Tiger Lily Buds And Edamame Stir-fry

You have seen and eaten these in Hot and Sour Soups, and perhaps a couple of Moo Shu dishes. Traditionally, these exotic lily buds are woodsy tiger lilies, and they are actually unopened yellow day lily flowers. Because of its bright golden color when it is raw, lily buds are known as "Gum Jum" in Cantonese, which translates to "Golden Needle". At the Asian grocery market, look in the dry foods section where they are packed in plastic baggies and appear slightly pale yellow in color. Dried lily buds are mainly used in authentic chinese stir-fries, soups and hot pots aka fondues. In the chinese tradition, tiger lily flowers also represent "wealth", and you will see loads of it added to Chinese New Year vegetarian dishes such as Buddha's Feast. They are also great when paired up with any recipe that calls for shitake mushroom or wood ear mushroom, such as my Clay Pot Chicken recipe.

It's a pleasure munching these long, slender, needly flowers. Crunchy in texture when cooked, these tiger lilies lend a light earthy flavor as opposed to the heavier flavored chinese mushroom and portabello mushroom. I don't think I have seen any fresh golden petals like I used to when I was back home. I remember picking them out from my bowl of glass noodles when I was a kid, and crunching each lily flower bud before slurping my noodles.

I couldn't think of anything more light and pleasant to go along with my lily flower stir fry recipe than edamame beans. I love edamame bean pods steamed, eaten cold or hot, but I tend to get lazy with the peeling part, not to mention the messiness of the juice squirting all over. That's why I bought some frozen prepacked ones that is conveniently available all year round at the Asian grocery frozen section. Edamame beans have a cross taste between a regular green pea and a chinese broad bean, slightly crunchy, and easier on the bean taste. I think this would fit well in my second submission to the Weekend Herb Blogging at Kalyn's Kitchen :)

Here it is. A quick, no brainer recipe - lily buds stir fry with edamame soy beans and shrimp. This, I have to say, is yet another great addition to my spring and summer stir fry or salad medleys that I enjoy !

Tiger Lily Buds And Edamame Stir-fry Recipe

Ingredients :
1/2 cup dried lily buds ( soaked in water, washed and rinsed )
1 cup frozen edamame beans ( de-shelled )
4 peeled shrimp
1 tbsp oyster sauce
white pepper
sesame oil
mirin wine

Method :

1) Pan fry the shrimp until slightly browned. Add the edamame beans and lily buds, stir-fry, toss and turn for 1 minute.

2) Dash in sesame oil, white pepper, oyster sauce, and a splash of mirin wine. Continue stir-frying for about 3 minutes.

Lion's Head Meatball Soup

I may be in sunny California, but as soon as it turns dark, I still get the occasional shiver as the chilly spring breezes battle valiantly to fend off the advancing forces of the summer heat. Tonight, especially, is one of those nights when I would like nothing more than to wrap my cold, clammy hands around a bowl of hot soup and sink my teeth into something meaty. It didn't take long for my noggin to remind me of a dish I had seen at someone else's table on a recent visit to a Shanghai cuisine restaurant - Lion's Head Meatball Soup. Yes ! That should do the trick :)

If you are unfamiliar with "Lion's Head Meatballs", they aren't really meatballs made from lion's heads. This popular Shanghai dish got it's name from the resemblance of the meatball to a lion's head and the accompanying napa cabbage to it's wavy mane. Funny thing is, as I was shaping the meatballs, my mind was actually conjuring up a visual of the movie "Monster's Ball" starring Simba (from "The Lion King") instead of Halle Berry... haha. Luckily, my meatballs turned out looking more like Simba's head than Halle's boobs... I think. Okay... I really should stop thinking out loud :P

Anyway, enough about disturbing and odd visuals and on to the recipe. Instead of napa cabbage, I've chosen to go with baby bok choy for it's crisper texture and sweeter flavor for the soup. The "fattiness" of the ground pork used will literally make or break the meatball. If it's too lean, the meatball will be dry and tough. Too much fat and it will be mushy and break easily. From personal experience, I've discovered that it's tastier, not to mention healthier, to use leaner ground pork. To offset the toughness, I mash luncheon meat or Spam finely into the ground pork. That not only makes the meatball bouncier without mushing it up, but also adds a very mild smoky flavor to boot. Try it, I'm sure you will enjoy my secret ingredient in your meatballs rather than your e-mail account :)

A) Meatball Recipe

Ingredients :
1 lb ground pork leg ( OR any lean part of pork eg. pork loin )
4 dried shitake mushroom ( soaked, rinsed and finely chopped )
finely chopped green onions
finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
1 can of luncheon meat ( OR spam ) finely mashed
2 tbsp oyster sauce
sesame oil
white pepper
salt to taste
shaoxing cooking wine

Method :

1) Mix all the ingredients evenly and form into desired sized meatballs. Set aside.

