Any Cantonese will be familiar with 'nam yu'. Its basically:
Red fermented bean curd (traditional Chinese: 紅豆腐乳/南乳; pinyin: hóng dòufu rǔ/nán rǔ), incorporates red yeast rice (cultivated with Monascus purpureus) with the brining liquor for a deep-red color, thickened flavor and a distinctive flavor and aroma.
The smell is reminisence of my grandmother stewing a big pot of 'zai' (vegetarian) during Chinese New Year. Its a dish eaten only at that time, or served in Chinese temples during special occasions. Really easy to prepare but you must get good quality nam yu. You should get it from your regular dried goods store in the wet market, and not from the supermarket. Its usually stored in small hand sized vats and you must specifiy to the store owner you want the more expensive variety. If you are lucky, they will have it. Most people don't know this, but dried goods stuff have different grades. I always pay a bit more for quality lap cheong, dried anchovies, shrimps, mushrooms, scallops etc.
I will stew this over a claypot, but if you do not own one, a non-stick pot is better than a stainless steel one. Although this is really a personal preference.
4 cubes of nam yu mashed to a paste
A bulb of garlic, whole and peeled
A handful of lily bulbs, soaked in water and the heads trimmed
8 pieces of woods ear, soaked in water and sand washed out. Slice each into half
4 pieces of tau pok, sliced in triangles. I actually prefer the rounded ones as they soak in the gravy more
A bunch of dried mung bean, soaked in water
1. Gently fry the garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons of heated oil
2. Fry the nam yu paste till it smells fragrant, about a min or so. Be careful not to burn it
3. Drain and add the rest of the ingredients except the mung bean
4. Stir fry till the nam yu has coated most of the ingredients, add 3-4 cups of water or till it covers
5. Stew over low heat for at least 1.5 hrs till everything turns soft
6. Add the mung bean 30 mins prior to serving.
7. Add salt to taste. Nam yu is salty in itself so practise moderation
Nam yu can also be fried with kang kong, garlic and sliced red chillies, or stewed with fatty pork. Its a hearty and rich dish that will add interesting notes to your dining table, and best eaten with a bowl of steaming white rice.
I have been very sick the last 4 days and made a fatty pork nam yu for dinner last night. Absolutely delicious and it added some taste to my otherwise bland taste buds.
For tonight, its going to be a simple kampung black chicken soup with red dates, wolfberries, wai san and yook jook (wai san is Chinese yam and yook jook is Solomon's seal). Hopefully my head will clear and I am no longer part of the flu epidemic statistic!
Food is the soul that feeds the spirit!
Colors of green, red, yellow, purple....
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Dishwasher
Most Singaporeans do not have a dish washer in their house. But we decided to get one after spending so much time cleaning up after dinners and parties. V and I had to scrub and clean even though we are so tired. And my hands are becoming all wrinkly and dry...
So thanks to V, our lives are simpler now. I can focus on ploughing through Julia Child's cookbooks!
So thanks to V, our lives are simpler now. I can focus on ploughing through Julia Child's cookbooks!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Where should I begin?
The books have arrived! Oh I was having so much fun reading through the recipes. So precise and no-nonsense. Everything is made from scratch.
But heebers geebers, all measurements are in the US system - quart, pounds.... Eh, I need to manually convert for each recipe using a pencil. But which recipe should I tinker with first? There is a total of 500+ recipes to choose from. I will wait for inspiration.
And I need measuring spoon sets. A trip to TOTT, an upmarket kitchen equipment store in Bukit Timah is beckoning. I can only imagine going ga ga over copper pans and pots and ingenious kitchen equipment.
Most of all, I need a cast iron casserole and oven dish.........
I hope someone is listening :-)
But heebers geebers, all measurements are in the US system - quart, pounds.... Eh, I need to manually convert for each recipe using a pencil. But which recipe should I tinker with first? There is a total of 500+ recipes to choose from. I will wait for inspiration.
And I need measuring spoon sets. A trip to TOTT, an upmarket kitchen equipment store in Bukit Timah is beckoning. I can only imagine going ga ga over copper pans and pots and ingenious kitchen equipment.
Most of all, I need a cast iron casserole and oven dish.........
I hope someone is listening :-)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Authentic Cantonese Roast
An unapologetic meat eater, I am quite fussy about the state of my char siew - it must be roasted till its a deep dark red, glistening with fats, and covered with a layer of black burnt crust. Wimpy bright red char siew does not work for me. Its really a case of culinary sloppiness and loads of Singaporeans are fooled by such hawkers.
