Grilled Fish In Mango Sambal Sauce & Bittergourd Tomato Soup

Delicious dishes I had to remind myself about how much rice I took LOL

Grilled milk fish in mango sambal sauce

 

 

Recipe is my mum's, which she got from her mum.. simple yet so yummy :)

What you need:

1 large milk fish - washed and cleaned
5 large red chillis, cut
2 red bird's eye chillis (or more)
a thumb size of fried belachan (shrimp paste)
salt, sugar
dark sweet soya sauce
juice of a large lime
green mango, grated

Method:

1. Preferably to cook the fish in the pressure cooker 2 cycles first to soften the bones (milk fish is notorious in having a lot of little tiny bones besides the big ones too)
2. In a lightly oiled pan, grill fish in the oven using top fire til cooked for both sides
3. Put chillis, fried belachan, salt and sugar in food processor til quite smooth
4. Add dark sweet soya sauce and lime juice into chilli mixture and mix well
5. Spread chilli mixture over the grilled fish and eat with grated green mango

Bitter gourd tomato soup

 

 

Recipe is from Peng's Kitchen, a very tasty soup with minimum artificial flavourings, very healthy kind of soup, we all love it!

What you need:

1 large bitter gourd
4 tomatoes
2 large carrots
2 slices ginger
300g lean pork, pounded
salt to taste

Method:

1. Blanch lean pork in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain away water
2. Remove seeds of bitter gourd and slice in small chunks. Cut tomatoes in quarters
3. Slice carrots into small chunks
4. Place all ingredients in a pot with about 3L water, except salt
5. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 2 hours. Season with salt

I'm submitting this post to:

* Grilled milk fish in mango sambal sauce: Aspiring Bakers #29：Heirloom and Local Dialect Recipes 家传菜/ 籍贯菜 (March 2013 ) hosted by FHL of Faith Hope Love

 

* Bitter gourd tomato soup: Little Thumbs up with theme of the month of March: "Tomato", organised by Doreen from my little favourite DIY and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, hosted by Doreen from my little favourite DIY

What I Cooked During CNY

Singapore weather is getting crazy for the past week! It's so hot and humid in the morning til afternoon, and suddenly dark clouds hanging in the air before it pours, for awhile, which doesn't help much in clearing the heat and humidity

As a result, Ian had his slight flu last week, and I had the "priviledge" to get the virus from him *sigh*
Started with sore throat and turned to slight cough, and then gave me a good feeling of recovery yesterday morning
However, as the cough almost disappeared, yesterday afternoon I started to have stuffy nose and headache :(
At the same time, Ian's runny nose was also back yesterday, and this time with quite bad phlegmy cough and slight fever :(
This morning after back from running errands, I still felt unwell, and as I'm writing this post, I drink my hot ginger tea to clear my blocked nose :S
Still have my bodyache and headache, after this I will take my medication and crawl to my bed to have my beauty sleep :)

Just want to share what I cooked during Chinese New Year last month
Not many, as most of the time we're outside
And the menu also wasn't really much different from the previous years
I just cooked what I felt like eating at that point of time, and usually it's always back to the same thing
Nevertheless, we enjoyed them so much :)

Chinese New Year's eve, always the same menu, just like the previous years :)
Chicken hotpot soup with all our favorite ingredients, fried taukee and fried cuttlefish balls

This hot chilli padi dipping sauce is really good and addictive, first time I made this, recipe is from Noobcook

What you need:

10 chilli padi (bird’s eyes chilli), sliced (I used 5 red)
3 large red chillis (I added)

4 cloves of garlic, cut

2 tbsp light soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

1 tsp sesame oil

some sugar (I added)

Method:

1. Using a food blender, blend chilli padi and garlic cloves together. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Add light soy sauce, sesame oil and lime juice and sugar to taste

Below is stir fry scallops, shitake mushrooms and brocolli in oyster sauce, I made this last year, you may view the recipe HERE , accompanied by crispy fried fish

 

Recipe for this delicious, crisp on the outside while juicy in the inside as follows...

