Chinese Peanut Congee

Have been feeling under the weather recently due to the lack of sleep and probably the lack of vitamins too. Nothing makes me feel better than a bowl of  comforting congee. I haven't been to the supermarket recently so the challenge is to cook up a bowl of flavoursome congee using only dried ingredients in the fridge.

Ingredients:

1 bowl                   rice
5 large                   dried oysters or 8 small/medium ones
5 large                   dried scallops or 8 small/medium ones
1/2 cup                  peanut
1 inch                    old ginger shredded

Method:

Rinse and soak the rice, dried oysters and dried scallops for 30minutes to 1 hour.

Rinse the peanuts and boil them in water while you soak the abovementioned ingredients.

Add all ingredients together with 1 litre of water and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for another 2 hours, adding more water when necessary. Season with salt before serving.

English Cauliflower and Cheese

Almost similar in preparation and ingredients to the American Macaroni & Cheese, Cauliflower & Cheese on the other hand is actually a classic English dish, without the carbs of course. I especially loved the crunchy breadcrumbs on the top of the dish which I've conveniently made by breaking up frozen bread. By the way, that's the way I make breadcrumbs. Leftover breads are broken up in a processor or by hand and left in the freezer in an air tight bag. This is good to keep for up to 3 months, so I'll always have breadcrumbs when I need them.

Ingredients:

1                     cauliflower, cut into small florets
2/3 cup            milk
2 tablespoons   flour
2 tablespoons   butter
1/2 cup            breadcrumbs
1                      bay leaf
1/2 cup            cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 teaspoon    nutmeg powder
1/2 tablespoon  mustard
                        salt & pepper

Method:

Boil cauliflower in boiling water for a minute. Strain and set aside.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a pan and add in breadcrumbs. Toss evenly and set aside.

Heat a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter has melted, add in 2 tablespoons of flour and mix well. Add in 1/2 cup of milk, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tablespoon of mustard and season with salt and pepper. Whisk evenly.

Add in the grated cheese, the prepared cauliflower and mix evenly. Pour the mixture onto a greased dish and top with breadcrumbs.

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees celsius for 25 to 30 minutes.

The Chinese Soup Special

I love a bowl of piping hot soup. Be it a cream based western soup or a clear chinese broth, I am a slurping devotee no less. I am not Cantonese but often felt inadequate without a bowl of soup on my dinner table. If you are a fellow fan, I'm sure you will enjoy today's post of some of my best-loved soups.

When boiling a pot of Chinese soup, do note to blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for about one to two minutes and rinse it thoroughly, before cooking. This is to remove any impurities and to reduce that 'porky' smell from it. Remember, a good pot of soup is achieved through low heat and slow simmering so it is not a chore for the impatient.

Serves 2 -4

Lotus Root & Peanut Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 small lotus root (sliced), 1/2 cup peanuts, 1 honeyed date, 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. You can season with a little salt if desired but I do without.

Watercress Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 bunch of watercress (rinsed with roots removed), 8 small or 5 medium red dates, 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. You can serve the soup with or without the cooked watercress. If using without, place some fresh watercress in the soup just prior to serving.

ABC Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 tomato (quartered), 1 onion (quartered), 1 corn (cut into 4 pieces), 1 large or 2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut), 1 medium carrot (cut)

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. Season with salt.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1/2 cup of peanuts, 1/2 cup of black bean, 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 to 3 hours. Season with salt.

Radish Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 medium radish (peeled and cut), 1 dried octopus or dried squid

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. Season with salt.

Bittergourd Soup

Ingredients: 250 grams of spare ribs (blanched), 1 bittergourd (seeds removed and cut into smaller pieces), 5 large or 8 small dried oysters

Method: Place all ingredients in 2 litre of boiling water and simmrer on low heat, covered for 2 hours. Season with salt.

Japanese Cheesecake

I often have the weirdest craving at the weirdest hour. This was last night. I desperately wanted some Japanese cheesecake, at 10pm. By the time my tastebuds were finally satiated, it was past midnight. Yes, this is how compulsive I can get and hence my nickname of an OCD queen.

A good Japanese cheesecake is known for its creamy and light texture and I am glad mine worked. Most recipes will recommend adding some lemon zest into the mixture but I am personally not a fan of lemon in my cheescake but please do so if you must. The crucial part of this recipe is to ensure that 1) your egg whites are whisked enough or else your cake will be heavy, 2) your oven must not be too hot as it will cause the cake to crack and finally 3) do not skip the water bath as you would want a moist and fluffy cake on your table. Have fun!

