Yong To Fu with Cellophane Noodles aka Tanghoon

I cooked myself a bowl of Yong To Fu with cellophane noodles or commonly known as Tanghoon.  The leftover fried Yong To Fu ingredients are never wasted.  Instead it save me when I feel lazy to think what to cook and have for my lunch, after all, its a portion for my very self only ~ hahaha ~

To be frank, there is no special technique here, further more I did not use any homemade stocks; but just water, season with dashes of chicken stock granules and ground white pepper.  I add some green vegetable as I have it in my fridge; and finally topped with home-made crispy shallot and garlic.  This crispy shallot and garlic in oil is a must-have item in my pantry.

This simple yet yummylicious soupy Yong To Fu with tanghoon really satisfy my tummy.

Hakka Stuffed Yong To Fu

Recently, I came across a sharing in Facebook on this Hakka Stuffed Yong To Fu.  I never have the opportunity to learn this Hakka dish from my own Hakka family members, thus would like to grab this golden opportunity to learn the techniques as well as their family's recipe.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized bitter gourd (sliced about 1/2" round)

1 medium-sized eggplant (sliced 1 1/2" diagonally, with a slit in the centre, but not cut through)

1 piece firm tofu (halved, into 2 triangles)

7 pieces fried bean-curd puffs (cut open on 3 sides, scrap off some tofu inside)

4 pieces ladies finger (slit one side vertically)

1 tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 tbsp. minced garlic

Dash of sesame oil

Parsley, chopped - to garnish (I did not add)

Fillings:

330 g. minced pork

100 g. minced prawns

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

3/4 tbsp. rice wine

3/4 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

3/4 tbsp. oyster sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. cornflour

Seasonings:  (mix together in a small bowl)

1 cup water

1/2 tbsp. light soy sauce

1 tsp. fish sauce

1/2 tbsp. oyster sauce

Dash of salt (to taste)

1/4 tsp. chicken stock granules

Dash of ground white pepper

1 tbsp. cornflour

Methods:

• In a mixer bowl, add minced pork, prawns, parsley, rice wine, sugar, pepper, oyster sauce, salt and cornflour.  Use the beater of a stand mixer to mix using low speed until it becomes a sticky paste.  Remove into a bowl.

• Stuff the paste ingredients into the prepared bitter gourd, eggplant, firm tofu, ladies finger and fried bean-curd puff.  Prepare a small bowl of water, dip a small spoon into the water, the wet spoon can easily smooth the meat's surface.

• Deep-fry the stuffed ingredients, turn over until both sides golden.  Do not overcrowd the wok when frying.  I fry each items individually as it has the same frying time.

• Next, in a wok, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, saute garlic until fragrant, add in the seasonings.  Stir constantly until the color of the sauce becomes translucent.  Add in the chopped parsley, if using.  Finally, add in a dash of sesame oil and turn off heat.
• Arrange all the fried ingredients into a ceramic deep dish.  Pour over the cooked sauce.
• Heat a steamer using high heat; and when water is boiling, place the ceramic dish into the steamer and steam for 10 minutes.
• Remove from steamer and serve HOT!

Notes:

• I did not used all the fried stuffed ingredients  for the final step of steaming, as I only need to make for 2 servings.
• The rest of the fried-stuffed ingredients are stored in airtight container and kept in the fridge for later use.

I adapted this recipe from Youtube - JC's Homekitchen, with slight adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

Stir-fried Yam Abacus in Char Kuay Tiaw Style

I have been so much tempted by this recipe which I came across online not that long ago.  I keep telling myself 'I must cook this dish!'  One morning while I was doing marketing, I manage to grab hold of these 3 main ingredients: prawns, Chinese chives and bean sprouts, and happily came home prepping this dish for my lunch.

Ingredients: (2 servings)
15 pcs Prawns (peeled and deveined)
5 sprigs Chinese leeks (washed and sliced into 1" long)
A bowl of bean sprouts (washed and drained)
3 shallots (peeled and thinly sliced)
3 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
3 tbsp Cooking oil

Abacus Seeds recipe refer here

Seasonings: (mix well in a small bowl)
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
Dash of dark soy sauce (for colour)
Dashes of chicken stock granules (to taste)
Dashes of water

Methods:

1. In  a pot of boiling water, add dashes of cooking oil, put in the abacus seeds, and once it floats to the surface, dish out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. In a heated wok add cooking oil.  Fry the shallots until golden brown, fragrant and crispy.  Dish out the fried shallots and set aside.
3. Using the remaining oil saute the garlic and prawns until fragrant.
4. Add in bean sprouts and some seasoning mixture, mix well.
5. Add in yam abacus and the remaining of the seasonings and stir-fry well to combine.  More dashes of water can be added if the dish is too dry, but add bit by bit.
6. Add in the fried shallots and Chinese chives, stir fry to combine and taste for correct seasoning.
7. Off the heat, dish out and serve hot.

