Chinese New Year Dish : Hokkien Fish Maw Soup 福建鱼鰾汤

Chinese New Year Dish : Hokkien Fish Maw Soup 福建鱼鰾汤

Recipe source :  Adapted from Y3K magazine, Issue No. 40, 1/2 - 2008


Soup is a must for reunion dinners. But then sometimes it can be difficult to plan a suitable soup into the menu when there are already so many sumptuous dishes crowding the dining table during Chinese New Year.

But then again, we tend to lay out a spread of great dishes for our loved ones, some of whom are coming back from afar for this once a year reunion dinner with hopes of good luck, good health, prosperity and abundance for the coming year. 

This soup is light and clear and very simple to prepare. That would free some of your time so you can concentrate on more elaborate dishes. I love the spongy fish maw that has been soaked in the soup and infused with the wonderful flavour from the spare ribs and lily bulbs.  

Very light and nice!
 

Ingredients

50g pre-fried fish maw
300g spare ribs                                           (original recipe used 2 chicken drumsticks)
80g dried lily bulbs, knotted and soaked  ( kam chum in Cantonese )
100g tofu puff
2 tbsp flour
1200ml water
3 slices young ginger

Seasonings

2 tsp chicken stock granules (optional )
1 tsp salt, or to taste

 Pre-fried fish maw

 Dried lily bulbs

 Tofu puffs

Method

1.  Soak fish maw until soft. Pour off water. Knead the fish maw with 2 tbsp flour to get rid of the oil. Rinse with water and squeeze off the water. 
2. Use a pot, add in 1 litre of water and 1 tsp of vinegar and let it boil for about 20 minutes. This is to get rid of the strong odour of the fish maw. Make sure the fish maw does not retain the oily odour, otherwise repeat the step.
3. Drain, rinse, squeeze dry and cut into small pieces. Set aside.
4.  Scald tofu puff in hot boiling water. Remove, rinse and squeeze dry. Cut into halves.
5.  Place all the ingredients into a large soup tureen. Add in water and young ginger.
6.  Double boil for 2 hours.
7.  Add salt and chicken stock granules before serving. Stir well. 

I am linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders 

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Chinese New Year Dish : Tau Pau With Mushrooms 豆包焖香菇

Chinese New Year Dish : Tau Pau With Mushrooms 豆包焖香菇

 Recipe source :  Y3K magazine, Issue 71, 3/4 -2013 ( Boon's Little Kitchen )

This lovely vegetarian dish looks so auspicious!  I liken the lovely pieces of mushrooms to ancient coins sitting on pieces of jade and taels of gold! Ah, I got carried away again when talking about symbolism and auspicious food for Chinese New Year !

The "taels of gold" are vegetarian bean curd wraps. The Cantonese called them tau pau. They are soy products and rich in protein. This dish is popularly served at  eight-course dinners during Chinese wedding banquets. I always look forward to this vegetarian dish because I love eating the bean curd wraps. 

I am cooking this for Chinese New Year.  

The  taste is absolutely awesome!

Ingredients A

1 tbsp minced ginger
1 packet frozen tau pau ( bean curd wrap/soy chip )
12 pieces dried mushrooms, soaked until soft
200g broccoli, cut into florets
Enough oil to deep-fry tau pau

Thickening Solution

1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp water

Mix together to form a solution. 

Seasonings

2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dark soya sauce
1 tsp sugar
300ml water

 Frozen tau pau.

Let it thaw. The pieces will be easier to separate after thawing.

Use kitchen towels to absorb the moisture before deep-frying.

Method

1.  Heat oil to deep-fry tau pau. Remove,drain and set aside.
2.  Heat 1000ml water in a small pot and bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp oil. Blanch the broccoli florets for 1 minute. Remove and drain well.
3.  Heat 1 tbsp oil. Saute minced ginger and mushrooms. Fry well.
4.  Add seasonings, water, deep-fried tau pau. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5.  Add thickening solution and mix well.
6.  Toss in the broccoli and stir to mix well.

