Wong Tai Mee (King's Noodles) 皇帝面

Wong Tai Mee (King's Noodles) 皇帝面

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Wong Tai Mee literally translates into King's noodles. They are dried egg noodles folded conveniently into a ball. I said it is very convenient because I  always estimate each ball of this wong tai mee for one person. 

 Dried wong tai mee

I stocked up on a fair amount of dried foodstuff including this dried wong tai mee in advance for the festive season knowing most eateries are closed during the first few days of the Chinese New Year.

I cooked this for brunch since everybody woke up late.

Ingredients

4 dried wong tai mee
2 shallots, sliced
20g dried shrimps
100g fresh shrimps, remove shells and tails
150g minced pork ( add 1 tsp soy sauce, a dash of sesame oil and a dash of pepper to marinate )
100g mustard green, or choy sam ( cut into lengths of 3 cm )
150g bean sprouts
5 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Chinese rice bowls water

Method

1.  Bring half a pot of water to the boil. When boiling add in the egg noodles and boil for 3 minutes or according to instructions on the package. Drain away the boiling water and rinse noodles with running water. Drain well and set aside.
2.  Heat wok until very hot. Add in 1 tbsp of the cooking oil and stir fry the bean sprouts for 1 minute. Dish up and set aside.
3.  In the same wok, add the remaining 4 tbsp cooking oil. Saute sliced shallots until lightly brown. Add in minced pork and stir-fry until the minced pork is broken into smaller pieces. Push this aside and add in dried shrimps and fresh shrimps. Continue to fry and add in mustard greens. Mix everything together and add sauce ingredients. Allow this to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
4.  Add in the par-boiled egg noodles. Use a pair of wooden chopsticks to toss the noodles to ensure they are well coated with sauce. Continue to toss and mix until noodles are dry.
5.  Dish up and serve with cut chilli padi in soy sauce.

Serve this with cut chilli padi in soy sauce. Yummy !!

Mung Bean Soup 绿豆汤

  Mung Bean Soup 绿豆汤

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Mung bean soup or mung bean porridge is a dessert most of us grew up with. A popular Malaysian fare which bring sweet comfort to warm our tummies during breakfast, supper and even popularly served at buffet in local hotels.

It is easy to boil but there are so many variations to its preparations, which usually is according to ethnic or community preference. Some like adding coconut milk or santan to enhance and enrich the flavour. I added sago pearls to thicken and smoothen its consistency.

I prepared this soup for breakfast on the first day of the Chinese New Year to go with Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Noodles because we need to observe a vegetarian diet on the first half day of the Lunar Chinese New Year.

Ingredients

100g mung beans
3 pandan (screw-pine) leaves
1/2 cup sago pearls
1300 ml water, or use more water if you prefer the consistency to be watery
100g to 150g sugar,  or according to taste preference

Method

1.  Wash mung beans thoroughly.
2.  Add in water and pandan leaves and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower heat and continue to simmer until the beans start to break down. Then add in sago pearls and continue to simmer until the consistency is porridge-like. 
3.  Add sugar last. Stir to mix well.

Sweet dessert which is popular and brings comfort to many of us

Chinese New Year Dish: Scallop & Wong Ngah Pak In Superior Stock 干贝上汤奶白

Chinese New Year Dish: Scallop & Wong Ngah Pak In Superior Stock 干贝上汤奶白

Recipe source :  Y3K Magazine Issue No. 40, 1/2 - 2008

This beautiful serving of dried scallops and Chinese cabbage is super delicious! It is very light and refreshing. You just need dried scallops, Chinese cabbage and broccoli. 

The scallop sauce tasted great with just the right consistency to coat the steamed vegetables and the shredded scallops.

The whole combination was absolutely superb!

Gong Xi Fa Cai !

Ingredients

80g broccoli, cut into florets
5 leaves of Chinese cabbage or wong ngah pak in Cantonese
30g dried scallops, soaked until soft and shred them
300ml superior chicken stock

Seasoning

1/2 tbsp Chinese wine
1/2 tbsp abalone sauce
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
dash of dark soya sauce

Thickening

2 tbsp tapioca flour
2 tbsp water

Mix well to dissolve the tapioca flour

Method

1.  Bring half a pot of water to the boil. Add in some salt and oil. Scald broccoli and Chinese cabbage.
2.. Arrange broccoli in the centre of a plate. Roll up the leaves of the Chinese cabbage and arrange  them around the broccoli.
3.  Steam the platter of vegetables for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4.  Heat up stock. Add in dried scallops and seasoning. Thicken with the tapioca solution. 
5.  Pour this scallop sauce over the plate of vegetables.

Arrange the vegetables and scallop shreds before spooning the sauce over

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

Please mention Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 in your post and link back to us, Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. - See more at: http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/#sthash.GPYJr7yj.dpuf

I am also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015
Orgainsed by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 
Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe
  

Chinese New Year Dish: Beancurd Skin Steamed With A Few Varieties of Mushrooms 腐皮蒸杂菌

Chinese New Year Dish: Beancurd Skin Steamed With A Few Varieties of Mushrooms 腐皮蒸杂菌

Gong-Xi, Gong-Xi, A perfect vegetarian dish for the Chinese New Year!

