Homemade Chili Pan Mee

Have you heard of Chili Pan Mee? Please read my posting on MySimpleFood for the most popular Chili Pan Mee in KL.

This posting on how to make homemade chili pan mee is dedicated to Chiro who has been waiting for me to post this recipe like...forever. I just did not have the time to post it up. But at last, I did.

When I was in the States, I gave myself a challenge that I will make Chili Pan Mee. I love Pan Mee (Min Fun Keuh), and I make it at home all the time. But Chili Pan Mee is totally different as it is the dry noodle version and most important ingredient is the dry chili paste.

After making it, I realized it is rather a tedious process with 3-4 major components. But I made it and am proud to share it.

Stage 1. Dried Chili Paste.

This is most important ingredient in Chili Pan Mee. The hot spicy chili gives it the extra oooomph!

1. Dried Chillies - soaked - 2 handful
2. Fresh red chillies - 2
3. Dried Shrimp - 1 palmful
4. Shallots or onion - 5 shallots or 2 mid sized onion
5. Garlic - 3 cloves
6. Oil - 4 TBSP

Blend the ingredients. Then in a wok of oil and low fire, stir-fry slowly (at least 30 mins) until dry and golden brown. You will need some patience on this and watch the fire as you need to get the chili really dry but you can't burn it. Good luck.

Stage 2. Minced Meat Sauce

1. 500gm of minced pork - marinade with salt, pepper and a dash of soy sauce and some starch
2. Oil - 2 TBSP
3. Dark Soy sauce - 1 TSBP
4. Oyster Sauce - 1 TBSP
5. Salt, pepper, soy sauce, 1/2 cup of water

In heated wok with oil, fry some shallots before putting in the minced meat. Stir fry till cooked, add in dark soy sauce and oyster sauce, and water. Stir till blended, add salt and pepper to taste.

Stage 3 Other Condiments

1. Fried Ikan Bilis (Anchovies)
2. Poached egg
3. Vegetable soup

Ok you can do all this separately, but this is my simple steps to reduce additional work and cleaning.

First I will fry the anchovies. Remove when done but leave a handful in the wok. Scoop up access oil. In the same wok, I will put in water to boil the soup with the anchovies base. Let it boil for 15 mins in low heat. Then I will crack on egg in the soup to make the poached egg. Crack the egg in the big soup ladder and leave it in the soup. Do 2-3 eggs depending how many people wants poached eggs. Remove cooked eggs and leave it in the individual bowls. In the same soup, put in some vegetable for the vegetable soup! Simple right ??!! :) You have all 3 ingredients ready, all from just one wok!

Stage 4 The Noodles

Ok actually, this is the first step. Make the noodles dough first cos it takes the longest time.

You will just need flour and water. No need to add oil. If I am making pan mee (min fun keuh) soup, best to add some oil to the dough cos this will ensure smooth and soft texture. As I need to make the dough into strands of noodles, I need a tougher dough so that the noodles do not turn out too soft.

Knead the flour into a dough. Good exercise if you are using your hands to knead. :)

Once the dough is ready, it is good to let it sit a while before you start cooking. 30 minutes is fine. Remember to cover the dough with a wet cloth so that the surface of the dough do not crack up.



Guess what? I bought the special machine flatten the dough and it can only make noodles.



Here comes my noodles. I am feeling pretty proud of myself by this time. Since I have never made noodles before in my life! Everything is so readily available in Malaysia, just a hawker stall away, why do I need to make my own noodles?? But I truly feel the satisfaction when I made in by myself!

To prepare the noodles - prepare a pot of boiling water.

Put in the noodles in the water, let it cook for 2 minutes then scoop up the noodles into a bowl.

Put in the condiments -

Poached egg

Fried Ikan bilis

Minced meat Sauce

and the most important ingredient - Dry Chili paste.

Mix all together and there you have it, a hearty homemade chili pan mee.

Truthfully, I was exhausted by the time I finished making it, so I think it is much better to just go to KIN KIN for my Chili Pan Mee. :)

But then, I was in the States...so have to make myself loh, no choice.

Kaya......or "Rich" coconut jam

Kaya in Malay means Rich! But in Malaysian food context....it is the name for coconut egg jam. I searched wiki and it's explanation of using the word "rich" in Malay is based on its golden color. Hmmm...is that true??

Anyway serikaya (called in Indonesia) or simply just "kaya" (in Malaysia) is made from coconut, milk, pandan leaves and sugar. This is my second posting on making this. I can't resist showing the same process again just to showcase that the texture and color improved from the first time. Click here for the first posting on kaya. :)

1) I made sure I used more sugar for the caramelizing. I like my kaya dark-brown in color. Remember to do this is directly over small fire.


