Nonya Achar AKA Pickled Vegetables

I found a wonderful and delicious nonya achar recipe here!!

The taste of this recipe is the closest to what I had in the past...
I used to buy the chicken rice near my parents' house all the time because the stall there serves a generous portion of nonya achar together with the rice. And their nonya achar is simply SEDAP! But sadly, the chicken rice stall has closed down a few years ago. And now that I have found this nonya achar recipe online which shares that familiar taste! Even my 10 years old nephew likes it!

*I have altered the ingredients and preparations of the original recipe a bit according to my personal preference.


Ingredients
2 cucumbers (with seeds removed and cut into thin strips, about 3" long)
2 carrots (cut into thin strips, about 3" long)
300g of chinese cabbage (shredded, about 2cm wide)
2 slices of pineapple (cut into small pieces)
3 tablespoons of fried sesame seeds OR 120g of fried and pounded peanuts
125g of sugar
A small bottle of vinegar
100g of small onions
100g of garlic
80g of dried chili
A small piece of ginger
A stalk of lemongrass

Preparation
Rub cucumbers, carrots and cabbage with ample salt.
Set aside for 2 hours.
Drain off excess water and pat dry the vegetables with paper towel.
Blend small onions, garlic, chili, ginger and lemongrass together to form a fine paste. (add oil instead of water to the mixture if a fine paste cannot be achieved)
Stir fry the paste over low heat till fragrant.
In another pot, bring the vinegar to a boil before adding in the sugar. (taste and make sure that its not too sour for your preference, you might want to add a little more sugar at this stage)
Add in the desired amount of the chili paste after sugar has dissolved. (the rest of the chili paste can be kept refrigerated for the next use)
Set aside to cool.
Mix in the vegetables and pineapples followed by the sesame seeds OR peanuts.
Keep achar refrigerated.
Best served chilled.

Orange Flavored Chicken

Ingredients
250g of chicken fillet
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Pinch of salt and pepper
Cornflour
1/2 a large-sized orange

Preparation
Cut the chicken fillet into bite-size pieces.
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and sesame oil.
Coat the pieces with cornflour and deep fry them to a golden brown.
Set aside and drain away the excess oil.
Cut a few thin slices of orange for garnishing.
Grate some orange rind and squeeze out the juice from the remaining 1/2 an orange.
Add 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar and the grated orange rind to the orange juice diluted with 30ml of water.
Bring everything to a boil using medium low heat.
When the mixture thickens, toss in the chicken.
Ensure that every pieces are coated evenly with the sauce.
Serve hot.

* Note: More or less sugar might be required, depending on the acidity of your orange.

Sweet & Sour Pork AKA 咕噜肉

You can simplified the preparation of this recipe a little by opting out the onion and capsicum. It may not turn out just as colorful. But if you find it too plain, just sprinkle some white sesame seeds over the dish before serving.

For those who are cooking with the vegetables, you just have to make sure not to overcook them.

Ingredients
250g of pork (pounded and cut into bite-size pieces)
1/2 a capsicum (cut into chunks)
1/2 a large onion (cut into chunks)
3 tablespoons of ketchup
2 teaspoons of sugar
Cornflour
Cornstarch

Marinade for the pork
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1/2 cap of shaoxing wine

Preparation
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together.
Add in the pork and toss thoroughly.
Set aside in the fridge and leave it to marinate for at least an hour.
Coat the marinated pork with cornflour before deep frying it over medium heat.
Remove from oil and set aside to drain when the pork turns golden brown.
In another pan, add sugar and ketchup to 150ml of water.
Bring to a boil and add in the capsicum.
Cook for 5 minutes under medium high heat before adding in the onions.
Drizzle cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Remove from heat and toss in the pork.
Make sure every piece is well coated with the sauce.
Serve hot.

Pickled Green Chilies

This a one of the spices that many cannot do without. Especially among Chinese. Quite a number of people I know, actually see pickled green chilies as an appetizer.

Most commonly found in Chinese restaurants, a saucer plate of pickled green chilies and braised peanuts are foremost served to their customers who snack on these whilst waiting for their food.

