Cold Chinese Noodles in Peanut-Sesame Sauce

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Recipe may be prepared up to 1 day ahead of time through Step 3 and kept
refrigerated.

1 lb. chinese-style noodles (or any spaghetti/fettucini-type pasta)
2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
DRESSING:
6 Tbsp. peanut butter
1/4 cup water
3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
6 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
6 Tbsp. tahini (sesame paste)
1/2 cup dark sesame oil
2 Tbsp. sherry
4 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup honey
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1-2 Tbsp. hot pepper oil (see instructions below)*
1/2 cup hot water

GARNISH: (all are optional, depending on your taste)
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 firm medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julienned
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat
until barely tender and still firm.
2. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cold. Drain well
and toss noodles with (2 Tbsp) dark sesame oil so they don't stick
together.
3. FOR DRESSING: combine all ingredients except hot water in a blender
or food processor fitted with steel blade and blend until smooth.
Thin with hot water to consistency of whipping cream.
4. For garnish, peel flesh of carrot in short shavings about 4" long.
Place in ice water for 30 minutes to curl.
5. Just before serving, toss noodles with sauce. Garnish with cucumber,
peanuts, green onion, and carrot curls. Serve at room temperature.

* HOT PEPPER OIL: Amount you use depends on how hot you like it. 2 Tbsp.
will give it a nice "bite." If your tastes run to the very hot, you might
want to use 3 Tbsp.
If you don't want to buy the oil "ready made" in the market, here's a
recipe:
1/4 cup hot red pepper flakes, 1 cup oil. Combine in a saucepan over
medium heat. Bring to boil, and immediately turn off heat. Let cool.
Strain in small glass container that can be sealed. Refrigerate.
Lasts indefinitely.

Scallion Cakes

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1 1/4 C all-purpose flour (approx. 5 cups)
3/4 pint boiling water
1 or 2 Tbs cold water
1 or 2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 oz margarine or butter
12 oz chopped scallions (about 35)
peanut or corn oil for frying

Sift flour into a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water gradually and
mix with a fork. Rub together with fingers while the flour is still
warm. Add the cold water and knead to form a firm, but not hard,
dough. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Oil a flat surface and a rolling pin with 1 tsp sesame oil. Place
dough on oiled surface. Knead a few times and divide into 6 pieces.
Roll out one piece into a 6 - 7 inch circle with the edges slightly
thinner than the middle. Sprinkle all over with a good 1/4 tsp of
salt and press in with your fingers. Generously spread with 1/2 oz
margarine all over, stopping just short of edges. Spread with about 5
Tbs of chopped scallions.

With both hands, pick of the sides nearest you and roll the cake up
away from you (like a jellyroll), taking care not to let the scallions
fall out. The dough should now be in a cylindrical shape. Pinch the
ends closed and roll towards each other until the dough is
ball-shaped. Gently roll the ball out until it's about 6 inches
across. Don't worry if the surface of the cake bursts while you're
rolling (this *always* happens to me!). Repeat for each piece of
dough.

Heat a heavy, flat frying pan until hot. Add 2 Tbs oil. Fry the
cakes over low heat, covered, for 4 or 5 minutes or until spotted
brown. Turn over and fry the other side likewise. Remove and drain
on a paper towel. Serve hot.

Chinese Potato Salad

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5-6 medium potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds)
4 slices bacon, well-cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup chopped bok choy
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped celantro

Sauce
1 1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs soy sauce
1-2 tsp sesame oil
1/8-1/4 tsp hot mustard powder
1/8 tsp salt

Boil the potatoes until cooked but still firm. Cut into potato
salad-sized chunks. Mix the ingredients for the sauce together,
using more or less sesame oil and host mustard according to taste
(the more the better, up to a point...). Put all solid ingredients
together in a large bowl, then add the sauce and mix well. Chill.

