Pickled Cucumber – With Osmanthus and Orange

It's the Mid-Autumn Festival this Saturday, so mooncakes are everywhere in the shops. No, this post isn't about mooncakes, as you can see from the photo, but it has something to do with the Mooncake Festival nonetheless. The recipe for pickled cucumbers – from Jacky Yu of Xi Yan Private Dining – uses osmanthus flowers. Osmanthus is derived from the Greek words, osme (fragrant) and anthos (flower). These little 'fragrant flowers' are usually in full bloom around this time of the year, and traditionally associated with the Mooncake Festival in China (but not in Singapore lah). According to legend, there is a giant osmanthus tree on the moon (which creates the shadows on the moon). This is the tree that a giant named Wu Gang has been ordered to chop down as a punishment. It's an eternal, never-ending task because the tree has magical powers. As soon as Wu Gang chops it, it heals itself and grows again! There are a few versions on why Wu Gang has such a terrible punishment. One says it was because he snoozed in a class for immortality, which pissed off the teacher, the Jade Emperor. Well, what can I say? It's a good thing Jade wasn't my teacher, or I would be chopping trees as well. Another version says the punishment was because Wu Gang killed the Sun God's nephew, who was having an affair with his wife. Hm, maybe he should have killed his wife instead? A third version – the one I like most – says Wu Gang was a security guard at the Gate to Heaven. He fell asleep whilst on duty and when he was caught by the Jade Emperor – head honcho of Chinese gods and deities – he was sentenced to the impossible task of chopping down the self-healing osmanthus tree. Gosh, if only all security guards found snoozing on the job are as severely dealt with, Wu Gang would then have plenty of helpers.

The people in China love picnicking under osmanthus trees in full bloom with osmanthus flavoured mooncakes. That's quite nice, don't you think? I've not seen osmanthus mooncakes in Singapore and I don't have time to make some by Saturday. In any case, I don't think we have osmanthus trees in Singapore. Well, at least I have pickled cucumbers resplendent with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers, and it's a lot less fattening than mooncakes.

Check these out:

Creamy Black Pepper Chicken Chops	Spareribs with Dried Tangerine Peel	Crispy Spring Rolls (Popiah)	Braised Beancurd with Veggies

Prawns with Salted Egg Yolks – Easy Peasy

Some dishes are so easy, it doesn't make sense to order them when eating out. Might as well save the money for something that's really complicated or has some secret recipe which can't be replicated at home, right? Prawns with Salted Egg Yolks is one such easy peasy dish. It doesn't take a genius to guess what the ingredients are. Nor does it require a great chef or domestic god(dess) to pull the ingredients together into a great tasting dish. Any home cook with minimal kitchen skills can do the job adequately. The only thing to watch out for is the possibility of overcooking the prawns. Using biggish prawns helps as it's easy to overcook small ones. When pan-frying, the prawns should be only 70% cooked. Once they turn red and lightly golden, remove them to a plate. They then finish cooking in their residual heat and when they are tossed with egg yolks and butter. It's easy enough even for a weekday dinner, delicious with rice, or as a starter or topping for a green salad. For a vegetarian version, use soft bean curd instead of prawns, and braise everything for a few minutes with some vegetable stock or water.

Check these out:

Kung Pao Prawns	Prawns with Red Fermented Beancurd	Prawn Tom Yum Soup	Wonton Soup

Date and Walnut Soft Candy – A Chinese Delight

I used to cart loads of date and walnut soft candy back to Singapore whenever I went to Hong Kong. So did a lot of other people. Everyone loved the soft and chewy candy wrapped in colourful cellophane. Then, candy stores in Singapore started carrying these sweets, so everyone could have as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted. Being so easily obtainable made them less desirable, I think, and they sort of went out of fashion and were forgotten. So, when I came across a recipe for the candy in a cookbook, it was like bumping into a long lost friend. 'Hey, I know you!' There was no photo and it had a mysterious name – Chinese Delight – but the description and ingredients told me this was the old friend I loved so much. Of course, we had to catch up with each other!

