I am a working mother of two lovely boys,
Timothy and Karson. Cooking is not only a daily task, it is also a real challenge for me. Planning, organizing & marketing are things need to be done before any cooking begins. With tight working schedules, I try very hard not to jeopardize my children's health, while having good quality and tasty food. Enjoy reading and may the cooking methods and recipes used help in your healthy cooking!
I have always loved pan mee especially pan mee in soup. Not so a fan of 'kon lou' (served dry with dark soy sauce or sometimes dried chillies). I remember I could finish 2 big bowls of pan mee when I was only 5 years old (mom's pan mee is the best so far). We used to call it 'min fan kueh' or 'min fan cha kuo' which directly translates 'flour desserts'. It was not until in the 1990's that pan mee was widely available commercially in all food stalls cooked.
Its name originated from a very humble stall located at Chow Kit, Kuala Lumpur. Stall's name is Tin Ai Ker and is still in business! Visit here to know more about the store. 'Pan' means wooden board in Cantonese and 'Mee' or 'Mien' means noodle. Wooden board is used to knead the flour into dough, then flattened using a roller. The main tool used is the wooden board, that explains how 'Pan mee' is originated.
Here's a quick home recipe on how to prepare Pan Mee. Enjoy!
The broth: You'll need anything which is protein based such as anchovies/bones. Peel and cut some garlics, some ginger and some onions into pieces. Clean bones/anchovies by running it in clean water twice. You wouldn't want to wash away the taste/aroma of the anchovies. Strain anchovies and place them into a big pot. This pot will be used to cook the pan mee till the end.
Throw in garlics, ginger and onions into pot and add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Heat pot and stir ingredients with a spatula until fragrant. Add in 1 litre of filtered water into pot. Boil for at least 30 mins. You can let the broth to cool under room temperature and keep it into fridge and use it on the next day. I do this at night so that when I come home from work the next day, I would have my broth ready to cook pan mee. You may even add some mushrooms into the broth.
The fried onion/shallots: Chop onion/shallots into tiny pieces, you may use an electrical chopper which can do your job faster. Tune in to find out what type of chopper I'm using @ Great tools in my kitchen.
The dough: Refer to pictures below
Sift flour into a container. You'll need approximately 100 grams per person. For a family of 2 adults and 2 small children like mine, I used 350 grams of flour (my sons love it, cooked more just in case)
Add 1 tsp of fine salt and 1 tbsp cooking oil into sieved flour. You may replace cooking oil with 1 tbsp of butter.
Mix well oil, salt and flour.
Add water gradually while mixing the flour until the flour is completely kneaded into dough.
Mix dough well and knead until dough is smooth and not sticky.
Sprinkle some flour onto dough if dough is too sticky.
Walla!
The cooking process : You may now tear/peel the dough in thin pieces and place them into the pot of broth boiling with low fire. Stir occasionally. You may also roll the dough into flat pieces before tearing them into pieces, but I found home-made doughs are much softer, therefore, making it harder to be rolled. Use some warm water to moist the dough and stretch the dough into thin layers of about 2 inches in length before throwing into the pot.
When all dough is inside the pot of broth, switch to high fire, coz it's time to throw in all other ingredients. Fish balls/meat/choy sam vegetables. Cook until all ingredients are cooked, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of sesame seed oil and 1 tbsp of fish gravy.
Serve in large soup bowls and sprinkle some spring onions/fried onions/fried anchovies
I use fish gravy in soups to flavour any soup or broth. Soups boiled from anchovies/fish will need fish gravy to enhance its flavour. But don't use too much, maybe 1 tbsp for a litre of soup should be okay, as it is quite salty. I've always used 'Narcissus brand'. You may not wish to smell it directly as it's quite fishy, but when added into soups, it is really delicious!.
Do I look nice holding a DiGi iPhone 4? I would have looked nicer if it's a real one!! I'm praying hard to win one of the 4 at stake!!! With DiGi iPhone 4, with Apps for Cooks, I would definitely post more quick meals for quick people like you and myself!! Stay tuned!
