Indonesian Mee Soto Ayam

When i was working with a Government Board in Malaysia, I have many friends who were of Javanese descent and they have introduced me to their favorite Mee Soto Ayam. Although they called it Mee, it was actually Chicken soup with glass noodles(suon) and i have been served the alternative to glass noodle(suon) which was with rice cake(nasi impit).......

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Square Pork Balls, Siew Cheong a.k.a. Roasted Sausages Sar Hor Fun

What i really missed eating is a bowl of silky soft kway teow/sar hor fun with Square Pork Balls and Siew Cheong a.k.a. Roasted Sausages.  For all the years that i have been here, i have not been able to get hold of these silky, soft kway teow/sar hor fun, fresh or dried....................................

Continue to read and for recipe on how to make Ground Pork Sauce and Pork Bone Soup click HERE Read More......

Square Pork Balls

If you are older or as old as i am, it is better not to make promises, either you forget to keep it or multi-tasking is harder and chores are taking too much time to complete.  Anyway, i did try posting it sometime back and somehow it was so frustrating as the whole post just vanished without a trace, all my effort for nothing but frustration.  This is not an excuse, a promise is a promise and it has to be kept however or whatever and here is how to make these Square Pork Balls............


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Beef Stroganoff

Renee, my grand-daughter, loves pasta in any shapes or form and she loves eating beef like in slices or in a piece of steak, but she will not eat a beef burger.  I thought that she does not like ground beef but she will eat ground beef in the Bolognese Sauce.  So, it must be the burger that is not appealing to her cos she will not have a chicken burger too. 

I know that she will enjoy this dish, Beef Stroganoff and it did.

Continue to read and for recipe, click HERE

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Loh See Fun From Scratch

This has been my quest, to make loh see fun from scratch.  Many hours have been spent trying to get the right texture - one that is chewy, slippery and firm to the tooth without using any chemicals...............

Continue to read and how to make this ..............

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Homemade Udon Noodles

I don't know if you have noticed that the prices for frozen udon noodles have gone more than double and it is time that i have to replicate it by making them at home. I have been using udon to fry my Kuala Lumpur Black Hokkien Mee and I am feeling homesick for this comfort food..........

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Rice Cake Soup / 떡국 / Ddeokguk

When i cooked Ddeokbokki, i had to cook Ddeokguk, a soup filled with soft Korean rice cakes (Ddeok). Ddeokbokki was too spicy for my grandchildren. Renee will not try it , Alexander said that his palate is more mature and tried a piece. You should see his face turned red and his eyes rolled big from the spiciness. He reached for his Sprite and gave a big smile. We praised him for being so brave and he was beaming with pride..........

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Mee Rebus

Mee Rebus which is of Indian origin and a spin off from Indian Rojak. It does not need any introduction to Malaysians or Singaporeans who are not Indian. Ask them about Mee Rebus or Indian Rojak and you get a smile in their faces and a thumb-up - sedap, hojiak and yummy.


Recipe for Mee Rebus is HERE Read More......

Bun Rieu

This is my version of Bun Rieu, it might not be authentic Vietnamese but it did taste fantastic.   This soup is Alexander's favorite and he called it = The Red Soup.  I learned this recipe from my friend, Lan who has opened my door to Vietnamese Cuisine.

Ingredients:

One 14 oz can of crab meat paste in spices
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup of crab meat or chopped shrimp
1 lb of ground pork
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp of ground pepper

1 yellow/white onion -chopped

4 ripe tomatoes - diced

3 liters  pork/chicken stock

1 box 14 oz firm tofu - cut into bite sizes and shallow fried until crispy

1 tbsp tomato paste/puree
1 tbsp fine shrimp paste

1 packet of vermicelli noodles





Method:

Cook the vermicelli noodles according to manufacturer's instructions and set aside.

Heat 3 tbsp cooking oil in a large pot and add in the diced onions.  Sweat the onions and add in the diced tomatoes and tomato paste/puree.  Saute until fragrant, add in pork/chicken stock, fried tofu and bring to boil.

