Fried Vermicelli With Pumpkin 南瓜炒米粉

Fried Vermicelli With Pumpkin 南瓜炒米粉

Recipe source :  Adapted from Madame' Huang's Kitchen

Accordingly to Carolyn Phillips, this fried vermicelli with pumpkin is a Taiwanese Fall favourite. I was surprised that the pumpkin strips shown in the picture of her blog did not turn mushy after stir-frying. I wanted to test out whether the pumpkin strips will remain whole in my fried vermicelli! Well, the trick was not to overcook the pumpkin strips. 

The other thing I noticed was that Carolyn used lots of wine in her fried vermicelli. I love wine in cooking! So this recipe was definitely a "must-try"!

The result ? Well, the taste was equivalent to our local version of the Hokkien bee-hoon, albeit  with lots of pumpkin, meat and mushrooms and it was very nicely flavoured with wine!

Yummy! Try it for yourself!

Ingredients

300g pumpkin, cut into thin strips
20g dried scallops, soaked and shredded
5 black mushrooms, soaked and cut into thin slices
300g dried vermicelli, soaked until soft, then drain and set aside
2 green onions, cut into sections and separate the whites from greens
200g lean pork, cut into slices
5 tbsp cooking oil

Pumpkin

Dried mushrooms

Dried scallops

Pork

Vermicelli or bee-hoon

Marinade for pork

1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp tapioca flour
1 tsp Chinese cooking wine

Pork with marinade ingredients

Sliced mushrooms, shredded dried scallops and pumpkin strips

Seasonings

2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp dark soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
200ml water
a dash of pepper

Method

1.  Marinate the sliced pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for about 15 minutes.
2.. Heat wok until very hot and add 2 tbsp cooking oil. Saute the white parts of the spring onion.
3. Add in the marinated pork and stir-fry until the pork pieces turned whitish. Remove and set aside. 
4.  In the same wok, add in remaining cooking oil and stir-fry mushrooms, pumpkin and dried scallops.
5. Add in seasonings and water and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes. Then add in the fried pork slices and continue to simmer for further 2 minutes.
6. Add in vermicelli and using a pair of chopsticks,  mix the vermicelli to ensure it is evenly coated with gravy.
7. Continue stirring until almost dry. Switch off flame and dish-up. 
8. Garnish with spring onion. 

 

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for October 2014 is Pumpkin

Hosted by Eileen's Diary

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

I am also linking this post to My Treasured Recipes # 3 - Taste of Autumn (Oct/Nov 2014)

Hosted by Miss B of Everybody Eats Well In Flanders and 

co-hosted by Charmaine of Mimi Bakery House

Taiwanese Breakfast : Egg Pancake Roll 蛋饼

Taiwanese Breakfast : Egg Pancake Roll 蛋饼

Recipe source :  Adapted from Butterfingers

There were so many blogs featuring this egg pancake roll that I had a hard time deciding which recipe to cook. I finally chose this recipe which appeared to be comparatively easy to follow. But then I discovered to my dismay that l do not have the flair to toss and roll the pancake to perfection! Mind you, in reality, it wasn't that easy to roll the pancakes!

Well, anyway, here's my humble attempt to make this popular Taiwan breakfast egg pancake rolls. Enjoy!

Pssst, I being a true Malaysian, must find my bottle of indispensable chilli sauce to go with this!

Ingredients ( makes 2 pancake)

100g all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 tsp cooking oil
1 stalk of spring onion, chopped
Oil for frying
A pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten and divide into 2 portions
2 stalks parsley, chopped and divide into 2 portions
1 tsp oyster sauce, divide into 2 portions

Method

1.  Make the pancake mixture by pouring warm water to the flour and stir to mix well. Add in chopped spring onions.
2.  Heat a non-stick frying pan and drizzle a little cooking oil into the frying pan. Pour in half the pancake mixture to make a pancake. Cook until golden. Flip over and cook the other side. Remove pancakes to a plate.
3.  Repeat with the remaining batter to make another pancake. Remove pancakes to a plate.
4.  Divide beaten eggs into 2 portions. Add in half of the chopped parsley and 1/2 tsp oyster sauce.
5.  Heat frying pan and add in a drizzle of oil. Pour in egg mixture to coat the entire frying pan.
6.  Immediately, add in one prepared pancake onto the frying eggs. Let them stick together.
7.  Flip over and warm the other side. Remove onto a plate
8.  Roll up the pancake and cut into slices of about 2 cm.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #10 August 2014  : Taiwan 

Hosted by Alan Goh of Travelling Foodies

I am also linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for August 2014 is Flour

Hosted by  Domestic Goddess Wannabe

This event is organised by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids 
and Doreen of My Little Favourite DIY

Braised Pork On Rice (Lu Rou Fan) 滷肉飯

Braised Pork On Rice (Lu Rou Fan) 滷肉飯

Recipe source :  Taiwan Duck

Accordingly to Joanne of Taiwan Duck, Lou Rou Fan is a traditional meal of the Taiwanese farming families. Over the years, its popularity has spread to become so popular that Lou Rou Fan is almost synonymous with Taiwan. 

