Japchae 잡채

I love this since I first tried it. The proper recipe is http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/japchae but this is my clear the pantry interpretation. Layered in a slow cooker inspired pen cai, it was all prep, chuck into pot, and pono slaving over a stove!

Ingredients

1 can young corn, drained

1 can straw mushroom, drain

1 handful black fungus, soaked then chopped

1 handful lilu bulbs, soaked

2 carrots, cut into matchstick

3 leaves cabbage, shredded

1 handful shitake mushrooms, soaked and reserve the soaking liquid

4 cups kombu stock

1 packet sweet potato noodles, soaked till soft

1 packet porkballs, quartered

1 packet hakka balls, quartered

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional)

Sauce

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp sake

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp light soya sauce

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

1 tsp sugar

Method

1) Place the carrots, pork balls and hakka balls, and cabbage at the bottom of the pot.

2) Pour in the kombu, together with the sauce and garlic. Add the reserved shitake soaking liquid.

3) Place the noodles on stage top.

4) Top up with the corn, straw mushrooms, and black fungus.

5) Cover the lid and set to high for 10 minutes. Check after 5 so as to ensure the noodles are cooked but not mushy.

6) Toss everything to mix well. Garnish with sesame seeds if using. Serve immediately. 

カレーそば Curry soba

I love curry udon or soba. Heck, I love Japanese curry. I found this recipe from JOC and it's not what I'm used to but it's not bad. It's more soupy than the curry roux but there's the added flavour of a good broth. This is my adaptation.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 carrots, cubed

600g chicket thigh fillet, cubed

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp light soya sauce

Dash of pepper

½ onion, chopped

1 packet dashi powder

8 cups water

½ box of curry roux (4 cubes)

1 packet (500g) preferred noodles. Being fresh out of udon or soba, I used Singapore yellow noodles which are skinnier than Hokkien mee, and wasn't a too bad a substitute.

Method

1) Marinate chicken in soya for between 15 mins to 6 hours.

2) Saute onions in a pot for about 10 minutes on low heat till aromatic but do not brown.

3) Dredge chicken pieces in flour and add to the pot. Brown of both sides.

4) Add carrots and mix, then add water and dashi powder.

5) Let it come to the boil and skim off any fat and scum. Cover and let it simmer on medium low high heat for 10 minutes or till chicken is cooked.

6) Meanwhile, prepare the noodles according to the packet instructions. My noodles only needed soaking in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drained and distributed to bowls.

7) Break up the roux cubes into the simmering liquid and simmer for another 5 minutes to thicken slightly.

8) Pour the curry gravy on top of the noodles and eat!

Jjajiangmyun

Been watching an unprecedented amount of K-drama. Has given me a hankering for all things Korean, including food and drink. And do you wonder, given that food and drink describe the major passions of my life. 

From my favourite Korean cooking site - jjajiangmyun recipe

And from another site, it confirms my suspicions that confirms that it's similar to the chinese jia jiang mian but the taste is different http://www.sunnysideuprecipes.com/2010/02/ja-jang-myun.html

So it looks like I can't use the soya bean paste but would have to get real Korean black bean paste. Yes, one day I'll go to the Asian grocer and get the ingredients including the special jiajiangmyun!

Thai beef salad

What do you do when you have a lot of leftover roast beef? It's very hard to reheat leftover roast beef because it goes all rubbery. Much better to have it cold. Thanks to a suggestion from a good friend, here's my take on the Thai beef salad.

Ingredients

300g of roast beef, cubed

3 tbsp of Thai fish sauce

2 tbsp of lemon juice

2 tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 tsp English mustard

2 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Leftover sauce (for the roast beef, if still available)

8 baby cos lettuce leaves, washed and roughly shredded

2 carrots, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

3 rounds of vermicelli, soaked to rehydrate according to instructions on packet

Method

1) At the bottom of the salad bowl, prepare the dressing with the fish sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard and olive oil, if using. Pour in the leftover roast gravy, if you still have it. Blend well.

2) Chop up the vegetables and pour them on top of the dressing. Add the vermicelli noodles.

3) Give everything a good toss and serve!

Fried Vietnamese rice noodles

I found these miracle rice noodles, which is like bee hoon except its flat noodles. What's so miraculous about it is that you don't need to boil the noodles. All that's needed is to either soak the noodles in boiling water for 2 mins, or in normal water for 8 minutes. Just like bee hoon, but the difference is that it doesn't turn to mush so easily.

