Whenever I passed through the Chinese shop selling the Herbal Tea Eggs, I felt like buying it because the aromatic of the herbal eggs really smelt nice. But then are those eggs are fresh or are those overnight stocks. So its better to make my own instead of buying for the kids. It is pretty easy. You can even buy the ready herbal tea eggs mix to do it. It is more convenient.

Ingredients:
10 eggs
2 tsp Oolong tea leaves
2 pcs star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp peppercorns
2 pcs orange peel ( I omitted )
4 slices dong gui ( angelica roots )
Enough water to cover the eggs

Seasoning:
2 tsp dark soya sauce
Salt and sugar to taste

Method:
1.Wash and boil the eggs till become hard-boiled. Dish up and lightly crack the shell with the back of a spoon.
2. In a pot of water put star anises, peppercorns, orange peel, cinnamon stick and tea leaves into a stock pouch, boil with the seasoning.
3.Put the eggs into the herbal tea mixture and simmer for 1-2 hrs.

Ooh Chien or Fried Oyster Omelette is my favourite. Where ever I see it, I must ordered it. Even the Ooh Chien I tried in Hatyai last weekend taste better than here. You can find a lot of oyster sell in TESCO and it is pretty cheap too. I didn’t notice it until my uncle told me you can find it anytime in TESCO. Off I go to TESCO on Monday afternoon and bought a small packet back and I had Ooh Chien for dinner that day.

I used the recipe from Amy Beh found in The Star, Kuali’s webpage. Hmmmm… I still find my Ooh Chien doesn’t taste as good as those from the hawkers stall.
Ingredients :
150g fresh oysters, lightly rinsed and well drained
1 tbsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp chopped coriander and spring onion

Batter Ingredients :
80gm sweet potato flour
200-240ml water
½ tsp salt

Seasoning Ingredients :
1 tsp fish sauce
Dash of monosodium glutamate ( I omit it out )
Dash of pepper

Method :
1. Combine batter ingredients. Stir to mix well and set aside.
2. Heat oil and sesame oil in a nonstick saucepan. Pour in the batter and allow to set for 20-30 seconds until a thin crispy skin forms.
3. With a spatula, push the centre of the formed skin slightly open then add garlic, eggs and seasoning.
4. Add the oysters and a little more oil if necessary. Stir-fry well to mix with the sweet potato flour skin. Toss and fry briskly then dish out and serve with a sprinkling of chopped coriander and spring onion.

Haven’t been in the good mood to cook lately. As some of you aware, I am not too happy lately at work. Someone trying to pull me into deep shit. Huh! But then do you think I am that stupid for you to push around the bush? Sometimes I think I need another vacation. An Orlando vacations would be nice but then I need to dream on harder.Hahaha

Yesterday afternoon, I just fried egg foo yong for the kids. An egg dish that is so simple to prepare and the kids love it and can eat one bowl of rice just with this dish.

Ingredients :
3 eggs, beaten
2 big onion, cut into rings
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in wok. Saute big onion till fragrant and soft.
3. Pour in the beaten eggs. Fried the egg till it set. Dish up and serve with hot rice.

Dearie Suki has not been home for dinner for the past 3 days.  I didn’t even see him for the past 3 days. He only reached home when I was about to leave for work and when I am back at home he is  out with his contractor again. Hopefully his job will complete by this Thursday. I am late again today as I was stuck with a supplier in the office to browse through some promotional items to use as premium for my brand this year. By the time I leave the office and pick up the kids it was almost 7.30 pm and I am so tired and don’t intend to bring the kids out for dinner at the shopping mall. The two kids are pestering me to go for Pizza Hut again. Oh gosh, no more Pizza Hut for a month.

Cook something simple for dinner today. Just one dish meal for three of us. I steamed egg with minced pork and added some crabstick in it. I have been trying many times to steamed a nice, smooth and silky steam egg. I did this almost every week and I am closed to getting a smooth and silky texture. Well, I think it is the steaming technique and the water I added in the egg that counts.  

My kids love this steamed egg and they ate a big bowl of rice with the steamed egg. At times I wonder, they have more appetite to eat a simple dish prepared by me rather than those fancy dishes I cook for them. LOL
 

Steaming egg for dinner is one of the easiest thing whenever I have no time to cook. My kids love steamed egg but having the same old boring steamed egg will be quite boring though. My skills of steaming egg has improved and now I can get a smooth surface on top of the steamed egg. The packet of Furikakae seasoning still have a bit more and without wasting it, I sprinkle a generous amount of it on top on the steamed egg. Hmmm… didn’t know it actually tasted quite good with the  steameded egg and both Le-Ann and Ee-Thern love it so much and each have an individual bow of steamed egg for their dinner.    

