Fried Rice - Cantonese Style

Cantonese fried rice uses Chinese sausage (or BBQ pork leftovers) and green vegetables and spring onions.
I have added rice wine and chilli slices for more complex flavours. The test of good fried rice is the grains must still retain its integrity and not too wet and marshy. A tip is to use less water when boiling the plain steamed rice or use "older" rice.

In the famous Yangzhou (yongchou chow fun) shrimp and mushroom are important ingredients, with carrot and peas added for colour and fresh taste. That's the main difference.

Thai Red Curry Roast Duck: Gaeng Phet Ped Yang

This is one of the Thai curry dishes that could rival Green Curry to reach the status of royal cuisine.

Prepare red curry paste (either using ready packaged or pound dried chilli with galangal, lemongrass, coriander root, shallot onion, garlic, pepper, shrimp paste). Stir fry with a little oil and add coconut milk.

If using leftover duck from the fridge, warm briefly in microwave oven.

Pineapple (fresh is better) and lychee (or rambutan) would give the dish the special tang and sweetness to balance the hot chillies and savoury duck.

When almost cooked, throw in some torn kaffir lime leaves.

Oyster Mushroom : Chicken and Mushroom Stir Fry

Humid and rainy weather is conducive to mushroom and fungi growth in the bush or farms.

Over the past month, oyster mushrooms were abundant in NSW.

This is a simple stir fry that everyone in the family would love to eat with noodles, rice or wraps.

1. Dice and marinate 350g chicken breast or thigh meat.
Wipe oyster mushroom (or wash and drain well) and cut roughly into bite size.
2. Marinate with light soy sauce and pepper for at least 20 mins.
3. Meanwhile, cut a clove of garlic and a knob of ginger into thin slices. Cut spring green onion stalk with a sharp knife into thin strips or slices and set aside.
4. Heat up heavy frying pan with vegetable oil and fry garlic briefly till yellow and fragrant (before turning brown).
5. Turn up the heat and add chicken. Stir fry quickly. Add oyster mushroom. Add a dash of oyster sauce.
6. Garnish with spring onion and serve.

Goji Soup : goji berries and leafy vegetable for good health

Goji is the new alternative supplement touted for health benefits especially for clear vision and restoration of energy.

A quick and easy boiled nutrients packed soup of goji (wolfberries) and gao gee (goji vegetable or spinach) is a useful starter of your meal in winter.

Besides breakfast museli, there are some interesting ways one could prepare goji such as steaming with fish, making a drink with chrysanthemum or jelly.