Soup - Seaweed Soup

Seaweed is rich in calcium and magnesium. This time, I am cooking dried seaweed soup - it is healthy food.

Ingredients – Makes 3 servings

• 3 cups water
• ½ piece dried seaweed, cut into little pieces
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 6 pieces fish/meat balls (optional)
• 1 stalk spring/green onion, chopped finely
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• A pinch of salt or to taste
• A little white pepper
• A little fried garlic

Method

1. Add water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add fish/meat balls, mushroom, dried seaweed, carrot, spring onion, soy sauce and salt into the boiling water, stir well. Let it come to a boil again, then turn off the heat.
2. Pour the soup into a bowl, garnish with pepper and fried garlic. Serve while the soup is still warm.

紫菜含高蛋白质和碘，这次是煮紫菜汤，吃喝营养。

材料 - 可做3人份量

• 3杯 水
• ½ 块 紫菜，切片
• 3朵 蘑菇，切片
• 1条 红萝卜，切片
• 6粒 鱼／肉丸（可有可无）
• 1根 青葱，切细段
• 3汤匙 酱油
• 少许或试味 盐
• 少许 胡椒粉
• 少许 油炸蒜

做法

1. 加水在锅并放在热炉煮沸，加入鱼／肉丸、蘑茹、紫菜、红萝卜、青葱、酱油和盐，稍搅拌。再煮沸后即可关掉炉火。
2. 将紫菜汤盛于碗，撒上胡椒粉和油炸蒜。稍热食用。

Porridge - Hoo Moy (Fish Porridge)

Rice porridge with fish (Teochew/Hokkien: hoo moy) is easy to cook and the taste is delicious. It’s a meal for anytime.

Ingredients – Makes 2 servings

• 1 cup rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 piece fish fillet, sliced thinly
• 3 pieces mushroom, sliced
• ¾ oz (20gm) ginger (helps to eliminate fishy smell), sliced thinly
• 1 stalk spring onion/green onion, chopped finely
• 1-2 fresh chilies, chopped finely
• 3-4 Tbsp soy sauce
• A pinch of salt or to taste
• A little white pepper
• A little sesame oil
• A little fried garlic

Method

1. Wash rice and drain and put in a pot, add water then bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat after it boils, and simmer for about 20-25 mins. Add more water if the porridge is turning too thick.
2. Add fish, mushroom, ginger, soy sauce and salt into the porridge, stir well. Turn to medium-high heat to a boil, then off the heat.
3. Pour the porridge into a bowl, garnish with spring onion, chili, pepper, sesame oil and fried garlic. Serve while the porridge still warm.

Edition on Dec 20th,2008 修改

鱼片粥／稀饭（潮州或福建话是hoo moy）很容易煮，味道又鲜美。隨时就可以是一餐了。

材料 - 可做2人份量

• 1杯 米
• 3杯 水
• 1块 鱼肉，切薄片
• 3朵 蘑菇，切片
• ¾ 安士（20克） 姜（有助弃除鱼腥），切薄片
• 1根 青葱，切细段
• 1-2根 辣椒，切细段
• 3-4汤匙 酱油
• 少许 盐
• 少许 胡椒粉
• 少许 麻油
• 少许 油炸蒜

做法

1. 用锅洗净米，加水并放在热炉煮沸，水沸时，改调中火继续煮约20-25分钟成稀饭。若发现水份已很少将干，适量加水。
2. 加入鱼肉片、蘑茹、姜、酱油和盐在已成稀饭的热锅，稍搅拌。改调中上火煮沸后即可关掉炉火。
3. 将鱼片粥／稀饭盛于碗。加青葱和辣椒在稀饭上，也撒上胡椒粉、麻油和油炸蒜。稍热食用。

Jam - Kaya (Coconut Jam)

Coconut jam (Malay: kaya, lit. ‘rich’) can be spread on bread, crescent rolls and biscuits. We suggest serving with butter also – they taste very good together.

The traditional way to cook this jam takes a couple of hours to steam it, stirring constantly…

Our recipe uses the microwave, and it only takes a few minutes to cook.

Ingredients – Makes about 27 oz (760 gm) jam

• 5 large eggs
• ¾ cup (200 ml) coconut milk
• 1¼ cup (280 gm) sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 3 pandan (screwpine) leaves, wash and tie them in a knot

Method

1. Beat eggs in a bowl. Add sugar, coconut milk and salt and mix well. Strain the mixture into a microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave it uncovered for 5 mins on power level 3 (1100W microwave; max power = level 10) and then stir.
3. Put the pandan leaves in and microwave again for 5 mins on level 3. Stir it again. Microwave again for 4 mins on level 3.
4. Remove the pandan leaves and microwave again 3 mins on level 3. Stir again – it should be starting to thicken by now.
5. Cover the bowl, but leave a small opening for steam to escape. Microwave again for 2 mins on level 3. Stir and microwave for 2 mins on level 2.
6. The jam should be smooth and easy to spread on bread. If it becomes curdled, keep stirring until it becomes smooth. Let it cool and serve. Always keep the jam in fridge and avoid getting water in the jam.

