Tofu Hamburger Steak

Tofu Hamburger Steak

Ingredients

• 200g Tofu
• 300g ground beef
• 1/2 cup Panko
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Mirin
• 2 Tbsp Sake
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• thinly sliced green onions

Instructions

1. Put Tofu, ground beef, Panko, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix very well. Divide into 4 pieces and shape into oval patties. 
2. Heat a frying pan at medium high heat with oil. Place patties in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn them, lower heat, and cook another 4-5 minutes covered.
3. While cooking the meat, make the sauce. In a small bowl, mix Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake, water, and cornstarch. 
4. Add prepared sauce in the pan and cook until the sauce thickens. Serve with green onions.

Butter cakes receipe

(Recipe by Fiona Lau, founder of baking blog Baking's Corner)

Ingredients:

Makes one butter cake, 8' in diameter

• 250g Salted / Unsalted Cold SCS Butter (Cut into cubes)
• 5 eggs
• 200g sugar
• 220g self-raising flour
• 1 vanilla bean, seed scraped (Alternatively, use 1tsp of vanilla extract)
• 50g whipping cream (optional)

Method:

Pre-heat oven at 160 deg C to 170 deg C.

Separate the eggs and place the egg whites into a bowl. Beat the egg whites with sugar to form stiff peaks and put it aside.

Cream the butter until pale and white and add vanilla seeds / extract.

Put in egg yolks one by one into the creamed butter, followed by whipping cream.

Put half of the beaten egg whites and mix well before folding the balance into the mixture.

Once done, put in the flour and mix them well.

Pour batter into a pan. Tap the batter hard for at least four times before placing them into the oven to remove the air trapped in the mix. This ensures that air pockets are removed when baked.

Bake for 70 minutes.

Pineapple tart receipe

(Recipe by Fiona Lau, founder of baking blog Baking's Corner)

Ingredients:

• 200g All Purpose Flour
• 200g Cake Flour
• 80g Milk powder
• 20g Corn flour
• 70g Icing sugar
• 2 Egg yolk (small eggs)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract plus
• 4 drop of Egg yellow coloring
• 300g SCS butter (Cold cut)
• 1 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1kg Pineapple roll into a small ball about 10g each (At your own choice)

Method:

In a large bowl, sift in plain flour, corn flour and icing sugar, mix well. Cut in butter and rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Make a well, add egg yolk with some water and vanilla extract and bind the ingredients to a soft dough (Do not over knead). Add a little extra flour if dough is too soft.

Place dough in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes.

Remove dough from the fridge. Roll pastry between two plastic sheets to about 5mm thickness.

Cut into shape with a pineapple tart mold and fill the center of tart with pineapple jam.

Place in baking tray and bake for 20 - 25 minutes at preheated oven 175 deg C.

Cool tarts on wire rack and store in an airtight container. The pineapple tarts can last up to 6 month or more.

Letter to NUH quality manager

My mum Wan Soo Ha died on 30Dec2015 of colorectal cancer in NUH ward 58, bed 32. She was admitted to hospital on 3Nov2015. My family and I would like to express our special thanks to the ward sisters, nurses, doctors, medical social worker Vivian and other hospital staff who helped to take care of my mum during her most difficult and painful period in her life. 

My mum was asked to go to the hospice but NUH allowed her to stay till her last moments. We were touched by the nurses attentive care during her last moments to manage and control her pain, and to clean and change her to make her feel comfortable. My mum had always been very independent. She lived alone since my dad passed away. The cancer illness had entirely destroyed her health, mobility and her quality of life. She couldn't eat or drink during her last days. 

During the cancer treatment, her oncologist doctor, Dr Ho Jing Shan did not talk to us how my mum's body would react if she stopped chemo treatment and her cancer illness deteriorated. My mum took it badly mentally when her physical body deteriorated when she stopped her cancer treatment and had to be admitted in hospital. Initially, she was hopeful that she could be discharged. Towards her end, when she knew it was impossible for her to discharge, she was depressed and wanted a quicker death. 