Ingredients:

150g                        cream cheese
60ml                        milk
50g                          unsalted butter
40g                          self raising flour
10g                          cornflour
3 tablespoons           white sugar
3                              eggs, yolk and white separate
1/4 teaspoon            cream of tartar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees celsius.

Mix the cream cheese, milk and butter in a bowl, over a pot of simmering water. Stir until the cream cheese and butter have melted and are blended together with the milk. Leave aside to cool.

Add the self raising flour, cornflour and egg yolks into the mixture, mixing in a little at a time. Whisk to ensure that there are no lumps of flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites for about a minute. Add the cream of tartar, sugar and continue whisking until the egg whites are able to form a soft peak.

Fold the egg whites into the prepared mixture earlier, mixing in a little at a time. Pour the combined mixture into a greased tin lined with grease paper and place the tin in a water bath (i.e. into a larger pot, and filled half with water).

Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. When ready, leave the oven ajar for 10 minutes before removing the cake as too fast a drop in temperature will cause the cake to collapse. Remove from tin and cool on rack before refrigerating it. Serve cold.

Poached Spinach in Chicken Broth

Poached Spinach in Chicken Broth is probably one of the top sellers in most Cantonese restaurants. I clearly remembered how I got hold of this recipe: with a pen in hand and my mobile phone on the other, calling up my Cantonese restaurant chef on a Sunday, asking him for specific instructions. It was a pretty amusing moment, as he was panicking from receiving a call from me on a non-working day. Sorry Chef! The original recipe requires the salted egg white to be stirred into the soup but I prefer to cook and chopped it up instead. Some will prefer to include a beaten egg at the end of the cooking process but that is according to your preference.
Ingredients:

1 packet                      spinach, rinsed, drained and cut into 3 inches long
3 cloves                       garlic, sliced thinly (my chef uses whole garlic instead)
1                                 salted egg, boiled and diced
1                                 century egg, diced
1                                 egg, beaten (optional)
1 tablespoon               cooking oil
1/2 cup                       chicken stock or water with 1/2 bouillion cube
1 tablespoon               chinese wine, preferably hua diao

Method:

Heat a wok or pot with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in the sliced garlic and fry until golden brown.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to boil.

Add in the spinach, diced century egg and salted egg and cook for another minute.

Add in the beaten egg, if desired and stir continously.

Switch off the heat and add in 1 tablespoon of chinese wine.

Happy Call Pan Recipe - Omelette Galore

If you are a porridge fan just like me, I'm sure you will be pretty familiar with those wonderful variations of omelette that goes divinely with it.  I wanted to experiment cooking omelette using the Happy call pan since no oil are used. It turned out to be surprisingly moist and fluffy as the omelette was in a way 'steamed' when the pan is closed (locked). For those omelette lovers out there, I've listed my favourite combinations here in this post for your reference. Enjoy.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

4                    eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon   light soy sauce
1 dash             white ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together. This is the base for the omelette.

Omelette Combinations:

Chai poh omelette
- 1 clove of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of chai poh, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar

Prawn & onion omelette
- 1/2 sliced yellow onion, 6 shrimp sliced half lengthwise

Onion omelette
- 1 sliced yellow onion

Long beans omelette
- 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 cup of thinly sliced long beans

Oriental omelette
- 2 chinese mushrooms thinly sliced, 1/2 lup cheong thinly sliced, 1/2 sliced yellow onion

Minced meat omelette
- 100g minced pork

Foo yong omelette
- 1 tablespoon of chopped char siew, 1/4 cup of beansprouts, 1 stalk of sliced scallion, 1/4 sliced yellow onion, 1 tablespoon of chopped shrimp, 1/2 sliced chilli

Method:

Heat the Happy Call Pan on medium-high heat for a minute. Add in the ingredients and lock the pan for two minutes. Lock for 4 minutes if you are cooking the long beans and 6 minutes if you are cooking the minced meat.

Open the pan and pour in the prepared egg mixture. Close and lock for two minutes.

Flip over and cook for another minute. Open and serve.

Fried Kangkong with Shrimp Paste

Instead of frying KangKong with sambal belachan the local way (simply because I ran out of sambal belachan), I cooked a similar version using shrimp paste instead. According to a recent cooking program that I've watched on television, this is apparently the Taiwanese way of cooking this dish. For those who can't take heat, do reduce the usage of chilli padis accordingly. I don't think I'll need to emphasize on the simplicity of this dish, ever.

Ingredients:

1 bunch                    kangkong, washed and cut into 4 inches long
2 cloves                    garlic, minced
1 teaspoon               shrimp paste
6                              chilli padi, sliced
1 tablespoon            cooking oil
2 tablespoons           water

Method:

Heat a wok on high heat with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in the minced garlic and fry until fragrant.

