Snacks for teabreak

Teabreak snacks - something light but satisfying.

Sunny sides up with white sesame seed bread

Pan fried bacon on white sesame seed bread

These two version of snacks are very easy to prepare and very yummy. I used white bread with sesame seeds. The bread itself are super yummy. It's good idea for breakfast too especially when you are rushing in the morning.

Simple steamy dinner

Today's special menu is steaming dishes. Had steamed eggs and a new dish, steam tofu, prawns and glass noodles. Since the dishes are rather bland, I pan fried two pieces of pork chop for my children.

Hubby was out with his friend to dinner celebrating their SCKLM completion. Left me and the children at home. Was lazy to go out so prepared these simple dishes.

1. steamed tofu, prawns and glass noodles

2. steam silky soft eggs

3. pan fried pork chop

Kids were happy coz their favourites are steaming dishes. Although the steam tofu and steam eggs taste are rather bland but it's good to have with a bowl of steaming hot rice.

Morning breakfast meal

After preparing meals for my hubby's first full marathon at the SCKLM, I began to prepare breakfast for him every morning. Most of the time are western styled breakfast....meaning bread/toasts with eggs and sausages/bacons....at times will also prepare Chinese styled breakfast like fried rice...

Stir fried shimeji and French beans with sunny sides up and classic sunflower seed bread

Typical western breakfast - Sausages, pan fried chicken breast, sides up

and classic sunflower seed bread

Protein loaded breakkie - Pan fried chicken breast with hard boiled eggs

Chinese styled breakfast - Egg fried rice with prawns and sausages

Waking up early in the morning preparing all these are sometimes very tiring but I do enjoyed very much and happy to see satisfying smiling face on my hubby and children. Just loved to see them enjoying their meals. 

Warm hearty pork porridge for breakfast

I have ran out of ideas what to prepare for breakfast. While browsing the net for ideas, this came up to me....since I have minced pork in my fridge, why not have minced pork porridge for breakfast.....yeah !
It's also very easy to prepare and cook.

Ingredients:
1) minced pork
2) dried scallops (soak with hot water)
3) fried shallots and spring onions for garnishing

Marinate:
1) salt
2) pepper
3) soy sauce
4) sesame oil
5) rice wine / Xiao xing fa tiu wine
6) a dash of corn flour

Cooking method:
1) boil water, pour in rice (I cooked 2.5 cups of rice for my family of four)
2) Scoop spoonful of minced pork and make them into balls
3) add the minced pork balls into the pot
4) let it simmer for a few minutes till minced pork balls are cooked
5) transfer the content of the pot into the rice cooker and cook according to the rice cooker timer for
    cooking porridge

Cook rice and minced pork balls using a small pot

Transfer all contents from the pot into the rice cooker

Yummy and heart warming bowl of minced pork porridege

Garnished with spring onions and fried shallots

SCKLM 2016 meals preparation

A month ago, I posted about our family first running event, Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon 2016. It's the most grand running event held in Malaysia and it's very well organised.
My hubby went for the full marathon while me and the children joined the 5km fun run.
To prepare my hubby for his 1st full marathon, I prepared carbo-loaded breakfast and dinner for him. He needs carbohydrates for his run.

The meals preparation started three days before the event. Everyday begins with a hearty breakfast meal.

Day 1: Hearty breakfast

(Sunny sides up + pan fried chicken breast + baby potatoes and romaine salad with goma sauce + fresh tomatoes)

Day 1: Fragrant yam rice

Yam Rice recipe

Day 2: Big Breakfast

(Boiled broccoli + baby tomatoes + pan fried chicken breast + stir fried shimeji mushrooms + Leclassic sesawhite and sesame seed bread)

Day 2: Dinner (Stir fried Brussels Sprouts with prawns)

Brussels sprouts recipe

Day 2: Dinner (Stir fry vermicelli)

Day 3 was a Saturday, breakfast was our casual breakfast at kopitiam.

