Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food

Four-Angled Beans with Dried Prawns and Chilli

Vegetable, Dinner July 27th, 2006

Four-angled beans are also known as “Kacang Botol” in Malaysia.

This vegetable which has a very unique shape (hence its name), grows as a creeper and is a very good source of protein and contains all the amino acids, fatty acids and antioxidants to keep you healthy and in good shape.

However, it does not last long and it is recommended to eat them the very same day of purchase. Choose beans which have green edges.

We have this once in a blue moon, usually stir fried with dried prawns and chilli. Some people eat it raw or dipped into sambal.

This is my recipe for Four-Angled Beans with Dried Prawns and Chilli.

* Click on the picture for better view *

Ingredients

300 gms four-angled beans (cut diagonally thinly - about 3 mm thick)
50 gms dried prawns (pre-soaked)
3 bulbs shallots
3 bulbs garlic
3 to 4 red chillis (remove seed)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
20 gms belacan (optional)

Method

Pound or blend dried prawns, shallots, garlic, chillis and belacan (optional). (paste)

Heat oil in wok. Add paste above and fry on medium heat till fragrant and slightly brown.

Increase heat to high and add four-angled beans and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Whilst stir frying, add sugar and a sprinkle of water to keep moist.

Serve warm.

Popularity: 13% [?]

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Tofu with Dried Prawns

Tofu July 25th, 2006

Tofu is also known as beancurd and comes in many varieties. It can be sold uncooked or even deep-fried. I always have a fondness for tofu and this is one of the simplest recipes for tofu which I would like to share with you.

Ingredients

Soft white tofu (approximately 5 inches long, 3 inches wide and 3 inches height) or alternatively, 1 tube japanese tofu
4 shallots (sliced thinly)
50 gms of dried prawns (pre-soaked 10 minutes before cooking and minced)
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Water to boil

Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce

Garnish

Chopped spring onions (amount up to you)
Chopped red chillis (optional)

Method

Toast minced dried prawns on a frying pan at medium heat (no need to put oil) till brown and fragrant. Remove and place aside.

Fry shallots with cooking oil till golden brown, remove from oil and allow to dry. Keep oil aside.

Boil sufficient water in a pot and gently place tofu into the boiling water (ensuring that tofu is covered by the water). Boil the tofu for 1 minute. Remove tofu gently and place on plate. Drain excess water.

Drizzle oyster sauce and approximately 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil over the tofu. Sprinkle fried dried prawns and fried shallots over the tofu together with chopped spring onions / red chilli.

Serve with rice.

Popularity: 17% [?]

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Tau Yu Bak (Stewed Pork in Soya Sauce)

Pork, Dinner, Lunch, Chinese July 21st, 2006

Once in a while, mum will cook Tau Yu Bak (stewed pork in soya sauce).

I like this dish as it compliments rice very well. The rich stew tastes heavenly when poured over the rice and the meat is usually very tender by the end of cooking time.Tau Yu Bak can be cooked using either belly pork or even pork ribs. In this picture, pork ribs are used together with tau ki (which is soya sheets).You can also add hard boiled eggs or even tau pok (fried beancurd) as extra ingredients.

Taste can be a matter of individual preference and also depends on the type of dark soya sauce you use. Dark soya sauce (and even light soya sauce for that matter) differs in taste from one brand to another due to the individual recipe in the fermentation process. Some tastes saltier than others. Some tastes sweeter than others. For us, we usually source our dark soya sauce from our hometown in Pontian Kecil, Johor, Malaysia.

This is my mum’s recipe for Tau Yu Bak (Stewed Pork in Soya Sauce)

Ingredients

300 gms of belly pork or pork ribs. (If belly pork is used, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (fat at the top, lean at bottom). If pork ribs are used, choose meaty ones and ask butcher to cut into 2 inch lengths)
100 gms of tau ki (also known as foo chok. Ask for stiff type)
5 to 8 chinese dried mushrooms (pre-soak till soft)
3 whole bulbs of garlic
2 bowls of warm water (approximately 500 mls)

Seasoning

3 tablespoons dark soya sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
2 star anise
3 inches ceylon cinnamon (kayu manis)
salt to taste
white pepper to taste

Method

Heat pot. Add sugar. Once sugar caramelised, add meat and coat it with caramelised sugar to lock juices in.

Add water, garlic, chinese dried mushrooms and seasoning. (This is also the time to add hard boiled eggs and / or tau pok if you wish to have more ingredients)

Once start to boil, close lid, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Then add tau ki and simmer for a further 30 minutes. Add boiling water is stew becomes too dry.

Popularity: 19% [?]

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Bean Sprouts in Two Minutes

Vegetable, Dinner, Lunch July 20th, 2006

Do you like bean sprouts?

They are highly nutritious and easy to cook. It can be served on its own as a dish or it can be added into stir-fried noodles, kueh teow or rice vermicelli.

According to the Answers.com, bean sprouts are rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins and phytochemicals, all necessary for a germinating plant, and rich in essential nutrients for humans. It is thus essential that bean sprouts are cooked quickly to prevent loss of its nutrients.

This is my recipe for Bean Sprouts in Two Minutes.

Ingredients

300 gms bean sprouts (remove root part)
1 pot of water
3 tsp of cooking oil (palm oil / peanut oil)
3 shallots (sliced thinly)

Sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce
A sprinkle of sesame oil

Garnish

spring onions (cut into 2 cm lengths)

Method

Prepare and clean bean sprouts.

Heat cooking oil and fry shallots till golden brown. Remove from oil and drain. Reserve the oil (*).

Boil water in a large pot (enough to cover bean sprouts). Put bean sprouts into rapidly boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and drain.

Place cooked bean sprouts onto plate. Add sauce over the bean sprouts, followed by cooked oil (*), fried shallots and spring onions. Serve with fried rice.

Popularity: 11% [?]

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