Ebiko Noodles With Haricot Verts, Prawns and Shiitake Mushrooms

Today, I'm going to blog about wheat noodles because someone in the family asked me why Asians ate so much rice! Breakfast was Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice with Eggs/Anchovies Sambal, etc), Fried Rice, Porridge/Congee. Lunch was rice... Claypot Rice, Fried Rice (again!), Char Koay Teow (that flat white noodles is made from rice too!). Dinner is Hainanese Chicken Rice, Claypot Rice, Banana Leaf Rice (no, no, no... we don't eat the banana leaves but Indian food serve on the leaves like plates-no need to clean up later on!), Crab Porridge, Duck Koay Chiap... ok, the lots! Now, come to think of it... indeed I ate lots of rice (gasp! horror!) Fine... just want to point out that Rice is so versatile that it can be made into many eatable items. I'm not going to forgo my Paella, Nasi Lemak, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Briyani Rice, Sushi, Risotto, Mochi or Kheer, ok! :-P Click the link if you want to know more info about Rice. Now, back to the topic...

I was at the local Asian Supermarket one day to discover hidden among the variety of dried noodles displayed on the shelves, there was a stack of dark red colored plastic packages printed in bold black letters 'Prawn Egg Noodle' on it. We bought and ate noodles either fresh or dried, made with rice (yes, rice again) and the usual cereals or grains like wheat, durum wheat semolina, buckwheat, eggs, puréed vegetables or seafood like handcrafted specialties using Prawns, Nero di Seppia (Squid Ink), Carrot, Spinach and even chocolate! My mind made up that this pack was just like any other dried Prawn Egg Noodles in market... but there's something about that package that caught my eyes (or is it instinct?). So, what is so special with this noodle? Look at the photos below and tell me what you see...

See those little reddish bits? It's Prawn Eggs or Ebiko! I wonder how this company made that... but I DID tasted the ebiko bits after the noodle was cooked :-) What I could think of was the ebiko was dried first (or the Ebiko would burst during mixing!) and added later to the dough. Made into thin strands of noodle, bundled/moulded and dried again before packaging.

I did tried to find more information about this dried noodle but I'm lost in translation with what's the ingredients printed on the back of package in solid red and black! I tried to look for more info about this noodle but found nothing close to the description... so, I called it Ebiko Noodle for this dish instead of Prawn Eggs Noodle to avoid confusion :-D

Update:

A helpful foodie Food-4Tots, pointed out that the Ebiko is known as Shrimp Roe which I finally found some info about this Shrimp Egg Noodle-not much but some explanation of its origin.

Ebiko Noodle With Haricot Verts, Prawns and Shiitake Mushrooms

Serves 4

4 bundles/pcs of Dried Ebiko Noodles

300 g Prawns ~ heads removed and deveined (reserved the heads/shells for making stock later on*)

150 g Haricot Vert (French bean) ~ washed and tough vein removed

150 g Shiitake Mushrooms (fresh) ~ cleaned and sliced

3 cloves Garlic - minced

Generous amount of Shaoxing Wine

Some Spring Onion (scallion) for garnish

1 litre Prawn Stock*

Seasoning:

2 Tbl Premium Oyster Sauce

1 Tbl Soy Sauce

½ tsp Sugar

Salt & Pepper to taste

Thickening:

2 Tbl Cornflour

80 ml Water

Method:

1. Slice the Haricot Vert (French Bean) into bite size. You can use other seasonal vegetables available locally. Sliced the cleaned Shiitake mushrooms.

If using Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, soak them with warm water to soften before using. Set aside.

Prepare a large pot of water, enough to boil the dried noodles. Bring it to boil (or at least half boil) before you start the stir-frying as this dish is fast cooking!

2. In a hot deep pan or wok, add in some cooking oil. Add in the garlic and give it a quick stir to avoid burning.

3. Add in Haricot Vert (French Beans), Shiitake Mushrooms follow by the Prawns.

4. Next, in the Seasoning and give them an even quick stir. Add generous amount of Shaoxing Wine!

5. Pour the Prawn Stock into the pan and let it simmer for few minutes.

6. While the gravy is simmering, boil the dried noodles until cooks. Strain the water off and put them into serving bowls or deep plates.

