Preserved Radish Omelet, Choko And Mung Bean Noodles Broth 佛手瓜粉絲菜脯蛋湯 - "Malaysian Monday 88"

Well you better be a fan of choko because here's another very simple but delicious childhood dish of mine using the very underrated vegetable.

A bowl of broth or soup graced the dining table at every meal when I was growing up. It can be an elaborate double boiled number with expensive ingredients or just a very simple one using the freshest vegetables from the garden and this clean tasting broth is a good example of the later.

Dried shrimps are usually used instead of the preserved radish, however this is a version preferred during the 1st and 15th day of the month (lunar calander) when only vegetarian meals are served.

If you are after something a little more challenging come back for massaman beef next, meanwhile get your pestle and mortar out and have some homemade curry paste ready!

serves 2 to 3 as part of a meal with rice
you'll need;
1 small choko, peeled, seed removed and cut into long strips
a small bunch of mung bean noodles
2 free range eggs
2 heaped tbs of preserved radish
pinch of salt
pinch of white pepper
2 l of stock
dash of sesame oil

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add preserved radish, salt and white pepper and beat lightly.

Heat a wok until smoking, add a little cooking oil to the wok and swirl to coat the wok. Pour in the beaten egg mixture and scramble lightly.

Pour the stock in, when it comes to a boil add in the shredded choko.

When the choko starts to wilt, add in the mung bean noodles and cook until the noodles are done. Check for seasonings and drizzle a little sesame oil over.

This clean tasting broth is perfect on days after an indulgent weekend.

I am the host for the September event so please send all your entries to me at sureshchong@yahoo.com. To find out more about the event and on how to enter please click HERE.

Stir Fried Choko And Mung Bean Noodles With Dried Shrimp Chili Sauce 蝦米辣椒醬炒粉絲佛手瓜 - "Malaysian Monday 87"

My cousin W.Y whom I haven't seen for years was in Sydney to attend a conference. It was a great opportunity to leave town for a few days and do a bit of catching up with her.

We shared a few nice meals and we pretty much talked non stop; mesmerising about the past, talked about the present and touched on the near future. As you can imagine food was one of the many topics of interest  in between glasses of Australian reds.

For someone who is not a keen cook she rarely read my blog unless she is after a particular family recipe, Thai recipes or when she wants to spy on me. She did request for more simple home dishes that we grew up with, therefore my unofficial theme for this month's Malaysian Monday will just be that - simple but delicious dishes that will transport us back to our carefree childhood in Cameron Highlands.

I was looking for the tender choko shoots known as dragon's whiskers but it looks like I might have to wait for a few more weeks before they start appearing on the market. However choko is readily available at my local supermarket so I decided to make a simple stir fry using the remaining homemade dried shrimp chili sauce, I think W.Y will be pleased with my choice since she went home with two jars of my prized chili sauce.

P.S the 24th MMM roundup is up, remember to to head over to my friend Sharon's blog (Test With Skewer) if you haven't done so.

recipe from the tummies' kitchen
serves 4 as part of a shared meal

you'll need;

3 heap tbs of homemade dried shrimp chili sauce

1 choko, peeled, removed seed and cut into long strips

a small bunch of mung bean noodles, soften and drained well

1 tbs of light soy
1 tbs of oyster sauce

dash of white pepper

Peel and slice choko into matchstick size strips.

Soak mung bean noodles in hot water for 10 minutes, cut into shorter pieces (~6 cm).

Heat up the wok and saute the dried shrimp chili sauce with some vegetable oil.

Add choko, mix well and stir fry on high heat for a minute.

Add mung bean noodles, season with soy, oyster sauce and white pepper and continue to stir fry on high heat until the noodles are tender (~1 minute).

Serve with plenty of steamed rice on the side.

I am the host for the September event so please send all your entries to me at sureshchong@yahoo.com. To find out more about the event and on how to enter please click HERE.