Daily Archives: November 6, 2017

Tasty Scallions Baked Seabass on 3Nov2017

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scallion baked seabass

wife & i had a really good scallions baked flat fish head 葱焖鸦片鱼头 at old jesse in shanghai tian ping road on 28.10.2017. will write about that later.

i decided to experiment the method using a cheap seabass on 4.11.2017. ^^

trying to replicate the incredible 葱焖鸦片鱼头 at old jesse. haha!

seabass was very cheap like 2 for S$7.90 at sheng shiong. seabas meat a bit powdery not so firm & has a bit of mud taste, so usually cooked with spicy bean sauce or i was thinking also experimenting the thai style pla neung manao… but that later. 🙂

this evening i decided to test out the scallions baked preparation.

i cleaned the seabass with salt & stood it on a colander to dry.

i had about 3/4 of a packet of 90cts scallions, so i placed those 1/2 below the fish & 1/2 on top, cut some long pieces, & used a bamboo pick to hold them in place over the fish.

then i added 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp light soy sauce. i also added chopped garlic (would have added sliced ginger but didn’t have today), and added sliced shallots, 2 chilli padi. also squeezed juice from 1/2 lime over the fish.

then into a 250degC oven for 10minutes. 🙂

scallion baked seabass

it came out pretty good.

meat was tender, flavourful, just cooked the right timing 火候. 🙂

& dipped a bit in the 1/2 dried up sauce very nice…

scallion baked seabass 

so result was pretty good so far as seabass went.

steaming will accentuate the soft meat texture & mud taste so moderating with a spicy bean sauce is better than simple hong kong steam,

baking/roasting & frying help to make the meat more firm & the scallion, garlic, shallot flavouring help to balance/musk the mud taste.

scallion baked seabass

result was not fantastic, but it was pretty good, and a good alternative preparation to steaming.

different & of course no comparison at all with old jesse’s 葱焖鸦片鱼头 ..that was a flat fish head with bone texture similar to salmon head & like having 3x the scallions i had…(that will make the scallions cost as much as my seabass lol!)..

anyway no plans for moment but may try this on a slamon head sometime if i get hold of a cheap salmon head to experiment.

c.h.e.f andy

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Ingredients:

  • 1x500g seabass
  • 1xpacket of spring onions (scallions)
  • 3 tsp chopped garlic
  • 2cm julienned ginger
  • 3 shallots sliced
  • 2 chilli padi
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • juice squeezed from 1/2 lime

Directions:

  1. clean seabass with salt & stand it on a colander to dry.
  2. place 1/2 of  a packet of scallions below the fish & 1/2 on top, cut some long pieces, & use bamboo picks to hold them in place over the fish.
  3. add 2 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp light soy sauce, chopped garlic, julienned ginger, sliced shallots, 2 chilli padi, and juice squeezed from 1/2 lime over the fish.
  4. bake in 250degC oven for 10minutes. 🙂

Quite Good Teochew Food @ Chui Huay Lim on 3Nov2017

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teochew dishes

had a jumbo S$100 e-voucher expiring 9.11.2017 that can be used at chui huay lim, got my OPS bros to join me for a 5pax dinner on 3.11.2017. ^^

ter kar ton – pig trotter jelly S$12

i need to order like S$200 to use the S$100 e-voucher.

it’s more convenient now withe-voucher only need to show my ic. service was good. the young guy is from shandong jinan (provincial capital). he helped me to compute the food orders & i managed to order about S$203 including tea (S$1.20pax quite ok) & nuts (S$2/plate also ok), so i can apply the S$100 vouchers discounts. 🙂

the ter kar ton – pig trotter jelly S$12 was competent, ok…i had better ones…

hae chor – ngoh hiang prawn rolls S$12

hae chor – ngoh hiang prawn rolls S$12 was very good, very tasty. 🙂

crab meat fish maw soup S$42

the crab meat fish maw soup S$42 also very good, chokeful of ingredients & mostly importantly a very tasty stock! 🙂

the hae chor & this crabmeat fish maw soup are what i would order if i come again. 🙂

1/2 braised duck S$32

the 1/2 braised duck S$32 was the worst dish we had this evening, a disaster considering that braised duck & goose are like the signatures of every good teochew restaurant.

we ordered 1/2 duck S$32 according to menu, but it came as a plate of sliced meat.

there was no options for 鸭片&鸭肉as in many teochew restaurants, and it makes NO sense to serve 1/2 duck in this manner. it did not look like 1/2 duck at all & we did not feel there were thigh meat, only breast meat.

i will NEVER EVER order this dish here again! FULLSTOP!

we should have just rejected the dish la! lol! 🙂

i guess to be fair duck itself was passable, a bit soft & bland in taste with no texture c/w eating a proper duck meat – a style i do not like…

to illustrate the above photo of imperial treasure’s teochew restaurant show’s how 1/2 braised duck should be served. 

orh lua – oyster omelette S$20

there was cold crab available this evening.

