Chinese New Year Greetings Dessert 美点贺新年

Chinese New Year Greetings Dessert 美点贺新年

 

 Mei dim hor sun nin

Recipe source : Adapted from an old newspaper cutting ( The Star )


The article in the old "The Star" newspaper featured a few dishes for the Chinese New Year. This sweet dim sum dessert dish caught my eye and it has a happy sounding name in Chinese, "Mei Dim Hor Sun Nin" which means "beautiful dim sum greetings to usher in the new year". This is a wonderful dessert to wrap up the reunion dinner !

Ingredients

500g glutinous rice flour
460ml hot boiling water
a few drops of red colouring

 

Filling For The Red Glutinous Balls

80g red bean paste or tau sar in Cantonese

Divide  the red bean paste into 10 equal portions and roll them into 10 balls.

  Red bean paste. The Cantonese call this tau sar

Please refer to my post on how to make red bean paste

 

Coating For the Red Glutinous Balls

20g chopped peanuts, roasted     
20g sesame seeds, roasted              


Mix them together

 

Coat the red glutinous balls with the chopped peanut and sesame seed mixture

 

Coating For the White Dough

10g chopped roasted peanuts,         
10g white sesame seeds, roasted     
10g black sesame seeds, roasted   
25g sugar                                        


Mix all the ingredients together evenly.

 

Instructions

 

1.  Divide the glutinous rice flour into two portions. Add a few drops of red colouring to half the amount of boiling water. Add this coloured boiling water to one portion of the glutinous rice flour and mix until a soft dough is formed.
2.  Divide the red dough into 10 equal portions. Roll into round balls. Push a hole into the balls with your thumb and fill the holes with red bean paste. Place them on a greased metal plate.
3.  Steam  the red balls for 10 minutes and when cooked, roll the red balls with the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds mixture to coat the surfaces. Place them into the centre of a large plate.
4.  Next, add the other portion of boiling water to the remaining glutinous rice flour and mix and knead well to form a soft white dough.
5.  Divide the white dough into 8 equal portions and form 8 round patties. Place these patties on greased metal plate and steam for 10 minutes.
6.  When cooked coat  the white round patties with the chopped nuts and sesame seeds mixture. Place them around the red glutinous balls.
7.  Serve immediately. 

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013 

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Yee Ling Temple 医灵庙

Yee Ling Temple 医灵庙

 

Every year we visit the above temple to have our luck for the year checked. Usually if there are signs of bad luck or periods, the temple caretaker will advise on how to go about warding off the bad luck and troublesome periods. Usually rites and rituals are performed there and then. There is one ritual that you will have to go back and repay at the end of the Chinese Lunar Year that is, the appeasing of the Tai Sui.

To have your luck for the year checked, you need to know your Chinese date of birth, year of birth and the time of birth. Provide the personal  information to the temple caretaker and he'll do a search for you to see if you need to have any rituals done or any deities that you need to seek specific help from. For students who are sitting for their important exams there is a deity where you can seek help from and he is Mun Cheong. There are various deities for different needs if you are not sure you can check with the temple caretakers.

The address is Lot 238, Seksyen 93-A, Jalan Intan, Off Jalan Sg. Besi, Kuala Lumpur. Opening Hours is 9A.M. to 4 P.M. Telephone 03-79824792

A New Find At Telok Panglima Garang, Kuala Langat, Selangor 喜相逢海鲜酒家

A New Find At Telok Panglima Garang, Kuala Langat, Selangor 喜相逢海鲜酒家

Yesterday while returning from Banting, SK and I were looking for a place for lunch after finding out that the chicken rice stall in Telok Panglima Garang was closed as a result of having sold out their stock for the day. We made a U-turn and headed back to Banting and we decided to turn into a side road where we knew there was an eatery which we didn't have the opportunity to patronise because having chicken rice was our first priority. There were two eateries in fact, but we opted for Hee Soon Fong and shown below were what we ordered. The fish head was good, the deep-fried chicken was great as it was something new and we have never eaten deep-fried chicken coated with finely ground salted fish before. And the green leafy vegetable? Well, it was as good as can be, although I do not know what it is called but the owner did say it is a kind of bitter tasting vegetable but this variety happens to be without the bitterness as it is specially cultivated by local farmers, whatever that means.

The steamed freshwater fish head in finely ground ginger

The deep-fried chicken coated with finely ground salted fish

The stir-fried green leafy vegetable

 

The eatery hidden away from the main road

The signboard directing customers to the eatery. From Klang it is located on the left-hand side of the road after passing the Telok Panglima Garang mini roundabout.

