Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu

The broccoli and cauliflower are two of my favorite vegetables from the same cruciferous family called Brassicaceae. They both consist of a compact head of florets and are nutritious,low in fat but high in dietary fiber, water and vitamin C.

I normally add some egg tofu to complete this stir fried mixed vegetables dish. The delicate egg tofu comes in a tube where I can easily cut into rounds for shallow frying until crispy.


Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables with Tofu



1 cluster of broccoli, cut into small florets
1 small cluster of cauliflower, cut into small florets
100 gm prawns
50 gm carrot, sliced
1 stick egg tofu, cut to 8 pc
1 teaspoon ginger, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp oyster sauce
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp cornflour
salt, pepper, sugar, water

1. Heat oil in the wok.
2. Fried the egg tofu till golden brown, drain and dish out.
3. Saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
4. Fry the prawns for a minute and dish out.
5. Blanch the broccoli, caulifower and carrot in small pot of boiling water for a minute.
6. Drain well and add to the wok with a sprinkle of salt.
7. Mix back the prawn with the oyster sauce, salt and sesame oil and stir fry for a minute.
8. Add back the tofu.
9. Blend the cornstarch, sugar and pepper with some water from the pot and pour in.
10. Stir fry and cook until gravy thickens and bubbly.
11. Serve hot with rice.

Lettuce Wrap

Gong Xi Fa Cai! 恭喜发财 Chinese New Year is here early this year, January 26, 2009, the Year of the Ox. Food as usual, plays an important role at most Chinese festivals and gatherings. This is especially so during the reunion dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year.


We always have an impressive line-up of food such as chicken, prawns, fish, roasted pork and other auspicious-sounding dishes on the dining table.


As it's not an easy task to cook for a big gathering of family members within limited kitchen space, we always have a potluck of dishes brought together, cooked in different kitchens. The base soup, rice and praying peripherals would be prepared in my mother-in-law's house where everyone congregates.

Today, however, I'm showing the most interesting way of eating the yummy food with our hands instead of using chopsticks or fork and spoon, the lettuce wrap!


The lettuce wrap is a popular item among my siblings. We must use the Chinese lettuce or sang choy, as its leaves are larger and more pliable, allowing more food to be wrapped.


We just pile small pieces of our favorite food on to a lettuce leaf, wrap it neatly like a burrito, dip into our preferred sauce and pop into the mouth. Yum, yum! No recipe for this, just make sure the lettuce is fresh and clean!


This way, we can have a many mouthfuls of all the different yummy stuff eaten in mini portions.

Stir Fried Tau Miu

The tau miu (sweet pea sprout) is a tiny leaf vegetable which is quite sweet. The round leaves require very little cooking and can be prepared in a jiffy. I'll buy the tau miu when I come across this vegetable in the wet market once in a while.


Stir Fried Tau Miu



300 gm tau miu
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp oil
salt

1. Rinse and drain the tau miu.
2. Heat oil in the wok.
3. Saute the sliced garlic till golden and dish out.
4. Saute the chopped garlic till fragrant.
5. Add the tau miu and stir fry lightly with some salt.
6. Dish out and garnish with sliced garlic.
7. Serve hot with rice.

Steamed Tofu

We have a tofu dish for dinner at least once a week, in place of fish or meat. If it's the firm tofu, I would normally fry and add in some other complements. The other type of tofu, the silken soft tofu, is usually steamed.



I try to buy the fresh ones but these are quite hard to come by and are only available in some wet markets. Otherwise I have to make do with the pre-packed type which can be found in most places. This is easily stored in the fridge and can be cooked any time.

Steamed Tofu



1 pack soft tofu
1 stalk spring onions, chopped
1 tsp onion oil
soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper

1. Remove packing and place tofu onto steaming plate.
2. Steam lightly for 3 minutes.
3. Sprinkle sesame oil ,onion oil, pepper and soy sauce on top.
4. Garnish with spring onions.
5. Serve hot with rice.

Steamed Chicken with Kei Chi

After cooking fish consecutively for a few sessions, it's time for a change of menu. Instead of frying chicken, I'm steaming it. Also, to cater to different preferences, I am using both fillet and bony chicken as I am the bone-eater (not the bone but the fleshy/bony part of the chicken) whilst my son prefers the fleshy parts.

I am adding some wolfberries or kei chi 杞子 to enhance the chicken with its sweetness. The kei chi is used in traditional Chinese medicine to improve eyesight, boost energy levels, combat chronic fatigue, fight cancer and chronic illnesses.


