Ikan Bilis (dried anchovies) Stock recipe

When I want a tasty soup but don't have the time to make chicken stock, I turn to this ikan bilis stock recipe. Unlike chicken stock that requires 1-2 hours of boiling, this stock only needs 30 minutes of boiling time.

This is fantastic as a soup base for steamboat and other soup dishes, or to be added for cooking whenever stock is required.

I got these tea filter bags from Daiso and they are great to put the ikan bilis in and discard after boiling. This saves me the hassle of removing all those black residue left behind by the ikan bilis.

But if you don't have them, just pour the stock through a sieve after boiling.




Ikan Bilis (dried anchovies) Stock

Ingredients:

100g ikan bilis (dried anchovies)
1 inch ginger - bruised
2 litres water
salt

Instructions:
  1. Rinse ikan bilis then put them into tea filter bags (I used 4)
  2. Bring water to boil in a soup pot, add ikan bilis and ginger
  3. Simmer for 30 minutes
  4. Discard ikan bilis and ginger
  5. Add salt to taste
  6. This can be used immediately or stored in the fridge when cooled

Comments

Post a Comment

You might also like:

Braised Chicken Pumpkin and Mushroom Chinese recipe

Image
Pumpkin is very versatile and can be cooked in many different ways. Whether it is roasted or stewed or stir-fried, it always tastes fantastic. On top of that, pumpkin is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. I love pumpkin and always stock up on them whenever I do my grocery shopping. Pumpkin is so rich tasting that I don't need to put all sorts of seasoning to make it flavoursome. A little soy sauce is all I need to bring out the lovely flavour of this dish. Braised Chicken Pumpkin and Mushroom Ingredients: 500g boneless chicken thighs - cut to bite-size pieces 500g pumpkin - cut to bite-size pieces 100g shitake mushrooms - quartered 3 cloves garlic - minced 2 shallots - minced salt and pepper 1 tbsp. light soy sauce spring onions Instructions: Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat, add garlic and shallot, fry till fragrant Toss in chicken, season with salt, pepper, and light soy sauce, fry till browned (about 5 mins) Add pumpk
Keep reading

Taipei - Shopping at Wufenpu and eat street food at Raohe night market

Image
If you are looking for some crazy bargain shopping, head to Wufenpu. Wufenpu Commercial Area is a huge garment wholesale area. Shops after shops line the streets and the numerous small side streets here. They do mainly wholesale, but would be happy to do retail as well. There is an incredibly large selection of clothes, shoes, accessories for women, men and kids. Plenty of Korean and Japanese style clothes and accessories, sportswear and sports shoes, and undergarments too. If you love shopping, you can easily spend half the day here. Most shops are open from 2-3pm till late. For real bargains, spend time looking through the bargain racks and rummaging through the bags on the floors. Most items there were NT$100 (less than SG$5!) The clothes they put up on the walls and those without price tags are their newer collection and are not cheap. Some shops allow a little bargaining but probably around 10-20% only. When I was there, most of the shops were
Keep reading

Mak Nyonya Beef Rendang Sauce review recipe

Image
Hubby has an aunt who is an incredible cook. Every now and then she would invite us all to her house to have a meal where she would cook up a storm of classic Indonesian fare. Beef rendang is one of her specialties. She told me it required at least 14 different spices pounded in the mortar and pestle to make it! It definitely is not an everyday dish. Unfortunately I don't have the time nor the skill to make my own rendang spices from scratch. When my craving for some Indonesian food strikes, I check out our local supermarkets to try out the different sauces and spices available. Today I am using Mak Nyonya Beef Rendang sauce. This sauce gives an authentic rendang flavour, very rich and aromatic! You can use either beef or chicken, simply fry it with the sauce, add coconut milk and simmer. I opted to fry some garlic, shallot and chilli first to make it even more fragrant but this step is optional. This rendang sauce is very easy to make and bursting with flavour. Thu
Keep reading

Kids Craft - Folded Paper Drawings

Image
Following the fun the little brother had with his growing caterpillar  drawing, the 2 older brothers quickly made their own versions. This was their idea but I had to draw it as it was tricky to get the proportion just right. All is not what it seems in the sea... The rest were drawn by the 2 of them. Psyduck that turned into alien. Hidden family. And if I have to pick one FAVOURITE, it will have to be this one below!! Lol. 💙
Keep reading

Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park Pond Gardens and Playground - Nature with Kids

