Fish Paste

As far as the Swallow can remember, her mother has always made her own fish paste.  She remembers watching her mother removing the fish meat from the skin, then hammering away at the fish meat with the back of a cleaver, and adding some water (with some salt).  That was as long as the Swallow could stand watching.  It was a tedious process, and the Swallow was quickly bored.

Many years down the road, the Swallow finds herself in her mother's shoes.  However, the Swallow finds the process not as tedious as before, for the simple reason that she uses modern techniques!

Raw Fish Paste

The following recipe has been tried and tested to her family's taste...

FISH PASTE

Ingredients

• 1 whole Tenggiri Batang, about 2 kg in weight, filleted (keep bones for fish stock)
• 2 rice bowls water
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Cooked Fish Paste

Method

1. Remove the fish meat from its skin by scraping at the meat with a metal spoon.
2. Place the meat into a large bowl.
3. Dissolve 1 tsp salt in 1 rice bowl water.
4. Using a dough mixer, beat the meat at the lowest speed.
5. Occasionally, stop the mixer, stir the meat (this is to allow the meat to be beaten evenly), and add several tablespoons of the salted water.  Continue beating the meat.
6. After 10 minutes of beating, increase speed a level, and repeat step 5.
7. Repeat step 3 when necessary.
8. After 10 minutes of beating, increase speed another level, and repeat step 5.



Fried Fish Cake

9. By now, the fish meat should be less sticky.  Gradually add the eggs into the meat and mix well.

Notes

• Use less salted water for a chewier texture.
• Use this home-made fish paste as soon as possible.
• Fish paste may be used as a filler for Yong Taufu, as a replacement for meatballs in soups / noodles (Cooked Fish Paste), deep-fried as a finger food, or pan-fried to make Fried Fish Cake.  Be creative!

Fried Fish Cake

Fried Fish Cake

Click here to find out how you can make your own fish paste to produce this side dish.

Coping with Disappointment

Disappointment is defined as a failure to meet expectations or hopes.  To avoid disappointments, one must not have expectations or hopes.  That is nonsense!  What is life if there are no hopes, no expectations, no dreams, no goals?  When one lives, one lives with all these as well as with disappointments.  The key is not to avoid disappointments, but to cope with them.

But how does the Swallow pass this knowledge on to her young ones?

One of the Swallow's young ones was recently selected to join her cohort for a 3-days / 2-nights overseas learning journey to Malacca.  The Swallow and her mate did not know what to do.  Should they let her go?  What would be the consequences of them saying yes?  Or no?

They decided to commit the matter to their Lord God.  A practice of theirs to knowing God's will for them was that there would be a singleness of heart and mind.  It must be a united decision.  This was to avoid any finger-pointing or blame-game if things went awry.  This time was no exception.  After praying together, both their hearts were heavy when they considered saying yes to their young one.

Their young one was definitely disappointed.  Of course there were tears and pleadings for them to change their minds, but the Swallow and her mate shared with their young one that although she didn't have a say in the selection (the teachers did), nor was she the one to decide whether she could go (her parents were the ones to decide), she did have a choice as to how she would react to the decision.

Did the Swallow and her mate make a decision that may affect their young one drastically?  Will their young one lack some aspects in her character because she was not allowed this chance?

How will one ever know whether one has made a right decision, except on hindsight?  When one is faced with an unknown future, one can only do one's best.  The Swallow and her mate had committed the matter to their Lord God.  Now they can only trust Him to continue seeing them through, whatever the outcome.  In this case, the Swallow and her mate will never be disappointed.  Their Lord God is faithful, and He alone knows the future!  What comfort!

What Would Jesus Do?

In her younger days, the Swallow was given a comic version (drawn by Al Hartley) of the story 'In His Steps'.  The story made a lasting impression on the Swallow, and she has kept the comic with her since.  Recently, she had the opportunity to get hold of the book version written by Charles M. Sheldon.

'In His Steps' tells the story of several Christians who chose to pledge their lives, for at least a year, to ask the question 'What would Jesus do?' before making any decisions or facing any life situations.  These Christians pledged to follow in Jesus' footsteps regardless of what others might do.  The story goes on to highlight some difficulties and challenges these Christians faced in the process.

1 Peter 2 : 20 - 21 (NIV)
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.

In His Steps -
comic edition (left) &
paperback edition (right)

What would Jesus do?

Although the Swallow liked the concept of the story, she had never asked herself this question before embarking on anything.  The Swallow, in her younger days and being an impulsive person by nature, would usually do first and ask questions later.  Now that she is older, it would seem that she is at the other end of the pendulum for she finds that she is more cautious.  Many questions would be asked, and many prayers uttered before she leapt into any endeavours.  Still, she has yet to ask herself this question...