Making the soft candy is surprisingly straight forward with only three main ingredients: walnuts, dates and maltose (malt sugar). If you want it less sweet, reduce the amount of dates, which are sweeter than maltose. The only tricky part is deciding when the candy's done, but the authors' guide of simmering for 15 minutes is quite good. There are also visual cues on when to stop cooking the mixture. When it's almost ready, the colour darkens as the water in the mixture evaporates. I drop a small dollop of it into a bowl of water, give it a few seconds to cool down, then check the consistency. If it's too soft, I cook the candy for another few seconds. When the mixture's getting overcooked and hitting the hard crack stage, the colour turns lighter. That's right, maltose is not like sugar which darkens all the way. Other than this, it's really quite easy. Homemade candy in 15 minutes.

Check these out:

Chewy Oatmeal Cookies	Carrot Cake	Almond Biscotti	Banana Peanut Butter Crumble

No-Steam Chinese Turnip/Radish Cake – Lor Bak Ko

I got hold of Jacky Yu's cookbooks a few days ago, and have been poring over his recipes as bedtime reading. Who's Jacky Yu (余健志)? He's chef extraordinaire from Hong Kong and founder of Xi Yan Private Dining Restaurant. Famed for his originality in contemporary Chinese cuisine, Jacky Yu combines ingredients and techniques across different regions in China, South-East Asia and Japan. His signature dish is Chicken in Hot and Spicy Sauce (口水鸡), a traditional Sichuan cold chicken dish which he has made famous by adding century eggs. You know where he gets his creativity from? His mother! That's right, his mother is also quite inventive, so it's all in the genes. According to the son, Mum's Turnip Pancake (妈妈萝卜餅) was invented by his mother. Of all the recipes in his three cookbooks, this is the only one he attributes to Mrs Yu. That's gotta mean it's good, right? I must say it sounds quite original. The recipe's like Lor Bak Ko (萝卜糕) but it doesn't involve steaming, and has glutinous rice flour added. Usually, Lor Bak Ko is made with only rice flour, without any glutinous rice flour. And it's steamed, then pan-fried when it's cold. I reread Mrs Yu's recipe in both Chinese and English (the cookbooks are bilingual) to make sure there wasn't a mistake. Nope, it says 'Scoop turnip batter onto pan. Fry until both sides are browned.' It goes on to explain that the amount of glutinous rice flour should be 1.5 times plain rice flour. Like mother, like son; both of them break rules.

I woke up this morning and decided to try Jacky Yu's Mum's Turnip Pancake. That's what happens when I spend a couple of hours reading cookbooks before going to bed. Also makes me hungry late at night, but that's another story. So, does the recipe work? Is it good? Yes, it works. Yes, it's very, very good, and different. It's like a cross: 80% Cantonese Lor Bak Ko and 20% Nian Gao (年糕). Inside, it's soft, smooth and just a wee bit sticky and chewy. Outside, it's way, way more crispy than normal steam-and-fry Lor Bak Ko. Eaten piping hot, it goes C-R-U-N-C-H when I bite into it. For me, that's the killer part. I've never had steam-and-fry Lor Bak Ko that's so crispy. From now on, it's bye-bye traditional Lor Bak Ko and hello Mum's Turnip Pancake. Next Chinese New Year, I'm having Mum's Turnip Pancake and renaming it Lor Bak Nian Gao. Saves me the trouble of having both Lor Bak Ko and Nian Gao, which are traditionally eaten during the Chinese Spring Festival.

18 February 2010 update – here's a photo of the nian gao I bought for the Chinese New Year:



Check these out:

Spareribs with Fermented Black Bans	Char Siu Pau (Roast Pork Buns)	Yam Kueh	Kong! Bak! Pau!

Cream of Chicken & Sweetcorn Soup – Very 'Corny'

I read about LiveSTRONG: With a Taste of Yellow on userealbutter's blog last week. It's an online cooking event which supports the Lance Armstrong Foundation by raising awareness of cancer issues. Participants have to make a dish or drink that contains a yellow food, and submit the post. I wanted very much to take part because, like userealbutter, I have lost loved ones to cancer. I like the idea of cooking something yellow – so vibrant and lively – as a way of thumbing one's nose at a terrible illness. I was, however, stumped over what yellow dish I should come up with. Lemon curd? Too common. Custard? Floating Islands, maybe? Didn't grab me. What definitely didn't help was userealbutter's entry, Candied Lemon Slices. I was overawed by her glorious photos of lemon slices turned into crystalline lace with a bit of common sugar, then dipped in chocolate dark as night. I couldn't think of anything that was even half as good.

