Simple Cantonese Stir Fried Prawns

I am a firm believer that good food does not have to have too many ingredients nor does it have to be complicated.  This is especially important in today's world and for those who are busy with career and family. That is why I love Chinese cuisine. Chinese cuisine, especially Cantonese cuisine, relies on cooking at high heat and relatively fast.

This dish is for those who love prawns, but wants a fast, simple, and delicious meal. Har lok, or stir fry prawns, is a Cantonese dish that is savory and sweet. I like to add sesame oil for a nutty taste as well for authenticity sake. I guarantee that these prawns will make you lick the sauce from your fingers. Enjoy!

Prep time approx .5- 10 min.
Cooking time approx 10 min.

Ingredients:
-500g 21/25 prawns
-2T soy sauce
-3T ketchup
-2T Dry sherry
-1T sugar
-1T sesame seed oil
-4 cloves garlic (minced)
-1 inch knob of ginger (minced)
-Chopped green onions

1) Peel and de-vein prawns.  Dry prawns with napkin and set aside.

2) Heat wok with 1T cooking oil till wok begins to smoke.

3) Add prawns to wok. Cook til they turn pink and with slight char. Remove from wok and set aside.

4) Add 1T cooking oil to heated wok.

5) Add minced garlic and ginger and stir fry til fragrant.

6) Return prawns to wok and stir fry.

7) Add soy sauce , ketchup, sherry, and sugar. Toss prawns in sauce till they coat on to prawns and sauce is absorbed by prawns. Add sesame seed oil and plate immediately.

8) Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

---The Frustrated Fil-Am Chef

Pad Thai

Pad Thai was actually my first introduction into Thai cuisine.  Although Pad Thai’s humble beginnings can be traced to the street vendors of Thailand, don't let it's origin fool you, its flavor is fresh and complex and rivals any other noodle dishes found in Asia.  Pad Thai truly exemplifies the taste of Southeast Asian cuisine in that it is a perfect balance of salty, sweet, and sour.  It is perhaps the most ordered dish in every Thai restaurant in the west. Here in Oslo, Thai food is quite popular and readymade Pad thai sauce, frozen pad thai, and even pad thai kits could be found at almost every grocery.  However these readymade sauces are nothing short of a disappointment.

I never did understand why people even bother buying these as it is relatively quite easy making pad thai from scratch.  The ingredients in pad thai after all are tamarind paste, fish sauce, and sugar. Most of the ingredients can be found in Oslo’s “innvandrerbutikker” or literally “foreign shops.”  Tamarind paste is the source of its sour taste combined with the saltiness of fish sauce and the sweetness of sugar.  The traditional recipe calls for palm sugar, but living in Norway and living quite a distance from the center of Oslo, I find brown sugar is a good substitute.  Pad thai also consists of prawns and/or chicken, eggs, flat rice noodles, and spring onions.  Additional ingredients such as fresh bean sprouts, coriander leaves (cilantro for my US followers), additional sugar, and lime can be served and added when plating.  For an extra crunch I also like to add fried tofu cubes.

 Although the ingredients may seem to be quite a lot and also may seem quite hard to make, it is actually quite simple.  Some tips when making pad thai is to prepare the sauce in advance.  To get the right balance, it is good to start off with 1:1:1 portion to balance the salt, sweet, and sour.   Although in this recipe I will give approximate measurements, as a general rule, always go by your own taste and preferences.  Another tip is not to overcook the rice noodles and to follow the instructions on the package.  I soak my noodles in hot water for at least 6-8 minutes.  The noodles should be relatively al-dente in order to avoid mushy noodles. 

With all these in mind, the result will be beautifully dry brownish noodles that are perfectly balance in flavors.  So enjoy!

Ingredients

·         ⅓ cup fish sauce

·         ½ cup palm sugar

·         ½ cup tamarind juice concentrate

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 pack of dry rice noodles

·         4 cloves garlic, minced

·         1 ½ cups thinly sliced chicken

·         1 ½ cups of prawns

·         1 cup of tofu small cubes

·         2 eggs

·         1 bunch green onions cut into 1inch sections

·         1 packet of mung bean sprouts (reserve half for garnish)

·         1 bunch of coriander/cilantro (garnish)

·         Toasted peanuts chopped (garnish)

·         Lime wedge (garnish)

·         Dried chili flakes (optional)

Instructions:

1.       Prepare pad thai sauce by mixing fish sauce, brown sugar, and tamarind concentrate. Stir sauce well to fully dissolve brown sugar.  Test the sauce to your preference and adjust accordingly.

