Mee Hoon Kueh (Hand-pulled noodles) 麵粉粿

Mee Hoon Kueh (Hand-pulled noodles) is another famous local food in Klang beside Bah Kut Teh. We like to eat out at this restaurant for Mee Hoon Kueh, and I also like to cook this at home too, at least twice in a month. This noodle taste better if you cook it per bowl per serving at a time.

-dough ball before cook


-hand pull the dough


-drop noodle into soup base


-Tong Choy (preserved vegetables)

-Local ikan bilis (anchovy)

Yummy, yummy !!

Mee Hoon Kueh (Hand-pulled noodles) 麵粉粿*serve 6 pax
(printable recipe)
Dough500g all purpose flour
200ml water
1 egg (lightly beaten)
1tsp salt

1. Mix flour, egg and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Slowly add in water and knead till soft dough, take about 5mins.
3. Shape the dough into ball, keep aside and cover with cling film & rest for 1 hour or more.

Ikan Bilis (Anchovy) Soup Base

100g ikan bilis (anchovy), washed and cleaned
2 litre water
1 and ½ tsp salt or to taste

1. Boil anchovy in water for 45mins, tasted with salt, set aside.

Ingredients

200g fresh shrimps, stir fried with chopped garlic, set aside

200g meat (pork or chicken), sliced and marinate with sesame oil, pepper and tapioca flour

For garnishing

100g ikan bilis (anchovy), fried till golden brown and crispy

15 shallots, finely sliced and fried till golden brown and crispy

Some leafy vegetables (bok choy, spinach, sayur manis, mustard green)

2 tbsp tong choy (preserved vegetables), optional

To cook a bowl per person:-
1. Pour a small bowl of soup base into a cooking pot.
2. Once soup is boiled, tear the dough ball into small and thin pieces and drop it into the boiling soup.
3. Repeat until the dough is completed.
4. Add in meat, shrimps, tong choy and vegetables.
5. Cook for 1min and serve in serving bowl.
6. Garnish with fried anchovies and fried shallots.
7. Serve hot and dip with chillies soy sauce for extra spicy flavours.

Happy Cooking !!

Soy bean paste deep fried fish

This is another my own way of cooking fish, use one of the part from the big fish that I bought earlier (deep fried sweet and sour fish). I like fish to cook this way with soy bean paste, and usually I will add some curry leaves to enhance the taste.

-local brand of fermented soy bean paste


Soy bean paste deep fried fish

700g Threadfin fish, whole or cut into big pieces (or any other type of fish)
5 cloves garlic, chopped
½” ginger, chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 red chilli, shredded
1 spring onion, cut 1” length
1 and 1/2tbsp soy bean paste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
½ tbsp sugar or to taste
150ml water (or adjust accordingly)

1. Deep fry fish till golden brown, set aside.
2. Heat some oil in a wok, add in chopped garlic and ginger, stir fry till fragrant.
3. Add in soy bean paste, stir fry for few seconds, add in water.
4. Seasoning with light soy sauce and sugar, cook for 1min.
5. Add in deep fried fish, cook for few seconds.
6. Dish out, sprinkle spring onion and red chilli on top, serve hot.

Happy Cooking !!

Cocoa butter cake

In return, I baked a cocoa butter cake for my previous babysister who gave me some alkaline dumplings. When i was a kid, i only know this normal butter cake and even till now I still like to eat this cake eventhough I have baked so many other type of cakes.

Personally I prefer Jane's butter cake recipe, not too oily, not too sweet and moist. I adapted Jane's coffee butter cake recipe but replaced coffee with cocoa, and reduce sugar. Thanks Jane !!

Cocoa Butter Cake
*makes 2 round aluminium cake tins
(printable recipe)

250g butter
160g sugar
4 eggs
250g cake flour
1tsp vanilla essence
2tsp of double action baking powder
4tbsp milk
2tbsp cocoa powder and ½ tsp coffee powder mix with 3tbsp hot water

1. Sift cake flour and baking powder in a bowl.
2. Beat butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
3. Add in egg one at a time, add in vanilla, mixing well.
4. Fold in flour and milk, combine well.
5. Mix ½ portion of cake mixture with cocoa mixture.
6. Pour cake mixture into cake tin and follow by cocoa cake mixture.
7. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180C for 30mins or skewer came out clean.

