Corn Minestrone - yellow yellow magic power

In the red (tomato-based) vs white (pure cream-based) world of pasta dishes...when Ms. Sexy Marinara and Ms. Sleek Carbonara are side-by-side, Ms. Sexy Marinara will always get my attention. I find it harder to make my selection in the soup world of tomato-based minestrone vs cream-based mushroom soup. These two classics are my favorites, no doubt. I'm lucky when soup du jour happens to be either minestrone or cream-of-mushroom and often fickled when there is no "Today's Soup" and I am forced to make my choice from the soup category in the menu.

I made minestrone again, but with a slight twist this time - adding corn kernels in there, lots of them.


Corn Minestrone

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp. olive oil
-1-2 cups diced onion
-2 small potatoes, diced
-1 carrot, diced
-4 stems from a bunch of celery
-2-3 tomatoes, cubed/diced (option: 1 small can of diced tomatoes)
-a bowl (see picture) of corn kernels (from corn-on-the-cob, refer to collage)
- 0ne palm-full shell pasta
- dried basil and oregano
- fresh ground pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth or more, adjust accordingly
- some water, adjust accordingly

Is there lots of corn kernels to be added in my minestrone ? Remember to save some as garnish! Gives a slight crunch to the soup :) Yellow yellow magic power!

Method:
1. Saute onion. Add potatoes, celery, carrots, corn kernels, mix well for a few minutes
2. Add chopped tomatoes, add broth and 2 cups of water, bring to boil
3. Add dried shell pasta, cook 8-10mins, bring soup mixture to boil again
4. When boiling, bring down heat and allow simmer - till vegetables soften
5. Add basil and oregano when soup is almost ready
5. Add pepper and salt to taste
6. Garnish with remaining corn kernels



To me, minestrone is anytime. It is a refreshing soup in summer, a comforting soup in winter, a delectable soup for fall and welcoming soup for spring!

Tag: soup, minestrone, corn

Hakka Mixed Stir Fry, a signature Hakka dish

Hakka Mixed Stir-Fry - 客家小炒
I did not cook this. But I want to introduce it to you. A stir fry dish that is signature in almost every Hakka restaurant or eatery. If you are a Hakka, and you cook at home, this is ONE dish you better perfect or learn to do as it is such a representative dish in the Hakka culture.

Hakka Mixed Stir-Fry (客家小炒 Ke Jia Xiao Chow) uses ingredients such as pork, dried cuttlefish, firm tofu (tau kwa, 豆干 ), celery, scallions or spring onions, ginger, garlic and red chili. These are all key ingredients. Missing one? - nah...it's not Hakka Mixed Stir-Fry 客家小炒 anymore. Most of the ingredients are prepared and sliced to strip-forms to ensure consistency in cooking and presentation. The basic seasonings are simple - soy sauce and rice wine. I would think the cooking technique poses more challenges. How to get dried cuttlefish that are perfect to chew yet not rubbery and hard to bite. How to get tender juicy strips of pork within that few minutes of high heat frying. How to get a resultant dish which has no sauce/gravy and...yet not totally stripped DRY? The seqeuence of adding in the ingredients and the heat-control during cooking (mostly high heat required) is essential to getting the perfect textures required in this dish.

Now I have given you the nearest/closest English calling to this dish, and the official Chinese name, it's time you go search for some good recipes and try it out if you are interested. Or if you already know how to cook this in your daily rituals, post it and share the tips with us. :D

Tag: hakka, stir fry

White Pepper Chinese Braised Noodles

You may have never guessed it but the highlight of this Fried Noodles or rather...Braised or Simmered Noodles is...white pepper - the mild heat you get in your noodles without any use of chilli.


Of course, you don't just get a hot pungent taste. There is a mixture of vegetables used that gives this noodle dish lots of flavor. The addition of pork will render it even more tasty. Fried Noodles almost on the verge of being braised, because the noodles is simmered with all the ingredients and the final appearance - kinda wet, instead of fried-and-dry.

