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 !!

Chinese New Year Dish : Longevity Noodles 长寿面

Chinese New Year Dish : Longevity Noodles 长寿面

Recipe source :  Adapted from cookbook : Regional Chinese Cooking

For some Chinese communities, noodle is a must for the reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year. Do not cut them short just for purpose of easy handling. Cutting them short is a no-no during Chinese New Year. The noodles must be in long strands, the longer the better.

This is because the Chinese believes that the long strands of the noodles symbolise good health and long life. Therefore, it is very auspicious to have a noodle dish, especially longevity noodles for the Chinese New Year reunion dinner. Longevity noodle eaten on the eve of the Chinese New Year is believed to usher in a full year of good health, good tidings and long life!

Ingredients

250g dried egg noodles
100g pork, sliced and marinate with a little cornflour and soy sauce
1 large squid, cut into pieces or rings
6 large prawns, ( 150g ), remove shell but keep tails intact
4 dried mushrooms, soaked and cut into slices
50g carrots, cut into rings to resemble gold coins
5 - 6 pieces baby abalone ( canned ones )
120g mustard green, ( choy sum ) cut into sections
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
3 slices ginger
3 tbsp cooking oil

 Dried egg noodles, longevity noodles

 Mushrooms, sliced thinly

 Squid, cut into pieces

 Prawns, remove shells but keep the tails intact

 Pork slices, marinate with a bit of cornflour and a dash of soy sauce

Carrots, cut into rings to resemble gold coins

Mustard greens, cut into sections

Canned baby abalone

Seasonings

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
1 1/2 cups water

Mix all the seasoning ingredients together until the sugar and sauces are dissolved. Set aside.

Method

1.  Bring half a pot of water to the boil. When it is boiling, add in the dried egg noodles and allow to boil until soft. Refer to package instructions for the time taken to soften them. ( For mine, I boiled about 9 minutes because I like the noodles very soft )
2. Pour the boiled noodles into a colander and allow running water to rinse them. Drain and set aside. 
3.  Boil another pot of water to blanch the squids for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.
4.  Heat a wok and add 3 tbsp cooking oil to it. Saute chopped garlic and ginger slices until fragrant.
5.  Add in mushrooms, pork slices, prawns, carrots, mustard green and squids. Stir-fry all the ingredients and mix them well together. 
6.  Add in the seasoning ingredients and the water solution. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop up all the ingredients, leaving only the sauce in the wok.
7.  Add in the boiled noodles into the sauce in the wok. Use a pair of chopsticks to toss the noodles to ensure the sauce coats every strand of noodle. Toss until almost dry.
8.  Remove the noodles and transfer to serving dish. Top up the noodles with all the ingredients. 
9.  Serve hot.

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 linking this post to Cook-Your-Book #20

Hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for January 2015 is Noodles and Pasta 
Hosted by  My Bare Cupboard

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

Shrimp In Sugar-cane ( Tôm Bọc Mía )

Shrimp In Sugar-cane ( Tôm Bọc Mía )

Recipe source : Adapted from  VietnameseFood

My son described to me what he had eaten at a restaurant and wanted me to make it for him. Shrimp In Sugar-cane is a popular Vietnamese fare that can either be grilled or deep-fried. I opted to grilled them which is easier for me and comparatively less oily.

The shrimp paste was rather sticky. Make sure you have a small dish of vegetable oil to rub your hands first before wrapping the shrimp paste around the sugar cane. You will need more oil to firm up and shape the paste to encircle the sugar cane to make it look like a drumstick.

The taste was unique. When you have eaten the meaty parts of the grilled prawn paste, you get to gnaw on the piece of sugar cane which is sweet and refreshing. 

It is even better when you dip them in chilli sauce or make your own Vietnamese dipping fish sauce. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients

300g shrimps ( net weight )
2 sections sugar cane , cut into 12 pieces
3 tbsp tapioca flour
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp pepper
a small dish of vegetable oil to lubricate your hands

  

Method

1.  Chopped the shrimps. Mix well with the minced shallots, garlic and spring onions.
2.  Add in tapioca flour, salt, soy sauce, vegetable oil, pepper, sugar and mix well to form a paste.
3.  Apply oil on both hands and scoop the shrimp paste to wrap around a piece of sugar cane. Press firmly.
4.  Repeat the process with the remaining shrimp paste and sugar cane. 
5.  Grill at 180 degree C in a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.
6.  Serve with chilli sauce.

Ginger-Soy-Lime Marinated Shrimp

Ginger-Soy-Lime Marinated Shrimp

Recipe source :  Bobby Flay

It would be interesting to have this for a barbeque where the prawns can be grilled in open fire. I can just imagine the smell of the cooked prawns. 

This is definitely finger-licking good because you've got to use your fingers to remove the shells!

