Dragon Beard Candy

I took pictures of this Dragon Beard Candy street vendor in New York City Chinatown last week.

Dragon Beard Candy is a traditional Chinese sweet that was invented for the emperor about 2,000 years ago.   It consists of many very fine strands of sugar, giving it the imagined appearance and consistency of a fine beard, like that of a dragon -- hence its name.

Have you tried Dragon Beard Candy before? You can find 8 different flavors of delicious Dragon Beard Candy on our site.  The 8 different flavors include Original, Seaweed, Black Sesame, Almond, White Sesame, Spicy etc.

It is also a great gift idea.

Hot Pot Obsession

Hot Pot Obsession by Danielle Drew:

You may find it strange that I, a girl from southwest Missouri, have been on a mission for the last several months to find what my taste-buds cannot live without...HOT POT! 

I was first introduced to the Hot-Pot style meal in Dalian, China where I lived for six months teaching undergraduate business courses. I was a little hesitant at first to boil my meat, veggies, and tofu which at first glance looked like a sponge; however, the mere second the soup base touched my tongue I fell in love with the zing, spice, and flavor coupled with the dipping sauce...I was in heaven. My favorite was always the spicy broth, but the plain was good too. I continued eating hot pot about twice a week for the remainder of my time in China. We usually ordered a plate of assorted vegetables (potato, sweet potato, melon, carrot, napa cabbage, bok choy, and enoki mushrooms), frozen tofu, beef, and lamb. I always went with at least 3 other people so this was plenty of food for the four of us. The dipping sauce used in Dalian was a peanut based sauce...I don't know all of the ingredients but I just know that it was delicious. You could add garlic and sliced ma la peppers to your sauce to give it more flavor as well.

After returning to the U.S.A. I knew I had to find a way to either make the soup base and dipping sauces from scratch, or buy them somewhere. I looked at several recipes online but they seemed so difficult. I was really discouraged that I might never get that amazing hot pot again...until of course I found AsianSupermarket365.com !

They had exactly what I was looking for. Several different soup bases to choose from AND dipping sauces . I know there are Asian Markets in the U.S.A. but since returning to the States I moved to Washington D.C. and all of the large markets are in the suburbs. It's difficult for me to get there because I don't have a car so I thought I'd give the online order a try. The products arrived within a few days, hassle free and I have since been able to enjoy my favorite hot pot meal again.

Here is how I prepare my Hot Pot meal with several ingredients purchased from AsianSupermarket365.com .

Ingredients:

• Carrots
• napa cabbage
• potato
• broccoli
• enoki mushrooms
• 1 package of Little Sheep spicy hot pot soup base - I like this one in particular because unlike some other soup base mixes the Little Sheep one allows you to put in the desired amount of each ingredient (oil, peppers, etc). Each ingredient is individually wrapped so you can create your favorite blend for the soup base. It met my expectations plus some!
• 1 package hot pot spicy dipping sauce - This is peanut based and is exactly like the dipping sauce I had in Dalian. I especially like to dip my tofu and potatoes in this sauce.
• soy sauce
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• sliced green pepper (spicy)
• sesame oil
• frozen tofu (I buy an extra firm block of tofu from the grocery store, slice it into rectangles and separate them with wax paper...put into a freezer bag and freeze. When I'm ready for hotpot I get them out about an hour early and remove the wax paper and let thaw on a plate. This gives the tofu a different texture and I think makes it even better for hot pot because it absorbs more flavor)
• thinly sliced beef

I pour the soy sauce in a dipping container, mix the minced garlic, green pepper, and sesame oil to create an additional dipping sauce (besides the peanut based one) that I like to use for my napa cabbage. The rest is pretty easy, just pour the ingredients of the soup base in the pot, add the desired amount of water and once it's boiling drop in your ingredients. Once they are cooked dip with sauce and enjoy :)

Thanks for carrying these products AsianSupermarket365.com , I will be buying many more packages!

Danielle Drew

AsianSupermarket365 Gift Certificates - A Great Gift Idea

AsianSupermarket365 Gift Certificates - A Great Gift Idea!!!

Let your friends shop for themselves!!!

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Traditional Fried Rice Vermicelli/Bee Hoon (Chow Mai Fun)

Rice Vermicelli/Bee Hoon (Chow Mai Fun) has always been my favorite.  I like to eat it with Crispy Prawn Chilli.  Today, we are going to share Natasha Lim's Traditional Rice Vermicelli/Bee Hoon Chow Mai Fun) with you.  It looks very deliscious, doesn't it?

Traditional Fried Rice Vermicelli/Bee Hoon (Chow Mai Fun) by Natasha Lim:

I grew up indulging Fried Bee Hoon every Sunday morning for brunch without fail. This simple comfort food made by my mom always keeps me filled up and wanting more. I've tried to replicate my mom's Fried Bee Hoon and I was glad it turned out just as delicious! Try this recipe and you will be finding yourself scooping for extra serving from the wok. The key to this dish is lots of wok hei (the wok breath).