What you need:

300g tilapis fillet, cut into chunks
1 clove of garlic, grated
1 tbsp juice of large lime
1 tsp salt
a dash of pepper

To coat:
2 tbsp plain flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
150g breadcrumbs

Sauce:
Mix together:
100ml mayonnaise
1 tbsp juice of lemon
1 tsp dijon mustard
a dash of pepper

Method:

1. Mix evenly fish with garlic, lime juice, pepper and salt
2. Coat fish with plain flour, dip in egg white and coat with breadcrumbs
3. Set aside til it's a little dry
4. Heat oil and deep fry til crisp
5. Serve immediately with the sauce

Below is stir fry Chinese leeks and fishmaw with beancurd, recipe is from Peng's Kitchen
Yum yum yum... all my favorite things inside :)

 

What you need:

20gm fish maw, softened

3 stalks spring onion, sliced

a thumb size ginger, sliced

about 2 cups water
20g beancurd sticks, softened (I added)
5 stalks chinese leek, sliced diagonally
1 tbsp sliced ginger
3 cloves of garlic, chopped

6 tbsp chicken stock

1 tbsp osyter sauce
1 tbsp chinese wine
1 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Place ginger & spring onion with water in a pot, bring to boil. Add fish maw and bring to boil. Lower heat and cook for 15mins. Drain away water. Slice fish maw into 3 cm length. Set aside
2. Heat 1 tbsp oil wok, add garlic & ginger. Stir fry for 1 min. Add leek and fry for 2mins.
3. Add beancurd, fish maw, chicken stock and seasoning. Simmer for 2mins. Remove from heat
    

Yes, that's all! The rest, we ate out LOL
Hopefully I will be able to cook more variety next year :)

Okay, it's late now... my bed is calling me, bye :)
Wish Ian and also me a speedy recovery okie.... DH is around during weekend so I at least can really rest, but this mummy need to get back to her superwoman duties on Monday LOL

Fried Fish With Chillies

This dish was gone in minutes during dinner time :)
The fish was so delicious and with the chillies, it's just perfect
But the star was the chillies! It's so tasty and after some adjustment, the spiciness was just nice for me to endure enjoy :)

Recipe is from Wendy's site

What you need:

1 medium tilapia (I used black tilapia), cleaned and scored
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt

1pc asam gelugor
1/2 cup oil (I used less than 1/4 cup)
salt

Blend together:
1 red onion
3 red chillies (I used 5 large red chillies)
10 bird's eye chillies (I used 7 red bird's eye chillies)
1 inch ginger
4 garlic

Method:

1. Marinate fish with turmeric powder and salt for about an hour
2. Heat oil and fry fish on both sides til golden and crisp
3. Remove fish from pan
4. Sautee the chilli paste with the remaining oil and asam til fragrant and glossy. Season with salt
5. Smear the paste on both sides of the fish. Serve immediately

The next time I cook this dish again I will double the chilli paste
It's so good I can eat it just with plain rice! :)

I'm submitting this post to Malaysia Food Fest, Negeri Sembilan month hosted by Hody of Cook 4 you & me

Fried Fish Cake (Lempiang Ikan)

My second dish for Malaysian Food Fest: Kedah Perlis, also a dish I know the whole family will love
And it's a good way to make my kids eating fish, hence I divided the batter into two parts, one used chilli and the other one did not
One thing I forgot was the lime leaves used
The supposedly nice fragrant was apprently not well received by them
After a few bites they complained about the 'lemony' taste
Noted that the next time I make this I will omit the lime leaves too for them (but not for me LOL)

This yummy dish tastes really similar to Thai fish cake, even the chilli dip
Recipe is from My Kitchen Snippets' site

What you need:

300g fish paste (I blended tilapia fillet til smooth)
2 long beans - finely chopped
3pcs kaffir lime leaves - finely chopped
1 spring onion - finely chopped
1 small egg
1 red chilli - finely chopped
1 tbsp chilli paste
1 tbsp oyster sauce
salt (I didnt use cos the chilli paste I used had salt in it)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
cornstarch to coat

1. Mix everything except long beans and cornstarch
2. Add in long beans and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes
3. Shape into balls, flatten into disc and coat with cornstarch
4. Fry both sides til golden brown

Sauce:
2 fresh red chillis - ground into paste (I used 1 tbsp chilli paste)
3 tbsp white vinegar
6 tbsp sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
200ml water
salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil
2. Simmer til thick

Serve immediately. Dip the fried fish cake into the sauce. Yum!

I am submitting this to MFF: Kedah Perlis hosted by Table for 2...or more

Fish & Chips

Recipe for the fish is from Vivi's site
The fries - it's frozen supermarket bought LOL

Served with cream of tartar - store bought too, and bottled chilli sauce

Crisp outside, juicy inside - yum!

