Happy Holidays!

Every December has the most enjoyable moments for families all over the world. Many independent children find job opportunities in different states. But they will always be ready to come back home to celebrate Christmas and other December holidays with their families. Even though they are away, they plan for the date in a year to meet with all the families to celebrate these holidays.

Out of many Christmas celebrations, my memory will never be erased because of a one of a kind and enjoyable family from Wisconsin belonging to my brother in law. His grandfather and his uncle never miss to invite us over for the Christmas Celebration. As they own a large dairy farm, there were many things we learned in terms of how a high-tech dairy farm operates.

It also reminds me of my childhood days of celebrating events such as birthdays, festivals and weddings. For the majority of celebrations we host at home, we invited extended family and make traditional Burmese meals. Before the feast, we invite monks to offer them lunch prior to enjoying our meals and conversations held during such gatherings.

In this traditional meal, we usually cook coconut rice, chicken curry, fish cake salad, and soup. It is usually the way of celebration meal for most of our events. We may also add another meat dish and condiment as an option.

In this recipe, there will be the coconut rice and chicken curry as a combination meal. Then we will add fish cake salad for the side dish. As a soup for the meal, we may also add the Roselle leaves soup that makes a balanced combination for the rich coconut rice meal.

Chicken Curry ( 3 serving)

Ingredients

2 lb     Chicken ( bone in or boneless) cut up into 1-inch cube size

1 tbsp  Fine Chopped ginger

1 tbsp  Fined Chopped Garlic

1 Cup   Fine Chopped Onion

1 tsp    Turmeric powder

1 tbsp   Chili Powder

1/2 cup Oil

2 tsp    Salt

1 tbsp  Fish Sauce

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, add cut cubed chicken, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, finely chopped ginger, garlic, onion, salt and fish sauce together and mix it well with hand by using food gloves.

2. In the 4 qt pan on the stove top with medium-high heat, add oil an heat up then all the marinated chicken and stir.

3. Cook all the chicken in the pan till all the water from the meat are gone.

4. When there is no more water in the pan, start seeing the oil and meat start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add two cups of water to cover the chicken then cover the pan.

5. We may turn down the heat to medium when the water starts boiling.

6. Cook for another 10 to 15 minutes depends on the tenderness of the chicken.

7. When the meat is tender enough to eat and water is reduced into half. It is ready to serve. ( We may add 1 tsp of curry powder for stronger flavor but it is totally optional.)

Coconut Rice ( 3-5 serving)

These days we could find rice cooker everywhere and it has a better result to use the rice cooker.

Ingredients

3 cups   Jasmine Rice
1 can     Coconut milk (8 oz. can)
1 Shallot Cut into quarters each
1 tsp      Canola oil
1/2 tsp   Salt
1 tsp    Sugar ( may add 1 more spoon if you prefer sweeter taste but not recommended)
4 cups    water

Instructions

1. In the 3-5 cups rice cooker, add all the ingredients together and stir to mix it well.

2. Then cook with the electric rice cooker by the following instruction as needed.

Roselle Leaves Soup ( Chin Baung Ywat Hinn Cho)

Ingredients

2 cups    Chopped ( rough chop) fresh roselle leaves
1 cup     Chopped tomato
1 cup      Cubed Egg Plant
1/2 cup   Chopped Onion
1 tbsp     Sliced garlic
0.5 lb      Fish fillet ( tilapia fillet or tuna)
1 tbsp     Fish sauce
1 tbsp     Canola Oil
1 tsp       Turmeric powder
1 tsp       Shrimp paste
3 counts Thai green Chili
3 qt       Vegetable broth (or) Chicken Broth
(salt to your own taste)

Instructions

1. In the 4 qt pan, with medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, oil, fish fillet, fish sauce and turmeric powder together and cover for 5-10 minutes.

2. Then stir all the fish and onions are blended well enough till fragrant.

3. Add the roselle leaves, tomato, and eggplant into the soup pot and stir a little bit. Cover the pot for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure leaves and vegetable are soften a little bit with medium heat.

4. Add the vegetable broth to the soup pot and cover then turn up the heat to high to make the soup boil. When start boiling, we may turn down the heat to medium to simmer the soup.

5. Finally, add shrimp paste and green chili to the soup pot and simmer again for 5-10 minutes more. Season the salt to your own taste.

Fish Cake Salad ( 2 serving)

Ingredients

1 cup  Thinly Sliced Fish Cake ( we can get the frozen cooked fish cake from an Asian store)
1 cup   Shredded Cabbage
1 cup   Thinly Sliced Red Onion
1 tbsp   Fine Chopped Thai Green chili
2 tbsp   Chopped Cilantro (or) chiffonade lime leaves

Dressing

1 tbsp    Garlic Flavored  Oil
1 tbsp    Fish Sauce
1 tbsp    Lime Juice
1 tbsp    Roasted Besan Powder
1/2 tsp   Roast Red Chili Powder (optional)

Instruction

1. In the mixing bowl, add all the ingredients together except cilantro.

2. We may mix the dressing in a different bowl and pour on the ingredients.

3. Or we may add the dressing and ingredients together into the mixing bowl.  Mix it well to make sure all the ingredients are blended in together.

(Note: Before slicing the thawed fish cake, it is better to steam the fish cake for 10 minutes to make it softer.)

December Memory

December is the month for a vacation that most people in this world may define. Myanmar families who stay in overseas are always looking forward to visiting Burma (Myanmar), especially in December. Many families plan their winter vacations early in the summer so that their extended families overseas can save money by taking a trip. So that they can get the discounted tickets just to beat the high price of winter air tickets.

 One of the coolest memories I have was my first trip in December during my teenage years. Our dad never failed to plan a memorable winter trip even though we struggled financially. That was our very first trip after years of a long struggle after a financial crisis in our family. That trip was road trip to the Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda. If interested in the location, an article regarding it can be found by following the link here.
Also known as a hiking trip which requires a long walk of seven miles to reach the top of the mountain.

As Burma's weather is hot and humid in monsoon season, citizens prefer to travel only in November and December because of its cool and dry weather, similar to a Minnesota Summer.
The hiking trip to Kyaik Htee Yoe Pagoda is fun and enjoyable when traveling with a large group of friends. There are creeks and streams along the way and also some stores that not only sell souvenirs, but also food and drink. A group of college kids was teasing each other and making harmless jokes amongst themselves along the way. We were children at that time: young and dumb.

Now you may wonder how this story relates to the recipe. It is the food the I will never forget and will always cook when given the chance. We have to stay at the Inn with the restaurant since there were no fancy hotels during the 1980s. Although I forgot the name of the restaurant, I remember the food that I always ordered for my meal. Fish cake with tomato curry sauce was the memorable meal which relates to my December trip when we were young.

