Basic Recipe: Dashi stock (ichiban dashi)

 1 4-inch (3-4 cm) piece of dried kombu seaweed

 A good handful of bonito flakes

 Cold water, from the tap (you might consider filtering it if it is too hard or
chlorinated)

Soak the dried kombu seaweed piece in 3-4 cups of cold water for about 20 minutes. Bring
the water to the boil, then add the handful of bonito flakes. Immediately switch off the heat
and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing out all the goodness.

Makes 3-4 cups.

The cold-water method

(Edit, added May 2008)

For the last couple of years, I’ve been using the _mizudashi_ method much more. This is the
method I’ve described for making vegetarian dashi, except that I add some bonito flakes. I
put a piece of kombu seaweed and a big handful of bonito flakes in a jug of cold water, and
let it steep for at least a few hours or overnight. To use the dashi I simply strain it out. The
dashi keeps in the fridge for a few days, and if I don’t use it up during that time (which is
rare) I just freeze it. Aside from having to remember to fill up a jug, this method couldn’t be
easier.
No Fail Bolognaise Sauce

1 portion only

½ onion

1 clove garlic

½ rib celery

1 small floweret broccoli or cauliflower

3 – 4 fresh or tinned mushrooms

1 tbsp oil

100 gm lean minced beef/ chicken / pork

2 fresh ripe tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

1 generous pinch dried basil or oregano

1 bay leaf

2 tsp tomato past

1 – 2 tsp sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop the first six ingredients listed above ( You can ut the whole lot in an
electric chopper and whizz it up, not too finely)
2. Heat the oil and sauté the chopped vegetables until soft and wilted. Add the
beef and cook until browned. Add the tomatoes and herbs and simmer for
15 – 20 minutes. If mixture looks dry, add a little water.
3. Add the tomato paste, and season to taste with a little sugar (to counter the
sour ness of the tomatoes) salt and pepper. Simmer for a few more minutes
before taking the pan off the heat.
Sneaky Burgers (makes 2 burgers)

150 gm lean minced beef or chicken

1 rounded tbsp finely grated carrot

1 tbsp finely chopped onion

1 tbsp finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh mushrooms

1 rounded tbsp. dry breadcrumbs

1 egg

½ tbsp plain flour

1 tsp tomato paste (optional)

¼ tsp salt

A shake of pepper

1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well

2. Pat into rounds 1 cm thick and fry in a little oil until cooked through.
3. Serve warm in between a lightly buttered bun.

Sneaky Meatloaf
Double the recipe and pat the mixture into a buttered loaf tin. Bake in
preheated oven 200°C/ 400°F for about 40 minutes or until well-cooked
Serve in slices with boiled potatoes or pasta
Chicken Corn Soup
Ingredients:
150g chicken breast meat
1000ml chicken stocks (I used 3 tbsp of concentrated chicken stock to mix with
1 liter water)
1 packet sweet corn cream style (380g) – De Monte or any other brand
1 packet enoki mushrooms * (cut away the tough part of the stems; if you
think it is too long, then cut into halve, rinse with running water)
4 pcs fresh shitake mushrooms * (blanch over hot water and slice them thinly)
4 stocks of baby sweetcorns * (slice thinly)
1-2 eggs (lightly beaten and mix with 2-3 tsp water)
1-2 slices of ginger *
Spring onions for ganishing – chopped
Corn flour mixture (dilute some cornflour with water, adjust the consistency
according to your personal preference)

Seasonings:
Salt (I had omitted it because the chicken stocks is tasty enough on its own)
Pepper

Methods:
1) Rinse and pat dry chicken breast meat. Cut into small & long strips. Marinate
with light soya sauce, sugar and cornflour for about 15-30 minutes.
2) Bring the chicken stocks/ water in a pot to boil. Add in chicken concentrated
stock if used.
3) Add in ginger slice, baby sweetcorns and mushrooms. Simmer for 10
minutes.
4) Add in cream corn and stir well.
5) Add in chicken strips and stir well until it is fully cooked.
6) Add in cornflour mixture and stir gently to thicken.
7) Pour the egg mixture slowly into the soup, stir until it forms thin egg shreds
on the surface. Turn off the heat.
Season with salt, pepper and sprinkle some spring onions before serving.

