Chicken Soup and Ginger Rice

This has been my new favorite dish. It's such a simple and easy dish yet comforting. I miss eating Hainan Chicken rice so this is my version of chicken rice. Hainan Chicken rice is made with steamed chicken that usually had some ginger rubbed onto it and it goes along side with rice that's made with chicken broth. You also have some soy sauce and chili paste that you mix in the rice to give more flavour. There are a couple of restaurants in the bay area who had Chicken rice on thier menu. I've tried it and it's not just the same. Maybe i'm being picky but hey, when you've had the real thing, you have high expectations.

Again, the recipe for this soup is one my mom used . I've added a few thing to it to give it my own touch. Instead of soy sauce and the chili paste, i eat my rice with Sambal Belachan which is a chili paste with dried shrimp. It's mainly used in malaysian food. I get mine sent from Singapore!! It's definitely on top food list. I've made it at least once every week! Here's the recipe.

Serves 4 ppl

~ Soup ~
2 chicken breast
1 chopped onion
1 tbsp minced ginger and garlic
1 small red jalepeno pepper Minced
celery
carrots
salt, lemon juice and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute onions, red pepper and minced ginger & garlic for 2 mins. Add in the carrot and celery with 6 cups of water. Add the cubed chicken and let it boil. The Chicken cubes will cook within 5 mins so i remove them from the pot and let the carrots and celery cook till they are a little soft. Yo may cut the cooked chicken into smaller peices if you'd like . When carrots and celery are cooked, add the chicken back into the pot. Add some lemon juice, salt and pepper and give it a quick boil. Serve with some Ginger rice.

( For the ginger rice, i cook the rice in a rice cooker with some ginger paste, salt and a little bit of oil.)

Black Pepper Crabs

Now here's a great local Singaporean dish. If you like spice, this is it!! We use to host a crab party every year. I'd make a huge pot of crabs and everyone would be over. I hope to start it back again this year so my dear friends who love crabs, you have to wait till December!! This is such a simple dish and a must to try if you're going to Singapore. Just put on large bib and be ready to get messy!

The Crabs are cooked in butter first and than mixed into a black pepper sauce made of garlic, ginger, chili, oyster sauce and soy sauce, Of course, not forgetting the key ingredient, Black pepper. Just writing this blog and looking at the picture makes me want to have some right now! I've also made Chicken and Tiger Prawns using the same recipe and they all turn out just as good. Crabs are messier to eat and takes effort so the Prawns can be an option for tho of you who don't want to work for your food;). Here's the recipe for the sauce:

2 cloves garlic minced
1 inch garlic minced
2 serrano chili minced
3 tbsp ground black pepper
4 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce

If you're making crabs, cook them in so butter and set them aside. In the remaining butter, cook the minced garlic, ginger and chili for about 1 min. Add in the sauces and Pepper and cook for another minute. Toss the crabs in the sauce and cook for about 5 mins. Let it cool a little before serving. If you're making chicken or Shrimp, make the sauce first, let it cool and toss in uncooked chicken /shrimp. You can either grill it on the BBQ or the oven. Enjoy!!

Pizza

Home made pizza is what i had growing up. And every time we order a pizza, i ask myself why when i could make it myself!! So i finally decided to make it for the first time and this is how it looked. I made the crust using a self rising flour recipe that my mother in law gave. It was a very buttery crust, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I made the sauce with some oven roasted garlic and added some chili powder to kick up the spice!! I like color and so my pizza was topped with lots of topping. Pineapples , Mushrooms, Bell Peppers, Onions, and yes Carrots and Green Beans!! I just love it because you take a bite and you get a burst of flavors and texture. A good mix of sweet and spicy!! Yummy!!

It's finally happening!!

A friend whom I've just gotten to know not to long ago, suggested that i should create a blog about the food i make. As much as i enjoy cooking and baking, i never really thought about doing a blog. It's a great idea so thank you my friend!!!

Being born and raised in Singapore, there's food everywhere. Food of every culture and cuisine. When i moved to San Francisco, the one thing i missed terribly was the food. My Husband and i have been going back to Singapore every year and the first thing he does is to get his favorite coffee " Kopi-O". And than we head out to have all the yummy food we can find!

Since i miss the local Singaporean food so much, i try to make some of it at home. So i've told myself that everytime i make something, i'll take a picture and post a blog about the food. Most of the food i make is food i've grown up eating or recipe's from my mom and mom in law. Basically food that i look to as comfort food where it bring a smile to my face while i'm making it.

Thank you Mom for teaching me how to cook and making me the person i am today!!