Wat Tan Hor / Cantonese Style Flat Noodles in Egg Gravy

Say hello to my childhood favourite.

Melbourne weather has been very cold lately and Wat Tan Hor will be a prefect fit for this cold weather. So here I am, dishing up wat tan hor to warm the body up.

Ingredients:

Charred Flat Noodles

• 350g Flat Noodles (Kuey Teow) - available at asian grocery
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cooking caramel (optional) - available at asian grocery

Egg Gravy

• 1 tbsp cooking oil 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 slices of ginger
• 15g pork or chicken (marinate with a generous pinch of salt, pepper, sugar and corn flour, 1/4 tsp of light soy sauce, sesame oil or vegetable oil and Chinese cooking wine)
• 10 prawns, peeled and deveined
• a small packet of fish cakes, sliced 0.5cm thick 
• 10 slices of squid
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• a pinch of sugar
• a dash of white pepper
• 2 cups of stock (I used homemade pork bone stock)
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp corn flour, diluted with 1/8 water
• 2 stalks of choy sum, chop 2 inch length
• 2 eggs, lightly whisk

Methods:

1. Soak flat noodles in warm water to separate the clumps then drain thoroughly. Instruction will be on packages
2. Mix 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tsp cooking caramel to the flat noodles.
3. Char flat noodles in a smoking hot wok for a few minutes. Try not to move the flat noodles so that it charred and did not break into pieces. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Heat cooking oil. Saute garlic and ginger until golden and aromatic. Then add in marinated meat, prawn, fish cake and squid. Stir fry briefly. 
5. Now, add in the seasonings - oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, white pepper and salt. Mix well and add in stock. Bring it to simmer. Check the seasoning. 
6. Add in diluted corn flour. Simmer for few minutes until thickened. Add in choy sum. 
7. Turn off heat and pour in lightly whisk eggs. Quickly stir the eggs to scramble it.
8. Check the seasoning again before dish out. 
9. Wat Tan Hor usually serve with green pickle chilli but I don't have it at home so I cut some red chillies and mince garlic and mix with light soy sauce, fish sauce and lemon juice.

Flat noodles mix with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce and cooking caramel

TIPS:
If you are using fresh prawn you can save the prawns heads and shells to turn into prawn stock

Creamy Fish Fillet

I decided to call this dish Creamy Fish Fillet instead of Butter Fish in order to avoid confusion because there are varies definition of butter fish. For example, Indian Butter Fish comes in mild curry form while the Malaysian Butter Fish comes with fine 'strings' of egg yolk is I am not mistaken. Even their presentation maybe be varies but most of the basic ingredients used are similar.

Ingredients:

• 300g Fish Fillet, cut to bite sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced - half use to marinate fish another half for saute
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• Oil for frying
• 25g butter
• 2 sprig curry leaves, 
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 3/4 cup (187ml) evaporated milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp sugar or to taste

Method:

1. Marinate bite size fish with half of minced garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper for about 30 minutes. Heat up some oil, dip fish into egg and sprinkle with cornflour.Fry the fish until golden brown, remove and set aside.
2. Remove oil, in the same wok, melt butter at medium heat. Add in remaining garlic, curry leaves and chilli. Saute until fragrant. Add in the fried fish and mix well. Add in salt, pepper and sugar. Mix well again.
3. Pour in evaporated milk, mix well and make sure the fish pieces are coated by evaporated milk. Adjust you seasoning. Once evaporated milk is thicken, remove and serve hot.

Italian Herbs Gold Parcel a.k.a Italian Herbs Fried Rice in Omelette

This is a simple, quick and aromatic fried rice. It is suitable for lunch, dinner or anytime when you feel like having something simple, quick and satisfying. Instead of adding egg to the fried rice I decided to fried it and use it to wrap the rice. But if you are in hurry, feel free to just add them into the rice. The tricky part here is when dried herbs are added into onion mixture because it has tendency to burn easily therefore constant stirring is highly crucial.

Italian Herbs or also known as dried mixed herbs is my favourite ingredients. It can easily add flavours to any food. This dried herbs usually consist of parsley, rosemary, basil, marjoram, thyme and coriander.

Oh this just suddenly cross into my mind. If you are Malaysian you should know what is nasi kerabu.. So, this maybe the Italian version of nasi kerabu... keke... ohh.. pardon me.. I miss nasi kerabu so much lately..