2.       Soak noodles for 6-8 minutes in boiled water (but not over the heating plate) and drain immediately rinsing with cold water for a few seconds.  Again, make sure the noodles are al-dente and not over soft.

3.       Pre fry tofu cubes in hot oil till golden brown and crunchy.  Set aside.

4.       Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok or frying pan on high and cook raw chicken and/or shrimp for 3-4 minutes. Remove meat/seafood into a small bowl.

5.       Heat the remaining oil and then add garlic to the wok and stir fry for 1 minute stirring the garlic mixture so it will not burn. Add noodles and stir for 1 minute. Slowly add at least half of the Pad Thai sauce stirring noodle mixture until well coated with sauce.

6.       Add cooked meat/tofu/seafood back and fry for 2-3 minutes. Move the noodle and remaining ingredients to the sides of the wok.  Add more oil to the wok and crack an egg then scramble the egg till fully cooked.

7.       Add remaining sauce, spring onions, and sprouts and cook for one more minute or till noodles are no longer hard.

8.       Plate noodles and garnish with chili flakes, cilantro, remaining bean sprouts, lime wedges, and sugar.

Sichuan Inspired Hot Wings

Today I am presenting my version of hot wings.  This recipe is a Sichuan inspired dish in that I will be using chili bean paste or dou ban jiang.  Many Sichuan dishes contains dou ban jiang as a major ingredient and is considered the soul of Sichuan cooking.  

I am a big fan of hot wings and often make the standard buffalo wings with Louisiana hot sauce. Several months ago, I was in the mood for hot wings but did not have any Louisiana hot sauce to use. I did, however, have some dou ban jiang in the fridge (this is a staple sauce in my household ). Desperate for hot wings, I decided to replace the Louisana hot sauce with dou ban jiang and also used typical Asian ingredients for this new recipe.

The chicken wings were lightly coated with seasoned flour (flour and salt) and set aside to rest for at least half an hour.  This way the natural juices of the chicken combines with the seasoned flour to form a sticky coating that becomes crispy when fried.  I used honey and sugar to have add sweetness to compliment the spice and also to ensure the sauce would stick to the crispy skin.  Vinegar was added for a tangy flavor which also lends well to the sweetness. .

The result was delicious!  These wings are a balance of spice, sour, sweet, and salty.  In addition to the wings remaining crispy, the sauce was sticky and finger licking good!

Here is my Sichuan inspired hot wings and I hope that you enjoy these wings as much as I have!

Ingredients:

24 pcs chicken wings
Flour
Salt
2-3T Chili bean paste (you can add more or less depending on your tolerance)
3T Chinkiang vinegar
1T  Dark Soy Sauce
1 and 1/2 T Light Soy
2T Honey
4T sugar (you can adjust according to your taste)
1T Sesame seed oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 inch knob minced ginger
Cornstarch slurry (2T water + 1t cornstarch)
Toasted sesame seed for garnish
Oil for deep frying

Instructions:
1.  In a plastic bag, combine flour with salt (add salt according to your taste) and lightly flour wings.  Set aside on a plate for at least 1/2 hour.
2.  Pour oil in frying pan or deep fryer and heat to about 175C.
3.  Fry chicken till in hot oil till golden brown.  Set aside. (to have extra crispy, I recommend to double fry the chicken)
4.  In a wok, add 2T cooking oil and heat wok till it begins to lighlty smoke.
5.  Add garlic and stiry fry till it is fragrant.
6. Add Chili bean paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey.  Allow for sauce to cook for at least about a minute.
7.  Add water and cornstarch slurry to help thicken sauce.
8.  Stir in sesame seed oil and immediately add chicken wings to sauce.  Toss the wings till sauce coats the wings and immediatly serve on a plate.
9.  Garnish wings with toasted sesame seeds and serve hot.

Note:
1.  Always go with your personal taste and adjust measurements accordingly.
2.  I like to add dried chilies to my sauce to make the wings even spicier.
3.  Wings can be substituted with crispy pork or chicken breast strips.

Sichuan Wontons in Red Chili Oil and Black Vinegar Sauce

Early this week, the wife and kids were in the mood for dumplings .  We began to weigh the pros and cons of eating out for dim-sum or perhaps making dumplings at home.  I had a hard time justifying paying  kr 60,- (approximately $12.00 to my peeps Stateside) for 3 pieces of siu mai from a restaurant in Oslo.  So we opted to go home and make wontons instead.

