Cooking Tips & Recipe

Hi Choc,

I don't see any difference between the flour since oil/yolk is added. No need to knead very hard (I don't have strong hands either) and don't bother about excess bits falling out and uneven mixing. Keep stretching, pulling and clumping it together. Also whack it real hard onto bowl (like throwing away rubbish violently) a few times. Like I said, it's war-time food so doesn't require much effort/time.

My mom has lots of 'rules' but I've concluded that even if you plainly knead the dough, the mee hoon kway will turn out fine. Just adjust thin-ness and size of pieces when you cook will do. Anyway my grandma says that mine is nicer (hope she wasn't just making me happy) and I think so 'cos I've watched her make mee hoon kway hundreds of time without much fuss and sound in the kitchen.

I usually do the following:
(1) Grease the mixing plate with oil (one teaspoon)
(2) Pour flour
(3) Add salt water (mix a bowl of water with a pinch of salt) and yolk
(4) Keep mixing till you get dough. Too watery > add water. Too watery > add flour. Hahaha...

If you find that your dough is too tough, make thin and small mee hoon kwey pieces when cooking. Stretch a small bit til it becomes very long and wide. Also add some shallot oil when mee hoon kway cooks so that everything is smooth and silky.

Don't worry about making too much dough 'cos it can keep for up to 5 days. Just need to cover the container with a damp piece of cloth and change it when it dries up. I don't measure volume of ingredients when I cook so roughly half a packet of flour/top flour can make enough for 6 servings usually.

I'm a monster when it comes to eating mee hoon kway. I once ate up a whole wok of mee hoon kway when I was in Primary school. Couldn't walk after that. Something I always request for during my stayovers on weekends
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As for the beef. I was just going to do a post on beef when you posted the message. Marinated beef with the Shine Korea bean paste and sugar. YUMMMMEEEEEEEEEEE. Hb says it tastes as authentic as village restaurants in Korea. Beef is the easiest and fastest meat to marinate and cook. Can't eat too much or I get breakout though
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Wow mumusings! you are so efficient and good! The beef looks so delicious with the rice, I got to go find some nice beef to do this korean bbq beef. Actually wanted to make some spaghetti for lunch tomorrow, but am thinking twice now. haha..

Thanks for the detailed recipe on MHK! My whole family loves MHK.. I particularly like the ah ma MHK sold at certain food courts, the MHK has bits of carrots and very Q Q ,and is added into bee hoon. So when I saw your MHK with carrots, I immediately tot about that..

Read your facial and foot spa tips, so interesting! If only i have time to do at home..Now I have to get back to Pt 2 of my floor mopping.. Tks ya
 
Hi Choc,

Beef goes with pasta too if you stir-fry chinese way (like frying beef hor fun). I always buy discounted beef because the usual price is so high! The beef would have cost S$8.60 if not for the expiry (reduced to s$3.60). I always get these to marinate and store. Very handy to have in case no time to think of other things to cook.

Talk about the ah-ma mee hoon kway - I did it once. Just knead in carrot bits will do. My mom used to do crazy things like kneading in marinated minced pork, corn and fish meat when I was small. Original is best.

Your timing and mine quite same. Cooked up the rest of the beef, fried tau kwa and knocked in a raw egg over for hb who's home today. Will post the recipe tomorrow - no time to write. Just finished bathing after cooking/mopping and junior is waking up anytime...
 
Hi Choc,

Sorry clicked too fast 'cos in a rush... here's BBQ beef with mushroom over lettuce and fried tau kwa with raw egg. I'm terrified of eggs and can only enjoy cooking them hahaha... Quickly took out my portion of beef/mushrooms leaving hb's portion before cracking the egg in.

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Hi Joy,

Yes, certainly. If you don't like the bean-paste taste to be overpowering, put just a spoonful and add oyster sauce so that it tastes more 'Chinese'. Marinated sotong and chicken too. Trial and error - just marinate whatever I can find at the moment. The Koreans use this bean paste to go with anything and everything. My husband eats the paste with gingko nuts and clams to.
 
