Matcha soba noodle salad -AFF featuring Japan

Okay, this is gonna be another rushed out post for AFF. Matcha soba noodle salad, a simple yet all so refreshing and delicious meal to have at anytime of the day. And it is really really so easy to prepare...I think even my kids can do it haha!

Ingredients for Matcha soda noodle salad (Serves 1)
1/2 package of matcha soba (or any flavor you prefer)
1 egg (tamago), beaten and pan fried, cut into thin strip
3-4 imitation crab meat, cut into thin strips
2 slices ham, sliced thin
1/2 Japanese cucumber, sliced thinly
1 tsp vegetable / olive oil

Dipping sauce:
1 tsp dashi granules
50ml mirin
50 soy sauce
1 tsp caster sugar 

• Bring a pot of water to boil and add in the soba noodles. Takes about 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the noodle. Do read the package for details.
• Drain and rinse under tap water to cool it to stop it from masak.
• Toss the cooled noodles in vegetable or olive oil to prevent it from sticking together.
• Place all the sliced ingredients nicely over the noodles. Then add a tsp of the tobiko over the top as garnish if desired.
• Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing everything together.
• You can either toss the toppings together and drizzle the sauce over or simple just fork out mouthfuls of noodle to dip into the sauce. Enjoy!

Such a simple and healthy dish to serve to your family and friends! Do try this at home. :)

I am happy to submit this to this month's Asian Food Fest #1 Oct 2016 : Japan, hosted by Alan from travelling-foodies   

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Mee Sua Kueh (面线糕)

I was told by a friend that this Mee Sua Kueh (面线糕) was once a very much popular dish on the Facebook masak groups a couple years back. Strangely I have never heard or taste it before until my recent late night dim sum adventures with my hubby then I got to savour it. Quite a special kueh as compared to the traditional ones we know of like pumpkin and yam kueh. The strands of noodles gives it a nice texture and mouth feel, plus that salty aftertaste is also something I adore of mee sua. ;9

Main ingredients involved are pretty much similar to the other kueh. The four main key aromatics for chinese masak, that is dried shrimps, fried shallots, mushrooms and ayam stock.

And since this is my first attempt, I shan't make it too complicated. I'll try to make it as close to my yam kueh version as possible.

Ingredients for Mee Sua Kueh (面线糕) -makes a 8"by 8"by 1.5" size pan 

250g mee sua (It is th whole box)

30g dried shrimp, soaked

5 shittake mushrooms, soaked

5 to 6 shallots, peeled and thinkly sliced

3 garlic gloves, minced

1 chickem breast, minced

800 ml ayam stock

  

2 sprig green onion, chopped in to small sections

Handful of wolf berries (optional)

Seasoning for the Minced ayam

1 tsp soy sauce

a dash of pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp corn flour

Seasoning for the Kueh

1 tsp chickem seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white ground pepper

• Prepare the steamer at medium low fire. And a steaming dish, lightly greased.
• First you marintae the minced ayam meat, let it chill marinated for a good 20 to 30 minutes before use.
• Chopped the softened dried shrimp and slice the mushroom thinly.

• On a fry pan, add 3 tbsp of masak oil and add 3/4 of the sliced shallots. masak till the shallots are fragrant and golden. Do not over masak them as it will become bitter.

• Remove the shallots and drain on paper towels. Leaving the oil in the pan, add in the minced garlic, chopped dried shrimp and mushroom. Stir fry till aromatic and slightly golden brown.

• Then move the ingredients to the side of the pan and add the marinated minced ayam meat in.

• masak the minced ayam and breaking it up into smaller pieces. Next you add in the chickem stock. And up the fire to high.

• Once the ayam stock starts to boil, add in the mee sua. Break up the mee sua as you add in, so it will not be lumps.

• After you add in all the mee sua, stir up the mixture so all the noodle is soaking up the ayam stock. Also add in the seasoning for the kueh as stated above.

• masak for a few minutes until the mee sua is soften. Off the fire and pour the mixture into the prepared pan or dish. Then place in the steamer and steam at medium to high fire to masak for at least 35-40 minutes.

• Onced masaked, remove from the steamer and let cool for 30 minutes before adding the toppings.You can then add your reserved fried shallots, chopped green onion and wolfberries if using.