B) Meatball Soup Recipe

Ingredients :
baby bok choy
bonito fish granules
chopped green onions
chopped chinese celery

Method :

1) Add bonito fish granules to boiling water in clay pot.
2) Slowly place meatballs in and simmer for 8 minutes.
3) Add baby bok choy, chopped green onions and chinese celery and simmer on medium heat for another 5-10 minutes.

Instant Noodle 101

Since I ventured a little into instant noodles on my last post, I thought I might as well deliver the whole enchilada while my "noodle" is still in "oo-dle" gear. In my last post, I gave Mr. Yi from China his props for the concept of the instant noodle. But it was a Japanese company called Nissin that kicked it up a notch and gave birth to the colorful plastic-wrapped rectangular 4" by 6" bricks of dried "instant ramen" noodles that we are more familiar with today. Today, instant noodles aren't just about quick-fix meals for rat-racers or low-budget meals for starving students anymore. They are balanced with meat and vegetables and served as proper meals not only at home, but also at many Oriental restaurants, especially in Hong Kong-style cafes.

My favorite brand of instant noodles is "Maggi". I've tried many different brands that get all mushy after cooking but Maggi noodles retain that chewy, springy texture that is the first thing I look for. Not to mention their soup seasonings come in all the flavors I enjoy. From Asam Laksa to Curry and Tom Yum, or even Mee Goreng for dry noodle lovers. I believe Maggi is also the most popular brand of instant noodles in Malaysia and Singapore. Growing up, I can remember many a good time spent shooting the breeze with my buddies over "roti canai" and Maggi noodles at my favorite "mamak" stall back home. It might be the company, but even instant noodles taste better when someone else is doing the cooking :)

Okay.. on to my instant noodling for the day. I'm going to go with Maggi Asam Laksa flavor. For those who are unfamiliar with "Asam Laksa", it is a popular Malaysian noodle dish served in a sour tamarind-based fish soup. I'm also going to "de-instant-ize" my noodles with an egg, some fresh cut green beans and some stir-fried fish fillet.

Maggi instant noodles - USD$0.29
Ingredients - USD$1.00
Taste - Priceless.. For everything else, there is Master Card ? :P

Instant Noodle Soup with Sambal Green Bean and Fish Stir-Fry Recipe

Ingredients :
1 pack Maggi Asam Laksa Instant Noodle ( OR your favorite instant Ramen )
8 oz fresh cut green beans
8 oz sole fish fillet sliced
2 tsp minced shallots
1 tbsp chili paste
1 tsp toasted shrimp paste powder ( belacan )
2 tsp dried shrimps ( soaked and minced )
a pinch of turmeric spice
2 tsp cooking oil
1 tsp tamarind paste
salt and sugar to taste
water for cooking noodles
1 boiled egg

Method :

1) Marinate fish fillet with turmeric spice, cooking oil, and roasted shrimp powder. Set aside.
1) Stir-fry minced shallots and dried shrimp until fragrant. Add fish fillet slices and pan-fry on both sides until slightly browned.
2) Add green beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add chili paste, tamarind paste, salt and sugar to taste, and splash in some water. Continue to stir-fry for 2 more minutes and set aside.
3) Cook instant noodles according to instructions on package. Add boiled egg, prepared green beans and fish to your noodle soup.

P/S : If you have a favorite brand of instant noodles that you really like, do share it with me as I'm always on the look-out for good instant noodles for those lazy cooking days.

