A Tribute to my Mentor

My Saviour, My God, Written and performed by Aaron Shust


When I started Kitchen Capers forum back in July 2004, my mentor and good friend, Seok Buay taught me how to cook this delicious and most delightful French soup. I told her back then that this dish will be the FIRST recipe I will share online at the forum.

And since then, I have not stop sharing recipes online. Whether its at my forum or at other forums which I visited often.

Yesterday I cook this again for our family's lunch at home.

When I was cooking this soup, memories came flooding back to me. I was tearing all the time. Because I was reminded again, how much I loved her and how much I missed her.

When people talk about things in their life that pauses them to think about life. I could only think about food and about how Seok Buay has made an impact in my life. She left behind her legacy to share with anyone, everyone, any where and every where. She selflessly shared with me the deepest secrets to good food. Which is actually just LOVE, TIME and whole lot of PATIENCE. And these 3 key ingredients makes the best of everything you put out on the dining table.

This soup may not be cooked in the way it is explained here. If you have learnt to cook this from a French method, this method differs greatly. I fused both Western and Chinese methods of cooking to perfect this soup.

Its alot of work, alot of time and effort. But the end result was that our guests came back for seconds. It was so satisfying that they ask for a bigger bowl to have the soup and wouldn't stop at 2 bowls.

Enjoy..!



French Seafood Soup
Recipe by the late Mdm Tan Seok Buay
Re adapted by Gina Choong

Serves 10
Ingredients:
4 carrots(cut)
2 large white onions(diced finely)
8 large red tomatoes

4 flower crabs(medium size)
1kg Mussels
1 kg white clams
1 kg of large King Prawns
1 kg of squids
500g scallops
1kg salmon fillet
2 bottles of White Wine

4 litres water

Herbs/Spices: **
10 pcs of Bay Leaves(dried ones are fine)
1.5 tbsps each of the following:
Ground Thyme
Rosemary Leaves
Ground Oregano
Sage Leaves
Ground Majoram
Ground Black Pepper
Cajun

Method:
1. Clean and chop/break crab claws and cut into smaller pieces.
2. Using a large sauce pot, add 3 tbsp Olive oil and stir fry onions till fragant.
3. add all the herbs/spices into it and stir fry.
4. Add tomatoes(chop), carrots and then water
5. Cook on medium heat/fire till boiling.
6. Add all the crabs into it. Boil for 10 mins on medium heat.
7. Remove the crabs and add it each seafood item one at a time.
8. Remove each item to briefly cook it. Drained well. Set aside.
9. Remove the vegetables, puree it, and then put it back into the soup to boil for 10 minutes.
10. Then strained the pureed vegetables and discard. return the soup to the pot to cook.
11.Once it starts boiling, add in all the seafood items back into the pot.
12. Leave it to simmer for 10 mins, then add wine.
13. Serve warm..

My notes on Seok Buay's recipe:
Seok Buay uses dried herbs as she says most Asians are not used to the strong flavours if you use fresh herbs. I find this extremely true. It took a while to win friends over to try the soup.

Seok Buay says that this soup is versatile and you can just change the ingredients list each time based on what you can get from the fresh seafood market each time. And every time you cook this dish, its different again. But what stays with this dish is the love you give out to others. That's what I liked about this dish.

Who would ever thought that a humble French seafood soup would cause such an impact to someone unseen, unheard like me? In July 2004, no one knew who I was or what I was doing. And obviously no one cared too.

But this dish spin-off and started a whole new career for me. Teaching me the simple things in life and the riches you get in life isn't all about money or fame. Its the friends you made, the people that left their foot prints in your life.

I love you, Because

I love you Because sung by the late Jim Reeves

I had a private cooking class last Wednesday. My student is a young wife. Newly married and settled into her first nuptial home with her hubby, she wanted to learn to cook for her hubby and also for her family. She told me she grew up on her maid's cooking. Despite being of Teochew dialect, she didn't know much about the cuisine that goes with it. Nor have any family heirloom recipe stashed away any where in her maternal home. Her parents went to work, and left her at home with the maid. The maid took care of the household, cleaning, washing and preparing meals 3x a day.

Well, to be frank, she was one of the many young wives I used to teach cooking to. So many similar stories I have heard of them never knowing their roots and some never got to know what binds them to a family. There never seems to be any family bonding.

I shared with her my own story. How my mom raised me. And I grew up on home cooked food my mom prepared for the family. My mom taught me many skills. May not be all food and cooking related. But she told me about our heritage, our culture and what it means to be Chinese. Despite being Christian, she says we must never forget our roots, though anti-Christ it may seem, as long as we follow the Bible teachings, lived by it, practiced what the Bible says, we just observe our heritage, that was good enough.

My mom says that when you travel to faraway lands, your skin colour is no longer something that proves to others your heritage or culture. Its what that is within you.

So whenever I teach cooking, and especially with cooking, I shared a bit of our Chinese culture, its deep rooted heritage to my students. The very things that made us Chinese. A cut from the rest of the other races.

