Hakka Yong Fuka/Bitterguard & Tau Pok

HAKKA YONG FUKA/BITTERGUARD & TAU POK 
INGREDIENTS

1 large Bitterguard

1pkt puffed beancurd / tau pok

FILLING INGREDIENTS
( BLEND WITH FOOD PROCESSOR )

1000g chicken boneless, minced 

4tbsp Osyter sauce

1tbsp light soya sauce

dash of salt, pepper, chicken granules,

3 tbsp corn flour

handful chopped coriander leafs / spring onion

SAUCE

4 cups water, add more if needed

oyster sauce, salt, sugar to taste

GARNISHED
Chopped Spring Onion
Chopped Cilantro

METHOD

1. To make filling - Clean chicken, minced chicken with food processor.  Transfer minced chicken in a clean bowl, add the rest of the seasoning and ingredients mix well and set aside.

2. Clean and discard bitterguard seeds, Scoop filling and stuff in to the middle as much as you it could fit in. Shape the stuffing with finger tips. Repeat this to the rest of the bitterguard and for the tau pok, just gently poke a hole in the middle, do the same stuffing till finish. 

3. In a soup pan, place tau pok below follow bitterguard, arrange closely next to each other.  In a bowl, add in sauce and mix water, pour over tau fu.  Cook with medium fire slowly until cooked through.

4. Add water, taste and add seasoning as needed.

5.  When it is cooked, dish up, sprinkle with chopped spring onion and cilantro.

Tang Yuan / Glutinous Rice Ball in Sweet Ginger & Pandan Syrup Soup

My 2016 Tong Yuan, I make this once a year on the 22nd December which the Chinese celebrates Winter Solstice Festival.  I like my Tang Yuan this time, it appears to be more presentable and beautifully round with clear syrup soup, i could see them more clearly too. 

I love filling Tong Yuan, so i make a batch of Tong Yuan with smooth peanut butter fillings, its so yummy!   

TANG YUAN
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup water, add gradually
food colouring

FILLING
Skippy Smooth Peanut Butter

GINGER & PANDAN SYRUP SOUP
ginger, thinly sliced
3 pandan leaves, ties in knot
500ml water
Rock sugar ( your own desire sweetness level )

METHOD
* In a bowl, add glutinous rice flour and sugar. Gradually add in the water while mixing, if you find dough enough flexible, stop adding water.  Dough is done when it is not stick on your hands.  If too dry, just add some more water, if too wet add more flour.
* Dust plate with glutinous rice flour to prevent from sticking,  Separate them ino 2 or 4 portion depending on how many colors you want to make.
*  Mix coloring set each portion on the plate.  Pinch the dough into small ball. Roll into ball and flatten on palm add in Peanut Butter or any filling you prefer.
* Roll into ball and set on a serving plate with flour continue until finish.
* In a soup pan boil water till boiling hot add in tong yuan and stir balls while dropping balls into water to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
* When balls cooked, it will float to the top. Dish up
* Transfer to a bowl of cold water or direct to syrup.
* To make Syrup Soup - In a Soup Pot, boil water in a pot, add in pandan leaves and ginger bring to boil on medium heat until it smells and aromatic.  Add in sugar and let it simmer until sugar melted.

Yong Tau Fu & Yong Tau Pok ( Stuffed White Beancurd & Stuffed Puff Beancurd )

Sabah Hakka silky Yong Tau Fu and Yong Tau Pok is a favourite hit for many among Hakka ourselve and others.  This is always Hakka family favourite dishes.

Back on those days, these dishes were cooked and served only on special occasion or CNY festival.  Today, this has no longer apply, yong tau fu has popularize with a high demand, so its easily found serving for breakfast or dinner at most kopitiam or restaurant all year round.

