Roast Chicken

This is a roast chicken recipe that's always evolving. I always change the seasoning a little bit, as it really depends on the taste I am imagining at the time I am preparing. But it serves as a base to add or subtract. The results is always enjoyable, tasty, juicy roast chicken that is quick and easy to make. Great when friends come over for dinner, it leaves you plenty of time to mingle. I usually serve with my creamy mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

Medium Chicken 2pc, cut in half

seasoning mix:
Juice of 1 lemon (keep the lemon)
herb mix 2-3 tsp (I use herb de provence)
grated lemon peel of 1 lemon
salt 2 tsp
paprika 2 tsp
pepper 2-3 tsp
olive oil 3 tbsp
light soy sauce 2 tsp

Method:

1. In a big bowl mix seasoning together
2. Put chicken halves into the seasoning, coat evenly and put in the fridge to marinate for 2hrs.
3. Preheat oven to 200ºc
4. Line a roasting tin with foil, place the chicken halves on the rack skin side down so the oil can drip into the tin.
5. Roast in oven for 20 mins, turn and roast for a further 20 mins, basting regularly with marinating juices to keep the chicken moist
6. check that chicken is done by inserting a knife to the thickest part of the meat (the thigh, middle of the breast) to see the juice runs clear. If there's still blood in juice, roast for a further 5 mins and check again
6. Turn to grill mode, set in max temp. and brush a little honey on the chicken. Grill for and extra 5 mins to achieve a golden brown color and crispy skin

Homemade Char Siew

This is a very easy to make recipe. The result is moist, juicy, tasty Char Siew. The fat of the pork collar is mostly burnt away, so it's not fatty. My wife said it taste even better than store bought Char Siew, and healthier as I don't put any coloring to get the red color. The 'burnt bits' is so tasty and chewy I feel like burning the whole piece of meat!!

Indregients:

Pork Collar 2pcs , around 400gm per piece

seasoning mix:
Lee Kum Kee Char Siew Sauce 3 tbsp
Salt 2 tsp
sugar 2 tsp
Light Soy sauce 3 tsp
Ginger juice 2 tsp
Chinese Wine 2tsp
Dark Soy sauce 1 tsp

finishing:
Clear honey 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all seasoning and coat pork collar evenly. Leave to marinate for 3 hrs at least

2. Place Pork Collar on a roasting rack lined with foil

3. Place under hot grill (max 240ºc) for 20 mins, brushing regularly with marinating juices

4. Turn the meat over and grill for another 15-18 mins basting with the marinating juices

5. Mix 2 tbsp honey into the marinating juices and brush onto meat. Grill for another 5 mins each side till desired 'burnt bits' is achieved.

6. Reserve the meat juices from the bottom of the tray, skim off the fat. If you have any remaining marinating juices, mix it in, heat up and used as dipping sauce

Super Quick Corn Soup

This soup is really good, and healthy. It is a family favourite and is also great if you entertain guests. It is really quick to do. You can make the soup ahead of time and when ready to serve, reheat slowly and drizzle in golden ribbon of egg in the soup.

Ingredients:
2 can cream style corn
1 can/cup corn kernels
3-4 pcs deep fried fish maw (optional)
50g smoked ham, chopped finely (optional)
1egg, beaten

Method:

1. In a soup saucepan, pour in cream style corn and corn kernels, add 1.5 - 2 cans of water, bring to the boil, simmer 10 mins. Salt and sugar to season
2. If using smoked ham, mix into the soup in the last 5 mins
3. If using deep fried fish maw, first soak in hot water to soften and remove the oil, then rinse in cold water, marinate with some ginger juice and chinese wine. cut into bit size pieces and add to the soup in the last 10 mins.
4. stir the soup in 1 direction, slowly drizzle in the beaten egg for the egg ribbon effect.
5. If the soup is too watery, mix 2tsp of corn starch with 4 tsp of cold water, add in soup and mix evenly

Note:

Some cream style corn are too sweet, I usually use Del Monte, Ice Cool. Do try and taste the difference. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

Chicken Wings with Red Beancurd Sauce

This is my wife's favourite and I usually make it for dinner on the day after we bicker. It really works pacifying her!! We usually cook more rice to go with this dish, the sauce is soooo great!!

Ingredients:

Chicken Wings, 1kg (if using whole wing, cut into 3 parts)
Dark Soy Sauce, 2-3 tbsp (for color)
Light Soy Sauce, 2-3 tbsp
Red Beancurd, 2pcs
Chinese Wine (Rose dew/Hau Diew) 2 tbsp
Oil, 2 tbsp
brown sugar block(pin tong), 1/2 - 3/4 stripe
Ginger, 2 slices
Water
Method:

1. Heat a wok in medium to high heat, pour in oil and when oil is hot, put in ginger slices

2. add red beancurd in the wok, mash it and let it crackle for 1-2 mins, don't burn it

3. add chicken wings, stir and coat chicken wings evenly with red beancurd

4. add chinese wine, give a few stirs

5. add dark and light soy sauce

6. add water till chicken wings are 3/4 covered, and brown sugar block

7. Cover the wok and cook for 10mins stirring occasionally, when the sauce start boiling, turn to medium-low heat and cook for another 15mins, adjust seasoning for taste, cover and cook for a further 10mins

8. If the sauce seems watery, plate the chicken wings, turn up the fire and reduce the sauce to thicken to desired consistency, return the wings to the sauce to coat evenly, plate and serve!