7. Before serving, heat up the gravy and pour in the Thickening ingredients (stir the cornflour mixture before adding in). Stir the gravy until it thickens.

8. Pour the thickened gravy on the boiled noodles. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot.

Note:

You can do this recipe with 2 ways. First method as in this recipe if you want to serve fast to hungry mouths or unexpected guests. The other method will be cooking the stock with the thickener separately from the seafood and vegetables.

Boil the dried noodles or pasta first. Arrange the seafood and vegetables on noodle and pour the hot thickened gravy on it.This way, you can prepare in advance if you have more than 4 diners :-D

~ Extra ~ Extra ~ Extra ~

Making Prawn Stock*

Making prawn stock is a good way to use ingredients that would otherwise discard. If you are using prawns in other dishes such as noodles, the heads and shells are normally removed and thrown away. However, they could be used again to make prawn stock which is an excellent sauce to use in various dishes. Once made, prawn stock can be stored in the fridge for about 2-3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

1 Portion of reserved Prawn heads/shells (from 500 g medium-sized prawns)

1 Tbl Cooking Oil

2 slices Ginger

1 clove Garlic ~ minced

1 stalk Spring onion ~ cut into 4 portions

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

1. Heat a pot or wok. When it's hot, add in the cooking oil.

2. Add the minced Garlic and Ginger. Stir until it's fragrant.

3. Add in prawn heads/shells and give a good stir. After few minutes, add in Spring onion, water, sugar and salt.

4. Bring the mixture to a boil for about few minutes. Then turn the heat down to a simmer for another 20 min-30 min.

5. Let the stock cools down. Strain the mixture ~ separate solids from the juice. Use as needed.

Enjoy!

Prawns With Broccoli and Pine Nuts

For the last few months, I'd been eating quite a lot of seafood even when I travelled, I never missed tasting seafood specials of the regions. Of course, prices are hefty compared to my hometown - well, no fret I'll be back and ready to have seafood spree -actually the fishmongers are happy to see me, you know :-D They even remembered when was the last time I patronised their stalls :-P

I think there will be more meat and vegetables recipes coming (seafood is 'errhmmm' in Europe you know...) There's one scene I wanted to tell... any country I went, my first visit would be their fresh markets. I love the hustle and bustle of the local life, far away from tourists (except me of course :-D ) and sometimes, you may find odd food or specialty of the season amongst the vans, trucks and carts. The scene, I mentioned earlier was the first time I'm in Europe, I was shocked to see pre-cooked crabs and crevettes grises on display in baskets, trays and crates :-D I'm used to see 'live' crabs in tanks or ponds ready for selection and cook to your specifications. Well, except Flower Crabs and Blue Swimmers, other crabs are kept alive until further notice! What I can say is, today I'm a huge fan of Crevettes Grises! They are yummylicious and I always reserved the peeled shells and heads as stock for soups, stir-fries, steamed seafood, noodles... etc.

Looks like my next seafood tryout is going to be the cooked crabs but judging by the size and weight, it's going to pinch my purse soon :-D Anyway, I'm not doing fish... yet but here's a yummy recipe that may take sometime to cook but I love the results. It's like eating 2 flavours in one dish! Most important thing... mise en place... ingredients within reach, very hot wok or pan and fast stir-frying. Lots of handwork involved but all of us can do it! Serve this dish hot with steamed rice or made extra gravy, ladle on top yellow noodles. ramen or egg noodles as a delicious side dish to your main meal!

Prawns with Broccoli and Pine Nuts

Serves 2

25 g Pine Nuts

150 g Broccoli

150 g Prawns

1/2 pc Carrot

2 slices Ginger

1 Tbl Ginger wine

Some boiling water for scalding the vegetables

Marinade for Prawns:

1/8 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cornflour

1 tsp Oil

Seasoning for Broccoli:

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 cup Chicken Stock

3 Tbl Water

3/4 tsp Cornflour

Sauce (Gravy) Mix:

3 Tbl Water

1/8 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Sesame Oil

1/2 tsp Cornflour

Method:

1. Rub the pine nuts with clean damp cloth. Let them dry and toast the nuts until fragrant and golden. Set aside. It's important to stir the pine nuts constantly to avoid burnt. You can also bake the nuts in oven at 120 ºC for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. I used fan to have even roasting.

