Chicken with Tomato Alfredo Sauce on Rice

If you are tired of curry, try this tangy and creamy tomato Alfredo.  As we often say, everything tastes better with a little ketchup on it.  It is proof again in this tangy chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Whole Chicken Wings, cut into three segments

3 Carrots, cut into bite size

1 Red Onion, chunks

5 Garlic Cloves, peeled and mashed

1 can Chickpea, drained and rinsed the chickpeas

2 tablespoons Flour

1/4 cup Butter

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)

1 cup Milk, 2%

1/3 cup Ketchup

3 tablespoons Worcester Sauce

2 tablespoons Sugar

Salt

DIRECTION:

1. Combine garlic, carrot, butter and vegetable oil in a deep pot.  Heat them up over medium heat until the garlic is fragrant and the carrots are nicely browned.

2. Turn the heat to high; add chicken.  Stir fry until the chicken starts to turn colour, about 10 minutes.  Add cooking wine and allow it to be absorbed.

3. Sprinkle the flour onto the chicken while stirring.  Then quickly add in milk.  Reduce the heat a little if the sauce thickens too quickly, and add more milk if needed.

4. When the sauce comes to a boil, add chickpea and onion.  Continuously cook until they heat through and the onion is slightly softened, about 10 minutes.  Season with Sugar, salt and Worcester sauce to taste.  It is delicious to serve with brown rice, pasta or naan bread.

Stir fried Squid with Celery

This is a classic dish in Hong Kong that you can find in a "cha chaan teng" or in homes. The celery should be bright green and crunchy, and the squid should be fresh and al dente.  Some people like to add cornstarch slurry to create some gloss and moistness for the dish.  My mom likes it simple as it is so I also adopted her version.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Celery, hard fibre removed and cut into 2 inches long

10 Baby squids

6 Garlic Cloves

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine

4 Ginger Slices

pinch of sugar

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the squid, remove the head from the body by pulling the tentacles.  Remove the ink sac, beak and the transparent bone.  Rinse the squids.

2. Bring a small pot of water to a rolling boil with the ginger slices.  Add squid.  Blanch until they just turn colour and the tentacles curl up.  Quickly remove them to a cold bath.  Set aside.

3. In a clean pan, add oil and garlic cloves.  Let them fry over high heat until fragrant.  Add celery; sauté for about 5 minutes or until it turns bright green.  Drizzle the cooking wine and add a pinch of sugar to flavour.  When the celery just starts to give, add the blanched squid and cook until the squid heats throughly.  Quickly transfer them onto a serving plate.

Lemony Beetroot and Lentil Salad

It is a very simple and also substantial salad that can be prepared in almost no time.  The lentils make this salad substantial and you can enjoy it just as a whole course meal.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Beet Roots, Peeled and cut into sticks

1/2 cup Lentils

1 cup Water

1 handful of Italian Parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 Lemon of juice

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup

pinch of Salt

DIRECTION:

1. To cook the lentils, combine the rinsed lentils and 1 cup of water in a pot.  Bring them to a boil over high heat.  When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low.  Cover the lid; cook it for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft to bite.  Allow them to cool.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients including the cooked lentils.  Mix well; allow it to sit for 10 minutes for the taste to develop before serving.

Seafood Stew

Although the list of ingredients look a bit long, the soup is actually simple to make.  It requires a quick sauté of the garlic and onion and then put the rest of the ingredients into the soup pot together.  I personally found this soup tastes much better the day after, when the potatoes break down more and create a creamier texture.  Enjoy this wonderful soup and stay warm!

INGREDIENTS:

3 pcs White Fish Fillets, cut into big chunks

10 Baby Squids

6 Oysters

1 small pc Smoked Salmon

4 Small Potatoes, cubed

1 Onion, peeled and cubed

1 Canned Tomatoes, halved

1/2 head Garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 Scallions, cut into sticks (optional)

2 cups Seafood Broth ( I used Campbell)

2 cups Water

3 tablespoons White Vinegar

2 Bay Leaves, dried

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper, ground

2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the squid, pull the tentacles away from the tube.  Remove the transparent soft bone inside the tube.  Remove the eye balls and ink bag.  Also, remove the teeth that are hidden under the tentacles.  Cut the tubes into thick rounds. Set aside.