I am linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders 

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Angel Hair Pasta

Angel Hair Pasta

Recipe source :  Adapted from Flavours Magazine, No. 40, Sept - Oct 2003

Noodles and pasta are usually our preferred choices for weekend lunch or brunch because weekends are times for the much needed rest and relaxation after five days of slogging in the office. 

I love to cook angel hair pasta because the texture is much thinner, therefore cooking time is much shorter. This brand that I bought just took me two minutes to boil to make them al dente. 

I normally cook it with prawns or seafood but I just wanted a change and cook this with pork slices. 

Ended up looking like a "East meets West " dish.

Ingredients

250g angel hair pasta, cook accordingly to package instructions
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce                          ( original recipe did not use this )
1 tbsp soy sauce                               ( original recipe did not use this )
1 tbsp Kikkoman Shoyu
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp chilly flakes
300g pork, cut into slices                  ( original recipe used prawns )
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
5g wakame seaweed, soaked to soften

Method

1.  Cook angel hair pasta accordingly to instructions on the package. Drain and set aside.
2.  Heat olive oil in pan and saute chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in pork slices and fry for one minute.
3.  Add in all the sauces, wakame seaweed, mirin and chilly flakes.
4.  Toss in the pasta and stir quickly to mix well. Add in the chopped spring onions.
5.  Dish up and serve. 

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for January 2015 is Noodles and Pasta 
Hosted by  My Bare Cupboard

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Chinese New Year Dish : Longevity Noodles 长寿面

Chinese New Year Dish : Longevity Noodles 长寿面

Recipe source :  Adapted from cookbook : Regional Chinese Cooking

For some Chinese communities, noodle is a must for the reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year. Do not cut them short just for purpose of easy handling. Cutting them short is a no-no during Chinese New Year. The noodles must be in long strands, the longer the better.

This is because the Chinese believes that the long strands of the noodles symbolise good health and long life. Therefore, it is very auspicious to have a noodle dish, especially longevity noodles for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. Longevity noodle eaten on the eve of the Chinese New Year is believed to usher in a full year of good health, good tidings and long life!

Ingredients

250g dried egg noodles
100g pork, sliced and marinate with a little cornflour and soy sauce
1 large squid, cut into pieces or rings
6 large prawns, ( 150g ), remove shell but keep tails intact
4 dried mushrooms, soaked and cut into slices
50g carrots, cut into rings to resemble gold coins
5 - 6 pieces baby abalone ( canned ones )
120g mustard green, ( choy sum ) cut into sections
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
3 slices ginger
3 tbsp cooking oil

 Dried egg noodles, longevity noodles

 Mushrooms, sliced thinly

 Squid, cut into pieces

 Prawns, remove shells but keep the tails intact

 Pork slices, marinate with a bit of cornflour and a dash of soy sauce

Carrots, cut into rings to resemble gold coins

Mustard greens, cut into sections

Canned baby abalone

Seasonings

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 1/2 cups water

Mix all the seasoning ingredients together until the sugar and sauces are dissolved. Set aside.

Method

1.  Bring half a pot of water to the boil. When it is boiling, add in the dried egg noodles and allow to boil until soft. Refer to package instructions for the time taken to soften them. ( For mine, I boiled about 9 minutes because I like the noodles very soft )
2. Pour the boiled noodles into a colander and allow running water to rinse them. Drain and set aside. 
3.  Boil another pot of water to blanch the squids for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
4.  Heat a wok and add 3 tbsp cooking oil to it. Saute chopped garlic and ginger slices until fragrant.
5.  Add in mushrooms, pork slices, prawns, carrots, mustard green and squids. Stir-fry all the ingredients and mix them well together. 
6.  Add in the seasoning ingredients and the water solution. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop up all the ingredients, leaving only the sauce in the wok.
7.  Add in the boiled noodles into the sauce in the wok. Use a pair of chopsticks to toss the noodles to ensure the sauce coats every strand of noodle. Toss until almost dry.
8.  Remove the noodles and transfer to serving dish. Top up the noodles with all the ingredients. 
9.  Serve hot.

