Canned Sardine With Pickled Onions

沙丁鱼酸大葱

This is one of my late mother-in-law's quick and easy dish. 

Ingredients (serves 4 pax)

2 small canned sardines (buy  Ayam brand 215g oval can sardines - we find that the sardines are smaller and tastier)

1 large onion (sliced)

3 shallots (sliced)

3 tablespoons of vinegar (e.g. rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar)

3 to 4 limes

Method

1. Pickle the onion in vinegar for at least half an hour.

2. Fry shallots until golden brown and set aside.

3. Heat up a wok. Pour the canned sardines and the tomato sauce into the wok/pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Off the heat, transfer the sardines and tomato sauce to a plate.

4. Drain the pickled onions. Discard the vinegar. Add the fried shallots, pickled onions to the sardines. Squeeze the lime juice over the onions and sardines. Serve warm!

 

Ko Lo Yuk

咕嚕肉

This is a classic Cantonese dish that goes by many translated names: Go Lo Yok, Koo Lou Yoke, Ko Lo Yok, Koo Lo Yok, Ko Loh Yok, Ku Lou Yuk ...and of course, Sweet and Sour Pork. 

The recipe I am sharing here is my late mother-in-law's. 

Ingredients (serves 4-5 pax)

1kg pork belly slab

Marinade: 3/4 teaspoon (3g) salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder, dashes of white pepper, 1 egg yolk

Sauce: 

1 capsicum/bell pepper (sliced into wedges)

1 cucumber (cut into small pieces)

1 large onion (sliced into wedges)

1 or 2 fresh tomatoes (boil in a pot of water, drain, peel off the skin, cut the tomatoes into cubes)

1 slice of pineapple (cut into small pieces)

2 tablespoon rice vinegar (or 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice)

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

6 tablespoon ketchup (or tomato sauce)

1 tablespoon chilli sauce

1 tablespoon water

Method

1. Remove skin from pork belly slab, cut pork belly slab into 3cm strips and then cut each strip into bite sized pieces. Add in marinade and set aside for at least 1-2hours.

2. Heat wok with enough oil for deep frying. Use a chopstick to test the oil temperature. When there are bubbles around the chopstick, it is ready.

3. Lightly coat each piece of pork with corn flour and shake off excess flour. Gently place them into the hot oil. Deep fry the pork pieces straightaway in batches on high heat until golden in colour. Place the pork pieces on a wire rack. After each batch of frying, scoop up the crumbs of flour from the oil using a fine-mesh sieve.

4. Next, prepare sauce. Heat a small pot with some oil. Put in large onion and stir fry until edges are brown. Add in capsicum and stir fry for 1 minute. Add fresh tomatoes, followed by the sauce mixture and water. Mix thoroughly and bring to boil. Stir in cucumber and pineapple.

5. Serve the pork pieces and sauces in separately dishes so as to retain the crispiness of the pork pieces.  

Hokkien Ngoh Hiang (Chinese Meat Rolls)

福健五香肉卷

My mum usually makes Ngoh Hiang for important occasions like Chinese New Year, late grandparents’ and late dad’s death anniversary dates. I look forward to eating these meat rolls each time she makes them and even pack some home. I’m very happy my mum taught me how to make them last week. 

Ingredients (makes 25 pieces)

1kg minced pork

500g prawns

1 piece beancurd skin (to wrap ngoh Hiang)

10 water chestnuts

2 stalks of scallions

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon five spice powder

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon corn flour

2 tablespoon plain flour

1 spoonful of love

Method

1. Wipe the beancurd skin with a damp cloth as the skin is very salty. Cut the beancurd skin into preferred size. I cut mine 6” x 4”.

2. Wash, and remove the skin from water chestnuts. Dice the water chestnuts into small pieces.

3. De-shell and de-vein the prawns. Cut each prawn into three or four pieces.

4. Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and give it a good mixing using your hands or a pair of chopsticks until the meat mixture forms a paste. This takes about 5 to 10 mins.

5.  Put 2 heaped tablespoonful of the meat mixture on the beancurd skin, keeping half inch from the edge of the sides clear of meat. Spread and mould the meat mixture into a log shape. Wrap the skin over the meat tightly and roll to the end of the beancurd skin. Seal meat roll including the sides with egg white. Repeat until all the meat mixture has been wrapped. 

6. Heat up enough oil in the wok or pot for deep frying. It is ready for frying when you see small bubbles form around the tip of the chopstick that is dipped into the oil.

7. Gently lower the Ngoh Hiang into the oil one at a time. Fry until golden brown and place on a wire rack to drain excess oil.

Best eaten soon after frying as the Ngoh Hiang will be very crispy and crunchy. To serve this dish in gatherings, cut the Ngoh Hiang into bite sized cubes and pan fry them. 

