Both Are Meat Eaters

Both my kids are really a meat eaters. They love pork. Any food which I used pork, they will just wacked and finished up the whole thing. I make my own version of Siew Mai and now almost everyday they asked for it. They just love it with tomato sauce. Ee-Thern can wacked 6 Siew Mai at one go. Hahaha... check out the recipe from My Kitchen.

Mom's Char Siew Pau

I bet Mom sure will call me in her next attempt of making 'Char Siew Pau'. True enough she called me up on Saturday night that she want to make Char Siew Pau on Sunday at Ah Mah's house. Luckily at that time I was at Giant, Bandar Kinrara doing my monthly groceries shopping and I quickly go and grab a packet of Blue Key's Pau Flour for her.

Look at Mom's Char Siew Pau, why so 'penyek' (flat) one and it does not rise as high as mine and the char siew filling no taste one. Ehmm.... ugly too. : P . Then Mom started to blame me for 'MOU SAM KEI' to help her to mix the dough and I started to blame her for the Char Siew filling got a flat taste. Anyway just forget about it... the paus finish within half an hour although it doesn't look so good. Believe me or not, my mom sure will try again her next attempt next week. hihihi....

I found something interesting. Yesterday night after my shopping at Giant, me, Dearie Suki and the kids went for Dim Sum supper at Sri Petaling. Saw our next table eating the following pau. Can someone tell me what is this pau called? The outer layer is pau skin and it looks like a bee's nest and the inner filling is 'Lor Mai Kai'. Emmm... interesting and asked the Burmese guy who served us Dim Sum what izzit. I can't get what he tell me and he keep saying is called ' Kong Woh Pau' and I haven't heard of it or find in any recipe book. Ordered one and taste quite good and some more there is one salted egg york in the 'Lor Mai Kai' and that pau cost RM4.50. Ask Mom and worst still she tell me is 'Shanghai Pau'. Anyway I think it is 'Lor Mai Kai' in a different presentation.

So my next attempt is to try to make Kong Woh Pau !

Hungry Ghost Festival

Today is a hot sunny Sunday morning. Little Ee-Thern woke up at 9 am while Le-Ann woke up as early as 7 am. Me too tired and sleep till Ee-Thern woke me up. Today I planned to bring the kids fo a haircut as I cannot stand Ee-Thern's hair. So long liao. While waiting to go, the kids yelling at me and ask me to go out and see aeroplane and I was wondering why they are so excited. They saw few fighther jet on the air and I think they must be rehearsing for the coming Merdeka Parade. My Ee-Thern boy got so exicited jumping up and down ask me to have a look at it.

After they finished their milk, I get the maid to pack their stuffs and not going to take bath for them until after they cut their hair. I used to bring both to the hair salon in South City Plaza for a hair cut and OMG... per person is RM12. End up I bring them back to Kajang to a hair salon operated from house and only cost RM4 per person. Luckily both of them sit down quietly and let the aunty cut their hair. Done! We head back to Ah Mah's house and we are the earliest. Mom, dad and sis is not back yet.

Both of them play around with Faye Yiyi and then take ther bath. Mom and dad came back at 11 am and 'piling palang' started to cook in the kitchen. I ask mom why cook so many foods and she said today is the Hungry Ghost Festival ( in Chinese Calendar is 14th July ) and we have prayer at Ah Mah's house. As usual mom and dad and Aunty SH will prepare all the stuffs for prayers.

Mom make some Yam Cake back and ask me to try. Once open, oh gosh... Mom's food presentation is real bad. I was complaining to her why can't she cut the yam cake nicely and arrange neatly on a nice container and have some garnishing on top like chopped spring onion and red chilli rather than everything chuck into the container. Then she started to scold me...'If want to eat don't complaint so much'. I kept quiet and eat her yam cake cos in morning didn't take breakfast. So no choice got to eat her yam cake. Actually her yam cake is nice but only bad in presentation. I started to snap some pictures and she ask why I do that. I happily told her I wanted to show the whole world how ugly is her yam cake. Hahaha....I quickly cabut and change topic with her.

Dad wanted to make some fried wantan and Mom prepared the fish paste + minced pork + minced prawn for the filling. I was helping mom to wrap the wantan into triangular shape and I realized mom like to nag so much. Maybe old people is like this. Then here comes my KPC Le-Ann wanted to help PoPo to wrap the wantan.

This is yummy. I love it so much. Keep eating non-stop with chilli sauce.

Today is just like a big 'makan' feast in Ah Mah's house. Dad cook all these for prayers. Clockwise from top left we have Fried Tanghoon ( its my late Ah Kong's favourite), Mixed Vegetables with Prawns ( don't know why whenver we have prayers, dad will cook this boring dish), Black Pepper Pig's Stomach Soup with Mushroom, and Steamed Kampung Chicken.