Happy Baking !!

Happy Dumpling Festival 2010 !! 端午节

Today is fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar on which the Chinese calendar is based, also known as DuanWu Festival.

This year I did not make any dumpling, this dumpling actually was given by my previous babysitter (she babysit my three kids while I was working last time). Last year I did Nyonya dumpling, you may refer here.

I like this simple Alkaline dumpling with sweet red bean filling, I must learn this dumpling from her one day.

In return, I baked a cake for her, will post in next post..

Happy Dumpling Day !!

Parmesan Chiffon Cake

I use the balance Parmesan cheese to bake a chiffon recently, saw few bloggers gave good reviews to this chiffon, ya, agreed with them, this chiffon is not too oily, light and moist.

Recipe adapted from chiffon master -Jess a.k.a The Kictchen 70's..
But I made slight changes to suit my own preference.

Parmesan Chiffon Cake
**for 20cm chiffon pan
(printable recipe)

4 egg yolks
20g sugar
50g corn oil
70g milk
70g self raising flour
70g Parmesan cheese powder (I use grated cheese)

4 egg whites
70g sugar
1tbsp corn flour

1. Hand whisk egg yolks and sugar till pale.
2. Add in corn oil and milk, mix well.
3. Add in flour and cheese, combine well, set aside.
4. Beat egg whites over high speed till foamy.
5. Slowly add in sugar, continue beat, add in corn flour, beat till soft peak form.
6. Take 1/3 portion of egg white mixture and use hand whisk to mix with egg yolk mixture till combine.
7. Fold the balance of egg white mixture into egg yolk mixture, combine well.
8. Pour cake mixture into baking pan and bake at pre-heated oven at 160c for 40min.

Happy Baking !!

Canopy Walk, Forest Research Institue Malaysia FRIM

Brought my kids to Canopy Walk in one of the weekend where this place is just 30mins drive from my house. A 200m long, the canopy walkway was constructed in 1992 for scientific studies of above ground flora and fauna. It was built 30m above ground level.

kids also enjoyed at nearby waterfall

saw a huge Millipede !

You may check here for operating hours and other details...

Canned sardine fish curry

I learnt this canned sardine fish curry from my Indian friend, simple and delicious curry.

This is my favourite brand of canned sardine, what is your favourite brand?

Canned Sardine fish curry
(printable recipe)

Ingredients
1 large can sardine (425g), tomato sauce flavour
1 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp of chopped ginger, garlic and onion
3 sprigs of curry leaves
1 onion, sliced
2tbsp cooking oil
100ml water

1/2tsp mixed mustard seeds
1/2tsp coriander seeds
1/2tsp cumin seeds

Seasonings
1tsp salt of taste
1tsp sugar
1tsp light soy sauce
1tbsp fish curry powder
1tsp red chilli powder
1tsp turmeric powder

1. Remove sardines from can, retain the tomato sauce
2. Pan fried sardines (without oil) in a non-stick pan, till both sides turned brown, set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok, add in ginger, garlic and onion paste and curry leaves, stir fry till fragrant.
4. Add in mustard, coriander and cumin seeds, mix well.
5. Add in the canned sardine’s tomato sauce and water, add in the seasonings.
6. Once sauce boiled, add in the pan fried sardines, cook for 1min.
7. Add in chopped tomato and onion slices, cook for another 1min.
8. Dish out, serve hot with steam rice.

* dip bread with this sardine fish curry, also yummy...

Happy Cooking !!

Chinese sausages fried rice

Every Chinese mother sure know how to cook this easy, simple and yummy fried rice. When i run out of idea what to cook for dinner, I will just fried this rice and serve with a cup of hot coffee, simply yum yum..

Chinese sausages..

Chinese sausages fried rice
* serves 5-6 pax
(printable recipe)

Ingredients
4 cups of rice, (cooked and cooled, prefer overnight rice)
400g fresh shrimps, roughly chopped
4 Chinese sausages, chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 whole garlic, chopped
4 stalks of spring onion, chopped
6-8 tbsp of cooking oil or more (easy to stir and glaze the rice)

Seasonings
1 and ½ tsp salt or to taste
A dash of white pepper powder
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1tsp of Chinese wine (optional)

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok over high flame, add in chopped Chinese sausages, stir fry till fragrant and brown.
2. Add garlic, quickly stir fry. Add in chopped shrimps and stir fry till turn pale.
3. Push sausage and shrimps mixture to the side of the wok, add in egg and scramble the egg.
4. Put in the rice, toss well to combine.
5. Add salt and pepper, pour light soy sauce and Chinese wine from the side of the wok (this way will be more fragrant).
6. Keep stirring until the rice starts to “jump”. Combine all the ingredients together and fry until heated through.
7. Dish out, sprinkle with chopped spring onion, serve hot.