I am linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders 

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for January 2015 is Noodles and Pasta 
Hosted by  My Bare Cupboard

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

Fruity Fusilli

Fruity Fusilli

Recipe source :  Adapted from "Everyday Chicken" by Parragon Publishing

I saw this interesting recipe from the above-mentioned cookbook and I was inspired by its concept of using mango and raisins to cook pasta. However,  I had made several adjustment to suit my family's taste preference. I cut down on the amount of meat and therefore I had to reduce the corresponding amount of spices which were used to marinate the meat. The seasoning ingredients were my own addition. 

My son commented that it was the weirdest pasta dish he has ever eaten. This was because he does not like fruits to be cooked in any way whatsoever. He prefers fruits to be eaten fresh. But for this pasta dish, he gave the thumbs-up sign because his mouth was too full of this delicious fruity fusilli to give praise! 

Despite his praises, he maintains that this is weird! Oh boy!

Ingredients

100g minced pork/chicken                  
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
1/8 tsp cumin powder
sprinkle of chilli flakes
a pinch of pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped shallot
150 ml liquid from boiling the pasta
2 tbsp raisins
1 ripe mango ( cut into cubes )
300g dried fusilli
1 tbsp chopped Chinese parsley

Seasoning ingredients 

2 tbsp Lea & Perrine sauce
1 tbsp mirin (Japanese wine)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar

Method

1.  Marinate the minced pork/chicken with turmeric powder, cinnamon, cumin, chilli flakes and pepper for 30 minutes.
2.  Boil fusilli according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Retain 150ml of the liquid from boiling the fusilli.
3.  Heat a frying pan until hot. Add 2 tbsp oil and saute chopped garlic and shallot until fragrant.
4.  Add in the marinated pork/chicken and stir to loosen the minced meat. Pour in the liquid retained from boiling the fusilli. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add in pasta and seasoning ingredients. Stir to mix well. Fry until almost dry.
5.  Add in the mango cubes, raisins and chopped Chinese parsley. 
6.  Dish up and serve. 

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for January 2015 is Noodles and Pasta 
Hosted by  My Bare Cupboard

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

I am linking this post to  Cook-Your-Book#20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Chinese New Year Dish: Spicy Fish Maw 香辣鱼鰾

Chinese New Year Dish: Spicy Fish Maw 香辣鱼鰾

Recipe source :  Adapted from Y3K Magazine, Issue No. 58, 1/2 - 2011 ( Catherine Chia )


The mood for Chinese festivities has begun for me. I love the exhilaration. I love to walk and browse through the shops and market stalls while happy Chinese New Year songs fill the air! 

It's time to get busy with Chinese New Year preparations. Many shops and stalls at the market  have already started displaying goodies for Chinese New Year. A wide selection of cookies, nuts and all kinds of auspicious food associated with the Spring Festival abundantly filled up baskets and urns, fighting for available space to be seen. They seem to be beckoning to me and all customers and urging "buy me, buy me"! Ah, my imagination has run wild. It's because I am so happy! My favourite time of the year has arrived. 

I have a lot of fish maws at home which were gifts from friends and relatives. So, I shall start off with cooking a fish maw dish.  

Fish maws are delicacies commonly used to prepare Chinese New Year dishes. Not all people like to eat fish maws because they do not like the smell of fried oil nor the "fishy" smell. A shop proprietor once taught me how to get rid of the "fishy smell" and oily odour by using a little vinegar during the preparatory process. His tip works!

Being Malaysian, I love spicy dishes. This version is delicious and is a very delectable change from the conventional ways of cooking fish maws. 