Ingredients:-

• Cook rice enough for 2 (try not to use fresh cook rice)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 red chilly, chopped (optional)
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 10 small prawns/shrimps or thinly slice chicken, beef or pork
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried mix herbs
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper (black or white, it doesn't matter)
• 1 tsp thick/dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp oil for fried rice & 2 tbsp oil for omelette
• 2 eggs
• salt to taste

Method:-

1. Heat up oil in wok or pan at medium heat. Saute garlic, shallots and chilly till fragrant. Add in shrimps or any meat you use and red onion. Stir fry until shrimp or meat turn colour, then add in dried herbs (see tips) stir fry till fragrant. 
2. Add in rice, mix well, add in pepper and salt. On high heat, incorporate all the ingredients into rice. 
3. Add in thick/dark soy sauce into rice mixture and stir fry till well mixed. Place in a large bowl.
4. Gold parcel/Omelette: heat oil, whisk 2 eggs with a pinch of salt, pour egg mixture into pan/wok, cook, tilting pan/wok over low heat until almost set (try to make a large and thin omelet). 

• There are 3 ways to wrap the fried rice with omelet.(FIRST): make a large and thin omelet, place on serving plate, scoop fried rice onto omelet and wrap like a parcel. Using this method, you will need to flip the omelette to cook both side ; (SECOND): when the omelette is almost set, spoon fried rice into the centre of omelette, fold four sides of the omelette over the enclose filling. Press omelette firmly, turn carefully to brown the other side. Place on serving plate; (THIRD): mould the fried rice with a bowl, remove the bowl, slide omelette carefully over the rice, tuck the access under the rice.

     5. Serve the gold parcel as it is or cut a 'X' on the parcel to show the fried rice inside.

TIPS:

• Rub herbs between you finger or hand to release its full flavour before adding into the wok or pan.

.......And... I am submitting this recipe to Festive Rice by TorviewToronto.........

 

Brocolli, Mushroom and Smoked Salmon Quiche

Quiche again? Yes, another quiche but with different filling. I just love quiche because it is delicious, dead easy to make and can use whatever that's in my pantry. However, i feel this quiche is tastier than my previous quiche post because I saute the onion with butter before putting them into pastry case.

Ingredients:-

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thaw
• 50g butter
• 1/2 brown onion, minced (if you have smaller size onion use whole)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 1 cup sliced mushroom
• 1 cup small broccoli florets
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2  tbsp thickened milk
• 1/2 tbsp milk
• 50g smoked salmon, sliced
• salt and pepper
• ground black pepper
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

Method:-

1. Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius.
2. Ease puff pastry into pie dish, trimming to fit the dish. Place dish in oven tray, prick pastry lightly with fork, cover pastry with baking paper fill with weights. 
3. Blind bake for 15 minutes, remove weight and bake further until the pastry brown lightly. Want to know more about blind bake? Click here. 
4. Meanwhile, briefly boil broccoli florets in salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.
5. Over medium low heat, melt butter in pan. Add onion, garlic and mushroom. Stir occasionally until onion is soft and mushroom is wilt. Season with salt and pepper, stir and set aside.
6. Whisk eggs in medium bowl, then whisk in cream and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Soak in the salmon pieces.
7. Now, to assemble the quiche. First, spoon mushroom mixture to the base of pastry. Second, top with brocolli. Carefully pour over egg mixture (only egg mixture). Then, sprinkle smoked salmon pieces, sprinkle some black pepper and finally sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until just set.

Smoked Salmon, Bacon and Asparagus Quiche

Melbourne's wheather wasn't very pleasant yesterday, so, I decided to just stay home, be lazy, rest and relax. Therefore, quick and easy meal will be highly compatible to this theme. I still have the cold smoke salmon that I bought from Taste of Melbourne last week and decided to whipped up some decadent smoked salmon, bacon and asparagus quiche. Find out more about asparagus HERE

Update 26/7/2017: this recipe has been recently featured in Quik Easy Cook. To see more recipe using asparagus please click HERE.

So, what is quiche? Quiche is a baked dish that is based on a custard from egg and milk or cream in a pastry crust. Usually the pastry shell is blind bake before other ingredients are added for secondary baking. INgredients such as meat, seafood, vegetables, cheese cand be added to it. Quiche may be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner.


What is blind bake? Blind bake/pre baking is a process baking a pie crust or other pastry without the filling. Why blind bake? Blind baking a pir crust is necessary when (A) it's filling does not require baking, i.e cream pies, (B) when its filling need shorter time of baking compare to the crust and (C) to prevent the pie crust from becoming soggy from its filling, i.e wet filling. How to blind bake? Ease the pastry into pan or dish, make sure you ease them to the corner, trim the side with knife to fit the tin. Place he tin on an oven tray, prick pastry lightly with fork to avoid air pockets. Line pastry with baking paper then fill with baking weight such as uncooked rice or dried beans and baked.

The original recipe call for shortcrust pastry and no bacon is added. However, I use puff pastry because I still have frozen puff pastry left in fridge and of course some left over bacon. The original recipe also call for 30ml cream (which I assume is single cream) but I only have thickened cream at home so I do 3/4 thickened cream and 1/4 milk.

