Stir fried Mee Sua aka Longevity Noodles

I have always love mee sua. Be it be soup or stir fried.

Most of the time, my granny or mom will cook mee sua soup, which is a very simple dish. Because with any soup, just add in mee sua, it will become a filling meal. I can take mee sua day in day out without complaints.

Lately I have been having headache what to cook so I decided to try stir fried mee sua. To my surprise, it tastes good.

Ingredients wise, you can choose whichever you prefer. There is no restriction. Just remember to basic - Fry the mee sua then boil the mee sua. It's one more step but worthwhile.

Ingredients (Serve 4)

4 bundles of mee sua
6 kailan/caixin
8 fresh scallops
8 prawns, deveined
1 cod fillet
Pork tenderloin/Chicken thigh
Half a carrot, shredded

Braising sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 rice bowl of water
1 tsp shaoxing/huatiao wine
1 dash of fish sauce
1 dash of pepper

Method

1. Pour some oil in a frying pan. Amount of oil to use will be determine by the mee sua. Please ensure that it is enough to cover half of the mee sua. after 3 minutes or so, use a chopsticks or tongs to gently turn the mee sua to the other side. The mee sua must be golden brown. Don't worry if you over fried it and it becomes darker brown. As long as it is not char.

2. Once the mee sua becomes a nice brown inside out, remove and set aside to allow excess oil to drip off. I placed them on kitchen towel.

3. Boil a pot of water, place the mee sua inside to allow them to soften. Use a chopstick to loosen mee sua. Once cooked, remove the mee sua and set aside.

4. Season the fish and pork tenderloin for 10 minutes. Set aside.
a. Slice the pork tenderloin thinly. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil.
b. Cut the cod fillet into 1 inch length. Season with pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce.

5. In a bowl, add the ingredients in the braising sauce and mix well. Set aside.

Now you are ready to use a wok to stir fry the rest of the ingredients.

6. In a heated wok, add a tsp of cooking oil. Add pork and stir fry for a 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Add in the prawns and scallops. Stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. At this time, use a tongs or chopstick, add the mee sua bit by bit and stir fry. This is to avoid breaking the mee sua.

9. Add in the cod and kailan and carrot. Give it a few stir.

Note: I like my kailan crunchy so I added it late. Fish tends to cook pretty quickly, so it is added in last.

10. Pour in the braising sauce. Give it a few stir again. You can choose to cover the wok with a lid til the water reduce or just gently stir fried till the sauce is reduced.

Note: Those who doesn't like fish sauce, like Mr W. You can choose to omit it.

After cooking this stir fried mee sua, I don't think I will order this from any restaurant or zi char anymore.

My Colourful Aglio Olio

Nowadays I tried to wake up early in the morning to prepare lunch for work. So being a working wife, I need to ensure we get all the nutrients from what we eat. Most of the time, we eat out and I do not know what seasoning they add and the food - are they fresh??? So I decided to prepare lunch at least twice a week on weekdays.

Last evening, I saw my friend prepared aglio olio for her family, so I was hmm...I have pasta at home and I have some seafood as well. So I might as well cook this for lunch tomorrow.

Easy to prepare and well all the ingredients use are packed with their respective nutrients.

Ingredients
Pasta
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 chili padi, finely sliced and deseeded
Olive oil
3 - 4 anchovies
Cod fish fillet, skin removed
Prawns, deveined & deshelled
Scallops
Cherry Tomatoes
Broccoli Florets

Method
1. Boil water for pasta. Cook the pasta til al dente. Drain and set aside.
*Note: I cooked my pasta the night before. Make sure it is undercooked & do not rinse the pasta. Drain the water and allow it to dry. Keep it in a air tight container and put it in the fridge. The next morning, I boil a pot of water with salt and place the pasta in for it to warm up and cook to the doneness you prefer.
2. Remove the pasta from the pot of water. Using the same pot of water (heat off), add in the broccoli florets.
3. Heat a pan with olive oil, sautee the garlic till fragrant.
4. Add in chili padi and anchovies. Saute the anchovies till somehow they melt.
5. Using low heat, add in the prawns and scallops. Allow it to cook.
6. Once the prawn and scallops are almost cooked, add in the al dente pasta, cherry tomatoes and broccoli florets into the pan. Add olive oil, as desired. Combine well.
8. Plate it up and set aside.
9. Season the cod with pepper and salt. Pan fry it for about 6 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
10. Flake the cod and combine with the rest of the ingredients.

