Char Yoke (Hakka Braised Pork)

■250g lean pork cut into pieces
■3-4 pieces of wood ear fungus soaked
■2 cloves of garlic chopped
■1 piece of fermented beancurd (“nam yue”/ “tau ju”)
■Dash of oyster sauce
■Water
How to:

1.Marinade the pork with 3/4 piece of the fermented bean curd and a dash of oyster sauce. Set aside for at least half an hour. Half a day would be better.
2.Wash and soak the wood ear fungus (mu er – Mandarin or mok yue – Cantonese or bok nee – Hokkien) then when rehydrated, slice it into thin slices or into small pieces according to taste.
3.Saute the chopped garlic in a pan with some oil. Then, add the marinated meat and stir fry gently until the meat is semi cooked.
4.Pour some water in the pan to cover the meat halfway, and add the wood ear fungus. Add the remaining bit of fermented beancurd, stir through and then cover and simmer on low heat.
5.Stir occasionally and ensure that the water does not dry out. Add more water of necessary. Braise for about 1 hour until meat is soft.
6.Dish out and serve with hot white rice

Chicken in Spicy Tamarind Sauce

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (approximately 1.5 to 2kgs, chopped into large pieces)

Marinade (blend together)
200 grammes shallots
3 tablespoons ketumbar (coriander) powder
225 grammes tamarind (asam jawa) mixed with 350 ml water (squeeze the juice and remove tamarind seeds)
10 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons dark soya sauce
1 heaped teaspoon white pepper powder

Method

Wash chicken pieces thoroughly. Marinade chicken overnight or for at least 10 hours.
Transfer chicken and marinate to heavy bottomed aluminium saucepan and boil for 20 minutes over a moderate heat.
Turn the chicken pieces, reduce heat to low and boil for another 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken is very tender.

note : originally meant for duck since the duck meat is tougher and would withstand the sour marinade better.

Link to find Cantonese herb name

Always at a lost as to what the cantonese name or mandarin name is for a herb which you have googled and found its english name ?

Found a site that has worked pretty well for me so far. Hope it helps you too!

New soup for cough

I went to the herbal shop today since my son showed some symptoms of a dry cough.

Wanted to get some yuk chuk but the herbal lady told me that yuk chuk may be a little too cooling for cough.

She recommended this herb (note : she showed me the packet and told me the name. And based on what I remember of the name, I googled it and found this:) - Asparagus Tuber.

To be boiled with wai san kei chi and red dates. Added in RM10 of soup pork to sweeten the whole pot.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

To be baked in an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 cup sugar
1 whole large egg, 3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅓ to ½ cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Grease and flour an 8½ by 4¼ by 2½-inch loaf pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.

Measure the flour (scoop and level), baking powder, and salt into a small bowl and whisk until combined. In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and slowly whisk together. Fold the vegetable oil into the batter until it’s all incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Tung Sum,Pak Kei tea

Ingredients:

30 gm “Tung Sum”
30 gm “Pak Kei”
20 gm Red Dates, Removed stones
20 gm Black dates, Removed stones
2.5 litres (10 bowls) water

This is boiled as a sweet tea instead of a soup! Used to relieve stress or tiredness.

Chinese Herbs Info

I find that most of the time soup can be used as a base for porridge. Christopher loves his soup and nothing beats our Chinese herbal soup.

Found some information on the following herbs.

(a) kei chi: tiny little red seeds. It is suppose to improve function and also believed to be good for the kidney and the eyes;
(b) dried longan: good for the spleen, kidneys and lungs;
(c) lotus seeds(lin chi): promotes virility and good blood circulation;
(d) pak kei: Fights fatigue and bad blood circulation;
(e) yoke chok: for illness related to the pancreas,lungs, and throat;
(f) tong kwei: usually consumed by women;
(g) wai san : helps to relieve inflammation of the uterus;
(h) cordceps; (toong choon chou) combat body aches and pain;
(i) ginseng: (pau sum) It adds as a tonic, helps respiratory ailments,relieves insomnia, back pains, lumbago and many others
(j) tung sum/"poor man's ginseng" : improves blood circulation, increases metabolism and reduces fatigue
(k) pak hup/magnolia petals : beneficial for cough and lung ailments