A few weeks ago while visiting the Avondale Market for the very first time, I chanced upon these garlic chives. What a find ! I love gau choy fah which taste delish simply stir fried with some meat or prawns.
No doubt garlic chives are part of the chive family but they taste quite different to the English version which have a purple flower.
Ingredients
200g garlic chives bud (gow choy fah), cut to 2" length
10 raw prawns
1 clove garlic (mince)
½ cup water/stock
1 tsp cornflour + 1½ tsp soy sauce (mix together)
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Method
1. Heat wok on high heat with a Tbsp of oil. Add the garlic and prawns. Saute until prawns turn a slight pink.
2. Add the garlic chives, stir fry for a few seconds.
3. Add water and cover for 30 seconds (not too long as you want the veg to stay crunchy).
4. Remove cover and stir in cornflour mix to thicken the gravy. Dash of salt and season to taste.
5. Serve hot with rice.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Stir Fry Gow Choy Fah ~ Garlic Chives Bud
Monday, February 11, 2008
Yee Sang ~ Chinese New Year Raw Fish Salad

Yee Sang is a salad of raw fish surrounded by different types of colourful vegetables with a dressing of plum sauce. It is usually eaten on the 7th day of Chinese New Year with the salad tossed high with chopsticks as a symbol to mark the start of a prosperous new year.
Yue Sang is not that difficult a dish to prepare. It just needs a small amount of different vegetables shredded into long strips. I haven't included the quantity of vegetables as this is a very versatile dish. I have only bought one of each type of vegetable and in most cases only used half of it.
Ingredients
Vegetables (long shreds):
Daikon white radish (jicama or sar kok if available is best)
Green papaya (I bought this too early and it started getting ripe)
Carrot
Red capsicum
Green chilli
2 lime leaves
2 Tbsp pickled ginger
1 pickled onions/leeks
1 sprig coriander
3 Tbsp jelly fish (cut into strips and marinate with 1 Tbsp lemon juice)
Posted by Sinner at 4:15 pm 7 comments
Labels: Asian, festive fare, fish, seafood, vegies
Monday, February 04, 2008
Fah Sang Paeng ~ Chinese Peanut Cookies
Make them small enough to pop the whole cookie into the mouth as it is very crumbly.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my family and friends throughout the world KONG HEI FATT CHOY.
May the New Year bring everyone Prosperity, Good Health, Wealth and Good Eats.
Makes 77 cookies
Ingredients
300g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
110g sugar
200g coarse ground roasted peanut
130-170ml corn oil, veg oil or onion oil
Posted by Sinner at 9:56 am 11 comments
Labels: Asian, biscuit n cookies, festive fare
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Homemade ice cream is made up of four main very basic ingredients.....milk, eggs, sugar and cream. How healthy or fattening your ice cream is depends on type of milk and how much cream and sugar you add in.
This may not be the creamiest of ice cream but at least it is a healthier version and can be enjoyed with far less guilt. The fragrance from the vanilla beans was just divine.
I would like to thank my sil Cathryn who loaned me her ice cream maker, setting the wheels in motion to my journey into the icy world. The ice cream machine I have bought is cheap and basic but does a good enough job.
Makes about 1 Litre
Ingredients
375ml low fat milk (light blue top)
100g sugar
1-2 vanilla bean
2 eggs
250 ml cream
2 Tbsp vodka
25g rum n raisin chocolate, chopped
Posted by Sinner at 11:08 am 13 comments
Labels: ice cream, sweet n dessert
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Plum Vodka Jam
Plums are in season at the moment and now is as good a time as any to make some jam. Plum jam is very versatile and can be used not only on bread but as a delicious sauce for ice cream.
This year the plum tree gave me a reasonably good crop which the birds kindly left alone. I have fourteen jars of plum jam safely stowed away in the cupboard. This should last us until next year.
Makes 7 x 400ml jars
Ingredients
2.6kg plums (skinned)
¼ cup water
1.75kg sugar
2 Tbsp vodka (optional)
Posted by Sinner at 10:50 am 0 comments
Labels: jam
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Nan's Shortbread
I didn't want to make it into the traditional shaped shortbread but have instead used my Sawa Cookies press. The press started with small size cookies but half way through the size changed to big ones... I have no idea why! The press must have read the thoughts of Mr Redneck who like big biscuits whereas I like them small and cute.
I have given these out as Christmas gifts and the feedback I received was all positive except for the smart remarks on the 'cute' size. These would be ideal for Chinese New Year as well which is just round the corner.

