Banana Fritters Cecodok Pisang 炸香蕉丸

This is a typical Malaysian comfort food and the dish itself brings back many childhood memories. 

Although lacking in appearance, it more than made up for it with its taste. These humble banana fritters are crispy on outside and soft inside. I especially like it with lots of banana flavour, just perfect with a cup of of good-old teh tarik.

The Malay word for this dish is also jemput-jemput pisang. This is because the batter is pinched (jemput) into the oil with your fingers and thumb. I have to admit these banana fritters are sinfully oily. My only advice is to put on the highest heat when you are about to take it out from the oil and use lots of kitchen towels afterwards. 

Nam Yue Pork Belly / Red Fermented Beancurd Pork Belly 南乳炸肉

 

This is my family's favourite for the longest time. Then again, anything crispy is my family's favourite.  It is fragrant, crispy and full of flavour. It is amazing what some little pieces of red fermented beancurd can uplift a normal dish so much.

Purple Sweet Potato Balls 炸紫薯球

I have been trying my best to update my blog these days. The opportunity comes when my mom actually had a disaster in the kitchen. Yes, she over-boiled her sweet potatoes making it too soft to be eaten or cooked. I was initially thinking of making sweet potato bread out of the pulp but she actually suggested something better. Potato balls...something that I haven't eaten for the longest time.

Normally, orange or white potato is used to make the balls. Purple sweet potatoes is considered better (and more expensive) as it is deemed to be more nutritious than its peers. Besides high in fiber, it has Vitamins A and C, Manganese and Anthocyanins (click here for more on purple sweet potato nutrients). I find the purple sweet potatoes to be the sweeter type and therefore I did not add as much sugar to it. If you are using the other types, do take this into consideration.

The making of sweet potato balls is relatively easy. Put some flour and knead it into a dough and then start pinching and rolling into smaller balls. Having said that, different places uses different flours for a variety of textures. In Thailand for example, plain flour and tapioca starch is used. In Malaysia, the Chinese like their balls a little chewy. Hence, the use of glutinous rice flour as part replacement. The more glutinous rice flour you put, the more chewy it would be. It is really up to your palate. I do not like my balls too chewy but remain fluffy and soft to the bite. Do play with your flour to get your desired texture. I added a little baking powder to make the ball puffed up as well. I like sweet potatoes balls best when it is still warm as the skin is crispy to the bite while the insides are soft and fluffy. A simple snack really, with basic ingredients and simple techniques but somehow it vows me everytime.

Fried Purple Sweet Potato Balls 炸紫薯球

Makes about 24 balls

Ingredients

300 g sweet potato, steamed and mashed
30 g glutinous rice flour (1/4 cup)
30 g cornstarch (1/4 cup)
2 tbsp sugar

Cooking Instruction

1. Mix all ingredients together to form a dough.

2. Pinch and roll with your palms to make a ball (approximately 15 g each).

3. Fry balls in pre-heated oil in medium heat, stirring constantly.

4. When balls starts to turn brown, remove from fire and strain. Best to serve hot.

Crispy Fried Banana/Pisang Goreng 炸香蕉

Everybody knows how to fry a banana. But the ultimate test is to have your bananas crispy and the crispiness to last for hours. I have been experimenting quite a bit with different batter recipes but each time I was left wanting. The problem was always the durability of the crunch. Somehow it does not last as long as those I bought by the roadside. There are many batter recipes out there. Even fried bananas sellers have differing recipes. I personally love the Indonesian method whereby the pisang goreng is coated with another layer of "kremes" or crispy bits. After learning the traits from an actual fried banana seller, I finally managed to come out with a most crispy fried banana.

Chinese New Year Dinner: Yam Basket/Fatt Putt 佛钵 （盘满钵满）

Today my family is in for a treat. Because I am doing this post for Chinese New Year dinner, my family gets to enjoy this crispy melt-in-the-mouth yam basket pre-Chinese New Year dinner. Like any other food served during Chinese New Year, it has an auspicious meaning. The yam basket/fatt putt is filled to the brim signify an overflowing of fortune (phoon woon put woon 盘满钵满 in Cantonese).