Simple Asparagus Soup

Servings: 3-4
Ingredients:
450g asparagus
25g butter
½ medium onion (finely chopped)
½ slightly rounded tbsp plain flour
500 ml hot chicken stock (you can replace with vegetable stock)
75 ml double cream (I use thickening cream)
Salt and freshly grounded black pepper
Methods:
1) Slice tips from asparagus. Blanch in salted boiling water for 1
minute. Drain and reserve for garnishing.
2) Discard the tough, stringy white ends of the stalks. Chop the green
parts into 2.5cm lengths.
3) Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat and cook the onion
for 5 mins.
4) Add in asparagus and sweat for about 10 mins with lid on. Stir
occasionally.
5) Add in flour and stir again to soak up the juices.
6) Add in hot chicken stock, a little at a time, stirring after each
addition.
7) Bring it to simmering point, season with salt and black pepper.
Simmer the soup under low heat for 20-25 minutes, partially
covered.
9) Let the soup cool a little and puree in a food processer or blender
in batches.
10) Adjust seasonings if necessary.
11) Stir in cream and re-heat gentlely for 3-4 minutes.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
200g fresh button mushrooms (chopped)
1 large white onion (diced)
1 large stalk of celery (diced)
360ml stock (I diluted 1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock with water)
300ml fresh milk
30g butter
3 tbsp plain flour
Salt and black pepper to taste
Methods:
1. Melt butter in a cooking pot.
2. Bake onion until translucent.
3. Lightly brown the mushrooms, then followed by celery
4. Stir in flour and mix well with the ingredients, then add in stock
5. Simmer for approx 20 mins. Stir occasionally.
6. Puree into a blender. (If you prefer a chunky soup, do not blend it
until too smooth)
7. Pour back into the pot.
8. Add in milk and simmer for another 4 mins under medium heat.
(Be careful not overboil the milk)
9. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve with homemade garlic
bread.
RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN RICE
Serve: 4-5 persons
Ingredients:
160g uncooked rice —– rinsed and drained
220g pumpkin –— de-skinned and cut into cubes
130g chicken breast –— cut into cubes
7 nos dried shitake mushrooms –– soaked, drained and cut into
cubes
35g dried shrimps –– soaked, drained and pat dried
5 nos shallots –– sliced thinly
350ml water (include the water used for soaking mushrooms and
dried shrimps)
Spring onions (for garnishing) — chopped
Seasonings:
1½ tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
½ tsp salt
Dash of sesame oil and pepper
Methods:
1. Marinate chicken breast with light soya sauce, sugar and
cornflour for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat up wok, sauté shallots until fragrant and golden brown.
Dish up and set aside.
3. Heat up wok, sauté dried shrimps with low heat until fragrant.
Add in mushrooms and stir-fry for a while. Add in chicken and
stir-fry until half-cooked.
4. Stir in rice and seasonings until well combined. Transfer into
rice cooker. Add in water and cook until the rice is 80% cooked.
Add in pumpkin and shallots and continue cooking until the rice
is cooked thoroughly. Use a spatula to loosen the rice.
5. Dish up and garnish with spring onions. Serve.
HOW TO ROAST CASHEW NUTS
Adapted and modified: 双如淡食, 光华日报（Kwong Wah Jit Poh）
Ingredients:
300g cashew nuts (refer to Note 1)
2-3 tbsp sea salts (based on your own preference)
2 litre water
Kitchen tools:
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Cooking pot (20cm width)
A pair of cooking chopsticks (10 inches long)
Baking tray (12 x 10cm)
Sieve
Method:
1. Preheat oven at 120°c.
2. Wash and rinse cashew nuts. Drain well.
3. Add water in a cooking pot and bring to a boil.
4. Add in sea salts.
5. Add in cashew nuts.
6. When the cashew nuts start to float on the water, remove and
drain with a sieve. (Note: It will take about 2-3 minutes) (refer
to photo 2 and 3).
7. Pat dry with kitchen towels.
8. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking tray (optional).
9. Spread the cashew nuts evenly on a baking tray, put them on
the middle (or slightly 1 level up) and roast then for half an
hour. (refer to photo 4).
10. Then use the chopsticks or large wooden spoon to stir
them once and continue to roast for another half an hour and
till the nuts are fragrant and lightly brown. (refer to Note 2)
 11. Once the cashew nuts are roasted enough, remove them
from the baking tray to a cooler surface or they will continue to
cook from the residual heat in the baking tray.
12. After cooling down, store in an air-tight container. (refer
to photo 1).
Note:
1. I am using cashew nuts from Vietnam but cashew nuts from
India are a better choice if you can buy them.
2. The larger the nut, the longer the roasting time. At the end of
the suggested roasting time, take one nut to test. Give it a bite.
If it is still soft, continue to roast for another 10 minutes.
Repeat this process until it reaches the crunchiness you desire.
As the residue heat will continue to cook these nuts even after
they are removed from the oven, thus do not to over-roast
them.
3. Do not roast the nuts under high temperature as it will damage

the nut healthy fats resulting the production of free radical.

(Source:  WHFoods).

RECIPE FOR OSMANTHUS POACHED PEARS

Source: Adapted and modified from Hunger Management (by Tan Hsueh Yun) @ The
Sunday Times

Serve: 4

Ingredients:
2 large yellow skinned Chinese round shaped or teardrop shaped pears (I used Korean pears)
25g dried white fungus (雪耳)
3 tbsp dried osmanthus flowers (桂花)
10g dried red dates
20g sweet almonds/ sweet apricot kernels or seeds (南杏) – refer to note 9
10g bitter almonds/ bitter apricot kernels or seeds (北杏) – refer to note 10
75g rock sugar/ cane sugar
2 candied dates – optional
1.5 litres water

Methods:

A) Preparation

1. Rinse the white fungus under running water, followed by soaking in a bowl of
water for an hour. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, trim out the hard yellow
orange parts at the bottom and separate the frilly head of fungus into bite-sized
pieces. Rinse, drain and set aside.
2. Skin the pears, core them and cut each one into 8 wedges, set aside.
3. Put dried osmanthus flowers into a sieve. Rinse them through running water
and drain. Spoon it into a disposable tea or spice bag. Seal the bag and set
aside.
4. Wash and remove seeds for red dates.
5. Rinse candied dates and both types of the almonds.

