Vegetarian Bak-Kut-Teh 斋肉骨茶

Vegetarian Bak-Kut-Teh 斋肉骨茶

Recipe source :  Adapted from Amy Beh

I wanted to cook this ever since my daughter ordered a vegetarian bak kut teh in an organic food outlet. It smelled wonderful and we could drink the wonderfully fragrant soup without feeling guilty about the fat content. However, it was months later before I came across Amy Beh's recipe  which renewed my interest to cook this dish. 

There were mixed reaction when I served this. My youngest son loves to eat the real bak kut teh. He could recognise the aroma of bak kut teh spices as it was stewing in the pot and the fragrance had permeated the air in my house! I guessed he was anticipating his favourite meaty treat. Boy!, was he disappointed when he discovered that there were no meat at all in the entire pot! 

The final verdict ?  All the men in the family preferred the real thing. Only the ladies accepted this vegetarian version gracefully! 

Ingredients

8 dried mushrooms
80g dried bean curd sticks, cut into sections of 4 cm and soaked until soft
100g Inoki mushrooms
1 piece tofu
20g black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into pieces
1 packet bak kut teh spices
1 star anise
1 piece cinnamon bark ( about 3 cm)
1/2 tsp white peppercorns, slightly crushed
2 big bulbs garlic, slightly smashed with the back of a cleaver.
1.5 litres water
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp rock sugar
1 small bunch of Chinese parsley

Top left : White peppercorns. Top right : Star anise

Bottom :  Cinnamon bark

 A packet bak kut teh spices. There are two packets inside this package.

I used only one packet which was sufficient for this recipe.

Top : Softened bean curd sticks

Bottom left :  Softened black fungus. Bottom right :  Mushrooms

Tofu and inoki mushrooms

Method

1.  Bring 1.5 litres of water  to a boil. Add in one small packet of bak kut teh spices, garlic bulbs, star anise, cinnamon bark and crushed white peppercorns. 

2.  Add in black soy sauce, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and rock sugar.

3.  When it comes to a boil again, add in the tofu pieces, mushrooms, black fungus and bean curd sticks.

4.  Allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. Add in inoki mushrooms and continue to boil for another 5 minutes.

5.  Add salt to taste.

6.  Lastly add in chopped Chinese parsley and stir to mix well.

7.  Serve hot with rice. 

Don't expect this vegetarian version to be like the real thing.

Braised Pumpkin With Black Fungus 黑木耳焖南瓜

Braised Pumpkin With Black Fungus 黑木耳焖南瓜

Recipe source :  Y3K Magazine, Issue 59, 3/4-2011 

There is a lovely hue to pumpkin, bright and vibrant. The colour is so cheerful, I tend to think that it makes a dish look great. 

This is a simple stir-fry yet the taste was greatly enhanced with the addition of Chinese coriander and butter towards the end of cooking. 

Great dish!

Ingredients A

10g dried scallops, soaked and shredded       ( Original recipe used dried shrimps )
1 cup water ( water from soaking the dried scallops )
20g black fungus, soaked and cut into pieces
1 tbsp butter

Ingredients B

300g pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
2 pips garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 stalks Chinese coriander, cut into sections of 3cm
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp cooking oil
  

Black fungus, pumpkin and dried and scallops

Method

1.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Stir-fry chopped garlic and shallots until slightly browned.
2.  Add in pumpkin and fry until the pumpkin has caramelised around the edges.
3.  Add in black fungus and fry for another minute.
4.  Add in the shredded dried scallops and water. Add more water if it is too dry.
5.  Cover with lid and let it simmer until liquid is absorbed.
6.  Uncover and add in butter, salt and sugar. Add coriander. Mix well.
7.  Dish up and serve.

