Braised Seafood Noodles

Hi, it's a brand new week again and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and not having any Monday blues today. By the time you read on this "scheduled" post, we were away for June school holidays vacation. And since it's Monday, I prepared this "one-pot dish" recipe which could be done in 10 minutes with some pre-preparation of the ingredients.

Braised Seafood Noodles is always one of my favourite noodles dish which sometime I would also cook a similar version using different type of noodles such as rice vermicelli, thick yellow noodles or Macaroni.

BRAISED SEAFOOD NOODLES

(Serves: 2-3 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients:
500g Flat Yellow Noodles
8-10 Medium Prawn, trimmed
150g Lean Meat, sliced
2 Fishcake, sliced
2 Eggs, beaten
1 Red Onion, sliced
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Small Carrot, sliced
1/4 Portion of Chinese Cabbage, sliced
250ml Swanson Chicken Broth
1 Teaspoon Of Oyster Sauce, optional

Method:-
1. Heat up frying pan with 1 teaspoon of oil (swirling around the pan). Slowly pour in beaten egg, swirl the pan and evenly spread out the egg mixture to fry the omelette.

2. When done, remove and set aside to cool before slicing it into thin strips. Using the pan and 1 teaspoon of oil, lightly fry both side of the fishcake till slightly brown. Remove and set aside.

3. Place flat yellow noodles in a big mixing bowl, pour boiling water to cover the noodles and at the same time use the chopstick to loosen up the noodles. (this is to get ride of the oil and yeast smell of the noodles)

4. Stand the noodles in hot water for about 2 minutes. Pour away the water and rinse it 2 - 3 times. Drain well and set aside.

5. Add 1 tablespoon of oil in the frying pan, saute onion, garlic, spring onion and carrot till fragrance. Add in marinated lean pork and give it a quick toss till almost cooked through.

6. Stir in Chinese Cabbage and continue to fry for another minute, pour in chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce.

7. Next add in prawns and cook till it changed colour, stir in the blanched flat yellow noodles, fish cake and let it braised for another minute or two.

8. Remove from heat, garnish noodles with fried shallot, cut chilli and some spring onion and coriander. Serve immediately.

Hope you like this quick and easy "one-pot dish" which would help to cut down some cooking time on busy weekdays dinner. And just a quick tip, prepare necessary ingredients the night before so that you would have ample time preparing this dish when you reached home. This dish is quite dry like those sold at Cze Char Stall, so if you prefer something soupy increase the chicken broth to 1 Litre plus another 500ml of hot water.

ThaiExpress 2013 New Revamp Menu

This year 2013, ThaiExpress has launching a new menu with over 130 items. The revamp menu aims to freshen up local diners' palate with new items inspired by authentic Thai dishes from different parts of Thailand. The new menu also highlights popular Thailand's street snacks, salad, noodles and etc which patrons will be able to satisfy their Thai cravings at a whole new level of dining while ThaiExpress reveals the hidden Thai delicacies to Singapore.

This new revamp menu is available at all 24 ThaiExpress outlets located islandwide.

Naam Ma Toom - Traditional Thai Herbal Drink @ S$6.20

For a start, I have a cup of this Naam Ma Toom which is a Traditional Thai Herbal Drink on their new revamp menu. This herbal drink is brew using Bael Fruit (巴埃尔) and it is considered as a health drink in Thailand. For your information this drink is supposed to be good for cleansing the stomach and helping digestion too. I love the refreshing and light after taste fragrance which resemble rose / fruity flavour.

Thai Chendol (Chilled) @ S$6.80

Khoa Tang Naa Tang @ S$7.90

I must have missed this popular Bangkok street food during my recent visit two months back. This Khoa Tang Naa Tang is served by placing some Creamy Chicken and Shrimp Sauce on top of the crispy Thai Rice Cracker.

Top Rice Cracker with Creamy Chicken Filling and eat it while hot.

Gai Op Pattaya @ S$9.90

Although I have not being to Pattaya before, but with the new revamp menu at ThaiExpress I am able to try their Gai Op Pattaya which is a Thai-style Roasted Chicken.  The roasted chicken drumstick is tender and juicy with a light lemongrass and herbs aroma which goes well with accompany soya dipping sauce and cucumber salad.

