Tong Cho Pork Ribs (Sugar Vinegared Pork Ribs)

I have been slacking I know.  What woke me up?  A nice lady by the name of Rosalind Choon commented on my blog.  She said that my blog has all her favourite food. You see I need you to post comments to let me know that someone is reading my blog.  So here's a simple recipe for sweet and sour pork ribs done the original traditional way.

Ingredients

1 kg premium pork ribs (I always buy indonesian pork from wet market)

Season with salt, pepper and oyster sauce for at least 3 to 4 hours

Cornflour for coating pork just before frying

For sauce - Mix in a bowl

1 teaspoon chinese wine

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon each of light and dark soya sauce

2 teaspoons of brown sugar or 2 small pieces of rock sugar

3 tablespoons water

Method

Heat oil in frying pan and deep fry pork till nicely brown (do not overcook or meat will be tough)

Remove from pan

Heat a little oil in pan and pour in the sauce mixture

Boil gently and keep stirring

When sauce thickens, do a taste test and adjust according to your liking

Put in the pork and stir till evenly coated with the sauce. Do not have too much gravy

Traditional Hokkien Noodles with Venus Clams

Sorry for the long absence.  Auntie Dolly has been travelling.  I went to Switzerland, London and then Kyoto and Osaka. Now back to cracking my head for new recipes.  Actually, I have cooked this before but what made me decide to cook it again was when I saw these huge clams at Sheng Siong Supermarket.

Ingredients - for 3 to 4 persons

Venus Clams - steam till cooked (do this just before noodle is ready so as to keep warm)

11/2  kg flat yellow noodles

6 to 8 big prawns peeled leaving the tail

2 squids washed and cut into rings

Roast Pork, sliced

Long cabbage

Ikan bilis for stock

Chicken stock - buy the Swanson chicken stock

Oyster Sauce

Pepper

Black Soya Sauce

Sugar

Salt

Cornflour mixed in a little water

Garlic minced

Method - Preparing the stock

Heat oil in wok, fry garlic and then add ikan bilis

Add water to make stock.

Cook on slow fire for about 15 mins.  Drain the soup and discard the rest

Pour stock in pot and bring to a boil

Add cabbage and boil till soft

Heat oil in wok,  fry minced garlic till golden brown and remove including oil (this is to garnish the clam)

Heat oil in wok, fry some garlic, add prawns and then squid. (do not overcook)

Remove from wok.

Heat oil in wok, pour the ikan bilis stock and vegetables

Add some chicken stock

Add in oyster sauce, pepper, black soya sauce, salt, sugar

Add noodles and simmer for about 10 mins

Taste and adjust seasoning

Add cornflour mix, then the prawns, squid and roast pork

Dish out.  Sprinkle the golden brown garlic and oil onto each clam and place on top of the noodles.

Note:  You can also sprinkle fried shallots on top of noodle. Refer to http://auntiedollylovesfood.blogspot.sg/2014_03_01_archive.html)

Vinegar Pork Trotters

This is a traditional dish served to  mothers who have just given birth to a baby. The vinegar and ginger help to expel wind.  Nowadays, we do not have to wait for someone to have a baby to savour this. My friends, men and women rave about this dish after eating at my place.
In the old days, the traditional way of cooking this dish is to boil the vinegar and ginger over and over again for a few months.  The pork trotter is only added on the day it is served.
Why not try the short cut way and still achieve the same results?

Ingredients

2 Pork forehand trotters with some lean meat attached. cut into bit size
Old and young ginger
one knob of garlic leave skin intact
1 bottle of Chan Kong Thye vinegar (Bulldog logo)
2 pieces of gula malacca (palm sugar)
hard boiled eggs
sesame oil


Method

Skin the ginger, cut into medium sized stubs.
Smash it lightly and put it in the sun to dry for a few hours
After ginger is fully dried,
Heat sesame oil in pot and fry ginger and garlic till fragrant
Add gula malacca and fry till dissolved
Pour in whole bottle of vinegar and another bottle of water
Let it boil for 2 hours on low fire
Turn off fire and let it steep in pot overnight
Boil water to blanch pork
Add pork trotters to vinegar and boil till soft. Add eggs
Adjust taste to your liking, depends if you like it sourish or sweet

Achar (nonya salad)

Just came back from Europe and craving for local food. Here's my achar recipe, its sweet and sour, a great appetiser. It  goes well with chicken rice, nasi lemak, fried bee hoon, fried rice and lots of other local food. The degree of sweetness and sourness is up to your own liking. How much of each ingredient you use is also up to you.