Cherry Tomato & Pineapple Salsa 番茄黄梨沙律

Cherry Tomato & Pineapple Salsa 番茄黄梨沙律

A great combination of sweet, sour and more 

This may not be the traditional fare to serve during the Chinese New Year open houses. However, if you have multi-racial guests and visitors coming to join in the celebration, you may want to reconsider your options.This is light and very refreshing. The plus point is, no cooking is involved! Something different from the norm.

Ingredients

 

150g ripe pineapple ( about 1 cup ), cut into small cubes
225g cherry tomato ( about 1 1/2 cups ), cut into small cubes
1/3 of a large Bombay onion, finely chopped
3 -4  chilli padi, remove the seeds and finely chopped
2 stalk coriander leaves, finely chopped
4 small limes, squeeze out the juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
a dash of black pepper

Some crackers or potato chips

Instructions

 

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to allow the flavours to blend and develop.
2. Stir and place into serving bowl surrounded by crackers of your choice or potato chips.
3. Serve immediately. Enjoy ! 

How To Make Red Bean Paste 红豆沙的做法

How To Make Red Bean Paste 红豆沙的做法

Red bean paste

 

Red bean paste （tau sar in Cantonese） is a sweet filling commonly found in buns, dumplings, moon cakes and a host of other local delicacies. When you make your own bean paste you can adjust the sugar and oil levels to your own individual preference.

 

Ingredients

200g red bean

1/2 tbsp lye water (kan sui in Cantonese)

120g cooking oil

150g sugar

1/2 tbsp maltose ( optional )

Note: Lye water helps to hasten the softening of the red beans

 

Instructions

1.  Wash the red beans. Place them into a pot and add water to about 5 cm above the red beans.

2.  Bring to the boil. Add lye water and continue boiling until the water has dried up considerably and the red beans turned soft and slightly mushy. If the water dries up before the red beans turn soft just add water accordingly.

3.  Place the contents into a blender and blend into a fine watery paste. Make sure there is enough water to blend thoroughly otherwise add water accordingly.

4.  Pour the finely blended red bean paste into a wok. Add sugar and over medium fire keep stirring until almost dry. Then add in the cooking oil and over low fire continue to stir and allow the oil to blend well into the paste.

5.  Keep stirring and cooking until the paste is almost dry and look like bean paste. 

6.  Let it cool completely before using. 

7.  It can be kept in a covered container and placed in the refrigerator for about a week. 

Hainanese Chicken Rice Along Jalan Kepong, Kepong Town, Kuala Lumpur 吉隆坡甲洞大街海南鸡饭

Hainanese Chicken Rice Along Jalan Kepong, Kepong Town, Kuala Lumpur 吉隆坡甲洞大街海南鸡饭

This particular eatery is rather new but from the look of it, business is excellent because you can see the crowd and the large number of boiled chickens hanging in the glass display cabinet. We were not  looking for a joint to have a good plate of chicken rice but when we saw the crowd and chickens, well, as the saying goes, the crowd can't be wrong and we have no regrets. This place sells only boiled chicken as they don't do roast ones. They open for business at around 6 P.M.

A plate of juicy and tender boiled chicken (白切鸡)

A plate of blanched bean sprouts in oyster sauce (蚝油芽菜)

A bowl of fishball soup （鱼丸汤）

The shop is located along the main road of Kepong town. It is on the left-hand side of the road if you are coming from K.L.

Cookies : Sesame Biscuits 芝麻饼

Cookies : Sesame Biscuits 芝麻饼

Recipe source :  Adapted from booklet distributed by B & P Butterfly Cornflour


Cookies! the more the merrier for the Chinese New Year! When friends and relatives gather together for the reunion or our very own Malaysian culture of "open houses", cookie jars got emptied out very fast, as do peanuts, crackers, soft drinks and beer. Chinese families are now frantically filling up their cookie jars in anticipation of the annual festivities to begin.  

Here's a recipe for sesame biscuits to share with you.