& i absolutely refused to order any fish here! like S$110 for a treadfin fish tail & pomfret etc.

very easy to do just as good steam fish at home for 10% the cost.

pepper beef fillet S$14

the pepper beef fillet S$14 was excellent.

this not the chinese tenderised beef cube style which very artificially tender & overly sweet.

this a bit like korean or western fillet style, done very nicely & even came with caramelised onions.

pepper beef fillet S$14

certainly a dish i would order again…very good for the price! ^^

string beans 四季豆 S$14 

the string beans 四季豆 S$14 was expensive like many vegetable dishes these days. it was quite tasty though, so quite fine by me.

seafood mee sua S$22

the seafood mee sua was nice, flavourful. my friends liked it, said good wok hae, and tasty.

seafood mee sua 

& small serving S$22 good enough for 5pax…

orh nee – yam paste S$5/bowl

i didn’t think much of the orh nee – yam paste S$5/bowl. S$25 for 5pax & quite bland & tasteless, not “pang” not flavourful.

a really good one would be like at fragrant garden – then it would be worth eating.

overall the food was below the standard of frangrant gardens where HC bought 9pax OPS dinner on 30.12.2016. 

dinner came to about S$121 after S$100 voucher discounts, so for that price then it was pretty decent food to have for 5pax!

c.h.e.f andy

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Chui Huay Lim Teochew Cuisine

Address:

190 Keng Lee Rd, #01-02 Chui Huay Lim Club, Singapore 308409
Contact:
chlteochewcuisine.com
6732 3637

Opening Hours:

Saturday
(Diwali)
  • 11:30AM–3PM
  • 5:30–11PM
Hours might differ
Sunday
  • 11:30AM–3PM
  • 5:30–11PM
Monday
  • 12–3PM
  • 6–11PM
Tuesday
  • 12–3PM
  • 6–11PM
Wednesday
  • 12–3PM
  • 6–11PM
Thursday
  • 12–3PM
  • 6–11PM
Friday
  • 11:30AM–3PM
  • 5:30–11PM

Curry Belly Pork & Cabbage – 46th Teban Gardens Community Breakfast on 3Nov2017

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curry belly pork & cabbage

made curry  belly pork & cabbage for teban gardens community breakfast this morning on 3.11.2017. ^^

this my 46th friday breakfast community meal at teban gardens community service centre.

i first started doing a community meal dish for teban gardens CSC on 8.1.2016.

the centre was started in 2002 after much effort & challenge by our RI friend who is a pastor of pasir panjang hill brethren church (pphbc) which owns & runs the CSC.

i used heng’s chicken curry sauce sachet, S$2.45 from sheng shiong. it worked with chicken, it would work with pork.

belly pork slow braised 6hrs in 90degC oven

belly pork were first defrosted, placed in boiling water to remove scum, washed & cleaned then placed in sealed oven dish covered with water & slow braised 6hrs in 90degC oven – my standard preparation to make a tender belly pork.

this i did overnight. so it would be ready next morning 12am – 6am, perfect timing for preparing the dish.

belly pork slow braised 6hrs in 90degC oven

the belly pork was very tender & could be eaten straight off.

i cut them into rectangular pieces. there are about 130pax at teban gardens breakfast. i had abotu 1.8kg pork & cut maybe about 150+pieces.

curry belly pork

for curry, i fried 1 stalk of curry leaves with sliced onions, then added the heng’s curry sauce, then i added the pork & fried to coat & toss for 1 minute. then i added the strained pork juice from the oven dishes.

curry belly pork

the curry pork was very tasty.

curry cabbage

the i took out the pork & fried the cabbage in the curry sauce, covered & cooked the cabbage.

curry belly pork & cabbage

then i added back the belly pork, and toss to mix.

curry belly pork & cabbage

& transferred to the aluminium container to transport to teban gardens.

curry belly pork & cabbage

i tasted the dish, it was good. pork was tender & the curry & cabbage very tasty.

later the centre staff messaged me that curry was nice & all finished…

c.h.e.f andy

10 Delectable Dishes for 9pax RI Buddies Homecooked Dinner on 2Nov2017

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10 dishes

made 10 dishes for 9pax western dinner my RI buddies this evening on 2.11.2017. ^^

this the same group of friends who came for a 10pax indian cuisine dinner on 19.9.2017. 🙂

KY couldn’t join. V was ill-disposed & HT has a last minute work commitment. SK who is resident in shanghai was in singapore & joined the dinner. i was going to make additional vegetarian dishes for S but he was uncertain of joining, so i just made a funghi risotto & some salad & grilled vegetables.

10 dishes

we had 10 dishes (recipe in the links)–

1 pumpkin arugula salad with grape tomatoes & blueberries
2 tortilla – spanish omelette
3 nobu miso cod
4 teriyaki miso salmon belly
5 pan roasted brined chicken breast & thigh
6 mock kurobuta steak – slow braised pork collar
7 grilled vegetables- portobello mushrooms, zicchini & dutch eggplant
8 ika sugatayaki (experiment)
9 seafood fettuccine in creamy white wine sauce
10 funghi risotto

CL took the beautiful photos & brought sparkling wine, D brought too much red wine, AG brought tacos chip & dips, CJ brought ice creams.