But it is also love that binds us together. I shared with her many of my family's recipes, re-created for our modern home. With 'advance' or more "user friendly" kitchen utensils. But I also taught her the old way of how things are done and why it is done that way, and moving forward to new age and time.

Since she was teochew, and Benny was also Teochew, I decided to teach her to cook a traditional Teochew dish..the humble Teochew Bak Kut Teh or Pork Ribs Soup.

She asked me "I thought its black in colour, the soup I mean. Why is this soup cleared?"

I told her "the Black soup was cooked with chinese herbs and that's Hokkien. The Teochew version was clear soup cooked with the most minimal ingredients. So you get to taste the sweetness from the bones of the pork."

Here's the recipe to share with all. Something I learnt just by listening to my uncle Freddy's rave about the Teochew Bak Kut Teh soup.

Teochew Bak Kut Teh (Pork Ribs Soup)
Recipe By Gina Choong


Ingredients
1 kg pork ribs(ask the butcher for soft bone, chopped into smaller pieces)
5 pcs of garlic cloves, smash to break it open, retain the 'skin'.
1.5 tbsp white peppercorns
salt to taste
2 litres of water

Method:
1. Heat up water in a large casserole pot(claypot)
2. Add garlic, peppercorns and pork to cook for 5 mins over high heat.
3. Once it starts boiling(bubbling), lower the heat, cover the pot to cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
4. If the water evaporates till half the pot, just add water to refill.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Serve hot with freshly sliced chilli and some soya sauce.

A traditional dish served with just plain warmed rice. Benny's favourite, all the time. Now its also our girl's favourite soup dish. Simple and yet refreshing.

Something Stupid, Something Good

Something Stupid, sung by actress Nicole Kidman and song artiste Robbie Williams


Yesterday we close the shop at 7pm, instead of 8:30pm. So that we could go and have dinner with the family..Benny's side of the family. At a restaurant near our shop and also near my mother in law's home. It was May 1st, her birthday. She's either 87 or 89. How come I didn't know? No candles on the birthday cake. And the siblings were 'fighting' over what number to say when they lit the candle. One say "Chinese birthday is plus 2", the other say we live in the real world, it should be minus two.. And I thought last year she was 87?? oh well, like they say "its the thought that counts.." To come together as a family, extended with all her 4 children, their spouses, kids in toll, to celebrate it with her, that's important.

This year I decided to make a special cake for her..Vegetarian all the way. No eggs, no flour, just sugar and water and jelly powder..yes, a jelly cake. It didn't have to be big, its just for her. I just assumed that she would like it. Our girls bought a stalk of a red flower for her. And it seems that our girls are the only grandchildren who got her something.

This is what I made on Saturday , fussing over it.



To be frank, the center was supposed to be a red flower jelly. During the pouring of warm jelly into the layers, the flower melted and smudged/fused into the jelly. When its done, I realised the top was just a smudgy red spot. So I have to improvised quickly. I use a round fluted cutter and press into the center at the top. See this photo of it...see how ugly it was??




And luckily I have a few cans of fruit cocktail at home..so I opened one, picked out the peaches, grapes and cherries and put it into the hole ... and viola! a new jelly cake is made.



When I presented her the cake, and told her it was a jelly cake, she said out loud :

"we have this for cake cutting later, I don't want the other cake..!"

Benny was seated next to his mom and he told her "She made this for you, to bring home and enjoy. This is not a real birthday cake, we should cut the one the others bought for you.."

And she told me "Gina, I like jelly cake. I am happy"

That certainly made my day..and it ended very well for me.

After the dinner, we drove to her home and did the usual photo taking, candle blowing, cake cutting, birthday song singing, etc. I hid the jelly cake into the fridge.

We left after the cake was served as it was getting late. On the way home, Benny told me that our day ended with so many blessings from God. Our sales shot beyond our target last night despite closing an hour and a half earlier. And we got to have dinner with his mom and how much he appreciated what I did, the littliest effort I tried without having a maid at home to help me to wash, clean up etc.

I overheard him talking to his mom(pretended not to hear!) he told her "Gina is very tired, very worn out. She cannot visit you like she used to have. She does everything herself, mans the store, run the household. And we have no maid. And she still finds time to do little things here and there. So I could rest and sleep very well each night. Not having to worry about things. She kept everything intact. And gave me nothing to think about, nothing to worry"

My mother in law smiled..and she looked at me and said "Gina, le chin ho, aye hiow jia ko kay"..This is my anyhow do pinyin of her teochew words. It means "Gina, you are good, you know how to run the house".

Benny is my mother in law's favourite son. For years, she used to wonder if I could keep the house together and take over her duties to take care of her precious son. Because Benny used to tell her I grew up a spoilt kid, never had to do anything at home.

May 1st, ,2011...The Matriarch says I passed with flying colours

Swinging on a Star

Song sung by actor Doris Day..A song I loved as a teenager when I use to be in the school choir. Our choir teacher use to teach us to sing this song. I don't like Birthday songs..so I decided to use this for my birthday post.

I literally swinging on a star now..coz my king at home is happy with the Birthday noodles I made for him on his birthday, that's yesterday. I couldn't post yesterday because I had to go to Robinsons at Centrepoint. To assist Chef Halimah in her first class there.