Day 3: Spaghetti carbonara and spaghetti Bolognese

Day 3 dinner was the most important meals for hubby's preparation for his run. He needs to load with high carbo dinner. The most common meal is spaghetti. I prepared two versions of spaghetti cause my children preferred carbonara while me and hubby preferred Bolognese. Bolognese recipe

My Favourite HCP

I bought my Happy Call Pan (HCP) last year from Singapore. Used it once to bake sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes was cooked soften very fast but the sweet liquid of the potatoes stained my pan. I was so upset cause the stain cannot be removed. So I left my pan unused for few months.
Recently I was trying to cook sunny sides up for my hubby using my non stick pan but was not successful coz I do not know how to control the fire.
So I gave my HCP another try. Well, it's still the best coz I m able to cook prefect sunny sides up without over cooked yolks.

Sunny sides up using HCP

Prefect double sunny sides up for breakfast

The secret of HCP pan is to heat up the pan and cook using low fire. The best thing about using HCP for sunny sides up is, it is able to cook prefect sunny sides up without over cooked yolks. After cracking the eggs into the pan, just close the cover for 1 or 2 minutes and viola....perfectly cooked sunny sides up for breakfast is ready

Dinner (290716)

It's Friday and I decided to cook for my family. Went to market early morning to get the ingredients. Planned to prepare a simple dinner with simple home dishes.

Menu for the night:

Steam beancurd with crispy fried dried prawns and shallots

Ginger and spring onions stir fry pork with sweet and soy sauce

Salted egg yolks stir fry French beans

Steam beancurd with crispy fried dried prawns and shallots

Ingredients:

1) Silky tofu (beancurd)

2) Garlics and shallots

3) dried prawns

3) seasoning - soy sauce and sesame oil

Methods:

1) Steam tofu over gentle heat for six to seven minutes to warm the tofu, remove and set aside.

2) Heat oil in a wok, fry garlic and shallots till crisp and golden.

3) Remove but leave the oil in the wok.

4) Add the seasoning ingredients to the wok and bring to boil.

5) Reduce the heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly; pour hot sauce over tofu.

6) Top with the crisp garlic, ginger and shallots, and finally the garnishing ingredients, serve immediately.

Ginger and spring onions stir fry pork with sweet and soy sauce
Ingredients:
1) Sliced pork
2) Garlics, gingers and spring onions (Julienne the gingers and spring onions)
3) seasoning - sweet and soy sauce, salt and pepper

Methods:
1) Heat oil in a wok, fry garlic, ginger till fragrant
2) add in pork slice and stir fry till 80% cooked
3) add in seasoning and spring onions, serve hot

Salted egg yolks stir fry French beans

Ingredients:

1) French beans

2) Garlics

3) salted egg

4) seasoning - salt and chicken stocks

Methods:

1) Prepare salted eggs, boil in hot water just like boiling hard boiled eggs

2) Separate the yolks and whites. Set a side

3) Blanch French beans in hot boiling water till semi cooked. Remove and set a side

4) Heat oil in a wok, fry garlics till fragrant

5) Add in salted egg yolks and fry till bubbled

6) Add in French beans and seasoning, fry till French beans are coated with the salted egg yolks

7) Add in the diced salted egg whites, stir well and serve hot

Silky smooth steam eggs

Steam eggs seems like a easy dish but it may not be as easy as it seems. To steam a plate of silky smooth eggs is a challenge of timing and skill.
I recently gave it a try. First try was a success. My family loved the texture of the steam eggs.

The secret to perfect steam eggs are the amount of water added and the timing.

Ingredients:

1) 3 eggs

2) 1 tbsp of soy sauce

3) dashes of chicken stocks

4) dashes of sesame oil

5) spring onions for garnishing

Methods:

1) crack the eggs into a bowl

2) prepare chicken stocks with water. the amount of water is 3 halves egg shell to 1 egg

3) stir the eggs and slowly add in the chicken stocks water

    note: do not beat the eggs as it will creates bubbles

4) slowly stir in soy sauce, sesame oil

5) Sieve the eggs into the plate for steaming

Cooking:

1) heat wok with water and steam rack

2) place the plate of eggs on the rack when the water is boiling

3) set timer to steam the eggs for 8 minutes

Note: 8 minutes steaming is for plain eggs. You may add in centure eggs and salted eggs but this will take longer steaming time