Penang Style Indian Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles)

You gotta do what you gotta do.

Especially when you’re desperate.

I’ve been having a craving for the Penang style Indian Mee Goreng for the longest time. Actually, come to think of it, I’m forever craving this. It’s a life long, constant crave. 

It’s addictive.

There’s a ton of carbs in here … but who cares. Malaysian food is all about carbs anyway. 

And I don’t get this anywhere in the big city, nothing that can compare to the ones on the island.

And when you’ve had one too many bad ones, you kinda give up and get all hot and bothered and then decide to just make it yourself.

I must say it isn’t bad at all …. can’t get up to par to the island masters but it’s as close as I can get without the sweet potato spiced gravy or the chilly squid curry/sambal that is such a secret to each individual stall. It’s enough to satisfy my crave …. for now.

INGREDIENTS

Oil for frying

5 large garlic cloves (chopped)

4 tbs chilli paste

500g yellow noodles (blanched and drained)

2 pieces firm tofu (fried and cut into cubes)

1 large waxy potato (boiled, peeled and diced)

1 tomato (diced)

dough  and shrimp fritters (I got these from the rojak man), cut into bite sized pieces

2 large handfuls beansprouts

1/2 cup coarsely ground peanuts (optional)

Sliced chinese lettuce for garnish

Sliced green chillies for garnish

Sugar and salt to taste

Lime or calamansi

Sauce: mix together

3 tbs soy sauce

3 tbs thick dark caramel soy 

3 tbs thick tamarind juice

1 tbs white vinegar

3 tbs tomato ketchup

METHOD

Heat a deep pan or wok with a few tbs of cooking oil. Fry chopped garlic and chilly paste.

Add cut potatoes and tomatoes.

Stir in drained noodles and sauce mix.

Stir until noodles are slightly dry. Then add in the tofu, fritters and bean sprouts. 

Turn off heat. You don’t want to overcook the beansprouts. 

Stir in ground peanuts or just sprinkle over the top when you wanna eat. 

Garnish with sliced lettuce and sliced green chillies.

Eat with a squeeze of lime and get transported to the lovely Pearl of the Orient. 

I’m so satisfied right now …. burp …. squeeze me.

Some Kinda Korean

Fresh, clean, simple flavors.

Just perfect for hot, humid days. 

I called it “Some Kinda Korean” so as not to have someone come after me telling me it’s not.

I used a Korean Beef Bulgogi Marinade. That’s all.

I love the simplicity of their summer dishes. It’s more of a salad. 

Easy, light, refreshing ….. preparation is easy too. My fav kind.

INGREDIENTS

Beef slices (for stir frying)

Beef Bulgogi Marinade (bottled, any brand will do)

Dash of sesame oil

White vinegar

Ground white pepper

Carrots, julienned

Spinach, cut into about 2” lengths (or your preferred greens)

Toasted sesame seeds

Oil for stir frying

* I don’t have exact measurements for this. Just use enough marinade sauce to coat beef generously. The vinegar was added to compliment the sweetness of the sauce. 

METHOD

Toss beef slices with the bulgogi marinade sauce, dash of sesame oil, dash of vinegar and ground white pepper into a baggy or container. Coat beef well with the marinade. 

Leave in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Blanch carrots and spinach (or just have them raw if you prefer. I like blanching the carrots as it makes it a little sweeter in flavor.)

Drain the veges.

Heat a little oil in the pan.

Stir fry the marinaded beef and remove from pan once cooked. Leaving it too long will make it tough to chew. 

If you have some liquid left from the marinade, add it to the pan and cook it down to a thick syrupy consistency. Otherwise, simply pour a small amount of bulgogi sauce from the bottle and heat through. Spoon over cooked beef.

Serve beef and veges over fluffy rice or just as a salad on it’s own. 

Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top and devour!

Pumpkin Rice

~Pumpkin, Pumpkin,

Round and fat.

Harvest time is coming.

