Cabbage Tang Hoon recipe is more or less a fake Shark’s Fin recipe. Why? The glassy look and texture (tang hoon as also known as glass noodles) of the tang hoon is quite comparable to the shark’s fin, albeit not as crunchy. If I am not mistaken, there is a Stir Fried Shark’s Fin recipe out there which is quite similar, though more princely in price.

For those who are non-supporters of eating shark’s fin, this dish is a good substitute and can even be served as a main dish itself, much like any noodle dish. The main ingredients are simply tang hoon, cabbage and eggs. If you have fresh crab meat, that would be excellent but since not all homes are privileged to have crab meat most of the time, we shall have the “pauper’s” version here.

This is my mother-in-law’s recipe for Cabbage Tang Hoon Read the rest of this entry »

This is the third of a series of recipes using yam. When there is only 2 of us (my wife and I) to finish up a whole yam, we have to cook it in different ways as there is no way we can finish a whole yam in one sitting.

Anyway, as yam is sweetish in taste, it is suitable to fry it together with pork tenderloin (the most tender part of pork). I prefer this compared to potatoes as potatoes are not as flavourful. This is not the well-known dish of yam with belly pork slices but more alike the recipe using potatoes and is served in many chinese homes. Again, it is pretty simple to cook and comes in two distinct processes. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a relatively simple dish to cook involving the use of brinjals (some call them aubergines), garlic and dried prawns. You can add in some cut chillies as well. The blend of garlic, dried prawns and dark soya sauce makes this dish very appetising and suited for white rice. I usually add the cut chillies to make this dish spicy but considering that I had to feed my 4 year old daughter as well, I decided to forgo it.

There are essentially 2 parts to cooking this dish. The first is to pan fry the brinjals till it is browned on the flesh side and the second part is to cook it together with the rest of the ingredients. Try to cook the 2 parts in succession as the brinjals can turn into a less appealing colour after cooking. But then again, since we are using dark soya sauce, we can’t really see much of the purplish colour, can we? Read the rest of this entry »

I love simple to cook dishes. And with vegetables, I like them quickly cooked so as to retain the texture and nutrition. Hence, this dish is one of my favourites. Choy Sum (sometimes known as Chinese Mustard Leaves or Chinese Flowering Cabbage or Sawi) is one of the most popular leafy greens available in markets in South East Asia. It can be cooked and eaten on its own or cooked with other ingredients.

In most chinese restaurants (especially those in Malaysia), you can order this dish but the price which they charge (approximately RM6.00 and above for a plate) does not justify the price of Choy Sum and the ease of preparation. It’s like getting ripped off. If you can get them from the market, you can cook this dish by your self at home. As long as you know how to boil water and fry “something”, you can be a chef just like those at chinese restaurants. Read the rest of this entry »