MALAYSIAN LOCKDOWN MEALS [9]

I was able to get a whole yam [about 800 grams] from the supermart for below RM10.00. This whole yam is enough to cook a few dishes such as Yam Rice, Yam Noodles, Stir Fry Yam with Chicken, Yam and Sago dessert etc. It is long list as yam for these dishes is not a main ingredient. Moreover, cut yam can be stored in the freezer and keeps well for sometime.

This Yam Rice recipe is an easy one to cook up as all the ingredients are mostly available in an oriental kitchen.

It is awesome, the rice is so tasty, while the yam pieces are soft and aromatic. Even better to serve with a bowl of vegetable soup.  You can either steam the rice or cook it in the rice cooker.

Dish 15 - EZ Steamed Yam Rice with Chinese Sausage [Lap Cheong]

Ingredients

[serves 2-3]

200 gm rice - washed and drained

150 gm yam - cut cubes

1 Chinese sausage [lap cheong] - wrapper removed and cut cubes

2 dried mushrooms - soaked and cut cubes

1 tbsp dried prawns - rinsed and coarsely chopped

4-5 shallots - peeled and sliced thinly

250 - 280 ml water [can add the water from soaking of the mushrooms]

1-2 tbsp cooking oil

spring onion - chopped

Seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar or 1-2 dashes of msg

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbsp each light soy sauce and oyster sauce

some dark soy sauce for colour

1. Heat oil in a wok, saute shallots until golden brown and crispy.  Remove the crispy shallots into a plate.  Set aside.
2. Using the same wok, add in mushrooms, dried prawns and lap cheong.  Stir fry until aromatic.  Add in yam cubes, continue to fry for several minutes.  Reduce heat to low.  Add in rice and seasoning ingredients.  
3. Continue to stir fry for several minutes to mix well and the rice is evenly coloured.
4. Dish up onto a steaming tray or rice cooker.  Add in water and some crispy shallots, stir to mix well.
5. Steam rice for 40-50 minutes [halfway, stir to ensure even cooking] or cook rice in the rice cooker as usual.
6. Off heat, leave for 5 -10 minutes before fluffing up to serve.
7. Garnish with spring onions and crispy shallots.

KOCHA BEE STEAMED RICE [EU P'NG STYLE]

This recipe is for some who love eating Hokkien 'Eu P'ng' but are glutinous rice intolerance. Here, I used Embryo Rice. All rice in its natural form is gluten free. Rice is one of the most popular gluten-free grains for people with celiac disease.

Great One Dish Meal recipe for the busy people. Do refer to this post Kocha [Traditional] Steamed Glutinous Rice if you like to cook this dish using glutinous rice. The aroma of the fried ingredients like fried shallots and mushrooms make this rice salivating. 

Ingredients

[serve 4-5]

320 gm rice - washed, rinsed and drained [I used Embryo Rice]

Other Ingredients

6 dried mushrooms - soaked and cut strips

1-2 tbsp dried prawns - rinsed a few times and drained

150 gm pork belly or shoulder meat - cut thin strips

40 gm shallots - sliced

2 tsp sesame seed oil

2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning

3 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp wine

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce [can omit if you like light coloured rice]

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt to taste

1 tsp pepper to taste

dash of chicken stock granules

1. Heat wok, add 2 tbsp oil, saute shallots until golden brown and crispy. Remove.
2. Using the same wok, add some chopped spring onions [white part] and pork belly meat strips. Continue to fry until fragrant and oil oozes out. Add in mushrooms and dried prawns, fry until aromatic. Add in seasoning and rice.
3. Continue to fry for 1-2 minutes. Add fried shallots, mix well. Dish up into steaming plate. Add about 640 ml water [2 times of rice].
4. Bring water in steamer to boil. Place rice in a steaming tray, cover with lid. Steamed rice in steamer for 30 -40 minutes or until rice is cooked and soft. Halfway while steaming, can give the rice a stir. Keep warm in steamer until required.
5. Fluff up rice, sprinkle with chopped spring onions or coriander and top up with extra crispy fried shallots.
6. Serve with cut chillies or sambal belacan [Malaysian chilli paste].