I hope all terminally ill cancer patients who are currently undergoing cancer treatment in NUH would receive palliative care at the same time. It would help them and their family members prepare themselves better when they face death eventually. 

Thank you. 

Roasted black pepper chicken

This dish can be prepared with or without the glutinous rice stuffing according to personal preference. The glutinous rice recipe provided also makes for a delicious standalone dish if not used as a stuffing!

Ingredients for glutinous rice stuffing (optional):

• 300g white glutinous rice
• 40g dried prawns
• 3 dried mushrooms (soaked, shredded)
• 1 Chinese sausage (sliced, microwave for 30secs)
• 3 shallots (sliced)        
• 1 knob ginger (sliced)
• 1 stalk Chinese parsley (cut)
• 2 tbsp oil

Sauce for glutinous rice stuffing:

• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp sugar
• ¾ tsp salt
• 1 tsp light soya sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• ½  tsp dark soya sauce
• 1 tbsp shallot

Steps for glutinous rice stuffing:

• Soaked glutinous rice with 2 cups water for 2-3 hrs.
• Cook shallot with 2 tbsp oil on High power in a microwave oven for about 3 mins, till golden brown, uncovered. (Stir-in-between)
• Cook dried prawns on High power for  1 min, next add 1 tbsp shallot oil and cook for another 1-1½ mins, uncovered (using microwave oven to cook)
• Cook glutinous rice, Chinese sausage, mushroom, dried prawns, ginger, sauce  and some golden brown shallot together with water, set to delicious  mode, next press start. ( stir-in-between cooking time)
• When ready, stir in Chinese parsley and golden brown shallot.

Ingredients for chicken:

• 1.4 kg chicken
• 1 ¾ tsp salt
• 1½ tbsp black pepper
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dark soya sauce
• 1 tsp light soya sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp ginger juice
• Honey (use for glazing)        
• Some oil and sesame oil for brushing

Steps for roast chicken:

• Wash chicken, pierce skin, pat dry with kitchen towel.
• Seasoned chicken with above ingredients for at least 2 hrs or overnight.
• Stuff chicken with cooked glutinous rice (optional).
• Brushed chicken with oil, place on rack so as to allow the underside to brown.
• If using Panasonic microwave steam oven, set to "Roast chicken" pad, key in weight of chicken, and press "Start" pad. (No pre-heat required, turn over at ½ time). If using regular microwave oven, preheat at about 200 degree celsius, and roast for approximately 45 minutes, turning over at ½ time.
• When ready, glaze with honey.

End of life timeline

Timeline for End-of-Life Changes:

One to Three Months 
     • Decreased desire for food
     • Increased desire for sleep
     • Withdrawal from people and the environment

One to Two Weeks
    • Even more sleep
    • Confusion
    • Restlessness
    • Vision-like experiences
    • Change in temperature, respiration, pulse, and blood pressure
    • Congestion
    • Not eating

Days or Hours
    • Surge of energy
    • Decreased blood pressure
    • Glassy, teary eyes
    • Half-opened eyes
    • Irregular breathing
    • Increased restlessness
    • Cold, purple, blotchy feet and hands
    • Weak pulse
    • Decreased urine output

Minutes
    • Gasping breathing
    • No awakening

2015 PSLE results

小六会考今早放榜，今年考生升学率为98.3％，比去年的97.6％高。

今年小六会考（PLSE）共有3万9286名考生，其中3万8610人（98.3％）能升上中学，比去年的97.6％要高。能报读快捷源流课程的考生则有66.2％，比去年的66.4％稍低。

21.7％的考生可进入普通（学术）班，另外10.4％则可进入普通（工艺）班。无法升上中学的676名（1.7％）考生，若是首次参加会考，可选择进入圣升明径学校、北烁学校，或明年重考。已重考仍无法升学的学生，则可优先获得圣升明径学校或北烁学校学额。