Kway Teow Lui Suan @ S$9.30

{MUST TRY} Kway Teow Lui Suan also known as Thai-style DIY Minced Chicken and Dry Kway Teow Salad is a great appetizer to start with. Although it might be a little messy when handling this salad dish (as you need to wrap up the minced meat filling using lettuce and rice noodle sheets) but with a few hands-on I am sure you would be able to do a great job on wrapping it too. Overall we love the taste of the flavoursome minced meat mixture which pairs well with the crunchy lettuce and soft rice sheet. Quite similar to the Vietnamese spring roll concept but with different fillings. 

Steps On How To Wrap Kway Teow Lui Suan

Kway Teow Sukhothai @ S$11.30

{MUST TRY} Kway Teow Sukhothai is one of the popular noodle dish from Sukhothai which is a province of Thailand. At first glance, you might have a perception like us that this bowl of noodle would be "extremely" spicy due to it's fiery red colour. But surprisingly it has an addictive taste that cross between sweet, spicy and sour which quite similar to our local Mee Siam.

Khao Tom Pla  @ S$9.30

For kids or someone who don't take spicy food, ThaiExpress's new revamp menu has introduce a new dish known as Khao Tom Pla which is a Thai-style Fish Porridge.  This fragrance porridge comes in generous portion that toppings with some fried garlic and Chinese coriander to enhance the taste. With that, there is also a special dipping sauce for the fish that taste like mixture of light soy sauce, fermented soybeans, grated ginger and etc.

Although this might not be the same fish porridge like those sold in the hawker center or foodcourt which use Mackerel or Grouper fish but for a chance, this is indeed something that taste good too.

Ta Kor S$6.80

Mun Cheam @ S$5.30

To complete the meal, we tried two of their new desserts which are Ta Kor and Mun Cheam. For those with sweet-tooth, Ta Kor which is a famous Thai fragrant pandan jelly with coconut custard and corn kernels would be a great choice for dessert.

 For me if to choose between the two desserts mentioned, I would go for Mun Cheam which is steamed sweet potato with coconut milk. Surprisingly this steamed sweet potato comes with a crunchy outer skin and firm texture when compared to the usual steamed potato which is soft. On top of that, Khao Niao Mamuang (sweet glutinous rice with fresh mango and coconut milk) and Thai Chendol are my favourite dessert from ThaiExpress too.

Lastly I would like to thank ThaiExpress and Chantel for hosting us on the tasting.

3 New Seah's Spices - Kung Pao Spices, Singapore Noodles Spices And Singapore Fried Rice Spices

Even though I love to use fresh ingredients and herbs in my daily cooking but sometime I do have packets of instant sauce, spices, food and etc in my kitchen pantry to stock up for days where I just wish to cook simple and yet decent dishes for the family.

In this post, I am trying out some pre-packed spices which were given by SEAH'S Spices to test out their new products. And as a fan's of SEAH'S Spices especially their Bak Kuet Teh (recipe) and Emperor Herbal Chicken Spices (recipe) which are our family favourite, I am more than willing to try out their new spices.

As most of you would known, Seah's spices is 100% locally made in Singapore since 1991 and it is also a leading local brand which is available in all supermarkets and provision stores in Singapore. Recently Seah's Spices has launched 3 NEW spices packet which are Singapore Noodles Spices, Singapore Fried Rice Spices and Kung Pao Spices.

Each of these spices above has it's own distinctive flavour which you could incorporate it into your daily cooking to impress your loved one with local delight at the ease of home dining. And also most importantly these spices are with "NO added preservatives and colourings" as well as "NO added MSG".

SEAH'S KUNG PAO SPICES

Out of the 3 given spices, I am more interested in their Kung Pao Spices which comes in "powder" form instead of the usual "pre-mixed sauce" that are available in the supermarket. According to the cooking instructions given, the chicken has to be deep-fried before mixing with the spices but for my case on a healthier version I just pan-fried the chicken using Happy Call Pan.

(Serves: 2 - 3  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 20 minutes)

Ingredients:
1/2 Portion of Chicken, chopped into pieces
1 Medium Brown Onion, cut into wages
6 Dried Chilli, pre-soak in hot water till soften
1 Stalk Spring Onion, cut into sections
Some Red and Green Chilli (optional), sliced
1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
1/2 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine
1 Packet of Seah's Kung Pao Spices

Method:-
1. Coat and marinate chicken pieces with Seah's spices from the "White Coloured Sachet" found in the packet for about 2 minutes.