Braised E-Fu Noodles

After having seen the new Olive Garden "Crab Alfredo Venezia" commercial pop up on tv for the umpteenth time this past month, it's no wonder I've suddenly developed a craving for seafood and noodles. The power of subliminal messages indeed ! I've tried a variety of seafood-noodle combination, from a simple seafood rice noodle stir-fry to a lavish seafood udon served on a sizzling hot plate, but none of them can hold a candle to E-Fu noodles and seafood. They are.. IMHO that is.. a match made in food heaven, kind of like spaghetti and meatballs or the popular Malaysian noodle dish, "char kway teow" with cockles even :)

Also known as "yi meen" or "yi noodles", E-Fu noodles were invented and named after some guy called "Yi" in ancient China who deep-fried some noodles so he could keep them longer and boiled the noodles in water later before serving. I wonder if he had have some potatoes lying around the kitchen when he thought of that if we'd be having Chinese fries today instead of French fries. Hehe.. Just kidding, Mr. Yi, relax.. I'm sure you're already rich enough in the afterlife from all that ghost money the instant noodle companies must have burned for you :P

E-fu noodles are made from eggs and wheat flour and can be found on the noodle aisle in most Asian grocery stores. They are long and flat, deep-fried and dried, with a light yellow color. They are usually vacuumed packed in plastic bags in the shape of either 8" wheels or 8" squares. Bear in mind that since it isn't as dry compared to other dried noodles, it requires less boiling/softening time also. If you have ever listened to Alphaville's "Forever Young" and answered "yes" to the chorus, then you should really slurp down some e-fu on your birthday as it is a symbol of longevity.

Braised E-Fu Noodles With Seafood Recipe

Ingredients :
1 pack E-Fu noodles
8 oz cut cuttlefish ( OR baby cuttlefish, squids, etc )
8 oz sliced sole fish fillets
8 peeled and deveined shrimps
shredded green onions
10 oz chicken broth
cornstarch solution
2 eggs
prepared fried shallots
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
sesame oil
shaoxing cooking wine
salt, sugar and white pepper to taste

Method:
Cooking the E-Fu Noodles :

1) In a boiling pot of water, blanch or boil the E-Fu noodles for 3 minutes or until soft.
2) Rinse in cold water, let dry, mix the oyster sauce, soy sauce, a little cooking oil, mix well, and then set aside.
3) Pan-fry the noodles until slightly browned on both sides to a light crisp, remove to a plate or sizzling hot plate, and then set aside.

Cooking the Seafood Gravy :

1) In a wok, crack the eggs in, pan-fry the eggs lightly, with the bottoms to a light crisp, leaving the the rest of the eggs still runny, and set aside.
2) Stir-fry the green onions, and then add the seafood ingredients in and pan-fry until slightly browned, splash the sesame oil, cooking wine, salt, and sugar, and continue stir-fry for a 2 minutes.
3) Add the chicken broth, salt, sugar, pepper, cornstarch solution, let boil, and then pour the half cooked eggs in, and let simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes.
4) Pour the seafood gravy over the pan-fried E-Fu noodle plate, drizzle some fried shallots, and ready to serve.

Spicy Chili Chicken

Chinese New Year has come and gone, marking the end of my extravagant feasting forays which has been in overdrive ever since Thanksgiving last year. Settling back into my regular diet of good ol' steamed rice with a couple of simple dishes, the first thing that came to mind was something spicy, easy to prepare, and low fat ! Eenie, meenie, minie... Rendang ? Curry Chicken? Hot and Sour Fish? ...Nope. A simple Spicy Chili Chicken ? Yeah sure, why not ! The ingredients for this Chili Chicken recipe is actually quite versatile. A combination of spices and chilies ranging from cumin to turmeric and jalapeno to serrano can be used... Whatever floats your boat basically.

Preparing this dish always bring back fond memories of my carefree college days. It was the the beginning of the oriental buffet restaurant boom here in the states. Back then, those eat-till-u-drop-for-under-five-bucks joints were heaven for starving college students such as myself, who have been surviving on one too many packets of instant noodles for lunch and dinner... and breakfast... and supper. Well... you get the picture. One of the very few spicy dishes available at most of the buffets back then was the Spicy Chili Chicken. Come winter and early spring, a few buddies and myself would get together there once in a while and pile our plates high of that good stuff with extra glasses of iced water sitting on our tables just in case.

Okay, back to the present. As I was on the phone with mom, I decided to pick her brain for some spices to include in chili chicken. Oh boy, I ended up with a shopping list for like 101 spices, some of which I don't think I can even find in an encyclopedia! She must have forgotten that I'm not in Malaysia... hehe. Anyway, I've decided to narrow it down, mainly to whatever is available in my kitchen at the moment :P I am also going to pan-fry the chicken bone-in, which IMHO is tastier that way. So here it is, my simple version of the Spicy Chili Chicken.