What would Jesus do?

The Swallow hopes that at this stage in her life, she would have grown to know her Saviour to such an extent that she would be willing to follow in His steps, regardless, without having to ask this question first...

Chocolate Pikelets

At least once a month, the Swallow will serve Pikelets for her young ones' breakfast.  A pikelet is a small, thick pancake and it is also known as a drop-scone.

Usually, the Swallow uses plain milk but on one occasion, the Swallow ran out of fresh milk and had to make-do with chocolate milk instead.  Voila!  A new concoction...

If there is no chocolate milk, 1 tsp cocoa powder may be added into 1/2 cup plain milk, or if plain milk is preferred, a little more sugar may be added for taste.

CHOCOLATE PIKELETS (serves 4)

Chocolate Pikelets

Ingredients

• 1 egg, beaten
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chocolate milk
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• salt to taste

Method

1. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
2. Add sugar.
3. Add beaten egg.  Gradually add chocolate milk.
4. Beat until batter is smooth.
5. Heat a 24cm non-stick pan.  Put 1 tbsp of batter into the pan at the 3 points of an imaginary triangle.
6. Flip the pikelets over when bubbles appear.
7. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
8. Serve warm with butter, maple syrup, honey or jam.

More Chocolate Pikelets!

Notes

• Use mashed fruit for fruit pikelets, vanilla essence for vanilla pikelets, pandan flavour for pandan pikelets...improvise!

  

  Pikelets for Breakfast

Pikelets for Breakfast

Pikelets for Breakfast

Click here for the recipe.

Assam Chicken

In her post 'Fresh Meat vs. Frozen Meat', the Swallow examined the benefits of cooking with fresh meat and drew a conclusion that cooking with frozen meat is equally good.

Thus, when there was an offer in the local co-operative supermarket for a 2-kg bag of frozen chicken wings, the Swallow bought a bag.  She cut the wings into three parts - the drumlets, the mid-joints and the wing-tips.  The wing-tips were set aside to be used as a base for chicken stock.  while the remaining drumlets and mid-joints were split into two portions.  One portion was used in a dish called 'Chilli Chicken'.

The other portion was used in a dish known as Assam Chicken (the Swallow loves tamarind-related dishes!).

Assam Chicken

ASSAM CHICKEN (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1kg chicken wings, cut into parts (use only drumlets & mid-joints, use wing-tips to make chicken stock)
• 100g uncooked chilli paste
• 1 tsp belachan granules
• 3 shallots
• 4 candlenuts
• 1 cup tamarind water
• 2 - 3 tamarind slices
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 can of pineapple rings, drained and cut into slices
• syrup from the can of pineapple rings

• 

  Cooked with Lady Fingers

  1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp oil
• additional boiled water, if necessary
• sugar, to taste

Method

1. Rinse chicken parts and drain.
2. Ground chilli paste, belachan, shallots and candlenuts into a fine paste (add a little of the tamarind water if using a blender).
3. Heat oil in a wok until hot.  Add the grounded paste and fry until the oil separates from the paste.
4. Add chicken and stir-fry until chicken turns colour, about 5 minutes.
5. Add tamarind water, tamarind slices, lime juice, syrup and salt.
6. Fry until chicken is cooked and sauce has thickened.  If sauce thickens too quickly before chicken is fully cooked or more sauce is desired, add a little boiled water.
7. Add pineapples and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes.  Season with sugar, to taste.
8. Serve hot with rice.

Notes

• This recipe is super spicy.
• Lady fingers (okra) or brinjals (eggplants) or both vegetables (total about 100g) may be added to this dish. Add them in before the pineapples and let them cook for about 5 minutes then continue with the remaining steps.

Sweet & Tangy Assam Chicken

Assam Chicken

Click here for the recipe.

Tamarind

Tamarind paste (top) &
Tamarind slice (bottom)

The tamarind tree is a tropical tree that yields an acidic fruit which resembles a bean pod and tastes sour.  Also known as assam, the fruit can be found either in the form of a paste (assam jawa) or as tamarind slices (assam gelugor / assam kulit / assam kulek).

Tamarind paste is dark brown in colour, and is usually sold in packages of plastic-wrapped blocks. The packages should be refrigerated once opened.

To obtain tamarind water, 25g tamarind paste is soaked in 300ml water.  The flavour of the tamarind is stronger when left to soak for a longer time.  For a more sour taste, increase the ratio of paste to water.  Lime or lemon juice may be used as substitutes, but the flavour will not be the same.

Tamarind paste or slices may be added as a flavouring to dishes which require a sour taste.

Assam Chicken is one dish that uses both tamarind paste as well as tamarind pieces.