I live in Joo Chiat, a few doors away from the famous Fei Fei Wanton Noodle stall and sadly, they serve this pathetic looking char siew with their noodles.
Folks, the real deal is at Kay Lee Roasted Meat, 125 Upper Paya Lebar Road. Run by a pair of Cantonese women, one with a very masculine voice, their roast meat is definitely authentic and exactly the way it should be. Roast pork - crackling and absolutely juicy without being dry. Roast duck - roasted till almost black in colour with a crispy skin and succulent meat. Roasted char siew - as I have described above. They serve Chinese sausages made with pork too. I haven't tried that one but it looks smacking delicious. In fact, every morsel they hang on their display counter is dripping with fatty goodness.
I always order a mix of char siew, roast pork and roast duck. Comes with a bowl of rich, dark soya sauce made with meat drippings which you must pour over your white rice. And they serve up a mean repertoire of Cantonese soups too. Salted vegetables with duck, watercress with pork ribs, winter melon soup, lotus root etc. They are double boiled with a generous amount of ingredients, including expensive stuff like red dates, dried oysters, dried chinese ham. The soups are a great accompaniment to the roast meats in that it cuts down the oiliness and act as a palate cleanser. You feel good after having the soup.
Parking is a real problem so get there by 11.00 am. Pricey to pack as a full duck costs SGD40. But each bite will make you sigh with comfort. This place is home to me.
I live in Joo Chiat, a few doors away from the famous Fei Fei Wanton Noodle stall and sadly, they serve this pathetic looking char siew with their noodles.
Folks, the real deal is at Kay Lee Roasted Meat, 125 Upper Paya Lebar Road. Run by a pair of Cantonese women, one with a very masculine voice, their roast meat is definitely authentic and exactly the way it should be. Roast pork - crackling and absolutely juicy without being dry. Roast duck - roasted till almost black in colour with a crispy skin and succulent meat. Roasted char siew - as I have described above. They serve Chinese sausages made with pork too. I haven't tried that one but it looks smacking delicious. In fact, every morsel they hang on their display counter is dripping with fatty goodness.
I always order a mix of char siew, roast pork and roast duck. Comes with a bowl of rich, dark soya sauce made with meat drippings which you must pour over your white rice. And they serve up a mean repertoire of Cantonese soups too. Salted vegetables with duck, watercress with pork ribs, winter melon soup, lotus root etc. They are double boiled with a generous amount of ingredients, including expensive stuff like red dates, dried oysters, dried chinese ham. The soups are a great accompaniment to the roast meats in that it cuts down the oiliness and act as a palate cleanser. You feel good after having the soup.
Parking is a real problem so get there by 11.00 am. Pricey to pack as a full duck costs SGD40. But each bite will make you sigh with comfort. This place is home to me.
Iron Chef America (ICA)
I am a big fan of this cooking competition reality show.
Reality shows are the inventions of loud, crass and OTT Americans. The pioneers have to be the Bachelor/Bachelorette, as well as Survivor. It has now evolved to the Kardashians, Giuliana & Bill, Kimora etc. Well, those are mindless peeks into the equally mindless lives of American celebrities. I only enjoy the Amazing Race, and reality shows from the BBC. Except of course, ICA.
The original Iron Chef was the Japanese version, with a cheesy Chairman full of exaggerated expressions and poses at its helm. The American version is slightly understated but with a better looking Chairman. For folks new to this world, an Iron Chef is usually a top American chef chosen from a very exhaustive competition that features many mind boggling levels of culinary tests. In each episode, a Challenger, usually a top chef in his own right, picks an Iron Chef from a stable of 5, and enters into a 60 min battle to create 5 courses, using the Secret Ingredient. It can range from avocados, to bourbon, to figs, to beef. Some of these ingredients can really rack your head. One of it was chocolate and chile....yikes, that's one tough ingredient!
Of all the Iron Chefs, my favourite is Michael Symon. He has won 24 competitions and lost only 3. His dishes are always so innovative and unexpected, and has so many layers of complexities. That's what I am poor at. Layering flavours. The maximum I can go based on my own instincts is probably 3. Michael could layer up to 6 or 7 for just a simple sauce... Very much like Gary Kasparov playing chess. In your one move, Gary could visualise 14 possible moves. Genius.