2. Wash and cut the broccoli into small florets. Slice the carrot into rounds or any shapes you fancy (for this recipe, I shaped the carrots into flower and sliced them about 2mm thick, to maintain the shape of the design). Set aside.

3. In a small pot/pan, heat some water to a rolling boil. Scald the broccoli florets and carrot for about 1 minute. Drain immediately and set aside.

4. Shelled and devein the prawns. Rinse and pat dry. Marinate for about 5 minutes.

5. Heat some oil in a wok or deep pan. When it's really hot, add in the broccoli and stir-fry for while. Sizzle with ginger wine, the seasoning and mix well. Dish out in a serving plate. (Keep it warm with another plate on top if you prefer).

6. Wash your pan or wok with some water and heat it up again to high heat (to evaporate the water before adding oil to avoid splattering).

7. When the wok or pan is dry, add in some oil. When oil is hot and smoky, add in sliced ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the marinated prawns and stir-fry quickly for few seconds. Add in the sliced carrots and the sauce/gravy mixture.

8. Mix well until the gravy thickens. Dish out on top of the cooked broccoli. Sprinkle some toasted pine nuts and serve.

Note:

If you can't find ready made Ginger Wine in your local Asian shops, you can try to make your own.

15 g old ginger - bruised or sliced into pieces

60 ml Rice Wine or Sake (please choose quality rice wine)

Add them together in a air tight jar and leave it to soak overnight before using. Strain the liquid as needed. This quantity will keep for several weeks, depends on how frequent you use in your cooking :-)

♪ ♥ Enjoy ♥♬

Spicy Chilli-Garlic Prawns

It's been more than 5 months, I had a part-time assistant or helper to do some chores at home. What amazed me was she managed to get very good (and cheaper too) some of my favourites from the local fresh market. I bet she's very good at haggling the prices! Frankly, I used to spend a lot buying food from supermarkets, which has little or no choice at all except imported produces which doubled the price (sometimes ridiculously) and such items had short shelf-life by the time they reached their destinations. Since I employed her, my expenditure for food reduced :-) but I still spend some hefty sums for quality wine or cheeses :-(

Few days ago she bought for me some fresh medium Tiger Prawns for only 3.10 € which made me grinned and thinking of ways how to eat these prawns. Btw, that price is for 1 kg and varies from day to day. Sometimes, when it's heavy rain, seafood are slightly more expensive. When the price is good, she would buy some for me to freeze, so that I could cook on other days when she's not working for me. No wonder, some of my neighbors seek her help to buy vegetables and particularly seafood! :-D

For this dish, it's important to know that a very high heat is used to avoid over cooking of seafood yet maintain its succulent and firm shape. Some foodies called it as springy, bouncy or 'QQ' texture that when you bite into these prawns, you can taste the bursting sweetness of fresh prawns and the marinades. You need to practice 'mise en place' if you're going to cook this stir-fry method which worth the effort. Now, let's wok away with this recipe...

Spicy Chilli-Garlic Prawns

Serves 2-3

500 g Large Prawns (like King Prawn or Tiger Prawn)

For the Sauce/Gravy:

50 ml Soy Sauce

30 ml Rice Vinegar

2 tsp Sesame Oil

30 g Tomato Ketchup

2 tsp Raw Sugar

1 tsp Cornflour

Some Water

2 Tbl Cooking Oil (like Corn, Peanut, Palm or Canola)

2 cloves Garlic - minced

1 Tbl Fresh Ginger - minced

1 nos Fresh Red Chilli seeded and minced (you can also use Jalapeño or Bird's Eye Chilli)

1 stalk Spring Onion - sliced thinly

Method:

1. For the Sauce: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir until sugar and cornflour dissolve.

2. Heat a pan or wok over high heat until you see some smoke coming out. Add 1 Tbl of the cooking oil. Add in the prawns and sear until browned on both sides (about 1 minute or so on both sides). Remove the prawns from the pan. Set aside.

3. With the same pan, turn up the heat on high and add in the rest of the cooking oil. Add in the garlic, ginger, chilli and half of the sliced spring onion. Stir for awhile until fragrant.

4. Add in the sauce mixture and give a quick stir until it starts to bubble.

5. Add the seared prawns and continue to stir-fry until cooked and the sauce thickens slightly. Dish out into a platter and garnish with the remaining sliced spring onion. Serve with hot steamed rice!

