Yam rice with pork belly, chinese black mushrooms, dried scallops and dried shrimps :)

I'm glad to say that my first attempt at yam rice was a yammy-licious success! :)

•  Half a purple yam, peeled and cubed *1 whole purple yam, 450g
•  5 garlic cloves, chopped
•  5 shallots, sliced
•  1 dried scallop (conpoy) *8 large dried scallops
•  100g dried shrimp *150g small dried shrimp
•  4 dried mushrooms *8 dried mushrooms, sliced
•  1 Chinese sausage, skin removed, sliced *not used
•  300g pork belly, sliced *200g lean pork
•  1 tsp salt
•  2 tsp sugar *1.5 tsp sugar
•  1 tsp dark soya sauce *2 tsp dark soya sauce
•  1 tsp light soya sauce *0.5 tsp concentrated chicken broth
•  5 rice cups of rice
•  6 rice cups of water *1 extra cup of mushroom reserve water, 20ml of scallop reserve water
•  5 tbsp of cooking oil *1 tbsp of sesame oil

1. Wash the rice and set aside.

2. Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until soft. Rinse and slice.

3. Rinse the dried scallop, then soak in a little hot water.

4. Shred the scallop.

5. Rinse the dried shrimp and soak in water.

6. Heat two tablespoonfuls of oil and fry the yam until lightly browned. Set aside.

7. Heat one tablespoonful of oil and 0.5 tbsp of sesame oil and fry the sliced pork belly till brown. Set aside. *Pour reserve oil into prewashed rice.

8. Heat two tablespoonfuls of oil and 0.5 tbsp of sesame oil, fry the garlic and shallots until golden brown, then add the scallop, dried shrimp and mushrooms.

9. Add in the washed rice, fried yam and pork.

10. Add in one teaspoonful of salt and 1.5 teaspoonfuls of sugar. Add in one teaspoonful of light soya sauce, two teaspoonful of dark soya sauce, 0.5 tsp of concentrated chicken broth

11. Remove the mixture from the wok and transfer into the rice cooker.

12. Add six cups of water + 1 cup of mushroom reserve water and 20ml of scallop reserve water. Use the rice cooker to cook the rice until done.

13. Serve with chopped coriander and dried shallots .(optional)

All my adaptations of the recipe have been indicated with an asterix * next to the ingredients list. We love our rice with a chockful of ingredients :) Dad loves sesame oil so he suggested the addition of sesame oil. I didn't want to just add it into the rice. So I've incorporated it into the frying of the ingredients. Just a little sesame oil does bring up the fragrance of the rice!

Cook happy. And eat well. From my kitchen to yours! <3 br="">

Credits:

http://www.soshiok.com/recipe/yam-rice-recipe-hed-chef

Nonya Chap Chye

Tried and tested. 

This was such a crowd pleaser that I've cooked it the very next week after my first attempt.

What a happy myriad of colours!

This week's edition was same same but different.

Using some deep fried pork belly instead.

And I added black moss (not in picture) this time :)

•  8 large dried mushrooms
•  1 litre of water, or more if necessary
•  100g haebi or dried shrimp
•  10g dried black fungus or cloud ear fungus
•  100g black moss
•  10g dried golden lily buds
•  20g tung hoon or bean vermicelli
•  20g tau kee or sweet beancurd skin
•  5Tbs cooking oil, and more oil for deep-frying the tau kee
•  200g pork belly, sliced into thin strips
•  1Tbs garlic, finely chopped
•  2 1/2Tbs tau cheo or fermented soyabean paste
•  1kg cabbage, washed and cut roughly into pieces
•  100g jicama, peeled and cut into strips about 4cm long and 1cm thick
•  10g beancurd skin
•  1Tbs concentrated chicken stock
•  Salt to taste
•  Oyster sauce to taste

1. Wash the dried mushrooms and boil in a small pot with about 400ml of water for about five to 10 minutes, until they have softened. Drain but keep the liquid (mushroom water) for use later. Cut the mushrooms into strips. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, soak the dried shrimp, black fungus, black moss, golden lily buds and tung hoon in separate bowls of water for about 10 minutes. Drain each item and set aside. Tie the lily buds into knots and trim the ends. Set aside.