Although I love chili paste of all sorts, but I must admit that some dishes are not quite complete without pickled green chilies. Good examples are Hor Fun and Wanton Mee. If you share my views, then all the more you should try this recipe and keep a container of pickled green chilies inside your fridge. Trust me, it will come in handy. ;)

Ingredients
300g of green chilies
A small bottle of rice vinegar (about 240ml)
6 tablespoons of sugar (adjust according to personal preference)

Preparation
Clean the green chilies with cooked water and set aside to drain.
Chop up the green chilies when they are dry.
Sift away the seeds. (do not have to be very thorough)
Place the chopped green chilies into a container.
Empty the bottle of rice vinegar into a pot.
Using medium low heat, bring it to a boil before adding in the sugar.
Stir until all the sugar has been dissolved.
Set aside and allow it to cool.
Pour the cooled vinegar over the green chilies.
Keep refrigerated.

Asam Prawns AKA Tamarind Prawns

Asam (or asam jawa) - Malay word for tamarind, is widely used from India to Southeast Asia. It is also commonly used in Peranakan dishes. Other than being one of the ingredients in cooked dished, do you know it can be served as a snack as well? The fruit is semi-dried, sprinkled with sugar and a little chili and voila! - A snack on its own.

But better known as a ingredient, the dried pulp is sold in packets. To use, simply add water and dissolve the pulp. Strain and discard residue.

This is a delightful dish suitable for all ages. It's not too spicy for children, it's sweet, yet it has a tinge of sourness from the tamarind. However, do kindly note that the recipe that I am sharing here is the one with sauce. Not the dry one. As I understand that Asam Prawn can also refer to deep fried prawns marinated with asam paste.

Ingredients
300g of prawns (shells removed up to the tail part & devined)
1/2 a large onion (sliced)
1.5 tablespoon of tamarind pulp
1/2 tablespoon of belacan chili
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preparation
Dissolve the tamarind pulp in 100ml of water.
Stir fry minced garlic till slightly browned and fragrant using medium low heat.
Add in the belacan chili and continue to stir fry until aromatic.
Toss in the prawns and onions.
When the prawns turn half-cooked, switch to high heat and pour in the tamarind juice followed by sugar and salt.
Mix well and turn heat off when sauce reaches a boil/prawns are cooked.
Serve hot.

Glutinous Rice Balls AKA 汤圆

This dessert brings back many fond memories for me.

This was what my Mom cooked for me and my husband when we went back to my parents' house for our wedding tea ceremony. I prefer to eat my tang yuan this way rather than the other which I recently learned - To toss the cooked glutinous rice balls into a can of sweet peanut soup.

Ingredients
1 packet of ready-made frozen glutinous rice balls
1 stalk of pandan leaves (cleaned and tied into a knot)
80g of brown sugar

Preparation
Add the pandan leaves to 800ml of water and bring to a boil.
Turn to low heat and add in the brown sugar.
Toss in the glutinous rice balls after sugar has dissolved.
Remove from heat when the rice balls are cooked.
Ready to serve.

Lotus Seed & Logan Soup

Ingredients
80g of lotus seeds
80g of dried logans
4 red dates
100g of rock sugar
1500ml of water

Preparation
Wash the lotus seed thoroughly.
Soak in tap water for at least 2 hours.
Bring 1500ml of water to a boil.
Add in the lotus seeds, dried logans and red dates.
Boil for 5 minutes before bringing the heat down.
Simmer for another hour until the lotus seeds turn soft.
Add in the rock sugar and stir till the sugar dissolves.
Serve warm or chilled.

Stir-fry Potatoes with Pork

Just another humble home-cooked dish for my family. ;)

Ingredients
150g of pork (thinly sliced)
3 potatoes (sliced, about 1/2" wide)
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of dark soya sauce (optional)

Preparation

Using medium-low heat, stir fry the garlic till fragrant before adding in the meat.
Toss in the potatoes when the meat is half-cooked.
Mix the soya sauce, dark soya sauce and sugar with 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil together with the potatoes and meat.
Leave the dish to cook for at least 15 minutes or till the desired softness of the potatoes over low heat.
Ready to serve.

Tomato Prawns AKA 蕃茄虾

Sharing with you my Nana's recipe.

