My wife cooked this after having it at a local “mixed rice” stall and it’s quite nice, I must say. It is simple and nutritious especially with the wolfberries (aka kei chee / goji) around. Moreover, cooking took us less than 2 minutes. The preparation time, which is essentially, washing and rinsing of the vegetables took longer. Do ensure that you rinse the vegetable well as it is known to have lots of sand around the stems and leaves.

This is my wife’s recipe for Stir-Fried Spinach with Wolfberries

Ingredients

• 400 grammes of spinach (washed and rinsed thoroughly, plucked at the stems and leaves)
• 10 grammes of wolfberries (approximately 20 to 30 pieces)
• 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon palm oil

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons of light soya sauce
• salt to taste

Method

Heat wok till smoky. Add oil and garlic and stir-fry garlic till beginning to brown.

Add spinach, wolfberries and seasoning. If you feel like it, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water. Stir-fry till spinach is limp.

Dish out and serve.

Technorati Tags: Recipe, Vegetable, Chinese, Lunch, Dinner

Spinach is a fast-cooking vegetable and packed with nutrients. That’s why Popeye loves ‘em. It can be stir-fried and it can be cooked in soup. Recently, my dear wife told me that she wanted to try cooking spinach soup with wolfberries (a.k.a. kei chee / goji).

Imagine all the goodness from the spinach doubled up with the circulatory benefits of wolfberries (get the good quality berries which are slightly plummer and sweeter in taste). It is definitely a power-packed soup. Oh yes, the stock is made from ikan bilis soup. So, there you go. My daughter of 3 1/2 years old loved it. I think you will too!

This is my wife’s recipe for Spinach Soup with Wolfberries

Ingredients

• 300 grammes of spinach (rinsed and plucked at the stems. Discard old or thick stems)
• 10 grammes of wolfberries (about 20 to 30 pieces)
• 100 grammes of minced meat (we use pork)
• 50 grammes of ikan bilis
• 3 soup bowls

Marinade (for minced meat)

• 2 teaspoons light soya sauce
• a dash of white pepper powder

Seasoning

• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoons light soya sauce

Method

Boil ikan bilis in water for 30 minutes to make stock. Remove ikan bilis when done. Meanwhile, marinade minced meat.

Bring stock to boil again after removing ikan bilis. Scoop minced meat into meat balls using a teaspoon and add into the stock. Cook till all meat balls float to surface. Add spinach and wolfberries and bring back soup to boil. Add seasoning to taste and serve immediately.

Deep Fried Tofu Meat Patties

This was an experimental dish recently and I was quite pleased with the outcome. What I had in my fridge that day were 2 pieces of firm tofu (beancurd), about 200 grammes of lean pork, some oyster mushrooms and other vegetables. This time, rather than cooking another “usual” tofu dish, I decided to make patties out of it, not unlike burgers.

After steaming

The main ingredients here are tofu and pork whilst the rests adds to the colour and gives its distinctive taste. The end result is a tofu meat patty which is crispy on the outside and yet, juicy and semi-firm on the inside. My daughter liked it very much. It is tasty eaten with rice and also great for tea time snack or parties. I think it will taste even better if it is dipped into some freshly pounded red chilli and garlic with a squeeze of lime. I intend to continue modifying this recipe and will add them in this blog in due course. Nevertheless, I hope you will try this recipe as I loved it!

This is my recipe for Deep Fried Tofu Meat Patties

Ingredients

• 2 pieces firm tofu
• 200 grammes of lean pork mince
• 1/4 piece of carrot (diced as finely as possible)
• An equivalent amount of spring onions (chopped finely)
• An equivalent amount of oyster mushroom or any other type of mushrooms (chopped finely)
• An equivalent amount of dried prawns (chopped / pounded finely)
• 1 large egg
• 2 cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
• 3 tablespoons of corn flour
• Oil for deep frying

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon of light soya sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper powder

Method

In a mixing bowl, combine and mash up the tofu, pork, carrot, spring onions, mushrooms, dried prawns, garlic, corn flour and seasoning and mix well in one circular motion. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Place mixture in a stainless steel bowl or deep plate and steam it for 10 minutes. The mixture, especially the meat, should be at least 70% cooked after steaming. Remove from steam and place bowl over cold water (to cool it rapidly).

When mixture has sufficiently cooled down, break the egg onto mixture and stir it in one circular motion till egg is evenly distributed. Add some corn flour if mixture is runny.

Heat oil in wok for deep frying. To fry, scoop one heaped tablespoon of mixture and using another spoon held on another hand, push / slide the mixture into the oil. Fry till patty becomes golden brown. Place fried patties on absorbent kitchen napkins to absorb excess oil prior to serving.