Fish Cake with Tomato Curry Sauce

Fish Cake with Tomato Curry Sauce (4 serving)

Ingredients 

1 lb      Feather back fish paste (from Asian store) (or) Other fish fillets
1 cup   Chopped Onion
1 tbsp  Fine chopped ginger
1 tsp    Fine chopped garlic
1 tbsp  Chili Powder
1 tbsp  Fish Sauce
1/2 cup Chopped Tomato
1 tbsp  tamarind paste
1.5 tsp  Salt
1 tsp    Turmeric powder
1 cup    Canola oil
1/2 cup Cilantro leaves (Rough chopped)

Instruction

1. In the chopper, add onion, ginger, garlic and chili powder together and chopped it into a paste. Scoop it out into a separate bowl and leave 1 tbsp of paste in the chopper.

2.  Add the fish paste into the chopper add salt to the fish paste and puree this paste with a machine to blend it well with onion chili paste.

3. Scoop it out from the chopper and set it in the bowl. We could use either oil or little fish sauce to make medallion size fish cake. We need to make it ready before frying those fish cakes.

4. In the pan, add oil and heat the pan to medium-high heat.

5. Fry all the fish cakes in the heated oil till golden brown. We need to flip those cakes only when one side is golden brown.

6. When all the fish cakes are cooked to become golden brown. Strain all the fish cakes into the strainer or in a bowl with paper towel to soak excess oil.

7. In the same pan with the rest of the oil, we need to add chopped chili paste together with turmeric powder.

8. After cooking chili paste for five minutes add fried fish cake and stir. Add the fish sauce till fragrant.

9. Add the chopped tomato into the pan and stir for 5 min again.

10. Finally add the tamarind juice,  cover the pan and simmer for 15 more minutes.

11. Garnish with cilantro leaves an serve.

(Note  1: We may also use to add Thai green chili on top just before removing from the stove. But it is optional.)
(Note 2: We may skip the part of making the fishcake from scratch by using the Salmon burger patties from the frozen section from groceries store.)

Essential Lemongrass

As lemongrass is often used in Asian cuisine, it is also desirable for its medicinal value. Most Asian dishes use lemongrass as an essential ingredient because of its delightful flavor. Some people even brew tea with lemongrass for remedial purposes. Researchers also say its healing power as an antibiotic is a value that lemongrass holds to its own identity.

For our homemade meat curries, fish, or soup dishes, we use lemongrass as one of the essential ingredients. The use of lemongrass in my mother's home cooking became as common as our routine home cooking. During those days, when I was in the 3rd grade, there is one of my most vivid memories. It was when my father returned from work and he would mix the curry that was cooked that day with rice in a large platter, then let us sit around him and feed us as after school snack.  Thank you! Dad. For all the timeless memories.

After arriving in the US, steak also becomes a meal option. As a result, I periodically made steak curry for my family. Cooking the steak with lemongrass and curry leaves became a variation of our mom's recipe of Myanmar beef stew. This dish pairs well with either plain bread or white rice. Alongside this dish, Masoor Dal (Pink Lentil Soup) is a paring dish that compliments the flavors of the Beef Curry (Myanmar Beef Stew).

Burmese Beef Stew (or) Beef Curry with Lemongrass (3 serving)

Ingredients

  1.5 lb.      Beef (Steak prefer top sirloin)
  1    cup    Chopped Onion
  1    tbsp.  Chopped Ginger
  1    tbsp   Chopped Garlic
  2    tbsp   Chili powder
  1    tsp     Black Pepper powder
  2    tsp     Salt
  1/2 tsp     Turmeric powder
  1  tbsp     Fish sauce
  1  stalk     Lemongrass (pounded)
  1/2 cup    Canola oil
  1 stem     Curry leaves (at least 10 leaves)

Instructions

1.  Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes and marinate with salt, pepper and turmeric powder.

2.  In the Dutch oven (4 qt.), with medium-high heat, add the oil and brown the meat cubes and strain out of oil and set it in the bowl.

3. Into the same Dutch oven with remaining oil, add all the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger together with chili powder. Stir gently till the onions are translucent.

4. Add the browned meat cubes together with fish sauce and lemongrass. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes to bring out the flavor of fish sauce and lemongrass.

5. Then add 1 or 2 cups of water to cover the meat and turn down the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. (Note: If the meat is not forked tender, we may need to add 1 cup of water and simmer for a few more minutes)

6. Do not forget to stir occasionally not to get burnt on the bottom of the pan.

7. When the meat is tender enough to chew, add the curry leaves as final touch then cook for 5-10 more minutes to bring out the curry flavor.

No Trick! , Treat Please!

The month of October is a festive month for some countries. Since we arrived in the US, we did not know much about Halloween. Year after year, Halloween became a tradition that we adopted since our children need to enjoy seasonal festivities.

 In our country, we celebrate the full moon day of October as our cultural lantern festival. We always light the candles in our prayer room and electric lights  (Christmas lights) around our house. We pay respect to our elders such as our parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, and grandparents by giving presents such as a nice sweet cake, medications, and gifts as they need.
Every time we visited our aunts and grandmother we always get some cash as the favor returns. Whatever small notes, we always enjoy our own money. Those are the sweet traditional memories as we enjoyed in our country in this October full moon day.

Unlike our country, we have to adopt the tradition of Halloween as a harvest festival. Carving pumpkins also became a tradition for my son and became a family activity. We prepare the treats for the children as our neighborhood was full of elementary school-aged kids.

My recipe is unlike those treats. A signature (Burmese treat) Myanmar traditional treat also known as La Phet (Pickle Tea Leaves Salad) is a one of a kind treat for every Burmese family. Every Myanmar (Burmese) family keeps this recipe handy if close friends are over. This food is the typical signature food of Myanmar. This treat is not difficult to prepare and ingredients are available in Myanmar with popular name brands. We always stock up on those and keep it in our freezer for a longer shelf life.

Pickled Tea Leaves Salad ( 3-5 Serving)

Ingredients

1/2 cup Pickled Tea Leaves
1/2 cup Crispy Fried Garlic
1/2 cup Toasted Sesame Seeds
1/2 cup Crispy fried butterbean
1/2 cup Crispy Fried split yellow pea
1 tbsp   Dried shrimp (special less salty)
1/2 cup Roasted Peanut
1 cup    Shredded cabbage
1/2 cup Thinly sliced Tomato
1 tbsp   Thinly sliced fresh garlic
1 tsp     Thinly sliced Thai green chili (Optional)
2 tbsp   Peanut Oil
1 tsp     fish sauce
1 tbsp   Dried shrimp powder
1 tbsp Fresh squeezed lime juice

Instructions

1. Wash the two or three cabbage leaves with cold water. Cut the cabbage very thin shredded cut and set it in a bowl.

2. Cut the tomato (Roma or big boy) into a very thin slice and set it in the cabbage bowl.

3. Cut the 3 cloves of garlic very thin slice.

4. Cut Thai green chili as instructed. ( We could use another green chili such as Jalapeno pepper or Serrano pepper if we can't find Thai green chili.)

