Singapore Food Recipes Options Rating

[londonchinese]

Wonder is there any scientific reasoning for that. I have learnt that too from my mom, heat the metal wok really hot, then add the oil, then the fish or eggs or anything you fry will not stick so easily. I think it might have something to do with "seasoning" of the metal with oil under high heat. Example you should season the metal wok by heating it very hot, and then rub a piece of pork fat until the oil comes out, that gives the metal wok a smooth finish and less likely to stick.

I wonder how many homes are still using the metal wok?

Anyway I am also compiling a list of cooking tips in my blog site at http://www.werynice.com

cheers
Stanley

Tip for people who have purchased a new rolled-steel wok: obviously Muslims and vegetarians will not use pork fat for seasoning a new wok, but a good result can also be achieved by frying some tofu in the wok. First of all, wash the wok thoroughly with detergent and hot water to remove as much of the oil as possible (the oil is used to protect the wok against rust in transit). Then heat the wok until it starts to turn black and to smoke (don't be alarmed, it is quite normal!). Put in a tablespoon of cooking oil and immediately add the tofu (about 250 gms). Stir it around until it is mashed (it will start to turn black), then turn off heat, and discard the tofu. Rinse the wok out with hot water and a little detergent once more, then place wok over heat again until it is completely dry. It should now be ready for use. NEVER scour the wok anymore with items like brillo pads or steel wool.

This applies to the rolled steel woks. Stainless steel, 5- and 7-element woks and non-stick woks should NOT be subjected to the above treatment. They are ready to be used straight from the box after a good initial wash to get rid of any dust. However, in my opinion they are not really suitable for Asian stir-frying as they do not take kindly to high heat, attractive and convenient as they may appear to be.

Cast iron woks used to be very popular when I was young, but they are brittle and crack easily if knocked or dropped. They have virtually been phased out. I have noticed that certain companies like Bodrum and Typhoon are now producing cast iron woks for sale. These are NOT the same as the old cast iron woks and have some disadvantages compared with our traditional woks - they are very heavy and take a long time to heat up adequately (as they are quite thick), so don't be tempted by these. You should always be able to lift an empty wok up with one hand (either the two handled or one handled variety). If you cannot do so easily, it will be too unwieldy for use in a home kitchen.

In reply to your question about how many people use woks nowadays, obviously that is impossible to answer, but judging from the sale of woks in the various Chinese supermarkets in London, I would say that there is still a healthy interest in them. The advent of the flat-bottomed wok means that woks can now be used on electric stoves, whereas previously their usage was confined to gas-fired stoves. What I have seen a decline in is the use of the two-handled wok (the so-called "Southern-style" wok) in favour of the wok with the long handle (the "Northern-style" wok), which also can be used for Western dishes such as sauteed potatoes, as these need to be tossed from time to time.

A book I would recommend highly is Grace Young's The Breath of a Wok, which explains a lot about woks, their history and how to take care of them, together with a host of stir-fry recipes.

San
London, UK

[stanley68]

One tip I have learnt from a long time ago is: hot wok, cold oil. Heat your wok up first, then put the palm of your hand about 10 cm/4 inches above the wok. If it is uncomfortable to maintain that position after the first few seconds, it is hot enough. Then add about 2-3 tbsp cooking oil to the wok and swirl it around to coat the base. Then add your beehoon - you will find that it won't stick as much. This applies equally to fried rice, kway tiao and noodles.

Wonder is there any scientific reasoning for that. I have learnt that too from my mom, heat the metal wok really hot, then add the oil, then the fish or eggs or anything you fry will not stick so easily. I think it might have something to do with "seasoning" of the metal with oil under high heat. Example you should season the metal wok by heating it very hot, and then rub a piece of pork fat until the oil comes out, that gives the metal wok a smooth finish and less likely to stick.

I wonder how many homes are still using the metal wok?

Anyway I am also compiling a list of cooking tips in my blog site at http://www.werynice.com

cheers
Stanley

[londonchinese]

Recipe for Fried Vegetarian Bee Hoon
I used to fry bee hoon as in stir frying in wok. It usually end up sticking to the wok, and also a little too oily.