I am looking forward to the new season of ICA featuring the latest winner of the Next Iron Chef, Marc Forgione. He is the youngest Iron Chef, and more importantly, came from a family with illustrious culinary legacies. Yups, he is the son of Larry Forgione, THE authority of American cuisine. I didn't know till I read up on his bio. His father was very good friends with James Beard, the father of American cuisine. The James Beard Foundation Awards is one of the highest award an American chef would hope to have in his career. Besides the Michelin stars...
Its on Food Network Asia.
Reality shows are the inventions of loud, crass and OTT Americans. The pioneers have to be the Bachelor/Bachelorette, as well as Survivor. It has now evolved to the Kardashians, Giuliana & Bill, Kimora etc. Well, those are mindless peeks into the equally mindless lives of American celebrities. I only enjoy the Amazing Race, and reality shows from the BBC. Except of course, ICA.
The original Iron Chef was the Japanese version, with a cheesy Chairman full of exaggerated expressions and poses at its helm. The American version is slightly understated but with a better looking Chairman. For folks new to this world, an Iron Chef is usually a top American chef chosen from a very exhaustive competition that features many mind boggling levels of culinary tests. In each episode, a Challenger, usually a top chef in his own right, picks an Iron Chef from a stable of 5, and enters into a 60 min battle to create 5 courses, using the Secret Ingredient. It can range from avocados, to bourbon, to figs, to beef. Some of these ingredients can really rack your head. One of it was chocolate and chile....yikes, that's one tough ingredient!
Of all the Iron Chefs, my favourite is Michael Symon. He has won 24 competitions and lost only 3. His dishes are always so innovative and unexpected, and has so many layers of complexities. That's what I am poor at. Layering flavours. The maximum I can go based on my own instincts is probably 3. Michael could layer up to 6 or 7 for just a simple sauce... Very much like Gary Kasparov playing chess. In your one move, Gary could visualise 14 possible moves. Genius.
I am looking forward to the new season of ICA featuring the latest winner of the Next Iron Chef, Marc Forgione. He is the youngest Iron Chef, and more importantly, came from a family with illustrious culinary legacies. Yups, he is the son of Larry Forgione, THE authority of American cuisine. I didn't know till I read up on his bio. His father was very good friends with James Beard, the father of American cuisine. The James Beard Foundation Awards is one of the highest award an American chef would hope to have in his career. Besides the Michelin stars...
Its on Food Network Asia.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Nespresso!
There is a new Nespresso machine in the house. And befittingly in red. Folks actually knew it will be in that color because the recipient of this wonderful gift is...flamboyant? Hmmmm.
There's 15 flavors to choose from. And the machine has come a long way since 2002, the year I first knew of this product from Nestle. Back then, the capsules need to be manually 'jammed' into a spout and its messy and cumbersome. Now you just need to slot into a neat little trap and it collects nicely into a plastic container. Looks great too, all futuristic.
Funny thing is, I don't drink coffee. I have a robust circulatory system so coffee is a hell of a stimulant which elevates my heart rate and cause sleepless nights. That is why I turn bright red after half a glass of wine. Champagne will send me to drunk land very quickly. So if you want to pull a fast one on me, that is the way to go.
Listed price is SGD677 and we got it at SGD478. Not bad eh?
There's 15 flavors to choose from. And the machine has come a long way since 2002, the year I first knew of this product from Nestle. Back then, the capsules need to be manually 'jammed' into a spout and its messy and cumbersome. Now you just need to slot into a neat little trap and it collects nicely into a plastic container. Looks great too, all futuristic.
Funny thing is, I don't drink coffee. I have a robust circulatory system so coffee is a hell of a stimulant which elevates my heart rate and cause sleepless nights. That is why I turn bright red after half a glass of wine. Champagne will send me to drunk land very quickly. So if you want to pull a fast one on me, that is the way to go.
Listed price is SGD677 and we got it at SGD478. Not bad eh?
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Only the pure in heart can make a good soup - Ludwig van Beethoven
Ms N wants a Cantonese soup recipe.
Most folks think they are really easy to prepare - just throw everything into the pot and boil for ages.
Well somewhat true. But there are tips and tricks to a pot of clear and robust soup. First of all, the pot you boil in. No metal pots as they give off a strong metallic taste to the soup. I use a Tanyu claypot, which is quite pricey but worth the investment. You can stew and boil for a long long time. My grandmother and aunts boil their soups in claypots over charcoal fire. That is really the best method.
