Loh Mai Kai

When talking about Loh Mai Kai, an image automatically pops up in my mind: tangy steamed glutinous rice topped with chicken, char siew and mushroom. Well, yes, there is how a traditional Loh Mai Kai should be, either fr0m the high class restaurant or fr0m the roadside kopitiam.

I wonder, since Loh Mai Kai is the must try Dim Sum, why don’t we add more ingredients to it, for example: lap cheong (Chinese sausage) and hardboiled egg? Since more is better than less!

So, lets see what do we need to make this famous Dim Sum :

Ingredients:

300g glutinous rice
2 cloves garlics, mashed
2 cups chicken stock
150g chicken meat
100g char Siew, sliced
1 Chinese sausage (lap cheong), sliced
3 hardboiled eggs, wedged
10g black Chinese mushrooms, soaked and cut into thin slices

To marinate chicken:

1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp ginger juice
a dash of pepper
1/2 tsp Hua Tiau Jiu (white wine)
1 tsp tapioca flour
Salt to taste

Ingredients for glutinous rice:

1 1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice powder

To prepare:

1) Wash glutinous rice, soak it for two hours, meantime, marinate the chicken.

2) Heat up the frying wok, add in oil, garlic and soaked glutinous rice, stir fry for 2 minutes. Add in all the ingredients for glutinous rice and stir fry till mixed well.

3) Grease 8 rice bowls, arrange 2 slices mushroom, 1 piece chicken, 2 slices Chinese sausage, 2 slices char Siew and a quarter hardboiled egg.

4) Top up with fried glutinous rice and press down to make it firm.

5) Add in chicken stock into these filled rice bowls, make sure the water level is ¼ inch above the rice.
6) Steam for 40 minutes.
7) To remove the Loh Mai Kai fr0m the rice bowl, just turn over the rice bowl onto a plate

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Potstickers Recipe

Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)

Make 25 potstickers

Ingredients:

1/2 pound ground pork
5 medium size shrimp
1 (big) leave napa cabbage (finely cut)
Some chopped cilantro leaves
3 dashes white pepper powder
1 teaspoon shaoxing wine or Japanese sake
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 inches ginger (grated)
1 pack potsticker skin (choose the thickest brand)
Oil for pan-frying
1/2 cup water
Chinese black vinegar or Japanese rice vinegar (for dipping)

For the skin: (to make the skin from scratch)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water

Mix the flour with water and knead it for about 20-25 minutes or until the dough gets soft. Separate the dough into two equal portions and roll them into cylinders (about 1 inch in diameter). Cover them with wet towel and set aside. To prepare the skin, cut the dough into 1/4 in. length and use a rolling pin to flatten it until it becomes a round skin about 3 inch in diameter.

Method:

Combine the ground pork, shrimp, chopped napa cabbage and seasonings together. Set aside.

To make potstickers, place a small spoonful of the filling in the center of the skin. Dab a little water with your finger and circle around the edge of the skin, and then fold and pleat the potsticker accordingly. Repeat the same for the rest. (Please refer to this video or this guide for folding/pleating potstickers.)

To pan fry the potstickers, coat a frying pan with a little cooking oil and turn to medium heat. Place the dumplings on the frying pan and then turn the heat to high. Pan fry the potstickers until the bottoms turn golden brown and crisp. Add the water and cover the frying pan with its lid immediately. Cook until water has evaporated and turn the heat to low. Cook the potstickers for another 2 minutes or so, dish out and serve hot with Chinese black vinegar.

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Fried Bean Sprouts With Salted Fish

Quick Chinese Recipes – Fried Bean Sprouts With Salted Fish.

Bean Sprouts, vegetable that widely used in Asian cooking which are relatively cheap if compared with other vegetable you can find in fresh market. This stir-fry favorite vegetable is proven by US researchers that could play an important part in boosting male fertility. Oh yes, no kidding.

A study at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio showed that to make healthy sperm in large quantities, the body needs a good supply of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that protects cells against damage by harmful molecules called free radicals. Just half a cup of bean sprouts provides 16 per cent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C for a man. It’s not just dad but baby too who could benefit. Bean sprouts are packed with folate, a vitamin that prevents neural tube defects, whe-re the baby is born with a damaged brain or spine. (more facts on Healthy Eating Menu)

One of the great dishes made using bean sprouts is Fried Bean Sprouts With Salted Fish, and this is the quick Chinese recipes that I am going to share with you. It is simple to cook, but some cooking techniques are required here.

Let’s check out the ingredients needed:

Ingredients :

• 500g bean sprouts, washed
  
• 1 piece salted fish, chopped small
• 3 birdeye chili, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk spring onion, cut 1 1/2 inch long
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• salt
  

Directions :

1. heat up a frying pan or wok, add oil and salted fish, fried till crispy or golden. Remove salted fish, remain the oil in the wok.
2. add in garlic, stir fry till fragrant. Pour in bean sprouts, chopped chili and spring onion, stir fry for 30 seconds, add enough salt, stir fry for another 30 seconds.
3. add in fried salted fish, remove fr0m heat. Served hot.
   

As it is always good to have bean sprouts that are half raw whe-re they are still crunchy, it is vital to have a quick fry. Prepare all the needed ingredients beforehand can speed up the cooking process, and leaving the crunchy, juicy bean sprouts that loved by everyone.

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Hue Noodle Soup ( Bun Bo Hue )

My favorite Vietnamese restaurant, "Little Saigon", serves Bun Bo Hue as a weekend special, starting on Thursday night. Since I can't move in for the weekend, it is natural that I learn to prepare to make this delicious dish for myself. Now you, too, can enjoy it, without going far from your kitchen!

Ingredients :

• 1 lb ham hocks
• 6 stalks lemongrass, crushed and sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons nuoc nam
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces boneless sirloin
• 4 ounces boneless pork loin
• 16 ounces rice noodles, cooked
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 4 sprigs Thai holy basil (regular basil ok)
• 4 sprigs fresh mint
• 4 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 4 teaspoons sambal oelek or hot chili sauce
• 4-8 fresh Thai red chili peppers (amount optional)
• 1 lime, cut into quarters

Directions :

Bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil; add ham hocks and lemongrass.
Skim constantly for 10 minutes then cover the pan, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Strain the broth, reserving ham hocks if you desire them.
Add nuoc mam, sugar, salt and pepper, sirloin, and pork loin to the broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until meat is cooked and tender; remove meat.
Thinly slice meats into small pieces
To serve, place a portion of noodles in serving bowl, top with some bean sprouts, pork, beef, and some ham hock (if using), and ladle the broth over; add herbs, chili sauce, chilies, and lime juice to taste.

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