Spicy Chili Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 a chicken ( cut up into serving portions )
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp red chili powder
chopped serrano chilies ( remove seeds, OR use red chilies for a milder taste )
1 tbsp minced shallots
1 tbsp minced yellow onions
dried red chili pods ( remove seeds )
water
salt and sugar to taste

Method :
1) Marinate chicken with red chili powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala spice. Set aside.
2) Stir-fry the minced shallots, yellow onions, coriander, mustard seeds, serrano chilies, and dried chili pods till fragrant. Add chicken and pan fry on both sides until nicely browned.
3) Add water, salt and sugar to taste. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes OR until fully cooked.

Chinese BBQ Pork

I had a terrible experience the last time I had a craving for some "Char Siu" (Cantonese style BBQ Pork). After fighting an hour's worth of traffic to reach Chinatown and waiting in line for half more at my favorite BBQ restaurant "Sam Woo", I was left staring at the last piece of Char Siu which was practically screaming, "I'm dry and burnt, but I'm the last piece standing and you've come this far ......" And that was enough inspiration for making my own Chinese BBQ Pork nowadays whenever I have a craving for that sweet, sticky, tender hunk of "red" meat.

The choice of meat is on the top of my list when it comes to my BBQ Pork. For a leaner Char Siu, use pork cushion or pork loin. If you prefer it to be really tender (like I do), pork belly is the way to go. If you can't decide, start out with pork shoulder or pork butt, which is leaner than pork belly, yet quite marbly and moist.

Traditionally, Chinese BBQ Pork is skewered with long forks and roasted in ovens, which is how it's name is derived, "Char" and "Siu" in Cantonese respectively translate to "Fork" and "Roasted". However, I have discovered that pan-broiling the BBQ Pork like my Hainan Chicken on the stove-top is faster and the result is just as authentic.

Personally, I prefer my Chinese BBQ Pork with egg noodles tossed with the BBQ Pork caramel sauce. But its always great with plain white rice, fried rice, or as bun stuffings.

BBQ Pork Caramel Sauce Recipe

Ingredients :
4 tbsp maltose
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sweet soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tbsp Chinese rose wine ( OR regular shaoxing wine )
white pepper
sesame oil
salt to taste

Method :

1) To avoid sticking or burning onto the pan, cook all ingredients on a double boiler on medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens, let it cool down and then set aside.

BBQ Pork Recipe

Ingredients :
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced shallot
2 lbs+ pork belly ( OR use pork loin OR pork shoulder)
caramel sauce

Method :

1) Fork the pork belly and rub the minced ingredients all over the meat.
2) Marinade the pork bellies with half to two thirds of a portion of the prepared caramel sauce over the meat, and then set aside for at least 20 minutes. ( preferably overnight )
3) Pan fry the marinated meat over medium-high heat until both sides are nicely browned, cover and let it cook on medium-low heat for an additional 20-30 minutes.
4) Baste some glaze over the meat 5 minutes before finish time.
5) Pour the remaining caramel sauce over the meat, before of after cutting the meat into serving size.

Happy Chinese Valentine's Day

"Chap Goh Meh" is a term in the Hokkien dialect which literally translates to "the fifteenth night". This auspicious occasion which falls on the first full moon of the Lunar New Year also marks the fifteenth and final day of the Chinese New Year festivities. This year, "Chap Goh Meh" falls on the 4th of March. The usual Chinese celebrations include feasting, eating "Tangyuan" (Glutinous rice flour balls served in boiling water), and the Lantern festival.

However, in South East Asia, this day is also celebrated as Chinese Valentine's Day. In the days of old, this is the only day of the year when unmarried couples are allowed to be seen together with each other. As for single girls, one of the traditions in Malaysia include the throwing of tangerines into the sea. This is done in hopes that it will be found by their soul mate. Maybe it will work even better if they write their name, phone number, email address with permanent ink on the tangerines. Haha.. just kidding about that writing down of the particulars part. Don't try it at home !

I was thinking of my late granny when she told me that funny tangerine tossing Chinese Valentine's Day tradition. Jellyfish and cucumber salad was one of her favorite munchies when she was playing mahjong during Chinese New Year. I guess a part of her must have rubbed off on me as I develop a craving for it every time Chinese New Year comes around.

