.
11. Dip the bergedil in the egg, and fry in a pan.

12. Turn over then cooked to fry the other side.

13. Have a towel ready on a plate to remove the excess oil from the cooked bergedil. 
14. Serve with beef broth and a side of sambal with steamed rice.

Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Pasta Ros (Spicy Tuna Pasta)

Spicy Tuna Pasta

This is a very simple recipe if you crave for a South East Asian twist to pasta. I cook this all the time both in Singapore as well as here in the US. I must say that for someone who does not generally like tuna, this dish turned out to be a pleasant surprise for me. I first tried it at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf coffee shops in Singapore - their version is less spicy and the sauce a lot more runny. I decided to embark on a quest to improve their version, so this is the final product. Ok - for the purists out there, a warning that I did not make my own tomato sauce, but use the readymade variety one can get from the supermarket. This is meant to be a 10min, no stress pasta dish, so we will leave the making of the tomato sauce from scratch for another time.

Level: Easy

Time for preparation: 20mins

Heat level: Spicy

Tips: Connie swears by this - Make sure the sauce is cooked before the pasta. The pasta must not wait for the sauce.

Ingredients

1. Dried spaghetti / linguine for 2 servings

2. 1/2 sweet onion (diced)

3. 1 fresno pepper (sliced)

4. 1.5 cups of tomato sauce (the readymade ones you get in a jar at a supermarket)

5. 1/2 lemon

6. 1/2 tbsp sugar

7. Salt to taste

8. 1 can of tuna in olive oil - buy the best you can get.

9. 1/s tsp of fresh cracked pepper

Preparation

1. Pour the olive oil from the can of tuna on the pan.

2. Stirfry the sweet onion.

3. Add the sliced fresno pepper.

4. Cook until the diced onion wilts.

5. Add the tomato sauce, stir for 1 min.

6. Add the tuna, stir until everything is mixed.

7. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the sauce.

8. Season with sugar and salt to taste.

9. Add the fresh cracked pepper to the sauce.

10. At the same time, cook the pasta in boiling water. Add 2 tsp salt and cook for 9mins.

11. When pasta is cooked, drain the water. Save some pasta water in a cup.

12. Pour the spicy tuna tomato sauce over the pasta. Mix well. Add some pasta water to the mix if necessary if you want to loosen the sauce. This will also help the sauce to coat the pasta better.

13. Serve on a plate, with grated parmesan cheese.
Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Malay Stewed Pineapple

Pajri Nenas

This dish (known in Malay as 'Pajri Nanas) is the perfect accompaniment to the Malay curry dish. You can probably think of it as a type of chutney. How chutneys work is to provide a fresh, light and tangy accompaniment against the heaviness of curries. So what you get is a perfect mouthful of savory goodness from the curry and a light, tangy sweetness of this dish. At home, we rarely cook chicken or prawn curry without this essential complimentary dish. What's more, it is almost a brainless effort to cook and adds so much to the meal.

Level: Easy

Time to cook: 20mins

Ingredients

1. Fresh pineapple, cored, sliced cross sectionally, then divided into 6 per slice

2. 1 fresno pepper (can be omitted if you don't like the dish spicy)

3. 1 cinnamon stick

4. 1 star anise

5. 1/2 sweet onion - sliced

6. 2 tbsp olive oil

7. Sugar and sugar to taste

Preparation

1. Heat pan, pour oil in the heated pan.

2. Put cinnamon and star anise in the pan. Let it cook for 1 min. The idea here is to let the fragrance of the cinnamon and star anise infuse in the oil.

3. Then throw the sliced sweet onion in the pan. Let it cook until the onion wilt.

4. Put the pineapples in the pan. 

5. Add water to the ingredients to almost cover the pineapples - as per above.  

6. Let the ingredients simmer until the pineapples cook. This may take as long as 15-20mins.

7. Add sugar if pineapples are not sweet enough. Remember this dish is meant to be a chutney, so it has to be sufficiently sweet.

8. You may want to remove the cinnamon and star anise after about 10mins of stewing to prevent overwhelming fragrance.

9. Add salt to taste.

10. Serve with a curry and rice or baguette. Enjoy the burst of flavor in each mouthful!

Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Kacang Panjang Belacan (Long Beans With Dried Shrimp Paste)

Kacang Panjang Belacan

This is a delicious and simple to cook stirfry which can be cooked using either long beans or kangkong / ong choy / sweet potato leaves. This is one of the uses of 'belacan' - the ingredient I featured under the milli.ingredient page. As it has a strong prawn flavor, it is best eaten with a more subtle accompaniment such as steamed fish, or as one of the dishes that accompany Asian congee. Here is the recipe:

Level: Easy

Time for preparation: 10-15mins

Ingredients: 

