Gold Bags

The coincidence of Lunar New Year and Valentine's Day falling on the same day this year in the year of the Tiger has been the talk of the town. God knows how many times this can actually happen. But don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. Valentine's day is about spending the day with the one you love. Just so it happens, this year for a change, you get to spend the day with the ONES you love. Extended families and all. The more the merrier? =P

Hearty breakfast in conjunction with Valentine's Day.

And of course not forgetting the Chinese festival, the auspicious New Year dish I am sharing on my food blog this year is Gold Bags. The name of the dish is pretty self-explanatory. Gold bags are in fact just deep fried dumplings. (similar to Deep Fried Wantons) Nonetheless, these morsels symbolize good luck, wealth and good fortune.

The preparation is just like packaging luck inside the dumpling, which is later eaten. Ways of cooking include steaming, boiling and shallow fried. Dumplings are eaten traditionally in northern China.

Ingredients
1 packet of wanton skin
300g of minced pork
5 water chestnuts (peeled and finely diced)
10 prawns (finely diced)
1/2 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
Chive/Spring onion

Preparation
Mix pork, water chestnuts, prawns, finely chopped spring onions and egg together in a bowl.
Season with soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper and cornflour.
Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Place small portions on the wanton skins to wrap.
Secure the wantons by tying them with stalk of chive/spring onion.
Deep fry the wrapped wantons over medium high heat.
Remove from heat when the wantons turn golden brown.

Serve hot.

Last but not least, wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day &
a Happy Lunar New Year! Huat ah!!

Stir-fry Beef with Ginger & Spring Onion

This recipe is all about speed. Take too much time and the beef gets overcooked.

The first time I was trying out this recipe, I was very jittery at the stove. Nearly knocked the bowls and ingredients over. My first attempt resulted in rubbery beef. But after several practices, now it takes about 7 minutes to complete the dish with the beef just cooked.

Ingredients
200g of beef (thinly sliced)
25g of ginger (sliced)
1-2 stalks of spring onions (cut into length of about 3" long)
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cap of shaoxing wine

Preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
Pan fry the ginger slices till edges start to brown or fragrant.
Add in the beef and stir fry till semi-cooked.
Toss in the spring onions.
Add in oyster sauce and sugar.
Using medium high heat, stir fry everything and add in shaoxing wine.
Turn heat off when beef is cooked.
Serve hot.

* Substitute beef with pig liver and you get - Stir-fry Pig Liver with Ginger & Spring Onion.

Ngoh Hiang or Five-spice Meat Roll AKA 五香

Ngoh Hiang is also known as five spice. But over here, it simply refers to the meat roll instead of the five different spices - Cinnamon, Cloves, Cummin, Star Anise and Fennel Seeds.

And neither is it a composition of various meats and vegetables and other ingredients that is commonly found in hawker centres, also known as Ngo Hiang. Apparantly, Ngo Hiang is a Hokkien dish as stated in Wikipedia.

The recipe that I am sharing here is a Nonya dish. Ever seen the local drama - The Little Nonya? There is mention of Ngoh Hiang in one of the episodes. And it is from this show that I learnt that Ngoh Hiang needs to be steamed before deep frying. =P

Ingredients
200g of minced pork
150g of water chestnut (finely diced)
4 pieces of beancurd skin (cut into 20cm x 25cm)
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of five-spice powder
Dash of pepper
1/2 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
1 egg
Cornstarch

Preparation
Add water chestnut, soya sauce, five-spice powder, pepper, spring onion and egg to minced meat.
Mix well.
Leave in fridge to marinate for an hour.
Wrap marinated mixture with beancurd skin into rolls.
Seal edge with cornstarch.
Steam for 10 minutes.
Deep fry till golden brown.

* Alternatively, you can cut up the rolls before deep frying.

Grilled Beef Rolls with Enoki Mushrooms

I first saw Beef Rolls with Enoki Mushrooms on Sakae Sushi's menu. Decided to experiment and come up with my own version. But for some reasons, my version look similar to vegetable rolls as shown below. 奇怪了。

(Image courtesy of www.thongsiek.com)

The beef rolls that I saw on Sakae's menu, it looks like the sliced beef are cooked with boiling water. But I am grilling mine as I like the slightly charred taste.

