Steamed Cabbage Roll

Steamed Cabbage Roll

Recipe source :  Doris Choo of Sumptuous Flavours


I am so very happy to have the chance to share this recipe which won me the grand prize of a Vitasteam oven from The Flavours-Miele All Steamed Up Contest !

It was love at first sight when I saw the Vitasteam oven featured in The Flavours magazine. As I flipped further through the pages I noticed another article about "all steamed-up contest". All we needed to do was to cook a dish by steaming the food and submit the recipe with a photo of the dish. The stipulation was - originality. 

I was very excited about this event. I dreamt of winning the prize. Actually I was obsessed with it! I told myself that if I don't win it then I will buy it! But how to win? I am not professionally trained in cooking.  I can cook simple everyday meals for my family. As for the elaborate dishes I have to follow recipes from the more experienced bloggers or from magazines. I was quite lost as to where to begin. Then I  thought about  all my favourite foods and the possibilities of mixing and matching my favourite ingredients. I ended up submitting a total of six recipes to the contest.

Well, you can say I am first time lucky! This is the first time I participated in a cooking contest, the first time I am so obsessed with an electrical appliance that I fell in love at first sight and of course this is the first time I won any grand prize!


My sincere thanks to Flavours Magazine and Miele Sdn Bhd.



Ingredients

10 leaves of Chinese cabbage

10 pieces of chives

2 slices of ginger

1.5 litres water

1 tsp salt

Chinese cabbage and chives - parboiled in hot water

Filling Ingredients

300g shrimps, diced
500g jicama (sengkuang) cut into thin strips
40g dried black fungus, soak until soft and cut into thin strips
30g parsley, chopped

 Jicama, yam bean or sengkuang

 Black fungus

Shrimps

Parsley

Seasoning Ingredients

5g ginger, grated
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp light soya sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cooking wine
1 tsp sugar
a dash of sesame oil

Method

1.  Boil the Chinese cabbage leaves and chives in 1 litre of boiling water which has been added with 2 slices ginger and 1 tsp salt. Boil for 3 minutes. Drain away the water and set aside.

2.  Mix the shrimps, jicama, black fungus and parsley together in a big bowl.

3.  Add in the seasoning ingredients and toss everything together to mix well. Divide the filling into 10 equal portions.

4.  Place a piece of softened Chinese cabbage on a flat surface.

5.  Place one portion of filling onto the Chinese cabbage and carefully wrap up the filling to form a parcel.

6.  Tie it up with a piece of chive.

7.  Repeat the process with the rest of the ingredients.

8.  Place all the wrapped cabbages onto a steaming tray.

9.  Steam over high heat for 15 minutes.

10. Serve hot.

Here is a snapshot of my winning recipe as published in the Flavours Magazine.
Issue : November 2013

Top Hats (Kuih Pie Tee) 派迪/高顶帽

Top Hats (Kuih Pie Tee) 派迪/高顶帽

Recipe source :  Adapted from Flavours magazine, Vol 7, Issue 2 No. 24 Dec 1999 - Feb 2000

Kuih pie tee is a popular Peranakan snack. The crispy tart shells or cases are made from flour deep-fried in hot oil while the filling is made of shredded yam bean, carrots and prawns. The dainty shells look  very pretty once filled up with shredded savoury vegetables. 

Many local and Thai restaurants serve them as appetisers while waiting for the main course to be served. They are meant to be appetisers yet we always ended up placing extra orders for more pie tee because they are very tasty and addictive! 

Another family favourite of ours!
 

Ingredients for batter

100g plain flour
1 tsp rice flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup water
A pinch of salt
Oil for deep-frying

Ingredients for filling

1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
250g prawns, diced
500g yam bean, shredded
160g carrot, shredded
30g Chinese parsley
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp light soy sauce
2 chilli padi for garnishing, sliced

Yam bean, Chinese parsley, chilli padi and carrot

Prawns

Making the shells

1.  Put both flour into a mixing bowl. 

2.  Add beaten egg, water and salt. Mix well.

3.  Whisk the batter until smooth and strain through a sieve.

4.  Pour the batter into a mug.

5.  Heat oil until hot with the pie tee mould in the oil.

6.  Turn down the heat to medium.

7.  Remove the mould from hot oil and dip the mould into the batter so that it is thoroughly coated almost to the brim.

8.  Allow the excess batter to drip off and place the mould into the hot oil.

9.  Let the shell cook until light brown or golden.

10. Store in an air-tight container.

 Pie Tee mould

 Close-up view of the pie tee mould

 Heat the pie tee mould in hot oil

 Then dip the mould into the batter in the mug. 
Make sure the batter reaches a few mm below the top of the mould

 Lower the mould into hot oil. 