Benny ask for Tonpo Ruo(Stewed Pork Belly) for lunch this weekend. And I thought it was such a good way to use that for his birthday noodles. Litrally breaking way from tradition for a while.

Here's my recipe for this..very elaborate and long winded. But the time is not wasted when someone you are trying to cook this for, appreciates it.

Tea Smoked Tonpo Ruo with noodles
Recipe by Gina Choong

Ingredients
1kg pork belly
5 pcs Slab brown sugar
30ml Dark soya sauce
100ml Light soya sauce
2 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
1 tbsp Tie Guan Yin(Chinese Tea leaves)
800ml water
200g spring onions

Ingredients for Smoking
1 cup rice(uncooked, raw)
2 tbsp Tie Guan Yin(chinese tea leaves)

Method to cook the pork
1. Heat up a pot of water to briefly cook the pork for 5 minutes. Discard the water, wash the semi cook pork in tap water.
2. Using a large claypot or big casserole, lined the bottom with spring onions.
3. Put the pork belly(side side down) on top of the spring onions.
4. Stuff tea leaves in a tea bag and also the pepper corns in another tea bag.
5. put in on top the pork.
6. Pour in all the liquid ingredients and making sure the liquid covers the pork.
7. Turn on the fire and leave it to boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot to simmer for 2 hours.
8. Check on the liquid, add hot water occasionally if the level drops below the meat.
9. Test for tenderness of the meat to make sure its cooked through.
10. Turn off fire, remove the pork from the sauce and leave it on a plate.

Method to smoke:
1. Line an old wok with aluminium foil.
2. mix rice and tea leaves together and toss it all over the foil.
3. Put a wire rack/steamer rack on top.
4. Cover the wok and turn on the fire at high heat. Wait till you see some smoke emitting from the sides of the wok, then turn off the fire.
5. Place the plate of pork on the rack, cover the wok again.
6. Leave it to stand(without turning on the fire) for about 1 hour. This allows the meat to absorb/fused with the tea smoke.

Method to serve :
1. Cook noodles over hot water, drain in cold water.Toss it with sesame oil.
2. Add it into a bowl. Place sliced Tonpo Ruo on top of the noodles.
3. Pour hot stewed sauce on top of the noodles.
4. Serve immediately.

Notes:
I use Tie Guan Yin tea because its 'greener' despite being dried. And it emits a nice robust tea flavour in cooking and smoking.

If you have the patience for smoking, go ahead and try it. Use it to smoke any kind of meats(only after its cooked).
If not, just omit the smoking part.

I mentioned old wok because I have a wok that is heavily scratched/spoiled by the domestic helpers I have in the past. I never throw it out. But use it for such purposes.

Sing a Song of Six Pence

That old nursery rhyme :

Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?

In this case, my king at home wants an unusual dish for dinner this week. I was watching House on Channel 5 2 nights ago and suddenly he came and say this to me :

"Shall we have CCF with Curry Chicken?" (CCF stands for Chee Cheong Fun, a kind of flat noodles rolled up like a swiss roll. Its made of rice flour, water and salt..delicate to make but very delicious to eat..!)

I said :

"I am trying to watch House..what kind of weird dish is that?"

and then he said :

"Well, something different for a change. I am sick of eating the same old dish every week. I want some variety. I just thought of this. Its just cut up the CCF and pour the piping hot curry chicken over it. Like that!"

To him, everything I cook its simple enough or "like that!".



So yesterday, he shop for all the ingredients needed for his unusual dish. Here's my simple and anyhow do dish. Hope you like it too..

note : There are only 5 persons at home. I always have to assume my King is x2.

Curry Chicken with Chee Cheong Fun
Serves 6 persons

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 1.8 kg
1 can of Evaporated milk(I use Carnation's Full Cream)
500ml water
500ml Coconut cream
4 medium red onions
6 local ripe red tomatoes
8 local potatoes, skinned, cut into quarters.
1 tbsp salt

Curry Paste ingredients
10 pcs dried chilli(soften in water)
5 pcs chilli padi
3 small red onions
1 clove garlic
50g dried shrimps
1 pc Lemon grass
1 tsp belachan(previously roasted, pounded into powder)
2 tbsp Curry powder

100ml corn oil

Method:
1. Wash and cut up chicken into smaller pieces.
2. Heat up wok with 50ml corn oil , add onions to saute till soft
3. Add cooked paste to fry for a while.
4. Add chicken parts to fry over high heat for 5 mins.
5. Lower heat to simmer for 5 mins.

6. In the meantime, heat up a large casserole or pot with water. Once it starts boiling, add potatoes, tomatoes.
7. Turn off wok heat, pour contents into soup pot.
8. When it starts boiling again, add milk and coconut milk, lower heat to simmer till potatoes are cooked. About 15 mins over low heat. Add salt to taste.
9. Turn off heat, serve over steamed CCF or rice or roti prata.

