Mother's day dinner

Gosh... mother's day was 3 months back... and now only I post up this. pai seh pai seh...

Like last 2 years... this year, besides than the top that I knit for my mom (actually that was suppose to be CNY present, haha), I cooked for both of my parents too.

As usual 3 dishes + 1 soup... let's check out the recipe book!

The weather is getting hotter... so, first thing crossing my mind was, make something more cooling, less heaty

Roasted Pig's Trotter and Dried Bai Cai Soup
(recipe from Quick & Easy Hawkers' Fair by Alan Kok)

Ingredients:
1 roasted pig's trotter (500g), cut into pieces
(of course I ask the butcher to help me)
1 dried cuttlefish, cleaned
200g bai cai, cleaned
50g dried bai cai, soaked and cleaned
1500ml water
salt to taste

Methods:
1. Blanch roasted pig's trotter and pork in boiling water for a short while. Dish up and cleaned. (this can also help to remove some of the oil too)
2. Place all ingredients into a double-boiler. Double-boil at high heat for 3 hours. Add salt and taste. Serve hot.

Actually, I should put the roasted pig's trotter at the bottom, so the soup taste can taste better and more salty, because the bai cai & dried bai cai taste slight soury.
Then I was too greedy, wanted to put everything in but my double-boiler isn't big enough. I should at the beginning reduce a bit of meat and bai cai. End up, this bowl is just "ngam ngam" for 3 of us, some soup flowed out when it boiled.

My dad is a typical cantonese, he loves this soup very very much... as much as I do!

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The following 3 dishes need plenty of garlic... garlic in different shape...


Chopped garlic, garlic slice and peeled garlic in small pips

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Crispy Garlic Flakes with Plum Sauce Chicken
(recipe from Hawkers' Fair... Best of All Time Favourites by Chef Phang Fah)

Ingredients:
2 chicken whole legs, cut into pieces
(I learned from my previous mistake, I don't dare to chop, so, I ask the man chop for me)
10 pips garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

Marinade:
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine

Sauce (mixed well):
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp plum sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
salt to taste

Methods:
1. Mix chicken with marinade and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Deep-fry sliced garlic in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. Dish and drain.
(when you see the color is slighly lighter than expected, should start dishing up, or it will be very dark after cool down)
3. Deep-fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown and cooked. Dish and drain.
(I didn't really deep-fry it, I only fry with oil until cooked)
4. Cook sauce in a wok until thick and sticky. Put in chicken and mix well. Dish up, sprinkle fried garlic flakes on top and serve.

I sprinkle some spring onion on too too! Make the color to be more interesting

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Fish Head with Garlic & Roasted Pork
(recipe from Hawkers' Fair... Best of All Time Favourites by Chef Phang Fah)

Ingredients:
1 fresh water fish head (I use "Wan Yu")
100g roasted pork, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
10 slices ginger
2 stalks spring onion, cut into 3cm length

Seasoning:
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
dash of pepper and sesame oil
200ml water
1 little corn flour water for thickening

Methods:
1. Rub fish head with 1 tbsp ligh soya sauce and deep-fry in hot oil for 2 minutes. Dish up.
(my mom said, if you doesn't want your fish to look so dark, can just ignore the soya sauce)
2. Deep-fry garlic in hot oil until golden brown. Dish up.
(in stead of deep-fry, can saute with a little bit of oil until fragrant)
3. Leave 1 tbsp oil in wok, saute ginger until fragrant. Add in the remaining ingredients, fish head, seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Remove fish head, thicken the gravy with corn flour water and pour over fish head. Serve hot.

The head is too big... the head and the meat broke into 2 when I was trying to dish up... hahaa
I put them back before I pour the gravy.
Because head is big, meat is thick, there's some part of fish has not fully cooked yet. I should cut the meat, so it can be cooked faster.

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Stir-Fried Spicy Assorted Beans
(Hawkers' Fair Simplified by Alan Kok & Bryan Ong)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked
100g long beans, cut into 3cm length
100g sweet peas
100g lady's finger, sliced
100g egg plant, sliced
1 red chilli, shredded

Seasoning:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
dash of chicken stock granules

Methods:
1. Deep-fry long beans, sweet peas, lady's finger and egg plant in hot oil for 1 minutes. Dish up.
2. Heat up 2 tbsp oil, saute chopped garlic and dried prawns util fragrant.
3. Add in the remaining ingredients, seasoning and stir-fry until well-mixed. Dish up and serve.

I failed this dish... too much oil d... I should have use the kitchen tissue to reduce the oil before step 3.

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The mother's day dinner!!!
It's not easy to make a dinner... that's the reason why I usually rather go home for dinner, unless I told my mom in advance I'll be eating out with friend, so she doesn't need to cook so much and most importantly, effort will not be wasted.

THANKS MOM FOR TAKING GOOD CARE OF ME & DAD.
AND I WISH HER HEALTHY AND HAPPY!