Baby Food- Organic Pumpkin Millet Porridge 金瓜小米粥

This millet porridge was introduced by Wendy. She is very creative in preparing nutritious baby food. I'm a new mum who is still in the progress of discovering food that suits my baby's taste buds. So far, I know she loves red apple, banana, and carrot. She hates potato, yes very much indeed.

My girl at 10 months plus, still not ready to consume the normal savory porridge which is not pureed. She prefers smooth puree that is not too thick. For this pumpkin millet porridge, it is pureed before feeding.

Now a days, my baby is fed on savory meat and veggies porridge on weekdays by my mum, while on weekends, I'll introduce new ingredients to her diet.

Organic Pumpkin Millet Porridge

Ingredients:
2tbsp of organic hulled millet
20gm organic pumpkin flesh
2 cups of water or more (I top up additional water when the water reduce throughout the cooking)

Steps: 
1. Bring water to boil in a saucepan.
2. Add pumpkin and millet. Bring to a boil.
3. Leave it simmers under medium flame. Top up additional water if needed.
4. The porridge will be ready after cooking for about 40 minutes.
5. Leave it cool a bit before feeding baby.

Optional:
Blend the porridge into smooth puree.

Bitter Gourd and Pork Stir-Fry 苦瓜炒猪肉

Some useful tips were picked up from a Chinese cooking show on how to reduce the bitterness of bitter gourd. First, the cord need to be removed thoroughly. Second, after cutting the bitter gourd, marinate it with a pinch of salt. Lastly, blanch it in boiling water with salt and oil added. I applied the tips while preparing this dish, and the bitter gourd tastes less bitter. 

Bitter Gourd and Pork Stir-Fry 苦瓜炒猪肉

Ingredients:
half bitter gourd, cored and cut into thin slices

1 red chili, seeded and cut into strips

1 green chili, seeded and cut into strips

200gm pork belly, cut into 0.5mm thickness

1 tbsp fermented soy bean

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

1 tbsp fermented soy bean

500ml water

cooking oil
half tsp of salt

Seasonings (Mix up):

1 tbsp of oyster sauce
light soy sauce to taste

1/2 tsp of sugar

1 tbsp corn flour

100ml water

Steps:

1. Marinate the bitter gourd with a pinch of salt. 

2. Bring 500ml of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and a tsp of cooking oil. Blanch the bitter gourd for 2 minutes. Drain the water.

3. Fry pork belly in a non-stick pan. 

4. Add bitter gourd and stir fry for a while. Add fermented soy bean to mix well. Stir fry for 1 minute.

5. Pour in the seasonings. Leave it a while without stirring. 

6. Lastly stir-fry till the sauce is thickening. Dish out and serve hot with steamed rice.

Thai Chicken Chop (Air-Fryer Recipe) 泰式鸡扒

It’s so easy to make chicken chop at home with the good kitchen helper – the air-fryer. My current goal is to create several versions of homemade chicken chops. The idea comes from my food explorer while dining out. I used to memorize the flavors of my liking, then experiment the cooking per my own way. So far, this has become my hobby which I can fill up my family’s tummies. Does it sound good? 

Happy Father's Day to all fathers!

Thai Chicken Chop (Air-Fryer Recipe) 泰式鸡扒 
Serves 2 

Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs, deboned and fat discarded
potato flour

Marinades: 
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
dashes of white pepper powder
4 shallots, peeled and chopped

Thai Sauce (mixed up everything): 
1 and a half tbsp of Thai chili sauce
1 tbsp of sugar
5 coves of shallots, peeled and sliced
1 calamansi, juiced
6 bird's eye chilies, chopped
salt to taste

Steps: 
1. Clean the chicken thighs and pat dry with kitchen towel. Marinate for 2 hours.
2. Drain the excess seasonings and coat the chicken thigh with a layer of potato flour.
3. Arrange the chicken thighs on the air-fryer pot with skin facing down. Air-fry it under 200 deg C for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken thighs to the other side. Air-fry for another 10 minutes under 180 deg C.
4. Remove from the air-fryer and top with the Thai Sauce. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup 酿苦瓜汤

I’m not fancy over the bitter gourd soup boiled with pork ribs. Instead, my favorite is stuffed bitter gourd soup. I learned this from my mom. The secret behind this dish is the fermented soy bean used to marinate the grounded pork. It neutralizes the bitter taste of the bitter gourd and it brings out the flavor of the bitter gourd soup. Yummy!

Stuffed Bitter Gourd Soup

Ingredients:
half bitter gourd, core removed 300gm
grounded pork
1 tbsp goji berries, soaked in water for 5 minutes and drained
salt or light soy sauce to taste
600ml water

Pork Marinades
1 1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean, mashed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Steps:
1. Marinate the minced pork for 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Stuff the bitter gourd with marinated minced pork. Shape the left over minced pork into meat balls.
3. Bring water to a boil. Pour the water into the inner pot of slow cooker.
4. Add the stuffed bitter gourd and the meat balls. Boil the soup over high heat for 1 hours.
5. Turn the cooking mode to slow cook. Continue the cooking for another 2 hours.
6. Toss in goji berries. Add salt or light soy sauce to taste.
7. Serve hot with steamed rice.