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for October 2014 is Pumpkin

Hosted by Eileen's Diary

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

I am also linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #17

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

I am also linking this post to My Treasured Recipes # 3 - Taste of Autumn (Oct/Nov 2014)

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders and 

co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

Pumpkin Mock Abacus Seeds 南瓜算盘子

Pumpkin Mock Abacus Seeds  南瓜算盘子

Recipe source :  Y3K Magazine - Catherine Chia's kitchen

These lovely "abacus seeds" look so pretty. They look like golden coins. This can be a meal on its own, very similar to a pasta or a noodle dish and it is truly filling. These pumpkin abacus seeds are imitations of yam abacus seeds which is a traditional dish of the Hakka community.   
This delicacy is not something easily available nor is it widely sold in restaurants, well, at least not around the vicinity where I stay.   

I like this pumpkin coins more than the yam version. On its own, the pumpkin coins are rather bland. Once you add in the other ingredients it becomes a great dish. The ingredients were well blended to complement each other. Every mouthful is bursting with the wonderfully combined flavours of fragrant and chewy cuttle fish, mixed with crunchy black fungus and bits of minced pork.

I am always very happy to share when I stumbled upon a great recipe.
This is one of the fabulous ones! 

Ingredients A

600g pumpkin
300g tapioca flour
1 tbsp cooking oil

Ingredients B

1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced shallot
1 tbsp dried shrimps ( soaked, drained and diced )              ( I used dried scallop )
100g minced chicken meat /pork
2 mushrooms ( soaked, drained and diced )
20g black fungus ( soaked and shredded )
50g dried cuttlefish shreds ( soaked )

Seasonings

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper

Garnishing

1 stalk Chinese parsley  )
1 stalk spring onion         )  all diced
1 fresh red chilli               )

Top left : diced mushrooms. Top right :  dried scallops

Bottom left :  shredded black fungus.Bottom right : Cuttlefish filaments

Minced pork

Method

1.  Peel pumpkin, cut into pieces. Steam tilled cooked and soft, drain off excess water. Add in tapioca flour and oil. Knead into a dough. Do it while the pumpkin is still hot.
2.  Pinch about 5g to 10g of dough and shape into rounds and use a finger to make a dented impression into the centre. ( To make them look like abacus seeds )
3.  Boil the pumpkin seeds in hot water till they float to the surface. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a basin of cold water briefly. Drain away the water. Set aside. 
4.  Heat a wok with 2 tbsp oil. Saute the chopped garlic and shallots. Add in the diced mushrooms, black fungus, minced pork, dried scallops and the cuttlefish filaments. Stir-fry to mix everything together.
5.  Add in the seasoning ingredients and the par-boiled pumpkin seeds.
6.  Mix well, dish up and garnish. 

 Pumpkin seeds which has been par-boiled and drained in a colander

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for October 2014 is Pumpkin

Hosted by Eileen's Diary

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

I am also linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #17

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Wine-Braised Chicken With Peanuts

Wine-Braised Chicken With Peanuts

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Every now and then I crave for confinement food. I guess it could be because I love to eat the combination of ginger and wine. Both ginger and wine are two main ingredients abundantly used in Chinese confinement dishes. The wine is meant to strengthen and warm up the constitution of women's bodies after undergoing the rigours of childbirth, while ginger is widely known to get rid of the wind and dampness from the body. Old folks advised that black fungus helps to rid blood clots.

For ordinary people who are not in confinement but who wish to indulge in the rich foods of confinement women, bear in mind that the amount of ginger and wine have to be consumed in moderation. Otherwise there is bound to be side effects like headache, toothache or even a rise in blood pressure. On a personal level, I tend to cook this during the rainy season when  temperatures have turn way low or when I feel a bout of weaknesses enveloping me.

Therefore,  if I need a little prep-up or if I am cooking this dish just to assuage my craving, I have to reduce the amount of ginger and wine in my cooking. Furthermore, I have to use young ginger instead of old, matured ginger.

