1.11 My Birthday ; )

   

Misua are cooked during important festivities, and eaten in China as well in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Thailand, and the Philippines. Misua signifies long life and lucky in Chinese culture, and as such is a traditional birthday food. It is usually served topped with ingredients such as eggs, pig's fillet, dried mushroom, beef, shallots, or scallions, and roasted nuts.

Cooking misua usually takes less than 2 minutes in boiling water, and sometimes significantly less.

   

Ingredients (fish stock)

100g Ikan Bilis  |  3 litre water  |

Ingredients B
5 bundles misua (flour vermicelli)  |  10 hard-boiled eggs  |
8 dried Chinese mushrooms (soak, and diced)  |
150g Pork fillet, sliced  | 1 tablespoon minced garlic  |
2 tablespoon fried shallots  |

Seasoning
1 tablespoon ligh soy sauce  |  half tablespoon Oyster sauce  |  1 tablespoon fish sauce (for soup base)

Method
Boil the Ikan bilis with water  for 40 minutes, season with 1 tablespoon fish sauce
and pepper to taste. set aside.

Heat up 1 tablespoon oil to saute the garlic until fragrant.
Add in the sliced pork and mushroom quick stir for 3 minutes,
add in 1 tablespoon spoon light soy sauce, half tablespoon oyster sauce
and little bit of thick soy sauce and set aside.

To make individual portions of misua, landle 500ml of the fish stock into a small pot
and allow to boil. Add a bundle of misua, stirring well and let it cook for about 2 minutes.

Pour into a soup bowl and top with some of the fried pork, fresh onions,
and fried shallots. Add in a pair of hard-boiled egg to each bowl.

Serve Hot.

Nyonya Chicken Curry

Nyonya cooking is not only about the blending of pungent roots but also the long marinating of meats and seafood before it is cooked.

Fresh herbs such as lemongrass, galangal, torch ginger and turmeric root are pounded, more often than not, by hand using a granite mortar & pestle. Chilies, shallots, candlenuts and belacan are a must in most Nyonya dishes.

Aromatic leaves such as kaffir lime leaves, pandan leaves, fresh bay leaves and turmeric leaves...

Ingredients A
1 chicken (2kg, choped in pieces)   |  6 blades pandan leaves (knotted)  |
6 kaffir lime leaves  |

Ingredients B (Grind into paste)
150g shallots  |  6 stalks lemon grass  | 1 ginger flower
50g old ginger  |  20g garlic cloves  |  40g fresh galangal  | 
3 table spoons Chilih paste  |

Ingredients C
500ml coconut milk  |

Marinate
1 tablespoon curry powder  |  half teaspoon salt  |
1 teaspoon soy sauce  | 

Seasoning
1 tablespoon salt  |  3 tablespoon Gula Melaka  |

Method
Marinate chicken for 1 hour.

Heat up 5 tablespoon oil and and fry Ingredient B for 10 minutes untill fragrant.
Add in chicken stir well, Add in the remaining ingredients A and seasoning,
simmer for 15 minutes then add in coconut milk simmer another 20 minutes.

Serve with steamed rice or Nasi Lemak.

Sambal Petai

The beans are an acquired taste, but are popular in Laos, southern Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia, and northeastern India, and are sold in bunches, still in the pod, or the seeds are sold in plastic bags. Pods are gathered from the wild, or from cultivated trees, They are exported in jars or cans, pickled in brine.

I like petai very much, infact my family members are love too!
They are best when combined with other strongly flavoured foods such as
garlic, chile paste, and dried shrimp, as in "sambal petai".

Ingredients A
150g peeled petai  |  150g prawns  |

Ingredients B
40g dry shrimps (soak and chopped)  |  40g shallots (chopped)   
20g garlic (chopped)  |  40g chili boh (around 2 tablespoon)
2 1/2 tablespoon oil (50ml)  |

Seasoning
1 teaspoon ground toasted Belacan  |  3/4 tablespoon sugar  |
2 tablespoon water  |

Method
Heat up oil and saute dried prawns until fragrant. Add in shallots, garlic and
stir-fry until aromatic. Add in the remaining ingredients and seasoning,
stir-fly for 2 minutes.

Add in fresh Prawns have a quick stir.

Add in water and Patai, then turn the heat on high and
have another quick stir until gravy is dry.

Serve with steamed rice or Nasi Lemak.