Method to Cook the paste:
1. Blend paste ingredients except oil in a blender till smooth.
2. Heat up oil in wok and add paste to fry till fragrant and it should turn slightly darker orangey red.
3. Set aside for later use.

Notes about CCF
The King bought it from a market somehow..have no idea. Costs S$2 for pack of 10 strips..enough for 2 persons. So he bought 2 packets.

To serve, just steamed the CCF over rapid water for 10 mins or until soft.

Chilli in my Rojak Part 8

We Are Family (song) sung by Sisters Sledge

Recently my cousin Connie sms me asking if I could bake the Rose Petals Chiffon Cake for her tea party at home. Of course, I say "YES!". And I told Benny about it. And he said :

"Serve friends with cake? why no food? Does she need anything? Maybe cook some food for her to serve her friends too."

I replied:

"Mei Mei knows me too well, she wouldn't want to work me too hard. She just ask for a cake. "

I call Connie as Mei Mei or younger sister. I have been calling her Mei Mei since her birth. We grew up together. I spent all my school holidays with her and her brother, Mun Pun.

And since we are having Hainanese Chicken soup and all the side dishes, Benny decided to get 2 very plump chickens to make sure we have enough for Mei Mei too.

But I did a little more for her. I baked 3 cakes for her little tea party. And served her 2 portions of Chicken rice, soup, nonya Achar, chilli sauce. Why 2 portions of rice? Well, I wanted to settle her with lunch and dinner so she doesn't need to go out after serving her friends and cleaning up her place.

She came at 11:30am to pick up 1 cake but went home with these...


I baked a Blueberry Yogurt Creme Cake, no pictures, too rush to take one.

This was for her tea party last Saturday, 16 October 2010.
Earl Grey Tea Chiffon Cake.


Rose Petals Chiffon Cake. The burnt spots on top was actually the rose petals..


Chicken Rice Set with Achar(home made)



I posted these on Facebook and she replied to me via FB. She said

"tk U GIna for the packed lunch & dinner, they really warmed my stomach & my soul ;>"

I remembered when she was looking for an apartment, she was looking around Hougang zone. Her mom, my aunt rang me to ask me for advice about the neigbhouring blocks near my place. In the midst of chatting, my aunt ask me for a favour.

"Ting, help me to watch over Mei Mei. She will be moving out to live on her own now. Uncle and I will moved in to stay with Mun Pun. "

I told Auntie

"Aunty, yes of course I will.You forgotten that you have ask me to watch over her for you since she was born some 30 odd years ago. When she was very young, I use to baby sit her and play with her. I read her stories and watch cartoons on TV with her. I help to wash her hands before meal time and put her to bed for afternoon naps. All these years, I have grown but I have never stopped loving her and caring for her. "

When Mei Mei said those words on FB..it also warmed my heart and my soul. Knowing that despite being a generation gap away, we are still very much like a big family..still caring for one another.

So let's sing the happy song by Sisters Sledge...

We are family, I got all my sisters n me..and also all your brothers, cousins, uncles, aunties and their extended family.

A Recipe for Love

Is there ever such a thing for a recipe for love? I once saw this poem written and printed on cards, some were made into a wooden plaque and others framed in a nice picture frame. A gift for newly wedded couples or someone you know who is celebrating their wedding anniversary.

Here's the poem:

Recipe for Love
Author, unknown.


Ingredients

2 Hearts Full of Love
2 Heaping Cups of Kindness
2 Armfuls of Gentleness
2 Cups of Friendship
2 Cups of Joy
2 Big Hearts Full of Forgiveness
1 Lifetime of Togetherness
2 Minds Full of Tenderness

Method

Stir daily with Happiness, Humor and Patience.
Serve with Warmth and Compassion, Respect and Loyalty.

********************************************************

Well, my recipe of Love is somewhat similar. Only that it is also edible. I go to great lengths to make Benny happy. Happy to know that he is home, happy that he knew his tummy will be filled with the comfort food he loves to eat and happy to know that all he needs is just to tell me what he wants.

Last week, he wanted the buns I taught my friend Janice Yu when she came from the Philippines. He wanted a more spicy version. It was a Susie Bun with char siew pork recipe. I use the basic Susie bun recipe but tweak it and added curry powder in it. For the fillings I didn't have pork meat so I use canned luncheon meat..mashed it and fried it with onions, peas and curry spice.

This is My Recipe for Love..for him. Sharing with all, my so-called secret recipe.