Ingredients

2 large shallots
1 ( 2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
2 lbs large prawns, do not remove the shells

Instructions

1. Place shallots, ginger, garlic, soy, lime juice, and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the green onion and oil and blend until combined. Season with black pepper, to taste. Place prawns in a large bowl, pour the marinade over, and let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat a grill to high. Remove prawns from the marinade and grill for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side. 

I am linking this post to Cook Like A Star - Bobby Flay, November 2014

Organized by Yen from Eat Your Heart Out , Grace from Life Can Be Simple    and 

Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids

Yen from Eat your heart out and Grace from Life can be simple and I (Zoe) from Bake for Happy Kids are cooking and baking lots of Bobby Flay's recipes - See more at: http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/#sthash.mnkEVTpv.dpuf

Yen from Eat your heart out and Grace from Life can be simple and I (Zoe) from Bake for Happy Kids are cooking and baking lots of Bobby Flay's recipes - See more at: http://www.bakeforhappykids.com/#sthash.mnkEVTpv.dpuf

 

Singapore Noodle

Singapore Noodle

Recipe source :  here

Malaysian and Singaporean food are virtually the same. So much so that I find it difficult to draw the line between Malaysian and Singaporean recipes. So to be safe I chose a recipe which clearly stated the country of origin, "Singapore noodles". 

This is unlike the usual fare that I come across. This noodle dish has a spicy twist to it as curry powder was used. And this is the first time I used capsicum and snake beans to fry noodles! 

Tastes good!

Ingredients

125ml vegetable oil
100g snakebeans, cut into 3 cm lengths
250g shrimps, remove shells and keep the tails intact
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
1 onion, sliced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp curry powder, mixed with 2 tbsp water to form a paste
300g vermicelli or beehoon, soaked until soft and drained 
160g bean sprouts
60ml soy sauce

  

 Red capsicum

 Snakebeans

 Shrimps

Instructions

1.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok until hot. Fry snakebeans over high heat for about 5 minutes or until slightly charred. Remove and set aside .
2.  Add shrimps to pan-fry until they curled up and turned pink. Transfer them to the plate of snakebeans.
3.  Add 2 tbsp oil and stir-fry capsicum and onions together for 3 minutes or until tender. Transfer to the plate of snakebeans. 
4.  Reduce heat to medium and pour beaten eggs into wok to create a thin omelette. Remove and cut them into thin slices. Set aside.
5.   Add remaining oil to wok. Then add curry paste and bean sprouts, followed by beehoon. Use a pair of bamboo chopsticks to toss the beehoon. Add soy sauce and mix well. Then add the snakebeans, shrimps and capsicum. Stir-well and mix everything together.
6.  Add sliced omelette on top to garnish.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  : Singapore

Hosted by Grace Phua of Life Can Be Simple

Stir-fried Qing Long Vegetables With Shrimps 清壟菜炒虾球

Stir-fried Qing Long Vegetables With Shrimps 清壟菜炒虾球

Recipe source :  Doris Choo @ Sumptuous Flavours

The market vendors called this Qing Long vegetables. They look like a cross between leeks and chives. The market vendors assured us that the taste is good. SK was gamed to try and so we bought a small bunch to stir-fry with shrimps.

Mmm, not bad at all. In fact they tasted very good!

Do try them out if you come across them in the market.

Ingredients

200g green qing long vegetables, cut into sections
150g prawns, remove shells and tails
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasonings

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 Chinese rice bowl of water
1/s tsp cornflour dissolved in 1 Chinese rice bowl of water

Qing long vegetables - looks like a cross between leeks and chives

Method

1.  Heat wok until hot. Add 2 tbsp cooking oil. 
2.  Saute garlic until fragrant, add in the prawns and fry until they turn pinkish.
3.  Add in the vegetables and stir-fry for 1 minute.
4.  Add in seasoning ingredients and let it boil for 1 minute. 
5.  Dish up and serve immediately with rice.
 

Deep-fried Prawns

Deep-fried Prawns

Recipe source :  Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours.

My family call this "chau har-look", literally meaning deep-fried prawn. I have a very deep  impression of this wonderful prawn dish. I ate this the first time during my late grandfather's birthday. I was probably five or six years old at that time. I still have vague memories of the house being crowded with uncles, aunts, countless numbers of cousins, other relatives and friends of our large extended family. And I had recollection of large basins of deep-fried prawns set aside on a table, waiting to be arranged onto serving platters for the grand birthday bash. I remember tents being set up around the large sprawling village home to accommodate so many people gathered together.

My family's original recipe probably used a combination of all-purpose flour and rice flour with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Over the years, my aunts and my horde of cousins have added various other ingredients to improve and enhance the taste of the batter. 

