Relocating to Taipei

The movers have started packing for the move to Taipei as it takes about a month for the shipment to arrive there

Most of my kitchen stuff waiting to be packed






So from now until June I will only post as and when I can. I hope that you will bear with me during this interim period.

Fried mee hoon with roast pork and leeks

Leek (蒜) have the same pronunciation as counting (算)therefore we must make sure there are lots of leeks in the house so that there will be lots of money to count in the coming year. All these symbolic foods must be eaten during the 15 days of the festival. I decided to fry mee hoon with the leeks and roast pork for lunch since everybody is at home. 

Ingredients  

4 medium size leeks

5 pieces of A1 mee hoon

This is the Chinese roast pork from praying to the Jade Emperor on the 9^th day

Take out the required amount to cook

Soak the mee hoon to soften it before you start to prepare the other ingredients.

Wash the leek properly especially the leaf end because there will be dirt trapped between the leaves

Slice the leek slantwise

Heat up 2 tbsp oil in the wok

Put in the roast pork and fry until fragrant (the pork will release some oil as it cooks)

Add 2 tsp chopped garlic

Mix thoroughly

Put in the leek and stir until it is well coated with the oil

Add:

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp light soya sauce

Season with a little salt and pepper

Mix thoroughly and then add 300 ml hot water

Put in the mee hoon and stir to make sure everything is well mixed

Keep on stirring until the mee hoon has absorbed almost all the liquid. 

Dish up and serve

Abalone (鲍鱼) with braised mushrooms

Chinese culture is rich in traditions and superstitions especially during Chinese New Year when we look for inspirations to boost our luck and prosperity. Abalone is a popular dish for Chinese New Year even though it is one of the higher priced food item. It is considered a delicacy and the Chinese word for abalone is “Bao Yu”. “Bao” stands for assurance and “Yu” stands for surplus and eating them means an abundance of surplus wealth. Today I am cooking it with braised mushrooms accompanied by carrots and broccoli.

Abalone is a single shelled, marine intertidal snail that is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world. These sea snails cling to rocks near to shore and are often consumed by other marine species. The shell of abalone is extremely durable and has a shiny substance called mother-of-pearl inside. Abalone increases appetite, and is a health food for the liver, kidneys, eyes and immune system.

Ingredients

1 can abalone

10 Chinese mushrooms 

½ a carrot

1 medium size broccoli

Wash and soak mushrooms until soft and puffy.

Remove and trim off the stalks 

Season with:

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp shaoxing rice wine

½ tsp sugar

Cut the broccoli into florets

Slice the abalone and carrot

Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water with salt and oil until almost soft

Remove the broccoli and put in the abalone

Cook for 3 minutes only or it will be tough and rubbery

Arrange the broccoli on a platter to form an outer circle

Then place the abalone in the centre

Heat up 1 tbsp cooking oil and 1 tsp sesame oil in the wok

Add 2 tbsp chopped garlic and stir fry until fragrant

Then add the mushrooms and carrot

Mix thoroughly with the oil

Mix 1 tsp corn starch with 2 tbsp water

Pour in the corn starch mixture to thicken the sauce

Mix thoroughly

Spoon the mushrooms and carrot onto the abalone

Drizzle the sauce over the abalone and broccoli

Serve immediately.

Dried bak choi soup with pork ribs (菜乾白菜湯)

This cooling soup is very sweet and delicious! It is ideal during hot weather especially during the Chinese New Year period when the weather is always very hot.

In the old days long stemmed bak choy (白菜干) was dried to preserve it until the next growing season. The drying technique gives it a unique flavour. It helps relieve heatiness in the body and help moisten, heal and cleanse the lungs. It is not ideal for those in the first trimester of their pregnancy (as the soup is cooling and can cause contractions) and during confinement.

Ingredients  

Pork ribs

1 carrot

100 gm dried bak choy

Cut and soak the dried bak choy in warm water until soft

Rinse in running water 2-3 times (to remove the dried bugs that get embedded during the curing process)

Squeeze out the water from the bak choy

Remember to blanch the pork bones to remove the scum

Put the blanched pork into the slow cooker with boiling water and cook on high for 1 hour

Slice the carrot

Put all the ingredients into the stock and season with salt and pepper

Cook on low for another 4 hours

Crispy fried chicken wings

Today I am testing a new chicken coating flour recommended by my grocer. I fried half the chicken wings in oil and the other half in the air fryer. Both were very crispy when hot but the batch fried in oil did not stay crispy when cooled. The batch fried in the air fryer stayed crispy just a little bit longer. Therefore you have to eat it immediately to enjoy the crispiness of the wings.

Ingredients

10 chicken wings cut into 2 pieces

½ packet Ajishan crispy fried chicken powder

Soak the chicken wings in salt water for 20 min

Remove from the salt water and let it drip dry

Put the coating flour in a plate and coat the wings

Heat some oil in the wok and fry half of the chicken wings

Remove from the wok and keep aside

I am using the air fryer to fry the other half of the chicken wings

Set the cooking time to 12 minutes and let it warm up for 2 minutes.

The food will not stick to the basket if it is hot.

In case you are interested in using the air fryer here is a review https://www.reviews.com/air-fryer/

Put half the chicken pieces into the air fryer basket

Shake the basket every 3 minutes to make sure that the chicken is fried evenly

Add more cooking time if the chicken is not brown enough

Remove and keep aside once it is done

Put in the balance of the chicken and cook the same way

Once it is done remove and add to the previous batch

Decorate with some cucumber slices and serve immediately

Stir fried yellow noodles with roast pork

Stir fried yellow is another delicious one meal dish that is easy and fast to cook. It can be served for breakfast or lunch and even for family gatherings or parties at home or outside. You can use any combination of vegetables and meat or sea food.

Ingredients

1 piece Chinese roast pork (siew yuk)

1 small bundle choy sam

1 kg pack of yellow noodles

Cut the roast pork into bite size pieces

Wash and cut the choy sam

Rinse the noodles and drain it

Heat up 1 tbsp oil and put in the pork

Stir until some of the fat has melted and it is slightly brown

Add 2 tsp chopped garlic and mix thoroughly

Add the choy sam stems and stir until slightly softened

Add the leaves and mix well with the oil

Add 1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Add 200 ml water and mix thoroughly

Add the yellow noodle

Stir to mix everything thoroughly

Dish up and serve