Yum, yum, yum.

That is that!~

I have the sniffles and I think it’s pumpkin fever. Incurable. I die happy.

I found this recipe on a fellow blogger’s site. It caught my eye. And why not? It’s got pumpkin in it.

Hers is a loaded version. You can check it out here.

I just made a simpler one since I’ll be having kung pao chicken on the side. Altho this turned out scrumplicious, basmati rice would be a better choice as it's less fluffy and with a springier bite. 

It’s so appetising! Good even on its own. Thanks Phong Hong!

I’m gonna be making this very often and with different variations.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed and drained

1 Chinese sausage, thinly sliced (or substitute with any meat of your choice)

1 cup diced pumpkin

2 tbs dried shrimp, soaked, drained and coarsely chopped

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups chicken / vegetable stock

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbs oil

Chopped scallions

METHOD

Heat oil. Sauté the garlic and the dried shrimp.

When it’s fragrant, toss in chopped onion, pumpkin, sliced Chinese sausage and ground cinnamon. Stir it around until onions are soft.

Turn off the heat and mix in the rice. Coat evenly.

Transfer into a microwave safe bowl and add in the stock.

(Same method as how I cooked rice before. Alternatively, you can also plonk it into a rice cooker if you have one).

Cook uncovered on high for 10 mins.

Sprinkle chopped scallions just before serving.

Down Memory Lane : Leek and Tofu Stir Fry

There are comfort foods and then there are comfort foods that remind you of your childhood. 

There are so many of them from the good young days, I can’t remember them all. Then you see a particular ingredient at the market stalls and it triggers that inner childhood tummy pangs. Some of which I used to hate eating before but all of a sudden develop a hunger and craving for it …. strange. No …. no durians yet. That would take some serious doing.

This was one of the dishes my Chinaman uncle used to love as a condiment to his porridge. Porridge as in Chinaman rice porridge, not the oat porridge westerners eat every morning. 

I also used to dislike rice porridge. It was bland, boring, colourless, textureless … but I guess that’s why the condiments that go with it. But you’ll be amazed at the way a typical Chinaman eats porridge and how much of it is shoved into the mouth with their chopsticks while accompanied by the minutest sliver of condiment and then followed by another five to six shovels of porridge.

I eat (if I had to and it’s usually when I’m sick) a spoonful (yes, I use a spoon. I would have porridge all over my face and lap if I tried using a chopstick) of that bland, boring white mush with a gazillion condiments. That’s sick food. Yes. 

Oh forgive me my ancestors … sigh.

I’d forgo the porridge and have all them condiments with white fluffy rice. So much better. 

I’ve always loved tofu. Leeks only in leek and potato soup. Then one day…….a bunch of leeks called out to me from a grocer’s shelf …. and the rest, as they say, is … in my tummy! Yum!

Of course I had this with rice … not porridge. I’m not sick, you know.

INGREDIENTS

Bunch of leeks, whites and greens, sliced whichever way you like

Firm tofu squares

Oyster sauce

Sesame oil

Oil for sautéing

Optionals:

Thinly sliced / minced pork or chicken

METHOD

Heat oil.

Brown tofu squares on each side. Remove from pan.

Slice into thick slivers.

Set aside.

Brown meat in the same pan. Add a little more oil if need to. 

Stir in leeks until slightly softened. Longer if you prefer it softer.

Add oyster sauce to taste.

Stir in sliced tofu.

Turn heat off.

Add a dash of sesame oil. Stir to mix. 

Dish out and serve.

To make it a little more fancy, sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy! And welcome to the Chinaman’s world.  

Simple Shrimp Pasta

[Thank you everyone for helping get this to Foodbuzz Top 9]

Another quickie dish with a quickie pic.

Normally I'd add in some squid rings and some mussels if I can find some fresh ones in the market .... a seafood pasta. But not this time.

