jessiefoodinthekitchen

  There are certain dishes that don’t need complicated ingredients to feel special. For me, Steamed Cured Meat Rice ( 腊味蒸饭 ) is one of them. Just rice, a few slices of Chinese cured meats, and simple seasoning, yet once it starts steaming, the whole kitchen fills with that unmistakable fragrance. The sweet-savory aroma from the lap cheong slowly melts into the rice, creating a dish that feels nostalgic, comforting, and deeply satisfying. This is my easier home-style version. No clay pot needed, no complicated steps, just simple steaming, and you’ll still get beautifully infused, flavorful rice. What Is Cured Meat Rice? Cured meat rice is a traditional Cantonese dish commonly enjoyed during cooler months and festive seasons. The preserved meats, usually lap cheong (Chinese sausage), cured pork belly, or liver sausage will release their oils while steaming, naturally seasoning the rice underneath. Why I Love Making This Dish It’s one of those meals that feels festive but is actually ...

Sometimes the simplest meals are the ones that stick with us—and this one-pot prawns and  glass noodles with napa cabbage is proof! Juicy prawns, tender napa cabbage, and silky glass noodles come together in a fragrant sauce made from minced garlic and red shallots. It’s cozy, quick, and full of flavor—perfect for a weekday dinner or a casual weekend meal. Here’s what makes this dish special: 1)Fragrant aromatics: Garlic and red shallots are the heart of the sauce, giving every bite a savory, slightly sweet aroma. 2)Fresh, tender veggies: Napa cabbage adds a gentle crunch and sweetness that balances the prawns perfectly. 3)One-pot magic: Less washing, less fuss, more time to enjoy your food. My cooking tips: 1)Don’t overcook the glass noodles—it cooks quickly and absorbs the sauce beautifully. 2)If you like a little heat, a pinch of chili flakes or fresh diced bird eye chili adds a lovely kick. 3)Fresh prawns make all the difference. The natural sweetness really shi...

Steamed spareribs with sand ginger is a delicious Cantonese dish. The main ingredients are spareribs and sand ginger. Sand ginger, also known as galangal, is a spicy spice that adds a unique flavor to this dish. It is one of four types of galangals, a rhizome in the ginger family. Fresh sand ginger is paler in color on the inside and woodier and coarser in texture than standard ginger. As a result, it is more difficult to peel and grate.  So, I just cleaned it with a tiny brush and chopped it with the skin. Fresh sand ginger might not be available at other places, so they will powder form instead. When dried, the flavor becomes a little less intense. I love how the fresh sand ginger tastes when combined with other spices or ingredients to create the sauce for meat. Apart from the ribs, I also add glass noodles and yuba or dried tofu skin. The ribs, glass noodles and dried tofu skin absorb all the sauce, enhanced by the flavor of sand ginger and oyster sauce. You can use san...

Steam chicken is the easiest way of cooking with health benefits, and delicious flavor. Just simply marinate the bite sized pieces of chicken for minutes to obtain a basic flavor then steam for 20 to 25 minutes. That’s so simple. My husband loves steam food. This is due to the fact that steaming food is nutrient preservation, calorie and fat reduction. Additionally, it keeps the natural flavor to the maximum. Normally, I will add mushrooms, lily blossoms and black fungus for additional texture. For this recipe, I replace the lily blossoms with cordyceps flowers. It is a type of orange-yellow grass and it’s good for nourishing the lungs and kidneys, protecting the liver, nourishing skin and beauty, and improving immunity. It is extremely delicious when used to make soup or steam dishes! You don’t have to add water to the chicken, the marinade, chicken, and mushrooms release a broth-like mix of fluids that tastes amazing over rice. Are you drooling? This is an easy and delicious ...

  Everyone is familiar with steam carrot cake. Have you ever tried fried carrot  cakes or Chai Tow Kway?  Chai Tow Kway is a common dim sum of Teochew cuisine. It is also popular in Singapore and Malaysia. I still remember that my parents used to take me to an open night market under an overhead bridge when I was a little child. And this popular stall is known for long queues. The stall owner began selling around 5:30 p.m. It was sold out when we arrived at around 7:00 p.m. A hawker stall will ask you whether you want black or white chai tow kway when you order it.  The black version has a sweeter black sauce while the White version has chili. My version is using salty preserved radish which help to give the "kway" a little bit of salty flavor and crunch.  I first sauté the garlic and preserved radish until fragrant, add the fried carrot cake, drizzle with soy sauce, and stir-fry until the aroma of preserved radish is released.  I then add the eggs, spring ...

I love prawns, whether they are grilled, deep-fried, or sauteed. One of my favorite ways of cooking prawns is sauteing them in a lemon, garlic and   butter sauce. This delicious dish can be made in 30 minutes. Shrimp is always a go-to for super-fast meals because they prep and cook so quickly. The sauce is also very easy and quick to make. The consistency should be runny, but thick enough to cling to the shrimp with a light coating. It's ready in 10 minutes with simple ingredients. You will wonder where this incredible sauce has been all your life. (I am kind of over exaggerating) What made the sauce so special is the addition of a splash of heavy cream and the lemon juice. Because lemon juice and cream were used, the sauce has a tart and creamy flavor. The creaminess in this sauce is just magic. And I always love cooking shrimp with Shaoxing wine. Along with other sauce ingredients, it is probably one of the most important cooking liquids for this dish. Most dishes will just ...

It's customary to have glutinous rice balls (Tangyuan 汤圆 ) on the winter solstice. Tangyuan is a must-have food for the winter solstice. It is a round dessert made of glutinous rice flour. There is a folk saying that “ you will be one year older after eating glutinous rice balls”. Even restaurants also serve glutinous rice balls as a promotional menu on that day.   On the dining table, Cantonese treat sweet glutinous rice balls seem to dominate.   My late parents are Cantonese, yet my mother never makes sweet "tang yuan" on this day; instead, she always makes a pot of salty glutinous rice balls. The filling is not wrapped in glutinous rice balls, but glutinous rice is rolled into balls and boiled into a soup base with other ingredients. Glutinous rice balls, fresh prawns, dried shrimp, vegetables, and a flavorful soup base with distinctively flavored mushrooms are all combined. The soup is tasty and has a distinctive flavor. You will adore it. Typically, it takes arou...

  Have you ever tried stir-fried glass noodles with sambal?   If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat! This glass noodle stir fry is delicious and bursting with flavors! It is prepared with a range of ingredients. The combination of vegetables, protein, and carbohydrates. The vegetable that I am using is French bean. Besides, the dish also contains potatoes, tempeh, tofu, and tofu sheet. While the shrimp provides a protein-packed base. Makes it rather full even though eaten without rice. It is truly as satisfying as a one pot meal. The secret to bringing all these flavors together is the sambal which you may refer to Nasi Lemak Sambal about the ingredients of making it. It’s spicy, savory, slightly sweet, and just a little bit salty, with a rich umami flavor that’s hard to resist. These glass noodles have a tangy taste from the tamarind sauce in addition to the umami and spice from the sambal. Although it can be slightly tart, the flavour of the tamarind is never overpowe...