Prawn Noodles (福建虾面)

Ingredients:

2 Litre stock (made from pork or chicken bones)
Prawn shells & heads
2 cloves garlic + a small knob of ginger, smashed
200g spare ribs
about 50g rock sugar
salt & pepper
2 tbsp fish sauce

450g hokkien noodles (yellow mee), scalded
150g rice vermicelli (mehoon), soaked and scalded

Pounded ingredients:
4 tbsp chilli paste
10 shallots
6 cloves garlic 

Garnishing: 
400g prawns, cooked
1 bunch of kangkung, scalded
150g bean sprouts, scalded
3 hard-boiled eggs, halved

•  To make prawn stock, saute chopped garlic and ginger with a little oil and then fry prawn shells and heads until fragrant.  Add in about 1 Lit of water and boil for about 30 minutes.
• Combine the prawn stock and chicken/pork stock.  Strain the soup.
• Fry pounded ingredients in about 5 tbsp cooking oil.  Pour into the soup and add spare ribs and  rock sugar.  Let simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes or until spare ribs are tender.  Add fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve:  Pour hot soup over noodles and garnish with kangkung, beansprouts, cooked prawns, spare ribs and hard-boiled egg. 

I have been collecting prawn shells and prawn heads each time I bought prawns.  They kept well in the freezer for months.  As it is now summer, kangkung are in abundance in the Asian grocery shops here.  So, I might as well take this opportunity to cook our favourite Har Meen ....

Steamed Taro Cake (芋頭糕)

Ingredients:

700g taro (grated coarsely)

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp five-spiced powder
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp chicken stock granules
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp cooking oil

Batter:

250g rice flour
40g wheat starch
30g tapioca flour
1.25 litre water

For topping: 

150g dried shrimps, washed and chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 shallots, finely sliced
spring onion, sliced finely
ground toasted peanuts (optional)
chilli sauce

• Heat oil in a frying pan and saute shallots and garlic until fragrant; remove from pan.  Then lightly fry dried shrimps. Transfer to a bowl.
• In a separate pan, mix  the rice flour, wheat starch, tapioca flour and water.  Stir to ensure there are no lumps in the mixture.  Then add in seasoning and stir well to combine. 
• Cook batter over low heat until mixture thickens.  Add in grated taro.  Mix well.
• Steam on high heat for about 45 - 55 minutes or until cooked.  (There will be liquid on the surface, just leave it as it will be absorbed as the cake cools and prevents the surface from drying out). 
• To serve, sprinkle with fried garlic, shallots,  dried shrimps and chopped spring onions.

Steamed Radish Cake

Ingredients:

750g coarsely grated radish
100 ml water
100g dried shrimps, washed and chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 shallots, sliced
oil (about 2 tbsp)
Optional:  Chinese sausage, dried mushroom - finely diced

Seasoning:

1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp chicken granules
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
pepper


Batter:

200g rice flour
20g wheat starch
20g corn starch
550ml water

• Cook grated radish with 100ml water in a pot over low fire until radish turns translucent (about 10 - 15 minutes).  Set aside to cool. Squeeze out excess water from the radish.
• Prepare the batter by mixing all the ingredients.  Set aside.
• Heat oil in a frying pan and saute shallots and garlic until fragrant; remove from pan.  Then lightly fry dried shrimps.  Add in the cooked radish, seasonings and the sauteed shallots and garlic.  Stir well to combine.
• Lastly pour in the batter and cook until the mixture thickens.
• Transfer the thicken batter into a greased pan and smooth the surface.  Steam on high heat for about 45 - 55 minutes or until cooked.  (There will be liquid on the surface, just leave it as it will be absorbed as the cake cools and prevents the surface from drying out).

Note:  

Cake can be served as it is or pan fried and best eaten with chilly sauce.