2. Preheat Happy Call Pan (HCP) and lightly oil with 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Arrange chicken pieces in the pan, cover and cook for 4 - 5 minutes each side or till chicken is cook with brown outer skin.

3. Removed the chicken, coat it evenly with the spices from the "Red Coloured Sachet" and set side.

4. Add in 1 Tablespoon of oil to the pan, stir-fry onion, chillies and spring onion till fragrant.

5. Stir in the meat and spices and continue to cook for another 1/2 minutes on low heat, covered.

6. Drizzle white vinegar and wine mixture together on the cooked chicken, give it a quick toss and serve hot with steamed rice.

For me, I did not add in the whole packet of  the "Red Coloured Sachet" (still balance 1/4 packet) and I also added in some sliced fresh chilli so my version of Kung Pao dish is a bit spicy. And after eating a piece or two of the chicken you would feel a "numb" after taste feeling on your tongue due to the spices used.

SEAH'S SINGAPORE NOODLES SPICES

At first when I look at the Noodles Spices I thought it was Singapore Chao Mian Spices. Whenever I order noodles from the Cze Char stall, I would always go for either fried noodles or fried bee hoon if I am not having my usual Fried Hor Fun (fried rice noodles). But now with Seah's new Singapore Noodles Spices I could use it on different types of noodles or even pasta to create new dishes with distinctive Singapore flavour.

(Serves: 4 | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 15 minutes)

Ingredients:
500g Fresh Noodles or 3 Pieces Instant Noodles
200g Chinese Cabbage, sliced
100g Char Siew (BBQ pork), diced
8 - 10 Prawns, shelled and devein
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
1 Medium Brown Onion, sliced
1 Stalk Spring Onion, cut into section
1 Red Chilli, sliced

Method:-
1. Bring a pot of water to boil, blanched or cook noodles according, rinse, drain well and set aside.

2. Meanwhile preheat wok/frying pan with 1/2 tablespoon oil, pour in the beaten eggs to the centre of the pan, tilting the pan so that the eggs spread out evenly over the bottom.

3. Cook until the eggs have set on the bottom, using a spatula flip it over and cook on the other side for a minute or two till set. Remove and set aside till cool before slicing it into egg strips.

3. Next add in another 1/2 Tablespoon of oil, saute onion, spring onion, chilli and prawns together till it is slightly pink in colour.

4. Stir in vegetables and continue to cook till vegetables is soften and prawns are cooked through.

5. Toss in cooked noodles and Seah's Noodles Spices evenly over the mixture and stir-fry for 3 minutes on medium heat.

6. Lastly turn off the heat, stir-in char siew and egg strips. Divide noodles on serving plates and serve hot.

Our opinion this Seah's Noodle Spices has a after taste that resemble instant "Mee Goreng" noodle perhaps due to the spices used. For this recipe, I used the dried egg noodles instead of fresh yellow noodles because we preferred a more springy texture for our fried noodles. Overall we do love the taste of this fried noodles and I am sure it would be something new to share during coming festive season as one of the potluck dishes.

SEAH'S SINGAPORE FRIED RICE SPICES

Since I am not a fan of "fried rice" I don't really get any fried rice spices for my pantry. Even if I would to cook fried rice, it would be just using simple seasoning such as light/dark soy sauce with some frozen mixed vegetables or egg.

To my surprised, Seah's Singapore Fried Rice Spices does not taste any similar to those fried rice from the Cze Char stall but rather it taste quiet similar to Nasi Goreng. 

(Serves: 4  | Preparation: 10 minutes | Cooking: 5 minutes)

Ingredients:
1 Packet of Seah's Singapore Fried Rice Spices
800g Cooked Rice, around 2.5 rice cooker cup uncooked rice
1/2 Cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables
2 Garlic Cloves, crashed
2 Tablespoons Cooking Oil
Some Cooking Wine
Some chopped Spring Onion
12 Japanese Chicken Sausages
4 Eggs

Method:
1. Boiled or Grilled the sausages, set aside. Fry sunny side-up eggs individually and set aside too.