A Time for Everything

An overflow of responsibilities, combined with a lack of inspiration, caused the Swallow to be silent for a while.  The Swallow knows there is a purpose to this - it is better to be silent than to speak wrongly...

Ecclesiastes 3 : 1 - 15 (NIV)
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for  war and a time for peace.

A Masterpiece

When the Swallow and her mate were new parents-to-be, they waited anxiously for the birth of their first young one, and they assuaged their anxiety in many ways. Some of these ways were

• praying together - that they will be wise in training their young ones
• reading up on the skills of parenting
• getting ready baby stuff like clothes and toys from other families' children
• washing the baby stuff as needed
• buying baby stuff when necessary
• registering for an antenatal class
• attending the antenatal class
• dating each other while they still could (!)
• sleeping more (!!)

They were not spared either when they were no longer new to parenthood. They still had anxieties when the process of childbirth was repeated.  These were the times when they revisited the anxiety busters such as

• more praying together - that they will be wise (and patient, and gracious, and strong in the Lord...endless list!) in training their young ones
• more reading up on the skills of parenting
• getting ready baby stuff from older sibling
• washing the baby stuff as needed
• buying more baby stuff when necessary
• preparing the older young one for the new addition to the family
• bringing out and revising their antenatal class notes
• examining what they could have done differently...

1 Peter 5 : 6 - 7 (NIV)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

When each of the young ones was finally and safely delivered, there was much joy, rejoicing and thanksgiving to the Lord for the birth of each young one was indeed a miracle from the Lord when they considered the many things that could have happened along the way.

Psalm 139 : 13 - 16 (NIV)
For you created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body,
All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.

Now the Swallow's young ones are older.  The young ones' births are memories of the past.  Yet as the Swallow and her mate look at their young ones, they stand in awe, anew, of the Lord God each day as they marvel at the provision of His wisdom, patience, grace and strength (and many more...) when they relied on Him, and Him alone, to bring up their young ones!

The Swallow remembers a picture of a small child, usually found on t-shirts in her younger days, which came with this phrase "Be patient, God is not finished with me yet", and the Swallow realises that indeed the Lord God is not finished with her young ones...just like a masterpiece that takes time to be formed by its creator, they are continually being moulded and formed into a masterpiece by the Lord God.

MASTERPIECE by Brent Alan Henderson, Craig Patty, Michael Patty & Gloria Gaither (sang by Sandi Patti)

Before you had a name or opened up your eyes
Or anyone could recognize your face
You were being formed, so delicate in size
Secluded in God's safe and hidden place
With your little tiny hands and little tiny feet
And little eyes that shimmer like a pearl
He breathe in you a song and to make it all complete
He brought the masterpiece into the world.

You are a masterpiece, a new creation He has formed
And you're soft and fresh as a snowy winter morn
And I'm so glad that God has given you to me
Little lamb of God, you are a masterpiece.

And now you're growing up, your life's a miracle
Every time I look at you, I stand in awe
Because I see in you a reflection of me
And you'll always be my little lamb of God
And as your life goes on each day
How I pray that you will see
Just how much your life has meant to me
And I'm so proud of you, what else is there to say
Just be the masterpiece He created you to be.

You are a masterpiece, a new creation He has formed
And you're soft and fresh as a snowy winter morn
And I'm so glad that God has given you to me
Little lamb of God, you are a masterpiece.

Find Us Faithful

Tonight, the Swallow's family had the opportunity to watch 'Modern Pilgrims' on Channel News Asia.  The documentary traced the journey of a Christian couple who went on a pilgrimage to Israel.  They followed the route the Lord Jesus had taken while He was on earth, looking at places where Jesus had been.

The Swallow and her family may not be able to have such a chance to see first-hand the places described in the Bible, but watching the documentary offered them a glimpse of some of these places such as the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Olives, the River Jordan, the Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, the city of Jerusalem, the Place of the Skull (Golgotha), the Garden of Gethsemane and the Garden Tomb, just to name a few.

Their young ones too were caught up with the documentary. They had so many questions to ask, and after the documentary, the Swallow took the opportunity to read again the relevant passages in the Bible that recorded the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was an appropriate way to end a weekend of remembrance as the Swallow's family celebrated Easter.  The Swallow and her mate hope that this visual of the places in the Bible will provoke their young ones to look at God's Word in a fresh and new way, that His Word need not be dry or irrelevant.  They hope their young ones will be able to see with eyes of faith what the Lord Jesus had gone through for them and for mankind.

It was a wonderful way too for the Swallow and her mate to re-affirm their commitment to their Lord God, to continue in faithful service to their Lord, their Master and their King.

FIND US FAITHFUL by Jon Mohr (sang by Steve Green)

We're pilgrims on a journey of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us lined the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace.

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us, let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives.

