Got bored with my cooking or recipes right? So now I decided to share with you peeps my folks' cooking. From young, our homecooked food by my mum (most of the times) were very commoner 平民餐 style. Anyhow cook, anyhow eat and that is their way of cooking 创意菜肴. I think I inherit their 'cook with whatever is available in the kitchen' mind. But my purpose is to reduce food wastage and money (so are they too). Then after we got married, they will go out and buy extra food to complement their cooking when we come home for lunch or dinner. Usually char siew, roasted meat, white or roasted chicken and even roasted duck at times. The list goes on. They scare not enough for us (which is more than enough).
Follow my new Instagram account for their cooking: @chansfamilykitchen
Now enjoy the almost unconventional recipes that I roughly write out based on what they told me. Not the best of taste because is coming from the parents' love, so still the best taste. And serve as reference when I don't know what to cook at home (which usually is the case).
1. FRIED NOODLES
Ingredients:
- Yellow Mee and Kway Teow
- Any types of veggies, cut to small pieces
- Char Siew, slice into strips
- Roasted Pork, sliced
- Beansprouts
- Fried Omelette, slice into strips
Method:
- Heat the wok with oil.
- Throw in chopped garlic and fry till fragrance
- Throw in the veggies and stir fry.
- Add in char siew, roasted pork, beansprouts and fried omelette and mix fry all together.
- Add in yellow mee and kway teow, mix fry with the ingredients.
- Add dark sauce and small amount of oyster sauce and mix fry. (Note: if I never ask her about seasoning, I think she won't add any)
- Once noodles is cooked, turn off the heat.
- Garnish with fried shallot and drizzle with ketchup sauce. Tuck in!
Now it makes sense why no seasoning. Because we have it with ketchup sauce. And the ingredients itself will give out the taste. But all the while I don't go with ketchup and fried shallot because it tastes good on its own already.
Enjoy the video of my cooking at my folks' place a.k.a my childhood home.
2. NOODLES SOUP
Ingredients:
- Yellow mee and Kway Teow
- 250ml Swanson Clear Chicken Broth
- 250ml of Water (or more, pls gauge yourself)
- Yong Tau Foo ingredients (or anything you fancy)
Method:
- Put chicken broth and water to boil.
- Once boiled, put in the ingredients to cook.
- On a separate pot, cook the noodles either with water or the soup from No.1.
- Once cooked, put the noodles in the bowl, add the ingredients you want and pour over the soup.
- Garnish with fried shallot or spring onions.
Honestly, they never season it and so the soup and noodles taste bland. But the ingredients were saving grace as it gives out some sweetness. This is how we grow up with their cooking. We are those kind of chin-chai family. Got food on the table, just eat.
Latest - as of 15 Feb 2022 元宵节 Lunch
This was a mix of instant udon and maggi mee version. I tell you our family is 不会饿死的. 怎样煮，怎样吃. Simple life.
3. GREEN BEAN SOUP
- Green Bean
- Barley
- Rock Sugar
- White Fungus (at times)
Method:
- Simply put green bean and barley to boil till it softens.
- Then put in the appropriate amount of rock sugar for taste and serve.
Sometimes the soup was superb clear, maybe just green bean itself with lots of water. Their green bean soup superb anyhow. They like it or have that ingredients on hand (example sweet potato, white fungus), just put in. My dad said innovation. 创意嘛，不要死板板. Okay I get it. Their way of being innovative.
Latest - as of 15 Feb 2022 元宵节
Everyone has to eat Tang Yuan 汤圆 on 元宵节 so my dad just cooked a simple green bean soup as the base for Tang Yuan (instant type). Idea right?
4. STIR-FRY VEGETABLES
Ingredients:
- Broccoli
- Carrots, cut into small pieces
- Mushrooms, slices
- Fishcakes, sliced
- Canned Baby corn, cut into small pieces
- Garlic, diced
Method:
- Heat the wok and pour in oil.
- Fry the garlic.