1lbs long beans (cut into strips of 2 inches long)

1 extra large shallot

3 cloves of garlic

3 tbsp chili garlic sauce

30g dried shrimps

1 tbs belacan

Sugar to taste

4 tbs olive oil

Preparation

1. Boil some water

2. Soak the dried shrimps with boiled water for about 10-15mins until the shrimps soften.

3. Drench the water, and set the shrimps aside.

4. Peel shallot and garlic and slice them.

5. Place the sliced shallot, garlic, shrimps (without the water), chili garlic sauce and belacan in a mixer. 

6. Blend into a paste, then set aside.

7. Heat wok at medium to high heat.

8. Pour 2 tbs of olive oil in the wok.

9. Panfry the long beans until 50% cooked. 

10. Add a dash of water and cover the wok with a lid for 5 mins so that the long beans cook.

11. Set aside the long beans. Keep the wok hot.

12. Pour the remaining olive oil to the hot wok and stirfry the paste for 2-3mins. 

13. Add the long beans.

14. Add sugar to taste.

15. Serve with steamed rice. Enjoy!

Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Fried Rice with Shrimp, Fishballs and Egg

Fried Rice with Shrimp, Fishball and Egg

Level: Easy

Preparation time: 10-15 mins

Tips: Use high heat and always keep the wok hot. The cooked rice should not be too soft.

Fried rice is one of our most popular lunches because of the simplicity of its preparation. It starts pretty much with checking what we have in the fridge. In this case, we had some prawns, fishballs, fresno pepper, eggs and cilantro. So the photo shows you the final product of our delicious lunch for today. This is the first time I am posting the recipe and preparation steps so here it goes:

Ingredients

10 medium size prawns (diced)

6 fishballs (sliced)

2 eggs (beaten)

3 cups of overnight cooked steamed rice

1 fresno pepper (sliced)

1/2 cup cilantro (minced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 - 3 tbsp soy sauce (to taste)

1 - 2 tbsp oyster sauce (to taste)

1 tbsp chili oil

Vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Heat wok and pour in a dash of oil

2. Beat the eggs with in a bowl and add a pinch of salt

3. Scramble the eggs in the wok, then set aside

4. Keep wok hot and add another dash of oil to stirfry.

5. Stirfry the fishball, prawns, garlic and fresno pepper in the heated wok.

6. Add the soy and oyster sauces to the wok, stir.

7. Add the rice to the wok, stir.

8. Add the chili oil to the wok, stir.

9. Mix until rice is fully covered with the sauces and mixed with the other ingredients

10. Season the fried rice with salt to taste if necessary.

11. Garnish with the chopped cilantro, remaining fresno pepper, serve and enjoy!

Copyrighted delimilli 2011

Guatemalan Vegetable Soup (Cocido)

Guatemalan vegetable soup ("Cocido") made with beef, potatoes, tomatoes, corn cob, beets, pumpkin, carrot, cilantro and lime-marinated avocado as garnish. Delicious! 

Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

This is Connie's chocolate croissant bread pudding. A deliciously soft and sweet desert, best eaten with a scoop of ice cream. As if it was not decadent enough. The ingredients were 1 day old croissants, milk, eggs, Belgian semi sweet chocolate, cream, sugar and a dash of Tahitian vanilla extract.

Crepe with Blueberry Compote and Maple Syrup

Connie's crepes with fresh blueberry and maple syrup compote.

Crown Roast of Lamb

Crown Roast of Lamb, marinated with rosemary, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. Connie's beautiful dish which we had for New Year's Day celebration.

Steamed Eggs With Dried Mushrooms and Ginger

Connie's dish using her mom's tried and tested recipe: Steamed Egg with Dried Mushroom and Ginger. Sesame oil and soya sauce was doused over the savory custard, and chopped chives was added as garnish.

Thai Pomelo Salad

Thai Pomelo Salad is a refreshing salad to serve in summer. The sweet tanginess of fresh pomelo is complemented with a dash of coconut milk, fresh cut chilies, cilantro and a dash of lime juice. Deshelled cooked prawns are added for protein. The final ingredient that makes this dish are crushed peanuts, which give texture and another layer of taste to this wonderfully light and tasty salad.

Greek Salad

Greek salad with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and feta cheese with vinegar and olive oil dressing, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Nasi Lemak (Malay Coconut Rice)

Nasi lemak - another favorite dish from Singapore / Malaysia. This consists of steamed rice cooked in coconut milk, sliced fresh cucumber, a simple omelette, fried anchovies (ikan bilis) and sambal udang. In this case, we used some leftover sambal udang tomato to complete the meal. In addition to coconut milk, we added sliced shallots and ginger in the cooking pot to cook the rice. Deliciously Singaporean.