Pork and Prawn Dumplings (Siew Mai)

On weekends we would have lunch with our grandparents and most times we would have dim sum or yum cha. A nice tradition that we still uphold till this day. Dim sum is a great way to try many things in small portions and accommodate picky eaters. However, siew mai has always been a childhood favourite of mine and the first thing we would order at a dim sum place when the steamer carts stroll by. 

Basically, siew mai is minced pork and prawn wrapped up with wanton wrappers into small flower like dumpling that you can easily pop into your mouth. Since it was my first attempt at making siew mai, I watched a few videos to find the best way to make them. I found a few that I liked and tweaked them to my liking. I was surprised at how easy it was to make these delicious little morsels. Recipe is down below! If you're having trouble folding the dumplings, I suggest youtubing it to have a feel.

P.S.: If you have extra, you could freeze them and steam them another day as a snack. But take note that it might take a little longer to cook.

Fresh Pomelo Salad

During the Chinese New Year, one of my favourite restaurants Oriental Cravings had a special pomello salad available on their menu, similar to what the chinese call the "lou sang" to toss during the new year for prosperity. Sweet, sour and ultimately, extremely refreshing. I loved how the different flavours, elements and textures tie together and not forgetting the beautiful colours. 

Naturally, I identified the ingredients and decided to recreate this at home! I've already had a few requests for this as soon as I posted it on my twitter and facebook page. Fret not, this is an extremely simple salad that makes you look like a champion in the kitchen. Basically, it's all fresh ingredients which requires little work. Scroll down for the ingredients and instructions.

Ingredients:

• Mint leaves
• Coriander leaves
• Kaffir lime leaves
• Pomelo
• 3 medium sized limes
• Shallots
• Banana flower
• Nuts (cashew/peanuts)
• Dried prawns
• Salt

Steps:

1. Cut and peal the pomelo. Keep refrigerated. You don't have to break them into extremely small pieces as the tossing will break the pomelo up (and allow the pomelo juice to marry all the flavours together)
2. Fry the dried prawns in a wok/pan of oil. Then, chop the fried dried prawns into fairly small sizes as they are salty. (Wouldn't want to bite on a huge salty prawn).
3. Break up the peanuts into bits of pieces and simply toast them in a dry pan.
4. Slice the shallots, banana flower and kaffir lime leaves finely. Pluck corriander leaves and mint leaves and keep refrigerated in a bowl of cold water.
5. Finally, place all ingredients on a large plate and squeeze the juice of 3 limes over the ingredients. Sprinkle a dash of salt over to balance the flavours. Toss gently (Chinese tradition is to toss it as a group with chopsticks) and enjoy this refreshing dish!

Tom Yam Fried Rice

For me, one of the most appetizing things that hits all your tastebuds would be Tom Yam. Sweet, sour, salty and spicy too. The perfect combination. We like cooking our Tom Yam fried rice using Japanese rice just cause this short grain has a little chewy texture.

Ingredients: 

• shelled prawns leaving the tail on (depending on how many prawns each person wants OR you could choose to use chicken or anything that you prefer)
• 2 cloves of garlic (sliced)
• 1/2 a large onion (diced)
• 2-3 tbsp of tom yam paste
• 2 tomatoes
• Green vegetables - we used chinese cabbage but you could use bak choy, choi sam or any leafy vegetable will do
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of soy sauce
• 3 1/2 bowls of rice (we used japanese rice, but you could use jasmine rice if you like)
• Oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chillies if you prefer more spice

Steps: 

1. Season the prawns and pan fry with some oil.
2. Once the prawns are cooked, set aside. They should curl up and their tails will turn bright red.
3. Add a little bit more oil to sauté the garlic and onions.
4. Add the tom yam paste and fry for a minute or so. Careful not to burn it. 
5. Add the tomatoes and vegetables into the pan and roughly coat them with the paste. 
6. Once they're half way cooked, add the rice and mix well until the rice is coated with the paste.
7. Crack the eggs into a bowl and season with soy sauce and some white pepper. Roughly whisk it with a fork. Don't whisk it too much as you want a little texture in the fried rice. 
8. Move the rice to the side of the pan and add a tbsp of oil to the cleared side of the pan. Make sure your pan is hot, then pour the egg and gently scramble the egg with a spatula. Try dragging your spatula through the centre letting the runny egg cook. Careful not to overcook your egg.
9. Once the egg is cooked, mix it through with the rice. Taste and season if needed.
10. You could add the prawns in at the end to heat them through, or you could just leave them on the side like we did.
    