3. Wipe the sheets of tau kee with a damp cloth, then cut them into 5cm squares. Deep-fry in hot oil until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

4. Heat 5Tbs of oil in a large wok on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the dried shrimp and fry until fragrant.

5. Add the strips of pork belly and continue to fry until cooked.

6. Add the garlic, then the tau cheo and fry for about one minute.

7. Next, put in the cabbage and jicama and stir. Add about 200ml of water. Cover and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring intermittently.

8. Add the mushroom water that you had set aside earlier, followed by the mushrooms, black fungus and golden lily buds. Stir. Add just enough water to submerge most of the ingredients.

9. Bring the liquid to a boil. Add more water if necessary. The vegetables should be cooked and soft, but not mushy.

10. When boiling, add the tau kee and black moss. Stir gently and simmer for about five minutes. Add the beancurd skin and tung hoon.

11. Add the concentrated chicken stock, salt and oyster sauce to taste.

- See more at: http://www.soshiok.com/recipe/nonya-chap-chye#sthash.rAi3exL2.dpuf

Credits:

http://www.soshiok.com/recipe/nonya-chap-chye

Adjustments:

I used some of the reserved water from soaking the dried prawns as well.

Taking the healthier (less mess too!) option, I didn't deep fry the tau kee so I've added it in together in Step 8 to let it cook for longer.

Since I was using fermented soybean instead, I mixed the oyster sauce, salt and chicken stock cubes together before adding it in to the simmering vegetables.

If you're using chicken stock cubes instead, you'd need one to one and a half cubes.

I added in two tablespoons of oyster sauce and a quarter teaspoon of salt.

And if you're wondering if sio bak or regular pork belly is better for taste, I'd say it's really up to your own personal preference.

But if you left it to me, I'd cook with pork belly and top it off with sio bak! :)

Happy cooking!

From my kitchen to yours,

Brenda x

Chicken soup for the soul.

Black charcoal and white hot ash. 

I watch as she toils over the well-worn stove. 

Her movements restricted. 

Her hearing impaired. 

Her speech lacking in life. 

Her pride, 

however, 

intact. 

As a proud woman who devotes her life to keeping the house in order. 

She will clean. 

And cook. 

For as long as she lives. 

Her stubborness translates into a perfect bowl of chicken soup. 

She feeds my soul. 

My grandma.

Chicken, pork rib, mushroom stew.

Grandma's back in the game.

She's got an amazing strength and great talent when it comes to the kitchen and all that which 'home cooking' stands for.

Today's stew was cooked over charcoal.

Which really made all the difference in the world.

The best part?

The stew is kept heated and never burnt, gently bubbling over the leftover white-hot ashes.

Generous cuts of chinese black flower mushrooms,

meaty pork ribs with soft bones, 

chicken drumsticks and hardboiled eggs.

Stewed in a light soy gravy.

The mushrooms were fully absorbent of the gravy and burst into a plethora of juices on first bite.

The pork ribs were stewed till tender and fell apart almost immediately.

Likewise for the chicken drumsticks.

The gravy.

Was fragrant and light enough on tastebuds to be drunk almost like a soup.

Which was perfect since that meant I could happily skip rice. :) 

Home cooked.

Always the best kind of yum.

Grandma's Bak Chang

Grandma's Bak Chang

1kg pork- thigh meat
300g chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into halves
6 shallots, chopped and divided equally in 2 bowls
2kg glutinous rice
100g candied winter melon, chopped
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp five spice powder
pinch of pepper
150g of dried scallops, contained in a small pot.
30 dried bamboo leaves, soaked till soft and wiped dry.
1-2 bundle hemp/ rafia strings, soaked

For the glutinous rice:

1. Rinse and strain water from glutinous rice.
2. Brown 1 bowl of shallots in oil till fragrant. Take away half of the shallots, leaving the oil and the remaining shallots in the pan.
3. Fry the rice with shallots and oil till half cooked. Put the half cooked rice in a big bowl and set aside.

For the fillings:

1. Fry 1 bowl of shallots till their amora is liberated. Add in the mushrooms and continue frying.
2. Add in pork after a minute or so, followed by the candied winter melon.
3. Before the pork is done, add in soy sauce, five spice powder and pepper to taste. 
*Seasoning based on personal preferences. 

Boil wrapped dumplings for approximately one hour.

Makes around 20 dumplings