All these years I have never attempted to make this until I met some of my relatives recently and we started talking about the good old days. One thing led to another and here is the modified version after adjusting the recipe and gleaning some "secrets"  from the many aunts and cousins who all wanted a say as to what ingredients should go into the batter.  It was fun listening to the friendly banter!

Ingredients

500g medium-sized prawns, remove shells but keep the tails
4 tbsp tapioca flour
oil for deep frying

Marinade for prawns

1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Marinate prawns for about 30 minutes

Ingredients for batter

50g plain flour
50g tapioca flour
50g rice flour
1 tbsp custard powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
a dash of pepper
some chopped spring onions or Chinese parsley
150ml water
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt

Method

1.  Mix all the ingredients of the batter until smooth. Set aside.
2.  Heat enough oil in a wok for deep-frying. Heat until hot.
3.  Dredge marinated prawns into the 4 tbsp of tapioca flour. Then dip this dredged prawn into the batter to coat it evenly except the last bit of the prawn's tail.
4.  Place the prawn into hot oil and fry both sides until golden.
5.  Remove and drain on absorbent towels.

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for August 2014 is Flour

Hosted by  Domestic Goddess Wannabe

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

Lotus Seed Soup (Súp Hạt Sen)

Lotus Seed Soup (Súp Hạt Sen)

Recipe source : Adapted from  VietnameseFood

I normally used lotus seeds for sweet dessert only even though I know it can be used for savoury dishes as well. I find this recipe very interesting as it uses lotus seed to make a savoury soup of shrimp balls, tofu and sliced shitake mushrooms. It's makes a nice change from my routine and today I've learnt another new dish. 

Ingredients 

 
100g lotus seeds
300g fresh shrimps, removed shells
4 shitake mushrooms, soaked and sliced into thin pieces
1 fresh tofu square, cut into cubes
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water
2 shallots, sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

Lotus seeds, mushrooms and tofu

Shrimp paste. Shape this paste into balls

Method

 
1.  Rinse lotus seeds. Add 800ml water and boil until soft. Set aside both the lotus seeds and the liquid.
2.  Use the back of a cleaver to pound the shrimps. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Add a bit of cornflour to the shrimp paste and mix well. Set aside.
3.  In a large pot, add a little oil and brown the shallots. Add in sliced mushrooms.
4.  Add in the lotus seeds together with the liquid. Bring to a boil.
5.  Add in tofu cubes and shrimp balls.
6.  Add in cornflour solution and keep stirring. Add in the egg white. 
7. Season to taste. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  :  Indo China
Hosted by Kelly of Kelly Siew cooks

Steamed Rice Cakes With Shrimp And Pork Rinds ( Bánh Bèo )

Steamed Rice Cakes With Shrimp And Pork Rinds (Bánh Bèo)

Recipe source :  Vietnamesefood.com

I find it very interesting and highly exciting as I participated in the Asian Food Fest every month. Their theme for this month is Indochina. Once again I surfed the internet and read up books to widen my horizon and to learn more about the cuisines and food cultures of Indochina. As I surfed, Vietnamese food caught my attention and so I am going to try out Vietnamese food for this month. 

It is a delight and it gives me great satisfaction each time I am able to cook the food successfully as guided by the recipes. Sometimes I have to make adjustment to suit my individual preference and sometimes it is because of unavailability of the specified ingredients.

It brings me joy that I have unwittingly started on a fantastic journey into the culinary realm of foreign cultures. I shall continue my exploration to gain further insights and knowledge as I find it very rewarding. It enriches my culinary experience as I absorb and feed my basic senses to enjoy the good food and good taste of other cuisines.

Ingredients for rice cakes

200g rice flour
20g wheat flour
500ml water
a pinch of salt

 

Method

1.  Mix all the ingredients together and allow to stand for 3 to 4 hours.
2.  Add in salt just before steaming. Stir to mix well.
3.  Spoon batter into small bowls and steam over high heat for about 5 minutes until cooked.
4.  Use a thin knife to slide around the edges of the bowl and invert them onto a serving dish.

Ingredients for filling

150g minced meat
50g shrimps, chopped
a stalk of spring onion, chopped
1 tsp fish sauce
a dash of pepper

 Stir-fried chopped spring onion in hot oil

Minced pork

Shrimps - roughly chop this up

Method

1.  Place one tsp of oil into hot wok to stir-fry the chopped spring onion for few seconds. Dish up immediately.
2.  Add 1 tbsp oil to wok and stir-fry the minced meat and chopped shrimps.
3.  Season with fish sauce and pepper. Fry until cooked. Dish up and set aside.

To serve

1.  Place a piece of rice cake on a plate. Top with filling of minced pork and shrimps. Add some stir-fried spring onion.
2.  Spoon some Vietnamese dipping sauce over the rice cake. 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  :  Indo China
Hosted by Kelly of Kelly Siew cooks

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