My Cooking Journal 25 - Stir Fry Salt And Pepper Prawns

As a Prawn lover, I enjoy the firm texture and natural sweetness of this ocean creature. It makes me mouth watering and tempting when served in any style. Prawns are well known for its high cholesterol contents. You need to watch your diet and avoid eating too much deep fried prawn as deep frying foods contain higher cholesterol levels (due to saturated fat). It should be alright if you consume in moderation and have them in steam or grill style for health benefit effects. Here is some basic nutrition that prawns can provide for our body. 

Prawns are low in saturated fat and calories and with good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.  It contains vitamin B3 and B12 and good source of minerals such as iodine, potassium, phosphorous, selenium, iron, sodium, calcium and magnesium.

Its complete supply of protein will assist in maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails. By eating a portion of prawns will provide 50% of the daily protein needed in our body. Prawns rich in Vitamin B3, B12 and iron (copper) aid the production of red blood cells in our body and prevent anemia and symptoms of weakness and fatigue.  It also helps to maintain a healthy thyroid through its supply of copper.

Minerals like phosphorous, calcium and magnesium in prawns will work together to give us stronger bones and teeth and a relaxing nerves and muscles too.

Prawns provide significant amount of Omega-3 fatty acids benefits our mental health and reduce risk in depression as well as stroke and heart disease.  It also contains selenium (antioxidant) that will help to fight against certain form of cancer and ease the symptom of arthritis by reducing the inflammation in the body. 

Buy and Store:

You can purchase prawn from local supermarkets or wet markets. When selecting prawn, choose those with shinny and firm shells. Just ensure that the shells are not broken, not in slippery texture and not with loose or missing heads. The eye should look shiny, intact and not distorted . If there's any sign of discolouration and odour smell, it is likely to turn bad soon.

It is best to cook after purchase or within three days of purchase. Refrigerated it in the freezer compartment  for up to 5-7 days can still be good. You can used back the orignal packaging or transfer it to a plastic container prior storing it in the freezer compartment.

Ingredients:

1. 10 Medium Prawns
2. 2-3 stalk Spring Onions - Wash & Cut into 2 inch length
3. 2-3 stems Curry Leave  - Wash, remove leave from stem and cut the stem into 2 inch length
4. 4-5 slice Ginger
5. 1 clove Garlic - skin peel and mince
6. 1 Red Chiller - Wash, Deseed, Cut into thin slice (3 to 4 Chilli Padi is prefer)
7. 2 tablespoon Corn Flour
8. 1/2 teaspoon Ground White/Black Pepper - crushed
9. 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
10. 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
11. 2 tablespoon Martell (Hard Liquor)

My Cooking Journal 24 - Stir Fry Broccoli and Cauliflower with Fish Cake

Broccoli belongs to the cruciferous family of vegetables which includes relatives such as cabbage, cauliflower, turnips, bok choy etc. With its high nutrition properties, it is recommended to consume regularly. 

This vegetable is low in calories and packed with Vitamin such as C (high level), A (high level), B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic acid), B6, B9 (Folate). Its also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, dietary fibre, potassium and zinc.

Vitamin C helps the body to absorb iron, eases symptoms of common cold, boost immune system and repair body tissue. And with the presence of sulphur and amino acids in Broccoli, it has become a good detoxifier that will help to purify our blood, remove free radicals and toxins from your body, combat problems such as skin disease, rashes, arthritis, rheumatism etc.

Vitamin A (mostly beta-carotene) helps to maintain good eyesight and prevent cataracts. It also helps to balance the Vitamin D metabolism in our body and boost our immunity with the assistance of others vitamins and minerals such as copper, zinc, phosphorous etc.

With the presence of Vitamin C, B and A, it helps us to maintain healthy skin and hair and revives our skin tissues. Folate (B9) is good for woman in sustaining growth of normal tissue, prevent birth defects. Broccoli being rich in Calcium assists us to build strong bone and teeth and prevent osteoporosis.

