Vegetarian Curry Mock Abalone Rice Vermicelli

Embrace simplicity ... enjoy here and now in order to discover the beauty of the present moment and simple thing.

A simple bowl of Curry Mock Abalone with Rice Vermicelli yet it can be quickly and easily transform to be served as a presentable party food. By adding some garnish or simple special ingredient like mock floss or crispy cereal with curry leaves or what you can think of, it will be a unique dish. 

P.S: Fresh veggies have vibrational frequencies which are not found in processed or canned food or meat that is beneficial to our body.  

Preparation:      5 mins, Cooking time:   5 mins

               

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         150g rice vermicelli, blanched in hot water and drained well

°         1 can vegetarian mock abalone, drained

°         1-2 tablespoons curry powder

°         3-5 tablespoons water

°         6 slices of carrot, shredded

°         1 tablespoon olive oil

°         salt to taste (optional)

°         some fresh Chinese celery (optional), for garnish

Method

1.   Mix the curry powder and chilli powder with 3 tablespoons of water to form curry paste and set aside.

2.   Heat oil in a non-stick wok. Stir in curry paste and fry over medium heat until fragrant. 

3.   Throw in vegetarian mock abalone and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes and off the heat.

4.   Add in rice vermicelli, carrot shreds and mix well. Sprinkle some water for easier tossing, if needed.  Season to taste with salt if necessary.

5.   Dish up, garnish with Chinese celery and serve immediately.

Angel 'N' Penne playing with Curry Leaves

This was an impromptu creation for dinner last night using whatever left over ingredients I have. Therefore, I didn't even write down the quality used for each ingredient. It was only after cooking, those curry leaves look so harmonize with the pasta, radiate a kind of simple beautiful energy that captured my heart.  Therefore I took a picture of it and share it with you.  

It could be I was experiencing a feeling of great satisfaction yesterday. I went for my 9th blood donation at Blood Bank [yep, passed haemoglobin check, Thalassemia Minor have a much higher requirement than normal person]. 

I have small vein and the staff nurse was surprised that my blood flow so smooth and fast that within 3 mins 47 secs, they collected 450ml of my blood (weight 45-50kg only 350ml blood will be taken, > 50kg 450ml blood will be taken). The fastest record according to her was a guy with big vein within 3 mins 20 secs.  The friendly staff-nurse really knows how to bring surprises to me.

Could it be the vegetarian diet or could it be I have drink lots of plain water prior to the blood donation that resulted such an uncongested good flow? I don't really know.

Few days back, I just attended an EFT (Emotional Freedom Workshop) conducted by Ms Tan Hwee San (Counsellor and Healer), learning a little about Emotional Acupressure and Energy Psychology. On my way to the blood bank which was about 1 hour train journey and having nothing to do, I started to do some simple tapping near the end points of my energy circuits or meridians. Maybe, that also helps to create that small wonder too.

Back to this pasta, it calls for pasta, minced garlic (optional), curry leaves fried in olive oil, salt and curry power for garnishing.  So just play with any ingredients, have no expectation and be surprise by the outcome ... 

Quick Dumpling 'N' Noodle Soup

Cooking for ONE can be Simple and Easy. Crave for some soupy noodle, just whip this just like cooking a bowl of instant noodle!

While volunteering at the VSS Exhibition @ KMSPKS lately, it was amazing meeting people from different walks of life via the exchange of a sincere beautiful smile and a nod and VSS flyers or just intriguing small talks. Every contact is a unique and beautiful experience which I treasure. By embracing the differences we have, it leads to more discoveries which I believe the benefit is beyond our sight.

A gentleman (semi-veg*n, who have successfully go meatless for 49 days in one go, on yearly basis, personally I think with given opportunities and unleashing the inner potential,he would could have gone far beyond ...) has honestly told me that going vegetarian on a daily basis in long term is difficult because no good vegetarian eateries at his area and mock meat dishes are strongly been emphasis could drive away the enthusiasm on Going Green. Yes, he is right, I do find that that the standard of Vegetarian Restaurants raised very fast and high but the standard of the some normal Vegetarian Eateries in coffee shop or food court dropped.  This could be a temporary phenomenon.

Anyway, I do appreciate whatever input I got and will hold these questions in my mind, let the subconscious work with them while I am on another QUEST. Hope to discover their magic via questioning [not answers], which are I think is essential for unlocking the creativity.  

So, I should be creating more "Go Solo, Dine Solo" home-style cooking recipes with real simple ingredients just like this, when I have the time ...