O may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
O may all who come behind us find us faithful.

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Becomes the light that leads them to the road we each must find.

O may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
O may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave, lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
O may all who come behind us find us faithful
O may all who come behind us fins us faithful.

Fresh Meat vs. Frozen Meat

In the past, when refrigeration was not heard of, or it was too expensive to own a refrigerator, a popular method of preserving food was by adding either salt or sugar.  Nowadays, a refrigerator is a need in any household, and being a more health-conscious society, men prefer to go for fresh produce instead of preserved ones.

This holds true for fresh meat as opposed to frozen meat.  Many would laud the taste and texture of fresh meat.

However, the Swallow has a differing viewpoint.  She is of the opinion that there has been no proven fact that fresh meat tastes better or that its texture is indeed better than that of the frozen meat.  She had used frozen meat in many dishes and the meat had tasted delicious too.  It all depended on the recipe...

Besides its cheaper cost, when frozen meat is stored properly, it may actually be fresher than fresh meat which has usually been kept out for a longer period of time.  Many times too, these fresh meat may be packed in ice which gradually melts, more so when the temperature is generally high in countries like Singapore and Malaysia.  In both cases, it is better to buy the meat from reputable sellers, and check that the packaging is still intact.

Always ensure that there is no blood in the packaging of the frozen meat, as this would mean that the meat has started thawing.  If possible, store the frozen meat in a cooler bag for the trip home from the store; and place the meat in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator as soon as possible.  Frozen meat, when stored properly, can last for a much longer time than fresh meat.  If the frozen meat has started thawing, do not refreeze it.  Instead, place it in the refrigerator to complete the thawing process then cook it.

For frozen meat, always defrost the meat in the refrigerator the night before as this would minimize the breeding of bacteria.  This is the same theory as keeping fresh meat or marinated meat in the refrigerator until the moment it has to be cooked.

When the Swallow has planned her menu ahead, she would usually use frozen meat.  If on a last minute decision to cook meat for that night's menu, then a quick detour to the nearest supermarket for fresh meat would be what she would do.

In any case, as mentioned earlier, it all depends on the recipe...and the diner!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday, a public holiday in Singapore.  The Swallow and her family will spend the morning in her local assembly, remembering what the Lord Jesus has done on the cross for everyone.

John 3 : 16 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For the Swallow, it is a day of rememberance and a day of rejoicing, for although her Lord Jesus died on the cross, He did not remain there.  Instead, He has risen and is alive today, sitting at the right hand of God the Father!  He has promised that He will come back again and the Swallow is looking forward to that day.  In the meantime, she will focus her hopes on that, and with the Lord's help, will live a life that is glorifying to His name.

The Swallow first heard the song 'The Via Dolorosa' when she was a young Swallow in Malaysia, and thought it apt to recall the words of the song for this day of remembrance...

THE VIA DOLOROSA by Billy Sprague & Niles Borop

Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow streets
But the crowd pressed in to see
The Man condemned to die on Calvary.
He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death.

Down the Via Dolorosa called the Way of Suffering
Like a lamb, came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

Down the Via Dolorosa called the Way of Suffering
Like a lamb, came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem.

Down the Via Dolorosa called the Way of Suffering
Like a lamb, came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.

Chilli Chicken

The Swallow's family is growing in years and as her young ones grow older, they have learnt to enjoy eating spicy dishes as well.  There are times when they even make special requests for the spicy dishes which they love.

Chilli Chicken is one such dish.  This easy-to-cook dish is also a favourite of the Swallow and her mate.  It caters to the spicy and sour taste buds.  The Swallow's mate also deems it 'lighter-to-eat-than-curry'.

The Swallow used one half of a 2kg-bag of frozen chicken wings, and used the other half for another chicken dish called 'Assam Chicken'.

Chilli Chicken

CHILLI CHICKEN (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 10 pcs chicken wings
• 8 cloves garlic
• 6 candlenuts
• 4 red chillies
• juice from 12 small green limes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup water, or enough to almost cover the chicken parts
• 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Chop chicken wings into 3 pieces ie drumlets, mid-joints and wing tips.  Use the wing tips in other recipes eg soup bases.
2. Pound garlic, candlenuts and red chillies.
3. Marinate the chicken with the pounded ingredients
4. Heat wok.  Add oil.  Stir-fry the chicken on medium high heat until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Add salt.  Add water. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer the chicken in the sauce.
6. After 20 minutes, check the sauce. If a slightly thicker sauce is desired, remove the chicken and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency.  Then add back the chicken to the sauce and continue simmering until the chicken is cooked.
7. Add in lime juice.  Season with salt.
8. Serve hot with rice.

Chilli Chicken - Spicy!

Chilli Chicken

Click here for the recipe.