There you have it, a sumptuous meal that is easy to prep. Garnish with parmesan cheese and chili flakes and even chopped Italian parsley, which apparently I don't have any of the three.

砂锅饭 Claypot Rice

I hardly got a chance to eat claypot rice. On the contrary, my husband (let's call him Mr W) had eaten numerous claypot rice from different stalls in Singapore. Be it the popular one in Geylang or those at Chinatown or at cafes. Thus far, I have been hearing him raved about the claypot rice at Kreta Ayer in Chinatown. Don't ask me which stall cos I don't know. 

So I decided to give it a try and well Mr W's verdict is pleasing to my ears. Except one remark - those that sells claypot rice at the hawker doesn't use so much ingredients! 

Oh...by the way, Mr W can be very picky when comes to food. So I am glad that I am able to make Claypot rice at home and add whatever I like! 

Since this is my first trial, I will keep it as authentic as possible.

Presenting to you - Jeane's 砂锅饭! Adapted from the Meatmen.

Apologies for the ugly photo. I should have taken the whole claypot rather than a small bowl. Nonetheless, it's the taste that matters right? 

Ingredients 

3 boneless chicken thighs

1 lup cheong 

3 shiittake mushroom

3 salted mackerel in oil

1 handful of chye sim

3½ cups of washed rice

3 cups of chicken stock 

3 gloves of garlic

1 inch thick ginger

Chicken marinate

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp cornflour

½ cup of water

Sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp hua tiao wine

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp sesame oil

A few dash of pepper

Preparation
1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients in the chicken marinate. Set aside.
2. Trim away the excess fats on the chicken thighs. Wash and pat dry. Cut them in to 1 to 2 inches in size. Add them into the bowl of chicken marinate. Mix well and let it marinate for at least 2 hours.
3. Finely chop the garlic and ginger. Set aside.
4. Slice the lup cheong and the shiitake mushrooms. Set aside.
5. Dice the salted mackerel. *Can be replaced with dry salted fish.
6. Wash and chop the chye sim into 2 inches. Set aside.

Cooking direction
Cooking time - approx 1 hours

1. Heat 1 tsp of cooking oil and 1 tsp of sesame oil in the claypot. Stir fry the lup cheong, salted mackerel and mushrooms till fragrant. Dish up.
2. Add another 1 tsp of cooking oil into the claypot. Once it heats up, add the finely chopped garlic and ginger. Stir fry till fragrant.
3. Add in the washed rice and the chicken stock. Bring it to a boil.
4. Cover it with the lid and let it cook for 20 minutes. Occasionally give it a stir.
At this time, when you open the lid, the rice smell so good and you may want to just stop there and eat it! No joke.
5. After the 20 minutes, add in the lup cheong, mushroom and salted mackerel into the rice. Give it a stir.
6. Top the marinated chicken on to the mixed rice. Cover the lid and let it cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.  *Remember not to add any of the marinate into this claypot.
7. While the claypot is doing it wonders, let's mix the ingredients in the sauce. Mix well.
8. Add in chye sim on top and cover the lid. Turn of the heat at this time. Wait for approximately 15 minutes and the chye sim will be cooked to perfection.
9. Add 3 tbsp of the sauce, mix the rice and do a taste test. If it is to your preference, scoop a bowl and enjoy!