Both Le-Ann and Ee-Thern love soup. I think it could be they had soup everyday at the daycare center and when they are back at home for dinner, both also looks for soup. Ee-Thern is the one who loves soup so much. Without soup I don’t think so he can eat his rice and now end up I got to prepare at least one soup for them everyday. Here is a simple one when I have no time for slow boiling. Egg Drop Soup With Tomatoes is one of their favourite.

Ingredients :
2 eggs, beaten
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
Some spring onion, cut into 2 inch long
3 cups ikan bilis stocks
Salt and pepper

Method :
1. Boil the ikan bilis stocks with tomatoes in the pot for about 20 minutes.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Lower down the fire and pour in the egg into the pot. Let the egg set and then add in the spring onion or any green vegetables of your choice.
4. Serve with rice.

I realized both my kids loves french beans. When I asked Le-Ann, izzit she ate this in school during lunch time and she said yes. No wonder ler, both of them like it so much. Here is an easy one for them.

Ingredients : 
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bowl of french beans, chopped
Some chopped garlic

Method :
1. Beat eggs in a bowl and add in some salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a pan and sautee garlic till fragrant. Add in french beans and stir fried till cooked.
3. Add in some salt.
4. Pour the beaten eggs over and let it set. Flip over the other side and let it fried till cook.

After few days of cooking dinner at home, I tried to plan one week ahead what to cook so that I can save up my time to think about it. This makes me think back what my Ah Mah cook for us when we were young. My Ah Mah babysit 5 grandchildren and its like  Do,Re,Mi,Fa,So ( me, Ai Ai, Ah Put, Ee Sann and Ee Ying ) and imagine she got to cook for a bunch of kids and take care my late Tai Mah at that time. Its not an easy job yeah.  

Every morning she will ride her bicycle to the Sg. Chua market to buy vegs and meat to cook for our lunch before we set off to school. I remembered my Ah Mah always cook a few dishes which is simple and yet delicious and you have can few bowls of rice to go with it. Her speciality for us would be :

1. Stir-Fried French Beans With Oyster Sauce
2. Stir-Fried Carrot With Salty Beancurd
3. Deep Fried White/Black Promfret With Shallots And Soy Sauce
4. Steamed Minced Pork With Egg
5. Steamed Egg
6. Taw Eu Bak With Lor Egg
7. Stewed Mui Chai With Pork
8. Fried Long Beans With Omellete
9. Egg Soup With Tomato
10. Braised Chicken With Potato In Oyster Sauce

Actually there are many more and I can’t recall everything. Yesterday my kids had Steamed Minced Pork With Egg and also Stir-Fried French Beans With Oyster Sauce. For the past few days both Le-Ann and Ee-Thern had one big bowl of rice and I am glad  that they have a good appetite. So its either they are too hungry when come back from kindie or its my cooking really a delish ?????

Steamed Minced Pork With Egg

I used the same ingredients for Chawan Mushi expect for the chicken stocks I substitute with water and added a dash of pepper and sesame oil and 1 bowl of minced pork mixed with 1 tsp of cornflour. Mix all together and steam over low heat till the egg set. I couldn’t get the smooth effect of the egg because I steamed slightly longer for the minced pork cook throughly.

But you still get a silky smooth of steamed egg inside and juicy steamed minced pork

Stir-Fried French Beans With Oyster Sauce

Bought a tray of eggs back and while I was busy packed up my groceries, Le-Ann came to me that Ee-Thern broke the egg. When I confronted Ee-Thern he told me is Cheh Cheh that broke the egg. Aarrrggh… end up I used the broken eggs to make Chawan Mushi ( Steamed Egg Custard ) and force two of them to eat it and both of them like it so much.

Ingredients :
3 eggs
2 3/4 cups of chicken stocks
1 tsp of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Few slices of crabsticks
Some Chinese parsley

Method :
1. Gently beat the eggs.
2. Then add in the chicken stocks and soya sauce.
3. Place few slices of crabsticks in each cup.
4. Place a Chinese parsley leave on top.
5. Boil the water in the steamer and turn down the heat. Place the cups in the steamer and steam for about 10 minutes.

Note :
1. Try not to over steamed the egg.
2. You can also add other filling i.e : chicken fillet, fishcake, gingko nuts, or shitake mushroom in the egg custard apart from crabsticks.