Gong Xi, Gong Xi, Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Ingredients

80g fish maw
2 slices ginger
3 pips garlic, chopped
160g Chinese cabbage, cut into sections of 4 cm
5 pieces assam (tamarind) soaked and drained
4 dried chillies, cut into 2 sections
1/2 tbsp fermented soy bean
300g pork belly, sliced
1 stalk leek
600ml water
3 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning

2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce

For fish maw

1.  Soak in water until soft. Place into 1 litre of boiling water and add in 1/2 tsp of vinegar. Boil for about 10 minutes. Let is cool.
2.  Squeeze off excess water .
3.  Rinse again several times and squeeze off excess water from the fish maw. Do so gently to prevent breaking
4.  Cut into bite-sized pieces.
 

Method

1.  Heat wok with 3 tbsp cooking oil. 
2.  Saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.
3.  Add in fermented soy bean and fry well. Then add dried chillies, pork belly and Chinese cabbage. Stir-fry well.
4.  Add in water, assam pieces, seasoning and fish maw.
5.  When it comes to a boil, lower heat to medium flame and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
6.  Add in leek and stir-fry until almost dry.
7.  Switch off flame and dish up. 

I am linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders 

and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

I am linking this post to  Cook-Your-Book#20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Tasty Beancurd With Tangy Chilli Dip

Tasty Beancurd With Tangy Chilli Dip

Recipe source :  Amy Beh

For this deep-fried beancurd, it is better to use the semi-soft type of tofu. In Cantonese it is known as 'tau yoon'.  It tastes better. However, you can still use firm tofu if the semi-soft type is not available. The coating of salt, pepper and cornflour makes the exterior fragrant and crusty while the inside is still soft.

I serve this as a vegetarian dish. It is rich in protein.
This can be eaten as a snack at teatime or just anytime!

Ingredients

3 pieces semi-soft tofu, cut into rectangular pieces
A dash of pepper and salt
A dash of black pepper
Some cornflour for coating
Oil for deep frying

Tangy Chilli Sauce

2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce or soy sauce
1 tbsp Thai chilli sauce
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped chilli padi
1 tbsp sugar, or to taste
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional )

Mix everything together and pour into a small bowl.

Method

1.  Wrap tofu with several layers of kitchen towels. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Pat dry to remove liquid. Cut into 6 rectangular pieces. Pat dry again with paper towels.
2.  Sprinkle salt, pepper and black pepper on the tofu pieces. Sprinkle some cornflour to coat them.
3.  Deep fry in hot oil. Drain on paper towels.
4.  Arrange on serving plate and serve with tangy chilli dip.

Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Berempah)

Spicy Fried Chicken (Ayam Goreng Berempah)

Recipe source : Adaped from  Azie Kitchen

"Ayam goreng berempah"  is an all time favourite among Malaysians. You can find them in almost all the Mamak or Malay stalls around town. Very often, these stalls will have nasi briyani to go with the piping hot ayam goreng. But not all stalls sell good "ayam goreng berempah". Some can be just downright mediocre. 

My favourite nasi briyani stall that was situated between two rows of old shophouses near OCBC Bank in downtown Kuala Lumpur.  I was so disappointed when I went there a few weeks ago only to discover that  the stall had been demolished and relocated elsewhere. Sigh! I had walked in the sweltering heat just to eat my favourite fried chicken and now only parked vehicles lined the lane where my favourite stall once stood.

So my next best option was to try frying some chicken at home to soothe my craving and to nurse back my profound disappointment.  

Ingredients

3 pieces chicken whole legs, cut into 2 sections each
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp of minced chilli
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp jintan manis
1 tsp jintan putih
6 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 sprig curry leaves
2 inch piece of ginger
1 inch piece of fresh turmeric
2 pieces lemon grass ( serai ) - use the white parts only
Oil for deep-frying

Method

1.  Use a mortar and pestle to pound the shallots, garlic, ginger, fresh turmeric and lemon grass into a fine paste.
2.  Add in the chilli paste, curry powder, jintan manis, jintan putih and curry leaves. Mix thoroughly to form a spicy paste.
3.  Marinate chicken pieces with this spicy paste for 4 to 5 hours.
4.  Heat enough oil for frying. When the oil is hot, fry chicken pieces until crisp and golden.