Notes:

1. Preparing kaya is similar to preparing a custard or lemon curd – the mixture should never come to a simmer or boil. During the cooking process, do not let the mixture get too hot or the eggs will curdle. Using low power levels takes more time to cook the kaya, but gives a better result.
2. Pandan leaves are product of Vietnam or Thailand. In the US, pandan leaves usually found in the freezer case in Asian grocery stores.

咖椰酱（马来语Kaya，其意思是富有）是可涂在面包。建议涂牛油和kaya – 两者合起来的味道非常好。

传统式的咖椰酱煮法须要几小时蒸煮及不间断的搅拌…

我们的食谱是用微波炉，只须几分钟的煮法。

材料 - 可做27安士（760克）咖椰酱

• 5粒 A级鸡蛋
• ¾ 杯（200豪升） 浓椰浆
• 1¼ 杯（280克）糖
• 1撮 盐
• 3叶 班兰叶／香兰草，洗净并折捆打结

做法

1. 在碗内打散鸡蛋，加入糖和盐，用滤纲过滤它们于玻璃碗内。
2. 碗不须盖并放进3位热（1100瓦特微波炉最高10位热）微波炉5分钟。取出搅拌。
3. 加入班兰叶再放进3位热微波炉5分钟。取出搅拌，再放进3位热微波炉4分钟。
4. 取掉班兰叶，搅拌后再放进3位热微波炉3分钟。取出搅拌 – 现已较浓液。
5. 在碗上置盖但须有开小洞让蒸气散出，再放进3位热微波炉2分钟。搅拌后再放进2位热微波炉2分钟。
6. 咖椰酱须是滑顺易涂在面包上，若它已呈凝结，继续搅拌及到它们滑顺。冷后食用，需避免沾水并收存于冰箱。

注:

1. 咖椰酱的做法有如做蛋羹或柠檬乳酪 – 混合液不能煮至热沸腾，在煮的过程中，不要使混合液太热或令蛋凝结。使用低热度会用较多时间煮咖椰酱，但效果会很好。
2. 班兰叶／香兰草是越南或泰国产品，在美国，可在亚洲商店的冰冻部买到。

Dessert - Sweetened Sweet Potato Soup

When I was a kid, sometimes I would hear someone say another person was ‘huan zhu’ in Hokkien. It means sweet potato, but here means silly or stupid. I didn’t understand why sweet potatoes have been linked with being stupid? I only knew that sweet potatoes are one of the foods for poor people. However, nowadays sweet potatoes are recognized as a healthy food!

Let’s cook sweetened sweet potato soup. It’s easy to cook and it’s yummy.

Ingredients – Makes 3-4 servings

• 1.1 lbs (500 gm or about 3 medium size potatoes) sweet potato
• 1 oz (30 gm) ginger
• 4 pandan (screwpine) leaves
• 3-4 Tbsp brown sugar
• Water – enough to cover the sweet potatoes in the pot

Method

1. Wash ginger, peel it, and slice thin.
2. Wash the pandan leaves and tie them in a knot.
3. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite-size cubes. Put the cubes into a pot of water immediately; the potatoes will turn brown if left out in the air. Add the ginger and pandan leaves, and bring to a boil. Add the brown sugar (taste and adjust sweetness to your preference). Turn heat down and cook another 5-10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
4. Remove pandan leaves before serving.

小时候会听到有人会说他人是 ‘huan zhu’ 这是福建话，即番薯，而这里指人的意思是傻或笨。我可不理解为何番薯跟笨扯上关系？只知道番薯是以前穷人的食物，但现在它已被视为是一种健康食品！

先来做一做即容易又好吃的红番薯糖水。

材料 - 可做3-4人份量

• 1.1磅（500克）红番薯
• 1安士（30克）生姜
• 4叶 班兰叶
• 3-4汤匙 黑糖
• 水 – 锅的水位超过番薯

做法

1. 洗净生姜，削皮切片。
2. 洗净班兰叶，折捆打结。
3. 红番薯削皮切块，番薯遇空气会变黑，切块后即刻放进锅加水。加生姜和班兰叶，用热炉煮沸后，加黑糖（试调喜爱的甜味），调低炉火煮约5-10分钟或至番薯已熟软。
4. 食用前先弃掉班兰叶。