HappyCall Pan (HCP) Rice Noodles with Shrimps and Vegetables

Can the HappyCall Pan (HCP) cook anything, everything ? I don't have the answer. All I can say is I am experimenting with different dishes whenever I can.


This pan is quite handy for cooking one-dish meals. It is a deep pan, so a one-dish meal cooked in it yields about 2-3 servings of food.


Rice noodles tend to stick to the pan unless fried under high heat. As I try to avoid high-heat cooking at home, the non-stick nature (ceramic diamond coating) of the HCP works really well when frying the rice noodles.

I used to avoid non-stick pans due to it often being Teflon-coated and during high-heat cooking, the released compounds such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) may be harmful when ingested.

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Stir-Fry Zucchini 清炒西葫芦

There are some ingredients that I never like in the past. Avocado was one of them. Then comes eggplant and zucchini. Gladly, these ingredients have become more acceptable to me now.

Zucchini is hardly a main ingredient in my kitchen until recently. Other than using it to make fritters, zucchini usually complements as a side in a main dish, paired with other squashes or vegetables in a soup or stew or used as a wrap.

With the bounty of zucchini this season, five zucchinis cost $1.10! How could I resist...


Did I say zucchini will be a main ingredient for today? With garlic, red chili pepper flakes, a little soy sauce and sesame oil added to Stir-Fry Zucchini 清炒西葫芦 how can this main ingredient not be a star ingredient?

I used to think that zucchini, similar to cucumber, is not much nutrient-dense; however it is a misconception. Zucchini is a good source of vitamins and minerals such as manganese, potassium and folate. Sharing this Zucchini Stir-Fry with Weekend Herb Blogging hosted at Mele Cotte.


If you are holding on to a wok for everyday stir-fry, are you using a cast iron wok or stainless steel wok?

I am currently using a stainless steel wok that I bought from Taiwan while I was living there for a year. This wok has served me well for more than 3 years.








Tag: zucchini, zucchini stir-fry

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Avocado Bell Peppers Egg Omelette

I was never really a fan of avocado. Was. Until recently when I used it as spread on my toast (my Omega-3 rich sandwich!) ...


Oh my, ripe avocado mashed perfectly on warm toast is very appealing, indeed. Nah, I am not doing that today. For a change, I will just add thin slices/cubes of avocado into the egg omelette.


Avocado and Bell Pepper Omelet (Fried Egg)
In a lightly oiled cast iron skillet, pinch of cumin to toast, then add 1 tbsp of thinly sliced onion to aromatize. Once the onions start to caramelize, add 1/2 red bell pepper already diced and saute on the skillet. Whisk an egg, and gently pour the egg such that it covers the entire skillet surface. While the egg browns at the bottom (underside), add in cubed avocado on the egg surface that is still cooking, pinch of salt and pepper, then fold the egg to semi-circle, turn off the heat while the remaining heat cooks the egg. Serve.

An omelet for breakfast or to make a satisfying lunch by sandwiching between two slices of bread/toast.





Yes, you can slide this right into these pita pockets!

Sharing this with Hearth and Soul


Tag: avocado, avocado omelette

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SciTechDaily.com, a Technology News Aggregator -

I used to read widely on science and technology news very diligently, as required by my previous field of work, industry and partially due to interest. However, ever since I left the industry, the frequency of reading such news has significantly reduced. With Science News Daily, I hope to pick up some good reading habits again. As I can get especially interested about nature and biology news; with its relation to ingredients (and food!) and impact on health, SciTechDaily.com might be one source that I can depend on.

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Bell Peppers Omelette in Pita Pockets

When time is short, what is lunch and where is dinner? Sometimes, meals prepared/made in advance can save a later part of the day.

Make an omelette out of onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and come dinner time, just heat up pita bread and "pocket" the omelette with your favorite raw greens e.g salad greens or fine juliennes of organic Persian cucumber.

Here are some of my other omelette/egg recipes:
Asparagus omelettle
Green/French Beans Omelette
Mushrooms Omelette


Sharing this pita sandwich with Souper Sunday


Tag: pita pockets, sandwich

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Loofah in Rich Tomato Broth 丝瓜番茄汤

Never be stingy on tomatoes.

It makes more sense to use them generously especially when they are in season. Look at that rich almost-creamy lycopene-rich tomato broth that was made from three medium-sized tomatoes - it makes a simple vegetarian broth so good!

So it depends on what you want - Vitamin C or lycopene from tomatoes? For the latter, you really have to cook your tomatoes to release the lycopene.