5. In a small bowl, add peanut oil(any oil will do great too), fish sauce and lime juice together and mix it thoroughly.

6. Mix all the ingredient in a bowl and add the dressing. Then toss it to blend all the ingredients and dressing.

7. Sprinkle the sliced garlic and green chili on top to garnish the plate. It is delightful to enjoy paring with hot jasmine rice. It is also suitable to have this dish with Chinese Jasmine hot tea.

Fall for the Soup

As the autumn weather rolls in, we start to feel the chilly wind from the North. Wearing thick coats and sweaters for the cold, dry weather also makes us crave nice, hot soups.

For our family, we would rather eat our own traditional soups from a store instead of making it ourselves. But as there is limited availability for our preferred meals, we're left to eat what is convenient. Among us, we choose to have Vietnamese Beef Noodle soup (Phở) most of the time, but for Western options, our family likes to enjoy Chili, and Beef & Barley soup in the cold weather.

As a hearty meal, I would love to share that Beef & Barley soup comforts us from the brisk autumn weather. Also, it is rich in nutrition full of vegetables and grains like barley. This flavorful treat is also suitable for children who can bear the spice.

Beef and Barley Soup (5-10 serving)

Ingredients

8 oz.     Beef (sirloin)
5 cups  Beef Broth
1 cup    Pearl Barley (uncooked)
1 cup    Chopped tomato
1 cup    Chopped carrot (small chopped)
1 cup    Chopped onion (small chopped)
1 cup    chopped celery (small chopped)
1 tbsp   Thyme (finely chopped)
2          Bay leaves
1 can    Tomato soup (12 oz)
1 can Dice Stewed Tomato (12 oz.)
2 tbsp   Olive oil (or) Butter
1 tbsp   sugar
2 tsp     salt

Instruction

1. On the stove top, heat up the 8 qt dutch oven with medium-high heat add the olive oil.

2. Then add the beef (small cubed) together with salt and pepper. Stir the meat to make it brown and add the onion, carrot, and celery.

3. When the onion is translucent, add finely chopped thyme, chopped tomato, and stir.

4. Then add the barley (pre-washed) then add beef broth, diced stewed tomato, sugar and a cup of water and boil with high heat then turn down the heat let it simmer for  30 more minutes. Add the Bay leaf, may add 2 cloves (optional).

5. When the barley grains and meat are tender soft enough to chew, add the tomato soup and stir. Let the soup to simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt to your own taste.

6. We can turn off the heat and sprinkle the finely chopped parsley on top.

It is also suitable to enjoy this soup with either toasted garlic bread or rosemary flavored Ciabatta bread.

(Note: We may store the soups in the fridge for 2-3 days for later days meal. And soups taste better next day)

Bean Curd Salad (or) Burmese Tofu Salad

This is yet another dish that brings memories of my childhood. When we were little, we went to visit my grandmother's home in downtown Yangon (Rangoon). In the evening there is one food vendor (peddler) who made a very unique sound in order for people to recognize him. Every time he yelled out "To....Fu ...Thoke" , our late grandma offered to treat us to it. A lot of lovely memories that arise every time I think of the food.

In Burma, especially in downtown Yangon, peddlers were very common across the neighborhood, although I am unsure how business has been after leaving the country in 1995. Some food peddlers sold breakfast items in the early morning for example (steam sticky rice, vatana bean for fried rice, etc.). Then in the afternoons, the food items change to other Burmese delicacies such as sweet desserts and rice related authentic snacks.

This bean curd salad is a very healthy vegetarian snack food. The main ingredient for this salad is Tofu (Bean Curd), crispy fried shallot and chiffonade lime leaves.
The flavor of lime leaf helps to escalate the appetite and bring a highly refreshing taste.

Bean Curd Salad ( Besan Tofu Salad) ( 2 serving)

Ingredients

1 cup     Beasan Powder (making tofu)
1 cup     Water (making tofu)
1 tsp      Salt (making tofu)
1 cup     Thinly sliced Shallot
1 tbsp    Thinly sliced garlic
1 1/2 cup Canola Oil
1/2 tsp   Turmeric powder
1 tbsp    Fish sauce
2 tbsp    Roasted bean powder
2 tbsp    Tamarind Juice extract
1 tbsp    Chiffonade Lime leaves
2 tbsp    Powdered Dried shrimp
1 tsp      Roasted Chili powder (optional)
1 tbsp    Fine chopped ginger
1 tbsp    Fine chopped garlic

Prep for the flavored oil (Onion infused oil)

1. In the pan with medium high heat, add oil to heat through then add sliced shallot and garlic together with turmeric powder. Then stir fry it until the shallot turn into golden brown color.

2. Transfer it into the bowl and cool it down.

Prep for the Garlic Ginger liquid

1. In a small bowl, add both fine chopped ginger and fine chopped garlic.

2. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix it well to get the ginger flavor.

Prep for the Tofu (Bean Curd)

1. In the mixing bowl (3 qt), add beasan powder, salt, turmeric powder and water  then  mix it with the whip .

2. Heat the pan on the stove top with the medium high heat, pour all the mixture of beasan mix into the pan. Then stir continuously till the liquid turn into thick gravy (about 5 to 10 minutes). Transfer the thick bean curd mixture into the clean dry bowl to cool it down.

3. After cooling it down, we need to cut the tofu into thin slices to make the salad and get ready.

Dressing for the salad

It is better to make the dressing before mixing with tofu. ( one serving dressing)

1. Mix all the following ingredients together .

 1 tbsp dried shrimp powder, 1 tbsp tamarind juice extract, 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp shallot flavored oil, 1 tbsp garlic ginger liquid, 2 tsp roasted bean powder and may add a little chili powder in the separate bowl . Mix it together.

Plating

1. In the serving plate, add the sliced tofu in each serving plate (about a cup of sliced tofu).
2. Pour the salad dressing on top of the sliced tofu.
3. Garnish with crispy fried shallot and Chiffonade lemon of lime leaves on top.

We could  gently toss this salad since the delicate tofu can be smashed easily.