Tip: Before start cooking, prepare the other stir-fry ingredients mise en place because you will cook in very high heat and fast. The ingredients for stir-fry have to be within your reach so that the dish not only cooks fast but not over done. This method ensures your seafood stays firm and succulent. If using vegetables, stays crunchy and maintain its color and taste.

Enjoy!

Stir-fried Mixed Colored Long Bean With Prawns and Cashew Nuts

After a nice lunch celebrating my birthday (yep, am getting wiser another year! LOL) in a Japanese Restaurant, my family decided to get some grocery at this mall. It's Sunday and this place was crowded as usual. Judging by the hot weather, I bet lots of people were enjoying the 'free' air-conditioning in such malls besides bringing their families for shopping. Yours truly, preferred to be near the freezers LOL!

What a coincidence, someone we knew participated in a local Model Search held at this mall and we're glad that he was in the final. Later on, I learnt that he didn't won anything because the main awards and other sub-titles (is this the correct term?) were won by the sponsor's own models! OK, the 14 Finalists got something like RM 400 worth of Prizes (Vouchers? Toilettries ... worth € 84.70/ USD 111.08?) I found it strange... First, they advertised for Model Search which was opened to the public. If they voted their own models (which obviously already searched and founded) as winners, what's the contest for? I suspected it's part of their gimmick to promote their agency but what a biased and unprofessional etiquette! Could it be such practice is confined locally or the same as any model agencies through out the world? Is there any models or agencies that can shed some light in this matter? Yes, I felt it's not fair that my friend didn't win a single thing but I also pitied the other hopefuls I saw that day. They should get a fair judgement and votes! I remembered I saw a petite model about 5 ft 2 in who wore a 5 inch tall high heels... blessed her feet!

Ok, now back to this recipe I wanted to share :-D I found an interesting item (also rare) among the shelves of multi colored hues of vegetables! I read about it before but never thought I saw it with my own eyes this long garnet colored long beans! This is the end product... :-D

Here's the stars fo the dish... the Red or Purple Long Bean or Yard Long Beans (Vigna unguiculata)! I pictured it with some left over, common Green Long Bean variety. There's definitely differences between these 2 species; not only it's color but taste and texture. Which one is my favourite? Any guesses?

Let's get to dish! I mixed the two types of Long Beans with some prawns and nuts. The taste came out nicely balanced with the extra creamy, cruncy cashew nuts. I admitted, I was worried that the Red/Purple Long beans may lose their color and turned mushy, just like their green cousin. I decided to give it a good stir with high heat like I usually did with vegetables - the way I preferred. Voila! Here's the result... The dark color still there and guessed what? It tasted crunchy and not mushy at all compared to Green Long Beans which is still crunchy but slightly softer even though I tossed them into the pan the same time after I mixed them up first in a colander.

Stir-fried Mixed Colored Long Beans With Prawns & Cashew Nuts

Serves 2-3

100 g Green Long Beans

100 g Red/Purple Long Beans

100 g Prawns - cleaned and deveined

50 g Cashew Nuts - toasted without oil

4 pips Garlic - minced

½ cube Chicken Stock or ½ cup homemade stock

Oil for frying

Garnishes of your choice

Method:

1. Wash the long beans and trim into 3-4 cm lengths. Set aside.

2. In a deep pan or wok, heat some oil until it's hot.

3. Add in the minced garlic and stir-fried until it's slightly brown and fragrant.

4. Add in the toasted Cashew Nuts and stir.

5. Add in prawns and stir quickly (it would curl slightly; do not over cook the prawns or any seafood too long. The texture would be hard or rubbery).

6. Quickly, add in the trimmed long beans and stir to mix thoroughly. By now, the prawns already cook properly with the long beans.

7. Dish it out and serve with your choice of garnishing.

Enjoy!