What you need:

2 tilapia fillets, cut as desired (can also use sutchi / dory)
salt, pepper
1 tbsp rice flour
canola oil for frying

For the batter:
250g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder (optional)
1 egg
350ml soda water

1. Rinse fish fillet and, dry with kitchen towel
2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper
3. Prepare rice flour on a small plate
4. Mix all batter ingredients
5. Heat oil in a wok
6. Coat fish with rice flour and dip in the batter, deep fry til golden brown
7. Serve immediately with french fries, tartar sauce and chilli sauce

Very nice! I love the crispy batter while the fillet inside was still oh so juicy
Perhaps I should try replacing the soda water with my favorite beer, I heard many great reviews about this one :)

Fried Tilapia (Happy Call) With Mango Salsa

Nice combination, tasty fish with refreshing mango salsa
I love the salsa so much I can eat it on its own! it's sour, spicy, with a hint of sweetness too, and the shallot, vegetables plus the mango itself are so crunchy, so refreshing! Yum yum...

Recipe is from Fong's site

What you need:

1 large black tilapia
soya sauce
pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
corn flour
oil to fry the fish

*For mango salsa, mix the ingredients below just before serving:
1 green mango, shredded
shredded carrot
shredded cucumber
red chillies, sliced
spring onion, cut
3 shallots, thinly sliced
lemon juice
approx 1 tbsp palm sugar, break into pieces
fish sauce
pepper

1. Marinade fish with soya sauce and pepper
2. Rub with beaten egg and then dust with corn flour, set aside
3. Fry til golden brown on both sides, drain excess oil

Since I prefer the fish to remain crisp, I didn't pour the salsa over

Those sour and spicy food lovers, this is a must try! :)

Indonesian Grilled Fish Fillet (Happy Call) (Barefoot Contessa)

I came across this recipe when I was browsing for Ina Garten's recipes in yummly.com
I was curious how the taste is cos it's stated Indonesian but when I saw the seasonings, I was not very certain it would be the Indonesian taste :)

I prepared this dish for dinner this evening, it's quite nice, not the authentic style, but it's nice in its own way
However. I found it too salty
The next time I make this, I will omit the salt

What you need:
(modified to suit my preference and portion)

500g fish fillet (I used premium sutchi fillet)

Marinade:
40ml soya sauce
30ml canola oil
1 tsp grated lemon zest
30ml lemon juice
10g finely minced ginger
2 garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard

dark sweet soya sauce to brush during grilling

1. Mix the marinade ingredients and put fish in it and marinade for minimum of 4 hours, overnight will be the best
2. Prepare Happy Call pan, brush a little oil on top and over medium low heat, grill the marinated fish around 5 minutes each side / til cooked, brush each side with dark sweet soya sauce
3. Place on serving plate, and cover with aluminium foil for 10 minutes before serving

Nice to eat with hot fluffy rice :)

I'm linking this to Cook Like A Star blog hop event, hosted by Zoe, featuring Barefoot Contessa as the celebrity chef for the month of May

Breaded Fried Fish Fillet

This was originally from fish and chips recipe from MamaFaMi's site but this time I served this dish with rice and soup for the kids since they, especially Abby, doesn't really like 'dry' plain white rice

Very nice indeed, either with chips or rice, it doesn't really matter :)

2 fillet of fish (I used premium sutchi, tilapia / dory would be nice too)
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 cup plain flour
1 egg white
enough japanese panko breadcrumbs
enough oil for frying

1. Wash fish and pat dry with kitchen towel
2. Coat with lemon juice, salt and pepper
3. Coat with plain flour
4. Dip in egg white and followed by breadcrumbs
5. Deep fry in hot oil til golden brown

Simple and nice :)

Honey Glazed Salmon (Happy Call) & Aglio Olio

Another great simple dish loved by me and DH
Still trying to make my kids love salmon
They'll eat any kind of fish deep fried / pan fried / steamed, but when comes to salmon, they'll say no no matter how it's cooked :(
I can't understand why they don't like a fish taste as nice as salmon... I adore salmon! :)
Anyway, I have done many things and is still doing anything to make them eating it, so far most of the time they eat salmon without knowing it LOL

