#ewew cooks Bacon Fried Rice

Every Chinese New Year (CNY) Eve in Ipoh, lunch is always a simple affair...and that's because everyone would be busy preparing the numerous dishes for the reunion dinner later that evening.  Every year, a staff of my (Ipoh) sister-in-law would gift her pots of fish paste-stuffed white tofu and fish balls...and that would be our simple lunch (with plain rice) on the eve of CNY.

This year, I decided to add a wee bit more savouriness into our lunch meal (that I'm sure the younger generation would appreciate) by making Bacon Fried Rice to go with the two types of yong tau foo! ^_~

Now, fried rice is one of my favourite carb-loaded comfort food.  When I'm at wits end of what to cook, I just whip up some sure-to-please fried rice that everyone loves.

When it comes to fried rice, I swear by my 'Holy Trinity' of meat, eggs and vegetables...which, in my case, is a combination of bacon, eggs and onions (ingredients that can be easily stored and found in any pantry).  I would cook all three ingredients separately to get a good caramelisation on them.

Bacon (yum!)...but you can substitute with "lap cheong" (Chinese dried sausage) or "char siew" (BBQ pork), of course.  These would be the other two 'approved' proteins (I would say) that can be used to add loads of flavour to the fried rice.

Eggs (double yum!!)....I like to crack the eggs whole into hot oil (instead of beaten eggs) as the egg whites can get really crispy when fried in oil.

Onions (triple yum!!!).....I like to cook them until they're well browned to bring out the sweetness.  Sometimes I would add some sliced shallots to the mix if I have them at hand (just remember to caramelise the onions first and add the shallots later as they brown faster than the onions).

It's more convenient to prep these ingredients separately especially if you're cooking a big batch of fried rice. You can then add the prepared ingredients in when you fry each plate of fried rice separately (maybe max two portions at once).  The worse thing you can do is to cook a big batch of fried rice at one go as you won't be able to get that crisp texture and fragrance into the rice grains (or "wok hei" in a professional kitchen).

For a splash of green (both visually and for taste), I prefer to add chopped spring onions into the mix though there are those who don't like spring onions, so french or long beans would be the other option.  As long as it's not a trio of frozen vegetables like carrot, corn and peas that I detest....I'm good.

Fried rice is a very 'forgiving' dish to cook where you can throw in a bit of this...and a bit of that (without bothering with specific amounts)....and it'll still come out pretty much a success.

And the same goes for the seasoning as well....you can add a splash of this...and a splash of that (no exact measurements needed as it depends on the portion size you're cooking).  Just start with less...and keep adding and tasting until you're happy with the result.  Use a combo of one or more seasonings that include salt, pepper, light & dark soya sauce, fish sauce, kicap manis, seasoning powders, sesame oil, etc. but I like to add one more seasoning that's not so common...and that's chilli sauce, McD's chilli sauce to be exact (that's where the extra packets come in handy...hehe)! ;)

You can go 'white' by not using soy sauce for seasoning (use chicken powder or salt instead)....I like 'white'.....

....or you can go light with just a tiny dash of soy.....

.....or you can go 'dark' (my son's preferred choice)...it really depends on what appeals to you!

But one thing that's a must is to add beaten eggs to the fried rice to lusciously coat each grain of rice for more flavour (besides the separately fried egg bits).

If adding chopped spring onions, add them to the fried rice right at the end.  Just toss them with the rice to warm through and it's ready to be plated up.

And that's done....my simple Bacon Fried Rice :)

I cooked up a few more portions (another four to be exact)...for takeaway to Ipoh.  For this recipe, I used 4 cups of rice, 8 slices of bacon, 4 red onions, 9 eggs (6 for the fried egg bits and 3 beaten eggs for the rice) and lots of spring onions + seasoning of chicken powder, soya sauce, chilli sauce, white pepper and salt.

Fried rice is one of those dishes that everyone is capable of whipping up their own version....and you don't need a recipe for that.  It's such a comforting dish that you'd want a second helping of! :=)

Just One Food - Muji Snacks

I always enjoy browsing and shopping in Muji stores (more browsing than shopping since their products are on the expensive side).  I adore their storage boxes and stationery items, especially their kitchen and dining ware.

