Saturday, November 28, 2009

Chinese Mala Hotpot Condiments

Chinese Mala "Spicy" Hotpot is such a fad in Singapore a lot of F&B importers are  importing the Mala Hotpot soup packs to resale to general consumer. Nowadays, you are easily spoil for choice with the variety of Mala Hotpot soup pack and I have consolidate a list of Mala Hotpot soup easily available in Singapore for those who want to DIY your own Mala Hotpot.













Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Franchise Viet Food - Pho Phoa

My introduction to vietnamese food started in Pho Phoa, a franchise viet restaurant focus primarily on Viet Beef Noodle with numerous outlets open across US, Canada and Asia. Normally, I don't really like oversea franchise restaurant operating in Singapore as the food served by such franchise rarely live up to its origin. Pho Phoa is the only one so far manage to change my perception.


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Pho Phoa Singapore is conveniently located in a inconspicuous corner at Suntec Mall Level 3, you might miss the restaurant entirely if you do not look for it closely. It is my 3rd visit to Pho Phoa with first visit alone and the second with my makan kaki. I'm pretty famish today as I got long day (AFA 2009 Concert) ahead of me so I decide to order a Phở Tái, Chín Nạc $8.95 (Viet Beef Noodle Soup with Beef Steak and Brisket Slice) and Bánh Mì /Phở Bò Kho $8.95 (Viet Carrot Beef Stew served with Bread) to help tide me off.

The Phở Tái, Chín Nạc was serve first with toppings of fresh chili flakes, bean sprouts, thai basil leaves and not least Pho Phoa's concocted dry lemongrass sweet chili paste. For starters in Viet Pho, add in the toppings that you prefer bean sprouts, thai basil and fresh chili to adjust the Pho to suit to your taste. For my case, add in everything except for the dry lemongrass sweet chili as I would like to savour it individual with the Pho and so as not to taint the beef soup. Before I add in the toppings, I took a sip of Pho beef soup and its strike me the beefy taste is more distinct than those Hainanese style.

Unlike the Hainanese Beef Noodle, the soup is clear as consomme which made it more superior as additional process of removing the scum (coagulation soluble albumin in raw meat during cooking) from the broth enhancing it richness. The Viet Pho (rice noodles) really goes well with the soup but the same cannot be say for the beef steak & brisket slice as it was overcook and tough. Some slices have tendon which make it even more difficult to chew.

If you have more flexible budget, I would suggest you order Phở Tái, Nạm, Gầu $11.95 (Viet Beef Noodle soup with eye round steak, flank and fatty flank) and ask for special request that you just want fatty flank. Fatty flank doesn't get over cook that easily in the hot Pho soup while maintain its tenderness. If you not too fussy about the overcook beef, Pho Phoa is a strong contender to Hainanese style beef noodles like Hock Lam, Zheng Yi or Hong Heng with a more upmarket price after you include in the service charge & GST.  



Bánh Mì /Phở Bò Kho was serve next after I start feasting on the  Phở Tái, Nạm, Gầu. I couldn't wait till I finish the Pho Tai and start on Banh Mi. When I took a sip of the beef stew, it is the richest beef stew I ever tasted and it make Pho Tai's Beef soup pale in comparison. But the underside of the stew it is too salty for my palate and you can only enjoy it with bread, noodle or rice. Eating it without any side is suicidal to your general health. For same price, Banh Mi seem to be a better offer as Ban Mi have generous serving of stew beef chunks while Pho Tai only have few thin slice of beef. The stew beef chunks are pretty well stew to tenderness despite a few beef chunks miss the mark. In conclusion for my third visit to Pho Phoa, Ban Mi had left me a deeper impression than the rest.  


Emperor Meat Ball Soup

I'm down with flu and something soupy to combat the flu virus. After rummaging my fridge, I found I got some frozen minced beef left I decide to made Emperor Beef Meat Ball Soup.