This could get all hoity-toity if you dress it up a little and do the pasta twirl on a fancy plate and call it "Pasta al Frutti di Mare" or "Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Frutti di Mare" or something of the sort, but I've unhoity-toity it to save some time.

Today, it's got to be quick. So, today, it's plain ol' Shrimp Pasta, or in all hoity-toityness ... "Pasta Piccante di Gamberetti". (Italian speaking folks ... did I get that right?)

(I am a little behind in my postings as well as visits to all your lovely posts. I shall slowly, but surely, make my way through them all. Also, I usually make it a point to reply to every single comment made on all of my posts, guest posts included. I definitely will reply to everyone soon once I'm fully recovered from my bleary state and have tuned my very tired being to regular mode. Oh, and in case anyone is interested, things are better now. Thank you all for your well wishes and concern and of course, all the help with the guest posts.)

So, in the meantime, you find out what a half-zonked person eats.

Pasta is actually one of my many comfort foods. Hey, I need the carbs for energy.

I can't think straight, I can't write straight, I can't spell stagriht (eek), I'm gonna shut up and eat.

INGREDIENTS

(Note: This recipe is for 2 - 3 people. Adjust amounts to suit your taste.)

half a garlic bulb (not clove, bulb), finely chopped

10 - 12 medium prawns / shrimp, shelled

1 medium-sized fennel bulb, sliced (I looove fennel, don't you just love fennel?)

chilly flakes (I used about 1 tbs)

2 - 3 tbs grapeseed / olive oil

1 small bunch of coriander, chopped

salt, to taste

prepared spaghetti for 2 - 3 people (al dente)

METHOD

Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan.

Stir in garlic, chilly flakes and shrimp.

Give it a quick stir (you don't want to burn the chilly flakes, otherwise you'll get a slight bitter flavor and also to not overcook the shrimp) and add in the fennel. Stir fry until fennel is lightly translucent.

(If you want to be a little more refined, remove the shrimp when it's just cooked and set aside. I couldn't be bothered.)

Toss in the prepared pasta and chopped coriander.

Turn off the heat and mix well.

Add in salt to taste.

Add more chilly flakes if you like it spicy.

Simple Cashew Chicken Stir-Fry

(Thank you everyone for helping get this to FoodBuzz Top 9)

Or otherwise known as Kung Pao Chicken.

I wouldn't dare claim for this to be typically Kung Pao. I've massacred the original Kung Pao recipe to suit my chompbuds. The real stuff Kung Pao uses Szechuan peppercorns ... yup, origin: Szechuan Province. And unless you like the numbing sensation of the Szechuan peppers, I'd suggest you omit them.

I did say this was simple. So, simple it shall be with no fancy ingredients, just the usual sauces and stuff you'd find in a standard asian pantry, fridge and freezer.

(Except in my case, you get 5 cans of corn and quince paste, which is anything but standard. And if you have no idea what I'm jabbering about, please visit the post previous to this one. Thank you).

INGREDIENTS

about 2 cups chicken meat, bite sized

2 onions, cut into wedges

4 - 5 dried chillies

1 small bunch scallions, cut into 1" stalks / chopped (or substitute with green/red bell peppers)

1/2 cup roasted cashews

1/2 tsp hoisin sauce

1/2 tsp Chinese thick soy sauce

1/2 tsp light soy sauce

2 tbs oil

1 tbs cornflour

*Note: feel free to adjust the amount of the sauces to suit your taste.

METHOD

Toss chicken and cornflour together.

Soak dried chillies in some water to soften. Remove seeds and drain.

Heat oil in pan.

Saute onions and dried chillies until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken and stir fry until browned. (Add bell peppers, if using, and stir for a minute or so).

Stir in sauces.

Turn off the heat and stir in scallion and cashews.

Serve hot with fluffy rice.

PS: Remove dried chillies before serving or you're gonna drain your district dam. For the sadistic ones, chew on them. Naw ... it's not that bad, but don't take my word for it.