Stir-Fry Zucchini with Fresh Button Mushrooms

Zucchini has a delicate flavor and can be partially boiled, steamed or made into juice.  Besides, Zucchini can also be eaten raw, sliced or shredded in a cold salad. To get maximum benefit, don't forget to eat with the skin– it's edible! 

Zucchini not only offers delightful taste and texture to many dishes, but is packed with beneficial nutrients including Vitamins C and A, potassium, folate and fiber. It is said to decrease  the risk of stroke, reducing high blood pressure and lowering cholesterol. One cup of zucchini has 36 calories and 10% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.

 So, don't you think that you should  include Zucchini  in your diet?  Here's a simple stir-fry Zucchini dish and hope you like it. :)

However, before you start, do take note that in order to get rid of its bitterness, you should cut both ends off. Then, take the ends and rub them on the surface you cut them from with some salt. By rubbing both cut ends, it will get rid of the bitterness. Lastly, throw the ends and wash the white foam from the rubbings and you are ready to slice the Zucchini anyway you like.

Ingredients :

- 2 Zucchini (both ends cut and rubbed with salt.  Washed and sliced)

- 6 fresh button mushrooms (washed and cut)

- 2 tomatoes (washed and cut)

- 5 flavoured fish balls (washed and cut)

Seasoning :

- Garlic (peeled and minced)

- Salt and soy sauce (to taste)

- 1 tsp of Chinese cooking wine (Shao Hsing Wine)

-Cooking oil

Method :

1)  Heat some oil in a wok.  Saute garlic until fragrant.

2)  Add all ingredients into the wok and stir fry until cooked.

3)  Season with salt and soy sauce.  Lastly, drizzle the cooking wine and give it a quick stir.

4)  Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

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Bee Hoon (Rice vermicelli) Chicken Soup

It was raining in the morning and I was thinking of a hot soup dish to prepare for the family. Lazy to go to the market and I just cooked whatever I could find in my fridge. Fortunately, this Bee Hoon Chicken Soup still turned out quite delicious as I just dumped whatever I could find in my fridge.

Ingredients :


- 1/2 chicken (cleaned and chopped into big chunks)

- 5 dried shitake mushrooms (washed, soaked until soft and cut)
- 1 small Chinese long cabbage (washed and cut)
- 4 pieces of fried beancurd sheets (washed and cut)
- 8 pieces of tofu puff (washed and cut)
- 1 thumbsized ginger (washed and smashed)
- water (enough to boil the chicken soup)
- salt (to taste)
- 1 packet of rice vermicelli (washed, blanched and drained)

Method :

1) Boil the water with mushroom and ginger in a medium-sized pot.

2) Put the chicken in when the water is boiled. Let the soup boiled for another 10 minutes, then simmer for about 40 minutes.

3) Next, add tofu puff, bean curd sheet and long cabbage. Boil for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked. Add salt to taste.

4) Divide blanched rice vermicelli to serving bowls and ladle the soup over it. 
5) Garnish with fried onion garlic oil and chopped spring onions. Serve with sliced chilli padi with light soy sauce. (Too bad, I don't have these 2 items on that day. Otherwise, the dish would be so much better. You can add it if you like as I just made do with whatever I have).

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Marital Humour

They say that marriage makes a man dizzy, and it's true.
As soon as I got a wife, I lost my balance at the bank.

Men want 3 qualities in wives: Economist in kitchen, artist in home & devil in bed.
But they get artist in kitchen, devil in home & economist in Bed.

Q: Why do women live longer than men?
A: Shopping never causes heart attacks, but paying the bill does!

Before marriage: Roses are red, sky is blue. U r beautiful, I luv u.
After marriage: Roses are dead, I'm blue. U r my headache, one day I'll kill u.
Getting married is very much like going to a restaurant with friends.
You order what you want, and then when you see what the other person has, you wish you had ordered that.

Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr : married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr : No, but the thought of long life will never come.

Why do couples hold hands during their wedding?
It's a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!

Wife: Darling, today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.
What did the gangster's son tell his dad when he failed his examination?
'Dad, they questioned me for 3 hours, but I never told them anything!!'

What's the difference between people who pray in church and those who pray in casinos?
The ones in the casinos are serious.

When I was young I used to pray for a bike,
then I realized that God doesn't work that way,
so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.

A little boy went up to his father and asked :
'Dad, where did all of my intelligence come from?'
His father replied:
'Well, son, you must have gotten it from your mother, because I still have mine.'

Jimmy's teacher sent a note home to his mother, saying : 'Jimmy seems to be a very bright boy, but spends too much of his time thinking about girls.'
The mother wrote back the next day: 'If you find a solution, please advise. I have the same problem with his father!'

