Double-boiled Herbal Duck Soup

Ingredients

• 600g duck breast, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 chicken whole leg, chopped
• 800ml water
• 5 dried mushrooms, soaked
Herbs
• 30g yuk chok
• 8g tong kwai
• 10g tong sum
• 3 large red dates, sliced
• 8g kei chi
• 10g dried longan
• 100g fresh discorea yam (fresh huai shan), sliced
• 1 tbsp white peppercorns, lightly crushed
Seasoning
• Salt to taste

Method

Blanch duck and chicken pieces in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse clean.
Rinse all herbs. Place duck, chicken, herbs and mushrooms in a tureen. Add water and double-boil for 1 1/2 -2 hours. Adjust with seasoning to taste.
Serve immediately.

Daging Masak Hitam Penang

makes : 10 servings

Ingredient

o    600g Indian tenderloin beef, sliced into thick squares

o    250ml evaporated milk

o    1 tsp brown sugar

o    2 tbsp dark soya sauce

o    Salt to taste

Spice Paste (mix the all ingredient with 1 cup of water)

§  1 tbsp cumin powder

§  1 tbsp fennel powder

§  1 tbsp coriander powder

o    1in cinnamon

o    5 cardamom

o    5 cloves

Spice blend (mix all ingredients with 1/2 cup of water)

§  1 red onion, cut into quarter

§  5 cloves garlic, peeled

§  1in ginger, peeled

§  10 dried chillies, soaked, boiled and blended

Method

Heat the oil in saucepan. Add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

Then sauté the spice blend and spice paste for about 5-7 minutes. Sauté until it is fragrant.

Add beef slices and cook until tender (optional add water).

When the beef is cooked, add brown sugar, dark soya and evaporated milk.

Cook until the sauce becomes thick.

Lastly, season with salt.

Cooking with kids - Nestum Chicken Burger

Cooking with kids

I made cooking a family activity after my eldest son started creating “something” in the kitchen almost everyday. From this, I realised how much kids love to cook and want to help out in the kitchen.

Get them interested in cooking and plan a special child-parent time. Get them familiarised with appliances in the kitchen and in the whole process of preparing food from start to finish.

Here are some reasons why you should let your kids cook:
1.Kids are growing up with fast food and junk food. Learning to cook helps kids to learn about nutrition and healthy eating.
2.Cooking teaches them planning and making choices.
3. They are learning an important skill and contributing to the family.
4. Family time. Take time to cook with your kids. It may take a longer time to get a meal done but the moments with your children are priceless.
5. Kids will enjoy cooking and is a great way for them to express themselves and enjoy their creations.
6.Teamwork to accomplish tasks in the kitchen will help them foster social skills.

Kids love to mix. Give them a big spoon and let them to do the mixing. Make sure they know all the safety rules in the kitchen. Explain and show them how to use a knife and the stove.

Explain to them why an adult should be around when they are cooking in the kitchen.

Teach them simple recipes that really gets them excited about cooking. Teach them to make colourful vegetable salads, cupcakes, muffin, cookies, chicken burger, sandwich, pancakes or their favourite food.

Let me remind you to answer all their questions. This is part of cooking with kids. They are curious and absorb like a sponge. They will want to know every detail.

Just remember to have patience when you are with them. It will be messy but teach them how to keep the kitchen clean.

Here a three fast and simple recipes, and of course, healthy too!
Nestum Chicken Burger

Fish and chip

Batter: 125g flour 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg 150ml milk Fish: 1 kilo fresh white fish, cut into four pieces, without bones (cod, haddock, plaice) a little flour, salt and pepper batter (above) vegetable oil for deep frying a little salt and vinegar

Method : Batter: Put the flour and the salt through a sieve into a bowl. Make a hole in the centre of the flour. Break the egg into this hole. Add about a quarter of the milk. Using a wooden spoon, mix the egg into the flour. When the mixture is smooth, add the rest of the milk slowly. Then beat the mixture well. There must not be any lumps in it. You can use an electric mixer if you have one. For the best results you should leave the mixture for about 30 minutes before you use it. Fish: Wash the pieces of fish in cold water. Dry them on kitchen paper. Put the flour, salt and pepper into a plastic or paper bag. Put a piece of fish into the bag and shake it gently. Remove the fish and do the same with the other pieces. Put 2 pieces of floured fish into the batter. The batter must cover them completely. Then put 2 pieces of fish into the hot oil in a saucepan (the oil must be at 190C, the same as for the chips). Deep fry them for 5 minutes. Turn each piece twice to stop them sticking together. Remove the 2 pieces of fish and cook the other 2 pieces in the same way. Keep the fish hot on kitchen paper in the oven until you are ready to eat it. Serve the fish and chips with salt and vinegar. Peas go well with fish and chips. Serves 4 The fish and chip is an important tradition in Britain, especially in the north of England. Fish and chip shops began at the end of the last century. They were really the first of the modern takeaway food shops. At that time women as well as men often worked outside their homes, so fish and chip shops sold cheap, good food to people who did not have time to cook at home. No one knows who first put fish and chips together. Some people say that a Belgian, Edouard de Gurnier, first sold chips in Britain. He opened a shop in Dundee in Scotland in 1870. He did not sell fish with his chips. Instead he sold peas as he had done in Belgium. The man who first sold fish and chips together was a clever man - they taste delicious. Today there are fish and chip shops in most towns in Britain. Fish and chips is no longer a very cheap meal, but it is still good value. The fish is usually cod, haddock or plaice, cooked in batter. In the past fish and chips was sold innewspaper, but today it will be on a paper plate. It is eaten with a lot of salt and vinegar - with your fingers. It will not taste as good if you use a knife and fork!