Fish Paste and Egg "pancakes"

I love eating fish balls, squid balls, beef balls etc, but I was never very fond of eating fish paste by just cooking it as is.
Even though fish balls is made from the paste, when the manufacturing companies make the balls, they add more things into it to make it springy rather then soft.
So if we have fish paste lying around, I would cook it with something rather then eat it on it's own.

This "pancake" is a nice way to change the texture of the paste and adds flavour to it.

Ingredients
Half a tub of Fish Paste
3 Eggs
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of white pepper powder (to taste)
1/8 tsp of salt



Directions
1. Use a fork and stir the fish paste to mix it up and break it loose
2. Scramble the eggs, add the white pepper and salt to it
3. Add the egg very very little at a time to the fish paste in it's container. Mix well after every addition.
You'll probably want to add about half an egg every time you add and mix or else it'll be very hard to mix.
If you find that it's not mixing very well because you poured too much egg, do a folding motion to help incorporate some of the egg and keep folding until you're at a point that you can stir to mix well.

4. Once all the Egg is incorporated, heat up your pan to medium heat.
I used my cast iron griddle and I was able to cook everything at once.
5. Oil the pan and pour the mixture like you're cooking pancakes onto the pan.
They should be able 3 bite sizes.
6. Cook them like you would pancakes, wait for 1 side to set (you can tell by the edge), then flip it over
7. They will expand when you cook, brown both sides nicely and you're done!
:)

Tip: I like using the container to mix as I find it easier, if you start with a full container and need to use a bowl, find one that is similar size to the container. If you use a big bowl it's actually harder to mix.

Rice Water

The first day of spring has just past. Meaning it's about that time to start your seedlings indoors so you can be ready when frost disappears.
I don't like gardening because of the weeds, so I try to grow things indoor.
We have various house plants around and my basil plants seemed to have survived through the winter.

I don't like using chemicals to nutrients but organic stuff is so expensive. But over time, you need to refuel your soil to help your plants grow.

We got this tip about rice water from my aunt and tried it out.
The results were pretty amazing. Our Christmas cactus that use to bloom once a year started blooming every couple of months after we started giving it rice water.

So you might be wondering what's rice water and where can I get it.
When I say rice water, i'm actually referring to the water you drain away from your rice after you wash your rice.
Typically, you would wash your rice before cooking it. When you swirl the water around when washing the rice it comes cloudy and white. And that water is usually poured down the drain.
So now instead of getting rid of all that water, I now use it to water the plants around the house.

Just be careful and check if your plant likes basic or acidic environment before you do it.

This is pretty amazing considering it's at no extra cost and we use to just pour it down the drain.

Homestyle Cream of Corn with Fish Maw Soup (魚肚)

This is a super fast soup that you can make in less then 30 mins.
It honestly only really needs the cream of corn, water and Fish Maw but at my house, we typically add a couple more items.

What is Fish Maw (魚肚)?
When I say the word in Chinese and translate it directly to English, it's "Fish Stomach". But it's not the stomach. It's actually part of the fish that allows it to float.
It has a spongy texture, sort of like tofu that you freeze and find it full of wholes after.
If I didn't tell you what Fish Maw is, you would probably think it's some sort of tofu product :)

Here's the package of Fish Maw that I usually get.

This will make enough soup for more than 10 bowls of soup.

Homestyle Cream of Corn with Fish Maw Soup (魚肚)

Makes 1 medium size pot Prep Time 10 mins cook time 15-20 mins

Ingredients

• 2 Cans of Cream of Corn
• 2 Cans of Water
• Half a package of defrosted Fish Maw (177g)
• Several Slices of Ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp of Salt
• 1 Egg (scrambled)
• 1 package of Firm or "Old" Tofu (Optional)

Direction

1. Open the 2 cans of Cream of Corn and pour it into a pot on top of the stove top.
2. Turn on the heat to high.
3. Use the Cans to measure out the 2 cans of water. Use a chopstick to stir the water in the can to get all remaining corn in the can loose. Pour it into the pot.
4. Rinse the Fish Maw under water and squeeze out all the water before cutting it to bite size pieces
5. If you are going to add Tofu, now is the time to open the package, rinse it and cut it into cubes.
6. Once the Corn mixture comes to a boil, add the Fish Maw and Tofu
7. Let the soup cook for ~5 mins or so once it comes to a boil.
8. Crack an egg and scramble it.
9. Add salt to the soup.
10. Use a ladle or chopsticks to stir the soup and pour in the egg.
11. By mixing the soup when you pour in the scramble egg, it will make 蛋花 ("Egg Flower"). The wisp of eggs add a nice look.
12. Make sure the soup is still at a boil and then turn off the heat because you're done!!

Super easy and super fast. :)
Enjoy!