Seasoned Mung Bean Sprouts/Sukjunamul

This is one of the many side dishes (banchan) that comes with your Korean meal. You can serve this warm or cold.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb mung bean sprouts
1 spring onion, chopped finely
¾ tsp. soysauce
1 tsp. sesame seed oil
½ tsp. garlic powder or fresh minced garlic
dash of pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame toasted sesame seeds
Method:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanched bean sprouts. Remove from heat and rinse in cold water. Remove and squeeze most of the water and put in a larger bowl.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Serve warm or cold with rice.
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Mango Pudding

If you are dim sum lover, you would love this popular dessert! It is frequently found in the dessert carts when the server roll it over to your table. It is sweet with a rich and silky texture with a refreshing flavor of mango. It is quick and easy to make at home with either fresh or pureed mangoes. You can serve it with a some fresh cream or evaporated milk.
Ingredients:
2 packets (1 Tbsp.) of unflavored gelatin
½ cup sugar (¾ cups if you like it sweeter)
¾ cup hot water (1 cup if you like it softer)
1 cup evaporated milk
3 cups pureed fresh mangoes
5 ice cubes
Method:
1. In a bowl, add gelatin and sugar to hot water and mix well to dissolve and mixture is smooth.
2. In another bowl, mix mango puree, milk and ice cubes. Add in the gelatin mixture and stir until ice cubes are melted.
3. Pour mixture into jelly mould and chill until set, at least 2-4 hours. To serve, dip jelly mould in hot water and turn pudding onto plate. Serve with fresh mango slices and some chilled evaporated milk.
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Sweet Potato Balls with Palm Sugar/Ondeh-Ondeh

  

Onde-Onde is a colorful and delicious Malaysian dessert. Onde-Onde in Javanese, literally means a round or small food in the shape of a sphere. It is a small sweetened dumpling of sweet potato dough filled with Gula Melaka, a rich brown sugar from the palm tree. The cooked dough is coated with freshly grated white coconut. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to get fresh grated coconut, the only alternative is to use the frozen ones imported from the Philippines. It goes by the brand name of "Masagana". The palm sugar, Gula Melaka is wrapped in dried palm leaves and you can find them in Asian supermarket.

Ingredients: (about 24-30 balls)
200 gms. sweet potato, peeled and cubed
200 gms. glutinous rice flour
1 Tbsp. tapioca flour
100 ml. water
25 ml. pandan flavoring essence
6 drops of green coloring
pinch of salt
125 gm. gula melaka, grated
3 tsp. white sugar
150 gm. grated coconut, thawed at room temperature
Method:
1. Steam sweet potatoes until soft and mash finely. Set aside. Mix a pinch of salt with the grated coconut and steam for about 5 minutes and set aside to cool.
2. Combine sugar and grated gula melaka in a bowl. Add glutionious rice flour into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a measuring cup, add in pandan essence, green coloring and water to mix. Pour this into a small saucepan and add in salt and tapioca flour and bring to a boil over low heat. Keep stirring until the mixture is slightly thickens. Remove from heat.
4. Pour this warm mixture into the bowl with the flour, mix well to combine. Add the mashed potato and mix to form a dough. Add a little more glutinous rice flour if the dough gets too soft and if it is too dry, simply wet your hands and knead the dough till it is smooth and pliable. Roll into a long rope, cut into 1" cubes and flatten the dough with the palm of your hand. Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of sugar in the middle of dough. Pinch the edges to seal and roll again into a smooth sphere. Do the same with the rest of the dough in the same manner.

5. Fill a deep saucepan with water halfway and bring to a boil. Drop the balls into the boiling water in small batches and cook until they float to the surface about 3 minutes. Remove the cooked balls with a slotted spoon and roll in grated coconut to coat. Serve with tea.

