Roti Chennai for Breakfast

Roti Chennai

We had roti Chennai and Curry Chicken for breakfast today. We had prepared everything that was needed for the curry chicken before we went to bed last night. We started cooking the curry chicken at about six thirty in the morning. We used about two pounds of chicken drumsticks and two pounds of potatoes for the curry cuisine. And the rest were seven spoons of curry powder mixed with two cups of water, some curry leaves, a canned of thick coconut milk, a pinch of salt, and five spoons of cooking oil.

Curry Chicken

We usually use the Babas or A1 curry powder, mixing with water for a thicker and more flavourful curry paste. Simmer the curry paste in the cooking oil for several minutes with the curry leaves mixed in it to bring out the beautiful aroma. One the kitchen fills with the curry aroma, add a canned of coconut milk. Stir until evenly mixed, then, add the potatoes followed by the chicken. Taste the gravy before deciding on how much salt to add. We usually add about a pinch or two for the right taste.

Freshly Pan Toasted Roti

While waiting for the chicken curry to cook and between the process, we had another stove pan frying the roti. When we are out of the original roti Chennai, we substitute with the Chinese pan cake which turns out to be similar. Sometimes the Chinese pancake is even more crispier and flaky than the original roti. We do not add any cooking oil in the frying pan when pan toasting the roti as the roti is already coated with cooking oil or margarine.  We like our roti Chennai with lots of curry gravy on top.

Korean Noodle Soup with Fried Fish Wonton

Korean Noodle Soup

We cooked Korean Noodle soup for dinner yesterday. Since everyone was coming home later because of school activities and work, I figured a warm hot bowl of noodle soup would be fitting. And on top of that, it is already in winter. The best thing to do in winter is sipping from a bowl of hot soup. I did this often when I was studying in Oklahoma. I used to boil a pot of water and make instant noodles in the middle of a cold winter night. The hot bowl of hot noodle soup was really refreshing and can warm a person up.

Korean Noodle Soup

I have a few packs of these thick white Korean noodle left in the fridge. So, might as well use them up. First I blenched the noodles in hot boiling water and then, separated them into individual bowls. In another larger pot, I prepared the soup with seven cups of water. Then, dropped in two spoons of wonton soup flavoured stock. I added some hand knead meat balls, fish paste, and lettuce into the soup. Allow the soup to boil then, add three scoops into each of the serving bowls with the noodles already in them.

Fried Fish Paste Wontons

The fried wontons were wrapped and fried while we were preparing the Korean Noodle Soup. We used fish paste for the fillings and did not add any sauce or flavours to it. The fried wontons turned out to be just as good as if we have added shrimps to them. The fish paste was flavourful and the wonton skin was crunchy. Just the way we liked it. It took three of us less than an hour to prepare dinner last night and even faster for us to consume the food we had cooked. Very simple dinner but satisfying as well.

Homemade Radish Cake and New Town Bakery

Fried Radish Cakes

We made radish cake for breakfast today. But later in the morning I bought some taro cake and another type of Chinese cake that is rounded and coated with roasted sesame seed called chin toi, from New Town Bakery in Surrey. The radish cake was basically made of rice flour and mash radish. Both the rice flour and mash radish are mixed in water to form a thick paste. First, the paste was steamed and than once the paste turns into a more solid brick, it is sliced and fried with dried shrimps, chopped mushrooms, and chopped preserved radish.

Cantonese Taro Cake

The radish cake can take many different forms, flavours, taste, and recipes. Each Chinese dialect or community has their own unique radish cake recipe. In Penang, the radish cake is fried with bean sprouts, more chopped preserved radish, eggs, chilli paste, and with dark soy sauce. Just like the radish cake, the taro cake too has different forms and recipes. But the commercialized version has got to be the Cantonese taro cake recipe, where the the taro cake is stuffed with barbecue pork and deep fried whole in a pot of cooking oil. The barbecue pork that is stuffed in the taro cake is the same type of fillings that is stuffed in Chinese Siew Bao.

Chin Toi, Always Perfect

And then, we have the chin toi. In Cantonese it just mean a perfect pair. Nearly all the rounded chin toi are of the same size and shape. And each of these rounded balls are stuffed with sweet bean paste. Usually, red beans. All the three different cakes I mentioned today are very commonly served as dim sum items but sometimes can be found in smaller road side food trucks specializing in traditional cakes, sweets, and desserts. In Penang, although predominantly of Hokkein and Teochew origins, these cakes are still very popular.

Dinner on Kingsway at Congee Noodle King

Herbal Chicken (Kuai Fei)

We went out to Congee Noodle King for dinner yesterday. As the days get colder and darker sooner, we become somewhat relax, especially during the weekends. I am just being a little laid back and taking things easy. But yesterday, we decided to venture out and look for a place to have a good dinner. I remembered this restaurant on Kingsway that was popular for congee. I have not been here a long time. I was here for congee once, with some friends way back in time.

Deep Fried Cod Fillet with Mayonnaise Sauce

But yesterday, we were not going for congee. We prefer to have a few cuisines and steam rice for dinner. So, after reading their menu, we decided to go with their set meal offer. We chose the three cuisine set meal that comes with three choices of cuisines that we pick from a list of at least fifty cuisines. The set meal also comes with a large bowl of soup which were served last and a portion of their chef's special cuisine that is similar to herbal chicken (kuai fei). That was the first cuisine served.