Add in the sliced chilli padi, 1 teaspoon of shrimp paste and fry lightly for about 20 seconds. Add in the washed Kang Kong, 2 tablespoons of water and mix evenly. Cover with lid for about a minute.

Dish out and serve.

Macaroni and Cheese

One of my favourite comfort food, a good Mac & Cheese isn't exactly THAT difficult. Of all the recipes available, my personal vote goes to the host of Iron Chef America - Alton Brown. This is a more complicated recipe as compared to the rest but the satisfying dish thereafter is definitely worth the extra effort. What you really need in a good Mac & Cheese is a good  block of mature Cheddar cheese in order to create that intense flavour. Please do not ever attempt to subsititute it with packet cheddar cheese slices, those are processed cheese and are in no way suitable for cooking.

Serves 2
Ingredients:

1/2 packet                macaroni
2 tablespoons            butter
1 tablespoon             plain or all purpose flour
1 teaspoon                Dijon mustard
1 cup                        milk
1                              yellow onion, minced
1                               bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon             paprika
1                               egg, beaten
1 cup                        cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup                     breadcrumbs
                                 salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Cook macaroni in salted boiling water for 2 minutes lesser than packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat a pot on low heat and melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add in 1 tablespoon of flour and mix them evenly for about 3 minutes.

Whisk in 1 cup of milk, the minced onion, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of mustard, 1/4 teaspoon of paprika and bring to boil. Lower heat to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Pour in the beaten egg, 3/4 cup of the grated cheddar cheese and mix evenly. Add in the cooked macaroni and season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.

In a separate pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and add in breadcrumbs. Toss until the breadcrumbs are coated with the butter.

Cover the macaroni and cheese with the prepared breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Thai Steamed Fish with Lime Garlic Chilli

This dish can easily be summed up by three words: Easy, healthy and uberlicious. All you need to do is to steam a fresh white pomfret and pour the rest of the ingredients over. Seriously. This just can't get any easier or tastier.

Ingredients:

1                      medium white pomfret, cleaned and gutted
2                      lime (1 sliced thinly and the other juiced)
4                      chilli padi, sliced
4 cloves           garlic, minced
1/2 cup            chicken stock or hot water with 1/4 bouillion cube
2 tablespoons   fish sauce
1 bunch            coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

Place the sliced lime in the gut and on top of the fish. Steamed on boiling water on high heat for 10 - 13 minutes or until the fish's eyes are white and fully popped out.

Mix 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, chopped chilli padi, minced garlic and juice of 1 lime together.

When the fish is ready from steaming, pour the prepared sauce mixture over and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with a bowl of steamed white rice.

Spanish Paella

After posting my previous entry on the Spanish orange chicken and watching an episode of travel TV programme on Spain, I couldn't resist the strong urge to experiment with a classic Spanish Paella. Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on some saffron threads given the short time frame but the dish in my opinion, still tasted unbelievably good. I've reduced the portions significantly, however it's definitely better if you have more mouths to feed when attempting this recipe.

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients:
1                                  chicken leg, boneless, cut into small cubes
6                                  large shrimp or 10 small shrimp, peeled or unpeeled depending on your preference
4                                  scallops or 1 squid, cut into smaller pieces
1                                  chorizo sausage, sliced
1 cup                            short-grain rice, rinsed and drained
2 cloves                        garlic, minced
1/2                               medium onion, chopped
1                                  red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons               olive oil
1/2 tablespoon             paprika
1 teaspoon                   dried oregano
1 teaspoon                   parsley
1                                  bay leaf
1 cup                           chicken stock or water with bouillion cube
1                                  lemon, cut into wedges
                                    salt
                                    black pepper

Method:

Place the cut chicken pieces into a resealable bag and add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon of paprika, 1 teaspoon of oregano, salt, black pepper and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour.

Heat a big shallow pan on medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the sliced chorizo and fry until the oils from the sausage are released. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil behind in the pan.

Add the marinated chicken and fry for about 2 minutes. Remove and set aside, leaving the oil and juices behind.

Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the chopped onion and saute for a minute or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add in 1 teaspoon of parsley, the chopped red bell pepper and saute for another minute.

Mix in the rice and fry for another 3 minutes or until the rice are fully coated with the oil. Add in 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 bay leaf. Bring to boil.

Lower heat to simmer. Place the prepared chicken and chorizo on top of the rice. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add in the prawns and scallop or squid and cover for another 8 minutes or until the rice is moist and fluffy.

Increase the heat to its highest for about a minute. Let the dish stand covered for 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges. Enjoy.