Preparation:     10 mins Cooking time: 10 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 1)

°         100g Sanuki Udon

°         few slices carrot

°         1 piece Chinese cabbage/ wok bak  

°         6 fresh beans

°         3-4 instant vegetarian dumplings

°         400ml water

°         salt and pepper, to taste

°         granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

°         some shredded nori and roasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Method

1.    Place udon, cabbage and water in a pot and bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.

2.    Add in vegetarian dumplings, carrot  and fresh bean and bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.

3.    Garnish with shredded nori and sesame seeds. Serve with a small plate of sliced red chilli with light soy sauce. 

Quick Bitter Gourd 'N' Tofu Noodle Soup

Cooking for ONE can be simple, easy and yet nutritious too!

Preparation:     10 mins Cooking time: 10 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 1)

°         50g bean vermicelli

°         50g bitter gourd, sliced

°         1 tomato, cut into quarters

°         1/4 pack silken tofu

°         few slices carrot

°         few vegetarian mushroom

°         2 slices deep-fried beancurd skin (optional)

°         375ml water

°         salt and pepper, to taste

°         granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

Method

1.    Place bean vermicelli and water in a pot and bring to a boil and simmer 3-5 minutes.

2.    Add in bitter gourd, tomato, tofu, carrot, vegetarian mushroom and beancurd skin and bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.

3.    Serve with a small plate of sliced red chilli with light soy sauce. 

Vegetarian Zha Jiang Inaka Soba

A bowl of simple homemade Zha Jiang for noodle! Replace with your own prefer noodle such as sanuki udon, if desired. Top with shredded carrot or cucumber, if the ingredients are available.

Preparation:    15 mins Cooking time:    8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g inaka soba, cooked

°         1 can mock meat in mushroom sauce (brand: cixin vegetarian)

°         125g tempeh, cut into mini cubes

°         75g firm tofu, pat dry and scrambled

°         2½ olive oil

°         5-6 tablespoons water

°         some coriander leaves, sliced chilli and sesame seeds (optional), for garnish

Method

1.    Heat the oil in a wok. Throw in the tempeh and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

2.    Add in scrambled tofu and fry until rather dry.  Pour in mock meat in mushroom sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute.

3.    To serve, divide soba between serving plates. Ladle the Zha Jiang sauce on the individual serving plates. Garnish with coriander leaves, chilli, sesame seeds and serve.  

Inaka Soba 'N' Baked Bean

Simple cooking and eating plus do not have to cost a fortune. It is easier than you think. 

Just cook the Inaka Soba per the instruction on the packet.  Next open a can of Baked Bean. Steam or heat the Baked Bean, if desired.

What's the next step? Just add the Baked Bean to the Inaka Soba.

What could make it more interesting and appetizing? Garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves or  nori shreds or sesame seeds or ....

Fancy a spicy version, just sprinkle some chilli flake or paprika!

That's! Real simple. 

Mock Shark’s Fin Ramen

Ready-to-cook Mock Shark's Fin 250g S$8.50

After having the delicious Mini Pot Vegetarian Shark’s Fin at Eight Treasures Vegetarian Restaurant in Singapore Chinatown, it strikes a chord - that Shark’s Fin itself is bland and it needs other ingredients and good tasty broth to enhance its soft gelatinous texture. Therefore, why kill Sharks for their fin, after all preparing Shark’s Fin is so labour intensive, so go for the mock Shark’s Fin which has its texture.

So, I bought 250g ready-to-cook Mock Shark’s Fin @ S$8.50 and decide to cook this noodle. However, a lazy person like me, who won’t spend time making good tasty broth, I used granulated mushroom bouillon and light soy sauce for the soup based, which of course lack the natural sweetness of good broth you would find in a good restaurant.

The mock shark’s fin itself is tasteless, I tried to cut short the progress by adding Vegetarian Oyster sauce, light sauce to it and steamed for 10 minutes. The amount of Vegetarian Oyster sauce should have been reduced, as it gives the mock shark’s fin a not so natural colour. The process should be changed to simmer instead. Since this should be a simple bowl of Shark’s Fin noodle and I decided to arrange the main ingredient - mock shark fin on top of the noodle.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

 2 Japanese Ramen, cooked

Mock Sharks’ Fin

 100g mock sharks’ fin

 2 – 3 teaspoons vegetarian oyster sauce

 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

 pepper to taste

 100ml water or vegetable stock

 2 teaspoons corn starch

Broth

 600ml water or vegetable stock

 2 chinese dried mushroom, soaked and sliced

 2/3 teaspoon granulated mushroom bouillon

 ¼ teaspoon salt

 1 teaspoon light soy sauce

 ¼ teaspoon shallot/olive oil

Garnish

 some freshly spring onion or coriander leaves

Method

1. Combine all the mock Shark’s Fin ingredients in a bowl and steamed for 10 minutes and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, place the mushroom and water/vegetable stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Season to taste with granulated mushroom bouillon, salt, light soy sauce, oil and pepper. Set aside.