Soya Sauce Chicken

I had been over buying some fresh chicken meat lately, in fact I was thinking of steaming chicken with some chinese herbs my sister-in-law gave me but the idea was put off for couple of times due to last minute change of plans (which I really hate it when I had to accommodate for the sake of someone else's... grrrrrr) and I landed myself with several pieces of chicken breast meats already thawed in the chiller for couple of days :-(

We knew the risks of thawing and refrosting is a BIG NO-NO! I had to do something about the chicken meat... fast because later in the afternoon, there would be some people coming in to check rusty rails at my balcony. There would be lots of screeching, banging and sparks flying about ( I wished it was like in Harry Potter). Alas... my poor plants would be frightened off their leaves! Sigh... but safety first. I wished I could changed the railings to flexiglass panels but I need to submit in paperworks ,blahs, blahs, blahs.... which would take months for approval! My day, definitely not only noisy but smoky and I can't enjoy the rain. Yep, I love rain but within the comfort of my home; not forgetting hot chocolate or tea and some cookies... :-D

Well, after standing inside my kitchen for hours (yep, I'm lazy too when it rains!) this is what I could think of after trying to wake myself up with coffee (thanks dear, for the lovely coffee everyday, bisous!) It's sort of the Malay style of cooking Ayam Masak Kicap - it's simple with few ingredients that made this dish fragrant with sweet and tangy taste from the tomatoes. Serve with hot rice, vegetables, fish or prawn cracker and papadums... don't forget dessert!

Soya Sauce Chicken

Serves 2-4

5 pcs Chicken meat - clean and pat dry (about 300 g - 450 g)

3 nos Big Onions - sliced

2 cloves Garlic - sliced

10 ml Thick Soya Sauce

5 ml Sweet Soya Sauce (Ketjap Manis)

1 nos Large Red Tomato - quartered (or more if you like)

Salt and Sugar to taste

Spices for frying:

2 pcs Cloves

1 pc Cinnamon stick (about 4 cm)

Few pieces Cardamom (I used 4 nos)

Oil for frying

Method:

1. In a deep pan or wok, heat some oil, enough to fry the chicken meat in small batches. Cook the chicken pieces half-cooked. Remove and set aside.

2. Fry the big onion, garlic slices and the spices until fragrant.

3. Add in the ketjap manis (sweet soya sauce) and thick soya sauce. Let it boil for awhile in the pan.

4. Lastly add in the half fried chicken pieces and tomatoes. Mix the meat with spices well.

5. Season with salt and sugar.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion and serve hot with favourite rice or as side dish.

Note: No need to add water because the chicken meat and tomatoes produced enough water for this dish.

Enjoy!

Stir-fried Chayote Greens With Brown Mushrooms In Miso

I was asked by my neighbour, if I seen or heard this 'Loong Sou Choy' aka 'Dragon Beard' . Ok, I know my Chinese dialects are rusty (I mean since Cantonese it's not my mother tongue) here but I knew what she's referring too. I told her that I bought some ( 2 bundles of 250 g each for less than 0.50 € !) because the price was very, very cheap at the local Tesco supermarket here and my family loves this vegetable. She's not sure of this plant that's why she didn't buy any when she saw at the fresh market. As I explained more to her about this 'Loong Sou Choy', she exclaimed that she bought 2 large 'Buddha's Palms' for soup (Chayote or as I called it 'Boxing Glove') and didn't know that these 2 vegetables are the same! Now, why farmers have to create confusion to end users like us? Buddha's Palm and Dragon's Beard??? Buddha's Palm hold by Dragon's Beard? Hmmm... I'm getting confused here as well :-D

Oh well... I have a 2/3 box of miso left and a box of nice Swiss Brown Mushrooms. I need to clear some space for tomorrow's grocery shopping and with heavy rain and storms predicted for next few days, I better stock up my fridge and pantry as well. Now, about this Miso paste, first time I tasted this product, it reminded me of Tau Cheo or Salted/Fermented/Preserved Soyabeans. This Salted Soyabean product is available in 3 versions - whole beans, coarsely chopped beans and finely chopped beans. I love the addition of Salted Soyabean paste in Ayam Pongteh - without it you will face the wrath of a Peranakan (Baba & Nyonya)!!! Without this magic paste, it's not Ayam Pongteh! :-D

With what I have, this is what came out from the pan... It sounded weird but it turned out very delicious though. There's no addition of salt or stock in this dish... :-) The Miso provides all that!