Ingredients

Cucumbers with skin on

Carrots

Cabbage plucked into pieces

Pineapple

Lots of grounded peanuts

Lots of toasted white sesame seeds

Rempah (look for recipe in earlier post)

White vinegar

sugar and salt

Cooking oil

Method

Cut the cucumber, carrot and pineapple into thick strips (see picture)

Dry cucumber and carrots in the sun for 2 to 3 hours. This is to make it crunchy.

Heat oil and fry rempah till fragrant

Add vinegar, sugar and salt. Adjust according to your taste

Fry till well blended, then turn off fire

Put in all the vegetables, mix well

Lastly add peanuts and sesame seeds

Cool and store in glass containers

Place in refrigerator for future use

Auntie Dolly's Mee Siam

There are many versions of Mee Siam, Malay, Indian, Peranakan and now Auntie Dolly's.

I have tried and tested different recipes and tweaked it to my family's liking.  When you have a party and there are more people, you can do the dry version.  Basically you just reduce the amount of gravy and make it thicker.  Here is the wet version. Always remember the measurements are agak agak (estimated). After you've tried it, you will know how much to use.

 

Ingredients for frying bee hoon

 

1 pkt of bee hoon soaked in hot water for about 3 mins then drained dry.

300 grams bean sprouts, tail plucked

2 tablespoons of chilli rempah (look for recipe in earlier post)

6 pcs small red onions, pounded.

chinese chives for garnishing

Hard boiled eggs, quartered for garnishing

Oil for frying

 

Method for frying bee hoon

 

Heat oil, fry onions and rempah till fragrant

Add bean sprouts, fry a little while and then add bee hoon

Using a pair of long chopsticks, keep tossing till evenly coated with rempah

Add salt and light soya to taste, then dish out

 

Ingredients for gravy

 

6 pcs red small onions pounded (you can use big onions too)

300 grams dried prawns, soaked and pounded till half fine

200 grams tau cheong pounded (fermented soya beans)

3 tablespoons chilli rempah (recipe in earlier post)

300 grams assam (tamarind pulp) soaked in 1 bowl of warm water to extract juice

200grams coconut cream (kara brand)

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

6 pcs dried Taupok (bean curd puff) cut in to broad strips

Water - about 300 ml

Oil for frying

 

Method

 

Heat oil, fry onions till aromatic, add dried prawns and fry for about 2 mins

Add chilli rempah and continue to fry till fragrant

Add pounded soya bean paste and fry again

Using a sieve. drain the assam juice into pot

Add water and boil for about 20 mins (adjust amount of water accordingly)

Add coconut cream and stir till dissolved

Add sugar, salt and do a taste test.

Lastly add in taupok and boil for another 5 mins

 

Dish a handful of bee hoon onto plate

Spoon gravy onto bee hoon

Garnish with eggs and chives

You can have additional chilli sambal at the side (can be bought from glory at east coast road)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cha Kway Teow

Its good to make cha kway teow yourself as you can control the amount of oil used.  9 out 10 people I know love cha kway teow.  Somehow this dish evokes nostalgia as we remember how we used to bring our own egg when we buy from the street hawker. Its so wonderful how a simple dish like this gets so many compliments

 

Ingredients

 

1 kg kway teow (flat rice noodles)

1/2 kg yellow noodles

1/2 kg choy sum or 100 gms bean sprouts

Prawns

Sliced chinese sausages

Sliced cooked  fish cakes

Fresh cockles

Eggs

Black sweet sauce

Bottled sambal chilli

Sugar and salt to taste

Garlic

Oil

 

