Fried first

A simple recipe that I would like to share with you. 

Stir fried meat mince with sliced potatoes. Everyone's favourite. 

I would slice the washed potatoes and then sprinkle salt to them. After that, I would fry them in hot oil. My kids would steal few slices most of the time, before I managed to stop them from eating all. 

Ingredients:

Minced  meat, marinated with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper

4 potatoes, washed and sliced

Salt and pepper

4 tbsp water

Chopped spring onion for garnish

Cooking oil

Methods:

1. In hot oil, fry the sliced potatoes by batch. Drain the oil.

2. In a pan, heat up fee tbsp cooking oil. Then add in the minced meat and break it with spatula. Then add in the fried potatoes and mix all together.

3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. 

4. Dish out and garnish with chopped spring onion. 

Missed it

It has been a long time since we came here for breakfast. Sin Lian Shin, Green Road!!

Kuching people would know this old, famous kolo mee shop. Business was as good as before but more tapau orders as we saw packs of kolo mee on the table when hubby and I were there last Sunday. People ordered takeaway more, some still cautious and try to be safe during this challenging time. However all tables are occupied and everyone was patient waiting for their noodle.

Used to have 2 kolo mee stalls doing the cooking on weekends but last Sunday, only one stall was opened so we had to wait quite long for our breakfast.

I couldn't remember the last time I was here, maybe last year. Been there few times when I worked at my dad's shop 2 years ago. I walked over with my dad for brunch. Or on the way to church, we did patronised the shop few times. But that was ages ago.

My usual drink on Sunday, teh c peng. How I missed it!!

Our food came after almost an hour of ordering. I know, a long wait but we didn't mind. Not so hungry, so we didn't mind the wait.

Kolo mee!! Tasty as before. That old-school taste.  We also had its kiaw th'ng (dumplings soup).

And we  finished our food under 15 minutes!! Must be the tummy was rumbling by the time the food came, more people came in to tapau and dine in and the warm morning sun and temperature. 

By the time we were home, it was after 10am!! The kids were having the kolo mee for brunch! 

Dumpling

It is that time of the year again. Dumpling  festival or Dragon Boat Festival.

Actual date is today but we pre-ordered Nyonya chang from a friend's mum last week. 100 pieces (RM2.50 each). Collected last Wednesday and my man delivered 40 dumplings to my dad's shop and sis' house the next day. 

Some for hubby's friends and the rest, we keep and eat at home.

In the past, we ordered from our friend and the mum only takes order on this special festival. No longer young so she hardly make many or frequently.

Her bak chang still tastes good. Soft glutinous rice and tasty meat filling, all for RM2.50 each. Not so big, so I could take 2 dumplings at one time.

Everyone enjoyed them a lot.

We were having dumplings for the past week and still, we have some to enjoy today.

A friend gave us some Hakka chang and I heated them up for breakfast.

I liked them, filled with peanuts and salted egg yolk other than meats, dried prawns and mushrooms. Brought back some of my childhood memories. ^^

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!! 

Yesterday

It was Father's Day yesterday.

Initially I planned to cook lamb chop for the daddy but he last minute told me he was avoiding red meat for time being. Doctor advice, upon his body and blood test. Everything pretty alright except he has fatty liver. Need to avoid fried, oily and red meat.

So I had to change my menu and plan for a healthier alternative. Anyway, this was what I cooked for Father's Day dinner.

We had pork rib peanut and lotus seed soup, teriyaki sauce fish, grilled chicken wings, stir-fried garlic lettuce and fried salted fish. All was hubby's favourite dishes.

Grilled fish with Teriyaki sauce

Used up this fish that hubby caught in his previous fishing trip. I also heated up leftover soup from previous dinner.

For the kids, I cooked this grilled chicken wings that I marinated in the morning. I used flip pan for my chicken wings recipe. Easy and tasty.

Grilled chicken wings using flip pan

Ingredients:
7 chicken wings
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Few dashes of white pepper
Cooking oil

Methods:
1. Marinate the chicken wings with all the ingredients except cooking oil for few hours or at least an hour before cooking.
2. Heat up the flip pan. Add about 1 tbsp cooking oil to the pan, coat thepan evenly with oil.
3. Once hot, add in the chicken wings, without the marinade. Close the flip pan.
4. Cook for about 10 minutes under low heat before flipping over and cook for another 10 minutes. Dish out! 