It is definitely a great food for weight watcher as it is low in calories and high in fiber. It helps to prevent constipation problems and maintain good digestive system. Beside this, its rich in fiber, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids along with chromium (mineral) help to regulate blood pressure and reduce blood cholesterol levels, this in turn will help us to maintain a healthy heart.

Last but not least, one impressive characteristic of Broccoli is it helps to fight against cancer. It contains phytochemicals (anit-carcinogens) which includes indoles and isothiocynates also called suolforaphase that helps to promotes good enzymes to fight against cancer like breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer etc.  

Buy, Storage and Preparation:

You can purchase broccoli from local supermarkets or wet markets. Before purchase, choose those that are firm, greenish or purple-green in colour and compacts with florets. Make sure the broccoli is unwilted, no yellow/brown spots on stalks/forets and no yellow flowering as this is a sign of maturity.

It is best to cook after purchase or within three days of purchase. Refrigerated it for up to 5-7 days can still be good. To maintain it freshness, wrap in paper towels or newspaper, then place it in a plastic bag and refrigerate it. 

If happens that you decided not to cook it after washing and trimming of the broccoli, just store them in a air-tight container and keep it in refrigerator for up to 3 days.  It can still maintain it freshness.

Preparation (Broccoli or Cauliflower):

Cut the flowerets into quarters or halves to achieve even size for ease of stir frying. Peel the stem and slice stems diagonally to 1/2 inch length . Wash thoroughly in water and drain.

Ingredients:

1. 100g Broccoli - Refer above for preparation
2. 100g Cauliflower - Refer above for preparation (same method as broccoli)
3. 50g Red Capsicium - Optional (I used up my remaining portion)
4. 1 piece Fish Cake - Cut into thin slice
5. 3 slices Ginger
6. 1 clove Garlic - skin peel and mince
7. 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce - mixed with 1 tablespoon water
8. 1 teaspoon Corn Flour - for sauce thickening
9. 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
10. Pinch of Pepper, Sea Salt and Sugar
11. 1/4 cup Water

 

My Cooking Journal 23 - Spinach Soup with Meat Ball and Silver Fish

One afternoon, I was at an eating house along Joo Chiat Road enjoying their famous delicacy that is the curry fish head with two others dishes to accomplish a satisfying lunch. One of the side dish that we ordered was this spinach soup with silver fish. I really fell in love with this spinach soup because of its refreshing and flavourful taste. It is a simple soup comprises of spinach, silver fish, mince pork and some shallots to enhance the flavour of the soup. I think it would be easy to cook and decided to copy their version using my own cooking instinct.

 

Well, the result was satisfying and I started to cook this soup for my family occasionally. It is a simple, hearty and nutritious soup embrace with high volume of calcium as I used ingredients like ikan bilis, spinach and silver fish which contain significant amount of calcium for our body. You may refer to My Cooking Journal 9 to find out more on the benefits of spinach and I hope you will enjoy this soup as much as I do.   

My Ingredients:

1.      1 pack (200g) Spinach – Wash and trim (Refer to my Cooking Journal 9 for preparing spinach)

2.      200g Ikan Bilis - (Stock) Wash and rinse

3.      100g to 200g minced pork – Rinse, marinate and roll into balls

4.      50g – Dry Silver fish - Rinse

5.      3 slices Ginger

6.      2 - 3 cloves Garlic – Deskin and cut into slice

7.      3 cloves shallot – Deskin and cut into slice

8.      1 teaspoon sesame oil – for marinate

9.      1 teaspoon fish sauce  - for marinate

10.  Pinch of corn flour – for marinate

11.  pinch of pepper, salt and sugar – for marinate and to taste 

12.  1 tablespoon olive oil

13.  1.6 litre Water (enough to serve 2-3 person)

14.  Fried shallot and diced spring onions (for garnish)

My Cooking Journal 22 - Herbal Chicken Slow Cook Soup

Oh my God! My "part-time lover" (laptop) really give me lots of problem lately, kind of frustrating coz I have difficulty browsing internet and my lover just “hang” himself whenever he likes it.  

