Mixed Vegetables with Glass Noodles

This vegetable dish is a mixed vegetable dish with glass noodles. The glass noodles are soft and soaks up the flavours of the vegetables. This is not served as a noodle dish but more common with rice and the ingredients can varies according to own preference. Quite similar to Lou Han Chye but not exactly the same as this is a family style kind of dish very common in most Chinese Hokkien family home. So here, I’m not giving the exact quantity of the ingredients used as you can mix and match them according to own preference.
Some Chinese families will cook this vegetarian dish on the first day of Chinese New Year, too.

Shredded pork belly and canned green peas can be added and this dish tasted even much better.

Ingredients

Some cabbage – cut thin shreds

Some carrots – cut thin shreds

Some black fungus – cut thin shreds

Some dried mushrooms – soaked and cut thin strips

Some fresh foo peh – cut thin strips

Some dried lily buds – knotted and rinsed

A small ball of glass noodles – soak for 5 minutes, drained

Some chopped ginger and garlic

Oyster sauce, light soy sauce, chicken stock granules and pepper to taste

Some dark soy sauce for colour

Oil and sesame oil

1. Heat oil in wok, sauté chopped ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add in mushrooms, black fungus,foo peh and dried lily buds.  If using pork belly, fry it after garlic, then add the remaining ingredients.
2. Stir fry to mix. Add in cabbage and carrots, seasoning then water. Bring to boil and cook until vegetables are soft.
3. Lastly add in the glass noodles to cook until soft and gravy is reduced.  
4. Dish up to serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

I'm also linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up Event January 2015 [Noodles and Pasta] organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by My Bare Cupboard

Steamed Fish With Fragrant Ginger Sauce

Notice how fresh this fish is?  The flesh is firm and pure white. Freshly caught Garoupa from my hubby's fishing trip.  Pity it isn't bigger.

 Yummy steamed fish with a simple, easy to prepare fragrant  and tasty ginger sauce.

I’m sharing the original recipe here. The actual that I cooked is only half portion of the sauce as the fish is small [about 300 gm]. Very nice.

The sauce is gingery and fragrant. Goes well with the fresh fish. I like the sauce very much and it’s so easy to prepare.  We were so eager to eat it right away, so no time for more photo taking, hehehe!
I was told that this is a Cantonese style of steaming fish which should be suitable and a tasty steamed fish dish for Chinese New Year.
Recipe Source - Hawker's Fair Simplified

Ingredients

1 fish [about 500 gm] – scaled and cleaned

2 stalks of spring onions – shredded

Ginger Sauce

100 gm fresh ginger – skinned

50 ml water

1 tsp salt½ -1 tsp sugar

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp shaoxing wine

1-2 tbsp oil

½ tsp sesame oil

Dash of msg or chicken stock granules to taste

1 tbsp cornflour water for thickening

½ -1 tbsp fried garlic crisps and oil

1. Ginger Sauce – put fresh ginger and water in a processor and blend until very fine. Pour into a small saucepan. Add in the remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to boil until fragrant then thicken with cornflour water. Set aside.
2. Place fish on a steaming plate. Steam fish over high heat for 10-12 minutes [depending on the size of the fish] or until cooked through.
3. Remove the fish, discard the water. Pour ginger sauce over fish and sprinkle crispy fried garlic with the oil. Garnish with spring onions.
4. Serve immediately.
   

I'm submitting this post to Cook Your Books Event #20 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

I'm also linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders
and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

Fried Koay Teow [Fried Flat Rice Noodles]

This version of fried koay teow [Char Koay Teow] is a home-cooked version of Penang Char Koay Teow. It is very tasty and can be easily prepared in your own kitchen. I didn’t include clams cos’ these days with contaminated sea water, it is best to avoid eating clams [si harm].

The sauce ingredient is sufficient for 3 servings. Just do some simple calculation if you are cooking a varied portion. I used 600 gm koay teow cos’ 450 gm isn’t enough to fill my family members’ tummy for a meal, hehehe!. 

For nicer taste, it is advisable to fry one serving at a time. Better ‘Wok Hei’ and you will enjoy a plate of fragrant 'char koay teow' in the comfort of your home.  Moreover, it isn't as oily as from the hawker's stall.  Lard can also be used for frying this noodle.  

