The Occasional Cook

Fried Coloured Peppers in Olive Oil

October 7, 2010 7shasha7

OK, I invented this dish by chance. Really. It happened on one Sunday morning when I was still pregnant with #2 and had one yellow pepper (or capsicum) and one red one. I thought I’d make a nice little brushetta-like dish. I cut up the peppers into small squares and fried them with slices of garlic in olive oil. As I cooked the peppers, I was wondering when it would be done. They were already quite ‘done’ but I thought what would happen if I were to cook them longer? So I fried them really long, careful not to burn the garlic crisps and then I noticed the peppers had turned really soft and that my olive oil had turned a wonderful reddish-brownish hue. I tasted one right then and they were so wonderful! I served them with foccacia bread for The Hubby’s breakfast and he loved it. More importantly, the baby was kicking inside with joy.

So one day during one of our potluck breakfasts at work, I made a batch and my colleagues loved it. I’m not trying to brag here but one of them actually made this dish for her family for dinner. 😀 Just be careful not to burn the garlic crisps like I always tend to do. But then again, I love eating even burnt garlic.

Seafood, Sides

Baked Mussels

October 7, 2010October 7, 2010 7shasha7

So I invited my family over for Raya and I wanted to make something simple yet delicious. As I was walking around NTUC, I chanced upon the frozen bin section and saw, in my opinion, the best deal of all time – mussels. These ‘ang moh’ mussels have already been cleaned and you can get them shelled or otherwise. I grabbed a box of green NZ mussels with half the shell on and a pack of thickened cream.

When I got home, all I did was defrost the mussels and once defrosted and rinsed clean, poured some cream over each individual mussel. Over the cream, I added a small slice of President’s Cheddar and chilli flakes. Bake till the top turns golden brown and then serve. The mussels were a hit with the guests and I’m so going to make these again as appetisers for future parties.

Asian Dishes, Chinese, Seafood

Fish Soup

October 6, 2010March 3, 2021 7shasha7

Ah, it’s finally time to update my blog. And soon, finally, I’ll have the time to cook all I want. 😀

There’s this place that The Hubby and I love to frequent for its fish soup. They’re found in a Muslim kopitiam called Mr Teh Tarik. Ha ha. For those of you who know this place, you might be raising your eyebrows somewhat. Mr Teh Tarik and fish soup? But yes, they serve lovely fish soup and the best outlet is the one at Geylang, though the most generous one is at Bedok North.

Anyway, one day while I was at the in-laws, brother-in-law made a rather shocking statement, for me that is. He said that the fish in the fish soup are Toman fish. I had no idea, seriously! He was surprised that I didn’t even know what fish I was eating. Well, Toman fish is cheap and so easy to get at NTUC! So one weekend, I decided that instead of spending $10 on fish soup, why don’t I make my own pot instead. And what do you know? It turned out great!

1. Bottled Ikan Bilis Stock (Maggi)

2. Slices of Toman fish

3. Tofu

4. Cai Xin (Green Leafy Vegetables)

5. Ikan Bilis (Achovies, Dried and Fried)

6. Tomato

7. Ginger slices (for the stock)

I even made a sambal of chilli padi slices and soya sauce. It’s a nice, economical dish and the good things was that The Little Girl ate a bowl of it. Try it on a rainy day. 🙂

Meat

Meatballs

July 16, 2010July 17, 2010 7shasha7

Last Sunday, I made meatballs. I followed a recipe taken from one of those mini cookbooks you can get at bookstores. The only thing I didn’t have was mint leaves and I think yogurt. The recipe is simple. Mix, by hand, minced meat of choice (in my case beef), bread crumbs, a beaten egg, garam masala (a mix of Indian powdered spices like cardamom and cumin) salt and finely minced garlic and onion. Form into balls and then fry in olive oil. The result? Juicy yet crispy on the outside. Love it. Then, I realised even though the onions were very finely sliced, they were still visible. So, for the picnic, I opened a jar of ready made pasta sauce, diluted it a bit, added some more seasoning and spooned some of the tomato sauce over the meatballs. They were lovely and even The Boy ate it with gusto.

Asian Dishes, Chinese

Steamed Tofu

July 15, 2010March 3, 2021 7shasha7

I bought two silken tofus and one night, I steamed both of them in my trusty plastic microwavable steamer. When the tofus were done, I mixed a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a tablespoon of soya sauce. I poured the sauce over the beancurds and then topped them with minced chicken that I had earlier sauteed with just garlic, salt and a bit of soya sauce. Then, I sprinkled loads of spring onions and slices of fresh red chillies. It made a lovely supper. When The Hubby came back, I forced him to eat my lovely meal but then, I had forgotten that he doesn’t eat onions. So, I had to scrape off all the scallions and happily devoured them together with my tofu. Now, this is what I call a healthy choice meal. 🙂