(Optional: We may substitute with cilantro leaves if the lime leaves are not available )
As an vegetable addition, we may also include the shredded cabbage about 2 tbsp into each salad serving.)

( Note: We may skip using the dried shrimp powder and fish sauce if we want to enjoy as strict vegetarian salad. Instead of using fish sauce we may substitute with light soy sauce.)

Homemade food that makes our heart a Home

One morning, my husband called me from work "Can I bring one of my coworker for lunch?" I said, "Of course!". Every time at my husband's work many Burmese coworkers from Singapore visit for training. As we stayed so many years in Singapore, the country became our second home after our native land " Myanmar". Most of Myanmar Engineers get a good salary job in Singapore and settle down with their own families there. Such was our case and we were able to make a lot of friends from Singapore.

 I often hosted lunch or dinner for the Burmese guests when they are away from their home. I treat Burmese food as our memory of home. Even though we stayed overseas for nearly half of our life, we still miss home. Most Burmese coworkers from my husband's work gave very nice compliments about food that they will never forget. I'm always happy to witness their appreciation of authentic homemade food.

I understand when people struggle by having to eat unfamiliar food for several days. Such was our case, and back then, we always missed food from our hometown like crazy. There are always good memories we will never forget about families get together parties.
From all authentic Burmese dishes, this meal is easy to prepare and keeps well in a fridge for later days.

This dish reminds me of our time of struggle in Singapore only a few days after arrival. We miss homemade food after getting tired continuously of having meat dishes.

Today's recipe is Burmese Egg Curry. In this meal, I paired the curry with a portion of panko breaded fish to make it a complete meal.

Burmese Egg Curry 

Ingredients

5 counts Egg (Duck egg or Chicken egg) (hard boiled)
1 cup finely chopped onion  (1 big onion)(Vidalia onion or red onion)
1 tbsp    Fine chopped Ginger (1/2 inch)
1 tbsp    Fine chopped Garlic (3 cloves)
2 sprig   Curry leaves
2 counts Russet potato (peel, wash and cut 4 pieces each, 8 pieces if the potato is big)
2 Count  Tomatoes (Roma)
1 cup    Tamarind Juice extract (1 tbsp tamarind paste make one pot of curry)
1 tsp     Curry Powder
5 pieces 1 inch cut dried fish (preferably dried mudfish or red snapper)
3 count  Thai Green Chili (Serrano chili as a substitute)
1 tbsp    Fine red chili powder
1/2 tsp   Paprika
1/2 tsp   Turmeric powder
1/2 cup  Oil

Instructions

1. In the chopper, we need to add onion, ginger, Turmeric powder, chili powder, paprika, and garlic together to make the curry paste.

2. Peel and cut into half to each of hard-boiled egg and get ready.

3. Cut tomatoes into very small pieces and set it aside.

4. In the bowl, add the tamarind paste and add one cup of water to make tamarind juice extract.

5. Soak the cubed dried fish with water for 3, 4 minute if it has too much salt.

6. In 4 qt size dutch oven pan or Chinese wok on the stove top with medium-high heat, add oil and heated through.

7. Add curry paste from (no. 1), then stir for 5 minutes. Then add strained cubed dried fish into the pan and stir to mix it well with the paste.

8. Add the fish sauce (1 tbsp) into the pan till fragrant then add potato pieces together with chopped tomato.

9. Stir all the ingredients together and add curry powder. Stir and cook for 5 minutes and add the tamarind juice then cover the pot.

10. When the curry sauces are started bubbling, turn down heat to medium-low to simmer the sauces. After simmering for 10 minutes add the cut egg into the pot yolk side up to protect from melting yolks into the sauces.

11. Cover the pan again to make the sauces get into the egg and cook all ingredients to bring out the flavor. (about 5, 10 minutes more)

12. Finally, add curry leaves and Thai green chili on top of all the ingredients to get enhanced rich curry flavor. Cover the pot for 5 more minutes.

13. Test the potato with a fork to make sure potato is tender. We may add a little salt to our own taste. The dish is ready to go with cooked white rice (Jasmine Rice).

(Optional recipe for Crispy Pan-fried Fish)

1. Cut up the fish fillet ( any kind but prefer Codfish or Tilapia). about 1 lb.
   (Season the fish with 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp white pepper)
2. In the dry bowl. Add Panko bread cramps (1cup), 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, ( may add chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese  ) mix it together and set it ready.
3. Heat the oil to get the degree of 400 degrees F.
4. Beat 1 egg in small bowl.
5. When the oil is hot, dip each fish pieces into the beaten egg bowl then breaded with the bread mixture from no.2. then fry until golden brown.

Garlic Flavor Noodle (or) China Town Delight of Rangoon

As our high school is in downtown Yangon (Rangoon), our father frequently treated us to after-school snacks. Among these varieties of food, the garlic flavored noodle has always been my favorite dish available in Chinatown.

In Yangon (Rangoon), Chinatown is the one of a kind food paradise for everybody who lives in the city.

Many changes have occurred since then including the emergence of a large shopping mall and a locally famous restaurant that offers food commonly found in Chinatown. But we can definitely say that the authentic taste of Satay, Kyay Owe (pork meatball soup with rice noodle), steamed dumpling, porridge and an immense variety of deep fried snack foods are always available. This food market usually opens in the evening and serves plenty of customers before its closing in the middle of the night.

These noodle shops have earned a reputation of lining 20th street of the Latha Township. The shops are still thriving there in recent days even though we enjoyed since we were very young. It is also nice to hear that the owners of the shops are healthy and remember old memories as well.

This garlic noodle is easy to make a quick lunch. If we have rotisserie chicken, this noodle dish is a quick fix meal for any busy family. This meal can be made with either chicken or pork. For the noodle, it is strongly recommended to use wonton noodle, however, if wonton noodles are not available, they can be substituted for flat egg noodles.

I hope you enjoy this simple, yet delicious meal that can either be eaten as a breakfast or lunch.

Garlic Favored Noodle ( Serves 5)

Ingredients

5 tbsp   Chopped Fresh Garlic
1/2 cup Canola Oil
1 lb      Boneless Skinless white meat Chicken
12 oz    Wonton Noodle Packet
2 tbsp   Light Soy sauce for Noodle
1 tbsp   Light Soy sauce for Chicken
1 tbsp   Chopped ginger (or) sliced ginger
1 tbsp   Salt for noodle
1 tsp     Salt for Chicken
1/2 cup Thinly sliced spring onion.
1/2 tsp  White pepper
1/2 tsp  Black pepper

Step by Step instructions

1. Place the chicken in the 2 or 3 qt pot. Add sliced (chopped) ginger and soy sauce together with salt and pepper. Then add water about 2 cups to cover the chicken completely then boil slowly with medium-high heat.