Combine ground pork, crab/chopped shrimp, can of crab meat in spices,fine shrimp paste, fish sauce,pepper, and sugar. Add the beaten eggs and mix well.

When the stock comes to a boil, slowly add this crab mixture into stock in spoonfuls, do not disturb the soup and let the stock cme back to the boil and continue to simmer - pork/crab/shrimp balls will float when they are cooked through.

Adjust stock with salt or fish sauce.

Serve this soup with cooked vermicilli noodles and fresh garnishes.

Bun Rieu is usually served with plenty of fresh herbs and veggies.

Common accompaniments include:

chopped green onion
cilantro
perilla
mint
lime wedges
bean sprouts
split ong choy/kang kung/rau muong stems
Shredded cabbage
Fine shrimp paste

Serves
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Mac And Cheese From Scratch

Today is the first day of Kindergarten for Alexander.  I can't imagine that he is going to be five at the end of this month.  I can remember my first day of school which is a long long time ago.  It was a very scary event for me  to be amongst strangers and to make matters worst, the nuns in The Convent wore black long outfits and in my tiny eyes, they were huge shadows towering over me.  My grandmother was the one who managed to bribe the nuns so that i can get admitted - The Convent admission priorty was for the catholics and the rich.  I can't blame them cos they needed donations to run the school and being a catholic school, therefore meant for catholics.  My grandmother had her ways of getting things done - i was to bring with me to school on my first day, a wicker basket which was my school bag and that was the fashion for girls at that era.  I did not have books yet but i did have somethings in my basket.  I had a Chinese Almanac and in between the pages, there was a sprig of chinese celery(kan choy), a stalk of green onions(choong) and a mirror.  Only later in my life did i find out what was the significance of all these contents.  The chinese celery which is 'kan choy' was to prepare me to be 'kan lek'/studious, the green onion which is 'choong'  will make me 'choong meng'/inteligent and the mirror, haping that i will have clarity to solve problems and questions answered.  Last but not least, the Chinese Almanac - it  is called 'Thoong Seng', it should give me the ability to understand anything put forth to me.  I did not put all these in Alexander's bag but  blessings and hopes were in my heart as i bid him 'goodbye'. 

While waiting for him to come home from school, i made him his and Renee's favorite - Mac and Cheese.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1 cup milk

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked, drained

Method:

MELT 3 Tbsp. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat.

Whisk in flour; cook 2 min., stirring constantly.

Gradually stir in milk; cook until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly.

Add VELVEETA; cook 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni.

Serve and enjoy. 

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Shrimp Spaghetti with Cilantro Pesto

A pack of pasta is a must in my pantry, so are many more musts.  I must confess, i am a hoarder, i can never pass off a good deal and a sucker to new brands and types of noodles.  They are like recipes, you try them once, if they are good, then they are keepers.  My freezer is packed,  my daughter would warn my grandchildren that they are not to open the freezer, if they have to do it, they would have to have their bike helmets on.  My most favorite item in the freezer, is the 26 - 30 shrimps,  when they are on sale, $4,00/lb, i will buy a few packets(2 lbs/pkt).  They are the quickest to defrost and shrimp dinner will be served as soon as they are defrosted.  Having a tub of homemade cilantro pesto in the freeser,  aided my quest for dinner too, especailly when friends or family decide to drop by.

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti pasta
1  pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying the shrimps)
1 cup Cilantro Pesto












Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

 Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large heavy skillet (i like using the wok) over high heat.

Season the shrimps with salt and pepper.  Add a few in the hot oil and cook shrimps until they turn pink.  Remove and set aside.

Repeat frying the shrimps in small batches, this is to prevent crowding as shrimps fried this way is succulentand juicy.(This is the chinese way - passing through oil)

When shrimps are done, remove all the oil from the skillet/wok.

Put the drained pasta into the skillet/wok, add in the cilantro pesto and toss to combine.  If the spaghetti seems like too tight(dry), add a little of the pasta water to loosen.