Fried Noodles/Braised Simmered Noodles
Ingredients:
-Half an onion, sliced
-cabbage, shredded
-1 carrot, shredded
-1 celery, julienned
-2 green peppers
-pork strips/slices slighty seasoned with rice wine, soy sauce, white pepper
-chinese greens
-dashes white pepper, adjust accordingly during cooking
2tsp sesame oil

Lovely vegetables that I am going to use for my Fried Noodles


Seasoning:
-1tbsp soy sauce
-1tsp oyster sauce
-300 ml water/stock, adjust accordingly during cooking

Directions:
1. Fry the pork strips then set aside
2. Use the oil in the pan and fry the vegetables - onions first, then add the rest, green peppers the last
3. Add in cooked pork strips and seasonings

4. Allow simmer for few minutes
5. Add in cooked noodles and allow to simmer again till water/stock/gravy reduce by half
6. Dash in white pepper(lots of it!), mix well. Drizzle sesame oil the last, turn off heat



End result - mild spicy soft noodles, fragrant and delicious!

Tag: noodles, braised noodles, fried noodles

Vegetable pasta sauce - chunky, wholesome, homemade

For this homemade chunky vegetable pasta sauce, I get to bite on real chunky vegetables. Homemade pasta sauce is really easy (ok, I know Trader Joes has got irresistable $1.99 Traditional Marinara Sauce). Hmmph...its more of a choice and not about the price.

Chunky Vegetable Pasta Sauce
Ingredients: Sliced celery, sliced carrots, sliced onions, minced garlic, celery leaves chopped finely, dried oregano, dried basil, canned whole tomatoes, salt and pepper, chili pepper flakes

Directions: Heat some olive oil, add onions to saute. Then add celery and carrots and fry lightly. Add tomatoes and crush/mash them in the pan. Add some stock or water and allow sauce mixture to simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. Add celery leaves then finally, the dried herbs. A bit of chili pepper flakes if you like it a bit spicy.

This homemade sauce matches well with ground beef or seafood, your preference.

The sauce can also be prepared in excess and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Need I say more? Look at the bright vivid colors, and wholesome ingredients - get ready!

Tag:homemade pasta sauce, vegetables

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms

Imagine. Dream. Fantasize...the juicy texture of perfectly cooked ground pork, the springy bite in those shrimps, and soft silky tofu - oh, will they ever fight for "who's best" ? Their co-existence goes far without much elaboration. A burst of flavor and texture nuances that are never in conflict - that's a home-kept recipe of Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms.


There are many ways to cook and vary this dish and this is my homemade version of Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms. Using the essence of pork, earthy flavor of mushrooms, and that seafood unami in shrimps, combined with the soft silky texture of tofu - multiple flavors and texture profiles but never a single misfit.

Pork with Tofu, Shrimps, and Mushrooms
Ingredients:
-1/4 lb minced/ground pork
-4-6 medium size shrimps/prawns, diced to small pieces, as shown
-2-3 shitake mushrooms, diced to small pieces, as shown
-1 small box silken tofu, cubed to bite size
-2 stalks scallions, cut to small pieces (Note: separating the bottom "white" harder scallion -portions and the "remaining green")
-1tsp dried shrimps (Note: secret ingredient for this dish)
-3 gloves garlic, sliced thin
- 1tsp crush ginger
-1tsp oyster sauce
-salt and white pepper
-water, adjust accordingly

Directions:
1. Heat 1tbsp oil in frying pan. At low-medium heat, add sliced garlic, ginger, white portions of the scallions and fry quickly till fragrant (爆香有 三 宝: 葱 , 姜, 蒜 一 样 都不能少). Then add dried shrimps and fry till fragrant. Once fragrant, add pork - using the frying ladle to "disintegrate" the pork (Note: prevent clumping) and turn down the heat so that the pork will not toughen and become rubbery under high heat. (Tip: to prevent overcooking in pork, you can also dish up pork and set aside)
2. Add in shrimps and mushrooms, mix well. Pinch of salt. Once the shrimps turn color (to pink), add in tofu, oyster sauce and water that sufficiently covers the 3/4 of the ingredients mixture in the pan
3. Allow low heat simmering for about 5-8mins. (Note: If you have set aside the pork earlier on, add in halfway during this simmering process and continue to let it simmer for the rest of the duration. The pork will be cook through in the entire simmering process)
4. Once the sauce starts to reduce, generously dash in white pepper
5. When almost ready to be dish up, add in green portions of the scallions, mix well, turn off heat

Serve immediately...best with steamed rice.

