Baked Salmon using Lee Kum Kee's Fried Cod Fish Sauce

The next dish I prepared using one the the many Lee Kum Kee sauces is the Baked Salmon with Broccoli and Mushrooms with Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Fried Cod Fish. Cod fish and salmon are the 2 fish that I use all the time. I would put my preferred vegetables underneath the fillet and then simply put the entire oven pan into the oven. I love the fact that I could use the fish oil rendered from these fatty fish to roast the vegetables underneath. Cooking this dish is almost hassle free. I soaked some dry mushrooms the night before. You may use the fresh ones if you are cooking for a larger portion. Since I only cook just a small portion for myself every now and then, dry mushrooms are hence a better choice.

Instead of cod fish fillet, I used salmon belly strips instead. I placed them on top of the broccoli and mushrooms which I had stacked neatly on the oven pan. Once done, I glazed the salmon belly with a tablespoon Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Fried Cod Fish. You may adjust the amount to your own preference.

After 20 minutes in the oven in 250 Degree Celsius, it's done! The salmon skin charred at some areas due to the sauce and the taste is akin to Teriyaki. With its juice seeping into the vegetables during the baking process, the vegetables were tasty even without any seasoning. You can choose to bake longer if you want the salmon to be crisper. The broccoli and mushroom won't get burnt, they would only turn softer. The same goes to the used of other vegetables.

Now for the recipe:

Dish: Baked salmon belly with broccoli and mushrooms 

Ingredients
- Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Fried Cod Fish
- Salmon belly
- Broccoli ( You may choose leeks or asparagus)
- Mushrooms

Direction
1) If you are using dry mushrooms, soak them overnight.
2) Wash and slice the broccoli
3) Place both the broccoli and mushrooms on the oven pan. Stack the salmon belly on top
4) Glaze the salmon belly with Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Fried Cod Fish
5) Bake for 20 minutes in the over, in 250 Degree Celsius

Lee Kum Kee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeKumKeeGlobal
Website: http://singapore.lkk.com/en/Kitchen

Written and Photography By Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. 

Asparagus Wrapped with Bacon using Lee Kum Kee Honey Garlic Sauce

Following my first recipe post on Minestrone Soup, I shall now share with you the second dish which I had made concurrently - Asparagus Wrapped with Bacon is done using Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Honey Garlic Spare Ribs. Inspired by my previous tasting at Moosehead Kitchen, honey dates wrapped in bacon, I decided to do my rendition of this dish. The three main ingredients are asparagus, bacon and leeks. I feel bacon is quite a versatile ingredient. It is like a condiment that gives the dish a salty, smoky characteristic. I use leeks a lot in my everyday dishes as they have a long shelf life and pair well with meat or fish.

First, I wrapped 3/4 of the asparagus with the bacon

After my non stick pan was heated, i placed them neatly side by side to brown the bacon. I turned them regularly to prevent them from being too burnt on one side.

Once evenly brown, I placed them on an aluminium foil ( when I'm too lazy to wash the oven pan). I then glazed the bacon streaks with Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Honey Garlic Spare Ribs. I only use about 2 tablespoons of it and kept the remaining in a container. They are to be roasted for 15 minutes, 250 degree Celsius. Oven is my best friend in the kitchen. It allows me to prepare other dishes or back to my chores while it works its magic.

While waiting for the asparagus to be done, I stir fried some shredded leeks with the oil rendered from the bacons.

When my asparagus was done, I topped it with the shredded leeks. I then dressed it up with my very own lemon mayonnaise to cut the fats. You may want to use lemon juice only. I adore savoury-sweet taste! I find that the garlic-ky sweetness of this sauce coupled really well with the salty, smoky bacons. The lemony mayonnaise also lends some creaminess and tanginess to the overall taste.

 If you ain't into intuitive cooking, below is the recipe:

Dish: Asparagus wrapped with bacon, glazed with Honey Garlic Sauce, spiked with shredded leek. Drizzled with lemon mayonnaise.