When pasta is well mixed, add in the cooked shrimps,  Toss well and adjust the taste with salt and pepper and more olive oil as you wish.

Serve immediately and garnish(optional)

Serves
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Birthday Claypot Yee Mein

Yan Yat is the seventh day of the lunar new year, a day designated  as 'Everyone's birthday', 'Day of Man' or 'Day of Humanity' and this is an occasion for celebration.  Everybody L-O-V-E-S Birthday, especially when Everyone Around You Celebrates on the Same Day

According to the  believers of The Goddess Nüwa, She created human beings on the seventh day, by molding them from clay, so today is our birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

A drink from seven types of vegetables is made for health and to celebrate this occasion.  Noodles are eaten to promote longevity and raw fish for success.  Since i had 'yee sang' on New Year's Eve, i will have noodles today.

Ingredients:

4 pieces dried egg noodles(Yee mein if available) - for 4 persons
1/2 lb choy sum - washed and cut into i inch lengths
1.2 lb of pork/chicken slices
4 cups or more stock
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp tapioca starch mix with 2 tbsp water for thickening
4 eggs
Oil for deep frying the noodles if yee mein is not available

Marinate for the meat:

2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp tapioca starch
1 tsp sesame oil
a dash of pepper

Seasonings

4 tbsp oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp shao-xing wine
1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

Heat wok with enough oil for deep frying.and when oil is 375f, drop one piece of dried noodle in and deep fry noodle until golden brown.  Remove and plunge fried noodle into a large pot of cold water.

Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dried noodles.  (If you have yee mein which are already fried, parboil and then put in cold water)

Marinate meat slices with the marinate and set aside.

Heat wok with 4 tbsp oil and brown marinated meat slices.  Add in chopped garlic and saute until fragrant.

Add in stock and seasonings, bring to a boil.

Add in deep fried noodles/yee mein and bring to the boil.  Reduce heat, cover wok and simmer noodles until noodles are soft. (Add more stock if you want more sauce).

Add in choy sum and increase heat.  Cook until choy sum is cooked just right.

Thicken sauce with tapioca starch solution.  Make sure the sauce is back to the boil and cook for 1 minute before adjusting the taste with salt and pepper.

Divide noodles into 4 portions and put each portion into a small claypot.  Bring back noodles in claypot to a quick boil and crack in an egg  together with a dash of shao-xing wine and sesame oil before serving.

Serve noodles immediately so that the egg can be cooked through from the heat of the noodles.

Serves
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Wonton Noodle

Making good wonton was a long process as i was not able to buy good thin wonton wrappers and had to Homemake from scratch but i have found it - the brand is Double Happiness and they are thinner than the ones i homemake.  I am glad that it is available cos my grand daughter, the picky eater, has come to like wonton and even eat the wonton noodles.  We were on vacation in Vancouver and she ate 5 meals of wonton noodles. Talking about vacation and wonton wrappers/skin, there is something that has to be told.  It is the opposite to what the ad. say - What happened in Vegas, remain in Vegas?  What happened to me and my friends in Vegas had to be told.  I was at the checkout in Ranch 99 Supermarket and heard someone ordered 2 boxes of wonton skin.  2 boxes, this lady must have found the wonton skin that i am looking for,  so i turned around and asked this pretty lady what the brand was.  We started talking and from my accent she had to ask where i was from and when i told her that i came from Malaysia, she was grinning with joy and told me that she was malaysian too.  She asked  if i would like to go to her place and she will make me 'Ice Kacang', Ice Kacang in the desert, it was 104f that day, I accepted right away and had to gather my friends to meet her.  She made the best Ice Kacang and insisted that we come back again to meet her other malaysian friends and she will be cooking 'Chilli Crabs'.  We went back to have chilli crab the next day and met up with WPY, who was just as sweet and hospitable - she treated us to Harvey Mandel and drove us Las Vegas and brought us to the biggest outlet.  The night before we left Las Vegas, KD, the wonton skin lady, brought us to the best buffet in town - Rio , the food stretched as long as the Grand Canyon.  These two wonderful ladies, KD and WPY have renewed my faith in the human kind.  Thank you KD and WPY, i, nancy and siew chin will never forget your kindness and generosity and i hope you will remember these 3 ladies you picked up off the strip.

