Soy Bean Curd ( Tau Foo Fah ) 豆腐花

Soy Bean Curd ( Tau Foo Fah ) 豆腐花

Recipe source :  Adapted from Rasa Malaysia


"Tau foo fah" or soy bean curd is an all-time favourite in my family. We used to buy this sweet dessert from a hawker who goes around our housing estate in a tricycle. 

Made from soya bean, it is rich in protein. It is soft and silky smooth which is suitable for the old and the young as well. I like to eat this warm while the children like it cold. 

It is such a refreshing dessert to have on a hot day. 

Ingredients for Soy Bean Curd

500ml fresh soy milk
2 tsp gypsum powder (Available from Chinese medical shops, just tell them you want to buy 'sek koe fun' for making 'tau foo fah')
2 tsp cornflour
1/3 cup water

Note : You may refer to my post on how to make soy milk

Ginger Syrup

2-inch piece ginger - pounded
250g cane rock sugar
300ml water

Method to make ginger syrup

1.  Place cane rock sugar into a small pot. 
2.  Add in water and the pounded ginger.
3.  Boil until the mixture has thicken and look syrupy.   

 Ginger syrup

Method to make the bean curd

1.  In a bowl mix gypsum powder, corn flour and water until well combined. Ensure mixture is well blended.
2.  Bring fresh soy milk to a boil. Skim off the foam and bubbles.
3.. Turn off heat.
4.  Stir the gypsum mixture and pour it into a large pot with a fitting lid.
5.  Pour boiling soy milk into the gypsum mixture from a height of at least 1 foot from above. This is to ensure even distribution of the gypsum mixture. DO NOT STIR.
6. Cover the opening of the pot with a towel and place lid over it.
7.  Allow to set for at least 1 hour. 
8.  When it has set, remove the top layer which is foamy. 
9.  The layer below is firm and silky smooth bean curd.

Remove the topmost layer which is foamy. 

The layer beneath is firm and silky smooth tau foo fah

To serve

1.  Scoop a few spoonful of the bean curd into a bowl. 
2.  Add 1 to 2 tbsp ginger syrup, according to taste.

Mmmm...silky smooth soy bean curd

Dong Bo Pork 东坡肉

Dong Bo Pork 东坡肉

Recipe source :  Adapted from  Table for two....or more

Of late, my family has been obsessed with this dish. Whenever we eat out, my son would insist on ordering this Dong Bo Pork. 

Legend has it that this dish was named after the famous poet, So Dong Bo from the Song Dynasty. If the legend is true, So Dong Bo was certainly a great connoisseur of food besides being a very famous poet.

This dish seems to be in popular demand in my family.  I decided to make it at home. I had a hard time deciding which recipe to follow as there are so many recipes available online and there were a few variations to making this famous Dong Bo pork. 

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly
150g spring onions
50g ginger
130ml shao hsing wine
100g rock sugar
20g dark soya sauce
100g light soy sauce
500ml water

Method

1.  Bring a pot of water to the boil and scald the pork belly for 5 minutes. Drain.
2.  Cut spring onions into sections and line the base of an earthen pot. 
3.  Slice ginger and sprinkle the ginger slices over the spring onions.
4.  Place the pork belly onto the ginger and spring onions, skin side down.
5.  Pour in the soy sauce and sugar. Then add wine and water. Make sure the pork is almost covered with water/liquid.
6.  Bring the pot to the boil over high heat. Once it boils, reduce to low heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Need to flip the pork over halfway and simmer until the pork is tender.
7.  Remove pork and place on a plate and steam over high heat for 30 minutes.
8.  Pour gravy over pork.   

 

Pig Trotters With Black Vinegar 猪脚酸

Pig Trotters With Black Vinegar 猪脚酸

 Recipe source :  Gigi Wong on Astro ( Hong Kong actress )

This is a traditional confinement dish which is ever popular and is always featured in cookbooks on confinement food. This is also one of my favourites even when I am not in confinement.

I have been craving for this dish ever since I watched Gigi Wong's cooking show on Astro a few months back. It was interesting to watch her cook this dish step-by-step but it would have been even better if she had given the precise weights and measurements for each ingredient used. 

