Growing up in a traditional Chinese family, winter solstice is a rather big festival attached with great importance. My mum has always been telling us that we’ll be one year older after finishing bowls of brightly coloured tang yuan, which symbolizes reunion. For me, it is supposed to be a time of gathering with families and friends for a heart warming dinner as such:

(From L to R)

Steamed White Chicken. Stir Fried Assorted Vegetables. Braised Mushroom & Chicken Feet. Pan Fried Prawns. Siu Yoke & Char Siu. Sea Cucumber Soup with Cabbage, Fish Balls & Pork Balls.

There’s nothing as blissful as looking around the table and seeing faces you love and serving them good food.

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!

On the first day of Chinese New Year, we would wake up earlier despite staying up late the night before. It is a tradition in my family to lit joss sticks and gave lavish offerings to our god and ancestors, hoping that they would grant us a better year. Bear in mind that sweeping floor is a taboo on the first day, as the elderly believes that it will sweep all the good fortune away.

My siblings and I are always enthusiastic to wear something in red and to visit relatives to extend our loud and auspicious New Year’s greetings such as ???? (Gong Xi Fa Cai) but it is always followed by ???? (Ang Pow Bagi). Grin

This year, we were invited to witness one of the most spectacular sights during Chinese New Year; it’s a performance by a champion lion dance troupe from Johor. The drum rhythmic patterns are closely tied to the feline and agile movement of the lion. My parents never missed a single opportunity to take a picture with their most favorite people ( or god?) in the whole wide world too.

On the second day of Chinese New Year, traditionally married daughter will go home to visit their birth parents. However, this year my family has decided to visit the maternal side of our family another time where the traffic congestion would ease up. At our Ipoh house, we performed a simple ‘Hoi Nin’ prayer and lunch, wishing that we will be blessed with good luck and prosperity in business.

My wonder-mum actually whipped up a feast for our simple “Hoi Nin” lunch. Almost every dish has a symboli meaning and auspicious to ensure a prosporous New Year!

Steamed Whole Chicken – It symbolizes completeness and prosperity

My parents believe that having Siu Yuk (Roasted Pork) that was offered to our god and ancestors earlier will bring us luck.

Wang Choi Jau Sau (windfall profit with little effort) with Fat Choy Ho See (getting rich and good things happen). Pork trotters are braised together with dried black moss, dried oyster and mushroom for long hours until the trotters turn soft and chewy.

Nin Nin Yao Yu – Fish actually represents abundance or having more than enough to spend. Towards the end of the dinner, some part of the fish are left untouched to represent the meaning.

Ha Ha Dai Siu – I’m pretty sure that everyone knows that. Prawns in Cantonese (ha) sounds like laughter which is why prawns represent happiness.

Ingredients

rice vermicelli (mai fun), soaked for 10–15 minutes until soft, and drained

1 egg

½ cup shredded carrot

½ cup shredded cabbage

½ cup long beans

1–2 tsp oil

3 slices ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

Sauce ingredients – (combined)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp tom yam sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

¾ tsp thick soy sauce

¼ tsp pepper

½- ¾ tsp sugar or to taste

1 tbsp sesame oil

½-¾ cup water

Garnishing

A squeeze of lime juice

Chopped spring onion and coriander leaves

Method

Heat oil in a wok, fry the egg and set it aside, then fry ginger and garlic until lightly golden.

Put in carrot, cabbage, long beans and rice vermicelli. Pour in combined sauce ingredients. Do not stir but cover the wok for 7–8 minutes.

Remove the cover. Toss well for 3–4 minutes or until well combined.

Dish out and serve with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of shredded eggs, chopped spring onion, coriander leaves and some sinful crispy siu yoke brought all the way from Ipoh!