Ingredients

100g peanuts, soaked overnight     ( add more peanuts if you prefer more peanuts )
50g black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into pieces
50g kam cham, soaked until soft and squeeze dry
1/2 chicken, chopped into pieces
40g young ginger, shredded        ( used 100g matured ginger for ladies in real confinement)
1 bulb garlic, smashed
1 cup Stone's ginger wine            ( use 2 cups of this wine for ladies in confinement )
1.8 litres water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce

Method

1.  Boil peanuts with 1.8 litres over low heat for 1 1/2 hours or until peanuts are soft.
2.  Add in chicken, black fungus, kam cham and half the amount of wine.
3.  Let it come to a boil and reduce to medium flame and continue to cook for 25 minutes.
4.  Add in salt, soy sauce and sugar. 
5.  Add in the remaining wine. Stir to mix well. 
6.  Switch off flame.

Hakka Char Yoke 客家炸肉

Hakka Char Yoke 客家炸肉

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

This is a popular dish in our family gatherings even though we are not of Hakka descent. On most festive occasions when we visited my in-laws I would see this char yoke braising in a big pot on the old-fashioned charcoal stove. Even now I can remember my sister-in-law cutting the huge chunk of pork belly in preparation of this very delicious char yoke.

Large family gatherings are fewer and far between now that the old folks are no longer with us. At times I tend to reminiscent the bygone days. That's when I decided to cook this dish even though I do not have their recipe. It was not a problem since I had often helped my in-laws to prepare this dish. I just had to use my judgement to reduce the quantity of all ingredients used.

Ingredients

500g pork belly, cut into pieces
80g black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into pieces
1 egg, beaten
3 tbsp flour
3 cloves garlic
11/2 piece fermented Shanghai nam yee, mashed
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1.3 litres water
oil for deep-frying

 

Marinade

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 piece fermented Shanghai nam yee
1/4 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp soy sauce
dash of pepper
6 shallots, pounded to pulp to extract juice

 

Seasoning

2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

Thickening Solution

2 tbsp cornflour
3 tbsp water

Method

1.  Marinate the pork pieces with the shallot juice and marinade ingredients for 4 hours.
2.  Add in the beaten egg and coat well with flour.
3.  Heat up enough oil to deep-fry the marinated pork pieces. Cool and set aside.
4.  Bring 1.5 litres of water to boil in a medium-sized pot.
5.  Add in the garlic cloves, black fungus, 1 1/2 pieces of nam yee and dark soya sauce. Continue to simmer over medium flame for about 30 minutes. If you like the black fungus softer, simmer longer. 
6.  After 30 minutes, add in the deep-fried pork pieces and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the pork is tender.
7.  Add in seasoning ingredients and thicken with cornflour. 

Stewed Chicken Feet 焖鸡脚

Stewed Chicken Feet 焖鸡脚

Recipe source :  Adapted from Amy Beh

This hearty stew is popular and well received in our family. The elders in my family love the chicken feet as they believe it strengthens the cartilage around their knees and joints, while black fungus is good for clearing clogged arteries. 

I won't dispute the goodness of the chicken feet and the black fungus but for this dish, I strongly go for its great taste! The combination of those herbs and spices boiled together created a truly wonderful aroma and flavour to the stew. 

I used both the fresh chicken feet and some pre-fried ones which can be bought from the wet market. This is to cater for the diverging taste preferences of the family members. Some like the puffed up skin of the chicken feet which had been deep-fried in hot oil.

Ingredients

10 pieces fresh chicken feet
10 pieces fried chicken feet
15 dried chillies, halved and seeded
50g black fungus, soaked and cut into pieces
40g ginger, smashed
2 whole garlic bulbs
3 pieces liquorice ( kam choe )
4 cm cinnamon
2 star anise
3/4 tsp white peppercorns, smashed
1 small piece of dried tangerine peel
2 litres water

Seasoning

2 Chinese soup spoon oyster sauce
2 Chinese soup spoon dark soy sauce
1 Chinese soup spoon soy sauce
1 tsp salt, or to taste

Thickening 

Combine 1 tbsp cornflour with 1 tbsp water

The herbs and spices :

Top left : star anise. Top middle : dried tangerine peel. Top right :  white peppercorns

Bottom left :  liquorice ( kam choe ). Bottom right : cinnamon bark

Dried chillies

Method

1.  Blanch chicken feet in boiling water for 10 seconds then dish up. Rinse the chicken feet and drain well.
2.  Bring 2 litres of water to a boil in a large pot. 
3.  Put in both types of chicken feet and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil again. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the chicken feet are tender.
4.  Thicken the sauce with thickening before dishing out to serve.