Ingredients:

Wonton Noodles
Wonton Wrappers - Double Happiness brand (make your own Homemade Wrappers)
Choy Sum/Shanghai Bak Choy
Spring onions - chopped for garnishing
Sesame oil and lard

Filling:

Same as Fried Wonton
or
Same as Wonton Soup

Soup:

2 lb pork bones - neck or otherwise (in Malaysia, hawkers like to use bones from the head - chee tau kuat)
1 cup ikan bilis - rinced
1 piece ginger, peeled and sliced
6 cups water
1/2 tsp msg (optional)
salt and pepper to taste


Method

To Cook the Soup:

Place pork bones and enough water in a big pot and bring to the boil.  Continue to boil until all the scum floats to the top.  Drain pork bones and discard the water.  Wash the pork bones thoroughly with cold water.

In the pressure cooker, place cleaned cooked pork bones, ikan bilis and ginger and 6 cups of water.  Close the lid and let it pressurised for 30 minutes with 15 lb pressure.  Release the pressure before opening lid.

Remove the pork bones and ikan bilis and pass soup through a sieve.

Adjust the taste with msg, salt and pepper.

Bring back to the boil before serving.



To cook wonton noodles:

Bring a large stock pot of water to the boil.

Loosen the wonton noodles before putting into the boiling water.  Swirl noodle with a pair of long chopsticks to prevent noodles from sticking together.  The thin noodles cook fast to al dente.  Remove with spider strainer and dung into a large container of cold water.  Return noodles to the boiling water just to warm it up.
Remove from water and put into serving large bowl and add in sesame oil and lard.

Bring the water back to the boil and add in the choy sum or shanghai bok choy - green vegetables will remain green when cooked because this water has alkali after cooking all the wonton noodles.  Remove and distribute among the bowls of noodles.

To cook the wonton:

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and drop in the wontons.and simmer uncovered, stirring gently, when wontons float to the top, that usually means they're done. Unless there is too much air inside the wontons due to bad folding. Cut one open to check for doneness. Remove wontons and distribute among the bowls of noodles.

To serve:

Pour a cup of hot soup into the bowls of noodles which are topped with vegetables and wonton. Garnish with chopped spring onions.

Serve hot and enjoy with pickled green chillies. (Green chillies/jalapenos are pickled with vinegar and salt and the acid in the vinegar will contra the alkali used to make the noodles and wonton wrappers - giving the bowl of noodles a good eat)

NOTES:

My preference to a good wonton for soup would be the fill and squeeze method for wrapping the wonton as the skin is not doubled and will remain soft and silky when consumed, like swallowing the cloud, befitting its name WONTON.  In cantonese - won is the cloud and ton is to swallow.  The beautifully wrapped ones are better for deep frying.

Serves

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Handmade Loh See Fun and Lai Fun

ALEXANDER'S LUNCH - Loh See Fun with shredded chicken and soup.

This was the result of the first batch of dough i made to make 'Putu Mayam'. Since i did not have the correct template for 'Putu Mayam' but i do have bigger holes template, Voila, the dough was pressed and steamed and became 'Lai Fun'.

These 'Loh See Fun' was hand-rolled. Pinch a tiny pea-size dough and rub it between your palms, the dough will form into a strip with both ends pointed. You might have to dust your palms with tapioca starch. When done, steam until cooked and serve them in soups of choice or 'kon loh' with fragrant oil, black thick soya sauce and c ooked ground pork. In Malaysia, we call this 'Loh Shi Fun' and in Hong Kong it is called 'Silver Needle Noodles' but it is made with 'wheat starch a.k.a. Tung Mein Fun'.

Recipe for dough, use the same ingredients and method as in Putu Mayam. Ground Pork Sauce goes very well with soup or 'kon loh'.

Serves

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