This fish is nice. Dad said is Ikan Terubuk and its from Sarawak. I don't whether is Uncle HH bought this or Dad. Anyway the flesh is nice but full with small bones. Dad steamed it with tauchoo and added in some chilli padi.

After all lunch, I went back early cos Le-Ann is having her Yamaha Music Kid's concert in the evening. At the concert it is a big dissapointment for me. She 'chicken out' and refuse to go on the stage to perform and sing with other kids. After so many months of bringing her to the music class, all the efforts that I put in on her and this is what I get from her... "Mommy I don't want to go MUSIC School". Sigh. Is she too young for this? I really don't know. Now I understand how a parent felt when your kids tell you this. Same goes to me when I am young, I told my dad I got no interest in PIANO but 'die die' he want me to finish up to Grade 8. Finally I did it just to fulfil his wish but deep inside of me, I got no interest for music. I hope my little Le-Ann will not be like me!

Lor Mai Kai @ Glutinous Rice

Sunday morning make some Lor Mai Kai or Glutinous Rice for breakfast. I missed all the Dim Sum session with Dearie Suki ever since we have Le-Ann & Ee-Thern. So yesterday morning woke up early at about 8.30 am and start preparing the Lor Mai Kai. Makes about 7 bowls of Lor Mai Kai and given 3 bowls to Mom and Dad.

Here is the recipe :

Ingredients :

A

4 tbsp of oil

1 tbsp chopped garlic and shallots

500gm glutinous rice, soaked overnight and drained

50 gm dried prawns, soaked

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp chicken stock granules

1/4 cup of water

B

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp pepper

Salt to taste

2 chicken thigh, cut into small pieces

7 mushroom, soaked

2 chinese sausages, cut into thin slices

Method :

1. Mix ingredients B together and marinade overnight.

2. Heat oil in pan. Sautee chopped garlic, shallots and dried prawns till fragrant. Add in the glutinous rice and the rest of ingredients A and stir well. Set aside.

3. Arrange the chicken meat, mushroom and chinese sausages in a bowl. Then top up with the glutinous rice.

4. Steam on high heat for 40 minutes before serving.

Note : You can also wrapped the rice with lotus leaves to give a nice aroma to the glutinous rice.

Dearie Suki also request for porridge and cook some Pork Porridge for him and the kids. By 10.30 am everything is ready and both the kids woke him up after they take bath and we had our Dim Sum breakfast. What an enjoyable Sunday morning breakfast.

Yam Abacus By Mom

Today is a boring Sunday in Ah Mah's house. Sis and her kids is on holiday in Chiangmai and left me and the kids plus Mom and Dad at Ah Mah's house. Mom called me up yesterday night over dinner that she will make 'Yam Abacus' and ask me to teach her to make 'Pau'. I told her to prepare the Char Siew filling and I will bring back the pau flour.

Reach Ah Mah's house at about 11.30 am and once reach the kids started running around as though they are just out from the jail. Me, helping Mom in the kitchen. Mom started to prepare her yam abacus and this is her 1st attempt as she saw the recipe over a Chinese newspaper and she is so eager to try out.

While she is preparing to cook, I started to take phototgraphs of her cooking the yam abacus and I 'kena taruk' from her why I keep snapping her photographs. She keep nagging, nagging and nagging and finally I give up and get into the house and copy her 'Yam Abacus' recipe. Emmm... not too bad but one comment from me is that, its better to add some chilli padi into it. Taste better and again I 'kena taruk' from her cos she is bit of 'kiasu' wanted people to praise her. Her reason to me is that the kids cannot take spicy food, so she ommit out the chili padi. Anyway, me and Joe think its nice.

Here is the recipe :

Ingredients A

600 gm yam cut into chunks, steamed till soft and mashed finely

300gm tapioca flour

1 tsp salt

some boiling water to mix (if necessary)

2 litre boiling water, 2 tbsp oil ( to boil the abacus )

Ingredients B
1 tbsp chopped garlic

3 tbsp chopped dried prawns

2 tbsp dried squids, shreds finely

200gm minced pork

3 mushrooms, soaked and shreds finely

3 tbsp wood's ear fungus, soaked and shreds finely

1 stalk leek, shreds finely

Seasoning

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp chicken stocks granules

1 tsp dark soya sauce

Salt to taste

Some pepper and sesame oil

1 cup water

Garnishing
Some spring onions and coriander leaves

Method :

1. Combine all ingredients A and mix into a pliable dough. Divide into small portions and form into the shape of a abacus. Cook in boiling water until they float up. Remove and rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Heat some oil in a pan. Sautee chopped garlic till fragrant. Add in the dried prawns, minced pork, and dried squids and stir-fry till fragrant and aromatic.

3. Next add in shredded mushroom, leek and wood's ear fungus, and stir-fry again till fragrant. Add in the seasoning ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir in yam abacus and stir-fry till dry. Taste and dish up.

