Making My Own Sourdough Sandwiches

For those who have followed my blog long enough, they'd know how much I love bread.  It's one carb (my one weakness) I find extremely difficult to give up...and so, I shall not!

Well, according to my blogger friend (phonghongbakes), there are better/healthier breads (like wholemeal bread and, specifically, sourdough)...and not-so-good/less healthy breads (like white bread).  Well, I'm no doctor or nutrionist but if it's good enough for phonghongbakes, it's good enough for me...lol! ^_*

There's this neighbourhood cafe, CoffeeLicious, I visit regularly to get my bread fix...specifically sourdough. And well, they sell sourdough too...and that was what I bought after breakfast one morning (one whole loaf at RM15 which I thought was a very decent price).  I asked them to slice up the loaf for me...and as you can see, there are 8 slices...but the slicing (by hand) was poorly done (very uneven, some parts thick and thin within the same slice).  The other drawback with buying a whole loaf is there'll be wastage of the not-so-good parts...both ends of the sourdough as it's mainly crust and can be very chewy and too hard to eat/bite into.

So, when life gives you sourdough, you make western-style breakfasts, of course...starting with a Scrambled Eggs & Bacon Sourdough Open Sandwich.  Everything starts with bacon...hehe....3 rashers of fragrant, crispy goodness! ^o^  Sorry, my scrambled eggs seemed a little overdone (that always happen when it's homemade) but it's alright since I prefer it slightly overdone at home coz I don't know how fresh my eggs (from the supermarket) are.

So good when having it with a cup of iced coffee...unfortunately it's not a coffee from a cafe but my favourite brand of made-at-home instant white coffee.

I also made a Bacon & Omelette Sourdough Sandwich for lunch one day with layers of bacon, omelette and sliced cucumber on buttered and lightly toasted sourdough slices.  Two thick, huge slices of sourdough make for a very filling lunch.

Sometimes I would just simply have my toasted Sourdough with Butter & Jam accompanied by two soft-boiled eggs...a super quick breakfast to whip up but a super satisfying one to eat.  Simple but good! ;)

Besides sourdough, my other go-to for a healthier bread option is the wholemeal bread from GBB Bakery (RM4.80 for 6 slices).  I actually prefer to buy these smaller loaves from bakeries as it takes a shorter time for me to finish them (since I'm the only one eating), so I can always have fresh bread.

This is my homemade Big Breakfast with sausages, bacon, fried egg, mushrooms and baked beans served with wholemeal toast and butter.  This wholemeal toast is studded with some chopped walnuts...nice! ^o^

Judging from the portion size, this was definitely not for breakfast.  Only the name is Big Breakfast...but I like to make them for lunch and dinner too.  I can eat this breakfast dish anytime of the day coz I love it so much!

Sometimes when I'm a little bit more hardworking, I'd make French Toast and eat them with bacon, sausages, mushrooms and baked beans.  Again, I ate this for dinner...so good! ^.^

For breakfast, it'd be a simpler (and smaller portion) with just French Toast & Bacon.  Can anyone tire of eating bacon?  Well, certainly not me! :D

I was even naughtier here...I had some leftover luncheon meat (another thing besides bacon that one does not get tired of eating...lol) and made a Wholemeal Sandwich with Bacon, Luncheon Meat & Omelette.

I bought these gourmet ham from Aeon and they tasted pretty good when I made French Toast with Ham & Omelette.  If you're lazy to go through the trouble of cooking bacon in your pan or air fryer, ham is a more convenient protein for your sandwiches as they're loads easier to fry than bacon.

Since I can't give up bread (just like phonghongbakes), the only viable solution is to, at least, choose a better bread in sourdough or wholemeal.  Don't force yourself to stay away from something that makes you happy (I'm not going to anymore)...and bread (and coffee) makes me happy. ^o^

There were days when I thought I felt depressed when I had to refrain from bread (and coffee)...and I find myself much more contented now when I don't restrict myself.  Of course, anything we eat...we must eat in moderation.  We all should eat things that make us happy coz we live only once..and we might as well enjoy our one life when we can...live well, life is short! ^_~

How many ways can you cook/eat bitter gourd?

Like all bitter vegetables, the humble bitter gourd or bitter melon is an acquired taste.  It's a case of you either love it or hate it!  I remember I hated them when I was young...all the way to my adult years.  If I see it at the chap fan line, I would avoid it like the plague...but I've since grown to love this vegetable! ;)

Although I would gladly pick them out from a chap fan line now or choose them stuffed in a yong tau foo, I've never cooked them at home.  The reason for this is because I was afraid they'd turn out bitter coz, first of all, I don't know how to choose the "right" bitter gourd (one that's hopefully less bitter) and, two, I wasn't sure if the "process" we had to go through to take out the bitterness would actually work.

