Berry Fruit Tart

I followed this recipe religiously and it was quite a success!
However, I am using a 7-8" tart pan, which is smaller than what this recipe calls for. So my pastry crust is a tad too thick. If you prefer a thinner crust, you may have to remove 10-20% of the dough depending on how thick you will like when you lay the dough out on the clingwrap.

Serves about 8.

To make the pastry crust

Ingredients
Plain flour - 195g
Salt - a pinch
Unsalted butter - 115g (at room temperature)
Caster sugar - 50g
Egg - 1 (lightly beaten)

Method
- Using the electric mixer, beat the butter until softened. Add sugar and beat till light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating just until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the salt.
- Combine the dry and the wet mixture and mix till it forms a soft dough.
- Lay it out on a piece of clingwrap and using your fingertips, flatten it out into an expanded shape of the tart pan. Wrap it up with the clingwrap and refrigerate for 30mins.
- Greaseproof the tart pan, I used a 7 - 8 inch and evenly spread the pastry dough onto the the pan right up to its edges. The dough breaks very easily but you can patch it up readily. Cover with clingwrap and place in freezer for about 15mins (I actually skip this stage and bake it right away; it turns out fine).
- Preheat oven to 205 degrees C with rack in centre of oven.
- Remove the pastry dough from the freezer and lightly prick the bottom with a fork. (to prevent the dough from puffing up when baking).
- Bake for 5mins, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees C and continue baking for about 15mins till the crust turns golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let it cool for about 5mins. Brush the pastry crust with a thin coat of beaten egg white, and bring it back to the oven for about 2mins. This is to prevent the crust from getting soggy when you lay the pastry cream on it.
- Allow the crust to cool completely before putting the pastry cream.

To make the pastry cream

Ingredients
Milk - 300ml
Vanilla bean - 1 split lengthwise (or 1 tsp of pure vanilla essence)
Egg yolks - 3
Caster sugar - 50g
Plain flour - 20g / 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 20g / 2 tbsp
Whipping cream - 100g

Method
- In a saucepan, heat up the milk and vanilla bean until the milk just begins to foam up. Keep stirring so it won't curdle. Remove from heat source and scrape out the vanilla seeds into the milk and leave it to cool abit.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks with a spatula. Sieve the flour and cornflour together and then add to the egg mixture and mix till it's smooth.
- Add the milk slowly, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
- Pour the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook it till the mixture turns into a thick paste. You have to stir briskly to prevent the paste from sticking onto the pan.
- Remove from heat and if you are using vanilla essence, this is the time to add it in.
- Pour into a clean bowl and cover the surface with clingwrap to prevent a crust from forming.
- Cool to room temperature
- Beat the whipping cream till soft mounds are seen. Add enough (you may not need all) to the pastry cream till it forms a thick and soft consistency, but not too watery. I find that after the pastry cream cools, it hardens slightly so adding whipped cream will help.

To assemble fruit tart


Ingredients
Any fresh fruits that you like! However, after washing the fruits, pat them dry using kitchen napkins before laying them on the pastry cream.
Icing sugar (optional)

Method
- Remove the tart from the pan gently.
- Spread the pastry cream onto the bottom of the tart shell. (I did not use all the pastry cream I made which is a mistake, as the layer of cream is too thin compared to the pastry crust.)
- Place the fruits in any manner you like. Get creative here!
- If not serving immediately, cover with clingwrap and refrigerate but best to eat slightly chilled and on the same day.
- Sieve a thin layer of icing sugar on the fruits to make it even prettier!

Nigella's Marmite Pasta

If you need a quick fix lunch and will rather not have instant noodles, try this simple recipe that I saw from Nigella's website. Ready in 10 mins!

Serves 1

Ingredients
Marmite - 1 tsp
Angel hair pasta - 80g
Garlic - 3-4 cloves (chopped up)
Olive oil
Dried mix herbs
Salt
Cheese

Optional
Chestnut mushrooms - 100g (sliced into smaller pieces)
Bacon - 2 strips


Method
Add salt and olive oil into a big pot of boiling water and cook the pasta till al dente as per the packaging instructions. I used angel hair pasta as it only takes 2 mins to cook. When the pasta is cooked, drain off the water but keep aside half a cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat up the pan and fry the garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the mushrooms and a dash of dried herbs; fry for 1-2minutes. Add the marmite and 1/4 cup of pasta water, the sauce will thicken shortly and mix it with the cooked pasta. If it's too dry, add abit more of the water.

Sprinkle shaved parmesan cheese and chilli flakes if you like. 