Recipe by Amy Beh from The Star Kuali (ammended and adjusted according to personal preferences)

Ingredients:

1 fish head (about 1 kg)
2 round purple brinjals, quartered
4 pieces tender lady’s fingers
3 tomatoes, quartered
2 sprigs curry leaves
4 green chillies, slit half way lengthwise
5 red chillies, slit half way lengthwise
2 big onions, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1/2 thumb-size ginger, shredded
1 tbsp mixed curry seeds for fish curry
4 tbsp curry powder for fish + 10 tbsp water
300ml coconut milk
50g tamarind mixed with 300ml water
6 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning:

1-2 tsp salt
2-3 tsp sugar
1 tsp vetsin

Method:

1. Wash fish head and drain. Season with salt and vetsin and steam till cooked.
2. Heat oil in wok and fry the curry seeds and shredded ginger till light brown.
3. Add garlic slices and stir-fry for 1/2 minute. Add the sliced onions and fry till soft and transparent.
4. Add the curry paste and 300ml coconut milk. Stir-fry till the oil comes through.
5. Add tomatoes, lady’s fingers, brinjals, curry leaves and chillies.
6. Add the tamarind juice, vetsin, salt and sugar and continue to cook over a low heat. If gravy is too thick, add a little more water and let simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add the steamed fish head, cover wok and let simmer till cooked.

Citygal decided to try some challenging recipe that are on par with those one can try at seafood restaurant. The ingredient list was extensive, giving me a hard time to gather everything. However, the steps are quite easy and simple. I play cheat by using instand curry powder for curry fish head and substitute the coconut milk with full cream milk.

I use Garoupa Fish head which is surprisingly full of succulent meat, it also contain staring eyes and fish lips which some said these are the best part! The verdict was good (surprisingly), my cousin said that the curry sauce was flavourful and aromatic. I picked a very fresh fish head judging from the moist, luctrous surface, firmly attached scale and crystal bright eyes. Suddenly I feel so proud of myself! Giggles.

What I meant by from scatch is I cook the broth, marinate the minced pork and wrap the wantans myself. A great achievement for me indeed~!

I intended to use some shredded carrots and water chesnuts for some textures but we are just to lazy to drive out and buy some. So I use dried scallops for their superior taste and texture. Drop two or three to the broth can give the soup some ocean fresh aroma too.

It’s just a simple meal with some organic grains to go with the broth and wantans. Of course, some cili padis and soy sauce perfected the meal.

Recipe:

1. Heat oil in pan and add garlic once simmering. Fry for 30 seconds before adding onion
2. Add in diced dried shrimps and fry till fragrant.
   
3. As onion begins to soften, pour in minced meat. Sprinkle in pepper and stir thoroughly with a wooden spatula

4. Lower heat to medium and 2 tbsp spicy fermented soy beans (taucheo). Mix until sauce is evenly distributed over meat.

Hie! My name is Pak Kor Meen, some people prefer to call me Shanghai rice cake or Bai Guo Gan. I’m of FooChow origins and I’m a rice flour based product. Kuey teows or any rice flour staple food are my cousins.Basically I have a uniform size, which is a good thing for me because I will never grow fatter or thinner. Girls who say that I tasted yucky are just envious of me!

I’m a stuborn piece of things you know, throw me hard on the floor and I won’t crack. What do you need to do just to get rid of me? Soaked me overnight and I’ll soften. Hahaha

I gained some fame in the blogsphere recently, some celebrity bloggers did some write up about me. Among them are Babe in the city KL, Malaysia Best and Sixth seal.

The curious kitten Citygal wanted to challenge herself by coming out with a dish with me as the main ingredient. Let’s see how she get it done!

1. Soaked half a packet of the rice cake overnight.
2. Saute some garlic and onion in oil until they turned golden brown.S
3. Stir fry fish slices, chinese cabbage, mushroom and carrots until they turned soft.
4. Pour the rice cakes in and stir fry.
5. Use 2 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1 tbsp of abalone sauce and 1 tbsp of oyster sauce.
6. Crack in an egg and lightly stir to create the eggy sauce.
Notes: Do not cook the rice cake too long as it will turned soft and sticky.She has done a good job right? Haha eventhough that it doesn’t look appealing at all.

Bacon wrapped enoki is the cross over of east and west. I tried this in a hotel buffet and was hooked to it there after. Kampungboy is a bacon lover while I like the crunchiness of enoki mushroom, making it a perfect food on the dining table.

