Home made prawns mee soup Hae Mee (虾面汤)

Soup Stock:

 Prawn Heads and Shells 1 kg
500g Dried Shrimps (Haebee), soaked overnight
500g of pork bones ( Pre boiled for  2 hours in a slow cooker)
 10 Shallots chopped finely
10   cloves of garlic chopped finely
Light soya sauce
Dark soya sauce
Rock sugar 3 cubes
Sea salt
Chilli powder 2 tablespoon
Cooking oil 2 tablespoon

Methods:

Wash and dry the prawn heads and shells
Heat up your wok with cooking oil
Stir fried the shallots first then follow by garlic
Fry till fragrant
Then add in the dry shrimps. Fry till golden brown
Add in prawns shells first
Then follow by the prawns heads
After frying for about 20 mins, the shells should have reduced in size
And the nice prawn stock should appear.
Next, transfer all the shells and prawns stock
into the pork stock that you boiled earlier and continue on slow boil for another 3 to 4 hours.
After that, remove all the heads and shells
Blended the prawns head and shells into a coarse paste.
This is to extract the maximum flavour from the shells!
Transfer the strained liquid from the blended shells and
 the remaining soup stock into a huge stock pot to simmer and season!
Add  rock sugar, light soya sauce, dark soya sauce, sea salt, and chilli powder.
Leave soup stock to simmer and reduce to desired taste and consistency!

Noodles & Toppings:
Fresh Egg Noodles (Yellow Mee)
Kway Teow / Beehoon
Tiger prawns , Deveined
Lean pork loin / pork ribs
Fish cake
Kangkong
Beansprouts

Garnishes:
Fried port lard
Fried shallots crisps
Chilli powder
Spring onions

Methods:
blanched and precooked all the prawns, fishcake and ribs in the soup stock in order to flavour the soup as well as retain the sweetness of the ingredients.
Noodles and Kway teow can be preboiled
Vegetables  like beansprouts and kangkong can be blanched in another pot of boiling water or steamed.
Arrange the noodles into a bowl and all other cooked ingredients.
Add in the yummy prawn stock
Add in your favourite garnishes
Enjoy your hardwork labour .

 

Yellow wine chicken { 黄酒鸡}

Ingredients:

4 Chicken thighs ( cut into big chunks)
100g of black fungus ( soak and cut )
4 slices of old ginger
4 garlic cloves ( chopped)
200ml of home made yellow rice wine
1 Tbsp of sesame oil
A handful of goji berries

Methods:

~ Heat the wok and add in sesame oil
~ Add in the ginger and fry till fragrant
~ Add in the garlic bits
~ Add in the chicken meats and fry till both sides are lightly brown
~ Pour in about 200ml of rice wine and black fungus
~ Boil on high flame and simmer for about 20 mins
~ Sprinkle the goji berries and serve warm

Chicken rice using rice cooker

Ingredients and methods

Chicken wings

~ 1 kg of chicken wings ( mid joint)

~ Wash clean n pat dry

~ Marinate with 2 Tbsp of light soya sauce , 2 tbsp of mirin , 1 tbsp of oyster sauce , 1 tsp of sesame oil 

~ Keep into the fridge for a few hours. 

Rice 

~ Wash 3 cups of white grain rice 

~ Add 3-4 knots of pandan leaves 

~ 3 cups of chicken broth

~  Grind 4 slices of ginger , 5 cloves of garlic and 1 tbsp of rice bran oil . Mix well n add to the rice 

~ Place the marinated wings on top of the rice 

~ Press and cook rice as per normal 

~ When ready , remove the wings and serve with  the rice separately
~ You can add some sesame oil on top of the wings and celery before serving

~ Enjoy

Alternative method for cooking the Chicken rice  :

Use Kee chicken rice sauce to mix into the rice 

I used about 2 Tablespoon of Kee hainanese chicken rice mix with 4 cups of rice and 4 cups of water. ( The water amount depends on your rice cooker cup or measurements for cooking normal rice)

Arrange the marinated wings on top and press the cook mode .

Saffron rice with cranberries

Ingredients
~ 3 cups of rice
~ 1 tablespoon of Saffron ( soak in warm water for 5 mins) I use a mini bowl
~ Top up with normal water to cook the rice
~ A dash of turmeric powder
~ 50g of salted butter ( melted)
~ Some dry organic cranberries or raisins


Methods
~ Rinse rice grain.
 ~ In a rice cooker, add in rice grain, saffron with the water, turmeric powder, 60g of salted butter.
~ Add in water if not enough to cook the rice. I am using my rice cooker measurements.
~ Mix well and leave to cook
~ Fluff  the rice once ready.
~ Serve with cranberries or raisins

Simple Fried mixed rice

I love fried rice as it is so versatile. You can add almost anything you like. This round I am using overnight rice ( 2 cups white rice and 1 cup brown rice ). Or 1 cup white and 1 cup brown rice.


