Fried Petai (smelly beans) with Dried Shrimps Sambal

This is my favorite dish. I can finish 2 bowl of rice with this dish. Smelly beans has high content of amino acid, hence after consuming these yummy beans, it is detectable from your breath and pee for at least 2 days. Your poor friends and family will also have to deal your heavy flatulence effect. Hehe...but I just like this. 

Ingredients:
- 1 cup Dried Shrimps Sambal

- 1/2 cup petai

- 2 tbsp oil

How to cooks:

Clean and wash petai, heat oil in a wok and fried until fragrance (use more oil if necessary).

Add dried shrimps sambal, and stir about 1 minute.

 Serve hot with rice.

Dried Shrimps Sambal

Dried shrimps sambal commonly known locally as “hei bi hiam” is a very popular condiment in Singapore and South East Asia. It’s commonly used in stir fries with long beans, kangkong, petai (smelly beans) etc. It's also go well with rice and bread.

Ingredients:
- 100gr dried shrimps (minced/mashed) *
- 10 shallots (minced/mashed) *
- 10 red chili/dried chili (minced/mashed) * **
- chilli padi (optional)
- Sugar

* You can blend the ingredients also. 
** if using dried chili, remove the seed and soak with hot water until soft.

I am using mortar to minced the ingredients, that taste better than blended.

How to cooks:
Wash and slice shallot and chili, put aside.
Rinse dried shrimp, put aside.
Minced/blend all ingredients coarsely (separately).

Mixed minced shallot and chili, heat 5 tbsp oil in a wok and fried about 1 minute (use more oil if necessary).

Add dried shrimp and fried about 1 minute, add sugar and salt to taste. (You may not want to add salt depending on preference because the dried shrimp are already salty.)

Apple And Pear Pork Ribs Soup

I’ve always love using fruits in cooking and finally I try this. It turns out to be one of the most tasty and refreshing soup I’ve had! It is a very nourishing yet tasty soup. The natural sweetness of the soup is pure bliss.

Ingredients:
1 apple fuji
1 pear
300g pork ribs
1 tbsp sweet almonds (南杏) – also known as sweet apricot kernels or seeds
1 tbsp bitter almonds（北杏）- also known as bitter apricot kernels or seed
2 candied dates (蜜枣）
15 red dates (红枣）
5g yu zhu (玉竹）
2 tbsp dried scallop
1000 ml water

Core the apple and pear, then rinse and chop them into 8 wedges for each one. Set aside

 Rinse pork ribs, blanch it over boiling water. Dish up and set aside.

Rinse candied dates, sweet and bitter almonds, red dates, yu zhu, and dried scallop. Set aside.
Put water in a cooking pot and bring it to a boil. When the water is boiled add in all ingredients in the pot. Switch to low fire and simmer for another 1 hours.

Turn off heat. Add salt to taste. Serve.

Steam Grey Mullet Fish (黑鱼） with Garlic & Shallot

Grey mullet is a saltwater fish that is often overlooked by most people. It is cooked like sea bass, yet is no relation to the former, but is not similar in taste or flavor. It is comparable to sea bass on sight and can often be substituted for sea bass in recipes.Very easy to find and it is very inexpensive. You can just steam it with little bit salt. For garlic and shallot lover try the following recipe......

Ingredients:
1 medium grey mullet ( (黑鱼) about 500gram
10 garlic-chopped
10 shallot-slice
3 chili-optional

Sauce:
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp water

How to cooks:
Clean the fish, make three cuts along the body of the fish on both sides and put into a heat-proof dish.
Fried garlic and shallot until fragrance or until turn to golden brown color, remove from wok.

Arrange fried garlic and shallot on top of the fish, add chili and sauce.

Steam for 8-10 minutes (make sure the water is boiling rapidly before you place the fish in the wok)
Remove from the wok and serve immediately.

Fried-stir Lady Fingers (Okra) with Ikan Bilis

Lady fingers has gotten a bad rap from many corners. "Slimy" is how some people describe it. But when these lovely little grassy pods are dry-cooked or combined with something acidic, like tomatoes, that effect it mitigated and their seedy yet soft texture shines through. Here I am sharing my recipe.

Ingredients:
6 lady fingers
3 garlic chopped
20gr ikan bilis
2 chili (if prefer spicy)
30ml water
1/4 tsp chicken stock (if prefer)

How to cook:
Wash lady finger and slice it into thin pieces, just like in this photo. Cutting it slanted makes it look nicer.

Heat up some oil, then stir fry the garlic and ikan bilis until fragrance or until turn to golden brown color.
Turn on high heat , pour in the ladies fingers, chili and water, stir until the water dry up, add chicken stock and stir a while. (You may not want to add salt depending on preference because the ikan bilis are already salty.)
Serve it while hot.

Tau Suan (split green mung beans)

Tau Suan (split green bean) is a popular Chinese dessert in Asia. I made this dessert last night! Its very easy to find at outside but it is definitely much cheaper to make this at home than to eat it outside, plus you can adjust the sweetness according to your liking. And the best part cooking at home is you can have unlimited servings of you tiao .Some people like to add coconut milk too.

Ingredients:
200gr split green mung bean
4 pandan leaves, washed and tied to a knot
100gr sugar *
1 litre water
2 you tiao

Thickener :
50 gr sweet potato starch mix with 50ml water

* Adjust sugar level according to your liking

How To cook:
Soak the beans in water for 1 hour, drained and rinse again with water. Drain again.
Steam the beans about 20 minutes or until they are soft

In a pot, add water and pandan leaves. Bring to boil. When its boiled add sugar, reduce heat, and add the steamed beans.

Add the thickener slowly to the soup until mixture thickens (before add thickener stir the solution again to make sure it is even). You do not need to add all … stop adding once it becomes the thickness that you like.
Ladle into serving bowls, add 1 tbsp of coconut milk (if you like) and top with you tiao. Serve hot or warm.

Salted Vegetables with Meat Balls Soup

People always jokes no money eat salty vegetables and salty fish. They call "poor man food" because in fact we can just eat alone with steamed white rice or porridge. My mum used to cook this dish when I was young. Its go well with rice. I just loves this dish so much. When I call hubby tonight I'll cook salty vegetable soup he will laughing and tell me " We are not so poor okay hahahaha".

Ingredients:
100 gr salted vegetables/pickle mustard (choose sour flavor)
150 gr minced pork
2 medium tomato
10 garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbs chicken stock powder
5 tbsp oil
1000 ml water

pickle mustard sour (buy at NTUC)

How to cook :
Chop garlic.
Cut salted vegetable and tomato.

Mix minced pork with garlic, pepper and chicken stock powder.

Form the meat mixture into balls about 1 inches and put aside.

Heat the pot, add 3 tbsp oil , fried the garlic until fragrance, add tomato and salted vegetables, stir about 1 minutes add water and bring to the boil over high heat.

Add meat balls when the soup is boiled.
Let the soup boil about 1 minutes, (taste the soup, can add salt if the soup is not salty).
Ladle soup into serving bowls.