When im back home Sabah, my family always requested these two dishes to be cooked by me. As i am no longer eat pork.  I used chicken instead of pork meat.  Believe me, I can cook this with chicken filling taste just as good as pork ( sorry to say this but its true ) less consuming pork and fats is a good signed going in to your stomach. ( sorry again for those who consume pork, i mean no offends with pork meat :) peace* hehe.... i keep the traditional dish going! :)

STUFFED TAU FU & STUFFED TAU POK 
INGREDIENTS

4 white beancurd / local white tau fu

4 brown/oil beancurd / local oil/brown tau fu 

1pkt puffed beancurd / tau pok

FILLING INGREDIENTS
( BLEND WITH FOOD PROCESSOR )

1000g chicken boneless, minced 

4tbsp Osyter sauce

1tbsp light soya sauce

dash of salt, pepper, chicken granules,

3 tbsp corn flour

handful chopped coriander leafs / spring onion

SAUCE

4 cups water, add more if needed

oyster sauce, salt, sugar to taste

GARNISHED
Chopped Spring Onion
Chopped Cilantro

METHOD

1. To make filling - Clean chicken, minced chicken with food processor.  Transfer minced chicken in a clean bowl, add the rest of the seasoning and ingredients mix well and set aside.

2. Clean tau fu, Use teaspoon remove a portion at the center tau fu, Be very gentle to keep the pouch intact. Scoop filling and stuff in to the middle as much as you it could fit in. Shape the stuffing with finger tips. Repeat this to the rest of the tofu.  As for the tau pok, just gently poke a hole in the middle, do the same stuffing till finish. 

3. In a soup pan, place tau pok below follow with white and brown tau fu, arrange closely next to each other.  In a bowl, add in sauce and mix water, pour over tau fu.  Cook with medium fire slowly until cooked through.

4. Add water, taste and add seasoning as needed.

5.  When it is cooked, dish up, sprinkle with chopped spring onion and cilantro.  

Yee Sang Salad / Prosperity Toss Salad

Chinese tradition toss Yee Sang or Prosperity Toss Salad on the 7th day of CNY.  Now most of us toss Yee Sang from the Eve to the 15th Day of CNY....hahahaa....

Today families are more likely to prepare this at home.  I personally prefers to have homemade Yee Sang instead of eating out, i find that most restaurants served commercial yee sang straight from the packaging instead of everything made fresh.  I always experience too much packaging stuff mix in, preservative, coloring, strong smell, heavy taste and whatever that is, making the whole salad taste weird.  Not to mention the salmon...it suppose to taste fresh or smoked but it taste weird.  The whole dish is about the sauce, if you have a weird kind of sauce taste a little too much of everything, everything will taste weird and so complicated.

Actually Yee Sang Salad is fun and easy to prepare ourself.  No complication and it is healthy, fresh and tasty too.  No colorings, No preservative, everything made fresh and most of all, I teach you how to make your own Yee Sang sauce, perhaps its the most easiest you could ever imagine, after you tasted this sauce, i assure you won't go back to those packaging one.

This recipe has no food coloring will be used.  I used natural colorful vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, pamelo and fish snack, garnish with sesame seeds and ground cashew nuts.  You may add a variety of colorful vegetables of your choice, like pickles ginger, red ginger, onion, cilantro, jicama/bengkuang, lettuce etc.  for my version, all ingredients are easy to get work with and it is hassle free.

Below pic is one of my Yee Sang Salad.  My shred vegetables are little too rough with knife this time...*lol sometimes i use vegetable shredder and sometimes i manually jullienned them, it is best to use vegetable shredder more fine result.  I have been making this for almost 10 years, not only i make for CNY, i make whenever i feel like it as a bowl of prosperity salad. bhahaha.... too yummy.

YEE SANG SALAD / PROSPERITY TOSS SALAD

INGREDIENTS FOR 1 STANDARD SERVING PLATE 

1 carrots ( shred/julienned )

1 seedless cucumbers ( shred/julienned ) 

1cup of pamelo 

handful amount of fish snacks ( cut half )

Other optional ingredients:

Smoked / Fresh sliced Salmon, rice crackers, wanton wrappers, japanese red pickled ginger, sliced ginger, sliced onion, lettuce, jicama, green apple, seaweeds, capsicum etc.