Jiggle the mould lightly up and down to dislodge the cooked batter.
 The shell will dislodge and stay afloat

Use a pair of chopsticks to flip the shells to make sure all the sides are thoroughly browned.

A shell which has dislodged and remained afloat

Cooking the filling

1.  Heat oil and saute the chopped garlic until fragrant.

2.  Add prawns and stir-fry for one minute.

3.  Add in the shredded yam bean and carrot and stir-fry until soften.

4.  Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste and cook for a further 5 minutes.

5.  Lastly, add in the chopped Chinese parsley.

6.  Allow to cool before filling up the shells.

Tips

1.  The mould should not be too hot. The batter should not sizzle when the mould is immersed into it.

 2.  Make sure the batter coats the base of the mould.
Otherwise the shells will end up with holes underneath!

3.  Allow the batter to fry a while until slightly harden before dislodging the shells
This is to ensure the shells retain their shapes.
If the shells are dislodged too early, the batter will be soft and unable to hold its shape.

To serve

1.  Place some cooked filling into the shells.
2.  Garnish with Chinese parsley and sliced chilli padi.
3.  Serve with chilli sauce

Cooked filling, ready for serving

Empty pie tee shells

 

Just fill them up. Yummy!

I am linking this post to Little Thumbs Up

The theme for March 2014 is Prawn

Hosted by Moon from Food Playground

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

I am also linking this to Cook-Your-Books #10

 

Organised by Joyce of  Kitchen Flavours

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Turnip With Prawn & Carrot Dumpling 虾仁沙葛萝卜粿

  Turnip With Prawn & Carrot Dumpling 虾仁沙葛萝卜粿

Recipe source :  Cookbook ~ Authentic Chinese Dumpling published by Famous Cuisine Publisher Sdn Bhd

I was at the MPH Bookstore at the Mid-valley Mega Mall when I came across this cookbook titled "Authentic Chinese Dumpling". I grabbed it immediately and made a bee-line to the cashier's counter to pay for it. There are so many mouth-watering dumplings inside this cookbook. I am so happy with it. It's almost as if I have found some treasures! I just can't wait to try my hands at all the wonderful looking dumplings!

Today I am trying out - turnip or yam bean with prawn and carrot dumpling. It fascinates me to see the tiny carrot shreds sprinkled across the translucent dumpling skin. It's beautiful !. And its very tasty too!

Skin Ingredients

150g wheat starch ( Tang mein fun in Cantonese- 澄面粉)
50g tapioca flour
40g carrot  (shredded )
320ml boiling water

Filling

400g turnip or yam bean ( peeled, shredded )
150g prawns ( shelled, diced )
3 shallots ( chopped )
1 stalk spring onion ( diced )
100ml water
2 tbsp cooking oil

Seasoning

1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp pepper

Spring onion, shredded carrot and turnip or yam bean

Instructions to cook the filling

1.  Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil. Saute chopped shallots over low heat until fragrant.
2.  Add prawns and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
3.  Add shredded turnip or yam bean and toss it for about 5 minutes.
4.  Add in water and the seasonings.
5.  Bring to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, reduce to medium heat and simmer until turnip is tender and slightly dry.
6.  Add in spring onion and mix well.
7.  Dish up and set aside.
8.  Leave to cool.

Instructions to make the skin & wrap dumpling

1.  In a mixer, add wheat starch, tapioca flour and boiling water. Mix until it becomes a dough.
2.  Add in the shredded carrot and knead until dough is smooth.
3.  The dough is rather sticky. Dust a flat tabletop with flour and knead a while.
4.  Roll out dough into a large rectangle. Use a Chinese rice bowl to cut round circles of the dough. 
5.  Cover the rest with a wet cloth while working with the piece in hand.
6.  Spoon filling into a piece of round skin and wrap it up to form a semi-circle.
7.  Pinch the edges to seal.
8.  Arrange dumplings on a greased steamer and steam over boiling water, over high heat for about 8 to 10 minutes.
9.  Remove from heat and brush with oil immediately. 
10. Ready to serve.

All wrapped-up and ready for steaming

Can you see the tiny carrot threads sprinkled across the the translucent skin ?

Isn't it beautiful ?