Recipe: Braised fish maw with mushrooms and sugar snap peas

Nowadays, you can get Chinese New Year (CNY) ingredients at the shops two months before the actual celebration. We always stock up on lots of fish maw 鱼鳔 and Chinese mushrooms as soon as we can get our hands on them.  So, we've been cooking lots of different dishes with them and our favorite combination has to be this - braised mushrooms with fish maw and sugar snap peas.

This recipe is even EASIER than my last "Easy fish maw with mushroom stew" recipe - you pre-soak them in warm water for 2 hours hence you can cut the cooking time by half. Usually we soak it before we pick the kids up from school, hence when we get back, we can quickly braise it and the dish is ready in less than 30 minutes. A complete one-pot dish with enoki mushrooms (also known as straw mushrooms), Chinese mushrooms and sugar snap peas. Super tasty!

Braised fish maw with mushrooms and sugar snap peas
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves 2-3


Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked for 2 hours and stalk removed
1 (25g) fish maw, soaked in warm water for 2 hours
2 pack enoki mushrooms, ends trimmed
130g sugar snap peas / sweet bean, topped and tailed
250ml water
2 tbsp mushroom sauce
1 tbsp ginger wine


1.  In a saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and stir fry for 2 minutes until golden brown.

2. Add Chinese mushrooms and fish maw and stir fry for about a minute, then add the water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the fish maw's texture is cooked to your liking. Season with mushroom sauce and ginger wine, to taste.

3. Add the enoki mushrooms and sugar snap peas and cook for a further 2 minute. Taste and season with some salt, if required. Serve immediately.

Note: Soaking the fish maw in hot/warm water will shorten its cooking time, convenient especially if you are in a rush.

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I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. To join, simply cook or bake any Chinese New Year recipes for the whole month of February 2015.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in February 2015 - please do not link older posts.Please mention our "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015" event in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

CNY 2015: Tai Zi Heen, Prince Hotel & Residence KL

A friend asked me last week to recommend a few pork-free restaurants to her for hosting a Chinese New Year dinner and without hesitation, one of the restaurants I recommended was Tai Zi Heen in Prince Hotel KL. The Cantonese fare there is consistently good, and their CNY menu is a mix of fusion and traditional, symbolic dishes. 

Three specially crafted auspicious 9-course CNY menus are available from 26 January to 5 March 2015 - the Spring and Happiness set menu at RM1488++,  the Everlasting Prosperity Menu at RM1888++ and the Wealth and Fortune Menu at RM2188++ for 10 persons. Furthermore on 26 January, there will be a special lion dance performance. 

Four Seasons Prosperity Yee Sang

This year, I had the pleasure to try out some of Chef Michael Wong's delicious CNY dishes again. To start, we tossed to good fortune and health with the signature Four Seasons Prosperity Yee Sang which is topped with butterfish, salmon, tuna and jellyfish. I particularly enjoyed the jellyfish which added a really nice texture to the salad. Other toppings available are abalone, hamachi, Canadian surf clam, salmon or snow pear.

Butterfish, salmon, tuna and jellyfish yee sang

Toss, toss, toss... the higher you toss, the better!

We also sampled some highlights from the CNY menus, starting off with the soup. The soups here are always good, and we really enjoyed the double-boiled chicken broth with whole abalone, dried scallops, bamboo pith and vegetables. Clear yet so flavorful, I instantly felt my body warm up and invigorated as I sipped the soup. The abalone is perfectly cooked and the bamboo pith has a lovely crunchy texture as well. Thumbs up!

A highly sought after dish during CNY, the braised Japanese sun-dried shiitake mushrooms with dried oysters and fatt choy. Oysters ("hou see") means "all good things and "fatt choy" means wealth and lettuce and "sang choy" means prosperity, making this an auspicious dish.

The baked salmon fillets with honey and onion rings was also a big hit. I am not usually fond of cooked salmon, but this was beautifully done, with a lovely honey and soy glaze. I wish I got more of the sauce though. Onions rings are an unusual touch for a Chinese restaurant, fortunately it was crispy and light. 

The wok-fried rice with diced lobster, tobiko and bonito flakes had plenty of wok hei and we love the addition of the tobiko and bonito flakes.

For dessert, we had the crispy deep-fried sesame balls with salted egg yolk custard and durian mochi. Instead of the usual coconut or red bean filling, the sesame balls were filled with salted egg yolk custard, which I liked a lot. Plus when you break it in half, it looks like flowing gold. Gold, gold, come to mama. The durian mochi was pungent, smooth and rich. Pretty good!