2. Add oil in preheat wok, saute garlic till fragrant before stirring in the mixed frozen vegetables and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add cooked rice and continue to stir-fry for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4. Gradually add in Seah's spices into the fried rice according to your taste (you might not need the whole packet), stir well, drizzle some cooking wine and continue to stir-fry for another 1/2 minutes.

5. Remove, garnish with prepared sausages, egg and etc shown above. Serve hot.

Lastly I would like to thank Seah's Spices for sending us these 3 New Spices, and it's really a good experience to try out these new products before they are available in the supermarkets. So if you are a SEAH'S Spices users, do keep a look out on these NEW products launching in the supermarkets.

For more information and updates on SEAH'S Products, you could check out their facebook page HERE. Like their page to receive latest promotion and updates too.

Food Republic at Causeway Point

With a total of 17 stalls and 3 mini restaurants among its tenant mix, Food Republic at Causeway Point serves up a variety of local food delights as well as restraint style Korean food at affordable prices. In August 2012, Food Republic has opened it 9th outlet at level 4 of the newly revamp  Causeway Point Shopping Mall which brings in new dining concept as compared to the previous food mall.

Below are some of the stalls that we have tired during the media tasting which is organised by Food Republic, Causeway Point.

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I LOVE YOO!

"I love Yoo!" has an very unique Chinese name call 老油鬼鬼 which translate as "Lao You Gui Gui". Although causeway point outlet is their first branch in Singapore, but I love Yoo! has been serving well-loved traditional Malaysian dishes and snacks in Malaysia since 2007.

Above are some of their signature items such as You Tiao - 油条 (S$0.90 each) and Mix Bun - 夹粽 (S$1.00 each). This is my first time trying mix bun and I love the combination of the fragrant bun skin that surrounds the chewy mochi like dough in the center of the bun.

On the other hand, they also have freshly made Sesame Balls with assorted fillings such as:- red bean, lotus and peanuts at S$1.10 each.. To enhance the taste of these traditional snacks, I would recommend you to order a cup of their fresh soya bean milk which freshly made daily. For a more filling breakfast or brunch, grab a bowl of their Dried Oyster Peanuts or Dried Scallop porridge together with their freshly made You Tiao would definitely satisfy your craving too .

FUNAN WENG IPOH HO FUN

When this dark sauce hor fun arrived at our table, the first thought that comes to my mind is the Crayfish Hor Fun from Hong Lim Food Complex which I love when I used to work around that area. Above is the Signature Prawn and Chicken Ipoh Ho Fun (S$$4.80) from Funan Weng that served with their specially brewed herbal dark soy sauce, ultra-smooth ho fun and fresh tiger prawns as well as tender chicken meat.

If you love prawn dumplings, remember to order a bowl of their Gourmet Dumpling Soup (S$5.50) where the dumplings are made with fresh pork and shrimps to retain it's freshness and taste.

LI XIN TEOCHEW FISHBALL NOODLE

For a non fish ball fan, I always avoid ordering fish balls noodle whenever I could but after trying Li Xin's Fish Balls Noodle (S$4.00), it actually changed my mind set on this. I love the springy noodles which coated evenly with their special homemade chili sauce as well as the crispy lard that perfect the taste of this simple dried noodles.


According to the Li Xin's boss, their fish balls are made twice daily using superior yellowtail fish and kept chilled in cold water rather in the freezer. Most of us loves their Fish Ball Soup (S$4.00) which comes in a bowl of 8 bouncy fish balls that soak in tasty soup broth.

MIAN MIAN JU DAO

I have tried this Dao Xiao Mian (Knife Shaved Noodles) once at Food Republic (VivoCity) and it does not taste as good as the one over at Causeway Point outlet as the noodle were rather overcooked.

Just to share for those who had not tried Dao Xiao Mian (Knife Shaved Noodles) before, the one shown above is their Stewed Beef With Noodle Soup (S$6.00). If you like herbal broth base with handmade noodles and beef, perhaps you would like to give this a go.

PADANG RAYA

Padang food is well known for its robust flavours that come from the use of rich coconut milk, chilli and aromatic spices. The folks at Padang Raya are committed to using only natural ingredients to retain it's original taste and health benefits. Ikan Asam Pedas Set (S$5.00) serve with Rice, Ikan Asam Pedas (sour spicy fish) and Cabbage.