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Cheese Soufflés

This is a simple and elegant approach to present eggs and cheese, and yet makes an enjoyable meal. It is great served by itself or with a salad and fruits.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
3½ ozs. soft goat cheese
3 eggs, separated
3 Tbsps. chopped mixed herbs (chives, tarragon, and sweet basil)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsps. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsps. unsalted butter
5-6 ramekins (glass or ceramic)
Method:
1. In a saucepan melt the butter over medium heat, add the flour and stir vigourously for about 30 seconds to remove lumps. Remove from heat and gently add in the milk and mix until mixture become smooth. Next, return saucepan to the heat and stir constantly until the mixture thickens slightly, but not lumpy. Remove from heat to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter the ramekins well on all sides.
3. In a clean bowl, beat in the cheese, egg yolks, herbs, salt and pepper. In another bowl, beat the egg whites unitl it resembles soft peaks. Fold in the egg whites gently into the cheese mixture.

3. Spoon the cheese mixture into prepared ramekins and bake in oven for 15-20 minute until mixture risen and golden on top. Remove from oven to cool. Serve it straight from the ramekins or turn them out onto plates.
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Stewed Pork with Preserved Beancurd/Hakka Char Yok

Char Yok is a traditional Hakka cuisine that my mother would prepared during the Chinese New Year. I often joked with her that this dish is the major highlight as it brings happy and familiar faces of her extended family members: the Tai's, Cheong's and the Goh's. They would often praise her about it and my mother takes great pride in her cooking.
Hakka Char Yok is belly pork marinated with spices and fried till crispy and then gently braised with preserved red bean curd (nam yu red sauce), wood ears, and pickled mustard. I like to use the pickled mustard from Ipoh-Malaysia, which has a distinctive flavor and is less salty. This post is a tribute to my late mother, who has influenced my cooking with her penchant to perfection--Bon Appétit!
Ingredients:
1 lb. side belly pork (skin removed)
1 oz dried wood ears (soaked in water)
400 gms pickled mustard (ham choy)
1 Tbsp. Chinese wine or brandy
1 piece star anise
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cornflour
2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1¾ cups warm water
6 pieces nam yu
2 shallots, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small piece ginger, minced
Cooking oil
½ cup flour (coating)
Method:
1. Washed and cut pork in 2" pieces, dried with paper towels. In a bowl, mix well the following: Chinese five-spice powder; 2 pieces of nam yu; flour; cornflour; wine; and egg. Add in the pork and marinate meat overnight.

2. Washed and soak pickled mustard to remove any impurities and until water runs clear. Squeezed out excess water and cut into 2" pieces. Remove woody parts from wood ears and cut in 2" pieces. Set aside.

3. Heat enough oil in a deep saucepan on high heat. When oil is hot, coat each piece of meat with flour and shake off excess flour. Gently add to the hot oil to cook. Do not put in too much meat at one time as the meat will not cook properly. Do the same with the rest of the meat. Deep fried meat until golden brown. Drain meat on paper towels.
4. In another pot, add about one tablespoon oil, toss in the wood ears and pickled mustard and stir fry for about 5-10 minutes until the vegetables has absorbed most of the oil. Remove and set aside.

5. In the same pot, add in two tablespoon oil, fry the shallots, garlic, ginger, star anise till fragrant. Add in the rest of the nam yu and rest of the water. Using the back of the ladle, mashed the nam yu till it dissolved. Add in the wood ears, pickled mustard, and rest of the water. Stir in to mix well and let mixture comes to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30-45 minutes, until vegetables are soft and tender. Season to taste or add slightly more warm water if you like more gravy).
6. Add in the fried meat, mix and simmer on low for another 30 minutes till the meat has absorbed some of the gravy. Serve hot with rice.
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Steamed Artichokes with Lemony Mustard Sauce

There are many ways to cook an artichoke. I've seen it baked, stuffed, grilled, or deep-fried. The most common method is steaming it with water and served with butter. This is just how I like mine, steamed and peels each overlapping leaf and dipping in a tangy lemon sauce. The best part is the heart at the bottom of the artichoke. It is covered with inedible fuzzy hairs (called the choke). After removing the "choke" with a spoon or a knife is the best part of this vegetable. Here is my version of a simple and elegant way to serve artichokes.
Ingredients:
4 large to medium artichokes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons, cut in wedges
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ salt
Lemon Sauce Dip:
3 stalks scallion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup lemon juice
4 Tbsps. brown rice vinegar (white will do)
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. thyme
2 Tbsps. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Method:

1. Soak artichokes in water for about 10 minutes to remove any bugs (just in case). Using a sharp knife cut an inch from the top and remove the base of the stem. Remove any tough outer leaves, and snip the tip end of each leaf evenly. Rub each end of the leaves with lemon wedges.