Tai Zi Heen's CNY menu is available until 5 March 2015. It is open throughout the CNY period. Reservations are highly recommended.





Pork-free.

Opening times: Mon- Fri 12.00pm - 2.30pm, Sat- Sun 11.30am - 2.30pm; Mon-Sun 6.30pm-10.30pm.

Location: Tai Zi Heen, Level 2, Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur, 4 Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2170 8888 ext 8200

Website: http://www.princehotelkl.com

GPS Coordinates: 3.150179, 101.714516

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Recipe: Pork knuckle/trotters with black vinegar 猪脚醋

Pork knuckle /pig trotters are popular ingredients used during Chinese New Year (CNY). When I was dining at a Chinese restaurant last month, I was flipping through their CNY promotion booklet and saw a pork knuckle dish. I asked the waitress why pork knuckle is served during CNY and she told me that it's because it symbolises a hand clawing in more "gold and money" for the coming year. Chinese sure loves ingredients with prosperous sounding homonyms and symbolism.

The Hokkiens, including my family usually serve pork knuckle with sea cucumber (recipe here) during CNY. I read in an article last week that Hakka households serve pork knuckle cooked with black vinegar 猪脚醋 during reunion dinners, which in the dialect means "soaring high". Though I've never had it before during CNY, this was one of my favorite things to eat during confinement (confinement is the 30-day period an Asian woman undergoes after giving birth).

Pork knuckle / trotters with black vinegar 猪脚醋

To cook this dish, you can use either pork knuckle or pig's trotters (I love pig trotters, as they're more gelatinous- yummy!), which is simmered with water, old ginger, gula melaka (palm sugar) and vinegar. How long you cook it depends on how you like the texture - for us, we like the pork trotters to be soft with a slight bite and melting layers of gelatinous fat within. It is best to set it aside for 4-5 hours for the flavours to develop before serving. You can always cook a big pot, and eat it over a few meals - the flavours just get better and better!

I simply love the combination of sweet and tangy flavours of the braising sauce (yup, you can drink it all) - so appetizing! I'm so happy that my mum taught me how to cook this chu kiok cho 猪脚醋 dish. Thanks mum!

Pork knuckle/trotters with black vinegar 猪脚醋
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 4

Ingredients
1kg pork knuckle or trotters
320g old ginger, sliced and bruised
900ml water
400ml spiced vinegar
135g gula melaka (palm sugar)
1/2 tsp salt


1. In a large pot over medium heat, place the water, old ginger and gula melaka and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

We use Yuen Chun Cap Datuk spiced vinegar (cuka hitam) when we make this dish.

2. In a separate pot, bring a pot of water to the boil, then blanch the pork for about 5 minutes. This is to remove any impurities from the pork.

3. Add the pork and salt to the pot (from Step 1) and simmer over low heat for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and set aside for 4-5 hours for flavours to develop/infuse.

4. Before serving, heat over medium low heat for about 30 minutes.

Note: Use old ginger for this dish as it tastes better with a strong gingery taste.

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I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. To join, simply cook or bake any Chinese New Year recipes for the whole month of February 2015.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in February 2015 - please do not link older posts.Please mention our "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015" event in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

Wordless Wednesday: Chinese White Mushrooms

Food styling & photography by: Baby Sumo


If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)

CNY 2015: Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant, Novotel Kuala Lumpur

Usher in the Year of the Wooden Goat with one of three delightful Chinese New Year menus on offer at Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant at Novotel KL. Available from 19 January to 7 March 2015, you can choose from Wisdom Set Menu (RM1088++ for 10 pax), Fortune Set Menu (RM1288++ for 10 pax, and Prosperity Set Menu (RM1888++). If you are dining in a smaller group, fret not as Qing Zhen also offers a smaller menu for a minimum of 6 pax. Full CNY menu can be viewed here.

CNY Decor at Qing Zhen

We had the pleasure of dining at Qing Zhen during our staycation here last year and last week, we were invited back here to sample their CNY menu.

Yee sang is always my favorite part of a CNY meal. Over here, you can choose to have smoked duck, lamb & salmon or smoked salmon & abalone yee sang. We had the latter, which is also part of the Prosperity Set Menu. Tossing yee sang is always fun, as we shout out auspicious wishes for the new year such as good health, more money, winning the lottery, etc.

Smoked salmon and abalone yee sang

Topped with salmon and abalone

Ready for the toss

First yee sang toss of the year! Yay. ;)

Next to arrive is the braised seafood soup, filled with treasures of the sea such as fish lips, sea cucumber, dried scallops, fish maw and crab meat as well as mushrooms. Although Qing Zhen is a pork-free restaurant, their dishes will not lose in the taste and flavour department  even when compared to a restaurant serving pork. Each mouthful of the soup is smooth and soothing to the tummy, all of us had second helpings and some even up to 4 bowls! Excellent soup.