The yam basket derives its name from the Buddhist alms bowl (fatt putt). It is no wonder the yam basket bears resemblance to this said bowl. This dish is originally created as a vegetarian dish with ingredients such as carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, bamboo shoots and cashew nuts. Nowadays you could practically fill anything that you fancy inside.

A good yam basket is crispy on the outside at the same time fluffy inside. It must showcase the beautiful fluffy strands that encased the ring. Not an easy feat since fire control is essential here. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should be around 150C. But like most home cooks, we cook by feel. Here's the pointer to see if the oil temperature is right: drop a piece of the yam into the oil. If it disintegrates, the the oil is not hot enough. If it does not spread at all, the oil is too hot. Another challenge is to fry the yam basket whole. While the Chinese restaurants uses bamboo mat to hold the yam ring when putting in, we home cooks have to be creative. I used aluminium foil with cut holes.

I normally create my own recipes but for this scrumptious yam basket, I phoned my faraway hubby. He makes the perfect yam basket. Of course, the recipe comes in large quantity and I have to painstakingly reduce it and omit the msg for home cooking. I was pretty satisfied with the results and proceeded to take photographs. Upon showing my hubby the pictures, he said that the heat was too high when frying resulting in lesser fluffy strands. So I fried another mini yam ring to show all of you it is supposed to look. Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Chinese New Year Dinner: Yam Basket/Fatt Putt 佛钵 （盘满钵满 ）

Makes 2 medium yam basket

Ingredients

360 g yam, diced and steamed
180 g wheat starch (tang mein)
180 g chicken stock (original uses water)
90 g lard (pork oil) (click here to find out how to make your own lard)
90 g shortening
1/8 tsp five spice powder
1/4 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
pepper

oil to fry
aluminium foil
stir-fry dish of your choice to be put inside the ring
meehoon (rice vermicelli)

Cooking Instruction

1. Steam yam for about 10 minutes until cooked. Meanwhile, boil chicken stock. Add chicken stock to wheat starch and stir with a fork until combined.

2. Mash steamed yam and add into wheat starch mixture while it is still hot. Combine well with fork. Be careful as the mixture is still hot.

3. Add in all the other ingredients and seasoning and work the mixture into a dough with your hands. The dough is ready when it doesn't stick to your hands. Make holes on the dough (apparently for it to cool faster) and put in the chiller for it to cool.

4. Remove dough and use the dough to make your desired ring on a piece of aluminium foil. Make some holes on the aluminium foil so that oil could circulate.

Not enough oil initially. I have to add until the whole ring is submerged

5. Heat oil. Test the oil with a piece of yam dough. If you see beautiful strands forming, the oil is ready. Gently put ring into the oil. The oil should totally immerse the ring. Deep-fry ring until golden and crispy. Increase heat when about to remove. Remove and drain.

6. Add meehoon into the hot oil. The meehoon should expand beautifully. Quickly remove from the hot oil and drain well.

7. Put meehoon on a plate and the fried yam basket on top. Then fill it up with your choice of stir-fry until the brim symbolising an overflowing of goods.


Notes:
1. Oil control is very important when frying this yam basket. Use clean oil for nicer looking yam basket.
2. The oil must totally immerse the yam ring, hence, a lot of oil is necessary. Find your desired pot/wok that is not too wide to save on oil, but at the same time allows you to remove the yam basket easily when cooked.
3. The basket and fried meehoon absorb a lot of liquid. Do prepare more gravy for your stir-fry if it is intended to be put into the basket.   





Would you like a wonderful desert to go with this dish for your Chinese New Year dinner?

Molten Lava Black Sesame Tang yuan

Pumpkin Tang Yuan

Chinese New Year Dinner: Five Spice Meat Roll/Ngoh Hiang/Lobak 五香滷肉

Often, this five spice meat roll would be called ngoh hiang (五香) or lobak (滷肉), the shortened Hokkien dialect for this dish. In the northern states of Malaysia, it is more popularly known as lobak whilst moving southwards, this immensely popular dish is known as ngoh hiang.

You could find this dish sold in many hawker stalls but traditionally, this dish is a staple during Chinese New Year dinner (reunion dinner) for the Hokkiens. Nowadays, it is also a staple for the non-Hokkiens' Chinese New Year dinner.

Mini Sambal Prawn Roll 虾米卷

Mini Sambal Prawn Roll (or Shrimp Roll) is not difficult to make, just tiring.

