Mohinga, Burmese Fish Soup Noodle

Recently, we were invited for Lunch at our friend's place. They are of Burmese origin and had served us Mohinga, a type of Burmese fish soup noodle. According to Wikipedia, Mohinga is a rice noodle and fish soup from Myanmar and is an essential part of Burmese cuisine. It is considered by many to be the national dish of Myanmar.

It is sort of like Asam Laksa minus the spiciness, looks a bit like mee rebus and tasted sweet, sour and a little sourish.. a very refreshing combination of natural taste without the use of salt or pepper which are quite core ingredients of most recipe.

After some googling around checking out on different recipes, I had attempted to try this out. Ingredients are quite easily available and all I needed was a little twist and combining the various recipes to render this version.

Please note that I had adjusted some of the ingredients due to my low carb diet, feel free to switch it to whichever you are comfortable. And this may not be authentic dish like those in Myanmar but rather my own adaptation based on information gathered from the internet.

Ingredients:

• 3tbsp of olive oil (you can use any oil like canola, or even peanut oil)
• 1/2tsp Natvia (if using sugar, use 1tsp)
• 1 shallots (sliced)
• 2.5 big onions (sliced)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 4 lemongrass stalk (2 pcs halved lengthwise and the other 2 sliced)
• 4-5cups of water
• 2tsp of turmeric powder
• 1tbsp of anchovies powder/granules (I used the japanese type)
• 2tsp salted anchovies paste
• 2tsp of tamarind paste
• 6 slices of ginger
• 300-400g of barramundi fish (cut to cube pieces, you may use any white fish and original recipe in Burma uses catfish)
• 1tsp of smoked paprika (if you are not cooking for kids, feel free to use crushed chilli)
• 1/4 cup of chick pea powder/flour (also known as garbanzo bean)
• 2tbsp fish sauce
• 4 hard boiled egg (either quartered it or sliced)
• 4 servings of cooked rice noodles (I used dried laksa noodle, boiled for bout 5-7mins)
• chopped red chilli for garnishing (and spiciness)
• sliced scallion for garnishing
• chopped cilantro for garnishing
• lime wedges (we used one lime)
• a packet of pea chips to serve along

Steps:

1. In the blender, blend these ingredients together till it form a paste: 1/2 portion of the onions, sliced lemongrass, smoked paprika and 3 slices of ginger.
2. In a pot (I'm using the french oven aka enamel coated dutch oven), add in water, turmeric powder, garlic (crushed), lemongrass (the halved), 3 ginger slices, tamarind paste, anchovies stock, anchovies paste and fish sauce. Let the boil and simmer for bout 5-6mins.
3. Add in the fish to the simmering broth and let it cook. It should only takes bout 2-3mins depending on the size of the cutlet. Sieve the fish out and side aside. 
4. Remove the lemongrass, garlic and ginger from the broth.
5. Pour the chickpea flour on a pan, on low heat, saute it till golden brown. Dish out and set aside once done.
6. Using the same pan, heat 1tbsp of oil in the pan, sprinkle the sugar in it and saute the shallots till light golden brown. Once down, dish out set aside.
7. Again on the same pan, add in the balance of the oil, saute the blended onion mixture till fragrant, add in the fish to give it a stir and coat the fish with the mixture. Dish out the fish and set aside.
8. Now dish the balance of the sauted onion mixture to the broth and continue to let it simmer. While simmering slowly stir in the fried chickpea flour so that it helps to thicken the sauce.
9. Add in balance of the onion to simmer. Simmer till the onion soften.
10. Once done, assemble the serving with noodle, top with the fish. Then scoop the broth with the onion over it. Sprinkle with chopped chilli, cilantro, crispy shallot and a piece of the pea chips.

Wanton Noodle

I just love all sorts of dumpling and sui now plus wanton is definitely my other love. So recently I had this craving for it and I had some high fat content minced in the fridge that I want to use up before it spoils..so I make wanton for dinner.

Noodle is definitely to go with it and I decided to make my own instead of buying from the store since I don't have much stuff plan for the day and I need some extra exercise.