Deep Fried Spare Ribs

While we were waiting for our dinner to be served, I noticed that the restaurant was actually pack. It was a full house. And we did not have to wait too long. In fact, we were shown to our table as soon as we walked in. And after five minutes from the time the waitress took our orders, the first cuisines were served. Then, within the next ten minutes, we have all the five cuisines on our table. The service was really quick even with such a large crowd.

Clay Pot Tofu Seafood

We have ordered three cuisines from the list and served with five cuisines including the two complementary cuisines. The second cuisine was the Deep Fried Cod Fillet with Mayonnaise Sauce. That was a great cuisine, I enjoyed that cuisines. Then the third cuisine was the Fried Pork Spare Ribs with my kids really liked. The spare ribs were juice inside and crispy outside. And the forth cuisine was the Clay Pot Seafood Tofu cuisine. Each and every one of the cuisines were authentic and have their own unique flavours and taste. That was really a good meal. We enjoyed the dinner.

A Bucket of Fried Chicken Wings and more

Costco's Fried Chicken Wings

I came home with a bucket of fried chicken wings from Costco Wholesale for brunch. I was shopping there with one of my kids and decided that we were going to buy a bucket of Costco's fried chicken wings for lunch. There were a rather long line waiting for turns to pick up the orders. So, while my kid was waiting, I took the opportunity to do shopping. I was going to pick up a cake and check out the price for four new winter tire.

Fried Butter Fish with Salted Duck Eggs

It took me about fifteen minutes in the warehouse and when I came back, our order wasn't ready yet. We waited together for another five minutes before our number were called. When we got home, the wife and the other kids were preparing lunch and they had cooked two really delicious cuisines. The first of the two cuisine was the Fried Butter Fish with Salted Duck Eggs which was the same cuisine but with different meat we had several days ago. Instead of the chicken nuggets, the fish fillet was so much softer and moist. I could taste the flavours of spices and the salted duck eggs. This cuisine was just wonderfully cooked.

Fried Butter Prawns

The second of the two cuisine was the the Fried Butter Prawns which we have had many occasion before. I was told by my wife that one of the kids actually cooked both the cuisines. And he has shown remarkable culinary skills at this young age. I guess, I should be relief that someone else can now cook at home besides my wife and I. Actually, all my kids can cook, depending on the cuisines. At home, more often than usual, we have restaurant cuisines and we have learned to cooked them from experience. Now, my kids are learning the same.

Honey Crepe and Eggs for Breakfast

Crepe and Fried Eggs

Woke up early this morning and prepared crepe for the kids for breakfast. I have wanted to do this for awhile but usually woke up too late. But today, I was early and have enough time to prepare something special for the family. All I needed was a few scoops of multi purpose flour, two eggs, pinch of salt, and a few cups of water. Once I have everything in a bowl, I used a whisk to mixed the ingredients and blend the batter evenly.

Eggs on Sunny Side Up with Crepe

Using a flat frying pan, I added a small spoon of butter and coated the pan with a layer of the butter. I then, scooped a ladle full of the mixed batter onto the frying pan and using a spoon to even out the batter to form an even thickness but thin enough to roll later throughout the round surface. Then, on the other stove, I also fried some eggs but one at a time. I had the eggs fried sunny side up. Once the crepe was ready, I poured some honey onto it and rolled it up.

Home cooked breakfast

This breakfast may be simple but it took time to cook because I can only cook one crepe at a time and fry one egg at a time. The effort was worth it. The crepe was nicely done and tasted delicious. The kids added more honey onto the crepe to make it sweeter. In the serving plate I have carbohydrate, the crepe was flour, and protein from the egg. The missing component may be a slice of fruit like strawberries, blueberries or pineapple.

Chinese Vegetable Spring Rolls

Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls

This is a popular and signature cuisine in Chinese restaurants. Not only are they commonly served in Chinese restaurants in Vancouver but in nearly all the Chinese restaurants in all the major cities over the world. But the spring roll is a common cuisine served at home in Malaysia and also in many Chinese homes in Hong Kong, Taiwan and even in homes in the motherland of Chinese cuisines. They are more commonly served in dim sum type restaurants.

Sayur Manis Soup

I bought a box of forty pieces of ready to fry vegetable spring rolls yesterday and had to cook them to find out for myself how good were they. And, I liked it, they were fresh, crispy and delicious. I will purchase another box or two to stock in the freezer. I also cooked a bowl of egg and vegetable soup. I use star gooseberry leaves or also called the sweet leaves. But in Malaysia this leaf is commonly known as sayur manis. My mom used to grow this plant in the yard and plucked from the plant itself when she wanted to cook this soup. Here in Vancouver, only the Asian groceries retail this sayur manis.

Fish Cooked in Preserved Soy Bean Paste

My wife also defrosted a bag of fish since the morning. The fish were given to us by a good friend that wanted us to try them. If we liked it, he was going to invite me to join him on his next trip to purchase more. I simply fried the fish first and than cooked with onions, ginger, and spring onions. For the gravy I added two spoons of preserved soy bean paste and a cup of water. The fish cuisine turned out to be really good and the fish was fresh. But the fish will only be good for certain type of cuisines.