Spicy Beef Macaroni – Asian Style

Spicy Beef Macaroni – Asian Style by Zariah Betten:

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cooked macaroni (el dente)

2 stalks of celery, sliced lengthwise

½ green bell pepper, cubed

1 large onion, cubed

½ lb mushrooms
2 carrots sliced

1 lb. low fat minced meat (I used the 93% lean meat)

4 cups bean sprouts

1 tsp. minced garlic and 1 tsp. minced ginger

2 tbsp. Orchid thick Soy Sauce (dark)

2 tbsp. light soy sauce

2 tbsp. Cheong Kim Chuan Sambal Belacan Chilli Paste
1 tsp.  Amoy Brand Black Bean and Garlic Sauce

2 stalks spring onion

Salt and Pepper to taste

 

METHOD:

In a skillet, brown minced meat, drain off liquid/juice and set aside

In small pot, heat water to boiling and cook macaroni per direction on package.

In same skillet, over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp. veg. oil and when hot, add garlic and ginger and the Cheong Kim Chuan Sambal Belacan Chilli Paste and Amoy Brand Black Bean & Garlic Sauce.

Fry for a minute until oil appears

Add celery, onion, carrots and bell pepper – cook 2-3 minutes

Add meat, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, mix well and cook 2 mins.

Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 mins.

Add 4 tbsp. thick soy sauce and mix well to coat

Add bean sprouts and cook for 3-4 mins.  Salt and Pepper to taste

Sprinkle chopped spring onion before serving.

Put some of the Cheong Kim Chuan Sambal Belacan Chilli Paste (after slightly heating a bowl) as a side condiment for added heat.

Dessert: Barley, Gingko Nuts, Bean Curd Sheets and Eggs

Do you like this delicious high antioxidant and healthy dessert soup?  It is very easy to make.

What's in it...?
1. Barley (Soak, rinse and drain)
2. Gingko Nuts
3. Bean Curd Sheets
4. Eggs
5. Rock Sugar
6. Pandan Leaves or Pandan Leaves Extract (optional).  Pandan Leaves are not edible.  They are used to add a distinct aroma to the dessert soup.

Bring a pot of water and barley, gingko nuts, eggs (with shells) and pandan leaves or pandan leaves extract to the boil.  Reduce to low heat and cook until barley is soft.  Put in rock sugar and bean curd.  Stir until sugar dissolves and bean curd sheets are soft and cooked.  Don't overcook the bean curd sheets.

One more step (optional), if you want the soup to have stronger barley taste.. After the barley is cooked for 30 minutes, take some out from the pot.  Blend them and then put them back to the pot and cook again.  

This is a dessert soup for adults and kids.  Hope you like it:)

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!

Egg Noodles

Egg Noodles by Renee Kam:

Growing up in Malaysia, I love to eat Egg Noodles. As egg noodle is one of the most popular food among Cantonese community.

I have been searching for a long time to buy egg noodles that taste like what I am used to. Finally I found it here in Asian Supermarket 365. This egg noodle I bought is in a dried form, which is perfect because it can be store longer.

One of the way I love is to cook it with some chicken. The method is extremely easy:

Ingredients:

- egg noodles

- light soy sauce

- dark soy sauce

- egg

- chicken (or any other meat desire)

- can add vegetable if prefer

To cook:

1. Boil some water to cook egg noodle so that it will be soft.

2. When done, drain well.

3. In a frying pan/ wok, cook sliced chicken. Add some salt & pepper.

4. Add in noodle and stir together.

5. Add both light and dark soy sauce and water.

6. When almost done, add in the egg and stir well. Egg will help to thicken the sauce

COMPLETED!

Hope you will try and enjoy it. Again, I must say, Asian Supermarket 365 has the most complete selection of Asian goods.

Broiled Tilapia with Mas Food Steam Fish Sauce

Broiled Tilapia with Mas Food Steam Fish Sauce by Phay Ing Landers

Ever experienced how a certain flavor brings back nostalgic memories of the good old days when you gathered with friends and enjoyed the food? This Mas Food Steam Fish Sauce certainly creates a dish that brought me those memories. At the first bite, I was instantly reminded of the grilled stingray I had many years ago at Newton Hawker Center in Singapore. Home run! Now I can re-create the grilled fish whenever I want in my kitchen.

I choose tilapia fillet as it has a very mild taste, and can take on whatever flavor the sauce has to offer. I decided to broil the frozen fillet instead of steaming it as I wanted a quick no-fuss dish, and with minimum clean up.  All I had to do was arrange the fillets on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Next, I lathered the fish fillets lavishly with the sauce and placed them 6” from the broiler for 10 minutes or till they are cooked through.

The verdict: The tau cheong (bean paste) was not overpowering and blended well with the other ingredients (chili, ginger, garlic). The additions of chili and ginger in the spice paste added a kick to the palate. However it is not that spicy in a sense as my young boys were happily finishing their fillet, and downing one glass of water!

This sauce is certainly for keeps. I can’t wait to try the sauce on shrimps, mussels …