3. Arrange the cooked ramen in each individual bowl and top with the mushroom. Ladle the soup into each individual serving bowls.

4. Place the mock shark’s fin on top, garnish with spring onion or coriander and serves immediately.

Super Simple Soupy Wonton Wrapper Noodle ...

When writing the post (Revolutionized instead of Veganized), I recalled my late mother brought back some dried wonton wrappers from Malaysia few decades ago. She used them to cook a piping hot soupy "wonton wrappers" noodle for us. I could not remember what soup base or ingredients she used now. But what still lingers in my mind is the delicious silky smooth wonton skin …

Am I craving for this – No, of course not! It is just to share some information, hopefully new ideas leads to new thinking about Vegetarian Food. As a Vegetarian or Vegan, in fact, you still can have fun with food and enjoy terrific food … 

So, I made myself a bowl for lunch – super easy and simple. Just remember, when cooking the wonton wrapper in boiling water, don’t throw it all together! Gently one by one or few pieces by few pieces in ample boiling water, so it will not stick together. After that, add them to the soup or broth. I cut the normal wonton wrapper into 4 small squares portion prior to cooking it.

The key to this is good broth, if not substitute with granulated mushroom bouillon and soy sauce and drizzle some shallot/sesame oil. Garnish with spring onion or Chinese celery. Is this too plain, add some mushrooms – pair with right type of mushroom or pair with veggie side dishes or a plate of Dry Instant Noodle or whatever you desire or …

  

This dish is good for very young kids  …

Simplified Dry Tom Yum Vermicelli

This might be a good, pretty simple to whip up and yet impressive item for party or fun fair, as all the ingredients can be prepared in advance and just mixed them prior to serving and it will not go wrong at all even without any stir-frying.

This can also be an item that can be given to your helpful guests who want to help out in your party or easy task for little boys and girls to do. Remember to taste and add more lime juice or tom yum paste if necessary. Use shallot oil instead of olive oil, have some fresh shallot slices, if desired. Pea shoots is too common to add as addition green veggies for this dish, try something else … julienned green mango or something that does not required too much work …

How about putting in a beautiful bento box with some fruit/veggie salad or a cup of lovely smoothies/juices/soya blends plus crispy cracker and take it to work for lunch?

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 8 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-8)
° 150g rice vermicelli, cooked according to packet’s instruction
° 1 firm tofu, cubed and pan-fried
° 1 stalk lemongrass, peel off outer layers leaving tender whitish centre, cut out 5cm, thinly sliced
° 5-6 kaffir lime leaves, finely cut/snip just before using
° 25g carrot, shredded
° some fresh coriander leaves, for garnish
° 1 fresh red chilli or 3 chilli padi, sliced
° some toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Tom Yum Sauce
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 2 tablespoons vegetarian tom yum paste or to taste
° 2 tablespoons light soy sauce or to taste
° 2 tablespoons (4 limes) freshly squeezed kalamansi lime juice
° 4 tablespoons (60ml) water
° ¾ tablespoon sugar or to taste

Method
1. Place the Tom Yum sauce ingredients in a bowl and mixed well.
2. In a big bowl, throw in the vermicelli, corianders, chilli, tofu, carrot, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves.
3. Pour the Tom Yum sauce over, toss and mix well. Sprinkle some water if it is too dry. Taste and add more Tom Yum Paste (more fiery and spicy) or lime juice, if necessary. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

My Miso Japanese Ramen (Vegetarian/Vegan)

Miso Ramen with okra, shiitake mushroom and carrot toppings Miso Ramen with nori shreds, shanghai green, mock meat and carrot toppings

Have I gone crazy about Ramen? No, not me! Just to finish up all the Ramen that was sitting in the freezer, so I decide to have a different variant – Miso. Miso Broth for Japanese Ramen is common. Veg*n version is not difficult to recreate. Of course, if you have good broth, it definitely gives this dish a boost. As for the shiitake mushroom and okra, you can blanch them in the broth prior to adding miso and rice wine to broth.

