Spicy Ramen

Last week while reading up an interesting recipe on Sherie(maameemoomoo, a 1/2 food blog) blog regarding her featured Orr Nee Cheesecake recipe on Straits Times, I spotted this Quick and Easy "Sichuan Noodle" which makes me drool over the ingredients.

So without hesitate, I jot down the necessary ingredients and went straight to my kitchen pantry to do a check list on all the items. And so coincident I happen to have a bottle of this Lao Gan Ma(老干妈) Chili Flavoured Oil (油辣椒) which is the key seasoning of this dish.

  After getting some Fresh Heng Hwa Noodles from the wet market, finally I get to make this quick and delicious Spicy Ramen for our dinner.

(recipe adapted from (maameemoomoo, a 1/2 food blog)

Ingredients: (serve 2)

2 Bundle of Fresh Heng Hwa Thin Noodles
4 Fresh Shiitake mushrooms, cut into thick slices
1 Teaspoon Chopped Garlic
2 Small Shallots, thinly sliced 
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
Dash of sesame oil
40ml of Hot Water
6 Wontons, cooked
*6 Fishballs, cooked

Garnish:
1 Tablespoon Sesame/Shallot Oil
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
Chopped Spring Onions
Fried Shallots for garnish
2 - 3 Tablespoons of Chili Condiment

Note:-

~ You can purchase this fresh "Heng Hwa(兴华)" noodles (comes in thin and flat version) from those bean sprout stalls in the wet market or the chilled compartment at local supermarket. (Price: 3 bundles for S$2.00)

~ I use the CP Shrimp Wontons for this. (Price: S$4.75 per pax)

~ I use the Lao Gan Ma(老干妈) Chili Flavoured Oil(油辣椒) which you could purchased from either Sheng Siong(昇菘超市) or any provision shop in the wet market.(Price:- range from S$1.95 - S$2.50)

Method:-

1. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan, add in chopped garlic and shallot saute till fragrant and slightly golden brown.

2. Toss in the mushroom and continue to stir till mushroom turns soft.

3. Stir in the oyster sauce, sesame oil and give it a quick toss before adding in the hot water and simmer the mixture on low heat till sauce thicken.

4. Bring a 1 litre of water to boil, add in noodle and cook for about 30 seconds, remove and rinse on running water then put back into the boiling water and cook for another 30 seconds then place it in a bowl.

5. Toss in 1/2 tablespoon each of sesame/shallot oil and light soy sauce to the cooked noodle for seasoning as well as prevent it from sticking together.

6. Top the noodles with mushrooms, cooked wontons and meatballs then garnish it with chopped spring onion and fried shallot together with 1 - 2 tablespoons of chili condiment(this is a MUST).


Before eating this noodle is best that you stir up all the ingredients together so that the chili condiment will be evenly coated with the noodles and etc. For my personal preference I prefer to re-heat the chili condiment in microwave for 30 seconds on medium powder so that it will release a special fragrant that makes the noodles more appetising.

Water Chestnut, Ginkgo and Lean Pork Soup

Saw this interesting Soup from one of the TV program known as "3 Plus 1 Sr 3(三菜一汤)" showing on every Wednesday, 8.00pm on Channel 8. Each week, 2 artistes from each group will be given a S$20.00 budget to whip up a 4 course (including a soup) nutritious meal for the family.

For this episode, I was captured by the quick and easy recipes which are being shared by Huang Wenyong and Xiang Yun. And I have tried out this interesting soup which is known as "Water Chestnut, Ginkgo and Lean Pork Soup (马蹄白果瘦肉汤)" together with their Grill Sesame Chicken Mid-Joints.(recipe HERE)

Ingredients: (Serves 2 - 4)

250g Water Chestnuts, removed outer skin
150g Ginkgo Nuts, removed shell and outer skin
300g Lean Pork
1 Piece of Dried Tangerine Peel, soaked till soften
1.8 Litre of Hot Water

Note:-
~ Try to get hold of fresh water chestnut for this soup.
~ To avoid the bitterness taste of the ginkgo nut, cut it lengthwise apart and removed the embryo which can be found inside.


