We had roast chicken dinner today. To accompany the chook, we had a platter filled with roasted veggies -- Jerusalem artichokes (courtesy of my friend), parsnips, potatoes, carrots and onions. Some steamed brocolli and peas made up the rest, and of course some gravy.
The leftover carcass -- with scent of five-spice, garlic, sesame and lemon -- will make a perfect stock. I skimmed whatever leftover meat there was from the chicken (enough for either a small pie or a chicken sandwich perhaps?) and put the bones to boil for 10 minutes. Tomorrow, I will make a simple flat noodle dish which mom used to make and which most Chinese homes would have made, one version or another. In Singapore this noodle dish is called pan mian.
When we were school kids, mom used to allow us to spend some time at her sister's place. At my aunt's we had really nice food. For supper, (round 9pm at night) we may get lucky and have fried kway teow (rice noodles). And other times, my cousin sister would dish up mee hoon kuay for us kids.
Mee hoon kuay is a sort of flat Chinese noodle made from wheat flour. It is exceedingly easy to make and a perfect comfort food during winter. You can make it in less than half an hour if you are efficient. If you don't have chicken or pork stock, you can fry a bit of dried shrimps until they are nice and crispy and add four to six cups of water to it, to make a quick stock -- seasoned with salt, pepper and sugar. If you like the scent of garlic, add a pip of garlic to it.
The noodle or dough is really simple to make.
1. Measure about 1 cup (this is enough to feed two people) or 2 cups of all-purpose flour. Add about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and half a teaspoon of salt to the flour.
2. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. If you have a longer lead time, let it sit for about half an hour.
3. Dust dough with a bit of flour, and start pinching the flour into little pieces of flat bits, and drop it into your stock (the stock should be simmering). Stir occassionally to prevent these little bits of noodle from sticking to each other.
4. Add heaps of green leafy veggies half way before you finish pinching the rest of the dough. Finish off the rest of your dough, and voila, you have a nice noodle dish. Garnish with fried shallots or spring onion/coriander for more flavours. Eat this dish with a little sliced red chilly soaked in soy or fish sauce.
5. As with most noodles -- you can add whatever you want to the stock -- ie, pieces of pork or chicken. The best stock for this noodle is ikan bilis (little white bait-like fish which is found in Asian grocers) stock. Check my previous blog on a variation of this noodle soup using a very thin Chinese wheat flour noodle.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Noodles for longevity - Mee Suah anyone?
Mom's birthday is coming up next week, after Mother Days. Mom used to tell me that on my birthday, I should cook her a bowl of noodles. This was the traditional Chinese way -- you cook your mom a bowl of noodles as an extension of your gratitude, for the 9 months she carried you in her womb, and for the years she spent caring for you.
Truth is I have never made mom a single bowl of noodles for her birthday. The closest I have come towards making her any noodles was when she was ill, and I made her a bowl of "mee suah" (very fine wheat flour noodles). It is a simple dish, made with egg, a bit of pork, and whatever veggies you can find in your fridge.
Noodle is comfort food. Noodle is cheap and a good budget food, which is why the Chinese and most in Southeast Asia have many noodle dishes. At most Chinese birthday parties, a noodle dish is compulsory. There is a superstition attached to cooking noodles -- you never cut or chopped it -- especially when you are cooking it to celebrate longevity (on birthdays). The longer the noodles, the longer your lifespan.
In its simplest form, "mee suah" can be made in 15-20 minutes from scratch. It doesn't cost anything. I bought a pack of "mee suah" which literally translate into thread noodle (for the fineness of the noodles) from Lim's Grocer at Glen Innes for $1.80. The packet can easily make up enough to serve 3 persons. You can find this noodle in most Asian grocers.
The way I learnt it, the trick to making the stock is to have a couple of eggs as the base. If you have more time, you can make proper stock from pork bones, chicken bones or your favourite stock material. So here's what mom used to do:
1. Have a pip or 2 of garlic. Chopped. If you are lazy like me, just crush a pip or 2 with your palm.
2. Get your wok/pot ready. Drizzle 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil, and wait for it to smoke.
3. Prepare your pork/chicken (a small fistful should be enough). Chopped it and marinate with a bit of salt/sugar and cornstarch.