Recipes source :  Y3K Magazine Issue No. 57 11/12 - 2010

I was very much taken in by this vegetarian dish when I saw this recipe in the Y3K magazine. In fact I was drooling over it! I just couldn't wait

It consists of five varieties of mushrooms and beancurd sheets, all of which are my family's favourite food items. The ingredients used were very basic and easily available. The resulting flavour was simply awesome! The whole ensemble looks so wondrously beautiful. It looked like a treasure chest encased by jade pieces !

I find the entire presentation so lovely and pleasing to the eyes and will definitely look grand and auspicious on any dining table!

This vegetarian dish is just sumptuous! 
  

Ingredients A

3 pips garlic, minced
3 large pieces of  foo pei  (beancurd sheets) 
oil for deep-frying foo pei

Ingredients B

1 can of straw mushrooms, cut them into halves
1 can of button mushrooms, cut them into halves
35g dried mushrooms (soaked, sliced and marinated with 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp shao hsing wine)
200g eryngii mushrooms ( Hong pau ku in Cantonese )
100g fresh inoki mushrooms

Ingredients C

150ml water
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp chicken stock granules
1 tbsp beaten egg (optional ) - alternatively use cornflour mixture to thicken

Seasonings

2 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp chicken stock granules (optional )

Garnishing

400 to 500g broccoli
500ml water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp oil

 Method

1. Cut broccoli into florets
2. Bring water to the boil. Pour in the broccoli florets and let boil for 2 to 3 minutes. 
3. Add in salt, sugar and oil. Drain and leave aside.

 Eryngii mushrooms

Top : Marinated dried mushrooms

Bottom left : Canned straw mushrooms.

Bottom right : Canned button mushrooms

 Inoki mushrooms

 Foo pei or beancurd sheets - use the square type which are much bigger

Method

1.  Spread out the foo pei ( beancurd ) sheets and fold over into half. Hold foo pei by both hands and carefully lower the centre portion into hot oil and deep fry until it has bubbles all over. Next, change direction for both ends so it gets even out.  Remove from hot oil, rinse and wipe dry before spreading it over a big bowl. Alternatively, use a pair of bamboo chopsticks or tongs to deep-fry the beancurd sheets.
2.  Heat wok with a drizzle of oil. Saute garlic. Add in all the 5 types of mushrooms. Mix well and lower heat to braise a while so that water will seep out from the mushrooms. Add seasonings.
3.  Scoop out the braised mushrooms into the big bowl which has been lined with the deep-fried foo pei or beancurd sheets. Fold up the edges to cover the mushrooms. Steam for 10 minutes. Remove and invert over a plate. Cut across the foo pei and pull apart the flaps to show the braised mushrooms.
4.  Heat water for ingredients C, add in oyster sauce and chicken stock granules and mix well. Add in beaten eggs in a drizzle to make egg strands. Or alternatively, use cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce. Pour this sauce over the braised mushrooms. 
5.  Garnish with boiled broccoli all round the inverted braised mushrooms.

The inverted bowl of mushrooms enclosed in foo pei

Garnished with boiled broccoli 

Make a cut  cross the inverted bowl of foo pei. 

Pull apart the flaps

Then drizzle the sauce over the braised mushrooms 

Oh Wow! This is truly awesome!

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 also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015

Organised by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 

Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe

  

Cookies : Chocolate Chip Ginger Nuts

Cookies : Chocolate Chip Ginger Nuts

Recipe source :  Delia Smith

One can never have too many cookies for Chinese New Year. No matter how much you baked the cookies are capable of performing the disappearing act all on its own! Well, you see, nobody will know how the cookie jar becomes empty!

Ingredients

50g cooking chocolate, chopped into little chunks
1 tsp ginger powder
110g self-raising flour
10g cocoa powder
50g butter, cut into cubes
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
40g granulated sugar
20g almond nibs
2 tbsp golden syrup

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degree C.
2.  Sift self-raising flour, cocoa, ginger powder and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl.
3.  Using your fingers, rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in sugar, chopped chocolate chunks and almond nibs.
4.  Add in golden syrup and mix everything together with your hands.
5.  Divide mixture into 16 equal portions and roll each portion to form a ball.
6.  Flatten the ball slightly and place on greased baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. 
7.  Cool completely and store into air-tight jars.

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 submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for February 2015 - Cocoa 

Hosted by Grace of Life Can Be Simple 
Organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids

Cocoa, host by Life can be simple

and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

Please mention Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 in your post and link back to us, Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. - See more at: http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/#sthash.GPYJr7yj.dpuf

I am also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015
Orgainsed by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 
Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe
   

I am linking this to Best recipes for everyone Jan & Feb 2015 Event Theme : My homemade cookies by Fion  Xuan Hom's Mom and co-host by Victoria Baking Into The Ether

Chinese New Year Dish : Fatt Thieu Cheong/Monk Jumped Over The Wall 佛跳墙

Chinese New Year Dish : Fatt Thieu Cheong/Monk Jumped Over The Wall 佛跳墙

Recipe source :  Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours (after listening to narration of a shop proprietor's basic instructions)

Fables had it that this soup was so fragrant that a monk jumped over a wall to trace and followed the wonderful aroma of this soup. The fable became a reality today in my home! The aroma that wafted from the steam oven was truly delicious as the soup was stewing. We all knew it would be great without having to taste it!

