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.

Deep Fried Belacan Chicken Wings

My second post is long overdue. Has everyone survived their Xmas and New year's bloatings from all the food, booze, or something much more interesting ? *grins* I fired up the kitchen for some fried chicken just before all that, and ended up with a whole long week of fever, flu & everything else in between. *sob*

Major seasoning : Toasted shrimp paste made of fermented krills, also known as Belacan in Malaysia and Singapore, and Terasi Bakar to the Indonesians, where krills are mashed, buried for sometime, fried, toasted and pressed into squarish shaped block of cake. They are also sold in powdered form in jars.

Fried chicken inspires some heated debates. So, you'll likely have quite a few different approaches. We got the Spicy Cajuns, the Old fashioned Colonel's Chicken and much more. Bring them on ! I'll start with a confession, this recipe was born out of ethnic preference. Yes, my recipe is seasoned with some wonderfully-stinky Belacan. This recipe has became popular over the years after I left for the States and is much talked about until recently when I called home. Almost all fried food is associated with Belacan seasonings. Although I've to admit that I still need to learn the manner of frying to 100% crispyness and juicy in perfection. I'm quite ready now, I think, to make this recipe do justice to almost perfection - easy on the flouring, crispy on the outside, tender, juicy and tasty on the inside - bye bye to Popeyes, KFC, and say hello to my Jumbo Belacan Chicken Wings, Yayy !! :)

So, how do you like yours fried ?

Deep Fried Belacan Chicken Wings Recipe

Ingredients :
5 jumbo chicken wings ( cut into drumettes & wings )
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp belacan powder
1 tbsp ground dried shrimps
1 tbsp black pepper
salt & sugar to taste
1 egg white

Seasoned flour ( in a Zip-lock bag ) :
Cornflour
1 tbsp rice flour
1 tbsp belacan powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt & sugar

Method :
1) Pre-marinade the wings with all the "ingredients", except the egg white. (for at least 2 hours to overnight preferably.)
2) Place the wings in egg whites, set aside.
3) Place them in the pre-seasoned flour, shake and ready to fry.
4) Heat oil, fry wings in medium heat for 10-15 minutes OR until nicely browned.

Other Belacan recipes : Vegetable stir fry with belacan and seafood of your choice, Tomyum Soup broth using belacan, and marinating chicken with belacan for BBQ, deep frying or roasting.