Posted by Bel.C
Yong Tofu or Yong Tau Fu (釀豆腐) is a Chinese dish originated from Hakka cuisine. It is a soup dish uses tofu and a variety of vegetables to stuff with meat paste mixture of fish and pork. The dish originally uses tofu for stuffing, therefore it is called Yong Tofu, which literally means “stuffed bean curd”. Ever since Yong Tofu gained its popularity, a variety of vegetables are used for stuffing such as the bitter gourd, green or red chilies, eggplant, okra and etc. Thus the name of Yong Tofu has been used to all foods prepared in such method.
The last time we prepared the dish was last year, when Sam made a big whole pot of Yong Tofu for New Year celebration, we ate that for lunch and dinner for a couple of days. This time we were so lucky as my good Hakka friend Heidi decided to make Yong Tofu for our small gathering a few weeks ago. She mentioned that her mum makes traditional style Hakka Yong Tofu, she will buy fresh fish from the market and hand chop the fish into fresh and smoother texture. Also she will have to chop and beat the ground pork so they are smooth and juicy to combine well.
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Posted by Patrick.C
When I was blogging on my assam fish the other day, my brother reminded me the kari ikan. Kari Ikan (fish curry) is one of the Malaysian curries and it can be found in mamak stalls. I used to have it once in a week in high school after activities or sports in a nearby authentic mamak stall which is my group’s hang out spot.
I was eager to make my first kari ikan with the kari ikan powder from Malaysia this weekend. Thus I went over to the Asian market and bought all my ingredients but sadly I couldn’t get okra. So I substituted it with green beans. Surprisingly the result was pleasing but it was just a little sour due to too much tamarind paste. I added 3 tablespoons in it. In the recipe, I changed it to 2 tablespoons.
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Posted by Patrick.C
Time out for the Thai curries. I craved for Assam Fish this week.
The Assam Fish (Asam Fish) is a classic and authentic Malaysian dish which I love the most. I was blissful enough to have this heavenly dish for three times when I was having my recent vacation in Malaysia. It is a spicy sour tasted dish, where fish is cooked in assam (tamarind) fruit juice together with some other ingredients like tomato and okra. Normally, fish (such as mackerel, stingray or red snappers) or even fish heads are used. Stingray was the common fish my mom used for this dish. She made this dish so good!
Nowadays assam pastes are sold in convenient packs and I bought few Tean’s Gourmet brand assam pastes from Malaysia. I thought it’s so complicated to make the Assam Fish but I was totally wrong! With the convenient pack and a few easy steps, I completed my first Assam fish. It was good.
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Posted by Eric.N
Rex Sole is one of the fish that we usually order if eating in a restaurant back home. It is absolutely delicious, the flesh is tender and mild, not fishy at all which is very important to me. I don’t like fish that smells and tastes fishy. Moreover it is inexpensive. I’ve got this fish in the Asian market for just $1.99 per lb, so cheap and so big.
The Rex Sole is kind of “flat fish” species like a flounder, both eyes are on the same side. The fish is indeed very weird looking but flesh is soft. Another wonderful thing about Rex Sole is the spine and bones are attached to the fish tightly. When you eat you can easily remove the whole spine from the fish. No loose bones at all. Y0u can easily prepare the fish, either pan fry till crispy, or simply just steam it.
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Posted by Patrick.C
We are having fish dishes marathon in the house. Right after Bel made her steamed striped bass with bean sauce, I decided to make another steamed fish dish with my favorite Chilean sea bass. Seriously I am a big fan of Chilean sea bass because I am amazed at how such ugly fishie can be so tasty.
The Chilean sea bass or Patagonian toothfish (as the proper name for it) is a large, vaguely cod-shaped fish found in cold, deep waters of the Southern Atlantic. Due to its size, the Chilean sea bass actually produces good-sized fillets of white meat with mild flavor, pleasantly firm texture and high healthy fat content that formulates it almost impossible for overcook. Thus, it is good for dry-heat cooking methods such as grilling, broiling, and sautéing but this time I’ve prepared it with the steaming method.
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