2. When the water starts to boil, turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for another 20 minutes. We just need to make sure the meat is fully cooked.

3. Boil the noodle according to the packet direction and rinse with cold water then strain it and set it aside.

4. When the chicken is cooled down completely, take out the chicken from the broth. Cut the chicken into small pieces 1/8 inch cubes each. It is OK not to get an exact measurement. But cubed meat should be in small pieces.

5. In the non-stick pan add oil and heat up the pan with medium-high heat. Then add garlic to get the garlic flavor oil by frying garlic with medium-low heat till the golden brown color of garlic. Set aside in the bowl and let it cool down. (This procedure is most important part of the recipe and fried garlic should not be burnt.

6. After pouring out all the garlic oil in the bowl, add the chopped chicken into the pan, season with salt and pepper with 1 tsp of fried garlic then heat the pan and stir the meat to make seasoned meat topping.

7. Chop the spring onion very fine and set aside into the bowl. This chopped spring onion is also the topping for the noodle dish.

8. When every ingredient is ready. In the big bowl, add the chicken broth, Soy sauce, garlic flavor oil together and then mix it with either chopstick or fork.

9. In the premix, sauce bowl add all the noodle and mix it all together. We may use either chopstick or big spoon and fork to make the noodle to mix with sauce. Add salt and pepper to our own taste. We may choose to add more light soy sauce if we want.

10. We need to divide all the noodle into the 5 bowl to prepare the individual serving.

11. Add the chopped chicken on top of the noodle each individual bowl equally.

12. Then add the spring onion topping on top of the chicken.

13. We may also choose to add more crispy fried garlic (1tsp each) on the very top of the bowl above spring onion to make it more presentable and flavorful noodle.

14. This noodle is also good to serve with clear chicken soup by garnishing with finely chopped spring onion.

Wonton Noodle (or) Barbecue Pork Noodle

Delightful Noodle Dish of Singapore

As we moved to stay in Singapore in 1995, we struggled to adapt our eating habits because of a significant cultural gap. Every time we needed to go out to different places in town, there were many varieties of food available that we were not accustomed to at the time.
Photos of the food were made highly attractive to draw in customers to try the menu, and we were new to the sweetest, but interesting tastes of Singaporean cuisine.

I tried many different kinds of food from Singapore during our five-year residence. During our stay, I do not remember being very picky, as I thought every food was interesting and worth a try since I was a food lover. There were several times, however, when my choice of a meal was disappointing as it would not taste as good as well as it was displayed on the menu. But after staying a few years in Singapore, we fell in love with many different foods that we could eat frequently.

Even though we have moved out of Singapore today, we still make some of the food that we used to eat in Singapore. Chicken Rice, Wonton Mee, Lor Mee, Satay, and Roti Prata with curry sauce are some of the most memorable dishes that we frequently make at home now. A particular meal that I enjoy making that has always been popular by many is Wonton Noodles. The savory noodle dish has the complex flavor of both spicy and sweet and is easy to make at home if you have barbecue pork and dumplings handy.

In recent days, frozen dumplings and potstickers have been easy to find in the frozen section of many different grocery stores. We can also choose to make the homemade dumpling ahead of time instead. As I mentioned, the noodle dish should be easy to make, so why bother making one homemade? Using frozen dumplings and potstickers, we can minimize the prep time for this wonderful delicacy we enjoy to this day.

Wonton Noodle (or) Char siew Noodle (5 Serving)

Ingredients

1 lb     Barbecue Pork
32 oz   Chicken Broth
3 tbsp  Dark soy sauce
2 tbsp  light soy sauce
2 tbsp  Sesame Oil
4 tbsp  cornstarch ( 4, 5 spoons may vary depends on the preferred thickness of the sauce)
1 pack  Wonton Noodle (12 oz.)
1/2 cup dry anchovies (small dry fish without head)
1 tsp    black pepper
1 tsp    white pepper
1 tbsp   Oyster Sauce
1 tbsp   Chili garlic sauce
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp    fish sauce
3 tsp    chopped ginger
2 cups  cut green vegetable (Choy sum)
1 tbsp  oil
1 cup   water

Step By step instruction

1. Boil the noodle (wonton egg noodle) according to the packet direction. Rinse with cold water then strain it and set it aside.

2. Rinse the dried anchovies to make sure there is no more sand in that dried fish. (at least 3 times rinsing needed)

3. In the 4 quart pot, add the oil and heat up with medium-high heat.

4. Add the washed anchovies into the stir-fry garlic and ginger together.

5. Pour all the chicken broth and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

6. Strain out all the anchovies from the water.

7. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, black pepper, fish sauce and oyster sauce together into the soup pot.

8. In the separate bowl, add cornstarch and 1 cup of water then mix it well to make sure to get a smooth mixture.

9. Pour that mixture into the soup pot and stir briefly to get thick gravy by adding cornstarch mixture.

10. Turn down the heat and simmer the sauce pot for another 20 minutes.
(Add sugar and salt to the sauce for your own taste)

11. Heat up the char sew (BBQ pork) in the oven or microwave to make it hot.
Then slice the meat and set it aside.

12. Boil the green vegetable in the separate pan and rinse with ice cold water to keep the green color. Strain those vegetables and set it aside in separate bowl.

13. Steam the frozen wonton or pot sticker in the steamer to make sure all dumplings are heated thoroughly. ( It is optional to make wonton pot stickers crisp in the non-stick pan with little bit of oil)

Preparing the bowl.

In the plate or bowl, Add the noodle (1 cup), add steam vegetables (on the side of the plate), add 2 or 3 pieces of dumpling at the side of the plate together with 4, 5 slices of char sew.  Then pour the sauce (about 1 or 1.5 cups) on top of the noodle.
This noodle is good to have it with pickled green chili and chili sambal for the spicy option.

Creamy Coconut Noodle

This type of Noodle is another option of our country's breakfast treat.  Every Mont Hin Nga ( Myanmar National food) shop serve this coconut noodle as an optional breakfast. For some people who are concerned about their cholesterol, they may choose to cook with dairy milk instead of using coconut milk.

Today, coconut related foods are much more popular in the west and considered a part of a healthy diet. Most grocery store shelves are occupied with coconut related ingredients such as coconut oil, cream, milk, water and coconut powder. Although varieties of preserved food are available at the grocery store, fresh coconut milk is ideal for any coconut related food.