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The Knothole

A little old lady was walking down the street dragging two large plastic garbage bags behind her. One of the bags was ripped and every once in a while a $20 fell out onto the sidewalk.
Noticing this, a policeman stopped her, and said, "Ma'am, there are $20 bills falling out of that bag."
"Oh, really? Darn it!" said the little old lady. "I'd better go back and see if I can find them. Thanks for telling me officer."
"Well, now, not so fast," said the cop. "Where did you get all that money? You didn't steal it, did you?"
"Oh, no, no," said the old lady. "You see, my back yard is right next to a Golf course. A lot of Golfers come and pee through a knot hole in my fence, right into my flower Garden. It used to really tick me off. Kills the flowers, you know. Then I thought, 'why not make the best of it?' So, now, I stand behind the fence by the knot hole, real quiet, with my hedge clippers. Every time some guy sticks his thing through my fence, I surprise him, grab hold of it and say, 'O.K., buddy! Give me $20, or off it comes.'"
"Well, that seems only fair," said the cop, laughing. "OK. Good luck! Oh, by the way, what's in the other bag?"
"Not everybody pays."

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Baked Beans with Scrambled Eggs and Potatoes (Meatless Recipe)

First of all, my sincere apologies for my long silence and absence as I have been extremely busy since late last year.  To keep it simple and to start off my 1st recipe post in 2013, here is a very simple and yet nutritious dish for you and your family.  Hope you like it.. :)

My girls like baked beans very much.  Sometimes I would just cook it with scrambled eggs and we would have it with rice or bread for breakfast.  For this recipe, I have added chinese leeks to the scrambled eggs and potatoes too.  Do give this a try and let me know whether you and  your loved ones like it or not.

Ingredients :

- 1 can of baked beans (I prefer TST brand)

- 1 stalk of chinese leeks (washed and sliced)

- 2 potatoes (peeled and cubed)

- 6 eggs (mixed with a pinch of salt)

- Salt and soy sauce (to taste)

- Cooking oil 

Method :

1)  Heat a wok with some oil and fry cubed potatoes till soft.  Dish out and put aside.

2)  In the same wok, heat some oil.  Give the chinese leeks a quick stir and add in the beaten eggs.  Fry until the eggs have set.

3)  Then, add the cooked potatoes and baked beans to the scrambled eggs.  Mix well.

4) If too dry, add some water.

5) Add salt and soy sauce to taste.

6) Dish out and serve with rice or bread.

Hope you like this simple dish. It is excellent for breakfast!

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Why I said YES

A woodcutter, while cutting trees dropped his axe into the river. But God was gracious and went into the water and reappeared with a silver axe. The Lord asked: Is this your axe?" "No," the woodcutter replied. The Lord again went down and came up with a golden axe. "Is this your axe?" Again, the woodcutter replied: "No." The Lord went down again and came up with an iron axe. "Is this your axe?" The woodcutter replied: "Yes." The Lord was pleased with the man's honesty and gave him all three axes to keep. The woodcutter went home happily. One week later, while helping him chop wood, his wife fell into the river. The Lord was gracious and went down into the water and came up with Christy Chung. "Is this your wife?" the Lord asked. "Yes!" cried the woodcutter. The Lord was angry: "I'm disappointed with you. Your told a lie!" "God, let me explain," the woodcutter pleaded. "You see, if I said 'no' to Christy Chung, you would come up with someone like Jennifer Lopez. Then if I also said 'no' to her, you would come up with my wife, and I would say 'yes', and then all three would be given to me. But Lord, I am a poor man and I will not be able to take care of all three wives. So that's why I said yes this time."

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Braised Chicken with Beet

Beet has many benefits.  It is delicious and nutritious when make it into juice.  To know more about its benefits, go to Beetroot + Grape Juice.

Beet can be braised with meat or also make it into soup.  The gravy or the soup itself is very delicious..  Here, I have chicken braised with beet.  Do give it a try and you will love it ^_^

Ingredients : (no exact measurement)

- 1/2 chicken (cut into bite sized and blanched)

- 1/2 beet (peeled and cut)

- 2 tomatoes

- 2 carrots

- 1 big onion (cut into chunks)

- 1 whole garlic (lightly crushed)

- 1 thumb sized garlic (crushed)

- 1 star anise

Seasonings :

- salt

- 6 white peppercorns (crushed)

Method :

1)  Add all ingredients into a medium-sized pot.

2)  Add enough water to cover all the ingredients. (To make soup, just add more water).

3)  When boiled, add seasonings and simmer until chicken is soft and tender. 

4)  Serve hot.

The gravy itself is already very yummylicious!!

This dish is simple and when you are busy, just dump everything into the pot and simmer it.  When I have no time to cook, this will be my one dish pot!  My children like to 'banjir' (mix lots of gravy with rice) their rice with the gravy...  Isn't it easy peasy??

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Braised Chicken with Fresh Huai Shan (鲜淮山)

  

Wild Yam or Huai Shan (淮山) is a chinese herb which is sweet and has neutral properties. It is used for treating the kidney, lung and spleen.  Chinese sinsehs also use it to promote urination, lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, antibiotic, anti aging and improves digestive system. 



Ingredients :

- half chicken (washed and cut into bite sized)

- 1 stick of fresh huai shan (washed, peeled, cut)

- 2 carrots (peeled and cut)

- garlic (crushed)

- ginger (crushed)

- 1 small cinnamon stick

cooking oil

Seasonings :

- salt

-caramelized sauce

- soy sauce

water

Method :

1)  Heat oil in a wok and fry garlic and ginger until fragrant.