Hi Mumusings,

The bean paste not a must right.Very hard for me to try new dish and taste at times, cos if it doesnt fit into the kid's taste, my effort will be into the drain.So , most of the time, will try to modify the taste.

These days, quite lazy, always try to do all in one kind of dish....

cheers
 
Hi Joy,

Then the safest is bulgogi sauce or oyster sauce. If your kids like Seoul Garden sort of taste, bulgogi is safe (the non-spicy). I don't specially cook for my toddler. He eats what we eat. If there's a spicy dish, he'll take rice with plain omelette. Training him to be flexible so that I won't have to cook separately next time.
 
Hi Mumusings,

Thanks for sharing.

You are right, must train them to be flexible.I spoilt my kids and they tend to be quite choosy in food.I am the tired one cos i have to cook different dish to accomodate everyone.

cheers
 
hi mumusings, thanks for sharing the receipi!
wow i like the beef with raw egg! yummy and easy to cook !

yesterday make the minced beef pattie. I bgt the beef from NTUC, then marinate with soya sauce, salt, sugar, one chopped onion, some green onion, corn flour.

Use non stick pan, put oil to brown the outside.
Then put in oven to bake for abt 10 min to ensure inside is cooked, but not over cooked.

I make some sauce to go with it, fry chopped onion, then add chopped tomato, put some tomato sauce, yogurt. Then i use blender to make the sauce smooth.

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Gd morning all!

cat, wow! beef beef beef! I love beef..
haha.. today boiling double B soup.. Burdock and Beef soup..POWER soup for thursday, need to re charge for the coming exams.. Tks for sharing this minced beef rec. Going to make that for burger maybe next week..

With you all showing pics and sharing recipes and ideas, I have so much ideas for my menu, Tks and Muacks..

mumusings, very good idea to buy the meat on discount and marinate them . I shall learn from you ;) .. ask you hor, so after marinating, do you freeze the meat? Thought of doing that, cos I go marketing once a week only and sometimes it's difficult to find good cut meats on discount.

Tonight also cooking 3 cups chicken with abalone mushrooms and fry asparagus..

Re: pandan cake experiment,
My findings( haha.., I'm a food detective now): use freshly squeezed pandan juice for more fragrant pandan cakes. I actually squeezed pandan juice on monday, let it settle in fridge for few days, thought want to get some real concentrated pandan essence/paste, but ended up with not so "pang" cake by using the "concentrate" + commercial pandan paste..
 
Hi Little Cat,

The secret ingredients to beef patty is mix a little pork, milk and biscuit crumbs. Add some in and you'll see a difference! Lovely colour (maybe will make some this weekend) - great idea for the sauce
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http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-mumusings-59-mumusings-meat.html

Hi Choc,

I don't freeze the meat but put in chiller. Usually eat latest 3 days' later. I only freeze sausages, prawns, crab meat and whitebait. Meats are troublesome defrost so I don't place them in the freezer.
 
Hi ladies.. I recently took more interest in cooking and baking as I got a new oven.. so I found this thread on the forum.. so happy! I read through the last couple of pages and found you ladies so helpful and amazing!
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mumusings,
I saw your blog yesterday and kept thinking about the patties.. so I made some tonite.. but I made them into 'burger'.. It's very yummy. Thanks for your recipe.. I mixed beef and pork 50-50. Then season.. then I used those Kong Guan sugared-crackers (cos I only had those lying around).. and it works well! Best is when my 4yr boy told me he likes it! My 2.5yr girl also ate it. Share a pic here.

Mini croissant burger. I just boil some carrots and celery, added cucumber, tomato and raisins and put some mayo and balsamic sauce as dressing. To serve on the side.
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Hope to learn more from you ladies.
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Hi Autumn,

Wow!!! The cheese-coated patties look lovely! The actual ratio for beef:pork is 2:1 (according to my hb). Any biscuit/plain crackers will do. Makes the patty fragrant and loosely-packed. All meat burger tends to be too tough if you overcook them - harder to control.