4. Garnish with spring onions and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

This is my mom, Yam Abacus. SOooooo delicious.

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After having our lunch, its my turn to teach her to make the pau skin using my recipe. This round my little girl KPC again wanted to make the pau together with PoPo. Again my Mom, start to nag, nag and nag.

Le-Ann makes few of her own version of mini pau and she he is helping PoPo to wrap the filling. PoPo and KongKong mentioned to me that her pau turned out to be ugly but cute and adorable.

Now Mom got so excited with the successful recipe and she is going to try again and make more pau next week.

Char Siew Pau

Yesterday evening make some pau for the kids and Dearie Suki. Its been such a long time I didn't make any pau and I think it is about 6 years since the last round I make pau. Look through my recipe book and search for the pau recipe which I used to follow and finally found it. Dearie Suki was teasing me whether I still remember how to make or not. Well, I just kept quiet and lets see in an hour time what is the result.

While the kids were taking their afternoon nap, I start making the pau filling and I uses Char Siew freshly bought from the market in the morning. The next crucial steps is making the basic yeast dough for the pau skin. Hihihi... looks hard but actually not so hard leh. Try it out and the result is real satisfying and you will get a smooth and soft pau skin.

Basic Yeast Dough

Ingredients:

500gm pau flour,sifted ( I use Blue Key Brand Pau flour )

6gm instant yeast

100gm sugar

50gm shortening

250gm water

Fillings :

1 tbsp oil

Some chopped onion

500gm Char Siew, chopped into small pieces

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp dark soya sauce

1 cup of water

Some cornstarch for thickening

Method :

1. Mix instant yeast and sugar in the water till dissolved.

2. Then mix everything together and knead into smooth and elastic dough.

3. Divide the dough into 40gm dough (you can get about 18 portions). Put aside and let it prove until double its size. Estimated about 10 minutes.

4. Filling:Heat oil in a pan and sautee the onion till fragrant. Add in char siew and the rest of the ingredients and mixed well. Then thicken with some cornflour. Dish up and leave to cool before using.

5. Roll dough into a round shape and add 1 tbsp of filling and pleat the top into a pau. Line pau with a piece of white paper and let it prove again for another 20 minutes.

6. Steam pau with high heat for about 15 minutes or until the pau is cooked. Serve hot.

The ready pleated pau is waiting to prove to double its size then steam on high heat for about 10 minutes.

Look not too bad ya, my Char Siew Pau. The skin is so soft and it is so nice when you eat it right out from the steamer. Le-Ann eaten 2, Ee-Thern 1, Dearie Suki 2 and me 2. Given to my neighbour May 4, and now left 7. Going to bring back to Ah Mah's house tomorrow and show off my pau to Mom and Sis.

Fried Wantan

Dad gave me some wrapped wantan with pork fillings last Sunday and ask me to take back to make Wantan Soup for the kids. But instead of soup I fried it cos me and Suki simply loves fried Wantan as an evening snacks.

Don't know what is dad secret recipe for the pork fillings even dearie Suki love it so much. He say Dad's wantan is better than mine !

Egg Tart

Bake some 'Egg Tart' last weekend cos still have some of the leftover evaporated milk I used to cook the Fish Fillet Meehoon Soup. Better don't waste it.

First time baking the 'Egg Tart' and I am not so satisfied with the result cos I am in a hurry so 'chinchai' do only. When eat it once out of the oven is nice cos the pastry is still crispy but after a while it become soggy. Some more dearie Suki say look so ' keap si'. Anyway I think he just talk only la cos he ate 4 Egg Tarts that night.

So here is the recipe :

Ingredients :

Pastry

100gm flour

1 tbsp milk powder

50gm butter

20gm icing sugar

1 egg

Filling

3 eggs

250ml Evaporated milk

3 tbsp icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method :

1. To make the pasty, mix all ingredients to form a soft dough. Keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into 6 portions and press into a tart mould.

3. Bake at 180'C for 10 minutes.

4. For the filling, beat the eggs and mix all the ingredients together. Use a siever and sieve it.

5. Poor the egg custard into half cook pastry and bake at 180'C for 15 -20 minutes or until the egg set.

Yam Puffs

Left some yam pastry from yesterday yam ring that I make. Without wasting it I transform it into yam puffs for dearie Suki afternoon snack. Managed to get 6 yam puffs or we called it 'Wo Kok' when we order Dim Sum.

Ingredients :

For the filling :

Some minced pork

1 tsp soya sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sugar

A dash of pepper

Some green peas

Cornstarch for thickening

Method :

1. Heat oil in pan. Add in minced pork and stir fry till cooked.

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients.

3. Then add in the green peas and some cornstarch to thicken. Set aside and let it cool.

4. Wrap the filling in the yam pastry and deep fried with hot oil till golden brown.