Ingredients

375g cornflour
3/4 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup castor sugar
200g ghee
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
3/4 cup sesame seeds
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten for glazing
sesame seeds for decoration ( about 10 to 15g )

Instructions

1.  Sieve together cornflour, plain flour and baking powder.
2.  Add castor sugar, sesame seeds and beaten eggs.
3.  Pour melted ghee over the flour mixture and mix to knead well.
4.  Roll out dough to 3 mm thickness and cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters.
5.  Place cookies onto greased baking tray.
6.  Brush top of cookies with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7.  Bake in preheated oven at 190 degrees C for 15 minutes.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Cookies : Festive Shortbread Squares 樱桃方饼

Cookies : Festive Shortbread Squares 樱桃方饼

 

Recipe source :  Booklet distributed by B & P Butterfly cornflour

Ingredients

150g cornflour
250g butter
170g castor sugar
50g rice flour
200g plain flour
60g red cherries
30g green cherries

Instructions

1.  Sift together cornflour, rice flour and plain flour.
2.  Cream butter and castor sugar till well blended. Fold in sifted flour and mix into a dough.
3.  Grease a shallow biscuit tray and press dough evenly onto tray. Cut dough lightly into 3cm squares.
4.  Decorate each square with red and green cherries.
5.  Bake in preheated oven at 170 degrees C for 20 minutes.
6.  Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Stewed Assorted Mushrooms 三菇迎新年

Stewed Assorted Mushrooms 三菇迎新年

Recipe Source : adapted from Chopsticks Recipes

The Chinese New Year Reunion dinner table has traditionally being abundantly laden with more meat and fish dishes than vegetables. For many families, no cost is spared to prepare only the best for the reunion dinner. However, too much meat means too much cholesterol which is something not very healthy. We therefore need to balance our food intake. 

Here is a very tasty and healthy vegetable dish for the reunion dinner to welcome the year of the snake !

 

Ingredients

50g dried shitake mushroom
200g canned straw mushroom
200g canned button mushroom
300g baby bok choy ( nai pak in Cantonese- 奶白菜)
1 shallot , thinly sliced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
carrot slices for garnishing
2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning Ingredients

 

1 tsp shao hsing wine
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
a dash of pepper

Dissolve all the above seasoning ingredients in 1 Chinese rice bowl of chicken stock.

Cornflour Solution

1 tsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp of water 

Top :  baby bok choy

Bottom left : shitake mushrooms. Centre : straw mushrooms. Right : button mushrooms

How To Marinate Mushroom

1.  Soak shitake mushroom for 2 hours until soft. Remove the stems.
2.  Wash and squeeze dry. Repeat the process.
3.  Marinate with 1 tsp shao hsing wine, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp soy sauce.

How To Prepare The Baby Bok Choy

1.  In a pot, bring 1 litre of water to the boil.
2.  Add in 1 tsp of lye water or kan-sui in Cantonese.
3.  Let the baby bok choy boil for 1 minute.
4.  Drain away the water. Rinse under running tap to remove traces of lye
5.  In a pot, bring another litre of water to the boil.
6.  Add 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tsp sugar.
7.  Add the baby bok choy and stir for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

Cooking Instructions

1.  In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil and fry the shallot, minced garlic and minced ginger until fragrant.
2.  Add in the shitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms and button mushrooms and fry for 1 minute.
3.  Add the seasoning ingredients and bring to the boil.
4.  Add the cornflour solution and stir for another minute. 
5. Add baby bok choy and mix well.
6. Dish up and serve in a plate with carrot slices arranged in a circle. 

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Clay-Pot Chicken and Salted Fish Rice 瓦煲咸鱼鸡饭

Clay-Pot Chicken and Salted Fish Rice 瓦煲咸鱼鸡饭

 

Ingredients

350g chicken drumstick
50g salted fish
200g rice
500ml water
1 tbsp chopped spring onion

Seasonings

1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
a dash of pepper
1 tsp sesame oil

Salted  fish

 

Chicken drumsticks

Marinate salted fish

Wash the salted fish and cut it into smaller pieces. Marinate with 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp minced ginger and 1 tsp sugar for 20 minutes

Marinate chicken drumsticks

Remove the bones from  the drumsticks and cut into smaller pieces. Marinate with 1 tbsp shallot juice,1 tbsp ginger juice,1 tbsp Hsao Hsing wine, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, a dash of pepper and 1 tsp sesame oil for 15 minutes.

Instructions

1. Wash rice, drain and set aside. Add 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp oil and mix well.
2. Place the rice in a clay-pot and add 500ml of water and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle salted fish on top and cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Add chicken into the boiling rice and cook for  another 10 minutes.
5. Switch off the fire and let it be for another 10 minutes or until the surface of the cooked rice is no longer watery.
6. Stir in the seasonings and garnish with chopped spring onion.