Crispy Fried Wanton

 脆皮炸云吞

Made this cantonese bite-sized dumplings using late mother-in-law's recipe. They can be deep fried or boiled in soups. We like fried ones - so crispy and finger licking good.

Ingredients

300g minced pork (I asked the butcher for 'bu jian tian' 不见天, a cut of meat around the pig's armpit. The meat is tender and has good proportion of fat.)

300g fresh prawns (including shells)

60-70 pieces of square wanton wrappers from wet market (100g, 25 wrappers)

3 fresh shiitake mushrooms (cut into thin strips)

2 shallots (minced/grated)

2 garlic cloves (minced/grated)

2-3 stalks of spring onions (finely chopped)

3 water chestnuts (cut into small cubes)

Half an egg (small egg about 50g, lightly beaten)

Seasoning - 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce and dashes of white pepper

1 spoonful of love

Method

1. De-shell and de-vein the prawns. Then smack them with the back of a cleaver to mash the prawn meat. This is so that the prawn meat will be crunchy.

2. Mix minced pork, spring onions, garlic, onion and seasoning using a pair of chopsticks (or your hand) in one circular direction until you get a sticky paste - about 5 minutes.

3. Add water chestnuts, prawns, egg and two tablespoon of water, and continue to mix (same circular motion) until well combined for another 5 minutes.

4. Add the half egg and a few drops of sesame oil, and continue to mix (same circular motion) for final 5 minutes. 

5. Take a piece of wanton wrapper, place the filling (about 1 heap teaspoonful) on the wrapper and gather the corners/edges of the wrapper to enclose the filling. Repeat until the fillings/wrapper are used up.

6. Heat up cooking oil in your wok/frying pan, and deep fry the wantons (in batches) until light golden brown. Remember to turn the wantons around so that all sides are evenly fried. Transfer to wire rack to drain excess oil. Serve whilst hot and crispy.

Steamed Ginseng Chicken With Glutinous Rice

参须糯米鸡

My late mother in law used to cook this dish whenever there were family gatherings. The flavorful glutinous rice, tender chicken meat and the uplifting ginseng-infused chicken juices are so delicious.

Ingredients

1 kampong chicken (approx 1kg)

1 cup of glutinous rice

1 cup of water (for glutinous rice)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

20g ginseng beard

2 tablespoon goji berries (optional)

1 spoonful of love

Method

1. Wash glutinous rice and soak in 1 cup of water for 1 hour. After soaking, dissolve the salt and sugar in the water and cook the rice using rice cooker/stove. Set aside to cool down.

2. Remove liver, heart and gizzard from the chicken cavity and discard them. Rub 1 tablespoon of salt all over the chicken to clean it and wash the salt away under running water.

3. Pour boiling water into the chicken cavity to blanch it and dab dry with kitchen towel.  

4. Rub 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon sugar inside the chicken cavity, and stuff the glutinous rice (from step 1) into the cavity. Seal the cavity with thread/wooden satay stick/wooden toothpicks. I use toothpicks. 

5. Rub 1/2 teaspoon salt all over the chicken. Lay the ginseng beard (and goji berries if using) on the bottom of steaming tray and place chicken on the ginseng beard. 

6. Steam the chicken over high heat for 1 hour. Check on the water in the steamer/wok occasionally to make sure it does not dry up. 

7. Unseal the cavity and serve the chicken hot.

Glutinous Rice Peanut Puff / Lor Mai Kok Chai

糯米角仔

I learnt to make this cantonese sweet treat from my late mother in law. It is a must have in our family for Chinese New Year. Unlike the traditional peanut puffs which are made using plain flour, this is made using glutinous rice flour and wheat flour. They are super crispy and you can't stop at one!

Ingredients

Dough

300g glutinous rice flour

75g wheat starch 澄粉

25g sugar

1/2 tsp salt

75g pork lard (alternative: cooking oil)

330ml boiling water

1 spoonful of love

Filling

100g coarsely chopped/grounded roasted peanuts 

20g lightly toasted white sesame seeds

50g sugar

1 pinch of salt

Method

1. Sieve the glutinous flour and wheat starch into a mixing bowl and mix in salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and set aside. 

2. Add pork lard and boiling water into the mixing bowl, and use chopsticks to mix quickly. Then use hand to  knead until you get a smooth dough. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and rest the dough for 20-30 minutes. 

3. Mix the ingredients for the filling and set aside.

4. Remove some dough and keep the rest covered under damp cloth. Roll the dough flat to about 2mm thickness and use a round cookie cutter to cut the dough. My cookie cutter size is 4.5cm in diameter. 

5. Take one of the round dough, put half to one teaspoon (depends on the size of your cutter) of peanut filling in the center of the dough. Gently seal and pleat the edges of the dough into mini "curry puff" shapes. Use a plastic sheet/cloth to cover the puffs until all the dough has been shaped. 

6. Fry the puffs in medium-high heat until golden brown. Cool them completely before storing them in air tight containers.