I remember seeing hawkers at the Shihlin night market in Taiwan doing  brisk business selling this simple and very delicious rice. They were served in tiny bowls with just braised pork on top. Eggs are optional at additional costs. The tiny bowl of braised pork on rice can be quite filling and makes a very satisfying meal. I remember my two sons were crazy over it and ate several bowls of this braised pork on rice with other delicacies that the Shilhlin night market has to offer.

Joanne stressed that the slab of pork must be cut into tiny cubes instead of taking the easy way out by using minced meat. So I diligently followed her instructions for I believe there must be a difference since she had stressed that her instructions be followed.

The health conscious might be put-off by the excessive oil. I suggest you eat this with a ready pot of Chinese tea at hand to neutralise the fat.  

Lu Rou Fan tastes terrific!

Ingredients ( serves 4 to 5 people)

600g pork, cut into tiny cubes of 0.5cm square

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 large piece of rock sugar, or use about 3 tsp of sugar

4 shallots, minced

5 pips garlic, minced

5 eggs, hard-boiled and remove shells

3 tbsp shao hsing wine

2 tbsp dried shrimps, soaked until soft and coarsely chopped

2 star anise

1/2 tsp five-spice powder

some cooked  rice

 Pork cut into tiny cubes

 Dried shrimps - need to soak until soft and coarsely chopped

Left : star anise. Right : five-spice powder

Method

1.  Heat a wok until hot. Add the pork cubes and dry-fry until water has evaporated and oil oozes out.
2.  Add in the minced garlic and minced shallots. Continue to stir-fry until fragrant.
3.  Add in the coarsely chopped dried shrimps.
4.  Then add in five-spice powder and star anise. Continue to stir-fry.
5.  Add in hot water to cover the pork pieces. Add in half the amount of shao hsing wine.
6.  Add in the rock sugar, soy sauce and dark soya sauce.
7.  Add in the hard-boiled eggs to the pork and gravy. Turn the eggs to ensure they are evenly coloured.
8.  Allow to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the gravy is almost dry.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #10 August 2014 : Taiwan 

Hosted by Alan Goh of Travelling Foodies

Spicy Iron Eggs 铁蛋

Spicy Iron Eggs 铁蛋

Recipe source :  Adapted from Flavours & Fortune, Spring volume : 2006 issue 13 ( 1 )

According to Wikipedia, iron eggs were created by a restaurateur who served snacks to the dock hands in a seaside town in Taiwan. It was discovered by chance on one rainy day when business was slow. Because of the slow business, she had to continually recook the eggs to keep them warm after taking them out of the stew. The recooking and drying process eventually resulted in eggs that were dark, flavourful, and chewy. They were extremely popular with the locals in Taiwan. The restaurateur eventually founded a new business based on her iron egg recipe, selling them under the brand Apotiedan : 阿婆鐵蛋; literally: "Grandma's iron eggs"). 

Iron eggs are a specialty of Danshui, a town situated to the north-eastern part of Taipei, Taiwan. They are usually made from chicken or quail eggs. This popular snack is easily available along the streets and stalls which lined the roads of Danshui. It is so popular that iron eggs are now among the top rated national snacks of Taiwan.

The making of iron eggs is a very tedious process. It involves boiling, cooling down the eggs and reboiling again to achieve the desired dark colour and chewiness. All in, we repeated this tedious process eleven times.  But of course, the result was well worth all the effort we put in.

My youngest son was really excited when he knew I was making iron eggs. In fact he was hovering around me to watch the work-in-progress for he wanted to observe first-hand how the eggs changed in colour and texture as I boiled and reboiled the eggs over and over again. He actually helped to set up an extra fan to expedite the cooling-down process of the eggs.   

My son and I, do not eat egg yolks but for these iron eggs, we made an exception because the whole egg was so chewy and bursting with flavours! And I especially like the quail eggs because I can easily pop the whole tiny egg into my mouth! Mmmmm, delicious!

N.B. -  A point to note is that the eggs tend to crack due to the repeated boiling and handling. So do be very careful and gentle in handling the eggs.

Ingredients

1 fresh chilli, bruised
 5 chicken eggs, hard boiled and remove shells
15 quail eggs, hard boiled and remove shells
4 tbsp thick soya sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
6 cups prepared black tea ( I used pu-erh tea )
60g cane rock sugar

Mixed Spices

2 star anise
3 pieces liquorice
1 small piece tangerine peel
5 cloves
5 green cardamom
1 piece cinnamon bark ( about 3 cm long )
1/2 tsp Sichuan pepper corns

Top row: Cinnamon bark, cloves and cardamon

Bottom row: Star anise, dried tangerine peel and Sichuan peppercorns

Extreme right: Liquorice ( kam choe )

Chilli and cane rock sugar

Preparation

1.  Place 6 cups of black tea, hard boiled eggs and the mixed spices into a medium-sized pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove the eggs from pot.
2.  Air-dry the eggs by using an electric fan. Once eggs has cooled down, place the eggs back into the pot to boil again for 10 minutes.
3.  Repeat the process for 10 times until the eggs are dark brown. 

These pictures are to be viewed from left to right and from top down - 

You can see the interesting changes in hue of these eggs 

from light to darker brown as they were being boiled and air-dried repeatedly.

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest #10 August 2014  : Taiwan 

Hosted by Alan Goh of Travelling Foodies