That day came

On the day that they announced the RMCO period and some businesses are allowed to open, I was excited and happy. Made list of what to do when that day came. 

Schools are to remain close especially primary schools. All 3 kids are still staying at home, with online classes, school works and tuition on weekdays.

Zoom for tuition

One of to-do things during RMCO was to visit the hair salon. Together with my boys, we went to our usual hair salon on Monday.

During MCO, we did trimmed the boys' hair once at home. Not good work if you ask me but better than nothing. We aren't a good barber. For our 1st RMCO salon trip, RM50 for hair cut for 3 of us.

After hair cut

I also sent my car for a wash. Did not clean it for the past 3 months!! Not that dirty, hardly drive it anywhere.

Few important stuff in my list are to bring Jamie for his overdue eczema follow-up (plan to go next week), schedule my mammogram appointment and service my car.  Maybe next month.  One thing at a time. 

Simple and easy

Soft tofu. Who love it?? 

My man currently crazy about anything tofu and he recently bought a pack of miso paste from online shopping site. 

So over the weekend, he prepared miso soup for lunch and dinner. 

Simple and easy, just boiled a pot of water then added the miso paste and ingredients (soft tofu and seaweed) once boiled. Let it simmer and a tasty miso soup is ready!! 

Second dish that I wanted to share with you is this mince pork with soft tofu. Very flavourful dish. 

Ingredients:
Soft tofu, cut into cubes

Minced pork, marinated with oyster sauce, pepper, light soy sauce, sesame oil
Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp taucheo/salted soya bean
Cornstarch - 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 1 tbsp water
Chopped spring onion/celery leaves

A: 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Methods:
1. Heat up cooking oil in pan. Add in garlic, and taucheo, stir fry for few seconds.
2. Add marinated meat and saute until no longer pink. Break the meat to bits.
3. Add in seasoning A. Bring to simmer.
4. Gently add soft tofu, avoid breaking it. Simmer for 3 minutes before add in cornstarch mix. Cook for a minute then dish out. Garnish with spring onion or celery leaves. 

Eat and shop

Last Saturday, my man and I went to this coffee shop for breakfast. It was around 8am and the place wasn't that packed. 

They followed the SOP by recording our body temperature, taking our details and have the tables arranged more than a metre apart. 

The last time we were here was last month where no dine-in was allowed then. We bought kolo mee home to enjoy back then. This round, we ate there after many months.

I ordered kolo kway teow from the kolo mee stall.

Hubby went for the kolo mee. He prefers the straight thread kolo mee than the curly type. 

We also shared this plate of prawns chee cheong fun. One of the best in Kuching! 

After our breakfast, we walked over to Emart hypermarket for grocery shopping. One of my shopping mission was to buy ice-cream!! 

I was longing to try its macadamia salted caramel flavour and finally I tasted it. 

Conclusion?? A tinge of saltiness plus the rich chocolate flavour. The sweetness lingered after that. My curiosity was satisfied.

Upon request

It was the eve of Gawai day. A staff of hubby called to inform that she was sending lemang over. A Bidayuh covert to Muslim, she made lemang for Hari Raya and Gawai, and gave away some to us as a thank you gift. 

We ate few for supper that evening and the next day, upon request from my man, I cooked chicken curry to go with the lemang. 

So generous of her to give us 2 long bamboo sticks of lemang. The bamboos were still warm, as she cooked them that very afternoon. 

We opened up one bamboo immediately, while the other bamboo stick of lemang, we gave to my parents the next day. We definitely could not finish both by ourselves!!

Very fragrant and tasty. After took 2 or 3 pieces of it, I was bloated. Cannot take many, my tummy cannot hold up.

I started to sharpen my curry cooking skill during MCO. Hubby gave a big thumb up while Jan also started to taste and enjoy my curry. My curry was mildly spicy so everyone could enjoy it. 

I didn't have potatoes at home so I omit that. I like long beans in my curry too, I did add long beans in one of my recent cooking.

Ingredients:
Half kg of chopped chicken
Adabi curry powder
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, sliced
1 cup water
1 tsp salt or to taste
3 - 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp coconut milk
Cooking oil

Methods:
1. Marinate chicken with 1 tbsp curry powder. Let it marinate at least for 1 hour under room temperature.