Ingredients

4 tomatoes (cut into quarters)
6-8 prawns (cleaned and deveined)
1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
4 tablespoons of tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon of sugar

Preparation
Stir fry the garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil till fragrant.
Add in the tomatoes followed by the prawns when the tomatoes start to soften.
Dissolve ketchup and sugar in 200ml of water and pour onto the prawns and tomatoes.
Bring to a boil under medium low heat.
Add pepper before serving.

Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes AKA 蕃茄炒蛋

I have tried several versions of this dish. From my Mom's recipe to the various recipes found online and the ones in cookshows. There are also various ways to cook this dish. Some states to cook the eggs first whereas some states to cook tomatoes first. And the others, cook both eggs and tomatoes together. In the Taiwan celebrities' cookshow - 型男大主廚, the chef said different methods of cooking this dish have different textures in taste. And it's true!

Anyway, I added ketchup in my recipe as I find the dish a tad too bland for my liking.

Ingredients

2 tomatoes
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon of soya sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of tomato sauce
Spring onions (finely chopped)

Preparation
Boil the tomatoes for a minute or so.
Remove tomatoes from boiling water and place them in iced water.
Remove and discard skin from tomatoes.
Cut tomatoes into small chunks and set aside.
Add soya sauce to the eggs and beat well.
Pour beaten eggs into a heated oiled pan and stir well.
When the eggs begin to set, dish up and set aside.
Toss the tomatoes into the pan.
Add in salt, sugar, tomato sauce and stir well.
Return the eggs to the pan.
Stir fry everything and remove from heat when the tomatoes soften or when the gravy is bubbling.
Sprinkle spring onions before serving.

Stir-fry Cellophane Noodles AKA 炒冬粉

Cellophane noodles are usually used in stir-fry as the noodles do not have much flavor in them. Another important factor is they tend to pick up the taste of other ingredients and absorb the sauce very well. Thus, creating a flavorful stir-fry.

They are widely used in Chinese, Thai and other Asian cuisines. Other than in stir-fries, the noodles are also used in broths, spring rolls and salads etc.

But I've read from the Net that cellophane noodles are quite high in carbohydrates and doesn't have a lot of nutritional value. Yet another sinful indulgence. 

Ingredients
50g of cellophane noodles
25g of carrots (cut into thin strips)
75g of cabbage (cut into strips)
2 Chinese mushrooms (pre-soaked and sliced)
50g of chicken (sliced)
1 egg (beaten)
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of sambal belacan chili
100ml of water

Preparation
In a bowl, soak the cellophane noodles with tap water.
Drain away the water when the noodles are softened and set aside.
Fry the beaten egg and remove from heat when cooked.
Cut the omelette into strips and set aside.
Stir fry the carrots, mushrooms, chicken and cabbage in the oiled pan.
Add in oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, belacan chili and 100ml of water.
Stir and mix well.
Return omelette strips and cellophane noodles into the pan.
Turn heat off and toss until all ingredients are well coated with the sauce.
Garnish with sliced red chili. (optional)
Serve immediately.

Ampang Yong Tau Foo AKA 安邦酿豆腐

Extracted from Wikipedia - Ampang, a district in Malaysia is famous for its Yong Tau Foo which is a Chinese soup dish with Hakka origins. Essentially the dish originated in the early 1960s in a restaurant called "Chew Kuan" as tofu stuffed with a meat paste of fish and pork, thereby earning the dish its name "Yong Tau Foo," which means "stuffed bean curd." Since then all variety of vegetables and even fried fritters have been similarly stuffed, and the name Yong Tau Foo has thus been used liberally to apply to foods prepared in this manner.

The foods are sliced into bite-size pieces, cooked briefly in boiling broth and then served either in the broth as soup or dry with sauces. 

Ingredients
Yong Tau Foo
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 tablespoon of dark soya sauce

Preparation
Pan fry all the Yong Tau Foo till cooked.
Place them on a dish.
Mix the soya sauce, sugar and dark soya sauce together with around 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil.
Pour the sauce over the Yong Tau Foo or return the Yong Tau Foo to the pan to cook with the sauce for another minute or so if you prefer your Yong Tau Foo to be softer.

* Optional - You may want to serve the dish together with some blanched kangkong on the side.

Chili Chicken Wings

As I still have leftover flour mixture from the making of Chili Squids the last time, I decided to use it to deep fry some chicken wings time time round.