Curry Spiced Buns
Recipe by Gina Choong




Ingredients :
500 g plain flour
270 ml water
1.5 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
100 g castor sugar
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp curry powder(I use Baba's brand for Meat Curry)

30g melted butter(salted), for brushing /glazing

Method :
1. Mix sifted curry powder, flour, yeast, salt, castor sugar into the Mixer bowl(kitchenAid)
2. Turn the dial to no. 1 and slowly pour in the water.
3. Let the mixer knead the dough for 30 mins.
4. Add melted butter and knead for another 5 mins till evenly mixed.
5. Stop the mixer. Remove the dough and place in a greased bowl.
6. Cover with a wet cloth and place in a warm place to let it double in size.(about 60 mins or 1 hour).
7. Shape dough into 50 g balls. Flatten each dough ball and add 1 tbsp of curry meat.
8. Cover and seal the dough. Place on a grease loaf pan.
9. Brush with melted butter. Let it proof again for another 10 mins.
10. Bake in preheated oven 180C for 20 mins.
11. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

Curry Luncheon meat
Recipe By Gina Choong

Ingredients
1 can Pork Luncheon meat(removed from the can), mashed it with a fork
2 medium red onions, peel and chopped
1 tbsp cooking oil
1.5 tbsp curry powder
100g frozen mixed veggie
1 tsp sugar

Method
1. Heat up the wok with oil and add onions to fry till soft.
2. Add mixed veggie, curry powder and fry over high heat.
3. Add mashed meat, sugar and stir fry quickly to mix evenly.
4. Remove to cool completely.

I made extras like 25 buns. My students who came for the Chiffon cake I had last week had a sampling of the buns. And I gave them one each to bring home to share with their loved ones.

Enjoy..!

Spicy, Sour and a hint of Sweetness

We had mee siam again last week. Benny wanted it for weekend meals which he can have as midnight supper as and when he likes it. Here's the recipe my mom learnt from CC(Community Club run by People's Assn) donkey years ago.

We grew up eating this version and now we don't like those serve in most food courts. Its unique because this version has coconut milk in the stock.


These are packed for my parents, sister, brother in law and my niece. Yums!



This dish to fight for:



Serves 10 persons
Ingredients:
400g mee siam paste
50g chives, chopped
100g soya beans
10 hard boiled eggs
20 pcs of small tau pok/dried bean curd, diced
250ml tamarind juice (2 tbsp tamarind pulp mixed with 100ml water)
7 tbsp sugar (more or less according to your taste)
300g bean sprouts
10 small limes
600ml coconut milk(or Evaporated Milk)
900ml water
2 kg fresh grey prawns
2 packets of rice vermicelli(bee hoon), soaked to soften

Mee Siam paste:
10 cloves garlic
22 shallots
120g dried chillies (soaked to soften)
50g belacan/dried prawn paste (toasted and pounded)
120g dried shrimps (soak in water, soften)

400ml corn oil

Method for Paste

1. Put all the ingredients except the oil into a blender and blend into a fine paste.
2. Heat up the wok and add oil. Add the blended paste to fry over low heat till it is fragrant. Leave it aside till its cooled.
3. The paste should look very oily.
4. Note that though there is a lot of oil remaining, do not throw away this oil. As it is fragrant and to be used for frying the mee siam noodles.

Method for the rest
1. In the wok, add 200g of oily mee siam paste to heat. Add softened rice vermicelli(bee hoon) and stir fry till its dry and cooked.



2. Add bean sprouts to fry. Remove and set aside.



3. In a large pot, add water to boil. Add prawns to cook over high heat for 2 mins. Drain and remove all shells/heads of prawns, wash and devein. Set aside.

4. When the prawn stock comes to a boil again, add rest of mee siam paste to boil.
5. Once it starts boiling, add coconut milk, tamarind juice, soya beans and sugar. Turn heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
5. To serve, add hot gravy on fried rice vermicelli and garnish with egg, fried bean curd, prawns, chives and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Once upon a time...

No, this is NOT the starting line for a fairy tale story. More like me looking back in wonder. Of the days I used to bake and sell my cookies, little muffins and low sugar fruit cakes. And then even longer back in time, I used to cook and sell my sambal pastes. Not so much for the profit of it, but more to practice and hone in my chilli pastes perfection.

And ever since I started Kitchen Capers forum, I slowly stop hiding my recipes. I started to share more. And when I started teaching culinary, I stopped hiding it altogether. Now all my recipes can be found everywhere. Namely in my own KC forum, sometimes you will find it at C2C.Net, an American all CHEFs website and forum, or the occasional food blogger's pages, at MCDC(Malaysian Cake Decorator's Community) and even at the Human Flower Project website.

The next step was to get some of these PRINTED because not everyone is on a computer. Call me old-school whatever, I still like to refer to instructions on paper, printed media..not the Internet. I know its much easier to search for it.

The good thing to report is Wiltshire Australia has ask for my permission to print my recipes onto a recipe card. And these will be distributed with their bake ware products. And its sold worldwide, or at least to the Western world. In Asia, Wiltshire Singapore will do likewise and distribute their Bake ware products to Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia..

I have kept really busy and literally on my toes. So if you go to Kitchen Capers website and don't see any major movement in my classes, its because I have been stretched really thinly lately.

By October, our classes at Robinsons will be uploaded at KC website and linked to Robinson's website too. In due time, I will be getting more baking instructors to teach with me at Robinsons. I cannot run the classes alone as I have to run my shop too. But when you see the classes offered by KC, it will have a variety for you to choose..from simple cooking to complex traditional cuisines to baking for beginners to beyond.

I hope to engage an enrichment school to run baking classes for little Tots from 3 years to older kids at 12 years old. I just wanted to make this appeal to all who have been loyally supporting me all these years, be it in my classes or my forum and my shop too.

on the lighter side...here's some old photos of the stuff I use to bake and sell. These recipes and its secrets will be taught when I teach at Robinsons. See you...