Happy Cooking !!

Ang Ku Kueh, glutinous rice steamed cake with sweet filling

My 1st time did “Ang Ku Kueh” but not “Ang” (red) colour but purple, but I love the natural purple from the purple sweet potato, This is a traditional Chinese cake with small oval shape (the usual is in red) with glutinous rice as outer layer and sweet filling inside. See my mom’s Ang Ku Kueh here.

Before doing this kueh, I called to my mom to check the ingredients, as usual she just agak-agak (estimate) the ingredients. Luckily I remember Reesekitchen made this kuih before, so I use her recipe as reference and incorporate my mom’s recipe. Thanks to Reese for kind sharing.

Ang Ku Kueh ( Glutinous rice steamed cake with sweet filling)
(printable recipe)

Sweet Filling
250g mung beans/green beans
140g sugar
3tbsp corn oil

1. Rinse mung beans several times till water run clear, soak in clean water for 1hour or more.
2. Discard the water, place beans on a steaming tray, steam over medium flame for 45mins.
3. While beans still hot, place beans, sugar and oil in a food processor, process till fine.
4. Shape into 10g small ball

Sweet Potato dough
300g sweet potatoes, cut into big pieces
200g glutinous rice flour
1tbsp rice flour
2tbsp sugar
3tbsp corn oil
180ml water

1. Steam sweet potatoes till soft, about 15mins.
2. Use a fork, mashed the cooked sweet potatoes, add in glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar, and corn oil, slowly add in water to mix well till soft dough, keep aside and rest 30mins.
3. Shape into 30g small ball

To shape and cook Ang Ku Kueh

1. Grease the “Ang Ku Kueh” mould by brushing some corn oil.
2. Flatten the sweet potato ball, place a mung bean ball, cover and shape into round ball.
3. Place the ball in the mould, press evenly, then knock out and place on greased banana leaf.
4. Arrange on a steaming tray and steam for 10mins over high flame.

my notes:-
1. Difference sweet potato has difference texture, some is soft and watery, do not add all water at one go, slowly add and knead till a soft dough. If the dough is too soft, then you may add more glutinous rice flour.
2. Keep the balance sweet filling in air-tight container and keep inside the fridge for later usage.

My son Desmond would like to present to you this lovely "Ang Ku Kueh"

Happy Cooking!!

Baked Cheese Rice Cake

When I see this recipe in a magazine, I know this cake will well received by my kids, becuase the cheese...immediately i tried out for yesterday lunch....Wor, simply yummy.

-before bake and before add cheese...

I made few changes to the original recipe, and added extra cheese on top of rice cake. I especially like the crunchy rice crust, so yummy!

Baked Cheese Rice Cake
*Serves: 4 – 5 persons
(printable recipe)

2 cups of cooked rice (any rice is okay, I use Japanese rice)
100g bacon, chopped
50g ham, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1tbsp Olive oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1tbsp honey
230g Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/4tsp black pepper
1/2tsp Parsley flakes,( optional or use any other fresh herbs )

1. Lightly grease a 8” round springform pan. Line base with baking paper.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan, stir fry chopped bacon and ham till slightly golden brown.
3. Add chopped onion and garlic, stir fry for a while.
4. Add parsley flakes and stir well. Remove from heat, stir through honey.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice, bacon and ham mixture, 1 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese and egg. Season with salt to taste.
6. Spoon mixture into prepared pan, pressing down firmly so there are no gaps.
7. Bake at preheated oven at 180c for 25mins.
8. Remove from oven, set aside to cool. Remove the rice cake from baking pan.
9. Sprinkle the balance of grated Mozzarella cheese on top of the rice cake, and bake again at pre-heated oven at 200c for 15mins or until golden brown.

Happy Cooking !!