Even Simpler Soup

Remember I introduced "Tomato with Cabbage (娃娃菜)" earlier? This cabbage is a versatile vegetable too, can be either stir-fried or cooked in soup (same as tomato, which I use quite often both in stir-fry and soup dishes). If you don't feel like heating up your wok, or want to have something light, try this!

Ingredients:

• one packet cabbage （娃娃菜）, about 300g
• water or soup stock, about 250ml

Seasoning:

• quarter teaspoon salt
• dash of sesame oil
• dash of pepper

Method:

• clean cabbage & cut into appropriate size
• when water is boiling, add seasoning
• add cabbage, cook for about 3 to 5 minutes

Simple? It's also good as a complement to other "heavier" dishes :-)

This is a very basic soup recipe. As usual, you could add other ingredients or seasoning sauces to make the dish more interesting.

Meat Patties

After you make the meat patties, either steam them or pan-fry them, depending on your taste & preference.

Ingredients:

• minced meat (I used pork, you can choose your preferred meat), about 300 g

Seasoning:

• half teaspoon salt
• half teaspoon sugar
• quarter teaspoon pepper
• one tablespoon soya sauce
• half teaspoon sesame oil
• one tablespoon corn flour

Method:

• combine minced meat & seasoning, mix well, let stand for 10 minutes
• take a heaped tablespoon of meat and roll into a ball between your palms, then press lightly to flatten, continue for all, making about 12 small patties
• if you prefer it pan-fried, heat one-and-a-half tablespoon of oil in a wok or frying pan, fry on both sides, approximately 5 minutes each side
• if you prefer the steamed version, put the patties in a plate & place them in a steamer when the water is boiling, cook for about 10 minutes

Other than using different cooking methods (maybe you can try deep frying?), you could also experiment with varying the seasoning or adding other ingredients (eg carrot) to get the flavour & texture you like.

Lady's Finger with Fishball

Usually I see lady's fingers cooked with chilli or dried shrimps or curry. This is something light which I improvised because my mum gave me some fishballs and it's more suitable for my son too.

Ingredients:

• one big packet of lady's fingers, about 200g I think, anyway my packet contained about 25 stalks :-), cut into slanted slices
• ten cooked fishballs, cut into quarters
• one tablespoon of crushed & minced garlic
• one tablespoon of oil for stir-frying

Seasoning:

• one tablespoon of salted soya bean sauce (豆酱)

Method:

• heat wok, add oil, swirl to coat
• add garlic, stir-fry until fragrant, about half a minute
• add lady's fingers and salted soya beans, stir-fry on high heat for about 2-3 minutes
• add fish balls and a little hot water for a dish moist with some gravy, stir-fry another minute or until water boil
• ladle & serve

You could try varying the ingredients or seasoning sauces to get a different dish.

Tomato with Cabbage (娃娃菜)

This is a fast-to-prepare stir-fry dish, which is also quite appetizing because of the tangy taste of tomato.

Ingredients:
- one packet of cabbage (娃娃菜), about 3 clusters or 300 g
- three tomatoes
- a clove of garlic, minced, approx 1 teaspoon
- one tablespoon of oil for stir-frying

Basic Seasoning:
- one tablespoon soy sauce
- one tablespoon oyster sauce

Method:
- wash & rinse cabbage, cut into appropriate length
- wash tomatoes, cut into thick slices (ie about 8 pieces per tomato)
- heat wok, add oil, add garlic, stir-fry till fragrant
- add tomatoes, stir-fry on high heat for a short while
- add cabbage, stir-fry on high heat
- add soy sauce to the side of the wok
- add oyster sauce to the centre, add about100ml water
- stir-fry till cabbage is cooked, cover it for a short while, then serve

Tips:
- seasoning suggested is the most basic. You could add a little salt, sugar, pepper, corn flour mixture according to your preference
- stir-fry carefully moving contents in the wok from the bottom to the top etc, and don't cook for too long. The tomatoes should still be "in shape" and not broken into a mess, haha.

Stir-Fry Cauliflower with Carrot

This is a simple vegetable dish.

Ingredients:
-one "ball" of cauliflower, about 450 gram
-one carrot
-a tablespoon of chopped garlic
-a tablespoon of oil for stir-frying

Seasoning:
-a tablespoon of mushroom sauce (or oyster sauce)
-a tablespoon of light soy sauce
-a teaspoon of salt
-a dash of pepper

Method:
-wash the cauliflower & carrot
-separate the cauliflower into "florets"
-peel & cut the carrot into shapes of stars (or just cut into thin slices)
-heat wok, add a tablespoon oil, stir-fry garlic about a minute, til fragrant
-add carrot & cauliflower, stir-fry for about 5 minutes
-add seasonings & some water, stir-fry for another minute
-cover & cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, until tender

Tips:
-I tend to cook it this long because I prefer it soft, you can cut cooking time for a more "crunchy" texture

Serve it with rice and other dishes. Enjoy your simple healthy food!