Oh yeah, keep the kelps to make a Seasoned Kelps side dish or added to this Miso Ramen if desired. Shredded kelps might looks more appealing compare to kelps in knots.

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 Japanese Ramen, cooked
° 2 okra, sliced lengthwise and blanched
° 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, blanched
° 10 slices carrot, for garnish
° some freshly spring onion, shredded or chopped

Broth
° small handful kelps in knot
° 3 slices ginger
° 750ml water
° 1 tablespoon miso or to taste
° 1 tablespoon rice wine (optional)

Method
1. Place the kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove all the ingredients. Season to taste with miso and rice wine.
2. Meanwhile, place the ramen in each individual bowl, top okra, mushroom, spring onion and carrot.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Dried Japanese Ramen (Vegetarian/Vegan)

This is real simple! What you need to do is to cook the Japanese Ramen based on the instruction given on the packaging. Using Vegetarian BBQ Sauce沙茶酱) to transform it to a bowl of palatable Dried Japanese Ramen. Add a bit of olive oil to the Ramen so that it does not stick together. Or add some vegetable stock to make it tastier. As for the topping, any ingredients you prefer. I like to use King Oyster Mushroom, as it is easily available and the price is reasonable, it gives some textures to this dish. Opt for Bailing Mushroom (which has the abalone texture) specially braised if prefer to give a more posh feel. Pair this with a decent small bowl of soup to make it perfect!

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 Japanese Ramen, cooked
° 50g king oyster mushroom, sliced and blanced/cooked
° 10 slices carrot, for garnish
° some freshly spring onion, shredded or chopped
° Vegetarian BBQ sauce (沙茶酱) to taste

Method
1. Place the ramen in each individual bowl, top with the king oyster mushroom, spring onion, carrot and Vegetarian BBQ sauce. Serving bowls and serve immediately.

Scrumptious Japanese Ramen (Vegetarian/Vegan)

HA! I finally whipped up a bowl of delicious Japanese Ramen at home using whether ingredients that I can find in the refrigerator late last evening!

It is difficult to find Japanese Ramen here in Vegetarian or Non-Vegetarian eateries. In best Ramen eateries (non-vegetarian), the soup broth is a Big NO-NO for veg*n as it calls for pork bone or fish even if they offer Veggie Ramen or Mushroom Ramen! As for the Vegetarian eateries, there are serving China Ramen style and not the Japanese Ramen.

Use your own version vegetable stock or mushroom stock, if desired. I added a distinctive seasoning (e.g Vegetarian BBQ Sauce沙茶酱) to transform the quick vegetable broth into a restaurant-quality Ramen. As for the topping, be inventive and flexible, lady-finger, alfalfa with avocado, lettuce shreds, snow peas, veggies tempura, mint, nori, kelps, wolfberries, it can be any fine ingredients as long as it goes well with Ramen in taste and the whole presentation.

As for the broth, you can add cabbage or kelps or soy beans, and cook longer to extract the sweetness from these ingredients. For an impatient person like me, I chopped up the vegetable into small pieces and shorten it to half an hour. You can use miso, tom yum or whatever for the broth … feel like making another Ramen for lunch ...

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 Japanese Ramen, cooked
° 50g king oyster mushroom, sliced
° 10 slices carrot, for garnish
° some freshly spring onion, shredded or chopped
° 4-6 pieces agedashi tofu or deep-fried tofu

Broth
° 2 stalks celery, sliced
° 1 (100g) carrot, sliced
° 6 seedless red dates
° 3 slices ginger

° 1 litre water
° salt to taste
° 1 tablespoon Vegetarian BBQ sauce (沙茶酱)or to taste

Method
1. Place the celery, carrot, red dates, king oyster mushroom, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the king oyster mushroom and set aside. Discard the rest of the vegetable. Season to taste with salt and Vegetarian BBQ sauce.
2. Meanwhile, place the ramen in each individual bowl, top with the king oyster mushroom, agedashi tofu, spring onion and carrot.
3. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and serve immediately.

Dried Green Curry Udon

I had cooked this dish "It's OK to be Wrong" Dried Green Curry Udon before but was a failure. Finally, I gave it another try it. Slightly better than the previous creation. In fact, some deep-fried tofu mini cube or toasted tempeh cube or mushroom or young corn can be added. Replace the udon with pasta, if desired.