I initially wanted to do this as a vegetarian dish, but my family isn't very vegetarian. So in went a few frozen prawns, although you can just as easily add some char siew or minced pork.



Ingredients
1 packet of Vietnamese flat rice noodles
1 packet of baby asparagus (about 200g)
1 packet of bean sprous (about 100g)
1 carrot, sliced thinly like little matchsticks
1 cup of frozen prawns
2 eggs
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, minced
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp Maggi chicken stock
a sprinkle of sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tbsp rice flour
1/4 cup water

Method
1) Soak the noodles as stated on the packet.
2) This recipe requires slightly more oil that normal to fry the noodles, so don't be overly alarmed. Fry the onions and when browned, stir fry the carrots and asparagus.
3) Fry the eggs and scramble them. Add the marinade, including the water and rice flour.
4) Add the frozen prawns and half the water and and cover.
5) Once cooked (approximately 3 to 5 minutes), add the noodles and carefully toss with 2 spatulas. Try not to break up the noodles if possible. Add the remaining water. Try not to over-mix the noodles but the noodles should still be al dente and moist enough.
6) Add the sprouts, incorporate well and serve immediately. Sprouts don't need much cooking even 10 seconds is enough. It will continue to cook in the heat.

Prawn mee

This is my mom's recipe which I've altered slightly but the basics are still the same. It really brings me back to my childhood!

Ingredients (feeds 2)
1 packet of medium sized prawns (approx 300-400g, I counted about 10 prawns in the packet)
1.5 litres pork bone stock (I used leftover bak ku teh soup from last night )
5 - 6 dried chilli
2 tbsp dried shrimp
1 large onions, or 3 shallots, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bunch cai xin
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 packet of fishballs
2 fishcake, sliced (optional)
200g lean pork, sliced thinly (optional)
2 portions of cooked noodles (yellow mee, kway teow, whatever u prefer)

Method
1) Peel the prawns and set aside the heads and shells. Devein the prawns and set aside.
2) Heat up a pot and oil, and fry the onions or shallots until slightly brown. Add the prawn heads and shells and stir fry until fragrant and the shells and heads are pink. Add the garlic and briefly stir fry.
3) Add the dried chilli and shrimp and briefly fry.
4) Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Skim off the scum. Turn down the head to medium. Cover and simmer for 1/2 hour.
5) Prepare the noodles according to the packet's instructions and place the drained noodles into 2 bowls.
6) Strain the stock. Add the fishballs, followed by prawns and cai xin and cook for up to 5 minutes or until everything is cooked. Also cook the fishcake and lean pork if using.
7) Serve with soup poured on top of the of noodles.

Laksa

Ingredients (serves 4)

Paste
3 stalks lemon grass, finely shredded (just the white portion)
2cm galangal, peeled
3 candlenuts
12 dried red chilli, soaked in hot water
6 shallots, finely chopped
1 tsp shrimp paste (balachan)
1 cm fresh tumeric
1 tsp coriander powder

Laksa ingredients
3 tbsp oil
2 tbsp dried prawns, soaked in hot water for 30 mins, drained and pounded
3 cups water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 cups coconut milk (packet type)
400g fresh laksa noddles
100g bean spourts, blanched in boiling water for 15 seconds
4 medium sized prawns, blanched and peeled
50 g fish cake, fried and finely sliced
1 boiled egg, cut into quarters
1/4 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and shredded
5 laksa leaves, shredded (or use a whole stalk, washed and knotted)

Method
1) Start by making the spice paste. Pound all the ingredients to obtain a fine paste. Start with lemongrass, galangal and tumeric, then candlenuts, shallots and dried chillis, and lastly, balachan and add the coriander powder.
2) Heat 4 tbls oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry until fragrant for about 10 minutes. It becomes very dry at this point, so be careful not to burn it. You can add 1 more tsp of oil. It should look glossy at this point.
3) Add the pounded dried prawns and stir fry for another minute.
4) Increase the heat to high, add in 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. You should see the oil sort of separate.
5) Lower the heat to medium and add in the coconut milk; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. There should be a thin layer of oil on top, not too much oil!
6) Add in sugar and salt. (it can be slightly more salty to compensate for the noodles which absorb the taste and are bland)
7) If you find the gravy too thin, let it cool for 10 mins, then warm it up again on medium. Bring it to a simmer and it would have thickened.
8) Blanch the noddles, beanspourts and place in serving bowl. Arrange the fish cakes and egg on top.
9) Pour over the gravy and serve with sliced cucumber.