Anyway I was eager to try out Gigi Wong's way because she cooked it differently from how my late mother used to cook this for me during my confinement. Gigi Wong dipped hard boiled salted duck eggs into the black vinegar in  addition to hard boiled chicken eggs. I like the addition of salted eggs! They tasted less salty after being immersed in the black vinegar. Gigi Wong dry-fried the ginger pieces before adding a dash of oil and salt to it. The ginger pieces were crunchy. Very nice, even though the ginger were old and matured. 

The sweet and sour vinegar soup was so tasty that I drank several bowls after the trotters and eggs were gone! I guess I'll have to go on a strict diet for at least a week or two after consuming so much fat. And I shall have to suffer guilt pangs and worry about cholesterol, clogged arteries and possibly a coronary by-pass!

Note :  

1)  Do not remove the skin from the old ginger. I was told that much of the nutrients and goodness reside there. 

2)  Use a clean toothbrush to clean and remove the dirt particles from the old ginger.

Bon appetit!

 

Ingredients

800g pig trotters , cut into pieces and blanched in boiling water. Drain dry.

6 chicken eggs, hard boiled and remove shell

2 salted duck eggs, hard boiled and remove shell

300g old ginger, cut into thick slices and give them a smack using the side of a cleaver

250ml black vinegar

1000ml water

 A dash of sesame oil

1/2 tsp salt

130g cane rock sugar

Method

1.  Dry-fry the ginger pieces in a wok until the ginger pieces are slightly charred around the edges.

2.  Add a sprinkle of salt and a dash of sesame oil to the ginger pieces. Remove and set aside.

3.  Place water and black vinegar into a pot, preferably an earthen pot, and bring contents to a boil.

4.  Add fried ginger pieces and cane rock sugar and the hard boiled chicken eggs and salted duck eggs.

5.  Continue to boil over slow fire for about 45 minutes. 

6.  Then add pig trotters and boil until they are tender. About 30 to 45 minutes.

7.  Add salt to taste. 

You can see the contrast between the salted duck egg and the chicken egg

 

Super-duper yummy!

Hasma With American Ginseng 雪蛤炖花旗参

Hasma With American Ginseng 雪蛤炖花旗参

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

The common layman's term for hasma is snow jelly. Some referred to it simply as "winter frog". In Chinese herbal medicine, hasma is reported to be good for improving production of red blood cells and to stimulate brain growth. The Chinese believes that it is good for the lungs and thus helps to curb coughing. Some believe that regular consumption of hasma improves skin complexion. 

Generally, it is believed to be a good natural tonic for overall wellness. 

A friendly shop proprietor who sells Chinese herbs once taught me to add a small piece of fresh orange peel to enhance the flavour of double-boiled hasma. The citrus flavour from the orange peel helps to expel the fishy smell. Combined with American ginseng, rock sugar and pitted red dates, a very delicious and nutritious dessert is made. 

Ingredients (serves one )

2g dried hasma, soaked until soft and gelatinous. 
5 pieces of American ginseng
2 red dates, pitted
150 - 200 ml water
Cane rock sugar, accordingly to individual preference for sweetness
1 small piece of fresh orange peel

Dried hasma

Method

1.  Place American ginseng, fresh orange peel, red dates and rock sugar into a small porcelain container with a fitting lid. 
2.  Pour in 150ml to 200ml water.
3.  Double boil or steam for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
4.  Serve warm. 

A very tasty dessert which improves the complexion and is good for the lungs

Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls) 汤圆

Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls) 汤圆

Recipe source :  Doris Choo

Today is an auspicious day, Chinese across the globe are making tang yuan or glutinous rice balls to celebrate 冬节 or Winter Solstice. Many believe the Winter Solstice or 冬节 is much more auspicious and important than the Lunar Chinese New Year. 

The traditional tang yuan is cooked in ginger syrup without filling. Over the years, creativity set in and the original version of plain tang yuan had evolved into balls of glutinous rice stuffed with all kinds of tasty fillings. The more common and popular fillings being red bean paste, yam paste, sesame paste and peanuts. 

With or without the fillings, tang yuan tastes great in the ginger infused syrup. It is a great dessert, usually taken hot or warm.

When we were young, our elders used to tell us that we have to eat the same numbers of tang yuan equivalent to our age. Back then our young minds would be thinking "oh my gosh! grandpa would have to eat seventy tang yuan!"  However, we caught on fast and pretty soon we knew grandpa was just pulling our legs! According to the Chinese method of calculating age, the moment you eat tang yuan on that particular day, you would have just added one year to your age.