I decided to make Sichuan style wontons in red chili oil and Chinese black vinegar.  These are always a big hit and one can never make too much wontons.  Wontons are often associated with Cantonese dimsum, but each region has their own way of making wontons. 

Sichuan Red Chili Oil Wontons are really quite easy to make and can involve the whole family in wrapping each wonton.  I enjoy making these wontons with my family and we often use this time to not only eat fantastic wontons, but also to have quality with one another. 

The wonton filling is based from the Cantonese method, by  including minced pork and shrimp to ensure the filling to bind and to have a compact and dense texture.  The shrimps also add extra flavor to the pork and really give it more complex flavor. So enjoy these wontons and share with your friends and love ones.

Time
Prep: Approx. 1 hour
Cooking tie 10-15 minutes total

Ingredients

Filling:
250 grams minced pork
250 grams minced prawns
2-3T Sesame seed oil
2T soy sauce
1 stock chopped green onions (green portion)
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
5T Chinkiang Black Vinegar
3T Red Chili Oil
1T Sesame seed oil
1t crushed Sichuan pepper corn
2 stocks chopped green onions (greens only)
Fried garlic
pinch of sugar to bring together the flavors

30-40 wonton wrappers

Instructions:
1.  Combine minced pork, minced shrimp, sesame seed oil, soy sauce, chopped green onions, salt and pepper thoroughly.  Set aside and marinate for at least 30 minutes

2.  Fill wonton wrappers with 1tablespoon of the meat mixtures.  When wrapping, place meat in the middle of the wrapper.  Moisten the two sides of the wrapper and fold wrapper in half (think  of the wrapper has a diamond and folding into a triangle).   Moisten the two bottom edges of the wrappers and press the two corners together.

3.  Place wontons in boiling water (season water with salt or use chicken stock for extra flavor).  Boil the wontons till they begin to float (approx. 5 minutes).

4.  Prepare red chili oil and vinegar sauce by combining all the ingredients, with the exception of the fried garlic and chopped green onions.  Mix well.

5.  Place wontons on a large serving bowl.  Pour red chili oil and vinegar sauce mixture over wontons. 

6.  Garnish dish with chopped green onions and fried garlic

7.  For extra flavor, I like to add "Lao Gan Ma" brand chili sauce in oil.  

Enjoy!

---The Frustrate Fil-Am Chef

Zha Jian Mian Noodles

Zha jiang mian is a famous noodle dish that originates from Northern China and is quite popular in Beijing.  Zha Jiang literally means "fried sauce" and can be considered as the pasta bolognese of China.  It is often served on top of la mian noodles, with condiments of thinly slices cucumber and carrots.  Below is a recipe of my version of Zha Jiang Mian.

Ingredients:
500g of ground chicken
1/2 cup sweet bean paste
1T black beans
1-2 cups of water
4 minced garlic cloves
4 spring onions chopped (white portion onlyI
3T Soy Sauce
Splash of dry sherry
1T Sichuan pepper corns
3 star anise
Oil
La Mian noodles or store bought Beijing noodles
Thinly sliced cucumber and carrots

1. Add oil and heat wok at high heat.
2. Add sichuan pepper corns and star anise and fry till fragrant.  Discard pepper corns and star anise from oil.
3. Add minced garlic and spring onions.  Stir fry till fragrant.  Place black beans and continue to stir fry for a minute.
4. Add ground meat and stir fry till no longer pink.
5. Add dry sherry, soy sauce, sweet bean paste and continue to stir fry for 3 minutes or so.  Add water and cook till sauce reduce.  If sauce is still not thick enough, corn starch solution can be added to help thicken the sauce. 
6. Once sauce is thicken, turn off heat and serve meat sauce over noodles.
7. Additional condiments of cucumber and carrot slices can be added to top the dish off.

Handmade Noodles: First Attempt

For anybody who trully knows me, they would know I am a sucker for noodles.  Whether it is of  Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese or Chinese in origin, I love noodles! Through the years, I have been able to reproduce all my favorite noodle dishes, however, never have I tried to make my own handmade noodles...until today.

I decided to have a go at making Chinese "la mian" or hand pulled noodles.  As the name implies, the noodles are made and pulled by hand without the aid of a machine.   It takes a tremendous amount of skill to make noodles all by hand, and even years of hard work and dedication to this skill.  That is why la mian masters are held in high esteem for their abilities to make noodles.  I remember watching a tv show some years back and seeing how easily a la mian master would make noodles.  It looks so easy that many believe they can do the same and I being one of them!