Stir-fried Chayote Greens With Brown Mushrooms in Miso

Serves 2-3

2oo g Chayote Greens/Shoots - wash & use only tender parts

1 small box Swiss Brown Mushrooms (or any mushrooms about 150 g)

2-3 cloves Garlic - minced

1 medium Carrot

1 Tbl Miso paste

Cooking oil

1/2 cup sake

1 cup water

Method:

1. Wash and trim off any hard stems and spoilt leaves. Trim short the tendrils if it's too long :-D Separate the leaves and tender stems and tendrils.Drain and set aside.

2. Clean the mushrooms and remove any grits. Slice into thin pieces or you can quartered them.

3. Wash and julienne the carrot into thin strips. Set aside.

4. Mix the miso with sake until smooth paste (Miso comes in thick paste so, you need to dilute it before usage.)

5. In a deep pan/ wok, add some cooking oil. When the pan is very hot, add in the minced garlic and stir until fragrant (but not burnt!). Add in the julienned carrot. Give a quick mix.

6. Add in the mushrooms; Mix well until slightly wilted.

7. Add in the stems and tendrils; stir quickly as we want the stems to cook evenly first. Then add in the tender leaves and young shoots. Mix throughly.

8. Pour in the water; This will reduce a bit the heat. Now, add in the miso and sake mixture. Give a quick stir because we don't want to destroy the goodness of miso. Stir the vegetables throughly. You can add extra water if you want extra gravy/sauce.

9. Dish out and serve as side dish or steamed hot rice.

Note: You can adjust the quantity of miso by add in half of the mixture first because miso is salty. Then you add in more if you like. For me, the amount I added into the sake mixture was enough for that quantity of vegetable and 1 cup of water used.

Enjoy!!!

Okinawa Spinach (Handama) With Scrambled Eggs and White Sesame

I saw this 2-sided vegetable in the local supermarket and I had to buy it! The label/price label indicated it as 'Purple Spinach'. Hmmm... which I doubt so judging from the smell and the texture of the plant. Perhaps, a distant cousin of Popeye's favourite source of iron??? What attracted me to it was the iridescent purple color below the leaves and dark green on top of the leaves. The tangy taste of the thick leaves with a hint of bitterness, reminded me of Shungiku, Tang O/Tong Hao in Mandarin or Chrysanthemum Leaves. This edible Chrysanthemum Leaves frequently used in stir-fry, soup and omelette (my preferred choice as the eggs brings out the flavour.)

In Japan, this bicolour colored vegetable (pictures below) is called Handama, Suizenjigusa or Okinawa Spinach ( Gyunura Crepidioides) where you can find Okinawans in Japan (hence the name) planted this vegetable which acts as ornamental ground cover and edible plant! C'est une géniale idée! There are 2 varieties (a) Dark green on top and purple on the bottom (b) Brighter Green on both sides but has milder taste. For this gorgeous vegetable I cooked like Chan Coi with eggs but I added toasted sesame for extra texture. This vegetable is also delicious when eat raw in salad or with sambals to maximise the intake of its medicinal properties.

Bunch of Okinawan Red Spinach.

Closer look of the Handama or Okinawan Spinach. I love the colour purple on this plant.

Another similarity with this plant is the Chan Cai, Shan Tsoi, Slippery Vegetable, Poi or Malabar Spinach (It's not spinach but of Basellaceae family.) I had grown this Malabar Spinach (Red Stem) aka Tsuru Murasaki before from seeds in large rectangular boxes; there are 2 species - Malabar Green Stem and Malabar Red Stem. Keep the seeds when they are dried so that you can replant fresh batch. It's a fast thriving vegetable in warm/hot climates :-) You need to fix trellis around this plant to give support to the stalks... pity I don't see any Giant's castle above the clouds with golden goose because they were trimmed ✄ down to feed my stomach first! ☺

There's a warning though when you cook such vegetable, the beautiful purple/red color 'leaks' out into the juice or gravy and you won't see the color purple/red at all after cooking (pictured above ☹.)

Handama (Okinawan Spinach) With Scrambled Eggs and White Sesame

Serve 2-3

250 g Handama/Okinawan Spinach

2 nos Eggs

2 cloves Garlic - minced (optional)

1/2 pc Carrot - julienned

1 tbl Sesame Oil

2 tbl White Sesame Seeds - toasted until golden brown

1 cup Chicken Stock

Cooking Oil

Method:

1. Wash the vegetables; Discard any spoilt or wilted leaves - we use only the leaves, tender shoots and stems. Set aside.