Nyonya Cakes

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Ingredients A:
340 gm Wet Rice Flour or Rice Flour
225 gm Sago Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
855 ml (11/2 coconut) Coconut Milk

Ingredients B:
425 ml Water
450 gm Sugar
8 Screwpine Leaves (if unable to obtain screwpine leaves, use vanilla essence 1 tsp)
Red food colouring

Method:

Mix A till smooth. Set aside.
Boil ingredients B till sugar dissolves.
Leave the syrup to thicken a bit then strain.
Pour the hot boiled syrup gradually into the flour mixture, stirring all the time till it is well blended.
Divide flour mixture into two portions.
Set aside one portion (uncoloured) and add red colouring in another portion.
Grease a round or square tin.
Place it in a steamer and pour 140 ml of uncoloured batter in the tin.
Steam each layer for six or eight minutes.
Pour alternatively the red and uncoloured batter and steam till mixture is used up.
Note: Stir the mixture each time before pouring into the tin. Test each layer is cooked before making the next layer. You can use your fingertips to check if the layer is cooked. It can take more then the required 8 minutes. It is required to leave the cake to cool down completely before cutting and serving.

Oats Vegetable Puffs

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Ingredients A

2 tbsp White Quaker Oats (or any other brand)
5 french beans - shredded
1/2 carrot - grated
2 potato (boiled and mashed)
2 tbsp cooked rice
1 beaten egg
2 tbsp cornflour
2 sprig spring onions(chopped)
1 large onion-chopped
1 red chilli - chopped
salt to taste

For Coating
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Oil for frying.

Method:


Mix Ingredients A together and form into mini balls.
Flatten it in your palm like making masala vadai.
Coat it with bread crumbs and fry in hot oil in low fire.

Wajik Pulut

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Ingredients

500gm glutinuous rice (soaked overnight)
750ml coconut milk (from 1/2 or 1 coconut)
1 tsp lime paste (air kapur)
2 screwpine leaves
a pinch of salt

Ingredients (B):
350gm brown sugar/gula melaka/gula merah
150ml water

Method:


Wash glutinuous rice and soak overnight with 1 tsp lime paste water.
Then toast and steam with coconut milk, knotted screwpine leaves and salt for 30 minutes or until the milk evaporates.
Once cooked take a fork and turn anti-clock wise and loosen the rice.
Leave it to cool.
Meanwhile, mix brown sugar and water and cook in a pan.
For those who are using gula merah sieve it first.
Leave the sugar syrup to boil at least 5 minutes
Lower the flame and mix in the glutinuous rice and mix it thoroughly.
Stir constantly for 3 minutes and close the flame.
Pour it into a cake pan and leave it to cool before serving.

Chinese Style Noodle

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Ingredients

150 gm Egg Noodle
150 gm boneless Chicken Meat
1/2 a Fish Cake (sliced thinly)(optional)
5 Fish Balls(halved)
100 gm Prawns(with or without shells)
2 cloves Garlic(minced)

Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp light Soya Sauce
2-3 tbsp thick Soya Sauce
1 cup Chicken stock or plain Water, Salt, Sugar
1 tsp Cornflour (mix with 3 tbsp water)

Method:


Heat 3 tbsp oil
Stir fry garlic until light brown. A
Add in chicken meat, prawns ,fish cake and fish balls
Stir fry until meat cooks.
Add noodles and all the seasoning except the cornflour mixture.
Bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Thicken the noodle gravy by adding cornflour mixture
Stir one or two time and close the fire.
Dish out. Serve hot.

Chicken Serunding

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Ingredients

1 Chicken (clean and cut into 4 large pieces)
500 ml Thick Coconut Milk
2 Turmeric Leaves (shredded)
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
Salt to taste

To pound into a paste:

8 Dried Chillies (soak in water)
8 Shallots
4 nips Garlic
1 cm Ginger
1 cm Galangal (lengkuas)
2 Lemon Grass
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
1 tbsp Cummin seeds
1 tbsp Fennel seeds

Method:

Boil the chicken until cooked.
Shred the chicken into pieces with your fingers.
Keep aside.
Heat a wok, combine coconut milk and the pounded ingredients and leave it to simmer gently.
Once oil surface from the gravy, add in shredded chicken, sugar, and salt.
Stir and cook until dish is really dried.
Add in turmeric leaves and dish out.