Two weeks ago, I began the process to research the whole process in making la mian noodles.  I watch youtube videos of masters at work, studying their techniques and taking notes on their methods.  I read recipes and also forums where amateur chefs, such as myself, shared their experience making la mian.  Many had commented that making the la mian dough was extremely difficult to reproduce.

However through my research I found that all can agree that high gluten flour is part of the key to a successful dough.  The gluten content of the the flour had to be able to create a dough that can be easily stretched when pulling and dividing the noodles.  The second key is the kneeding process.  The dough must be kneeded for at least 15 minutes to work the gluten and to create a dough that is soft, flexible, and workable.  The third is technique in stretching the dough, dividing and pulling the dough to make noodles.

Today I gave the process a try.  I am no stranger to handling dough and felt fairly confident in my ability to learn new things.  I began the process by combining 3 cups of high gluten flour with 1T salt and 220ml of warm water.  Once I formed a ball of dough I began kneeding the dough for 15 minutes.  After kneeding, I sat the dough aside to rest for 1 hour. I tested the texture of the dough and it seemed to be the right texture.

I began pulling and stretching the dough and noticed that although the dough was soft and pliable, it was still quite stiff and I was not able to pull the dough without it breaking. As you can imagine I was quite disappointed by my inabiltiy to pull of the process.  I then opted to roll out the dough and cut noodles instead.  After cutting the dough, I placed the noodles in a pot of boiling water and cooked it quickly.  To my surprise the noodles still came out tasting better than the store bought noodles I would buy at Asian groceries!

I did end up using the noodles to make Zha Jiang Mian (click here to go to recipe).

As the title of my blog implies, this was my first attempt and although I did not pull off the process of making la mian, it would not be my last.  I will continue to blog about my attempts to perfect this art of making hand pulled noodles.

Thai Style Crab Cake Sandwich with Chili Mayo

When I first moved to Norway 10 years ago, the only fast food joints were American burger franchises, pizza franchises, and kebab fast food restaurants.  These places never caught my fancy, however they were the only options we had 10 years ago.  Things have changes since then and fast food has become some what of a fad in Oslo.  But this fad  comes with a price...and extremely high one! For my American readers, can you imagine paying $20 dollars for a burger?   What happened to catering to the masses?

However there are a few affordble gems in Oslo. The Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches can be found in many Vietnamese restaurants in Oslo.  Bahn mi sandwiches are a combination  marintated beef, pickled vegetables that is served on a French baguette.  The Vietnamese were the originators of fusion cuisine and the bahn mi sandwiches are a pefect example of this. What makes these sandwiches great is the balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and crunchy and not to mention at a affordable (by Norwegian standards) price.

Tonight's dinner was inspired by this fusion of East and West fast food style, Thai Crab Cakes served in a Ciabatta bun, with pickled carrots and a chili mayo sauce. Below is my recipe for my  Thai crab cakes and should yield 4-6 servings.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 oz canned crab meet

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 eggs

Vietnamese seasoned fish sauce (Nuoc Cham)

Half inch knob of Galanga

1-2 red chili

1 lemon grass stem

3 kefir lime leaves

Lime juice

Shredded carrots

Lettuce

Mayo

Siracha hot sauce

Oil for frying

4 ciabatta buns

Preparation:

1. Grate carrots and allow to marinate in seasoned fish sauce (1.5 cup fish sauce, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, juice from 1 lime, 4 cloves garlic minced, and 2 chilies chopped)
2. In a food processor, combine the red chilies, galanga, lemon grass, kefir lime leaves, juice from half a lime, 6T of seasoned fish sauce. Blitz till the ingredients turn into a red paste.
3. Add crab meat, 1 and 1/4 cup panko (save the remaining 3/4 for dredging), and 1 egg.  Blitz till the all the ingredients are combined.
4. Form the crab mixture to 4 large patties and dip each patty in egg and dredge in panko.
5. Fry each patty for 2-3 minutes on each side on medium heat, or till they turn golden brown.
6. For the chili mayo, combine 4T of mayo, 1-2 T Siracha hot sauce (could be more or less depending on your tolerance), 2T seasoned fish sauce and mix well.
7. Serve crab cakes in a ciabatta bun with pickled carrots, lettuce, and topped with chili mayo.

---The Frustrated Fil-Am Chef