Thanks for sharing the pic! I've done meatball marinara pasta but never with croissant before. Great idea. Your deluxe meal would have cost more than S$15 at a cafe. Add a bottle of Orangina and it'll look like a Delifrance meal
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Mumusings,
Ya I remember reading from your blog the ratio should be 2:1 but I bot 200gm of beef n 200gm of pork. Initially I portion out the pork, but I see left so little bit of pork so I just dump all in. Luckily turn out great. Haha.

My seasoning, I didn't follow yours. I just anyhow season with what I think is ok. Haha. And again, luckily it turns out ok.

Mince beef/pork 400gm
Bovril 1 tsp
Tomato ketchup 1 tsp
Yakiniku sauce 2-3 tsp
Sesame oil 2-3 tsp
Oregano dried herb 1 tsp
 
Hi ladies,
What are you doing for the weekend?

Ds has been coughing - phlegm sounds all "stuck" in chest, and had low grade fever for 5 days consecutively from last Fri onwards, so I haven't been cooking and posting much. Some days I was so tired from sponging and checking him at night that the next day, I just ordered MacDelivery - very expensive inclu delivery charges, but no choice cos dh too busy with work to buy lunch home.

musings,
I must check out the Korean shop at Marina Sq - I also love Korean food. I've made my own kimchi before too, but nowadays no time to do it, plus I ran out of the chili flakes. Gotta go to the shop to find some.
I also like the dou jiang - usually I buy the one in the brown box and then wrap my meat and rice in lettuce and dip in it.

I find cooking and eating at home so much cheaper and relaxing - seriously! When we are eating out, the kids usually don't sit at their highchairs for too long, and either dh or I have to run after them, so tiring! At home, if they're done with eating, they just roam around the flat and play with their toys... can't get into much trouble at home
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Choc,
My mum makes a really good and soft pandan cake, but she has no recipe - she just remembers the portion by heart. Not sure if she can still recall the recipe. I'll make it with her one day. I remember pounding the pandan leaves to squeeze the juice out for her when I was younger.

Littlecat,
Your meatballs look good. I like the yogurt dip - sounds very healthy.

I made the banana cake that you and Choc recommended from yummykoh's blog. Even though I forgot to add the milk, it was still very good. MIL likes it too cos I made it less sweet.

Will post a pic when I have the time.

Have a good weekend, everyone!
 
Huskie,

I jst read that your ds is coughing and has phlegm and fever, I hope its not bronchantis?Did u check wif the doctor?
Take care.


Rgds
 
Hi Huskie,

Give me a 5! My son has only sat in a highchair for around 7 times at most - and for 10 minutes? I only have one and we're fatigued by the end of everyday... he's Energiser hamster and doesn't get tired from running about. The number of cars he plays with everyday is more than the total number of toys I used to own in my entire childhood. See the traffic jam at home here: http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2011/03/home-mumusings-63-clearing-traffic.html

Like you, it's almost impossible to have meals at nice restaurants or Chinese eateries 'cos there are too many hazards around: chopsticks, sauces, toothpicks, bottles and tea pot. Safer to eat at home before going out. Macs and fast food restaurants are appreciated lots 'cos they are safe and cheap. Macs has S$1 Coke which is great 'cos we get sugar-craving after walking/running about. My son's not into Coke so it's fine to go Macs. He'll eat at most some crust off the apple pie, a few sips of Coke and a few pieces of fries.

Better than being stuck in somewhere like Kim Gary - GST, service charges, narrow, bill of S$20+++ and breakables. Anyway we eat very heavy breakfast every day of the week (ie. what you see me put as 'lunch' on my blog is actually brunch/breakfast). Just need 2 milk bottles with 100ml water each, milk powder, one small pack of wetwipes and a piece of spare diaper. Light and fuss-free. Goes all into a tiny bag with my wallet, keys and handphone.