I would like to share this recipe because of my best friend who moved away from my neighborhood 4 years ago. She is my best friend and also an adopted sister to me. I always miss those day we converse every morning after our children's school bus left.  As I cook this noodle dish frequently, I always set aside 2 to 3 servings for my sister and for my friend. She loves this recipe and always asks me how to cook it. I hope she will be able to make this noodle by following my recipe.

This recipe is a lot easier than making Mont Hin Nga. Sometime, we don't have enough time to cook the raw chicken. We may also use rotisserie chicken as an alternative to make the prep work more efficient.

Coconut Noodle  (5 to 6 Serving)

Ingredients

1 lb        Chicken breast bone less , skinless
1 cup      Shallot or onion (finely chopped)
5 cloves  Garlic (finely chopped) about 2 tbsp
1/2 Tbsp Fine chopped Ginger
1.5 cups  Onion   Square cut (1/2" * 1/2")  (for soup)
1 tbsp.    Chili powder
1 tsp       Turmeric powder
1 can      Coconut milk (8 oz.)
2 can       Chicken Broth (8 oz.)
1.5 cups   Besan powder
3 counts   Boiled egg (hard boiled) (sliced)
1 bag       Linguine pasta (fresh) (9 oz.)
1 Count    Lime
1 cup       Spring Onion (Thinly Sliced, for garnishing)
1 cup       Red Onion (Thinly Sliced , for garnishing)
1/2 cup    Oil
3 tbsp      Sugar
1 tbsp.     Salt
2 tbsp.     Fish sauce

Instruction

Prep 1.

1. Cut the chicken into cubed size and marinate with 1 tsp. salt.

Prep 2.

1. In the 1 qt bowl, add the besan powder with 2 cups of water. Mix it well to make it smooth without lump .

Prep 3.

1. Boil the noodle (linguine pasta according to packet instruction) But rinse with cold water.Then strain the noodle with strainer and let it cool down.

Prep 4.

1.  In the 4 Qt. pot, add the oil and heat the pot with medium high heat.

2.  Add finely chopped ginger, garlic and shallot (or onion) into the pan when the oil is smoking hot. Add the turmeric powder and stir to make all the chopped ginger, garlic and onion are blend it in till fragrant.

3. Mix the chilli powder with 2 tbsp of water . Then add to the pot and stir to mix all the ingredients.

4. When the chilli and onion are blending  well, add the marinated chicken and stir it nicely.

5. Add fish sauce while stirring the chicken. Then cook the chicken juices and fish sauce are   evaporated.

6. When the curry chicken is start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add the besan powder mixture together with chicken broth. Then let it boil.

7. Do not forget to stir frequently to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot. Let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.

8. Add the square cut onion and coconut milk into the pot, stirring well.

9. Wait for another 20 minutes to let it simmer.

10. Add the sliced hard boiled egg into the pot as final ingredient.

11. Add sugar, salt, and fish sauce  to make your own taste. (no limit)
(Every food taste depends on each person's preference)

12. Turn down the heat to medium low heat and let the pot simmer for another 20 minutes   to bring out all the flavors .

Preparing the Serving Bowl

1. In the serving bowl, add 1 cup of boiled egg noodle or boiled pasta.
2. Pour at least 2 cups of soup into the bowl.
3. Garnish with 1 tbsp thinly sliced spring onion and read onion on top.
4. We may add the fresh lime juice to get sour taste. (optional)

We may also choose to make scratch made chicken broth (home made) instead of using chicken broth (store bought).

For garnishing, deep fried crispy yellow flat rice noodle or crispy chow main is great pair for that dish. But it is totally optional.

The creamy coconut chicken soup will taste better next day.

Summer Salad! What is the Best?

Summer is here as most Minnesotans celebrate the joyful weather. After the bitter winter season, everyone is going out to places such as the Farmers market, county fairs, and lakes. People are preparing their boats for marine recreation, some preparing for biking, camping, and much more. Minnesota is known as the land of ten thousand lakes and also for its air quality is one of the tops. Most families also do camping in the state's parks, especially in Summertime.

As the weather heats up, Salad dishes are a suitable treat for everybody while being a healthy option as well. From many different options to showcase, I chose this salad that brought back many memories. This recipe is not overly complicated and is among one of the favorites who enjoy Indian-like flavors, fragrances and spices. That is called Samosa Salad. 20 years ago during my residence in downtown Rangoon, after being recently married, the crowded Samosa Salad shop in front of the government's Communication office on Pansodan Street was a restaurant we frequently visited.

It is an honor to share this recipe and also to say thank you to my best friend. She has always treated us with this salad frequently every time we visited her. It was always enjoyable to prepare this snack to our own preferences as well. For this dish, there are no fixed measurements for each ingredient and certain ingredients can be excluded if desired. I hope you enjoy this delicious, well balanced vegetarian delight.

                              Samosa Salad

Ingredients (5 Serving)

For Samosa

4 cups   Potato boiled and chopped
4 cups   Frozen Green Peas
1 cup    Small Chopped onion
1 tbsp   Fine chopped Mint leaves
1 tsp     Curry powder or Masala
1/2 tsp  Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp  Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp  Paprika
1 tsp     Salt
10 pcs   Spring roll wrapper (frozen)

1. Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl except Spring roll wrapper.
2. Fold the square shape spring roll wrapper into Handkerchief fold and stuff with mixed seasoned potato into the triangle shaped pouch. (May find the youtube instruction " How to fold a samosa", credit to Divya Pramil)
3. Fold completely into a triangle shape and Deep fry until golden brown.

For Thick Gravy

2 Qt       Water
1 cup      Besan Powder
1 can      Coconut milk
1 tbsp     Turmeric Powder
2 counts   Bay leaves
1/2 cup    Fine Chopped Onion
1 tbsp      Oil
1 tbsp      Sugar
Salt to      taste

1. Using a 4 qt pot, fill the pot with 2 qt. of water and heat it on the stove top with medium-high heat until start boiling.
2. In the mixing bowl, add 1 cup Besan powder and 1 tbsp turmeric powder with 1 cup of water then mix it thoroughly with either whisk or fork.
3. When the water starts to boil add the (no.2) mixture into the pot stirring occasionally. Turn down the heat to medium and let simmer.
4. On the stove top, add 1 tbsp of oil into the skillet and heat up the pan. When the oil is heated, add the chopped onion and stir till onion pieces are translucent and caramelized. Set aside and give time to cool.
5. Add caramelized onion, 1 can of coconut milk and bay leaves into the pot with boiling  Besan mix. Let the soup mix simmer with low heat for 20 more minutes. Then add 1 tbsp sugar and salt to your own taste.