Just like this dish I made...
They love pasta so much, so this time I was thinking to "hide" the salmon in the pasta. It worked :)
I made aglio olio pasta, one of pasta the whole family love, with honey glazed pan fried salmon using Happy Call pan

Here's the recipe for the salmon, it's from Martha Stewart site
I skipped the coriander seeds this time

What you need:

4 salmon fillets, skinned
1/4 cup honey
5 tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp oil

1. Mix well honey, soya sauce and lemon juice
2. Brush fillet with the mixture and cook on medium low fire in Happy Call pan til golden brown
3. Lower fire, flip the pan and cook the other side also, make sure it's cooked well
4. Bring the remaining glaze to boil on medium fire til thickened approximately 1 minute and pour over the fish

 And this is the recipe for aglio olio pasta...

What you need:

300g spaghetti, cook as directed til al dente
a handful of garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used dried parsley)
enough olive oil and garlic oil (ratio 3:1)

1. On a wok, heat olive oil and garlic oil, sautee garlic til fragrant and color turned golden
2. Add in parsley, mix well, cook til it's soft
3. Add in spaghetti and mix well
4. If you find it's dry, add more garlic oil

Note:
I usually cook aglio olio with cut red chillies and chopped bacon
I will pan fry the bacon with a little oil til crisp
Then it will be added together with parsley and chillies

This time I skipped chillies so it wouldn't be too spicy for the kids
And I didn't use bacon since there's salmon as the companion for the pasta already, healthier choice :)
But to be honest, without chillies and bacon, I felt the pasta a little too plain, even with the salmon :)

Arrange pasta on a serving plate and put the salmon nicely on top, yum! :)

Btw, I found a very useful information and tips about aglio olio here that you may read :)

Pan Fried Fish Fillet

Nice and simple dish for the whole family :)

Pan fried fish fillet
Recipe is from Christine's site

What you need:

1 pc fish fillet, rinse and wipe dry
1 tsp shallot, minced
2 slices ginger, shredded
1 stalk spring onion, cut
1/2 tbsp shaoxing wine
salt, pepper, cornflour, cooking oil

Sauce:
(mix well)
1 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
2 tsp dark sauce
2 tsp sugar
6 tbsp water
sesame oil, pepper
1 tsp cornflour and 2 tbsp water, mixed well as thickener

1. Season the dry fish with salt, pepper and wine, let sit for 10mins, lightly coat with cornflour, set aside
2. Heat oil and pan fry the fish on medium to high heat til both sides golden brown and cooked through
3. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm
4. Add more oil on the pan, sautee shallot, ginger and the white parts of the spring onion
5. Pour in sauce, bring to boil
6. Add thickener, cook to preferred thickness
7. Pour sauce over the fish and garnish with the remaining spring onion

Pan Fried Tilapia (Happy Call) & Stir Fry Mixed Vegetables

I have just purchased ochre jumbo Happy Call double sided pan, after much consideration for the past few weeks and seeing the craze going on among food bloggers

For my first experience, I chose fish since no doubt I love fish, but every encounter with fish on normal frying pan has never been pleasant at all
The smoke, the smell, the splattered oil, the super oily fried fish, the tedious stove cleaning...

I was very satisfied with the whole process and the result as well, really worth buying! :)

The fish was cut into two, marinated and fried, and the frying process has turned to a pleasant experience this time :)
Too bad one of the fish lost its precious tail LOL

I've done this recipe before, you may view it HERE

And this is the companion, stir fry mixed vegetables

What you need:

2 cloves of garlic, crushed
carrot, sliced
cabbage, cut
salt, pepper, light soya sauce, a little sugar, water, a little cooking oil

Heat oil on frying pan, sautee garlic til fragrant, add in carrot, followed by water, stir well
Add in salt, pepper, light soya sauce, sugar, lastly, cabbage
Simmer til vegetables turned soft enough (I like vegetables with crunch)
Adjust taste, off heat

Simple, yummy and nutritious meal, isn't it? :)

Crispy Fried Fish & Stir Fry Leeks

It has been quite sometime since the last time I posted in my blog.. busy with holiday and down with flu, in fact the whole house was, started with the kids, me and then DH.
Thank God I'm fine now, only slight cough left

Now, here's one cooking I managed to make for family during festive season
Pictures were taken by my Balckberry phone since my camera was not in town at that time :)

Crispy fried fish...
This might look just like any other flour coated fish fillet, I cooked a simple one last year,  but this one is different, it's better, even though the recipe is not as simple as I thought
But it does give me the texture I like, crisp on the outside and soft juicy inside, yum!