4. Wash whatever veggies you want to use (best to use Chinese leafy greens or even iceberg lettuce). Chopped some spring onions for garnishing later.
5. Crack 2 eggs, whisk it gently. Add a bit of white pepper and a dash of soysauce or salt.
6. When the oil is hot enough, add it the egg. Wait for egg to foam and sizzle/crinkle on side, then slide your spatula in the middle and tip the runny bits so they all form a nice omelet-like piece. When egg is nice and crispy, mash them up.
7. Add 2 or 4 cups of water to make a broth. Use chicken or beef dry stock to season. Add salt and a bit of sugar to taste.
8. Add the pork/chicken and veggies.
9. When the soup is boiling, and the meat is cooked, add the noodles. Because "mee suah" or these thin noodles get stodgy and sticky very quickly, boil the noodles in the stock for a quick few minutes. (Warning: Do not overcook or this noodle will "bloat" very quickly).
Your noodles should be now ready. For garnishing you can add a sprinkle of fried shallots, and green onions. In Malaysia, the folks there add dried "ikan bilis" (little white bait-like fish which has been dried then deep fried). Mom adds a bit of salted cabbage to her version of "mee suah". I omit this as it is hard to justify salted veggies when we can get fresh veggies so easily.
May all beings enjoy this!
Truth is I have never made mom a single bowl of noodles for her birthday. The closest I have come towards making her any noodles was when she was ill, and I made her a bowl of "mee suah" (very fine wheat flour noodles). It is a simple dish, made with egg, a bit of pork, and whatever veggies you can find in your fridge.
Noodle is comfort food. Noodle is cheap and a good budget food, which is why the Chinese and most in Southeast Asia have many noodle dishes. At most Chinese birthday parties, a noodle dish is compulsory. There is a superstition attached to cooking noodles -- you never cut or chopped it -- especially when you are cooking it to celebrate longevity (on birthdays). The longer the noodles, the longer your lifespan.
In its simplest form, "mee suah" can be made in 15-20 minutes from scratch. It doesn't cost anything. I bought a pack of "mee suah" which literally translate into thread noodle (for the fineness of the noodles) from Lim's Grocer at Glen Innes for $1.80. The packet can easily make up enough to serve 3 persons. You can find this noodle in most Asian grocers.
The way I learnt it, the trick to making the stock is to have a couple of eggs as the base. If you have more time, you can make proper stock from pork bones, chicken bones or your favourite stock material. So here's what mom used to do:
1. Have a pip or 2 of garlic. Chopped. If you are lazy like me, just crush a pip or 2 with your palm.
2. Get your wok/pot ready. Drizzle 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil, and wait for it to smoke.
3. Prepare your pork/chicken (a small fistful should be enough). Chopped it and marinate with a bit of salt/sugar and cornstarch.
4. Wash whatever veggies you want to use (best to use Chinese leafy greens or even iceberg lettuce). Chopped some spring onions for garnishing later.
5. Crack 2 eggs, whisk it gently. Add a bit of white pepper and a dash of soysauce or salt.
6. When the oil is hot enough, add it the egg. Wait for egg to foam and sizzle/crinkle on side, then slide your spatula in the middle and tip the runny bits so they all form a nice omelet-like piece. When egg is nice and crispy, mash them up.
7. Add 2 or 4 cups of water to make a broth. Use chicken or beef dry stock to season. Add salt and a bit of sugar to taste.
8. Add the pork/chicken and veggies.
9. When the soup is boiling, and the meat is cooked, add the noodles. Because "mee suah" or these thin noodles get stodgy and sticky very quickly, boil the noodles in the stock for a quick few minutes. (Warning: Do not overcook or this noodle will "bloat" very quickly).
Your noodles should be now ready. For garnishing you can add a sprinkle of fried shallots, and green onions. In Malaysia, the folks there add dried "ikan bilis" (little white bait-like fish which has been dried then deep fried). Mom adds a bit of salted cabbage to her version of "mee suah". I omit this as it is hard to justify salted veggies when we can get fresh veggies so easily.
May all beings enjoy this!
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