Chinese Spinach Soup

The Swallow loves to cook but this skill did not come easily. Along the way, there were many disasters but these only proved to be stepping stones to a skill that has kept her family fed on a reasonable budget with some extra goodies thrown in occasionally.

Chinese Spinach Soup was one of the few dishes she had cooked on her own at the start of her journey with the kitchen, born out of disaster. Each time this dish is cooked, it brings her down memory lane. Now, the recipe has been fine-tuned to meet her young ones' need for meat.

CHINESE SPINACH SOUP (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 400g baby Chinese Spinach
• 270g pork mince (optional)
• 1 tsp light soya sauce

  

  Chinese Spinach Soup

• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 slices old ginger
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1.5L hot water
• 1 tsp salt

Method

1. Cut off the roots from the Chinese spinach. Rinse the Chinese spinach clean. Drain.
2. Marinate the pork mince with light soya sauce, cornflour, pepper, sugar and sesame oil. Form the meat mixture into 16 small meatballs. Set them aside.
3. In a wok, heat oil on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry till they are lightly browned.
4. Add the Chinese spinach and stir-fry till they are limp.
5. Add the hot water and bring the mixture to a boil for 15 minutes. Lower the heat and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
6. Add the meatballs and simmer for another 8 minutes.
7. Season the soup with salt. Serve hot.

Notes

• Chinese spinach is high in iron and this soup is a good choice to alleviate constipation.
• This soup can be served as a light one-dish dinner for two.
• This recipe can be handled by children with some adult supervision.

Pork Loin in Plum Sauce

Plum paste may be mixed with cold water to make a cooling drink for hot days.  Another way to use plum paste is by adding some chilli sauce to it.  This will produce a delicious alternative to plum sauce.  So when a recipe calls for plum sauce, the Swallow does not need to go shopping for it...

PORK LOIN IN PLUM SAUCE (serves 4)

Pork Loin in Plum Sauce

Ingredients

• 300g pork boneless loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tsp oil
• 2 tbsp plum paste
• 1 to 2 tsp chilli sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 stalk spring onions, chopped
• marinade - 2 tsp cornstarch, 2 tsp light soya sauce, 2 tsp hua tiow jiu, 2 tsp brown sugar, a few drops sesame oil, 1 clove garlic (minced)

Method

1. Combine marinade ingredients with pork cubes.  Marinate for at least half an hour.
2. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat.  Add pork, reserving the marinade (very little), and stir-fry until browned.
3. Mix plum paste, chilli sauce, and water together with the reserved marinade.  Pour into the wok and mix well.
4. Add spring onions to the mixture.
5. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  The sauce would have thickened by then.
6. Serve hot with rice.

Notes

• If plum sauce is preferred, use 2 1/2 tbsp and omit chilli sauce.
• Adjust amount of water to suit individual needs.

Pineapple Salad

Of all the tropical fruits found in Singapore and Malaysia, the pineapple is the Swallow's favourite.

She remembers her younger days when her mother would patiently remove the 'eyes' from the pineapple, slice off the centre part then cut the rest of the pineapple into little triangles, to be cooked with some kind of meat.  Whenever the Swallow is around at such times, you can be sure some of these little triangles would end up in her mouth before the cooking started, and her mother would have had to ask the Swallow to leave the kitchen.

A wonderful way to eat the pineapple is by drizzling the cut fruit with some sweet shrimp sauce or dark soya sauce, then sprinkle with a little sugar and chopped chilli padi.  Yummy yum yum!

Canned pineapple rings or cubes is now easily available and it is a much-lauded alternative as it minimizes the time spent cutting the fruit as well as the problem of finding sweet and tasty pineapples.

Pineapple Salad is a recipe that uses canned pineapple rings / cubes.  It is a favourite of the Swallow's family, and is usually served as a side dish with Roasted Chicken.  The Swallow has served it at several BBQ gatherings.  The pineapple brings a tangy and sweet taste to counter the taste of the mayonnaise.

Pineapple Salad

PINEAPPLE SALAD (Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 5 handfuls of pasta
• 4 tbsp Miracle Whip or mayonnaise
• 1 can pineapple rings / cubes
• 8 slices of cooked ham
• 1 can of button mushroom

Method

1. Cook the pasta according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Drain and mix with the Miracle Whip or mayonnaise.  Place in the refrigerator to keep cool.
2. Drain the syrup from the can of pineapple rings (the syrup may be used in other recipes).  Cut the pineapple rings into bite-sized pieces.
3. Dice the ham.
4. Drain the water from the can of button mushrooms.  Toast the mushrooms in a toaster oven for about 10 minutes.  If the mushrooms are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces.
5. Remove the cooled pasta mixture from the refrigerator.  Mix the pineapple, ham and button mushrooms with the pasta mixture.  Return the salad into the refrigerator.  Serve cold.

Tangy Hot & Sweet Ribs

When the Swallow had a bottle of apple cider vinegar with an expiry date that was drawing close, she found the trailing recipe helpful.  This dish has become a new favourite of the family.  The Swallow had thought that she would stop buying this vinegar, but now she does not need to think twice about buying it.

TANGY HOT & SWEET RIBS (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup white rice vinegar
2 cups brown sugar (don't pack it in unless you have a sweet tooth)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 chilli padi, minced (use red chillies for a milder taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 kg spare ribs

Method

1. Mix together all the ingredients, except the spare ribs, in a large pot.
2. Simmer over medium heat for at least 15 minutes.
3. Add the ribs and simmer for another hour, or until the ribs are tender.
4. Enjoy!