Ingredients:


2 eggs ( mixed well )
1 cup of corns kennels
4 long chicken hotdogs ( Already cooked and slice into small pieces )
Some minced garlic
Shredded kani (4  crab sticks)
Some chopped spring onions ( for garnish)
Some Olive oil
A dash of sea salt
A dash of pepper
A tsp of chicken powder

Methods :

~ Heat up some oil in a wok.
~ Pour in mixed eggs and wait till slightly cooked. Thus use your spatula and give it a stir to break up the eggs into small pieces.
~ Push the eggs to  one side of the wok and  add in minced garlic
~ Stir fry till the garlic is fragrant , then add in the overnight rice.
~ Stir fry and mix all together. Make sure the rice are not sticking together.
~ Add in some sea salt , pepper , chicken powder to taste . If you find the rice too dry, add some more olive oil.
~ Lastly add in the hotdogs , kani and corns and give them a final stir for 2-3 mins
~ Turn off the heat.
~ Garnish with spring onions

The rice should be fragrant and not dry !Remember that the heat should be strong for frying rice so that each rice should be separated and not stick together. As my hotdogs are already cooked, I added at the very last. But if you are using raw hotdogs , please fry them after you pan fried finished the eggs.

Practice makes perfect!

Enjoy!

Claypot chicken rice

Claypot Chicken Rice

(2-3 servings)

Ingredients

5 chicken thighs ( cut into small pieces)
1-2 lup cheong chinese sausages
6-8 dried chinese mushrooms ( soaked in water till soften)
2  cups of rice, Jasmine or any long-grain variety
2 cups of chicken stock
2-3 bunches of green leafy vegetables

Marinade

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
 1 tbsp of minced ginger
2 tbsp of chinese cooking wine, e.g. shaoxing wine
A dash of sesame oil
1 heap tbsp cornstarch

Topping and Garnish

2 tbsp of dark soya sauce 酱油 or dark caramel sauce 晒油
A stalk of spring onions, julienned
A stalk of celery

Methods:

1. Marinate the chicken for a few hours in fridge
2. Wash the rice and add in chicken stock and bring to a high boil
3. Then lower flame and allow to simmer
4. When the rice is half cooked, about 8 minutes later, place in the chicken, mushrooms and sausages.
5. Remain at the lowest flame and allow to simmer.
6. You should be able to smell some smoky flavor and the steaming from the lid had subsided.
7. Off the flame and  add in the vegetables and cover the lid immediately for about 2 mins
8. When serving, add in the dark soya sauce and springs onions and celery.


Special thanks to Alan for sharing :http://travelling-foodies.com/2012/06/23/claypot-chicken-rice/

Nasi Lemak

This is my family fav combination. We really love fish instead of chicken wings for a change.
The must have ingredients are : Sliced cucumbers, fried ikan bilis and sambal chilli.


Coconut Rice recipe:

~ 3 cups of Jasmine rice
~ 3-4 Fresh pandan leaves ( knotted)
~ 2 cup of coconut cream
~ 3 cups of water
~ 1 fresh lemon grass ( wash and smash)
~ 1 tsp of grinded ginger
~ 1 pinch of salt

Methods :
~ Wash the rice first.
~ Place all the ingredients into the rice cooker.
~ Soak for about 15mins then press start button to cook
~ Make sure to stir well before cooking the rice.
~ Leave it warm in the rice cooker before serving.


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Sambal chilli is adapted from : http://nasilemaklover.blogspot.sg/2010/05/homemade-asian-basic-chili-paste-sambal.html
This recipe is very versatile as it can be use to make curry, fish etc etc as this is a basic one as no seasonings or shrimp paste is added before hand.