You may have never thought...pork and shrimps can harmonize so well!

Also check out shrimps mixed with ground chicken in these fried beancurd skin rolls, and fish mixed with shrimps in these cabbage rolls. Shrimps are so sociable, are they not? :P

P.S I did not cook this over the weekend but I wrote this post over the weekend - makes it a Weekend Snapshot for me :P It was voting weekend in Taiwan and we wanted to stay at home in the event of any protests or riots happening along the streets!

Tag: prawns, shrimps, tofu,pork

Nori shrimps. Seaweed-coated prawns fried my way.

If you are into panko-style or tempura-style fried shrimps(or prawns), these Deep Fried Nori Shrimps definitely taste as good. You will not get that over-exaggerated "kaa-zhi-kaa-zhi-" (listen...) as-you-bite (the deep-fried-breadcrumbs-effect) as in those perfectly fried golden tempura/panko shrimps but these Deep Fried Nori Shrimps are nowhere less worthy.


I like to incorporate plain-looking nori sheets in bite-size, roll-like snacks, such as these juicy seafood cabbage rolls, healthy tofu rolls and crispy shrimp rolls, if you have observed hard enough. If it's not anywhere obvious, I'm highlighting it to you again in these nori-showered fried shrimps. Heh heh...(pun intended with dialect connotation).

This is definitely a quick and easy party food/snack to prepare. You can buy them (the shrimps) in batches and cook (deep fry) them in batches. Then serve them in batches to the batches (your guests, I mean). And who says deep-fried food is all evil (see *Tips) ?

Deep Fried Nori Shrimps/Prawns
Ingredients: Thawed shrimps (seasoned lightly with some white pepper), potato flour, nori
Directions: Coat, then deep fry.

For this time, I opted for the [Corn Potato Flour-->Egg -->Panko/Breadcrumbs Loose Nori Strips] coating steps. Yes, a change in the typical panko combination will change the final texture and taste of this deep fried product. Using Potato Flour 地瓜粉 will give a more springy (QQ-with dialect connotation, again) texture. Nori adds color and unami flavor. Flip side: you don't get a huge chunk of crispy panko or tempura-batter crust when you bite on the shrimp.

But who says it's not a perfect party snack? It's much lighter (healthier) than those with layers of heavy deep-fried crust. It's not oily (picture above tells you all). You get to taste shrimp at an instant and not seaching for it in the midst of crust layers.

It's the shrimp, only the shrimp and nothing but the shrimp. Enjoy.

*Tips:
1. When you deep fry, do not use "re-used" oil or oil that has been kept from previous cooking
2. Make sure the oil is hot (170degC) so that the item you fry will not absorb the oil
3. Just do a light coat of flour
4. Set aside fried items on kitchen paper towel after frying, to absorb any excess oil

P.S As for the "squares" beneath, another post another day? :P

Tag: nori, seaweed, shrimps, snacks, party food

Bread, peanut butter, pork floss

Lunch !

When I run out of ingredients for lunch, I eat this -

TORN BREAD PIECES, WITH A DOLLOP OF PEANUT BUTTER & PINCH OF PORK FLOSS!!!


and don't know what else to say!!!

What is the simplest lunch you ever made for yourself?

Tag: pork floss, bread, snacks

Kimchi pork. Cabbage kimchi and mother's love

Other than mild and warm wakame soup (Beauty Soup), seems that I can't get away with the "spice" factor when it comes to Korean food. Noodles or wontons and dumplings in a quick-fix Korean-based spicy broth works well for me, just as spicy seafood Korean tofu stew.

