Delicious Leek With Fragrant Tofu

At certain markets in Malaysia, you can get yellow-coloured tofu (firm type) which I believe has been given a boost with kunyit powder thus making it aromatic and flavourful. This type of tofu can be fried and eaten on its own but one great way of cooking it is to pair it with leek and minced pork. The combination of sweet tasting leek, slightly salted minced pork and aromatic tofu makes this dish a favourite for many.

Cooking is also pretty simple and does not require a lot of work. Prepare the 3 main ingredients and you are ready to cook. Give this dish a try if you can get yourself to the ingredients.
This is the recipe for Leek with Fragrant Tofu
Ingredients

• 2 pieces yellow-coloured firm tofu
• 1 stalk leek (cut into small pieces)
• 50 grammes or more minced pork
• 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 250 ml warm water
• Corn starch (mix 1 teaspoon corn flour with 50 ml water)
• 3 tablespoons palm / peanut oil

Seasoning

• 2 teaspoons light soya sauce
• a couple of dashes of white pepper powder
• salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce

Method
Heat oil in wok and fry tofu till lightly browned. Remove and set aside to cool. Cut tofu into smaller pieces.
Allow approximately 1 or 2 teaspoons of cooking oil to remain in the wok whilst removing the rest. Saute garlic and minced pork together. Once garlic starts to brown, add leek and tofu and stir fry for about 1 minute before adding water and seasoning.
Cover with lid and allow water to reduce. Stir in a little bit of cornstarch before dishing up.

Delicious Asam Ikan Kembung

My sister loves asam (also spelt as assam) -based dishes, be it Asam Ikan Kembung (Tamarind Indian Mackerel) or Asam Laksa. In fact, mum said that my sister would most likely be drooling if she were to see this dish up on this site. My sister is currently residing in Singapore and on her trips back to Kuala Lumpur, she would usually cook this or ask mum to cook this.

There are two parts to cooking this dish. One is to prepare the chilli-based paste and the other, to cook the fish. For the chilli-based paste, you can actually prepare in advance and keep them in the fridge for future uses (which is what we usually do at home). Asam Ikan Kembung is sour, sweet and spicy in taste and is an excellent dish to whet the appetite. It goes well with plain steamed white rice. You can actually use other types of fish but Ikan Kembung tastes good here. A word of caution though. Take care when eating the fish as the bones might get to you.
This is mum’s recipe for Asam Ikan Kembung
Ingredients

• 4 pieces ikan kembung (cleaned and gutted)
• 1 large onion (sliced)
• 4 to 8 pieces ladies finger (whole or halved)
• 2 large tomatoes (quartered)
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup asam juice (soak 1 tablespoon of asam / tamarind paste in 1 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes, squeeze and then strain juice)
• Corn starch (mix 1 teaspoon corn flour with 100 ml water)
• Cooking oil (palm oil)
• Chilli paste (pound / blend)
• 2 slices of tumeric (kunyit)
• 5 pieces of dried chilli (pre-soaked in hot water and remove seeds)
• 4 garlic
• 8 shallots

Seasoning

• Salt and sugar to taste

Method
Pat dry the ikan kembung and shallow fry it till semi brown. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons palm oil in wok and saute chilli paste on medium heat till aromatic and beginning to brown. Add onions and continue frying for 30 seconds. Pour asam juice and warm water and bring to boil.
Once asam juice starts to boil, add ladies finger and tomatoes and allow to boil for 2 minutes. Add pre-fried fish and seasoning to taste. Allow fish to cook under boiling asam juice for at least 1 minute.
Before dishing out, stir in preferred amount of corn starch to thicken and smoothen the gravy to your liking. This dish is excellent if you garnish or top it with chopped chinese parsley.

Delicious Corn Soup

Corn Soup cooked at home differs from family to family. Some use corn from cans. Here, I use fresh corn bought from the wet market. It imparts a natural sweetness to the soup, which I think is much better than those from tin cans. My elder daughter loves this soup very much and also enjoys having her fingers dirty eating the corn.

This recipe is pretty simple and does not take much effort. It is best if cooked over a charcoal stove. I am very partial towards food cooked using a charcoal stove as the taste is usually better than those cooked using gas or electrice stove. Moreover, the slow cooking process using charcoal makes the meat tender and brings out all the natural flavours from the ingredients.
This is my recipe for Corn Soup
Ingredients

• 2 fresh corn (washed and cut into smaller pieces)
• 200 grammes of pork ribs or pork suitable for cooking soup
• 1 large carrot (cut to smaller pieces)
• a handful of red dates
• 2 1/2 soup bowls of water (approximately 800 ml)

Seasoning

• Salt to taste

Method
Bring water to boil in pot. Add pork ribs and bring back to boil. Remove scum that appears on surface of water as it reboils.
After 3 minutes of reboiling, add the rest of the ingredients, bring back to boil and allow to boil for 2 minutes before reducing heat to medium low and simmer for at least 1 hour.
Add salt to taste prior to serving.

Tie Guan Yin

Tie Guan Yin is the most famous tea bush in Anxi City, which lies in Fujian Province. “Tie” meaning "iron", refers to the density of this tightly twisted tea or its dark oxidized color. It is a common Chinese habit to describe heavy objects with this term. "Guan Yin" is the name of the Buddhist bodhisattva of compassion who, according to legend, appeared in a dream of Wei Yin, a devout Buddhist tea farmer living during the early 18th century. In the dream, Guan Yin told Wei Yin to look in the cave behind the local shrine. There he found a single tea shoot, which he planted and cultivated into the mother bush for Anxi city’s most famous variety of tea. Tea from this legendary cultivar of tea bush has since been known as Tie Guan Yin.

Although wulong tea made from Tie Guan Yin tea bushes has long been popular, the style in which it is produced has changed considerably over the years. With the introduction of Taiwanese processing techniques in the mid 1990s and rising popularity of lighter roasted and less oxidized teas during this decade, the finished leaf of Tie Guan Yin has shifted in appearance from dark brown, flat and leafy to light green and tightly rolled.

Our Old Style Tie Guan Yin is, in part, a throw back to the way this tea was produced before the beginning of this century. The “Old Style”, professionally referred to as “Long Xiang Xing” or "concentrated aroma style”, makes good use of medium to heavy oxidation and charcoal roasting in contrast to the newer, greener and lighter roasted “Qing Xiang Xing” or “light aroma style.” The processing involves 3 to 4 periods of roasting, totaling about 15 hours. This technique creates a stable tea with a balanced roasted flavor immediately noticeable on the first infusion. It is said that “real” wulong fans in China appreciate this stronger roasted flavor. Although this tea doesn’t retain the traditional flat shape of Long Xiang Xing, it offers a stunning example of Tie Guan Yin’s classic flavor profile.

With its style becoming something of a rarity on the Anxi market, we like to think of this tea as a bit of a tribute to the old school and the seasoned tea drinker who remembers the days when this tea’s rich body and aftertaste were higher prized than a flowery aroma.