One of the most common methods to reduce bitterness is to salt the bitter gourd generously (after they've been sliced with the seeds removed and the pith scrapped off).  Rub salt all over the bitter gourd slices and let it stand for about half an hour.  The salt will draw out water from the bitter gourd and apparently remove some of that bitterness.

So I consulted my favourite pork noodles stall in my neighbourhood and he told me you don't have to do that actually...you just need to choose a bitter gourd that has less 'teeth' or ridges (or wide/'fat' pronounced ridges).  The larger, lighter green variety with the widest ridges is the one you want as they're generally less bitter.

Armed with that knowledge, I followed his advice to a tee and purchased my very first bitter gourd which turned out just fine, not bitter at all.  So, that extra step of salting it first is a lot of baloney which you don't need to do if you chose the right bitter gourd in the first place.  Now that I know, I cook it quite often at home since bitter gourd is known to help lower blood sugar levels besides having other immense health benefits.  I now include bitter gourd into my diet regularly and cook them in the following ways.

#1 - Stir-Fried Bitter Gourd with Eggs

One of the most common and popular way to cook bitter gourd is to stir-fry them with eggs.  For this dish, I used half a bitter gourd and 2 eggs.  This is good enough as the vegetable component for 2 meals for me.  (So PH, can rival Kar Hiong's...lol)! ^_~

The key is to make sure you fry the bitter gourd slices until they're well soften (I hate hard bitter gourd!), so slicing them thinly helps.  Fry slowly on medium heat, you don't want them to brown, just soften, so you'll need a good 5 minutes for that.  I add in the minced garlic about halfway through so that the garlic don't get too browned by the time the bitter gourd softens.  Once well soften, push them aside and add in your beaten eggs.  Scramble them and mix in with the bitter gourd.  Season to taste.  You may add a little water at the end.

#2 - Stir-Fried Bitter Melon with Canned Black Bean Fish

This is a great recipe if you happen to have leftover canned dace fish with salted black beans (which I do as one can takes forever to finish).

You cook it similarly as the earlier dish.  Fry the bitter gourd slices until well soften before adding the canned dace fish (break into smaller pieces) and salted black beans.  I added the sauce from the canned dace fish too for its saltiness...sorry, that's why the bitter gourd looks darkly-coloured.  If you use just the salted black beans, it'll probably look more presentable and appetising.

#3 - Stir-Fried Bitter Gourd with Anything

You can pretty much stir-fry bitter gourd with anything.  I usually do it with homemade fish cake or pork slices though I like it with egg the best.  You can also do it simply with just salted black beans or taucheo (salted fermented soybeans).

#4 - Bitter Gourd Omelette

Another dish you'd find in a chap fan line, though not as common as the earlier stir-fried bitter gourd with eggs, is this bitter gourd omelette.  It's not as popular with kids (and some adults) who love eggs but not in an omelette with bitter gourd...lol.

I used 1/4 of a bitter gourd with 2 eggs for this omelette dish.  Again, I ate this over 2 meals...since I'm the only one who appreciates bitter gourd in my family! >.<

#5 - Bitter Melon Soup with Pork Ribs

Since I'm making soup in a slow cooker with pork ribs, I can afford to cut the bitter gourd into larger chunks for both to simmer slowly till tender (the bitter gourd needs only about an hour to get soft, so slow-cook your pork ribs first).  I think the pith (the white part) contributes to the bitterness, so removing most of it (and the seeds) is critical, especially so if we're boiling the bitter gourd for a period of time to minimise the bitterness that would otherwise get into the soup.

I added some white peppercorns to introduce a bit of heat into the soup which also helps to reduce bitterness, if any.  My bitter melon soup (that only I would drink) is made with half a bitter melon and one strip of pork ribs.  Hot soup with a bit of rice is especially good on a cold, rainy evening.

#6 - Bitter Gourd Soup with Pork Slices

If I want to make a soup that doesn't need hours of boiling and simmering, I would make a quick soup by cooking it over the stove (or, in my case, over the induction cooker).  For this, I slice the bitter gourd thinly so that it softens quickly.

Once that softens (it only takes about 5 minutes), you can add in the pork slices (also thinly sliced and marinated in cornflour and some soy) as they cook very quickly (another 2 minutes).  It's just like the way they make pork noodles.