The instructions may look a little intimidating, but I think everyone should try making fried rice at least once in their lives. It's rather useful when you're a student with very little time to spare for cooking. Especially when you can keep some for leftovers!  

Black Bean Chicken Stir Fry

When you're studying abroad, I think we can all agree that we're always in search for that simple, yet familiar comfort food. A good stir fry is always appetizing to have with a nice big bowl of rice and this black bean chicken stir fry is one of that simple things you could cook up wherever you are with just a few asian ingredients to satisfy that craving.

The main ingredient would be of course salted black bean which you can get at almost every Asian grocer I presume. It's simply cooked with a bit of chinese wine, onions and your choice of meat. Chicken, in this case. You could easily use some beef or pork slices. 

Ingredients

• handful of Salted Black Beans (adjust according to how much chicken you're using)
• 3 tbsp Chinese Wine
• 1 sliced onion
• Chicken pieces
• 1 tsp sugar
• Oil

Steps

1. Roughly chop through the black beans, as you want the flavour to be more intense without using too much beans.
2. In a pan of heated oil, fry the onions until translucent. 
3. Add the black beans until fragrant, then sear the pieces of chicken.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, add the Chinese Wine and sugar. Let the flavours meld for a while to create a sauce. Now it's ready to be served with some vegetables and rice. 

Served with carrots glazed in Chinese Wine and coriander.

Okra Fried Egg

A lot of the time in an Asian household you'd find yourself cooking fried egg to accompany other dishes for a meal. The usual would have onions and prawns. Sometimes, you can even cook it with oysters. Another interesting change you could try is to fry it with some okra (or ladies finger). It'll have a totally different texture and taste and all you need is just one modest vegetable to do the trick! This is way too easy!

Ingredients

• Oil
• Eggs
• Okra
• Soy sauce
• Spring Onions

Steps

1. Crack eggs into a bowl, add soy sauce and beat the eggs.
2. Slice the okra into fairly thin slices and fry in a hot pan.
3. Pour egg mixture over and fry egg!
4. Add spring onions to garnish.

Fry the okra.


Garnish with some sliced spring onions.
Now wasn't that easy?

Asian Chinese Cabbage Slaw

Firstly, sorry for the little disappearing act since we have been quite busy (I'm sure you understand the ongoing university work that every student endures!). Fret not for we have tried out more recipes recently and of course, if we can do it as students, so can you!

I love having fresh salads, the one that makes you feel so clean and still packs a punch of flavour. It's all about the freshness of salads if you ask me, so lots of lemon juice does it just right for me. That's one of the reasons why I love making this Chinese Cabbage slaw/salad. It's sweet, sour, spicy and really has so much flavour but still is fresh! Love it right when it's out from the fridge! I could finish a huge bowl all by myself, and then of course, have another dish to eat since all the sourness would probably get me hungry. Whenever I have that extra wong bak (chinese cabbage- since I always tend to buy a large head of chinese cabbage), there's no doubt part of it would be used to make this fresh salad!