Here's the recipe:-

Ingredients:

• 1 sheets frozen puff pastry, thaw
• 1 bunch (about 80g) asparagus, slice diagonally into 1inch pieces (add more if you like asparagus)
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tbsp thickened cream
• 1/2 tbsp milk 
• 100g smoke salmon, cut into strips
• 1/2 brown onion, chopped OR 1 stalk green onion/spring onion, white parts, sliced
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 piece bacon rashers, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup grated mozarella cheese

Methods:-

1. Preheat oven to 190 degree celcius. Grease pie dish. I use the aluminium pie dish available at the BBQ section so I have no idea of the measurement, 20cm perhaps? Line with the puff pastry, trim to fit, place dish oven tray, prick pastry light with fork, cover pastry with baking paper and fill with weights. 
2. Bake for 15 minutes with weights on, remove the weight and bake further until the pastry is browned lightly. About 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, briefly boil cut asparagus in lightly salted water. Boil until just tender, drain and set aside. 
4. Whisk eggs in a medium bowl, then whisk in the cream and milk. Season with salt and ground black pepper.
5. Add asparagus, salmon and onion into the egg mixture. Mix well and pour in pastry case. Sprinkle with bacon and then mozzarella cheese. Initially I mix the bacon into the egg mixture as well,  but I think by sprinkling them I will be able to get the crunchy taste of it. 
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until just set.

in making.....

on the way to my tummy....

Hi, that's Dolly. Trying to steal my quiche.

TIPS:

• Add and subract any other ingredients you desireHERE

Steam Japanese Beancurd with Fish Slices and Mince Chicken

This is a healthy and delicious dish. I have always love Japanese beancurd and fish but if you notice I have very limited post on either Japanese beancurd or fish. I just could find suitable recipe for fish and beancurd and of course i have always trying to avoid deep frying Japanese beancurd so i may only left with steaming them because as we all know Japanese beancurd is soft and delicate, the only way from them to stand for stew is to deep fry them first. Then the fish. Besides finding them a bit pricey here I just don't know what to do to them besides frying, steam and grilling. So, if you have any recipes for Japanese tofu and/or fish please do let me know.

Ingredients:-

• 1 tube Japanese Egg Beancurd, cut to 1cm thick
• about 150g fish fillet, sliced
• 50g minced chicken or pork
• 2 dried chinese mushroom, soaken in hot water for 30 minutes, remove stem and thinly slice
• 1 stalk spring onion, cut about 1.5cm each

    Marinate (A)

• Pinch of salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp chinese cooking wine (optional)

   Marinate (B)

• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cornflour

   For sauce

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 shallot, finely slice
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely slice
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup water (I use the water mushroom soaking)

Method:

1. Lightly season beancurd with marinate (A) in a heatproof dish or dish that you intend to put in steamer.
2. Marinate minced chicken and mushroom with marinate (B).
3. Heat oil and sesame oil in a wok. Saute shallot, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add in mince chicken and mushroom. Stir. Add oyster sauce, light soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix well. Then, add 1/2 cup liquid. Let it boil. 
4. Arrange fish slices over the beancurd and pour chicken and mushroom mixture around the sides of the beancurb. 
5. Place beancurd in a steamer over rapidly boiling water. Steam for 12 - 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped spring onion before serving.

Potato and Tuna Fish Cake with Tangy Dip

CookBook Challenge Week -32

 

Potato and Tuna Fish Cake

Ingredients:-

• 600g potatoes, peel, boiled until tender, drain, mash and cool
• 1 tbsp olive oil or any cooking oil
• 1 large brown onion, chopped
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 - 3 (95g) cans Tuna, drained
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for shallow fry

Methods:-

1. Peel potatoes, boil until tender, drain, mash and cool.
2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat with oil and add the chopped onion. Cook for 2 minutes or until translucent.
3. Add translucent onion into cool mashed potatoes, along with egg, tuna and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold through all the ingredients well. Divide the mixture into even sized patties about 10cm diameter each. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 
4. Coat the patties lightly with plain flour before frying.
5. Add enough oil in wok or frying pan about 1 cm depth over medium heat to fry the patties. Add patties and cook for 3 to 5 minutes each side or until golden brown. 
6. Serve hot.

Tangy Dip - accompanied for the above recipe

Ingredients:-

• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 - 2 tsp sugar
• 1 french shallot / 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 - 3 stalk fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 large red chilli or several bird's eyes chillies, finely sliced
• Juice of half lemon

Methods:-

1. Combine all the ingredient together, mix well and serve. (Adjust quantity of any of the ingredients to suit your taste).

