Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee

 炒福建虾面

Ingredients (serves 4 to 5 pax):

500g fresh large prawns 

500g lean pork 

1 piece of fresh squid

500g fresh yellow noodle

70g rice vermicelli (bee hoon)

1 bundle of chives (cut into 3cm short strips)

2 eggs

2 garlic cloves (chopped finely)

1 litre water

Method:

1. Soak the rice vermicelli with water until softened, around half an hour. Drain and set aside.

2. Wash, clean and de-vein prawns. Keep the prawn heads and shells to make stock.

3. Wash and clean the squid. Slice the squid into 1cm thick rings. 

4. In a hot wok, add 1 tablespoon oil and fry the prawn shells and heads until fragrant. Add 1 litre water, bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Sieve the stock to remove the prawn shells and head. 

5. Place the lean pork into the stock and boil over medium heat for 30 minutes. Then take out the pork, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the cooked pork and let it cool down. Once cooled, cut the pork into thin slices.

6. Blanch the prawns and squids in the stock for 5 minutes.

7. Season the stock with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon fish sauce.

8. Heat up wok over high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, then crack the eggs into the wok. Quickly scramble the eggs. 

9. Add the yellow noodle and rice vermicelli. Stir fry the noodles in a circular motion for a few minutes. 

10. Push the noodles to the side of the wok, add 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the garlic for a few seconds.

11. Mix the noodles with the garlic, add 4 to 5 big ladles of prawn stock and stir fry the noodles in circular motion. Cover the wok, lower heat to medium and braise the noodles for one minute.

12. Add the prawns, squids, pork slices and chives into the wok and fry with the noodles.  

13. Dish up the noodles and serve with sambal chilli, lime and crispy pork lard.

Miso Pork Noodle

 

What can you cook at home for one person? This is what I whipped up today- miso pork soup, inspired by dailydelicious. Simple meal but still delicious. 

Ingredients:

200g minced pork

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced ginger

dashes of white pepper powder

1/2 tsp chilli paste (add more if you like it to be spicier)

1/2 tablespoon miso paste 

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 Japanese dashi (Japanese soup stock) packet (refer to Just one cookbook for good writeup on dashi)

2 tablespoon Japanese sesame dressing

200ml water

50ml milk

160g dried pumpkin noodles or any noodles you prefer.

Method:

1. Put water and dashi packet in a small pot and bring to a boil. Then, lower stove heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Shake the dashi packet a few times to release the flavours from the packet. Set aside.

2. Heat up wok with cooking oil. Stir fry garlic and ginger under medium heat until fragrant. Add minced pork followed by white pepper powder and stir fry under high heat until pork is cooked through. Then, reduce the heat to low and push the pork to the side of the wok. Put chilli paste, miso paste and sugar into wok, and stir fry for a minute under low heat. After one minute, mix in the pork and stir fry under medium heat.

3. While cooking the pork, cook the noodles as per package instructions. Transfer the noodles to serving bowl.

4. Bring the soup to a boil and ladle into the serving bowl. Then add the pork, top with scallions, a few drops of chilli oil and toasted white sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Prawn Noodle (Soup Based)

 虾面

I love to eat prawn noodles and to me the real test for a good bowl is in the soup and the prawns. The soup in some of the prawn noodles sold in hawker centres and coffee shops are too sweet (I think they put too much sugar to sweeten the soup stock) or lack prawn unami flavour, or the prawns are small, not fresh or too few. 

After coming across Wendy's recipe for prawn noodle and a couple of others (here and here), I came up with my version and it was a success. 

Ingredients (serves 4 pax):

A. Prawn soup:

Prawn shells from 1kg prawns 

2 garlic cloves (chopped - for frying prawn shells)

2 shallots (chopped - for frying prawn shells)

Chicken carcass or feet

2.5litres water

1/2 tsp white/black peppercorns

1/4 tsp white pepper powder

3 garlic cloves (smashed, with skin)

2 star anise petals

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

pork skin (optional)

B. Toppings: 

prawns

pork lard

fried shallots 

pork slices (lean meat or pork belly) 

1 bundle of kang kong / water spinach (about 300g) - pluck the leaves and select the tender stems, washed and set aside

C. Noodles:

Rice vermicelli, 200g (soaked until soft, then drain and set aside)

Method:

1. Wash, peel prawns and de-vein. Chill the prawns in fridge.

2. Prepare pork lard. Refer to this post.

3. Prepare fried shallots: Peel and sliced 5-6 shallots, then fry using pork lard until golden and crispy. 

4. Prepare prawn soup: 

4.1 Blanch the chicken carcass and feet in boiling water. Remove the chicken carcass and feet, and set aside. Discard the water.