Ingredients (Serves 3)

• 7 large Chinese Cabbage Leaves (this might not sound a lot but when shredded, the volume definitely looks larger than it seems)
• 3 cloves of garlic (big)
• 2 Lemons
• 1 carrot
• A handful of fresh coriander leaves
• A handful of almonds
• 2 chilli padi (based on preference)
• 2 stalks of spring onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1tbsp sesame oil
• Salt

Instructions

1. Shred the Chinese Cabbage, shredding the bottom thinner compared to the leafy top. Shave the carrot into thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Place all in a large bowl. Keep in fridge.
2. Mince the cloves of garlic, then put into a bowl. Squeeze lemon juice into the bowl, add the fish sauce, sugar, salt, chilli padi, sesame oil and incorporate well with a whisk or fork. Keep in fridge.
3. Chop the almonds and toast them in a pan over a low heat.
4. Chop coriander and spring onions.
5. When ready to serve, combine all the ingredients and pour the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle coriander, spring onion and almonds. Toss gently to combine.

Toast the almonds in a pan.

Shave ribbons of carrots with a vegetable peeler.

A good tip is to serve this refreshing salad with greasy food to cut the greasiness!

Curry Laksa

Curry laksa has to be one of my favourite dishes back home because just like a bowl of home-cooked soup; curry laksa whether made at home or bought outside, is like comfort food and fills you up with an abundance of textures and flavours. How could you pass on a bowl of coconut curry soup noodles? I certainly can't since it has three of my many favourite things I like when it comes to food. Curry, soup, and mihun noodles (not the yellow noodles though!). So it's a no brainer for this to be one of my favourites as a child. 

Curry laksa is fairly simple to make as there are many curry laksa pastes and powders easily available. Especially if you're a student wanting to make a fast meal, just a simple bowl of curry laksa with a few pieces of shredded meat and eggs with a handful of vegetables would be great to curb that homesickness.

Serving: 8 people
Ingredients:

• 500 ml fresh coconut milk
• 1/2 - 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 packet of curry laksa mix (we used Tean's gourmet curry laksa paste)
• 1/2 tbsp tumeric powder (we used Baba's)
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 800 ml chicken stock
• Light soy sauce to taste
• Curry leaves

For condiments:

• Noodles (mihun/ yellow noodles)
• Long beans
• Bean sprouts, tauge
• Pork balls
• Fish cakes
• Cockles 
• Lime
• Chilli paste
• Mint leaves
• (Not in pictures) Taufu pok, shredded chicken meat.

Instructions:

1. Blanch the noodles, long beans, bean sprouts and pork balls. Blanch the cockles and remove from shell.
2. Mix the chilli powder into the curry laksa paste and fry lightly over a low heat together with curry leaves.
3. Quickly add the chicken stock into the pot when the fragrant smell of the curry paste wafts in the air.
4. When the soup starts boiling, lower the heat and add coconut milk, evaporated milk.
5. Add the soy sauce to taste if needed.
6. Turn off the fire before the mixture turns to boil so that the coconut milk doesn't separate. 
7. Put noodles in a bowl and pour the curry into the bowl. Place the condiments on top as seen and it's ready to be served!

Serve with lime and sambal (chilli paste).

Barley and Fucuk with Quail Eggs and Gingko nut

On hot days like we're experiencing lately in Malaysia, it's nice to have a cold glass of barley. Barley is known to have quite a few health benefits and Chinese believe that it has a cooling effect on your body. So what's even better than having a cold glass or bowl of barley to cool yourself down with some smooth fucuk, quail eggs and gingko nuts that are great for your health. Then, you'd not only successfully calm your body temperature down but also have a great, healthy dessert with different textures.

You'll need some pearled barley, gingko nuts, beancurd sheets, rock sugar, pandan leaves and quail eggs. The ingredients are usually available at Chinese stalls at the local market. The amount of ingredients should be adjusted to your own preference, just like all the aunties in Malaysia say when cooking, "agak-agak".

Boil a handful of pearled barley in a big pot of water. Add the rock sugar and adjust the sweetness to your liking. Get a few pandan leaves and tear them down the center of the leaves without tearing it all the way. Tie the leaves into a knot which will make it easier to remove after.

This might be a little work but gingko nuts are a valuable addition to your diet so why not. Shell the gingko nuts and get rid of the skin. Add them into the pot immediately as it may take some time to cook.

Hard boil the quail eggs.