And because I spend time in this very section (at their Pavilion Elite store), gazing at all the kitchen/dining stuff I wish I could own, that I first came to notice the snacks section next to it.

They've got all sorts of crispy snacks, popcorn, pies, crackers, cookies & biscuits....

.....to sweet snacks of candies, marshmallows, mochi & chocolate nibs.....

....to all types of green tea & matcha flavoured lattes, masala & chai tea, and even yuzu & honey drinks. They also offer instant soups, ramen & sauces.

I (of course) just had to buy a couple of these Japanese Muji Snacks to try, starting with this Green Pea Snack @ RM6.90.  I was initially attracted to it thinking they were some kind of French bean fries coz they looked the part.

But when I ate the first piece, the taste of green peas was what I first tasted.  So, I looked at the packaging again and realised they were actually a green pea snack.  I used to hate green peas when I was a child but has now grown to love it (like bitter gourd).  I especially like a good mashed green peas with fish and chips.  I loved the fragrance and prominent taste of green peas in this snack! ^.^

I love the taste of onions, so I couldn't resist the Onion Snack @ RM4.90.

Again, the intensity of the onion flavour was very notable in the crispy onion crackers.....yummeh! Quite unlike our local crackers that usually just taste crispy and salty without any flavour.

Another almost similar crispy snack is this Burdock Snack @ RM4.90.  Fresh burdock looks a bit like white radish or jicama, usually stir-fried with carrot (and has a crunchy texture like lotus root) or braised in a soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin and sugar concoction till tender.  I don't think I've had fresh burdock before.

The moment you open the pack, you get this whiff of Chinese herbal smell...something like ginseng or maybe Chinese angelica root ("dang gui") or codonopsis root ("dang shen" aka poor man's ginseng).  I don't know which Chinese herb exactly but let me tell you that it tastes better than it smells! :D  I'm ok with it but may be an acquired taste for some because of the herbal smell.

Well, in the remote possibility that you don't like crispy snacks (!), they have some non-crispy choices too like these Matcha-Flavoured Mochi @ RM6.90.....

......or Matcha Chocolate with Cocoa Biscuit @ RM10.90.

I also got these Mini Ramen Chicken @ RM6.90 thinking they're similar to those Mamee Monster noodle snacks that you can just eat out of the packet.  But that was before I read the instructions on the packet and found out that they're actually instant noodles that need to be cooked....haiz!

You can cook it like you do a cup noodle by pouring hot water over two cubes of noodles and let it steep for 3 minutes.  Or cook two noodles over a pan of boiling water (instructions say to use 220ml) and crack an egg into it (the noodles will not take more than a minute to cook).  Taste wise, it was like having yee mee with eggs...very savoury noodles in a very savoury broth (you may want to use more than 220ml water to dial down on the saltiness).

Seeing that there were some crushed bits of noodles left in the pack, I poured that into my mouth and realised that you can actually eat it like straight just like Mamee noodles...only better.  It makes for a nice, salty, crispy snack.

Then, you have this more common snack of Yolk Bolo @ RM5.90 which are small egg yolk biscuits with a slightly chalky, sweet and crispy texture.  What can I say, I prefer crispy crunchy snacks...hihi! ;P

My ultimate favourite has to be this Small Fried Rice Crackers @ RM4.90.  One thing about Japanese products is that they're very good at packaging it nicely to entice you.

These rice crackers, laced with soy sauce and honey, are so crispy and addictive with its salty-sweet flavours.  They're da bomb....so goood...I can't get enough of them....and once you've tried them, you won't either! ^o^

Ya, these snacks may be more expensive than our local snacks and crackers, but I'd gladly pay the price for flavour, flavour, flavour! ;)

Perhaps, this year, you might want to get some of these Japanese Muji Snacks for a change (and there are lots to choose from), something different from the usual same old same old Chinese New Year goodies to snack on.....I know I do! ^_~

As some of us head out to our hometowns for our annual "CNY balik kampong" ritual tomorrow.....

May all your wishes for the Year of the Earth Dog be fulfilled.....and then some!