2. In a wok/deep pan, heat some cooking oil until it's really hot; Add in the minced garlic, stir a bit to avoid burning. Add in the carrot and Okinawan spinach. Give a quick stir.

Note: Wok needs to be hot to achieve quick stir-fry process because we don't want to destroy the vitamins and if you cook too long, it will become mushy.

3. Make a hole in the centre of the wok, crack the eggs into the centre. When the eggs start to turn opaque, stir the mixture with spatula to break apart the cooked egg mixture (remember the wok is very hot, so you have to work fast.)

4. Pour in the chicken stock and stir to mx all the egg mixture with the vegetable.

5. Dish out on a serving plate. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top.

6. Spoon the sesame oil around the vegetable and serve hot.

Hope you enjoy this dish as much as I did... Enjoy!

Stir-fry Gai Choi With Shiitake Mushroom and Salted Fish

There are several bitter and pungent vegetables that I love to eat like bitter gourd, chicon (Belgian Endive), and Gai Choi/Kua Chai is one of them. I can assure you, is like eating mustard instead of seeds, you're eating the fleshy and thick stems and pungent leaves. I also like wasabi... ☺ According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), bitterness is good for cleansing gallbladder, liver, kidneys, etc.

This Chinese Mustard Cabbage appeared mostly in soups, stir-fries and pickled as salted mustard leaves. The size is very large... sometimes you can find as big as human head! One thing weird about this Mustard Cabbage was it has lots of holes which means ... worms, well, most of the time. I remembered my mom used to remind me to look for wriggles even after the vegetable washed. I don't know why but that's how most Asian people recognised this vegetable. Yep, no joke about it! I'm lucky the piece I bought as pictured here is clear of worms but still with holes here and there on the leaves! That's why is best to soak the leaves longer in water to get rid of this pest and also dirt. Usually, I will soak the leaves in warm water with vinegar for few minutes, rinsed and drained in a colander.

To cook this vegetable is quite easy... For soup, I used a whole head. I easily could finished that amount in one sitting but I tried to constraint myself from doing so ☺. For stir-fries, I usually use about 4 large outter leaves for 2 persons because the leaves emerged smaller as you peel towards the heart of the cabbage. So, you need to adjust the quantity accordingly.

Stir-Fry Gai Choi With Shiitake Mushrooms and Salted Fish

Serves 2-3

2-4 leaves Gai Choi (Chinese Mustard Greens)

4 pcs Dried Shiitake Mushrooms, soaked until soften & drained

10 g - 20 g Salted Fish (any type will do) (optional)

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 pc Carrot-julienned

Some Water or Chicken stock, about 1/2 - 1 cup (optional)

Oil for cooking

Salt to taste (optional)

Method:

1. Wash the Gai Choi leaves (Chinese Mustard Greens) thoroughly from grits and drained. Cut or tear into bite size pieces. Set aside.

2. Cut the softened Dried Shiitake Mushrooms into strips.

3. Rinse the Salted Fish from excess saltiness. Pat dry with kitchen papers. Sliced into small pieces of 5 cm,

4. Heat a wok/pan with some cooking oil. When pan is really hot, add in the minced garlic. Stir until fragrant.

5. Add in the Salted Fish and fry until it's golden brown and crispy.

6. Then the sliced mushrooms strips and julienned carrot. Stir for a moment.

7. Add in the Gai Choi, stir quickly and add in the Chicken Stock or Water. Let it simmer until the vegetable soften to your liking. * When I'm using salted fish or Chicken stock, I don't add any more salt. Adjust the taste accordingly.

8. Dish out and serve with rice.

Cheers!

Sweet Basil Omelette

This is a very simple omelette recipe with sweet basil. You can also use any basil available locally in you own country. This recipe has been in my family as long as I could remember. I love eating it with rice and some soya sauce ( I know I like to use soy sauce :-) but it's a versatile liquid and important ingredient in Asian region) which made me happy and content eating that way. The smell of Basil lifts my appetite anytime... :-) 

My Sweet Basil had been growing very happily (actually too happy!) in their pots that I had to trim and use the leaves fast before they turned yellow. The tallest of the bunch was about 2 feet tall now and nearly bent over due to the weight. I had to cut some branches off and replanted again in new pots. I had given away several pots to my neighbours as well. I hope they have good fertile homes...