Ingredients
- Lee Kum Kee's Sauce for Honey Garlic Spare Ribs
- Asparagus
- Bacon streaks (1 streak per asparagus)
- 1/2 stalk Leeks
- Cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
- Dash of lemon juice

Dressing 
Simply squeeze some lemon juice in the mayonnaise and mix it up. · 

Cooking method
1)Wrap 3/4 the asparagus with the bacon. As bacon can be quite salty and flavourful, wrap half the green is enough.
2) Grease the non-stick pan thinly and place it over medium heat.
3) Once heated, lay the wrapped asparagus neatly side by side one another.
4) Grill to slight brown.
5) Slice the leeks and stir fry it in the non stick pan using the oil rendered from the bacon.
6) Once brown, roast them in the oven for 15 minutes , 200 degrees celsius.
To be safe, check it after 10 minutes, to make sure that the temperature of your oven is right for the bacon. Too high a heat may cause the bacon to char before the asparagus gets cooked.
7) Lastly, dress it up with lemon mayonnaise and its done!

Lee Kum Kee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeKumKeeGlobal
Website: http://singapore.lkk.com/en/Kitchen

Written and Photography By Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. 

Minestrone Soup Using Lee Kum Kee Tomato Garlic Prawns Sauce

I love cooking... For its therapeutic nature, and partly because my taste buds do fuss a lot. By far, I do not adhere to any recipe, dread the use of any measuring equipment and the aftermath of cooking (washing, scrubbing, wiping etc.) More subtlety put, free-style and intuitive or you may call it lazy.

For the next few posts, I'm going to share with you my experiences in cooking. I usually cook individual portion for just myself, and when I have gatherings, it would then be more towards tapas-style. I won't say that my recipes are original. They are more of inspirations or motivations derived from other meals. I feel once you start to get your creativity working, cooking can be rather simple.

Many may find it not worth the hassle just to cook for an individual portion. It can be tricky when comes to buying the ingredients - too much for too little used. To counter that, I try to use more versatile ingredients that allows me to create a variety of dishes throughout the week and those with a longer shelf life means you don't have to worry buying too much of it. Using pre-mix sauces can be one of the ways to help lighten your load. They enable you to create the flavour without you having to purchase the numerous ingredients.

I was really disappointed with a minestrone soup which I tried recently in a restaurant. Hence, the very first dish that I am going to share with you is my own version of Minestrone Soup made using Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Tomato Garlic Prawns. Soup is usually the first dish I would make for the meal as time is needed to get the goodness out of all the ingredients. By the time I am done with the rest of the dishes, the soup will be just ready in time together with the rest.

I love making soups, because I just need to put everything into a pot and leave it alone. For this minestrone soup, it's the same. Simple ingredients - onions, tomato, carrot, celery. As I'm not of a meat person, I used cod fish bones in place of pork ribs or chicken bones to give the soup some sweetness and viscosity.

After the water came to a boil, I threw in all the ingredients and let it boiled for 20 minutes in medium heat. As all are hardy vegetables, I do not need to worry about overcooking them. If you prefer, you may add some white pepper corn to spice it up a bit, especially on wet days.

After 20 minutes, the vegetable cubes were pretty soft. I mixed in 2 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Tomato Garlic Prawns into the soup and let it simmered in low heat for another 10 minutes for the ingredients to soak in the flavour.

I think sweet corns, leeks or even potatoes very suitable for such vegetables soups as well. To make it even more sumptuous, seafood such as prawns, squid and white fish will make the taste more robust. On lazy days, a hearty soup makes the best meal.

Dish: Minestrone Soup

Ingredients
- Onions
- Tomato
- Carrot
- Celery
- Cod Fish Bone
- Lee Kum Kee Garlic Prawn Sauce
- Optional: Other vegetables e.g sweet corns, leeks, potatoes, or seafood such as prawns for a more hearty soup.

 Directions
1) Dice all the ingredients.
2) Bring the water to a boil.
3) Put in all the vegetables and let it boil for 20 minutes.
4) Put in 2 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee Sauce for Tomato Garlic Prawns. (You may put more if you want to make it more flavourful)
5) Simmer for another 10 minutes or more for a thicker broth.

Lee Kum Kee
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeeKumKeeGlobal
Website: http://singapore.lkk.com/en/Kitchen

Written and Photography By Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. 

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh 榕城(新民路)肉骨茶 @ Midview City (Sin Ming Road)

Among the different style of Bak Kut Teh in Singapore, my favourite is still the Teochew Bak Kut Teh. To savour this local delicacy, one of my favourite place to visit is Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh at Midview City 榕城(新民路)肉骨茶. Don't be confused by the other Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh that is a stone throw away at Blk 22 Sin Ming Road. In fact, that is the original stall runs by Lionel's dad, Mr Lim who started the business back in 1976. Both outlets uses the same ingredients and recipe just that one is a stall in a coffeeshop while the other at Midview City is a standalone restaurant which is more spacious and offers a variety of cooked food on top of their popular teochew style bak kut teh.

