Garlic Chive Omelette

Garlic Chives aka Chinese Chives is the first green that will be on the ground after the long winter and it is a very welcome sight. It is a very forgiving plant which does not need much attention and a tiny patch of it, is suffice for many meals through the summer. This omelette is one of recipes using this garlic chives.

Here are some nutritional information:  they are rich in vitamin C. Chives leaves are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamin A. Garlic chives is high in carotene, thiamine, and riboflavin. Garlic chives is also rich in minerals, especially calcium and iron.was used in traditional folk medicine to treat intestinal parasites, enhance the immune system, stimulate digestion, and treat anemia.  It has long been used to treat fatigue, help control excessive bleeding, and as an antidote for ingested poisons. The leaves and bulbs are applied to insect bites, cuts, and wounds, while the seeds are used to treat kidney, liver, and digestive system problems. 

This vegetable saved my life  - when i was 2 or 3 years old, i was having a metal whisle in my mouth while i was having my bath, the whisle was tiny, like the pepermint candy which has a hole in the middle.  As soon as my mom lay me down on to the towel, oops - i swallowed the whisle.  I had to go to the doctor right away and was told that the only thing to do was to wait - yes, wait for it to come out the other end.  The most important thing was not to allow the whisle to get rusty and to do so, i have to drown in alot of cod liver oil and eat as much of this garlic chives as possible.  The whisle did come out, vegetable and all. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of garlic chives - chopped
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
oil for frying

Method:

Beat eggs with salt and pepper.

Add in the chopped chives.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan and pour in all the egg mixture to make a large omelette or fry it by spoonful into tiny patties.

Serve warm with white rice.. 
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Hong Kong Egg Tarts

I love Dim Sum and would love to go 'Yum Cha' which is our term for having a meal in the Dim Sum Restaurant, in any cities i visit.  Egg Tarts are one of the favorites to order.  The Egg Tarts served in most Dim Sum Restaurants are made with flaky pastry and they are so well baked with perfection, the pastry so light and flaky, the custard is smooth and sweet..  I have tried baking them but found it very challenging.  Have not been happy with my results and am still trying.  And, until i make some good flaky pastry egg tarts,  these Hong Kong  Egg Tarts which has shortcrust pastry, were accepted with glee by Renee,  she ate these in Hong Kong and loved them.

Ingredients:

Crust:

8 ozs all-purpose flour
2 ozs powdered/confectioner's sugar
a pinch of salt
4 1/2 ozs chilled butter - cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Custard Filling:
3 large eggs
4 ozs fine granulated sugar (take away 1 tbsp for lesser sweetness)
225 ml  hot water
3 fl ozs evaporated milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 drops of yellow yolk food coloring

 
 
 
 
 

Method:
 
To Make The Crust:
 
Put all-purpose flour, powdered sugar and salt into the food processor and pulse to mix.
 
Add in chilled cubed butter and pulse until fine breadcrumb like.
 
Add vanilla extract to beaten egg and then add into flour mixture with the machine running and stop machine as soon as the dough is formed.  Do not overmixed.
 
Remove and wrap dough with plastic wrap and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using.
 
To Make the Filling:
 
Put sugar and water in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high for 1 to 1/2 minutes and stir until sugar dissolves.
 
Add in evaporated milk, food coloring and vainlla, stir well.
 
Beat eggs lightly and add in to the above.
 
Pass through a very fine sieve, then fold a piece of kitchen towel into a strip and then run it over the top of the egg mixture to remove the bubbles.
 
Leave aside while you prepare the tarts.
 
To prepare the tarts:
 
Grease the tart moulds lightly.
 
Remove chilled dough, knead lightly and divide into small pieces(for my tart moulds, i use 3/4 oz).
 
Form dough into a tiny disk that will fit the base of the mould, then using the thumb, press dough so that it comes up the side of the mould.  Dough can be slightly higher than the mould but not too much - higher will allow more room for more filling but if too high, it will form a lip as this dough recipe is very soft.)
 
Repeat until all the tart moulds are formed.  Formed tart moulds can be kept in the fridge well wrapped until you need to bake them.
 
Preheat oven to 450 f and put the rack to the lowest rung of the oven.(Friends at sea-level can bake @ 400f)
 
Fill the formed tart moulds with egg filling to slightly lower than the rim, do not overfill.
 
Bake @ 450f for 10 mins and then lower the lower the heat to 400 f(sea-level @ 375 f) for another 15 minutes.  Baking time differs from the size of the tart moulds, so visual monitoring is important.  The crust has to be browned and the custard should not be overcooked.  The custard will puff slightly - yes slightly, then it is a sign for doneness,  you might have to remove some of the tarts which will cook faster than the rest as there are hot spots in most oven.  If  the custard puffs up and the crust is not brown enough, the oven door can be opened and left ajar for a while to lower the temperature in the oven, then it can be closed to finish the baking) 
 
Good luck and enjoy.
 
 
Serves

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Round Crimped Loaf Bread

I don't know if this bread is still available in Malaysia as this bread was my favorite.  It was there way before sliced sandwich bread and the crimp gave guide to slicing into very thin slices,  Bread of yesteryears was from cottage industry and mostly made by Hainanese (yes, the same clan who introduced the famous - Chicken Rice and Kopi(coffee)).  The bread made was white bread , tall with a lovely rounded brown top.  These bread was fantastic for making 'roti kiap' but the only set back is that this bread can taste very sour sometimes - not very consistent with the oven, which was wood fired.  Ah!  'roti kiap'  - how i miss it!!  =  2 slices of soft white bread cut into about 1 inch thick, squished(not really squished) with a grill basket and put over the charcoal stove.  Gone are the days of charcoal grilling, the bread toaster has conquered the kitchen. Oops, off track, sorry, now back to the round crimped bread -  this style of bread must be a legacy of the British and i found in the net that the moulds for this bread could be from 1800's.

Ingredients:

1 egg plus water to make 1 cup
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp powdered milk
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole meal flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Method:

Put in egg and water into bread machine bowl, then follow by the other ingredients ending with the instant yeast on top.

Select the 'dough' function and press start.

When bread is ready, remove from bowl and shape into a log - length to fit the size of the bread mould.  Lock the mould and leave bread to proof.  It will take 1 - 2 hrs depending on the weather.  To check if the bread has packed the mould, give a tap on the top of mould and it should not sound hollow.

Bake in preheated 375 f oven for 45 mins.

Remove and let it rest for 10 minutes before opening the mould.

Cool bread before slicing.

enjoy

Serves
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