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 

Indonesian Fried Noodle (Mie Goreng Indonesia)

Indonesian Fried Noodle ( Mie Goreng Indonesia )

Recipe source : Adapted from Indochine Kitchen


Wow! This is really hot and spicy! For those not accustomed to hot and spicy food, you better reduce the amount of chillies and pepper for a milder flavour. The spice paste has a very distinct peppery flavour which taste really good, that is if you like spicy food with lots of pepper.

This noodle dish is meatless.

Ingredients For Spice Paste

2 cloves garlic
10 shallots
4 candle nuts, toasted
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

Pound all the ingredients together using a mortar and pestle or use a spice grinder to mince them.

Using a mortar and pestle to pound the spice paste

Ingredients For Stir-Frying

400g noodles
150g beansprouts   ( I did not use this )
150g Chinese green cabbage, cut into 5 cm length   ( I used choy sam )
5 stalks of spring onion, cut into  5 cm length
3 sprigs parsley, cut into 2cm length
10g chilli padi, sliced
1 tomato, quartered   ( I did not use this )
3 tbsp cooking oil               
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp sweet soya sauce
1/2 cup water

 Spring onion, cut into 5 cm sections

 Chinese parsley, cut into 2 cm sections

 Chilli padi or bird's eye chilli, sliced

 Choy sam, cut into 5cm sections

 Noodle, rinsed and drained

Method

1.  Heat oil in a wok. Add spice paste and chillies and stir-fry for two minutes.
2.  Toss in choy sam, spring onions and beansprouts (if using). Mix quickly and fry for one minute.
3.  Add noodle, tomato, sweet soya sauce, salt, chopped Chinese parsley and water.
4.  Keep stirring until almost dry.
5.  Serve warm. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  :  Indonesia  

Hosted by Alice from I love. I Cook. I Bake

Jellyfish Salad

Jellyfish Salad

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

Jellyfish salad is served in my family on the 7th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. The 7th day or 人日, literally means "Human Day' or everyone's birthday.  In Malaysia, the Chinese celebrate  人日 by eating 七彩魚生, meaning seven-coloured raw fish salad or popularly known as yee sang. 

Most people opt for yee sang or raw fish salad at Chinese restaurants. My office mates and I usually group together to have yee sang during the Chinese New Year Year season during lunch break. It is a great time to eat together. We can order many variety of dishes since we always go in a big group. It is a great time to bond and enjoy good food and good company while we forget our work pressures and datelines for an hour or two!

However, my family does not really fancy yee sang. We prefer jellyfish salad at home. This is the way we celebrate "yan yat" or everybody's birthday which falls on the 7th day of the Chinese Lunar New Year. 

We just love the crunchiness of the jellyfish.Tasty!

Ingredients

300g jellyfish or 'hoi chit' in Cantonese
2 chilli paid, sliced
1 sprig Chinese parsley, chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp soy sauce, or to taste
1 tsp sugar

Raw jelly fish or 'hoi chit' which has been soaked in water 

Method

1.  Soak jellyfish for several hours, preferably overnight. Keep changing water several times.
2.  Slice the jelly fish into thin strips.
3.  Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Quickly blanch jellyfish strips for 1 minute.
4.  Drain dry and dab dry.
5.  In a small bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together with chilli padi and Chinese parsley. Stir to blend well.
6.  Add in the jellyfish strips. Transfer to serving plate.
7.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
8.  Ready to serve.

Tasty and crunchy jelly fish salad

Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Noodles 豉油皇炒麵

Supreme Soy Sauce Fried Noodles 豉油皇炒麵

Recipe source : Adapted from Christine's recipes

This supreme soy sauce fried noodles is perfect for our breakfast on the first day of the Chinese New Year. It is wholly vegetarian. Our family observes a vegetarian diet on the first half day of the Lunar Chinese New Year.

A tasty vegetarian noodle dish. We like its simplicity.

Ingredients

320g dried egg noodles
200g bean sprouts
85g chives, cut into sections of 3 cm
1 shallot, sliced
A small piece of ginger, grated

Sauce

3 tbsp water
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
3 tsp oyster sauce
sesame oil, to taste

Mix the sauce ingredients together. Make sure the sugar is dissolved completely. Set aside.

 Dried egg noodles

 Bean sprouts

 Chives

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 package instructions. Drain away the boiling water and rinse noodles with running water. Drain well and set aside.
2.  Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil. Quickly stir-fry the bean sprouts for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
3.  Using the same wok, add 1 tbsp oil and stir-fry chives over high heat for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.
4.  Add 3 tbsp oil to the same wok, saute onion slices and grated ginger until slightly brown.  Add in noodles. Use a pair of chopsticks to loosen the noodles. Add in the sauce ingredients in a steady stream and combine the noodles well. 
5.  Toss in the bean sprouts and chives and mix well.
6.  Dish up and serve immediately. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest : Hong Kong + Macau - Jan & Feb 2014, hosted by Annie from Annielicious Food

 

Big Bowl Feast ( Poon Choi / Pen Cai） 盆菜

Big Bowl Feast ( Poon Choi / Pen Cai ) 盆菜

Recipe source : Doris Choo of  Sumptuous Flavours

Poon Choi ( in Cantonese ) or Pen Cai ( in Mandarin ) is a cultural heritage food of Hong Kong. It was first served in a large wooden basin to the Emperor and his army during the Sung Dynasty.