B) Poaching using normal pot

1. Bring the water to boil in a medium-sized pot. Add tea bag (step 3 above) and
rock sugar to the pot, and turn heat down to medium. When the rock sugar has
dissolved in the tisane, have a taste and add more sugar if desired.
2. Add the white fungus, candied dates, red dates, and sweet and bitter almonds.
3. Simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. The pears are done
when you can pierce through them easily using a sharp knife.
4. Let it cool in the pot for 1 hour. Fish out the tea bag containing the osmanthus
flowers before serving. It can be served warm or chilled. For chilled, cool
completely then refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.

C) Poaching using slow cooker (my lazy version)

1. Arrange all the ingredients neatly in the slow cooker pot. Add water.
2. Turn on the power and set to high to bring the water to a boil (Refer to note 8
below). Immediately reduce to low heat and simmer for 1-1.5 hours.
3. Let it cool in the pot for an hour. Fish out the tea bag containing the
osmanthus flowers before serving. It can be served warm or chilled. For
chilled, cool completely then refrigerate at least four hours or overnight.

Note:

1. If the size of the pear is small, use an extra one or two.

2. For smaller pear, cut each one into 4 wedges so that it can still hold its shape
during poaching.
3. Sweet and bitter almonds (Chinese almonds) are actually apricot kernels.
4. Do not soak white fungus in warm/ hot water as it will lose its crisp.
5. I find that the amount of sugar together with the candied dates give the right
sweetness to the soup. So there is no need to add extra sugar.
 6. This recipe works well for double-boiler method too, but the stewing process
will take 2 hours.
7. Osmanthus is available in either Chinese medicine shops or Chinese dried
good shops.
8. Some slow cooker models have auto function only. If so, you need to wait
until the water starts to boil and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. To reduce the
preparation time, you can start out with hot water. This is a cheater method
which I sometimes do. Some may against it because it may shorten the
lifespan of your slow cooker. So, use your own judgement.
9. Sweet almonds/ bitter apricot kernels or seeds (南杏)- It tastes sweet and is
neutral in nature. It is non-toxic and relieves cough.
10. Bitter almonds/ bitter apricot kernels or seeds (北杏)- It heals cough and
expels phlegm. [WARNING: As bitter almond carries a slight trace of toxins
(cyanide), please use it with extreme caution. There is a concern about the
potential health effects associated with large numbers of bitter apricot kernels
being consumed on a regular basis, particularly by young children (as
mentioned in this link). It is also not advisable for pregnant ladies. If you're
not comfortable eating it, then exclude it from the recipe. Other reading
reference: Is it safe to eat bitter apricot kernels by David Lebovitz.]

Tuna pasta

Ingredients:
200g tinned tuna in olive oil (drained and broken up into chunks)
800g tinned chopped tomatoes
275g pasta bows
2 large cloves garlic (crushed)
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano (optional)
½ tsp sugar (optional)
salt and pepper

# Tip on how to peel off tomato skin

– cut a “x” at the bottom of the tomato, put inside the boiling water for 1 min. Drain and let it
cool off. Then peel off the skin with a knife .

Methods:
1) Cook pasta according to the packet instructions, until the pasta is tender but not too soft.
2) Heat oil in a large saucepan, over a medium heat. Fry garlic for 1 min. Stir in oregano &
basil (if any), vegetables (if any), chopped tomatoes and tomato puree/ paste.
3) Bring the sauce to the boil and reduce the heat. Half cover the pan and simmer for 15 mins
or until the sauce has reduced by a third and thickened.
4) Stir the tuna into the sauce. Half-cover the pan and heat through for 2 mins, stirring
occasionally. Add some sugar to the sauce if necessary and season.
5) Drain the pasta but save 2 tbsp of the water. Return the pasta to the saucepan. Add the
water and stir in the sauce until the pasta is coated.
6) Serve with grated cheese and cooked broccoli.

Mini Mushroom-&-Sausage Quiches

These crustless mini quiches are like portable omelets. Turkey sausage and sauteed
mushrooms keep them light and savory. Small and satisfying, they're also a good
finger food for your next cocktail party.

1 dozen mini quiches | Active Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into
small pieces
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
5 eggs
3 egg whites
1 cup 1% milk

Preparation
1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin
generously with cooking spray (see Tip).
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook
until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the
pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7
minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5
minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture
evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of
the sausage mixture into each cup.
4. Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a
wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn
the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days
or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper
towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

A good-quality nonstick muffin tin works best for this recipe. If you don't have
one, line a regular muffin tin with foil baking cups.