ORIENTAL MUSHROOM SOUP WITH CHICKEN SHREDS

This is my favourite soup. In fact my family loves this. I can make a huge pot and we will be very happy. So easy to make too!

ORIENTAL MUSHROOM SOUP WITH CHICKEN SHREDS

Ingredients

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast meat

400ml water

5 pcs dried scallops 

1L Swanson Chicken Broth

2 or 3 packets of fresh mushroom of any type, diced

1 tbsp oyster sauce

3-4 tbsp sweet potato starch (or corn starch or potato starch) + 100ml water

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cube Knorr chicken stock cube (optional)

Garnish

White pepper

Black vinegar

Methods

1. In a pot, put in water and bring to boil. Add chicken breast and dried scallops.

2. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the meat only, leaving water and scallop in pot. Set aside to cool.

3. Add chicken broth and bring to boil.

4. Add diced mushrooms and bring to boil again.

5. Add in oyster sauce. (You may now add the stock cube if you wish). Bring soup to a simmer.

6. When the soup is simmering, slowly add in the starch mixture. Simmer a while longer to get thickened soup.

7. When the soup is thickened to your desired consistency, add in beaten egg with a steady stream and stir at the same time.

8. Shred the chicken breast meat and pour into soup.

9. Serve with pepper and black vinegar while warm.

CRISPY SKIN HERBED CHICKEN

I really love to use herbs in my cooking, especially when it comes to proteins. For this dish, I am using dried herbs, but if fresh herbs will taste more refreshing.

CRISPY SKIN HERBED CHICKEN

Ingredients

5 pcs chicken thighs

1-1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp white pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

6 tbsp melted butter

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp sugar

5 pcs cream crackers, crushed

Method

1. Clean and pat dry chicken thighs.

2. Rub in salt, pepper, dried herbs all over the meat. 

3. Tightly sealed in plastic bag and marinade for at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 180C. Place non-stick baking paper on tray.

5. Place the meat on the tray in a single row with the skin side up. Do not stack or pile up.

6. Mix melted butter, garlic, oyster sauce and sugar in a bowl. 

7. Pour mixture all over the meat.

8. Generously pour and press the biscuit crumbs onto the skin.

9. Bake for 25 mins, turn up temperature to 200C for another 5 min.

10. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

PO LO CHA SIU BUN (波萝叉烧面包)

Craving for cha siu bun! I love these buns in Crystal Jade but want to eat lot lot. How? Make my own!

Using 5K bread recipe, I made these!  22 buns.

SWEET PORK FILLING

500g pork collar (五花肉), diced

3 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp sugar

5 slices ginger

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp rice wine

5 tbsp water

2 tsp corn flour

5 pcs rock sugar

(No red colouring for me. You may add it if you'd like)

1. Marinade pork with all ingredients, except for rock sugar, for 1 hour.

2. In a heated pan, add some oil and pour everything and stir fry till pork is thoroughly cooked.. Add some water and adjust taste accordingly. Liquid should be thick and glossy at the end of it. Remove ginger slices.

3. Cool completely before use.

CUSTARD TOPPING (I used double of this recipe for my 5K quantity)

1g salt

5g milk powder

40g egg

100g low-protein flour

50g butter, room temp

50g sugar plus more for sprinkling

Simply mix everything in a bowl and knead till dough is smooth. Wrap in cling wrap, set aside or chill in fridge if the dough is becoming too soft to handle.

METHOD:

1. Once the bread dough is ready, portion into 50g balls. 

2. Taking one ball, flatten the sides and place some sweet pork in the middle. 

3. Pinch and seal tightly. Place seal-down on prepared baking sheet lined with baking paper.

4. Complete all the balls.

5. Cut the custard into 20 even pieces.

6. Roll one custard piece and flatten. Place on bread dough. It should cover the top and most sides of dough. You may wish to draw criss-cross lines to make the bread look like pineapples.

7. Proof bread until double in size (about 45min - 1hr). Just before baking, sprinkle some sugar on top.

8. Bake at preheat oven 180C for 15 -18min, turn up temp to 200C until the custard turns a little brown.

that is  potatoes and carrots at the bottom tray....

EASY BAKED FISH FILLET

My mother in law (MIL) loves fish. Usually I try to steam as much as possible (lazy mah XD...) when the fish is fresh, but occasionally will still fry them. Recently I shallow fried one and hot oil splashed on my little rodent paw. Ouch ><!

Lovely MIL bought fish fillets today. I frowned at the thought of frying them, so decided to use my oven to bake. (I tried airfry once but the outcome was not satisfactory. My family and I thought the fish skin was like rubber and tasteless.) Let's try the oven instead.

EASY BAKED FISH FILLET

Ingredients
2 fillets of any mild tasting fish (today I used red snapper)

5 tbsp melted butter, divided
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley (i used dried)
1/2 tsp thyme (i used dried)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 pcs crushed crackers

A dash of ground paprika, (optional) (i don't have it in my kitchen)

Method
1. Wash and pat dry the fillet.
2. Stir in 4 tbsp melted butter with sugar, pepper, salt, parsley, thyme, lemon juice and garlic.
3. Place non stick baking paper in tray. Spread remaining 1 tbsp melted butter onto baking paper.
4. Place the fillet on single layer.
5. Pour the mixture evenly onto the fillet. Make sure to coat the sides of fillet with melted butter.
6. Generously spread crushed crackers on top.
7. To make the dish look prettier, you may sprinkle some paprika on top of the crackers.
8. Bake in preheated oven of 200C for about 15-20 minutes, or the flesh becomes flaky.
9. Serve while still warm.

sorry for the lousy pictures, hubby needed to go for work very soon

VERDICT:

Very beautiful flavours! All the ingredients blend so well. The skin is not rubbery and the flesh is very tender. Will definitely do this again. Most importantly, hubby is happy =) (But even more importantly, minimal cleaning!! Yeah!)