Btw, Shine Korea has got branches at Burlington Square (Bencoolen Street) and Key Point too. Don't know if they have a website - always forget to take a card from the shop.

It's nice to find mummies on Motherhood forum like you ladies here. Need to maintain sanity and contact with the world while being a full-time stayhome!

Hi Autumn,

Hahaha... you're like me - dump in whatever I can lay hands on to season. Bovril and Yakiniku sauce are great when others aren't available. I usually do a smell-test and stuff should taste okay if the marinated meats smell nice. Just finished our Bovril and terriyaki sauce - will do patties with them the next round
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Great ideas you have there!
 
mummies, I am very sorry to ask a very stupid question... I keep seeing many mummies refer to their kids as DD, DS and hubby as DH. Can someone please tell me what exactly do they stand for? Dear son? Dear hubs? I am so suaku! haha..

Huskie,
5 days fever sounds serious. Hope you boy is ok now.
 
Hi Autum,

I don't know exactly what these stand for either but think I read a thread on the forum which explains all the acronyms. D = darling/dear. So if you have 2 daughters, it'll be DD1 (elder) and DD2 (younger).
 
Hi ladies,

wah...the meat ball balls or patties looks good. will try out one day.

Shine korea supermart always go there to get my kimchi. i prefer with a little girl logo on the container but ex for veggies.

Joy,
have send u pm.

huskie,
hope ur son is well soon.

Autum,
yes...mumusings is right. DH= dear hushand.
DS= dear or darling son etc..

Dinner I'm making chicken rice and using the stock to make cabbage soup.
 
hi Joy, annlee,
Thanks for your concern - doc says it's not bronchilitis nor bronchitis. ds' lungs are clear, but the phlegm is just not coming out. So she just gave some med to break down the phlegm and antibiotics to standby in case fever doesn't go away, but thank God fever went off after 5 days so I didn't bther to administer antibiotics.

musings,
Don't get me wrong - my kids do sit in their highchairs when they are eating. In fact, when I bring out the food and if ds is hungry, he will point to his highchair to ask me to put him in there so he can eat. It's just that my kids have a certain momentum when eating. When they eat, they can finish pretty fast in 10-15mins, and when eating outside, I cannot eat my own meals in between feeding them cos I'll lose that feeding momentum after which they no longer want to eat. So after they finished their food, they would immediately want to get down to run about, then dh and I have no chance to eat together... one of us will have to run and watch the kids while the other eats alone
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I went to Shine at Marina Sq yesterday and bought chili flakes to make kimchi! Made it last night, so it'll be ready by tonight
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This was my banana cake from yummykoh's blog:
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And this was what I made over the weekend... gonna make some pants for ds too
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Hi Huskie,

Ok misread the part on highchair. Mine wants to eat from our bowls using his own spoon. Wishes to try everything and so excited he can't sit down for more than 2 consecutive minutes. Therefore, we are constantly doing everything at the same time, feed him, feed ourselves and maintaining some sort of order at the table.

You sew really well!!!!!!! Where do you get the cloth from usually? Spotlight? Was the bean paste still selling at 50cents when you went to Shine Korea? Did sotong (cooked but still can't make myself eat it), chicken, pork and beef with the paste last week. Korean food festival at my place hahaha...

I really want to get back to sewing ('cos I sew better than I cook) but can't 'cos too hazardous. Which brand of machine are you using - can KIV and buy when kid's grown up.
 
Musings,
Think I didn't write clearly too
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I didn't see any dou jiang for 50 cents at shine yesterday so maybe they were all snapped up.

You sew too? I use a Pfaff, a birthday gift from dh 4 yrs ago. It's very quiet compared to Brother and has served me well so far. I usually get my cloth from people's park or online. I sometimes get them from spotlight but find them too expensive.

Why is sewing hazardous?
 
Annlee,
thanks for clarifying. Chicken rice sounds good. I m too lazy to attempt. Ha.

Huskie,
Wah, the skirts look nice.