Dried Scallops with Shimeji Mushrooms and Broccoli

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 whole small stalk of brocolli (washed and cut)
1 bunch of brown shimeji mushrooms (washed, drained and roots removed)
5-6 dried scallops (pre-soaked for about 30mins, drained and break into tiny shreds)
Cooking oil (I used Canola oil)

Seasoning
1 tsp of light soya sauce
1.5 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of hua tiao wine
1 tsp of cornflour dissolved in 2-3 tbsp of water

Method
- In a pot of boiling water, add a bit of salt and olive oil. Blanch the broccoli in the boiling water till it's cooked. I don't like it too soft, around 6-8 mins should do. Drain off the water and lay the stalks around your serving plate, forming a full circle.
- Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil into a heated frying pan / wok. On medium heat, fry the dried scallops till they look darker in colour. Add the mushrooms and as they cook, they will release alot of water. So you need not add any more water.
- Add the above seasoning in sequence and when the gravy boils and thickens, it's ready.
- Scoop up the mushrooms and lay them on the centre of plate, dribble the gravy on the broccoli.
- Serve while hot!

Japanese Beef Curry

Serves 2

Ingredients
200g of beef chunks (you can buy this from the deli section of most supermkts)
1 big yellow onion - sliced
1 mid sized carrot - cut into big pieces
1 big potato - cut into big pieces
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil

Boiling water 

55g of Japanese HOT curry pre-mix (That's about 1/4 of the package)

Seasoning (beef)
Salt
Pepper
Dried mixed herbs - I use McCormick brand

Optional

Corn niblets / mixed peas - half a cup

Method

- Rinse the beef chunks and pat dry. Marinate with abit of salt, pepper and dried herbs. Set aside.

- Using a saucepan that you can both fry and stew the curry, heat up the butter in the pan on medium heat. Don't burn the butter. Brown the beef chunks on both sides on high heat. Remove from pan when both sides are browned and half cooked. 

- There'll be some beef juices left in the pan, use that to fry the onions, add some olive oil if it's too dry.

- Cooked the onions till they are soft and brown, add in the beef chunks and carrots. Add boiling water till all the ingredients are fully submerged. Cover the pan and bring to a boil. 

- Turn the heat to low and continue stewing the beef for about 1hour till it softens. Check periodically and give it a quick stir to make sure there are no pieces of meat/vege stuck onto the bottom of pan. Add more water if necessary. Add the potatoes when the beef has been cooking for about 30-45mins.

- After 1-1.5 hours, add in the curry pre-mix and cook for another 20mins on low heat. This is also the time to put in the corn bits. Add more water if the curry is too thick.

- Serve with white rice/udon.

Note

- Avoid cutting the vegetables too small. Because after 2 hours of stewing, they will disintegrate!
- I find that the curry dries up quite quickly so I have to keep adding water. 

- Instead of beef, you can replace with chicken but preferably boneless thigh meat cos it's more tender than breast meat. 

- It's good if you have at least 1.5 - 2 hours to stew the beef, otherwise, it may not be tender enough. If you use chicken, it probably won't take as long. 

Snow Pear, Carrot and Pork Bone Soup （雪梨萝卜汤）

If you are craving for chinese soup and prefer something light and sweet, try this!
This is also a home remedy for persistent cough and the herbs used have cooling properties.


Serves 2

Ingredients
200 - 250g pork ribs
2 large snow pears (雪梨) - washed clean, cored and cut into qtrs

1 medium size carrot - peeled and cut to large pieces

1 tbsp of bitter and sweet almonds (南北杏) - rinsed
1-2 honey dates (蜜枣) - pre-soaked for 30mins
1 tbsp of wolfberries (枸杞子) - rinsed
1 tbsp of Fritillaria bulb (川贝母) - rinsed
1/2 tsp salt


Method
- Blanch the pork ribs with boiling water to remove the scum. In the soup pot, add 2 big soup bowls of boiling water.
- Add blanched pork ribs + salt into the boiling pot of water.
- Cook the pork ribs for about 10-15mins, add the rest of the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil and cover the pot with the lid and let the soup simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours on low heat.
- Make sure there's enough water for all the ingredients to be fully submerged. If not, just add more hot water into the pot progressively.

Remarks
- If you don't have TCM herbs, you can do without. But it'll be nice to add at least wolfberries and dates (you can use red dates instead of honey dates)

Scallop and Asparagus Pasta

Serves 2

Ingredients
- 8 scallops
- 200g asparagus (sliced into 4cm stalks)
- Garlic (chopped)
- Red cut chilli
- Spaghetti 200g
- Olive oil
- Sherry
- Parmesan cheese

Method
- Cook the pasta till al dente, as per the instructions on packaging. Do not overcook. Keep aside 1/2 a cup of the pasta water.
- Using a small saucepan, boil the asparagus in water (with abit of salt) till just cooked. Drain the water.
- Using a non stick frying pan, sauteed the scallops until both sides are slightly brown. You can use either olive oil or butter. I used the latter. When cooked, remove from pan and leave them aside.
- Fry the garlic and chilli with a generous amount of olive oil, till fragrant.
- Add the asparagus and half cup of sherry.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the mixture and if it's too dry, add a bit of the pasta water. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Add the scallops into the pasta, toss and transfer onto plate.
- Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

Note
- If you will prefer a tangy taste, you can add 60-80g of sundried tomatoes.
- Pat the scallops dry using clean kitchen towel before frying.