2) Add chicken, huai shan, cinnamon stick and carrot.  Stir fry for a while.  Add enough water to cover the chicken if you like more gravy. Otherwise, less water will do.   

3)  Add seasonings and mix well.  

4)  Cover and let it simmer until the chicken is soft and tender or until the gravy is thickened.

5)  If you like, drizzle some rice wine and serve hot.

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Pan Fried Salmon with Fennel and Coriander Powder

This is a simple pan fried salmon fish with fennel and coriander powder as I wanted to have a try with these 2 spices and see what it taste like. Well. frankly speaking, I think I still prefer Simple Pan Fried Salmom with Dried Basil. Overall, it is still not bad lah if served with some lemon juice, :)

Should you want to give this a try, here is the recipe. Who knows maybe you like it?  Do let me know whether you like or not; if you ever give this a try ^_^

Ingredients : (No exact measurement) 
- 2 pcs of salmon fillet (washed and marinated with seasonings)
- 1 thumbsized of ginger (washed and crushed)
- 1 tsp of butter

Seasonings : (mixed) 
- 1/2 tsp of fennel powder
- 1/2 tsp of coriander powder
- salt
- pepper

- soy sauce (before dish out)

 

Method :

1) Melt the butter in a wok or pan. (I used HappyCall pan).

2) Add ginger and pan fry both sides of the marinated salmon fillets until fragrant.

3) Drizzle some soy sauce before dish out.

Serve with some lemon juice on top of the cooked salmon. Hope you like it :)

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Simple Stir Fried Purple Cabbage

I apologised for my absence of new posts as I have been quite busy lately. Before I disappeared again for year-end holidays, here is a simple homey dish for all my dear followers :)

Purple cabbage, also known as red cabbage, is relatively high in nutrients and vitamins. It is high in fiber, potassium, Vitamin A and C. As such, it is an ideal choice for dieters. It is also common in salads, coleslaw, braised dishes and pickled treats.

Raw purple cabbage is often tossed into salads and when cooked, adding lemon juice preserves its purple color.

Ingredients : (no exact measurement, according to taste)
- Half medium-sized purple cabbage (washed and cut)
- 1 1/2 tbsp of dried shrimps (washed and chopped)
- garlic (washed and crushed)
- salt
- cooking oil
- water

Method :
1) Heat oil in a wok and lightly fry garlic and dried shrimps until fragrant.
2) Add cabbage and stir. If too dry, add some water.
3) Cover and let it simmer until cabbage is soft.

4) Add salt to taste and dish out. 

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Be Thankful

There was a man who loved his wife very much. The couple had 3 children. He would give her everything he could but the woman never appreciated. Though the man was not rich, but he would share all he had with her.

He would buy  clothes for her and the only thing his wife would say was that the husband was fulfilling his duty as a Man.  The man would buy a dress but in reply, the woman would mock at him, because the dress was of low quality.  The man would smile at his wife and tell her, "one day, I will be rich and I will buy for you all the expensive things you need."
The woman would never make any phone call unless she was requesting anything from her husband and once her request was not granted, all she could do was to quarrel for days, sometimes fight.

One evening, the man was coming home from work. He bought a kilogram of meat.  Happily,  the poor man was expecting to surprise his wife. He reached home and showed her the package.  Then she shouted: "Eh! You call yourself a man? Which husband, apart from you, do you think comes home with just one kilograme, but no cooking oil, no any other ingredients? You better leave it, you are a good-for-nothing husband."

Then she threw the meat to the bush.  The husband felt low but he never let down his love for her.

One day, the husband felt pain in his left foot. He found a tumor appeared on the foot, it was  growing big and  painful.  He went to the hospital after several months of pain and was told he had cancer. He was poor to have a better medical treatment.  Though he was sick, he tried as much as he could to provide for his family.

Two years later, the condition worsened and he was admitted to the hospital and his foot was removed.  Unfortunately,  most part of his body was already affected.

At last he called his wife and told her, "LOOK AFTER MY CHILDREN, I feel I can't live any longer though I'll always be with you in spirit, may God be with you"

He then breathed his last and died.
The woman and three children cried days.
Two months later, the wife was bowing down on her husbands grave as she said these words:
"My love, you did all the best for me, you treated me well and gave me all you could, but all I could pay you, was endless quarrels and fights.  I never realised your importance and your love until  you are gone.

I remember  I threw your one kilogram of meat, but now I have nowhere to get even half a kilo.

'THE GOOD DIE YOUNG'.  That's why you died when you were still young.  A husband whom I could mock at, but you only smiled at me. The husband who could care and had unending love.
I know you are listening to me and I ask you to forgive me for not appreciating all you did for me when you were alived.

We are all missing your presence as your youngest daughter Diana is always crying and asking when you'll be back.
But you will never leave our hearts
until we join you.  May you Rest in Eternal Peace."

Moral of the story:
* Always appreciate what you are given, whether small or big.
* Love is not all about how much we have,
but it's all about how we share the little we have.