Deep Fried Oyster Mushroom 炸鲍鱼菇

Inspired by my mother-in-law, this is one of the few dishes that probably fits the Pringles' original slogan "once you pop, you just can't stop" really well lol. Thinking back, I am amazed with how that big serving of deep fried oyster mushroom never needed much time to be wiped off squeaky clean and still left me craving for more soon after. Intended to be served as part of a meal, I think we would have all agreed that it made a perfect snack even better judging from the fact that it was always almost gone even before we actually took our places for dinner. Getting a chance to watch and learn as she was making this in the kitchen during one of our trips back, she certainly did make the whole process looked simple enough  - preparing the batter, minimal coating and a gentle deep frying.

While her recipe called for a coating flour commonly used for frying chicken, I waas taught how it can always be substituted easily combining a bit of this and that. But even with that gold piece of advice in hand, it still took a lot more of a kitchen newbie like me to get all these right in the beginning - the ratio of flours, the batter consistency, the flavoring and the correct heat to begin with. A couple of experiments and soon things slowly took a change for the better. Done right, the end result will be a plate of golden brown fried mushrooms crispy on the outside while retaining their juicy and tender natures on the inside. 

Mushroom and the no-wash rule. This is something that I knew nothing about until the topic once came up in one of the episodes of Ugly Betty - a scene with Betty's papi (father) yelling at a chef on the TV about wiping the mushrooms instead of washing them lol. Well honestly, as silly as I can get sometimes, I actually did bother checking on the internet and tried looking for its relevance then. Unknown to me all the while, there indeed are plenty of ongoing comments and discussions about whether or not mushrooms should be handled in some specific ways. Some said that mushrooms are naturally good absorbents and rinsing will therefore allow part of the water to be absorbed rendering them less flavorful. And some have debunked that saying that water naturally constitutes over 90% of a mushroom so a little of water can hardly do harm. 

I do have to confess - despite the fact that it actually came out from a scene of a drama, I have stood by that very first idea that I came across since lol. Not all the time, however. There are still times when I would find it hard to be convinced that certain mushrooms are clean enough with just a few wipes, and then I will be catching myself giving them a real quick rinse still. So a truth or a myth? Obviously I am still a clueless me.

Pan Fried Tofu with Minced Meat 油煎肉碎豆腐

A tub of soft tofu is a common sight in our very own refrigerator here at home. Made from soybeans, tofu makes a highly nutritious protein, on top of it being an inexpensive one. Its versatility is unbelievable, lending itself well to pan or deep fried, braised, steamed, stuffed, stir fried and even boiled and made part of a bowl of soup. With what seems like an endless list to the possible ways to getting it prepared, it is not at all surprising that tofu makes a good dish completing a meal anytime, often creating miracles.

This very version of having it pan fried then topped with minced meat and finishing with a touch of specially mixed soy sauce is one adapted from a rather similar dish I had years back in a dining place by the name of Pak Su Restaurant back in my hometown. A specialty of theirs, "Deep Fried Tofu with Minced Meat" 油炸肉碎豆腐 is made with their tofu homemade. They are deep fried instead of the one pan fried here. Crispy on the outsidevelvety smooth soft on the inside, it was easy to fall in love with that simple yet appealing dish. Topped with chopped dried shrimps fried to a light crisp combined with the fragrant minced meat, they on a whole create a very appetizing dish indeed, easily whetting anyone's appetite.

While you may wonder if pan frying would have made a difference rendering it less crispy that what intended, I must say that as far as it goes, I have yet to get disappointed with the results I would usually get with pan frying. Doing it the right way, a tofu with a crispy, nicely browned crust is almost always a guaranteed achievement. There may be a couple of points worth noting, however.

• Patience - allow enough time for each side of the tofu to brown and crust up evenly before flipping them over to another side. Any less and all the effort may be well wasted in the end, either torn or broken while they are still adhered to the pan undone or there just is insufficient time for the crusting to even begin. 
• Temperature - I always have them done on high heat throughout and I do think that it is vital to have a well heated pan with hot oil to begin with. Avoid overcrowding the pan. Always leave a little space in between tofu pieces. Pan fry them in batches instead if needed.
• Tofu condition - Medium or firm tofu are no doubt easier to manage but soft tofu is always all the same doable, with just a little extra care needed when dealing with them. Start with a good quality of tofu especially making sure that they are good in shape. Blot dry by gently pressing them in between layers of paper towels right before putting them into the pan. 

And a little of a last warning ahead of time - be ready to embrace yourself to some level of splattering once the tofu hits the frying pan.

Haemul Pajeon (Seafood Pancake) 해물파전

Whether or not related to the fact that I am a self-declared born bread lover, I have always had a thing for pancakes - the many varieties of Chinese pancakes, the very own Malaysian version of peanut pancake better known as apam balik, my all-time favorite southern India pancake - the dosa, and not forgetting Japanese's okonomiyaki too. My very first experience with this Korean pajeon was just a little past two years ago. Hubby was the one recommending this to me dining out in one of our favorite Korean restaurants here, saying that I would love that. Crispy with each bite accentuated by the tender squid, scallops and shrimps, I was amazed with how the piquancy of spring onions brought about yet another tremendous flavor to the dish. Hubby was of course right about it, I do adore that piece of pancake especially when served with a salty, tangy dipping sauce on the side. 

