Mince Chicken Cottage Pie

Not really a new recipe as it is similar to my Cottage Pie recipe but instead I've replaced it with mince chicken and added some vege for a balanced meal with a touch of crunchiness.

The verdict??? My daughter had double helping and mummy is happy as ever.

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Ingredients:-

- 750g to 900g of potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (makes boiling them faster)

- 50g butter

- 1/4 cup of milk

- 2 tbsps oil

- 2 onions, finely chopped (medium sized)

- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 500g to 700g of minced chicken

- 1/2 cup celery cut into small cubes

- 1/2 cup carrots cut into small cubes

- 1/4 cup of plain flour

- 1 1/2 cup of chicken stock 

- 1/3 cup tomato paste

- 3 tsps Worcestershire sauce (you may get it from supermarkets; Maggi brand has it too)

- 1 tbsp of mustard (you may use Dijon mustard or any other commercial mustard sold in supermarkets)

- 2 tbsps of fresh chopped parsley (I used the bottled ones sold in supermarkets) 

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1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius and at the same time grease a ovenproof dish.

2. Boil potatoes until soft and drain well.

3. Return potatoes into a pan or saucepan and just heat up till moisture of potatoes is dried.

4. Then, add butter and mash until smooth and free of lumps and then add milk to give a firm consistency.

5. Season mash potato with salt and pepper.

6. Heat up another pan with oil; and cook garlic and onions until soft.

7. Add chicken and cook over high heat until meat is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated; break whatever lumps with a fork. Then add the vege.

8. Add flour to the mince chicken until well combined

9. Slowly add stock and stir until it has thickened.

10. Remove from heat and add tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and parsley.

11. Season with some salt, ground pepper and pour into the prepared greased dish.

12. Spread mash over the meat mixture and use fork to swirl and make patterns on the mash.

13. Bake for about 40 minutes or until potato turns golden.

14. After baking, leave the pie to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Simple and yummy...

Dry Loh Shee Fun

Here's another new recipe I tried today. Not actually new but a more improved one and I guess I'll be cooking this version of Dry Loh Shee Fun moving forward. Caitlin seems to feel it tastes way better than my old one so I just wanted to share this recipe. Caitlin also had second helpings means it's indeed a better recipe.

Ingredients:-

- 300g mince pork

- 1 packet Loh Shee Fun

- some green vege

- onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tbsps light soy sauce

- 2 tbsps oyster sauce

- 1 tsp sugar

- dash of pepper

- cooking oil

- 2 tbsps thick soy sauce

- spring onion to garnish

Sauce:-

- 2 tbsps light soy sauce

- 2 tbsps thick soy sauce

- 2 tbsps oyster sauce

- 1 tsp sugar

- 4 tbsps water

1. Rinse pork and drain.

2. Add light soy sauce with oyster sauce, sugar and pepper to pork and mix well to marinate for a while.

3. Meanwhile, blanch the green vege in hot water and once cooked, remove and put aside.

4. Then boil a pot of hot water and put in the Loh Shee Fun to cook for about 5 mins, then drain and put aside.

5. Heat a wok with oil and fry onion and garlic. Proceed to throw in the pork and stir fry. Add the thick soy sauce to pork and fry for about 2 more minutes. Remove and transfer to a bowl and cover.

6. To make sauce, mix all the sauce ingredients and pour into a small pot and stir well for about 5 mins. Transfer to a small bowl.

7. To serve, first put some Loh Shee Fun into a bowl, add some sauce over the noodle followed by some cooked mince pork and vege. Garnish with spring onion.

Ta da!!! Simple and balance meal.

Steamed Barramundi in Soy Sauce

And yes, I've started back my cooking. Been away for a while as I needed to get a lot of things in order and now that it's more settled, I'm back to cooking and happy like a lark. Partly thanks to my little girl who has been encouraging to go back to cooking, telling me misses my cooking and for the past couple of weeks; I've dabbled with my old recipes and my gift for it is still very much there. And most importantly, the little one is pleased.

So, my first attempt on a steamed barramundi. I'm good at eating them at restaurants but oh well...lets try to make one.

Ingredients:-

- 1 whole fish

- 2 inch ginger, julienned

- 1 shallot, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 3 tbsps light soy sauce

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 2 tbsps Shaoxing rice wine

- 2 tbsps cooking oil

- spring onion or coriander to garnish

- 1 whole red chilli, sliced

1. Clean the fish and pat dry.

2. Use sharp knife to split the fish in the middle like a butterfly 

3. In a large stainless steel plate, place half ginger and then top with fish and balance ginger on top of fish. Pour sesame oil and Shaoxing wine over fish to marinate for 10 mins

4. Meanwhile, fry shallots and garlic with oil. Pour over fish together with oil and add soy sauce with chilli

5. Steam fish for about 10-15 mins. 

6. Use fork to insert into thickest part of fish to see if cooked.

7. Garnish and serve with steam rice