This recipe is definitely a keeper since boss compliment that it tasted just exactly like the noodle from the hawker stall, what more, it was seasoned with pork lard.. hehehe...

Ingredients:

• 240g plain flour
• 1/2tsp salt
• 1 teaspoon of lye/alkaline water
• 2 XL size egg
• 1tbsp water

Steps:

1. Mix the flour and salt evenly in a bowl.
2. Then mix the lye water and egg separately in another smaller bowl.
3. Create a hollow in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid mixture and slowly knead the mixture. For me it is too dry and hence I added another 1tbsp of water. If you need more, please do so, but a little at a time. The dough should be very dry and crumbly.
4. Wrapped it up and set aside to rest for 30mins in room temperature.
5. After resting, you will realise that it is much easier to form the crumbly dough into a smoother dough. Instead of kneading it, I press it down with the rolling pin. Not rolling it, not beating it, but press it down. It is just like how those bamboo noodles are made.. (google for info if you not sure how it is).
6. After pressing it around for 5-6mins, let it rest another 30mins, before repeating step 5. By now, the dough is much smoother, but still very heavy and dry.
7. Rest another 30mins (i left it much longer coz i was out to pick up kids and run some errands). 
8. Divide the dough to 3/4 parts. Roll the dough out as thin as you can. I use the pasta roller. Starting with no 1 and stop at no 7 level.
9. After that is done, roll it over the noodle cutter. If you do not own one, just sprinkle the dough with some flour, then fold up and cut with a big knife or noodle knife.

For cooking, I just boil some water, put in the noodle to cook for bout 2mins, then rinse with cold water.

Ramen Tonkatsu Broth with Soy Egg and Charsiew

Hubby had been sort of asking for Ramen for a while and since it is winter, I guess this is a must cook dish. So bought some ingredients and start doing it... extra can be stored to be used for other cooking.

 Ingredients for stock:

• 1+kg chicken carcass
• bout one big take away box of prawn shell (air fried min 10mins on 200c or fry it till crispy and smells good)
• a small piece of gula melaka, 
• a big handful of peppercorn
• one carrot
• pork hock (blanched with hot water to remove impurities and then air fried for 10mins)
• 4pcs bone marrow (blanched with hot water to remove impurities and then air fried for 10mins)
• 6 chicken feet (blanched with hot water to remove impurities and then air fried for 10mins)
• 1 roasted leek
• 1 roasted big onion
• a big handful of dried big anchovies, roasted
• water to cover the pot, roughly 2l
• salt to season to your preference

Steps:

Place all ingredients in the pot and set it to boil for 6-8hrs. Or use the pressure cooker to cook for 2-3hrs.

Note: my pressure cooker can't fit in all the ingredients in one go, so what I did was split it to half, pressure cook half the time then remove the ingredients, place the other half and pressure cook another half the time.

Next the charsiew.
Ingredients:

• 1 slab of pork belly (roughly 800g-1kg)
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sake
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 2tbsp sugar
• few slices of ginger
• 1tbsp minced garlic
• few pieces of spring onion white
• string to tie to the pork belly

Steps:

1. Measure roughly 3x the length of the pork. Roll the pork belly up and place the string underneath the belly. Start with the middle of the string at the very end of the belly, inter twine the string and roll tie it upwards, try to tie it as tight as possible as the pork belly will shrink after cooking and you want it to hold on to the round shape. 
2. Prepared some hot boiling water and blanched the belly all sides.
3. Then place all ingredients in the pot. If using pressure cooker, cook for 30mins. If normal pot, cook it for 2-3hrs till tender soft. Try to turn the pork around to absorb the sauce if the pork is not fully submerged in the sauce.
4. Once done, remove and cool it so that it is easier to slice.

Soy Egg:
Ingredients:

1. Eggs
2. Water
3. Soy mixture from the charsiew

Steps:

1. Place eggs in cold water, bring it to a boil and cook (entire process takes 4.5 mins for gooey yolk, 5mins for moist yolk, 5.5 mins for just cooked yolk - this is for winter time... during summer, reduce time by 30seconds).
2. Remove the eggs from the boiling water and run it over cold water.
3. Remove shell, soak the eggs in the soy sauce mixture for min 30mins, the longer the better it absorbs the color and taste to the eggs.