When I got those megapacks of kimchi from Costco Asia, Taiwan I know I will be in for more quick-fix tasty dishes. Stir Fry Kimchi Pork is definitely one of them. A savior when you are in a rush or dead tired to cook anything fancy, as this Kimchi Pork can be ready in less than 15 minutes.

Just kimchi PLUS pork, easy peasy ?

Stir Fry Kimchi Pork
Ingredients: Korean kimchi (baechu kimchi: cabbage kimchi) and thawed thin pork slices (option: A. use pork thin pork strips; B. substitute with chicken)


Directions: Lightly marinate/season pork with cooking (rice) wine or sake if you have. Heat up 1tbsp oil in frying pan. Add in pork slices and fry quicky. Then add in some kimchi, mix and fry well; and add some water to let the pork + kimchi simmer(low heat) for a few minutes. When the pork is cooked (turns color), turn off heat. Serve immediately. Good with steamed rice.


Note: You can also add gojuchang (Korean miso paste with chili) to the recipe and adjust the ratio of kimchi:gojichang accordingly to the level of spice and saltishness at your desire.

I did not add any more seasonings but this dish will not be bland tasteless if you know kimchi well (kimchi comes seasoned). You get a little spice in the pork, yet a dish not totally stripped off the natural sweetness/flavor of meat. Kimchi does not overpower and adds the finishing touch. A simple combination that works wonder.

Though you might have seen many variants of kimchi, using select vegetables such as cubed radish, scallions and cucumber, the earliest form of kimchi consisted of only cabbage, known as baechu kimchi.

The making of kimchi is integral in Korean tradition and culture. In Korean traditional homes, a bottle of base-seasonings for kimchi can be passed down for many generations - from great-grandmother to grandmother, to mommy then to daughter. Thus in Korea, a classic bottle of kimchi is made from a "marinade of mother's love" and since it is passed down generations, it has becomes a holding link of family love. Some even describe kimchi as a representation of mother's love because in the tradition of making baechu kimchi (cabbage kimchi), women will stroke each cabbage leaf with seasoning/marinade, and then allow the entire cabbage mixture to age and marinate. The act of stroking has been equated to a symbol of love - just like how a mother lovingly strokes her child. Isn't it sweet to know that little representative culture behind the vegetables you are eating?

Tag: kimchi, pork, kimchi pork

Pork Ribs Tea Soup. Noodles with Bak Kut Teh

The monologue continues...

In Singapore, they have this for breakfast, or lunch, or dinner

Brain: You are taking convenience too easily
Me: You meant... ... too seriously?
Brain: Whatever. The party is long over, 2-weeks over. You should get back on your feet. Why are you still using convenience meal kit ?
Me: Last few last few. I bought this to try, among their range of hawker fare products. I have to do a taste-test.
Brain: Is Bak Kut Teh (literally meaning Pork Bone Tea) about the PORK BONE...PORK RIBS ? ... ...


Brain (cont'd): ... ...or the TEA?
Me: Oh now, this "tea" is confusing. Are you referring to the "broth" -OR- the Chinese tea that is usually served with this pork rib soup dish ? Well, the broth of this pork rib soup is made from a mix of herbs and spices, and boiled together with pork bones for hours. Well, I don't keep stock of all the spices and herbs in my pantry. So I can't cook my Bak Kut Teh (BKT) from scratch. A convenience pack is really just one reach away! If you are meaning the tea, as in the drinking Chinese tea, served separately with this pork rib soup dish, that tea may be just a "mirage" - leading you into the belief ..or rather...illusion that Chinese tea will "dissolve" and get rid of the "fattiness" of this soup. You know, that [Chinese tea + "oil and fats" = "less oil and fats"] equation. Hmmph, I don't think Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib Soup) is that unhealthy and "fatty". We are all talking about balance and leverage in foods, aren't we ?

Does this look spicy ? The spice comes from the pepper!

Me (cont'd): I was also attemtped by Little Corner when she showcased her BKT-flavored instant noodles. What can I do ?
Brain: So now you have used soba to go with your Bak Kut Teh...what is your verdict?


