EZCR#80 - NIAN NIAN YU YEE DISH [TANG CHU STREAKY PORK BELLY]

Again another appetizing meat dish suitable for CNY meals and other occasions. The streaky pork belly [sua sua rou] is marinated lightly with soy sauce and cooking wine and fried until oil oozes out and crispy. The sauce is a simple combination for vinegar, tomato sauce and sugar, giving it a sourish sweet taste.

These tasty pork slices are served with a generous spread of tomatoes, zucchini and onions.

This sweet and sourish sauce is also good choice to serve with crispy fried fish fillet.

An awesome dish to serve with rice.

Ingredients

300 gm streaky pork belly – cut 2 inch lengths

1 tomato – sliced

Some shredded zucchini

1 big onion – peeled and thinly sliced
some toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

Seasoning Sauce [combined]

3 tbsp vinegar

3 tbsp tomato sauce

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp water

1. Marinate pork belly with some light soy sauce and cooking wine.
2. Arrange tomato slices, zucchini and onions on a serving platter.
3. Heat up a non-stick wok, pan fry pork slices until oil oozes out , brown and crispy. Dish up and place over serving platter.
4. Remove excess oil. Using the same wok, pour in the combined seasoning sauce. Bring to boil until bubbly and thick.
5. Pour sauce over meat slices, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.
   
   
   
   
   

With this post, I take the opportunity to wish all my Chinese friends, relatives and most of all my blogger friends and visitors of this blog:

"A HAPPY, PROSPEROUS AND HEALTHY 

CHINESE NEW YEAR 2017"

EZCR#79 - AUSPICIOUS CNY DISH - CAO CAI CIN PAO

This is another Chinese New Year dish which I prepared not during CNY. The original recipe uses canned baby abalone but here I replaced it with fish maw. You can also use sea cucumber, too.

It is a tasty vegetable dish suitable for CNY dinner and it can be prepared earlier and leave it to steam before serving.

The fish maw will absorb the flavor of the fried cabbage, seasoning and stock.

Ingredients

[serves 3]

10 slices of soft fish maw [pre-soaked till soft and cut] – drain off excess water

300 gm Chinese cabbage – shredded

½ carrot – peeled and shredded

3 dried mushrooms – soaked, drained and cut shreds

1-2 pieces dried sole [phnee hoo] – rinsed, deep fried and pounded

1 egg – beaten and fried until crispy

Some blanched broccoli florets or chopped spring onions for garnishing

Seasoning

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp wine

½ tsp each salt and sugar

1 tbsp sesame seed oil

1. Line a steaming bowl with fish maw [or abalone or sea cucumber slices].
2. Heat a non-stick wok with some oil, sauté dried mushrooms until aromatic. Add in shredded vegetables. Stir fry to cook with some water. Add in fried dried sole and seasoning. Stir fry to mix and add in crispy egg. Mix well.
3. Dish vegetables over fish maw. Place in steamer to steam for 10-15 minutes.
4. Invert onto serving plate, garnish with some chopped spring onions and blanched broccoli. Serve.
   

EZCR#78 - NIAN NIAN RU YEE XIA [STEAMED PRAWNS WITH GLASS NOODLES]

The name of this dish already implies that this is an auspicious Chinese New Year dish which is suitable to serve during reunion or CNY meals.

This dish not only has an auspicious name but it is really a tasty and delicious dish fit for CNY meals or other ocassions. The prawns are fresh, sweet and tasty with the steaming sauce. The glass noodles at the base soaks up the flavours, too. It is an awesome dish which I would love to prepare to serve with rice but it  can also be a delish One Dish Meal by adding more glass noodles [low calorie food].

Ingredients

[serves 3]

9-10 large prawns or mini lobsters – sliced lengthwise to open up

1-2 bundles of glass noodles – soaked and drained

3-4 chopped garlic

2 tbsp fried crispy garlic

Some shredded spring onion

Some shredded red chilli 

Seasoning

1 tbsp each of fish sauce, light soy sauce and wine

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Dash of pepper

1. Mix both garlic with seasoning.
2. Place glass noodles in steaming bowl. Add in ½ portion of the seasoning mix, mix well with a pair of chopsticks. Arrange prawns neatly over glass noodles and pour balance garlic and seasoning on top.
3. Steam over high heat for 10-15 minutes or until noodles and prawns are cooked.
4. Garnish with spring onions and red chilli. Serve hot.
   

