Chee Cheong Fun III

After many attempts to get the chee cheong fun that i fancy, i have come to this one that i like. My friend, Kimmie, who is of Vietnamese decent served Banh Cuon at her son's birthday party and i liked it better than the cheong fun served at dim sum, as it was so delicate and smooth. I have made it with Banh Cuon premix and it turned out great if it is done right, that is, very very thin. The suggestion in the premix is to use 4 cups of water to the whole pack which is 12 ozs/340 gms, i wonder what is the proportion of tapioca/wheat starch/potato starch to rice flour that is in the whole pack? Anyway, i have found a video for banh cuon trang chao http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2472585946606212957&q=&hl=en and obviously did not understand a word of what she is saying but i could figure out the recipe and gave it a go. She used 5 cups of water to 1 cup of rice flour and 1/3 cup of tapioca starch. Her method of using the frying pan is the easiest way to make cheong fun.

Heat the crepe pan

Pour in a 4 oz ladle of batter

Keep pouring the batter until it reaches the edge of pan

Heat until a thin layer is at the bottom of pan

Pour back the excess batter

Cover the pan

The cheong fun is cooked when it is bubbly and transparent

Flip the cheong fun onto an oil board to cool before rolling

Roll cheong fun when it has cooled

Enjoy

Ingredients:

60 gm rice flour

20 gm tapioca flour (alternatively replace 10 gm with potato starch)

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and leave aside for at least 1/2 hour before making the banh cuon following the method above.

I like to serve banh cuon like chee cheong fun with the hoisin sauce and sesame paste.

Sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp sesame paste

1 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup water

Toppings

Garlic oil

Sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Fried Shallots

Chilly Sauce

Birthday Cakes

The Penquin is a tear-away cake
Butterfly Cupcakes

Dora Cake

The Penquin Cake was for Jessica who turned seven and Dora Cake was for Allyson who was three. The Butterfly Cupcakes were for Renee as she was into butterflies and ladybugs this summer.

Spicy Clams

Being thousands of miles away from the sea, we do not have the luxury of fresh seafood and have to cook with frozen ones. Frozen fishes are ok but make sure that they do not have froze bites and frozen clams are edible if cooked the proper way. Like the hokkien say 'bo hu, hae ma see ho' and 'bo bian'


Ingredients:

1 packet of frozen clams

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp hot bean paste

2 tbsp shao xing wine

1/2 tsp sugar

chopped spring onions

2 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil, add in chopped ginger and chopped garlic. Saute until fragrant then add in hot bean paste.

Add in the frozen clams and stir fry.

Add in the shao xing wine and cover the wok for 1 minute.

Uncover and check if the clams are heated through(do not overcook)

Add sugar to taste and spring onions.

Discard any clams that are not opened and dish up and serve

Serves

Stir Fry KangKong Delimas

Kangkong (Tagalog) or tangkong (Aklanon) is called in English, sometimes as swamp cabbage , water spinach, water glorybind, water convolvulus, although it's not really cabbage or spinach. In cantonese, it is called 'oong choy' , in Indian as Kalmua, and in Thai as Pak Boong.
It's sort of ubiquituous in the South East Asia, it grows everywhere, in ditches, in ponds, on dry land, or in cultivation. I prefer the cultivated type and love to stir fry with Delima's Stir Fry Sauce which is so convenient. Delima Stir Fry Sauce is available online here http://mytasteofasia.com/ and at the moment until end of June08, free shipping is offered for purchase of $100.00 or more. Take this opportunity and stock up. there are many more pastes and goodies which are a must in the pantry of any busy cooks.

Ingredients:

2 lb Kangkong , pick the young shoots and wash well , drained
6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 packet Delimas Stir Fry sauce

Method:

Put vegetable oil and the Delima's Stir Fry sauce in the microwave and heat on high for 3 mins, stirring the paste at 1 minute interval.

Put kangkung in a large bowl and pour the fried stir fry sauce on top.

Cover with splatter and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Stir and toss kangkung before serving

Serves

Kinpira Gobo/Burdock Salad

This is an overview from University of Maryland Medical Center :

Burdock has been used for centuries to treat a host of ailments. It has been traditionally used as a "blood purifier" to clear the bloodstream of toxins, as a diuretic (helping rid the body of excess water by increasing urine output), and as a topical remedy for skin problems such as eczema, acne, and psoriasis. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, burdock is often used with other herbs for sore throat and colds. Extracts of burdock root are found in a variety of herbal preparations as well as homeopathic remedies.
In Japan and some parts of Europe, burdock is eaten as vegetable. Burdock contains inulin, a natural dietary fiber, and has also been used traditionally to improve digestion.