Note: Always use low fire when using a clay-pot to cook as it burns easily.

Bread Shop In Banting, Selangor 雪兰莪万津面包店

Bread Shop In Banting, Selangor 雪兰莪万津面包店

Every time when we head back home to see our family members we will make a stop at this bread shop to stock up on our favourite bread. It comes in a packet of fours as shown below and the filling? Well, it's none other than freshly grated coconut with gula Melaka (coconut palm sugar) Yum Yum! Of course there are other varieties to suit the varied taste buds of customers. On the last trip we bought 10 packets. The proprietor has been selling home-made assorted bread and not those mass-produced commercialised ones churned out by factories. This bread shop has been in business for the last 50 years or more.

The yummy bread

The shop is in Banting town. From K.L. it is on the left-hand side of the main road.

Racks and racks of bread and cakes

Clay-pot Chicken Wings In Dark Soy sauce 瓦煲黑酱油鸡翅膀

Clay-pot Chicken Wings In Dark Soy sauce  瓦煲黑酱油鸡翅膀

Ingredients

10 chicken wings
10 tbsp oil
10 tbsp shao hsing wine
10 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
2 shallots, minced
3 sprigs of spring onion, chopped
1 sprig Chinese parsley, cut into sections

Seasonings

 

3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
a pinch of pepper
a dash of sesame oil

Dissolve the above seasonings in 50 ml water

Chicken Marinade

3 tbsp shallot juice
3 tbsp ginger juice
2 tbsp shao hsing wine
2 tbsp cornflour

 Marinate the 10 chicken wings for 1 hour

Instructions

1.  Heat wok until hot. Add enough oil to parboil chicken wings until light brown. Drain and set aside.
2.  Heat clay-pot till hot. Add in oil and bring to the boil.
3.  Add ginger and shallot to saute till fragrant, then reduce to low fire.
4.  Add in chicken wings, shao hsing wine, dark soy sauce and seasonings. Cook for 20 minutes.
5.  Switch off fire and garnish chicken wings with Chinese parsley and spring onion.

Roast Chicken Rice Along The Main Road Of Telok Panglima Garang, Kuala Langat, Selangor

Roast Chicken Rice Along The Main Road Of Telok Panglima Garang, Kuala Langat, Selangor

  

Every time when the family goes back to my hometown we will pass by this small town and we never fail to stop by this Hainanese coffee shop to savour the roast chicken rice. For whatever reason the chicken here is exceptionally juicy and tender something which I have not found in K.L. By the way, they don't sell boiled chicken （白切鸡）

The coffee, bread and kaya is just as great.

When travelling from Klang the shop is on the right-hand side of the road.

A plate of roast chicken

The black coffee and toast with kaya

 

The shop painted green 

Waxed Meat Kai Lan 蜡味芥蓝

Waxed Meat Kai Lan 蜡味芥蓝

A wonderful combination of meat and vegetable

Recipe source : own ( replicating from a Petaling Jaya Chinese restaurant )

Two years ago my cousin invited our family to a Chinese New Year lunch. The restaurant was in Section 14, Petaling Jaya. There were a few banners promoting the chef's culinary expertise and they displayed pictures of the chef's award winning dish. At that time I did not pay too much attention to the banners nor the name of the restaurant and chef because I was busy catching up with my cousin on her latest happenings and her family. But SK and I can vividly remember this dish of waxed duck and waxed meat cooked with kai lan. The dish was beautifully presented and the taste was of course wonderful. 

Since we have waxed duck and waxed meat in our refrigerator, SK and I decided to replicate this wonderful dish to share with you.

Ingredients

1 1/2 waxed drumstick
1 piece of "kwai fah yoke"
400g Hong Kong kai lan

Top: Waxed duck drumstick  Bottom: A piece of "kwai fah yoke"

To prepare the waxed duck drumstick for cooking 

Bring 1 litre of water to the boil. Immerse the waxed duck into the boiling water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain away the water and pick off the remaining feathers that are stuck to the skin. The boiling will help to remove some of the excessive oil found on the waxed duck drumstick.

How to prepare the Hong Kong kai lan

• Bring 1 litre of water in a pot to the boil
• Add in 1 tsp of lye water (kan sooi in Cantonese)
• Boil the Hong Kong kai lan for 2 minutes
• Drain and wash under a running tap and set aside
• Bring another litre of water to the boil
• Add 1 tsp sugar
• Blanch the Hong Kong kai lan for another minute
• Drain and set aside.