One tip I have learnt from a long time ago is: hot wok, cold oil. Heat your wok up first, then put the palm of your hand about 10 cm/4 inches above the wok. If it is uncomfortable to maintain that position after the first few seconds, it is hot enough. Then add about 2-3 tbsp cooking oil to the wok and swirl it around to coat the base. Then add your beehoon - you will find that it won't stick as much. This applies equally to fried rice, kway tiao and noodles.

Another tip for novices: soak beehoon in cold water if you intend to fry it later. Soaking it in hot water will make it too brittle for stir-frying. On the other hand, if you are using beehoon as an ingredient in say, kerabu beehoon (no further cooking), then soak in hot water.

[Seet Kim Hwee]

Replied to outdated post so I am editing it.


Here's my family receipe for a simple and tasty chicken porridge.

1) Cooked thai rice
2) Chicken Broth
3) Chicken breast meat (or other parts of the chicken if you prefer) deskinned
4) Chicken bones (I normally use the rib bones from 2 chickens) - deskinned
5) Fried Shallots
6) Pepper
8) Corriander leaves + spring onion chopped
9) Salt to taste
10) Cut red chili to preference

1. Clean chicken bones and meat
2. Bring water to boil, put in chicken bones and meat
3) after 18 mins take out meat, leave chicken bones in there to simmer for further 45 mins
4) Tear the meat into shreds
5) Pour some of the soup into another smaller pot and bring to poilt
6) Pour rice into soup, boil for 1 minute, add salt to taste (I normally don't, I sometimes use Dong Cai the preserved veg... don't know what it's called in english)
7) Dish out rice + soup, add meat, fried shallats, pepper, corriander leaves, cut chilli

And you have a nice piping hot meal... very nice especially during winter time!

For the more health conscious, prepare the soup one day ahead, chill it in the fridge, and remove the top layer of fat when it is chilled.


p/s : sometimes I also add in dried scallops or shrimp to enhance the sweetness of the taste. The secret in this receipe is in the soup, the way the chicken meat is cooked, and the quality of the fried shallots.

[hokkiehokkie]

Any Singaporean are in Australia!!!! Like to have more friend around me

Sandy

Hi Sandy,
How are you? We are forming our own group of Sgreans here in Melb and are still looking out for more open minded and friendly people here who are willing to go out and meet other SG kakis outside or at their homes at dinner meetings. We have already had a few by now and more to come, so if you are ready for meet ups and have others like you on line, let us know and we might to be able to arrange something for the SG NDP weekend. 8 Aug may be a good night and if anything we can celebrate in advance. Usually its a potluck and everyone has to bring something special, hahaha....... a signature dish! Master chefs in attendance to knock you down on your achievements .

Cheers Hokkie.

[moonleo]

Hi all, a newbie in this forum. Great to fun a forum full of local food, so that I can add something new to my cooking! A little sick of eating the same things day in day out, with my little knowledge and experience in cooking. Thanks all for the great recipes, I do look forward to try them out soon!

[stanley68]

Recipe for Fried Vegetarian Bee Hoon

I used to fry bee hoon as in stir frying in wok. It usually end up sticking to the wok, and also a little too oily. Found another way of doing it, that is less oily and don’t stick to the wok, in fact you can cook it in a pot.


Ingredients
1. 1 packet dried bee hoon
2. ¼ cabbage. (can replace with bean sprout)
3. 4 garlic (can replace with small piece of ginger)
4. 3 cups vegetable stock or water
5. 1 can of lor han zhai (罗汉斋)
6. 1 can of any vegetarian stuffs (lor han zhai, mian jin etc) (optional, for more ingredients)
7. 1 tablespoon dark soya sauce (optional)
8. 4 tablespoon light soya sauce
9. ½ table spoon sugar
10. ½ teaspoon salt
11. 3 tablespoon cooking oil

Method
1. Open the can food, and cut into small pieces if you wish to make it smaller, set aside
2. Soak the bee hoon in a basin of water for 1 hour, drain and set aside.
3. Peel garlic, chop into small pieces and set aside.
4. Slice cabbage into thin slices and set aside (it should end up like thin strips since the cabbage is layered).
5. Heat up pot (or wok, but you can use a pot to do this). Add in oil and garlic and fry till fragrant. Add in cabbage and stir fry till soft. Pour in stock and cover and allow it to simmer for 5-10 mins. Add in all the canned vegetarian food with gravy, dark and light soya sauces, sugar, and salt. Bring it to boil. Taste it for saltiness, it should be a little more salty than soup, otherwise add salt to taste.
6. Add in the bee hoon and mix well, and cover for 5 mins. Open and mix well and allow the bee hoon to absorb all the water while you mix them around. When totally no more water, remove from heat and serve.
7. Serve hot

