Caramelised Ribs

Whenever possible,I liked to mix my own sauce,firstly,it allow me the freedom of adding what I fancy,or omitting any ingredient,secondly,after purchasing a bottled sauce,I would then keep it in the fridge,using it only once or twice and before I realised,it cannot be used anymore...Oops,waste of money and space in the fridge ,huh?haha...Last but not least,homemade sauce will normally be free of additives or chemical preservatives,which I personally feel is unnecessary addition..hehe...


Since my lao gong will be leaving australia again in 2 weeks time,he can try making this dish over there too,as eating at hotel cafe can be a costly affair and he is located far away from town...With only a few ingredients and short cooking time resulting in a dish that is not too cloying sweet,smoky,robust flavour with crunchy bits.....Lao gong,for your convenience,let me post this recipe over here:

300g pork ribs
1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp cooking wine
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
approx.30ml water

1.Wash the ribs,marinate it with the rest of ingredients for 15 mins.
2.Add all into pot and cook over small fire till sauce evaporate and seep into ribs.(approx25mins)

Dinner of Labour

Soya sauce steamed chicken rice has always been one of my lao gong's specialty,perhaps this is due to the fact that everytime there is family gathering at his place,my in-laws never failed to cook this staple,hence ,its becoming a case of the more he eats,the more he knows the trick to achieve moist,tender chicken which is not too salty or oily,and fragrant because of the generous amount of ginger used...hehe...A very yummy dish indeed...The only downside is that it appeared to be labour-intensive,keeping him occupied in the kitchen for a full two hours....not counting the hours required to marinate the poultry beforehand...Delicious dish to try if he can afford the time again,so,lao gong,when will that be?haha....

Cars,cars and more cars....

My lao gong can be a big kid sometimes,ever since he watched the animated movie of "cars",he went on a mad collection frenzy,hunting for "cars"collectibles....As can be seen from the photos,his car is adnored with "cars",most of which were acquired online as the demand for it in sg is low....That was only part of his collection,I did not take photos of the full set of "cars" as well as the stickers which he proudly attached onto his vehicle,ignoring the fact that it was past midnight at the carpark,searching for "auspicious"spots to which the stickers can be seen at a glance...haha...

Well,as if that is not enough to satisfy him,he even went to purchase "cars"bedsheets,towel,

which were pictured on his blog and procced to pack his favourite towel when he went off to australia on a working attachment....haha....Had I not put a stop to it,his collection most likely will extend to our home too..haha....Having said that,I still could not resist when I came across those jelly candies,after buying it,I quietly place it inside the fridge waiting for the opportunity to surprise him...haha....The moment came when I baked lemon ribena tinged cupcakes,made some icing(transparent glaze),and slabbed on his beloved toys...Boy,you should have seen the surprised look on his face...haha.....

Crunchy Wonton Prawns

My first culinary adventure happened not by choice,but rather by circumstances.Back then,I was 13 years old,parents had to work late that night,and having no money for dinner,I had no choice but to raid the fridge to prepare dinner for my brothers,then aged 12 and 10 respectively...

Found some eggs and proceed to fry sunny-side up...Much to my anguish,the eggs got stuck to the wok...Oh geez,after managing to dug it out from the wok,they were burnt...eeks...Needless to say,I received a thrashing from my mum who was upset that my brothers had no dinner and food were ruined....haha...

Well..that was then and now,after browsing numerous recipes and much practice,I could clearly state I can whip up a decent meal without much trouble....hehe...These wonton prawns were modified from another recipe,which require more seasonings and ingredients.Serving it on sliced green mangoes gave it a tangy,sweet taste which we enjoyed very much..hehe...

Heres the recipe:

300g prawns,shelled and devined,leaving tails intact

wonton skin,about 25-30 pieces

Marinate:

2 tsp light soya sauce

dash of pepper,sesame oil

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp of cooking wine

Oil for deep frying

1.Marinate prawns for 2-3 hours in the fridge.

