Chinese hot and sour soup

I found a good recipes for Chinese hot and Sour Soup from this site, Closet Cooking.
I really like this Blog, his recipes always has a good result, never disappoint me.


Servings: makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 6 dried tree ear mushrooms (also known as wood ear mushrooms)
• 6 dried black mushrooms
• 8 dried lily buds (otherwise known as golden needles)
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
• 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 ounces pork loin (optional), cooked and shredded
• 4 cups Asian chicken broth or regular chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 package tofu, cut into small pieces
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon white pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons chili oil or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chili sauce or to taste
• 4 green onions sliced

Directions

1. Soak the tree ear and black mushrooms in boiling water until softened, about 20 minutes, and shred them.
2. Soak the lily buds in warm water until softened, about 20 minutes, and shred them.
3. Cover the bamboo shoots in water, bring to a boil, drain and shred.
4. Mix the vinegars, soy sauce, salt and sugar in a bowl.
5. Mix the cornstarch into the water in a bowl.
6. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
7. Add the pork, tree ear and black mushrooms, lily buds and bamboo shoots and saute for a minute.
8. Add the broth and tofu and bring to a boil.
9. Add the vinegar mixture and the cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
10. Pour the eggs into the soup in a thin stream while stirring the soup.
11. Stir in the peppers, oils and chili sauce.
12. Serve garnished with green onions.

Sweet and sour chicken ( Koloke)

I have made this yesterday, really good, the chicken crispy and the sauce so perfect.





Marinade:
Boneless chicken
salt
rice wine/ang ciu
soy sauce

Ingredients for dipping the chicken:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup corn starch
1 tsp baking powder
2 egg whites or more

dip the chicken into egg whites, than dip again into the flour
Fry till golden

Sauce:

Tomato paste
Onion
green onion
green peas
pineapple chunk, and the syrup of the pineapple from the can
red pepper
sambal oelek

Popiah skin

I forgot where I get the popiah skin recipe, but it is really nice.

Popiah skin (Spring Roll skin)
Ingredients (made about 20-22, 6 inches diameter sheets)

150 gm bread flour
400 ml water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Seive the flour+baking powder into a mixing bowl.
Add in the salt and water and mix well until no lumps. You should obtain quite a runny batter.
Let it rest for 15-20minutes.
Heat up a non stick pan on low heat. Dip a paper towel with some vegetable oil and lightly grease the pan. Once it's hot, remove th epan from the hob, brush the pan with the batter using a silicone pastry brush, make sure you make a really thin sheet. Plaster any holes, bring the pan back onto the hob and let it cook. You'll see the sheet will rise on the edges, using a fork or your fingers, peel of from the pan. Lay it on a plate. Repeat until you've consumed all the batter

Barbecue (BBQ) Tofu Recipe

I made this a week ago really delicious, from youtube , here is the recipe, Barbecue (BBQ) Tofu Recipe

Homemade Kway Teow ~ Steamed Flat Rice Noodles

I tried this nice recipe from The waitakere redneck's kitchen, it is really good recipe. I know , it is easier to buy in the Chinese groceries, but it is really worth it trying to made this yourself, much different from groceries store, this one fresh, and silky soft.


Makes 8-9 pieces (½ kg)

Ingredients 150g rice flour
1½ Tbsp wheat starch flour
2 Tbsp corn starch
400ml cold water
1 Tbsp Oil ½ tsp Salt

Method


1. Mix the rice flour, wheat starch and corn flour together. Add the water and stir continuously.

2. Add in the oil, salt and mix thoroughly.

3. Set the batter aside for at least an hour.

4. Prepare your steamer

5. When the water is boiling, ladle and spread a thin layer of batter onto the tray Steam for about 4-5 mins on high.

6. Remove the tray from the steamer and leave to cool slightly (I leave it on a tray of ice cold water to quicken the process) before using a scrapper to fold the kway teow. While waiting for the kway teow to cool, put in the next tray to steam.

7. Cut into thin strips for fried kway teow. The noodle sheets can be kept in airtight containers in the fridge for a day or 2.

Ketchup Mei Fun With Omelette

Another good recipe from Lily's wai sek hong blog , I tried this recipe a couple weeks ago, so delicious and easy.

I didn't have mee hoon , I use mungbean vermicelli instead.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb mei fun/beehoon/rice vermicelli - soak in cold water
1/2 cup tomato ketchup/sauce
1 tsp chicken seasoning powder/granules
1 tbsp chopped garlic
4 eggs - beaten with salt and pepper
Water - enough to cook the mei fun
oil for frying the omelette and the mei fun
salt and sugar to adjust taste

Method:
Make omelette and cut into strips, set aside.
Heat oil in wok and fry the chopped garlic until slightly golden.
Add in tomato ketchup/sauce, 1 cup water and chicken seasoning. Bring to the boil and stir to combine.
Add in soaked mei fun and stir fry until mei fun is cooked and dry. (sprinkle more water if mei fun is still not cooked through and add more oil if necessary - mei fun tastes better with a little more oil)
Adjust the taste with salt and sugar.
Dish out and serve hot with the omelette

Bouncy Beef Balls

This recipe is for keep, but next time I will change corn starch with tapioka flour, for more bouncy result. This recipe from Lily's wai sek hong blog, nice result.