Oh no! I gonna need some Chicken herbals soup to strengthen and tonify my brain and body. To me, its kind of painful and irritable when comes to tackle computer problem. My hubby had helped me to reformat the entire system but problems still occur inevitably.

Talking about Chinese Chicken herbals soup, it is one of the best soups that will help those with weak body constitution to strengthen and tonify their body system. Of course it must be used with right proportion of herbs and ingredients. Otherwise, overdosing or under dosing of the herbs will not benefit your health and the former will cause harm to you. It is also crucial on the type of pots that you use to brew the soup. Claypots or ceramic pots are best for brewing soups. Stainless steel pot can be used but not on metal or aluminium pots. Some herbs might react with the metal pot therefore; reduce the effectiveness of the herbs and your effort will be wasted.

My Ingredients:

The dry ingredients that I used can be easily obtained from any Chinese Medical hall and some common one like red dates, dry mushroom, wolfberries can be easily purchased at any supermarket.  Here are some basic introductions of the ingredients/herbs that are used for my Chicken Soup:

Chicken meats are rich in proteins, fats, Vitamin A, B, C and D. However, it is important to remove any excess skin before cooking to reduce the fats and cholesterol contents will give you a clear and less oily soup base. It is preferably to use kampong chicken as it is less fatty and using whole chicken will also retain its rich flavour and moisture at tip top quality.

Dry Scallops (乾瑤柱):  contains vitamin B12, Magnesium, Selenium, Protein, Fat, Calories. It is often use to add flavour and sweetness to the soup and is good for improving your immunity.   

Dry Chinese Mushrooms (Shiitake): High in protein, low in fat, Vitamin B2, help to treat cold, flu, stimulate immune system, fight against infection and suppress cancer cells spreading. It is also good for adding flavour to your soup. 

Dry Huai Shan (淮山) also known as Chinese Wild Yam or Shan Yao (山药):  Has neutral property. It helps to nourish the spleen and stomach and strengthen the kidneys and lung. It has the ability to lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, promote fluid secretion and clear urine protein, stops diarrhea, cure cough and reduce phlegm and thirst and can be used to strengthen those with weak body constitution.

Dry Yu Zhu (玉竹): With cooling effect that helps to tonify yin, boost internal fluids level, balance heatiness, contains Vitamin A which is good for skin as it helps to moisten skin dryness, ability to nourish your dry lung and strengthen your stomach, relieve dry cough, dry throat and thirst. But people who have loose stools, spleen deficiency, stomach deficiency, phlegm stagnation is not suitable and is best to consult your physician before consume.

American Ginseng (西洋参) : It tastes bitter and has cooling effect that is capable to promote production of body fluids, reduce heat in the body, moisten the lung and boost the body’s collagen levels. It also can reduce dry and thirsty mouth and throat, boost energy (reduce fatigue) and boost immune system, relieve menopause symptom for woman, regulates blood sugar level and effective for treating diabetes, calm the brain, boost the heart. It helps to harmonize your entire body system and maintain healthy function of spleen, stomach, heart, brain and nervous system. Avoid taking carrot, radish and tea if you are taking American Ginseng. This will reduce the effectiveness of the herb.

Chinese Almonds (杏仁) : They are two types often known as Southern (南杏) and Northern (北杏) Chinese almonds.  The former is larger in size and sweeter whereas the latter is more aromatic and bitter.  Northern is more beneficial than southern and is often used in soup to smooth inflammation in lungs, treat cough, calm wheezing, moisten intestines and unblocks bowels. It is effective for clearing the airways in lung and smooth breathing.  

Red dates (红枣) : It is rich in Vitamin A, B2, C and E, minerals such as phosphorus, calcium and iron. It helps to reinforce the blood-building function of heart, strengthen body immune system and is often use as a sweetener in the soup.