The clock was ticking; the deadline was drawing close. I thought I had to pass on this event. Then, last night, I came across Hong Kong celebrity chef Jacky Yu's brilliantly yellow dessert: Tapioca Flakes and Corn in Sweet Soup. The soup was a shade of the brightest yellow because the corn was steamed, blended, then sieved to extract all the liquid, golden goodness in the kernels. And that gave me an idea. Mum's Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup was super good and super simple – just fresh corn, chicken, carrots and onions gently simmered for one and a half hours or so. But it could do with a bit of jazzing up in the looks department. So, Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup was reborn this afternoon with Jacky Yu's method for making sweetcorn milk – or was it sweetcorn coulis? The result was a telegenic soup that was bursting with the sweetness of fresh sweetcorn and chicken, and velvety smooth because I added a large dollop of cream. I managed to submit a post that I was happy with. Yay!

Check these out:

French Toast	Gingerbread Man	Kwiwfruit Trifle	Ginger Milk Custard (薑汁撞奶)

Japanese Cold Spinach – With Bonito Flakes

During the Second World War, the mighty British Empire lost Singapore to a few Japanese soldiers on rusty, old bicycles because of spinach . . . . Ok, that's exaggerating it a bit. But it was true the British intelligence thought Japanese soldiers couldn't see very well. I don't know why anyone had such a crazy idea. If they knew that cold spinach was a very common dish in Japanese households, they would have realized the Japanese had no problems fighting in the dark and operating sophisticated machinery. That's because spinach is one of the richest sources of lutein, an antioxidant which helps keep eyes healthy!

Fast forward to modern day Singapore and what do we have? 50% of all 12 year-old kids wear spectacles. 80% of male army recruits are short sighted. The enemy could just send a sound wave that shatters glasses, and our army boys would be sitting ducks. We should eat more spinach, people! Spinach is good for your eyes! Lutein helps improve eyesight! Tired of stir-fried spinach, blanched spinach with oyster sauce and spinach soup? Try Japanese Cold Spinach with Bonito Flakes. It's a nice change to have vegetables cold instead of hot. And the flavor's very different with dashi stock and bonito flakes, instead of the usual oyster sauce and Chinese soya sauce. Of course, don't overdo it. Do you know why Popeye was called Popeye? He ate so much spinach his eyes popped out . . . . Ha ha. Sure made him strong though.

Click here and here and here for more information on the health benefits of spinach.

Check these out:

Spicy Sichuan Beef	Wonton Soup	Crocodile Stir-Fry	Bombay Duck Soup

Sticky Toffee Pudding – Without a Date

Sticky Toffee Pudding, an English pudding, is traditionally made with dates. But because I don't have a date, I make prune pudding instead. HA . . . ha . . . and tell lame jokes, obviously. Aiyah, I just prefer prunes because they are less sweet.

I haven't made Sticky Toffee Pudding for a long time, so I pulled out my recipe this morning and did a test run. I'm going to make some – with dates – for my Muslim neighbours. They are fasting now, and will be celebrating Hari Raya Puasa on 20 September. Traditionally, Muslims eat dates when they break their fast. Besides energizing with their high sugar content, dates are also spiritually significant because they were one of the Prophet's most frequently consumed foods. (Click here for more information on dates and fasting for Muslims.) My Malay neighbours are extremely friendly, and they pop over every so often with some goodies. See the photo of the chicken curry? That's from them. It was reheated a day after it was cooked but still looked and tasted gorgeous. I reciprocate every now and then, especially when I can make extra portions with no effort at all. Like homemade cookies. Of course, I never ever give them curry since that would be like making Kimchi for a Korean or Tom Yum Soup for a Thai. I think they will be very pleased with a gift of Sticky Toffee Date Pudding. It's appropriate for the religious festival and is something familiar yet new. And it reheats very well, so they can eat it whenever they want. Knowing them, they will be cooking tonnes of food, and giving me some. Mmm mmm, I'm looking forward to that.