Like most Chinese, we are celebrating this auspicious day and I am happy to share our family's  version of the tang yuan.

Ingredients for White Tang Yuan

80g glutinous rice flour
80ml hot boiling water ( add more if necessary to form a soft dough)
100g red bean paste ( divide into 10 balls )

Method

1.  Place the glutinous rice flour into a large bowl. 
2.  Add hot boiling water to the flour and use a spoon to mix he flour and water.  When it has cool down sufficiently to handle, use hands to knead this mixture to form a soft dough.
3.  Add more hot water if the flour cannot bind.
4.  Or add more glutinous rice flour if the dough is too sticky to handle.
5.  Divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
6.  Roll each portion into a small disk and wrap the dough round a ball of red bean paste to form a white ball.
7.  Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients. 
8.  Set aside the white tang yuan.

Ingredients for Red Tang Yuan

80g glutinous rice flour
80ml hot boiling water ( add more if necessary to form a soft dough)
2 to 3 drops red food colouring
100g red bean paste ( divide into 10 balls )
 

Method

1.  Place the glutinous rice flour into a large bowl. 
2.  Add red food colouring into the boiling water. Then add the hot boiling water to the flour and use a spoon to mix the flour and water.  When it has cool down sufficiently to handle, use hands to knead this mixture to form a soft dough.
3.  Add more hot water if the flour cannot bind.
4.  Or add more glutinous rice flour if the dough is too sticky to handle.
5.  Divide the dough into 10 equal portions.
6.  Roll each portion into a small disk and wrap the dough round a ball of red bean paste to form a pink ball.
7.  Repeat process with the remaining ingredients.
8.  Set aside the pink tang yuan.

 Before boiling in hot water

Ingredients for the syrup 

20g ginger, smacked with the back of a cleaver
750ml water
120g rock sugar

1.  Bring all the ingredients to a boil until the rock sugar dissolves.
2.  Set  aside and keep warm..  

Cooking the Tang Yuan

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil. 
2.  When boiling, add balls of white tang yuan and red tang yuan into the boiling water.
3.  The tang yuan will float to the surface once it is cooked.
4.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked tang yuan and place into bowls.
5.  Add syrup to the bowls of tang yuan.
6.  Serve hot.

Pandan Flavoured Snow Fungus & Gingko Nut Dessert

Pandan Flavoured Snow Fungus & Gingko Nut Dessert

Recipe source :  Doris Choo


A simple and sweet  dessert which we love to enjoy every now and then. We like to add hard-boiled quail eggs to this "tong-sui" or sweet soup. This dessert requires just a few basic ingredients yet a very tasty soup is brewed.  

I do not normally add pandan leaves to boil this sweet soup. But today, since I have some pandan leaves left  in my fridge, I added a few blades of these fragrant leaves to enhance the flavour. 

Well, I have no complaints. The flavour is definitely better with the added pandan leaves.
 

Ingredients

50g snow fungus, soak until soft and cut into bite-sized pieces
100g gingko nuts, remove shells and membranes
10 quail eggs, hard-boiled and remove the shells
3 blades pandan leaves, knotted together
120g cane rock sugar
1.5 litres water

Instructions

1.  Bring 1.5 litres of water to the boil.
2.  Add in the pandan leaves, softened snow fungus and gingko nuts and boil for 30 minutes.
3.  Remove and discard the pandan leaves.
4.  Add in cane rock sugar and hard-boiled quail eggs.
5.  Boil for a further 10 to 15 minutes or until the cane rock sugar dissolves.

 
I am linking this post to Joceline Lyn of Butter. Flour & Me

This event is linked to Little Thumbs Up organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids

and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

The ingredient for September is "pandan"

GL's Cooking : Barley & Gingko Dessert 腐竹白果薏米糖水

GL's Cooking :  Barley & Gingko Dessert  腐竹白果薏米糖水

This dessert is very popular and is easily available at food courts. Most  of the hawkers which I patronise do not always include gingko nuts, which is a disappointment to me as I love them. 