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the bacon on it 3 inches apart. Set the mushrooms on the bacon slices.
2. Season with pepper.
3. Roll up into tight cylinders and secure with toothpicks.
4. Roast the enoki bundles for 18 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and crisp. Drain the bundles on paper towels, remove the toothpicks and serve.
(Recipe from Food and Wine)

The Club Sandwich is a sandwich with cooked chicken breast and bacon, along with juicy ripe tomatoes and crisp lettuce layered between two or three slices of toasted bread with mayonnaise.

The Club Sandwich was the favorite of former King Edward VII of England and his wife, Wallis Simpson. In fact, she took great pride in preparing this sandwich. (Information from What’s Cooking America). I took great effort in preparing this too, as this is a healthier version.

Step 1: Prepare 3 piece of toasted bread and lightly buttered them. In fact, I did not use any butter. Step 2: Place pieces of iceberg lettuce on top of the first bread layer. Wipe the lettuce with kitchen cloth before use. Lettuce can prevent water or juices to sip through the bread if you want to pack it into lunch boxes for mid day meal. Now you can place more vege on your own choice, eg tomatoes, pickles or cucumber.

Step 3: Layer cooked ham or bacon on top of the vege and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Top with a slice of low fat cheddar cheese and carefully place the second layered bread slice on top of the first layered bread

Step 5: Spread some egg mayo or potato salad over the second layer bread

Step 6: Pin the sandwich’s layers together by piercing them with 4 frill picks in 4 places in a diamond-like pattern.

Step 7: Cut each sandwich diagonally into 4 square or triangular pieces and secure each piece with a pick.

Make yourself a cup of coffee and tea, sit back, relax and enjoy your tea.

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the bacon on it 3 inches apart. Set the mushrooms on the bacon slices.
2. Season with pepper.
3. Roll up into tight cylinders and secure with toothpicks.
4. Roast the enoki bundles for 18 minutes, or until the bacon is browned and crisp. Drain the bundles on paper towels, remove the toothpicks and serve.
(Recipe from Food and Wine)

The Club Sandwich is a sandwich with cooked chicken breast and bacon, along with juicy ripe tomatoes and crisp lettuce layered between two or three slices of toasted bread with mayonnaise.

The Club Sandwich was the favorite of former King Edward VII of England and his wife, Wallis Simpson. In fact, she took great pride in preparing this sandwich. (Information from What’s Cooking America). I took great effort in preparing this too, as this is a healthier version.

Step 1: Prepare 3 piece of toasted bread and lightly buttered them. In fact, I did not use any butter. Step 2: Place pieces of iceberg lettuce on top of the first bread layer. Wipe the lettuce with kitchen cloth before use. Lettuce can prevent water or juices to sip through the bread if you want to pack it into lunch boxes for mid day meal. Now you can place more vege on your own choice, eg tomatoes, pickles or cucumber.

Step 3: Layer cooked ham or bacon on top of the vege and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Top with a slice of low fat cheddar cheese and carefully place the second layered bread slice on top of the first layered bread

Step 5: Spread some egg mayo or potato salad over the second layer bread

Step 6: Pin the sandwich’s layers together by piercing them with 4 frill picks in 4 places in a diamond-like pattern.

Step 7: Cut each sandwich diagonally into 4 square or triangular pieces and secure each piece with a pick.

Make yourself a cup of coffee and tea, sit back, relax and enjoy your tea.

So this is a post dedicated to our parents..Your daughter/son are not taking their health for granted..Despite allocating time for studying, they cooked their very own decent meal too..

Butter rice: Heat the pan and melt some butter, stir fry the grains till you get the butterly aroma..Throw everything into rice cooker and continue your daily ritual of rice cooking (Add water, on the switch, close the lid..)

Ooo..My getting rid of my leftover cabbage..Throw everything inside the anchovies soup..

Beautiful..Omelette done by Kampungboy..He kept it simple by juz adding some salt n pepper..

Deep Fried Dory Fish..NO bread crumps No corn flour No plain flour..How?? He uses the fried chicken powder leftover from our last attempt on fried chicken..

Surprisingly it turns out soooo crispy and nice..

Collabarative work of mummy and me!!

