Tag Archives: Noodles

Asian Food Trip – Hong Kong – Part 2

March 27, 2017 7:51 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

One of the best things when travelling with people who know the place is their recommendation on where to eat. Since my mom goes to Hong Kong every year, she has either tried or heard of somewhere good to eat. She doesn’t use computers or any fancy restaurant apps. She just knows from being there and talking to her friends to find out where to go.

I, on the other hand, rely on technology to find places to eat. I actually discovered the Openrice website and app while searching for restaurants in Hong Kong. This app might be better than Yelp because it’s what locals use to search for restaurant recommendations. It’s actually great because it’s in both English and Chinese. So you can match up the Chinese characters from your app to the restaurant if the sign is in Chinese only and you don’t read Chinese 🙂 .

Aberdeen Fishball & Noodles Restaurant (香港仔魚蛋粉) is one of the places that we stumbled upon when travelling around in Mong Kok. There are many locations around and it seems like some locations are better than others. The reason we went in was because my mom knows that it’s one of the popular chain places. This place is famous for their fish ball soup noodles.

Fish Ball Noodles – Don’t remember being spectacular but the fish broth was pretty tasty. The broth is made with water chestnuts and dry bean curd sticks hence the milky white broth. The homemade chili oil goes great with this dish.

Fish Ball Noodles

Sei Kee Congee (西記粥店) is one of the places we go back to every time we visit Hong Kong. There seems to be three locations but we always go to the one on Prince Edward Road. It’s a hole in the wall and the first place my dad took us to when my husband went to Hong Kong the very first time. This place is famous for their “fresh boiled” congee (生滾粥) which means they cook all the ingredients as you order them. My husband has fond memories of this place especially the minced beef congee—his all-time favourite Memorable Dish. My favourite congee to order in Hong Kong is the Boat Congee (艇仔粥). It has a mix of different ingredients but mostly seafood, hence the name “boat”. This congee is quintessentially Hong Kong and every restaurant makes it slightly different.

Minced Beef and Boat Congee – Just like how I remember them. Standard taste like all other congee places I had but very hot and fresh.

Youtiao (Chinese fried cruller) and Cheung Fun (rice noodle roll) – I don’t remember seeing them making these in-house. They taste ok, nothing spectacular.

Minced Beef and Boat Congee (right), Youtiao (Chinese fried cruller) and Cheung Fun (rice noodle roll) (left)

When travelling to the same place more than once, we tend to go back to the same restaurants over and over again. The food might not be the best but we tend to go back anyways. I think it’s because it brings back nostalgic travel memories for us. Sometimes it’s not about the food, but it’s about the company.

Read in the series:

Asian Food Trip – Hong Kong – Part 1
Asian Food Trip – Hong Kong – Part 3

Posted in: Places Visited, Special Meals , Tagged: cheung fun, congee, fish ball, Hong Kong, noodles, youtiao

Ramen Noodles

October 5, 2015 8:02 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

As the weather is getting cooler, I crave for a bowl of hot ramen noodles. Ramen noodles – not the fancy kind you eat at Japanese restaurants where they brew the broth with pork bone and meat for hours. But the instant kind. Every Asian household always has instant ramen noodles stocked up in their pantry at all times. Thus, instant ramen noodles should be a Memorable Dish for all Asians.

Instant ramen noodles is a comfort food to many Asians growing up. We know it’s not the healthiest thing on earth but we just love it. Asians don’t just eat the plain ramen noodles right out of a package but have extra add-ons to make the noodles extra yummy. Plus, if you are making them for your friends and family, it creates the illusion that you made some effort in cooking this dish and not just boiling instant noodles.

I personally blanch the noodles and rinse it with cold water and then reheat the noodles with the broth. If you don’t want to do that, just cook the ramen according to the package. I happen to have some of my homemade leftover Chinese BBQ Pork so I put that, veggies and a fried egg as my toppings. Put your favourite ingredients on your ramen and enjoy!

Ramen Noodles

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Serving Size: 1

Ingredients

1 pack instant Ramen
Slices of leftover or fresh meat (chicken, beef, pork, etc.)
Fresh Vegetables
Fried Egg
Slices of Scallions (optional)

Preparation

Boil the ramen according to the package.
Top with cooked meat, vegetables, fried egg, scallions or any desired topping.
Eat and enjoy!

https://www.memorabledishes.com/ramen-noodles/

Recipe by Memorable Dishes | www.memorabledishes.com

Posted in: Main Course, Noodles, Soup , Tagged: noodles, pork, soup

Ginger Scallion Cold Noodles

June 22, 2015 8:17 am , 1 Comment , Winnie N

Picnic food for Chinese families, at least for our family, is cold noodles. Cold noodles is a relative term because Chinese people like their food super hot. So “cold” noodles can also mean room temperature for us. I remember eating this Memorable Dish at picnics with my family. We would make this simple dish to take along side with my mom’s salty poached chicken wings (I’ll leave that recipe for another post). It’s basically chicken wings that are poached in salty water and perfumed with star anise. These chicken wings can also be served cold, hence another perfect food for picnics.

Ginger scallion cold noodles is also my mother’s go-to dish to make when we do our long drives to the States. These cold noodles definitely remind me of summer. Having picnics and BBQs outside with families and friends. I love the combination of ginger and scallions sizzled in hot oil mixed with soy and oyster sauce. This is my favourite sauce of all time. I can just eat the sauce all by itself!