Slurp hard and slurp loud, just like how Japanese enjoy their ramen

Me: Well, although the Bak Kut Teh from Prima Taste is not that great, this is still my kind of Bak Kut Teh. The Teochew style Bak Kut Teh which is lighter in color and very peppery. The other variant which is darker in color (either more soy sauce used, or more medicinal herbs added) is typically not my preference. And I would like to add, adding noodles to eat with Bak Kut Teh is really ...errrrmm....S-M-A-R-T!

Me (cont'd): Similar to why most Japanese have to eat and slurp their ramen noodles nosily - so that the noodles pick up the tasty soup broth when they slurp hard and slurp loud *swooo...oooop* - it's this same technique to enjoy a good 'ol bowl of noodles dunked in superior broth. This case, soba dunked in Pork Rib Tea Soup can be one best way to enjoy the soup AND...the noodles! Yummy!



Tag: bak kut teh, pork rib soup tea, noodles

Brussel sprouts recipes

Brussel Sprouts -


Well, are these brussel sprouts ? Have you seen brussel sprouts looking like this ?

I cannot believe they (in Taiwan) are selling these overly-grown brussel sprouts! Or should I say teenage mutant weirdo cabbage ? Well, it was labeled in Mandarin (I don't know what is brussel sprouts in Mandarin) but my eyes could not be deceived. Time to educate those farmers! They should know when to harvest their crops! Or is it me who is ignorant ?

Shouldn't brussel sprouts be looking like these -




There are two simple recipes for me, when it comes to brussel spouts - Chinese or Western style!

Steamed brussel sprouts (Chinese style)
Ingredients:
-brussel sprouts, washed (for bigger "sprouts", cut a cross, 1/4 deep at the bottom of the "sprouts" so that it cooks faster during steaming)
-oyster sauce, to taste

Method:
1.Steam the brussel sprouts for 10 mins
2.Prepare oyster sauce; and toss the steamed sprouts in the sauce

Steamed brussel sprouts (Western style)
Ingredients:
-brussel sprouts, washed (for bigger "sprouts", cut a cross, 1/4 deep at the bottom of the "sprouts" so that it cooks faster during steaming)
-butter
-salt and pepper

Method:
1.Steam the brussel sprouts for 10 mins
2.Place steamed sprouts in big bowl,top with some butter, and sprinkle salt and pepper, to taste. Toss it up !



Chinese style is simply with oyster sauce, and western style - with butter, salt and black pepper (add some bacon if you have)

Tag: brussel sprouts

Savory congee, one pot rice porridge

A complete meal out from a pot!

Savory porridge
Ingredients:
-1/2lbs minced pork or lean pork strips
-2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
-1tsp dried shrimps, pre-soak in water for 5mins to soften
-2 dried scallops, pre-soak in water for 5mins to soften
-2 large dried shitake mushrooms, pre-soak in water to soften, then squeezed to remove water, and sliced to thin slices
-4 cuttlefish balls, sliced then cut into thin strips (can replace with fish ball/fish cake)
-1 cup rice
-water accordingly
-salt and pepper to taste
-celery tips, or leaves, diced into very fine bits- garnish

Directions:
1. In a stock pot, add in 1tbsp oil and at low-medium heat, fry the pork, garlic, dried shrimps, dried scallops, dried mushrooms, cuttlefish slices
2. When fragrant, add in the washed rice so that the rice grains gets imparted with the flavor of the ingredients through the oil and heat
3. Add in water and let the rice grains to slowly cook(simmer) to congee/porridge, stirring it at intervals (Note: it depends how you like your porridge - if you like it thicker and viscous, you do not have to add so much water or otherwise). This will take 15mins or more.
4. Season with salt and white pepper to taste


Through the slow cooking of rice grains in the pot with all the ingredients right from the start, PLUS the stirring of the rice mixture at intervals during simmering, these rice grains have broken up so much and the porridge/congee is so smooth to down. While I know that some congee like this has been cooked so smooth (cannot even see whole grains anymore!) by using a mixture of rice grains (broken grains, pearl grains etc.), the constant stirring method works well for me too. My, do you think I have cooked my porridge/congee smooth, or needs more improvement? :P