Stir fry leeks...

I cooked this dish last year, pls click here for the recipe

Here's the recipe for the fish...

What you need:

A

500g fish fillet (I used sutchi fillet)

4 tbsp flour

B (batter)

2 eggs

6 tbsp potato starch

6 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

some ice water

2 tbsp oil

C (marinade)

2 tbsp egg white

1 tsp salt

2 tsp potato starch

4 tsp wine

2 stalks spring onion (crushed)

1 tsp ginger juice

1. Rinse fish. Cut into thumb sized thick pieces and pat dry (make sure it's really dry)
2. Combine well C, then add fish pieces and set aside for around 30minutes
3. Beat egg, and continue mixing with each of the other ingredients B, adding oil last, into a batter
4. Coat fish with a little flour and then combine well with the batter
5. Heat enough oil for deep frying, turn fire into low and place the battered fish into the oil one at a time, stirring to prevent them from sticking together. Deep fry over medium heat
6. When the fish float, turn the heat up to fry further for another 30seconds til crispy. Remove and drain well

I'm submitting these dishes to  Aspiring Bakers #15: Auspicious Dishes for CNY (January 2012) hosted by Wen of Wen's Delight

Fried Soft Bone Milk Fish & Stir Fry Chilli Potatoes With French Beans

These dishes are perfect to finish up a big portion of hot fluffy white rice, and you'll ask for the second serving! *grin* (not a great idea for those carbo-conscious hehe...)

Yummy fried soft bone milk fish - cooked in pressure cooker

What you need:

( for 2 large size milk fish)

7 cloves of garlic - peeled

3 pcs of 5cm yellow ginger - peeled

enough water

2 large size milk fish - cleaned and cut into 2parts each

salt, sugar and a few pcs of bay leaves

oil for deep frying

Blend garlic and ginger til smooth

Fill in pressure cooker with enough water to cover the 2 fish

Add in the blended garlic and ginger, salt, sugar and bay leaves

Press function meat/bean and wait til completed and function changed to keep warm, cancel and repeat the function meat/bean one more time (doing it twice will make the bones soft)

After completed, drain away the water, heat oil enough to deep fry the fish, deep fry til golden brown

Now, this is to accompany the fish

Stir Fry Chilli Potatoes With French Beans

What you need:

4 medium potatoes, diced

7 shallots, thinly sliced

french beans, cut

oil, salt, pepper, red chilli paste, a little palm sugar

Heat oil, fry diced potatoes til golden brown - set aside

Using the same pan with just a little oil, sautee shallots til fragrant, add in red chilli paste, add in french beans, water, salt, pepper, sugar - mix well amd simmer til french beans softened and water lessened, adjust taste

Add in fried potatoes - mix well

Sweet & Sour Fish

Nice, tasty and easy to make

What you need:

400g white fish fillet (I used toman fillet) - rinse and cut into pieces

1/2 red capsicum - cut small

1/2 yellow capsicum - cut small

1/2 green capsicum - cut small

1 medium tomato - cut small wedges

1/2 onion - chopped

1 tbsp potato starch

1 tbsp plain flour

(mix both flour well)

Marinade the fish with:

1 stalk spring onion, cut into 2parts

2 slices ginger

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tbsp cooking wine

Seasonings:

3 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp white vinegar

4 tbsp sugar

dash of salt

1/2 cup water

some potato starch - mix with a little water

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Marinade cut fish and set aside for 1 hour

Heat oil for deep frying. Coat fish with flour mixture and deep fry til golden brown

Remove and drain well

In a separate pan, heat a little oil and fry onion til fragrant. Stir in capsicum and tomato

Add seasoning and bring to a boil. Toss in fried fish and combine well briskly

Serve immediately

Yum!

Btw, when I shopped for capsicum that day, I saw orange and black capsicum too...yes, black!

But in the end I decided to stick to the common colors - red, yellow and green :)

Baked Salmon With Herbs With Grilled Asparagus & Mashed Potatoes

Yummy dinner..... What a combo! Even the kids love them to the bits! :)

                                            The baked salmon......

The grilled asparagus.....

The mashed potatoes.....