Note:
i) For those who doesn't like lup cheong, just omit.
ii) Do not be alarm if you smell chao ta, because its claypot...the rice will burn. And this makes it more authentic, just like those selling at the hawker!
iii) I know I am using salted mackerel in oil instead of the traditional dried salted fish. I think I will incorporate the dried ones in my next cook. Fry the dried salted fish to its crispiness and mix it after the whole pot of rice is done. 

Refreshing Capsicums & Black Fungus with Shrimps

It's been a while since I cooked and also post something on my blog.

While I was at the supermarket, I was thinking of cooking something new and I saw the "traffic lights" (red, yellow & green) capsicums/bell peppers.

I happily came home with the bell peppers, not knowing how best to cook them. Luckily for me, there was my precious black fungus. So I thought perhaps I can try using it. And being the usual lazy me, I added the prawns I bought earlier. This will reduce the hassle of perparing another dish. Hehe...

Ingredients 

3 halves of the traffic lights capsicums each

2 handfuls of dried black fungus

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

9 de shelled & deveined glass prawns

2 tbsp oyster sauce

A dash of hua tiao shaoxing wine

A dash of pepper

2 tsp cornflour with a tbsp water

Directions

1. Soak the black fungus in water for them to pump up and set aside.

2. De seed the bell peppers and silver them. Set aside.

3. Heat the wok with a tbsp oil, add in the garlic. 

4. Once the garlic is fragrant, add in the shrimps. Stir fry for a few seconds.

5. Add in the silvered capsicums and the pump up black fungus. Stir fry.

6. Add in the oyster sauce & hua tiao shaoxing and make sure that the sauce coats al the ingredients in the wok. Add a dash of pepper in. *I added half a bowl of water and close the lid for a few seconds.

7. When the prawns are almost done, add in the cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.
8. Stir well and dish up. 

Tori Yaki Udon (Chicken Stir Fry Udon noodles)

Tori Yaki Udon

Ingredients (6 servings)
3 chicken thighs (cut into bite sizes)
3 packets of pre-cooked udon noodles (approx. 200g per pack)
4 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
1 cabbage (chopped)
1 green onion (thinly sliced)
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
Sliced fishcake (optional)
1 cup of Chicken stock
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
A dash of ground white pepper





Direction
1. Pour hot boiling water into a pot with the  frozen pre-cooked Udon in it. Allow it to soak for 5 minutes or so.
2. Heat up the wok with a tbsp of olive oil. Stir fry the chicken pieces with the green onions and mushrooms for 2 minutes.
3. Drain the pot of udon & toss the udon into the wok.
4. Add the carrots & cabbage into the wok and stir fry.
5. Pour the chicken stock, sesame oil and soy sauce into the wok and stir fry until heated through. A dash of ground white pepper and mix thoroughly 
6. Garnish it with scallions and drizzle sesame oil before serving.
Note: If you are a seafood lover, you can add shrimps and clams into this dish. However if you are a vegetarian, simply omit the meat and change the chicken stock to vegetable stock.

Chicken Stew

It was raining cats & dogs. Something warm will be nice. So I decided to make chicken stew. 

It is so easy to prepare and tasty too.

Chicken Stew

Ingredients
1 yellow onion
3 boneless & skinless chicken thighs
6 baby potatoes

1 russet potato

½ carrot
A handful of snow peas (optional)

Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 drops of dark soy sauce (for colouring)

150ml of chicken stock
1 bay leaf
Dash of pepper
Cornflour (for thickening)

Preparation
Cut the chicken thigh into bite size and marinade them with light soy sauce, sugar & cornflour. Leave it for 15 minutes. 

Slice the onions. Quarter the potatoes and chop the carrots into any size you prefer. 

Mix the sauce in a bowl and set aside. 

Cooking method
Heat the oil and sauté the onion until fragrant. Add in the chicken, potatoes & carrots and stir for 30 seconds. 

Pour in the sauce & stir well.

