Water Lily

This is my little red fish pond with water lilies in bloom.  I hope I can take a photo of  the bee sucking the honey from the flowers.

Tangerine (Kaat Chai) Syrup

I found another new recipe to try today.   The original recipe calls for 5 kg of  kat chai fruits and that is a lot.  I reduce the quantity and this is what I can get from 1 kg of the tangerine.  Mix a tablespoon of it  with water and it becomes a soothing and refreshing drink on a hot day.  This syrup drink is especially good for the throat.  Recipe courtesy from a colleague's future mother-in-law.

I was at the baking shop to buy some flour and I chanced upon the packet of jelly powder.  Adding this to the syrup drink would make a nice dessert.

I purposely buy this lemon squeeze to make my job easier.  Costs only RM10/- at the wet market.

Tangerine Syrup

1  kg tangerine (kaat chai) - sqeeze out the juice
500gm  rock sugar  (2 packets)
1 orange - juice only
1 lemon  - juice only

1 packet jelly (optional) -  Follow instruction as stated in the packet.

Method:

1)        Wash all the fruits and let them dry completely.
2)        Extract the juices from the fruits separately.  Do not mix them together.
3)        Boil the tangerine juice and sugar in a pot on low heat for about 1 hour. To stir the mixture until
           the texture becomes gluey (texture is something like honey).
4)       When almost done, pour  in the orange and lemon juice and continue stirring it evenly. Off fire.
5)       Let cool and store in a clean dry jar.  Serve this syrup with water or add in ice cube with the jelly.
          Enjoy!

Dragonfruit Agar-agar

1 packet dried agar2 strips (20 gm)
1 dragon fruit
sugar to taste
3 screwpine leaves (pandan leaves) - optional
1.2 litres  ml water or as per instructions printed in the packet.

Method

1)     Wash the agar2 strips.  Put the agar2 strips and pandan leaves into the water and boil until it dissolves.
        Add sugar and off the fire.  Sieve the mixture.
2)     Cut the dragonfruit into small cubes and set aside.  Take 1/3 of it and run through a sieve to get the
        juice.  Pour the juice into the agar2 mixture to give it the red colour.
3)    Put the remaining dragonfruit cubes into desired moulds and pour in the agar2.  Let  cool before
       putting them into the fridge.  Enjoy!

Assam Flavoured Prawns

Another suggestion of cooking prawns from friend Jo. They are yummy too.

Ingredients

7 big prawns - washed and deveined
1 heapful of tamarind paste (assam ko) mix with 1/4 cup water  -   Mix together & add in
                                                                                                     2 tabsp of  sugar                                              

2 tabsp of tomato sauce
2 tabsp of chilli sauce
Lea & Perrin sauce - a few dash
1 tsp sugar (to taste)

Method

1)      Marinate the prawns in the tamarind liquid  for at least a few hours.
2)      Take out the prawns and sieve the tamarind mixture. Set aside.
3)      Heat up the pan and put in some oil.  Pan fry the prawns until cooked on both sides.  Dish out.
4)      Using the same oil, put in the tomato sauce, chilli sauce and sugar and stir for a while on low fire.
          Pour in the tamarind mixture.  Add in the prawns and a few dash of  the Lea & Perrin sauce.
          Stir for a while and they are ready.

Shanghai Mooncake

Today is Mooncake Festival and here is my blog to celebrate this occassion.  I have not made  mooncakes for quite a number of years but this year I have decided to make these Shanghai mooncakes.  It is very easy to make these as  the lotus paste can be bought from the baking shop.  The salted egg yolks are the 2nd batch  of duck eggs  from the salt solution which I used in my earlier blog.  I am happy that  friends and colleagues like these moomcakes.

Salted Eggs

                                                        My Smiley face salted duck egg

                                                        

Here is my smiley face salted duck egg.  It is my first attempt on making these salted duck eggs.  Shared the 1st egg with colleagues today and received  good comments from  them.  Nothing beats making your own since you know what you put into the recipe.  I have also tried with 2 chicken eggs and will show you the photo later.

Ingredients

15 duck eggs
1 kg. coarse salt
Enough water to cover all the eggs

Method

1)      Cean the duck eggs and let dry.
2)      Boil the water and put in the salt until dissolve.  Let cool completely.
3)      Put the eggs into a clean dry glass container.   Pour in the salted water to cover the eggs.  The eggs
         will float.  I put in a samll glass sauce plate on top of the eggs so that they are submerged in the
         salted water completely.  Lable the date and wait for one month.  If you do not want the eggs to be
         too salty, 21 days would be perfect.

 This is the salted chicken egg which I preserved for 38 days.  Though it is not as nice looking as the salted duck egg, it does taste almost the same. 

 These duck egg yolks are the 2nd batch of  eggs from the same salt solution I used earlier.  I left them in the solution for 30 days.   I used these egg yoks to put in my Shanghai mooncakes.

Char Siu Pork Ribs

Found another simple way of making Char Siu pork ribs, recipe given by my good friend Josephine.  Made them for dinner last night.  Very nice indeed.

Ingredients

1 kg pork ribs - cut into 2 in. length  (Ask the butcher for the soft bone ribs which is more tender)

2 heapful tabsp of  'char siu' sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee char siu sauce)  ]
2 tabsp of soya sauce                                                                            ]     Mix together  -  (A)        
2 level tabsp sugar                                                                                 ]

400 ml water (approx.)

5 pips garlic - slightly crushed & peel off skin
2 tabsp oil

Method

1)       Wash the pork ribs and drain away excess water.
2)       Marinate the porks ribs with (A) for a few hours, preferably overnight.
3)       Heat up the oil in the wok/pan.  Put in the garlic.   Lay the pieces of pork ribs onto the wok.
          Turn the ribs to brown the other side.
4)       Mix the water with the remaining marinate.
          Pour liquid into the wok and cook covered on low fire for about 1/2 hour, turning the meat
          after 15 mins.
          The pork ribs are done when the liquid is almost dried up.     
5)      Enjoy! Finger licking good! 

 Same recipe but I used pork belly.  Cook the whole piece of pork belly.  When done cut it up and pour the sauce over it.