This vegetable which has a very unique shape (hence its name), grows as a creeper and is a very good source of protein and contains all the amino acids, fatty acids and antioxidants to keep you healthy and in good shape.

However, it does not last long and it is recommended to eat them the very same day of purchase. Choose beans which have green edges.

We have this once in a blue moon, usually stir fried with dried prawns and chilli. Some people eat it raw or dipped into sambal.

This is my recipe for Four-Angled Beans with Dried Prawns and Chilli.

* Click on the picture for better view *

Ingredients

• 300 gms four-angled beans (cut diagonally thinly - about 3 mm thick)
• 50 gms dried prawns (pre-soaked)
• 3 bulbs shallots
• 3 bulbs garlic
• 3 to 4 red chillis (remove seed)
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
  
• 20 gms belacan (optional)

Method

Pound or blend dried prawns, shallots, garlic, chillis and belacan (optional). (paste)

Heat oil in wok. Add paste above and fry on medium heat till fragrant and slightly brown.

Increase heat to high and add four-angled beans and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Whilst stir frying, add sugar and a sprinkle of water to keep moist.

Serve warm.

Labels: Dinner, Lunch, Malaysian, Vegetable

Labels: Beancurd, Chinese, Dinner, Lunch

I like this dish as it compliments rice very well. The rich stew tastes heavenly when poured over the rice and the meat is usually very tender by the end of cooking time.

Tau Yu Bak can be cooked using either belly pork or even pork ribs. In this picture, pork ribs are used together with tau ki (which is soya sheets).

You can also add hard boiled eggs or even tau pok (fried beancurd) as extra ingredients.

Taste can be a matter of individual preference and also depends on the type of dark soya sauce you use. Dark soya sauce (and even light soya sauce for that matter) differs in taste from one brand to another due to the individual recipe in the fermentation process. Some tastes saltier than others. Some tastes sweeter than others. For us, we usually source our dark soya sauce from our hometown in Pontian Kecil, Johor, Malaysia.

My mum's recipe is as follows:-

• 300 gms of belly pork or pork ribs. (If belly pork is used, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (fat at the top, lean at bottom). If pork ribs are used, choose meaty ones and ask butcher to cut into 2 inch lengths)
• 100 gms of tau ki (also known as foo chok. Ask for stiff type)
  
• 5 to 8 chinese dried mushrooms (pre-soak till soft)
  
• 3 whole bulbs of garlic
• 2 bowls of warm water (approximately 500 mls)
  

• 3 tablespoons dark soya sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 2 star anise
• 3 inches ceylon cinnamon (kayu manis)
• salt to taste
• white pepper to taste

Labels: Chinese, Dinner, Lunch, Pork

Labels: Chinese, Dinner, Lunch, Vegetable

Ingredients

• 400 gms medium prawns
• 200 gms squid (cut into rings)
  
• 150 gms oyster mushrooms
• 100 gms baby corn (quarter-cut lengthwise)
• 3 tomatoes (quartered)
  
• 4 cups prawn / chicken stock
• Salt and sugar to taste
• 2 stalks lemon grass, bruised
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 4 fresh birds-eye chillies
• Lime juice to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 2 onions cut into rings
• 2 tablespoon tom yam paste (can be obtained from supermarkets)
  

Method

Shell and devein prawns. (The heads and shells can be boiled to make prawn stock)

Bring to boil 5 cups prawn / chicken stock. Add all the above ingredients (except prawns, squid, lime juice & coriander leaves) and simmer till baby corn and mushroom are cooked.

Add prawns and squid and simmer for three minutes, or just until prawns and squid are cooked.

Stir in lime juice to taste, making it nicely piquant. Serve sprinkled with coriander leaves

Labels: Dinner, Lunch, Soup, Thai

• 5 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
  
• 3 slices of old ginger (pound finely)
  
• 3 tablespoons of tau cheo (preserved soy beans in can / bottles which you can buy from supermarkets) (pound finely)
  
• 1 to 2 red chillis (chopped finely)
  
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Labels: Chinese, Dinner, Fish, Lunch

It is usually served with dhall or curry (chicken or fish). I like mine with curry and I usually start off by laying curry on the plate, followed by the Roti Canai and topped with another layer of curry.

Roti Canai is available in Malaysia and Singapore. I have not travelled to other countries in Asia ...so I am not in a position to comment on their availability elsewhere.

Enterprising and creative cooks have come out with variants of the Roti Canai and have put in various types of fillings such as egg, sardine in ketchup, bananas, cheese, onions and kaya.

No Roti Canai will be complete without the Teh Tarik (or "pulled tea"). For more information on Roti Canai, check out the Wikipedia.

Ingredient

• 500 gms Wheat flour, medium protein (Blue Ferry or Bintang)
• 15 gms Sugar
• 7.5 gms Salt
• 10 gms Condensed milk
• 10 gms Egg
• 10 gms Margarine
• 280 ml Water

Method

Dissolve sugar and salt in water. Add milk, egg and flour and blend well. Add the margarine.

Knead the dough until smooth and no longer sticky. Divide dough into 70 gms pieces.

Shape the dough into balls and coat with margarine. Cover the dough and leave for about five hours or overnight.

Gently press the dough with palm, stretching it slightly. Hold the dough and stretch to expand the dough piece. Repeat this step for about eight times.

Finally you should get a piece of thin sheet of dough. Fold up or coil into a lump.

Leave the dough for ten minutes. Fry on both sides over medium heat until golden brown.

Serve Roti Canai with Curry.

Labels: Breakfast, Indian, Malaysian

This is the first post in this blog.

I've pondered long and hard what recipe or Asian food I shall blog about. After much thought, I decided to share with you the humble "Egg Fried Rice". Why the Egg Fried Rice, you might ask?

Well, for starters, the very first dish I learnt to cook (after "graduating" from frying eggs) was Egg Fried Rice. I was only 11 years old then. It is a simple dish and sure fills the stomach. It is also popular in most chinese restaurants and take-aways.

This is my version of the no-frills Egg Fried Rice. Super simple and serves 2 persons.

Ingredients

• 2 cups / rice bowls cold cooked rice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 4 shallots (thinly sliced)

Seasoning :

• 1 ½ tsp light soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Garnishing:

• Chopped spring onions, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes

Method

Heat one to two tablespoons oil in a wok and fry shallots till fragrant and light brown. Remove fried shallots.

Whilst oil is still hot, add the rice and stir-fry well. Pour in seasoning and continue to stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Pour in eggs and fry until properly cooked. The rice should be coated and yellowish-brown in colour.

Sprinkle the fried shallots over the rice.

Dish out and serve with garnishing.

Labels: Chinese, Dinner, Lunch, Rice