Sambal chilli recipe:

Ingredients A300g dried red chili (cut 1” length and cooked in hot water for 10mins, remove seeds)
175ml water

Ingredients B
2 onions
10 shallots
10 cloves of garlic
50ml water

300ml cooking oil or more

1. Blend ingredients A till fine or paste texture, and set aside.
2. Blend ingredients B till fine or paste texture, and set aside.
3. Heat wok (without oil) over low flame, add in chili mixture, stir fry for 15mins.
4. Add in cooking oil, continue stir fry for another 15mins (at this time, the mixture is quite heavy and hard to stir)
5. Add in onion mixture, continue stir fry for 45mins or till oil separated from chili (at this time, the mixture is light and easy to stir)
6. Cool down completely before store in clean air tight container. Store in fridge or freezer.

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There is another recipe which I like that is featured in Sunday times  dated 27 Sept 2009 using Lee Wee & Brothers' recipe for Nasi Lemak rice.

Ingredients:

70g fresh red chilli
1 large red onion
6 cloves garlic
3tbs cooking oil
80g ikan bilis ground to fine powder
8g salt
18g sugar

Method:
~ Blend the fresh red chillies , red onion and garlic to form a smooth paste
~ To a heated work, add cooking oil and stir fry the ground ikan bilis for about 2 mins till fragrant.
~ Add the ground chilli paste, salt and sugar and stir fry for 15 minutes.

Lastly serve with your fav ingredients you like on your nasi lemak.

Fried beehoon

Ingredients :

1 pack of beehoon
3 pieces of tau kwa
1 packet of ham
2 eggs
1 stalk of spring onions
Some bean sprouts
3 cloves of garlic
5 spice powder
Self raising flour

Beehoon sauce

~ 2 tbsp of oyster sauce
~ 2 cup of chicken stock
~ a dash of pepper
~ 2 tsp of dark soya sauce
~ a dash of garlic powder

Mix all the sauce together for frying the beehoon



Method :

~ Pan fried the eggs and cut into small strips
~ Pan fried the tau kwa till crispy ( cut into cubes , pat dry, add some 5 spice powder to coat them and self raising flour )
~ Pan fried the ham and cut into small strips

 ~ Heat up the work
 ~ Add some oil
 ~ Fried the garlic until fragrant
 ~ Add in the beehoon
 ~ Add in the premixed sauce
 ~ Stir and ensure all beehoon coated with the sauce
 ~ Add in bean sprouts last.
 ~ Fry till cook and sauce dry up

Serving :

Add in the Eggs , ham and tau kwa on to the beehoon
Sprinkle with spring onions
Eat with your favourite sambal chilli

Fried Wanton

Ingredients:

300g of minced pork
6 water chestnuts
Some spring onions
1 egg yolk
1 tsp 5 spice powder
100g prawns ( minced )
1 tsp of  corn flour
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 dash of pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
500g of wanton skin


Methods

~ Chop up the water chestnuts, prawns and spring onions
~ Add all the ingredients together, mix well
~ Cling wrap and put in fridge for at least 1 hr
~ Wrap with your wanton skin
~ Deep fry the wanton
~ Serve with mayo

Claypot Chicken Rice

Ingredients

5 pieces of chicken tights ( chicken wings also can)
2 lup cheong chinese sausages
1 piece salted fish, about index finger length and preferably from ikan kurau (threadfin) 午鱼
6-8 dried chinese mushrooms ( soak in water)
4  cups of rice, Jasmine or any long-grain variety
2 cups of chicken stock

Marinade for rice

1 tbsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp light soya sauce

1 bowl of Mushroom water ( from the soaking of mushroom)

 

Marinade for chicken

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
Dash of  pepper

2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp of chinese cooking wine, I use shaoxing wine
A dash of sesame oil
1 tsp of  cornstarch

Slice the chicken tights into same pieces. Remove any excess fats or skins. Place the chicken into a mixing bowl and add all the marinade as above. Rest for a few hours in the fridge.

Soak chinese mushroom with water at room temperature. When the mushrooms have softened , remove stalk and squeeze to remove as much soaking water as possible. Slice the mushroom into small pieces. The soaking water can be retained for cooking the rice.

 Make a lengthwise slit just on the surface just to slice open the membrane casing and not to cut the sausages right through. . Pull the membrane along the length of the sausage to remove and discard. Slice the sausages diagonally. Set aside.


Rinse salted fish to remove excess salt crystals on it. Dice into small pieces.

Rinse rice and add the marinate for the rice in the rice cooker.

Heat up the work and fry the chicken tights till half cooked.

Add the chicken tights , mushroom, sausages into the rice cooker. Set the rice to cook.

Once ready , give the rice a stir and top with garnish like green spring onions and cut chilli.

 

Impt note : The water to cook the rice must be more than usual to cook the meats .