What you need:

1 salmon fillet (I used 800g)

5 cloves of garlic - finely chopped

1 tsp chopped parsley

olive oil, salt , black pepper

Marinade the fillet with salt & pepper, keep in the fridge for 1hour

Prepare a baking dish/pan, lightly grease and place the fillet on it

Sprinkle chopped garlic and parsley, and olive oil

Bake in preheated oven of 175degC for 20minutes approximately

(use a fork to check whether it's cooked, poke on the fillet and twist the fork a little to see the inner part)

For the asparagus:

Cut the bottom part of the stem, wash clean, place on the preheated non stick grill pan which has been lightly greased with olive oil. sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cook both sides

For the mashed potatoes:

Steam 3 potatoes til well cooked, peel and mash til fine and mix with a dollop of butter, a little garlic oil and salt and pepper

(adding with chopped parsley would be nice too, but I didn't)

Simple and yummy dinner - indeed :)

Pan Fried Fish In Plum Sauce

This is another super yummy dish you gotta try!

What you need:

1 seabass (approx 700g) - I cut into 2parts

3 cloves shallots - shredded

Marinade the fish with:

salt, pepper

(make sure to clean the fish first and then pat dry with kitchen towel)

Seasonings:

3 tbsp juice of a lemon

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp plum sauce

3 cloves of garlic - chopped

2 small green chillies (I used bird's eye chillies) - chopped

1 large red chilli - chopped

oil for frying

Marinade fish - set aside for a few hours

Heat oil on the frying pan (around half of the height of the fish)

Pan fry til golden brown on both sides (low heat) - first side to fry is around 10minutes and then turn  and fry another 5minutes on the other side (cover the pan)

Combine well seasonings amd pour over the fried fish - scatter over the shredded shallots

Heat a little oil and drizzle over the fish

Thai Style Steamed Fish

This dish is not only healthy but oh so yummy that even my dear Ian never complained eating it with rice only, this lil boy who usually runs away whenever seeing steamed fish on his plate :)
I know my pic below didn't justify the yumminess of this dish - believe me, it's really delicious - so refreshing and tasty :)

What you need:

1 sea bass (approx 500g)

salt to rub the fish

stalks of spring onion

ginger slices

Dressing:

2 tsp chopped red chillies (I used large chillies)

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 tsp sugar

3 tbsp juice of a lemon

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 cup hot chicken stock

Clean fish and pat dry.  Rub salt on fish, place on a steaming dish on top of stalks of spring onion lined up and ginger slices scattered

Bring water in the steamer to a boil. Steam fish over high heat for 12minutes or til cooked

Remove and pour away the steaming liquid

Combine garlic, chillies, coriander and the rest of the dressing seasonings. Drizzle over the fish and steam again for about a minute. Remove

Scatter over coriander sections to serve

($20 Budget Meal) Deep Fried Stuffed Tofu, Stir Fry Salted Vegetables w/Tofu, Steamed Fish w/Tomato

I've been following this event since it first started in March this year, but I never participated - even though I do cook for my family
Found many great ideas from the past two events - thank you Ellena for the creative move - it's such a great help, knowing it's a big headache to think about what to cook for the whole family in daily basis :)
This month, the third theme - tofu...I have the urge to participate - I guess not fair to just get all the ideas without me contributing too hihihi....

We had these 3 dishes using almost the same ingredients just to finish the balance :P

First, deep fried stuffed tofu

What you need:

(adapted from Ricke's site with a little modification to suit my taste)

For the filling:

3 firm tofu - fried til golden brown - halved

75g beansprouts, wash clean

1 medium carrot, peel and grate

1/8 from medium beijing cabbage - thinly sliced

100ml water

salt, pepper, sugar, cornflour (mixed with a little water)

Blend smooth:

-2 shallots

-3 cloves of garlic

For coating: (mix well all ingredients)

150g cake flour

100g rice flour

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg - lightly beaten

enough water to form paste

How to make the filling:

Heat oil in a pan, stir fry blended shallots and garlic til fragrant

Add in all vegetables - stir well til soften

Add in salt, sugar, pepper - mix well

Add in water, bring to boil

Add in cornflour mixture - stir til thicken, off heat - set aside

How to do the fried tofu:

Scrap the center part of each half to make a dent, stuff it up with the stir fry veggies (approx.1 tbsp)

How to deep fry:

