Recipe: Steamed Seabass

My family loves steamed seabass. We just had this yesterday. So, I'm sharing the recipe here. It's a mixture of Chinese style and a bit of Malay style as well.

Steamed Seabass

1 seabass - cleaned. Make 2 long insertions on the body.
2 inches on ginger - julienne
3 garlic - finely chopped
2 lemongrass
1 kaffir lime leaf
2 bird eye chilies
some chopped spring onion
1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
Half cup of water
Salt & pepper to taste

Put vegetable oil in wok, fry garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf and chilies. Add oyster sauce. Pour water. Add salt and pepper. When sauce is boiled, put the fish in and cover (to steam it). Cook for 3 minutes and then flip the fish to cook the other side. Cook for another 3 minutes.

In another wok, put in very small amount of vegetable oil and mix with sesame oil. Heat the wok. Fry ginger till golden brown.

To serve, put fish in a plate, pour the sauce over. Then pour the hot ginger and sesame oil on top of fish. Garnish with chopped spring onions. Finally, squeeze lemon on fish.

Recipe: Banana Prata

What is Prata? Prata or roti prata is fried flour-based pancake famously known in Malaysia and Singapore as Roti Canai. There are many varieties of prata - with butter, cheese, eggs, onions.. There are even very thin and broad ones served with syrup and condensed milk. Prata is usually served with curry. But since it's a very versatile dish, you can actually do anything you like with it!

Here's a way of serving prata - my daughter style!

Banana Prata
1 frozen prata (you can get them at frozen section)
1 banana
Some brown sugar
A bit of cinnamon powder
Some butter
Some shredded cheese

On a frying pan, heat up some butter and place the prata. Cook over low heat. While the bottom is being fried slowly, the top will get soft. Slice the banana and arrange on half side of the prata. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon powder. Then put some butter and shredded cheese.

When the bottom has started to brown, fold the prata into two. After about 2 minutes, flip to the other side till cooked.

To serve, cut the half-moon shape prata into 4.

Recipe: Potato & Beef Patties (Bergedil)

I'm sharing the Potato and Beef patties recipe. Or as we Malays call it "bergedil". My Mom used to make this but she substituted the beef with mackerel (boiled and deboned). Very delicious.

Potato and Beef Patties
10 medium potatoes - peeled, quartered and fried until golden yellow
250grams of minced meat
1 clove of garlic - peeled and finely chopped
1 yellow onion - peeled and finely chopped
Some coriander leaves - chopped
Some spring onions - chopped
2 eggs - lightly beaten with a pinch of salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Pound/mash the potatoes. Put into mixing bowl.

Saute garlic and onion. Then, add in the minced meat. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add some salt and pepper.

Add the cooked minced meat in the mixing bowl. Next, add the chopped coriander leaves and spring onions. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients well and then make into small balls.

Heat vegetable oil. When ready to fry, slightly press the balls into patties shape and dip into egg mixture. Fry the patties until light brown.

Recipe: My Mom's Simple Yellow Cake

Here's my mom's simple cake. I don't know what it's really called. I just name it Yellow Cake. I guess you can call it Pound Cake.

When I was little, I love helping her prepare the cake. The reward is the leftover batter smeared on spoons and the mixing bowl. I would scrape off the batter with my fingers and lick it dry! Delicious!

Simple Yellow Cake

1 cup margarine or butter
1 cup castor sugar
1.5 cup flour
3 eggs (small), 2 if eggs are big
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
A few tablespoons of condensed milk (no specific measurement!)

Cream margarine/butter with castor sugar. Then add the eggs one by one. Mix really well.
Next, add flour. Finally add vanilla essence and condensed milk.
Pour batter into greased pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

For varieties, can always divide the batter into 2 bowls. One mix with cocoa powder. You will get a simple marble cake.
Or, can sprinkle the top with chocolate rice or colourful sprinkles.