◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 6

This is one quick dish that you can prepare for an easy lunch – the Chee Cheong Fun (豬腸粉). It is literally translated as pork intestine noodles in Chinese because the rice noodle rolls resemble to pork chitterlings. The rice noodles are traditionally made with rice flour mixture, spread a thin layer on a cheese cloth, steam to become a thin layer of noodle then roll it up, similar to pork chitterlings.  

Back home, there was always an old uncle riding a motorbike with big mobile food cart on the bike, calling out “Chee Cheong Fun” around my neighborhood. My family always couldn’t resist not to order from the uncle. The specialty for the Chee Cheong Fun in my hometown, Klang and Kuala Lumpur is the additional ingredients such as the stuffed tofu/vegetables (釀豆腐), meat balls, bean curds are added to compliment the dish. In different area like Penang, the rice noodle are served as simple as mixing it just with shrimp paste.

For a home made plate of Chee Cheong Fun, you can easily buy the fresh rice noodle from the Asian market, add in ready made ingredients such as some meat balls, fish cakes and tofu. Cut the rice noodles and all ingredients into small bites. Add some hoisin sauce, chili and seasoning, mix it well and there you go a big plate of fancy Chee Cheong Fun.

Ingredients:

Fresh rice noodle rolls (plain or with shrimp)
Pork meat balls
Fish cakes
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
2 tsp Soy sauce
1tsp Sriracha Chili sauce (depends on hotness)
Few drips of Sesame oil
Few dashes of Sesame seeds

Serve 4 people

Cooking Method:

1. Steam or microwave the fresh rice rolls to reheat. Cut the rice noodles into bite sizes.
2. Cut the pork balls, fish cakes (and other stuffed vegetables or tofu if preferred) into bite sizes.
3. Combine the seasoning, adjust based on preferred taste. Mix it with rice noodles and the ingredients.
4. Drizzle drips of sesame oil and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 6

Ipoh is famous with its signature dishes of Bean Sprouts Chicken (芽菜雞) and Shredded Chicken Hor Fun (雞丝河粉). You can actually find many of these combination food stalls all over Ipoh. The locals recommended Lou Wong (老黃) or Onn Kee (安記) in the town if you have a chance to pay a visit in Ipoh.

This time I was only preparing the Shredded Chicken Hor Fun or Flat Rice Noodle, and in an easy way. Usually a whole chicken (preferably free range chicken / 土雞) is used by poaching in a hot water bath till cooked, and then cool down in an icy bath. This is the important part to maintain the smoothness and juiciness of the chicken texture. But for a smaller portion I am just using a chicken quarter and breast for cooking.

The most important thing is the soup base. It will not be as original as the food stalls they might have secret recipes but close enough. I cooked mine with too much shrimps it get slightly fishy so I suggested to reduce the shrimps. For the bean sprouts and rice noodles, you just have to blanch in hot water for 5 minutes and drain.

A hot bowl of  “Sar Hor Fun”, it looks simple but yet so delicious. The flat noodle soup is served in a sweet broth, accompanied with silky smooth shredded chicken meats and fresh crisp blanched bean sprouts, garnish with chopped scallions and fried shallots. You will love it even if you are not a noodle fan!

Ingredients:

1 chicken leg quarter
1 chicken breast
1/2 lb Shrimp with Heads and Tails On (save about 8-10 shrimp heads)
1 small handful (around 15-20) of dried anchovies (remove heads and intestines, rinse)
1 lb Pork Bones or Pork Ribs (blanch in boiling water before putting into soup)
1-2 cans chicken broth
1 medium Jicama (cut into pieces)
1 tsp peppercorns (crushed)
1 1/2″ ginger (sliced)
6 cloves garlic (crushed)
3 tbsp Shaoxing Wine
1/2 packet Bean Sprouts
1 packet fresh Flat Rice Noodles
Salt & Pepper to taste

Serve: 4 -6 people

Cooking Method:

1. Fill a big pot with water enough to cover over the chicken, bring to boil then turn heat off. Put the leg quarter and breast into hot water and stand for 45 minutes to an hour. Check for doneness.
2. Take out chicken pieces and place it into a large bowl of ice bath to stop the cooking process.  When the chicken is cool down, shred the chicken meat with a fork or by using your fingers.
3. Keep the poached chicken stock and add in another 1-2 cans of chicken broth for more flavors, bring to boil.
4. In the mean time, remove shrimp heads & shrimp shell, cut the shrimps into halves horizontally. Save about 8-10 shrimps heads to put into soup (try the soup base during cooking and adding shrimp heads slowly)
5. Put all garlic, ginger, peppercorns, anchovies, shrimps heads, pork bones, jicama and wine into the boiling chicken stock. Cook for 15 minutes and turn heat to low, simmer for 11/2 -2 hours. The longer it cooks the more flavorful. Try the soup base and add salt & pepper to taste.
6. Bring another clean pot of water to boil, blanch the rice noodle, bean sprouts and shrimp halves separately.
7. Place individual portion of rice noodle into a bowl, ladle with soup base,  top with shredded chicken meats, handful of bean sprouts and couple of cooked shrimps. Garnish with chopped scallions, fried shallots. Serve with bird’s eye chilies soy sauce dipping.