Emperor Meat Ball Soup is a dish I conceptualize from the famous Pork Meat Ball Stew (红烧狮子头) that was served to Emperor Sui Yang Di (隋炀帝) of Sui Dynasty. Unlike its origin, my variant is healthier as the meat ball is steam and not fry. It is suitable for people that was down with flu as Chinese herbs are use to enhance efficacy of the dish to combat the flu virus.


Emperor Meat Ball Soup
  • 300g Minced Beef (can replaced with pork or chicken)
  • 1Teaspoon of soup stock concentrate
  • 1 Teaspoon of minced garlic
  • 1 Teaspoon of minced ginger
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 1 Teaspoon of A1 Emperor Herb Chicken Spices
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Packet of White Shimeji Mushroom
Chop half of the Shimeji mushroom into small bits as it will be mixed into the minced meat. Add in the minced beef, soup stock concentrate, garlic, ginger, A1 emperor herb chicken spices, sesame oil and chopped Shimeji mushroom in a mixing bowl. Use your clean hands and knead the mince meat and ensure the all the spices, mushroom and marinade is mix thorough. Slowly add in the beat egg wash while kneading the mince meat to help it bind the meat with the mushroom. Use your 2 hands and shape the mince beef to considerable size of 8cm. Line the meat balls in the ceramic bowl and top the rest of the Shimeji mushroom on the meat balls and steam it over a steamer for 1 to 2 hours till the bowl is fill with wholesome broth/soup as shown. Turn off the stove and serve it will rice or porridge.    

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Chinese Chong Qing Mala Wings

It is a busy week for me as I was busy preparing for my work duties hand over that give birth to this recipe - Chinese Chong Qing Mala Wings that is equivalent of Mexican Chipotle Wings. The conceptualization of Chong Qing Mala Wings is from the famous Chong Qing Mala Hotpot - a popular chinese hotpot with thick layer of chili oil floating in the broth surface that any food condiments cook in it will have a hot spicy numbing taste that thrill your taste buds.


 Chinese Chong Qing Mala Wings
  • 8 Pcs of Mid Joint Chicken Wings
  • 1 Tablespoon of Chong Qing Mala Hotpot Paste (available for sale in Sheng Siong Supermart)
  • 1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine 
Marinate the chicken wings with cooking wine to remove raw poultry smell for 5 minutes. Add in the Chong Qing Mala Paste and rub it evenly on all the wings and ensure all the wings are coated with the paste. You do not need to add any other seasoning to the chicken because the Chong Mala Paste Paste is heavily seasoned and any additional seasoning added to to the wings will result in very salty wings. Heat up a non-stick frying pan without adding any oil (as the paste used to marinate the chicken already got chili oil in it), pan fried the wings for 5 mins on both side till you see it brown. Off the stove flame and leave it for another 5mins and serve hot with rice.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Lazy Man Pizza Toast

I'm eating this lazy man pizza toast as I writing this on my blog. The rainy days in Singapore is severely affecting my slimming regime namely no supper after 8pm. I decide to break this regime as I'm so famish even though I have a hearty Mala Beef Noodle for dinner. I made this toast because I got cheap salami scrap for mere $1.50 that need to be cleared before it goes bad, ciabatta bread I got from Giant last weekend due to expire as well and mushroom the is starting to withe. The end product is a yummy pizza toast that only took me 10 minutes to make.


Lazy Man Pizza Toast
  • 1 Ciabatta Bread (normal bread will work just as well)
  • 1 White Button Mushroom (can be replace with tomato if you don't have any)
  • 2 Tablespoon of Ketchup
  • Mozarella Cheese (any cheese will do when you are hungry)
  • 8 Salami Scrap (you can substitute with ham, bacon bit or whatever toast friendly)
Slice the ciabatta bread to half and use a brush and brush the ciabatta bread evenly with ketchup. Layer the ciabatta with sliced white button mushroom follow by the salami scrap. Finally top it off with mozarella cheese and ensure the bread is even covered. Toast it in toaster oven for 5 to 8 minutes and you have your tasty lazy man pizza ready.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Tender Me Hearty Beef Noodle - Hong Heng Beef Noodle Soup & Katong Laksa

I'm meeting my long time friend who staying near Ang Mo Kio for brief get together at the same time to taste the self proclaimed "Beef Noodle King"(Link) Hong Heng Beef Noodle Soup & Katong Laksa. I met my friend at the AMK Hub - CitiBank ATM and proceed to walk to Hong Heng. The journey took us about 20 minutes as it located at deeper part of Ang Mo Kio Ave 3. 