Preparation: 10 mins Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 1 pack (200g) udon noodle, blanched
° 20g basil leaves
° 1 kaffir lime leave (optional)
° 1 tablespoon green curry paste
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 125ml fresh coconut milk or soy milk
° salt to taste
° 2 dried chilli, sliced and pan fried/toasted

Method
1. Combine the basil leaves and coconut milk in a blender and blend. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a wok. Add the green curry paste, kaffir lime leaves and fry till fragrant.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Season to taste with salt.
4. Add in the udon and mix well.
5. Garnish with dried chilli and serve immediately.

Udon in Tomato Soup

Now, the previous tomato soup recipe can also be used as a soup base for udon or even pasta or ramen! The goodness of tomatoes, rich in Vitamin A & C and contain Vitamin B too. Also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and dietary fibre.

Preparation: 10 mins Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 2 packs (400g) udon
° 800g tomatoes
° 100g king oyster mushroom
° 2 slice ginger
° 1 tablespoon olive oil
° 1½ tablespoon tomatoes sauce
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° salt and pepper to taste
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste
° 1 tablespoon corn flour, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
° ½ sheet nori, toasted and shredded

Method
1. Place tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend well. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
3. Throw in the king oyster mushroom and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
4. Pour in the tomatoes puree and bring to a boil. Season to taste with tomatoes sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and granulated mushroom bouillon.
5. Divide the udon into individual serving bowls.
6. Ladle the soup into the udon, garnish with nori shreds and serve hot.

Vermicelli Salad

Another healthy and easy salad dish, almost no-cooking required except for blanching the Brown Rice Vermicelli in boiling water. Brown Rice Vermicelli is high in fiber and good for our health. You can add some oil (sesame/shallot/garlic/ginger) to it to prevent it sticking together and at the same time add some fragrant to it. I added lettuce leave here to up the fiber intake. Again the amount of carrot and cucumber shreds and herbs to be added depends on individual preference. Remember to add mint leaves, it is A MUST. You will understand what I mean if you taste it …

Preparation: 15 mins

Ingredients (makes 2-4)
° 150g blanched brown rice vermicelli, mixed with 1 teaspoon olive or fragrant oil
° 25g shredded carrot
° 50g shredded cucumber
° few onion slices (optional)
° 1 lettuce leave (optional) for garnish
° some mint and coriander leaves
° some toasted/roasted sesame seeds

Chilli Dipping Sauce
° 2 fresh red chilli padi, sliced
° 2 teaspoons sugar or to taste
° 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
° 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
° 1 teaspoon olive oil (optional)
° 5-6 kalamansi limes, freshly squeezed

Method
1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
2. Place the brown rice vermicelli, carrot shreds, cucumber shreds, onion slices, mint leaves, coriander leaves on a serving plate. Garnish with sesame seeds and chilli slices.
3. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Vegetarian Au Lac Pho

I have never tasted the non-vegetarian Au Lac Pho before, but I had the vegetarian version of it at Loving Hut at Suntec City Mall, Sky Garden. I like the herbs especially the mint leaves in this Vietnamese soupy noodle. Therefore, I whipped up a modified, simplified version and have that for quick lunch … I didn’t have green lime, so I used lemon which I find in my kitchen. As for the vegetarian fishball, I just added one to make it looks nice, it is optional. As for red dates, I used it to sweeten the soup base, omit it if you find using it too ‘heaty’ for the body.

I know just having this for lunch is insufficient and as Vegetarian I must eat well and, have a balanced diet. Just that today, I am real lazy, so I allow myself a break and shall remember to eat well tomorrow.

Preparation: 10 mins Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 200g , blanched rice noodle/Kway Teow
° 25g beansprout, tailed and blanched
° Some basil leaves
° Some mint leaves
° 1 wedge green lime or yellow lemon
° 3 chinese dried mushrooms
° 1 vegetarian fishball (optional)
° 3 seedless red dates (optional)
° 1 slices ginger
° 300ml water or vegetable stock
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° granulated mushroom bouillon (optional), to taste

Chilli Sauce
° 1/4 teaspoon sugar
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1-2 red or green chilli padi, sliced

Method
1. Combine the sugar and light soy sauce for the chilli sauce in a small serving plate and mix well. Add in chilli and set aside.
2. Place the mushrooms and water in a pot and soak for 15 minutes. Add in red dates, ginger and bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with light soy sauce and granulated mushroom bouillon.
3. Place the noodle, bean sprout, basil leaves and mint leaves in a serving bowl. Pour in the soup. Serve immediately with the chilli sauce and lime or lemon.

