Char Kway Teow (Stir-Fried Rice Noodles)

Char Kuey Teow is basically stir-fried flat rice noodles with shrimps, cockles, chinese sausage (lap cheong), eggs, bean sprouts and chives / scallion in a mix of soy sauce with tinge of sambal chilli . Now, it sounds really easy but it is not so easy to get a well stir-fried Char Kway Teow. The key is to get the charred aroma when stir-frying over a high heat in a well seasoned Chinese Wok. We call it "Wok Hei" or "Aroma / Breath from the Wok". I guess when done right, the wok gives out a well blended charred aroma that fuse all the ingredients together. And the result, an irresistable plate of Char Kway Teow done right!

This dish is extremely popular in Malaysia sold in every hawker stall, restaurants and hotels too. It is almost like the signature dish of Penang island. Infact, the good ones all over Malaysia would name the dish as Penang Char Kway Teow.

There are techniques required to ensure you can make a delicious Char Kway Teow at home. I am still learning and sometimes I get it right, sometimes not. I can only impart some techniques I know of but even with that, it takes practise to perfect this dish.

Tips to make a great Char Kway Teow :-
1. Ensure wok is hot before even adding oil. Throughout the stir-fry, it is important wok is very hot. If wok is not hot enough, you cannot get the ingredients to penetrate fast on the noodles and hence your noodles may end up a bit soggy.

2. You have to be fast to stir-fry the noodles. Don't let the noodles sit in the wok for too long. If not, you may burn the ingredients and then you will get a burned taste vs charred aromatic taste.

3. Prepare all ingredients on hand (nearby your stove) so that you are able to pick and reach for them easily.

4. Secret Ingredient to make it really tasty - what else but Pork Lard!! For those who really know the best Char Kway Teow will be able to taste the different if the dish used pork lard or not.

5. Also be prepared for a smoky house if you are cooking indoors :). Best to cook outside and lure your neighbours with the wonderful smell.

But when the craving for Char Kway Teow calls, I will risk to have the smokey charred aroma linger in my kitchen. Infact, when I made this, I didn't even have some of the basic ingredients eg, cockles and chinese sausage. But it didn't matter, I was determined to eat Char Kway Teow.

Simple Ingredients :-

1 . 1/2 lb fresh flat rice noodles. If you are not in Asia and can't find find the fresh ones, you can buy the slightly frozen ones from Vietnamese Supermarkets. You just need to microwave it for 30s and break it up to strands.
2. 2 TBSP of lard ( Substitute - 2 TBSP of peanut oil)
3. 1 TBSP of finely chopped garlic
4. 4 - 6 shrimps shelled, de-veined, and tails left intact if you like.
5. 150g of fresh cockles, scalded and shelled (Substitute: more shrimps or add squid)
6. 4 - 6 sliced Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage),
7. 2 eggs
8. A handful of beansprouts - washed and drained
9. 5 sprigs of chives (Substitute - Scallions)

Seasoning -
2 tbsp light soya sauce (Substitute - 1 TBSP of fish sauce and 1 TBSP or light soy sauce)
1 tsp of dark sauce sauce - optional if you don't want it dark
1 tbsp Chilli paste(sambal) - optional if you don't like it spicy
1 TSBP of water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Simple steps : (Apologies, I can't post any photos as it is impossible to shoot the photos and cook this dish to the desired results - remember my tips - the wok is very hot and my hands must be fast to stir-fry. I will need a 3rd hand the next time I cook this)

1. Heat wok with lard or oil until hot and fry the Chinese sausages until fragrant. I like to start with the chinese sausage as it lets some oil out from the meat. Next, add the chopped garlic. Add about prawns and fry until cooked.

2. Make a space in the wok by pushing all the fried ingredients to one side. Add in the noodles and then add the seasoning. Stir-fry the noodles and all the side ingredients together, you can sprinkle some water which helps to further bind the ingredients in the hot wok.

3. Again, spread the ingredients to the side to create an empty space in the centre. You can add a little oil if you like. Then crack an egg (or 2) in. Let it sit for 3 seconds before you put all the ingredients to cover the eggs. Stir-fry evenly.

4. If you have cockles, add in. And then take the handful of beansprouts and add in the chives / scallions. A quick 5 seconds stir should do it and the dish is ready.