4.2 Put water into a big pot and bring to a boil. Add the chicken carcass and feet, as well as the whole piece of pork/pork belly into the pot. Fish out the pork/pork belly after 10minutes. Sprinkle some salt over the pork/pork belly. When the pork has cooled down, slice thinly and set aside.

4.3 Fry shallots and garlic using pork lard until fragrant, then add in prawn shells and stir fry until the shells turned pink, dry and very fragrant. Transfer the shells into the pot and add in garlic cloves, star anise petals, peppercorns and pepper powder, and bring to boil again. Once boiled, lower heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, season the soup with dark soy sauce and fish sauce.

5. Bring the soup back to a boil and put in the prawns and sliced pork/pork belly. When the water comes to boil again, fish the prawns and pork out, and set aside.

6. Heat the wok with water and bring to a boil. Put the rice vermicelli in a metal strainer and lower into the boiling water. Cook according to package instructions and transfer to serving bowls. Drizzle some pork lard or oil from frying shallots over the cooked rice vermicelli, and use chopsticks to mix in.

7. Using the same water for cooking the rice vermicelli, put in the kang kong and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain the vegetable and transfer to the serving bowls. Add the prawns and pork into the noodle bowls.

8. When it is time to serve, re-boil the soup and ladle the soup through a sieve into the noodle bowls. Top up with pork lard and fried shallots. Serve hot!

Yee Fu Noodle

伊府面

Love this dish during Chinese Wedding Dinner. It is actally very easy to cook either as a vegetarian (no meat) dish or one with your favourite meat/seafood.

Ingredients :

200g Ee-Fu Noodles

3 cloves garlic minced 

150g lean pork (sliced)* 

300g squids (sliced)*

1 carrot sliced thinly

Seasonal vegetables (chye sim, chives, cabbage)

pork lard (optional)

* can replace with roast duck (shredded) or seafood (prawns//lobster)

Sauce :

300ml chicken stock

1 tablespoon shaoxing wine 

2 teaspoon dark soya sauce 

2 teaspoon light soya sauce 

1 teaspoon sesame oil 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon white pepper 

Method :

1. Boil the noodles in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok under high heat. Add in minced garlic and saute until aromatic. Add in pork slices. Stir fry until pork is slightly brown and add in vegetables, carrot and squids. Stir fry for one minute. Add the chicken and sauce and bring it to a boil. 

3. Add the noodles and keep stir frying under medium heat until the noodles absorb all the liquid. Mix in the fried garlic.

4. Dish out and serve with pork lard. Enjoy!

Char Kway Teow

 炒粿条

This is a very popular dish in hawker centres and food courts in Singapore. Also commonly sold in the street side hawkers in Malaysia. I actually learnt to cook this dish from a hawker in Endau Rompin, Malaysia. 

Ingredients

600g yellow and flat rice noodles

2 tablespoon minced garlic

12 pieces of big prawns, de-shelled and de-veined (optional)

1 large egg

3 handful of bean sprouts (soaked in water to make them crunchy)

5 stalks of chives (cut to 2 inch length)

3 tablespoons of crispy pork lard (refer to my post here on how to make them)

blood cockles (optional)

fish cake (optional)

Seasoning: 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 3 tablespoon dark sweet soy sauce (I use "ABC" brand), 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, chilli paste (optional)

Method

1. Heat the wok until it is smoking, then turn off the fire.

2. Add one tablespoon pork lard (or cooking) oil into the wok, followed by the minced garlic. Quickly stir fry the garlic for a few seconds.

3. Add the prawns and stir fry quickly for a few seconds. 

4. Add the yellow noodles, sprinkle 1 tablespoon water on the noodles and give the quick stir to mix the noodles with the prawns. Add the flat rice noodles and turn on the fire to high heat.

5. Add the seasoning and give a quick stir to evenly coat the noodles with the seasoning.

6. Crack the egg and add it directly into the wok. Wait for about 15 seconds before scrambling the egg with the noodles. Add in blood cockles if using and stir fry for a few seconds.

7. Drain the bean sprouts and add them into the wok together with chives, followed by sprinkling 1 tablespoon water. Quickly mix the bean sprouts and chives with the noodles.

