Kung Pao Squid 宫保墨鱼

This is the 2nd time I cook squid. First was Squid Curry. Actually I have no idea how to come out a dish with these squid. Ended up cooking it with onion, ginger, dried chili, garlic and spring onion, which is very similar to Kung Pao style. So, that's why I named it as Kung Pao Squid. :)

Kung Pao Squid 宫保墨鱼


Ingredients:
400gm of squid, cleaned
1 stalk of spring onion, separate the white and green portion. Cut into 2" length
5 slices of ginger
half onion, peeled and diced
1 tbsp of chopped garlic
12 dried chilies, soaked in hot water to dehydrate
1 tbsp of glutinous rice wine
cooking oil


Sauce:
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce
dashes of white pepper powder

Steps:
1. Cut the squid body into rings. Marinate the squids with glutinous rice wine for 5 minutes.
2. Heat up oil in a wok. Saute onion, chili and ginger till fragrant. Add garlic.
3. Stir in squids and the white portion of spring onion. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in sauce and stir fry.

4. Cook till the sauce is thickening. Add green portion of spring onion. Dish out and serve hot with steamed rice.

Potato Wedges (Air-Fryer Recipe)

I made some potato wedges using the air-fryer for our afternoon snack today. I never make potato wedges before, neither baked or fried. I thought it requires a very long cooking time. Now I know I was wrong. By using the air-fryer, this can be ready in just 15 minutes, with only a tablespoon of cooking oil. As you can see, the result is so satisfying. It's worth a try. 

Potato Wedges (Air-Fryer Recipe) 

Reference: Philip Airfryer recipe booklet

Ingredients:

350gm potato

1 tbsp cooking oil

dashes of paprika

Steps:

1. Scrub the potatoes clean and cut it into wedges. Soak the potato wedges in water for at least 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Coat them with oil in a bowl. Sprinkle with paprika powder.

2. Cook in preheat airfryer for 15 minutes under 180 deg C.

Salted Chicken From Aun Kheng Lim, Ipoh

If you happened to drop by Ipoh for Lou Wong bean sprout chicken rice, you can walk over to another street for the Aun Kheng Lim salted chicken. You can only take away since they don't have dine in service. That’s what we did when we dine at Aun Kee for chicken hor fun, which is next door to the Lou Wong.

I found a few slices of Dong Quai aka Angelica sinensis inserted inside the free range chicken’s abdomen. It is wrapped up in a few layers of parchment paper and then baked in salt. So, the outcome is a herbal infused and salty fragrant chicken. Each chicken cost RM17. The portion is just enough for 2 to serve with steamed rice.

To make up a balanced meal, I serve the it with chicken rice and sliced Japanese cucumber. It is a simple and yet satisfying lunch.

Aun Kheng Lim Salted Chicken
No. 24, Jalan Theatre,
30300 Ipoh, Perak.
Tel : 05-2542998

Fried "Xin Zhu" Vermicelli 炒新竹米粉

新竹米粉 translated to English as "Xin Zhu" vermicelli, is a well-known noodle produced in Xin Zhu, Taiwan. The noodles is dried by the natural wind and not by machine. That's what made it so special and popular in Xin Zhu. The main ingredients are rice and water. 

I'm not sure if the dried "Xin Zhu" vermicelli that I bought is the original product from "Xin Zhu". But, I can tell the difference between this "Xin Zhu" vermicelli and the common vermicelli. It needs longer soaking time to soften. It is half-translucent that is similar to glass noodle. And it is also more springy. Of course, it is more expensive. I've use it several times in stir-frying, but haven't try it in noodle soup. If you like fried glass noodle, you will like this fried "Xin Zhu" vermicelli too.

Fried "Xin Zhu" Vermicelli 炒新竹米粉
Serves 2


Ingredients:
2 pieces of "Xin Zhu" Vermicelli, soaked in warm water for 25-30 minutes
cabbage, cut into strips
1/4 of carrot, cut into strips
1 egg, beaten
12 prawns, shelled and deveined
100ml water
1 tbsp of chopped garlic
cooking oil

Seasonings:
1 tbsp of oyster sauce
1 tsp of dark soy sauce
3 tbsp of light soy sauce
dashes of white pepper powder

Steps:

1. Heat some oil in a wok. Fry the beaten egg till golden both sides. Leave it cool and cut it into strips.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in the wok and saute garlic until fragrant. Add the prawns, and cabbage to stir-fry for 2 minutes.

3. Add vermicelli.  Pour in seasonings, water and mix well. Continue to stir-fry until the sauce is thickening. Toss the carrot to the vermicelli. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Dish out and garnish with egg strips. Serve hot.

Potato With Meatballs 马铃薯与肉丸

This is one of my childhood favourite. My mum cooked this quite frequently when I was a kid. I used to eat only the meatballs until I learned the benefits of potato. Well, my mum has several version of this dish. She played around the potato and meatballs. Sometimes, she deep-fried the meatballs and potato. Sometimes, she just fried the meatballs, and at times, she just cook potato and meatballs from raw. Despite of the different methods, the dish turns out to be delicious. 

As for my version, I pan-fried both the potato and meatballs. Remember about the meatballs that I prepared up-front? I moved it from freezer to to fridge just before I left to work. It'll will be ready to cook when I come back home. I want my cooking to be therapeutic instead of problematic after long hours of working.

Potato With Meatballs 马铃薯与肉丸
Serves 4


Ingredients:
3 potatoes, peeled and sliced
16 meatballs
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and sliced
cooking oil
200ml water

Seasonings:
Light soy sauce to taste

Steps:
1. Heat up oil in a wok. pan-fry the potato till golden yellow. Drain and set aside.
2. Add 2 tbsp of oil in the same wok. Stir-fry onion till fragrant. Add garlic to saute till golden yellow.
3. Pour in water and bring to boil.
4. Add fried potatoes and meatballs. Let it simmers for few minutes. Add light soy sauce to taste.
5. Serve hot with rice.