Simmer it at medium heat until all cooked. 

In order not overcook our snow peas, toss them in when the stew looks almost ready. You can choose to omit it.

And there you have it. A bowl of warm chicken stew to warm the tummy!

Comfort food - Chicken Stew

Note: I prefer to use a mixture of baby potatoes and russet potatoes. The baby potatoes are more difficult to peel but the potatoes keep their shape and size. 

Update: Can use water if u don't have chicken stock at home. I forgot to buy...so just use water. It still tastes good. 

Cheers!

Claypot Chicken with Mushroom & Black Fungus

My husband prefers chicken over pork and so most of the dishes I cook for him are chicken or beef. For this dish, chicken will taste much better than any other meat. 

This dish has meat, mushrooms and I have added black fungus. Everything in a pot! So one dish to conquer the meal!

Ingredients:

5 pieces of chicken thigh (bones & skin removed), cut into bite sized
6 dried shiitake mushrooms

A handful of black fungus
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1-inch piece peeled ginger, cut into slices
1/2 cup water
2 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt to taste

Marinade:

1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 tablespoon corn starch

Sauce:

1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
3 dashes white pepper
A few drops dark soy sauce, optional, for coloring purposes

Method:

Marinate the chicken with the Marinade for 15 minutes. 

Mix all the ingredients in the Sauce in a small bowl, set aside. 

Soak the mushrooms and black fungus separately in warm water for 30 minutes or until softened. Remove the stems and slice the mushrooms. If the black fungus are too big, cut into smaller pieces.  

Heat up the claypot with the sesame oil & cooking oil. Add in the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. 

Add the chicken into the claypot and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the mushrooms and fungus, do a few quick stirs. 

Pour in the sauce, stir to combine well. Add the water and lower the heat to low. 

Cover the claypot and let cook and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. 

Add the scallions, give it a stir and this Claypot of Goodness is now ready to serve!

Hanjuku Eggs

Calling all egg lovers!!! Love those eggs that are served with Japanese ramen?
Love those eggs that have a firm white but a runny yolk? Here is the answer!!!

Ingredients

• 4 eggs at room temperature (you may prepare more in case some eggs are not nicely peeled)
• 1 tsp sea salt 

Step by Step Instructions

1. Bring water to boil & add in the salt.
2. Lower the heat & gently place the eggs into the pot.
3. Simmer the eggs for exactly 6 minutes.
4. While the eggs are simmering, prepare an icy cold bath.
5. Take the eggs out at exactly 6 minutes and put them into the cold bath you have prepared.
6. Let the eggs cool down in the cold bath for at least 5 minutes. This is to stop the cooking process.
7. Once the eggs are cool, peel them with care. 

For those who prefer slightly firmer egg yolk, simmer the eggs for 7 to 8 minutes. 

Okay and we are done!!!

Well...not quite. To have those Japanese Ramen eggs, you have to soak these eggs in a marinade. And I will be giving you the recipe in a second. 

Do note to prepare the marinade before cooking the eggs. Because we need the marinade to be cool. Here goes...

Marinade

• 50ml soy sauce
• 200ml water
• 25ml mirin
• 25ml sake
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped or minced)
• 3 slices of ginger

Step by Step Instructions

1. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan & bring it to a boil.
2. Allow it to take time to cool. (Remember it has to be cool!!!)
3. Put the peeled eggs with the marinade in a plastic container like what I did below.

4. Occasionally move them around to avoid uneven colouring. Let them sit in the marinade for 3 hours to overnight. It really depends on your preference!
5. Voila! There you have it! Delicious hanjuku eggs or lava eggs!

Enjoy!

General Tso Chicken

I can consider myself as a meat lover. Chicken is one of the meat I love to cook with. It is easy to prepare.

After cooking this dish for dinner, I am sold. It is one of my favourite chicken dish. 