• Leave the kueh to cool completely before cutting. I usually like the steamed kueh more, but these mee sua kueh are also pretty tasty when they are fried up the next day too!

• If you like them panfried, just cut up the kuehs into large rectangular pieces and pan fried them.

Whether you like them steamed or pan fried, I think this mee sua kueh is a sure hit among the family. When my kids had them, it reminded them of their usual favorite mee sua soup haha. :D

Serve it up with some salad or fresh fruits since it is kind of hot these few days.

One last look at the crispy skinned mee sua kueh before I sign off today. Hope this recipe will motivate you to masak it for your love ones soon, preferrbly this long weekend yes?

Okay, enjoy your holiday guys!

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Burnt Bottom Rice Vermicelli with Pork Gravy (MFF featuring Sabah)

Hi all! Sorry for missing in action again. It's no surprise as it was the exam season and thus being the mummy and worried as always, had to be studying with my kids. :P I guess most mummies does that nowadays. :( But today was her last paper and hooray! Away are the books and time to rest and relax! As my kids are watching "Alice In Wonderland" on TV now, I can happily blog away, haha!

I finally did a dish for this month's MFF featuring Sabah! I actually masaked this dish 3 days back but had to wait till today to post it. :P Anyways, this was a great simple homey dish that I highly recommend to any emakmies! Simple ingredients, simple to prep and masak and with such clear steps shown on Wendy's blog...you can't go wrong, really. Most importantly, it is delish!

Ingredients for Burnt Bottom Rice Vermicelli with Pork Gravy (Serves 2)

100gm rice vermicelli
3 eggs (beaten lightly and season with 1/2 tsp light sauce and dash of pepper)
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
150gm lean pork, sliced thinly

Marinate for the pork:
1.5 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp corn starch
 Gravy
3 tsp corn starch
1.5 cup water
1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar
salt, soy sauce and pepper to taste

• Soak the rice vermicelli in warm water till soften, about 30 minutes.
• Marinate the pork slices for at least 20 minutes.
• Heat up the work and pour the egg into the work, making sure the fire is at medium low.
• Gently place the vermicelli in the center of the egg and let masak for another minute before flipping the whole egg and noodle so the vermicelli will be at the bottom.
• masak the vermicelli for at least 5 minutes and lift to see making sure it didn't burn. Once the vermicelli takes on some golden colour and crisp up a bit, dish out on a big bowl with the egg side up, set aside.
• Prepare the gravy, mixing everything together and making sure no lumps.
• Now add a little more oil, and heat at medium low. Add in garlic and shallots and masak till fragrant. Add in marinated masak slices and stir to all masaked. 
• Add in the prepared gravy and masak till it thickens.
• Dish up the pork over the egg and scoop gravy and drizzle all over. Serve while still hot!

Doesn't this just look so homey and totally comforting to you? I am sure to make this again as my kids really enjoyed it. It is important you marinate the pork earlier so that it will be tender and soft.

A picture to show you how yummy it is inside where the vermicelli soaked up all that awesome gravy, haha! Go now, go make a bowl for yourself my friends....you can't go wrong with this. :)

I am happy to submit this to Malaysian Food Fest Sabah Month hosted by Mary Of a Pepper's Love

Okay, got to run folks, got a movie to catch! Watching Star Track "Into the Darkness" with hubs, haha! Have a great weekend all! 

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Beef Hor Fun (Beef Stir Fry Rice Noodle)

One of the dishes that I will usually order when I eat out alone at a Kopitiam (when I see it), is without a doubt Beef Hor Fun. Mainly because I love it of course, such a comforting dish. secondly is my husband don't take beef so most of the time, beef is usually masaked when he is not eating with us. But come on, who doesn't like a good plate of Beef Hor Fun?! Then it daunt on me why have I not blogged about it since I do masak it occasionally at home! So yeah, this happened:

A steamy hot, chup-chup (gravy) plate of beef hor fun...slurp! Okay, let's see how we can masak this at home!