STEWED MEATBALLS WITH CABBAGE

The first reaction when my family saw this dish on the dinner table was a 'Wow'.  Reason was because this is the first time they get to eat an extra large size meatballs.  There no fighting for the meatballs as each is only entitled to one.

This is a presentable dish which is easy to prepare with only a few ingredients.   It looks very similar to Lion’s Head but this is a simpler version with addition of Dong Quai [Angelica Ginseng]  and Qi Zi [Wolfberries] to the soup.  You will notice a unique herbal fragrance and natural sweetness of the meat and cabbage.  The extra large size meatballs are firm but nice with the crunchy, sweet  waterchestnuts in them.

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No.93 with modifications

Ingredients

[serves 3]

250 gm minced meat

3 waterchestnuts – peeled and chopped

½ egg

1 tsp chopped ginger

½ tbsp cornstarch

½ tsp salt

Dash of pepper

700 ml water

6 pieces cabbage leave

2 slice dong quai

1 tbsp qi zi

½ tsp salt to taste

Dash of pepper

1. Mix minced meat, waterchestnuts, ginger and egg in a bowl.  Add in salt, pepper  and cornstarch.  Mix into a sticky paste.  Divide into 3 equal portions.
2. Cook meatballs in water over low heat for 5-10 minutes until set. Dish up.  Discard water.
3. Place cabbage leaves in a small claypot, pour in water.  Put in the boiled meatballs, dong quai and bring to boil.
4. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for 1 hour.  Add in qi zi and simmer for another 10-20 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked.
5. Lastly add in seasoning [salt and pepper] and serve.
   
   
   

I'm sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown Event#13 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Emily of Emily's Cooking [Makan2] Foray

CNY 2017 - MEAT FLOSS/SEAWEED GERMAN COOKIES

Another meat floss recipe which I have bookmarked to bake and finally got down to bake them.  This recipe is from Cheryl of Baking Taitai.

These cookies are crispy and fragrant.  Love the savoury and sweet taste, quite different for the usual sweet cookies.  I have replaced the Korean seaweed with Japanese seaweed for this recipe.

Recipe adapted from Baking Taitai with modification

Ingredients

[makes 90 pieces]

250 gm butter

50 gm icing sugar

250 gm potato starch

160 gm cake flour/plain flour

50 gm crispy meat floss

20 gm Japanese seaweed [break into smaller pieces]

1. Beat butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy.
2. Sift potato starch and flour together.  Combine with floss and seaweed.  Mix well.
3. Fold [2] into [1], mix well into a soft dough [chill dough if it is too soft].
4. Divide into small portions, roll into rounds and place of a lined baking tray.  Lightly press dough with a fork to flatten.
5. Bake in preheated oven at 160 degrees C for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Leave to cool on wire rack before storing in airtight containers.
   
   
   
   

CNY 2017 - SAVOURY POTATO CHIPS COOKIES

This year, I have chosen several cookie recipes that are savoury and sweet.  Particularly like this one which is savoury with the use of Parmesan cheese and crispy potato chips.

These cookies has a nice onion aroma, sweet, savoury and crispy.  Again, these are addictive and you will have more in one go.

Recipe adapted from Yum Yum Magazine No.64 with modifications

Ingredients

[makes 110 pieces]

250 gm butter

80 gm caster sugar

50 gm toasted walnuts – chopped

110 gm sour cream & onion flavor potato chips – crushed

20 gm Parmesan cheese

250 gm plain flour + 1 tsp baking powder – sifted

1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Sift flour with baking powder and mix in the walnuts, crushed potato chips and Parmesan cheese.  Mix well.
3. Fold [2] into [1].  Mix into a dough.  Scoop into small portions and place on a lined baking tray.
4. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees C for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Remove to cool on wire rack before storing in airtight container.
   
   
   
   
   

 

I'm sharing this post with Cookbook Countdown Event#13 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours and Emily of Emily's Cooking [Makan2] Foray