N for noodle for #AtoZChallenge: quick-to-cook noodles for breakfast

Since Dear has to go to work in early mornings, our favorite noodles are those that are quick-to-cook, but not instant noodles - which were originally invented by Momofuku Ando (吴百福) of Nissin Foods in Japan.



For #AtoZChallenge on 2014 April 16 Wed, I lovingly introduce 3 favorite quick-to-cook noodles:
♥ misua
♥ kway teow  
♥ udon

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Misua, also known as mee sua / 面线, is a variety of dried salted Chinese noodles that cooks in less than 2 minutes in boiling water. 

A symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, misua - a thin wheat flour noodle, is a humble breakfast for a birthday celebration.

How is about a whole wheat misua for a quick yet filling breakfast?



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Kway teow /  粿条 is a flat rice noodle that is commonly used for stir-frying, affectionately known as char kway teow / stir-fried kway teow in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

We also love to cook a soup using chilled kway teow for breakfast, it is ready in less than 2 minutes!



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Udon / うどん / 烏冬 is thick wheat flour noodle in Japanese cuisine, that is often served in kakejiru broth with tempura. 

I also love stir-fried udon in soy-based sauce, known as yaki-udon.

How is about a plate of no-fry udon with vegetable soup? Enjoy its recipe & the udon!

I buy chilled udon without any pre-packed seasoning, as a homemade seasoning of sesame oil, honey, vinegar, finely chopped fresh cilantro can be easily made.

Add some quick-to-cook vegetables such as celery or bok choy. 



Soup / juice / extract from steaming fish can be used as a seasoning for udon or some other types of noodles. Keep the soup in fridge for the next day / morning use. Without the need to warm the cold soup, add in hot boiled noodles and stir immediately.



The water used to boil noodles can be used for hard-boiled egg to save gas / electricity for us.

Directions:
1. Once noodles are cooked, immediately drain the boiling water into a bowl containing a fresh egg. The temperature of the boiling water matters, it has to be high.
2. Cover the bowl to let the egg sits for at least 10 minutes*.
3. Serve the half-boiled egg with a dash of soy sauce and a pinch of freshly ground pepper.

* I prefer my egg to be more cooked but not fully cooked. 

Other recipes that I love:
♥ misua meat ball, known as almondigas / bola-bola in Philippines; bola means ball in Bahasa Indonesia. How is about trying a MSG-free version of misua meat ball @ Mga Luto Ni Lola (My Grandma's Recipes) by GJ Coleco?
♥ Singapore-style half-boiled egg by Jason Ng @ Feast To The World

Check also our other #5minutemeal recipes.

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With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140416

Very easy simple recipe of steamed fish with sesame oil

Steamed fish fillet is easy to prepare as well as healthy and delicious to eat. Imagine the tender, succulent and delicate flesh of fish that also nurtures us with proteins & Omega 3. Enjoy a piping hot steamed fish with a bowl of steamed rice for a happy breakfast or a heart-and-tummy-warming dinner at your own comfortable home at the fraction of the cost eating outside. Life is beautiful! 



While enjoying your meal, listen to a nice piece of classical music or Chinese orchestra. Perhaps, without TV to minimize the distractions. This savoring moment is indeed a simple happiness.



I also love how the traditional Chinese character for the word fish 魚 (Yu2) looks like a swimming fish. 魚 (Yu2) also sounds like the words for wealth and abundance.



Serving: 1-2
Preparation time: < 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
♥ 200 g boneless (if possible) fish fillet (e.g. salmon 三文鱼, snow fish 鳕鱼)
♥ 1 tbsp sesame oil* (麻油)
♥ dashes of pepper (胡椒粉), to taste
♥ fresh herbs e.g. parsley 香菜/ cilantro 胡荽叶 / coriander 芫荽, finely chopped (optional)


* For sesame oil, I use Ghee Hiang Baby brand manufactured in Penang, Malaysia, using methods and techniques learned from Fujian, China.

Directions:
1. Boil water in a steamer. 
2. Wash fish fillet thoroughly. Pat dry gently with a kitchen towel.
3. Place the fillet in a non-plastic bowl.
4. Sprinkle sesame oil and pepper on top of the fish.
5. Garnish with herbs.
6. Cover the bowl with a small plate to ensure smaller space of aroma circulation.
7. Once the water in the steamer is boiled, steam the fish for 5 minutes ++ using high heat or until cooked*

* Once cooked, the meat comes off the bone easily with a chopstick.

Tips:

Use fresh fish fillet. If this is not possible,  rub white vinegar on the fish to minimize the fishy smell.

To enhance flavor, you can add soy sauce, ginger, spring onions / scallions, rice wine / DOM as Chinese-style steamed fish recipes often call for.

You can also steam the fish fillet bowl inside a half-cooking rice cooker, so that you save gas / electricity and wash less utensils, as Agnes and Zhen sometimes do. 

Other recipes that I love:
♥ Hong Kong style steamed cod fish & steamed cod with wolfberries, red dates, angelica root by Annie Mok @ Annieliciousfood food. To prevent the fish fillet from sticking to the bottom of the bowl, place ginger / spring onions beneath the fish.
♥ Teochew steamed fish with salted (sour) plums, salted vegetables, tomatoes, chilli by Wifey @ NoobCook. If possible, ask the fishmonger to clean the fish for you. Normally, I buy fish fillet for convenience.  
♥ Chinese steamed fish by Bee Yinn Low @ Rasa Malaysia
♥ Cantonese steamed fish by Namiko Chen @ JustOneCookBook & Leemei Tan @ My Cooking Hut
♥ garlic asparagus fish steamed in the parchment paper in the oven by Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman @ A Beautiful Mess



Check also our other #5minutemeal recipes.