5 SPICE EMBRYO RICE CHANG [RICE DUMPLINGS]

When comes the time  for making rice dumplings [chang] for Duan Wu Jie, it is common to hear people advising not to eat too much of the rice dumplings made with glutinous rice.  There are some of my friends who love eating changs but due to health reasons, they opted to make rice dumplings using Brown Rice, oatmeal etc.
So far, I have not made such rich dumplings because my family members and relatives still prefers the traditional Kiam Bak Chang made of glutinous rice.  Even my mom, a diabetic did not refrain herself for it.

Recently, I have started eating Embryo Rice and I was curious to try making a healthier version of Kiam Bak Chang with this rice.  Below is my attempt.  Instead of using Brown Rice [needs soaking] and oatmeal, here I used Embryo Rice [no need soaking] and glutinous rice.  The dumpling looks like this.  The rice is not crumbly and tastes awesome without the 'sinful' feel when you dig in.

Ingredients - Dumpling Filling

20 pieces dried mushrooms - rinsed, soaked and drained - keep whole
20 dried chestnuts - soak with 1/2 tsp alkaline water with some water for 15 minutes.  Blanch with boiling water for 15 minutes then boil for 15 minutes.  Drain and set aside
5 salted egg yolks - steamed with some sesame oil - quartered
2 tbsp each of oil, chopped garlic and sliced shallots [I used 8 shallots and 4 pips garlic]
400 gm fatty pork belly - cut into 20 big pieces
5 tbsp water
Seasoning for Meat
2 tsp each of Chinese 5 spice powder, sugar, oyster sauce and dark soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt

1. Heat oil and fry chopped garlic and shallots until aromatic and brown.  Dish up 1/2 of it, set aside for frying rice.
2. Add in pork belly, stir fry until meat pieces are firm.  Add in seasoning and continue to fry until aromatic, then add dried mushrooms and chestnuts.  Add in water, fry for 5 minutes or until all the ingredients are well coated with seasoning and water almost dry.  Cool before dishing up, separating the main ingredients [pork belly, mushrooms and chestnuts in a container.   Set aside for later use.  This filling can be prepared a day earlier.
   

Ingredients - Rice

[makes about 20 dumplings]

500 gm glutinous rice - soaked for 4 hours or overnight and drained
500 gm Embryo rice - washed and drained [no need to soak]
2 tbsp each of oil
2 tsp each 5 spice powder and salt
1 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp pepper

50 gm dried prawns - rinsed and drained
100 gm prepared peanuts [can prepare days ahead and freezed]

1. Wash peanuts and soak it in salty water for several hours.  Drained and transfer to a freezer bag.  Freeze in refrigerator until required.
2. Heat up oil, saute dried prawns for a few seconds, add in the fried shallots set aside earlier from frying the fillings above.
3. Add in the glutinous rice, stir fry for several minutes before adding the Embryo rice, peanuts and seasoning.  [off heat while adding ingredients].  Stir fry to mix well the seasoning and rice. 
4. Turn on the fire and fry for 5 minutes or until the rice is well mixed with the seasoning and looks clear with a nice soy sauce colour.
5. Dish up and leave aside.
   
   

Wrapping Dumplings

about 40 pieces of  bamboo leaves - soaked in hot water until soft, then wash by wiping each pieces, then wipe dry, set aside

hemp strings enough to tie 20 dumplings

1. Using  2 pieces of bamboo leaves to fold into a cone. Scoop some rice into the cone [I used about 1 tablespoon], place 1 piece pork belly, chestnuts, salted egg yolk and mushroom.  Cover with about 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp rice [depending on the size of chang you wish to make]. 
2. Press the rice firm, cover it with the extended ends of bamboo leaves and form into a pyramid [chang] shape.  Tie and secure it with the hemp string.
3. Finish doing the same for the rest of ingredients.  Trim the edges of the bamboo leaves and excess strings. 
4. Place the changs in a big pot.  Pour water  enough to cover them.  Bring to boil and cook for about 3 1/2 hours or until the rice dumplings are cooked.  Add more boiling water should the to water is reduced below the changs.
5. Remove from water and hang dumplings to dry before storing them or serve warm.

Notes: Some benefits of Embryo Rice - contains selenium said to prevent cataract, helps to remove body toxin and absorption of nutrients