Steamed Chicken with Kei Chi



5 pcs chicken fillet
2 chicken thighs, skinned
1 tsp kei chi 杞子 (wolfberries)
1/2 tsp shredded ginger
1 stalk spring onions, cut to 1 inch length
salt, sesame oil

1. Remove excess fat from chicken and cut to smaller pieces.
2. Marinate with some salt and place in serving plate.
3. Add kei chi and ginger with a dash of sesame oil.
4. Place onto the steaming tray and cook with the rice in the rice cooker. (Otherwise, steam over boiling water at medium heat for about 15 minutes)
5. Garnish with the chopped spring onions.
6. Serve hot with rice.

Marrrow Soup

The hairy marrow is known by numerous names; hairy gourd, fuzzy gourd, hairy cucumber, hairy melon, whatever. The Cantonese call it jit kua.



It is a long light/dark green gourd with a downy, hairy skin, narrowing in the center and fattening at the end. It can either be stir fried or used in soups.


Marrrow Soup



1 pc marrow
100 gm lean pork, sliced
50 gm toong fun (冬粉), soaked and drained
1 thumb-sized ginger, smashed
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
1 tsp tapioca flour
1 tsp toong choy (preserved cabbage)
1 egg, slightly beaten
salt, pepper, soy sauce

1. Peel and cut the marrow into shreds.
2. Place toong choy, ginger and water into the pot and bring to boil.
3. Add in marrow and cover till boil.
4. Marinate the pork with salt, pepper, soy sauce and toss in flour.
5. Stir into soup, ensuring the meat does not stick together.
6. Add in the toong fun.
7. Break the egg into the soup.
8. Add spring onions and season to taste.
9. Serve hot with rice.

Stir fried Long Beans with Fish cake

My eldest son loves to eat long beans or dau gok as they are very crunchy. The long beans as a vegetable is quite versatile. It can be cooked in many ways, as omelette, in curry or stir fried or eaten raw as in ulam.

They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium as well as vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.

I experimented growing the long bean creeper in my garden and managed to harvest a few strands of long beans recently. Hubby reminisced that his mum used to cook the leaves in her home-made pan mee soup.

Stir fried Long Beans with Fish cake



300 gm long beans, cut to 1 inch long
2 pieces fish cake, sliced
1/2 tsp ginger, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp oil
salt, water
1 tsp Cosway Delichef Crispy dried shrimp readymix chilli

1. Heat oil in the wok.
2. Saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
3. Fry the fish cake for a minute and push to the side.
4. Add the long beans and stir fry with some salt, sesame oil until they change color, adding in water when necessary.
5. Mix in the readymix chili.
6. Serve hot with rice.

Herbal Tea

Looks like the rainy season has just left and the hot spell is now upon us. Gosh, daytime temperatures are as high as 35 degrees Celcius! Time for the Leung Cha or herbal tea which can be drunk either hot or cold.



There are many different ingredients that we can mix and match for the herbal tea. The Chinese normally drink this mixture of herbal tea to fight off "the heat" accumulated in the body; especially after eating fried or spicy food and during the hot season.

This morning the herbalist recommended me a packet of bark ji chou (北子草) and ha fui chou (夏枯草) or Common Selfheal Fruit-spike as the base for the herbal tea. I've added the Buddha fruit and winter melon which reduces coughing and phlegm.


Herbal Tea



1 pc dried Buddha fruit (lo hon gor)
1 pkt bark ji chou/ha fui chou
130 gm rock sugar
300 gm winter melon
5 liter water

1. Peel and cut the winter melon into bite size pieces.
2. Break the lo hon gor into a smaller pieces.
3. Rinse all the ingredients lightly and put in pot with water.
4. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
5. Serve hot or cold depending on preference.

FriedTenggiri with Fuchok

The Spanish Mackerel or ikan tenggiri (Malay) or kao yu (Cantonese) is a regular feature on my dinner menu as the hubby loves it, cooked whatever style.

I usually ask the fishmonger to slice the fish into nice cutlets for easy cooking. Since this fish has very few bones which can be easily removed, it is one of the rare fish which I can persuade my son who is not a fish-eater to take.

Fried Tenggiri Fuchok




3 cutlets ikan tenggiri
2 pieces bean curd or fuchok
1 tsp carrot, shredded
1 tsp ginger, shredded
2 shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk spring onion, chopped
salt, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, water
8 tbsp oil

1. Marinate the fish with some salt for 20 minutes. Rinse it slightly before patting dry for frying.
2. Heat half the oil in wok.
3. Fry the fish till golden brown. Remove and set aside.
4. Wipe the fuchok clean and break into smaller pieces.
5. Fry each piece individually, dishing out as soon as it turns crispy. Add oil when necessary as the fuchok tends to soak up oil pretty fast.
6. Use remaining oil to saute the ginger, shallots and garlic till fragrant.
7. Add the carrot and stir fry with salt and sesame oil for a while.
8. Pour in 1/2 cup water and 1 tbsp soy sauce and cover to boil.
9. Add back the fried fish, fuchok and spring onions.
10. Add sugar and pepper to taste.
11. Serve hot with rice.