Jade lion (Gummy candy)



Home made Cheese Foccacia


Chocolate Mint Cookies..the secret ingredient is the Polo Mint used in this recipe



Beef Noodles...NOTE: Teaching this in November 2010 at Robinsons..My late grand dad heirloom recipe.

Eat and be Happy

Yesterday was Singapore's National Day, 45 years of independence. 45 years of blood and tears, sweat and toil, where our Leaders help to build and shape the nation to what it is today. And what better way to celebrate this day than to spend it with loved ones.

Benny and I decided to close our store earlier at 7pm. While I stayed at home the whole day to prepare a feast with my parents, sis and my brother in law, Benny worked at the store till 6 plus and closed to come home for dinner.

I had the whole day to myself, so I decided to make a few desserts that the family loved. First of all is Huat Kueh, the traditional rice flour steamed cakes which my mom loved to eat but never found the time to make.



It was made with the Bai Mi Jiu Liang or White Rice Wine residule. And it took another 8 hours to ferment. I had it steamed at 5pm. Just in time for dinner.

I realised that I didn't have those tiny tea cups anymore so had to use mini cupcake liners for it. Turn out to be such a pretty bunch. But later removed the liners ...




Next is Gui Ling Grass Jelly dessert..this is fail proof. From a packet of pre mix which I sell in my store. A hit with all at home. We had this with Maple syrup instead of honey. It was really good. Especially after dinner..smooth, silky and cold.



And lastly, something my mom also liked..the sago pearls in rich gula melaka syrup. I didn't make a lot. Just enough for tasting. Its only after I made it, I found out I didn't have coconut cream. The shops near my home are closed. So I use pandan sago pearls for the flavour and added more gula melaka instead.




We had Steamboat and Teppanyaki for dinner. Everything was prepared at home. For the steamboat soup, we had Herbal Chicken soup on one side and Curry chicken gravy on the other side.

Teppanyaki was just BBQ of chicken wings, shabu-shabu Beef, sausages, prawns, squids, etc.








our dog, Jing Jing had to be locked up in the balcony because my mom is slow in movement. And Jing Jing is very hyper. After dinner around 8 plus..had to show you my cuckoo clock :




side track..this is our third Cuckoo Clock. We loved this kind of clocks..because it serves not just to keep time but be a part of the home and furnishing.

Jing Jing getting a rub behind her ears when we cleared the table and no traces of food tidbits for her..that will do, she will probably say..no food, but a good rub!





After that, I just plonked in bed and watched re-runs on DVD. Melody and I watched Oliver! the Musical.

Mocha Madness

Benny doesn't like cakes. Who cares whose is the best. But recently I started selling a particular brand of concentrated paste from Germany, there was a flavour I wanted to try. That's Mocha, under the Pastarom brand.

It started to be something I wanted to do for my mother in law's birthday which we celebrated with her over dinner last week. But Benny said, his siblings already brought a cake there..so he said "leave this at home".

So I did..and have to slice it and give a quarter to my mom, to my maid to enjoy and the rest, we ate just for fun.

Then out of the blue, Benny said "This cake is nice..very fragrant and not too sweet. I like it. Can you bake another one for me to bring to the office?"

And so, I did. The first cake is the first version I did with just fresh cake. The red sides are just food colouring.

The 2nd cake I did was for his office. And that was made only last night after we closed shop. The things I do for his office!!

The 2nd cake's topping was Mocha Mousse..not fresh cream. It tasted like coffee ice cream on top. Now I am regretting that I didn't make this mousse topping in my first cake.


This is the paste I used. Pastarom Mocha Paste(imported from Germany)


Selling at KC store at S$5.50 per jar of 100g

Here's the recipe for all..
Mocha Sponge Cake
Recipe by Gina Choong

Ingredients A
150g Top flour (or Cake flour)
2.5 tbsp Mocha Paste(Pastarom brand)
100ml Dairy whipping cream
5 egg yolks

Ingredients B
7 egg whites
120g fine sugar

Method
1. Beat egg yolks with whipping cream till creamy and fluffy. Add mocha paste and stir till well blended.
2. Fold in flour with egg yolk batter and set aside.
3. Whip egg whites till foamy then add sugar until it peaks.
4. Mix the 2 batters together until its well combined.
5. Pour into cake pan.
6. Bake at preheated oven 170 deg C for 25 mins. Remove to cool before removing from pan.

Ingredients for Cream
150ml non dairy whipping cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
2 tbsp mocha paste(Pastarom)

Method:
1. Add all together in a mixer bowl and whip till it peaks.
2. Store in the chiller till ready to use.
3. Decorate on the cake only when the cake is completely cooled.

