Fish Maw (fa gau/hua jiao 花膠) soup with dried scallops (conpoy 乾瑤柱) and mushrooms

Chinese people believe that eating fish maw (fa gau/hua jiao 花膠) can help to improve skin because it is an excellent source of collagen. Many actresses in Asia say that they eat it pretty often to keep their skin young.

There are many interesting fish maw recipes. What we made today is fish maw soup. Fish maw (fa gau/hua jiao 花膠) itself has no taste but it can take on the flavors of the surrounding ingredients.

Method: 
1. Dried Fish Maw (fa gau/hua jiao 花膠) - Cook for 5 minutes in a different pot* and then take it out and put it into the pot where you are going to make the chicken soup. Don't add the water that you cook the fish maw in the chicken soup.

2. Dried Scallops (conpoy) - Soak them in hot water for about 1 hour and then add them together with the water into the pot that you are going to make the chicken soup.

3. Dried Mushrooms - Rinse before soak them in cold water. When they are soft, add them together with the water into the pot that you are going to make the chicken soup.

4. Chicken

 5. A few slices of ginger (optional)

*If the fish maw you get are very thick, you need to soak them first. After everything is added into the pot, boil it for 1-2 hours. Cut the fish maw into slices of desired size before serve. No need to add salt in the soup because it is much better to enjoy the natural flavors from the Dried Scallops (conpoy) and Dried Mushrooms.

Enjoy the soup:)!

Seafood Sambal Belacan Chili Fried Rice

Seafood Sambal Belacan Chili Fried Rice by Eunice Ooi:

This is Malaysia famous Sambal Belacan Chili Fried Rice. It's very easy to prepare.


Recipe:
Ingredients:
1. Cooked rice (better if stayed overnight) - 1 cup
2. Shrimps & scallops - 10 pieces (optional)
3. Egg -  1 (optional)
4. Cucumber & Tomatoes -  For decorations (optional)
5. Cooking Oil -  2 teaspoon
6. Cheong Kim Chuan Sambal Belacan Chili Paste - 1 teaspoon
7. Belacan  - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Garlic Salt - 1 teaspoon (can be substitute with fresh garlic)
9. Light Soy Sauce - 1 teaspoon

Method: 

1. Heat up pan or wok and add vegetable oil.

2. Add shrimps/scallops and stir fry until half cooked. 

3. Add egg into the pan/wok. Stir fry until egg is done.

4. Add Cheong Kim Chuan Sambal Belacan Chili Paste and Belacan. Stir fry. 

5. Add rice and garlic salt. If you choose to use fresh garlic, sautee the garlic first before you add rice. Add Light Soy Sauce and stir fry until it's fragrant. 

6. Serve hot.

Xue Er (Tremella fuciformis), Logan Soup

Xue Er (Tremella fuciformis - also called 'Yin Er' and 'Bai Mu Er') dessert soup is my favorite dessert.  You can cook Xue Er as a dessert or chicken soup.

To make dessert, I like to add dried longan, red dates, Fructus Kycii (Fructus Lycii - Goji Berry). It is very common that people add pear in their Xue Er dessert soup.  It tastes better with rock sugar so don't just use any sugar.

To make Xue Er chicken soup, don't forget to cook with  dried shrimp or dried scallops.  It is delicious!

There are many other ways to cook Xue Er.  Why not find some recipes on Google or Youtube?

Happy cooking!