Makes 24 small + 30 normal size cookies
Ingredients
200g butter, room temperature
90g caster sugar
60g cornflour
270g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Posted by Sinner at 10:54 am 10 comments
Labels: biscuit n cookies, festive fare
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Stir Fry Sambal Round Beans
Any beans....long, round or flat can be used. This dish is a simple yet delicious spicy stir fry using very few ingredients.
Ingredients
200-300gm french round beans, cut to 2"
1-2 Tbsp oil
Grind together
2 Tbsp dry shrimp (soak to soften)
3 clove garlic
1 small onion
½ Tbsp belacan
1-2 tsp chilli paste
Posted by Sinner at 10:34 am 5 comments
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Mint Sauce
With a pile of non 'rusty' leaves I decided to try my hand at making mint sauce. Mint sauce and lamb is not my cup of tea but Mr Redneck like his with it. Didn't realise it was that easy to make. The sauce will keep for a few months in the fridge.

Ingredients
1 cup (45gm) mint
2 Tbsp water
1 cup malt vinegar
3½ Tbsp sugar
Method
1. Rinse the mint leaves and discard stalk.
2. Chop the leaves. I whizzed mine with the Amazing Bullet.
3. In a pot simmer the vinegar, water and sugar.
4. Add the chopped mint and remove from the heat.
5. Pour into sterilised bottles and keep in the fridge.
Posted by Sinner at 4:22 pm 7 comments
Labels: sauce n paste
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Mini Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

Makes 10 cupcakes
Ingredients
50 gm butter (melted)
90 gm sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
130 gm flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup milk
1 banana, mashed
¼ cup chocolate chip
Posted by Sinner at 3:52 pm 4 comments
Labels: cake n muffin
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Russian Fudge
A fudge that is rich and creamy. If you have a sweet tooth, you will like this treat. I normally double the recipe. Great as a Christmas gift.
Makes about 36 pieces
INGREDIENTS
3½ cup white sugar
125g butter
3 Tbsp golden syrup
125ml milk
½ tsp salt
200g sweetened condensed milk (½ a standard can)
2 tsp vanilla essence
Method
1. Place all ingredients except the vanilla in a medium-heavy saucepan.
2. Warm over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until it reaches the soft-ball stage* (120C)
4. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla
5. Beat (I use a electric mixer) until the fudge is creamy and thick and has lost its gloss.
6. Pour into a greased 20cm cake tin (I use a tray).
Posted by Sinner at 8:22 am 5 comments
Labels: sweet n dessert
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Ngau Yoke Yuen ~ Springy n' Bouncy Beef Balls

It is not so much the ingredients that makes the beef balls springy but the process of making it. If you do try it please follow the instructions very carefully. I have videoed the whole process to make it easier to follow as well as to remind myself of the steps so that I won't muck up ever again.
As the meat is minced to mush, the cut of beef is not important. I have used chuck, bolar, blade and even rump steak.
Makes 35-45 beef balls
Ingredients
560 gm beef, cut to small pieces
½ cup (125ml) icy cold water
1 Tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp salt
½ Tbsp sugar
½ Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp cornflour
1¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kan sui (lye or alkaline water) {optional}
Posted by Sinner at 9:52 am 70 comments
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Strawberry Vodka Jam
Homemade jams will always taste better than store ones with the added advantage of being able to adjust the sweetness and also how chunky or smooth you like your jam. The balsamic vinegar gives the jam depth. Omit if you do not have any available.
Makes 2 : 250gm jars
500gm strawberry, hulled
1 Tbsp lemon juice
250-400gm sugar
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1½ Tbsp vodka
Method
1. Place 2 small saucer into the freezer.
2. Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a pot. If the fruit is too big, cut in half. (I did not crush the strawberries as the fruit will be boiled to the point of almost disintegrating)
3. Add sugar, balsamic vinegar and stir thoroughly.
4. Boil rapidly (rolling boil) for about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Test whether the jam is ready by spooning a little onto a chilled plate. If the jam is ready, a skin will form on top when it cools and 'wrinkles' when pushed with a fingertip.
6. Add vodka and use a lighter to burn off the alcohol or just stir to mix
Posted by Sinner at 10:05 am 4 comments
Labels: jam
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Itek Sio ~ Braised Duck in Tamarind n' Coriander

Ingredients
½ duck (1kg)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp raw sugar
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp tamarind paste
1 cup water
Posted by Sinner at 6:12 am 8 comments
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Rosemary Focassia
I have already posted the recipe earlier this year but have recently spliced together a short 1:45 minute video on the making of this Italian flat bread. Crank up the volume to enjoy the music of Duel by Bond.