You have to preboil the meat bones for one round to get rid of the scum before adding in the rest of the ingredients. You can buy a soup skimmer in most Japanese supermarket.This applies only if the base of your stock is pork bones. Chicken gives off less scum .
Every virtuous wife should have the following in her fridge:
Red dates
Dried oysters
Dried scallops
Black beans
Red beans
Dried squid
Wolfberries
They add complexity to any soup!
Here's a recipe for expecting mummies.
Threadfin fish soup with black beans. Threadfin is an expensive fish, also known as ma yau yu in Cantonese. If you cannot afford the whole fish, get the fish head and bones only.
Boil with black beans and few slices of ginger for about 2 hours on a low fire. Serve with a teaspoon of Chinese wine or even better, cognac. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions.
Enjoy Ms N!
Most folks think they are really easy to prepare - just throw everything into the pot and boil for ages.
Well somewhat true. But there are tips and tricks to a pot of clear and robust soup. First of all, the pot you boil in. No metal pots as they give off a strong metallic taste to the soup. I use a Tanyu claypot, which is quite pricey but worth the investment. You can stew and boil for a long long time. My grandmother and aunts boil their soups in claypots over charcoal fire. That is really the best method.
You have to preboil the meat bones for one round to get rid of the scum before adding in the rest of the ingredients. You can buy a soup skimmer in most Japanese supermarket.This applies only if the base of your stock is pork bones. Chicken gives off less scum .
Every virtuous wife should have the following in her fridge:
Red dates
Dried oysters
Dried scallops
Black beans
Red beans
Dried squid
Wolfberries
They add complexity to any soup!
Here's a recipe for expecting mummies.
Threadfin fish soup with black beans. Threadfin is an expensive fish, also known as ma yau yu in Cantonese. If you cannot afford the whole fish, get the fish head and bones only.
Boil with black beans and few slices of ginger for about 2 hours on a low fire. Serve with a teaspoon of Chinese wine or even better, cognac. Sprinkle some chopped spring onions.
Enjoy Ms N!
40
Julia Child started her culinary journey at the grand old age of 40. So I am not too old! She stumbled upon it during her husband's attachment to Paris, enrolled herself in Le Cordon Bleu and the rest is history.
I only knew about her from the movie Julie & Julia. Her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is one of the most influential in America, almost revered on the same plane as The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer.
That was the Christmas present V is getting for me. Am now waiting patiently for it to arrive and can't wait to start toying with the recipes.... My weight? Hmmmm. Her recipes are almost about butter, butter and more butter. Yet French women are always slim and elegant. What's the trick of eating like a queen but still maintaining your figure? There was an article a long time back about this. I need to research and understand.
If you must know, her recipes are photoless and chock full of instructions and tips. A dry read compared to most cookbooks nowadays. But, Julia Child is pure substance. Not a flash in the pan.
Every single review I read in Amazon was so positive and is highly recommended as a must have for any aspiring chef hoping to raise their culinary skills to another level.
Yups!
I only knew about her from the movie Julie & Julia. Her cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, is one of the most influential in America, almost revered on the same plane as The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer.
That was the Christmas present V is getting for me. Am now waiting patiently for it to arrive and can't wait to start toying with the recipes.... My weight? Hmmmm. Her recipes are almost about butter, butter and more butter. Yet French women are always slim and elegant. What's the trick of eating like a queen but still maintaining your figure? There was an article a long time back about this. I need to research and understand.
If you must know, her recipes are photoless and chock full of instructions and tips. A dry read compared to most cookbooks nowadays. But, Julia Child is pure substance. Not a flash in the pan.
Every single review I read in Amazon was so positive and is highly recommended as a must have for any aspiring chef hoping to raise their culinary skills to another level.
Yups!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
French Onion Soup
V and I had to bring forward our little Xmas party because he will be away that week. Nothing fancy, just a few good friends, and simple rustic food. I was determined to make French Onion Soup. It should be a no brainer right?
Well, I printed off a Julia Child recipe and the instructions and ingredients were simple enough. For soups, the key ingredient that differentiates between a great soup and an average soup, is the stock! So off we go, to Jones the Grocer, and picked up 4 packs of beef stock, a baguette, and two tubs of salmon dip. Total costs - S$83. Huh? That's expensive for just stock. But hey, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. And in Singapore, its expensive to eat healthy and well. I will blog about this issue another time.