Ladies, I cook braised duck wings on Sunday.
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Hi Autum,

Share recipe please
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How do you 'choose' duck and where to buy duck wings these days? I'm terrified of raw naked chickens and ducks (seen and heard too many sqwawking when I was small when accompanying grannies).
 
musings,
I find it tough to sew with toddlers around too, so I usually do it only at night after the kids have gone to sleep. And each time after I have sewn, I would pack my covered machine neatly into a corner, and all my works-in-progress, scraps, sewing box and scissors into a big locked toyogo box, also tucked into the far corner of my desk.

Sewing just gives me sanity!

annlee,
How was your chicken rice?

Today's dinner was Littlecat's apple cider chicken, blanched bayam and apple soup.
Couldn't resist trying out my kimchi, so I just had an kimchi instant noodle supper
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Autum,
Thanks for compliments on skirt.

Yeah, do share your recipe. I like duck, esp. braised ones
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Mumusings, Huskie,
Oh I don't know how to choose n handle ducks. I think that is tough. That's why I can only braise duck wings. LOL. I buy from Sheng Siong n Giant. The duck wings are just like chicken wings packed in a row on white foam tray. Each tray is about 4-5 duck wings only. But it's full 3-jointed wings. Normally I buy one tray of 5 wings only. Cos duck wings are big. After choping into 3, u get 15pcs. Can get a small dish. They cost around 50cts per pc. Each tray will be like $2.50, $2.60 etc. The wings just need to wash n pluck out any hairs. I never do anything else special to treat the wings.

As for braising, it's just normal soy sauce, garlic, onion, Ginger n the small packet of mixed spice (cinammon star anise cardamom etc). Marinate with some soy sauce n sugar first. Fry the garlic etc then meat, then add spice n more soy sauce n some water to braise. 45-1hr.
 
Hi Autum,

Thanks. Will try braising duck wings one day if I see them at Shengsiong. I usually braise roast pork with maw, mushroom and sea cucumber. Similar ingredients except the ginger and mixed spice (my own problem - can't take the smell/taste of the cinnamon, cardamom and star anise).

Hi Reena,

How did the home made bak kwa go?
 
hello all!

mumusings, thanks for the tips ! will try it one of this day ...!

autumn, your croissant burger look great!! drooling....
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Huskie, i luv kimchi!! eh is it easy to make? share recepi leh :D

wow the skirts looks so nice! looks so professional can sell on the internet ;)

Make some bao today, using plain flour, but it is not as good as last time using the Hong Kong Flour. Must get HK flour flour next time.

Today steam fish and have fish soup, make from fish bone, the uncle so nice, buy fish free gv fish bone
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Hi Little Cat,

Do you steam the bao using a steamer or one of those electric steamer?

I agree with you - Huskie's skirts for her daughters look great.
 
mumusings, i just use the normal wok to steam, very traditional
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Actually also dun want too many white elephant at home
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Today i make some habee hiam, dried shrimp with chilli paste, yummy!

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Hi Little Cat,

What filling do you put in your bao? Ready-made or home-made fillings? Teach me hebehiam! My granny's great with this but won't teach me.
 
Wow! so many yummy dishes you all shared!
mumusings,your prawn and clam bee hoon certainly looks delicious. Am going to put in my next menu. Last fri, used your MHK recipe and it was very good, the kuey was v Q Q .. seems like it's the egg yolk that made the diff. I din put egg into the dough last time

Hi Autumn! welcome. I like duck too, but always find it fatty to prepare it. The wings sounds like a good alternative. Can add some tau kwa, tay pok and eggs too ;) Tks.. Looking forward to many of your recipes!

Husk! Wow! Wow! Wow! the skirts are so LOVELY! Your dd is so blessed to wear such pretty mum sewn skirts.. Can sell liao leh.. I have some cloth sitting in my drawer collecting dust, waiting to be sewn.. haha..
You are inspiring me to sew some for dd3, shall wait for the hols..but I can't sew as well as you
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Hee.. My ma has got pandan chiffon cake recipe that calls for all the necessary ingredients, but without measurement, It's a 30 yr old recipe. Think she forgot to make liao..

cat! I want to make the hebeehiam too ;)..