Nestum Cereal Prawn

CookBook Challenge Week - 33

Ingredients:-

• 500g prawn (trim head and deveined, while keeping the shell intact)
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 1 cup Nestum Cereal (available at asian grocery) - you may lightly toast them without oil
• 1 - 2 tsp sugar (I use caster sugar, you may use brown sugar too)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 large chilli, finely chopped (You may use more than 1 or use bird's chillies)
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Some curry leaves
• Oil (enough to fry the prawns)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Methods:-

1. Clean and trim prawn. Sprinkle with prawn with cornflour, salt and pepper. Coat well and leave aside for awhile.
2. At the mean time, chop chilli and garlic, also, mix toasted nestum cereal with sugar in a bowl and set aside.
3. Heat up amount of oil enough and lightly fry the prawn and drain.
4. In a clean wok or pan, over low heat, add in butter. Once it is melted, fry garlic, curry leaves and chili till fragrant or until the leaves soften.
5. Add in prawns, season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.
6. Remove the wok or pan from heat, add in nestum mixture and coat well the prawn quickly. Adjust taste before serve.
7. Serve hot with rice.

TIPS:

• Amount of salt, pepper, chilli and sugar is depending on your likeness.
• Use at least medium size prawn and make sure the prawn is fresh.
• Make sure the oil is hot when you fry the prawns so that the shell is crispy
• If you are using instant nestum pack, dont worry about adding sugar because usually there are added sugar in instant nestum.

Tuna Omelette

Ingredients:-

• 1 can tuna flakes (95g), drained
• 3 eggs
• 1 - 2 tsp fish sauce (depends on how much you like fish sauce)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely mince
• 1/3 brown onion, diced small
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Methods:-

1. Set pan in medium low heat and add in butter.
2. Once butter melted stir in garlic and onion. Gently fry garlic and onion until lightly brown and pour in drain tuna flakes. Saute for a minute or 2, then remove from heat to cool.
3. While waiting for tuna saute to cool, beat eggs with salt, pepper and fish sauce. Then, mix in cooled saute tuna mixture.Mix well.
4. Wipe the pan clean, put egg rings on the pan and heat up butter in the rings at low heat. When the butter melted pour in egg mixture and fry as usual. (You can pour the entire egg mixture if you don't want to use egg rings).

 TIPS:-

• Add more tuna if you prefer more tuna in you omelette
• Make one omelette first to taste, then adjust seasoning to suit your taste

Asian Steam Fish

• 1 (500g) fish (any fish you like)

• 2 Spring Onion, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally

• 1 fresh Red Chili, deseeded, slice thinly

• 1 tsp fresh Ginger, finely shredded

• Few stalks of Coriander leaves

• 2 clove Garlic, finely chopped

• 11/2 tsp of Soy Sauce

• 2 tsp Oyster Sauce

• 2 tbsp Shao Xing wine/cooking wine

• 1 pinch sugar

• 1 tsp Sesame Oil

• 2 tsp Cooking Oil

• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Marinate raw fish with salt and pepper, sprinkle half of the green onion (preferably white parts), ginger over the fish.
2. Add enough water to a wok to reach a depth about 6cm. Place a steaming rack over the wok. Place the wok over high heat and bring to boil.
3. Sauce: Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, shoa xing wine and a pinch of sugar in a bowl. Mix well. Using pan or sauce pan, heat up sesame oil and cooking oil together. Put in garlic, stir until it is lightly golden, pour in the soy sauce mixture, stir, add in pepper, stir well. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
4. Carefully place the plate that contain fish on the steaming rate at rapidly boiling water. Cover.  
5. After 10 minutes, open the cover, pour the sauce that you make earlier and sliced chili  onto the fish. Cover. Continue steaming for 5 minutes. 
6. After 5 minutes, turn off the heat and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
7. Garnish with coriander before serving.
 

 

Salted Egg Yolk Prawn

You need:-

about 300g of prawns (deveined without removing the shells, rinse and drain well)
1 tbsp of corn flour
Oil to deep fry the the prawns

2 tablespoon butter
4 salted duck egg yolks (steamed for 10 minutes and mashed)
1 tsp of garlic (finely chop)
2 to 3 bird's eye chillies (finely sliced)
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
salt, pepper and sugar to taste

ok!! show time

1. Coat the cleaned prawns with a dash of salt, pepper and corn flour.
2. Deep fried the prawns till golden brown and set aside.
3. Using clean wok, heat up butter and add in mashed salted duck egg yolks. Cook until the butter begin to bubble.
4. Add in finely chop garlic and bird's eye chillies. Stir till fragrant.
5. Add in the fried prawns and mix well.
6. Finally, splash with shaoxing wine and adjust the taste with salt, pepper and sugar. Coat the prawns well and serve.