 

Final Preparation

1.  Chop the boiled waxed duck drumstick into bite-sized pieces.   
2.  Cut the "kwai fah yoke" into small pieces.
3.  Place both waxed meat on a metal dish and steam over boiling water for 15 minutes.
4.  In a large bowl, place kai lan and the steamed waxed meat together and mix well. 
5.  Arrange them on a large plate.
6.  Ready to serve. Enjoy !

A great Chinese New Year dish for the whole family

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by  Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Clay-Pot Waxed Meat Rice 瓦煲蜡味饭

Clay-Pot Waxed Meat Rice 瓦煲蜡味饭

Rich flavours of waxed duck and "kwai fah yoke"

Recipe source :  own ( my mum used to cook it this way )

The shops and market stalls are filled with the festive air of Chinese New Year as songs of  "gong xi, gong xi"  are being aired all around! That really revved up my mood and lifted up my spirits as the Lunar New Year approaches. SK and I had started stocking up the goodies. This morning we bought waxed duck and "kwai fah yoke". As we walked along the market stalls, we saw arrow heads being sold at many stalls, so we bought some as well.

SK wanted to eat clay-pot waxed duck rice. We used to eat my mother's waxed meat rice but so far I have not tried cooking it on my own. So SK and I decided to cook a very small portion, just in case it did not turn out well. We are very happy that it was beyond our expectation. The rice was filled with the rich aroma of the waxed duck and the "kwai fah yoke" and the arrow head has a natural sweetness of its own. 

Very tasty, very fragrant !  For those who love waxed meat, I fully recommend this!

Ingredients

( serves 1 or 2 persons )

1/2 a waxed duck drumstick, boil and cut into bite-sized pieces

100g rice, wash and drain

1 piece of Hong Kong "kwai fah yoke"

150g arrow heads, clean, remove skin and cut into quarters

1 tsp salt

200ml water

Top : waxed duck drumstick

Bottom : "kwai fah yoke"

To prepare the waxed duck drumstick

Bring 1 litre of water in a pot to the boil. Immerse the waxed duck drumstick into the boiling water and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Drain away the water and pick off the feathers that are still stuck to the skin. The boiling will help remove the excessive oil from the waxed duck drumstick. 

Cooking Instructions

 

1.  Place the washed rice in a clay-pot. Add 1 tsp salt and 200 ml of water. Bring it to the boil then reduce to low fire. Cover the clay-pot with its lid.

2.  After about 10 minutes check the water level and stir the rice to make sure it is evenly cooked, otherwise the top layer may not be satisfactorily cooked. 

3.  Let it cook for another 10 minutes and stir the rice again. When the water level above the rice is about 1/2 cm left, spread the arrow head pieces evenly on the surface of the rice, followed by the "kwai fah yoke" and the waxed duck.

4.  Let it cook until water bubbles are no longer seen above the rice. 

5.  Then switch off the flame and let it be for another 10 more minutes.

I am submitting this post to Chinese New Year Delights 2013

hosted by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover

Clay-Pot Chicken Porridge With Dried Oysters & Century Quail Eggs 瓦煲蚝干皮蛋鸡粥

Clay-Pot Chicken Porridge With Dried Oysters & Century Quail Eggs 瓦煲蚝干皮蛋鸡粥

A tasty and easy to prepare one-pot meal 

It has not been raining for the past three days and the weather is hot and dry again. SK cooked this easy to prepare one-pot meal for lunch. The consistency of the porridge was just right and to our liking. It was wonderfully fragrant and tasty.

Ingredients

100g rice
200g chicken drumstick
30g dried oysters ( wash and soak for 15 minutes in half a Chinese rice bowl of water)
5 century quail eggs ( remove the mud layer, wash and remove the shells )
1000ml water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp shallot oil
1 tsp chopped spring onion
some chopped Chinese parsley

 A century quail egg which is covered by a layer of mud mixed with saw dust to protect the shell

 The century quail egg with the protective mud layer removed.

 The century quail egg with the shell removed

Instructions

 

1.  Wash rice. 
2.  Chop the drumsticks into bite-sized pieces.
3.  Place rice, chicken and the soaked dried oyster and water from the soaked oysters into a clay-pot and add water.
4.  Bring it to the boil, then cover the clay-pot with its lid and reduce to low fire.
5.  Let it simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until cooked.
6.  Switch off the fire and add in salt, shallot oil and century quail eggs.
7.  Garnish with chopped spring onion and chopped Chinese parsley.

Both nutritious and delicious.