 

 

Method

 

It is best to fry individual portions

Heat oil (1 tablespoon) till very hot, fry garlic
Fry prawns and sliced sausage

Add kway teow and noodle (enough for 1 person)

Toss around the wok. If very dry,  sprinkle a little water

Add vegetable, toss again, add the chilli sambal, sweet sauce, salt and sugar

Fry till even distributed

Taste the noodle and adjust taste accordingly

Add the cooked fish cake

Break in the egg and add cockles, fry quickly and dish out

 

Tips

The amount of seasoning is how you like it
This is a fast cook dish. Do not fry for too long

Fire must be high

Eggs and cockles must NOT be overcooked

The noodles should be a little wet.

 

 

 

 

 

Batter Prawns

Do you notice that the price of prawns have fallen quite a bit?  It used to be a luxury to be able to afford big prawns but now you can get decently sized prawns for $18 to $20.  It was my late mother in law's specialty and she used to prepare this for us every chinese new year eve. Though it looks simple, the trick is in the type of flour used and the proportions. Why not try my recipe and see if you like it.

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 kg big prawns - pat dry

season with salt, pepper and sugar

 

 

Batter

 

3 tablespoons plain flour

3 tablespoons rice flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons water

 

Method

 

Prepare batter. Mix till dissolved

No need to be completely smooth

Heat oil for deep drying

Fry on medium heat till golden brown

Har Cheong Gai (Prawn Paste Chicken)

I have experimented with many recipes that I have collected over the years but never satisfied.
Now, I have finally perfected this dish by tweaking and combining the tips from various cooks.
My version is simple and easy.  Do give it a try.

Ingredients
3 boneless chicken thighs cut into medium strips.(you can also use chicken wings)
1 tablespoon prawn paste
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water
Potato starch
Oil for deep frying

Method

Marinade the chicken overnight with prawn paste, oyster sauce, sugar and water
Remove the excess liquid to make sure  chicken is dry
Coat chicken with potato starch
Heat oil for deep frying
Fry on medium heat till golden brown
Simple and GOOD

Fried shallots

I always make a big batch and store it in the refrigerator.
It can last for months.
There are 2 ways to do it. The traditional way which is more time consuming and the microwave way which is easy and fast.

Ingredients

20 small red shallots sliced thinly and wiped dry
Cooking oil

Microwave Method

Place shallots and oil in a microwaveable bowl
Oil must be cover shallots completely
Cover with microwaveable cling wrap
Cook for 5 mins, take out, stir to even out the heat
Return to microwave for 2 mins and take out, stir again.
Repeat the above till you see the shallots turn light brown.
Do not cook anymore as it will continue to turn golden brown
Remove and let it cool on kitchen paper so that it will be crispy 

Traditional Method

Heat oil to medium high
Add shallots, lower heat to low and slow fry till light brown.
Keep a constant watch as it will burn easily.
Dish out and let it cool on kitchen paper so that it will be crispy

Chicken Macaroni soup

Sorry for taking such a long break from blogging.  My helper Michelle went on home leave and I did not engage a part time helper.  At times like this, I always prepare one dish meals.  Chicken macaroni is everyone's favourite, its cheap and good and if you are a fast cook like me, all you need is half an hour. I hope my young friends will give this a try.  Recently I have been receiving messages from them asking for more tips on cooking.  I am so happy to know that the young ones are cooking.  Bravo girls!

