Key Lime Pie

Key Lime pie is a very refreshing dessert, is citrus and always served cool, so it really goes well after dinner dessert or tea break in the afternoon :)

This recipe was from Women's Weekly magazine.

preparation 20mins (Exclude 2hours refrigeration time)

Ingredients

• 150g wheat flake biscuits with crumbly texture (I used digestive biscuit)
• 80g unsalted butter, melt
• 4 egg yolks
• 400g sweetened condensed milk
• 1tbsp finely grated lime rind
• 125ml lime juice (fresh)
• 300ml thick whipped cream - optional

Method

1. Preheat oven 180c
2. Crush biscuits until fine, transfer to a bowl, stir in butter then press mixture over base and side of a 23cm pie plate.
3. Place plate in oven and bake for about 10mins or until brown lightly. Cool
4. Beat egg yolks in a small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. On low speed, add condensed milk, grated lime rind and lime juice.
5. Pour the mixture onto crust. Bake for 12mins or until just set. Cool to room temp, then refrigerate until required. Remove pie from from fridge 30mins before serve.
6. Cut into wedges. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Tip : to crush biscuits, place the in a Ziplock bag and pound with a rolling pin.

Spinach Soup

This is a healthy soup loaded with many nutritions and benefits, the main ingredients are green leafy Spinach which is rich in antioxidant and high in calcium.

There are many types of Spinach, this time round I bought China Spinach and they do not need to peel of the skin of the stalk so it is easier to prepare.

Spinach always goes well with Anchovy (ikan billis) and I had also used cube Anchovy broth to enhance the best taste.

Ingredients

• Spinach 220gm
• 1 Carrot cube
• Mince meat (preferably pork) 100gm
• Anchovy 50gm
• Tube Tofu - 1
• Cube Anchovy - 2pcs
• Wolfberries - A handful
• Water - 3 Cups

Seasoning of Mince meat

• Soya Sauce - 1.5 Tbsps
• Salt - A Pinch
• Cooking oil - 1 Tsp
• Pepper - Little
• Sesame oil - 1 Tsp

(Mixed all seasoning together with Mince meat for 1 hour)

Method

1. Heat water over medium-high in a soup pot, add carrots, Anchovy, wolfberries and cube broth and cook for 15mins
2. Bring to boil and add Spinach and seasoned meat for 15mins
3. Add tofu and simmer for 5mins
4. Served with white rice

Fried Nian Gao

Ingredients:

For every 100g nian gao - Buy during Chinese New Year
50g flour
1 egg
a pinch salt
oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Cut the nain gao into ½ cm slices. (I used a knife cut nian gao into thin slices).
2. Mix flour, egg, salt together and mix till smooth batter.
3. Heat oil to about 150°C
4. Dip the nian gao into the batter and fry over medium heat for 1 - 2 minutes until golden.
5. Drain on paper towels.

Drunken Prawns

Drunken prawns is a Cantonese dish and it is very easy to prepare.

The key to cook drunken prawns is to marinade the live prawns well with chinese wine but I substitute dead prawns with the live one although it wont be as delicious because I find it cruel to cook them alive.

Ingredients :

• Large Prawns 300g
• Gingers Sliced
• Sugar 1 Tbsp
• Chinese cooking wine 3 Tbsps
• Dried Scallops 2 big
• Tong Kwai a few
• Tong Sum 10g
• Wai San a few
• Wolfberries a handful
• Salt / Coriander
• Say Sauce 1 Tbsp

Boiling the chinese herbs

Method

1. Trim prawns and place prawns in deep bowl to season with wine, salt, gingers and soy sauce.
2. Soak dried scallops for at least 2 hours
3. Pour 500ml water and boil Tong Kwai, Tong Sum, Wai San and Wolfberries for about 20mins then pour in seasoned prawns and dried scallops and bring to simmering boil for another 10mins
4. Serve hot and garnish with Coriander.

Drunken Prawns

HapPy ChInEsE NeW yEaR Reunion Dinner

The reunion dinner is the eve of Lunar New year and is always draws all family members back home to eat dinner together, normally in the evening of the CNY eve's the streets will be quite quiet. This year my mum did most of the marketing for lunar New Year reunion dinner, so, my responsibility is to cook some nice dishes for her and myself.

As usual I worked half day during lunar New Year eve's. So, after work I took MRT to Serangoon and meet my Boyfriend Scott :) This is the 1st time I mentioned him in my blog as we were together for only 3 weeks, in future I believe there will be more to come.. cookies, cakes and food that I bake and cook for him, photos of places we travel together hehe :)

Okie, back to Reunion dinner, traditionally for chinese families they will have steamboat for dinner but for my family is only me and my mum, so is easier for us to cook a few dishes and soup. This year, I fry tomatoes prawns, steam lap cheong, fry vegetables with mushrooms and chicken soup.

My Set dinner and of coz of importantly it's serve with white rice :)

My Happy mum ready for dinner

My antique Sewing Machine

This Singer Sewing Machine was bought when I was about 19years old, is about 9years old and it cost $399, I used my 2 months savings to buy this..

Samantha's Sewing Machine :)

So, now and then when I am free during weekend I will draw paper pattern and sew somethings for myself :) this time I sew a tissue bag, I only use 3hours to do this.

Tissue Bag Paper Pattern

My Finished Work :D

My mum is using it now, I still got to make one more for Jessica, if not she will keep haunting me.. haha.. be patience Jess :)

Steam Herbal Chicken Wings

This is a very nutritious dish and is simple to prepare, steaming is the greatest cooking techniques, besides preserving its moist and also keep the chicken meat succulent and tender.This recipe was from my friend Jessica, but I do a bit of modify of the recipe ingredients, still it turn out not bad :) I realise after cooking a few herbal dishes and soup, nevertheless most of them are easy to cook and of cause you need to know which are the correct combination of chinese herbal, if not it will turn out funny taste..

Ingredients

• Chicken Wings 8 pcs, cut into parts
• Dang Shen 当参 - 3 small pcs
• Huai Shan 淮山 - 10gm
• Wolfberries 枸杞子 - 20gm
• Chun Gong 5gm- See picture above
• Hua Qing Wine 3 tbps
• Soy Sauce 3 tbps
• Oyster Sauce 2 tbps

Method

1. Season Chicken wings with all above ingredients in a dish for at lease 8hours
2. Cling wrap dish and leave it in the fridge
3. Remove cling wrap and cool off for awhile after season with 8hours
4. Boil water in the wok with the steam rack, when water is coming to boil place chicken wings dish and steam for at lease 30mins to 40mins, reduce heat if necessary.
5. Serve with hot rice