This Memorable Dish is so easy and versatile. You can use any type of noodles you have on hand. This time, I am using fresh store-bought egg noodles. I usually have Chinese wheat or soba noodles in my pantry and use those to make my cold noodles. I remember my mom even used spaghetti when we didn’t have any Asian noodles in the house. It turned out just as tasty!

Ginger Scallion Cold Noodles

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup Ginger, julienne
2 cups Scallions, julienne (whites and green separated)
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp low sodium Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 lb Noodles

Preparation

Heat oil in a small pot. Test if the oil is hot enough by putting a piece of your ginger in. If it sizzles, put the rest of the ginger in and mix.
Then put the white parts of the scallions in and mix.
Finally put the green parts of the scallions in and mix. Turn off heat.
Put the soy and oyster sauce in and mix. Set aside.
Prepare noodles according to the package. Cook them until al dente.
Drain noodles but do not rinse in cold water.
Put noodles in large bowl and mix with sesame oil to prevent them from sticking.
Then add your ginger, scallions, soy and oyster sauce mixture.
Toss noodles. Serve at room temperature or chill to serve cold.

Notes

Adjust your seasonings according to the type of noodles you use. Depending on the type of noodles used, the sauce adheres to them differently.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/ginger-scallion-cold-noodles/

Recipe by Memorable Dishes | www.memorabledishes.com

Posted in: Main Course, Noodles , Tagged: cold noodles, ginger, green onions, noodles

Circle of Food – Peking Duck Noodle Soup

May 10, 2015 8:38 am , Leave a Comment , Winnie N

My kids love eating at food courts inside of Chinese malls. I guess they love eating in any food court for that matter. They get very excited because it’s a treat and there are lots of places to choose from. What makes the Chinese food courts unique is the fact that they are all individually-owned. It’s a nice break from the franchised restaurants that we are used to at regular malls. It almost feels like we are eating on the streets filled with different food vendors, but in an enclosed and comfortable seating environment.

We often order dishes from different shops so we get to try everything. Since being a parent with young kids, I’ve ordered foods that the kids would eat, but not necessarily what I like to eat. Just the other evening, I went to the Chinese food court with my kids and my mom. As always, I ordered something the kids wanted to eat – fried noodles. I didn’t really want that but ordered it anyways. My mom ended up ordering what I normally like to eat – Peking Duck Noodle Soup. Maybe she wanted to eat that but I got a feeling she ordered it because of me 🙂

This brought back memories of when my mom and I were on a plane ride flying to Hong Kong. I loved that you got to choose between Western or Chinese entrées. For breakfast, there was a choice between congee or omelette. I ordered the omelette and my mom ordered the congee. I took a bite of the omelette and didn’t like it. Without a second thought, my mom gave me her congee. (Just so you know, I was a full-grown adult when it happened). I just voiced my dislike for the omelette and she gave me the congee right away!

I do the same for the kids now. I eat their food when they don’t finish it or I trade with them if they don’t like something. It’s like the circle of life or what I’d like to call – the circle of food. Parents always put their kids’ needs first no matter how old they are.

Just so you know, I have not attempted to make Peking duck at home. Even if I did, it would not taste the same as the ones you’d find at your typical Chinese BBQ shop. The method, technique, equipment and all that is involved in making a Peking duck is an art form. You can find Peking ducks sold at Chinese BBQ shops, Chinese restaurants that specialize in BBQ, or at select Chinese grocery stores. Once you buy your Peking duck, this dish is super easy to prepare and very comforting to eat.

Peking Duck Noodle Soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

1/2 Roasted Peking Duck*
1 package of Jiang Xi Rice Vermicelli
8 small stalks of Shanghai Bok Choy (Wash and cut in half.)
5 cups of homemade Chicken Stock or store-bought Chicken Broth
2 slices of Ginger
2 cloves of whole Garlic
2 stalks of Green Onion (Use the white part to infuse the broth and thinly slice the green parts as garnish.)
*You can buy ½ or whole roasted Peking ducks at Chinese BBQ shops. Don’t forget to ask for extra plum sauce.

Preparation

Boil the vermicelli based on the instructions found on the package.
Drain the vermicelli into a colander and rinse it with cold water.
Put ginger, garlic, white parts of the green onion into the stock/broth and bring it to a boil. (You can take them out after the broth has been infused with these flavours.)
Once the broth is boiled, add the Shanghai bok choy and boil for a minute or so.
Then add the cooked vermicelli.
Once the broth is boiling again. Turn off heat.
Divide up the noodles and bok choy into bowls. Top with broth and sprinkle sliced green onions on the top.
You can place the Peking duck on top of the noodles or you can place them on the side.

Notes

Note #1: If you cannot find Jiang Xi Rice Vermicelli, use whatever rice vermicelli is available at your grocery store. Alternatively, you can always use any type of egg noodles as well.

Note #2: From my package of Jiang Xi Rice Vermicelli, it says to cook for 6-8 minutes. I have to cook them for 10-12 minutes for them to be al dente to soft. Test them out before draining the vermicelli to get the right consistency.

Note #3: If you cannot find Shanghai bok choy, you can use baby bok choy or any type of vegetable that you like.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/peking-duck-noodle-soup/

Recipe by Memorable Dishes | www.memorabledishes.com