- Throw in carrot and baby corn and cook till soften.
- Throw in mushrooms, broccoli and fishcake and 一起炒到熟.
- Add oyster sauce to taste and stir fry again.
- Turn off the heat and serve.
Yes, this dish got fishcakes. Haha... kind of unusual but this is my mum's style. Just to have everything in one dish and she considered got one veggie dish to eat and not just basic meat or seafood dishes.
5. STEAMED EGG
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| My Cooking - Steamed Egg |
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| My Cooking - Steamed Egg |
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| My Cooking - Steamed Egg |
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs
- 300ml water
- Salt and Pepper
- Fried Onions for garnishing
- Sesame oil
- Light Soya Sauce
Method:
- Beat the eggs with water.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Sieve the mixture to remove bubbles or impurity.
- Steam for 20 mins in boiling water.
- Garnish with fried onions.
- Add sesame oil and light soya sauce for taste.
For the water part, I remember her telling me to just enough (depending on the type/size of bowl you use) but not to the brim. Okay this is the method I'm taught. And sometimes my mum will make with 3 different types of eggs like normal chicken egg, century egg and salted egg, which they called it 三色蛋.
6. KETCHUP PRAWNS
Ingredients:
- Prawns
- Parsley
- Ketchup Sauce (Tomato Sauce)
Method:
- Fry chopped garlic till fragrance.
- Add the prawns and fry till cooked.
- Add enough amount of Ketchup Sauce and mix well.
- Garnish with parsley and serve.
My mum will call it 茄汁虾 so direct translate be Ketchup Prawns. Do you wanna know how I had the prawns last time? I will peel the shells off, tear the prawn meat into small pieces and mix with the rice to eat. Drizzle some of the ketchup sauce also. Peel about 2-3 prawns depending on my rice portion. Simple and nice. Don't need 大鱼大肉 also can grow up strong like me and my brother.
7. KETCHUP BEANS WITH LUNCHEON MEAT
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| My Cooking - Ketchup Beans with Luncheon Meat |
Ingredients:
- 1 can of baked beans
- Luncheon meat, cut into small cubes
Method:
- Fry the luncheon meat
- Pour in the baked beans to the saucepan and mix well.
- Serve with rice.
Another naming by my mum will be 茄汁豆. A dish that we usually go with rice. I can just eat without other dishes when she cooked this. There is another version my cousin shared which is minced meat and I remember one with hotdogs too. Just remember to fry the ingredients first before pouring in the baked beans.
8. FRIED SILVER FISH WITH SUGAR
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| My Cooking - Fried Silver Fish on Nasi Lemak |
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| My Cooking - Fried Silver Fish on Porridge |
Ingredients:
- Silver Fish
- Sugar (Optional)
Method:
- Heat a little oil in the pan.
- Add silver fish and fry till almost cooked.
- Add some sugar (optional) and mix well till it is coated on the silver fish.
- Dish up and serve with rice.
I really enjoy going with rice whenever I see it on the dining table, maybe because it is salty and sweet (when coated with sugar of course). Sometimes my mum will cook a sauce plate size portion just for me (if I can't finish, see who comes home to finish up). I always remember her saying this is high in Protein. Long time never eat with plain rice. After I got married, I will fry silver fish for porridge or nasi lemak, without the sugar. It is just as good on its own.
Share your childhood dishes with me so that I can learn to cook too. Sharing is caring and probably I can find some nostalgic dishes that I haven't eat for a long time. What if I can find dishes that my grandma used to cook when she is still around? Hehehe... as if I remember what she cook even if I lived with them for a period of time? But at least from what my uncle cook on special occasion, I agar agar know. I know the above is kind of simple and anyone can do. So come... share more recipes with me for me to learn and also challenge myself in cooking or baking. Cheers.
You can watch me cooking on my Channel now. Made effort to document them down both in writing (more detailed) and video (more realistic). Enjoy!
This post will be updated as and when there are new dishes to share. Stay tune!