They taste as good as the chili squids much to my delight. A perfect accompaniment to a frosty beer!

Ingredients
4 chicken wings (separated into wings and drumlets)
2 tablespoons of soya sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar
Dash of black pepper
Flour mixture

Preparation
Marinate the chicken wings with soya sauce, sugar and black pepper for at least an hour.
Coat the marinated chicken with the flour mixture.
Deep fry the chicken wings till golden brown.
Remove from heat and drain away excess oil.
Ready to serve.

Deep Fried Egg Tofu

Ingredients
2 rolls of egg tofu (cut into about 1" in thickness)
1.5 tablespoons of mixed veggies
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Cornstarch

Preparation
Deep fry the tofu till they turn into a nice golden brown.
Remove from heat and set aside to drain away excess oil.
Dissolve oyster sauce and sugar in 1/2 cup of water.
Bring to a boil and add in the mixed veggies.
Add in cornstarch slowly to thicken the gravy.
Pour gravy over tofu and serve hot.

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.

Sotong Goreng Assam

Ingredients
200g of squids
1-2 small red chilies (chopped)
50g of assam paste
1 teaspoon of sugar
Dash of salt

Preparation
Dissolve assam paste with 80ml of water.
Discard the seeds.
Mix the squids to the assam sauce together with sugar and salt.
Leave to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
In an oiled pan, stir fry the squids briefly.
Add in the chopped chilies and toss.
Remove from heat when squids are cooked.
Ready to serve.

Squid

Spicy Minced Pork

I just realised I haven't done much updating on my food blog. My last post was like more than 1/2 a month ago. BUT, there's Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year Eve, New Year and a fun-filled wedding. Funny and cute couple. Even the groom's daddy is humorous. Though I only had a brief conversation with him, but it was enlightening.

Ahem. As I was saying with so many events, I can hardly make time to blog. Haiz. I have to admit I'm getting a bit lazy on updating my blog nowadays as well.

I shall list updating my food blog more often as one of my many New Year's Resolutions for 2010. ^^

Hope I am not too late in wishing everyone all the best and a great year in 2010! Lastly, sharing the recipe for Spicy Minced Meat as follows:

Ingredients
150g of minced pork
100g of long beans (chopped)
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of sambal chili
Dash of black pepper

Preparation
Stir fry sambal chili till fragrant before adding in the minced meat.
Continue to stir fry till meat half-cooked.
Add in the soya sauce, sugar, oyster sauce and black pepper.
Stir well and add in the chopped long beans.
Remove from heat when the long beans are cooked.
Garnish with chopped chili before serving. (optional)

Stir-fry Prawns with Salted Egg Yolks

Trying to replicate a dish that I had in a Chinese restaurant in Bugis. I forgot the name of the restaurant. Think it's Nanxiang or something like that... Anyway, you should try out this dish if you are there. Double thumbs up for it!

Especially for my husband, he love this dish to bits. He has been pestering me to cook this dish for the longest time. And after gathering much information and researches plus a couple times of failure, I finally got it right. Though not as fantastic as the chef's creation, but good enough to earn a compliment from my husband. For those who do not know him, anything that passed his QA/QC, it can't be too bad.

Ingredients
250g of prawns
2 salted egg yolks
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Salt

Preparation
Deep fry the prawns and remove from heat when they are just cooked.
Set aside and drain.
Steam the salted egg yolks for 5-8 minutes.
Mash up the yolks.
In a pan, melt a tablespoon of butter.
Add in the mashed egg yolks and stir.
Allow the yolks to blend into the butter to form a sauce.
Return the prawns to the pan.
Add in a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar.
Stir well and serve immediately.

*** Update: The restaurant is NanXiang Steamed Bun Restaurant. More information here ***

Sambal Kangkong AKA 马来风光

Ingredients
1 packet of kangkong (washed and cut into 3.5" long)
2 tablespoons of dried shrimps (chopped)
1 tablespoon of sambal belacan chili
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of soya sauce

Preparation
Heat up 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan.
Stir fry the dried shrimps till fragrant before adding in the chili.
Toss in the kangkong.
Stir fry for another 3 minutes or so.
Add in the sugar and soya sauce.
Mix well before dishing out the vegetables.
Serve hot.

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.