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Spice-Fried Biittermelon (Bittergourd) 辣炒苦瓜

It is apparent by now that I do not dislike bittermelon. I have cooked bitter melon many times, different ways.


With the use of curry leaves, this is a slight tweak from this recipe Spicy Bittermelon with Tomatoes. That alluring aroma of curry leaves blends in perfect with the spice, tangy-sweet tomatoes and  bittermelon.

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Watermelon Basil Salad 西瓜九层塔沙拉

I spotted yellow-flesh watermelon in the Asian grocery store last week and could not resist as I have not had yellow-flesh watermelon for a long time. Also known as Yellow Crimson, yellow-flesh watermelon is also popularly known as 小玉西瓜 in Taiwan.

Ok. Great. Now I have two watermelons at home (before buying the yellow-flesh watermelon, there is already another watermelon at home!) - maybe I can do something different?

The other ingredient that I have in excess right now is fresh basil (in a pot) which I bought from Whole Foods Market, a couple of weeks back.



In my mind, I wanted to combine watermelon and basil in a salad and as I searched the Internet, the recipe from Chef Marcus Samuelsson stood out - just what I was looking for in terms of availability of ingredients and ease of execution.

Watermelon, fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and ground black pepper were called for.  I left out the olive oil and the salad was still as refreshing and bright.


Watermelon Basil Salad - 西瓜九层塔沙拉 - this is really a super simple salad combining the taste of sweet (watermelon), spice (black pepper), freshness (basil), balanced with just a little salt.

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Healthy Zhajiang Meat Sauce Noodles 炸酱面

This healthy Zhajiang (meat sauce) can be a topping for noodles or a side dish with steamed rice.


Other than the edamame-tofu-carrot-meat-sweet potato toppings, thinly shredded or finely grated cucumber gives ZhaJiang noodles 炸酱面 its signature look.


If the meat sauce were leftovers, the cucumber definitely freshens up a leftover dish with clean, cool flavors and crisp textures.

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Corn, Bell Peppers - a summer-fall dish!

If there is seasonal dish, then is there a shoulder-seasonal dish? Basically a dish that may bridge two seasons, for example summer's corn and bell peppers with fall's Brussel sprouts?


Too early for Brussel sprouts? Make sure to pick those with small compact heads, as they usually more tender and have a sweeter flavor than large ones.

A summer-fall dish - Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Corn Kernels and Bell Peppers; this dish is just it! Roasted Brussel sprouts tossed with roasted fresh corn kernels (shucked from corn on the cob) and bell peppers.


The Brussel sprouts are roasted in the same oven batch with the corn kernels and peppers; however roasted separately on different trays.WHY?

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Stir-Fry Watermelon Rind 清炒西瓜皮

This is a simple stir-fry of watermelon rind （西瓜皮）with garlic, soy sauce, finished off with a little sesame oil.


Not that I have not used typical fruit scraps or "remnants" in savory dishes such as Cantaloupe Roasted Chicken, or watermelon rind in chicken soups - I just have not thought of stir-frying watermelon rind in the past.

"Collecting" and "saving" watermelon rind 

Inspired by Little Corner of Mine savory use of watermelon rind, this stir-fry came to mind after "collecting" and "saving" the watermelon rind from a whole watermelon after a week. I really like this budget-friendly dish.

How far have you gone in "budgeting" your meals and cooking? Whether it is careful menu planning, grocery shopping strictly based on a list tied to a menu-plan, creatively utilizing leftovers - I would love to hear a few tips from you!

Tag: watermelon rind, watermelon rind stir-fry

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Are free beauty samples useful ?

Do you know that skin-care and beauty samples are especially useful in road-trips and short vacation travels? Especially those skin-care and cosmetic samples that are usually free and come in travel-sizes; these samples are very pocket-friendly so it is no longer necessary to pack bulky bottles of hair conditioners, hand creams and moisturizers into the luggage anymore.

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Stir-Fry Seasonal Greens with Mushrooms 鲍鱼菇炒时蔬

Remember I said that while I was moving (and handling moving stuff for the past weeks), I missed some of my own cooking and home-cooked food? As I was busy, I had to make my life easier by simplifying my own cooking, falling back to a lot of quick and easy one-dish meals - chicken noodle soups or chicken congee, stir-fry noodles, sandwiches, baked fish and veggies dishes etc.

I definitely want to have some rice or congee with side dishes like this.

How do you pull it off in your kitchen during a busy day?

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