This dish needs no introduction since it is a very popular Chinese New Year snack. It is crispy, spicy and pungent, typical of a Malaysian delicacy. The process is pretty easy but time-consuming. The skill here is to get it looking neat and pretty since the rolls are pretty dainty. Believe me, after a few dozens your hands would automatically protest.

As for the filling, the recipe I used was borrowed from my Sambal Udang Kering recipe. Only this time, I made it more dry and finer by reducing the water, oil and blending the dried shrimp finely. If you find it too tedious, you might want to consider getting a jar of the dried shrimp floss from your favourite joint. Exorbitant price as usual, but it saves you the hassle.

Chinese New Year Food: Mini Peanut Puffs/Kok Zai 油角仔

You could call this kok zai (角仔), yau kok (油角), or yau kok zai (油角仔). It all refers to the same thing, that is, a crunchy mini puff filled with sugar and crushed peanuts. This mini peanut puff is a popular Cantonese Chinese New Year snack. Like most CNY snacks, it has an auspicious representation. The crescent look represents the olden days money bag (nowadays wallet) and its puffiness indicates that your money bag is well filled. How great is that? In the olden days, the ladies in the family would sit together to make these mini peanut puffs (and other snacks) while giving them a perfect opportunity to catch up with one another.

Yong Tau Foo 酿豆腐

I didn't know making Yong Tau Foo nowadays is so convenient. I am not talking about instant fish pastes. Those are just too generic, not fresh and not flavourful enough. My mom went to the wet market this morning and she brought a little plastic of Spanish mackerel (tenggiri) back. Apparently the seller has fillet and deboned it for her already! All that was needed was to chop it up, add flavours and give those lovely mackerel a good slap (literally speaking la). The process was made even easier with a ready food processor. Just add everything into the machine and let the machine do all the labourous work. Within minutes, what used to be fish chunks turned into into fine flavourful sticky paste.

Sesame Balls/ Jin Dui 煎堆

For those of you who have not tasted one, you must think it is crispy from its puffy outlook. You are just half right. The outer layer is coated in sesame seeds which are crisped up by frying in hot oil. However, its uniqueness stemmed from its chewiness which is the main criterion for a good piece of sesame ball or jin dui. There should be a big hollow that is filled with fillings, traditionally red bean paste. Making jin dui is a pretty simple process. The technical part is to get the jin dui to be fried to perfection. It must not be oily, it must not lose its shape after it is cooled and it must not be burnt nor too pale.

Mini Corn Dog on a Stick 玉米热狗

For those exposed to the American culture, you would most probably know what a corn dog is. It is a popular carnival food in America. This corn dog is uniquely served on a stick which makes it super easy for people to savour this delicious batter-wrapped sausage even without a proper seating. There is no doubt it is a hit there. Why? Let's face it. The food is an indulgence, fill with fats and flavour and ever so convenient. What is more sinful than that?

Red Fermented Beancurd Spareribs 南乳排骨

Before I proceed with the mechanics of this dish, let's get the basics correct. Fermented beancurd 腐乳 is basically tofu preserved with salt, vinegar and rice wine. Red fermented tofu 南乳 differs in colour by using a different type of rice wine. Both fermented tofu are pungent and has a strong salty stinging taste, definitely not pleasant at first bite. It is an acquire taste, just like the popular stinky durian. Surprisingly, due to its distinct flavour, fermented tofu compliments other ingredients well to create that awesome dish.

Easy Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe 简单古老肉做法

I was a bit hesitant to do this recipe. This is such a common dish. Any Tom, Dick and Harry knows what sweet and sour pork or ku lou yuk is all about. But this dish is a phenomenon. It is so well received it has become an identity to all Chinese restaurants, a must have. With such popularity, how could I refuse?

The recipes available are somewhat different in different parts of the world. Pineapple juice is widely used in the West instead of plum sauce. My guess is that plum sauce is not an easily available item there. And maybe expensive too! Either way, I am not going into which recipe is better. I am just providing you this easy sweet and sour pork recipe as an alternative. And mind you, this alternative rocks!