2. In a wok, add some cooking oil. Once heated up, add in garlic and shallots. Once fragrant, add in about 2 tbsp curry powder. Saute till fragrant.

3. Add in chicken pieces. Let it cook for few minutes before add in the water. Let it simmer before add in salt, sugar and dark soy sauce.

4. Lower the heat, cover with lid and let it simmer till chicken is thoroughly cooked.

5. Taste the curry gravy and adjust seasoning accordingly.

6. Pour in the coconut milk and let it cook for a minute before turn off the heat. 

Learnt to love

I love fried mee hoon ever since I was a child. When ever my mum fried mee hoon, I definitely helped myself to big servings.

One of my mum's fried mee hoon recipe called for canned pork mince with bean paste. Gulong pork mince with bean paste would be my mum's choice.

Most people love to take this canned minced meat with white porridge because of its strong flavour. A tinge of spiciness plus saltiness go so good with the bland white porridge.

However I still prefer it in my fried mee hoon. I learnt to love and enjoy it with fried mee hoon. I like the very fine mee hoon threads (vermicelli), and my favourite is this brand. 

Hsinhua rice vermicelli! Great for Sarawak laksa as well as fried mee hoon. Not easily break. I don't like those overly soft or mushy mee hoon. They don't taste nice when you use then in frying. 

For those who love mee hoon as well as the canned pork mince with bean paste, you must give this recipe a try. You may like it! 

Ingredients:

Half pack of rice vermicelli (appr. 150g)

1 can of Gulong brand pork mince with bean paste

3 to 4 garlic cloved, minced

1 Shallot, sliced

Cabbage, sliced

2 eggs, beaten lightly and seasoned with salt and pepper

Pepper to taste

Cooking oil

Methods:

1. Blanch the mee hoon in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. 

2. In a heated pan, add in cooking oil. Pour the beaten egg and fry well. Dish out and when it cool down, cut into strips. 

3. In same pan, add in some oil then add in garlic and shallot. Saute till fragrant. Add in cabbage and cook till soften. 

4. Toss the mee hoon into the pan. Fry for a minute before add in the canned pork mince. Mix well and fry for a minute or 2 before season with pepper. Stir well. 

5. Dish out and place the sliced egg on top. 

Remark: you can add in the egg in middle of cooking (after cabbage) to combine and mix all ingredients well. But due to my son's allergy, in my cooking, I mostly omit the egg or seperate the egg and the dish. 

A good morning

It was a good Wednesday morning when hubby and I went for our morning walk. We haven't gone for our morning walk for weeks!! That feeling? So good although at the back of our heads, we need to be careful and cautious.

After our half hour walk, we went home and drove out for a breakfast. As usual our favourite coffee shop. Y. Y. Cafe. 

It was almost 730am so most tables are taken. After took our details and body temperature, we took a table in the shop. 2 chais per table. Everyone abide to the SOP well.

That morning we ordered our breakfast from the fried stall.

Hubby wanted to taste the fried noodle so he got his. Fried yellow noodle with a fried egg. 

He likes to have chilli sauce to go with his noodle or rather, almost in every fried food. 

For my breakfast, I had fried kway teow. Bored of fried mee hoon, so I went for kway teow this round. Tasted nice as well but not as nice as fried mee hoon, in my opinion. RM11 for both plates. 

Beside takeaway kolo mee for the kids, we bought some kuehs and fresh soya milk home too. 

He cooked

Sometime my man would took over the kitchen and cooked up a storm for the family. He likes to challenge himself cooking something different for us to enjoy. Healthy cooking, as he described it.

For instance, this Japanese fusion. My man was busy cooking these tasty dishes for us on the 2nd day of Hari Raya holiday. A big pat and applause for my man. He does have the skill and patience to whip something sometime. 

We had grilled fish fillet, stir-fried bacon with bell peppers, daikon seaweed miso soup, and chawanmushi.

Grilled fish

Miso soup

Stir fried bacon with bell peppers

Chawanmushi

Soft and consistent texture

A nice and enjoyable lunch, thank you to my man. Arigato! A hint for him, he should cook more! I don't mind cleaning after him. ^^