Teh Tarik & Mee Goreng

Teh tarik or "拉茶" in Mandarin is a hot tea beverage which can be commonly found in restaurants, outdoor stalls and kopi tiams in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The derived from the pouring process of "pulling" the drink during preparation. The mixture is poured back and forth repeatedly giving it a thick frothy top. The purpose of doing this is said to cool the tea to drinking temperatures, and helps mix the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly.

You can even choose the Ginger flavour Teh Tarik if you like to have something more spicy and consists of that extra ginger fragrance. Some of the stall also severs it with an extra piece of Murukku which is made from a mixture of urad, rice flour, salt, and flavourings such as chili, or cumin.

Mee Goreng meaning "fried noodles" is a dish famous in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is made with thin yellow noodles fried with onion, fried tofu, chili, vegetables, tomatoes, and egg. It is commonly available at stalls in Singapore & Malaysia and is often spicy.

You can find many different preparation styles of Mee Goreng in Singapore, e.g: Malay style(which is shown above), Indian sytle (click link to view picture) which is more reddish in colour and Chinese style (click link to view picture) which consists of prawns and etc. No matter which type you prefer, I am sure there is one that suits your liking .

Chicken Chop With Broccoli & Cheese

Take a look at this interesting dish which will capture your taste bud with 3 different combination of flavour:- (1) Lemon Scented Chicken Chop, spread with a layer of (2)Olive Flavour Broccoli paste and finally baked with a layer of (3) Cheesy Shredded Cheddar.

This is a very interesting sauce that I have ever tried using the combination of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and cooked Broccoli. Broccoli is closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivate group of the same species. It is high in vitamins such as C, K, and A as well as containing multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties,

Ingredients of Broccoli Paste:
100g Broccoli Florets
20ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10g Of Butter, soften

Method:
1. Trim and Washed the Broccoli Florets then blanch in boiling water(add pinch of salt in the water) until soften.
2. Removed, drained well and blend in the food process together with olive oil and butter until it became a smooth paste.
3. Scrap out from the blender into a bowl and set aside for later use.


This is the "Star" of the dish which is the Lemon Scented Chicken Chop. The grated Lemon rind and juice give the chicken an extra tenderness and citric fragrant. While preparing the chicken chop, you need to marinate it for at least 30 minutes or more then you can choose either to shallow pan-fry it or Grill it on a grill-pan.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 Pieces Chicken Maryland, without bone
1/4 Teaspoon of Crushed Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Oyster Sauce
Rind of 1 Lemon
1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Plain Flour

Method:
1. Trim, wash and pat dry the chicken portions then combine all the seasoning and marinate it for at least 1 hour or so. (if you are running out of time, you can leave it to marinate for at least 20 - 30 minutes)
2. Removed the chicken from the fridge 5 minutes before cooking to bring it to around normal room temperature.
3. Preheat a pan with about 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil to shallow-fry the marinated chicken chop(skin side down first) over medium high heat until golden brown and cooked through.
Dish up and set aside.

Note:
~ Chicken Maryland simply refers to a butcher's cut comprising the thigh and leg of the chicken.

Lastly come the interesting part of the dish where you get to assemble the prepared ingredients together to present the final product.

Ingredients:
2 Pieces of Cooked Chicken Chop
Prepared Broccoli Paste
Some Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Method:
1. Place the cooked chicken chop on a baking tray wrapped with aluminium foil.
2. Spoon some broccoli paste on top of the chicken chop and spread it out evenly.
3. Sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on top.
4. Pop into the toaster oven and baked for about 5 minutes till the cheese melt and turn golden brown.
5. Serve immediately with some lemon wedge, fries or potato gems.


From the view of the pictures, you will find that this dish is towards the "Greenish" side which my son named it as "Tortoise". He said the end-bone of the drumstick resemble the tortoise "head" while the golden brown effect cheese and greenish broccoli paste look kind of like a tortoise shell. So from his perception, in certain angle this dish resemble like a "Tortoise" to him. So after looking at the picture, what is your opinion on his allegation?

Dim Sum @ Mayim Chinese Cuisine

Remember my archives post on the newly open branch of this Mayim - 天乐里 Chinese Cuisine Restaurant @ Northpoint. Finally, after the 3rd week of their grand opening and long queuing we managed to pop-in this afternoon to sample some of their afternoon tea dishes.

They have a eye-catching menu that consists a wide varieties of dishes range from snacks to main course and dessert and I am sure you will be able to find something that suits your taste bud. For a start, we ordered 3 of their signature Fragrance Tea which is serves in individual earthen tea-pot:-

1) Jasmin Tea With Rose Buds (红玫瑰香片): Out of the tea shown in the menu, this is one of my favourite tea due to the name and ingredients used which gives the tea a sweet and fragrance aroma when taste. These dried natural rose petal is often regarded as a health supplement which can be consume regularly to help in blood circulation and digestion.

2) "Shou Mei" With Wolfberry (寿楣杞子茶): This tea has an interesting meaning of "Longevity " due to the word "寿" in Chinese character. Shou Mei(寿楣) is a white tea that is produced from naturally withered upper leaf and tips that has a stronger flavor reminiscent of lighter Oolong teas.

3) "Pu Erh" With Chrysanthemum (贡菊普洱茶) : This tea is the combination of Pu Erh and Gong Ju(a varity of chrysanthemum). The use of Chrysanthemum aid in recovery from influenza, acne and as well act as a "cooling" herb. It is believed to be effective in treating eye pain associated with stress or yin fluid deficiency.