It has since been widely commercialised in Hong Kong. Various ingredients such as pork, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, seafood, abalone, bean curd, Chinese radish, broccoli, pigskin, prawns and fish maw are cooked and assembled layer by layer in large earthen or metal pots.

The trick lies in mingling the various food, layer by layer, so that the variety of flavours blend well between the layers to complement each other to create a wonderful big bowl feast. 

Today, the 30th of January 2014 is the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, heralding the year of the Horse. Chinese across the globe are rushing back home to celebrate the annual reunion dinner with their loved ones. Our two older children who are working abroad have come home to celebrate this joyous and auspicious occasion. 

We have prepared a poon choi to cater to everyone's palate, all assembled together in one big earthen bowl ! It is time consuming, no doubt about it, but it is not difficult. All you need to do is plan ahead.l For us, it was a matter of putting all our favourite dishes together. We discussed among ourselves to assure ourselves the various layers of flavours can blend well together. It was well worth the extra time and effort. We had a great feast! 

Special Thanks to Alvin from Chef and Sommelier for providing the inspiration. 

Wishing all friends and readers Gong Xi Fa Cai! 
May the year of the Horse brings you joy, happiness and prosperity all year round!

Base layer - Braised pork knuckles with radish

 

Ingredients

500g pork knuckle, cut into pieces
2 radishes, cut into chunks
1/4 piece Shanghai nam yee, mashed
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 sprig parsley, cut into sections of 3 cm
1 stalk spring onion, cut into sections of 3 cm
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
 1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 1/2 bowls water

Method

1.  Heat wok and add oil. Saute chopped garlic until fragrant.
2.  Add mashed name yee and pork knuckles. Stir-fry until pork knuckles change colour.
3.  Add water and radish. Add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, salt and sugar.
4.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until pork knuckles are tender.
5.  Add parsley and spring onion. Stir to mix well.
6.  Dish up. Separate the gravy from the solids.
7.  Place the pork knuckles and radish into a large earthen ware pot.

2nd layer - pigskin

Ingredients

1 small piece of dried pigskin

Method

1.  Soak pigskin until soft. Boil pigskin for about 20 minutes.
2.  Pour away the water. Rinse and squeeze the pigskin gently several times.
3.  Boil again for another 10 minutes or until the pigskin is soft.
4.  Cut into bite-sized pieces.
5.  Squeeze out water from the pigskin. Ensure you squeeze out all the water.
6.  Place the pigskin pieces into the earthen ware pot over the base layer.
7.  Then pour the sauce from the braised pork knuckles and radish over the pigskin layer. 

Place the pigskin over the base layer of braised pork knuckles with radish

Pour the gravy from the braised pork knuckles over the layer of pigskin.

The pigskin soaked up the gravy and absorbed the flavour from the braised pork knuckles

3rd Layer - Deep-fried bean curd sheets

1/2 a piece of bean curd sheet 

 

Method

1.  Deep dry the bean curd sheet in hot oil. 

2.  Break into smaller pieces.

3.  Place them over the 2nd layer.

3rd layer :  Deep-fried bean curd sheets

4th Layer - Stir-fired Chinese Cabbage

 

Ingredients

300g Chinese cabbage

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp cooking oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp water

 

Method

1.  Heat wok and add cooking oil.

2.  Pour in Chinese cabbage and stir-fry until cabbage is softened. 

3.  Add 2 tbsp water and salt.

4.  Cook for a further 1 minute.

5.  Dish up and pour this over the deep-fried bean curd sheet layer.

4th layer

5th Layer :  Braise mushrooms with top shell

 Marinated mushrooms : with 1 tbsp shao hsing wine, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp oil

 A can of top shells

Top shells

Ingredients

12 pieces of small dried mushrooms - marinated with 1 tbsp shao hsing wine, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp oil

1 tin top shell, sliced

1 tbsp chopped garlic

6 slices ginger

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 bowl water

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp cornstarch     )  mix to form

1 tbsp water           )  thickening solution

 