Spanish Orange Chicken

This is one of the first few recipes that I have tried from Nigella Lawson.  A one-pan dish that is easy and mess-free, you'll be surprised on how little ingredients were used for this dish. Aromatic and flavoursome, this is a definite must-try given how simple this is. Her recipe serves 6 but I've tweaked it down to 2 instead. How often do we have 6 people in the house anyway? I've also cut down on the steps a little so that it's a lot easier to make. Remember though, to preheat your oven while you prepare the ingredients. Halo Espanol!

Serves 2
Ingredients:

2                            chicken leg (bone-in)
1 tablespoon          olive oil
11/2                       chorizo sausages, cut into 1 inch thick
6                            baby potatoes, halved (or 2 normal sized potatoes, quartered)
1 mediu                  red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon             dried oregano
1/2                         orange, zest grated

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil onto a roasting pan and rub the chicken leg in the oil, then turn them skin side up.

Scatter the chorizo and potatoes in the pan evenly. Sprinkle the chopped onions and oregano and grate the orange zest over the dish.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour, basting the chicken with the juices during the cooking process.

Stir Fried Petai with Anchovies

A common dish found in grilled seafood or Nasi Padang stalls, petai is usually a little more expensive as compared to the other vegetable dishes. It is not an expensive ingredient to begin with but the process of cutting the beans up into half one by one (to ensure that there are no hidden pests), is pretty exhausting and hence the price tag. Often fried with sambal, I've created another version with chilli padi instead (simply because I ran out of sambal). Don't worry, I promised that the taste hasn't in anyway been compromised.

Ingredients:

1 packet                  petai, cut into halves lengthwise
1 medium                 red onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons          dried anchovies (ikan billis), washed and drained
5 stalk                     chilli padi, sliced
1 tablespoon            cooking oil
1 teaspoon               sugar
1/4 teaspoon            salt
2 tablespoons           water

Method:

Heat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil on medium-high heat. Add in the dried anchovies and fry till the anchovies are crispy and golden brown in colour.

Add in the sliced red onion and sliced chilli padi and give it a quick stir.

Stir in the prepared petai beans, 2 tablespoons of water, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir fry for another minute and serve with steamed rice.

Classic Spaghetti Carbonara

A good plate of Spaghetti Carbonara is not as easy as it seems. Lest you think that it's simply just adding cream to it, the actual version uses only egg and cheese to create that much-loved creaminess. The important point to note when cooking the sauce is to ALWAYS remove your pan from the heat before you stir in the eggs and cheese. Trust me, you do not want scrambled egg pasta instead! If you are using the heat retaining induction pan, it's always safer to cool it off for at least half a minute. Ciao!
Serves 1
Ingredients:

100gm                   dried spaghetti
2 pieces                 streaky bacon, cut into smaller pieces
1 clove                   garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon       olive oil
1                           egg, beaten
1/2 cup                  parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon            parsley leaves, chopped
                             ground black pepper
                             salt

Method:

Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Reserve 1/3 cup of the cooked pasta water.

Heat a saucepan with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and add in the chopped bacon. Fry until the bacon is cripsy and its oil released.

Add in 1 clove of minced garlic and fry till fragrant. Switch off the heat, add in the cooked spaghetti and mix well.

Pour in the beaten egg and grated parmesan cheese and mix rapidly, adding some of the reserved pasta water to create the sauce.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and garnish with chopped parsley leaves.

Deonbokjuk (Abalone Porridge)

Commonly seen in Korean drama series, Deonbokjuk (abalone porridge) is a famous dish using freshly-shucked abalone from Jeju island. It is highly nourishing and is an ideal nutritional supplement for those recovering from sickness or simply when you are lacking in appetite. Short-grain rice is preferred but the usual Jasmine long-grain will do as well. This recipe calls for fresh abalone but since that's hardly available in Singapore, I've cooked mine using canned ones instead. I was being a little extravagant by using those gigantic Mexican canned abalone but you can easily replace it with half a can of mini abalone, you just got to ensure that you sliced them thinly as chunks of abalone flesh can be quite taxing on your jaw muscles.

Ingredients:

1 cup                  white rice
2 small                fresh abalone, chopped (or half can of abalone)
1 small                carrot, chopped finely
2 cloves              garlic, minced
2 tablespoons      sesame oil
1 stalk                 scallion, chopped
1 sheet                toasted seaweed, shredded
1/2 teaspoon       salt


Method:

Soak the rice in water for 3 hours or a minimum of 30 minutes. The longer you soak the rice, the finer the porridge. Strain and keep aside.