Despite of the crowds, they service was still good and prompt when serving the dishes. The first item to set on the table is this "Spiced and Sour Lai Main served dry with minced pork - 酸辣炸酱干伴面". The taste of the sauce was just nice and it wasn't too spicy for us too. The texture of the noodle was "Q" and overall this dish worth at least 7/10 which cost @ the price of S$6.30 per plate.

Since it's almost 3pm in the afternoon, we decided to grab some "Dim Sum" items on their list. We ordered the Pan-fried Turnip Cake (香煎萝卜糕) with Chinese Sausage and Pan-fried Gyoza (生煎锅贴饺) with Ginger Vinegar. I personally love their pan-fried gyoza which when you bite on the crispy outer skin, the parcel will erupt with some sauce or soup like gravy which make the gyoza so tasty and juicy.

This "Steamed Vermicelli Roll with Crispy Golden Roll - 脆皮与旺肠" is an interesting item to us. It different from the usual "Chee Cheong Fan (猪肠粉)" which is wrapped with shrimp or char siu. This is a double-wrapping version where the inner layer is wrapped using spring-roll with shredded turnip, mushroom, carrot and etc then deep-fry until golden and crispy. After which, they will be wrapped with another layer of steam vermicelli skin and served with their special dipping sauce.

Beside the above, we also ordered a few more items on their Dim Sum list which cost only S$2.00 each item:-

1) Steamed Spiced Chicken Feet with Peanuts - 辣味蒸凤爪: The texture of the steamed chicken feet is soft and tasty with the combination of their special sauce. Other than the usual chicken feet, you can even find some stewed peanut that comes in it for that extra crunch and taste. I love the combi of the sauce and the chicken feet, it is not too oily nor salty, it has just the right taste.

2) Shanghai "Xiao Long Bao" - 上海小笼饱: Typically, I love the taste of those Shanghai Xiao Long Tang Bao - 小笼包, especially the one from Din Tai Feng. So when I saw this item from their Dim Sum menu, I decided to order a plate. To our surprised, the dumpling is place inside another small aluminum cup instead of the usual one that is place on top of baking paper or Chinese cabbage. Although the appearance might not be attractive, but you will be caught in surprised with the "herbal taste" like soup that flows out from the dumpling when you bite at it. But the "soup" might be a bit greasy and salty to those who prefer a lightly taste.

3) Healthy Brown Rice - 健康活力煲饭: This can be found under their Fragrance Fried Rice Menu is a must to try for those healthy conscience folks. This is indeed a very colourful and nutrition dish which consists of mixture of rice and brown rice with carrot, celery, black bean, black fungus, yam, peanut & red bean. On a glance of it, you might not see all the ingredients but when you start tugging in your spoon or chopstick, you will find a lot treasure hidden beneath. This is definitely worth at the price of S$2.00 per rice bowl.

By then when we have finished the above, we are already too full to have any dessert. So I guess shall wait till next round when we try their Ala Cart dish before we have another chance to venture into their dessert. Till then, I can suggest that this is rather a good place for a cosy meal at an afforable price for family and friends. So do check up for the nearest branch near you at their website @ Mayim location.

Baked Herbal Spare Ribs

Most of us would have heard or tried the Steam Herbal Chicken(药材鸡) from either local food stalls or Chinese Restaurant. The chicken is usually wrapped in foil together with some assorted Chinese herbs(eg: dang gui, wolfberries, red dates and etc.) and steam until tender for about an hour plus or so.

This round, instead of the usual Steam or Deep-fried Herbal Chicken I would like to share with you this Baked Herbal Pork Ribs which creates another new fusion of herbal taste. So if you love the taste and gravy of the usual Herbal Chicken, don't hesitate, come and join us to explore the new taste of this Baked Herbal Pork Ribs with just minimum requirement of ingredients from you kitchen pantry.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
8 Pieces of Spare Ribs(排骨)
3/4 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 Tablespoon Grated Ginger Juice
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

For Wrapping:
8 small slices of Dang Gui (当归)
1 Tablespoon Wolfberries (枸杞子)
1 Sprig of Coriander, leave only
8 Pieces of Aluminium Foil
8 Pieces of Baking Paper

Method:
1. Wash, trim and pad dry the spare ribs then marinate it with the above mentioned ingredients and set side in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour.
2. At the meantime, cut the Aluminium Foil and Baking Paper to the size of about roughly 15 x 20cm each and set aside for later use.
3. Place a piece of the baking paper on top of the aluminium foil, place a few wolfberries, 1 leaf of the coriander, top with 1 piece of marinated spare rib, add another leaf of coriander, 1 slice of dang gui and a few more wolfberries.(refer to the above picture for more detail of the placement)
4. Fold the baking paper into a parcel shape to wrap the spare rib then double-wrapped it wth the foil layer.
5. Repeat the same procedure for the remaining spare ribs, bake the wrapped parcel in pre-heated 200 degree oven for about 20 - 25 minutes (remove a parcel from the oven, use a chopstick to pierce and test whether the meat is cooked through before removing the rest of the parcels)
6. If it is not cook through, continue to bake for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Note:
~ You can also drizzle some of the marinated sauce on top of the spare ribs before wrapping.


So as you can see, even with some simple ingredients on hand you can create some amazing and eye appealing dish for your guest. This is great to serve as finger food during gathering or party. I am sure your guests will be impressed by this colourful and aroma dish when they open up each of these individual treasure packet. And other than the spare ribs, you will also be able to taste the herbal gravy which expel from the meat during the baking processes from the high temperature.