Try cooking them at home. Its alot cheaper than having it at a restaurant. Yes it may be fuss free to have at the restaurants but when you can cook at home, you can control the oil. I tend to use minimal oil when cooking, its healthier. And I get to choose the meat part I prefer, removing the skins, bones and fats before cooking them. 

This dish may be a little tedious because of the deep frying but its worthwhile. With the sticky tangy taste, it goes well with a steamed white rice. 

For those who prefer chicken breast, feel free to replace the chicken thighs. I am biased towards chicken thighs! So pardon me here. :P

For those who prefer spicier food, you can increase the number of dried chilies. Well, I have added chili padi (bird's eye chili). Hot & spicy!!!

Here is the recipe, General Tso Chicken

Ingredients

4 to 5 pieces of boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite size

1/2 tbsp hua tiao/shaoxing wine

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tbsp oil

4 slices of peeled ginger (finely minced)

1 garlic clove (finely minced)

5 dried red chilies (rinsed and seeds removed)

2 stalks of scallion or spring onion for garnish

Sauce

3 tbsp of chinese rice vinegar

2 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce

1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce (for colouring)

1 tsp of hoisin sauce

1/4 cup of water

2 1/2 tbsp of sugar

1/2 tbsp of chinese wine

1 tbsp of cornstarch (for thickening)

Method

Marinate the chicken meat with chinese wine and salt for 15 mins. Mix all the ingredients for the Sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.

Coat the chicken pieces generously with the 1/2 cup of cornstarch.

Heat up the oil for deep frying. Deep fry the chicken until they turn light golden brown.

Dish out with a strainer. To remove those excess oil, lay the chicken pieces on a dish lined with paper towels.

Heat up another work with 1 tbsp of oil. Add the minced ginger, garlic and dried chilies in and stir fry until there is a spicy fragrant.

Pour the Sauce into the wok. When the sauce boils and thickens, add in the chicken.

Stir and combine them well with the sauce.

Add in the scallion and stir a few times.

Dish out and serve immediately.

韭黄伊面 Ee Fu Noodles / Seafood Ee Fu Noodles

I cooked this many times and with different ingredients. And it always turns out to be one of the favourite among my family and friends.

It is simple and easy to cook. Plus you can be flexible with the ingredients. If you like, you can use either seafood or just yellow chives or add in meat. Just remember, if you are using meat, I will recommend you to season them with Hua Tiao Wine and cornstarch for 10 minutes before tossing them into the wok/pot.

For vegetarians, please use vegetarian mushroom sauce instead of oyster sauce. And just use bean sprouts, yellow chives (韭黄) and mushroom for this dish. Omit the garlic. Here you have it! This is the vegetarian one! The Braising sauce is the same. 

Seafood Ee-Fu Mian

Ingredients

• Prawns
• Scallops
• A combination of enoki and shiitake mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
• 2 handful beansprouts (heads & tails removed)
• 2 dried mounds Yee Fu Noodles
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil + 1 tsp white sesame oil

Braising sauce

• 2 tbsp oyster sauce (vegetarian mushroom sauce can be used too)
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce for colour
• 1/2 tsp of white sugar
• 1/2 tsp of Chinese Wine (Hua Tiao/Shaoxing)
• A dash of white pepper (optional)
• 1 cup of water

Directions:

1. Mix the braising sauce together and set aside.
2. Heat the oils in the wok/pot & add in the garlic.
3. When fragrant, toss in the bean sprouts and mushrooms. Stir fry for about 1 minute.
4. Pour in the braising sauce and allow them to simmer for 1 minute. Maintain medium-high heat.
5. Add in the seafood and simmer for 3 minutes.
6. Add in the Yee Fu noodles, make sure they are submerge in the braising sauce for 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with a lid and let the noodles stew in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Open the lid and check for the tenderness of the noodles. There should be little or no sauce when the dish is done.
8. Off the heat & allow the residual heat to continue cooking the noodles.
9. Dish up on serving plate and enjoy!