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

Korean Seafood Pancake ( Haemul Pajeon )

Korean Seafood Pancake ( Haemul Pajeon )

Recipe source :  Beyond Kimchi

According to the source of this recipe, Koreans crave for this traditional  pancake on rainy afternoons. It was suggested that you make the dipping sauce first because once the pancake is done it is so irresistible that you must eat it right away! So prepare the dipping sauce first because you won't have time to do so later.

Making this Korean seafood pancake reminds me of the oyster pancake made by my hubby's cousin and food vendors in Chaozhou, China. Maybe it was because of the starchy glutinous flour base which reminded me of the Teochew or luak  (oyster pancake).

I could smell the fragrance of chives as the pancakes were frying in the pan. Very nice! That evoked a homely and comfortable feeling especially now that our hot and dry weather has taken a turn towards cooler and wetter days. So now I can understand why the Koreans crave for this delicious snack on cold rainy afternoons.

Ingredients

60g spring onions, cut into sections of 2 inches
60g chives, cut into sections of 2 inches
160g shrimps, remove shells
180g squids, cleaned and cut into rings
2 red chillies
2 cup water
2 tbsp rice wine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
some oil for frying

Top : Chives

Middle : chillies

Bottom : spring onions

 Squids

Shrimps

For Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp sesame seeds
some chopped spring onions

Make dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients together. Set aside.

 Dipping sauce

For the Pancake Mix

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder         ( I did not add this )

Instructions

1.  Add rice wine to 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Blanch seafood in small portions at a time for 3 seconds. Set aside. Reserve 1 cup of the seafood broth from the pot.
2.  Make batter by combining the broth with the pancake mix. Add in onions and chives and mix well.
3.  Heat a large non-stick pan and add 2 tsp oil on low heat until hot.
4.  Scoop half of the batter mixture into hot pan, spreading it around to make even thin layer. Use a 9 inch pan. 
5.  Scatter half the seafood and chillies on top. 
6.  Pour in half of the beaten egg around the topping and let the pancake fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
7.  Flip the pancake and fry the other side until cooked. Drizzle more oil if needed.
8.  Remove from pan by flipping the pan upside-down onto a serving dish.
9.  Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

 The pancake frying in the pan

I made two pancakes 

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest  : Korea

Hosted by Sharon of Feats of Feast

Spicy and Tangy Seafood Soup 海鲜酸辣汤

Spicy and Tangy Seafood Soup 海鲜酸辣汤

Appetising seafood soup

Yummy!

Ingredients

300g squids, cut into pieces

5 large prawns

250g fish fillet, cut into slices

2 packets inoki mushrooms

5g chili padi

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp shredded ginger

2 tbsp cooking oil

600ml water

Top: Prawns; Bottom: Inoki mushrooms; Centre left: Squid; Centre: Fish fillet; Centre right: Chilli padi; Centre bottom: thinly sliced ginger.

Seasonings

 

4 tbsp Lea & Perrins sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp black vinegar

Cornflour Solution

1/2 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1.  Heat oil in a wok. Saute the shredded ginger and the minced garlic until fragrant

2.  Add in water and bring to the boil

3.  Over high flame, add in all the seafood ingredients, inoki mushrooms and chilli padi and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

4.  Add in the seasoning ingredients

5.  Thicken with cornflour solution

6.  Pour soup into a large bowl

7.  Ready to serve