Garnish

2tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1/4cup roasted cashewnuts ( crushed )

Other optional Ingredient:-

Peanuts

SAUCE

3tbsp plum sauce

1tbsp sugar to taste

1tsp soya sauce 

1/2 water

Other optional Sauces/Spice:-

Lime Juice, Kasturi Juice, Lemon Juice, Honey, 5 spice powder

METHOD:

* Heat frying-pan, whisk in sauce, let it simmer and taste, off fire, set aside. 

* In a serving plate, arrange all colorful vegetables according to your liking.

* When ready to serve, pour dressing over salad and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and crushed cashew nuts or peanuts.  

* When all ready, toss salad the higher the better making good wishes for the new year in chinese tradition, 

Happy Cooking!

Steamed Wu Tau / Yam ( From Hakka Style Steamed Wu Tau Kau Yuk )

Hakka Style Steamed Wu Tau Kau Yuk is one of Hakka signature dish.  My late dad was the expert at home. I remember he prepared this like every CNY festival in big amount for our own consumption and give away to relatives and friends.  Those days, Dad liked to cook his Steamed Wu Tau Kau Yuk with wood fire instead of on gas stove.  He said it can cook longer until the meat and yam so tender and soft and every piece of meat and yam perfectly tasty!! I remember every bite, those skin+fat+meat and yam like literally melts in your mouth....aaahh....I think for all i have tried in my childhood years, Dad wu tau kau yuk is the Best!!

Since i can't eat Pork, im going to turn this dish into some sort of vegetarian dish without meat.  I could use vegetarian meat thought which we did before but i do not have one for this time.  So i just cook Yam with exactly dad sauce. It turned out exactly the same taste, so delicious, its just the same dish without meat that's it.   Every bite just bring me back to my childhood years eating dad's kauyuk! Since i made this vegetarian version, i am no longer afraid of eating kau yuk, imaging the fats haha....just can't bare it anymore as we getting older health conscious... *lol Now no problem without meat.

STEAMED WU TAU / YAM
INGREDIENTS
1 whole large Vietnamese Yam/Taro
6 big shallots
10 cloves of garlic
5 cups Cooking Oil ( for deep-frying )

SPICE
3pcs star anise ( blend to powder )

SAUCE
1-2cups water
1tsp 5 spice powder
3 Fermented Red Beancurd
2tsp dark soya sauce
2tbsp oyster sauce
1tps light soya sauce
3tbsp sugar
dash salt

METHOD:
* Peel Taro/Yam slice 1cm thick. Do not wash with water.
* Marinate Taro/Yam with salt 20 minutes.
* Heat wok, 5 cups of oil, deep fried yam until cooked. Dish up, arrange yam on a 8" or 6" round pan depending on the amount of Yam, place fried Yam upside down closely. Sprinkle some star anise powder on top, set aside.
* Chop shallots and garlic until fine, sprinkle 2tbsp on top of yam.
* Prepare steamer, with medium heat.
* In a bowl, add in Sauces mix well set aside.
* Pour half of the sauce into yam. and sprinkle remaining chopped shallots and garlic on top follow with some more star anise powder just dash a little around equally.
* Transfer yam into wok, let it steam and constantly checking on the sauce, taste, do add remaining sauce on yam and keep steaming until yam is soft and fully cooked through. This could steamed up to 40 minute.
* When it is cooked, removed from steamer, turn steamed wu tau / yam on a serving plate and garnish with cilantro.

   

Zongzi Chong's Family Recipe

Growing up never i remember my parent ever make zongzi ourself.  15 years ago, my sister learned zongzi making from one of our cousin and since then she is the only expert in the house.  Unfortunately we were no longer living together in the same country, so i can only imagine how tasty and delicious those zong were those days.  I remember bought some last year but still prefer to eat my family ones.  She did teach me how to make zongzi many years ago, but i wasnt really concentrate and remember the steps of wrapping, wrapping is the most crucial part that discouraging me to start making my own.

well well....this year, i tell myself i should get started or will end up buying the same zongzi again from outside...haha... conclusion i decided to make them, and so i call my sister in malaysia get the recipes and for wrapping wise, i do alot of google searching and video watching here and there.  In Sabah, there is one zongzi i love the most is with black eye peas, i can just eat black eye peas with nothing else.  So basically i make this zongzi fills with lots of black eye peas lol* i do not know is this categorize as chinese Hakka zongzi or chinese sabahan hakka way, because there are variety of zongzi in chinese tradition. As long as i can remember, black eye peas filling is the only beans with meat zongzi that i've ever eaten during those days.