#7 - Bitter Gourd Pork Noodles

This is my favourite pork noodles with bitter gourd from my neighbourhood stall.  The bitter gourd slices are sliced ever so thinly so that it gets cooked and softened easily.  So good with my choice of yee mee.  It's pretty similar to the bitter gourd soup I make at home, only this one comes with the innards I love.

The bitter gourd he gets for his noodles have even fatter ridges than the ones I buy.  He cuts it so thinly that it's almost transparent.  Let me show you up close just how far apart the ridges are! ;)

This is one vegetable that doesn't get much love during CNY obviously because of its name....fu gua due to its pronunciation.  He hardly get any orders for it (with pork noodles) during this period, especially not from the elderly who avoids it like the plague, he says.  He may get some orders from young people who are oblivious to its connotation! ;D

#8 - Deep-Fried Snake Gourd

Side tracking a bit, I've included this snake gourd in my post coz I used to mistake it for bitter gourd initially. They're only similar to bitter gourd in looks but don't taste bitter.  This snake gourd is seldom found in chap fan lines (they prefer to cook bitter gourd instead) but commonly found in Indian restaurants where I used to eat them...either as a stir-fried vegetable or deep-fried with spices to a crisp (mmm, my favourite).  I suppose you can deep-fry bitter gourd in the same way too.

For those who like a bit of bitterness in their lives (lol), cook the bitter gourd in a soup as the bitterness tends to leak out into the soup and you'll be able to taste the bitterness a bit more.  Cook them in a stir-fry with other proteins if you wish to mask the bitterness or possibly taste none at all.

Now that you know just how simple it is to choose the right bitter gourd (that's not bitter or hardly bitter), all of us should try to eat more bitter gourd for its immense health benefits.  So, with fears of getting a bitter tasting bitter gourd allayed, I've been cooking this humble vegetable more often at home now! ^_~

#ewew cooks Fish Paste Related Dishes

For those who have read my previous post on how much I love to eat fish cake, I now also love to cook them at home.  This was after I found a good ready-made fish paste recently from my fishmonger at the wet market.

It comes conveniently packed in a tub like this and one tub costs RM20.  A small price to pay for something that's very time consuming to make from scratch.  I first learned how to make fish paste from watching my mom do it but made it only once after that...and realised it was too much work...lol! >_<

There are a few types of fish that's suitable to make fish paste (into fish cake or fish balls) such as wolf herring (ikan parang or sai dou yue), narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (tenggiri batang or kau yue) distinguished by its narrow body size with vertical bands, Spanish spotted mackerel (tenggiri papan, some call this tenggiri bunga also ) recognisable by its broader body with spots and yellowtail fusilier (which is the best fish to use according to the experts) while some even use tilapia (the first two are the more common options).  I get a whole kau yue/Spanish spotted mackerel/tenggiri papan and if you can't differentiate (like many of us) which type of mackerel to use (and if you think you can spot the difference between spots & vertical bands, good luck...lol), it's best to just ask the fishmonger for the one that's meant to make fish paste (coz the right one has a stickier flesh when done).  You then get your fishmonger to cut it lengthwise into two fillets for you (leaving the bone in the centre).  When at home, scrape the flesh off the skin (and bones), then use a big cleaver to chop/mince the fish meat finely until it forms a sticky paste.  While doing this, make some salt water (by mixing salt with water, my mom adds a bit cornflour) and season the fish as you chop.  The chopping/mincing part is tedious (I've seen my mom using two cleavers to do this).  Don't waste the unused parts like head, bones, skin and tail as you can make a good fish stock out of them by frying them first before boiling with some aromatics.

For convenience, I just rely on ready-made fish paste coz I'm not willing to go through all the work of making my own.  Of course one of the most common thing you can do with fish paste is to stuff them and make yong tau foo.  That to me also involves too much work...you have to slice up all kinds of vegetables (like eggplant, bitter gourd, ladies finger & chillies) and some are tedious to stuff before deep-frying them, so I'm more into buying ready-made yong tau foo too.  The only yong tau foo I'd consider making (coz it's the easiest) is to stuff them into a tofu puff.  You just need to cut each tofu puff into half and fill it with a bit of fish paste before shallow-frying them.

You can serve them just like this...which I do (since my son loves them this way).  The tofu puff turns out really crispy if you eat them soon after they're fried.

I'd sometimes cook them in a simple sauce of oyster + soy especially if there are leftovers (not that it happens often!).  This is because since they're leftovers and had gotten soft, so it's more ideal to let the softened puffs absorb the flavours of a sauce.