2. To clean the oysters, add about two teaspoons of cornstarch on top of the oysters.  Very gently rub clean the black lines off the oysters to remove all the dirt.  Rinse the oyster with water.  Set aside.

3. In a soup pot, add vegetable oil, onion and garlic.  Sauté them over medium heat until the onion is translucent and the mixture is fragrant.  About 10 minutes. 

4. Turn up the heat to medium-high.  Pour in seafood broth and water.  Add tomatoes, potatoes, and bay leaves.  Cover the lid; boil the soup for about 15 minutes.

5. Add fish fillet, oysters, squids, and smoked salmon into the soup.  Continuously cook it over high heat until the soup reboils.  Season the soup with salt to taste.

Simplest Crunchy Pan-fried Sardine

Fried fish is one of the simplest but the most satisfying recipes I love to have over a bowl of hot rice.  The lemony juice is optional, but it brings tremendous difference in the flavour of sardines.  I enjoy these little fishes with bones, fins and tails everything except the head part.  What about you?

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 Sardine (I used frozen)

1-2 teaspoons Cornstarch

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/3 Lemon

DIRECTION:

1. To clean the sardines, slit open the belly with a knife and remove the guts.  Remove the gills and descale the sardines.  Rinse them well under running water and then pat them dry with paper towel.  If you are using frozen ones, let them thaw at room temperature until they become soft again before cleaning them.

2. In a non-stick frying pan, add vegetable oil.  Heat it up over medium heat.  Meanwhile, coat each sardine with a thin layer of cornstarch.  When the oil is ready, carefully lay them into the pan.  Fry until they are crispy and slightly brown; about 5 minutes.  Flip the sardines onto the other side; fry for another 5 minutes.  Remove them from the heat.

3. To serve, squeeze the lemon juice over sardines before eating.

Spaghetti Squash with Creamy Mushroom Sauce and Sausage

Although spaghetti squash has the word "spaghetti" in its name, its texture is nothing spaghetti like.  Instead, the texture is rather like grated carrot.  The first time when I cooked it, I was so hoping it would taste like spaghetti in someway.  However, neither the texture or flavour.  I was quite disappointed.

Years later when I tried this squash again, I told myself to consider it as a squash and it will certainly taste like one.  Then, I focused on the roasting part to make it rather crunchy and not something called "al dente".  The flavour starts to make sense in this delicate squash. I hope this experience will give you some inspiration to create your own healthy plate of spaghetti squash.

The longer the squash is roasted, the softer the texture will become.  My family and I like it more crunchy so I roast the squash for 20 to 25 minutes.

The seeds in the squash are edible.  I generally like to roast them along with the squash and then add them back to the dish.  It may sound unusual for some, but I like the extra crunch and nutty flavour they bring.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Spaghetti Squash

5 Italian Sausages, cut into bite size

10 White Button Mushrooms, slices

1 sprig Sage, fresh

1/2 head Garlic, peeled and chopped finely

1.5 cups Milk

2 tablespoon All Purpose Flour

Black Pepper and Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds.  Sprinkle the squash with salt.  Place them on a roasting pan with cut side up.  Roast them until the tops start to turn golden brown; about 25 minutes.  If you are using the seeds, wash the seeds and place them on the roasting pan around the squash when roasting.

2. Once the squash is ready and cool enough to handle, with a fork, remove the strands of squash from the skin.  Set aside.

3. To cook the sauce, heat up about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and sage; fry until fragrant.  Add sausages; continuously fry until they are nearly cooked.

4. Add mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Dust the flour evenly over the pan.  Slowly add in the milk; stirring constantly.  The mushrooms will release water, so the sauce will initially look thin.  Continue to cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Season with salt to taste.  Remove the sauce from the heat.

5. Ladle some sauce over the spaghetti squash and serve.  

Kid-friendly Chickpea Hummus

The traditional hummus contains tahini, but tahini has a slightly bitter aftertaste that not all people like.  My son doesn't really like tahini so I use mayonnaise here.  It is not a super healthy recipe since I admit it calls for mayonnaise.  However, the kids are really going to enjoy this chickpea packed snack.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Canned Chickpea, rinsed and drained

2 Garlic Cloves, peeled

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

1/3 Lemon of Juice

3 tablespoons Water

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a food processor, add all ingredients.  Process until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

2. Before serving, sprinkle some sweet paprika and extra olive oil if desired.  Serve it with pita, naan, cucumber, carrot, or blanched beans.