2.Before frying,wrap up each prawn individually in wonton wrappers

3.Once oil is ready,deep-fried till golden brown.Dish up and drain off excess oil using absorbent papers.Serve.

New Packaging

Decided to swap the traditional,oh-so-cheena red containers to this ikea glass ones,looks nicer,doesnt it?Looks more presentable to give it away as gifts too,hope to gain more support,thanks alot..hehe..To those who have bought from me,thanks,and I will try
to come up with more enticing flavours to woo your tastebuds...do tune in...hehe...

Orangey Banana Cake

Got a bunch of bananas for a steal at only 70 cents...wah,even my bus fare cost more than that...though I hardly take bus or mrt nowadays,its always cab cab wherever I go...Not that I am rich,but rather it is because commuters do not give way!!!Despite seeing me coming with a pram ,they still rushed to enter the elevator in mrt stations,block the doorway and in short,refuse to give way....sigh,seems like it takes more than the courtesy campaign to change people mindset...


Enough of me grumbling,let me introduce this latest bake of mine,baked using canola oil, bananas and orange juice,it is dense,and very kuih -like,very much different from the usual fluffy cake.Topped with nutella spread and sliced bananas,itcertainly makes my lao gong a happy hubby..haha...

Orangey Banana Cake
4 eggs
1 cuptop flour
120g sugar
4-6 bananas,mashed
juice and zest of 1 orange
75 ml vegetable oil
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
50ml water

1.Cream eggs with sugar till foamy.Add in rest of wet ingredients.Mix well,
2.Sieve flour,fold into mixture.Pur into lined and greased baking tin.
3.Bake at preheated oven of 170 degree celcius for approx 1 hour or till skewer comes out clean.

How fast time flies,I have been a stay-at home mum for more than half a yr now,motherhood is not easy,but then again,with faith and some planning plus lots of reading-up,all things are possible..Clover is a happy baby,well,at least,shes always smiling and chuckling,or babbling all day....I would not say I am competent,but at least I am confident of looking after my own baby well...hehe...A far cry from few months ago when I was still struggling to figure out why she cried,how to bathe her properly etc...To my friends who are mummies-to-be,do not be afraid to venture into motherhood,and do look on the positive side,after all,babies will only be babies for a year...before they turn into tanturm-throwing screaming little toddlers...haha..

Assam lemongrass prawns

Geez,have not been blogging for some time...sigh,been feeling so so tired lately,clover is now 5 mths old,lately,she has been bugging me for feeds every two hours day and night,hmmm...think that is an indication that she is ready for weaning,as milk alone is not enough to substain her hunger pangs...Lately,she also seem to take on a keen interest in our food,something which used to unfaze her till now..during meal times,she will be staring intently at our food and watching us tucking in...whilst poor her only get to see but not eat...haha..


Oh well,despite being tired,I still yearned for some home-cooked meal,afterall,it is useless in keeping all those recipes till they turn yellow and tattered..isnt it?Got my lao gong to entertain clover while I whipped up dishes in a jiffy,nothing too complicated,please..haha...
My lao gong loves it for its sour and spicy taste helps to whet our appetite,making him asking me when's our next grocery trip will be?haha...

Heres the recipe for those keen in giving it a shot:
ASSAM LEMONGRASS PRAWNS
300g prawns
2 lemongrass,pounded to release flavour
1 tbsp assam seeds,soaked in 1 cup of water
1 lg onion,chopped
3 cloves of garlic
4 bird's eye chilli ,sliced

1.Shelled and devined prawns,rinse and set aside.
2.Heat up wok ,add in 1 tbsp of oil,fry garlic onion and chilli till brown and fragrant.
3.Add in prawns and assam juice.Add in lemongrass.Stir fry for a while.
4.Once gravy starts boiling,and prawns are cooked ,turn off heat and serve.