Kid's Shepards Pie

Rated : Tried, tested, OK!

Very easy to do this. But you must have a little toaster oven...no need BIG TIME OVEN! Also no need to do the pastry pie crust!

For topping :
1-2 All purpose potatoes or U.S. potatoes - boil or steamed till soft
A slab of butter
Huge dollop of cream cheese
Warm milk
Pinch of salt (since cream cheese isn't very salty)

When potatoes are soft, mash them together with butter, cream cheese, salt. Add warm milk until it reaches a consistency of creamy mash.

For filling :
2 shallots - sliced
2-3 matchstick box size mince chicken/beef/pork.
Diced carrots
Frozen peas/corn
Some tomato ketchup (Heinz or Del Monte...cannot Maggi or someother chap-a-lang brand!)

Fry shallots in hot oil. Add carrots and peas/corn until soft. Add in Tomato Ketchup and then the meat. Stir fry until all cooked and whack into a metal bowl.

Slather on the potato mash and smoothen. Sprinkle with some grated cheese (optional). Put inside the little toaster oven for like a couple minutes or wait till you see the top becoming golden brown. Serve!

Phhoooowwahhhhhh... See ? Easy Peasy..no need pie crust!

Children's Creamy Pasta

Rated : Tried, tested, OK!

Another easy peasy dish. Cannot go wrong with this dish. Fattening but nutritious..plus, if you have boys like me, they will burn it off easily!

2-3 White/Brown mushrooms - diced
1-2 Chopped up Shallots bulbs
Diced carrots
Huge dollop of cream
2-3 matchbox size of minced chicken/pork
Pinch of salt, pepper

Fry shallots in hot oil. Throw in the carrots and add some water, till they soften abit. Throw in the mushrooms and let them sweat it out. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Add meat and the huge dollop of cream (this depends on whether you want it really creamy or slightly dry). When cooked, add to the al dente pasta.

Everything-got-lunch!

Rated : Tried, tested, Ok!

This is a homemade version of the cantonese braised rice. I find this dish to be exceptionally easy and nutritious to cook. Not many places cook this dish except for this little shop in Ampang Park (1st Floor). I think this meal is great for kids because it has everything ~ proteins, carbs, iron, omega 3, fibre, vitamins and minerals!

2 matchbox size of minced chicken/pork
A fistful of green leafy vege (choy sum-mustard green, broccolli, or pak choy)
Some chopped up garlic
1 egg
Pinch of salt, sugar, pepper and light soya sauce
Another alternative is using oyster sauce, omit the salt, sugar and light soya sauce.

Fry garlic in hot oil. Throw in vege, stir fry for a while. Add some water to cover vege. Season it according to your kids' taste. Add the meat, after a while add in the egg and stir it around (like the cooks who make the cantonese hor fun!). Make it gravy-like so it can be eaten with hot piping white rice.

Hakka Stewed Pork Belly (Char Yoke)

Rated : Never tested.

My maternal granma, Popo, used to make it heaps and I love this stuff! When I was younger I used to hate the black fungus...but now..I LOVE IT TO BITS! I think your taste buds really develop as you grow older. When she found out that it was one of my favourite dishes, I remember she calling me in office (and this happens each and every time she calls). First a nervous "Hello?", upon confirming it was me, she would yell, "I made the char yoke, you better come and collect it TODAY! DON'T BE LATE! YOU BETTER GET HERE BY 5PM!" (in cantonese, nothing less).

Well, Popo is now fairly forgetful and slightly immobile and ..sigh..boy! I sure miss the way she cooks this dish. So, I managed to copy this recipe of a Hakka Recipe Book and hope that when I simply whack this dish, it'll be the way I remember it to be.

2 kg pork belly (Um fai yoke - 5 layer pork belly)
50g black fungus - add more if you're like me...loving it!
1 kg oil for deep frying - ahhhh! Cholesterol !!!!!! but so delicious!

Marinate these babies
2 pc (more more more! for more taste) fermented red bean curd
1/2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp ginger juice
1tbsp shallot juice
1 tbsp garlic juice - what the ??? what's all this juice juice juice? where got time?
1 1/2 tbsp five spice powder - ng hiong fun
2 tsp sesame oil
1 egg
3 tbsp plain flour

1. Wash pork belly (lovingly?) and drain. Add marinade for AT LEAST 1 HOUR! Ok..maybe just marinade it overnight for infused taste.
2. Rinse and soak black fungus in water.
3. Heat up oil for deep frying. Deep fry until golden brown and crispy (drooool.........)
4. Bring 1 litre water to boil
5. Add in fried pork belly and bring to boil
6. Add in black fungus and simmer for 1 hour until tender.

Success tip - add more garlic pips in the gravy.......Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

French Beans Egg Omelette

Rated : Tried, tested and eaten!

Don't laugh! It's my very first "UNBROKEN" Egg Omelette. Everytime I fry this dish, it breaks up. WHY? Because I panic about the underpart getting burnt and in my haste, I ALWAYS break the damn omelette up. But this time, I did it. And had to take a picture of my achievement! It was very hard to eat this perfect omelette, but the hunger got better of me and half of it was gone in half a minit. AHEM!

The recipe to THIS unbroken French Beans Egg Omelette :

5-6 French Beans ( I usually put too many..I think that's why it keeps breaking..too heavy!) - sliced thinly
1 Choy Yin (Free range) Chicken egg
1 Large Chicken egg

Both eggs are beaten together, with salt and pepper added. See Yau (Soya Sauce) is optional, I added it in coz I love the taste of it.

Fire up gas stove (HIGH HEAT). Add oil when you think it's freaking hot! Fry beans until slightly cooked. Throw in beaten egg. Swirl around the non-stick teflan pan until coated evenly. Lower heat (half heat also can).....wait until you think it's getting burnt. Try your bestest to flip it over without breaking...with your spatula. Use two (spatulas) if necessary.

If it breaks... just eat it la. If it doesn't...do a jig and tell yourself what a marvellous cook you are..and then eat it.