These few days not cooking, waiting for contractor is fix up my new kitchen counter top. And also my master bed room ceiling is leaking water. Apparently, upstairs didn't do water proofing in their toilet and water is seeping through my ceiling. House is very messy now, eating ta pow food every day, hehe.. was telling cat, it's time to QC my own cooking with outside food, and to have new ideas on my menu..
 
Hi Choc,

Glad to hear that your MHK was qq. Now you know the secret... Next time add carrot bits and you'll get another kind of taste.

I hate eating MHK at food court. The pieces of flour taste dead and mostly machine-cut/pressed, the whole bowl smells of nothing but pork and sticky flour... yucks. This is one dish I don't eat out except at Far East Plaza (3rd floor) and last time 4th floor where the lady makes it the traditional way by pulling the pieces and putting mani leaves.

As for the shallots oil part, hardly anyone fries their own shallots, usually the ready-made ones which taste rancid. This is one dish that's so easy to do and versatile to cook at home. I'm a numero uno MHK fan
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Now you're making me hungry. Will go buy flour and shallots later
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Hi Giggler,
Nice to see you here again!
Your boy's also born in Feb'07 yeah? How is he doing now?

musings, Choc,
I told my mum about this MHK craze here, and guess what? I have a date with her next Wed to make some MHK! She said she used to make it when she was a kid, but she doesn't make it now cos she hates to knead the dough - well, I like to play with dough
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I'm gonna try out your recipe, but I cannot seem to find it in your blog?
Can you give me the link again?

I also make my own shallots oil... and green onion oil
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Hate the bottled one.

Littlecat,
I love haebeehiam too! But very heaty. Please share recipe!

Kimchi recipe:
I got it from here:
http://drbenkim.com/recipes-kim-chi.htm
Very easy! If you don't want to do it, I can pass you some too!
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Choc,
I'm sure you can sew just as well, but just need to really find the time with 4 kids!

Are you renovating the whole kitchen or just the counter top?
 


Hi Huskie,

Here are the MHK tips spread across a few posts (hope you don't mind).

http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2010/05/childhood-i-love-mee-hoon-kway.html

http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2010/05/food-mumusings-mee-hoon-kway.html

http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2010/06/food-moms-mee-hoon-kway.html

From my post to Choc a few days ago:

" Plainly knead the dough, the mee hoon kway will turn out fine. Just adjust thin-ness and size of pieces when you cook will do.

I usually do the following:
(1) Grease the mixing plate with oil (one teaspoon)
(2) Pour flour
(3) Add salt water (mix a bowl of water with a pinch of salt) and yolk
(4) Keep mixing till you get dough. Too watery > add water. Too watery > add flour.

If you find that your dough is too tough, make thin and small mee hoon kwey pieces when cooking. Stretch a small bit til it becomes very long and wide. Also add some shallot oil when mee hoon kway cooks so that everything is smooth and silky.

Don't worry about making too much dough 'cos it can keep for up to 5 days. Just need to cover the container with a damp piece of cloth and change it when it dries up. I don't measure volume of ingredients when I cook so roughly half a packet of flour/top flour can make enough for 6 servings usually. "

Hope your MHK goes well
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I am definitely making some today/tomorrow. Will do a general post again to update all methods and tips. Anyhow knead also can - my motto. I know that I cook better when I'm relaxed and not bothered with measurements. The more careful I am, the more disastrous the dish turns out. Ever seen my 'agedeshi tofu'? A total disintegrated effort... hahaha...

http://mumusings.blogspot.com/2010/11/food-keeping-my-wits-when-agedashi-tofu.html

By the way, if you need to find topics/recipe on my blog, type in words and click search (left side of my blog near the visitor's counter. I sometimes can't find links and use it to find old posts too.
 

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