Wolfberries (枸杞子) : It contains essential amino acids, vitamin C and B2, iron, potassium, zinc, selenium, phosphorous, calcium and germanium and also with small amount of vitamin E, dietary fiber and proteins. Is good for curing giddiness, cough, thirst and reduce heat in the body. It can tonify your kidney and liver, nourish your lung and improve vision. With the sweet taste, it is often use as a sweetener in the soup.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Kampong Chicken (whole)
2. 4 pieces Medium Dry Scallop
3. 3 pieces Dry Mushroom
4. 4 slices Dry Huai Shan
5. 20g Dry Yu Zhu
6. 2 slices Ginger
7. 2 tablespoon American Ginseng
8. 1 tablespoon Wolfberries
9. 6 pieces Red Dates
10. 1.6 litres of water

My Cooking Journal 21 - Chinese Style Stir Fry Asparagus With Fresh Squid

Thinking of what kind of well-balanced nutritional veggies to prepare for your kids? Try cooking asparagus which is really a wise choice for all ages and great benefits to weight watchers as asparagus is low in sodium, calories and no cholesterol or fat.

Asparagus is well loaded with fiber, folate, vitamin A, B6, C, K, thiamin and minerals such as phosphorous, selenium, potassium, iron, copper, calcium, manganese and magnesium. This herbaceous plant is also well rich in glutathione that act as a body detoxifyier, super antioxident and immune systems booster.

In all,  the antioxidents present in asparagus helps protect our body from growth of cancerous cells. The vitamins and minerals contents will help to regulate blood sugar level, lower blood pressure, prevent kidney stones and urinary tract infections, enhance growth of immune cells and red blood cells, strengthen capillary walls, neutralize free radicals, reduce aging process and helps to maintain healthy skins and bones.

It is a leading Folic Acid's supplier among any others vegetables (provide 60% of the recommended daily allowance). As Folic acid is well known for helping your body to produce and maintain new blood cells, preventing cause of cancer and helps our brain to fight against cognitive decline. It is specially important for pregant woman in preventing of neural tube defects.

Buy, Selection and Storage:

Asparagus can be thick or thin and comes in three colours: white, green and purple. Usually green is commonly found in local supermarkets or wet markets. For stir fry purpose, I prefer to choose thick asparagus. Choose those that is straight, firm, uniformly sized spears with closed tips and not dried up. It is best to use it within two or three days of purchase. Otherwise you can wrap it up in paper towels or newspaper and stored in refrigerator for up to 5 days.

If you have wash and cut into pieces and decided not to cook instantly, just pat try and store them in a air-tight container and use within 2  or 3 days for best quality. Storing in the air tight container can still maintain it freshness.

Preparation:

Cut off the tough end of the stem and discard. Wash thoroughly, then use a vegetable peeler to deskin the asparagus stem all the way through the lower part. Do not deskin the top part with "leaves". Cut stalks diagonally of about 2 inches length.   

Ingredients:

1. 3 to 4 stalks Asparagus - See above for preparation
2. 1 piece Squid - Wash, remove membrane, vein, eyes and cut into rectangle slices with diagonal pattern on surface. (refer my cooking journal 4 - method no. 1 if you want to find out how to process the squid) 
3. 1 tablespoon olive oil
4. 3 cloves garlic - skin peel and sliced
5. 3 slices of ginger
6. 1 teaspoon sesame oil - for marinate of squid
7. 1 teaspoon fish sauce - for marinate of squid
8. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
9. 1 teaspoon of corn flour - for marinate of squid and sauce thickening
10. pinch of pepper, salt and sugar - to taste 
11. 2 tablespoon water

My Cooking Journal 20 - Mum's Black Bean Soup

If you were thinking of improving your body overall health and maintaining youthfulness, you can try drinking black bean soup frequently.

Chinese believe black bean is a good nutrition food that is suitable for all age especially for woman before or after their pregnancy. This bean is rich in cholesterol-lowering fiber, antioxidants, protein, Vitamin B1 and contains good source of magnesium, iron and  folate. 

Black bean can helps to nourish our  blood, reduce blood viscosity, regulate menstral cycle for women, lower blood cholesterol level, strengthen kidney and prevent constipation. Others than this, it can eliminate free radicals, delay ageing and eliminate wind in stomach. It contains lot of nutrients that is essential for normal growth and maintenance of our body cells.  The beans if consume regularly can help to fight against cancer and heart disease. 