Ingredients:
200g of Rice Vermicelli (soaked in lukewarm water for 10 minutes and drain water after)
6 pcs of Dried Shitake Mushrooms (soaked in warm water until soft and remove stems after. ** Do Not drain the water as we will use it to coat the noodles later)
Green Vegetables like Choy Sum, Bak Choy, etc.
8 pcs Shrimps (de-shelled, deveined and marinated with 1/2 tsp of brown sugar)
6 slices of Fish Cakes
1 1/2 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil/Olive oil/Canola oil/Peanut Canola Oil
1 tsp shallot oil
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tsp thick black sauce
2 tbsp of chicken stock powder diluted with enough water
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fried Shallots for garnishing

Method:
i) Heat up the wok on the stove; add the oil and minced garlic. Stir fry until it turns slightly golden brown and fragrant. Add the shrimps and fish cakes; avoid overcooking the shrimp and stir fry for about 3 minutes until the shrimps are crunchy and cooked. Dish up into a plate and set aside.

ii) Add a little bit of oil again into the wok and stir fry the rice vermicelli. Add 1 tsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of the chicken stock and 1 tsp thick black sauce. Stir until the noodles are well-coated with the seasonings. If the noodles turns slightly dry, turn the flame down and pour in the mushroom stock saved from earlier little by little. If the mushroom stock is poured all at one go, the noodles will turn soggy.

iii) When the noodles are ready, add the shrimps and fish cakes as well as the vegetables. Stir fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the stove and drizzle a bit of shallot oil on the noodles.

iv) Garnish with fried shallots and serve while it's hot and fragrant. =)

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Pickled Chinese Mustard (Mei Cai) Steamed Fish

I woke up yesterday morning and felt like eating something with Pickled Chinese Mustard (also called meigan cai, mei cai or mui coi in Chinese) for lunch.  This type of Pickled Chinese Mustard that you see in the above picture is used to flavor stewed dishes, in particular meigan cai cooked with meat or meigan cai steamed buns.

I wanted some protein so I had it with fish.  The ingredients to make the Pickled Chinese Mustard Steamed Fish are:
1.  Pickled Chinese Mustard - this or this
2.  Soy sauce
3.  Shredded Ginger
4.  Shredded Spring Onions

Ready in 10-15 minutes.  Serve it hot with rice.  It is easy, simple and delicious.

Sambal Tumis (Sauteed Chili Paste) Mussels

I love to order mussels when I dine out but I am never 100% satisfied with the mussels that I order. No doubt that the restaurants in New York City have many different flavors of mussels but I want it spicy and tastier.  When Phay Ing Landers sent me her Sambal Tumis (Sauteed Chili Paste) Mussels for our $10 gift voucher program, not only that I can't wait to share with you, I also feel like making this suggestion to the restaurants:)

Sambal Tumis (Sauteed Chili Paste) Mussels by Phay Ing Landers:

I have been yearning for a homey plate of spicy clams or la la as it is called in KL. Alas I have no access to la la (clams) after combing through the frozen aisle at the local store. I made do with frozen cooked mussels, and the end result was awesome. I had one last packet of Tean’s Gourmet Sambal Tumis Stir Fry Sauce in the pantry. I have been saving it for a ‘rainy day’ i.e. when a strong craving for spicy seafood kicks in.

The sambal tumis sauce is a pre-cooked spicy sauce made from ground spices with shrimp paste. Not all readymade sauce or paste is created equal. Tean’s Gourmet is one of the best by far in terms of taste and authenticity and costs less than USD4 per packet.

There are some who think that a readymade sauce is second grade compared to using the mortar and pestle to pound away the spices. To me, it is a blessing to have readymade sauce at hand. I can’t imagine hunting high and low for the necessary ingredients to make the sambal tumis from scratch, especially when most the ingredients are not available at the local stores.

The Sambal Tumis Mussels dish is a quick and easy dish to make – 20 minutes from start to finish. It is simple enough even for one who lacks cooking experience.

First I boiled the 2 lbs of vacuum packed frozen mussels in a big pot of boiling water for 5 mins, as instructed on the package. I took out the packets from the pot, and made a small opening on the packets to drain the water. Thereafter I placed the mussels in a big bowl, and set aside.

Next I used a pair of scissors to cut off one corner of the Sambal Tumis sauce packet and squeezed the sauce into a sauté pan. No cooking oil is required as the oil from the sauce is sufficient. Allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes. It is ready when you can smell the sambal tumis aroma slowly filling the kitchen.

Next, add in the cooked mussels and stir well to combine. Continue to stir the mussels and sambal tumis for another 5 mins to make sure all the mussels marry with the sauce.

Lastly plate the dish, and add a garnish if you prefer. Serve hot with rice.

I ate it with a plate of hot steaming white rice and even had seconds!! Yup it was that finger licking good.