8. Dish out onto a plate and serve. Top with crispy pork lard.

Wafu (Japanese Style) Pasta

 日式意大利面

This meal is easy to prepare in under 15 minutes. It is a big favourite for my children.

Ingredients:

100g spaghetti (for 1 pax)

2 strips of smoked bacon

2 cloves garlic (smashed)

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon shoyu (Japanese soy sauce)

Shredded noni seaweed (any desired amount)

Spring onion (for garnish, optional)

Method:

1. Boil approximately two litres of water with 1 teaspoon salt. Once boiling, add spaghetti and cook according to instruction on package. Drain and set aside once cooked. Reserve two tablespoons of the water.

2. Cut bacon into strips of 1cm in width. Heat up wok with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and lightly fry the bacon. Push the bacon to the side (or remove from wok) and fry garlic in the oil. Once garlic is lightly browned, add in the spaghetti. Add butter, shoyu and reserved water (from step 1) and toss with a pair of long chopsticks for a few minutes.

3. Garnish with shredded noni and spring onions, and serve hot.

Cantonese Crispy Noodle (Sang Meen)

广府生面

Zi char or Cze char, is Hokkien for cooking (煮) and frying (炒). In Singapore, zi char stalls are where families and friends gather to enjoy affordable dishes that are cooked to order in a wok. Cantonese Crispy Noodle is a classic zi char dish which you can actually cook at home. Here’s how you can do it:

Ingredients:

2 bundles of fresh wanton noodles (Serves 3 pax)

2 cloves garlic (chopped finely)

9-10 Fresh prawns (de-shelled, de-veined and rinsed in a bowl of water that is lightly salted, about 1/4 teaspoon)

100g Pork slices (marinated with 1/4 teaspoon salt, dashes of white pepper and 1 teaspoon corn flour)

200g Mustard greens (washed and cut into segments)

400g water (add more if you like more sauce)

Crispy pork croutons as toppings (optional)

Method:

1. Heat up sufficient oil in wok until it very hot (almost smoking). Loosen the bundle of noodles, shake off excess flour and arrange half into the shape of a dish. Gently lower the noodles into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp. Note that the noodles will absorb the oil and puff up very quickly. Remember to flip the noodles so that the noodles will be evenly fried. 

2. Next prepare the sauce. Heat up wok and sauté garlic until fragrant. Add pork and prawns and stir fry over high heat until just cooked. Remove pork and prawns from wok. Add water and bring to boil. Add seasoning (1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce) followed by vegetables, prawns and pork slices. Simmer for a few minutes. Lastly, thicken sauce with corn starch. Pour sauce over crispy noodles, topped with crispy pork croutons and serve hot!

Hong Kong Style Char Siew Noodle

 港式叉烧面

Whenever I make Chinese BBQ pork (a.k.a Char Siew, refer to my recipe here), I will make a bigger batch so that I can prepare this dish effortlessly. I just need to buy egg noodles and green vegetables (e.g. kailan, caixin) and viola, this noodle dish can be ready in under 15minutes.

Ingredients:

100g egg noodle (serves two)

1 teaspoon light soya sauce (or Japanese soba sauce if you have)

1 teaspoon dark soya sauce

1 teaspoon pork lard (or sesame sauce)

1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce

Method:

1. Prepare seasoning for noodle by mixing light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, pork lard/sesame oil and oyster sauce in the serving plate.

2. Bring 1 litre if water to a boil. Cook the egg noodles for 3 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse briefly under tap water. Drain again.

3. Place the noodles in the serving plate with seasoning nd toss.

4. In the same pot of water, blanch the green vegetables lightly.

5. Add homemade char siew and vegetables, and serve hot.

Homemade Laos Khao Piak Sen Noodles

 

Came across this interesting recipe for Laos noodles in Wendy's blog, and had to give it a go. Very easy and fun to make these noodles from scratch. They can pass pass off as udon (a type of Japanese noodle)! :)

Ingredients

160g rice flour

160g tapioca flour (and extras for dusting)

250g boiling water

1 spoonful of love

Method

1. Mix 160g rice flour with 160g tapioca flour.

2. Add 250g boiling water to flour mixture and use chopstick to mix.

3. Knead the dough until smooth.

4. Dust the table with tapioca flour and roll the dough into 4mm thick.

5. Cut into strips and sprinkle tapioca flour to prevent noodles from sticking together.

6. Cook the noodles in boiling water. Once noodles float, they are ready. Here's the bowl of chicken noodles I cooked with these noodles. So yummy.