Image
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is one of the largest parks in Singapore, with an area of 62-hectare. It has been said that sightings of wild-life, particularly wild otters and monitor lizards, are common here. Of course, spotting these wild animals are not guaranteed, but we decided to try our luck anyway. Armed with this map that we printed off the Internet, we decided to explore the west side of the park known as the Pond Gardens. Shaded by dense greenery, the well-maintained tracks are ideal for jogging and cycling, or simply a leisurely stroll with the kids. We walked along the river banks, which were surrounded with colourful flowers and foliage. It was indeed peaceful and picturesque! We saw some families with their buckets and nets, doing some longkang fishing too. Great idea for when we come back the next time! Nature lovers will enjoy this park as the lush greenery and unique waterways provide a wide array of interesting flora and fauna.  We conti
Keep reading

Minced (Pork) Meat Balls with Enoki Mushroom Soup recipe

Image
Flavourful juicy meat balls, chewy enoki mushrooms and healthy greens, mixed in tasty home-made stock. A bowl of yummy goodness all in one pot! This soup is very hearty and fulfilling, and so easy to put together. Start by making the ikan bilis stock , which takes just about 30 minutes. While the stock is boiling, prepare the meat balls using the same recipe as my  pork and shrimp wontons . And chop up some veggies to add into the soup. I like to use Chinese wong bok as they are slightly crispy and sweet tasting. Bring all to a boil in one pot and you are done! Minced Pork Balls with Enoki Mushroom Soup Ingredients: Ikan bilis stock 150g enoki mushrooms - trim the ends and separate to small bunches ½ head Chinese wong bok - cut to bite-size pieces Mince pork ball mixture: 200g mince pork 100g frozen shrimps - finely chopped 4 pcs shitake mushroom - minced 2 tbsp. light soy sauce 1 tbsp. sesame oil 1 tbsp. oyster sauce 1 egg 2 tbsp. plain flour
Keep reading

Thermal Cooker Beef and Pumpkin Stew recipe

Image
I am always looking for ways to make cooking simpler and less time-consuming. Who likes to spend hours slaving over the hot stove in our sunny island... definitely not me. But I still want hearty, delicious, wholesome meals for the whole family. So here comes my favourite thermal cooker to the rescue. I have been using my thermal cooker a lot lately. It is perfect for making soups and stews. One of the greatest features of the thermal cooker is that it is an amazing one pot wonder. I can brown the meat, saute the vegetables, then add in all the liquid right in one pot. When I come back after a good 6-8 hours, what I have is a rich, warm, thick stew that smells divine. Perfect for any busy mum! If you don't have a thermal cooker, you can use a slow cooker instead. Always choose beef that has a good amount of marbling for stews. These have collagen-rich connective tissues that break down after many hours of cooking and become meltingly tender. My boys call them jelly and
Keep reading

CNY Chinese New Year Craft Ang Pow Lantern

Image
I made more CNY decorations over the weekend. There's something about creating something with my hands that makes life fun. And therapeutic! These are my ang pow wheels of fortune. My little one insists that they are flowers and not wheels. They do look like flowers from below. I made 3 of them as I happen to have 3 sets of these ang pow packets in different colours. Since we are learning about lucky/unlucky numbers , 3 is also considered a lucky number in Chinese as it sounds similar to "birth" (sheng) in Chinese. There are 3 important stages in a person's life: birth, marriage and death. Chinese culture stresses upon family and children so this number is seen in a positive light. These ang pow packets are horizontal so they are great folded in half with the pictures still visible. I used 10 ang pow packets for each lantern. Fold them in half. Put 2 ang pow packets together and staple them, on the top and the bottom, somewhere in the m
Keep reading

Crispy Fried Enoki Mushroom Fritter recipe

Image
Look at how crispy this fritter is! My kids were amazed when I told them they were made of mushrooms. I first had this in a Chinese restaurant some time back. They were so delicious and addictive. I've finally got a chance to try my hand at making them at home and I am very satisfied with the result. These mushroom fritters don't taste like mushrooms at all. Enoki mushroom can be a little chewy when stir fried, but deep frying makes them very crunchy - just like crackers. So yummy and fun to eat! Crispy Fried Enoki Mushroom Fritter Ingredients: 150g enoki mushroom - cut off roots and separate into small bunches To make batter: 5 tbsp. plain flour 1 egg salt and pepper 3 tbsp. water Instructions: Mix flour, salt, pepper, egg in a large mixing bowl, then add water bit by bit until the batter is runny Heat cooking oil in a frying pan for deep frying Add enoki mushrooms bunches by bunches into the batter until evenly coated Separate using
Keep reading