2. In a large stainless steel pot, add the artichokes, half of the lemon wedges, sugar, salt and garlic. Add water to completely cover the artichokes. Cover and bring to a fast boil, reduce heat to simmer for about 30-35 minutes until tender. Turn off heat, drain artichokes upside-down to remove excess water. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes (or serve it warm).

3. In a medium sized bowl, add all of dipping ingredients and whisk well to incorporate. Season to taste. Serve artichokes on a large platter with lemon wedges and sauce in separate smaller bowls.

Notes: Artichokes will discolor if cooked in a cast iron or an aluminum pot. Another good idea is to include lots of napkins or place little bowls of water to wash your hands.

My artichoke plant.

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Steamed Turnip Dumplings/Soon Kueh/Loh Pat Pan

This is a classic snack that is sold in the wet markets in Malaysia. It goes by many names like "loh pat pan" in hakka dialect or "soon kueh" in hokkien. The only difference is the latter has bamboo shoots, or "soon" in Peranakan as an added ingredient. This is one of my favorite food growing up in Malaysia, it brings back sweet childhood memories.
Ingredients: (inspired and adapted by rose kitchen)
Dough recipe: 300 gms rice flour; 100 gm tapioca starch, extra for dusting, 1 tsp. salt; 600 ml. boiling water; 2 Tbsp. oil
Stuffing recipe: 50 gm dried shrimps (rinse and soak in little water to soften); 50 gm dried mushroom (soaked to soften, cut into thin strips); 1-2 lbs of jicama (sliced and cut into thin strips); 1 Tbsp. sugar; 3-4 Tbsp. light soy sauce; 1 tsp. oyster sauce; 2-3 cloves garlic; ground white pepper to taste; 2-3 bamboo shoots (cut into strips if used) enough oil for frying
Presentation: banana or pandan leaves if available
Method:
1. Add a pinch of salt to the jicama, and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Squeezed out excess water. Pound dried shrimps finely in a mortar and pestle (or use food processor). If using banana leaves, cut into 4 x 3 inch shapes. Brush leaves lightly with some oil.

2. Heat some oil in pan and fry shallots and dried shrimps till fragrant. Add jicama and the rest of the vegetables, stir to mix well, then add the seasonings. Continue to fry until ingredients are well mixed and cooked through. Add some water if mixture gets dry. Season to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. To make the dough: In a large bowl add the 2 types of flours, salt and mix well. Drizzle with the boiled water, and stir to mix quickly, let it sit for a few minutes to cool. Next, add in oil and knead to mix thoroughly. and add boiling water. Continue to knead until there is no more lump and texture is smooth, dust with some tapioca starch if it gets too sticky. Cover the dough and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
4. To make dumplings: roll out dough, and dust with tapioca starch if sticky. Continue to roll on a floured board until smooth. Cut into log and cut into equal portions. Roll a portion into a ball, flatten and dust a bit tapioca starch on top and gently roll the middle part gently and move the edges with less pressure.
5. Fill the dumpling skin with a spoonful of mixture, press to seal and flute the edges if you like. Do the same with the rest of the dough. Heat a steamer with water. Place dumplings on banana/pandan leaves if used and space them an inch apart on the steaming tray. Brush top of dumplings with some cooking oil. Steam over fast boiling water until cooked for 10 minutes. Remove carefully on to serving dish.

6. Serve piping hot with chili sauce.
Tips: you can also pan fried the dumplings with some oil until crispy brown for a different taste and texture.
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