Chicken Soup With Pumpkin 金瓜炖鸡

Chicken Soup With Pumpkin 金瓜炖鸡

Recipe source :  The World of Nourishing & Fine Soups

Pumpkin is very versatile. It can be cooked in so many different ways and can be made into all kinds of cakes, buns, muffins, puddings and kuih-muih, not forgetting the wide variety of savoury dishes and soups!

Today I am double-boiling pumpkin with chicken to make a soup. According to the herbal cookbook, this chicken and pumpkin soup alleviates fever and clears phlegm. It cleanses blood and detoxifies the body. Hmmmm, sounds very nutritious and very beneficial indeed.

This soup is absolutely divine!

Ingredients

300g pumpkin
5 dried oysters
5 red dates, pitted
1 chicken whole leg
900ml water
1/2 tsp salt
 

Method

1.  Rinse and peel pumpkin. Remove cores from pumpkin and cut into cubes.
2.  Rinse dried oysters.
3.  Remove skin from chicken and scald in hot water.
4.  Put all ingredients ( except salt ) into a large porcelain stewing pot. Cover with lid and double-boil for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
5.  Add 1/2 tsp salt just before serving. 

 

I am linking this post to Cook-Your-Book-#18

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

Fried Vermicelli With Pumpkin 南瓜炒米粉

Fried Vermicelli With Pumpkin 南瓜炒米粉

Recipe source :  Adapted from Madame' Huang's Kitchen

Accordingly to Carolyn Phillips, this fried vermicelli with pumpkin is a Taiwanese Fall favourite. I was surprised that the pumpkin strips shown in the picture of her blog did not turn mushy after stir-frying. I wanted to test out whether the pumpkin strips will remain whole in my fried vermicelli! Well, the trick was not to overcook the pumpkin strips. 

The other thing I noticed was that Carolyn used lots of wine in her fried vermicelli. I love wine in cooking! So this recipe was definitely a "must-try"!

The result ? Well, the taste was equivalent to our local version of the Hokkien bee-hoon, albeit  with lots of pumpkin, meat and mushrooms and it was very nicely flavoured with wine!

Yummy! Try it for yourself!

Ingredients

300g pumpkin, cut into thin strips
20g dried scallops, soaked and shredded
5 black mushrooms, soaked and cut into thin slices
300g dried vermicelli, soaked until soft, then drain and set aside
2 green onions, cut into sections and separate the whites from greens
200g lean pork, cut into slices
5 tbsp cooking oil

Pumpkin

Dried mushrooms

Dried scallops

Pork

Vermicelli or bee-hoon

Marinade for pork

1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp tapioca flour
1 tsp Chinese cooking wine

Pork with marinade ingredients

Sliced mushrooms, shredded dried scallops and pumpkin strips

Seasonings

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
200ml water
a dash of pepper

Method

1.  Marinate the sliced pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 15 minutes.
2.. Heat wok until very hot and add 2 tbsp cooking oil. Saute the white parts of the spring onion.
3. Add in the marinated pork and stir-fry until the pork pieces turned whitish. Remove and set aside. 
4.  In the same wok, add in remaining cooking oil and stir-fry mushrooms, pumpkin and dried scallops.
5. Add in seasonings and water and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes. Then add in the fried pork slices and continue to simmer for further 2 minutes.
6. Add in vermicelli and using a pair of chopsticks,  mix the vermicelli to ensure it is evenly coated with gravy.
7. Continue stirring until almost dry. Switch off flame and dish-up. 
8. Garnish with spring onion. 

 

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 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

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

Pumpkin With Curry Leaves 斋南瓜

Pumpkin With Curry Leaves 斋南瓜

Recipe source :  Doris Choo 

This lovely pumpkin dish is inspired by the vegetarian 'chap fan' stall which I patronise during my lunch break. There is always a long queue lining up for vegetarian lunch everyday.  All this while I just watched the long queue but I never wanted to join the line of people. I always opted to eat food from other stalls. My colleagues would rave about the vegetarian dishes while I just listened but not convinced at all that the food is that wonderful!

During one of our lunch breaks, there wasn't a queue at this vegetarian outlet because we were there earlier than usual. So I joined my friends to try out this great vegetarian stall. When I approached the trays of dishes I wasn't impressed at all. My friend recommended that I try out the pumpkin. "This is very nice", she told me and placed a large chunk of what looked like a burnt piece of fried pumpkin onto my plate of rice.  I have to tell you that pumpkin is not my favourite choice of vegetables. But then, I didn't want to decline my friend's very sincere recommendation. 

We found ourselves a table and sat down for vegetarian lunch. One bite into that piece of brownish and unimpressive looking pumpkin and I have to humbly retract all my negative perception of pumpkin! It was so very delicious! It has a hint of curry fragrance yet I did not see any chillies nor curry gravy coating the pumpkins.  It was crispy on the outside and very tender inside. The taste was awesome!

