Char Kway Teow - 炒粿条

Char Kway Teow - 炒粿条 is one of the popular hawker food that is "flat rice noodles" being stir-fried over high heat together with dark soy sauce, Chinese sausage, deshelled cockles, egg and etc. Traditionally this dish is stir-fried in pork fat, with crisp pork lard, and commonly served on a piece of banana leaf on a plate.

Although at home, we might not be able to achieve that traditional taste of Char Kway Teow due to the wok, fire and ingredients used, but I am sure we still can whipped up something tasty and healthier using our modern utensils or choice of ingredients.

Ingredients: (serves 3 - 4)
500g Thin Flat Rice Noodle
10 Medium Prawns, shelled
200g Bean Sprouts
1 Chinese Sausage, cut into thin slices
1 Piece of Rectangle Fishcake, cut into thin slices
2 Eggs
2 Stalks Spring Onion, cut into section
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

For those staying overseas, if you cannot get hold of most of these ingredients shown above, you can always reduce the ingredients to the simplest 3 which is rice noodles, egg and choy sum/bean sprouts. As you can read from the list, I have omitted cockles which are not to our liking.

Sauce/Seasoning:
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Sweet Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Dark Soy Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Water

Method:
1. Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Saute the Chinese sausage for a few second till fragrance, dish up and set aside.
3. Heat up the oil and fry minced garlic and spring onion till slight brown, add in rice noodles stir for a about 30 seconds before adding the prawn and fish cake.
4. Fry the prawns and noodles over high heat until prawns are seared then drizzle in the seasoning sauce.
5. Continue to toss them over high heat for a couple of minutes before spreading the noodle out over the wok.
6. Make a well in the center or push the noodles to aside , add in 1 teaspoon of oil at the side before cracking the eggs into it.
7. Stir to scramble the eggs and then combine with the noodles.
8. Add in the bean sprouts and season to taste with a pinch of salt(optional) and some ground pepper.
9. Add in the Chinese sausage, stir fry over high heat for a minute or so just to wilt the vegetables but retain their crispness.
10. Dish up and served with some cut chilli and soy sauce.

Note:
~ This dish is best fried in small batches(to achieve better flavour so that the rice noodles are evenly cooked, unless you are using a big wok then you can cook them in one batch) so divide the ingredients to be fried in two equal portion.

Now you can have your favourite Char Kway Teow at anytime of the day with minimum used of ingredients and seasons to achieve a healthier version that satisfy your crave for this dish.

Seafood Kimuchi Don @ Sakae

Recently it has always being raining in the afternoon or late evening and I guess having a bowl of piping hot rice will definitely warm up your body. Today we are going to try out one of rice item on Sakae’s new menu which is known as "Seafood Kimuchi Binbinba Don". Actually I have struggle for quite some time on whether to order this dish as I am afraid it might be a cold dish like “Salmon Don”.

Due to the dinner crowds, I waited for more than 20 minutes before my main course is being served. So while waiting, I ordered "Macha Ice Cream with Warabi Mochi". I have being craving for this dessert ever since I have tried it twice at Sakae. I love the taste of the Matcha ice-cream which really makes me drool for more, so I can't wait till finished my dinner before having this dessert.

Finally here comes my "Seafood Kimuchi Binbinba Don" that is being served in a scorching hot stone pot. The rice is well-blended with kimchi sauce together with decent amount of prawn, squid and half portion of soft-boiled egg. Although the rice is piping hot but it is not cooked in the stone pot itself so you won’t find any burning rice at the base of the pot like claypot rice.

Overall I find this Kimuchi Rice very appetising especially eating it on raining day as it gives you that kind of warm-hearted homecook food feel. This can be a good recommendation for those who love seafood and kimchi combination.

Manpuku @ Tampines 1

I am sure most of you are familiar with "Manpuku" which is located at level 3 of Tampines 1. This Japanese Food Mall was once flooded with crowds when it first started early last year. According to some read up, this place can hold roughly about 500 seats which is consider a big mall with 10 different food stalls selling all kinds of Japanese food, dessert and drinks.

Today I was meeting up an old friend for lunch whereby she suggested that we can have lunch over at Manpuku. At first, I was quiet shock as because I ask her that isn’t it will be too crowded to fight with the lunch crowd at this food mall? But she told me that I would be surprised to see how empty the place is compare to what it is before. Now they also do away with the “card” system and customer can just walk in and order from whichever stall and just make payment.

Although their business might not be as good as before, but I was kind of attract to their window display outside the shops and interior decoration in the food mall.

After going round the food mall, Tracy settles for the Kimchi Chicken Ramen while I went over to “Hokkyokusei Omu Rice” stall and get a set of their promotion Mixed Sauce Omu Rice with Mushroom Soup for S$7.50. The mushroom soup was kind of diluted I guess that is what to expect for the price of S$1.00.

“Mixed Sauce Omu Rice” is just Japanese fried rice wrapped with omelette then drizzle with half each of tomato and creamy sauce. Overall I find the sauces still goes well with the rice and since both rice and eggs are my favourite item I am quiet satisfy with the dish too. But Tracy on the other hand mentioned that it was rather not worth to have just rice and egg with sauce for S$6.50.