This is also posted in my site www.werynice.com
Stanley

[pentel]

Vegetarian beehoon (4-6 persons)

Thanks for the recipe. Taste good

[sandykrate]

Any Singaporean are in Australia!!!! Like to have more friend around me

Sandy

[londonchinese]

I would like to thank everyone for their fabulous recipes... especially to San (londonchinese) and Amy (Amy Kiesgen). I'm also new to this portal and have been scrolling thru the history of this discussion forum and copying down all your sacred recipes. Thanks San and Amy for spending your time and effort typing these recipes out to share with us (me??). Thank you for your love and big heart!

Hugs
Soo
Cheshire, UK

Pleasure! If there are any particular dishes you wish to know the recipe for, and cannot find it here already, please let us know through this or any of the other food threads, and we shall attempt to assist you.

FYI, we have a number of groups that cater to Singaporeans in the UK. I run Est1819 which is a grassroots organisation for Singaporeans in the UK and Ireland. The weblink is

http://singaporeans.meetup.com/51/

There are also groups in Facebook, such as the one for Singaporeans in the North of England

http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php?ref=h...gid=27933917692

and, of course, the granddaddy of organisations for Singaporeans in the UK, SUKA (Singapore UK Association)

http://suka.org/platinum/

San
London, UK

[sy_kuan]

I would like to thank everyone for their fabulous recipes... especially to San (londonchinese) and Amy (Amy Kiesgen). I'm also new to this portal and have been scrolling thru the history of this discussion forum and copying down all your sacred recipes. Thanks San and Amy for spending your time and effort typing these recipes out to share with us (me??). Thank you for your love and big heart!

Hugs
Soo
Cheshire, UK

[londonchinese]

I've probably posted this recipe before, but as this particular discussion thread is now 20 pages long, it is probably too much trouble for most people to scroll through, so here it is again, at the request of a new (vegetarian) member in Australia.

Vegetarian beehoon (4-6 persons)

• ¼ cup oil
• 1 medium onion, halved lengthways, thinly sliced across
• 5 dried black Chinese mushrooms, soaked in hot water to soften, caps thinly sliced
• 2-3 pieces "wood-ear" fungus (mu er/bok yee), soaked until soft, then sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• 1-2 large red chillies (seeded if preferred), thinly sliced
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into matchstick shreds
• 200 gm taukwa or firm tauhu, deep fried until golden brown, cut into matchstick shreds (taukwa is better, but not so easy to get, so I tend to use firm tauhu instead)
• 2 cups taugeh, washed and drained. 2 eggs lightly beaten, fried into omelette then cut into shreds
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or Thai fish gravy for non-veggie version)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 300 gm (10 oz) beehoon, soaked in hot water to soften, drained and cut into 3 inch segments
• 1-2 spring onions cut into 1.25 cm/½ inch lengths
• Bottled chilli sauce or 1-2 red chillies, sliced and lime segments

Heat oil in wok, then add onions and stir fry until it starts to soften. Add mushrooms, garlic and chillies and stir fry for 1 minute. Add carrot and bell pepper and stir fry over high heat for 2 minutes.

Add the tauhu and taugeh and stir fry 30 seconds. Add egg shreds, oyster sauce and soy sauce, stir.

Add the beehoon and spring onion and stir fry until well mixed and heated through (about 1 minute)

Transfer to a serving dish and serve with chilli sauce or sliced chillies and lime.

Note
I sometimes add some or all of the following: canned straw mushrooms, each halved, napa cabbage finely shredded, “mock” chicken meat (canned gluten, obtainable in Chinese supermarkets and provision stores), mange-tout peas.

[C K]

Hi everyone

I'm Sandy and new to this forum. This is a very useful forum and I love it. Nice meeting you guys.

Hi Sandy! I'm new here too. Still wondering around the forum actually. Realised that although there's quite a number of members in the forum but a number of threads are relatively quiet.... other than the food thread of course.

[londonchinese]

Hi everyone

I'm Sandy and new to this forum. This is a very useful forum and I love it. Nice meeting you guys.

