Cheng Teng

Cheng Teng is one of the cooling dessert in Singapore.
(Cooling herbs are those which healers believe take heat away from the body, or from some part of the body. Often, herbs that contain highly volatile oils. Cooling herbsare known as refrigerants. To get an idea of what a refrigerant is, think of a hot summer day, and then imagine eating a slice of watermelon or cucumber. )

· 50g white fungus, washed and soaked(at least 30mins) and break into small pieces
· 50g dried lily buls, washed and soaked (at least 30mins)
· 50g fresh gingko nuts, remove the shells, split, remove embryo and soaked(at least 30mins)
· 30g lotus seeds, split and remove the green in the centre and soaked(at least 30mins)
· 30g large sago, washed on the day you are going to cook and set aside
· 30g dried logan
· 50g red dates
· 3 pandan leaf
· 60g pearl barley
· 350g rock sugar
· 14 cups of water

Boil the pot of water together with pandan leaf, lotus seeds, red dates, lily buls and gingko nuts. When the water boils, add in the white fungus and logan meat. Boil for 30 minutes. Add the rock sugar, pearl barley and large sago, let it boil for 10 minutes.
Once the gingko nuts and lotus seeds already soften and chewable, it is ready to be served. Remove the pandan leaves.
Serve hot or cold.

Kare-kare

Kare-kare is a Philipine dish and traditionally served during fiesta. It’s made from peanut sauce with vegetables, stewed meat. It is often served with shrimp paste or bagoong.

· 3 onions, chopped
· 5 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1 bay leaf
· 5 tbs Cooking oil
· 1 pork leg
· 1/2kg pork lean
· ½(4cups) squash, cut in bite size
· 15-20 bundle long bean, cut in 3 inches length
· 3 bundle pechay
· 2 Talong, cut in bite size
· 1 peanut butter (510g)
· a pinch Basil leaves (optional)
· Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the pork w/ 1.5litre water. Add bay leaf, basil, salt and pepper. Boil for 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

Boil separately half of the cut squash with 500ml water for 10mins until very soft. Press the squash until it will be like cream. Set aside.

Heat a work in lo heat and sauté garlic and onions. Add the boiled pork without the water. Mix for 5 minutes. Add water used from boiling pork. Add the peanut butter, mix well & simmer for 5mins Add the cut squash n. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the cut long bean, talong & creamy squash. Add peanut butter until desired thickness of the sauce. Mix well. Add the pechay. Add salt and pepper. Simmer for 5mins

Serve with shrimp paste and rice.

Pinakbet

· 1/4 kilo pork with fat, cut into small pieces
· 2 cups Amapalya (bitter gourd or bitter melons) sliced to bite size pieces
· 2 cups eggplants, sliced to bite size pieces
· 3 cups pumpkins, sliced to bite size pieces
· 5 pieces of okra, cut in two-three
· 10 pieces of long beans, cut in 3 inches length
· 5 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 onions, diced
· 1 tbs shrimp paste (bagoong isda or bagoong alamang)
· 3 tablespoons of cooking oil
· 2 cup water
· 2 tbs fish sauce
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a wok, heat oil and fry the pork until brown, remove the pork from the pan and set aside. On the same pan, saute garlic and onion. Add water, pumpkins, fish sauce and shrimp paste. Cook for 5 minutes. Add long beans and lady fingers. Cook for 3 minutes. Add pork, eggplant and bitter bitter gourd. Cook for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and cook until the vegetables are done, careful not to overcook.

Serve hot with rice.

Chilli Crab

· 4pcs Fresh crabs, removed yellow gills or spongy parts
· Cooking oil
· 1 onion, chopped
· 5cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/8 cup ginger, finely grated
· ¼ cup tomato sauce
· 1 cups water
· 2 egg, beaten
· 1tsp Soy sauce
· 1 bottle sweet chilli sauce (375g)
· Soft brown sugar
· 2 tsp oyster sauce
· 2 tsp Corn Starch

Steam crab in casserole. After steaming, cut the crabs in 2 pieces.

Heat wok in low heat and sauté garlic until light brown then add onion and ginger. Add tomato sauce, water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili sauce, and sugar. Boil for 10 minutes. Add corn starch and stir well. Add the crab and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice.

Tahong Suop(Mussels Soup)

· 1kg mussels
· 2 onions, chopped
· 5 cloves garlic, chopped
· 2 tomatoes, chopped
· ¼ cup ginger, julienne sliced
· 1 pack baby kai-lan leaves (Chinese broccoli)
· 1 cup of malungay(horse radish)
· 2 tsp patis (fish sauce)
· cooking oil
· 1 litre water
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a casserole, sauté garlic until light brown then add onion and ginger. Add water and lower the heat. Let it boil for 15mins. Add mussels and tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes. Add kai-lan, malungay, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Pinyahang Manok(Pineapple Chicken)

· 1/2 chicken, cut into serving pieces
· 2 onions, chopped
· 5 cloves garlic, chopped
· 3 cups of Pineapple chunks (del monte)
· 1 cup pineapple juice(from Del monte pineapple chunks)
· 1 green bellpepper, sliced
· 2 tsp patis (fish sauce)
· 1 cup of evaporated milk
· cooking oil
· Half litre water
· Salt and pepper to taste

In a casserole, sauté garlic until light brown then add onion. Add chicken and stir for 5-10 minutes. Add water, pineapple juice and lower the heat. Let it boil for 15mins. Add evaporated milk and bell peppers and stir occasionally. Add pineapple chucks, fish sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Grilled Chicken Terriyaki

· 3 tbsp oyster sauce
· 1/2 cup Kikkoman Terriyaki marinade
· Salt & Pepper Pepper to taste
· 2 chicken breast

Mix well all the ingredients. Marinate chicken for atleast 4hrs or overnight with the sauce.