The idea of making it at home came only a year or more later, inspired by a friend, HueyShann when she made a couple of this during one of the few potlucks that we had had here. While the pancake mix is so readily available in the market, I had a pleasant surprise at my first attempt doing it from scratch. Needing nothing more than what I had already got in my very own pantry, preparing the batter mix was amazingly easy. The outcome was nothing less that satisfying, and soon I was convinced that pajeon is definitely something doable within the very comfort zone of home. Certainly comparable to those you get dining out, this is one of the few things that sometimes is really better homemade than having the professionals doing it - same good result minus the oil laden appearance possibility, plus generous topping readily customized to your personal preference.

Flour Noodle Soup (Pan Mee Soup) 清汤板面

Pan mee has been a favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. This I must have picked up from mom, who in turn has gotten it from my grandmother. Dad and brother, however, not so. Despite losing the two biggest fans at home, mom would still be making this pretty often and especially when dad and brother were not home for some reasons occasionally. So counting back, my very first exposure of this must have happened at home, with the most conventional type - the broad, flat, non-uniformly shaped hand-torn pieces served in soup that mom would always make. "Mee hoon kueh" 面粉粿 is what we call this in Hokkien. 

With this being one of the many local favorites in Malaysia, soon I learned that they are plenty other types of pan mee around. Often involving the use of a pasta maker machine these days, there are the thin and round noodles 幼面 and also the wide flattened long strips noodles 粗面. Instead of the basic dough made of plain flour, water and sometimes the egg, some have even evolved to incorporate the use of some natural colorings from natural ingredients creating a multicolor pan mee. Thinking back, I remember how a shop selling the 3-color pan mee 三色板面 was such a hit back in my hometown when it first made its appearance years ago. They have the red from dragon fruits (pitaya), orange from the carrots, and green from the spinach.  



While the soup version remains the most basic one that I am most familiar with, the dry tossed pan mee is yet another common way of having the pan mee served. A lot similar to the dry version of wonton noodle, they are tossed in a specially mixed dark soy sauce. Either way, they are both served with the usual topping most commonly seen - minced meat, some sliced mushroom, fish balls or pork meat balls, deep fried anchovies and not forgetting some greens on the side. Fast forward a few years later during my uni years was when a close friend, Simon introduced me to the world of chili pan mee. A subgroup of the dry tossed pan mee, the chili pan mee is mixed and tossed in fiery dry chili flakes fried to perfection instead of having it tossed in a special concoction of dark soy sauce.

a bowl of homemade chili pan mee commonly served with a poached egg

With all the years in between and more different versions of pan mee continue sprouting out, I continue to adore pan mee all the same, if not more. Entering my married life, my mother-in-law makes especially good homemade pan mee. Knowing that I am a big fan just as she is one herself, pan mee was a guaranteed dish that she would always be making time after time, again and again whenever hubby and I got to spend some time at home, enough to drive my youngest sister-in-law out of the house literally each time she was warned ahead of time of the upcoming lunch or dinner menu lol. Well it just so happens that she is one of the few that I know who really despises pan mee wholeheartedly. 

Moving here, a pasta maker machine is one of the first few items in the kitchen that we invested in. And that began the series to many trials and errors experimenting with the noodle making in our very own kitchen. Right until I stumbled into this pack of noodle in the Chinese grocer that I frequent weekly and decided to give it a try. Plain flour, water and salt are all that listed under the ingredients on the package and just like pan mee, it comes in all three different types - big cut pieces, the thick noodle as well as the thin one. I must say that I have been very happy indeed using this for all those bowls of pan mee so far. With all the time and effort saved minus the hassle dealing with flour, it is a shame on me to admit that the machine has since been kept away for a while now. A failed investment? Maybe lol.

As far as making a bowl of pan mee soup goes, balancing the noodle and the toppings with some good quality of soup base is crucial in defining its final quality. Living by mom's pan mee-making principle, the anchovy stock is what I will always make to go with the pan mee. While I am not particularly choosy when it comes to the type of greens used, the sweet leaves, better known as the "mani cai" 马尼菜 is probably the most common vegetable typically seen served in a bowl of pan mee. To spot or secure this here in the States was what I used to think as something totally out of the question. Moving in to a new town and exploring the different Asian stores around soon after, one of the Vietnamese grocer's place here was where I surprisingly spotted this for the first time ever here. Excited I sure was and there a day or two later, we finally had a taste of what seemed like the most classic version of pan mee soup, feeling all so satisfied.

Stir Fried Green Beans with Diced Shrimps and Tofu 粒粒脆

I have to admit that I had a real hard time trying to name this. I have always known this as "lap lap ceoi" 粒粒脆 in Cantonese, translated to mean "a crunch on every bite", a dish very well named indeed depicting the nature of the dish rather well. In an attempt to name this in English, any names that crossed my mind seemed somewhat lacking and insufficient, not doing enough justice to represent this well. I reasoned that to the fact that every single ingredient used in creating this - big or small, expensive or not so, holds a crucial role in defining this dish as a whole making naming a little challenging. Stir fried green beans with diced shrimps and tofu was what I decided on in the end. That I made a decision based on what I see and decipher with one quick glimpse at the picture on top - green beans, diced shrimps and tofu with the other two mostly hidden (possibly a blessing in disguise in my case? lol). 

One of the few regulars of mom's at home back then, this is a simple dish that easily shines almost like none others. The only challenging part it ever poses is the cutting part getting everything diced, uniformly sized preferably. This goes exceptionally well with a bowl of plain rice, congee or even as a snack on its own. Green beans cooked to the perfect crisp, springy and firm shrimps, moist yet bouncy tofu, crunchy and aromatic peanuts all further enhanced with the salty and distinct flavor of the preserved radish, each bite brings about a kaleidoscope of color, texture and taste guaranteeing a contentment at the end of a meal.