The prettiest, and my favorite dish of the afternoon is the steamed Pacific cod fish. Each piece of cod is topped with a large pan seared sea scallop with green ginger sauce. Utterly delicious! And lucky me for getting two portions of this ;)

The wok fried king prawns boasts huge, fresh prawns which are deep fried until the skin crispy, while retaining the taut, juicy flesh within. It is served with wolf berry, red dates and a sauce made from dried Chinese yam "Wai San" style.

Lamb is not something you always see on Chinese menus, and this wok fried lamb loin was certainly a breath of fresh air. Furthermore with this CNY being the year of the goat/lamb. We were really impressed with the tender, flavorful lamb meat which is coated in aromatic premium coffee sauce. Assistant Chinese Chef, Jerry Kong explains to us that he uses lamb tenderloin and we also expressed how we liked that the dish did not display a strong lamby taste. The lamb was delicious eaten on its own or wrapped with the flower bun and lettuce.

A well-loved dish during the CNY period, the braised Mexican abalone, mushroom, sea cucumber and dried oyster with scented abalone sauce was delicious. Discerning, health-conscious diners will be happy to learn that Qing Zhen's menu is pretty low in sodium, but without comprising on the taste as all the dishes were very well-flavoured and tasty. 

The steamed aromatic buttered rice in lotus leaf got the approval of my fellow diners, and they were impressed that such a delicious version could be made without any pork. Chef Jerry uses dried mushrooms, waxed meat (duck) as well as his own-made chicken char siew for this. Furthermore, rice instead of glutinous rice is used for a lighter, healthier version.

To end our meal on a sweet note, we had Chinese New Year cake, also known as nian gao. The nian gao is coated in a light, thin batter and deep fried until the skin is crispy and the nian gao is warm and gooey.

Thanks to Novotel KL for having us, we thoroughly enjoyed the meal! :)



The Chinese New Year menus are available for both lunch and dinner from 19 January to 7 March 2015. However please note that the restaurant will be closed from 19-22 February 2015. For reservations or enquiries, email H6324-FB3@accor.com or call 03-2147 0888.

Pork-free.

Opening hours: Mondays to Saturdays - Lunch: 12.00pm – 2.30 pm; Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.00pm. Closed on Sunday.

Location: Qing Zhen Chinese Restaurant, Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre, 2 Jalan Kia Peng, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: 03-2147 0888

GPS Coordinates: 3.151861, 101.719673




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Recipe: Stir fried leeks with Chinese mushrooms and king prawns

It's finally February, which means that Chinese New Year is just 18 days away! Woohooo! This month, I will be hosting Cook and Celebrate: CNY 2015 with two wonderful ladies, so do submit and share any CNY recipes you have with us.

To kick-start this event, I'm sharing an auspicious dish, fit to be served at your dinner table throughout the CNY period. Leeks 蒜 are commonly served as the name is a homophone for "calculating (money)" (算suàn), mushrooms 冬菇 mean longevity and prawn 虾 sounds like laughter "ha ha ha". Last year, we cooked a similar dish with dried shrimps , but this week we bought some really nice, fresh and juicy king prawns so it went into this dish.

Such a simple, delicious dish - the kids got their hands (and mouths) on all the prawns as soon as I finished with the photo taking.

Here's to more money, longevity and happiness in the Year of Goat. :)

Stir fried leeks with Chinese mushrooms and king prawns
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8-9 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
350g leeks (4 stalks), trimmed and sliced into 2" lengths at an angle
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
3 Chinese or shitake mushrooms, rehydrated and sliced thinly
12 king prawns, shelled and deveined with tails intact
1 tsp ginger wine
1 tsp chicken stock granules


1. In a wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and fry for 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and stir fry for a minute.

2. Add the leeks and stir fry for about 1 minute, then add the ginger wine and allow to cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the king prawns and cook for 1-2 minutes, until prawn are cooked through. Season with chicken stock granules and serve immediately.

Note: For those who cannot take alcohol, you can omit ginger wine completely or replace with ginger juice (grate and squeeze).

****************

I am submitting this to the "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015" event which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe. To join, simply cook or bake any Chinese New Year recipes for the whole month of February 2015.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in February 2015 - please do not link older posts.Please mention our "Cook & Celebrate: CNY 2015" event in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below:

If you enjoyed reading my posts, LIKE me on Facebook! You can also follow me on Instagram (@babysumo) for more photo updates. Thanks :)