250g  (2cups) plain self-raising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

20-40g (1/8 to 1/4 cup) sugar

Wet ingredients /B:

2 eggs

60ml (1/4 cup) oil

188ml (3/4 cup) fresh milk

100g (1-1.5 cups) fresh corn kernels

125ml (0.5cups) of cooked oats

Corn Oat Muffins, just out of the oven

1. Sift (A) flour, salt and sugar in mixing bowl.

2. Beat all the wet ingredients (C) together.

3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, and slowly pour the wet mixture in, alternating with the corn and cooked oats. Stir to combine at the same time.

4. Preheat oven at 200°C. Grease the tin or pour the batter into paper muffin cups. Bake for around 30mins.

Makes 15 muffins.

Alternatives: Substitute 0.5 cup of flour for 0.5 cup of cornmeal.

Rice noodles (Bee Hoon)

Garlic, chopped

Prawn, shelled

Squid

Chye Sim

(Measurements not shown as you can decide how much you like to use.)

1. Soak the rice noodles in water to soften it. Oil the wok and fry the drained noodles quickly. Add light soy sauce and toss.

2. Fry garlic till fragrant. Add in prawns and squid. Remove from the wok and set aside.

3. Next fry chye sim, and add a little water to cook it and prevent it from drying up. Add in the fried garlic, prawns and squid.

4. Add in the bee hoon and mix well.

Note: Step 1, the noodles need to be tossed quickly to prevent them from getting burnt. If you are not able to handle the fire, turn it down. This method is used by zhi char chefs as well, only that they may add more soy sauce, and use dark soy sauce.

(A)

15 shallot bulbs, peeled and diced

5 garlic bulbs

2 slices of tumeric (fresh yellow ginger)

3 stalks of lemon grass (ends only, note: keep the stalks for brushing)

100g Chilli

(B)

1/2 piece balachan

2 teaspoons of salt

1/2 cup of sugar

1 piece of assam, soaked in 4 bowls of water

600g peanut, roughly grinded

1/2 bowl fried sesame seeds

Fry the satay sauce

1. Grind (A) and fry till fragrant.

2. Add (B), lower heat and stir till mixture boils and thickens.

Herbs: Dan Shen, Bei Qi, Wolfberry, Egg (u can keep the shells on if you want. Dried egg shells ate used in some TCM prescription)

Steam bean curd wrap

Ingredients:

Bean curd skin

Seaweed

Chinese cabbage (Bak choy)

Minced pork (or other meat if you wish)

Seasoning: Sesame oil

Preparation:

1. Soak the bean curd skin in water for 15mins if it is too salty.

2. Mix the minced meat with sesame oil.

3. Each package is made out of one sheet of seaweed, one piece of cabbage, and 1-2 tablespoons of minced meat, wrapped together in the bean curd skin. First, lay the bean curd skin. Then lay the seaweed. Next is a leave of cabbage, and finally minced meat in the centre.

4. Seal the package by folding it like a present. Lay them side by side on your steaming dish to prevent them from opening. Put it over boiling water and steam. Serve hot.

Ingredients:
250g unsalted butter
200 g sugar
5 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons water
6 large bananas, mashed
100g walnuts, crushed
500g self-raising flour, sifted

Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C and line a cake tin with grease-proof paper.

Beat the butter with the sugar usign an electric mixer until smooth and creamy (See A).

(See B) Mix the water with the beaten egg. Add the beaten egg, water and mashed bananas to the creamed mixture. Add a bit of flour if the mixture curdles.

Fold in the sifted flour (See C). Do not over-mix. Pour the batter into the loaf tins and bake at 200 deg C for 1hr, until the skewer comes out clean (See D).

Allow the cake to cool in its tin before cutting (See E). Cake can be refrigerated for a week if not eaten immediately.

Alternatively, filled the batter into muffin cups to make banana muffins. Bake at 200 deg C for 30mins.