2) Then put in the mixed combination eggs, coconut milk and rest of sugar.

3) The stirring starts...slow and steady. Remember this is a double boiled concept. Pot in water over fire.

4) More stirring for it to thicken and get more brown.....

5) After 1 hour of stirring, I wonder why didn't I make more....so I never have to do this again :). Hey! Mind can wonder but hands -please keep stirring.

6) After another hour of monotonous stirring, I think it is finally ready. I wish it would be more brown but it's alright, the texture is pretty smooth this time.

7) I did only a small portion...... a mid sized bowl, but this will probably last me and Hubby-D for a month. It's alright.....sugar and coconut milk - not the healthiest combination but we can indulge moderately. Best on toast aka Roti bakar!!!!

Simple ingredients -

1) 4 eggs

2) Sugar - 200gm

3) 1 coconut from can - 350ml or 400ml

4) Pandan leaves - Best if available, just put in while stirring and remove when ready.

Don't forget to click here for more detailed step by step instructions.

Another weekend....plus Hari Raya Haji

Today is Hari Raya Haji or Hari Raya Aidiladhal. Celebrated by the Muslims on the tenth day of the last month of the Muslim calendar. This is an occasion celebrated marking the conclusion of the annual Haj - the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, when the pilgrims are given the title of Haji for men and Hajjah for women. Thanksgiving prayers are offered in the mosques. An animal is sacrificed whose meat was distributed among the relatives and the poor.

For me...it is just a public holiday in Malaysia and Singapore. Yeah! for public holidays! All I can say I have been extremely unproductive and have spent the whole day just lazing around watching TV and entertaining my 6 year old niece and and my 1 year plus nephew. Another day gone...and it's back to work tomorrow.

Here's wishing all my Muslim friends a wonderful Hari Raya Haji and maybe you have a wonderful gathering with friends and family.

I wish it I could have another day of public holiday....... I know I am just greedy :)

Also, to all who has been following my blog...I have not been posting updates as often as I am focusing on my other blog @ http://www.mysimplefood.com/. Please do visit this link for more food updates!

Recipe : Sayur Lodeh

Sayur lodeh is a popular Indonesian vegetable stew in coconut curry. This dish is also very popular in Malaysia and Singapore and essentially served in Malay homes and restaurants. Honestly, I have never been a fan of this dish as I prefer chicken or meat curry vs vegetable curry. But then, my Hubby-D loves this dish and I had an easy solution to make it, thus I made it much to his surprise! Hurray! I scored points!

Simple ingredients :-

1) Ready-made Sayur Lodeh Spices by Asian Home Gourmet. This is available in most supermakets. :) If you need the recipe to make the spices from scratch, please scroll all the way below.

2) Vegetables - I just scanned thru my fridge and took whatever was available.

- Half a carrot - sliced to semi-thin sticks

- French beans - 8-10 string beans

- Napa cabbage and some round cabbage

- Onions - one

- Potato - one potato sliced in cubes

3) Usually the ingredient requires firm tofu but since I did not have any, I kinda improvised. I took some chicken breast, cut into cubes, marinade with salt, pepper and a dash of soy sauce and stir-fried till cook. Dish and keep aside. Smart eh....I made Vegetable Lodeh and disguised the chicken as tofu!! Haha....

Simple Steps -

1) To make sure that my vegetables turned out fragrant and cook at the same time, with a little oil in wok, I fried some of the vegetable for 5 minutes. The potatoes take a bit longer time to cook hence I put in the potatoes first, then the carrot and then the french beans. Remove and keep aside.

2) In the same wok, remove paste from packaging, add 2 bowls of water and 1 bowl of coconut milk. Bring it to a boil.

3) Add in all the vegetables plus the tofu...ahem...chicken cubes :)

4) In low fire, let it simmer for 20 minutes. Voila! Ready to eat! Yum yum!

My hubby was ecstatic and very appreciative. Made me feel like such a wonderful wife!! :)

For all of you who wants to make the spice from stratch, here is the recipe :
Spice blend recipe
2 tablespoons chili paste
2 teaspoons shrimp paste (belacan)
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
2 stalks lemongrass
20 small dried shrimp, soaked in hot water to soften
1 inch fresh ginger
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
4 tablespoons oil

Blend all this ingredients in mixer till fine!

Recipe - Cinnamon Rolls

I can't believe I made this! Doesn't it look lovely? Please click here to read how I got this inspiration.

