Post by SeaDragon on Dec 20, 2017 20:35:12 GMT 10
Hawker fare at it's best
By Amy Beh (circa 1996)
NO Visit to Penang is complete without tasting its famous hawker food. From Penang comes a selection of tasty and appetising dishes, the most famous being Penang Laksa which is a little tangy and deliciously spicy.
There is also Penang Hokkien Mee, a dish with richly flavoured soup and Fried Kway Teow that comes out hot from the kuali with egg, prawns and cockles if you please. What better occasion to serve these home-cooked Penang-style dishes than during cosy get-togethers of family and friends.
You can now have all these three favourites right at home with today's recipes at hand.
Penang Laksa
Ingredients:
600g laksa noodles (you can get it easily from supermarkets) -- scald in hot water and drain
(A):
1kg flaked ikan kembong or ikan parang
A pinch of salt
2000ml water
(B):
Spices to grind finely
6-7 fresh chillies
4-5 dried chillies
1 small piece lengkuas
2cm fresh turmeric
20 shallots
2 cloves garlic
6 candlenuts (buah keras)
(C):
5 stalks daun kesom
1 bunga kantan - cut lengthwise
5-4 stalks serai - smashed
Mix and strain:
50g tamarind (assam jawa)
250ml water
4 pieces asam keping
1 tbsp Maggi Belacan powder (it's so convenient to use this, instead of roasting a piece of belacan) then roast it
Salt and monosodium glutamate to taste
(D) Garnishing:
Slice thinly:
100g pineapple
1 cucumber
2 bunga kantan
3 red chillies
2 big onions
200g lettuce
Mint leaves
Enough sticky black prawn paste (hayko) -- dissolve in a little hot water
Method:
Boil fish with the water. When fish is cooked remove it from the stock and flake it. Leave water (fish stock) in the pot.
Add (B) and (C) in the fish stock and simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Put in flaked fish meat and keep the laksa gravy over a moderate heat.
Put laksa noodles into serving bowls. Spoon the laksa gravy over and garnish with (D). Serve hot with a little prawn paste.
Penang Hokkien Mee
Ingredients:
600g mee
250g beehoon
600g prawns
3kg chicken bones or pork-rib bones (optional)
1kg flower crabs -- remove the shells and cut into halves
2 pieces rock sugar
Grind these ingredients together:
5 dried chillies
1/3 cup shallots
5 cloves garlic
Garnishing:
200g water convolvulus (kangkong), blanched
150g cooked meat, sliced thinly
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
150g beansprouts
Fried shallot crisps
Cooked prawns
Chilli oil -- stir-fry 2 tbsp chilli boh with 1/2 cup cooking oil till fragrant and aromatic and oil rises to the top. Add a pinch of salt and set aside.
Method:
Simmer chicken bones and rib bones (optional) for about 30 minutes in water to make the stock. (If rib bones is used save the meat for garnishing.)
Shell prawns. Wash prawn shells and heads and flower crabs and boil in a little water. When boiled, strain prawn and crab stock into the meat stock. Boil the shelled prawns and save the water to add into the main stock.
Fry the ground chillies, shallots and garlic in 3-4 tbsp cooking oil till aromatic. Then pour into the main stock and simmer over a slow fire till ready for serving.
To serve, scald required amounts of beansprouts, kangkong and mee or beehoon and place them it into a bowl. Scoop generous ladles of soup over the mee and beehoon and vegetables.
Garnish with meat, prawns and hard-boiled egg slices. Sprinkle some fried shallot crisps and serve with chilli sauce and a dash of chilli oil.
Penang Fried Kway Teow
Ingredients:
600g kway teow
Chopped garlic
Cooking oil
300g prawns, shelled but leave the tails intact
1 Chinese sausage (optional), sliced thinly
150g cockles, scalded and shelled
150g beansprouts
100g chives, cut into 3cm lengths
Chilli paste
eggs
Seasoning:
1 tbsp light soya sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp chilli paste
A little dark soya sauce -- for colour
A little water
Method:
Heat wok with 3 tbsp oil until hot and fry l tsp chopped garlic until light brown. Add about 3-4 prawns, some beansprouts and Chinese sausages (optional).
Push all the fried ingredients to one side and add in a plate of kway teow. Stir-fry the kway teow quickly. Add seasoning and sprinkle with a little water and mix in all the fried ingredients together.
Spread all the ingredients around the kuali and create an empty space in the centre, then crack an egg into it and add a little more oil. Cover the egg with all the ingredients and stir-fry evenly. Add cockles if desired and mix in a handful of chives. Do not overcook.
