Simple Vermicilli

Another meatless dish to share with all those slim souls with inflated frames. I put in more veggies than vermicilli as we like the crunchiness they giveto the dish, almost like a salad. A very quick and simple dish to cook and eat. The cooking method is more gon lou (dry stir) then fried so less oil is used.

300g tang hoon (mung bean vermicelli)
2 carrots, peeled and julienned

1 jicama (sengkuang), peeled and julienned

2 T dried shrimps, cleaned, soaked and chopped coarsely

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups hot stock (or hot water + 1 chicken stock cube)
cilantro, chopped

2 chillies, julienned

To season:

salt, fish sauce or soy sauce

Soak tang hoon for 5 minutes (in hot water) or 20 minutes (in room temp. water) until soft. Drain.
Heat 2T oil in wok on high heat, add garlic and dried prawns.

Stir constantly until fragrant.

Add the carrots, jicama and the tang hoon, cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Give it a good mix but let veggie retain their crunchiness.

Add stock. The tang hoon will soak up the stock very quickly so the dish is not wet even with 2 cups of stock.

Season to taste and add chillies.

Off heat and add the cilantro. For Keshia and Leanne I have to dish out before adding the cilantro.

I like it served with a chopped chili padi/lime juice/soy dipping sauce or, for Keshia and Leanne, they like it with a mild sambal belacan.

Jo

Vermicelli with minced sauce and Knife Skill

Vermicelli with minced sauce
200 g vermicelli, soaked in water and then blanched in hot water, drained and ready to serve
200 g pork or chicken meat, minced
4 dried mushrooms, prepared Chinese style
2 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 big onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups stock or water + 1 stock cube
salt and pepper
cucumber, julienned
tomatoes, sliced thinly

Marinate meat with sauces and sugar.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Saute onions until golden; add garlic and fry for a minute or so; add minced meat and stock; bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Slice mushrooms thinly and add into the minced meat, cook for a further 2-3 minutes. remove from heat.

To serve, place a serving of vermicelli in a bowl and spoon the minced sauce over it. Garnish with cucumber and tomatoes.

K has this fascination about the knife skills displayed by the many chefs he watched on the television food programmes. He aspires to emulate them and he reckons a good knife is the first step. Recently he bought a paring and a chef's knife during a Sydney trip.

First, cut cucumber into 4-5 cm length, then pare it thinly to the pith (and pop the pith into the mouth like K, no waste).

This is what you would end up with. Now pile two to three pieces on top of one another.

...and chop away. Practice-makes-prefect knife work!

K and Jo