Dry white wine - bought two bottles of Chilean dry white wine for S$32. Not too bad. Started off with chopping the onions enough to fill a big bowl. I once saw an episode of Master Chef hosted by Gordon Ramsay. The first cut of the competition is the ability to chop onions evenly. Ok, here we go....I concentrated on evenness!
Sauteed the onions as instructed but Julia says 'till it colours'. Wait a minute, till it turns transparent or caramelized? Sugar is added to the frying process but the onions were sweating and making a little stock pool with the butter and olive oil. I must have gotten it wrong.. I learnt later from Sheree at Chez Papa, that you are suppose to heat the pan till very hot so that the onions brown nicely. In the end, after adding the stock and white wine, and boiling it for 90 mins in an open pot, it turned out so rich and brown and absolutely delicious.
I served it without gruyere or parmesan cheese broiled and melted on top - did not have enough hands to do that and V was busy entertaining the guests. Next round - need to plan and anticipate a little earlier. Overall, everyone enjoyed the soup with a nice toasted slice of baguette and Mediterranean salad mixed with organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar from Modena, old English mustard, and some minced garlic. Simple dressing but tastes so good. Roasted quails with thyme and rosemary butter, and seafood pasta with prawns and scallops.
Bon Appetit!
Well, I printed off a Julia Child recipe and the instructions and ingredients were simple enough. For soups, the key ingredient that differentiates between a great soup and an average soup, is the stock! So off we go, to Jones the Grocer, and picked up 4 packs of beef stock, a baguette, and two tubs of salmon dip. Total costs - S$83. Huh? That's expensive for just stock. But hey, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. And in Singapore, its expensive to eat healthy and well. I will blog about this issue another time.
Dry white wine - bought two bottles of Chilean dry white wine for S$32. Not too bad. Started off with chopping the onions enough to fill a big bowl. I once saw an episode of Master Chef hosted by Gordon Ramsay. The first cut of the competition is the ability to chop onions evenly. Ok, here we go....I concentrated on evenness!
Sauteed the onions as instructed but Julia says 'till it colours'. Wait a minute, till it turns transparent or caramelized? Sugar is added to the frying process but the onions were sweating and making a little stock pool with the butter and olive oil. I must have gotten it wrong.. I learnt later from Sheree at Chez Papa, that you are suppose to heat the pan till very hot so that the onions brown nicely. In the end, after adding the stock and white wine, and boiling it for 90 mins in an open pot, it turned out so rich and brown and absolutely delicious.
I served it without gruyere or parmesan cheese broiled and melted on top - did not have enough hands to do that and V was busy entertaining the guests. Next round - need to plan and anticipate a little earlier. Overall, everyone enjoyed the soup with a nice toasted slice of baguette and Mediterranean salad mixed with organic extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar from Modena, old English mustard, and some minced garlic. Simple dressing but tastes so good. Roasted quails with thyme and rosemary butter, and seafood pasta with prawns and scallops.
Bon Appetit!
I finally did it!
Yes...it has taken me months to finally sit down and create a blog dedicated to one of my favourite passions - cooking! I would rate myself as a pretty good amateur chef - could follow a recipe for the first time and get it 98% right... An intuitive cook, I regulate ingredients based on what I imagine the dish will eventually taste!
My repertoire includes traditional Chinese stir fries, full-bodied Cantonese soups, curries, roasts, pastas, salads, Italian, French, Mexican... Well, the potential to expand is limitless!
Well, here's a toast to myself for starting this journey. Why liken this personal walk of mine as a sojourn through the Savannah? The Savannah is an open plain grassland common to the African continent. Vast open spaces symbolises freedom. I guess I am looking to free myself and discover who I truly am with this blog. Very much like Julie in Julie & Julia, one of my favourite movies.
My repertoire includes traditional Chinese stir fries, full-bodied Cantonese soups, curries, roasts, pastas, salads, Italian, French, Mexican... Well, the potential to expand is limitless!
Well, here's a toast to myself for starting this journey. Why liken this personal walk of mine as a sojourn through the Savannah? The Savannah is an open plain grassland common to the African continent. Vast open spaces symbolises freedom. I guess I am looking to free myself and discover who I truly am with this blog. Very much like Julie in Julie & Julia, one of my favourite movies.
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