Winter Melon Soup

I went shopping at the Asian Market the other day and spotted the winter melon which was actually looking fresh, so I bought it to make soup. The cooking time for this soup is about 30 minutes, a quick and easy soup to prepare.



Ingredients:

1 bowl of 1 1/2-inch cubed winter melon pieces
4 Chinese dried mushroom, soften and sliced
4 slices of fresh ginger
1/2 pound of ground pork (marinate with light soy sauce, Shao Hsing cooking wine, sesame oil, garlic powder, white pepper, salt and sugar, mixed well and let it marinate in the fridge for at least an hour)
3-4 Tbsp canola oil
4-5 cups of water

Seasonings, to taste:
Light soy sauce
Salt
Sugar, about 1 tsp.
White pepper

Method:

1. In a saucepan, add in cooking oil. When hot, add in sliced ginger, stir for a while then add in sliced mushrooms. Stir for a minute, add winter melons and water. Let the water comes to a boil.

2. When boiled, scoop the ground pork with a small cookie scoop and drop into the soup. Add in seasonings, turn the heat to low and simmer until the pork balls cooked, about 20 minutes.

Note: Hubby didn't touch the winter melon at all. Love everything else especially the meat balls but no thanks to winter melon! Picky right?

Fruits Pastry Cake

Tada! Look familiar isn't it? This cake has been popping out at various food blogs and originally from a food forum IK. This is Vi's popular Fruits Pastry (she got the recipe from Mihaela). My hands gotten itchy when I kept reading about how delicious this cake is and vow to make it when I have some fresh fruits. Actually it's good with canned peach, pear and pineapple too. Anyway, I used fresh cherries, peach and canned pineapple for mine.



A closer look at the cake. The verdict is delish. Soft and moist with a mixed of sourness and sweetness from the fruits. Definitely good to bring to a potluck or serve in your party.

Lychee Konnyaku Jelly

The weather is turning warm and what a better way to cool off the body than some cold jelly? You can either make this with the normal jelly/agar-agar powder or konnyaku powder. I like to add the fruit for the extra refreshing taste.


Our family favorite ~ lychee konnyaku jelly.

Evy Update

She is getting big huh?

Now she is at this age that asks a lot of questions and loves to ask why. Sometimes she purposely asked me/daddy a question when she already knew the answer, just wanted to hear us say it. She is also like a "little old lady" who loves to repeat herself over and over again. To me, she is worst than the old lady since she would ask the same question 4 to 5 times in a row even though we have already answered her. I asked her, "Why are you so long winded?" or have to tell her, "Enough already!".

Oh, finally she is potty trained at 3 years & 2 months old. I didn't seriously start until she is after 3 because I'm a lazy mama. But just as the expert said, "When they are ready, they are." With her, it was fairly easy, a few accidents in the beginning and then smooth sailing after. Luckily the training pants that I bought for her can pass down to her sister. :)

A Bowl of Goodness

It is not easy to make a delicious bowl of porridge . The above bowl of fish porridge that you see is resulted from my many years of experience in perfecting it. I remembered I once cooked a bowl of porridge for a friend who was sick during my college days and guess what, it was so bad that he threw it away (my hubby later told me because that was his roommate). Seriously I was not a cook at that time, and that bowl of porridge was made with care (or in Mandarin, "Ai Sin"). How would I know it was that inedible and a sick person can be picky too! *roll eyes*

Dinner June 27, 2007

Simple dinner tonight. Was meant to stir-fry Chinese green, "chai sin" with oyster sauce but decided against it at the last minute. When hubby walked in and saw the dinner, his comment was, "Why so pityful?"

The yam rice has chicken, dried shrimps and yam pieces. I cooked the soup with my homemade chicken stock, enoki mushroom, fresh winter melon strips and sliced tofu. Pityful meh?