Below is the step by set recipe. Trust me, it is easy.

Simple ingredients - ( I have made some changes to original recipe)


Dough :
4-ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 cups of all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional

Glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 6 tablespoons hot water

Simple steps :-

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl and set aside for 2 minutes



2. In a mixer, put milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg and mix till blended. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle.

3. Place the dough in well-greased bowl for proofing, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours . When doubled in size, remove the dough.

4. Roll out on a floured surface into about a 15 by 9-inch rectangle.

5. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.

6. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired

7. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal.

8. Cut into 12 pieces. Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes.

9. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

For the glaze. mix butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

Hope you like this recipe and do let me know if you try making it. All the best!

Don't forget to click to my other food blog mysimplefood.com and check out how I got this inspiration plus many other food postings. Enjoy!!

Homemade Meat Balls with Water Chestnut

Homemade meat balls. Ahhh!! For as long as I can remember, since young I only had homemade meat balls. My family do not eat out very often and even if we ate out it would be mostly Chinese food. Therefore, I have always had the impression that meat balls are made at home. Of course now, you can get pre-packed meatballs from supermarkets easily.

I will share with you my simple recipe of homemade meatballs. I am sure there are many variations of this in terms of ingredients that you can use but this is a very basic recipe that is fast and simple. I would be adding water chestnut for extra crunch in this recipe.

Simple ingredients -
Base meat ingredients -
1) 500 gram minced pork
2) 1 medium sized onion or 3 pieces of shallots- chopped fine.
3) 2 cloves of garlic - chopped fine.
4) Seasoning - salt, soy sauce, cornstarch, pepper.

5) Special add-on - Water chestnut - I just used half of the can below. I did not buy fresh ones cos it was just too tedious to peel and cut so I opted for the easy way out. However, fresh ones are definitely sweeter so do use fresh ones if you get to buy them in the supermarkets.



Simple steps -
1. Remove half of the sliced water chestnut from the can. Chopped it fine. I will leave the size up to you. Some prefer it smaller but I have opted for slightly larger pieces so that I can taste the crunch.

2. Mix and marinade all the ingredients of the base meat mix. Add the water chest nut last.

3. Mix it well. Actually my water chestnut bits are a bit chunky. I should have made the bits smaller as it was a bit difficult to make it stick together when I roll it into small sized balls.

4. Shape the meat mix into small round shaped balls. Use a average sized table spoon, scoop up the meat, wet your fingers a bit and shape into balls on your palms.

5. Last step - heat wok with oil for frying. Fry the meat balls till golden brown. Voila! Ready to eat! Trust me...it is YUMMY!!

Simple Fried Rice

I wrote about "How to cook the perfect fried rice" in mysimplefood.com a few weeks ago. I realized that I never did a posting on fried rice despite cooking in regularly in my kitchen. To me, fried rice is such an easy dish. All I need is overnight rice and then I can throw in whatever ingredients into the fried rice.

This time, it will be a very basic and simple fried rice. I only need 4 ingredients.
1. Overnight rice (kept in fridge)
2. 2 eggs
3. Long Beans - 4-5 stalks (chopped)
4. Some minced pork or chicken

Simple steps -

1. My tip for a perfect fried rice - I always cook the ingredients first and then kept aside. This is to ensure that I only focus on making the rice perfect when I put the rice in the wok. So in this case, I used a 2 TBSP of oil in wok, add in the minced meat, stir fry and then add in the chopped long beans. Stir fry for 5 minutes, add some salt, scoop up and keep aside.

2. In the same wok, add 1 TBSP of oil. Pour beaten egg into the wok.

3. Do not need to flip the egg. Just pour the overnight rice on top of egg. Remember, make sure that you have loosen the rice before you put into wok.

4. Mix the rice around in the wok in a fast motion. Fire can be at mid to high. Add some salt and light soy sauce. If you want it to be darker, you can add dark soy sauce.

5. Continuously stir the rice in wok to prevent rice from sticking to wok. Add the cooked meat and long beans on rice.

6. Now, all you need to do is to continuously stir fry to mix the rice around and let the heat from the wok enveloped the rice. Imagine you are a top chef in the kitchen, using your strong arms to stir up the best fried rice.

7. That's it. It's that easy. The fried rice looks a bit dry cos I used very little oil and I do not like my rice wet. To me, most important is to get a fried rice that has "heat of the wok" ("wok hei"). Then all the ingredients will blend well together.

Voila! Ready to eat! Yum Yum!

Click here for my full posting on "How to cook the perfect fried rice at home"