Other than making the simplest form of yong tau foo, I usually just make them into mini fish cakes.  I just shape them into small round pieces by scooping some fish paste into the palm of my hands to shape them (just make sure you wet the spoon and your hands so that the fish paste doesn't stick to your hands).  See how they puff up during the frying process.  But first, as promised in my previous post, I would share with you a little secret/tip on how and why I was served a fish cake that looked deflated.

That's because I've come to know that the fish paste I buy from the market is made with pure fish meat with probably no flour in the mix (or if there is, just very little)...and when it's fried, it puffs up looking like a proper fish cake but once cooled, it deflates and looks all wrinkly.  Those you come across which keeps its shape well (even after frying) probably have a lot of flour to keep the texture firm and the fish cake in shape...and that explains its overly springy/bouncy texture.  I actually love to eat this type of fish cake that's made purely with just fish even though they aren't that pretty to look at.  I usually fry up the whole tub and keep them for use in a stir-fry later with my vegetables of choice.

Just a simple stir-fry with cabbage, I've both protein and vegetables in one dish...which is perfect for me for a one-dish meal which I cook frequently.

You can cook them with any vegetable of your choice...just like I did here with red and green capsicum. Really delicious.

If I weren't able to get the ready-made fish paste from my fishmonger, I'd settle for the ready-made fish cake from Ah Koong whenever I happen to dine there.  Just remove from the package and pan-fry lightly when you're ready to eat them...so simple and convenient! ;)

Again, I use it in the same way...stir-fried with some greens.  I especially like it with green dragon vegetable (ching loong choy).

I also stir-fry it regularly with romaine or cos lettuce (yau mak) or spinach (poh choy).  I like to cut the fish paste into thick slices for a good bite (you can cut them thinly too if that's what you prefer).

So, there you have it...the next time you have fish cake, if it's deflated and ugly looking, you know it's made with (almost) pure fish paste and that's all good (at least to me)...lol! ^_~  But between the two, ready-made fish paste or ready-cooked fish cake, I'd go for the former (even though there's a bit of extra work involved in frying them) since it tastes loads better.  And best of all, you don't have to worry about the seasoning, it comes already seasoned with just the right amount of salty aftertaste.  So yum, so good! ^.^

Cooking an Entire Western Meal in an Airfryer

Since embarking on a restrictive diet about 11 months ago, I've been doing a lot more cooking at home and a lot less eating outside...and that's a given since doing one's own cooking would mean we control what we cook and what seasonings we put in.

To control sugar means we have to control our carbs...so, what's the best dish to make if we want to omit rice or noodles?  A western meal, of course...and a western meal of roast chicken is the easiest protein to cook and nail successfully...not to mention it's also the cheapest! ^_~

Before I started on my restrictive diet, my initial reason for getting an air fryer was solely for the purpose of making snacks and small portions of food.  Oh well, the days of eating fries (or fried processed food) are obviously over!  But I've since put my air fryer to good use...and it's now the most used gadget in my kitchen.

I make roast chicken regularly...in fact, I cook an entire western meal these days in my small air fryer since this kind of meal is very agreeable with my way of eating now (to reduce carbs and cut sugar).  My favourite thing to roast is chicken wings coz they take no time to cook...only about 10 - 12 minutes at 200°C (turning once at the halfway mark or twice for a more even browning).

If you're roasting whole chicken wings, you may need a longer roasting time.  I get my chicken wings cut at the joints and discard the wing tips (makes for easier eating).  It's not easy to get just the mid wings (my favourite section) unless you buy them from a supermarket (even then I can't find it at the Aeon near me).  I used to buy many different bottles of seasoning like garlic, onion, paprika, chilli flakes, cayenne pepper, etc. but find it rather wasteful when they expire without being fully utilised.  Nowadays, I rely on just one bottle of McCormick Montreal Chicken Seasoning (that PhongHongBakes recommended) which has a bit of everything together with some additional salt, black pepper and soy sauce...and the result tastes really good).

From time to time, I would also do a roasted (deboned) chicken leg.  This will take longer, about 12 - 15 minutes.  I cook it skin side up for 5 minutes, then flip and cook the underside for another 5 minutes.  I turned it skin side up one final time and cooked it for a further 5 minutes.

The only difference I make when cooking a chicken leg is that I put it on a rack inside the air fryer.  This is to allow the oil to drip down onto the paper liner below.  Propping the chicken leg on a rack also allows better air circulation and browning (since it's a thicker cut of meat).

