Chinese Ghost Festival.

Well, I'm going to place this post in so that i know what to do for the next year, Chinese ghost festival.

When for those who don't know about this festival, it is say that on this day (based on the chinese calendar), 15th day of 7th month, is the day where the ghost will be release through "The Gate" and come to earth.

Chinese believe that it could be pretty dangerous when this provoked this being. I didn't know the true story behind this festival. i'll find it when i have the time. So let's begin.

On the 2nd weekend of the 7th month (usually fall on the August on the English calendar),

it is the day when we pray to our ancestor and the those poor soul that has no place to go back to.

So here is the list of food items (starting from the 1st row, left to right) -

• 1/2 roasted duck
• 1/2 roasted chicken
• 1/2 roasted Pork belly
• 5 X "Ang Gu Kuek" (Sweet)
• 5 X "Ang Gu Kuek" (Salted)
• 5 X "Tau Sa Bao"
• 2 X Nonya dumpling (minced meat filling, white skin)
• 2 X "Ba-Za" (Pork meat filling, chestnut, brown skin)
• 2 X Deep-fried yam
• 300g Prawn (Stir-fry in butter and pinch of sugar)
• 5 X Tou-Fu
• 1 X "Fa-Gao"
• 4 X bowl of rice.

Earlying the morning, you will have to fry the bean-curds (Tou-Fu), cook the rice, deep-fry the yam, stir-fry the prawns and lastly brew a pot of tea. The pot of tea will be place in the special cups and place it in front of the ancestor as well as any God that you worship. 3 joss stick for God and 2 for your ancestor. With that, you have end the 1st part of the festival.

These foods that we have prepared is for the ancestor. There is one more for the the homeless soul in the afternoon. here is how it look like.  -

 

The list of the food item goes like this but, based on my mum, it can be random sometime so therefore i'll not list in.

This arrangement will be place near the main door or window. this food is prepared for the homeless soul. My mum call it the "Can-offering" meaning that most of the thing used here are can-packed.

So around late evening, you can invite your friend and relative to come up to your house and enjoy the feast. With that, i'll end here. Good day.

Banana & Passion Fruit Souffle

Since a while i wrote in here.

Banana & Passion Fruit Souffle.

A easy dessert by one of my fav. Chef, Gordon Ramsay.

Dead simple to make: and on top of that it is fun. Couple listen up.

For the creme patissiere base
150ml milk
100ml double cream
50g caster sugar
1 tbs plain flour
1/2 tbs cornflour
3 large egg yolks

For the souffle
About 20g butter, melted, for brushing
50g caster sugar, plus extra to dust

4 ripe passion fruit
1 banana, about 100g
Squeeze of lemon juice
3 large egg whites
Icing sugar, to dust

All you have to do, it to watch that video. 3 time at least ! and cross your finger and pray.
Best of luck.

Second Shot : D

Yesterday, 1st time making " Shrimp Scampi". I forget to scale down the portion for lemon juice, pasta water and white wine. The outcome of that. Rubbish.

So to i try again. this time i scale down everything. the outcome was outstanding. nice, wet and hot.

So let's not wait anymore, " Shrimp Scampi" from "Mad Hungry"

Serve 1

Preparation

80g pasta of your choice.
coarse salt, or any salt you prefer.
olive oil
150g shrimp, shelled and deveined.
1 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp lemon juice
lemon zest of 1 lemon
2 tsp fresh chopped parsley leaves
2 tsp white wine
4 tsp pasta water.

Method
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and a generous pinch of salt and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 4 tsp pasta water.

Meanwhite, heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add 1 tbs of oil and swirl it to coat the pan. Add the shrimp in a single later. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. After 2 minutes, turn the shrimp over; add another 1 tbs oil with, the garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 1-2 minutes, regulating the heat to avoid burning the garlic.

Add the lemon zest and white wine to the shrimp. Stir to reduce the wine slightly. Add the lemon juice, cooked pasta, and reserved pasta water to the pan. Toss to combine. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and extra red pepper flakes on each serving.

Red Pepper Flakes. Dead Simple.