Once you've adjusted the sweetness and the barley has plumped up, add the beancurd skin and the hard boiled quail eggs into the barley. Boil through till the beancurd has softened.

You may serve it hot or cold. Hot on a sunny day and cold for a rainy day. A nutritious dessert that'll give you the energy you need.

Vietnamese Celery Salad with Fu Chok

We normally dislike celery. It just has a tough stench and bitterness that we somehow can't get over no matter how much salad cream we scoop it up with! However, despite our dislike towards these green friend, it was quite surprising that we actually like this Vietnamese celery salad. I think the apple cider vinegar somehow takes away the overpowering taste of the celery. Somehow preserving it slightly without changing it's texture and not too overpowering. Together with the nice smooth fu chok (beancurd strips) texture and sesame seeds, it makes a really good salad or a snack! It's so easy to throw together. If you love mango salads, this is probably one to try. And if you're usually a celery hater, this might just make you change your mind. 

Ingredients:

• 3 stalks of celery
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• A few strips of bean curd strips (fu chok)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Toasting sesame seeds in a pan.

Instructions:

1. Cut the stalks of celery relatively fine. Not too fine because as you still want to have the crunchy fresh characteristic celeries have.
2. Boil the fu chok till its tender but not for too long as it'll break up too much.
3. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan till golden and set aside.
4. Mix all the ingredients into a bowl and add celery and finally, add sesame seeds. Mix well.
5. Keep it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Best served cold.

Makes a good refreshing salad or snack.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Yee Sang, a Malaysian starter served during the Chinese New Year shared by family members.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, reunion dinners take place whether extravagant or simple when everyone comes home and celebrate the new year together. Houses adorned with red decorations and lanterns, boxes of mandarin oranges and tonnes of new year cookies fill homes. Ah, glorious food enjoyed with family members. Enough talking, start snacking!

Tummy Thrills wishes 

Happy Chinese New Year to all our readers! (:

Porridge

I realized lately, we've been doing a lot of somewhat oriental food and someone had a request, asking us how to make porridge. Although it way seem like a simple poor man's dish, it isn't so simple to make this bowl of comfort food as you desire. Not too runny, and not too gummy that it feels like you're eating starch or glue. A humble bowl of porridge can be a savior to anyone. Especially when you're feeling a little under the weather or studying abroad. Oh, what a bowl of overcooked rice can do is pretty magical. Hey, even Goldilocks snuck in and ate the bear's porridge!

Of course, if you're feeling under the weather with an upset tummy and can't do much chopping or searching for ingredients, you could just make the bowl of porridge, have it with some salt/soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil, and you're set.

Ingredients: (Probably could feed 2 people)

• 50g of rice
• 600ml of water
• a pinch of salt (you won't need much as the condiments are rather salty)

Instructions: 

1. Simmer the rice, salt and water for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Make sure it's on a low heat cause the porridge might burn. 
2. Whisk the porridge to break up the rice so it'll be creamy. Don't overwork the porridge as it might get too gummy. If you end up having thick or gummy porridge, you could add some water to get it to the consistency that you like. 

Now for the condiments! You can put as much condiments as you want. These are a few that we chose. We'll go clockwise.

• Omelette ribbons
• Thinly sliced spring onions
• Yau Char Kuai (fried dough) (cut them into thin pieces and toast them in the oven to get a yummy crunch)
• Salted egg
• Coriander leaves
• Finely shredded ginger
• Lastly, some crispy ikan bilis (dried anchovies)

To make the omelette ribbons you'll need:

• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 tbsp of water
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Instructions: 

1. Beat the egg and the water in a bowl. 
2. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
3. Get ready a non-stick frying pan with some oil. Pour in the egg mixture leaving a thin omelette.
4. You will only need to cook it on one side as it is very thin. 
5. Let the omelette cool on a plate and cut them into 1/2 inch ribbons.

A hassle free dish to prepare and it's comfort food at it's best! Even when you're feeling under the weather, you'll still have the energy to make a bowl of porridge. Cause it really is that easy!