Home Made Lor Mee

Ingredients A

500g thick yellow/ hokkien noodles ( blanch and drain)

2 cups of bean sprouts ( blanch and drain)

First, prepare the stock.

Ingredients B

100 gm anchovies

2 pieces of large pork bones

2  chicken bones

 

 

300g of pork belly ( or pork muscles)

 

1 large onion

Methods :

1. Boil pork bones and chicken bones for 5 mins. Discard the water and set the pork bones and chicken bones aside.

2. Now boil a port of water. Place all ingredients into the pot when water is boiling. 

3. Continue boiling for 1 1/2 hours on low heat.

Step 2: Prepare  the stew

Ingredient C ( can be purchase from any wet market):

1 large star anise

4 cloves

1 cinnamon stick  

 

Ingredient D:

4 hard boiled eggs

 

200g of pork muscle or lean pork

1 bulb of garlic (separated but leave skin on)

1/2 tsp five spice powder

Seasonings:

4 tbs soy sauce

2 tbs dark soy sauce

2 tbs sesame oil

1.5 tbs rock sugar

0.5 tsp salt

Methods:

 

1. Heat a little oil in pot and stir fry ingredient C for 2 minutes. 

2. Add rock sugar and let it melt and caramelized.

3. Add pork and five spice powder, let pork brown a little then add the rest listed under Ingredient D.

4. Add the rest of the seasoning then add just enough water to cover.

5. Turn the heat down to a simmer when boiled

6. Let it cook for 1.5 hours.

7. Remove pork and eggs and keep the gravy.

8. Cut pork into thin slices and eggs into half.

 

Ingredients for garlic paste:

1 bulb of garlic

1 tbs white vinegar

2 tbs boiling water

1 tbs sugar

Instructions for garlic paste:

1. Remove garlic skin, then blend in a blender

 

2. Combine mushy garlic paste with white vinegar, boiling water and sugar. You can store and refrigerate the leftovers in a glass bottle for future use.

Ingredients for the Lor Mee gravy:

1. Combine stock and stew gravy.

2. Add soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Then let it come to a boil.

3. Pour the egg mixture into the soup, keep stirring the soup while you pour, we want the eggs to form tiny strands.

4. Add 1/4 cup water to potatoes  flour. Add just enough until achieved desired consistency. 

 

Time to assemble"

 

1. Place noodles and bean sprouts into a bowl.

 

2. Arrange all other ingredients like fish cakes, Ngo hiang, fish fillets, wantons,  egg, pork slices on top of the noodles

 

3. Pour the gravy over the ingredients.

 

4. Serve with sliced chillies, black vinegar and garlic paste!!

Some references taken from:http://ellyneverforgets.blogspot.sg/2012/10/lor-mee.html

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg)
• 5 whole cloves garlic, plus 2 cloves, chopped
• 7 thick slices ginger, unpeeled
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 675g jasmine rice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• coriander, sliced cucumber and spring onion, to serve

Iced water for soaking cooked chicken:
1 bowl of water with ice cubes to cover the chicken

Chilli Sauce

• 6 red chillies
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1-2 Tbsp chicken stock

Ginger sauce

• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
• 3 tbsp oil

Methods:


 Clean the chicken and cut off any excess fats and put the whole garlic cloves and 5 slices of ginger in the cavity of the chicken and place breast-side down in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to just below a simmer. The water should be steaming well, but not bubbling. Keep the heat at this stage for 20 minutes, then cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave for 30 minutes, then lift out the chicken, keeping the poaching stock. Soak the chicken into a bowl of ice water for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Then, brush the chicken skin with sesame oil and wrap with plastic wrap. The chicken should be cooked very lightly, pink inside the bones and with a gelatinous skin.

Rice
Heat 1 tbsp of the chicken fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and remaining 2 slices of ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the rice and toss until well coated and turning opaque. Add 1.25 litres of the reserved chicken stock, the salt and soy sauce. You can also add a few pandan leaves, tied in a knot (if you have them). Cook in a rice cooker or by your preferred method of cooking rice.

Chilli sauce
Combine chillies, ginger, garlic, sugar and salt in a food processor for a minute. Add the lemon juice and 1-2 tablespoons of hot chicken stock and processed again. Set aside.

Ginger sauce
 Heat the oil in a small frying pan until smoking and pour hot oil into the grated ginger. Once the sizzling stops, leave to infuse for a few minutes.

Slice the chicken Chinese-style and pour the dressing over it. Scatter with a little coriander and serve with the rice, condiments, broth and garnishes.