Salmon Fish Head Soup with Tomato, Potato, and Tofu｜番茄薯仔豆腐三文魚頭湯

It has been four years since my previous post, and during this time, the world, particularly Hong Kong, has experienced unimaginable changes. My own life has also taken drastic turns, a tale that I may save for another day.

 

Even though I may have taken a step back from this blog which I once poured my heart and soul into building, my love for cooking and sharing recipes remains unwavering.

 

With the increasing demands of running two start-ups around the clock, my time in the kitchen has significantly diminished. This has led me to fall into the unhealthy cycle of eating poorly. At times, I find myself going back to my blog to find inspiration for a simple and efficient meal prep idea that can see me through the week.

And this, my friends, is precisely the reason why I launched this blog ten years ago.

 

Given my time constraints, tight budget, and desire for healthy homemade meals, efficient and simple cooking is crucial. Lately, I've fallen in love with making a particular soup that is not only nourishing and comforting, but is also remarkably easy to make. This soup serves as a satisfying and complete meal that ticks all the boxes. I make enough to feed a village (enough to last me for up to 5 meals), portioned into containers that conveniently pop straight into the microwave.

While I may currently not have the luxury to indulge in a full-blown food photography session – a process I absolutely relished but which can span days from preparation to post-production – I still wanted to share this recipe not just for my personal keepsake, but also with every one of you who, like me, yearn for a heartwarming and nutritious meal at home.

 

So now, enough talk. Let's dive straight into this incredible soup! While this wasn't a soup I regularly had growing up, it's certainly one that I am very fond of. The distinct flavor and aroma of salmon; the classic combo of potatoes and tomatoes in a broth which forms the foundation of numerous childhood meals. While one can stick to just these three main ingredients, I like to add onion, carrots, and pumpkin to further boost the natural sweetness and nutritional value of the soup, turning it into a wholesome, all-in-one meal.

Ingredients: Servings for 5
1 salmon fish head, split in the middle, gills removed

1/2 inch ginger, sliced
1 brown onion, coarsely sliced
5 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1700 ml hot water

2 potatoes

1 block firm tofu, cubed

10 black peppercorn

1 teaspoon cooking oil

Optional Add-ins:

Carrots

Pumpkin or butternut squash

Directions...

1. Use paper towels to pat the fish head dry. Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil and lightly fry ginger slices until fragrant. 

2. Add fish head, flesh side down, and salt generously. Nestle sliced onions around the fish head, gently stir to coat in oil. Let sizzle undisturbed, then carefully flip the fish head, salt, about 2 minutes on each side.

3.  Add tomato wedges and black peppercorn, pour in the hot water, cover with lid and cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes.
4. Peel and cube the potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin if using. Add to soup and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 20 minutes or more if you like your potatoes very tender and the pumpkin entirely dissolved. Add tofu and let cook for several more minutes. Enjoy!

This soup is bursting with so much flavor that no additional seasoning is necessary.Savor the tender chunks of salmon, the sweetness from onions, pumpkin, and tomatoes, and the satisfaction of treating yourself well. And, did I mention that there's minimal cleanup required?

Tried this recipe?
Share with me or leave a comment below! Tag #alvinspenthousekitchen.
Find me on Instagram @alvinckl and @alvin.penthousekitchen!

Banana Bread French Toast, Candied Walnuts and Banana Brûlée | 法式香蕉蛋糕西多士

附中文食譜

Overripe bananas? Make banana bread. Bored of plain banana bread? Make banana bread French toast! For the longest time, banana bread is the obvious solution to an over-abundance of bananas that may have past their retail prime, but now, there is a very real reason to make a loaf with all intents and purposes.

The first time I've had banana bread French toast was at a little cafe in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. The thick, golden, battered slice came topped with a generous scoop of house-made ice-cream and a crunchy nut streusel then drizzled with local honey. One bite and the rest was history. I swore this would go on the menu were I to open up a cafe one day. Even if that does not happen eventually, the fantasy lives on.

As banana bread is already naturally sweet, no additional sugar is necessary in the milk and egg batter

Brunch just got sexier: treat yourself to a heavenly brunch with this French toast with a scrumptious twist!

Switching up regular toast with banana bread adds a scrumptious twist to this weekend brunch classic. The tender, moist cake makes a wonderful canvas that soaks up the milk and egg batter, seamlessly marrying the aroma of sweet banana with the warmth of cinnamon and vanilla. It is simply heavenly pan-fried in a generous dose of butter. Now, one could opt to stop right there with just French toast with perhaps a drizzle of maple syrup, a light dusting of confectioners sugar, or a side of fresh berries. But as they say, go big or go home - why not take this up another notch?