Check these out:

No-Knead Bread	Apricot Jam	Carrot Cake	Salted Caramel

Claypot Fish Head – A Potful of Goodies

A friend once told me rice is like your parents, taken for granted because it's always been there, since day one. Hmm, I don't know if parents would be happy with the analogy. Rich, elaborate desserts, on the other hand, are like hot, Italian lovers: good as an occasional indulgence but far too decadent as everyday food. I think she was theorizing on this one since she's never had an Italian boyfriend, hot or otherwise, as far as I know. But I agree with her. Unless you are really good, making sophisticated desserts is a hit and miss affair, not something you would want to attempt daily. I'm speaking from experience. Aren't hot lovers just as . . . what's the word for it? Undependable? Flitting? Okay, I'm theorizing here. Never had a hot lover, Italian or otherwise. Before I get walloped on the head, let me add that hot doesn't necessarily mean good.

Claypot Fish Head, according to her, is like a reliable friend. It turns out beautifully every single time and never fails you. No real skill is called for; it just needs a bit of time. It reheats very well and in fact, tastes better reheated. You can cook it early in the day and when you, and maybe some friends, are ready to eat, it's there for you. It's highly adaptable to your requirements. Just add more pork, Chinese cabbage and bean curd when there are more people at the table. If you have one or two ingredients missing, add more of what you have. And you keep adding . . . until there is so much delicious stuff in one pot, there is no need for anything else. Like truly good friends, one is enough.

Making Claypot Fish Head is not difficult at all. The fish head has to be deep-fried but there is none of that crispy outside and juicy inside business. So long as the fish head is golden brown, it doesn't matter if the inside is raw or overcooked. Stir-frying the Chinese cabbage doesn't require any special talent either. It's just to let the Chinese cabbage absorb some oil and soya sauce. Whether it's crisp or soggy, it's perfectly okay because it's going to be braised anyway. Browning the pork couldn't be easier. Any one can brown small pieces of meat, right? The real work is done by the ingredients when the braising starts. The mushrooms, fish, pork, bean curd and Chinese cabbage join hands to form an alliance so tasty and nutritious, it's a complete one-pot dish.


Check these out:

Spicy Sichuan Beef	Stir-Fried Eggplant with Chicken	Steamed Pork Ribs with Fermented Black Beans	Sichuan Mapo Beancurd

Cream Scones? Dream Scones!

I can't remember what was the first Chinese dish I ever cooked. I started helping Mum in the kitchen from the age of . . . oh . . . nine? ten? It's hard to say exactly when or what I first cooked something totally by myself. Baking, however, was different. Mum never baked, so I picked up baking only when I went overseas to study, and there was an oven in the common kitchen. My foray into baking was gentle and gradual. I started as the kitchen hand for my neighbour, who was an avid and experienced baker. Her pièce de résistance was apple pie, in which I performed a crucial albeit non-baking role. What did I do? Heheh, my job was to go to the apple orchard behind the college and steal some apples . . . . Nah, it wasn't stealing, was it? These were sour cooking apples that no one wanted anyway. Nonetheless, I went apple-picking around dusk when semi-darkness concealed my nifty ninja moves, darting from tree to tree looking for the biggest targets.

After playing a scurrying ninja, I had to emulate a knife-wielding samurai: peel and chop the apples. It was all good fun but that was the end of my duties. Make the pastry? Season the apples? No way! My neighbour wouldn't let me touch anything else! Every kitchen hand dreams of becoming the chef and I was no different. So I started baking and the first recipe I tried was English scones. It was a rollicking success from the word go. Fresh from the oven and eaten with jam and clotted cream, English scones were one of my teatime favorites. Now, however, I find all that jam and cream and splitting a scone into two a bit too fiddly. I have it only when I have time for a leisurely tea which, sadly, isn't very often. The scones I bake now are usually American style, which are softer and lighter than their English cousins because they are made with cream, and more butter and sugar. These scones are so moist and tender, they can be served without any embellishment. I can eat with one hand, and the other hand is free to tap the keyboard or TV remote control, or turn the pages of a page-turner. All very important tasks that can't wait, you know. Mind you, if you feel like going the whole hog and slathering on something decadent, don't let me influence you. Cold Storage sells clotted cream . . . so-called because it clots blood vessels?

Check these out:

Magic Ginger Milk Custard (薑汁撞奶)	Gingerbread Men	French Toast	Sweet Glutinous Rice Balls