Crispy Stuffed Tofu Puffs 炸豆包球

After all my postings on desserts in the past week, I think it is only apt that I balance it up with some savouries. Therefore, today I am introducing a simple dish that is easily replicated. A common recipe in the Chinese kitchen - Crispy Stuffed Tofu Puffs. This dish makes a good appetizer or finger food. The trick is to deep-fry it until crispy. This is how I prefer to eat my tofu puffs. Deep-fried to crispy. You could practically hear the crunch. It is so delicious!

Easy Breaded Prawn Recipe 面包屑炸大虾作法

This one is for my mom. My mom is a very simple person. She loves eating and she could literally eat a horse. No joke! She is 68 this year and God is kind enough to bless her with a healthy appetite and good health. She especially likes crispy and crunchy food and that only means deep-fried oil-laden food. While you (and I) are using every technology possible to reduce fats to keep healthy, she is possibly happily devouring her favourite KFC and its crispy skin too! Just today, she brought home a few very large fresh prawns and asked me to fry it for her. It is her favourite, or rather, one of her many favourites. Hence, this recipe is dedicated entirely to her.

Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings/Peek Kai Yad Sai 泰式酿鸡翼

Chicken wing tips and mid-joints are often left unappreciated. It is basically bones wrapped in skin with a few miserable strands of meat at best. However, these winglets do have high skin/fat content which are perfect for frying, baking, and even grilling as the fats from skin would leave a crispy and fragrant layer when cooked.

This next dish that I am introducing is a Thai dish. The Thais have cleverly elevated this often under-explored winglet and brought it to another level of classy refinement. If you have not guessed, I am talking about Stuffed Chicken Wings, or Peek Kai Yad Sai. Honestly speaking, I have no idea what Peek Kai Yad Sai means. It is a romanised translation of the Thai language. If I have it wrong, please forgive me. However, it doesn't stop me from appreciating this wonderful dish.

Creamy Butter Pork Chop 奶油豬扒

It is already the eighth day after Chinese New Year. Everything is moving back to its norm. Those nine to five-ers have started to work again. Vendors who normally take a long break during this time have fully reopened their shops. Most importantly, whatever groceries that I needed is now available again (except for that ripe bananas that I so wanted to make a banana cake).

Greetings to a new year! Today, I am going to introduce this Creamy Butter Pork Chop. Well, pork chop is just to finish off the leftover pork chop from our second day's barbecue. It is the sauce that is the star here. In fact, you can pair this sauce with chicken, prawns or any other meat. This sauce is quite often used in Chinese restaurants. I always marvel at how the Chinese embrace western ingredients (in this case thick creamy milk and butter) and make it their dish.

This dish is totally delish but also totally fattening! Well, somebody told me during Chinese New Year, calories don't count. You are on holiday! So perhaps...just perhaps... you might want to give this a last go before you slog it out.

Chinese New Year Snack - Arrowhead Chips/Ngaku Chips炸芽菇饼

Whenever you see these little round things sold in the supermarket, you know Chinese New Year is around the corner. Yes, I am talking about arrowheads or more fondly known amongst the Chinese as ngaku 芽菇. I always wonder why is it only available around this time of the year. Does it take a year to grow? These chips are so delicious somebody should commercialise and mass produce it like Pringles or Lay's. I bet these chips would give the famous, or rather infamous, potato chips a run for their money.

Chinese New Year Snacks - Crispy Seaweed Popiah Skin with Toasted Sesame

This is another easy-peasy Chinese New Year snack that you could whip up in no time. All you need is three, well maybe four, ingredients. Come Chinese New Year, there are always so many things to do. If you think that you need to absolutely whip up something homemade, do give this a try.  This Chinese New Year snack is crispy, healthy (compared to others) and most important of all, not time consuming.

Chinese New Year Snack - Crispy Fried Crabstick 酥脆炸蟹柳

It is this time of the year already. I am sure many of you feel like I do - part excited but part lamenting how fast time flies. At this time of the year, you would normally see vendors selling Chinese New Year snacks, often at an inflated price, starting to mushroom. Yet, you would see people making a beeline to buy. Yes, and that only happens during this time of the year. Most people would seem busy. Many would rush to complete their work. Oh, not to forget the fat bonuses! Unfortunately, the fat bonuses tend to get "thinner" nowadays. But let's not let that deflate us. It is "tong tong chiang" time after all (time to celebrate)!