As banana bread has a relative high moisture content, you may find that it never quite crisps up as much as stale bread when making French toast. It gives us all the more reason to pair banana bread French toast with additional toppings that bestows just that extra va-va-voom it needs.

Think sticky candied walnuts that adds an irresistible crunch and toasty flavor; and torched banana that brings a delicate smokiness to the palate.

Banana bread French toast just went from sexy to sensational. And if that still doesn't suffice? Make it a-la-mode: top it all with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. And if that still doesn't do the trick? Give it a drizzle of dark rum. That, I believe, should hit it out the ball park.

Torching not only takes away the raw edge in the banana, but also adds a tantalizing smokiness to the ensemble

Now, this may not be your typical low-calorie brunch. But let's face it - no one's exactly thinking of going on a diet when making French toast. Rather, I say, why not make each French toast count?

To make this banana bread French toast, you will need to first make banana bread. Get the recipe here (day-old banana bread is even better!):
Classic Banana Bread

Ingredients: Servings for 2
Banana Bread French Toast
4 slices banana bread, sliced 1-inch thick
1 egg
1/4 cup whole milk
Drizzle of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Quick Candied Walnuts
A palmful of walnuts (approx. 25g)
Drizzle of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon honey

Banana Brûlée
1 ripe but firm banana
Brown sugar

Directions

Banana Bread French Toast

Whisk the egg, milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a shallow dish. Dip the banana bread slices into the egg mixture, coating both sides and let soak for 1 minute on each side. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the banana bread slices to the skillet and cook until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining slices.

Quick Candied Walnuts

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Coat walnuts with oil, brown sugar, and honey. Transfer nuts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 7-8 minutes until golden and bubbling. Keep an eye on them once you smell the fragrance of roasted nuts as they burn quickly. Remove from oven and let cool to form the crunchy glaze.

Banana Brûlée

Choose firm, just-ripe bananas so they don't fall apart. Slice bananas into half-inch coins. Arrange on a heat-proof dish and sprinkle brown sugar liberally over the surfaces. Use butane torch to brûlée, moving the flame evenly back and forth over the sugar coating until caramelized.


Stack banana bread French toast and scatter candied nuts and torched banana over the top. Finish with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and some fresh berries on the side. For an extra decadent treat, add a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. Bon appétit!

What's your favorite topping on a French toast?
Share with me or leave a comment below! Tag #alvinspenthousekitchen.
Find me on Instagram @alvinckl and @alvin.penthousekitchen and follow my Facebook Fan Page!

【 法式香蕉蛋糕西多士 】

材料：
香蕉蛋糕西多士
香蕉蛋糕                     4 件，各 1 寸厚（食譜按此）
雞蛋                             1 隻
鮮奶                             60 毫升
雲尼拿香油                少量
肉桂粉                        1/4 茶匙
牛油                            15 克

糖衣烤核桃
核桃                              25 克
菜油                              少量
黃糖                              1 茶匙
蜂蜜                              1 茶匙             

焦糖火炙香蕉
香蕉                              1 隻
黃糖                              少量

做法：
香蕉蛋糕西多士 
1. 雞蛋、鮮奶、肉桂粉和雲尼拿香油加入打勻，放入淺碟中。
2. 香蕉蛋糕浸入蛋液中，每面浸約一分鐘，直至徹底吸滿蛋液。
3. 牛油放入平底鑊中煮溶，放入蛋液香蕉蛋糕，以中火半煎炸至兩面金黃，盛起。

糖衣烤核桃
1. 預熱焗爐至 220°C / 425°F。核桃跟油、黃糖和蜂蜜拌勻。
2. 轉放在鋪了烘培紙的焗盤上，焗約 7-8 分鐘。烘好取出晾凉。

焦糖火炙香蕉
1. 選用剛熟而不軟身的香蕉，切成半寸厚的圓片，鋪在耐熱的器皿上。
2. 撒上黃糖，以火槍燒至糖分融化。

在香蕉蛋糕西多士上撒上糖衣烤核桃和焦糖火炙香蕉，再隨喜好淋上蜂蜜或楓糖漿。如欲增加邪惡感，可再添加一球雲尼拿雪糕！

What's your favorite topping on a French toast?
Share with me or leave a comment below! Tag #alvinspenthousekitchen.
Find me on Instagram @alvinckl and @alvin.penthousekitchen and follow my Facebook Fan Page!

