Char Liap Liap

This dish is usually served with plain porridge in many Hokkien home.

I got the recipe from one of my favourite magazine - Flavours
and I like this old issue very much.

Chinese long bean - They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.

In a serving size of 100 grams of long beans there are 47 calories, 0 grams of total fat,
0 mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium (0% daily value), 8 grams of total carbohydrates (2% daily value),
and 3 grams of protein (5% daily value).

Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own. Consequently tofu can be prepared either in savory or sweet dishes, acting as a bland background for presenting the flavors of the other ingredients used.

preserved radish (chai poh)

Ingredients
5 pips garlic, minced  |  30g dried shrimps (soaked in water and drained)  |
50g preserved radish, diced (must be sweet type)  |  150g long bean (cut in 1 cm apart)  |
2 pieces firm bean curd (tau kwa), cut into small cubes  |

Seasoning
1 tablespoon light soy sauce  |  1 teaspoon oyster sauce  |  little bit of salt

Method
heat up 2 cups of oil fried the bean curd until golden.

heat up 1 tablespoon oil in wok to stir-fry the garlic, dried shrimps
and preserved radish until aromic.

Add in long beans. stir-fry for a few seconds before adding the bean curd.
continue to fry about 5 minutes to 8 minutes (depending on whether you like crunchy
or soft for the long bean) and add in the seasoning.

Dish out and served with plain porridge or steam rice.

Asam Fish

I used to go to the wet market with my mom.

Sometimes, we’d approach the fish supplier and he'd tell us he's run out!
But there were still plenty of fish lying on the table!

Does that mean that those fish are not fresh?
No. It's because what my mum expected was fish of higher quality,
and she'd rather go home empty-handed.

She told me if the fish is really fresh, you won't get an awful smell when you rinse it.
There would be a slight fragrance instead.

And I now know that what she said is true.

So… Have you ever seen a live fish?

 Asam Fish (Malay: Ikan Asam Pedas) is a Malaysian fish stew where fish is cooked in tamarind (asam) fruit juice.

The cooking process involves soaking the pulp of the fruit until it is soft and then squeezing out
the juice for cooking the fish. Asam paste could be substituted for convenience.

Various vegetables such as lady finger, eggplant and tomato are added.

 

Ginger torch and daun kesum is an essential ingredient for making asam laksa or asam fish.


Ingredients A
3 kembong fish (500gm)  |  6 lady finger   |  1 tomato (cut into wedges)  | 
1 onion (cut into wedges)  |  3 sprigs of daun kesum  |  400ml water  | 
100g tamarind paste |

Ingredients B (Grind into paste)
40g shallots  |  2 stalks lemon grass  | 1 ginger torch
20g old ginger  |  20g garlic cloves  |  20g fresh galangal  | 
3 table spoons Chili paste  |  6 chili padi  |  10g belacan (baked)

Seasoning
1/2 tablespoon salt  |  60g gula Melaka  |  1 tablespoon sour prune sauce

Method
100g tamarind paste, mixed with 400ml water and strained.

Heat up 3 tablespoons oil and and fry Ingredient B for 10 minutes until fragrant.

Add in tamarind juice to boil. Add in kembong fish, daun kesam, salt  and gula melaka
simmer with lowest heat for 2 minutes. 

Add in lady finger, tomato and onion simmer for another 8 minutes.

Dish out and serve with steam rice.

Kerabu Ikan kembong

Red chilis contain high amounts of vitamin C and carotene (provitamin A). They are very high in potassium, magnesium, and iron. Their high vitamin C content can also substantially increase the uptake of non-heme iron from other ingredients in a meal.

Mint leaves was originally used as a medicinal herb to treat stomach ache and chest pains, and it is commonly used in the form of tea as a home remedy to help alleviate stomach pain.

Shallots are extensively cultivated for use in fresh cooking, in addition to being pickled. Finely sliced deep-fried shallots are used as a condiment in Asian cuisine.

Ingredient A
3 “kembong” fish (or 500g )  |  some mint leaves

Ingredient B
60g shallot (shredded)  |  20g garlic (minced)  |  1 red chili (minced)  |
6 chili padi (minced)  |  3-4 calamansi lime (juiced)  |  2 tablespoon sugar  |
1 tablespoon white vinegar  |  1 teaspoon fish sauce  |

method
Rinse the kembong fish and steam for 6 minutes. leave it cool
and boneless, set aside.

combine all ingredient B.

add in fish fillet and mix well. keep into fridge for atlest 2 hours
even better if keep it over night.