After reading this overview, i had to cook this vegetable for my family and found this japanese recipe which was easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb gobo (burdock root)
1/4 lb carrot
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp mirin
1/2 tbsp sake
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsps vegetable oil



Method:

Peel gobo and shred it into very thin strips.

Soak the gobo strips in water for a while and drain well.

Peel the carrot and cut it into short and thin strips.

Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan, and fry gobo strips for a couple minutes.

Add carrot strips in the pan and stir-fry them.

Add all seasonings in the pan and stir-fry well.

Turn off the heat.

Sprinkle sesame seeds.

Serves

Rice Cooker Fatt Koh

Nature and ancestor spirits are common in popular Taoism so this recipe comes in very handy for those who wish to offer this for worship on the ancestor's altar.


Ingredients:

100 g self-rising flour
80 g sugar
100 - 105 ml water
red food coloring

Method:

Put an inch of water into the rice cooker , the steaming rack and the cups for steaming, press the cook button,

When the water boils, mix the ingredients thoroughly and well combined.

Pour into the steamed cups to 90%, almost to the brim and close the rice cooker.

Cook for 15 - 20 minutes (no peeking).

After kohs are done, remove and put in more cups to heat up for the remaining batter(if there is any)

Serves

Spicy Chang/Nasi Kunyit/Sambal Hae Bee

The 5th day of the 5th Moon this year will be June 8th and of course, the 'Chang' festival. Yes, i just found it to be so and it is too late to make any 'chang' for my friends - sorry. In desperation, have to scratch this old brain as to what should done to keep up with tradition. Viola, found a bag of frozen 'nasi kunyit' and 'sambal hae bee' and this is the product of the find.

Posted are the recipes for 'Nasi kunyit' and 'Sambal Hae Bee/dried prawns'


Ingredients:

Nasi Kunyit:

500g glutinous rice
1 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
2 pieces dried tamarind skin (asam keping) or 1 tbsp lime juice
1 can 400 ml coconut cream
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white peppercorns
2 pandan leaves, knotted

Method

Wash and soak glutinous rice in water. Add turmeric powder and dried tamarind skin or lime juice for several hours or preferably overnight.

Remove the cream from the can of coconut milk.

Put rice in a steaming tray and add thin coconut milk. Make steam holes in the rice , add peppercorns and pandan leaves.

Steam rice over high heat until nearly cooked for 20 minutes.

Combine salt with thick coconut milk.

Remove rice from steamer. Stir in thick coconut milk and continue to steam for another 8 to 10 minutes.

Sambal Hae Bee/Dried Prawns

250g dried prawns, soaked and pounded finely
2 tbsp tamarind pulp combined with 100ml water (squeeze, then strain the tamarind juice)

Oil for frying

Spice ingredients – to be blended

3 stalks lemongrass(grate the white parts with a microplane)

4 candlenuts (buah keras)
1 inch piece fresh turmeric (ground/powdered turmeric can be used)
1 inch square piece belacan /shrimp paste 8 fresh red chillies
10 dried chillies, soaked and seeded
10 pips garlic
1 cup shallots

Seasoning

Sugar and salt to taste

Method:

Heat a little oil in a large microwaveable bowl for 1 minute, add blended spice ingredients and microwave on high until fragrant(3 minutes at the time, stir)

When the spices are fragrant, add dried prawns and continue to microwave for another 2 minutes.

Mix in tamarind juice and microwave until dried prawns are almost dry. (Keep stirring to distribute the heat as the microwave will cook the outer ring of bowl more).

Adjust seasoning to taste.

Leave to cool completely.

To wrap dumplings:

Soak bamboo leaves in cold water.

Cook bamboo leaves in hot boiling water for 10 minutes.

Cool, then wipe dry.

Take 1 broad or two leaves and fold from the centre to form a cone.

Take a fistful of nasi kunyit and line the sides.

Put 2 - 3 tbsp of sambal hae bee over rice and cover neatly with more nasi kunyit.

Fold bamboo leaf over.

Tie tightly with string .

Tie dumplings in groups of ten and steam for 1/2 hour.

Serves