My mum kept this newspaper cutting of Amy Beh’s recipe on Penang Lobak. She’s having her mass production of lobaks (with pork) to distract us from having any chicken dish because noone in my family can resist this yummy and evil roll. I can’t seem to find the online recipe from Kuali, the search result shows me the recipes for dipping sauce instead of the lobaks. So I typed it out just in case that anyone of you would be interested to try this out at home.

Ingredients:
400g pork/chicken
4 water chestnuts,
diced1/2 bombay onion,
diced1 tbsp chopped spring onion
1 small egg
1 large piece bean curd sheet, cut into 14×7cm each piece

Seasoning:
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp five-spice powder (ng heong fun)
1 tsp sugar1 and 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp corn flour or sweet potato flour

Method:
1. Cut the pork or chicken into small strips.
2. Combine meat, water chestnuts, onion, seasoning and egg in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Add spring onion to mixture. Marinate meat for at least an hour or preferably several hours in the fridge.
3. Put 1-2 tbsp marinated mixture onto each bean curd skin piece. Form into a long roll. Roll up tightly and twist on both the ends.
4. Steam rolls for 8 mins. Remove, cool and then deep-fry in hot oil until golden and crispy.
5. Cut into slices and serve with dipping sauce.Tips: Do not wrap too big a roll as it would be difficult to fry it.

Note:

1.We use yam paste instead of flour to keep the ingredients in place. It tastes real good!

2.If you are afraid of the oiliness of deep frying, you can sprinkle the rolls with some olive oil before sending them to toast.

3. The lobaks are lack of some sweet taste. Maybe we should doubled the amount of sugar next time.

I haven been taking chicken for quite some time. The recent outbreaks in Perak make me a coward when it comes to bird poultry. Sarcastically, I take eggs occasionally. Haha!

Actually this sweet and sour fish is an impulsive kind of thing, but somehow it is similiar to the recipe that I found in Kuali. The only difference is that I choose not to deep fried the fish, because FAT DEE lar! I stir fry the fish fillets, please be noted that you must be soft and slow in movement during this process if you do not want to get the fish fillets wrecked.

The sauce is a mixture of tomato sauce, chilli sauce, lemon juice and some vinegar. These appetizing and (looks) fiery red sauce is best eaten with white rice. You gota trust me because KampungBoy finished 3 big bowls of white rice! I bet kids would love this dish to the max. It would be perfect with some pineapple and cucumber cubes. Haha but I left this two item for my grocery shopping.

As you can see, the same old boring “zhap chai” (mixed vege) again. This time, I added in some minced meat for some Omph! I loves minced meat so so so much. I think I can survive on zhap chai alone, as long as there’s some minced meat in it. Nasi satu lagi , please!

Fried Rice: Simple yet Tasty. Be generous with the amount of Veges and be stingy with the amount of MSG and salt. Preferably cook ur rice with less water or use leftover rice. (Note: This pic is my roomate Yiquan’s first attempt on fried rice and it earns good comments)

Packet Dory Fish Fillet : You get clean prepacked fishes withut the fishy smell. You can do it in black pepper style, thai style, orange sauce style, deep fried style and garlic butter style.

( Non Halal) Minced meat is the best ingredients! Pour generous amount of it on your Gon Lou Mi or Mi with soup. It’s equally yummy when you fried them with eggs. I love eating them with long beans or porridge. KampungBoy survived on the porridge for two days when he was having fever. Fever will craved for pork porridge pulak!

Canned curries or packet curries : KampungBoy cooked me ayambrand curry with cube potatoes and carrots for today’s dinner. Taste bland but it’s not his fault. I still prefer the Japanese curry that we tried last time.

We reserved some curry potatoes for our second attempt on popiah.

The step by step guide on how to wrap a popiah (requested by a reader who wishes to remained anonymous)

The creative award goes to KampungBoy lor..Coz citygal doesnt know how to fold the triangle shape one..Must go home ask mummy

Happy Learning ! Will update more when I learn new stuff or ‘invent’ new stuff!

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Stir Fry Yee Mee With Whatever You Have In The Fridge

Deep Fried Yuki Tofu

Guest Starring: The Emperor Mee with seaweed, cabbage and baby carrot in clear soup by my roomie Suyen and Yiquan. Don’t you think that A3-2-3a chicks are talented cook?