Preparation
65 cents dried red chilli, cut away the stem and slice open to throw the seeds away.

*you don't have to throw all just some so that your flakes will not be too hot.

Method
Place all of them into the blender and blitz. You will see the pizza hut chilli bottle soon.

Mum's secret

2 beautiful dishes were created some time back. So let's begin to track back !

Stir-fry pork in Spring onion.

The most original dish that my mum has ever prepare. A simple marinating and a short cooking time are all this dish need.

Preparation
Slice the onion
Cut the the spring onion to about 4-5 cm, chop some of the spring onion finely.
Cut the 'yao' pork aka ("waist meat") thin slices (depend on your liking).
Marinate the pork with cornflour, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and white pepper.

*by putting in cornflour, it will bring up the texture of the pork itself, adding it the "Q" texture.

Method
Put the hot pan on medium heat, add in olive oil and onion for about 2-3 min. add in the marinated pork and cook for 2-3 min, adding in a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a pinch of sugar. cover with lid for about 2 min. lift up the lid you should be able to see your pork has a little starchy sauce at the bottom (if there isn't, you can add a tablespoon of water). Add in the spring onion. cover up the lid again for 2 min. Serve hot with white rice.

Shrimp Mix with sweet potato leaves.

A dish that you commonly see people ordering when they are eating cze char.

Preparation
Wash and check the leaves of the sweet potato. look out for black spot and any bite hole done by the worm. Tear the center portion of the leave, keep it. Break the "head" of the leave and tear the vibe around the stem, throw it away. Do so for all the stem, Chopped the rest of the stem into 4-5 cm.
Using a pestle and mortar, place in the shrimp, garlic and shallot, pound it to form a paste.

Method
Put the hot pan on medium heat, add in olive oil and shrimp mix until you smell that sweet pungent smell. Add in the potato leaves cover with lid until the leaves are soft. Add chilli as desired and a pinch of sugar to lift up the taste and bring it to another level. Serve hot.

Making the prefect omelette

So here are the tip for making omelette, people always think that it is kinda of hard. it is not.

• Alway season at the end. Never put the salt early becuase what it does to the egg is that it turn it too watery, we don't want that.
• Never whisk it in the bowl, whisk it in the pan, on low heat. The trick here is to take it off the heat, take on the heat, take it off the heat and place it back. when the egg star to kinda of take into shape, you don't have to place it back on the pan.
• Once you are happy with the state of the egg, stop the cooking by putting in a tablespoon of creme frachie.
• place in some chives or spring onion to bring the omelette to a new level.
• Season and taste.
• Serve it hot.

*Going for UO training. 3 days 2 Nights, just want to let you know. I miss you.

A new beginning.

I was unsure of what i want. Today, dear jewelry give me a whole list of her problem. How can i, as a boyfriend, help her. Ideas starts to form in my mind. Make a wild guess what came to my mind.

I learn that if i want to be a chef, i have to start from somewhere I'm familiar. i forget the most important person that has been there all this time, preparing my meal. Dear Mum. So that's where i'll start. Learning from my mum, every single thing.

Good Lucks.

Lesson 1

My girlfriend suggest that i can start a blog by writing down what i learn from my mum everyday.

So here we are.

What is on today menu is from the book, "the pasta book" by Williams Sonoma. We are making chinese "Siaw Mai".

So here are the tips i gather from that dear old lady in my family.

• Use water chestnut(just a few will do), they will bring the freshness and sweetness of seafood to a whole new height.
• For the skin for Chinese "Siaw Mai", it has to be homemade, the one that is from the supermarket are way too thick for steaming.
• I know my mum a little better. she can't really eat bamboo shoot because of her gastric problem.

So beside that, i also try to make a sweet potato rosti. (i don't know why but the rosti taste horrible.)

• Once the sweet potato is bring cut/grate, it turn dark really quickly, so what you need to do i put pinch of salt into it.

I went to this place known as Sia Huat, where all kinda of kitchenware can be found. I wanted to look for some ramekins and as well as mandolin. the price for a mandolin can be up to $200. i think i need to ask someone to get it for me.

People who loved to cook will sure like this place.