One spoonful loaded with pork, mushroom, dried scallops

The technique used in this Savory Congee, or 咸粥 ~ Xian Zhou is new to me especially when cooking porridge/congee is concerned. Usually, I would start cooking porridge by boiling rice grains in water, then add in the ingredients. But this time, I pre-fried the ingredients to expel the aroma and flavor (爆香), then also add in rice grains to mix with these pre-fried ingredients so that the final taste of the porridge/congee is unified, in terms of depths of aroma and savory flavors.

My JOOK!

Tag: porridge, congee, rice, rice porridge

Cilantro recipes + an all-coriander eatery

Coriander, also known as cilantro or "Phakchi" in Japan. Do you like this pungent herb? What is pungent to some, is aromatic to others (or at least for me). Yes, I like cilantro. I would be excited if I could have an all-coriander experience in this Tokyo's first all-coriander eatery. Check out the video (Source: Reuters).



Well, if you cannot be there, maybe you can try one of these cilantro recipes I have in my collection:

Mango Salso with Cilantro
Steamed Halibut with Cilantro
Lemon Linguine with Cilantro
Cilantro and Pork Omelette
Potato Patties with Cilantro

As an ingredient or just garnish, cilantro is my kind of herb and this herb + some recipes, I will share in Weekend Herb Blogging, taking place at Anna's Morsels and Musings this week.


Tag: cilantro, coriander, herb

Mee Siam, spicy sweet tangy rice vermicelli

Spicy Sweet Tangy Rice Vermicelli - MEE SIAM!

Spicy Sweet Tangy Rice Vermicelli - MEE SIAM!


A rich tamarind (assam) gravy of delightful aroma, drenched over rice vermicelli fried in a sambal spice mix, further defined by the zest of a fresh lime squeeze. This is an all-appetizing delectable dish, originally from the Thais, then later became a marriage among the Nyonyas, Malays and Chinese. Where else can you find spicy, sweet, savory, tangy - all in one dish?

From these pictures, would you have thought I have done this from scratch - pounding the spices for chili paste, pre-frying the chili paste, preparing the vermicelli sambal and tamarind paste etc. ?? If only I did. Now, I could only say "Thank you" to Ready-to-Cook Meat kit from Prima Taste.

Other than their Mee Rebus meal kit which I swear by when I simultaneously get pricked by the "cravings" needle AND biten by the lazy bug , this Mee Siam Meal Kit is also one of my favorites. You are spoilt for ready-made pastes when it comes to curry chicken and even Thai green curries but when it comes to Mee Siam and Mee Rebus, there are not many decent products out there, and I promise Prima Taste stands to the taste test of authenticity.

In the kit, you get Mee Siam paste, chili paste for frying the rice vermicelli, sambal chili and even lime juice - all individually packed! Perfectly sealed and hygienically packaged. You just need to prepare your own rice vermicelli, eggs and shrimps/prawns.

Cooking the rice vermicelli: Soak the rice vermicelli in a pot of hot-warm water till soft. Then heat the rice vermicelli chili paste with some water in a frying pan, and add the soaked rice vermicelli into the rice vermicelli chili paste and mix well.

Cooking the Mee Siam gravy: Mixing the Mee Siam paste with water in a pot and bring to a boil, the lower heat to simmer.

You are all ready to serve. Portion the rice vermicelli into individual servings, top with hard-boiled eggs, and cooked shrimps/prawns, then pour the Mee Siam gravy into the rice vermicelli. You will get all the necessary details in the package instructions.


Mee Siam never look so good when it can be ready in 10 minutes.