Mocha Mousse
Recipe By Gina Choong

Enough to cover a 9 inch cake with 2 inch height
Ingredients
250ml Thickened Cream(at least 35% Fat)
3 tbsp Mocha paste(Pastarom)
4 tbsp icing sugar

Method
1. Add all the ingredients into a mixer bowl and use a balloon whisk to whip till it peaks.
2. Store it in the chiller for at least 2 hours before using.
3. When the cake is baked and completely cooled, pipe or simply covered it with the Mocha Mousse topping.
4. Sprinkle with Valrhona Cocoa powder on top or mini silver dragees.
5. Chill the cake before serving.

Notes
The leftover Mousse can be piped straight onto hot Coffee without sugar or cream. The mousse will melt when its in contact with hot coffee and will sweeten the coffee.

Keep well, chilled for upto 3 days.

Man Eating Shark!

Image Copyrights to Disney ® This is Bruce, the Shark from Finding Nemo, animated movie.

Good..I caught your attention.

But take this topic in a different light and perspective. Its more like Man eating the Shark..not the Shark turn into a man hunting predator.

Benny bought a couple of shark steaks from the supermarket recently. I decided to have it pan fried and cook this for lunch today. Here's what I did. You can use other types of fish. In case you feel squeamish about having Shark on your dinner table.


Shark Steak Curry
Recipe by Gina Choong


Serves 2
Ingredients
2 pcs of Shark steak fillet
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp Garlic powder

200ml Evaporated milk
1 tbsp Fish curry powder(I use Baba's)
3 shallots, sliced

Method
1. Seasoned shark with salt and garlic powder.
2. Heat up a griddle pan with olive oil and pan fry the shark steak for 10 mins..5 mins on each side.
3. The meat will look like burnt.
4. Turn heat down, add shallots to fry on the side.
5. Mix milk with curry powder and pour into the pan to slow cook.
6. Leave it to cook over low heat for another 10 mins till curry thickens.
7. Turn off heat, serve with warmed rice.

7th Heaven...

By the way, I love this song from Sesame Street's muppets..!

A break from my usual post. Recently I was trying new recipes to teach. Since I love cheesecakes, I decided to make one without the use of Gelatin powder or having eggs in it. Making it halal, vegetarian and all that too.

With Facebook popularity, my cousin read my thoughts when Natasha wrote to say "Mummy, I suddenly feel like eating your blueberry cheesecake... The one with the crumbly base." And that started a serious wild fever of eating Blueberry Cheesecake within the family and my cousins who are living in Singapore.

A funny chain of events followed soon after I made 3 sets of Blueberries Cheesecakes. My cousin Connie came by to pick it up one evening..stole a slice of it and gave the rest to her brother. One cake went to my mom's place and my sister wrote about it on FB giving her reviews. My cousin Des went to my mom's place and stole the last slice of cheesecake..

Here's the elusive, super-licious Blueberry Cheesecake I did..



I made another batch using Dark Sweet Cherries. And had it served in a dessert cup. These were for Benny's office.


You can use the same recipe. Just change the type of fruits you prefer to have.

Ingredients for filling
250g cream cheese
250g Lite Sour Cream(Dairy Farmers)
250g Thickened cream(at least 35% fat content)
60g icing sugar


Ingredients for Crust:
30 pcs Oreo cookie with cream
80g butter(salted)

Ingredients for Topping:
1 can of Blueberries(or Dark Sweet Cherries)
3 tbsp corn starch
100ml syrup from canned

Method for crust
1. Pound and mash cookies till powdery.
2. Add butter and microwave till liquid
3. Stir to mix, then spread into on the base of a cake ring or spring form pan.
4. Leave it into the chiller(fridge, non-freezer) for 1 hour to set.

Method for Filling
1. Leave cream cheese out on the table to melt slightly.
2. Cut it up into smaller pieces so it is easier to whip later on.
3. Add cut cheese and rest of the filling ingredients into a mixer bowl.
4. Whip at medium speed till its smooth and creamy.
5. Scoop cheese to fill cups(from the fridge)
6. Leave it in the fridge.

Method for topping
1. Drain blueberries and add into a sauce pot.
2. Do not discard the syrup. Use 100ml and add cornstarch to stir till evenly mixed. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Turn on the stove and add the syrup mix and cook over low heat till the mixture turns sticky like those pie filling.
4. Do not over cook..turn off fire when the mixture appears thick, not runny.
5. Leave it to cool slightly. Pour into cheesecake and spread it out flat.
6. Chill for a good 2 hours before serving.

Notes
You can freeze this and serve later..like a month later!

Here's what I use which are bought from KC store:

S&W Blueberries S$8.60 per 454g can


Palmdale Dark Sweet Cherries(Product of Italy) S$3.60 per 454g can



Philly Cream Cheese 250g S$4.50 per block


Dairy Farmer's Lite Sour Cream 250g S$3.30 per can



Dairy Farmer's Thickened Cream 250g S$3.80 each

Chilli in my Rojak Part 1

Everything I do, I do it for you Sung by Brandy

I am starting a new series of my life story. It will be called "Chilli in my Rojak". Why Chilli, why Rojak?

Chilli is a spice ingredient which everyone is familiar with. Its spicy, chilli hot, depending on how much you put into your dish. The varieties it has, where its grown and processed, harvested and used in every part of the world, in every culture, race or religion.