 

Ingredients

 

3 chicken thighs

300 gms macaroni boiled till soft

200 gms minced pork seasoned with salt, sugar, pepper, cornflour and very little water

3 pcs fried fish cake, sliced

1 carton swanson chicken broth

300 gms ikan bilis washed clean (anchovies)

salt to taste

minced garlic

fried shallots

1 litre water

 

Method

 

Heat oil and fry minced garlic and ikan bilis for about 5 mins

Transfer to a pot of boiling water (1 litre)

Simmer for about 15 mins

When time is up, discard  ikan bilis, add the swanson chicken broth and bring to a boil

Add  chicken thighs, boil for 6 minutes and leave in pot covered for 20 minutes

When time's up, remove chicken and rub with sesame oil, debone when its cooled

Add seasoning to soup and bring to a boil

Cook minced pork in a small boil with some soup. Break up the pork with a fork

Drain and return the soup from cooking the pork back to pot

Bring soup to a boil

Assemble macaroni in a bowl, place fish cake and minced pork on top

Ladle soup into bowl and then top it with the chicken

Lastly garnish with fried shallots

 

 

 

Mock Peking Duck

This is a vegetarian version of peking duck and its a good party dish. I was only able to make this when I found out that the crepes can be bought ready made from this shop called Kwong Cheong Thye in Geylang.

There was this restaurant called Charming Garden in the former Meridian Hotel which used to serve this but  I have yet to find this dish in another restaurant. So never mind, do it myself.

Ingredients

Frozen bean curd sheets - can be bought from market stall selling vegetarian foodstuff (ask for vegetarian duck)
1 pkt of crepes - defrost
spring onions- use only the top part
cucumber - cut into thick strips
hoisin sauce
oyster sauce
sugar
sesame oil
water
oil

Method

Heat oil and deep fry the bean curd sheets till golden brown
Set aside, let it cool and cut into pieces
Mix the hoi sin sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and a little water to make a paste
As the crepe is cold, steam it for a few minutes till soft
Take a piece of crepe, spread the paste onto it.
Place the bean curd sheet, cucumber and spring onion on top and wrap it like a roll
Ready to serve

P.S.
Do note that the beancurd sheet should be crispy, so fry just before serving

 

Lo Kai (Soya Sauce Chicken)

Sandy, my youngest daughter residing in London, has been telling me each time she cooks Lo Kai "How come it's different from yours?" So here you are, my darling daughter, the recipe for you to try again.

I must admit that my recipes are not consistent. Firstly, its the agak agak method (estimation)

Secondly, I always tweak the dish each time I cook.  Nowadays, my helper, Michelle can cook quite well.  That's because, she has a good memory and is very interested to learn.

 

Ingredients

 

4 chicken thighs chopped into pieces

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp thick dark soya sauce

4 slices ginger

1 tbsp minced garlic

salt and sugar to taste

oil

water

 

Method

 

Heat both types of oil in wok and fry ginger and garlic

Add chicken and fry till evenly coated with oil

Add oyster sauce, dark sauce and stir fry

Add water to just about cover the chicken

Bring to a boil first and then simmer till gravy thickens and chicken is soft

Add salt and sugar sparingly.

You can also add canned button mushrooms if you like

 

Babi pongteh (Nonya braised pork belly)

There are many versions of braised pork belly but our nonya version is distinct from the rest.

We use fermented soya bean and we add potatoes.

Babi pongteh is arguably the most famous nonya dish but nowadays, in order to attract the non pork eating

customers, restaurants serve ayam pongteh (chicken) instead. Also, the original recipe has been adulterated so much that babi pongteh doesn't look and taste the same as before. Let me share with you my mother's original recipe.

 

Ingredient

 

2 kg pork belly cut into big pieces

3 tbsp tau cheo  - mashed (fermented soya bean)

6 potatoes skinned and cut into 2 or 3

1 stick cinnamon

4 pcs aniseed

4 pcs cloves

2 tbsp minced shallots

2 tbsp mined garlic

1 tbsp crushed gula malacca (palm sugar)

1 tbsp black soya sauce

salt to taste

cooking oil

 

Method

 

Heat oil in pot or wok

Fry shallots and garlic till fragrant

Add soya bean paste and fry till fragrant

Throw in the cinnamon stick, aniseed and cloves

Add gula malacca and fry till melted

Add pork, fry till all ingredients are well mixed

Add black soya sauce and enough water till the pork is fully submerged

When boiling, turn down fire and simmer for about 2 hours

Throw in potatoes 15 mins before completion

Add more water if liquid dries up otherwise it will burn

Always do a taste test.

