Vegetable Fritter (Bakwan Sayur)

It reminds me of my elementary school activity, when the teacher taught us to cook for the very first time. This food was one of what we made at that time. It was a lot of fun!

Ingredients:
- 2 carrots, peel off the skin, wash, cut into matches shape
- 150gr beans sprout, wash
- 200gr shrimp, peel off the skin and discard tail
- 3 green onion, chop thinly
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 4 cloves of small red onion
- 2 chili paddy/bird's eye chili
- 4 candle nuts
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
- 1Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- salt
- sugar
- wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- water
- oil for frying

In a blender, blend garlic, onion, chili, candle nuts, shrimp paste and shrimp (or you may just cut the shrimp into small pieces) until smooth. Put it in a big bowl, add some water, coriander, salt, sugar, pepper, and veggies (carrot, beans sprout and green onion) and flour. Mix it well. Taste it and adjust with salt, pepper and sugar. Add eggs and mix it well again until the consistency is good for dough.
Mount the dough using two spoons and deep fry it until brownish.

Note: you may add some other vegetable, such as: shredded cabbage, corn, etc.

Luffa and Vermicelli Soup (Sayur Oyong)

I rarely can find Luffa in Montreal, but last Sunday when we went shopping at an Asian store, I found it. I bought and decided to make this soup.

Ingredients:
- 2 Luffa (Indonesian-Oyong/Gambas), peel off the hard skin, wash and cut into 1cm in thickness
- 3 carrot, peel off the skin, wash and cut into 1cm in thickness
- 200gr shrimp, peel off the skin and tail, cut into 3 each
- 300gr meatballs, cut into 3 each
- 2 eggs
- vermicelli noodle
- 6 cloves of garlic, peel, chop thinly
- 1 chicken broth cube
- salt
- pepper
- sugar
- water
- oil for saute

In a pan, saute chopped garlic until brownish. Add shrimp and continue to cook until it turn red. Add meatballs and cook until done. Add some water, continue to cook until boiling. Add chicken broth cube. Put in the carrot and then luffa and then vermicelli. At the end drop the eggs and stir it instantly. Adjust the taste with salt, sugar and pepper.

Apple and Avocado Puree

This is another baby food which Bianca loves to eat. On the picture , the apple was not shown. You may give it to your baby since they are 5-6mo old (depend on their readiness of eating solid foods).

Ingredients:
- 2 Red delicious apple, peel, wash, discard the core and cut into small chunk
- 2 medium sized-ripe avocado (not too soft)
- water or juice (pear or apple juice for baby)

Cook the cut apple in a small pot with a little bit of water or baby juice, until it is soft. Cut the avocado in the middle (see above picture). Scoop out the yellow part of the avocado and put it in a blender. Add the cooked apple and juice too. Blend until smooth. Serve it directly or keep it in small containers and place it in the fridge or freezer for long-term use.

Garlic Bread

Recently I am addicted to garlic bread. so the other day I tried to make it myself and it turned out to be very crunchy and yummy. I likeeeeeeeyyyyy....

Ingredients:
- Italian or Belgian plain bread
- "garlic plus" seasoning
- butter or margarine

Cut the bread into 2cm thickness. Spread with butter or margarine on one side. Sprinkle some "garlic plus" seasoning on top of the butter spread. Put it in the oven at 250F for app. 5min. Check occasionally until it is brownish. Take it out and serve while warm and crunchy.

Apple and Sweet Potato Puree

I have fed my baby with solid food since she was 4mo old. In Canada it is suggested that solid food is given when baby is 6mo old, considering at this age they are able to sit upright so that they would not be choking. However, I saw the sign of "ready-for-solid" in Bianca when she was 4mo old. So I started giving her very liquid cereal mixed with formula. When she was 5mo old, I started giving her various solid meal, mostly home-made. She eats almost every thing I give her, fruits, vegetables, meat, grains. This is one of her favorites.

Ingredients:
- 2 sweet potato, peel, wash and cut into small chunk
- 2 apple (Bianca likes red delicious apple), peel, discard the core, cut into small chunk
- water/juice (ex: pear or apple juice for baby)

In a small pot, put the cut sweet potato and apple. Add a little bit of water or juice. Cook until tender. Wait until it is warm and place it in a blender (pour all the water too). Blend it until smooth. Add some more water or juice if you find it difficult for the blades to rotate. Strain it with a strainer. Keep it in small containers. You may feed it directly to your baby, or mix it with baby cereal, or keep it in the fridge or freezer for long-term use.


I like to keep it in a small container, so that it is enough for one serving and would not allow microbial contamination. If you decided to freeze it, before giving it to your baby, defrost it by placing it in the fridge for a night, or you may use microwave (no more than 45seconds. Beware of the uneven heat distribution that may cause tongue/mouth burnt, always stir it evenly and longer before giving it to your baby).

Stir Fried Long Beans with Sweet Soy Sauce

Yesterday I made this meal to eat with fried steamed mackerel fish. Kinda missing home....

Ingredients:
- a bunch of long beans, wash and cut into 5cm in length
- bean sprout
- tofu, cut into small pieces, deep fry until half cooked
- 1 tomato, cut into 8
- 5 cloves of garlic, chop thinly
- 4 cloves of small red onion, chop thinly
- 5 chili paddy's or bird's eye chili, chop thinly
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (you may add more as you like)
- 4cm of galangal
- oil for saute
- water

In a pan, saute the garlic and onion until brownish. Add the chili and galangal and continue to saute for another 1 minute. Add long beans, cook until done. Add the three sauces and some water. Continue to cook until boiling. At last add the beans sprout, fried tofu and tomato.