Surprisingly at least my wraps and zongzi look pleasantly ok... and according to my sister was already consider not bad for the 1st time....yeah!! its a success! Mission accomplished

ZONGZI CHONG'S RECIPE 

Prep Time: 24 hours

Cook Time: 4 hours
Yield: 26 zongzi ( big size )

INGREDIENTS:-

60 dried bamboo leaves (2 to 3 leaves per zongzi, store bought dried bamboo leaves )
1 1/2kg glutinous rice

3pcs chicken breast boneless 

15pcs salted duck egg yolks ( i half the salted eggs )

30pcs dried shitake mushroom

30pcs chestnuts

3 cups black eye peas

SOAK OVERNIGHT:-

bamboo leaves  

glutinous rice

shitake mushroo

chestnuts

black eye peas

* cut chicken into cubes and marinate with oyster sauce leave overnight

INGREDIENTS A
SEASONING FOR GLUTINOUS RICE 

3 shallots & few garlic ( finely chopped )

few tbsp cooking oil ( to sauteed chopped garlic and shallots )

1tbsp five spice powder 

4tbsp dark soya sauce 

heavy seasoning of salt

INGREDIENTS B
SEASONING FOR  BLACK EYE PEAS, MUSHROOM, CHICKEN, CHESTNUT ) 

few tbsp cooking oil ( to sauteed chopped garlic and shallots )
2 shallots and few garlic finely chopped
5 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tbsp chicken granulous 
heavy seasoning of salt
4 tbsp oyster sauce
1tbsp light soya sauce
sugar to taste

METHOD:-

Night before sleep 

* Soak the bamboo leaves overnight. The next day, wash and rinse each leaf front and back, keeping them in a large bowl or tub of water until wrapping time so they don’t dry out.  Soak glutinous rice, black eye peas, mushroom, chesnuts each in separate bowl overnight. The next day, drain completely. Marinate chicken with oyster sauce and leave overnight. 

Next day

* Cook ingredients A set aside, and with a clean wok.
* Cook ingredients B set aside to cool. Dish out chesnuts and mushroom, put in a separates bowl. Black eye peas and chicken mix together in one bowl. 
* Cut the egg yolks in half. Can use 1 whole yolk if you have enough for each zongzi, Set aside in separate bowls.
* All set to wrap.
* ( i will skip the wrapping instruction as you can find many teaching steps or your own wrapping style )
* Fill zongzi in a pot avoiding large gaps, put as close as possible.  Use a soup bowl to fill water and add salt to every bowl of water on refilling into zongzi.  Fill water to cover all zongai. 
* Place pot on stove over medium high heat. Once the water boils, turn heat to medium and let it cook for at least 4 hours. 
* Cooking with a electrical Pressure Cooker will only take 45-50 minutes fully cook through.  
* Please check and keep en eye on the cooking process, adding water with salt into pot when water reduce, and make sure all zongzi is equally submerged in the water. 
* After 4 hours cooking, dish up and discard water. 
* serve warm.  Extra zongzi can freeze up to 6 months. 

Enjoy!

Glutinous rice, chestnut, black eye peas and bamboo leaves soak over night.

 After soak for more than 12 hours, chesnut mushroom, 

beans all looking clean and have expand double in size..

 Cook chestnut, mushroom, beans and chicken season well. After dish up, separates mushroom and chestnut in a separate bowl for easy wrapping.  

The reason we cooked and season all the filling including mushroom and chestnut 

so it is all equally tasty.

 Glutinous rice seasoned 

Ta-Da!! my 1st zongzi  done :P