My mum told me to use pork trotters instead of pork ribs for the bean soup. The pork trotter (with bones and skins) not only provides calcium, but also contains collagen that will reduce dryness of our skin and  strengthen our ligaments and joints. Its make a fantastic thick broth base with nice sweet flavour. It is really delicious and easy to make.  

Buy and Prepare:

You can purchase black bean from local supermarkets or provision shops. It is usually sold in packet form.

My mum also taught me some basic tips to take note before cooking them. Before cooking these beans, spread them on a plate and remove any debris, spoil beans or stones. Then place the beans in a pot, wash and rinse the beans with hot boiling water. Drain the hot boiling water and then rinse the beans with cool runnng water. Discard the water and prepare to presoak for at least 2 hours. This is to shorten the cooking time.  After 2- 4 hours of soaking, discard the presoaked water and prepare for cooking.

  

Ingredients:

1. 200g Black Bean - prepare as mentioned above
2. 1 Pork Trotters - cut into small pieces and rinse
3. 1 Dried Cuttlefish - cut into small pieces and rinse
4. 6 Red Dates - rinse
5. 1.6 Litres Water

Methods:

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water and blanch the pork trotter in the pot to remove the smell of blood and scum. Remove and set aside.
2. Boil a pot of water. Pour the hot water in the slow cooker pot. Add in pork trotter pieces, cuttlefish slices, red dates and presoaked black beans into the pot.
3. Turn on to high heat and let it cook for at least 2 hours. Then reduce to low heat and simmer for another 2 hours. Add salt to taste.

Method 1

  



Method 2 & 3



Ps. Whenever I drink this soup, it reminds me of my beloved mum. Her black bean soup is real delicious and fantastic. She is using the traditional charcoal stove to boil this bean soup. As a result, the taste is immensely different and able to bring out the full flavours. Thanks Mum!

My Cooking Journal 19 - Chinese Fried Rice

Sometimes, if I have run out of idea on what to cook or my laziness has simply shut my brain to generate any cooking ideas, I would then choose to cook fried rice (Chinese Style) for my family. It is a very simple dish to cook and the ingredients involved are usually very easy to source in your fridge.

The main ingredients are white rice (preferably overnight/left over rice), egg, garlic, fish sauce whereas the rest of the ingredients really depends on individual's preference. 

However, to get a nice and tasty fried rice, it is best to use chilled overnight rice as the freshly cooked rice contains more moisture in it tends to give you a sticky lumpy texture after cooked.

My Ingredients:

1. 1.5 cup cooked rice, preferably refrigerated overnight or for at least 4 hours
2. 5 cloves garlic, minced
3. 1 carrot (small size), cut into small cubes
4. 1 piece fish cake, cut into small cubes
5. 1 small stalk cauliflower, wash and cut into small florets
6. 1 piece chinese sausage, cut into thin slice
7. 4-5 pieces sliced ginger
8. 2 eggs
9. 2 tablespoon olive oil
10. 2 tablespoon fish sauce
11. Sugar, Sea Salt and Pepper, as desired
12. Fried Shallots and sliced red chilli, for garnish

My Cooking Journal 18 - Stir Fry Pork Liver (猪肝)

I love to eat pork liver. Whenever my craving is haunting me, I would cook this famous authentic Chinese dish.  However, not all people can accept the taste of pork liver as it has raw smell and looks bloody if it is undercooked. So, one must be careful with the handling and cooking process to make it tastier.

Before we talk about cooking pork liver, there is some good points of pork livers to be shared with everyone. 

Pork livers are low in sodium, zero sugar, very high in iron, niacin, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, riboflavin, selenium, vitamin A, B12, C and zinc. Also high in thiamin and vitamin B6. Therefore, it is a good food that helps to regulate our blood circulation, capable in maintaining our eyesight, bones, skins, nervous system, promotes growth and maintenance of cells, tissues and sperm production (for men).   

The only main bad point about pork livers is they are very high in cholesterol. It contains around 100% of the daily recommended amount that we needed. This has indirectly increase our risk for coronary heart disease if we do not consume in moderation.