Heat grilling pan. Grill each side for 10mins.

Chicken Sopas

During my early childhood, Chicken Sopas was one of our favorite breakfasts or meriendas. Here in Singapore our family eats Sopas for dinner.

· Chicken breast, cut in thin & small pieces
· 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
· 1 onion, chopped
· 1 cup carrot, cut in julienne
· 1 cup of cabbage, cut in julienne
· ¼ cup of green bell pepper, cut in julienne
· 2 cups of evaporated milk
· 300g macaroni noodles
· 6 cups of water
· 1 chicken broth cube
· salt, pepper
Heat casserole put some cooking oil and sauté the garlic and onion. Add your chicken and continue mixing. Pour your water with the chicken broth cube dissolved in it. Cover and let it boil. Boil for 10mins. Adds your macaroni noodles and continue cooking for another ten minutes. Add the carrots and boil for 3mins. Then add up the cabbage, milk, salt and pepper. Turn off the fire, the warm liquid will continue cooking the rest of the ingredients.
Serve while hot.

Beef Caldereta

This is a beef dish from the Philippines inspired by the Spanish Caldereta. It is a tomato-based sauce with a little touch bit spicy.

· ½ kilo beef top round, cut into serving pcs.
· 4 tbsp. Olive oil
· 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
· 1 onion, chopped
· 2 potato, cut into serving pcs.
· 1 carrots, cut into serving pcs.
· 2 red peppers, cut
· ½ greenbell peppers, cut
· 1 cup tomato sauce
· ¼ cup sweet thai sauce
· 1 cup canned pineapple chunks
· 1 pc.bayleaf
· 1 tbsp. white wine
· ½ cup breadcrumbs
· salt & pepper

Cook beef with salt, bay leaf, pepper and soy sauce. Use pressure cooker if necessary. Set aside. Fry potatoes. Set aside.

In the same pan, sauté garlic until light brown then adds onion. Sauté for a few minutes. Add carrots, tomato sauce, boiled beef and broth. Boil for 5mins. Add bread crumps, wine (optional), potatoes, red chilli, green bell pepper and simmer for 5mins. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Chopsuey

Chopsuey, a favorite vegetable dish of Filipinos.

· ¼ kilo shrimps, shelled, deveined and halved
· ¼ kilo chicken breast, cut bite size
· ¼ kilo cauliflower, broken to bite size
· ¼ kilo brocolli, broken to bite size
· ¼ kilo snow peas
· ¼ kilo cabbage, cut into squares
· 5 pcs baby corn, sliced
· 5 cloves garlic, diced
· 2 onions, diced
· 1 carrot, sliced thinly
· 1 piece green bell pepper. cut in strips
· 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
· 1 cups chicken stock (broth)
· 3 tablespoons of black soy sauce
· 4 tablespoons of oil(canola/olive oil)
· Salt to taste

In a big pan or wok, sauté garlic, onions. Add 1 cup of stock, carrots, shrimp, chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mix in all the vegetables except cabbage and sweet peas, simmer for 5mins Add the cabbage and sweet peas, soy sauce and the dissolved cornstarch. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot with rice and fish steak.

Fish Steak

· 2 tbsp oyster sauce
· 2 tbsp black soy sauce
· 1 calamansi
· ¼ cup water
· 1 tsp salt
· Pepper
· 3 slices of Batang fish (Spanish Mackerel)

Mix well all the ingredients. Marinate fish for 2-3hrs with the sauce.

Heat grilling pan. Grill each side for 5-10mins.

Serve with rice and chopsuey.

Corn Muffin

· 1 cup whole kernel corn
· 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 1/3 cup white sugar
· 2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 egg, beaten
· 1/4 cup butter, melted
· 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, butter and milk; stir gently to combine. Add corn and mix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Chicken Curry(Filipino Style)

My husband was born in Leyte and many of his favourite dishes are mostly with coconut milk. (This is probably because there are lots of coconuts in their place.) Chicken curry (Filipino style) is one of them.

· 3 tbsp. oil
· 2 potatoes, peeled, quartered and fried
· 1 carrots , peeled and cut
· ½ kg. chicken, cut into serving pieces
· 5 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 large onion, minced
· ½ cup ginger, peeled, julienne
· 1 tbsp. patis (fish sauce)
· 2 tbsp. curry powder
· 2 cup water
· 1 green bell pepper, cut into big squares
· 1 cup coconut milk
· salt and pepper to taste

Pan fry potatoes. Set aside. Boil chicken in a pot add salt, pepper and ginger for 10mins. Set aside

In the same pan, sauté garlic until light brown then add onion .Sauté for a few minutes. Add chicken and stir for few minutes. Put the broth, curry powder and carrots. Lower the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk, bell peppers and fried potatoes and stir occasionally. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Serve hot.