Note:
- Do not over season when cooking, the sweetness and saltiness increase when the sauce thickens

- I prefer red beancurd sold in pottery container, the quality seems to be better

- brown sugar block is usually sold as a block containing a few stripes, the appear layered. It is much more flavourful than caster sugar.

Carrot Soup

This wonderful Carrot Soup is scented with ginger, which enhances the carrot taste and making it light and wholesome. I made the vegetable stock used in this recipe by boiling celery stalks, leek tops, onions and garlic, carrot peels with some bay leaves. My daughter loves this soup so much that shecould finish a big bowl of the soup by herself!

Ingredients:

Carrot, 1kg, peeled and cut lengthwise
Ginger, 1 pc, cut into small pieces
Onion, 1, chopped
Potato, 1, chopped into small pieces
Vegetable Stock, 2-3 cups

Methods:

1. In a soup pot, fry onion till translucent, add carrot, potato and ginger for about 8mins

2. Add vegetable stock and cook for 30mins

3. puree it with a liquidizer, or in a blender. Add more stock to thin out to your preferred consistency.

4. Add sugar and salt to taste.


Variation:

- Try other root vegetable like pumpkin, butternut squash

- Try roasting the carrots in the oven for a deeper flavour.

Steamed Man Tou

This fluffy, delicious steamed Man Tou is my daughter's favourite. I was worried about terms like stabilizer, flavouring on packaging of our store bought man tou. So I've decided to make our own.

Ingridients:

Hong Kong Flour, 500gm
Instant Yeast, 6gm (1 tsp)
Sugar, 1/2 cup
Corn oil, 1/4 cup
Water, 1 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Mix Instant Yeast in to Hong Kong Flour in a large bowl

2. Dissolve sugar in the water

3. Mix sugar water and corn oil into flour, knead for 10 - 15 mins until the surface of the dough is smooth and shiny.

4. roll out dough into rectangular shape, and roll the edges in to swiss roll shape

5. cut into small equal size cylindrical shapes about 20pcs depending on the size of Man Tou you want to make

6. place each piece of dough on grease-proof paper

7. Allow to raise for 35 mins, then steam at high heat for 15 mins


Variations:

- Try using Soy Milk instead of water

- Try using Milk instead of water

- Try mixing Cocoa powder into flour, and drinking chocolate instead of water

- Try mixing raisins, nuts etc into the dough

- Try using the dough to wrap seasons minced pork/chicken

- Try wrapping lotus paste/red bean paste into the dough

Wolfberries Omelet

This is our favourite dish at home. It is simple and easy to make and has high medicinal properties.

Ingredients:

Wolfberries 1 small handful, soaked in a little water

Eggs 3, beaten with a little salt for seasoning

Ginger slices 5, cut into thin stripes



Method:

1. Strain wolfberries soaking water into the eggs

2. Heat up a fry-pan in medium heat, dry fry wolfberries and ginger stripes.

3. When wolfberries are a little dried, pour in 2 tsp oil, stir fry wolfberries and ginger stripes lightly

4. Pour in eggs and fry into omelet



A little on Wolfberries:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfberry

"Wolfberry is the common name for the fruit of two very closely related species: Lycium barbarum (Chinese: 宁夏枸杞; Pinyin: Níngxià gǒuqǐ)"

"Renowned in Asia as one of nature's most nutritionally dense foods, wolfberries have been used in traditional Chinese medicine over recorded history, some 2,000 years (Gross et al., 2006). Their undocumented legend, however, is considerably older, as wolfberries are often linked in Chinese lore to Shen Nung (Shennong), China's legendary First Emperor, mythical father of agriculture, and herbalist who lived circa 2,800 BC.

Since the early 21st century in the United States and other such industrialized countries, there has been a rapidly growing recognition of wolfberries for their nutrient richness and antioxidant[15]. Such rapid commercial development includes wolfberry among a novel category of functional foods called "superfruits"[16][17]." qualities, with 54 new product introductions worldwide during 2006

http://hk.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/?qid=7006081001192
" 【藥名】　 枸杞子　
【基源】　 為茄科植物之成熟果實。　
【別名】　 杞子、甘杞子、甘杞　
【性味與歸經】　 味甘、性平。入肝、腎經。　
【功能】　 滋腎、補肝、潤肺、明目、強筋健骨、補精血、滋養、強壯。　
【主治】　 頭暈目眩、腰膝酸軟、消渴、肝腎陰虧、遺精、多淚、帶下、目赤生翳、日痛、日澀、目乾。　
【現代藥理】　 1.增強非特異性免疫作用:能顯著增強網狀內皮系統吞噬能力，捉高吞噬細
　胞的吞噬功能並能促進免疫功能．增強抗柄能力。
2.造血作用:本品對造血功能有促進作用，亦可使白血球增多。
3.生長刺激作用:本品能滋陰壯陽、益智、強筋骨。
4.可降低血膽固醇。有保肝和抗脂防肝作用。而能降低血糖。
5.可降低血壓，抑制心臟，興奮腸道擬膽鹼作用，對離體子宮有興奮作
　用。"