 

Steamed Cabbage Roll

Steamed Cabbage Roll

Recipe source :  Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours


I am so very happy to have the chance to share this recipe which won me the grand prize of a Vitasteam oven from The Flavours-Miele All Steamed Up Contest !

It was love at first sight when I saw the Vitasteam oven featured in The Flavours magazine. As I flipped further through the pages I noticed another article about "all steamed-up contest". All we needed to do was to cook a dish by steaming the food and submit the recipe with a photo of the dish. The stipulation was - originality. 

I was very excited about this event. I dreamt of winning the prize. Actually I was obsessed with it! I told myself that if I don't win it then I will buy it! But how to win? I am not professionally trained in cooking.  I can cook simple everyday meals for my family. As for the elaborate dishes I have to follow recipes from the more experienced bloggers or from magazines. I was quite lost as to where to begin. Then I  thought about  all my favourite foods and the possibilities of mixing and matching my favourite ingredients. I ended up submitting a total of six recipes to the contest.

Well, you can say I am first time lucky! This is the first time I participated in a cooking contest, the first time I am so obsessed with an electrical appliance that I fell in love at first sight and of course this is the first time I won any grand prize!


My sincere thanks to Flavours Magazine and Miele Sdn Bhd.



Ingredients

10 leaves of Chinese cabbage

10 pieces of chives

2 slices of ginger

1.5 litres water

1 tsp salt

Chinese cabbage and chives - parboiled in hot water

Filling Ingredients

300g shrimps, diced
500g jicama (sengkuang) cut into thin strips
40g dried black fungus, soak until soft and cut into thin strips
30g parsley, chopped

 Jicama, yam bean or sengkuang

 Black fungus

Shrimps

Parsley

Seasoning Ingredients

5g ginger, grated
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
a dash of sesame oil

Method

1.  Boil the Chinese cabbage leaves and chives in 1 litre of boiling water which has been added with 2 slices ginger and 1 tsp salt. Boil for 3 minutes. Drain away the water and set aside.

2.  Mix the shrimps, jicama, black fungus and parsley together in a big bowl.

3.  Add in the seasoning ingredients and toss everything together to mix well. Divide the filling into 10 equal portions.

4.  Place a piece of softened Chinese cabbage on a flat surface.

5.  Place one portion of filling onto the Chinese cabbage and carefully wrap up the filling to form a parcel.

6.  Tie it up with a piece of chive.

7.  Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.

8.  Place all the wrapped cabbages onto a steaming tray.

9.  Steam over high heat for 15 minutes.

10. Serve hot.

Here is a snapshot of my winning recipe as published in the Flavours Magazine.
Issue : November 2013

Stir-fried Vermicelli With Black Fungus

Stir-fried Vermicelli With Black Fungus

Recipe source : Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours

It is believed that black fungus clears blocked arteries. There are many articles expounding the goodness of this fungus which is reported to be able to diffuse cholesterol the natural way. However, such articles usually advised us to boil the fungus for several hours, after which the fungus is discarded and we are to drink the soup only. 

There is another belief that black fungus helps build the cartilage surrounding the joints of bones, like the knee caps. I believe this because it works favourably for me! Each time I consumed black fungus, my aching knees usually felt better! But then, one or two pieces cannot work wonders! You have to eat more and eat them regularly before any effect can be felt. 

With this piece of advice in mind, I was purchasing a bag of black fungus from my regular provision shop when the elderly proprietress  told me that black fungus can be used to fry vermicelli and that it is very crunchy and tasty! She told me to cut them into thin strips and fry them with lots of garlic. She did not give me an exact recipe. Thus I had to use my imagination to try it out this way.