Simplified Vegetarian Dried Pawn Mee

This bottle of Vegetarian Penang Pawn Mee Paste (from Friendly Vegetarian Supplier) comes handy. If you want a quick dried noodle dish, just used it together with vegetarian belacan powder , oil and toss well with blanched cooked yellow noodle/hokkien mee. I added some toasted vegetarian belacan to give it a more robust tasty, omit this if you don’t have any on hand. You can add some water convolvulus/kangkong, if desired.

Preparation: 5 mins Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
° 200g hokkien mee, blanched
° 1½ -2 tablespoons Vegetarian Penang Pawn Mee paste, or to taste
° ¾ teaspoon toasted vegetarian belacan powder (optional), or to taste
° 1 tablespoon shallot oil or olive oil
° a small handful fresh spring onion or fresh coriander leaves, for garnish
° some deep-fried shallot (optional), for garnish
° 1 chilli padi (optional), sliced

Method
1. Mix hokkien mee with Vegetarian Penang Pawn paste, vegetarian belacan powder, oil and spring onion or coriander leaves. Toss evenly. If it is too dry, just add a little bit of hot water. Divide hokkien mee between individual serving plates.
2. Garnish with deep-fried shallot, spring onion or coriander leaves and serves.

Cha Soba with Sweet Miso

If you are running out of time to prepare the sauce for cha soba, you can consider using this – sweet miso paste … Toss well, garnish with more shredded nori and sesame seeds before tucking in … Or you can divide this into 4-8 smaller portions and serve that as a appetizer.

By the way, the dipping sauce with grated diakon for Agedashi Tofu goes well with cha soba too. So, unleash your creativity and churn up some new recipes for cha soba! Explore and have some fun …

Preparation: 5 mins Total time: 5 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 100g cha soba, cooked
° some roasted sesame seeds, for garnish
° some nori shreds, for garnish
° few slices spring onion or coriander leaves (optional), for garnish

Sweet Miso Paste
° ¾ tablespoon miso paste
° 1 tablespoon hot water
° 1 tablespoon sugar
° 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Method
1. To make the miso paste: combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
2. Place the cha soba on a serving plate and top with sweet miso paste.
3. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on it, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves, nori shreds and serve.

Summer Noodles with Vegetable (Bibim Guksu)

Well, Bibim guksu, is a popular traditional cold noodle dish using thin wheat flour noodles called somyeon and a special spicy, sweet and sour sauce. You can cook this in advance since this is a cold noodle dish. This is something like Bibimbap and you can add any vegetable like shredded cucumber or nori shred to it. In here I used dried udon noodle - Kiw Ami Udon which I got from Daiso.

Preparation: 20 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 100g dried udon noodle or wheat flour noodles , cooked
° 25g carrot, shredded
° 25g lettuce, shredded
° 1 (25g) tempeh, diced, mix well with chinese 5 spices salt or BBQ salt and panfried for 1-2 minutes
° 2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced and blanched
° some roasted sesame seeds

Sauce
° 2 tablespoon gochujang (Korean Hot Bean Paste)
° 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
° 1 teaspoon sesame oil
° 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
° 1 tablespoon water
° ½ teaspoon sugar

Method
1. Place all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. Place the noodle on a serving plate and garnish with sesame seed. Arrange shredded carrot, lettuce, tempeh and mushroom. Serve with the sauce.

Simple Claypot Noodle

Crave for claypot noodle? No problem, it can be easily done in 10 minutes. Here is the simple recipe for it.

The bad news for me, is that I broke my camera yesterday while rushing to take picture, get ready for dinner, listening and commenting on my boy’s day in school. Moral of the story – never multitasks! So until I can a new one, I might not be able to post any recipe even I have quite a long list of to-do dishes. The good news, I still have 2-3 more recipes haven’t post yet and to think positively I can have a longer break again! Thinking of spending money to get a new camera is real heartache, so to comfort myself – all things are impermanence … Any suggestions for good and reasonable price camera are always welcome, thank you :)

Preparation: 10 mins, Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients (serves 1)
° 250g fresh cooked noodle, blanched
° 3-4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
° 100g cai xin, cut into small section
° 1 slice ginger
° 375ml water
° ½ teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

Seasoning
° 2 tablespoons vegetarian oyster sauce, or to taste
° 3 tablespoons water
° 1 tablespoon corn flour

Method
1. Combine all seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
2. Place ginger, mushroom and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 mins.
3. Throw in the cai xin, noodle and seasoning and bring to a boil.
4. Serve immediately.