Visited DiGi iPhone where DiGi iPhone 4 plans are revealed. I saw the monthly fees were cut here and there...and cuts are good for subscribers!! But, as usual, there's always a catch. DiGi mentioned in one of its terms and conditions that the promotional monthly fee is only applicable for the first 24 months...only 24 months? only? Why use the word 'only' when this is like HEAVEN (spelled in capital!) for subscribers!!! To be able to enjoy the discounted monthly fee is such good offer!!! Imagine how much you could save and do in 2 years! Thanks DiGi for being so competitive..!
When it comes to cooking shows, the TOP celebrity chef in my list would always be Mr Jamie Oliver!! He's the only cook shown on cable tv who cares about the nutrition of children!!! I love him,.....his quick and slick cooking style makes me wanna cook like him....Having the DiGi iPhone 4, would give me a chance to have Jamie Oliver in my humble kitchen and with his step-by-step cooking shown using the Apps for Cooks gives me great convenience when preparing quick meals!!! Yearning to win the iPhone to have Jamie cooking for my family.....!
I think If I was ever given the honour to win the DiGi iPhone 4, I would start with choosing recipes by browsing the so-called magazine-worthy photographs of dishes in the high-definition phone!! And believe me DiGi, as an ambassador of DiGi user myself, it has been and will always be my honour to recommend all my friends to switch to 'yellow man' coz you're the greatest sponsor!!
I did not know why but something told me something big is going to happen in my life. My right eyebrow twitched the whole day 2 days ago. And I was right! iPhone 4 is coming! Sponsored by DiGi, my favorite telco... and I'm so excited about this contest! I'm gonna win win win one of the 4 iPhone 4's! Believe me!
Seen so many people holding iPhone, I want one for myself too, haven't owned any handphones exceeding RM 500 with lotsa features. With iPhone 4, all my waiting time (either waiting for my husband to fetch me, waiting for my children during their music class) will always be occupied with FUN!!! (spelled in capitals)
I've made my pledge that with iPhone 4, I will hold it with me 24 hours a day, including my private times in the toilet! Thanks to DiGi for always making our lives a step forward!
My sons enjoy eating mini corn, be it stir-fried, boiled in soups or just being steamed. They love the sweet taste of mini corns and its miniature size. Here's a recipe, quick to prepare, healthy to eat. Try it!
Mini corns stir fried with chinese mushrooms
Quick recipe : Serves 2 adults and 2 children Preparation time : 10 mins Cooking time : 15 mins
1) Chop 5 cloves of garlic 2) Cut 1 capsicums in triangles 3) Cut 3 chinese mushrooms into triangles (soaked in water, put into fridge the night before, then squeezed dry before being cut) 4) Cut 1/2 chicken into strips 5) Boil a pot of water, then throw in capsicums and mini corns, boil for 1 min 6) Heat wok, add 2 tablespoon of cooking oil 7) Throw in garlic and fry till fragrant 8) Add in chicken strips, fry till half-cooked. 9) Throw in mushrooms, fry for 1/2 min. 10) Strain capsicums and mini corn and add into wok, fry. 11) Add 1 tablespoon of Thick Black Soya Sauce. 12) Add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar 13) Add 1 tablespoon of water and simmer for 1 mins. 14) Finally, put in 1 tablespoon of starch water if thick sauce preferred (just add tapioca starch into cold water), and walla!
Look out for another children-friendly recipe using mini corn in my next post! Tune in!
I love this simple recipe simply because, cabbage when cooked in soup, tastes sweeter and children love it when it is softer compared to eaten raw. I used purple cabbage as it has been proven to show more promising health. Click here for more information on purple veggies. I use ginger in all my veggie soup to 'calm' our stomach besides providing a great aroma to soups.
