Experiment 22: Weird Soup - Chicken in Beef Flavor

Prelab:
When you look at the fridge and find that it's near empty when it comes to seasonings, you just toss in whatever and improvise with what you have. Ma mere's idea was puzzling, but I thought it was fun to try. I probably I got my good sense of improvisation from her. Mon pere is the exact opposite though, for he usually sticks with the long-and-tested method when it comes to cooking. I say "usually" because on some occasions, he tries other things too.

Date Performed: January 15, 2011

Ingredients:
~1/3 Chicken meat strips
1 Beef Cube (for beef stock)
120 g Local spinach leaves
400 g Tofu, cubed
1 tsp Soy sauce
pepper
*water (~2 cups)

Preparation:
Heat pot in medium flame. Pour a small amount of water just enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Add thinly sliced chicken strips. Cook sides for about 3 minutes until chicken meat turns white. Add water. Dissolve 1 beef cube and mix. Add soy sauce to taste. Put the tofu and cook for about 7 minutes. Add pepper to taste midway while cooking the tofu. Mix occasionally and cover.

When done, turn off the flame. Add the spinach leaves and mix gently. Serve.

* Add desired amount of water for soup.

Post-lab:
Unexpectedly tastes good! (Well, it's good for sick people who don't have chicken stock.) Ma mere wants to add sesame oil on her soup though. Mine's fine without.

The next morning, ma mere did a remake of the leftover soup by adding pechay leaves. I didn't like the remake because the new flavor from the leaves brings a sharp, bitter contrast to the previous taste.

Experiment 21: Chicken in Char Siu Sauce

Prelab:
When ma mere cooks or prepares the food for cooking, she doesn't weigh anything. She just looks at it, then tells me that we can taste and adjust. So I'll just approximate the amount. I was helping out in the kitchen when she decided to watch me instead and leave me to do it.

This dish is good for two people.

Date Performed: January 12, 2011

Ingredients:
Chicken (~500 g)
Broccoli (~300 g)
Char Siu Instant Sauce, 50 g
*Water (~240 mL, or 1 cup)
Garlic, 3 small cloves

Preparation:
Heat a minimal amount of oil in frying pan. Sautee garlic. Stir-fry chicken for about 5 minutes or until chicken color turns white. Lower heat and use medium flame. Pour chia siu sauce and water. Mix. Add in broccoli. Serve after about 2 minutes.

* Add enough water for the desired amount of soup.

Post-lab:
It was great. Guess the sauce did the trick.

Experiment 20: Scrambled Egg + Canned Tuna

Prelab:
When there's nothing to eat and you eat twice a day instead of the usual thrice...

...one of the quickest egg dish is a scrambled egg.

Nothing to it, except I tried a twist for the first time. I've heard ma mere do it before, but I haven't seen it. Anyway, it's theoretically possible to use the tuna oil from the can to fry eggs.

This dish serves is good for two people with small appetites.

Date Performed: January 6, 2011

Ingredients:
2 small eggs
1 small canned tuna flakes (hot and spicy) in oil

Preparation:
Open canned tuna. Pour oil on frying pan. Heat pan under moderate flame (for about 1 minute). Beat 2 eggs and put on frying pan. Cook and flip egg occasionally (for about 2 minutes). Add the tuna flakes. Mix for about 1 minutes. Serve.

Post-lab:
When it's done, it's done. I didn't add salt or any other spices, but the canned oil and tuna flakes speak for themselves. Tastes okay.