Fried Tang Hoon (glass noodles) 炒粉丝

Tang hoon, also called vermicelli, glass noodles, 冬粉 (dong fen, meaning winter noodles), is a light version of bee hoon, typically made from some kind of starch. Most commonly found are ones made of mung bean starch, often referred to as ‘mung bean thread’. Compared to bee hoon, which is made of rice, tang hoon is finer and more delicate. Further, it looks glassy and transparent when cooked, hence the name ‘glass noodles. Tang hoon is tasteless on its own, making it a versatile addition to many dishes. It can be used to add textural interest to soup or gravy, as a side dish when stir-fried, or as in this recipe, as a meal by itself. Common ingredients for stir-fries include some combination of chicken, fried or dried shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, fish cake and bean sprouts. It is merely a matter of preference, variety and choice. I added a hefty dose of pepper in my version; go easy if you do not care for it as much.

 

Ingredients
2 packets tang hoon, soaked till soft and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
2 eggs, beaten
½ carrot, julienned
Handful of bak choy leaves

Sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
½ cup vegetable stock
1 tsp pepper

Instructions
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in wok. Add garlic and shallots. Stir-fry till golden.
2. Add carrots. Fry till nearly cooked through.
3. Add bak choy leaves. Fry till wilted,
4. Add tang hoon and sauce. Stir to combine well. Lower heat to medium.
5. When liquid is mostly absorbed, add eggs to side of wok and leave untouched till eggs are half-cooked. Break up egg and mix into tang hoon till eggs are cooked through.
6. Garnish with green onions. Serve with dollop of belachan.

Serves 2 (as a meal)
Serves 4 (as a sidedish)

Related Links

• Fried Tang Hoon on Noob Cook
• Tom Yum Tang Hoon on Noob Cook
• Stir-Fried Glass Noodles from Sumptuous Flavours

Winter melon (冬瓜 dong gua) soup

These pale-fleshed, spongy gourds are commonly eaten during winter. Low in calories, it has a mild and refreshing taste. A week ago, the Asian supermarket was selling 2-lb slices at incredibly reasonable prices, despite being an unusual crop for this time of year. I was recovering from a bout of ‘heatiness'(阳 yang); this ‘cooling'(阴 yin) gourd in a clear soup was just the ticket. Nonetheless, I added a bit of ginger(阳) into the soup to balance the yin(阳). The seeds, which can be candied, and often eaten during Chinese New Year, are easily scooped out with a spoon before cooking. This is a versatile plant; nearly every part can be eaten except for the skin and roots.

Ingredients
2lb winter melon, skin and seeds removed and cubed
2lb pork bones for stewing
2lb chicken bones for stewing or 2tbsp chicken stock powder
3 stalks celery, cut into 1″ chunks
1 carrot, cut into rough chunks or faux tourné
1 dried scallop, softened in hot water and separated
1″ ginger, sliced lengthwise
1 shallot, sliced lengthwise

Garnish
Luncheon meat, cubed or Ham, cut into strips
Cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions
1. Blanch pork bones to remove foam and rinse quickly.
2. Place pork and chicken bones in 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
3. Add carrots, celery, scallop, ginger and shallot.
4. Boil for about 20 minutes.
5. Add winter melon and cook till transparent.
6. Garnish with ham and cilantro to serve.

Serves 4

 

Related links

• Mama Tong’s “Restorative Winter Melon Soup”
• Day Day Cook’s “Barley Winter Melon Soup”
• the kitchn’s “Vegetarian Winter Melon Soup”

Traditional Baked Mooncakes 月饼

Mid-Autumn Festival Mooncakes 中秋月饼, commonly just called ‘Mooncakes’月饼 are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Shared with friends and family while celebrating the abundance of harvest, the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals and falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month in the lunar calendar. These round-shaped cakes symbolise unity and harmony, although modern day mooncakes come in a variety of shapes.