Tag: mee siam, noodles

Stuffed mushrooms

Tips on mushrooms: I used fresh shitake mushrooms for this recipe. Dried shitake mushrooms would not work so well since the dried version usually have a strong pungent smell (even after soaking). When shopping for fresh shitake mushrooms, I make sure there are minimal blemishes on the mushroom caps. If you buy them loose, one way to store them (if you are not using them on the same day) when you reach home is to put them in tall brown paper bags with a few small holes intentionally created on the paper bags. The mushrooms needs to breathe. Do not keep for too long (maximum a week for me) as the inherent moisture in the mushroom tend to evaporate and completely dry out the freshness in the mushrooms. That's why mushrooms grown in a mushroom farm need to be grown in the dark, and maintained at a cool temperature with suitable humidity.



Stuffed Mushrooms
Ingredients:
- Fresh shitake mushrooms (Note: get medium or large size mushroom to allow room for stuffing), wipe clean with damp paper/kitchen towel. Remove stem, keep the caps
-1 lb or slightly less of minced pork
- 1tsp grated ginger
- 3 cloves garlic minced finely
- 1 stalks scallions/spring onions, chop into small bits
- 2tsp oyster sauce + 2-3tbsp water (pre-mixed)
- some sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing Seasoning:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2tbsp corn flour or 1/4 of beaten egg
- 1tsp grated ginger + its juice
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp cooking wine
- 1-2 stalks scallions/spring onions, chop into small pieces
-salt and pepper, to taste
(Note: The seasoning used is almost similar to the one I used in Stewed Lions Head-狮子头)

Directions:
1. Mix pork with seasoning ingredients, make into meat balls (~3cm diameter for each). You can also use a tablespoon (Note: best you have a Chinese porcelain soup spoon) to make the stuffing
2. Place/stuff the meat mixture onto the mushrooms caps, and coat the surface of the stuffing on mushroom with some cornflour (Note: this will keep the stuffing intact on the mushroom, and give a "protective" coating on the stuffing when frying. Also, the meat mixture will not "disintegrate" while frying)
3. Add oil to pan, and at medium heat - with the stuffing-meat mixture facing down, add the mushooms(remember - stuffing face down!) into the oil (Note: the stuffed mushroom should be just partially submerged in the hot oil. This is not pure deep-frying) and fry for ~2mins. *The meat is still not cooked
4. Set side the partially fried stuffed mushrooms

















5. Discard frying oil, just keep one tbsp remaining for further cooking and simmering later
6. To the oil, add some garlic, green onion and ginger and fry till fragrant
7. Add oyster sauce + water to make the gravy/sauce. Add a little brown sugar, salt and white pepper, add in the stuffed mushrooms (Note: slowly and stuffing face down), and allow the stuffed mushrooms to simmer and cook. After ~5 mins, flip them to the other side. Make sure the mushrooms are submerged in the simmering gravy/broth
8. Allow the gravy/broth to reduce and after about 8-10 mins, the stuffed mushrooms should be cooked through
9. You can serve them with steamed rice; and especially when done this way (fry+slow simmering), you can even serve them as a warm appetizer or a light entree main course

Alternatively, you can absolutely steam these "precious" after steps (1)-(2), without going through the hassle of (3)-(8).

However, it's a different texture and taste you are going to get. Whichever way you choose, these savory stuffed mushrooms would be such a delight on the dining table when it's so flavorful and juicy.



A protein-packed and delicious entree main course! So juicy, succulent, and yummy...

Tag: mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms

Fried hokkien noodles Singapore-style - one of S'pore top ten favorite hawker food

Only perfect when served with sambal belacan chili and lime by its side



I made prawn noodles with the prawn stock . Armed with the perfect flavorful stock/broth, and a secret ingredient/garnish - fried shallots , I made Stir Fried Hokkien Noodles (Singapore Style). You can call it Braised Nyonya Noodles if you wish since I came across cookbooks that gives this name. I made this when I was in California. So, if you are residing in the United States, getting the desired ingredients should not be too much of a problem (Tip: look to Asian supermarkets for "headed" shelled prawns). But this dish - from the boiling of prawn stock to the preparation of ingredients, takes up more time and effort. Well...if you are too free... ...too much time... ...LOL!