Lemak Sayur Nyonya

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This is tasty curry dish.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Prawns
4-5 Squids (cut into rings)
2 Lemon Grass (crushed)
800 ml Coconut Milk (semi thickness)
1 tsp Salt or more

Vegetables:

1 cup Cauliflower
1/2 Carrot (cut into semi circle)
5 Long Beans (cut into 2 cm)
5-6 Ladies Finger/okra (cut into 2cm)
1 Eggplant (halve and cut into 2cm)

To be made into a paste/grind:

7 Dried Chillies (soak in water)
1 fresh Red Chilli
6-7 large Shallots
2 nips Garlic
1-1/2 inch Ginger
1-1/2 inch fresh Turmeric (kunyit basah)
1 Turmeric Leaf (cut into small pieces)

Method:

Heat enough oil in wok, stir fry the paste until fragrant, a
Add in lemon grass, prawns and squids.
Cook until prawns turn pink.
Add in the vegetables with 1 cup of water. Simmer gently.
Add in 650 ml of coconut milk and stir.
Simmer gently until vegetables cook and gravy thickens.
Finally add in the balance 150 ml coconut milk.
Once one or two bubbles appear close fire. Dish out.
Note:The important ingredients for the dish is the fresh turmeric and the turmeric leaf. Do not omit it then the dish would not have its original flavour.

Chicken Rice

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Ingredients

1 big Chicken (clean and cut into 12 pcs)
600 gm long grain Rice (wash and drain)
960 ml Chicken Stock
3 nips Garlic (chopped finely)
1/2 chicken cube (optional)
2 Screwpine Leaves (knotted)(optional)
2 tbsp Chicken Lard/Oil
1 tbsp Margerine
1/4 tsp Salt

Method for Rice:


Take a bit of chicken fat and extract oil. (add the fat in a wok and leave it in the fire. The oil will come out by itself)
Throw the fat away and leave the oil in the wok.
Add in the margerine and fry the chopped garlic until fragrant.
Add in the drained rice and combine the rice with the garlic for 1 -2 minutes.
Close fire.
Transfer the rice to a rice cooker.
Add in the chicken stock, screwpine leaves, crumble the chicken cube and salt.
Cook until rice is done.
Stir with a fork. (Note: For those who do not want to use the lard, substitute with margerine)
Method For the Chicken:


Boil the chicken with water to get the chicken stock.
Dish out the chicken in a bowl.
Sieve the chicken stock before using.
Marinate the chicken with 4 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp thick soya sauce, 2 tbsp light soya sauce,
Add a few drops of sesame oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1-1/2 tsp sugar.
Deep fry the chicken in oil or roast it in the oven (220o C for 15-20 min) (Since the chicken is already cooked fry it for 5 min only)
For the Chilli Sauce:

6 -7 fresh Red Chillies
1 1/2" Ginger
1 Shallot
1/2 nip Garlic
2 tbsp Tomato Sauce
3-4 tbsp White Vinegar/ artificial vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Sugar
5 tbsp water (or more)
A few drops of Sesame Oil
A pinch of Salt


Grind the chillies, ginger, shallot and garlic.
Mix the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, sugar, salt and sesame oil.
Give it a stir.
Leave the sauce to marinate for 4 hours before serving.
For the Sweet Black Sauce:

4 tbsp Sweet Plum Sauce
1 tbsp Thick Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Light Soya Sauce
A few drops of Sesame Oil
4 tbsp Water

Combine all the ingredients and give it a stir. Leave aside.

Method to proceed:
Serve the rice with fried/roasted chicken, chilli sauce, sweet black sauce, sliced cucumber and fresh salad leaves (lettuce).