There are numerous focaccia recipes but I find this recipe works well and require the least amount of skill in the shaping. Just let your fingers do the 'walking'.
Posted by Sinner at 8:52 am 2 comments
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Sweet and Spicy Sticky Chicken
I usually precook a meat dish at least an hour earlier and let it sit in the pot to let the meat absorb the flavour. That way you end up with a more flavoursome and better tasting meal.

Ingredients:
1½kg chicken pieces
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 clove garlic, minced
3 spring onions or bunch of chives, thinly slices
Sauce Mix
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp fish sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp water
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp chilli powder or chilli paste
Posted by Sinner at 7:30 am 6 comments
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Chelsea Buns

I prefer the buns without icing but it seems to be a Kiwi thing to have white or pink icing. Make sure the buns double in size before baking or else it will be dense. I usually leave the dough in the fridge overnight so that the next morning I can proceed to the next step and have fresh sweet sticky buns in time for morning tea.
Makes 18 buns
Posted by Sinner at 9:02 am 26 comments
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Redneck Lemon Chicken
We disagree as to which dish is best so one day we will cook both sauces and do a ‘taste test’. I hope the people who commented on Sinner's recipe will also try my version. As with all sauces the cook should taste and tweak to suit prior to serving. If it is not lemony enough add more zest or if it is too thick add more water.
Ingredients
6 pcs drumstick
Marinade
1 Tbsp chinese cooking wine
1½ Tbsp light soya sauce
Coating
100 gm cornflour
50 gm rice flour
Posted by Jim at 9:41 am 3 comments
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Short Crust Pastry with 25% less fat
Here I am again, taking up the challenge, all because I bought myself a pie maker. It was on special for $10 and too good an offer to pass up.

Pastries are by nature quite fattening. I played around with trying to reduce the ratio of fat to flour as even a slight reduction in the fat content will help in the cholestrol and calorie count. In this recipe I have successfully reduced the fat used by 25 percent without affecting the flaky texture of the pie.
This short crust pastry was easy to handle and did not crumble . When baked the pastry was tender, flaky and crispy right through to the inside. I usually make a batch, pre-cut the pie tops and bottoms, and freeze them thus making the task of making the next lot of pies less tedious. We have used the pastry to make curry mince and bacon n' egg pies and they were delicious.
Makes 5 - 5" pies
Ingredients
260 gm flour
60 gm butter
40 gm shortening
¼ tsp salt
95-105 ml ice cold water
1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice (add to water)
Method
1. Add flour, salt, butter and shortening to food processor. Cube the butter and shortening. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture. Pulse until it starts to clump together (fig 2). Pinch a little of the mixture between your fingers, if the dough is too dry and crumbly, add a little more water and pulse for 1-2 seconds more. It is very important not to overprocess the dough. Do not allow the pastry to form a ball in the food processor. The dough should not be wet or sticky.
3. Transfer the mixture to a plastic wrap (fig 3). Gather the wrap round the dough and flatten the dough to form a square (fig 4). Do not knead the dough.
Posted by Sinner at 8:58 am 8 comments
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Ginger Prawns