Now, I have to confide that I have swung to the other extreme. I look forward to lunch at this vegetarian outlet and am eager and hopeful that they serve this pumpkin dish for the day! Actually, I was so obsessed with it that  I surfed the net hoping to find the recipe. Unfortunately I have not been successful in my search. 

Finally, I experimented in my kitchen. 

I added chilli padi for the extra oomph!
Here is my version

Ingredients

250g pumpkin, remove the skin and cut into wedges
1 chilli padi or bird's eye chilli
1 tbsp chopped garlic
a few stalks of curry leaves
1 tsp oyster sauce
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
cooking oil for frying pumpkin

Ingredients for batter

1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tapioca flour
1 tbsp rice flour
3 tbsp water

Blend everything together into a smooth paste and set aside.

Method

1.  Heat enough cooking oil in a wok for frying pumpkin.
2.  Coat the pumpkin wedges with batter and slide them into hot oil. Fry until brown on both sides. Make sure the pumpkin is thoroughly cooked. Dish up and set aside.
3.  Remove the oil used for frying pumpkin leaving only about one tbsp of the oil in the wok.
4.  Saute chopped garlic until fragrant. Add curry leaves and chilli padi and stir-fry until fragrant.
5.  Add water, oyster sauce, salt and pumpkin.
6.  Continue to stir-fry until dry.
7.  Dish up and serve.

Steamed Pumpkin Pudding 南瓜糕 （金瓜糕 )

Steamed Pumpkin Pudding 南瓜糕 ( 金瓜糕 ) 

Steaming hot and delicious

Ingredients

 

300g pumpkin ( net weight )
40g dried shrimps, soaked and roughly chopped
4 dried mushrooms, soaked until soft and cut into thin slices
250g rice flour
4 small shallots, remove skin and thinly sliced
600 ml water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil

Garnishing

1 chili padi (remove the seeds and chop it up)
1 stalk spring onion, use the green parts only (chopped)
Shallot crisps ( see instructions below )

Instructions

1.  Remove the skin, seeds and pulp of the pumpkin. Use a grater to grate the pumpkin into fine shreds
2.  In a large bowl, mix the rice flour, water, salt, sugar and pepper together. Mix well
3.  Heat a wok until hot, add in the cooking oil. Fry the sliced shallots for about  three minutes until golden brown. Remove half of the shallot crisps and set aside to be used as garnishing. 
4.  Leave the oil and half of the shallot crisps in the wok, add in the sliced mushrooms and stir-fry for a minute or two.
5.  Add in the dried shrimps and fry for another minute
6. Add in the shredded pumpkin and stir-fry until the pumpkin is softened
7.  Add in the rice flour mixture and mix all the ingredients thoroughly.
8.  Keep stirring continuously to prevent the bottom from getting burnt. As it cooks the flour mixture will thicken to form a dough-like mixture
9.  Cook and stir until the mixture becomes like dough.
10. Switch off the flame and transfer the mixture into a square cake tin ( 21 cm x 21 cm )
11. Use the back of a spoon to smoothen the surface of the mixture.
12.  Place the cake tin with the mixture in it and steam over boiling water for 40 minutes on high heat. Sprinkle the garnishing on the pumpkin pudding and steam for a further 5 minutes.
13.  Switch off the flame and remove the cake tin from the steamer.
14. Let it cool completely before cutting into smaller pieces.

Sure looks scrumptious

Stewed Pork With Pumpkin 扣肉

Stewed Pork With Pumpkin 扣肉

 

This dish originally uses pork belly and yam. However, if I use the yam slices they will be left untouched  while the pork belly would disappear. Now I use pumpkin instead as it is very popular among family members.

Ingredients

 

600g pork belly
500g pumpkin ( remove the skin and section it )
2 Chinese rice bowls of oil for deep-frying

Marinade Ingredients

 

3/4 tbsp five-spice powder
1/2 cube of Shanghai nam yee
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Shao Hsing wine
3 tsp dark soy sauce

Mix the above marinade ingredients thoroughly in a big bowl

Instructions

 

1.  Boil enough water to parboil the pork belly for 5 to 10 minutes. Discard the water. Cut the pork belly into desired shapes
2.  In a wok, deep-fry the pork belly slices in 2 Chinese rice bowls of cooking oil. Fry them until they are slightly charred because it tastes better that way.
3.  Mix 1/4 Chinese rice bowl of water into the marinade ingredients
4.  Add in the deep-fried pork belly slices and pumpkin. Mix evenly
5.  Arrange the pork belly slices and the pumpkin alternately in a rectangular container
6.  Steam for 1 to 2 hours. If you prefer the pork belly to be softer, then steam longer


Note :  In my family, the pumpkin has replaced the yam because most of the time either the yam is untouched or plenty of it is left behind long after all the pork belly has disappeared

Look-wise there is no comparison with those for sale in food establishments. To emulate the appearance of those in restaurants would entail a lot of wastage, yam-wise and pork-wise. 

 Deep-fry the pork belly slices until slightly charred