Curry Ayam Set (S$5.00) on the other hand is serve with Rice, Ayam Curry Drumstick and Long Bean Balacan. Their Ayam Curry is fragrant and not too over-power with the spices and coconut milk taste. And the Long Bean Balacan is just nice with at crunchy texture which I love.

SHAMI BANANA LEAF DELIGHTS

Shami Banana Leaf Delights is one of the popular food stall in Northpoint Shopping Centre since 1993. I still remember during my secondary school days, a group of us would always order their Chicken Briyani which was only S$5.00 pet set.

Now with another two additional outlets at Sembawang Road and Food Republic Causeway Point, patrons can easily enjoy their favourite briyani at more convenient locations without joining the crazy queue over at Northpoint. For us, my all time favourite is their Chicken Briyani Set (S$7.00) which I would always ask for more gravy to go with the rice.

If you don't fancy chicken you could also choose from other optional such as Boneless Mutton Briyani Set (S$8.00), Mutton Briyani, Tandoori Chicken Set or Sambal Fish Set.

GORYEO KOREAN RESTAURANT

A few months ago I was catch with Korea fever that watching a few Korean drama which inspired me to cook a few of their local dishes such as Bibimbap, Ginseng Chicken (samgyetang), Korean Rice Cake (Tteokbokki) and etc.

Kimchi Soup (S$7.50) served with steamed rice is perfect for raining day or when you crave for something spicy and yet light from the usual meaty soup.

Bibimhap (S$7.50) which is also known as Hot Stone Pot Rice comes in either  chicken / pork / beef  that you could choose from. The bibimhap sauce is served separately with kimichi as banchan (side dishes) so that you could add the amount of sauce into your rice according to your preference.

Andong Jjimdak Set (S$11.90) also known as Andong Steamed Chicken is serve together with steamed rice. This Korean style steamed chicken consists of spinach, carrot, potato, chicken and glass noodle which is a prefer one dish meal with meat and vegetable all in one.

Bulgogi Salad (S$8.50) is something light for weigh watcher who still want to have some bits on meat other than rice or noodles. I love the refreshing dressing and the bulgogi indeed added some bite and taste to the salad.

CAFFE REPUBLIC

Most of my friends told me that when ordering dessert at Food Republic, Chendol (S$2.80) is a "must try" on the list as they have quiet a good reputation on serving decent Chendol that you would fall in love with. Overall the coconut base is just smoothing without overpowering the taste of the red beans and gula melaka and indeed it's something nice to have after a hearty meal.

We are surprised and delighted to find an ice cream counter over at Caffe Republic where they offer warm Belgium waffles with a choice of 18 different flavour of Gelato Ice Cream such as chocolate, cookie and cream, strawberry, green tea and etc.

Personally I love their Chocolate and Green Tea Gelato which is taste quiet decent as compared to those branded Gelato stalls.

Another key point of Caffe Republic is their style mod cafe showcasing popular Western coffees such as Cafe Latte, Cappuccino, Espresso and etc which you could get a cup to perk up your day with some snacks or after meal drinks.

Below are another 2 stalls that my family and I tried on during another visit to Food Republic, Causeway Point.

SERGEANT HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

My boy loves the Chicken Rice from Sergeant Hainanese Chicken Rice. Their rice is infused with lemongrass fragrant and it's not greasy as compared to some other stalls. They have quiet a range of items to choose from such as Steamed Chicken, Roasted Chicken, Chicken Cutlets, Curry Noodle, Thai Sauce Tofu and etc.

GRANNY FINE SOUP

As a herbal soup lover, my attention was draw to this Granny Fine Soups during our tasting at Food Republic. Although the price might be slightly higher as compared to other herbal soup stalls but I still decide to try this Double-boiled Black Chicken With Cordyceps Flower which is around S$8.00 per serving. The soup taste quiet decent, but for personal preference I would prefer more herbal taste which would be better.

A3 Signature Combo Set Meal @ Promotion Price S$6.80 (Usual Price S$7.60)

Apart from the chicken rice and herbal soup we also tried the combo set from Funan Weng Ipoh Hor Fun Express mentioned above and overall it still taste great as compared to what we had during media tasting.

Lastly I would like to thank Food Republic and Touch Communications for the invite media tasting.