The gravy should not be too watery

 

Tips

 

As pork shrinks after cooking, it is better to provide more

This dish tastes better and better the next two days

If the gravy is too watery, boil at high heat towards the end with the pot uncovered.

 

 

 

 

 

                         

 

 

Beef Rendang

 

 

This is a short cut method for aspiring cooks who want  less fuss. It is much better to cook it yourself than buy as you can cook the meat till very tender.  You can use rib eye whereas the outside cooks use a cheaper cut of beef.

 

Ingredients

 

1 kg rib eye beef or beef shin cut into chunky cubes (buy from wet market as its cheaper)

3 tbsp auntie dolly's rempah (recipe in earlier post)

2 tbsp dry meat curry powder mixed with a little water

50 cts of ground coconut,slow fry till brown and pounded till fine

3 pcs of kaffir lime leaves, cut finely

1 pkt of kara coconut cream 500ml mixed with 500 ml water

1 stick cinnamon

2 pcs aniseed

2 pcs cloves

1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder

salt to taste

oil

 

Method

 

Heat oil in non stick pot

Fry rempah and curry paste till fragrant

Add spices

Add beef and stir fry till evenly coated with rempah

Add coconut cream and water and bring to a boil

Lower heat and cook till meat is tender

Add more water if mixture dries up to prevent burning

When meat is ready, add finely chopped lime leaves and pounded coconut

Season to taste

 

Braised duck

 

 

I cooked this traditional braised duck for hubby's childhood friends this CNY and all the guys

raved about it.  The beauty of cooking is when you get good comments.  All the work and sweat is worth it.  Of course, cooking is all about practice.  Do not expect the first time to be perfect but

if you try it once, the second or third time, you'll get there.  Your family will be very appreciative.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 whole duck about 1.8 kg

1 bottle of good quality dark soya sauce

1/2 tsp five spice powder

2 pcs star aniseed

1 pc cinnamon stick

5 cloves

50 gms gula malacca

2 slices of blue ginger (lengkuas in malay)

2 whole cloves of garlic

salt to taste

water

cooking oil

 

Method

 

Rub five spice powder and some dark soya sauce in and outside of duck

Use tooth picks to seal up up the duck cavity (otherwise duck will shrink alot during cooking)

Heat oil in wok ( non stick is better)

Fry blue ginger, garlic cloves and the rest of the spices,

Add gula malacca and cook in medium heat till melted

Add in duck and make sure to coat it with the melted sugar

Pour in rest of dark soya sauce and add water.

Make sure duck is fully submerged.  Cover wok

Cook for slightly over 1 hour.  In between turn over duck for even cooking

Check that duck is not stuck to kwali otherwise it will burn

Serve with sliced cucumbers and auntie dolly's chicken rice chilli

 

 

Ngoh Hiang (prawn roll)

 

 

A party favourite with the young and not so young and vanishes very quickly.

There are many versions of ngoh hiang such as nonya, hokkien, teochew and penang style.

My recipe is a mixture of the above so it is Dolly's style.

 

Ingredients

1/2 kg minced pork

50 grams pork lard – cut into small cubes and mixed with pork

1/2 kg prawns peeled and flattened with cleaver of knife and chop gently. Do not mince too fine

10 waterchesnuts, skinned and chopped. also do not chop too fine.

5 big onions - do the same as for water chestnut

2 sheets of beancured skin (NOTE: Important to wipe away the salt on sheet

oil for deep frying

 

Marinade

2 tbsp five spice powder

1tbsp light soya sauce

a few dashes of pepper

1/2 tsp salt (not too salty as the beancurd skin is salty)

1 tbsp cornflour

2 eggs. (add last)

 

Method

Mix the pork, prawn, water chestnut and onions evenly

Add in marinade and lastly add in eggs.

Wipe the the beancurd sheet with a wet cloth

Cut into small squares to make small packets

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the middle of sheet

Fold over and press the sides down

Twist both loose ends in opposite directions like a candy wrapper

Heat oil and deep fry on medium till brown.

 

If you intend to keep for another day, steam first and freeze for future use