Remove the dish to a plate and serve hot.
By Amy Beh (circa 1996)
NO Visit to Penang is complete without tasting its famous hawker food. From Penang comes a selection of tasty and appetising dishes, the most famous being Penang Laksa which is a little tangy and deliciously spicy.
There is also Penang Hokkien Mee, a dish with richly flavoured soup and Fried Kway Teow that comes out hot from the kuali with egg, prawns and cockles if you please. What better occasion to serve these home-cooked Penang-style dishes than during cosy get-togethers of family and friends.
You can now have all these three favourites right at home with today's recipes at hand.
Penang Laksa
Ingredients:
600g laksa noodles (you can get it easily from supermarkets) -- scald in hot water and drain
(A):
1kg flaked ikan kembong or ikan parang
A pinch of salt
2000ml water
(B):
Spices to grind finely
6-7 fresh chillies
4-5 dried chillies
1 small piece lengkuas
2cm fresh turmeric
20 shallots
2 cloves garlic
6 candlenuts (buah keras)
(C):
5 stalks daun kesom
1 bunga kantan - cut lengthwise
5-4 stalks serai - smashed
Mix and strain:
50g tamarind (assam jawa)
250ml water
4 pieces asam keping
1 tbsp Maggi Belacan powder (it's so convenient to use this, instead of roasting a piece of belacan) then roast it
Salt and monosodium glutamate to taste
(D) Garnishing:
Slice thinly:
100g pineapple
1 cucumber
2 bunga kantan
3 red chillies
2 big onions
200g lettuce
Mint leaves
Enough sticky black prawn paste (hayko) -- dissolve in a little hot water
Method:
Boil fish with the water. When fish is cooked remove it from the stock and flake it. Leave water (fish stock) in the pot.
Add (B) and (C) in the fish stock and simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Put in flaked fish meat and keep the laksa gravy over a moderate heat.
Put laksa noodles into serving bowls. Spoon the laksa gravy over and garnish with (D). Serve hot with a little prawn paste.
Penang Hokkien Mee
Ingredients:
600g mee
250g beehoon
600g prawns
3kg chicken bones or pork-rib bones (optional)
1kg flower crabs -- remove the shells and cut into halves
2 pieces rock sugar
Grind these ingredients together:
5 dried chillies
1/3 cup shallots
5 cloves garlic
Garnishing:
200g water convolvulus (kangkong), blanched
150g cooked meat, sliced thinly
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
150g beansprouts
Fried shallot crisps
Cooked prawns
Chilli oil -- stir-fry 2 tbsp chilli boh with 1/2 cup cooking oil till fragrant and aromatic and oil rises to the top. Add a pinch of salt and set aside.
Method:
Simmer chicken bones and rib bones (optional) for about 30 minutes in water to make the stock. (If rib bones is used save the meat for garnishing.)
Shell prawns. Wash prawn shells and heads and flower crabs and boil in a little water. When boiled, strain prawn and crab stock into the meat stock. Boil the shelled prawns and save the water to add into the main stock.
Fry the ground chillies, shallots and garlic in 3-4 tbsp cooking oil till aromatic. Then pour into the main stock and simmer over a slow fire till ready for serving.
To serve, scald required amounts of beansprouts, kangkong and mee or beehoon and place them it into a bowl. Scoop generous ladles of soup over the mee and beehoon and vegetables.
Garnish with meat, prawns and hard-boiled egg slices. Sprinkle some fried shallot crisps and serve with chilli sauce and a dash of chilli oil.
Penang Fried Kway Teow
Ingredients:
600g kway teow
Chopped garlic
Cooking oil
300g prawns, shelled but leave the tails intact
1 Chinese sausage (optional), sliced thinly
150g cockles, scalded and shelled
150g beansprouts
100g chives, cut into 3cm lengths
Chilli paste
eggs
Seasoning:
1 tbsp light soya sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp chilli paste
A little dark soya sauce -- for colour
A little water
Method:
Heat wok with 3 tbsp oil until hot and fry l tsp chopped garlic until light brown. Add about 3-4 prawns, some beansprouts and Chinese sausages (optional).
Push all the fried ingredients to one side and add in a plate of kway teow. Stir-fry the kway teow quickly. Add seasoning and sprinkle with a little water and mix in all the fried ingredients together.
Spread all the ingredients around the kuali and create an empty space in the centre, then crack an egg into it and add a little more oil. Cover the egg with all the ingredients and stir-fry evenly. Add cockles if desired and mix in a handful of chives. Do not overcook.
Remove the dish to a plate and serve hot.