Of course I can't just have the chicken alone...there must be sides (at least 2 sides lah) to accompany the main protein.  The most common (and well received) side would be potatoes (yes, must have a little carbs).

I've had it with all kinds of potatoes...the most common being the regular white potatoes I often get from the market (like Yukon Gold or Russet...I prefer Yukon Gold).  I roast them in the air fryer for about 15 - 18 minutes at 200°C depending how charred you like your potatoes.

I've had it with Japanese sweet potatoes.  These are the ones where the skin is reddish/purplish and the inside flesh is yellow.  They're ridiculously good in the form of kushiyaki in Japanese restaurants. Occasionally, I steam or boil them (which is an even healthier choice).  I steam them (whole) for at least 30 minutes but if you like it extra soft until you can scoop the flesh with a spoon, you'll need to steam it for longer.

Besides Japanese sweet potatoes, there's also the more common orange (or purple-coloured) sweet potatoes.  You roast them the same way as any potatoes although I find the texture a little bit harder than the regular potatoes when roasted for the same time but they taste better definitely.

I've not had honey sweet potatoes before and got some to try when I saw them being sold on Shopee.  Their flesh is whiter and when you press them, you get this little bit of sticky liquid oozing out.  These honey potatoes cook a little faster (only needs 12 - 15 minutes) and they taste really good.

Although roasting potatoes in the air fryer directly is the simplest and least time consuming method, I found that the roasted potatoes can be a little dry and not as fluffy.  So now I take the time to do an extra step (coz it's worth it) by steaming it first (you can also boil them) for about 10 - 15 minutes until soft.  Make sure you drain out any water (collected at the bottom of the plate) before tossing them with olive oil, salt and black pepper.

The tossing will fluff up the sides of the potato wedges and this will make them extra crispy around the edges.  The result of the steaming (or boiling) to soften them will turn the potatoes really fluffy on the inside.  This is now my default way of making roast potatoes (similar to what I first learned from Jamie Oliver except I steam them instead of boilng).

With potatoes making up one side, the other obvious side would be vegetables...and you've a great variety to choose from...starting with broccoli (which happens to be my son's most favoured roasted vegetable).  It takes about 8 - 10 minutes depending how charred and soft you want your broccoli (and my son likes it well charred).

My favourite is not broccoli (I find them a little dry especially the frizzy tops) but capsicum instead as they turn out really soft and juicy after roasting and charring.  They also cook very fast, you need just about 5 - 8 minutes.  I've cooked all 3 colours of capsicum (red, green & yellow) and find that red is the tastiest as they become sweeter when roasted compared to the other two + they're incredibly juicy and even ooze out a little chilli oil if you will.

Recently, I tried roasting green beans too.  They cook super fast, only need about 5 minutes to wilt and char (you can add 1 - 2 more minutes if you need extra charring and softness).  I now even cook them this way when I want to stir-fry french beans with minced meat coz they char a lot faster this way than the conventional way over a wok or pan.

Due to the fast cooking and encouraging results of the earlier green beans, I've also started to cook my eggplant this way (only takes about 10 minutes) since it softens much quicker and uses a lot less oil than the conventional pan-frying method.  Even when I fry it in a non-stick pan, the eggplant dries out and I keep having to add a little bit more oil + it takes forever for them to soften.  And no, this eggplant is not for my western meal...lol.

I once supplemented the vegetable component with sweet white corn, a vegetable that requires no cooking! Even better...and was pleased to know my blood sugar reading was alright after eating it (I had 1/2 a corn). If vegetables aren't available (more like when I'm too lazy to cook them), I sometimes substitute with fruits that aren't too sweet like guava, rose apple (jambu air) and mandarins.

I now use my air fryer more frequently than I do my convection oven as it can cook food efficiently and much quicker too...even though the capacity is small and I've to cook it in a few rounds (I also enjoy the perk of no washing up to do).  So, what are the 3 things I cook most often in my air fryer, you ask?  Well, it's definitely chicken, potatoes and vegetables! ;)  I even cooked a batch of roast chicken wings (for potluck) using my air fryer.

Since a western meal of chicken, potatoes and vegetables is agreeable with my way of eating less carbs, I cook and eat this regularly.  Even though I may include some carbs in my western meal in the form of potatoes (and the occasional bread), I find that my blood sugar readings are fine if I keep to one potato or a small bun (I try lah....kekeke).  The reading tends to be a little lower with sweet potatoes compared to regular white potatoes...but you will still need to control your portions! >_<