Serve the char kway teow and eat immediately. Careful, it's hot.

You will find that the noodles are soft but with strong charred aromatic taste and the bean sprouts provide a nice crunch to the dish. Enjoy!

Christmas in August?? Best way to serve Watermelon

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree..Of all the trees most lovely. Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree, la, la ,la, la....

Snap, Snap*** Oh man!! It's too hot to be Christmas!! With the summer heat at above 100'F, I am melting. Thank goodness for air condition. Maybe I am dreaming of cool and snowy Christmas. It will be my first Christmas in US this year and I am kinda looking forward to it.

So I wanted to share this easy and fuss free way of serving watermelon. I learned this neat tip when my good friend Tiffany brought this wonderful presentation of watermelon - perfectly sliced to a shape of a "Christmas Tree". Now, she brought this to my Christmas party last year in Malaysia and everyone gushed at what a beautiful idea it was. I thought I might share it on my blog nearer to Christmas but then it would be winter here then, do we even get watermelons?? Hmmm....

Well, Christmas is still a couple of months away. Watermelon is are so lovely during summer... the refreshing fruit is priceless during these hot summer months and a neat way to present them is something I could not wait to share.

The best thing about this presentation is that it it so easy to eat, no mess, no need to have watermelon juice running down your mouth, hands, shirts etc when you eat them.

Simple Steps :

Cut your watermelon into triangles. And then all you do is to cut off the stems at both left and right sides and just leave the middle part of the stem intact.



And Voila! You have a perfectly easy to hold watermelon (almost like a popsicle). Don't you think it is bursting with Christmas spirit? :) And so easy to just munch it down too.



You can have these cut in advance and just store it in the fridge. Just lay it down in a container. The stems will face slighlty upward and it is so easy to just pick it up.

There you go. I hope you like this neat tip to serve your watermelon. And your guests would most definitely marvel at this wonderful idea too.

Till December, while I wait for Jingle Bells, I would just enjoy my "Christmas Tree" inspired watermelon. Cheers!!

Almond Tuiles (Almond Curls)

Oh my! I am so excited to share this recipe as it is absolutely divine. So easy and delicious to eat that you can't make enough as it disappears in seconds. It is perfect as a snack or for afternoon tea but heck, you can have it anytime of the day.

This is one of the many recipes learnt at my baking course. I have since made it twice on my own and it is absolutely lovely.

In French, “tuile” means “tile,” and it is a reference to the shape of the classic tuile, which is typically allowed to bake and then molded while it is still warm and pliable. I just lift it up and it just curls enough for a slight curled shape.

Even as I am writing this, I am munching down these lovely Almond Tuiles.

Simple Ingredients :
1. 160gm Egg White (6-8 eggs depending on size)
2. 80gm Sugar ( I have reduced it by half as I prefer less sugar in my baking)
3. 80gm All Purpose Flour
4. 1/2 stick or 40gm Salted Butter (melted)
5. 120gm Almond Flakes / Pumpkin Seeds / Sunflower Seeds

Simple Steps :
1. Use a hand whisk, gently whisk egg whites and then add suagr. Whisk for 1 minutes until sugar dissolves.

2. Add all the flour and mix for another minute. Fold in the melted butter. Whisk until smooth.



3. All the almond flakes. You can also add pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds of your choice.



4. Take one spoonful of the mix and spread it thinly on a well-greased tray. I have a silicone baking mats and trust me it is worth the investment to get these mats for baking. You don't need to grease your pans for baking anymore.



5. Bake at 350'F for a few minutes and remove when golden brown. Use a fork to lift up the tuile and let it cool down on a separate tray. Continue and finish up the whole batter.

Enjoy!!

Baked Char Siu Bao (Baked Roast Pork Bun)

Char Siu (Char Siew) is a popular chinese roast pork often found in Chinese restaurants, eaten with rice or noodles. Personally I prefer Siew Yoke (Crispy Roast Pork) than Char Siu. I especially am not a fan of Char Siu if they are reddish in colour.