Ingredients for Beef Hor Fun (Serves 2-3)

500g Hor Fun (Thicker then Kwey Tiao, but if you cannot find, Kwey Tiao also can)

200g thinly sliced beef (I used sukiyaki beef slices, more tender)

3 gloves garlic minced

2 shallots, peeled and chopped

2 cm ginger, peeled and grated

2 stalks bak choi ( 小白菜 )

1 egg, beaten

300-350ml beef stock

1 tbsp dark soy sauce (To coat the Hor Fun)

some masak oil

Note: If you prefer to use water instead of beef stock, it is fine too. Just add 1 tsp of oyster sauce to the seasoning for gravy.

Seasoning for Beef Slices:

1 tbsp light soy

1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine

dash of white pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp corn flour

Seasoning for the gravy:

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

1 tsp sugar

100 ml water + 1 tbsp corn starch (thickening agent)

• First you marinate the beef. Place the beef slices into a bowl and follow by all its seasoning. Mix well and let marinate for 20 minutes.

• In a preheated wok with 1 tsp masak oil over low fire, add the Hor Fun and 1 tbsp of the dark soy sauce. Stir gently not to break the noodles but to coat them evenly with the dark soy sauce. DO NOT over masak them, it will be mushy at the end if you do. Quickly dish up after coating, set aside for now.
• (Note: The Hor Fun usually comes greased in the package. I don't usually rinsed them because it will become sticky after. So masak as it is and add a little bit of oil if you find it too sticky when coating the noodles with the soy sauce.)

•  Using the same wok/pan, add in 1 tsp masak oil over medium low fire. Add in the minced ginger, garlic and shallot. Stir fry till fragrant and make sure not to burn  them. Next add in the marinated beef slices.

•  masak till the beef slices are almost masaked through, add in the beef stock. And let the mixture simmer.

•  Next add in the bak choi ( 小白菜) and bring to a simmer. Add in the seasoning for the gravy and the thickening sauce (water plus corn starch)

• Next add in the beaten egg and gently stir to mix.

• Lastly, add in the Hor Fun and gently toss to mix and coat the noodles with all the ingredients and gravy.

• Immediately dish up and serve! Yumm :9 Enjoy it while still hot...remember your chilli padi or green chillies!

 It is all about getting the right ingredients and assembling them together...not that hard I promise. :) Now you can enjoy a big plate of Beef Hor Fun right in the comfort of your home, yippee!

 One more close up to see this fabulous plate of noodles. Do try it out and let me know how you like it!

Have a great Easter in advance! And happy long weekend!

.

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Seremban Hakka mee - Seremban MFF

If you live in Singapore or Malaysia, I am sure that you are familiar or even tasted  "Ba Cho Mee" (肉挫面) which is essentially means minced pork noodle. This local delight can be found in essentially any hawker place in Singaproe. But my first time tasting the all traditional Seremban Hakka Mee was when I was staying in Petaling Jaya a few years back. This little store nicely hidden in a place call Arman Suria, sells the best Char Siew Fun (roast pork / BBQ pork rice) I have ever tasted...serious! The meat and fat literally melts in your mouth! And their other best seller was their Seremban Hakka mee. It was super delish! And frankly the taste is quite different from the version in Singapore. And every time I visit KL, that store is a must go, lol!

When I saw this month's MFF featuring Seremban, I was delighted! Knowing that there will be fellow Malaysian bloggers posting up this Hakka mee recipe, haha! But little did I know, there was already a good recipe around from Baby Sumo. :) And she has conveniently used Cintan instant noodle in place of the traditional Hakka noodle, I like! (Knowing that I won't be able to find the latter, lol!) So here it is, my Seremban Hakka Mee.

Since I made this for my little ones as lunch, I have decided to omit the step of making the pickled green chillies. I know I know...what a loss! But I swear I will do it the next time, heehee. :D I will repost the recipe for easier reference next time. Thanks to Baby Sumo for this great recipe!