Ingredients
10 pieces of thinly sliced beef
1 packet of enoki mushrooms
Carrot (cut into shreds, about 3" long) - 10 pieces
Spring onions (cut into about 3" long) - 10 pieces
Teriyaki Sauce

Preparation
Cook enoki mushrooms in boiling water for 10 seconds.
Drain, divide the mushrooms into 10 small bundles and set aside.
Cook the carrots in boiling water for a minute.
Remove from heat and drain.
Wrap a piece of carrot and spring onion together with a small bundle of enoki mushrooms using a piece of sliced beef.
Repeat procedure until all the beef, carrots and spring onions are used up.
Grill the beef rolls in an oiled pan with the flaps facing down.
Remove from heat when the beef rolls are cooked.
Add 5 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce into the pan.
Bring to a boil and pour the sauce over the beef rolls.
Serve hot.

Dumpling Soup AKA 水饺汤

I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! I did! I had so much fun and good food that I am suffering from a sore throat now. So, no more deep fried/baked food for me! At least, not for a while. 

This is a soup version of Deep Fried Wantons. Equally nice. Add some noodles and vegetables to it and it's a meal on its own. Ingredients and preparation remains pretty much the same except for tiny weeny bit of changes here and there.

Ingredients
1 packet of dumpling skin
300g of minced pork
5 water chestnuts (peeled and finely diced)
20 prawns (small sized)
1/2 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour
1 chicken stock cube

Preparation
Mix pork, water chestnuts, spring onions and egg together in a bowl.
Season with soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper and cornflour.
Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Wrap a prawn together with the marinated ingredients for each dumpling.
Cook the dumplings for 5-10 minutes in a pot of boiling water over medium high heat.
For the broth, add the stock cube to 800ml of water and bring it to a boil in another pot.
Drain and drizzle some cooked oil before ladling soup over the dumplings .

Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.

Stir-fry Beansprouts with Salted Fish

A simple and easy stir-fry dish. Not to mention delicious too! Definitely worth the hassle of plucking the tails of the beansprouts. If you don't mind paying more, you can always get a bag of beansprouts with the tails already removed from the supermarkets.

Ingredients
250g of beansprouts (tails removed)
50g of dried salted fish
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
3-5 small chilies (chopped/shredded)
A small stalk of spring onion (cut into 3" long)

Preparation
Cut salted fish into pieces.
Pan fry them in an oiled pan.
Remove from pan and set aside when they turn golden brown.
Stir fry the garlic till fragrant before adding in the beansprouts and chilies.
Return the salted fish to the pan and stir well.
Add in the spring onions together with 30ml of water.
Remove from heat when the beansprouts are cooked.
Serve hot.

Cold Soba

In Singapore, we have only two seasons - Hot and hotter. With the hot and humid weather practically all year round in Singapore, everyone is looking for ways to beat the heat. Some keep themselves cool in shopping malls, some go for a dip in swimming pool whereas some choose to stay at home.

I am one of those who choose to stay at home. I can't even bear to step out of the house to get takeaways. I think I'll melt under the scorching sun. On a warm weather like this, eating Cold Soba literally cools you from the inside. I'll be eternally grateful to whoever shows up on my doorsteps with this now. 

Ingredients
200g of soba
500ml of dashi stock
125ml of Japanese soya sauce
Shredded seaweed (optional)
Grated ginger (optional)
Chopped Spring onion (optional)

Preparation
Bring dashi stock to a boil.
Add in the soya sauce gradually(adjust according to own preference)
Turn heat off.
Let cool and keep chilled.
Cook soba according to the instructions at the back of the packaging.
Place cooked soba under running tap.
Rinse soba thoroughly till the water runs clear.
Drain and set noodles over a bed a of ice cubes. (preferably on a draining basket)
Garnish noodles with shredded seaweed.
Serve noodles with chilled dipping sauce.
Add grated ginger and chopped spring onions to the dipping sauce. (optional)

Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle AKA 福建炒虾面

Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle is a popular local street food. You can find sometimes not one but two stalls selling Hokkien Prawn Noodle in a Hawker Food Center.

The essence of this dish is the richness of the stock. The flavor of the pork bones and prawns stock should be absorbed by the noodles but noodles should not be overcooked or soggy. The dish should neither be too dry or too wet. And the other contributing factor to a plate of yummylicious Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle is the wok hei aka 镬气. (The flavour, tastes, and "essence" imparted by a hot wok on food during stir frying - Wikipedia)

It is no secret that Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle is one of the most difficult dishes to perfect. That explains why the renowned stalls have long queues for their Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle.

Having said that, I am still going ahead to share my recipe for Fried Hokkien Prawn Noodle. Though it's nowhere near perfection for now, but it is good enough to curb my craving.