Stories abound regarding the origin of the mooncake. The account I grew up with tells of notes hidden in the sweet cakes that Han Chinese rebels, led by General Zhu Yuan Zhang 朱元璋, used to coordinate against the Mongols. The rebellion ended the Yuan Dynasty in 1368.

Mooncake moulds come in wooden and plastic versions. Wooden moulds must first be ‘seasoned’ by air-drying well to ensure there is no moisture trapped in the wood, then soaking completely in oil for 1-2 days and air-dried again. Peanut oil is traditionally preferred but I suppose other types of vegetable oils could be substituted. Thereafter, the mould should not be washed or rinsed in water.

After experimenting with proportions and ingredients, this recipe is what I will be using for a while. It makes about 8 regular-sized mooncakes, 3″ (8cm) in diameter.

Ingredients for the Filling
860 grams ready-made mooncake filling paste (eg. lotus paste, red bean paste, etc)
300 grams plain or all-purpose flour, sifted
180 grams golden syrup (I prefer Lyle’s Golden Syrup, available at Cost Plus World Market)
1½ tsp alkaline water (lye water)
15 tsp olive or vegetable oil
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Optional:
10-16 tsp melon seeds or pine nuts
Salted duck yolk, cooked, whites removed (1 per mooncake)

Other Ingredients
Plain flour for dusting work surface, rolling pin, hands and dough
Egg wash (1 egg and 1 tbsp water, lightly beaten and sieved to remove bubbles)
Mooncake mould (100g mould, 3″/8cm diameter)

Making the Dough
1. In a large bowl, add golden syrup, alkaline water, olive oil and vanilla extract. Stir till well combined.
2. Add in sifted flour and mix to just form a soft dough. Do not over knead.
3. Wrap dough with cling wrap and leave to rest for 30 min, but about ideally 2 hours 醒面. This helps the dough harden slightly and become more elastic, making it easier to work with.
After waiting, lightly knead to smoothen it.
4. Divide dough into 35g pieces and shape into balls.

Making the Filling
1. Divide the filling paste into 60g pieces. Optional: Add 1-2 tsp of melon seeds or pine nuts to each piece. Shape filling pieces into a ball.
2. If making filling with salted egg yolk, adjust weight paste so that the total weight of the yolk and paste is 60g. Wrap filling paste around the yolk and shape into a ball.
3. Make the same number of filling pieces as there are dough pieces.

Assembling and Mooncake
1. Roll the dough over some flour. Dust rolling pin with flour. Flatten each dough into a small disc.
2. Place a piece of filling within a disc of dough (skin) and wrap, forming a smooth ball.
3. Lightly dust the wrapped mooncake ball with some flour. Place it in the mooncake mould and press firmly. Invert the mould and tap a few times to eject the mooncake.
4. Place mooncake on a floured baking tray lined with parchment paper.
5. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
6. Spray some water on the mooncakes.
7. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake for 10 mins.
8. Remove from oven and leave to cool for 20 minutes.
9. Brush the mooncake evenly with egg wash, including the sides. Remove any bubbles that might have formed during the brushing process. Bubbles tend to ruin the appearance of the final product.
10. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
11. Leave the mooncake to cool completely. Wrap in parchment paper and store in air tight containers. Allow 1-2 days for the oil to seep back out 回油, resulting in a softer and shiner skin.

Makes 8 regular-sized mooncakes

Adapted from Traditional Baked Mooncakes

Related posts:

• Happy Home Baking blog
• Teochew Traditional Mooncakes (潮汕朥饼)
• Teochew Spiral Mooncake(千层芋泥酥）

Steamed tofu with minced turkey

We needed a quick dinner tonight, for today we are watching “Sunday in the Park with George” by Stephen Sondheim and we have 2 hours to get to the theatre. A peek into the fridge and I came up with this steamed tofu dish served over steaming rice.

