Hong Kong Noodles with Char Siew

I am in the midst of writing a post about my recent trip to Hong Kong.

I brought back some food stuff and amongst them were packets of dried wheat noodles I bought from this old noodle shop at Tai Po. It was recommended by our old friend, Irene (old as in friendship, not her age!). Thanks, Irene.

This shop carried many types and brands, including some made at the back of the shop. They claimed that this particular noodle is their best and so we bought some home. They are flavored noodles, slightly saltish.

Auntie Ruby's Char Siew Recipe - A Pictorial

I am posting up another post on my Mum's Char Siew recipe. I made it again today and followed her recipe closely.

It is good, no doubt. Not just good, I think it is great. And it is simple to make as well.

I started with 1 kg of pork belly in 3 strips. With skin off, it weighed 900g. I did not have time to marinate, not that it mattered.

Lin Chee Kang or Cheng Tng (Lotus Seed Dessert Drink)

While Chinese cuisine is not normally well known for their desserts, there are a few which I grew up eating and will miss fondly from time to time.

Top on the list is "Tong Yin" or glutinous rice ball soup. I am not talking about those which comes stuffed with peanut or sesame seed paste. I am referring to the small and multi-colored balls. I can hardly find them these days, unless it is home made.

Another favourite is "Lin Chee Kang." This is how I first knew it as when I was in Malaysia. Here in Singapore, a similar version is called "Cheng Tng." Lin Chee means "lotus seed" and I suppose the M'sian version is centered on it. If you know how Cheng Tng is different from Lin Chee Kang, do enlighten me.

Stir-Fry Chicken with Cashew Nuts and Chillies

If you pick up a typical Chinese cookbook, you will find that the ingredients in many of their stir-fry recipes are very similar. As you glance down the list, you will find the usual suspects: soy sauce, sesame oil, shao tsing wine, oyster sauce and so on. 1 tsp of this, 2 tsp of that.

The is not a criticism of stir-fry recipes. It is good to know that the same few sauces can be used over and over again, with slight variations to create so many different type of dishes, with focus on the main ingredients. For this reason, I always think a good Chinese home kitchen should have bottles of good quality sauces. I have done a post highlighting some good sauces.

Roasting a crisped Chicken and making a good Sauce

Google "Roast Chicken" and you will probably find a million recipes out there. Not much point in posting up one more except that I regard this post as my own cooking notes. And while I am at it, if it helps you, great.

I have been experimenting with the best way to come up with a tasty roast chicken and sauce which is a convenient by-product of the roasting process. By tasty roast chicken,  I am looking for a crisped flavorful skin and succulent meat (not dried out). Like Cantonese Roast Pork, the chicken skin when roasted adds flavour.

Steamed Brinjal with Miso Sauce

I don't post many veg recipes and glad to get this one up.

I love brinjal (eggplant or aubergine) and am always amazed by how so many cuisines have made good use of it,be it Indian, Italian, Malay or Chinese. It can be cooked in so many ways. The brinjal love affair started late for me as I did not like the bitter taste when I first ate it as a child. But since then, I have grown to like it.

One way of cooking it is my Mum's Hakka Yong Tou Foo and I have raved about how brinjal makes a perfect HYTF piece.  I am making HYTF again this week for a big group of diners and am looking forward to some great HYTF again.