Heat a pot on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add in the minced garlic and chopped carrot and stir-fry for a minute. Add in the abalone and stir-fry for another minute.

Mix in the pre-soaked rice and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in 5 cups of water and bring to boil.

Lower heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Season with salt and serve with the chopped scallion and seaweed.

Happy Call Pan Recipe - Grilled Rosemary-Thyme Chicken with Broccoli

I've recently acquired the much acclaimed double-sided Happy Call Pan from Korea and couldn't wait to try it out. The verdict: I loved it! The skin was crispy and the meat tender and succulent. The best part of it all, it's oil splatter free! At the end of the meal, all I needed to wash was just one pan and a plate. I used dried herbs in this recipe but if you are fortunate enough to possess the fresh stuff, do increase the amount to 1 tablespoon instead.

Serves 1
Ingredients:

1                        boneless chicken leg with skin
2 cloves              garlic, minced
2 tablespoons     olive oil
1/2 teaspoon       dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon       dried thyme
1 tablespoon       lemon juice
1 teaspoon          sea salt
1/2 teaspoon       black pepper
5                         broccoli floret stalks

Method:

Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a resealable bag. Add in 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon of dried rosemary, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 cloves of minced garlic and mix well.

Add in the chicken leg and refigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat the happy call pan on the stove on medium-high heat. Add in the chicken leg skin side down. Close the pan and lock it.

Flip the pan over after 4 minutes and cook on the stove for another 3 minutes.

Remove the cooked chicken, leaving the juices behind. Add in the broccoli florets and close the pan, locking it. Flip the pan over after 1 minute and cook on the stove for another half minute. Open and serve the broccoli with the chicken.

Note: You can also cook this dish using a normal frying pan. You'll probably need 4 minutes on the skin side and another 5 minutes on the other. Do use a cover though as you'll want the juices to remain in the pan for the broccoli.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

After several disappointing attempts in trying to find an ideal carrot cake in bakeries, I resorted to finding recipes instead. Many were loaded with enough sugar to kill the non-diabetic, whereas some were simply missing that creamy cream cheese frosting that I love. After merging several different recipes and tweaking them a little on my own, I think I've managed to concoct something that was satisfactory, to me at least. So, here's my version of an almost-gorgeous carrot cake.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup                           plain flour

3/4 cup                        sugar

1 teaspoon                   baking soda

1 teaspoon                   ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon                salt

2                                  eggs

3/4 cup                         vegetable oil

11/2 cups                     carrot, grated

1/2 cup                         walnuts, toasted and chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Grease the baking tin with butter.

In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt together. 

Add in the eggs and vegetable and whisk till combined.  

Add in the grated carrot and chopped walnuts. Pour into the baking tin and bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer is clear when inserted into the cake. Set aside to cool before spreading on the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 packet                cream cheese, room temperature

250g                      salted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon          vanilla extract

200g                      icing sugar

Method:

Mix all ingredients together and spread on top of carrot cake.

Korean Japchae

Comprising of an assortment of vegetables with sweet potato noodles, Japchae is a traditional Korean dish usually served during special occasions or celebrations. Bearing similarities with our Chinese Chap Chye, this dish however, is not exactly a total stir-fry. The purists will insist that the dish tastes better when it is cooked separately and mixed together by hand thereafter. It is pretty time-consuming preparely the ingredients separately, perhaps the reason why it's only served during special occasions!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 bunch                       sweet potato noodles

1/2 medium                 carrot, shredded
1 cup                          spinach
3 stalk                         spring onion, cut into 2 inches long

5                                 dried mushrooms, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes,sliced thinly

2 cloves                       garlic, minced

200g                            thinly sliced beef

1/2 medium                  onion, sliced

1 tablespoon                toasted white sesame
                                    sesame oil

                                    light soy sauce

                                    sugar
                                    cooking oil

Method:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Add in the sweet potato noodles and cook according to packet instruction. Mine was cooked in 8 minutes. Strain and mix with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Cook spinach in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and rinse through with cold running water. Squeeze out the excess water and cut into 2 inches long. Mix with 1/1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Transfer into the large mixing bowl with the sweet potato noodles.

Heat a pan with 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Stir fry the shredded carrot for a minute. Transfer into the large mixing bowl. Repeat the same procedue for the sliced onion and spring onion, but using only 10 seconds for the spring onions.

Heat the pan with another 1/2 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic, the sliced mushroom and beef. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of light soy sauce. Stir fry for a minute or until the beef is fully cooked. Transfer into the large mixing bowl.

Mix 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce. Pour into the large mixing bowl.

Mix all ingredients by hand (wearing gloves of course!) and serve warm with steamed white rice and kimchi.