Steamed yam cake - 1st recipe from my "nai nai" (Mother in law)

Yam cake is the 1st recipe that I had learnt from my mother in law. She used to make yam cake for family and friends when they had parties in their homes. Her yam cake was commended as "ho chak" (delicious) as she's never stingy with ingredients.

It's a pretty long and tedious process to make yam cake but if you've got the passion for cooking, do try this recipe.

Size of serving : 32cm tray

Bowl = Chinese soup bowl

Pre-preparation:-
(1) Small red onions, sliced and fried till golden brown – 600g
(2) Dried prawns, cleaned by soaking in water and subsequently minced into fine pieces – 3 / 4 a bowl
(3) Mushroom (medium size), cleaned by soaking in water and subsequently minced into fine pieces – 4 to 5 pcs

Dressing:-

(4) Red chilies, cleaned and minced finely – 2 pcs

(5) Spring onions, cleaned and sliced medium fine – as per preference

** Above can be done and kept in the fridge the day before except red onions, to keep in a air tight Tupperware / container

Liquid mixture – to soak for at least 30 – 45 minutes prior to cooking and weave liquid mixture into another bowl before pouring into work

(1) 6 bowls of clean water (fill till 1 cm left from top of bowl)

(2) Tepung beras – 1 packet (500 g I think)

(3) Corn flour – 1 spoon (full)

(4) Salt – 1 spoon

(5) Sugar – 2 spoons

Yam – 2 small to medium size yams, cut into small cubes (to cut on the day of cooking and put into fridge if not cooking immediately)

Cooking instruction
(1) Pour about 5 – 6 table spoons of oil

(2) Fry a spoonful of red onions

(3) Pour minced dried prawn into wok and stir fry

=> To take out a portion of dried prawns for dressing

(4) Pour minced mushroom into work and stir fry

(5) Pour yam pieces into work and stir fry

(6) Pour fried onions (600g) into work and stir fry

=> To take out a portion of fried onions for dressing

(7) Pour weaved liquid mixture into wok

(8) Add salt, sugar and pepper – taste to check that it’s ok

(9) Constantly mix contents of work with ladle till mixture is “keat” or solid

(10) Once mixture is solid, turn off fire

Steaming instruction

(1) Slightly grease the steaming tray

(2) Pour fried mixture into tray and even it out

(3) Put tray into a wok with boiling water

(4) Steam for about 1.5 hour

After 1.5 hr, to keep yam cake to cool for about 4 hours before putting the dressing on top (fried dried prawns and onions, minced red chilies and chopped spring onions)

Note: If you want to add minced pork, you need to pour into wok after step no. (4). Amount of pork should be not more than 1/2 a bowl.

Also, if you want to make it in a smaller tray (which I do), just cut everything into half.

Porridge - My 1st attempt at cooking

I was probably 15 or 16 then. That was the first time I attempted to cook porridge. It was for a "friend's" mother who was not feeling very well at that time and I was trying to get on her good books :p

Too thick for my liking and not salty enough. That's what I remembered about the pork porridge that I had cooked for the very first time. I guess it is true that "it's the thoughts that count"... or perhaps I was given the impression that she liked it to encourage my good intentions :)

Today, I would have cooked porridge for at least the 100th time or so. My son could testify to that :) Alternating between 4 different types of porridge for now - pork, chicken, fish and sweet potato porridge with beancured and minced meat, dried prawns, mushroom and carrot, I'm going to share my recipe for a very simple yet delicious chicken porridge.

Serving : 3 - 4 pax

Ingredients

* 160ml measure of rice (rinsed till clean)

* 1/4 chicken OR 1 leg of chicken, skin removed and cut into small/medium size
* 2 pieces of beancurd (tau kuah)
* 3-4 shallots / small red onions
* chopped spring onions (optional)

Seasoning

* 1 1/2 tsp to 2 tsp of salt

* pinch of white pepper

Preparation

* Chicken broth - boil chicken in approx 1,5 to 2L of water for 1 hour. Once done, remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Debone chicken and shred the meat into strips.
* Cut beancurd into small square cubes (approx. 1 cm) & lightly pan-fry till golden brown
* Slice shallots and pan-fry till golden brown

Cooking instructions
1 Cook rice in chicken broth and bring to boil. Once boilining, reduce heat to simmer and stir occasionally until rice grains are almost cooked (80%).

2 Add seasoning.
3 Add fried beancurd and meat strips. Continue boiling with low heat for about 10 minutes or till rice grains are completely cooked.
4 Switch off heat and add fried shallots. Stir to let the ingredients mix thoroughly.
5 Pour onto rice bowls and top up with spring onions. Serve hot.

Kitchen Talk Vol 1

I've been reminded time and time again that I should pursue my passion. As far as I am able to recognize, my passion in life right now is to be able to learn the dishes I've enjoyed eating as a child, a teenager and as an adult so that I could provide my family with delicious home-cooked meals.

I've always been wary about cooking as I'm an "ingredient-dummy". I can't differentiate one vege from another, one type of meat from another nor can I distinguish between the many types of fishes available in the market. I can't even tell which one is fresh and which one's not. And although I visit the nearby wet mini market every weekend, I seriously don't know the prices of vegetables, meat or fishes. I'm one of those urban working mothers that never bothered to check prices or compare prices simply because I can afford to pay for it with my monthly income.

As I explore this cooking journey, I began to face my fears and try out recipes that I've never tried before. There is an ocean of knowledge that I have yet to explore and skills that I have yet to master. I am excited! But I still feel more confident when I learn by watching someone else prepare the ingredients and cook the dishes.

To my mum and mum-in-law, I'll be bugging you both... so be prepared! *winks*

To my family... and also my friends, be prepared to be my guinea pigs... wahaha *grins*