Dip the stuffed tofu into the coating, deep fry in a heated oil on frying pan til golden brown and crisp

(make sure the whole thing submerged, otherwise you need to flip to the other side halfway of frying)

Best to eat with sweet soya sauce (kecap manis) mixed with cut bird's eye chillis

(Indonesians eat the tofu and literally bite the bird's eye chilli and munch them together :P)

Second, stir fry salted vegetables with  fried tofu

I cooked this dish before, recipe can be viewed HERE

The last dish, steamed fish with tomato

Recipe adapted from Fong's Kitchen Journal 

(with slight modification to suit my family's preference)

What you need:

1 toman fillet

1 tomato, cut into 8 parts

some cut salted vegetables

some shitake mushroom, soaked and cut

1 tbsp shredded ginger

salt, soya sauce, pepper, a little water

1 tbsp shallot oil (the oil that has been used for frying shallots)

1 stalk spring onion - cut (for garnish)

Sprinkle a pinch of salt/pepper on the fish.  Place the tomato/salted veg/mushroom/shredded ginger and fish on a plate for steaming.  Add soy sauce, shallot oil and 1 to 2 tbsp water

Steam the fish for 10 minutes over high heat (need longer time for bigger chunk of fish)

Garnish with spring onion and serve immediately

Calculation: (approximate)

1) Deep fried tofu:

firm tofu $1.40, carrot/beansprout/cabbage $1.50, egg $0.20, bird's eye chillis $0.20

others from my existing stock approx total = $2

Total => $5.30

2) Stir fry salted vegetables with fried tofu

salted vegetables $1.10, large chilli $0.10

others from the balance used to make deep fried tofu as well as my existing stock approx total = $0.50

Total => $1.70

3) Steamed fish with tomato

toman fish fillet $4.90, shitake mushroom $$0.50, tomato $0.30

others from my existing stock approx total = $1

Total => $6.70

Grand total ===>  $13.70

(for family of 4)

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Deep Fried Tilapia & Sayur Lodeh

A great combo that requires strong determination to stop adding rice to your plate :P

Deep fried tilapia with flour coating - so crispy on the outside and soft inside
Saw this at Ricke's blog - nice treat when you don't really count calories hehe....

What you need:
(with a little modification)

1 black tilapia, clean and cut into 3
juice of 1 large lime

Blend together:
4 cloves of garlic
1cm yellow ginger
1cm blue ginger
salt, pepper

For coating:
50g rice flour
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cloves of garlic - crush till smooth
1 tsp coriander seeds - crush til smooth
salt
1/2 tsp baking powder (I added)
1 beaten egg (I added)
Mix all ingredients above with water - keep stirring til it forms a rather thick liquid

enough vegetable oil for frying

Coat the fish with juice of large lime - set aside for approx 15mins
Wash til clean and tap dry with kitchen tissue
Coat with the blended ingredients - set aside for around 1 hour in the fridge ( I did this in the morning and keep in the fridge til late afternoon)
Just before frying, dip the coated fish with the flour mixture, deep dry til crisp and golden brown

Best eaten with chilli dip: cut bird's eye chilli (either red / green) + cut shallots + sweet soya sauce (kecap manis)

That day we ate the fish with another dish, we Indonesians call it, Sayur Lodeh
It's a vegetable dish cooked in coconut milk

What you need:

1 clove of garlic - cut thinly
5 shallots - cut thinly
2 big red chillies - throw away the seeds
100ml coconut milk mixed with some water (I used Kara coconut milk) - I try not to cook with thick coconut milk hence the small amount of coconut milk used
1/2 block palm sugar,
1 tsp fried prawn paste (belachan)
salt, a little sugar
1 big eggplant - diced
100g bamboo shoot, cut thinly
approx 10pcs of long beans, cut
1 handful of petai - halved (I couldn't get petai that day so mine no petai hiks...)
water

Boil a pot of water together with garlic, shallots and red chillies
Add in petai and bambooshoot, followed by palm sugar, prawn paste, salt, sugar and coconut milk
Bring to boil again
Add in long beans and eggplant, stir well and adjust taste accordingly, check the softness of all vegetables
Once the vegetables cooked and the desired taste achieved, off heat

Great to eat this vegetable dish with sweet soya sauce (kecap manis) and prawn paste chilli sauce (sambal belachan)

Those want to try, please cook more rice :)