Buy and Selection:

Pork livers can be purchased at any local supermarket and wet market. Choose those that are bright red in colour and remember to check the packing date if you purchased from supermarket. Try to consume the pork liver within one to two days after purchased. It will tend to lost out its freshness and becomes more powdery in texture if you refrigerate it for too long.

Ingredients:

1. 1 piece Pork Liver (150g - 200g), rinse well and cut into thin slices
2. 3 stalks Spring Onions, cut into two inch length and seperate out the white and green part
3. 15g Ginger - cut into thin strips
4. 5 cloves Garlic - cut into slices
5. 1 Red Chilli, cut into slices
6. 1 tablespoon - dark soya sauce (thicker texture)
7. 1 tablespoon - light soy sauce
8. 1 tablespoon Sesame oil (for cooking)
9. 1 teaspoon Sesame oil (for marinate)
10. 1 teaspoon Cornflour (for marinate)
11. 3 tablespoon water
12. A dash of black pepper, sea salt and sugar (to taste)

Methods:

1. Marinate pork liver slices in a bowl with 1 teaspoon sesame oil, dash of sugar and pepper, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and  1 teaspoon of corn flour. Mixed well and set aside (Preferably marinate for 30 min.)
2. Boil a pot of water and add dash of sea salt. Once boiled, pour in the seasoned pork liver slices and off the heat. Blanch the pork liver briefly in the pot of hot water, then remove them from the pot within 15 second. This will help to reduce the raw smell. 
3. Heat up 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, once heated, add in ginger strips, white part and some green part spring onions and stir fry over high heat till fragrance. Add in garlic and red chilli slices, stir fry till garlic become lightly brown. Then, reduce to low heat.
4. Add in pork liver slices, give it a quick stir and add in 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce, dash of sugar and black pepper and stir well for 2 minutes.
5. Add water (to make a sauce base) and stir well.
6. Then , follow by green part of spring onions and stir till spring onions become soft.
7. Off heat, dish out from wok and serve hot.

Note:

Pork Liver has no connective tissue, so try not to overcook it as it will become very dry and tough which will destroy the taste. However, pork liver must also be cooked till little pinky in the inner side (to give a soft and tender texture) as eating raw pork liver may cause irritation to your digestive system.

 



Method 3



Method 4

Method 5

Method 6

This dark soya sauce (superior grade) makes a great sauce for my stir fry pork liver

 

My Cooking Journal 17 - Homemade Radish Soup

Bakuteh (肉骨茶)  is a well known local chinese soup easily found in Singapore. It is a pork ribs soup that is in a clear and peppery style or darker soup with herbs and spices flavour depending on individual preferences. 

My homemade radish soup is a simpler modification of Buketeh soup. Instead of using one pack of Bakuteh satchet, I used half a pack and cook it with ingredients that comprises of Dry Scallops, Pork Ribs and White Radish. This homemade radish soup is a real family favourites of our and I used to cook it quite often.

Radish is added because it can enhance sweetness to the soup and incorporate with a sense of lightly spicy and peppery flavour. Radish is a low calories root vegetable that is rich in Vitamin C and B-6, anti-oxidants, folates, riboflavin, thiamin, dietary fiber and minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper and calcium. This root vegetable is a very good detoxifier and disinfectant that helps to prevent cancer, maintain good blood pressure, maintain good skin, prevent constipation and protect our liver and gall bladder from infections. And with it anti-congestive properties, it is capable in relieving respiratory congestion caused by cold, infection and allegies.

Buy and Selection:

Bakuteh's sachet and radish can be purchased at any local supermarket, grocery stores and wet market. There are many different brands of Bakuteh sachet available for selection. As for the radish, remember to choose roots that are firm and fresh in texture. Avoid choosing root that is yellowish as it indicates that the stock is old.

Just simply wrap the white radish with newspaper (to absorb moisture) and store in a plastic bag and in the refrigerator. It is sufficient to maintain its freshness for up to a week.

Since I am just using half a pack of the Bakuteh, I would usually store the other half in the refrigerator for up to a month. Below is a sample of different brands of Bakuteh Satchet. (My own preference brand would be no. 1 & 2).