Once done, assemble the noodle, charsiew, egg with the other condiments such as spring onion, seaweed, ginger slice, bamboo shoots, etc.

Layered Kaya Steam Bun aka Asian Mille Feuile

I was looking online for something different to make besides the typical oven bake kinda food for either breakfast or lunchbox and stumble upon this interesting photo. Hence launched into a search for the recipe. It is actually not cake but steam bun layered up with kaya in between each layer. This is soft and fluffy and smells great too... glad my no 1 likes it.

 Trying to make it more "chinese" so added the prosperity word on it... with my home made stencil (mom was wondering since when I can do such pretty chinese word).

Recipe:

Kaya

• 40 g sugar 
• 40 g palm sugar 
• 200 ml undiluted fresh coconut milk (I used coconut cream in the can)
• 4 young, light green pandan leaves wash and cut 5 cm long (no fresh one, dried one, still smells good)
• 4 yolks (make sure there's no egg white at all)

Steps:

1. Dissolve sugar, palm sugar and coconut milk (along with the pandan leaves) on medium high heat, maintain and gentle simmer stage. 
2. Once the sugar melted, scoop partial of the mixture on the beaten egg yolks, little by little (roughly 1/3 to half).
3. Then continue stirring the coconut milk mixture while slowing add in the egg yolks with partial of the coconut mixture all into the saucepan. Stir it at low heat till the mixture thicken to your desired thickness. As I wanted to use it for this recipe, I make sure it is rather thick. It should take roughly bout 4-5mins.

*This is a quick so called 5mins kaya recipe but I had spent longer as I it thick.

Bun

• Part 1: Starter or Sponge dough
• 250g pao or low protein flour
• 200g water
• 1/4tsp (1g) commercial/instant yeast

1. Mix and set aside over night, roughly 12-13hours (room temperature - timing depending on the weather, if hot, not more than 12hrs)

• Part 2: Bun Dough
• 150g pao or low protein flour
• 50g sugar
• 1tsp baking powder
• 40g cooking oil (I don't like shortening and so I substituted it with oil)

1. Knead all ingredients from part 1 and 2 together to form a soft and smooth dough. It takes roughly 5-10mins to achieve that with hand. The dough is rather soft and a bit hard to handle.
2. Leave it to proof for bout an hour.
3. Prepare a baking tin roughly 9inch, layered with non stick baking paper.
4. Divide into 10portions, shape into ball before flattening and roll to round disc (roughly bout 8inch so as to allow space for it to proof).
5. Stack the first piece into the baking tin and spread the kaya over it. The original recipe asked for a tablespoon, but I was greedy, I put in more coz I prefer it to have more of it.
6. Continue stacking the bun doughs and spreading the kaya jam on every layer (except the last top one). Cover with a cloth and let it proof for another 2 hrs.
7. Heat up a pot of water and steam the bun. It should takes bout 30-35mins on medium low heat.
8. Once done, take it out to cool before slicing in... the bun should rise and filled up the entire cake tin, looks really fluffy and felt really light.

Bon apetit 

Note: you may choose to use jam or any other spread if you don't like or too lazy to make the kaya jam.

Hokkaido Cheese Tart

We haven't tasted the real thing before but this is definitely a nice recipe to keep caused my no 1 princess love it.

Each tart is sold at $4+ here and being someone that won't pay for such price, I decided I need make this myself and when is the best time, when Woolies is selling each block of Philly at $2.

Few notes before proceeding to the recipe:
* try to use mould that's smooth and not the traditional egg tart mould, it is easier to remove.
* although a thinner pastry will get you more of the cheese and taste better, but it breaks easily too. So make a thicker pastry.