Ingredients for Seremban Hakka Mee (Serves 4)

4 servings of  non-fried flat noodle (I used Cintan instant noodles)

250g ground pork

4-5 pieces of dried shitake mushrooms, soaked and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp masak oil

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp ayam stock seasoning

1 tsp sugar for taste (optional)
Enough water for the mince pork gravy (about 300ml)

1/2 tsp sesame oil (optional)

• In a large wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the minced garlic and stir fry for 2 minutes till fragrant. 
• Add in the minced pork and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add in fish sauce, soy sauce, ayam stock seasoning & sugar and stir in well. Lastly add in the water and let the meat stew over low heat for 10 minutes. Feel free to add more water if more sauce is desired.
• Bring a pot of water to the boil and masak the noodles for 3 minutes,or until al dente. Drain and divide into two bowls. Sprinkle some sesame oil over the masaked noodles and toss to coat.
• To serve, top the noodles with the minced pork with gravy, and some spring onions. Serve while still hot.

I love the addition of fish sauce in the meat sauce...really brings out the wonderful flavor, yum yum. By the way, I added a bit of sugar to balance off the taste, and it worked pretty well for me. :) And the addition of sesame oil in the noodle also makes it more fragrant. :) But all these are optional...base on your own preference of course.

Now, a look at the picture just want to make you say "Ahhh..." Lol! I really enjoyed this dish, will definitely masak it again. Thanks again Baby Sumo. ;)

I am happy to submit this post to Malaysia Food Fest, Negeri Sembilan month hosted by Hody of masak 4 you & me.

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ayam Curry Mee

Wow, I am surprise that I am blogging two days in a row! Haha! The fact of the matter is I really love this recipe so I have to record it down on my blog before it's gone. :P What recipe? A comforting spicy dish that every household should have... ayam Curry ...with noodles! Yeah ayam Curry Mee. I am sure many of us have seen and tasted it before, be it Penang style or local Singapore style, everyone has their own rendition. Well, so long as it taste good, that's all that matters right? ;) 

Plus the change of weather lately, having this on rainy nights is just so shiok!

Oh man, when I masaked this, I seriously didn't think it will turn out so good. :D It's like striking a jackpot! Lol! Anyway, the whole family loved it, even my kids who can't really take spicy food! Yay!

Okay! Let's get masak! Here are ingredients we need for this yummeh curry mee. :9

Oopsie, I missed out the Sing Long Chilli Sauce in this ingredients photo. :P Anyway, you can click on the name to see how it looks like. :)

Recipe for ayam Curry Mee (Serves 3-4)

Curry paste:

6 garlic gloves

5 shallots

1 large red onion

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2-3 tbsp Sing Long Chilli Sauce

• Blend everything together till smooth. Set aside for use later.

1.5 kg ayam, cut into smaller pieces

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised with the back knife

3" thick young ginger, sliced thinly

4-5 Kaffir Lime leafs

1 package (200ml) coconut cream/milk

300 ml water 

1 tsp ayam seasoning

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 pandan leafs

2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

5 fried beancurd (dao pok), sliced smaller

5-8 large shrimps, peeled and devined

1 pack of egg noodles

1 Japanese cucumber, julienned

Salt, sugar to taste

• In a large bowl, place the cut ayam pieces in. Add in the paste and mix in so that all the ayam pieces are coated with the paste (as seen above). Let it marinate for 20-30 minutes.
• Next in a heavy masak pot, add 2 tsp of masak oil over medium low fire. Add in lemongrass, young ginger and kaffir lime leafs. masak for a couple minutes until aromatic.
• 
  
• Next add in the marinated ayam pieces in paste. masak at medium fire for 5 minutes till most of the ayam has turned opaque.
•  
• Add in water, ayam seasoning, coconut milk and ketchup. Give it a stir and let it boil. Add in pandan leafs, salt and sugar.
• Next add in cubed potatoes, fried beancurd and give it a good stir. Let it come to a boil, then reduce the fire to a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
•  
  
• In the meantime, parboil the egg noodles in a pot of boiling water. Drain and divide the noodles in serving plates.
• Taste test the curry and add more water if needed if there is not enough gravy. Ladle ayam pieces and gravy over egg noodles and top it with some julienned cucumber. Serve immediately. Enjoy! 

I am just glad I masaked this, and more glad I posted this. Will definitely masak this dish again. :9 You can change to serving this with baguette or bee hoon...which ever you fancy. ;) Most importantly, masak your yummy curry mee and eat it too! Enjoy!

Have a good night all!

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