Ingredients
300gm raw prawns
50gm ginger
½ onion, sliced thickly
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
Seasoning
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cooking wine
1 tsp fish sauce
Posted by Sinner at 9:08 am 0 comments
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Beef Kheema
This dish if cooked without the addition of too much liquid could even be used as a pie filling.
Ingredients
500gm beef mince
1-2 Tbsp oil
1 big onion, chop fine
3 clove garlic, chop fine
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chop fine
2 tsp chilli paste or powder
Posted by Sinner at 8:58 am 1 comments
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Chocolate Pinwheel Biscuits
I like these pinwheel biscuits because they are hard and crunchy. Good for teething babies too ! If you like to dunk your biscuits in coffee, then this is it.
The dough of these pinwheels can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for 4 weeks. The biscuit dough can be shaped into rectangles, rounds or squares.
Ingredients
175 gm butter
80-125 gm sugar
75-100 gm brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
350 gm flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cocoa
Method
1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla slowly and beat well.
2. Fold in sieved flour and baking powder.
3. Divide the dough into half. Add 1 Tbsp cocoa to one portion. Mix well. Cover the doughs and refrigerate for ½ hour to firm up the dough (a firmer dough is easier to roll)
4. Roll each dough into 3mm thick on a sheet of baking paper. I find it easier to work with half quantity of each dough.
5. Flip the plain dough onto the chocolate layer (fig 3).
Posted by Sinner at 6:26 am 0 comments
Labels: biscuit n cookies
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
South Indian Prawn Curry
I love the gravy of this prawn curry. It is spicy, slighly sour which makes me want to eat heaps of rice to soak up the gravy. If you prefer it hotter add more chilli.
Ingredients
350gm raw prawns
1 Tbsp tamarind paste
1½ cup water
1 - 2 Tbsp oil
½ tsp white or black mustard seeds
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
1/8 tsp salt (to taste)
3/4 tsp sugar
1 spring curry leaf
1 tomato (optional)
Spice Paste (grind together)
2 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground fennel
½ tsp chilli powder or chilli paste
1 Tbsp chopped ginger
½ small onion
1 clove garlic
Posted by Sinner at 6:35 am 0 comments
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Char Siew Pau ~ Steamed Barbecue Pork Bun
A combination of plain and high grade flour is used for this recipe which does not require a long or complicated proving time after the pau is pleated.
I am not very good at the pleating which could explain why my buns 'loose' the pleat pattern after steaming. The buns turned out with only a slight tinge of yellow. They were delicious. I am all right with it not being pure white , the texture was what I was after.
For testing purposes I ate a cold char siu pau a few hours after it was steamed. It was still soft though normally I prefer my pau hot or at least warm and would zap them in the microwave to reheat.
You can rest assured you will not end up with rock hard buns with this recipe. The dough is very forgiving.
Makes 12 buns
Ingredients
150 gm plain flour
250 gm high grade/bread flour
50 gm sugar
30 gm milk powder
1 Tbsp shortening
2 tsp Surebake yeast
250 ml warm water (50C)
1 tsp Edmonds baking powder
char siu filling recipe
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Louise Cake
Louise Cake is a kiwi favourite. It has a cake base with raspberry jam in the middle and a crusty coconut topping. The slice is quite sweet and is best eaten with a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Makes 30-40 slices
Ingredients
125gm butter
80gm sugar
1 egg
230 gm flour
2 tsp baking powder
approx 1 cup plum or raspberry jam
Topping
1 cup coconut
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Posted by Sinner at 10:16 am 2 comments
Labels: cake n muffin
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Pak Lo Ngap ~ Teochew Braised Duck
In this instance I have used the pressure cooker to cook half a duck which only took less than a third of the time. The duck was well braised and the meat literally falling off the bones.

Ingredients
½ duck (1kg)
½ Tbsp five spice powder
3/4 tsp salt
20 gm galangal, finely sliced
4 pip garlic, finely sliced
½ Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp sugar
100 ml soy sauce
1¼ - 2 cup water
Posted by Sinner at 10:18 am 21 comments
Monday, August 20, 2007
Chocolate Brandy Muffins

Makes 12 muffins or 24 minis
Ingredients
160 gm flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp cocoa
75 gm sugar
¼ cup or 35 gm chocolate chips
75 gm melted butter
125 ml milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp brandy
choc chip for topping (optional)
Posted by Sinner at 4:53 pm 0 comments
Labels: cake n muffin
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Ayam Tempra ~ Tarty Spicy Chicken
I prefer to cook dishes like these a few hours before the meal to let the meat absorb in more of the flavour.
Ingredients
1.4 kg chicken pieces, cut to bite size
Marinate
1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste)
1½ Tbsp palm sugar
3 Tbsp kicap manis
1 Tbsp water
Posted by Sinner at 8:55 am 2 comments
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Savoury Coated Peanuts
These savoury coated nuts was another nibble I used to make for Chinese New Year. A crunchy nut, the flavour of which is enhanced with 5-spice, pepper and garlic. They are not salty and if cooked right should not leave a greasy feel to the fingers.

