Happy May Day

This proggie is made in the commemoration of May Day. It is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labour movement.

Happy Labour Day to all.

Quick Meal: Chawan-mushi

This Japanese's steamed egg-custard known as Chawan-mushi is one of the more popular Japanese side-dish outside the native country. It's quite a delicious appetizer.

Utensils required:
A small bowl or cup (capacity to hold about 150 ml of water);
Lid that fits the bowl/cup or food wrap(microwave-safe)would do;
A steamer that can accommodate 4 cups.

Ingredients for 4 servings:
# 3 eggs (medium size or about 60 gm each);
# 1-1/2 cup soup stock (chicken or anchovies) - use the same bowl/cup as above;
# 1/2 tsp salt;
# 1 tsp soy sauce;
# 1 tsp sugar;
# 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine (optional);
# scallop and prawns - 3 or 4 pieces each type for each serving, marinated with 1 tsp of soya sauce. For scallop, soak and break into pieces. For prawns, de-shell, de-vein and slice into 2 diagonally.
# 1 medium size mushrooms, soaked in hot water for half an hour; and thinly sliced (squeeze out the water);
# dash of pepper
# Chinese parsley and mint leaves.

Preparation:
Lightly beat eggs in a bowl.
Add soup stock, soy sauce, salt, wine and sugar in the egg.
Strain the egg mixture;
Distribute sliced mushrooms, scallops and prawns in the four cups equally with a dash of pepper;
Fill each cup to third-fourths with the egg mixture; skim off any bubbles on the top of the mixture, if any.
Cover the cups with lids or food wrapper
Preheat a steamer on high heat. Turn down the heat to low when boiling. Make sure there is enough water in the steamer;
Place the bowls of egg mixture in the steamer;
Steam for at least 15 to 20 minutes or until the custard sets.
Test it with a small knife. If cook, clear water will be discharged.
Serve hot with a sprinkling of Chinese parsley and mint leaves.
Cheers!

All Souls Day (aka Remembrance Day)

In Chinese culture, All-Souls Day is held on the day of the Third Moon, the day is also known as the Qing Ming. The latter literally means "clear and bright", a reference to the weather at the time of the year of the festival - the third lunar month or early spring, usually on 5 April or 106 days after the Winter Solstice (or mid-winter). If the year is a leap year, then Qing Ming falls on April 4. Note that this is the only known Chinese festival that follows the English calendar rather than the Chinese solar calender. Perhaps making it falls on the 5 April or one day before the day is easy to remember as in the Chinese language "4-4" means "die-die" literally speaking as All-Souls Day is associated with people who had passed away. Small wonder the All-Souls Day follows the English Calendar :)

Offerings of food, fruits and drinks are made including burning incense and paper money by the gravesides to ensure that the deceased have all that he needs in the netherworld. After prayers, the food is gathered together and taken home to be consumed by the worshipers themselves ;-)

Nowadays the festival has become more commercial. Today families go to the extend of purchasing paper replicas of essential items to offer the dead. These include luxury cars, mobile phones(make sure to write down the hand phone number too!),televisions, karaoke sets, refrigerators, DVD players, Air-cons, computers, PDA and GPS device. They also include shoes, designer clothes, handbags, boxes of jewelery items, shaving kits, cigarettes, cans of beer and liquor. One can still buy the traditional "hell money", but nowadays a selection of credit cards is also available. The "hell money" notes are huge, and believed it represented one billion units. Some families really go to the extend of ensuring their loved ones with the above paper replicas to make them comfortable - in my opinion is becoming ABSURD.

For a moment of time, let's look at it from a non-Chinese point of view. The non-Chinese might be wondering if what their Chinese counterparts think is correct, then the Chinese of the netherworld would be the only race up there to be enjoying their riches and the luxuries while the billions of the other non-Chinese race would have been starving and depriving of entertainments ever since time-immemorial.

If people are associating "All-Souls Day" as being Remembrance Day for their ancestors, then it is worthwhile commemorating it.

Cheers!

Quick Meal-Claypot Lou Shu Fen-瓦煲老鼠粉

Ingredients for 4 servings:
# Meat (minced): 200 gm (chicken or pork): - marinate with a tbsp light soy sauce, a tsp corn flour, 1/2 tbsp sesame; and set aside for a few minutes.
# Fish-Ball: about 3 or 4 for each serving (optional)
# Prawns : about 3 or 4 each for each serving
# Egg: one for each serving
# Red shallots (or small onions): 1 medium size (or about 40g)
# Garlic(minced): about 30g
#Dark soy sauce: 4 tbsp
#Cooking oil: 2 tbsp
# Choy-sum(sawi): about 3 or 4 strands each serving
#Short Rice Noodle (Lou Shu Fen): 200 gm each serving
#Chicken stock: 4 bowls (preferably by boiling bones of chicken or pork)
#fresh chili (optional)

Method:
(1). Heat up a non-stick pan, add in oil, red shallot and garlic. Fry till fragrant. Add in the marinated meat, fish ball, prawns, stir fry for a minute; add in light and dark soy sauce; and stir fry until cooked. Set aside.


(2). For each claypot do the following. Add in a bowl of water(stock). When about to boil, add in the noodle and choy-sum; then add in a tablespoon of dark soy sauce, pepper and a quarter portion of the cooked marinated meat. Mix gently. When boil again, add in an raw egg. Don't mix and about 30 seconds of cooking, turn off the fire. it is then ready to be served boiling hot. Add in some chili if u like it hot.

(3). Repeat the rest.

Happy cooking.