Classic Banana Bread | 香蕉蛋糕

The first thing I ever baked was a banana bread. That goes to show that making banana bread is about as easy as baking can get - so long as you have bananas that are so ripe and freckled they would have otherwise ended up in the reject pile at the supermarket.
While some people make banana bread only as a way to use up forgotten bananas, others like me routinely stake out at the quick sale corner hunting precisely for these often orphaned, blemished, and (heavily discounted) overripe bananas - for none other than to bake the most impossibly scrumptious and moist homemade banana bread. After all, banana bread is half the reason why bananas exist, right?

Over the years I have carried banana bread to the office at my first desk job; brought a slice or two to my hairdresser and bribed a security guard; shared with my fellow chirpy flight attendants during boot camp training as a new recruit; and on countless occasions served it at housewarmings, game nights, or simply as an afternoon treat. Over time, friends, neighbors, co-workers have fallen in love with this banana bread. Some even declared it a favorite.

Banana bread can be something rather ordinary, a usual suspect at coffee shops everywhere; it is so basic and so ubiquitous yet so universally loved it's almost uncanny. Abundant as they are, however, some banana bread may turn out dry, overly sweet or, worse yet, taste of artificial flavoring. What makes homemade ones extraordinary and sets it apart from commercial ones is its texture, the moist and soft crumb, the incredibly rich color and buttery aroma, and the unmistakable natural sweetness from ripe bananas.

Year after year I swear by this simple recipe, deviating only in experimentation with different combinations of sugars. I tend to gravitate towards using brown or even black sugar to imbue the cake with a rich, caramelly flavor and moisture, but also mixing in white sugar just to provide enough sweetness without overpowering the banana flavor. Using white sugar alone will produce a paler banana bread with a more single-noted flavor. The sugar amount is flexible. Most recipes call for one full cup of sugar, but I find 3/4 cup to be just perfect - or even less if you are using very, very ripe bananas or upping banana count to four.

As far as baking goes, banana bread is by far the most beginner-friendly. It is the simplest and most forgiving, especially for someone like me who detests precise measurements and flinch at the thought of baking an angel food cake. There may be plenty of ways to fancy up a good old banana bread; you can add walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips, dark rum, all of which I've tried - but some of my best bakes are the ones that were kept simple and classic. Sometimes simplicity is best (I am a bit of a purist when it comes to banana bread).

Ordinary as it may be, banana bread is surely well loved by all and oddly so it is also one of my most requested recipes from friends. This is my go-to favorite recipe for banana bread, one that I have written out on a loose piece of junk paper and which I have cherished over the years. Calling this the "best-ever" banana bread may be a bold statement, but I am here to admit it might just be the best banana bread you've ever had. It will surely make you go bananas!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup (195 g) plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large overripe bananas
1/2 cup (115 g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions...

Preheat oven at 350F/180C. Cream together the butter and sugar. Crush bananas with a fork or a masher. Add eggs and vanilla essence and combine well with the butter and sugar mixture.

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold into creamed mixture. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Do you like your banana bread plain or with nuts?
Share with me or leave a comment below! Tag #alvinspenthousekitchen.
Find me on Instagram @alvinckl and @alvin.penthousekitchen and follow my Facebook Fan Page!

 【 香蕉蛋糕 】

材料：
中筋麵粉               195 克
蘇打粉                   1 茶匙
幼鹽                        1/2 茶匙
無鹽牛油               115 克
紅糖                        110 克
砂糖                        50 克
熟透香蕉               3 條（大）
雞蛋                        2 隻
雲呢拿香油          1/2 茶匙

做法：
1. 預熱焗爐至 350F/180C。
2. 牛油放於室溫軟化，加入糖用攪拌器攪拌至均勻幼滑。
3. 香蕉放在碗裡用叉子壓成泥狀，可以保留一點顆粒口感。
4. 加入雞蛋和雲尼拿香油拌勻，然後跟牛油和糖拌勻。
5. 加入過篩後的麵粉、鹽和蘇打粉，輕輕攪拌均勻。
6. 把粉漿倒入已掃油的糕盤內，放入焗爐焗約 50-60 分鐘至金黃熟透即可。

Do you like your banana bread plain or with nuts?
Share with me or leave a comment below! Tag #alvinspenthousekitchen.
Find me on Instagram @alvinckl and @alvin.penthousekitchen and follow my Facebook Fan Page!