Pork Rib Soup 4.5/5

Not known to many, in the earlier days no one uses the prime ribs or better known as 龙骨 (dragon bone) for their bak kut teh. It was Uncle Lim who started to use them and everyone follow suit. Nowadays the prime ribs are a priced item as the demand has increased but there are just the number of spare ribs available in each pig. Lionel shared with us that he has an open kitchen and he will cook the doneness of meat accordingly to the customer. He told us the young generations prefer their meat to be tender and fall of the bone while the older generation likes it tougher with a bite. I belong to the young group. I like my meat to be tender and my soup to be peppery. Rong Cheng bak kut teh hits the right spot for me.

Sliced Belly Meat Soup 4/5

Uncle Lim was the first to introduce the prime ribs bak kut teh. His son, Lionel inherited his entrepreneur spirit and came up with the Sliced Belly Meat Soup ($7) or what I called the sliced pork bak kut teh. This is the first in Singapore catering to the young and more health conscious crowd. The soup may not be as robust compared to the pork ribs but it has a more subtle clean flavour.

Salted Vegetable 4/5

Braised Beancurd Skin 4/5

Besides the bak kut teh, Rong Cheng also offers some side dishes to go with the delicious bak kut teh. During my visit, I got to try the Salted Vegetable ($1/$2), Braised Beancurd Skin ($1/$3) and the Liver & Kidney Soup ($6). The comforting and hearty sides are perfect to the complete the whole meal.

Liver  & Kidney Soup 4/5

Drinking tea or more correctly 功夫茶 (Gong Fu Cha) is part of the whole food heritage of bak kut teh. In the early days, after finishing the bowl of pork soup, it is refilled with tea to wash down the greasiness. As time evolved, the tradition of consuming the pork soup and drink tea becomes our modern day's Bak Kut Teh. Rong Cheng still continues this tradition servicing their bak kut teh with gong fu cha. Their tea are from one of the oldest tea merchants in Singapore, Pek Sin Choon.

If you feel intimidated by the different steps in drinking Gong Fu Cha, Rong Cheng's staff is more than willing to guide and assist it. If not, Lionel has also introduced Floral Tea to pair with bak kut teh. While the tea taste is milder, it comes with a more floral fragrance. Lionel hopes to upkeep the tradition of pairing tea with pork rib soup with a modern element to arouse the interests of the younger generation.

Besides floral tea and sliced pork belly, Lionel in recently years has also switched to using natural pork for their bak kut teh. Natural pork has no antobiotics, no medicated feed, no growth hormones and no animal protein by-products.

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh definitely is my favourite to go place for a Bak Kut Teh whenever I have a craving. The outlet at Midview City is spacious and has ample parking lots. With its extended menu offering cooked food and steamed fish, it is ideal for a family meal together or group gathering.

Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh will be taking part for the very first time in this year Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014 at Suntec Convention and Exhibition Hall 401 & 402 on 22 November 2014, 11am to 5pm. This is a fund raising event for the beneficiaries under the care of Touch Community Services regardless of race and religions. Coupons for the event can be purchase at https://www.ultimatehawkerfest.sg/. Let's do a part for charity while at the same time savour of the best bak kut teh in Singapore. See you at Ultimate Hawker Fest 2014.


Rong Cheng Bak Kut Teh
榕城(新民路)肉骨茶
Midview City
Blk 26 Sin Ming Lane
#01-117
Singapore 573971
Tel: +65 66841889
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rongchengbkt
Website: http://www.rongchengbkt.com/
Nearest MRT: Upper Thomson (TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 7am - 9pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Upper Thomson MRT station. Take Exit 1. Turn left and walk down Bright Hill Drive. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Hakata Ikkousha @ Chijmes

Having won the Ultimate Ramen Champion for two consecutive years in 2011 and 2012 in Singapore with the sales of the ramen doubling that of their closest competition in both years, it is not surprise to see Hakata Ikkousha venturing out on its own to step up its own ramen restaurant with such good report card. With the first ramen restaurant at Tanjong Pagar, Hakata Ikkousha opens their second outlet in the span of about 6 months at Chijmes bringing its celebrated cuisine to the heart of Singapore.