With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140331

braised sea cucumber mushroom recipe

Sea cucumber is rich in proteins and minerals. Eating sea cucumber helps in strengthening the kidneys, relieving dehydration and nourishing blood. Sea cucumber is also often consumed post-surgery to aid wound healing.

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Mushrooms take up a lot of fat as they cook so it is best to use butter / extra virgin oil / pure sesame oil for sauteing / frying.



To get dry and non-soggy cooked  mushrooms using a frying pan, use a moderately high heat so that as mushrooms shrink their water evaporates and they don't stew in their own juice.



Shitake mushrooms are among a variety of tree mushrooms. While button mushrooms can be quickly fried, we need to cook shitake mushrooms thoroughly.



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I enthusiastically try a recipe of braise mushroom sea cucumber modified from Zhen's one.  She advices not to overcook the sea cucumbers as they will dissolve into gel-like texture.



Servings: 2
Preparation time: 2 + 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
♥ 10 dried shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
♥ 1 sea cucumber, washed, and cut into bite chunks
♥ 5 cloves garlic, pressed
♥ 2 tbsp sesame oil
♥ 1 tsp sugar
♥ 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
♥ cilantro, to taste

Directions:
1. Soak frozen sea cucumber and dried mushrooms.
2. Wash, squeeze, slice mushrooms. Massage mushrooms with sesame oil, sugar, and garlic.
3. Heat non-stick frying pan and sautee mushrooms over high heat until fragrant.
4. Add and spread sea cucumber on the pan, add water to cover sea cucumber.
5. After water is boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until sea cucumber turn chewy. Stir occasionally.
6. Garnish with cilantro.



Tips:
♥  If you use fresh mushrooms, use as soon as possible after purchase.
♥ To ensure thorough cleansing of mushroom, invert and run water down their umbrellas.
♥ Initially, I wanted to buy oyster sauce. Reading the ingredients of oyster sauce sold raised a concern that many of them contains (MSG).
♥ Peiling Goh, in her book Falling in love with confinement, suggests that we can substitute oyster sauce with black bean paste.



Other recipes that I love:
♥ stewed pork ribs with sea cucumber @ Cook with Kathy
♥ braised sea cucumber with fish maw casserole @ The Jane Channel
♥ braised mushroom with sea cucumber using slow cooker @ The Cuisine Paradise by Ellena Guan
♥ braised pork knuckles with sea cucumber @ Nasi Lemak Lover by Sonia
♥ stewed sea cucumber and pork ribs  @ More than a Mile by Hsia Lei

Check also our other #5minutemeal recipes.

With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140321*

* Happy birthday Yanfeng!

easy tasty sweet potato recipe by ServicefromHeart

Tender and buttery sweet potatoes make a filling meal that goes well with fragrant cilantro, sweet honey and pungent raw garlic.



I am happy that today I managed to shop for red sweet potatoes from Malaysia at Cold Storage Novena. In term of easy-to-peel shapes, I prefer sweet potatoes sold at Cold Storage than at NTUC Fairprice, though the latter sells cheaper.



Eating humble root vegetables like sweet potatoes always reminds me on humility and versatility. In the past, our Indonesian friends brought us sweet potato chips as a snack souvenir upon returning to celebrate lebaran at kampung hometowns. Crispy companions for our chit-chats, sweet potatoes I love you! Food always remind us on family, friends and people. Every bite, every chew, and every swallow - brings all joyful memories.

Rich in vitamins A and C, sweet potatoes can be steamed, boiled, baked, mashed or deep-fried with a wide variety of ingredients. Instead of using oil for deep frying, next time I would consider (1) oven frying, to make sweet potatoes as a component for tempura and (2) a method combining of steaming and very shallow frying.

Serving: 1
Preparation and cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
♥ 3 medium (@100g) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
♥ 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered
♥ 1 strawberry, quartered
♥ 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
♥ 1 tbsp honey
♥ 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
♥ 1 tsp sesame oil
♥ 1 tsp sesame seeds
♥ 1 clove garlic, pressed
♥ pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Boil sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes or until tenderly soft.
2. Mix oil, balsamic vinegar, honey, garlic, pepper. Toss tomatoes and strawberries with the seasoning mixture.
3. Drain sweet potatoes well, leave to steam dry. Gently toss with the rest of ingredients.  
4. Sprinkle sesame seeds to garnish.

Tips:
♥ Don't throw away the water you used to boil sweet potatoes. Some nutrients from sweet potatoes are dissolved in it. Add the hot water to (pre-cooked, non-creamy) soup to make bowls of warm soup.* This way, we can save little gas or electricity.
♥ For variations, garnish with pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts e.g. pistachios, walnuts.
♥ Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark place. Do not refrigerate sweet potatoes, as they will dehydrate.

* For tonight meal, I mix the boiling water with six-flavor soup. Delicious! Mom advised us to start our meal with drinking soup, then wait ~15 minutes before continuing to the main course, so that our stomach will not overwork.



If this recipe takes too long, how is about other #5minutemeal recipes?

With love,
ServicefromHeart
20140221