This recipe is adapted from "Bake with Paws' with slight amendments.

Abacus Seeds with Minced Meat

Last year I have posted a recipe on this Hakka dish which I've attempted and tasted for the first time in my life (don't laugh, but it's true) with flying colors. Since I am intending to make it again, I've decided to try out another recipe which I came across recently.  The ingredients needed for making the Abacus Seeds are almost similar, except the amount of the ingredients used. This recipe which I am going to share comes out perfectly awesome with a chewy texture!

Ingredients:

600g yam (I use Penang Yam)

300g tapioca flour

150 ml boiling water

Methods:

1. Peeled yam, sliced, steamed until soft and mashed.
2. Put the mashed yam in a large bowl.
3. Add tapioca flour to the yam and mixed using hand.
4. Mix in boiling water a little at a time until dough is formed.
5. Knead dough until smooth and divide into 4 portions.
6. Roll out and cut per portion into 1" pieces.
7. Roll dough into ball and make a dent in the centre.  Repeat until all the dough is used up.
8. Place the rolled dough into a container separated by parchment paper in between the layers and keep in the freezer.  

I've cooked a portion for my lunch with the ingredients as in the picture above. The ingredients and methods of cooking this Abacus Seeds are almost similar to other recipes, except in this case, I use red carrot slices for this round of cooking, while for my previous cooking I used black fungus.  You can change the frying ingredients according to your preferences.  To obtain the full recipe, please refer to my blog article dated 15th March 2016 by clicking here

The recipe for the Abacus Seeds is adapted from "The Meatmen".

Stir-fried Hakka Yam Abacus Seeds

While I was watching an Asian Food Channel Program (AFC) hosted by Jason some time ago, he introduced this Tasty Hakka Suan Phan or popularly known as Abacus Seeds from Gerai Seong Kee, Stall 35, at Taman Selera, Jalan Othman, PJ Old Town.  Not long afterwards, I saw postings by Kenneth Goh in Food Bloggers and Foodies United as well as some of the members.  

To be frank, I have never tasted this dish before, and being a Hakka myself I've decided to digest this recipe, find out more information about it online and finally I made my first attempt and it turns out great!  From the starting of making the dough, which is the Yam Abacus Seeds, I have to put on my thinking cap (bearing in mind that I have never tasted this dish before), as well as my touch senses from my fingers as I gradually add the hot water into the dough, to come up with a just right texture. Guess, a good research always comes with a satisfying result ~ Hi-5 ~

Ingredients:

(A) Yam Abacus Seeds

350 g yam (peeled and cubed)

75 g tapioca flour

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp salt
Enough hot water

Methods:

1. Steam the yam until soft, lift out from the steamer and immediately drizzle oil and sprinkle salt into the yam and mashed until fine.
2. Add in tapioca flour and slowly add in bit by bit of the hot water and mix with a spatula.
3. When the dough is not too hot for our hand to handle, knead the dough, continue to add a bit of hot water until it become smooth, does not stick onto our hands and when we roll it, it will not crack or fall into pieces.  
4. To make the abacus seeds I take a small portion of the dough and cover the rest which are still in the bowl with a damp cloth to prevent the remaining dough from drying out.
5. Take a bit of the dough, roll into ball and press the center using our thumb and index fingers to form an indentation in the middle.
6. Place the seeds in a container lined with parchment paper and put another piece of parchment paper on top for purpose of stacking the seeds to avoid them from sticking together.  Repeat with the rest of the dough until all is done. At this stage the abacus seeds can be stored in the freezer.  I will leave them in room temperature for a while before cooking, however, a source says it doesn't needs thawing.  

(B)  Frying Ingredients & Seasonings: (1 serving only)

• Yam abacus seeds

• 2 shallots (minced)
• 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 2 tbsp minced pork
• 2 dried mushrooms (soaked and thinly sliced)
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried shrimps (washed, soaked and drained)
• 2 pieces black fungus (washed, soaked and sliced)

• some chopped spring onions (not in picture)
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• dash of white pepper
• drizzle of shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Methods:

1. In a pot of boiling water, drizzle a bit of oil, add in the yam abacus seeds and let it boil.  Once the abacus seeds floats to the top they are cooked. Dish using a slotted spatula and put them into a bowl.
2. In a medium heated wok add in cooking oil, saute minced shallots and chopped garlic, then add in mushrooms, dried shrimps and minced pork.  Stir fry until the ingredients are well mixed and fragrant.
3. Put in the abacus seeds, give it a stir, then add in all the seasoning ingredients and stir until well mixed.
4. As the dish is done, add in the chopped spring onions, give it another quick stir, off the heat, dish on a serving plate and serve hot!

I am very happy for the success of this dish, which is my first attempt.  I cooked a serving for my mum to taste and she gave me a "Thumbs-Up!"  I am proud of myself, being a Hakka who can come up with this Hakka Dish ~ cheers, cheers ~