Free flow hard boiled eggs seem like a necessities nowadays at ramen restaurant in Singapore. If I am not wrong it was first started by Keisuke Tonkotsu King and soon many ramen shops follow suit.

Gyoza 3.5/5

Besides their popular ramen, Hakata Ikkousha does offers some sides on their menu too. While waiting for the rest of the group to arrive, we started with some gyoza and fried chicken to warm our hungry tummies. The Gyoza ($5) was pretty decent stuffed with a well flavoured meaty filling wrapped in a thin and crispy skin.

Fried Chicken 4/5

Singapore loves their fried stuff and I would have to say the Fried Chicken ($5) pieces at Hakata Ikkousha was big, tender and juicy. It will be well received by the locals.

Special Tonkotsu 4.2/5

Once everyone in the group has reached, we started with the signature ramen of Hakka Ikkousha originated from Fukuoka, Japan. First was the Special Tonkotsu ($16) that comes with four huge pieces of pork slices and three pieces of seaweed. This is luxurious in a bowl with the robust broth and thin springy noodles. The creamy broth was simmered over a low heat for over 12 hours. I was told that during the boiling of the broth, the pork bones were actually changed in the process, a Ikkousha's secret. Well it is no secret anymore.

Black Tonkotsu 4.5/5

A favourite of mine at Hakka Ikkousha is the Black Tonkotus ($13.5). I like the aroma of the black sesame with the slurping good noodles. I was pleasantly surprised by the harmonious combination of black sesame with the tonkotsu broth. In fact, I thought it further enhanced the whole body of the broth.

Spicy Tonkotsu 4.2/5

To suit the local's love of spice, Hakata Ikkousha has introduced the Spicy Tonkotsu ($13.5). To be frank I was skeptical about it because usually Japanese spice is not hot at all. However, I have to say the bowl of spicy tonkotsu has made the mark with its spiciness that will be liked by locals.

With all the inflood of ramen chains to the shore of Singapore, Hakata Ikkousha will be one of top in my lists for a comforting bowl of ramen with its robust broth, thin and springy noodles. No wonder it has won the votes of the locals and being crowned champion for two consecutive years.


Hakata Ikkousha
Chijmes
30 Victoria Street
#01-07
Singapore 187996
Tel: +65 63388460
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hakataikkousha.singapore
Website: http://www.ikkousha.com/
Nearest MRT: Bras Basah (CC Line), City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 1130am - 10pm
Sun: 1130am - 9pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Cut across Raffles City Shopping Centre to Bras Basah Road. At the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road, cross the road to Chijmes. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Bras Basah MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk southwards towards Victoria Road. At the junction of Bras Basah Road and Victoria Road, cross the junction to Chijmes. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Pontini @ Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel

It is all about Italian with the first ever Italian Buffet at Pontini, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. Starting from 04 October 2014, Chef Daniele Sarno of Pontini unveils a sparkling new Italian buffet featuring a plethora of antipasti, breads, soup, main courses and desserts from various regions in Italy.

Pizza 4/5

What is Italian buffet without their staple Pizza and Pasta isn't it? The pizza and pasta are done a la minute. The Pizza comes in three bases, Tre Porcellini, Vegetarian and Margarita with up to 21 different topping choices. My advice is to place your order to the kitchen and help yourself to the spread of antipasti, bread and soup first while waiting for the pizza to be served.

Pizza 4/5

I do not like my pizza to be crowded with ingredients so I am content to have only two to three toppings. Biting into the thin crust pizza, the first thing that hit my palate is the taste of fresh tomatoes. This itself already won me. Nothing beats the taste of freshness.

Tagliolini Genovese style basil pesto sauce 4.2/5

Moving on to pasta section, one has a choice of Tagliolini, Penne and Tagliatelle. There are 5 different styles of cooking you can opt for. They are Aglio Olio and sweet chilli, Fresh tomato fondue with basil, Roman style carbonara, Wild mushroom, pancetta, pine nuts and parmesan cheese and Genovese style basil pesto sauce.