12oz / 350g firm tofu
10oz minced turkey
1/2 green onion
2 water chestnuts, finely diced
1/2 salted egg including yolk, finely diced
1 tsp corn starch
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt
Pepper

Serves 2

Finely chop 1/2 of the green onions. Thinly slice the other half and reserve for garnishing.
Add chopped green onions, water chestnuts, salted egg to minced turkey. Roughly combine with a few stirs.
Add cornstarch, sesame oil, a dash of salt and pepper. Mix well.
Cut tofu into 8 cubes. Scoop out a teaspoon from the centers, creating a well in each cube of tofu.
Fill the wells with turkey mixture.
Steam for 10 minutes.
Garnish with remaining green onions.

Optional:
Drizzle 1 tbsp soy sauce/1 tsp oil mixture over tofu before serving.

Roasted broccoli and mushrooms

Easy weekday dinner with minimal clean up! Can also be served as an easy appetizer.

1lb broccoli, cut into small florets and stemmed
4 cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp oblige oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sea salt
Grated cheddar cheese (or any hard, sharp cheese)

Serves 4

Toss broccoli and mushrooms with olive oil, salt, cumin seeds in a large bowl.
Bake for 20 minutes in 425F, less for crunchier florets.
Remove from oven and sprinkle with cheese.

Fried Taiwan noodles

It is a cool evening, heralding the beginning of fall with the leaves rewarding with sights of yellow and orange and red everywhere we turn. Cool weather needs foods that bring comfort. In this all-in-one dinner recipe that was made with available ingredients in the fridge, ginger is added for its warming effect. For the noodles, any white wheat noodles will do. I prefer Hsin Tung Yang’s guan miao noodles.

1/2 lb chicken, cubed
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 tbsp shallots, sliced thinly
1/2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
2 small or 1 medium sized carrots, cubed
1 tsp oyster sauce
2 skeins Taiwan (white) noodles, cooked according to instructions

Marinate
1 tsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp chinese cooking wine
2-3 drops sesame oil
2 dashes white pepper

Serves 2

Marinate chicken for 10 minutes. Coat well with flour. Set aside.
Heat oil and sauté garlic, shallots and ginger till fragrant.
Add chicken and stir quickly , turning over cubes evenly.
When chicken is nearly cooked, add carrots and sauté well.
Stir in oyster sauce.
Add cooked noodles. Avoid adding the liquid from the noodles to the wok.
Toss thoroughly and serve.
Add a dash of soy sauce to taste if needed.

Lately, I am experimenting with pork fat. I sneaked in a couple of pieces along with the ginger, shallots and ginger. After adding the noodles, I felt we needed more veggies since I had not prepared a separate dish of vegetables. So I added a handful of frozen mixed vegetables that I had on hand. At the last minute, I spied my bottle of hay bee hiam (Nonya fried shrimp) which my family loves on a cool evening, and added a tbsp of that toward the end of the cooking as well.

Lemongrass ginger patties

These patties are easy to make and keep well for a week in the fridge. Plum, ripe tomatoes add a shot of sweetness and juiciness to the otherwise dry patties. Turkey or chicken can be used to replace red meat; adjust seasoning to make up for the milder taste.

1 lb ground beef or ground pork
1/4 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp lemongrass, minced
1/2 cup shallots, minced
2 tbsp ginger, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 cup ripe tomatoes, finely chopped (optional)

Makes 20 small patties, or 12 large patties

Place the meat in a bowl stir in turmeric.
Pound (or use a food processor) to combine the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ginger, and salt into a rough paste. Add tomatoes and pound to mix well. Add the paste to the meat and mix ingredients well.
Shape the mixture into 1″ balls, flattening gently to form patties.
Add patties into heated oil on medium-high heat. Fry for 1 – 2 minutes in each side till golden.

Tip: Keep ingredients mostly dry before mixing and pounding to prevent patties from being too wet during frying. If it does happen, increase heat to allow liquid to evaporate during frying.

Adapted from Lemon-ginger Patties by Nicholas on Food52

Omelette with tomatoes and chai poh 菜脯

Chai poh 菜脯 is salted radish and a staple in teochew porridge.  I had seen a post by Kitchen Tigress on how to many fluffy Chai Poh Omelette (菜脯卵), combining elements of French and Chinese omelettes. Ever since then I have been waiting for an opportunity to try it out.  With only 2 tomatoes and 4 eggs in the fridge, nothing defrosted, and dinner-time looming, my chance came. I didn’t add any milk, preferring a more traditional version. I did her advice to start with high heat, reducing to medium and then low as the omelette cooks.