Gingko Nuts ( Bai Guo - 白果) are mostly beneficial to our respiratory system including asthma, bronchitis, and coughs. And I often use them in cooking soups, desserts, or even in porridge for added flavours. But remember not to over consumed Gingko nuts are it might have some harmful effect on human body especial for younger kids.

Water chestnuts(马蹄) are small, rounded corms with a crispy white flesh that can be eaten raw or use as sweetening ingredients for dessert or soup. Besides they can also be ground into a flour form used for making water chestnut cake, which is common dessert found in most dim sum menu too.

Method:

1. Use a nut cracker or back of the knife to crack open the ginkgo nut shell and remove the layer of brown skin from the flesh. Set aside.

2. Use 1/2 cup of hot water to soak the peeled ginkgo nut for about 5 minutes, rinse well with running water and set aside.

3. Scrub clean the fresh water chestnut and use a vegetable peel to remove the outer skin.

4. Soaked Tangerine peel in hot water till soft and scrub off the white pith before use or else the soup will taste bitter.

5. Blanched pork in boiling water for a few minutes, removed and rinse well.

6. Next bring a 1.8 litres of water to boil, add in all ingredients and when the mixture comes to boil, let it simmer over the stove for at least 1 hour on low heat OR

7. You can transfer the soup mixture to slow cooker and let it cook on AUTO for about 3 hours.

8. Season with salt and serve hot before meal.


This soup is naturally infuse with the sweetness from the water chestnut together with hint of tangerine taste and unique aroma from the ginkgo nuts. Overall this can be rated as a clear and refreshing before meal soup which is very good for hot and humid summer days.

For those who has missed this episode or those who are keen to watch them preparing those yummy dish including this soup. You can refer to the website HERE.

Grilled Sasame Chicken Mid-Joints

Apart from the "Water Chestnut, Ginkgo and Lean Pork Soup(马蹄白果瘦肉汤)" (recipe HERE) which I have tried from the cooking show, here is another dish known as "Yong Ge Kao Ji Chi(永哥烤鸡翅)". This dish requires minimum ingredients such as light and dark soy sauce with garlic cloves as seasonings. And the end product taste great with a layer of beautiful char-grilled colour skin and lightly sesame fragrant that comes from the sesame oil and seeds.

Ingredients: (makes 8 Mid-joints)

8 Chicken Mid-Joints
4 Teaspoon of Light Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon of Dark Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
4 - 5 cloves of Garlic, lightly smashed
1.5 Teaspoon of Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon of Sesame Seeds, optional

Method:-

1. Rinse and pat dry the mid-joint, make a small slit at both side of the joint so that the marinade will get into the flesh.

2. Marinate the mid-joint with light and dark soy sauce, cooking wine and garlic cloves for at least 20 minutes or more in the fridge.

3. Before baking, drizzling 1.5 teaspoons of sesame oil on the marinated mid-joints, toss well and arrange them on baking tray.

4. Bake in pre-heated 180 degree oven, on grilled function for about 20 20 - 30 minutes or till golden brown and cooked through. Alternatively;

5. You can bake the prepared mid-joints in oven toaster for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally between each 10 minutes to get that evenly brown colour.

6. Drizzle sesame seeds on the mid-joints at the last 2 minutes of baking time.


If you want to serve this as a one dish meal, perhaps you can used the de-boned chicken drumlets with thigh portion and serve this grilled chicken chop with steamed rice and salad or salad and fries too.

Another way of preparing Chicken Mid-Joint

Baked Sweet Chili Chicken, recipe HERE.

Thanks for all your "BUZZ(s)" and support friends. Grilled Sasame Chicken Mid Joints post has make it to FoodBuzz Today's Top 9, 08th March 2011.(Here)

Featured On: FoodBuzz Today's Top 9, 08th March 2011.(Here)