Ingredients
300 gm raw peanuts
1 egg
3/4 - 1 tsp salt
1½ Tbsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
4 pip garlic, mashed
½ Tbsp five spice powder
75 gm flour
Posted by Sinner at 10:03 am 4 comments
Labels: Asian, festive fare, snack
Friday, August 03, 2007
Apricot Vodka Jam
To a lot of people making jam seems like a lot of work but surprisingly it is not. The final reward and satisfaction in eating your own flavoursome jam justify the small amount of time and effort required.
By making your own jam, you have the flexibility of adjusting the sweetness, have it chunky or smooth or in this case we added some alcohol to our homemade apricot jam giving it an extra kick.
Makes 4 x 300ml jars
Ingredients
850 gm apricots
¼ cup water
800 gm sugar
1½ Tbsp vodka (optional)
Method
1. Put 2 saucers into the freezer for use later to check the jams's setting point.
Posted by Sinner at 9:16 am 0 comments
Labels: jam
Friday, July 27, 2007
Kaiser Buns
The difficult part of making this bread is shaping it to resemble a five petal flower blossom . There is a kaiser roll stamp to get a flower-like imprint but judging from the supermarket rolls it is not very effective or visible. There are two ways of shaping the rolls, the spoke-wheel or the rope-knot method.
Ingredients
330 ml water
1 egg white (40gm)
1 egg (55 gm)
600 gm high grade/bread flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2½ tsp surebake yeast
1 Tbsp butter
Method
1. Breadmaker setting : Dough
2. Place all the ingredients into the bread pan in the order according to your breadmaker instructions and press start.
3. Cover the breadpan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or leave in a warm place to rise until dough double in bulk. (I prefer to let refrigerate overnight where it still rise slowly).
4. Next morning remove breadpan from fridge and punch down the dough. Cover and leave to double in volume again.
5. The shaping of the kaiser bun is the tricky bit. Use either the spoke-wheel or rope-knot method (see below). I find the rope-knot method retains its petal shape better.
6. Lightly mist the buns with a light spray of water from a height of 12".
7. Preheat oven to 230C. Create steam by placing an old pan with hot water in the oven. Just before putting the buns in, mist the oven walls with a water sprayer (do not spray the light bulb). Lower the oven to 200C. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Three minutes into the baking spray the oven wall again, avoiding the buns.
Note
1. Total weight of egg white and egg = 95gm (weight without egg shell).
2. The buns freezes well. To defrost we nuke it in the microwave and pop it on top of the toaster to crispen up the exterior.
3. I have a fan oven which seems to bake the buns faster than the recommended time of 20 minutes.
Tip
Leaving the dough to overnight and prove in the fridge is a real time saver and ensures you will have plenty of time to get the bread ready by lunch time. The bread is suppose to taste better with the overnight proving in the fridge.
*************************************************
Shaping the Kaiser Rolls
Posted by Sinner at 10:32 am 4 comments
Labels: bread
Friday, July 20, 2007
Homemade Pure Essence of Chicken
As kids I remember my mother brewing this for us whenever we were studying for our exams. Nowadays whenever I feel lethargic or have trouble getting a good night sleep I cook this to boost my energy levels.
This is chicken essence in its purest form with no added water. When I first cooked this, Mr Redneck did not believe I could get a bowlful of soup with just placing some chicken on top of a bowl. Trust me...at the end of 3 hours you will end up with a bowl of very nutritional soup.
Yield : 1 rice bowl
Ingredients
1 small skinny chicken or chicken pieces (1.2kg)
Utensils
chinese soup pot (fig 1)
rice bowl (fig 1)
metal rack or dish cloth
big stock pot
Method
1. Remove skin and all fat from the chicken. Cut the chicken into big chunks.
2. Lightly crush each chicken piece with a pestle or the back of a chopper (make sure you crush the bones as well).
3. Invert a rice bowl in the chinese soup pot (fig 2).
4. Place the crushed chicken on top of the rice bowl (fig 3). Cover with the lid.
Posted by Sinner at 6:55 am 14 comments
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Har Meen ~ Prawn Noodles
I was really looking forward to eating this har meen. The trick to a good prawn noodle is to have a very tasty and flavoursome prawn stock. It took me months of religiously collecting every bit of prawn heads and its shells to make the base.
For me this har mee recipe is an easier version as I used my homemade red curry paste which I have a ready supply in my freezer to spice up the dish . Instead of yellow fresh mee, I substituted with dried noodles as it is more readily available.
Yield : 2 bowls
Ingredients
1 tsp homemade red curry paste
2 cup prawn stock
1 chicken drumstick
12 raw prawns
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
fresh yellow noodle or dried noodle
handful ngah choy (bean sprout)
chives or spring onions
fried onions