½ handful of chai poh
3 eggs, beaten with pinch of salt and pepper
1 tomato, sliced
2 shallots, chopped finely
1″ ginger, chopped finely
salt/pepper to taste

Serves 2

Rinse chai poh several times in water to remove some of the saltiness. Squeeze dry and remove as much water as possible using paper towels.
Heat up some oil and stir try chai poh to give it a slightly crispy texture, hence you want it as dry as possible. Note that it will never become completely crispy!
After about 30 seconds, add shallots and ginger. Fry till fragrant.
Prepare beaten eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Go easy on the salt as chai poh is already salty.
On high heat, add beaten eggs. Swirl eggs around pan evenly. It should form solid whites quickly around the edges. Lower to medium heat after about 5 seconds.
Allow eggs to cook. Spread eggs around if necessary to keep it even.
Flip or fold the omelette, depending on your preference, and cook till done.
Garnish with spring onions.

Related posts:

• Kitchen Tigress

Noodles with summer vegetables

Summer brings with it long days, sunshine, clear skies and its cornucopia of lush fruits and vegetables. Looking around my kitchen one afternoon, wondering what to make for dinner, I pondered a single leftover sun-ripened tomato-in-vine and an ear of white corn that recently left the farm. Now I can feast on corn boiled in nothing but water for the entire harvest season, as I had done the past 2 days, but my husband does not care for the flossing that needs follow. A quick look around my pantry resulted in this global mix of cuisine – north asian noodles with south-east asian dried seafood with summer bounty found in western climes.

2 skeins shanghai (white) noodles, cooked according to instructions
1 ripe tomato
1 white or sweet corn, kernels shucked
3 sprigs leaves from shallots, chopped finely (or spring onions)
4 chinese dried mushrooms, soaked and sliced
tip-of-handful dried shrimp, soaked
tip-of-handful ikan bilis (anchovies), soaked to remove excessive salt
2 dried scallops, soaked to soften
minced garlic
chinese cooking wine
fish sauce

Serves 2

Saute garlic till fragrant.
Add corn kernels and stir-fry generously for about 30 seconds.
Add in dried mushrooms and keep frying at high heat.
Add in shrimp, ikan bilis and scallops till mostly cooked.
Toss in tomatoes and give it quick stir. The ingredients should be mostly quite dry by now.
Add a splash of cooking wine, a dash of fish sauce adjusted to taste and about 2 tbsp of water reserved from soaked shrimp and scallops. Keep heat high for 10 seconds before lowering to medium heat to simmer for about 1 minute.
Stir in shallot leaves before serving.

Cashew Chicken

Diced chicken with cashew nuts and celery is a staple in any chinese restaurant in the bay area. I have often found it slightly odd because growing up, celery was imported and not a common food item. It was not easily found in a wet market, and if it were, probably did not offer as much value for money as spinach or choy sum or kai lan. Nonetheless, this dish is common in the American-Chinese diet, just as broccoli beef is (that’s a story for another day).

Ingredients
1 chicken breast, diced
½ bunch celery, diced
½ cup raw cashew nuts
minced garlic

Marinate
1 tbsp corn/potato starch
1 tbsp soy sauce
dash of sesame oil
dash of pepper

Instructions
1. Marinate chicken. Leave in fridge for an hour.
2. Saute garlic till fragrant.
3. Just as garlic starts to turn brown, chicken and saute on high heat to seal in flavours.
4. When edges of chicken starts to brown, add cashews and saute till nuts also start to just very slightly brown.
5. Add celery. Give a couple of quick stirs, about 30 seconds.
6.Simmer in 2-3 tbsp water, or reserved liquids from soaking mushrooms or shrimp, till liquid is mostly absorbed.

Serves 3