Stir fried leek with char siew

I always fried leeks with siew yuk (Chinese roast pork) until a fellow foodie blogger suggested that I try using char siew instead of siew yuk. It turned out very nice albeit a little sweet so may need to add a bit more salt.

Ingredients

3 medium size leeks

1 strip of char siew (sliced)

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 and fry the chopped garlic until slightly brown

Add the leeks and stir until it is thoroughly coated with the oil

Add a 1 tsp light soy sauce and a little water

Season with a dash of pepper and salt
Mix thoroughly

Put in the char siew and mix thoroughly

Add a little bit more water if necessary
Dish up and serve when the leeks are soft

Lotus root and braised peanut soup

Today I am using canned braised peanuts instead of raw ones because I don’t want to stock up on raw peanuts since we are moving to Taiwan soon. It is actually quite nice because the nuts are softer than when I use the raw ones.

Ingredients

1 small size lotus root

5 medium size pieces of pork bones

1 can braised peanuts

Peel and slice the lotus root

Remember to blanch the pork bones to remove the scum

Put the blanched pork and the lotus root into the boiling water and cook on high for 1 hour

Add the yuk chuk, dates, kei chi and season with salt and pepper

Cook on auto for another for another 3 hours

Add the braised peanuts and cook for another hour

It is ready to serve

Stir fried beef with capsicum and onion

Everyone is tired of eating chicken and pork so decided to do a beef stir fry with capsicums and onions. Surprisingly it turned out quite tasty so will have to remember this recipe for future use.

Ingredients

½ an onion

1 small red capsicum

1 small green capsicum

150 gm sliced beef

Marinate the beef with:

½ tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tsp corn starch flour

Salt and pepper

Dice the vegetables

Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in the wok
Add the onion and fry until fragrant

Put in the capsicums and stir until almost cooked

Remove and keep aside

Add 1 tbsp oil into the wok

Put in the beef and mix thoroughly in the oil

When the beef has changed colour return the cooked vegetables to the wok

Add a little water and mix thoroughly

Dish up and serve immediately

Jiu hu char (鱿鱼炒)

Almost all Penang nyonya families will serve jiu hu char for all festivals. Jiu hu see is shredded cuttlefish which is the special ingredient in jiu hu char. Thus I am preparing this dish for prayers during cheng beng (qingming/清明) since it is a favourite with the deceased members of my family.

Ingredients

2 small sengkuang (sweeter)

1 carrots

6 dried mushrooms

50 gm shredded cuttlefish (jiu hu see)

Soak and slice the mushrooms thinly then marinate:

½ tsp light soy sauce

½ tsp oyster sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

½ tsp sugar
Dash of pepper

Wash and soak the shredded cuttlefish to remove the saltiness

Julienne the sengkuang and carrots

Mix them thoroughly so that it is easier to stir fry

Heat up 2 tbsp cooking oil and 1 tsp sesame oil

Put in the mushrooms and mix well in the oil

Add 2 tsp chopped garlic and fry until fragrant

Add the shredded cuttlefish and mix thoroughly

Add the carrot and sengkuang

Stir until the vegetables are well coated with the oil

Add a little water at a time to prevent the vegetables getting burnt

Season with salt, pepper and a little chicken stock

Cover and cook on low fire for 1 hour

Check frequently to make sure that there is enough water to help it cook

The flavour and taste will be better if you leave it for a few hours before serving

It is best eaten wrapped with fresh lettuce leaves with a dash of chilli sauce

The four ‘rooms’ with bacon

The four ‘rooms’ refers to the four different types of mushrooms that I use. You can use any other types of mushrooms for this dish. Mushrooms taste fantastic when fried with kewpie roasted sesame dressing.

Ingredients

1 pack white shimeji mushrooms

1 pack brown shimeji mushrooms

1 pack eryngii mushrooms

1 pack enoki mushrooms

3 bacon slices

Cut the eryngii mushroom stems into 2 or 3 segments

Slice the stem into bite size pieces

The thickness can vary depending on your preference

Cut off the roots of the enoki and shimeji mushrooms

Do not wash the mushrooms otherwise it will become soggy

Slice the bacon

Briefly blanch the eryngii mushrooms as it will lock the water inside the mushrooms so they won’t get soggy during stir-frying and result in a firm and silky texture

Heat a little oil in the pan and fry the bacon

Add the chopped garlic when the bacon is slightly crispy

Add the shimeji mushrooms and mix well

Put in the eryngii and enoki mushrooms

Add 2 tbsp kewpie roasted sesame dressing, salt and pepper.

Mix thoroughly then dish up and serve