Braised Bittergourd and Pork in Spicy Bean Sauce

Serves 3-4

Ingredients
Bittergourd - 1
Pork - 400 to 500g (I usually use pork loin or shoulder as the meat is tender)
Onions - 5 (diced)
Garlic - 5 (diced)
Hot water

Seasoning
Dark soya sauce
Spicy bean sauce (辣豆瓣酱）
Brown sugar
Chinese hua tiao wine
Sesame oil
Pepper

Method
Cut the meat into chunks and marinate with light soya sauce, pepper, sesame oil and hua tiao wine. Leave it chilled in the fridge for about 30mins - 1hour.
Wash and remove the core of the bittergourd. Cut into big chunks. Set aside.

Heat up a frying pan / wok and add abit of oil. Pan fry both sides of the meat chunks till slightly browned, half cooked will do. Remove from pan and drain out the oil.
Add a fresh coat of oil and stir fry the onion and garlic till fragrant. Put back the meat chucks into the pan and dry fry for a while on high heat. Add dark soya sauce, spicy bean sauce, brown sugar, pepper and sesame oil  to taste. You can also add salt / light soya sauce but take note that the bean sauce is already salty.

Transfer everything into a braised pot, add hot water till about half of the meat dish is submerged in water. Cover and continue cooking under medium heat for about 30mins. Turn the flame to low and braise for another 20mins. Add the bittergourd, cover the pot and cook till the meat and bittergourd are tender and dark in colour. If the sauce is too watery, you can add abit of cornstarch to thicken it.

Serve with white rice.

Bittergourd Vermicelli Soup 苦瓜米粉汤

Thank you Tsewei for sharing this - it's so easy to cook, comforting, soupy and healthy! 

Serves 2

Ingredients
Garlic - 5 whole cloves (do not need to remove skin or cut into smaller pcs)
Ikan bilis - 50g
Soya bean (黄豆）- 200g
Fish balls - 10
Minced pork / sliced fish - 200g (or both if you want a hearty meal!)
Carrot - 1 (cut into smaller pieces)
Bittergourd - about 1/3 to 1/2 of a mid size one (halved over the length of it and cut into thin slices)
Chye Sim - 4 bunches (washed thoroughly)
Dried vermicelli - 30g (in general, 10g / person is enough but with my hubby's good appetite, I use 30g for both of us).

Garnish
Spring onion
Fried shallot
Red cut chilli

Method
- Wash and pre-soaked the soya beans and ikan bilis for about half an hour.
- Marinate the fish / minced pork with light soya sauce and pepper. If using the latter, roll it into small meatballs. Leave aside or in the fridge.
- Boil about 2.5 soup bowls of water in a pot.
- Cook the soup stock by adding the soya beans, ikan bilis, garlic cloves and carrots into the boiling water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot and leave to boil for about 1hour on medium heat.
- Soak the vermicelli in a separate bowl till it softens.
- When the stock is ready, you can sieve out the ikan bilis and soya bean which I'll usually do. You can leave them in the soup if you like the extra crunch.
- Add the bittergourd and continue boiling for about 15 mins, or longer if you like it more bitter.
- Add the fishball and fish/meat, cook for 2mins and add the vermicelli. Add abit of olive oil, salt or light soya sauce and pepper to taste.
- Lastly, add in the chye sim. Turn off the heat when the soup is boiling.
- Serve while piping hot.

Note
This is a very versatile dish. You can add in any other vegetables or ingredients you like! 

Yam Rice 芋头饭

Serves 2

Ingredients
- about 1/3 - 1/2 a mid size yam (skinned and diced into small bite sized cubes).
- 100g of dried shrimp (hei bi), pre-soaked and chopped up
- 4-5 big chinese dried mushrooms, pre-soaked till soft and sliced into smaller pieces.
- 100g minced / lean pork. If using lean meat, just cut into smaller pieces.
- uncooked rice for 2
- Water
- 5 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 5 cloves of onion (finely chopped)

Garnish
- spring onion / parsley
- fried shallot crisps

Seasoning
- light soya sauce
- sesame oil (1 tsp)
- pepper
- dark soya sauce
- five spiced powder (1/2 tsp)
*I can't really say how much of each to put, it really depends on whether you like it more salty or bland. If you like the rice to be darker, add more dark soya sauce.

Method

If you are using lean/minced pork, pre-marinate the pork with light soya sauce and pepper.

Rinse the rice with water using the rice cooker pot. Add water as if you are cooking normal steamed rice. Drain out the rice water into a bowl. Set aside.

On a heated frying pan / wok, add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil and stir fry the onion and garlic till fragrant. Add the dried shrimp and mushrooms, turn up the heat source and if it's too dry, add cooking oil. Add the pork and when it's half cooked, add the yam and continue frying for about 1 min. Add rice into the pan and fry very quickly till it's all well mixed, add all the seasoning to taste. Pour in the rice water + about half cup of water (using the rice cup), do a quick stir and transfer everything into the rice cooker. Cook the rice as per normal.

When the rice is cooked, use the rice spatula to stir and loosen it up before serving.

Note
Can also use lup cheong instead of minced/lean pork. I used the latter as it's less sinful.