Method

1.  Heat wok. Add cooking oil.

2.  Fry the ginger slices and chopped garlic until fragrant.

3.  Add in the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute.

4.  Add oyster sauce, dark soya sauce, salt and 1/3 bowl of water

5.  Cook for 2 minutes and add thickening solution.

6.  Dish up and arrange this around the stir-fried Chinese cabbage and over the deep-fried bean curd sheets. 

Premium Layer

200g roast roast pork

300g large prawns : make garlic prawns

1 tin abalone

1 chicken whole leg : make drunken chicken

100g baby bok choy 

Abalone

 Roast pork  - Home-made

To make sauce for drunken chicken

1 bowl chicken stock

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp shao hsing wine

 dash of sesame oil

 

Method

1.  Boil chicken stock, sugar, sesame oil and salt together.

2.  Cool down and add in wine.

3.  Place chicken whole leg into the solution.

4.  Marinate for three to four hours. 

5.  Chop into bite-sized pieces

Drunken chicken

To make garlic prawns

300g large prawns, remove vein and cut a slit across the back 
1 tbsp chopped garlic
4 chilli padi
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method

1.  Heat wok. Add oil and saute the chopped garlic until fragrant.
2.  Add prawns and chilli fry until turn colour to pinkish-red.
3.  Add soya sauce and continue to fry until cooked.
4.  Dish up and set aside.

To prepare baby bok choy

100g baby bok choy
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2bowl water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Method

1.  Boil half a pot of water.
2.  Add 1 tsp lye water.
3.  Blanch baby bok choy. Rinse with running water.
4.  Drain away the water.
5.  Heat 1/2 bowl water, add in oyster sauce, salt and sugar and bring to a boil.
6.  Add in blanched bok choy and stir for one minute.
7.  Remove and set aside.

Assembling the premium layer

1.  Arrange the five ingredients of the premium layer round the top of the earthen pot

 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest : Hong Kong + Macau - Jan & Feb 2014, hosted by Annie from Annielicious Food

Stir-fried Vermicelli With Anchovies 米粉炒江鱼仔

Stir-fried Vermicelli With Anchovies 米粉炒江鱼仔

Recipe source :  Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours

We had this stir-fried white vermicelli or beehoon for Sunday brunch. Today , being a rest day, we woke up very late. Past the hours for breakfast and too early for lunch. Still bleary eyed, I rummaged through the refrigerator and decided to fry some beehoon for the family. No recipes actually. I just put everything together and the end result was reasonably delectable. In fact, this was better than good!

Hence, I decided to have these simple ingredients documented and share this.

Ingredients

200g vermicelli or beehoon, soaked till soft and drained
350g choy sum, cut into sections of 2cm
50g anchovies (ikan bilis in Malay)
4 red chilli padi (bird's eye chillies)
4 pips garlic, minced
4 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chicken stock granules
1 rice bowl water

Cut bird's eye chillies

Method

1.  Heat wok.Add cooking oil and heat until hot.
2.. Add minced garlic and anchovies and stir-fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3.  Add choy sum and chillies and continue to fry for another 2 minutes.
4.  Add water, salt and chicken stock granules.
5.  Let it come to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
6.  Add soaked vermicelli and keep stirring all the time to prevent the vermicelli from sticking to the bottom of the wok.
7.  Fry until dry.
8.  Dish up and serve hot.

Slightly hot. Simple home-cooked fare 

Pad See Ew (Stir-fried Flat Noodles, Thai-Style)

Pad See Ew (Stir-fried Flat Noodles,Thai-Style)~(Bill Granger)

Recipe source :  Adapted from Bill Granger

There are similarities between this 'pad see ew'  and our local Malaysian 'char kuey teow'. The difference is that our local char kuey teow uses bean sprouts, chives, shrimps and cockles while Thailand's pad see ew uses pork and kai lan or broccolli. 

Pad See Ew is slightly sweet. The Malaysian char kuey teow is hot with minced chillies. 

Each stir-fry technique is unique in its own way. Both versions are delightful!

Ingredients

2 tbsp cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
200g pork, sliced
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
400g Chinese broccoli (Kai Lan),cut into sections
2 eggs
500g flat rice noodles (kuey teow)

Chopped garlic

Pork slices

Eggs

Chinese broccoli

Flat noodles (kuey teow)

Method

1.  Heat wok over high heat.
2.  Add oil. Stir-fry chopped garlic.
3.  Add pork slices and fry for 2 minutes.
4.  Add Chinese broccoli and stir-fry until the vegetables turn soft.
5.  Push the meat and vegetables to the side of the wok, then add in eggs and fry for a while. 
6.  Mix the eggs, meat and vegetables.
7.  Add in light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and castor sugar.
8.  Mix well and add in flat noodles. Make sure the noodles are coated with the sauce.
9.  Cook for a couple of minutes more or until almost dry.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  (Thailand) - November Month

hosted by Lena of Frozen Wings

I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star"

 

Hosted by  Zoe from bake for Happy Kids and Yen from Eat Your Heart Out and Mich from Piece of Cake