For salad

2 cups    Fine shredded Cabbage
1/2 cup  Fine chopped mint leaves
1 cup     Shredded iceberg lettuce
2 cup     Small chopped cubed potato
2 cup     Boiled garbanzo bean or Chickpeas
1 cup     Small diced Red onion
2 tbsp    Masala Powder
5 tbsp    Fresh Tamarind Juice
( 2 tbsp Thin sliced green Chili - Optional)

                             

1. In one serving plate, add 1 or 2 tbsp of shredded cabbage, 1 tsp. of chopped mint leaves, 2 tbsp of iceberg lettuce.

2. Add 1 tbsp. of cubed potato and 1 tbsp of garbanzo bean on top of that vegetables.

3. Add two pieces of samosa into the plate and cut with scissors as our own preferences.

4. Pour the Besan soup gravy into the plate for about 1/2 cups or 1 cup.

5. It is now ready to enjoy with roasted chili powder and tamarind juice to make an adjustment for your own taste.
(Note: Salad ingredients are not fixed measurement )

Everybody may have a different idea of adding ingredients into the salad. Instead of samosa, we may add different measurement of different ingredient for this type of salad.

We may also use the frozen Samosa from grocery store's frozen section instead of making the scratch made samosa. Taste is not much different from homemade samosa for this salad. We could also save the time by skipping the

prep. for Samosa.

Rice Noodle of Western Burma ( Rakhine Noodle Salad)

This rice noodle salad is spicy noodle treat of Rakhine Coastal area (Western Province of Burma).
The western province of Burma is situated on the Bay of Bengal and sharing the border with Bangladesh.
The noodle dish is super spicy with fish broth since its place was a popular city on the coastal area with seafood trading. Fish broth flavored with black pepper and Galangal is the bold identity of this typical dish.

 Every evening after school, our father asked " Hungry?? What do you wanna eat ??". We got to eat at least one cone of ice cream for each of us. From all those memorable after school treats, this noodle dish is a most frequent tasty treat too. As the school days start in Monsoon, we had a chance to eat this treat on rainy days.  This spicy noodle is also a delightful dish on rainy days.

 This super spicy noodle was sold by the shop at Inya Lake since we were young. At that time in 1980, there were only two shops selling snack food on the lakeside of Inya. They were known as deep fried squash snack shop and Kyaut Phyu Rakhine noodle shop.
Nowadays,  a big name popular restaurant serves this noodle and other different variety of seafood also.

The main ingredient for this dish is toasted fried flaky fish and green chili sauce. As this typical food is from west coastal area Bay of Bengal, the main ingredient is fish (Yellow Eel is also known as Conga Eel).
That fish chunks should be simmering in galangal herb and peppery water for long hours to get a result of tasty flavorful soup.

 This dish is served in different style at its local origin. But my recipe might be a similar taste of what we used to eat from Inya Lakeside. I tried my best to get the same taste as that noodle from Inya food court's (Official name of Noodle: Rakhine Mont Ti ).

Ingredients (5 Serving)

(For Soup)

2 lb.       Fish ( Tilapia or Yellow Eel)
3 tbsp    Sliced Galangal ( or ) Pounded Fresh Galangal
1 tsp.     Shrimp paste ( For soup)
5 cloves  Garlic
3 tsp.     Black Pepper
0.5 tsp.  Turmeric powder
(Salt to your own taste )

(For Salad)

2 lb.          Rice Noodle (Boiled according to the package direction)
1.5 cup      Russet potatoes (Boiled and cubed) 1  cup  Chopped Cilantro
0.5 cup      Tamarind Juice (fresh)
4 Tbsp       Fish Sauce
5 tsp          Shrimp paste curry sauce
5 tbsp        Shallot and Garlic Flavored oil
1.5 cup      Dried Roasted fish flakes

Instructions

(Making Soup  and Poached fish)

1. In the 4 qt. dutch oven or pot, add the fish chunks together with galangal, pepper, garlic turmeric and shrimp paste. Add the water about 3 qt. into the pot and let it boil with medium-high heat.

2. When the soup starts boiling, turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 30 more minutes. Then turn it off and let it cool down.

3. After Turning off the heat, strain out the fish chunk out of the soup pot and take out the flesh off the bone from the fish chunks. If you are using tilapia fish fillet, no need to worry about the bone. But for the soup and flavor, yellow Eel chunks  (Conga Eel) are a suitable option for that dish.

(Making Roasted dried Fish flakes)

1. In the skillet, add  2 tbsp. shallot and garlic flavored oil together with 1 tbsp. Olive oil heat through with medium heat and add all the boneless fish meat and stir it thoroughly.

2. We need to be patient to make this procedure since it takes time to get the perfectly roasted fish flakes. (Using a nonstick pan with medium-low heat  to get a better result.)

3. Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper to the fish flakes to get tasty fish flakes.

(Making Green Chili Sauce)

1. In the small pan, add 0.5 cups of green chili and toast it with medium-high heat for about  3 minutes. Then in the chopper, add 3 cloves of garlic and toasted green chili together to make fine chili paste.

2. Set it in the small serving bowl for the optional spicy taste.

(Shrimp Paste Curry Sauce)

1.  In the pan on the stove top with medium-high heat, add 1 cup of oil and heat up.
2.  1/2 tbsp of chili powder and 1/2 tbsp of paprika powder together with 2 tablespoons of water mix it in a small bowl then gently pour it into the heated oil. Turn down the heat to medium not to get burnt.
3.  Mix 2 tbsp shrimp paste with 2 tbsp fish sauce thoroughly in a small bowl and set it aside.
4.  Stir and cook the chili mixture in the pan for 3 minutes then add the shrimp paste mixture into the pan.
5.  Make sure using the spatula to stir the chili oil and shrimp paste. Cook for at least 5 minutes with medium-high heat.
6.  When it starts getting fragrant and liquid is reduced, turn off the heat and set it ready in the bowl.

(Shallot and Garlic  Oil)

1.  Prepare 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot and 3 tbsp sliced garlic.
2.  Heat the skillet or fry pan with medium-high heat.
3.  Pour 1.5 cups of oil in the pan to heat through for 3-4 minutes. (may test with one      piece of shallot whether it start frying out or not)
4.  Add all the sliced shallot and garlic into a pan together with 1 tsp. full of turmeric powder.
5.  Stirring the shallot and garlic is most important and critical not to get burnt.
6.  If needed, turn down the heat to medium form medium-high.
7. When the shallot and garlic look golden brown color, turn off the heat and strain up all oil and shallot, garlic mix. Put it in a separate bowl and let it cool down. Then mix it back altogether when the oil is cooled down completely. That way shallot and garlic will be crispy.