Upon reaching the coffee shop at Block 233, we are quite surprise it is bustling with customer chowing down bowls of beef noodles. We are fortunately to find tables not fully occupied and I proceed to queue and order 1 dry beef kway tiao and 1 beef ball soup with rice ($9.50 for both) while my friend chop the table. The queue isn't that long as the stall attendant work fast in cooking the beef noodles.

 

The wait isn't long before my order came. I'm having Dry Beef Kway Tiao that comes with a bowl of beef soup and chinchalok chili. First, I tried the beef soup and it is on par with Hock Lum & Zheng Yi in the degree of beefiness. The only difference is the herbs used in making the soup. Hong Heng's beef soup is the best I drank so far as it isn't too salty or overladen with soya sauce and you can go for second and third if you stomach allows you.

The same cannot apply to the dry beef kway tiao gravy as it is too starchy and you can't even taste the beefy goodness in it at all. However, the serving is very generous as the owner clearly doesn't believe in profit from skimping on the essential ingredient that make up a good bowl of beef noodle - soup that pack a punch & generous amount of tender beef slices. The beef slices were cooked just right and tender me hearty kudos to the stall attendant. It will be money worth if not for the starchy gravy that spoil it. The chinchalok chili doesn't amaze me much if compared to Zheng Yi. Avoid the dry version at all cost, go for the wet version if you happen to drop by there.



I took a photo of the beef balls soup that I ordered for him. From his standpoint, he agreed with me Hong Heng's beef soup do pack more punch among those he tried. The beef balls doesn't have the overpowering gamey taste that is inherent to others he had tried. Although I do not eat beef balls that much other than those sold in supermarket, I agreed with him on this after he offered to one for me to try. This trip is worthwhile if not for the gooey beef gravy.

Stir-Fried Thai Tom Yam Chicken

This weekend is fully packed with activities for me. As a result, I couldn't cook any fanciful food until I saw my jar of Thai Tom Yam paste in the fridge that spark off this easy-to-cook recipe in my mind - Stir-Fried Tom Yam Chicken. I like to cook this dish during a busy schedule as it is relatively easy and no complex food preparation needed beforehand. I made modification to the recipe by adding few sprigs of Thai Basil Leaves that further enhance the aroma of the Stir-Fried Tom Yam Chicken to a new level. 



Stir-Fried Thai Tom Yam Chicken
  • 1 Medium Boneless Chicken Thigh (Cut in Chunks)
  • 1 Tablespoon of Thai Tom Yam Paste
  • 1 Teaspoon of Cooking Wine
  • 1 Teaspoon of Thai Fish Sauce (Optional)
  • 2 Teaspoon of Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup of Thai Basil Leaves
  • 1 Tablespoon of Oil
Marinate the chicken thigh chunks with cooking wine, sugar, Thai Tom Yam paste and Fish Sauce. Make sure all the chicken parts are even coated and leave it to marinate overnight in the fridge for best result else at least leave it to marinate for 3 hours. Heat up the frying pan with oil, add in the chicken stir fry it for 5 mins until you see the chicken start to change color. Lower the heat as you do not want overcook the chicken and lose it tenderness, fried for another 5 mins then switch off the stove and add in the thai basil leaves and stir the chicken and make sure the basil leaves even distribute throughout the chicken. The latent heat from the Tom Yam Chicken will release the aroma from thai basil leave making the dish very aromatic and tasty.