Fried black pomfret (炸黑鲳鱼)

In my opinion, black pomfret is best eaten fried, grilled or in curry. The flesh is not as fine as the silver pomfret therefore it is not very tasty when steamed. 

Black Pomfret is a salt water fish with low mercury levels. Like other pomfrets, it is high in vitamins A, B12, D & minerals like iron, zinc, iodine and selenium. Black Pomfret is a good source of protein and it doesn't have the high saturated fat. Thus Pomfret is good for eyesight and healthy hair and skin.

Frying the black pomfret

Wash and make a few slits across the body

Put the fish head downwards on a slanted board to let the water drain out.

It takes about 3 hours for the fish to “dry” which will reduce the amount of splatter when frying.

Remember to cover the fish while it is drying,

Grind some sea salt onto the fish about 30 minutes before frying.

Heat up the wok before adding the oil.

This will help prevent the fish sticking to the wok.

Put in enough oil to cover half the fish.

If you see the oil bubbling when you put in a chopstick, it means the oil is ready.

Put in the fish when the oil is smoking hot.

Turn the fish over when it can be moved easily in the wok.

Put some sweet thick soy sauce (kicap manis) on the serving platter.

Put a drizzle of the oil used to fry the fish over the kicap manis.

When the fish is done, transfer it to the prepared platter and serve immediately.

I still think the best way to enjoy the fried pomfret is to eat it with raw cabbage leaf and sambal belachan.

Put some sambal belachan on a piece of cabbage leaf.

Take a piece of fish.

Put the fish onto the cabbage leaf.

Yummy!!!

Bean curd and pork balls soup

This soup is packed with protein from the meat and bean curd. Most children like the chewy taste of the bean curd sticks.

 Bean curd sticks are made from the “skin” that forms on the surface of boiled soy milk. It is a low calorie, low sodium, cholesterol free, protein rich, easily digestible, and nutritious vegetable source of all essential amino acids. It has a meaty texture therefore is often used to replace meat in vegetarian cuisine. Bean curd is actually tasteless but is able to absorb the flavors and seasonings of any food with which it is cooked.

Ingredients

 4-5 pieces of bean curd sticks

200 gms minced pork

1 chicken stock cube

1 tsp corn flour

Dash of sesame oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Put the bean curd sticks into cold water

Soak the bean curd sticks until soft

Cut the bean curd sticks into bite size pieces

Add salt, pepper, sesame oil and a little corn flour to the minced pork and mix thoroughly

Shape the minced pork into little balls

Prepare the stock and drop the pork balls into the boiling stock

Add the softened bean curd sticks

Bring to the boil and then simmer for another 10 minutes

Add red dates during confinement

Bah kut teh (肉骨茶)

What is bah kut teh and what is so special about it? Literally translated the name means 'meat bone tea'. It is actually a soup cooked with pork bones and a variety of herbs which is supposed to provide nutrients for a healthy constitution. This Hokkien dish originated in Klang and it was breakfast for the coolies who loaded and unloaded boats along the river. In the old days it was called bah kut soup but a guy called Lee Boon Teh made it popular by serving tea with the dish. The tea is supposed to neutralize the fat so that it reduces the feeling of bloatedness. His regular customers started calling it bah kut Teh or Teh's bah kut and eventually became known more generally as bah kut teh ('teh' being the Hokkien pronunciation of the Chinese character for 'tea'). He started selling bah kut teh during World War II from a push cart under the bridge. After the bridge was bombed by the Japanese he moved his bah kut stall a few streets over and, eventually, into a shop house. In the sixties his son moved his father's business back 'home' under the bridge, to the corner shop where it still occupies. It is ideal for confinement because of all the herbs and especially if you add some extra dong kwai

 Ingredients

 Pork ribs because the bones will add taste to the soup

The meaty part of a pork leg. The fat gives the soup the oomph

About 5 pieces of dong kwai, 1 white and 1 brown garlic cloves

Nowadays there are many prepacked bah kut teh spices so try out the different brands until you find one that you like best. Each packet contains 2 sachets and how much you need, will depend on the amount you are cooking.

Put in the garlic, dong kwai and both sachets of the bah kut teh herb

Add 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp dark soya sauce and ½ tbsp light soya sauce. Cover and simmer.

Blanch the meat in boiling water to remove the scum

Throw away the dirty water and rinse all the pork pieces thoroughly to remove any scum that is stuck to it.  

Put the pork into the prepared soup and bring to boil then lower the heat and simmer for 3-4 hours until the meat is cooked.

Serve with cut red chilli in soya sauce, rice with fried shallots and yew char kueh

You can add other ingredients like pig stomach, mushrooms, quail's eggs etc

Stir fried broccoli with cauliflower and carrot

A lot of parents say that their children don’t like broccoli but this is an all-time favourite with the children that I looked after. Perhaps it is because I put these vegetables into their porridge when they were younger.

 Broccoli is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables such as cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale. The word “broccoli” is from the Italian word “broccolo”, which means “cabbage sprout” or “branch” for the cross-shaped stems, like mini trees.

Nutritionally, broccoli is high in vitamins C, K, and A, as well as folate and dietary fibre. It is also a good source of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and the vitamins B6 and E. In traditional Chinese medicine, broccoli is considered to have a cooling effect, and is used to benefit eye health especially conjunctivitis and near sightedness, promote strong bones, good digestion, repair skin damage & boost the immune system. Broccoli, like other cruciferous vegetables, is a rich source of the phytonutrients that help cleanse the body of cancer-causing substances. It is particularly beneficial for breast and uterine cancer, since it removes extra estrogen from the body.

Broccoli can be eaten cooked or raw. Boiling has been found to reduce the levels of anti-cancer compounds in broccoli. Steaming, stir-frying or eating raw preserves most of these compounds.

Ingredients

A small stalk of broccoli

A similar sized cauliflower

1 carrot

4 bacon rashers

Kewpie roasted sesame sauce

Cut the vegetables and bacon

Fry the bacon until almost crispy

Add the cauliflower first because it takes a little longer to cook

Next add the carrots and a little water

Cover for about 2 minute for the cauliflower and carrot to soften

Now add the broccoli and mix thoroughly

Make a space in the middle and add 1 tbsp kewpie roasted sesame sauce

Season with salt and pepper and a little more water

Put 2 tsp cornstarch powder into a bowl

Add water and mix (this is to slightly thicken the gravy)

Pour the cornstarch mixture into the vegetables and mix well

Add a little more water if the gravy is too thick

Dish up and serve 

When I was in Beijing I saw this purple cauliflower.

Thought I’ll give it a try and use it instead of the white cauliflower

Looks good but tastes awful