Tagliatelle Wild mushroom, pancetta, pine nuts and parmesan cheese 4.2/5

Like the pizza, the pasta are also cooked a la minute. The pasta were also freshly made from the kitchen and cooked to a nice al dente bite. Once again the essence of simplicity and the used of fresh ingredients of Italian cuisine is clearly demonstrated in the plate.

Piedomont Style Braised Beef Brisket 4/5

It is a buffet so we can't just stop at pizza and pasta. There are three different mains available on the menu for selection too. It is a buffet so we tried all the three items. We started with the Piedomont Style Braised Beef Brisket on top a bed of potato fondant in herbs gravy. The beef brisket was beautifully cooked under it literally melted in the mouth. It also carried a rich and robust flavour that was cleverly balanced by the potato fondant.

Chicken thigh Diavola 4.5/5

The Chicken Thigh Diavola with tomato sauce, spicy capsicum and dry oregano was my favourite among the three mains. The tender chicken with the fresh tomato sauce worked marvelously on my palate. I think I will gladly eat anything that is served to me using the fresh tomato sauce.

Oven Baked Norwegian Salmon Mignon 4/5

From the land we moved to the sea with the Oven Baked Norwegian Salmon Mignon in Pistachio Crust. The pistachio was hardly noticeably but it did give the pinkish salmon an extra layer of texture.

Of course every buffet comes with a spread of sweetness to end the feast on a sugar rush. Indulge in a selection of desserts after a journey through the different antipasti, breads, soup, pizza, pasta and mains to end the Italian feast on a sweet note.

Stracciatella & Ricotta Cannoli 4/5

There was even a live station that made my Stracciatell and Ricotta Cannoli

The Italian Buffet is priced at $48++ per person. It is only available on Saturday and public holidays from 12pm to 4pm.


Pontini
Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel
Level 2
392 Havelock Road
Singapore 169663
Tel: +65 62331100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GrandCopthorneWaterfrontHotel
Website: http://www.millenniumhotels.com.sg/grandcopthornewaterfront/dining/pontini.html
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Italian Buffet: 12pm - 4pm (Sat and PH)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Tiong Bahru Plaza (Stop ID 10169). Take bus number 123. Alight 4 stops later. Walk to junction of Havelock Road and Kim Seng Road. Cross the junction and turn left. Walk to destination. Journey about 15 minutes. [Map]

Shima @ Goodwood Park Hotel

I felt a bit embarrass when I realized that Shima is actually located at Goodwood Park Hotel. Having been to Goodwood Park Hotel on several occasions, I have not noticed the existence of the restaurant until my recent visit. Shima is established since 1980. It has re-opened recently after a month long renovation with a refreshed new look.

4 Kinds of Sashimi Moriwase 4.8/5

While waiting for our Sukiyaki dinner, we started with some sashimi and sushi. The 4 Kinds of Sashimi Moriwase ($45) comes with an assortment of raw fish. The platter of tuna, sea bream, yellow tail and salmon belly which were beautifully sliced that literally melted in the mouth with its buttery sweetness.

10 Kinds of Sushi Moriawase 4.5/5

Moving on we had 10 Kinds of Sushi Moriawase ($75), the exquisite platter of sushi with its fragrant rice were well balanced in terms of portion and flavour.

Although Shima is know for its Teppanyaki, Shima is also well loved for its Sukiyaki with a choice of US Ribeye ($80), Australian Wagyu ($110) and Japanese Wagyu ($170) that comes with appetisers, mixed vegetables, steamed rice/zosui rice soup and seasonal fruits.

Sukiyaki 4.2/5

Having tried several sukiyaki elsewhere, this is the first time that I have a waiting staff cooking our sukiyaki for us. Usually we will get a pot of soup and throw all the ingredients inside. At Shima, the waiting staff will actually cook the vegetables first to get the flavours out before the delicious broth is poured into the pot.

US Ribeye

For our sukiyaki, we had the US Ribeye. Additional servicing of the beef comes at an additional cost, US Ribeye ($60), Australian Wagyu ($90) and Japanese Wagyu ($150).

After trying out the sukiyaki at Shima, it definitely set a high standard in my future experience. The excellent soup plus the premium ingredients together with the attentive service, I can sit back, relax and enjoy my meal to the fullest.


Shima
Goodwood Park Hotel
22 Scott Road
Level 1
Singapore 228221
Tel: +65 67346281
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShimaRestaurantSingapore
Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down Scotts Road to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]