I came across an article some time ago that described this sweet dessert of bean curd sheets, barley and gingko as an energy booster and it also rejuvenates the human body. This claim, which I think may be true, considering the fact that soya milk and bean curd sheets contain protein, while ginkgo nuts contain protein, starch and minerals. Barley is rich in minerals as well. One thing is for sure, the Chinese believe this dessert cools down body heat and is good for the complexion, good especially for pregnant mums in an advanced stage of pregnancy! A note of caution though,  this dessert may be too "cooling" for mums in the early stages of pregnancy.  

GL added hard-boiled quail eggs to this sweet and delightful dessert.  It looks so good, it makes me want to prepare it right away!

Ingredients

1/2 cup barley pearls
600 ml unsweetened soya milk
600 ml water
10 gingko nuts, remove shells and membranes
5 quail eggs, hard boil the eggs and remove the shells
1 sheet bean curd skin, soak to soften and tear into small pieces
3 pieces rock sugar, or to taste

Method

1.  Wash barley pearls and boil together with water, gingko nuts and soya milk until the barley pearls have expanded and become slightly "fluffy".
2.  Add bean curd skin, quail eggs and rock sugar and continue to boil for a further 15 minutes.
3.  Ready to serve.

Sweet  temptation !

Bird's Nest Soup With American Ginseng, Lotus Seeds & Lily Bulbs 燕窝炖花旗参

Bird's Nest Soup With American Ginseng, Lotus Seeds & Lily Bulbs 燕窝炖花旗参

Bird's nest  is a delicacy which is highly priced. It helps to strengthen the lungs and regenerate skin cells. It is believed to be good for the complexion. When stewed or double-boiled with other Chinese herbs, bird's nest make a very delicious and nutritious herbal brew or tonic.

Ingredients

3 pieces bird's nest
12 slices American ginseng
6 red dates, seeded
60g cane rock sugar
9 pieces lotus seeds
9 pieces lily bulbs
480ml water

Instructions

1.  Remove dirt from bird's nest and soak until soft. Rinse and place bird's nest into 3 porcelain jars or containers with lids.
2.  Place lotus seeds into a bowl and pour boiling water to soak the lotus seeds for a while. Remove the core. 
3.  Divide all the ingredients into 3 portions.
4.  Put in the American ginseng, red dates, lotus seeds, lily bulbs, cane rock sugar and water into the 3 jars.
5.  Cover the lids and  double boil for 3 hours.

 The bird's nest  before soaking

 The softened bird's nest 

 

 American ginseng

 

Lily bulbs  

 Red dates

 Lotus seeds

Cane rock sugar

Nourishing herbal brew

Double-Boiled Snow Fungus Dessert 雪耳炖冰糖

Double-Boiled Snow Fungus Dessert 雪耳炖冰糖

 A sweet dessert

Recipe Source : Replicating what I had eaten in a shopping mall in Zhuhai, China

I had this sweet dessert in Zhuhai, China a couple of weeks back. The ingredients used are simple and easily available in grocery stores or supermarkets. Brewed together with cane sugar or rock sugar, the end result is sweet and very satisfying. I am back home now and I have a strong craving to have this dessert and I decided to prepare it.

Ingredients

10g snow fungus ( soaked until soft, remove the stem and cut them into smaller pieces )
90g cane rock sugar ( adjust the amount of sugar to suit individual taste )
6 red dates, remove the seeds
100g fresh lotus seeds
18 gingko nuts ( remove the shell and soft skin or you can use fresh gingko nuts available at the wet markets )
600 ml water

Top left : fresh lotus seeds, Top right : gingko nuts

Bottom left : snow fungus. Middle : cane rock sugar. Right : red dates

 

Instructions

 

1.  Divide the above ingredients into 3 equal portions.
2.  Place each portion into an individual ceramic container. You will need 3 small ceramic containers. Alternatively, you can put everything into a large ceramic container used for double- boiling. You can read up on my previous post on the ceramic pot used and how to go about double-boiling.
3. Cover the 3 ceramic containers and place them into a larger aluminium or stainless steel pot. Fill up the larger pot with water to half the water level of the ceramic containers. 
4.  Switch on the flame and double-boil the contents for one hour. 
5.  Check on the water level in the larger pot to avoid drying up during the boiling process. Add hot boiling water if the water dries up. 

Very satisfying dessert after a meal