Cookie asks why there is no Year of the Cat!...meowww? :P

Yong Tou Foo Chan Chan @ Kepong

We were on our way to our mom's place, so the choice for breakfast cum lunch spot would have to be in the vicinity of Kepong.

The last time we were here, we ate at E Soo Yong Tou Foo and, while enroute to the place, I remember passing by another yong tau foo restaurant, Restoran Yong Tou Foo Chan Chan @ Kepong, so we ended up here this time.

As the name of the place suggests, it's obviously about the yong tou foo here though, judging from the advertisement board, you can also order cooked dishes to eat with your yong tou foo meal from Hakka Char Yuk to Ginger Duck, Steamed Chicken, Assam Fish, Curry Spare Ribs, Spicy Prawns, Curry Fish Head, Vinegar Pork Leg, Chicken with Chinese Wine and Sambal Petai with Prawns.  And just like E Soo, you write your orders in an order chit.  But the thing I didn't like was that the order chit had no prices written on them! O_o If you want to know the price first, you have to ask the workers which wasn't the most ideal situation.

We wrote down the number of pieces of each yong tou foo we wanted.  They cost RM1.60 a piece based on the bill (RM28.80 for 18 pcs).  The fried sui kow (dumplings) were nice and crispy, the filling plump and meaty.

The fried fu chuk (bean curd) rolls were quite a letdown as the fish paste filling was very chewy.  Even my husband found it difficult to bite through.  I think it was due to the filling being too tightly wrapped as evidenced by the smaller cylindrical roll that was different from the norm.

The fried eggplant, always a must when it comes to yong tou foo for me, was satisfying with a thicker than usual fish paste filling.  I must mention that all the fried yong tou foo arrived piping hot, a testimony to the fact that they were probably freshly fried to order.

Bean curd puffs are usually offered braised in soup but this is one place that offers a fried version.  The fried bean curd puffs were faultlessly crispy with a thin fish paste filling acting as the glue to keep the super crunchy split-in-the-middle bean curd triangles together.  This ended up to be my favourite yong tou foo item here! ^o^

My family loves only the fried yong tou foo items and I usually end up to be the only one who would eat the ones in soup (like this bitter gourd).  The soup I didn't care for as much but was delighted that it came with star gooseberry leaves (sayur manis or "shu cai choy" in Cantonese).

The sweet brown sauce dip wasn't as thick as the one in E Soo while I liked the chilli dip which tasted different from the usual ones offered.

As mentioned earlier, they have quite a repertoire of cooked dishes and we ordered two.  The first was a perennial favourite with my family, the "Nam Yue" (Fermented Red Beancurd) Pork @ RM18.  Tender, with a good ratio of lean-to-fat, the nam yue coated pork was crisp and fragrant on the outside.

A simple vegetable dish of Stir-Fried Cabbage @ RM10 rounded up our meal.  Stir-fried with dried prawns and garlic, it was surprisingly very good due to the good "wok hei" aroma imparted by the wok. ^.^

For it to be cooked well, the stir-frying must be done on very high heat to get a nice char on the cabbage and yet retaining a good crunch.  The many below par versions I've eaten, the cabbage usually ends up being too soft with too much water released from the cabbage due to it not being fried at the optimum temperature (which is what I'd get if I were to cook it at home...haha!).

I saw the advertisement poster promoting the Chilled Soya Beancurd @ RM3.30, so I got one to try.  This tau fu fah is made without gypsum powder.  It was a decent soy bean pudding and having something chilled was a great way to end the meal on a hot day.

This chilled soya beancurd (Tiger brand) is made and distributed by LH Dessert to various shops in the Klang Valley.  I took a shot of the cover in case you come across it and want to try.

My Personal Opinion

Though we tried only two, I enjoyed the "tai chow" or cooked dishes here.  I guess if it's tai chow I want, I'll pop over here and go to E Soo for yong tou foo instead.  Having said that, some of Chan Chan's yong tou foo are respectable (especially the fried bean curd puffs)...just not the fried bean curd rolls! ;)

Restoran Yong Tou Foo Chan Chan
No 69 Jalan 11/62A
Bandar Manjalara
Kepong
52200 Kuala Lumpur