Shredded Chicken Porridge is sold by many hawkers in Malaysia, usually by those who also sell Pork Porridge. Oh, by the way, in Malaysia we call congee as porridge. I understand that in the West, porridge refers more to soft food made by boiling oatmeal or other grains. Here, rice is used instead.

Anyway, back to our Shredded Chicken Porridge. When I prepared this batch (which gave me about 5 rice bowl-fulls), I actually worked harder to get a stronger tasting porridge than usual. On that morning, I bought 3 legs of chicken and got it deboned. I boiled the bones for about 1 hour and used the stock to cook the porridge. I only used meat from 1 leg of chicken and kept the other 2 legs for other use. If you are not keen to spend the extra work boiling chicken stock, you can use plain water instead.

The usual condiments to Shredded Chicken Porridge are ginger, chopped spring onions and fried shallots. Just sprinkle them liberally and add a drop or two of sesame oil and you will get a really nice and homely tasting porridge. By the way, if you prefer to have a smooth consistency, I would suggest that you first soak the rice for 15 minutes and drain before cooking it. Once cooked, and before adding anything else into the porridge, switch off the flame and allow the porridge to cool down for about 15 minutes. Then add some water and reboil whilst stirring. You should get really smooth porridge then.

This is my recipe for Shredded Chicken Porridge. Read the rest of this entry »

If you are looking for an easy yet tasty recipe, Pork Strips with Capsicum in Hoisin Sauce may just be right for you (provided you eat pork, of course). To be honest, though I have heard much about Hoisin Sauce since I was young when I was exposed to the cook show Wok with Yan, I did not venture into cooking with this sauce until I tasted my mother-in-law’s Pork Leg Hoisin Stew. It seems that pork tastes good when paired with Hoisin Sauce.

So, my recent venture was to stir fry pork strips with capsicum and carrots with hoisin Sauce and what a satisfaction this dish gave me. The subtly sweet and crunchy capsicum and carrots gave this dish a mix in the different texture and taste. The use of onions also helped to give this dish a nice pungent hint, though not overpowering. So simple is this dish that preparation and cooking time took only about 30 minutes with a bulk of it into marinating the pork. Give this dish a try if you want something tasty to go with your rice or plain noodles / pasta.

This is my recipe for Pork Strips with Capsicum in Hoisin Sauce Read the rest of this entry »

I still had some General Tso’s Glaze Sauce in my fridge and last weekend was another culinary experimental journey for me. I went to the market in the morning with the aim of cooking a simple lunch of chicken porridge followed by dinner comprising stir-fried spinach with garlic and a meat dish. I duly settled for pork ribs. As I intended to take a nap in the afternoon, I decided that I was going to just marinate the pork ribs and place it into the crock pot (some call it a slow cooker) and allow it to cook whilst I proceed to dreamland. This dish is simple and fuss free just like most of the other recipes on this site.

However, I do understand that General Tso’s Glaze Sauce might not be available worldwide, even in Malaysia. A thoughtful reader of this site, Reese, bought me a bottle all the way from Boston! Based on the sample recipe found on the label of the sauce, roasted pork ribs which were marinated in the sauce is supposed to be good and I believe it should be. I don’t have an oven with me and I decided that slow cooking would also be suitable.

I asked the butcher for meaty and tender parts of the pork ribs. That was the description I gave to the butcher. Unfortunately, I don’t know what it is called in English. Perhaps spare ribs? Anyway, I complimented the pork ribs with baby corns (I simply love their natural sweetness) and chunks of plump carrots and finally added a handful of chinese celery to give it a slightly herbal taste. Perfect! I had two big helpings of steamed white rice and ended up very pleased with what I cooked. If you can get hold of General Tso’s Glaze Sauce, try this recipe. It’s a no-brainer!

This is my recipe for General Tso’s Pork Ribs in Crock Pot Read the rest of this entry »

It was difficult for me to find the exact English equivalent for Sweet Tau Kee or Sweet Tou Kan, a type of soya product which is popular amongst vegetarians. Sweet Tau Kee comes in rectangular dried hard pieces and are brown in colour and you will need to soften them by pre-soaking in water for a few minutes prior to cooking. I have had experience where certain Sweet Tau Kee softens much faster than others depending on different manufacturers. After they have softened, you should cut them into smaller pieces as they measure approximately 15cm in length and 5 cm in width prior to cooking.

Sweet Tau Kee is not for everyone due to its unique taste, which can be bitter to some. Here, I have paired the Sweet Tau Kee with Choy Sum (菜心) or “Flowering Chinese Cabbage” so that there is a good balance between the subtle sweetness of the Tau Kee and the refreshing Choy Sum greens. This dish is quite easy to cook and with a little effort in presentation, you can dish out something which can rival what is being offered in the chinese restaurants. By the way, if you intend to serve this as a complete vegetarian dish, omit garlic from the ingredients.

This is my recipe for Choy Sum with Sweet Tau Kee Read the rest of this entry »