Using some of my favorite Asian salad ingredients like cilantro, green onions, and the flavorful chinese five spice tofu, here's a quick and easy recipe for a jellyfish salad. I bet you will love this jellyfish salad, it is simply refreshing, a great light snack suited for the spring and summer.

Tips : Cooking jellyfish

1) In a hot boiling pot of water, drop the jellyfish in, and cook for about 1-2 minutes, depending on which part of the jellyfish is used. If its the head is used, it will need a longer time to cook. Check for consistency after a minute into cooking time.
2) Rinse in cold, icy water. Drain off excess salt, pat dry and chill in the fridge until cold.

Jellyfish Salad Recipe

Ingredients :
shredded chinese five spice pressed tofu
shredded cooked jellyfish
chopped cilantros
shredded green onions
100% pure sesame oil
low sodium soy sauce

For stuffing : cucumber cups ( remove core )
Before serving : toasted sesame seeds and paprika powder

Method :

1) Mix all the ingredients together and let chill for 10 minutes.
2) Scoop the jellyfish into the cucumber cups. Lightly sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds and paprika powder before serving.

Edible Sea Creatures

Clue #1 : In Sponge Bob and Square Pants, these sea creatures occurred frequently as underwater equivalent of bees.

Clue #2 : In Finding Nemo, these entails the main characters swimming their way through them.

Clue #3 : In Shark Tale, E and B are the species of these.

Clue #4 : Its a seaweed gluten that has an interesting crunchy texture. Some parts are firm and tender all at the same time, whereas other parts are kind of gelatinous.

Clue #5 : You see plates of these sitting at the dimsum carts at the Chinese restaurant.

So, now now, which of these body parts shall I use for my next "appetizing" recipe hmm....

Yes, it is jellyfish ! Three edible body parts of the jellyfish is available today to cater to your taste buds : from firm to tender to gelatinous. The first picture on to the left is the jellyfish skin, it is thin, slighty crunchy and firm in texture. The second picture is the jellyfish head, firm and chewy, easy on the gelatinous side, and this sort of resembles the texture of beef tendon. The popular "body part" of the jellyfish is the shredded body. They are gelatinously soft, and tender all at the same time. The fact is, jellyfish are salted and flaccid to the touch. They are not dried, but preserved. Just like the many jellyfish salads you see at any dimsum served in the Cantonese cuisine, its also another popular cold starter dish served during the Chinese New Year festivities.

Jellyfish facts : They are made up of over 95% water, and they do not have brains, hearts, gills, bones, or blood. And since they don't have backbones as well, they belong to the invertebrates group of animals.

Protect The Children

A little side track from food today, I have been tagged by eastcoastlife, for a good cause, "Safeguard the www for children" campaign. I'm calling out to you and all the webmasters of adult sites to take action today !! Have a password-protected login to prevent children or visitors to have direct access to such sites. I hereby, reach out to :

My new wonderful fellow bloggers :

linda, of out of the garden
veron, of kitchen musings
PE, of passionate eater
lydia, of perfect pantry
freya, of zombiesnack
kalyn, of kalyn's kitchen
micky, of canal blog
lory, of free cuisine
helene, of tartalette
wmw, of you get what you give..
precious pea, of precious pea
lyrical lemongrass, of a whiff of lemongrass
sandi, of whistletop cafe
jeanne, of cook sister
joey, of 80breakfasts
ming, of NYC daily photos

My usual suspects :

Rasa Malaysia
1001 Recettes
Flog & Rosbif
Orchidea
Technicolor Kitchen
Foodies Hope
Hooked on Heat
Noodles & Rice
Cumin & Coriander
What Geeks Eat
Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz
Passionate Non Chalance
Trinigourmet
Foodblogga
Tigerfish
Sim Cooks
Budding Cook
Wandering Chopsticks
Monster Munching
Chubby Panda
OC Food Blogs
SD mmm-yoso
HI Onokinegrindz
CAN chowtimes
Back Street Gluttons
tummythoz
teckiee
Audrey Cooks
Pablo Cooks
Hakka House
Singapore Daily Photos
Rambling Spoon
Eating Asia

and everyone else to join in this campaign. Spread the awareness, and protect the children !

Thanks everyone !! :)