Ingredients:
Pastry:

• 160g plain flour
• 35g icing sugar
• 10g ground almond
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 90g unsalted butter, cubed
• 2 XL egg yolks

Pastry:

• 150g cream cheese
• 70g mascarpone cheese
• 40g salted butter
• 70g cream
• 20g evaporated milk
• 40g sugar
• 1 XL egg
• 10g cornflour
• 2tbsp lemon juice
• a pinch of salt

Egg Wash

• 1tsp milk
• 1 xl egg yolk

Methods:

1. For the pastry, first combine the flour, ground almond, salt and icing sugar together in a bowl.
2. Add in butter and rub with fingertips till the mixture becomes crumbly.
3. Add in egg yolk and mix till dough form. Wrap in cling wrap or in a ziplock bag, store in fridge to rest for 15mins.
4. Next take enough to press over the mould. Remember note 2, try to be generous and not use too little otherwise the pastry will crumble and makes it very hard to unmould.
5. Prick the base and do with more mould till all pastry used up. Bake at 160c for 10mins. Set aside to cool.
6. For the filling, place the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, butter, evaporated milk, sugar and cream in a bowl. Place the bowl over a water bath and stir till the mixture mix well and smooth.
7. Add in the egg cornflour, lemon juice and salt and whisk till even.
8. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag. Pipe it into the bake and cool tartlets. Set to chill in the fridge for 30mins.
9. Brush the top of the tarts with the egg wash.
10. Bake the tarts using top grill fan function for 6-8mins. Do keep an eye to prevent the top from burning. If required, at 5-6mins, give the tray a turn.

Red Wine Oxtail Stew

I had adapted Jamie Oliver's insanely good oxtail stew to my own very version due to availability of ingredients in the kitchen and it is way better than insanely good, it is smack good... hehehe...

Ingredients :

• 500-600g of oxtail (scrub with salt and flour, rinse till clean)
• 500ml red wine
• 3tbsp Lea Perrin worchester sauce
• 1/2 cup of 4 mixed beans
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1 onion cut to 12pcs
• 3pcs celery cut to small pieces
• 1 carrot cut to small pieces
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2pcs of bay leave
• 3tbsp olive oil
• 3tbsp flour
• 3tbsp chicken powder (I used my fresh home made one, no beef stock use this as sub)
• 1/2 tsp salt to season (adjust to your preference)
• 500ml water
• 1 big handful of chopped parsley to sprinkle after cooking.

Method :

1. Use high saute mode, heat up the olive oil (half of it). Brown the oxtail, all sides. Sprinkle with 1.5tbsp flour, give it a stir. Take about 10-15mins. Remove and set aside.
2. Add a little more olive oil, saute the herbs and veggies. Do this for bout 5-7mins, then sprinkle with the rest of the flour and stir for another 1-2mins till well coated and the flour dissolve.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients, give it a stir. Change to bake mode, lid on, valve to bake mode and bake for 45mins.
4. I wanted a more brown effect, so I dish them out and place in oven, 20mins at 160c. If you don't have an oven or find this too troublesome, continue to bake in the PPC for another 15-20mins, till the sauce thicken to your preference.
5. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Smoked Salted Black Tea Chicken

Typical menu for whole chicken will be either to do the Western style roast or Hainanese Chicken rice and I'm sort of bored with that. So when I open up the kitchen cabinet and saw the big basket of black tea there... well.. ok, I'm gonna try smoking the chicken.

Tools Required:

• Oven
• grill tray with the rack
• aluminium foil

Ingredients:

• whole free range chicken (mine 1.2kg)
• 1cup black tea
• 1/4 water
• 2tbsp coarse salt
• 2tsp himalayan salt
• 1/2tsp pepper

Steps:

1. Pat dry the chicken, rub it all over with the himalayan salt and pepper.
2. Mix the black tea with water and salt.
3. Place the tea mixture on the tray before placing the rack over it.
4. Place the chicken on top of the rack. Cover loosely with the aluminium foil to create smoke effect in inside the tray, allowing some smoke to escape.
5. Preheat oven at 100c for 10mins, then place the tray in. Reduce temp to 70c. Use the bottom heat function only
6. Smoke the chicken for roughly an hour to 1.5hrs.
7. Remove the aluminium foil and change to fan forced at 180c. Roast the chicken for another 25mins.
8. Once done, remove to cool for bout 10-15mins before cutting it up.