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean beef

4 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp oil

4 tbsp cornflour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp Accord

1/3 cup water

1 tsp white pepper freshly grind

Method:

1. Wash and pat dry meat, cut to smaller pieces.

2. Mince in a food processor till it becomes a paste. Add a tablespoon of water at a time, to ensure smooth blend (not to much) If food processor is not heavy duty, try divide it in 2 portion.

3. Mix other ingredients together to liquid (except pepper).

4. Transfer meat paste to cake mixer and using paddle, beat at high speed.

5. Pour liquid mixture to mince meat and beat till well blended.

6. Cover meat with clink wrapand leave in the frezzer for 30 minutes.

7. Boil lots of water in deep pot or wok. Take out meat from freezer, add pepper, stir well.

8. When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat.

9. Use one hand to hold some meat , form balls by pushing through thumb and index finger. Use a wet spoon to scoop and drop it in the hot water Continue until almost full in pot/wok (leave enough room forballs to float).(Balance of meat is to be put back into freezer until ready to make into balls)10. Turn on the fire and simmer slowly. When the balls start to float, let them cook further for few more second (cooked balls should not be pink inside). Remove and let them cool in cold water.

10. Bring the water back to the boil and repeat with the remaining meat.

Steamed Stuffed Bitter Melon

The recipe I found it from here. Taste delicious. I used ground chicken instead of pork.

----STUFFING-------------------------------

1/2 lb chicken, ground

1 can water slice water chestnuts (minced coarsely)

1 ts Minced fresh ginger root

2 tb Minced scallion

1 1/2 tb Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

1/2 ts Salt 1/2 ts Sugar

1 tb Thin soy sauce

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 ts Cornstarch

2 lg Bitter melons, about 3/4 to 1 lb.

-----SAUCE--------------------------------

2 tb Peanut oil

2 ts Minced garlic

1 1/2 tb Fermented black beans

1 tb Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

3/4 c Chicken broth

Salt to taste

1/2 ts Cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon cold chicken broth

1 tb Sesame oil

Combine the stuffing ingredients in a large bowl. Mix them thoroughly. The hands are the best tool for this job.

Cut the bitter melon into 1-inch slices; discard the end pieces. With a paring knife, trim out the insides. Lift them out. Stuff the cavity of each slice with a generous spoonful of stuffing.

Arrange the stuffed pieces of vegetable on a plate and set the plate on a trivet in a wok over enough hot water to come within 1 inch of the plate. Cover the wok and steam the food for 20 minutes. Remove the platter and trivet.

In a separate wok or pan, prepare the sauce. First heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil. Add the garlic and fermented black beans, stir for a minute, then add the Shaoxing wine, chicken stock and salt. Add the liquid that results from the steaming of the melon. Bring the mixture to a boil. Thicken with the dissolved cornstarch and flavor with sesame oil.

Pour the sauce over the bitter melons and serve.

Serves 2 as a main course

Chinese Dim Sum / Hakau

Yummy, but I have to practice again , so it will look much nicer.

Ingredients:

A.

250 gr shrimp

1tbs tapioca flour

1 tbs sesame oil

1/2 tsp salt

B.

200 gr tang mien flour ( hakau flour)

2 tbs vegetable oil

220 ml hot boiled water

Method:

Mix ingredients A.

Mix ingredients B

steam 10 minutes.

Siomay

Yummy , it is so easy to make siomay, I don't have precise ingredients, only ground chicken, tapioca flour, fish sauce, rice wine cooking wine( optional), salt, pepper, garlic powder, and the one made it different from other siomay , I added dice cabbage that I put salt in it, and leave it for 20 minutes, squeeze the cabbage, until the water gone, washed it with water, and squeezed again. The orange on the top is grated carrots.

Daikon / Turnip cake

I have a lot of Daikon/Turnip / lobak, so I made Daikon cake, If you like Dim Sum , you will like this.

I found the recipes from here

Turnip Cakes

2-3 Tb Small Dried Shrimp(optional - also soaking them in hot waterfor 20-30 minutes and draining is optional, we didn't do this)

2 1/2 - 3 cups(lightly packed) Coarsely shredded Daikon Radish

1 Lup Cheong(Chinese sausage) finely diced

2 Green Onions (include white parts) finely sliced

1-2 Tb Cilantro - finely chopped

2 Cups Rice Flour (* Important note - use rice flour, do not usesweet/glutinous rice flour)

1 Tsp salt(adjust up if not using shrimp)

1/2 Tsp Sugar

1/4 Tsp Ground White Pepper

1 1/2 Cups WaterVegetable/Canola Oil

1 - Place shredded radish in a small pot or saucepan with water. Bringmixture to a boil, than reduce the heat to a low and simmer for 15minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Remove radish from liquid(do not discard the cooking liquid) and place in measuring cup. Add in cooking liquid to bring the amount to approximately 3 cups.

Let the mixture cool to a lukewarm temperature.

2 - While radish is cooking, heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet orwok. When oil starts to smoke add the Lup Cheong,Green Onions, and Dried Shrimp. Stir fry for 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove the mixture from heat and stir in Cilantro.

3 - Get the steamer going.

4 - In a bowl mix the rice flour, salt, sugar, and white pepper.

Add the radish and cooking water, and stir to a batter-like consistency.

Add the Lup Cheong mixture to the batter and mix. Pour mixture into a8x8 cake pan, or a 9 inch round cake pan.

5 - Place cake pan into steamer, and steam at a medium-high boil for35-45 minutes.

6 - Once done, remove the turnip cake from the steamer and let cool.