Finally I get to taste my own home-styled version of this much fabled "fatt thieu cheong". Thanks to the shop proprietor who persuaded me to buy these mini abalone way before shops started stocking up Chinese New Year goodies. 

Anyway, one of my children was back early for Chinese New Year and has to work during the festive season. So, we decided to celebrate with him first before he goes back to work. My family finds this very delicious. The dried baby abalone which had been soaked for 5 days until soft and then steamed for 3 hours tasted succulent and juicy. In fact we preferred this dried variety to the canned ones. Each springy bite is filled with the rich aroma and wholesome goodness of authentic abalone. Good! Really good!

Truly awesome to the last drop!

Note : the instruction to soak the dried abalone for 5 days until soft was taught by the shop proprietor who sold these abalone.

Ingredients

5 mini dried abalone
1/2 old chicken, quartered
40g dried fish maw(optional)
3 big dried scallops
5 red dates, pitted
1 tbsp wolf berries
6 slices pau-sum
3 pieces wai-san
4 dried mushrooms, soaked until soft
800ml water
2 slices old ginger
1 tbsp rice wine
salt  (optional )

Dried mini abalone

Mini abalone - after soaking for 5 days in the fridge

Dried scallops

Dried mushrooms

From left to right : wolfberries, pau-sum, red dates, wai-san

Method

1.  Soak dried abalone for 5 days until soft. Leave them in the refrigerator. Clean them properly before use.
2.  Soak fish maw until soft. Add 1 tsp vinegar into about 500ml water. Bring to a boil and boil the soaked fish maw to remove the fishy smell and the oily odour. Repeat process if the fishy smell is not removed after the first boiling. Alternatively you can leave out the fish maw if you find preparing it too troublesome because fish maw by itself has little taste.
3.  Place chicken, Chinese herbs and all the ingredients into a ceramic pot. Add in water. 
4.  Steam over high heat for 3 to 4 hours until the old chicken is tender.

Simply irresistible!

The mini abalones were succulent and juicy !

This is absolutely delicious!

The taste is just out-of-this-world!

No wonder there is so much hype about the monk jumping over the wall !

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 also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015

Orgainsed by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 

Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe

  

Cookies : Wheels Of Fortune

Cookies :  Wheels Of Fortune

Recipe source :  Cook's Nook - Amy Beh

My "wheels" turned out to look like pretty sunflowers instead! LOL.

Anyway, they look so bright and cheery, well enough to welcome the Chinese Spring Festival!

Ingredients

175g butter
100g castor sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla essence
1 egg
250g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
10g melted cooking chocolate
1/2 tsp instant coffee essence

Method

1.  Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and creamy. Add in vanilla and egg. Beat until well combined.
2.  Sift flour and baking powder together. Add the sifted flour into the butter mixture. Mix into a soft dough. Divide into 2 portions.
3.  To one portion, add in cocoa powder, melted chocolate and coffee essence. Knead lightly until well combined.
4.  Use cookie cutter to cut into desired shapes. Place onto baking trays and bake at 180 degree C for about 20 minutes or until golden at the edges.

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 submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for February 2015 - Cocoa 

Hosted by Grace of Life Can Be Simple 
Organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids

Cocoa, host by Life can be simple

and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

Please mention Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 in your post and link back to us, Yen from Eat your heart out, Diana from Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids. - See more at: http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/#sthash.GPYJr7yj.dpuf

I am also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015
Orgainsed by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 
Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe
  

Cookies : Seaweed Crispies

Cookies : Seaweed Crispies

Recipe source :  Lily's Wai Sek Hong

These crackers are very crispy. One piece is usually not enough as they can be highly addictive once you start nibbling them. 

I made lots of these for Chinese New Year. Wash them down with hot Chinese tea. They go equally well with cold beer. 

Ingredients

10 pieces seaweed /nori sheets
20 sheets spring roll wrappers
2 egg whites, lightly beaten with 1/2 tsp salt for glazing
Oil for deep frying

Method

1.  Lay a piece of spring roll wrapper on the table.
2.  Brush with egg glaze.
3.  Place a sheet of seaweed on top of the spring roll wrapper.
4.  Brush another piece of spring roll wrapper and use this to place it on top of the other piece, sandwiching the seaweed in between two spring roll wrappers.
5.  Cut into pieces of 2 inches by 1 inch rectangles.
6.  Fry the rectangular pieces in hot oil until golden.
7.  Drain on kitchen towels.
8.  Store in air-tight containers. 

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 also linking this post to Cook and Celebrate CNY : 2015

Orgainsed by Yen of Eat Your Heart Out , Zoe of Bake For happy Kids and 

Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe