Chicken Curry 咖喱鸡

This is going to be a short post. The great thing about this chicken curry - it is totally an awesome, fuss-free version of our Malaysian's favorite. I have this instant chicken curry paste by Tean's Gourmet to thank for - a love at first try for me.

I have more than once tried making my own version of chicken curry from scratch. My mom has been supplying me with both curry powder and chili powder ever since I moved here, both of which she got all the way from Singapore. They are the best, or so she says, and I must admit that she indeed makes very good chicken curry using those two.

I, however, have never developed enough skill in making a pot of chicken curry as good as my mom's, but I am nonetheless glad to say that I am more than happy with this instant curry paste for now. It took me a while before I decided to make a post on this despite its simplicity. Well, good things are meant to be shared! Give it a try if you have the chance and see for yourself if it is good enough to remind you of home!

Anyway, here it is - my quick fix chicken curry recipe with a slight twist - satisfaction guaranteed! *evil grin*

PS Absolutely great served with plain rice, Economy Fried Vermicelli 经济炒米粉, bread (especially the fluffy white kind; never mind the nutrition value for once - and try toasting it!), and roti canai!

Tom Yum Fried Vermicelli 冬炎 炒米粉

Life is getting much more hectic! I started taking a writing class just recently and that has taken so much of my time! But as much as I find it hard to believe it myself, it has been fun so far! There is so much to learn, plenty to share and even more to brush up and work on. Anyway, that explained why I have been missing in action for such a good while. The bad news? Now that I have got the class rolling (despite just one single course), this rather messed-up routine of mine will be tagging me for now... at least until the class officially comes to an end.

The bad bad news? It has really siphoned almost all of my time and energy in me. I have less time for house chores, less time for grocery shopping and almost no time left for any action (big or small) in the kitchen. Baking has altogether ceased, the kitchen can go untouched for days at times and all that I have now is probably just enough time to make a quick bite on especially days with classes and others with a due date to meet. Lunch and dinner have become exceptionally simple - they are whatever that I can make out of the few ingredients that I can find sitting in the pantry and fridge.

This - the blogging - is one that I'm not entirely willing to forgo. In order to make this workable for me, I believe what's being blogged about from now will be a whole series of real simple cooking. It probably is time anyway to think and get serious about filing those 30-minute meals recipes that everyone can benefit from at some points or another (in my case, almost all the time now).

Here's the first one on the list! Tom yum fried vermicelli! It wasn't that long ago when I first had this. Mom was the first to discover it in the morning market that she frequented. It definitely was a love at first taste for her. Sure enough, she soon recommended that I tried that too and that was... WOW! Pretty unique, honestly! It is far different from the usual soup version of tom yum that we are so accustomed to. This is a real great variation to cooking using the tom yum paste. Words, however, won't do justice. You have to try it for yourself!

Here's a list to what I would think as essential to whipping up this dish - vermicelli, meat and/or seafood (any of your preferred choice), bean sprouts (that will be the main source of fiber!), a carrot (for an extra hue and crunch) and of most importance - the tom yum paste. Find a real good brand that you like because that ultimately will be the key that unlocks every potential this tom yum fried vermicelli has. Just one last thing capable of adding a little magic to the dish - a few leaves of kaffir lime. It always is a huge plus if you have them but worry not if you don't - it's still gonna be fine. You won't need a bunch, just a couple should suffice in giving you that hint of lime and fragrance.

the trusted brand

On a separate note, here's a totally random quote that so aptly describes what I have been feeling of late...

"The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”  

― Michel Legrand

Lets get cooking!

Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang

MalaysianFood highlight - the Nasi Lemak! I have been planning to make a post on this for a while now, yet I have never gotten enough motivation to get me kickstarted each time. And so I fell victim to procrastination, time and again. There are some pictures securely stored in my "to-blog" folder taken from my previous Nasi Lemak cookout quite a while ago, but you know how some stuff just sadly no longer appear as appealing after you look at them for a good while? Well that happened in this case of mine; and that's me deciding to continue putting that thought on hold, delving further into the "that can wait" mode... right until now.

The cue to make this came out of nowhere just over this past weekend. I have no idea what triggered it, but one thing rolls on to another - I went on to get all the ingredients needed, and the following day - I was all set on recreating the sinfully delicious dish for the day while finding myself busy snapping away with a camera in hand. I guess it's true that you really should follow your passion at times - because when you have got that in hand, you are as good as being halfway through it! The battle will be a breeze! Well not totally, but it just feels right to say that simply... lol.

So here's a post specially dedicated to the famous Malaysian Nasi Lemak! It probably is safe to say that every Malaysian and Singaporean love their Nasi Lemak... with the coconut milk rice infused with the aroma of pandan (screwpine leaves) and ginger served with an egg, then garnished with anchovies fried to a perfect crunch, fresh roasted peanuts, refreshing slices of cucumber and a liberal serving of sweet and spicy sambal... YummMmm... it's just hard to not love everything about it really!

Just like all the other times I had made this in the past - I chose to serve it with the Chicken Rendang. There are plenty of other options out there - thanks to the bits and bits of creativity juice contributed by the many passionate people (that's the passion again!) out there. These days, there are the choices of chicken or beef rendang, crispy fried chicken, sardine fish, sambal petai (stink bean sambal), sambal sotong (squid sambal), sambal kerang (cockles sambal), paru (beef lungs) and the list just goes on and on!

The coconut milk rice recipe was one that I got from my mom - simple and straightforward in fact. This version of mine features the brown rice. Using that i=s definitely not a conscious decision made; the brown rice is what we usually have at home almost on an everyday basis. It can be substituted with the usual jasmine white rice - it's all a personal preference really. Just be sure to adjust the amount of water needed - pretty much just like how you would usually cook the plain rice - white, brown or even red.

The sambal is really what I would think as the limelight of the dish. This sambal recipe is one that I adapted from Ju at The Little Teochew in her post on the Nasi Lemak Sambal Chili. I have so far been trying a different recipe each time I make the Nasi Lemak, in hope to search for the cream of the crop. With me stumbling upon Ju's recipe just recently, I think I am pretty convinced that I can now stop looking around - this is by far one of the really good ones that I have chanced upon. And the best part of it - it is made perfect even without having the need to include the belacan (shrimp paste) in its making. That's Nasi Lemak made a notch healthier!

The previously featured Chicken Rendang recipe is again my mom's. And that reminded me... I shall be posting some new photos of the rendang to the previous post shortly - some better looking ones with the natural lighting taken in the day they are :D

And now... its making!

Crispy Curry Fried Chicken Wings 香脆咖喱粉炸鸡翼 Mom's Recipe #3

Picking up from where I last stopped in my Mom's Recipes collection, here's one of my big-time favorite - mom's fried chicken! This is one that I have fallen in love forever, probably as soon as I had started learning on how to nibble on chicken bones safely. A recipe that has survived through the decades of me growing up, it was the guaranteed center of attention in each and every birthday party that dad and mom had hosted for my brother and I when we were kiddos still.

A must-have on each of those occasions and a regular on other days a home, there is just nothing not to love about these wings.

Over the years, the recipe has been modified, detailed and perfected time and again. Mom has always been one who cooks by feel, so were all the changes that she would be making from time to time, all of which she obviously deemed as necessary (when I would have thought that it is already as perfect as it can get!). And as of the last time I checked with her just a couple of months back - this is her latest version of the recipe. A treasure now mine, it is now quickly becoming a favorite of ours here at home too.

A good accompaniment to go with rice, noodles or just a snack on its own, it makes a great dish to be presented on the dining table and even a greater candidate for a party food!

The making is relatively easy and yet the taste is never compromised. Deep frying done right with the right temperature and the right heat locks in the moist real well and marinating it well ahead of time - that's where all the flavors really do come from. So what you get in the end are pieces of fried chicken wings that are crunchy on the outside and perfectly juicy and flavorful on the inside.

And yes... they're finger lickin' good!

Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd 苦瓜焖鸡

A classic home-cooked food, making this Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd 苦瓜焖鸡 easily reminds me of what it feels like to take a trip down the memory lane. Revisiting the comforting feeling of dining at home and enjoying mom's cooking, these home-cooked dishes are the food that we have most of our lives growing up, at times taken for granted even. I didn't actually have much of this Braised Chicken with Bitter Gourd 苦瓜焖鸡 back then; it's not exactly a dish that would always make an appearance on our dining table. But there's something about this dish that I would always tag and class it together within the same comforting group of feel-good, home-style dishes.

Most people do not have a natural affinity for food with a bitter taste; and I'm no exception myself growing up. I didn't particularly like gourds of any kinds (I wonder... was it their texture or was it their appearance in general really?); and I certainly didn't appreciate anything bitter should they ever be present. So the bitter gourd - it had always been a NO-NO in my case. But as you grow up, it's just so common to realize later and agree that certain food that you used to dislike as a child are not that bad after all. It's pretty much like an acquired development of a whole new spectrum in taste and flavor. From a hatred feeling, you may even find yourself actually loving some of them later in life.

Liking and then loving the bitter gourd was indeed a development that happened ever so gradually in my case. From a total avoidance, I started being rather selective - avoiding the really bitter ones, accepting the rest. Then I got choosy - I only liked them fried with eggs or stuffed with fish paste and made into Yong Tau Foo 酿豆腐. Yup, I basically liked their taste masked. But things took a turn (AGAIN). I have no idea as to when and how the transition actually happened, but now... I love everything about it.

And I especially love the natural bitterness that makes the bitter gourd all unique.

One of the first few dishes that I started learning when I first picked up cooking, this is now one of the regulars at home. A comfort food that easily makes an everyday meal more appetizing, they are best made just a little in advance (at least half an hour will be good!) and left to braise right until serving time. The end result - a serving of tender and well marinated pieces of chicken and softened cuts of bitter gourd drenched in sweet and savory gravy accentuated with the salty fermented black bean sauce and yellow bean sauce.

One last note - just be sure that you cook a little more rice when you make this part of your meals! It IS that good!

Malaysian Chicken Satay

Continuing from the previous post on the Satay Peanut Dipping Sauce, here comes the chicken satay! Easily any Malaysian's favorite, this is by far hubby's big time favorite. He would crave for these skewers once in a blue moon, but it has never crossed my mind to actually make my own batch of chicken satay at home. Back then I didn't have what I needed in the kitchen - I haven't got a set of mortar and pestle; and I haven't got a good spice blender either. So anything with spice was basically out of the question in my culinary world. So much so that I have never bothered keeping that many different types of spices at home.

the extensive ingredients in picture

That aside, looking at all the many different recipes available online made it all worse - they just put me off even further. Unlike plenty other Malaysian food that I so love and adore, making this chicken satay uses a lot more spices than any others. There are the dry and pre-packaged ones that you can still get (with some luck and a little time looking for them) from either the Chinese grocery stores or the Indian grocery stores; but the list also includes a number of other fresh spices that took me a real long while before I finally got to seeing them in one of the Vietnamese grocery stores. So, it is indeed one with quite a lot of preparation, before the cooking even comes into the picture.

But of course, those were just me and some of my personal problems (or excuses lol). A close friend, Siew Gee (the very same friend who makes awesome Chicken Rendang) - she makes superb chicken satay! And the best part of it - she does it even without necessarily having all the ingredients needed in hand. She's one who is perfectly comfortable and competent in having those in the recipe easily and readily substituted wherever and whenever she deems fit. And as much as I would love having her special recipe for this chicken satay, she works the way most professional cooks work - there's never a written recipe in black and white; she goes by experience.

You will love her chicken satay if you have tried it!

The idea of going against my own norm and finally giving this spice-laden a thought came as I was getting hubby's birthday plan laid out. Having not had them for quite sometime, I thought it should fit pretty well into the picture. Provided it turned out good, that is.

Getting all the ingredients ready was not too much a problem now that I have got them figured out as to where they are each available in which different places. But just like the Satay Peanut Dipping Sauce, it was not having a ready-for-use recipe in hand that really had somewhat made it rather complicated for me.

This is a recipe that I first stumbled upon in a blog by Selera4U. The post came with a link (which sadly no longer works) to another source. Searching online, it traced down to a recipe originated from the one by NoorMasri. A search for this recipe of hers revealed that it has been used and featured by many other bloggers everywhere ever since it came about online back in 2006. Not exactly sure if she keeps all these brilliant recipes of hers anywhere online that I should have credited instead but this probably is the best that I can do on my part having adapted hers and made my own.

Commonly served with cucumber, onion wedges and nasi impit, this is easily almost a Malaysian pride. Not exactly a breeze with its making I would say, it involves a rather long preparation time in fact - from getting the marinade ready, getting chicken marinated overnight preferably, skewing them the next day all the way to getting them grilled - indoor or out. But this first try of mine turned out great. All the effort paid off - the birthday man had a real great time polishing off one skewer after another. And a happy hubby with a happy tummy makes a happy wife lol!

And the good news (at least to hubby) is that there'll definitely be a next time having done this once (which hopefully will be a lot less chaotic then). But I will probably make sure that the next time will be done in a weather well enough for outdoor grilling instead of getting them done indoor. Because honestly, nothing quite beats a batch of chicken satay with some real smoky flavors as they get basted in oil steeped with crushed lemongrass and then grilled to perfection.

Crispy Yam Ring with Kung Pao Chicken 佛砵宫保雞丁 - Chinese New Year Series

I probably won't call myself a big fan of yam, but the crispy yam ring is one that always gets my attention whenever it gets served on the table. There's just something really attractive about it. I'll attribute the attractiveness first to its appearance in general; it looks like a basket from an angle and a circular wall from another. But regardless of what it truly represents, having it served along any center dish of your choice will never fail in heightening the overall presentation of the dish on the whole.

As you dig into the dish first by tearing down the wall surrounding the dish, it reveals within itself the soft mashed yam coated all over by a thin layer of crispy and flaky skin. And then you move on to the overflowing dish at the center with part of its protective wall now breached. The kung pao chicken has always been my choice. With the mild and natural flavor from the yam ring, the kung pao chicken adds a little spice and kick with its fiery dried chilies and its ginger-garlic-and-onion accented flavors. And right beneath all these is a bed of crispy glass noodles lightly deep fried to perfection; they stay crispy until they start getting drenched in the savory gravy coming from the kung pao chicken. Drooling yet? Well I am! lol.

Something to share from my past experiences...

• SIZE There is not a specific size as to how big or small the yam ring should be. But the two things you probably should take into consideration is the number of people you are serving, and of utmost importance to me - the size of the wok, pot or the deep fryer you are using. Go for one with a moderate size (less oil needed to fill them up) and with a good depth if you could; getting the whole ring fully submerged in the hot oil is always easier than having to do them first in half and then inverted to get to the other half - less time, less hassle and less risk of them falling apart. 
• THICKNESS The first time I made this, it was one with a relatively thicker wall. Not that they are bad. They actually tasted great! But for someone who is all head over heels with especially the crispy nature these yam rings have, I made a mental note to have it done slightly thinner the next time. Thinner - just so that the crispy skin:yam filling ratio gets slightly higher lol. So depending on your personal preference, the thickness is all up to you. If having it thin is your cup of tea, make sure that they are thin but not too much that they lose their stability when formed into a ring. 
• TIME Making this involves a good hour of chilling the yam ring to let the shape set. And the good thing about this? You can start really early anytime in the day and just let the yam ring sit in the fridge until cooking time.
• DEEP FRYING Unless you are using a deep fryer with a basket easily lowered into the hot oil, deep frying this yam ring can be quite challenging a task. You wouldn't want to just drop the whole ring into the oil; the bottom gets burnt easily when it comes into direct contact with the pot/wok and lifting the fragile yam ring when it is done will be even tougher a job. You can use a sieve yes, provided the pot/wok is large enough to accommodate them both. So do plan ahead and look for a method that best fits you. I had mine laid out in the recipe part. 

Somen in Pig Maw and Chicken Soup 猪肚鸡汤寿面 #2 - Chinese New Year Series

This is an extension to the previous post by the same name Somen in Pig Maw and Chicken Soup 猪肚鸡汤寿面, or an updated post on that specifically. A tradition of the Hokkien or Putien Henghua people 兴化人, this is what hubby grew up having at home, especially on the many auspicious days we Chinese do celebrate and plenty other normal days in between. A closely related version to the Mee Sua soup 面线汤 that I grew up having at home, the differences between the two lie mainly in the specific type of noodles used and the garnishing that comes with them.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year here in the States this year, I made it a point to bring this into the picture as part of our small celebration. The difference between this and the previous post on somen? Well this post will be an in-depth post on a more elaborated version of the somen, probably one that makes a better replica to my mom-in-law's version. It comes with a little more preparations yes, and a little more time needed for its making in general. Lets just say that the previous post will be what I call the simpler version to this. I'll still settle for that whenever I feel like having somen in a snap on some random days, and I'll go for this on days when I have the little extra time to spare for something a little fancier maybe. Specifically, they differ in terms of...

• The chicken breast Instead of serving the chicken breast as a whole, I have them out of the pot of soup about an hour before serving and shred them fine.  
• The greens Previously I had blanched the Chinese mustard green (choy sum) and served them plainly as it is. This time I have them stir fried with some fresh shiitake mushrooms and sliced fish cakes before topping them onto the bowl of somen.
• The garnishings Mom-in-law's version always come garnished with some crispy fried fried seaweed of some great quality. Not there in my previous post, but it is this time. And yes, it does make a whole lot of difference! lol.
• The soup In terms of the pig maw and chicken soup, apart from the different types of mushrooms I incorporated this time (button and straw mushrooms as opposed to the enoki previously), they are all otherwise the same. 

Quoting from my previous post on how to clean the pig maw:
1. Trim off any visible fat on the stomach lining.
2. Inverting the stomach cavity, scrape the lining with a butter knife, mainly to remove as much slimy impurities as possible. This is where it takes up most of the time with cleaning a pig maw. So do practice a little patience here, because once this is over, you are pretty much done. Keep the scraping going - rinse occasionally, and repeat all over again. My cue to stop? When you get less and less from scraping, you hold it better with hands (especially with the slime lessening over time) and the smell gets more tolerable.
3. It should be good to go now, but I usually do end mine with a bout of dry rubbing with corn flour in and out to remove whatever it is capable of removing, followed by a good rinse after.
4. Repeat the dry rubbing now with a good amount of sea salt. Rinse with warm water.
5. Blanch the pig maw in a pot of water for a minute or two. The pig maw will appear to set taking the shape of a pouch. Remove from heat and drain.
6. Bring a wok or skillet to heat on high heat. Bring in the pig maw and dry fry it against the wall of wok or skillet (my mom's golden piece of advice - it should further reduce the smell of the pig maw which I indeed find true!). Turn and keep moving the pig maw around the wok or skillet until it dries up and the skin gets slightly browned. Set aside and let cool. When cooled down enough, cut into pieces. Be sure not to slice them into pieces too small. Moderate size always gives better texture (I will recommend pieces measuring about 2"x1"). Set aside.

Chicken Rendang - Mom's Recipe #2

Updated June 13th, 2013 with new photos! :)

Added June 13th, 2013

When I pestered my mom for her Asam Prawns (Tamarind Prawns) 亚参虾 recipe, I made sure I took the chance to get a couple more other recipes too, all of which are specialties of hers. This chicken rendang is one of them. An all-time big favorite of hubby, I have been procrastinating forever to have a go and try making this dish at home. That makes the only chance he gets to indulge in this is solely limited to those times when a common friend of ours, Siew Gee occasionally makes her renowned nasi lemak that often comes paired with the chicken rendang and invite us all over. My excuses? I have not got a set of mortar and pestle to begin with. I probably would have considered giving it a try if I had had a good spice blender in replacement of that. But nope, I had never been bothered investing in a good one either back then. Having neither of those definitely had set some sorts of limitation here in my kitchen. Lame, but true! lol.

Things took a change last Thanksgiving when I finally convinced myself into getting a good spice blender. Sure enough there has been a lot of blending happening since. I slowly developed an interest in spices, I have a bigger and a more complete collection of spices these days, and I started to get all so intrigued with making things from scratch. That comes with a good feeling knowing that you do and can indeed have control over certain things, not forgetting the great sense of satisfaction you get at the end of it. I do owe this very episode in making this to mom, particularly for this long proven recipe of hers. It had not been a totally easy and breezy one to make I must say, considering that this was my first as a beginner myself. But to see especially how the end result had truly made hubby all so head over heels with it, it had certainly got myself well motivated to keep me going for now.

A sneak peak at some of the many spices used...

p/s If you are reading this, Siew Gee, please please please do not stop inviting us over for your nasi lemak, chicken rendang and everything else! lol.

Added June 13th, 2013

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Fried Tofu Puffs 香菇豆包焖鸡肉

This braised chicken with mushrooms and fried tofu puffs makes a classic home-cooked dish. So classic you can hardly see it printed in the menu, let alone served in most Chinese restaurants. But this is a dish commonly seen in typical Chinese homes. Probably not the exact version, but definitely one closely resembling this in one way or another. Simple ingredients with nothing much fancy, this makes a very appetizing dish that will definitely remind you of your childhood and all the home-cooked meals you used to have growing up at home.

There can be an endless variations to this. Apart from the fried tofu puffs and shiitake mushrooms, their places can be well taken by tofu, fried bean curd sticks or the wood ear fungus even . With the light soy sauce being the main ingredient constituting the gravy, it comes balanced with a tad of sweetness coming from the sugar and of course, the natural sweetness from the chicken. This dish goes exceptionally well with a bowl of rice. That tames the saltiness, counterbalancing the overall flavor. This is a case where simplicity is truly at its best! Whether to include a small bundle of the glass noodle is optional. But do try incorporating a small amount of these carbs into the dish. You will be amazed by how well they taste as they absorb the gravy so packed with flavor and taste. 

Fried Rice with Salted Fish and Chicken 鹹魚雞粒炒飯

My first time having this fried rice with salted fish and chicken was just a little less than two years back, shortly after I moved here. It was then when I learned that this is a common and a very much sought-after one indeed, commonly served in Chinese restaurants here. And at some points I started wondering if it simply is a specialty made popular here or has it all the while been an option that I might have overlooked during the many years of dining out in Malaysia, one of which I have yet to clarify to-date. As simple as it seems and sounds, this is one that I soon found myself personally labeling it as a hidden gem among the many other items in a typical extensive menu in any Chinese restaurants. 

As humble as it may get, making this dish shine really does need not more than just a few ingredients. Salted fish, once a poor man's food and obviously no longer so these days, is probably the very key to defining this fried rice giving it its unique pungency. Preserved over time, a small piece really does go a long way with its salty nature and yet surprisingly not overpoweringly so when incorporated into the dish - one that you either really adore or simply hate. A good plate of this rice will be one that comes with a balance of all - saltiness from the salted fish of a good quality but not to overwhelming in general, sweetness from the bits of chicken and peas, refreshing crunchiness from the shreds of lettuces leaves complete with the natural aroma coming from the eggs. If you are one that does not particularly despise the salted fish, then this is one that you have to try for yourself to see how appetizing this really can be and how it may even easily be the one that wins your heart hands down thereon.

Somen in Pig Maw and Chicken Soup 猪肚鸡汤寿面

It officially marked the very first day to winter yesterday, so promptly greeted with the snowy weather that we had throughout the day yesterday. Returning from our anniversary trip to Las Vegas just the past weekend, hubby and I both are now again in our battle against the seasonal flu that we thought we had just recovered from not that long just prior to our trip - pretty much thanks to the sleepless nights and overindulging ourselves in the endless lines of great food, particularly the part on overdoing the liquor (oops). With our lifestyle going haywire in the sin city, the few crazy nights had surely knocked some consciousness into me at the end of the trip, something that I have to involuntarily accept now - that I probably am slightly beyond my age for those stuff ever again lol. Day 5 of feeling under the weather (and still counting), well this should prove that there must be some truth to that little fact check there, and that I should really be thinking twice before ever engaging myself in any of those again in the future. Sign of repentance? Oh yea, I bet it is lol.

We have an unusually cold weather here in Michigan yesterday, the lowest it has got thus far (but then again the tough days are just about to start! grrrrrrrrrrr). Feeling all so sulky on the whole, I guess it's a thing good enough that I have this little craving left stirring in me still - chicken soup! This somen in pig maw and chicken soup 猪肚鸡汤寿面 is pretty much a fusion of my mom's chicken soup and my mom-in-law's somen. Mom's chicken soup comes with a whole chicken cut into pieces, a variety of mushrooms, and dried scallops - clear and yet so very flavorful and nutritious it makes itself such a great comfort food on its own. Mom-in-law's somen on the other hand, has always been the iconic dish at home (in which the noodle represents longevity in general) especially to the many auspicious days Chinese do celebrate - Chinese New Year and birthdays among the few. Served with pig maw soup with some greens, crispy fried seaweed and deep fried shallots, this is a tradition of the Putian people, or Xinghua 兴化人, a Han ethnic group from Putian, Fujian - dad-in-law's origin.

Cleaning the pig maw is one that really only gets better with experience. I can never forget how my first experience with it turned out to be a real disaster. I spent some good four hours at it before I was convinced that they are good to be incorporated into my pot of simmering chicken soup back then. Your second try will naturally take a lot less time than the first and the next time you are at it again, you will then realize that you would have gotten the hang of it by then. But generally this is how I usually get mine done.

• Trim off any visible fat on the stomach lining. 
• Inverting the stomach cavity, scrape the lining with a butter knife, mainly to remove as much slimy impurities as possible. This is where it takes up most of the time with cleaning a pig maw. So do practice a little patience here, because once this is over, you are pretty much done. Keep the scraping going - rinse occasionally, and repeat all over again. My cue to stop? When you get less and less from scraping, you hold it better with hands (especially with the slime lessening over time) and the smell gets more tolerable.
• It should be good to go now, but I usually do end mine with a bout of dry rubbing with corn flour in and out to remove whatever it is capable of removing, followed by a good rinse after.
• Repeat the dry rubbing now with a good amount of sea salt. Finish with a good rinse using warm water. A little more boiling and dry frying (a little more elaborated in the recipe part as they come) and that is it! 

Tedious? Maybe, but practice really does make perfect. These days, it takes not much more than half an hour to get them squeaky clean. And the best part about it? Doing it yourself at home means you know exactly the quality of the pig maw you are getting into the pot of chicken soup and of utmost importance, what your family ingests as it gets served on the table later. So worth it!

Steamed Chicken with Dried Lily Buds, Wood Ear Fungus and Mushrooms 金针木耳冬菇蒸鸡

Apart from the Peppered Pork Tenderloin 胡椒肉, this version of steamed chicken is yet another family recipe from my dad's side. I grew up having plenty of this especially at my aunt's place whenever we were over for the many lunches and dinners that we used to have together at her place. One brief glance at it, it does look simple enough, probably not even half as appealing as many others especially those with their vibrant colors or others with fancy ingredients incorporated. The name tells pretty much all what this steamed chicken is about. Dried lily buds, wood ear fungus and mushrooms trimmed and sliced and put to steam on a bed of chicken with a little extra touch of seasoning - as simple as that really. But this is one of the few times when look can really be deceiving. This is to me a masterpiece where simplicity is at its best. Have it served with a plate of  plain rice, and just that combination alone will be good enough to let the homey feeling contained within revealed at its best. Aunt's version came with some chopped birds eye chilies in it but I started without back when I first attempted making this a year or two back. It nonetheless shines like none other and if anything, it actually accentuates the natural flavors better, and so I have been sticking to this version ever since. A case where less is more? Maybe yea lol.  

 

ABC Soup ABC 汤

A hectic week pre and post Thanksgiving and we finally caught the festive flu. Made worse with our lack of sleep and constant nose blowing, they surely did wear us down challenging our immune system further. And with my appetite plunging low getting super fussy, there really was not much that my aching throat could tolerate and approve. This ABC soup has always been the only thing that I have never said no to in my life - my all-time comfort food it sure is. It had been this soup that I had happily had through all those times when I got under the weather growing up and especially when I was on those orders for soft diet post all the teeth extraction nightmares in life. Gentle on the stomach and needing negligible effort to chew, it is amazing how they can be so tasty and still packed with all the essentials to sustain the good and reverse the bad. Packed with carrots, tomatoes, onions and potatoes and a little extra protein, their health benefits derive from the antioxidants, minerals, dietary fiber and particularly the provitamin A, vitamin B and of course whatever amount of vitamin C that is left still after the long hours of simmering. A soup so aptly named!

There probably is not a golden rule as to how this should be made. There can be no limit to the types of ingredients to be included and how much of each to be used. This is the version that I have grown up getting to know and love, and so this is how it shall always be to me personally with carrots > potatoes > onions > tomatoes quantity-wise. As with all the other homemade soups, I always have the cooking started early in the day and leave them simmering gently away until dinner time. Tailor the amount of ingredients to how much soup you wish to make. Essentially it will be good as long as the composition remains the same as aforementioned. ABC soup is one of the few that I always make sure that I make more than enough for our main meals and a sip or two in between meals for a day or two and probably even three. And I better not forget mentioning that this is just the perfect fit to keep you hydrated as you battle through - nutritious and tasty, hearty and healthy.