Category: Sides

Salads and Vegetables, Sides

Fresh Figs

7shasha7

Yesterday while I was doing some errands at Little India, I decided to pop over Chia’s to get some salad. I chose some arugula and while waiting for the stallowner to look up from his work (he was so busy calculating some invoices) I chanced upon a box of lovely purple fruit. There was a lovely purplish blush to it and then I saw in small print the word ‘fig’. My eyes lit up instantly. I asked him, “Are those fresh figs?” He looked up and I think he could see the wild excitement in my eyes (I have super huge bulging eyes) and actually put down his calculator to tell me more about fresh figs. He even said that he actually sells them year round but need to order first. He only displayed them because they were in season. Well, I had to buy them. I’ve tasted dried figs before but never the fresh ones!

Back at my mom’s, I was so excited cutting into the fruit. No wonder all my favourite chefs, especially my imaginary boyfriend, Jamie, loves it to bits. The fruit is luscious and so so sweet! Mmmmmmm….. I have found my favourite fruit.

You can eat the whole thing, skin included.
Arugula, fresh figs and feta cheese.
Salad with balsamic, honey vinagrette.
Poultry, Sides

Chicken, Apple and Carrot Wontons

7shasha7

I love making wontons. This is my second wonton post. What’s not to love about this tiny little fried parcels?

This time round I used chicken fillet grounded and then added shredded red apple and carrot. I flavoured it with hoisin sauce and a bit of sesame oil. Oh, and a bit of shredded cabbage too. Hence, this time round, the wontons were not dry (normally, I’d just use chicken meat and a carrot or water chestnut) but they were very light and hollow inside. They disappeared fast, though.

The filling.
Aren't they just so cute?
I used to make them and store them in plastic containers to give away to my moms.
I like to eat my wontons with the dark thick sticky sweet soy sauce.
Asian Dishes, Chinese, Meat, Sides

Chinese Dumplings with Minced Meat

7shasha7

I love dumplings. The gyoza or pan-fried version. It is, however, not easy to execute. I’ve watched how it is done on TV and on Youtube plenty of times but it never turned out great. This is my second attempt and though better than my first attempt, still has loads of room for improvement.

For the filling, I mixed minced beef with a bit of water and hoi sin sauce and sesame oil. For the dumpling skins, I used ready made Swatow skins from NTUC. The next time I make these gyozas, I will make my own skin so that it would be better and more refined. This ready made method, though lacking in finesse, is still delicious and cheaper than eating gyozas from the coffeeshop.

Make the filling first. I added in chopped spring onions also.
Add about a tablespoon of filling into the round skins and then fold and pleat. This is the most difficult part. Dab the edge with water to make it stick together. However, it gets really sticky and difficult to execute. I suppose this is when practice ought to make it easier.
In a saucepan that has a tight fitting lid, add in a bit of oil and then place dumplings. Add water and cover to steam. Unfortunately, all my saucepans with lids have a tiny hole that allows steam to escape. The best is a lid with no holes.
Once all the water has evaporated, the dumplings are ready to serve.
These made a wonderful breakfast for my family. I like the flavour of the filling because of the hoi sin sauce.
Asian Dishes, Salads and Vegetables, Sides

Agedashi Tofu

7shasha7

After I made this, I think buying agedashi tofu now is pretty ridiculous because this dish is ridiculously easy to make.

For the tofus,  simply fry soft tofu! Just coat the tofu squares with corn flour. I used a mixture of corn flour and rice flour. Dust the squares of soft tofu just before you want to plop them in the hot oil. I realised that when I did the coating early and saw that while I was waiting for the oil to get hot, the tofu disintegrated. It got stuck tot he metal bowl and somehow sitting in the corn flour mixture made them go soft. Luckily for me, I managed to salvage whatever I had.

The sauce is  just dashi stock, soy sauce, sugar. Well, the original recipe also calls for sake and mirin. Even omitting the alcohol resulted in a yummy sauce.

I boiled bonito flakes to make the stock. Strain till the liquid is clear. Use konbu pieces too if you have.
The strained clear dashi stock.
To the dashi stock, add sugar and soy sauce.

And then, add the two together and you get agedashi tofu!

In the sauce you can add mushrooms, cooked baby prawns (shelled), asparagus. I only used spring onion. And I forgot to add some more fresh bonito flakes on top. 😦
Meat, Sides

Tacos

7shasha7

I so wanted to make tacos. I bought a box of tacos and decided to make them for breakfast. I made the filling: minced meat with spices and a bit of tomato paste. I made the condiment: chopped Japanese cucumbers and sliced baby tomatoes. Before I grated some tasty cheddar, I decided to bake the taco shells like instructed on the box for 5 min. And then… little kids are spoilers I tell you. In the middle of my cooking session, I had to attend to an emergency wail and flailing arms and before I knew it, I saw smoke coming out from my oven! Looking dejectedly over my burnt tacos, I had no mood to grate the cheese. Burnt tacos it is then for breakfast! Ironically, The Little Girl loved it. Tacos, Nachos…they all the same thing ain’t it?

Only one brand sold here...I think.
Make minced meat filling.
Make the vegetable topping.
Fill taco shells. Best to top with grated cheese. And make a sauce or drizzle Tabasco sauce over.
Enjoy. Make sure tacos aren't burnt while toasting the,. Here, The Little Girl is also enjoying them with sliced cheddar cheese. Processed.