Fried Bee Hoon

Today's lunch was another case of 'whatever's in the fridge'. Generally this is a very flexi recipe, you can add as many varieties of ingredients as u want. For instance, if I had carrots, bean sprouts, chinese cabbage or fish cake, I'd add them in.
Ingredients - serves 2
1 tomato, chopped into cubes
A few leaves of wong bok, sliced
100g pork mince
6 crabsticks, cubed
1/2 handfull dried shrimp
6-8 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water, stalks removed and sliced (save the water used to soak the mushrooms)
1/3 packet bee hoon (enough for 2 people), soaked in water until soft
3 eggs, beaten
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 shallots, chopped
1 tsp sambal chilli }
1 tsp spicy bean sauce } sauce A
1 tsp XO sauce (optional) }
1/2 tsp sugar
cooking oil

Marinade
Marinate pork mince with 1/2 tbls light soya sauce, 1/2 tbls chinese rice wine, 1/2 tbls sesame seed oil, corn flour and pepper. Leave for at least 15 mins.

Method
1. Once the oil is warm enough, fry the garlic, onions and dried shrimp.
2. Once the fragrance comes out, throw in the minced pork and stir fry with sauce A.
3. Put in the vegetables (including mushrooms) and stir fry to incorporate with the minced pork. Add sugar. Pour in the water used for the mushrooms. Cover the pan until vegetables are cooked. (about 5 minutes)
4. Put in the crab stick. Pour in the beated egg and stir well to break up the egg.
5. Pour in the bee hon and stir well. Be careful not to over stir as you don't want to break up the bee hoon.
6. Serve.

Shanghai style minced pork noodles

Today I shall start documenting (haha, since that seems to be a major part of my new job scope - documenting things) my recipes, both those that I invent, as well as ones that I like. This will be my legacy when I die, so at least my hubby doesn't go hungry. After I'm dead, it doesn't matter what he does to my kitchen, at most I'll come and haunt him in his dreams to clean up! :D

This recipe was thrown together after 2 weeks of eating salad. Damn healthy but really boring, and *someone* was complaining. Since there wasn't much food in the fridge to begin with, and time is also short for me, this was a happy compromise. It took only 20 mins prep time (mostly on marinating, so I use the time to prepare my other dish, a salad - haha, still cannot escape that!) and 15 mins cooking time, and only 5 minutes to invent. I improvise as I go along!

Ingredients - Serves 2
200g minced pork
200-300g shanghai noodles (dry)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced onions/shallots
2 - 3 tsp cooking oil
Corn starch solution
5-6 dried mushrooms, sliced (soak mushrooms in hot water 1st)

Marinade for pork
0.5 tbls light soya sauce
0.5 tbls dark soya sauce
0.5 tbls chinese wine
0.5 tbls sesame seed oil
dash of 5 spice powder
dash of sugar

Sauce
1 tbls spicy bean sauce
1 tbls sambal
1 tbls XO sauce (optional)

Method
1. Boil enough water in a big pot. Once water has come to a rolling boil, toss in the noodles and cook as per instructions on the packet. I usually use 1 fistful (about 100g) per person but for people with bigger appetites, use 2 fistfuls. (but my hands are pretty small)
2. Once slighty under-cooked, pour away water and drain noodles in colander. Run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside. You don't want the noodles too well-cooked because u will be frying them up again later and still al dente.
3. Heat up some cooking oil. Toss in minced garlic and shallots and fry until you hear the sizzling sound (don't over do it). Toss in the sauces and stir well.
4. Toss in the mince meat and stir fry. Try to break up the minced bits into as tiny bits as you can. Throw in sliced mushroom. Pour in a splash of water (this is a gravy to be absorbed by the noodles, it is not a soup!) Cover and simmer for 5 -7 minutes until mushrooms are soft.
5. Once simmering merrily, pour in corn starch and incorporate well until sauce thickens. Pour back noodles and fold in carefully, warming up the noodles but be careful not to break up the strands.
6. Serve immediately with chopped spring onion if desired.

Verdict
My chief taster said that it wasn't a bad effort. Compared to Crystal Jade, it's less salty. However, it 'looks' like sphagetti. Ah well, think of it chinese sphagetti then!