There is often a saying or myth in Penang about Char Hor Entertaining (炒河粉)–one that’s only Penang’s I am sure–if you’re a bachelor and would like to win the heart of one’s girlfriend, you’d probably seek out the best Char Hor Fun in town and make sure you take your girlfriend there, if probable, regularly. And should you wanted to win the hearts of one’s future parents-in-laws, you would be smart sufficient to “ta pau” (take out) for them, as well.
When I was little, my sisters’ boyfriends (now my brothers-in-law) would religiously pack Char Hor Enjoyment for my parents. Being the youngest in the family, my father and mother would share the “bribe” with me, and that was how I started out my love affair with this delicacy…
Char Hor Enjoyment is traditionally Chinese, but you will find a lot of variations to this ubiquitous dish. When I was attending college in Kuala Lumpur (KL), I observed out that the dish is named Wat Tan Hor” there. The idea with the dish is exactly the same, but it has a slightly various presentation and eggs are employed from the gravy, hence the words “wat tan” which literally means “smooth eggs” in Cantonese¦
In Thai cuisine, there is often a similar dish named Rad Na and I think Vietnamese have their own adaptation. The ingredients and toppings might be unique but they are all delicious. Call me biased, but the greatest ones in my opinion is still Penang Char Hor Enjoyable.
If you are a bachelor, perhaps you might wish to try my recipe and make this dish for your girlfriend. And while you’re at it, make some extras for the future parents-in-law, as well.
Today, I wanted to introduce you towards the sweet and adorable Shao of FriedWontons4U. Twitter has turn out to be a fantastic platform to discover new food blogs and I discovered FriedWontons4U a few months ago. FriedWontons4U chronicles Shao’s cooking and travel adventures. Shao came from Guangzhou—the birthplace of exquisite Cantonese cuisine—so we decided on shrimp dumplings or har gow (虾饺), arguably the most well-known dim sum ever! Please welcome Shao to Rasa Malaysia and do leave her your comments. Her shrimp dumplings/har gow look absolutely inviting and yummy!
If there was ever an official mascot for dim sum, har gow” would undoubtedly be a strong contender. What’s not to love about? Pump and juicy shrimp just barely visible through its clear dumpling skin, what a tease to the senses. A dim sum meal without it would not be complete for me. Growing up I was lucky enough to live within walking distance to many Chinese restaurants in Philadelphia, and most of my Sunday afternoons were spent eating dim sum. With all my years of eating har gow, I never tried making it until early this year. This recipe is usually a combination from what I have learned from watching how my mom and dad makes it, and how my uncle makes it…(get Shao’s shrimp dumplings or har gow Recipe after the jump)
You’ll find commonly two kinds of filling you would locate in har gow.
Variety one: A lump of shrimp meat commonly with mince size pieces of bamboo.
Variety two: Minced shrimp combined with either bamboo or water chestnut.
I prefer filling variety two. Whenever you bite into it, the elasticity of the minced shrimp mixture is often a nice contrast against the transparent skin. Do not worry about acquiring a bamboo steamer in the event you don’t have 1. Merely line a regular steamer or a plate with either napa cabbage or thin slices of carrots.
Recently I received an email from Rasa Malaysia to be her guest writer. Well, my very first thought was, what a timely invitation. I was thinking to post something unique to celebrate my 7-month old blog. Hence, this can be a specific post for Sea Salt with Food and being a guest writer on Rasa Malaysia!
Onde-Onde is one of the conventional kuih in Malaysia (kuih is term for Malaysian cakes, pastries if you will). They are either made from sweet potato or glutinous rice flour…
The cute little onde-onde–also spelled as ondeh-obdeh–are infused with pandan (screwpine leaf) juice and filled with “Gula Melaka” or palm sugar and then rolled in with some fresh grated coconut. The palm sugar that’s in it literally bursts in your mouth when you take a bite. They are sweet and delicious.(You can learn additional about onde-onde/ondeh-ondeh here.)
I would like to introduce you to a special guest blogger today, Food four Tots, who happens to become my higher schoolmate in Penang. What a little word! Food 4 Tots is an awesome foods blog with recipes meant for toddlers. Every single time I read the webpage, I drool more than the homey and delicious dishes and secretly jealous of her 4-year old and wish that I am eating at her dining table every day. Please welcome Foods 4 Tots to Rasa Malaysia as she shares her sui kow (Chinese dumplings) Recipe with us.
Two year ago, when I was just starting to cook for my loved ones, a friend of mine made a strong recommendation that I visit Rasa Malaysias meals blog for its recipes and cooking ideas. When I browsed via her webpage, I was quite amazed by her stunning shots and high level of professionalism in food presentation, not to mention her cooking and baking skills. Due to the fact then, I had been following her webpage closely and even referred it as my “online cookbook.” I need to say that her featured recipes are obtaining much more and more interesting and impressive now. There are lots of cooking tips and methods I learnt via reading her posting. Each time I pay a visit to her webpage, I will be drooling and leaving with a hungry stomach. Her Penang-style cooking also makes me very homesick and I just feel like flying home the next day to satisfy my cravings…(get step-by-step sui kow recipe after the jump)
Right now, I would like to thank Rasa Malaysia for featuring me as her guest writer. I had chosen sui kow (水饺) as my featured recipe mainly because she loves dumplings. Co-incidentally, it really is also my childhood favourite. I had never gotten bored consuming it even until now. Hopefully by sharing this sui kow recipe, you will enjoy sui kow as significantly as I do.
“Sui kow” (水饺) can be a Chinese dumpling which filling is mainly made up of coarsely diced or whole shrimps, minced pork, and other chopped vegetables such water chestnut. Generally, “sui kow” is paired with Chinese wonton noodles. But it can also be served separately in boiled broth.
I first learnt about how to make “sui kow†from my mother-in-law. Considering that then, I constantly love making sui kow for my loved ones. By serving it with some blanched vegetables and Chinese noodles, it makes a wholesome meal for us. My son (a four year-old boy) loves the “sui kow” so a lot that he can easily wallop 5 sui kows in 1 sitting!
When I told my hubby that I will created “sui kow” to be featured on Rasa Malaysia’s weblog, he suggested that I ought to follow his “self-proclaimed” authentic sui kow recipe which he utilized to eat at a Chinese noodle house in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) as a child. This recipe calls for the inclusion of green peas and finely chopped coriander leaves on top from the common fillings. Despite the fact that I had neither seen nor tasted this version of sui kow before, my instinct told me that his suggestion is feasible as the green peas will add extra colour and nutrients for the filling whereas the coriander leaves will give much more flavour on the sui kow. So I decided to give it a try. Guess what will be the verdict? My hubby€™s suggestion was proven correct! These two additional ingredients did give the sui kow a new twist in its flavour. The green colour of the pea resembles a hidden jade, created the filling far more appealing on the eyes. I must say that it is the best sui kow I had tried so far. The taste and texture are simply AWESOME! Before I had finished my shooting, 8 “sui kows†had disappeared from the serving plate and gone into our stomach! The temptation is so irresitable! Are you as excited as us, too?
Finally, my hubby said, “If one would be to appreciate the full eating of €œsui kow”, the art of consuming it truly is just as essential as the serving itself.” He strongly recommends placing a piece of coriander leave on top from the “sui kow” and dip it into some chili sauce (just a bit will do, so as to prevent the chili taste from over-powering the wholesome taste on the fillings). Appreciate! If you have better way to delight in sui kow, feel free to comment. We really enjoy your feedback.
Now, let me share with you the authentic sui kow recipe (based on my own concortions):