Ingredients for Sauce

[mix and bring to boil, set aside] - boiling is optional

[3 servings]

3 tsp premium oyster sauce

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

3 tsp dark soy sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ½ tsp sugar to taste

3 tsp water

Other Ingredients

[serves 3]

450 gm fresh flat rice noodles [koay teow] – loosened

6-9 medium or big prawns – shelled

150 gm beansprouts

A bunch of chives – cut into 3 cm lengths

1 Chinese sausage – thinly sliced

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chai por – rinsed and drained [optional]

1-2 tbsp chilli paste [according to own taste]

3 eggs [I used duck eggs]

3 tbsp oil

1. Heat a non-stick wok with oil, sauté garlic and chai por [if using] until fragrant. 
2. Add in prawns, followed by noodles. Do not stir noodles, add in sauce ingredients and chilli paste. Then lightly stir to mix well [best to use chopstick or edge of wok ladle].
3. Push noodles aside, break in the eggs. Cover with noodles and add beansprouts.   Give it a good stir to mix over high heat and until noodles are firm [slightly charred if you like] and fragrant.
4. Lastly add in sausages and chives.
5. Lightly stir to mix.
6. Dish up to serve immediately.
   
   
   
   
   
   

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up Event January 2015 [Noodles and Pasta] organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by My Bare Cupboard

CNY 2015 - Crispy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

This cookie recipe was shared by Esther Lau of Copycake Kitchen in November 2013 which I had bookmarked to do cos' I like crispy and crunchy cookies. Too bad, due to an unforseen circumstance, I didn't manage to bake these last year.

So this became one of the first cookies I baked this year.  I doubled the original recipe to make more for giveaways.  The sugar quantity here is the reduced amount cos' raisins are sweet.

Verdict - very crispy, crunchy and aromatic cookies.  With the reduced sugar, the sweetness is acceptable to me.  I find the raisins a bit too much.  Maybe, it can be reduced to 150 gm for double portion.  My hubby said, these cookies will finish off very quickly when he tested it while I did the baking.

Recipe from Copycake Kitchen which she adapted from Fabtastic Eats.
Ingredients

[double portion in red - 190 pieces]

170 gm salted butter - room temperature [340 gm]
70 gm brown sugar [140 gm]
70 gm castor sugar [140 gm]
1/2 of a large egg [1 whole egg]
3/4 tsp vanilla [1 1/2 tsp]
130 gm instant oats [260 gm]
170 gm plain flour [340 gm]
1/4 tsp fine salt [1/2 tsp]
1/4 tsp baking soda [1/2 tsp]
1 tsp cinnamon [2 tsp]
1/2 tsp nutmeg [1 tsp] - I omit
100 gm raisins [200 gm]

1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour,salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until just combined using low speed.
6. Stir in the raisins. 
7. Pinch about a tablespoon each and place on baking sheet leaving some space in between.  Press lightly to flatten dough.  The cookies will spread out a little.
8. Bake cookies in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Remove and leave to cool on wire rack before storing in air-tight container.

I'm submitting this post to Best Recipes for Everyone Jan and Feb 2015 Event Theme:

My Homemade Cookies by Fion of XuanHom's Mom and co-host by Victoria Baking Into The Ether

I'm also linking this post to My Treasured Recipes #5 - Chinese New Year Goodies Jan/Feb 2015

hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders and co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

Dry Wantan Noodles With Char Siew

This is a simple and tasty dry wantan noodle recipe that is easy to prepare for your family. You can make your own char siew [see recipe] or use store bought and also make some boiled or fried wantan to serve with this noodles.

The sauce portion here is for 3 servings, just do some calculation if you are preparing a varied number of portions. The condiment portions are variable according to own preference.

Ingredients for Dry Wantan Sauce

[bring to boil in a saucepan, set aside]

[serves 3]

3 tbsp abalone sauce or oyster sauce

3 tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp each of sugar and salt

Several dashes of pepper

6 tbsp of prepared chicken soup or water

Chicken Stock/Broth [optional] – bring to boil until fragrant and strained

¼ chicken breast

750 ml water

1-2 slices of ginger

50 gm carrot

1 stalk spring onion

Other Ingredients

3 servings of store bought fresh wantan noodles 

1-2 stalks of mustard leaves [cai xin] 

Some chopped spring onions

Some char siew – sliced

Some boiled or fried wantan [see recipe]

Some pickled green chillies or sambal belacan

1. Bring sauce ingredients to boil for several minutes. Set aside.
2. Bring chicken stock to boil. Set aside. Shred the boiled chicken breast to serve with noodles if you are not using char siew.
3. Scoop 1-2 tbsp of sauce into serving plate.
4. Bring a wok of water to boil, blanched vegetables. Dish up and set aside.
5. Using the same water, blanch wantan noodles for 1/2 minute. Stir with a pair of chopstick. Remove from boiling water and soak briefly in cold water. Transfer noodles back to boiling water to cook for another 1/2 minute or until soft but chewy.
6. Dish up, drain excess water and transfer noodles to serving plate. Toss well with sauce ingredients and top noodles with blanched vegetables, char siew and fried/boiled wantan.
7. Serve with pickled green chillies or sambal belacan.
   
   

I'm submitting this post to Little Thumbs Up Event January 2015 [Noodles and Pasta] organised by Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY and hosted by My Bare Cupboard