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 6

Char Kway Teow (炒粿條, or aka Fried Flat Rice Noodle) is one of the must-order-food when you are visiting the state of Penang, Malaysia. It is sold in almost every part of the city from hotels, malls, restaurants to the hawker stalls. Ask the locals, they would definitely know where to find the best in town. You wouldn’t want to miss this delicious local favorite food.

The Char Kway Teow is stir fried with cockles, prawns, fresh bean sprouts, chives and egg. Add some red chilli paste for an extra kick to the noodle.  Most importantly, the Char Kway Teow is cooked in fiery wok heat with lard (if possible), that makes it so aromatic and fragrant.

Ingredients:

1/2 packet flat rice noodle (gently separate the noodles)
1 cup bean sprouts
10-12 cockles (take out the cockles from the shell)
8-10 medium prawns (tail-on)
1/4 cup chives (chopped into 2 inch length)
2 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 egg
2 tbsp oil

For Red Chilli Paste (Ground):
5 dried chillies (soaked)
2 fresh red chillies (chopped)
2 small shallots
2 garlic cloves
Salt
1 teaspoon oil

For Seasoning:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp water

Serve size: 2 people.

Cooking Method:

1. Ground all ingredients for red chilli paste. Heat oil in a wok, sauté ground ingredients until aromatic. Dish up and set aside for use later.
2. Heat wok (preferably in a cast iron wok until smoking hot) on high with oil, add in chopped garlic, stir fry until light brown.
3. Add in the prawns stir fry until turn color. Add the bean sprouts and give a quick stir. Push the ingredients to a side.
4. Add the noodles and stir fry quickly, add in the seaoning mixture over the noodles. Stir fry till well blend.
5. Make a empty space in the middle of the wok, crack the egg on it and add a little oil, scramble to mix the egg yolk and white. Fold all the ingredients on the egg, stir fry until cook.
6. Add the cockles, and some chilli paste (based on spicyness preferred), stir fry evenly.
7. Finally add the chives and give a quick stir.
8. Dish up.

Serves hot immediately.

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 4

Zha Jiang Mian (炸醬面) is a traditional dish from Northern China and it is named as the “brown meat sauce noodle” in most Chinese cuisines while Westerners called it “Chinese spaghetti”. Noodle (面) is the main diet for Northern Chinese due to the main crop at Northern China is wheat.  Thus the Chinese uses it to produce the wheat noodle as known as la mian (拉麺) or it is called Ramen in Japan.

My Chinese buddy taught me how to prepare this dish when I was on business trip to China two years ago and now the Zha Jiang Mian (炸醬面) is my favorite brunch for the weekends because it is easy to be made, and of course the ingredients can be easily found in any Asian dept in the grocery store. I love how the noodles serve with the aromatic sesame sauce, minced pork and colorful veggie and I never get bored with it. Try it out!

Ingredients:
2 people size of Shandong Ramen
100g Ground Pork (around 0.5lbs)
(Marinated 1/2 teaspoon “all spice powder” for 15min)
1/2 cube Hard type Tofu (cut in tiny cube size)
1/4 pcs Cucumber (Shredded)
1/4 pcs Carrot (Shredded)
50g Bean Spout
1 pcs Shallots (minced)
1 pcs Garlic (minced)

For the sauce
5 tbsp Sweet noodle sauce
1 tbsp yellow bean sauce
2 tbsp Rice wine
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp sesame oil
8 tbsp water
8 tbsp cooking oil
Salts to taste

Serve Size: 2 people

Cooking method:

1. Medium heat up cooking oil.
2. Add in shallots & garlic, pan fry them until golden brown color.
3. Put the ground pork & sesame oil, stir fry them until well cooked.
4. Add in the sweet noodle sauce, yellow bean sauce, rice wine & sugar.
5. Add tofu & water, mid-high heat to cook for 5 minutes.
6. Steam bean sprout, carrot & cucumber.
7. Boil & prepare the noodle (add little salt & sesame oil), boil until it’s cooked, drain the water.
8. Transfer the noodle to a plate, topping the magical sauce.
9. Toss it together with bean sprout, carrot & cucumber.

Serves Hot.