Ingredients
100g of yellow noodles (parboiled)
200g of thick noodles
180ml of stock
6 prawns (with shells intact, pre-cooked in stock)
50g of pork belly (sliced, pre-cooked in stock)
80g of squids (sliced, pre-cooked in stock)
2 eggs (beaten)
20g of beansprouts
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 stalk of spring onion (cut into 3" long)

Preparation
Heat oiled pan to medium heat.
Stir fry garlic till fragrant before adding in eggs.
Break up the eggs and cook till slightly browned.
Add in the noodles and stir fry for another minute or so.
Pour the stock into the pan and cover with a lid.
Leave stock to reduce for a few minutes.
Toss in the prawns, squids, pork belly and beansprouts.
Stir and mix well.
Simmer for another 5 minutes or till stock thickens.
Adjust taste accordingly if necessary.
Add in the spring onions and toss well.
Serve with sambal belacan chili and lime.

Stir-fry Tofu with Shimeji Mushrooms and Dried Scallop

Ingredients
300g of silken tofu (cut into cubes)
100g of shimeiji mushrooms (cleaned)
30g of dried scallop (soaked, break into strands)
1 stalk of spring onion
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
280ml of water
Cornstarch

Preparation
Stir fry the mushrooms and scallop in an oiled pan.
Add in oyster sauce, sugar and water.
Stir to mix well.
Add in the tofu.
Bring to a boil and leave to simmer for 5 minutes or so.
Thicken gravy with cornstarch.
Sprinkle with spring onions before serving.

Steamed Prawns in Chinese Wine

In my house, my husband is usually the one who does the marketing. He is price-savvy. He knows exactly what should costs how much and what is a rip-off. I only know to cook. Not a fantastic cook though. But at least you won't get diarrhea from eating my food.

The day he went marketing, he came home with a bag of very fresh medium large prawns. Would be a waste to deep fry the prawns. So I prepared this dish. This recipe highlights the sweetness and freshness of the prawns. Folks who managed to get hold of very fresh prawns or live prawns might want to try this recipe.

Suck on the prawn heads to get all that hidden goodness!!
*Not advisable for the health conscious and cholesterol watchers*

Ingredients
8 medium-large prawns (cleaned)
20g of ginger (sliced)
1 stalk of spring onion (cut into length of about 3" long)
1 tablespoon of wolfberries
3 caps of shaoxing wine

Preparation
Place the ginger slices on a serving plate.
Arrange the prawns and spring onions on top of the ginger. Do not stack the prawns together.
Pour shaoxing wine over the prawns and sprinkle wolfberries on top.
Steam for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

Deep Fried Wantons AKA 炸云吞

Ingredients
1 packet of wanton skin
300g of minced pork
5 water chestnuts (peeled and finely diced)
10 prawns (finely diced)
1/2 stalk of spring onion (finely chopped)
1 egg (beaten)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cornflour

Preparation
Mix pork, water chestnuts, prawns, spring onions and egg together in a bowl.
Season with soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper and cornflour.
Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Wrap the marinated ingredients using the wanton skin.
Deep fry the wrapped wantons over medium high heat.
Remove from heat when the wantons turns golden brown.

Serve hot with mayonnaise or any other preferred dipping sauce. (optional)

Steamed Tofu AKA 老少平安

Traditionally, this steamed dish is made up of mainly tofu and fish paste. And egg white is added to bind these two ingredients together. But over the time, many different versions have been adapted. Mushrooms, dried shrimps and minced meat are being added.

As a parent myself, I wish for the well-being of the elderly and the young in my family more than anything else. And the name of this dish - 老少平安 (loosely translated as: safe and well-being of both elderly and young) always bring a smile on my face as these 4 simple words carry an important and heartwarming message.

Both tofu and fish paste are soft so the elderly and the young can enjoy this dish without worrying not having strong teeth to chew on the food properly or choking on fish bones. Practically a safe dish for all ages. Thus the Chinese name.

Personally, I feel that this dish doesn't really break up into pieces that easily so I omitted the egg white in my recipe.

Ingredients
300g of tofu
200g of fish paste
Cooked oil
Soya sauce
Pepper

Preparation
Mash up the tofu and mix well with fish paste.
Set in a shallow dish.
Using medium heat, steam for 10-15 minutes.
Drizzle cooked oil, soya sauce and a dash of pepper before serving.
Garnish with spring onion or coriander. (optional)