Rojak is a local term here in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia of vegetable salad dish that has a mixture of local fruits, vegetables and a spicy, sweet tamarind sauce that is toss around with roasted peanuts.

A twist to these 2 words, it means my life from as young as I can remember to the present. For as long as I can remember and writing it down. The people(Chilli) I have met, things I have done, places I have been and how they affected me and my outlook in life. "Rojak" but very good, some bittersweet moments, some sad days, some happy ones, some angry ones.

After all, my blog was Taste of Time...Why I suddenly thought of Chilli in my rojak was that Benny and I worked at the shop yesterday, 18 April, Sunday. While many couples are probably spending quality time at home, either with their kids and extended family or by themselves. Benny and I shared our time together in the shop.

While he manned the cashiering counter, I sat in the office to do some admin paper work. Then he came by to say that he is seeing the chinese physician for a neck and shoulder massage. He ask if I wanted to have Rojak later on. When he gets back, he would buy a pack for me.

I love to eat rojak. So I said "Yes. Of course"

After a hour or so, he returned and ask me to go to the office to have rojak. So I ask him if he wants to eat too. He said:

"You go and eat first. Save some for me"

I went to the office and open the packet of rojak. As I was eating it, I realised the simpliest of all things..and that was

There was NO chilli in my Rojak.

I love to have chilli. In some food, not in everything. I love it as a dip, or a sauce. For my chicken rice but not in my rojak. Because I want to taste each vegetable or fruit minus the spiciness. As chilli tends to numb your sense of taste.

That is why you won't see ordering dry noodles with chilli sauce added into it and toss around. But I will eat Laksa or mee siam.

Benny loves chilli in everything. But when he orders food for us to share, he orders it without chilli. If its for himself, his portion will have chilli added, tossed into it.

When he eats with me, literally, he omits all the things he enjoy having. Chilli is one of them.

My mom once told me, finding a life partner is actually finding someone you can dine with. Someone who do not dictate your lifestyle or what you should have.

When we were dating, Benny only eat Red meat and anything that is meat-wise. I go for salad, fruits and vegetables more. When our paths crossed, we didn't quite match. A carnivore and a herbivore in real life do not mix. And I remembered what my mom used to tell me. So I learn to appreciate a little red meat along the way. And in turn, Benny started to eat salads with me at the salad buffet bar at Ponderosa Restaurant.

Sometimes we need to change a bit here and there and yet keep ourselves true to each other. Not so much that we lose sight of what we are or what we aim to be.

Well, there is no chilli in my rojak. And if there is, Benny will have my portion. And he will get me another portion without it.
As his reward, I served that last bowl of Double Boil Chicken Herbal soup for him which I didn't get to drink.

End of Part 1 ...

O is for Oyster Omelette

A fellow blogger ask me for this recipe. Something I learnt from Pauline D Loh. Here's the recipe.


Ingredients
200g oysters(I used frozen pack)
3 eggs(beaten)
50g Sweet Potato Starch
100ml water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
fresh coriander leaves as garnish

Method
1. mix the starch with water, stir till well mixed.
2. Add salt to beaten eggs
3. Heat up the frying pan with cooking oil
4. Scoop a ladle full of starch mixture and pour onto the hot pan.
5. When it starts to crisp on the sides of the pan, pour egg mix on top.
6. Let it cook for a while about 1 min or so.
7. Add some oysters on top.
8. Next, pour the remaining starch mixture on top and rest of oysters.
9. Slowly flipped it over to crisp the other side.
10. Serve hot, garnish with pepper and coriander leaves

Roses are Red

Been wanting to try this for some time now. Ever since I brought in the Jupe Rose Concentrated paste to sell in my store. I have used it to make cookies. It was lovely. Today, I decided to use the recipe I use for the UME Plum Chiffon Cake. Turn out the cake was super light and the rose taste was evident but not too overpowering.

I added dried rose petals to make it something as real as eating a Rose cake. A recipe to keep..

I used a tiny silicone tube pan for this. Was rather surprise it still could hold its height and shape. I didn't flip it over. But removed the cake soon after its cooled.



Sliced and showing bits of the rose petals. Rose petals became chewy after its baked. Nice!



Ingredients A
4 egg yolks
125g Top flour
80ml fresh milk(I used UHT full cream milk)
2.5 tbsp Jupe Rose Concentrated paste

10 g dried roses(soak in hot water to soften)

Ingredients B4 egg whites
80g fine sugar

Method
1. Remove rose petals and discard stalk and branch. Discard the water.
2. In a mixing bowl, add egg yolks to whip till well mixed.
3. Add milk, fruit paste and rose petals to stir. then add flour and stir to mix evenly. Set aside.
4. Whip egg whites in a cake mixer till foamy. Then pour in sugar slowly.
5. Whip till it peaks. Stop the mixer and fold in egg yolk batter with it.
6. Pour into tube pan
7. Bake in preheated oven 160C for 35 mins.
8. Serve cooled.

You can get Jupe Rose Concentrated Paste from Kitchen Capers store. Costs S$8.80 per 100g bottle.