Quick recipe:
Serves 2 adults and 2 children
Preparation time : 5 min
Cooking time : 30 min
1) Cut 1/4 purple cabbage into super thin slices.
2) Bring a pot of water (approx. 2 litres) to boil
3) Pound a piece of ginger the size of a pebble into boiling water
4) Add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, then throw in the purple cabbage.
5) Boil until cabbage is soft (around 20 mins)
6) Turn off heat
7) Stir in a tablespoon of Miso Paste, to replace salt. Important Note : Avoid boiling soup after miso has been added.
The ingredients used to produce miso may include any mix ofsoybeans,barley,rice,buckwheat,millet,rye,wheat,hempseed, andcycad, among others. Lately, producers in other countries have also begun selling miso made fromchickpeas,corn,azuki beans,amaranth, andquinoa. Fermentation time ranges from as little as five days to several years. The wide variety ofJapanesemiso is difficult to classify, but is commonly done by grain type, color, taste, and background.
Many regions have their own specific variation on the miso standard. For example, the soybeans used inSendaimiso are much more coarsely mashed than in normal soy miso.
Miso made with rice such asshinshuandshiroare calledkomemiso.
Source : Wikipedia
Try this amazing ingredient which can be used to replace salt in your cooking, esp. soups, noodles and best of all it is not a cancer-eating agent, good news for cancer patients. It can be used to marinate fish or meat too. The only caution we should take is never boil soup that has been added with Miso.
Something different from the norm, I cooked something that my children love...! I used fish fillet packed and sold frozen at hypermarkets. You can also buy fresh from wet markets, or best if you can catch some of your own. Since, I hardly do any deep-frying in my kitchen and would not encourage you to do the same, I put it into the oven and baked it. It turned out great (though some look a little damaged from the couple of turnings I did to them).
I would replace any fried food with more healthy method of cooking. In this meal, I replaced chips/fries with potato salad. I also added half a piece of kiwi as starter. It looked very appetizing to the children. Enjoy my recipe below!
Quick recipe:
Serves 2 adults and 2 children
Preparation time : 20 min
Cooking time : 30 min
Fish fillet
1) You'll need 4 pieces of fish fillet. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line oven tray with aluminium foil. Grease tray with a little butter to prevent fish from sticking to tray.
2) Put fish fillets into the oven straight from the freezer.
3) Bake for about 30 mins/until brown on both sides.
4) When serving, squeeze some lemon juice onto fish to neutralize the fishy smell. Tartar sauce is needed as well.
Potato salad
1) Boil 2 big potatoes and peel when cooked. View video below on how to peel a cooked potato with ease.
2) Boil 2 eggs to become poached eggs.
3) Add cooked potatoes and eggs into a salad bowl.
4) Mash both ingredients.
5) Add 1 big chopped yellow onion.
6) Add a pinch of fine sea-salt, a dash of black pepper, 2 tablespoons of mayonaise and 1/2 cup of fresh milk (optional).
I love capsicums, from being stir-fried, to salads, to become part of -yong tau foo (stuffed with fish paste), it just makes a great colourful dish, not boring, makes my children happy to see it. Comes in green, red, orange and yellow, I normal buy 1 in each colour, mix it all up!! Interesting!! Children normally do not like the taste of it, so before serving to them, I cut them up in chopped size, with a clean pair of scissors, that'll do it!
Here, I'm sharing some of the benefits from eating capsicum..
:) Beneficial to the mucous membranes, eyes and skin
:) Helps wards off infection (Children's immune system is the most important!)
:) Has antioxidant properties that neutralize the free radicals responsible for damaging tissue and cells
:) Good for treating colds and fevers (children need this!)
:) Stimulates stomach secretions and improves digestion
:) Has a laxative effect
Look out for some recipes using capsicum under My quick recipes label.
This has been my favourite dish ever since I was small! My mommy used to cook this dish with steamy hot rice being served...yummy! Now, as a mother myself, I cook it for my children who also enjoy it very much. Preparation time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 15 mins. Here's how!