Sweet Basil Omelette

2 cups Sweet Basil or any of your choice - fully packed

4 nos Eggs ( I used Large Eggs)

1 tbl Fish Sauce (optional)

2 tbl Soya Sauce

White Pepper

Sesame Oil

Oil for cooking

Method:

1. Wash the sweet basil throughly. Drain and set aside.

2. In a large bowl; break the eggs and whisk lightly

3. Add in the fish sauce and soya sauce to taste. If you don't have fish sauce you can use soya sauce through out and adjust the saltiness to your taste. Mix well the mixture.

4. In a medium size pan, heat enough oil to cook the amount of the egg mixture. When the pan is hot, pour the egg mixture in. Before the mixture sets, quickly add in the sweet basil leaves and distribute the leaves evenly around the omelette. (Before add in the leaves, bruise the leaves a bit with your hands to release the basil oil.)

5. When omelette is about to set, fold over a half portion of omelette over the other half (like folding pancake or Coin Purse Egg) carefully to form a half moon shape. Let the omelette cook for few minutes or until there's no more uncooked liquid oozes out when you press it with spatula.

6. Remove from pan and drizzle some sesame oil before serving.

Serves 2-4 portions.

Note: If the basil leaves are large, you can shred it to smaller pieces, chiffonade or chopped to smaller pieces. You can even eat it between 2 slices of bread like sandwich :-)

♪ Enjoy♬

Stir-fried Ginseng Eryngi Mushrooms With Leek & Capsicum

It's been several times now that I included Eryngi Mushrooms in my diet and my family like it as well. Firstly, it's a hardy mushroom and not easily spoilt compared to other species of mushrooms. For this dish, I used Ginseng Eryngi Mushrooms with some leeks and capsicums. Usually, when I had my meals, I like to have some varieties on the table with minimum 2 dishes with rice or noodles. I tried to have meat, vegetables, poultry or fish combinations but most of the time vegetables are the highest quantity consumed :-) I think my fridge has more vegetables than ever before. Must be the habit since childhood... :-)

Stir-Fry Ginseng Eryngi Mushrooms With Leeks & Capsicum

250 g Ginseng Eryngi Mushrooms

100 g Leeks

1 nos  Red Capsicum - medium size

2 cloves Garlic-minced

Sesame Seeds - toasted

Soya Sauce to taste

Shaoxing Cooking Wine to taste

Cooking Oil

Method:

1. Remove any grits from the mushroom and cut off the hard stump. Wash the whole mushrooms and pat it dry. Slice the mushrooms about 2-3 mm thickness or to your liking. Set aside.

Note: This is the only mushroom that I would wash under running water :-P

2. Wash the Leek stalks thoroughly from grits. You can slice it first then wash with water or remove each layers which were affected by dirt and soak in water so that the dirt will sink to the bottom. After cleaning, slice diagonal the leeks and set aside. You can slice in rounds but I prefer diagonal cuts in leeks.

3. Wash and cut capsicums/bell peppers in halves. Remove the seeds and white pith. Slice diagonally as well.

4. In a pan or wok, heat the oil. When oil is hot, add in the garlic. Give it a few stir until fragrant.

5. Add in the, vegetables. Give a good stir and then add in the Ginseng Eryngi Mushrooms. Stir the vegetables thoroughly.

6. Stir in some soy sauce to your taste and add in some Shaoxing cooking wine. If you don't have Shaoxing wine, you can use brandy/cognac or dry sherry instead... :-)

7. Just before serving add in the toasted sesame seeds. Give a few stirs and serve hot with rice or side dish to your main meal...

Note: You can make a thicker grave/sauce by mixing 1-2 tsp of cornflour/cornstarch with some water and pour back into the wok/pan. Stir a few minutes until the gravy thickens. Dish up and serve hot.

UPDATE: For those who are interested to read more about Folklore/ Cookery/ Mycology/ Drug, you can download this digital edition of Mushrooms, Russia and History, 1957 by Author, Robert Gordon Wasson & his wife,  Valentina Pavlovna Geurcken. It was scanned from original from a generous contributor and hand corrected by Igor Dolgov, Zachary Jones and Gred Golden. It's a rare book which fetched thousands of USD!

♫ Enjoy ♪