You are probably asking " What is she talking about?? Char Siu is reddish in colour!!!" Ok, precisely why I don't prefer it. Something about food coloring and extreme sweetness of the meat that is not to my liking but if I can find char siu which is baked and caramelized well to dark brownish...hmmm I prefer that a lot better. :)

The Char Siu I find here is Dallas are mostly reddish in colour. The taste is pretty ok but I would opt for "siew yoke" anytime. Just the other day, Hubby-D and I decided to order take-out of Siew Yoke for dinner, however as most Chinese Restaurant goes, Siew Yoke typically goes out by lunch time. Furthermore, it is better to order Siew yoke for lunch since it will be at its best, fresh and crispy out of the oven. Ok, no Siew Yoke so we order Char Siu instead. We only managed to finish half of the 1 lb portion so the next day, I decided to surprise Hubby-D with some baked Char Siu Bao.

We usually order this when we have dim sum so I thought it would be nice to attempt it at home and see how it turns out.

A quick search on the Internet and looking at various recipes, gave me a rough idea on how to make it.

Simple Ingredients :
Ingredient A : Char Siu Mix
1. 500gm of Char Siu (cut fine)
2. 1 large onion (Diced fine)
3. 1 TBSP of oyster sauce
4. 1 TBSP of Hoisin sauce
5. 1 TSP of Sesame oil
6. 1 TSP of light soy sauce
7. 1 TSP of dark soy sauce
8. 1 TBSP of Chinese Rice Wine
9. 1 TBSP of corn starch mixed in a bit of water

Ingredient B : Sweet Bun Dough Mix
1. 250gm of All Purpose Flour or Bread Flour
2. 7gm or 1 packet (1/4oz) Instant Yeast
3. 100gm of cold Water and 10gm of milk
4. 4gm of Salt
5. 50gm of Sugar
6. 1 Egg
7. 30gm of Butter (1/4 stick)

Simple Steps :
1. Dice Char Siu into small cubes and also dice the onion.



2. In a pan with a bit of oil, saute the diced onions first for 5 minutes. The add the char siu on top.



3. Add all the seasonings of oyster sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, chinese wine, light and dark soy sauce. Mix well and let it saute for 10 minutes in low heat until all ingredients are well mix. Add, a bit of water if your ingredients are too dry. Add corn starch mix last to thicken the sauce. Set it aside to cool.



4. For the sweet bun dough mix, add all the dry ingredient into mixer and mix on slow speed for 1 minute. Add eggs and water and mix on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add butter and mix for further 10 minutes on medium speed until dough if fully developed. Ferment for 1 hour until dough doubles in size.

5. Scale the dough into 8 - 10 pieces of ping pong sized balls (about 50 - 60gm)and round up with the palm of your hand on table.



6. Rest dough for 10 minutes and then flatten dough (edges flatter). Take a spoonful of filling and wrap onto dough. Turn upside down for smooth surface.



7. Place of baking tray and prove for 1 hour.. Brush eggs on the surface and bake at 350'F for 15 minutes until buns turn golden brown.

What do you think? :)

Help!!!! - "Ear Lobes" Biscuit??

You dip the "ear lobe" biscuit into black coffee. Scoop up some coffee along the way. Just because it can. You then transfer the "ear lobe" biscuit (without dropping any coffee) into your mouth and hmmmmm, crunch crunch, yum yum.....delicious.

Wait a minute!! "Ear Lobe" biscuit??!!! Oh man!! What a terrible name!! The truth is I have no idea what is the name of this biscuit. I just know that I grew up buying this biscuit whenever I see it sold anywhere in Malaysia. I think they are mostly homemade as they are usually sold in a transparent bag with no details. At least the ones I buy and they are usually really good and crunchy.



Now, if any of you know what this biscuit is called, please do let me know. So, calling out to Malaysians and Singaporeans whom I think would be familiar with this biscuit, tell me what is the name. If any other country has this biscuit, do share too.

The reason it is called ear lobes is because it is shaped somewhat like an ear lobe. You think?



With my relocation to Dallas 2 month plus ago, I managed to bring along one pack of "ear lobes" biscuits in my already overly full luggage. I savoured every bite and manage to take some photos before it all went into my tummy.

So help me out.

Do let me know what this biscuit is called and best if there is a recipe somewhere out there on how to make this.

