Duck with plum sauce

Duck with plum sauce

A very easy peasy dinner to prepare!

Ingredients:
2 duck breasts
salt
2 tbsp plum sauce

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220 deg C.
2. Make diagonal slashes on duck skin so that it renders the fat quicker and also to get a cripsy skin. Salt the skin.
3. Heat a frying pan. No need to add oil as the duck will render its own fat.
4. When pan is hot, sear the duck skin side down and cook for about 3 mins until skin looks brown and crispy. Turn duck onto other side and cook for another 3 mins or so.
5. If you are using an oven proof frying pan, then you can put the whole thing into the oven. If not, remove from fry pan and place onto a baking tray.
6. Cook with skin side down for about 8 mins for pink meat, but if you down like it too pink, cook for another 2 mins.
7. When time is up, remove from oven and fry skin side again for about 1 min to get it cripsy. Remove and let it rest for a min or two while you prepare the sauce.
8. Using the fat rendered from the duck, add the 2 tbsp of plum sauce into the oil and stir till well mixed.
9. Cut the duck into slices and pour sauce.

soon kueh

Soon Kueh

Had left over bangkwang filling after having made and ate popiah last Sunday. Freezed that and then today decided to make soon kuehs to take to work for the next few days.

Ingredients for skin:

1 cup wheat starch
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp oil

Method:
1. Measure the wheat starch and tapioca start and put into bowl. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and pour boiling water. Use a wooden spoon to mix the water and flours.
2. Cover with a cloth and leave for about 10 mins.
3. After 10 mins, add in 2 tsp of oil into the warm dough and start kneading until mixture comes together.
4. Roll out the dough and cut into rounds.
5. Place filling on dough and press together.
6. Oil a plate and place uncooked soon kueh onto it.
7. Heat a steamer and place soon kueh and steam for about 15 mins.

Before steaming

After steaming

Mun Ye cake

Mun Ye cake

Had a catering order for about 20 people for Mun Ye. Made a cake for the sweet little baby. Baby was born on Valentine's day. How nice is that?!

Daddy sent a picture of her in a carrier, hence the model of it.

Gyu maki

Gyu maki (Beef roll)

Had friends from Singapore who stayed a night at our place before going back to SG. Friday night, prepared niku jyaga, kinpira gobo and chicken karaage for them. No pictures though.

Then on Saturday, my intention was to send them to Windsor, go home buy some beef and they could then have roast beef and yorkshire pudding for dinner before leaving for the airport. But they asked me to hang around with them, which I did but then which left me with not much time to cook my roast beef, so ended up making gyu maki, squid in soya sauce and miso soup with tofu and wakame.

When you want to make a simple tofu and wakame miso soup, soak the wakame in cold water till it expands but do not add to the miso soup until you want to drink it, otherwise it become too soft.



Note: For halal version, please omit the mirin. (sweet rice wine)

Ingredients:

12 pcs of thinly sliced beef
half leek or negi - julienned
green pepper - julienned
carrot - julienned
3 tbsp soy sauce )
3 tbsp mirin ) sauce mixture
1 tbsp sugar )

Method:
1. On piece of sliced beef, lay equal amounts of leeks, peppers and carrots and roll tight.
2. When all the beef have been filled and rolled, heat a saucepan will 1 tbsp oil. When pan is hot, lay the beef in the pan.
3. Fry for a couple of mins till the beef is coloured, then turn it to colour the other side.
4. When beef has been coloured on all sides, add the sauce mixture.
5. Fry till sauce has reduced and caramelizes.
6. Remove and cut the beef into half diagonally and serve hot.






Gyu Maki before frying