Quick recipe: 1) Open a can of baked beans in tomato sauce 2) Chop some garlic 3) Heat wok 4) Add 1 tbsp of cooking oil (I use grapeseed oil) Click here to view cooking oil 5) Throw in garlic and fry until fragrant 6) Pour baked beans into wok 7) Slowly simmer with med fire for approx. 5 mins. You may match this dish with any kind of vegetables you like. In this picture, I stir-fried some 'bok choy'.
This is my younger son's rice portion...He loved it!
She's one of my favourite talk show hosts with great cooking talent, she can cook really quickly, cut this, throw in that, toss, stew...I really enjoyed her cooking show cum interviews with celebrities. She moves around smoothly in her staged kitchen, talk at the same time....I have learnt some essential cooking tricks from her as well. I found this book on Amazon.com and it looks interesting..365 different dinner everyday! Get one today!
Ikea Charm Apple Slicer (Price : RM 9.90) Stainless steel with sturdy handle. Can also be used to slice potatoes or onions into wedges. My husband's favourite kitchen tool. When you have children, time management is very very important. Here's a great tool that I strongly recommend that can help to cut not only apples, but unnecessary time used. Try it!.
Becareful...sharp knifes...keep away from children. Align apple in the centre of slicer.
Giant Oyster Mushroom Fried with Mixed Vegetables I bought some giant oyster mushrooms from the wet market one day and decided to replace meat with the mushrooms in the mixed vegetables. Once cooked, the mushroom looked like scallop, and had a similar texture too....enjoy the recipe!
Giant Oyster MushroomsIt has a thick, meaty white stem and a small tan cap (in young specimens). It has little flavor or aroma when raw. When cooked, it develops typical mushroomumami flavors with a texture similar to that of abalone. Also called xìng bào gū (杏鮑菇, lit. "almond abalone mushroom"), cì qín gū (刺芹菇, lit. "stab celery mushroom"), or cì qín cè ěr (刺芹側耳, lit. "stab celery side ear"). InJapanese, it is called eringi (katakana: エリンギ). Source : Wikipedia
Quick recipe: 1) Chop some garlic. 2) Get some brocolli/pea pods/Capsicum/any other vegetables you like and cut into triangles. For brocolli/cauliflowers, cut into florets. For pea pods, peel off the hard stems. 3) Cut mushrooms into pieces. 4) Heat water in pot and bring to boil. 5) Add vegetables into pot and boil for 2 mins, then strain vegetables. 6) Heat wok, add approx. 2 tbsp of grapeseed oil. 7) Add garlic, fry until fragrant. 8) Throw in half-cooked vegetables, followed by mushrooms. 9) Add 2 tbsp thick soy sauce/oyster sauce and 1 tsp brown sugar into vegetables. 10) Stir Fry for 3 mins or until vegetables are well-cooked.
Organic Thick Black Soy Sauce This is my life saver when it comes to cooking fried noodle/mee hoon, no normal soy suace is needed anymore. Perfect for steamed fish and in fried vegetables too. Replaces oyster sauce which could be high in cholesterol according to some people. From Organic Forest.
I try my very best to convert the ingredients in my cooking to organic ingredients. Things as simple as organic sea salt gives me satisfaction, thinking that my family is safe while eating the best. While the price of organic products is still at higher par, in a way, there's not much difference when it comes to health. I don't know about you, but for me, the price makes me remember that I don't need to put in too much salt/sugar, we actually gain good health and it saves me $$ too. The following lists the products which I always find handy in my cooking.. Recommended choices
Grape Seed Cooking Oil from Black Forest Made from Grape Seed. Recommended stir/deep frying up to 360 degrees Fahrenheit. It smells good too. Product of Spain.
Fine & Coarse Sea Salt Sun and wind dried without the use of dangerous chemicals...phew...safe for consumption. I use fine salt in most of my cooking except for soups where I use Coarse Sea Salt. Products of France.