Ingredients

200g vermicelli or beehoon, soaked until soft and drained
150g carrots, cut into thin strips
50g dried black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into thin strips
50g anchovies
5 chilli padi, sliced
1 bulb of garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chicken stock granules
1 Chinese rice bowl of water
4 tbsp cooking oil

 

Method

1.  Heat wok and fry the chopped garlic until light brown and fragrant. Remove the garlic crisps.
2.  In the remaining oil, add anchovies, black fungus and carrot. Stir-fry for 2 minutes over high heat.
3.  Add water, salt and chicken stock granules.
4.  When it comes to a boil, add in the soaked vermicelli.
5.  Use a pair of chopsticks to stir the vermicelli and mix well. 
6.  Continue cooking and stirring until the vermicelli nearly dries up.
7.  Switch off flame and dish up.
8.  Spread the garlic crisps on top of the fried vermicelli.

 Without the garlic crisps

Fried vermicelli topped with fried garlic crisps 

Ginger, Egg & Wine Soup 姜酒汤

Ginger, Egg & Wine Soup 姜酒汤

Recipe source :  Doris Choo

My friend, Sharon was telling me about her mother visiting her during the school holidays and how happy and blessed she felt when her mother cooked all her favourite dishes. One of the dishes she mentioned was this ginger, egg and wine soup. The way she described the taste and how cosy she felt after eating and drinking this soup really set off my salivary glands working overtime. Her description and enthusiasm was infectious!

I decided to cook this since I've got a bottle of raisin wine lying idle at home. It wasn't difficult because my mother used to cook this for me during my own confinement. I just had to rack my brains for the recipe. But of course, if you are cooking for confinement ladies, you must add in lots more ginger and wine than the amount that I mentioned below. I remember my mother used ginger shreds to fry the beaten eggs in addition to the ginger she used to cook the soup. Oh, it was very delicious! I fully understood Sharon's enthusiasm over this dish. 

Even this milder version I am sharing now,  really kept me warm and cosy after dinner.

Ingredients

250g pork slices, mix with 1 tsp of flour
20g dried black fungus, soaked and cut into thin strips
20g ginger, cut into thin strips
3 tbsp glutinous rice wine or raisin wine
500ml chicken stock 
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1.  Heat wok, add 1 tbsp cooking oil and fry beaten eggs to make an omelet. Remove and cut into wedges.
2. Add the remaining 1 tbsp cooking oil into the wok. Saute the shredded ginger strips until golden.
3. Add in the pork slices and stir-fry for one minute or until the pork turns whitish.
4. Add in the shredded black fungus strips and continue to fry for another minute.
5. Pour in the stock and bring it to a boil.
6.  Add in omelette wedges.
7.  Add in wine and switch off the fire. Stir to mix evenly.
8.  Pour into a large soup bowl.
9.  Serve hot.

I am submitting this post to Aspiring bakers #38 : Boozy-licious! (December 2013)

hosted by Jasline of Foodie baker 

Stir-Fried Ridge Gourd With Shrimps & Black Fungus 角瓜炒黑木耳

Stir-Fried Ridge Gourd With Shrimps & Black Fungus 角瓜炒黑木耳

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


Ridge gourd is also known as luffa or loofah. It is reported to be low in saturated fats and cholesterol, high in dietary fibre and rich in vitamins and minerals. 

This is how my mother used to cook ridge gourd. However, she used "wan yee", a type of black fungus which is thinner in texture than the black fungus which I am using. Serve this with hot steaming rice. Very appetising!

Ingredients

515g ridge gourd 
150g shrimps, shelled and with veins removed
30g dried black fungus, soaked until soft and cut into small pieces
1 large onion, about 200g, cut into wedges
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
a dash of pepper
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 Chinese rice bowl water

Instructions

1.  Heat wok and add cooking oil.
2.  Add in onion wedges and stir-fry for 1 minute, then add shrimps followed by ridge gourd and black fungus.
3.  Continue to stir-fry for 2 minutes, add in water. Let simmer until the water is almost dry.
4.  Add in salt, sugar and pepper. Mix well.
5.  Ready to serve.