Braised Nonya Noodles/Singapore-style Fried Hokkien Noodles
Ingredients:
- 1lb prawns buy heads on, shells on to be removed and reserved for prawn stock. For making the stock - refer here, and below *(1)
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 1tbsp fermented soya beans, mashed well
- about 4 servings of rice vermiceilli-beehoon, soaked in hot water to soften, drain and cut into - shorter lengths for easier frying
- 1/2 lb spaghetti , boiled and set aside (Note: I find that spaghetti is typically a good alternative to yellow noodles which sometimes maybe made/preserved with too much alkali water)
- 1 -2 cups chicken stock
- 2 eggs, light beaten
- 1/2 lb bean sprouts
- 4-6 leaves of napa cabbage, cut into finger-lengths
- 1 spring onion/scallions, cut into short lengths
- white pepper to taste

Directions:
*1. When I made my prawn stock then, I fried the prawn heads and shells with some oil and 1 tsp of pancetta (tip!), to give it more flavor and robustness, before adding water to make up the stock. If you have made the stock on the same day, use it. If frozen previously, defrost for using.
2. Heat oil (1tbsp) in pan and fry the chopped garlic, pancetta and mashed soya beans till fragrant
3. Add in bean sprout, cabbage and stir fry for 1 min. Then add in eggs and stir fry another minute
4. Add in both types of noodles and 1/2 the reserved stock and let it simmer about 5mins
5. Add in prawns, salt and pepper and stir fry till heated through. Add more stock if needed
6. Add in spring onions and stir fry
7. Garnish with fried shallots , serve with sambal belacan chili + lime (Note: I'm almost tempted to cite this as an option but for me personally, these condiments/garnish pack it with much more oomph!)



Bon Appetit ! Another Singapore favorite!

Tag: hokkien mee, hokkien noodles, noodles, nyonya noodles

Braised Tofu Beancurd with Spinach and Mushrooms - Three Storey Tofu

Braised Tofu/Beancurd with Pureed Spinach and Bumashimeiji(Honshimeiji) Mushrooms

Ingredients:
-1 block tofu (medium or silken),
-1cup chopped spinach, blanched
-1.5oz bumashimeiji(honshimeiji) mushrooms

Sauce:
-1/2cup water
-2tsp oyster sauce
-1tsp dark soya sauce
-1tsp brown sugar

Directions:
1. Place chopped spinach on top of tofu blocks and steam of 5 minutes (Note: drain off some moisture in the tofu after steaming)
2. Cut spinach topped tofu cut into serving size (and gently fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain well, set aside


3. With a little oil, add mushromms and fry.
4. Mix ingredient for sauce together and add to mushroom mixture, adjust amount of water (add more) if too salty (adjust to taste), then allow sauce to reduce
5. Add a little cornflur to thicken sauce, and pour over spinach tofu
6. Serve immediately



Even the sight of this pleases me....


Tag: mushrooms, vegetarian

Festive dishes for Chinese New Year

Auspicious dishes and recipes

Steamed fish recipe



Stir fry asparagus with scallops and ginkgo


Even with a dish like this - Stir fry asparagus with scallops and ginkgo - can only be made good if you name it 代代平安 -Peace and Harmony for Generations as scallops -带子 --> 代 and 带 are pronounced the same, as dai.

Other auspicious names:
八宝盒 -Eight Treasures - usually assortment of seafood and vegetables in a beancurd
风舞九天,大展鸿图 -Phoenix Dance - usually braised sharks fin with crab roe
金玉满堂 -Gold Everywhere - usually some egg-fried rice dish with shrimp, and crabmeat
年年高升 -typically a festive goodie nian gao 年糕 , meaning "Promotion every year"
富贵有余 -a fish dish; 鱼 and 余 both pronounced yu ; with the latter meaning "abundance/ excess"
一 路发财 - a dish that often contains black moss vegetable/发菜; 菜 and 财 pronounced cai and latter means "money or rich"

Read more about Chinese New Year traditions and food here.

Tag: fish, scallops, festive dish, chinese new year