Hello Sandy, welcome to the portal. I am glad you find the food discussion thread useful, and that you can make use of some of the recipes posted here. As you are in Melbourne, you probably know that on October 4th this year, the big event Singapore Day will be coming to your city, and a team of hawkers will be turning up in Melbourne to perform their culinary magic to turn out some of our most-loved hawker specialities from back home. For a discussion of Singapore Day 2008, please see this forum thread

http://www.overseassingaporean.sg/forums/i...?showtopic=1396

San
London, UK

[Amy Kiesgen]

Hi everyone

I'm Sandy and new to this forum. This is a very useful forum and I love it. Nice meeting you guys.

Hello Sandy,

Welcome to our portal!

[sandykrate]

Hi everyone

I'm Sandy and new to this forum. This is a very useful forum and I love it. Nice meeting you guys.

[shuling]

hehe.. during my winter break i will come back here again to find more recipe. need to start cooking at home! no school = no excuse to be lazy =pppp

[londonchinese]

Oatmeal Prawns

Ingredients (serves 2 persons)
• 300 g big prawns, trimmed, washed and drained, but leave shells on. Slit shells along back to remove dark vein.
• 4 cups/1 litre oil, for frying
• 3 tbsp butter or margarine
• 3 egg yolks, beaten lightly
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped shallots
• ½ tbsp chicken powder
• ½ tsp sugar
• 2 sprigs curry leaf (sliced) – optional but highly recommended
• 6 red chillies (sliced) – use finger chillies if milder taste is desired, or Thai chillies if you want hotter (Thai chillies are normally used in Singapore)
• 1 dash salt and pepper, to taste
• 5 tbsp instant oatmeal

Procedure
Heat up oil, add prawns and deep-fry for 1 minute. Dish and drain.

Leave 1/2 cup of oil in wok, sauté butter/margarine and egg yolks till fragrant and the yolks have formed small pieces.

Add garlic, chicken stock granules, sugar, curry leaves, chillies, salt and pepper and continue to fry till fragrant.

Add prawns and fry till aromatic.

Lastly, add oatmeal and fry till dry. Dish up and serve hot.

[londonchinese]

Thank you Uncle San for your Yü Sung receipe. My Ang Mo wife made it last weekend for me, my kids some Ang Mo friends and 1 hong kong friend and a Taiwanese friend. It turned out really well, in fact I thought it tasted better than the ones in restuarants in S'pore! To a Mainland Chinese friend & Taiwanese friend never heard of this dish or tasted it but liked it. I guess Yü Sung is a S'pore & M'sia tradition but not in China or Taiwan.

SingaporeSarongPartyBoy

I am glad you all enjoyed it, plus there is the feel good factor as well that it is very healthy! You are quite right in your assumption, Yu Sang is a Singaporean/Malaysian tradition (although it was "invented" by Cantonese cooks in Singapore) and the raw fish salad that is served in HK is very different - and dare I add, I think our version is much better!!

Here is a photo of some Singaporean students in London enjoying the creation on Chap Goh Mei night (I emailed one of them the recipe) and a close-up before it got devoured rather quickly, from all accounts!



Note unorthodox use of cucumber! If nothing else, they are pretty innovative!

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng for a history of this dish.

San

[singaporeboy]

The food threads seem to have become inactive for some time, so here's an attempt to liven them up. Some of you have asked about the recipe for reproducing yu sheng (Chinese New Year raw fish salad) away from Singapore. This version is from Mrs Leong Yee Soo's book, adapted for overseas use. It may be a bit late for 2008 CNY but there is no rule to say that it can only be served during Chinese New Year - give it a try!

Yu Sang/Yu Sheng (Cantonese New Year Raw Fish Salad) - can serve 6-8 people

Ingredients
Chinese radish (luo bu) 450 gms/1 lb
Sweet potato 115 gms/4 oz

Thank you Uncle San for your Yü Sung receipe. My Ang Mo wife made it last weekend for me, my kids some Ang Mo friends and 1 hong kong friend and a Taiwanese friend. It turned out really well, in fact I thought it tasted better than the ones in restuarants in S'pore! To a Mainland Chinese friend & Taiwanese friend never heard of this dish or tasted it but liked it. I guess Yü Sung is a S'pore & M'sia tradition but not in China or Taiwan.

SingaporeSarongPartyBoy