Soon Kueh 笋粿

Soon Kueh is a common snack in Singapore.

Authentic and traditional soon kuehs use mashed yam in the dough and of course requires more effort to make.  Bamboo shoot is also added to the filling (that's why it is called 笋粿 - 笋 means bamboo shoot).  

But this recipe is a much simpler and more common version.  The skin of the dumpling is chewy and transparent, the way that I like it.  I also omitted bamboo shoot in the recipe, as my children do not like the taste of it.  I added more ingredients like koo chai and black fungus in the filling, but these are optional.   

Oven-Baked Honey BBQ Pork - Char Siew (蜜汁叉烧)

Contrary to belief that making Char Siew (BBQ Pork) is a cumbersome and complex process, you can actually make a quick Char Siew Rice dinner on a busy work-week night. 

Marinate the pork the night before and just pop the meat into the oven for 30 minutes while you cook the rice.  Dinner will be ready in less than an hour.  

It is important to choose the right cut of meat for making Char Siew.  I usually use pork collar which has slightly more fat but gives juicer meat and is more tender.  You can also use pork shoulder if you prefer the meat to be leaner.  Tell your butcher your are using it for making Char Siew, so that he will cut the meat into long strips. 

Making the perfect Char Siew requires some trials and errors.  Some prefer it to be sweeter, others prefer it to be more "burnt".  Adjust the marinade and cooking duration accordingly to your liking.  But this is definitely one quick meal recipe to keep. 

Home-Made Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 cup Sweet Relish, minced
2 tbsp Big Onion, minced
1 tbsp Capers
2 tbsp Dijion Mustard
1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Fresh Parsley Leaves

Directions:

1. In a big bowl, stir together all ingredients.  
2. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. 
3. Serve with Beer Battered Fish and Chips.

 

Crispy Beer Battered Fish

The best way to cook deep-fried battered fish is to add beer to your batter.  

The bubbles in the beer add body and lightness to the batter, giving the fried fish a layer of delicious crispy coating that envelops all the moisture in it.  

I served the fish with some chips and home-made tartar sauce and it was a big hit with my family.  Even my husband, who dislikes fried food, gave a thumbs-up for it.      

Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs

This is switch up of the BBQ sauce I used for my Smoky Buffalo Wings Recipe. 

You do not need to be a master griller to make BBQ Ribs.  No fire, no smoke, just a regular oven at home and you will be able to serve up slabs of juicy tender ribs.  

 

Cereal Prawn

Cereal Prawn, an all-time-favourite among young and old, is served at almost all Zhi-Char Stalls and restaurants in Singapore.

There are many cereal pre-packed mix available at the supermarket.  But you could make this dish easily just by using instant nestum cereal.  

You can also substitute prawns with fish or chicken. 

Chocolate Chips Cookies

There are thousands of Chocolate Chip Cookies recipes available on the internet.  With all of them claiming to be the best recipe, I'm not gonna join in the rat race.

I've baked the cookies many times using this recipe - for Chinese New Year, children's party and even charity fair.  So, you can decide for yourself if this recipe is good enough for you. 

 

Potato Soup

Decide to have a soup with my Pan-Seared Grouper Fillet for dinner tonight. 

Too lazy to run down to the supermarket to pick up the ingredients needed for a cream soup, I had to rely on the three potatoes in my fridge (the only ingredient available) to whip up something.

Surprisingly, the Potato Soup turned out to be super yummy and creamy, although no cream is used in this recipe.  


This soup will also make a very satisfying meal on its own with same green salad and a slice of garlic toast.

Potato Soup

Singapore Chilli Crab

Ranked no. 35 on World's 50 Most Delicious Food complied by CNN GO (as at July 2011), this dish needs no further introduction.

Eating crabs at a restaurant with a group of 4 could easily set you back around S$100.  At a fraction of the cost, you could replicate this delicious dish easily in your own kitchen.    

Kam Heong Chicken 甘香鸡

Kam Heong Chicken is a very popular dish served at Chinese Restaurants and Zhi-Char Stalls.    

Although this recipe calls for a long list of ingredients, let me assure you that your effort will be well worth.  The marriage of the sweet, salty, spicy and tangy tastes with the fragrant curry leaves gives this dish an incredible aroma and flavour.

You can also cook prawns, crabs and clams with the Kam Heong Sauce.