"Ho Chak" Fried chicken with a special condiment twist

I remember watching a popular local cook show in Malaysia called Ho Chak. It is a 30 minute weekly show whereby the 2 young hosts would go around and introducing the delicious food in Malaysia. "Ho Chak" means good food in Hokkien (a Chinese dialect) and the show is extremely popular. Who doesn't like to watch a show on good food, though it would be much better eating it right?



In one of the episodes, they introduced a new segment at the end of the show whereby the 2 hosts would cook one recipe. This was quite a new twist to the show as the audience are so used to seeing the 2 host going around only eating. It was refreshing to see the 2 amateur hosts now attempt to cook.

I was pleasantly surprised by what they came up with as it was simple yet interesting. Infact I remember it till now. So I would say they made quite an impression as I actually made th dish myself the first opportunity I had after watching the show.

It was a simple fried chicken with a little twist on the condiments.

Simple ingredients :
1. 2 whole leg of chicken - light marinade of salt, pepper, light soy sauce and corn starch.
2. 5-6 cloves of garlic - chopped fine
3. 1 TBSP large red chilli - chopped fine
4. 1 cup of scallion - chopped
5. 1/2 cup Ginger chopped fine
6. Oil for frying

Simple Steps :
1. In a pan of hot oil, deep fry the whole leg of chicken. There is no flour or bread coating for the fried chicken. Just plain fried chicken with no think coatings. Deep fry till the chicken if cooked and golden brown. Remove the chicken and set aside.





2. In a new pan, with 2 TBSP of oil, put in the chopped garlic, ginger and saute till fragrant. Add the red chillies and scallions. Add a pinch of salt with 2 dash of sesame oil. Scoop up and put on top of the fried chicken as garnishing.





2 simple steps but this adds a new taste to the plain fried chicken.

Kaya Kok (Kaya Puff)

I was itching to bake something. I was out of yeast so I can't bake bread. I did not have cake flour to make cakes. I only had a pack of all purpose flour and I was cracking my head on what I could bake.

I went through the recipes I learned during my 2 month MIB baking course and sure enough I found the perfect recipe. Kaya Kok (Kaya Puff). Perfect! I made Kaya which is coconut jam and if you read my previous post (click HERE), I was not exactly thrilled with the colour and texture of how it turned out. It taste great but just wished I could get the rich dark brown colour the way my Aunt Judy makes it. Anyway, making kaya kok was simply perfect timing. I had all the ingredients required and yes I could cure my itch to bake.

What is Kaya Kok? It is simply a puff with coconut jam filling.



Simple ingredients :
1. Kaya - For the recipe please click HERE.

Dough ingredients A - Outer Dough
1. 150gm All Purpose Flour
2. 60gm margarine / butter
3. 30gm sugar
4. 55gm water

Dough ingredients B - Flaky Dough
1. 90gm All Purpose Flour
2. 50gm Shortening

Simple steps :
1. Dough. I am making flaky kaya Kok so this requires 2 doughs the outer and flaky dough. For each dough, mix the ingredients and knead them gradually till it forms a dough. Since this is a small portion, best to just use your hands. Let the 2 doughs sit for 5 - 10 mins.

Flatten the outer dough slighty (with the middle being thicker). Wrap the flaky dough into the outer dough. Make sure the dough close properly into a ball like shape and roll it around to form a smooth ball.



2. Roll the dough out into Vertical rectangular. Fold to 3 like picuture below. Let it rest for 10 minutes.



3. Turn 90an with a roller, roll out vertically into a thin sheet rectangular shape. From the top, fold downward like a Swiss roll shape.



4. With a knife, divide the dough into 10pcs (abt 2 cm width). Then witha roller, roll it out to a longish circular shape. You will see the beautiful swirls patterns on the dough. This will look beautiful when baked.



5. Fill kaya fillings in the centre of the rolled out dough. Seal together. Pleat the dough by pressing the edge with the thumb and first finger (similar to curry puff pleating).



6. Egg wash before transfer to oven. Bake at 350 for 30 mins. Remove from oven to egg wash again after 15 mins. Put back into oven for another 15 mins.



Hmmm... I am really happy with how the kaya kok turned out. The pastry smells really good as I used butter vs margarine and combined with the sweetness of kaya...this is a yummylicious snack for breakfast, tea-time or even supper. :)

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