& special thanks to HT for the cake though he could not join last minute. 🙂

tacos chips

cheese dip & tomato salsa

we all liked the tacos chips. i liked the tomato salsa more, thouygh as AG said it was a bit sour. i like sour! 🙂

red wine

red wine

CL brought his usual sparkling wine, which i managed to pop nicely.

& D’s red wine always good. i took very little of both… 🙂

pumpkin arugula salad with grape tomatoes & blueberries one of my wife’s popular salads. the other had quinoa instead of pumpkin (recipe).

very nice salad! i tossed the arugula when ready to serve so it would not be soggy. this evening i think it was very nice…

#1 making pumpkin arugula salad

first time i did the grilled pumpkin myself, usually by auntie Bes. i did 20mins, it was a bit overdone so a bit mushy, otherwise you can cut nice cubes. will do 15mins next time.

so seasoning, just add extra virgin olive oil & balsamic, some sea salt and a touch of honey (didn’t have agave nectar). same with grape tomatoes. when adding & tossing arugula, add some more olive oil & sea salt to taste. 🙂

tortilla- spanish omelette was nice & firm this evening. cut out into 10 pieces nicely.

simple preparation. just fry potato slices & sliced onions separately. add sea salt in pan. put together. beat 2 eggs, add 2tsp fish sauce & white pepper & add to the potatoes & onions. then fry in a small egg pan & flip.

pan roasted brined chicken breast & thigh was quite ok this evening.

chicken was deboned, brined in sugar & salt for 2 days in fridge, pan fried to brown the skin then pan roasted in 210degC oven for 8 mins. chicken was tender, moist & tasty from brining.

#4 mock kurobuta steak – slow braised pork collar

i did a mock kurobuta steak using frozen pork collar. kurobuta is of course like 4 to 5x the price.

pork collar approximate best as it has a bit of distributed fat like the marbling of kurobuta, but it has tough connective tissues.

#4 mock kurobuta steak – slow braised pork collar

so the preparation is 6hrs slow braise in 90degC oven to breakdown the connective tissues & convert to gelatine to flavour the meat. then pan charred, browned over high fire in butter & sea salt & coarse black pepper.

the pork collar turned out very well, great texture, and i had seasoned it in red wine & mustard, so great taste too.

the experimental pork loin (in front) was drier & not so great, so the preparation did not work so well with pork loin, need some adjustments.

# 5 & #6 nobu miso cod & teriyaki miso salmon belly

the nobu miso cod & teriyaki miso salmon belly were my usual popular dishes, always good.

WL liked the cod better. very tender, nicely flaky, oily & great miso flavour.

& nicely browned.

many friends – D, AG, CL liked the teriyaki miso salmon belly even better.

this evening though, it was slightly overdone so texture was less firm. taste was wonderful as usual. 🙂 for a nicer done dish & photos, see recipe here.

the ika sugatayaki (experiment)  just means grilled whole squid.

i was going to use the squid for the seafood pasta, but it was a large & thick squid so i decided to experiment with the grilling, and kept the head for the pasta.

grilled squid very difficult to do as it has lots of water & impossible to brown without overcooking the squid. so i tried drying the squid in the 90degC oven for 1/2 hr, blow under the fan, then added olive oil, honey & sea salt & flame it to caramelise. when serving dinner i put it for 3 minutes in 250degC oven.

i think taste was ok but not special. i did achieve the dryness but still overcooked it. CL’s comment was too dry! anyway the dish was unspectacular & much ado about nothing. not sure if i can perfect it. otherwise not worth doing…

#8 seafood fettuccine in creamy white wine sauce

i think my seafood fettuccine in creamy white wine sauce was my best this evening. very tasty sauce, pasta was al dente and prawns & sotong were done just right, not overcooked & very tasty.

i will write a separate recipe on this preparation.

risotto was ok this evening. mushroom flavour was quite intense.

still using up my arborio rice. maybe carnaroli is better but this not too bad also. risotto is a bit more buttery & not burnt like paella. & usually had chorizo to flavour the rice.

this evening i was doing this for S our vegetarian friend, so no chorizo! 🙂

#9 brown button mushrooms for funghi risotto

i used 250g brown mushrooms, the dry wet dry preparation (see recipe) to caramelise the mushrooms & onions, then added the arborio rice.

#9 funghi risotto

i put in 210degC oven for 6mins to speed up the process. so about 80% done & to cook it when serving.

#10 grilled vegetables- portobello mushrooms, zucchini & ducth eggplant

we also had some grilled vegetables- portobello mushrooms, zucchini & ducth eggplant. simple & nice, just added olive oil, sea salt & some butter, grilled for 30mins 25odegC.

hazelnut cake

HT bought a hazelnut cake for our dessert this evening. nice cake, not too sweet. regrettably HT was held back by a last minute call to cover some work emergency.

we had a very fun evening among old friends, and wide ranging conversation from bitcoins, blockchains to some school practices etc…a wonderful, memorable get together…

c.h.e.f andy