(Preparing One Serving Plate)

1. In a big bowl, add one hand full (6 oz. ) boiled rice noodle with 2 tbsp. chopped boiled potato.

2. As the dressing (1 Tbsp. Shrimp paste curry, 1 Tbsp. Shallot and garlic oil, 1 Tbsp. Fresh tamarind Juice extract, 1 tsp. Roasted Besan powder and 1 tsp. of fish sauce are the dressing portion for one serving salad plate. We could mix those ingredients in a different small bowl.

(Note: We may still choose to pour these dressing to the noodle straight away by mixing  all ingredient together to make a salad.)

3. After all the ingredients are fixed in the bowl, add 2 tbsp roasted fish flakes, 1/2 tbsp chopped cilantro and green chili sauce. Then mix it all thoroughly and transfer it into the individual serving plate. Serve with clear soup for this noodle salad.

(Noodle Soup Version)

1. In the serving bowl, add (6 oz. ) boiled rice noodle, 1 tsp. shrimp paste curry sauce together with 1 Tbsp. of fish flakes.

2. Pour the clear fish broth about 1.5 cups to the noodle bowl garnishing with 1 tsp.  chopped cilantro. Add green chili sauce for better flavor with the spicy option.

(Note: It is optional by adding  1/2 tsp.  shallot oil and 1/2 tsp. tamarind juice to the noodle soup to have rich and sour flavor.)

Mandalay Rice Noodle Salad

Mandalay Rice Noodle Salad

This Noodle Salad is an authentic tasty treat from Burma.
This food bring me back to the memory of our childhood days. As we were born in the town which is 14 miles away from City center ( Rangoon city center), the town name is called Mingalardon .

We grew up with really sweet memories in government housing for the families. In this town, there was a small movie theatre showing all the Burmese movies that was not even release in the down town theatre. Every Friday was the movie night since our neighbor families always call us to go movies together. Ticket price is unbelievably cheap as 50 cents only in Burmese currency.
Sadly, there is no longer movie theatre there and no more food court near the movie theatre.

In this food court, a certain Noodle salad shop was our favorite since we were young and we got the opportunity to eat there in our final years of college. It was also quite a popular food shop for some commuters passing through. One loving memory of this treat is also related to one of our family friends as well. They always ordered this noodle every time we visited their home.

This noodle dish is a signature meal in the city of Mandalay in upper Burma. A popular food shop in Mandalay is also a favorite local attraction breakfast place for most tourists and local peoples alike. It is also the traditional breakfast treat in upper Burma.

Mandalay Rice Noodle Salad (5 serving)

Ingredients

1 lb        Chicken (Boneless Skinless)
1 cup      Onion ( small diced) ( For chicken curry sauce )
1 tbsp.    Garlic ( small chopped)( For chicken curry sauce)
3 tsp       Fine Chili powder
3 count   Egg ( boiled)( Thin sliced)
1 cup      Onion Slices  ( very thin sliced for salad)
1 counts  Lime ( Cut a few wedges)
5 tbsp     Fish sauce
1 tsp       Turmeric Powder
2 tsp       Salt to marinate chicken
1 tbsp     Ginger (thin sliced) For clear chicken soup
3 counts  Whole Chicken wing Or Chicken breast bone
1/2 cup   Spring Onion (very small sliced)
1/2 cup   Roasted Besan Powder
1.5 lb      Rice Noodle boiled
1 cup      Thinly sliced fried fish cake

For Chicken Curry Sauce

1. Dice the boneless skin less chicken into small cubes  0.5 inch square pieces and season the chicken with 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of turmeric powder and a few drop of fish sauce.

2. In the dutch oven on the stove top with medium high heat. Pour 1 cups of oil in the pan n heated with medium high heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and ginger together with chili powder with little bit of turmeric powder. Stir for 5 to 10 minutes to make sure onion, garlic and chili powder blend in and fragrant.

3. Add marinated chicken pieces into the pan and stir thoroughly. Cook for 10 minutes by covering the pan. Then add  0.5 cup of water into the pan and let it simmer for 20 more minutes with medium heat.

4. After simmering the chicken curry, Set it aside .

Fried Fish Cake ( optional)

It is also optional to add sliced fish cake

1. We may find ready prepared fish cake in every grocery store. It is also easy to use as extra ingredient.

But we could also do scratch DIY home made is tastier but take long procedure to make it .

But here is the right way to do home made.

1. Chop 1 tbsp ginger, 1/2 shallot, 1 tsp garlic, 1 tsp chili powder with the electric chopper till fine puree .

2. Season the already thawed frozen feather back fish paste with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric , 1/2 tsp pepper and 1 tsp cornstarch( as binder).

3. Add seasoned 1 lb. fish paste into the chopper together with puree , then chop it together till all the fish paste are bending together with (No.1 puree) to get the right consistency to form a patty style fish cake.

4. Put all the formed fish cake into the skillet with 1/2 cup of water together with 3 tbsp oil on the stove with Medium high heat. ( Better to cover the pan but not necessary).

5. When all water are gone but oil left, turn down the heat to medium low and flip the fish cakes to make sure both side are cooked to be getting the golden brown color.

6. It is ready when all the fish cakes are  brown color by cooking slow with medium low heat.

7. Cool down all the fish cakes and ready to make garnish  as thin slice or cubed .

For the Clear Chicken Soup

1. In the 4 qt. stock pot, add chicken bone or wing let with 1 tsp salt, 1tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp black pepper and ginger . Then pour 2 qt of water into the stock pot and heat the stock pot with medium high heat.

2. Boil it completely with to get certain temperature. Then simmer with medium low heat for at least 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper for your own taste. By add 1 tsp of sugar (or) celery 1/2 cup and carrot 1/2 cup may make the soup better taste.

3. Sprinkle the spring onion as garnish for serving soup in each individual bowl.

Preparing for one serving plate

1. In the individual serving plate, add one cup ( or) 1.5 cup of boiled noodle in the center of the plate.
2. Add 3 slices of boiled egg.
3. Add 2 tbsp. thinly sliced onion .
4. May add one tsp fresh lime juice ( optional)
5. Add 1 tsp of fish sauce
6. 2 tsp of roasted besan powder on top of that.
7.  Then add chicken curry sauce as last ingredient on top of the noodle.
8. Garnish with  spring onion on top.
9. May use spoon and fork, chopstick and soup spoon and by mixing salad with hand will always be the better taste.
10. For your own spicy taste, crushed red pepper or roasted red pepper powder will be the good pair for this dish.

This Noodle dish is ready to serve and nice to enjoy together with clear chicken soup .

( Note: deep fried yellow rice noodle crispy fried garnish is also the combination of this dish. But it is totally optional )