Different Brands of Instant Bakuteh Satchet

 Ingredients: 

1. 4-5 pieces Pork Ribs
2. 4 medium size Dry Scallop
3. 1 medium size White Radish - de-skin, washed and sliced
4. Half pack Bakuteh satchet
5. 1.6 litre Water (Half a pot of size: 3.2 litre slow cooker)
6. Sea salt to taste

Methods:

1. Roughly distribute the spices in the Bakuteh satchet into half. Ensure that the spices are pushed to both side end of the satchet. Then use a string (we used for sewing) to tie and tighten the satchet to prevent them from leaking out when boiling in the soup pot. Tied it somewhere near the centre part (tied two sections). Then, use a scissor to cut in between the tied sections. Set a side one pack for cooking and the other half keep it in the refrigerator for future use. 
2.  Boil a pot of water. Once boiled, blanch pork ribs in the boiling water, remove and set aside. 
3.  Boil a pot of water and pour into the slow cooker soup pot. Put in dry scallops, Bakuteh sachet,  sliced white radish and blanched pork ribs into the soup pot. Turn to high heat and let it cook till boil. Then simmer to low heat for 2 hours. Season with sea salt to taste.

Method 1

My Cooking Journal 16 - Sweet and Sour Luncheon Meat with Mix Veg.

Do you know that colourful capsicums (most commonly found in our local are red, yellow and green) are very nutritious to us?  Red, yellow and orange are sweeter and pleasant to the taste whereas green is slightly bitter and less sweeter. Strong and brighter colour of capsicum has higher concentration of anti-oxidants.

Capsicums are rich in Vitamin A (beta-carotene), C and E. It contains all powerful anti-oxidants that help us to guard against free radicals to our body cells, nerve, blood vessels and even can strengthen our body's immunity. It is capable in treating heart disease, respiratory problems like asthma, cataract, prevent blood clot in blood vessel and maintaining healthy teeth, bone and skin.

   

Capsicums are low in fats, calories and cholesterol. It contain proteins and a wide range of Vitamin B complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9) and contain minerals such as potassium, manganese, thiamine, molybdenum, trytophan, copper, cobaly and zinc.

Capsicums help to speed up our body metabolism and good for weight lose. It is also a good source of fiber that helps to prevent constipation and act as a stimulant herbs to relieve indigestion, stomach ulcers and diarrhea.

Capsaicin in capsicums helps to block the transmission of pain in the spinal cord from the skin and is capable to relieve migranes and headaches. It provides some protection from cancer and is effective in fighting off food-borne bacteria disease found in raw shell fish. Drinking capsicium juices is effective in lowering our blood pressure and a good cure for those with sore throat.  

I love to cook capsicum for my family as it is one of a nutrient-dense food to be consumed habitually. My son now appreciates the taste of capsicums (the red and yellow ones) after my few efforts in convincing him that eating more capsicums will make him strong and healthy like a "SUPER POWER MAN". I am glad that he would even request me to cook capsicum at times.

My home-made sweet and sour dish ingredients comprise of luncheon meats (in can), capsicums, potato, red onion and tomato. It is really delicious!

Buy, Selection and Storage:

You can buy capsicium from any local supermarkets or wet markets. Remember to choose those that are firm, smooth skin, wrinkles free and feel heavy for its size.

Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and can stay fresh for up to 5-7 days. Only wash them when you want to use it.  However, if you have cut and wash them and decided not to cook on the same day, just store them in air-tight container and can still stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Ingredients:

  

 

1. 200g Luncheon Meat - Cut into small cubes
2. 1 medium capsicum -  Cut into pieces
3. 1 Potato - Peel skin, wash and cut into small cubes and soak in salt water for 20 min.
4. 1 Red Onions - Peel skin, cut into wedges
5. 1 Red Chilli - thinly slices
6. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
7. 3 slices ginger
8. Pinch of sugar and pepper
9. 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
10. 1 tablespoon tomato sauce 
11. 2 tablespoon olive oil
12. 2 tablespoon water