Soup - Chai Tau Th'ng (Daikon soup)

Daikon/white radish soup (Hokkien/Teochew: chai tau th’ng) is one of my favorite Chinese style soups. Several years ago, I used to have meals with my family (in Penang). Besides a few other dishes, we mostly had a hot soup for our dinner. Sometimes we had chai tau th’ng. When my family cooked chai tau th’ng, dried cuttlefish was one of the ingredients for the soup. I don’t have dried cuttlefish so I put in dried scallops instead.

Ingredients – Makes 2 servings

• 3 cups water
• 7 oz (185 gm) skinned daikon/white radish, cut into pieces
• 3-4 dried scallops
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• ¼ tsp sugar
• A pinch of salt or to taste
• A little fried garlic
• A little spring/green onion (optional), chopped finely

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add daikon and dried scallops, and reduce to medium-low heat. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Add soy sauce, sugar and salt, and stir well. Let it come to a boil again, and then turn off the heat.
2. Pour the soup into a bowl, garnish with fried garlic and spring/green onion. Serve while the soup is still warm.

白萝卜汤（福建／潮州话: chai tau th’ng）是我喜欢的其中一味华人汤肴。以前与家人用餐，除了几样菜肴，大多时的晚餐都有加一汤肴，偶尔是chai tau th’ng。如根据我家人煮的chai tau th’ng是会放干鱿鱼，但我没有干鱿鱼，就放干贝好了…

材料 - 可做2人份量

• 3杯 水
• 7安士（185克）白萝卜，削皮切块
• 3-4粒 干贝
• 1汤匙 酱油
• ¼ 茶匙 糖
• 少许或试味 盐
• 少许 油炸蒜
• 少许 青葱（可有可无），切细段

做法

1. 加水在锅并放在热炉煮沸，加入白萝卜和干贝，改调中下火，盖锅煮约30分钟。加入酱油、糖和盐，稍搅拌。再煮沸后即可关掉炉火。
2. 将白萝卜汤盛于碗，撒上油炸蒜和青葱。稍热食用。

Snack - Popiah (Fresh Spring Roll)

We can find egg rolls in most Chinese restaurant in the USA. Egg roll is a little bit similar to deep fried spring rolls (Hokkein: popiah), which is popular in Malaysia, but their filling is different. I like the taste of spring rolls in Malaysia better, and they also have fresh spring rolls in the hawker stalls. My family (in Penang) often made popiah, as it is easy to cook. They can get hand-made, fresh wrappers for popiah in the wet market.

Do you think I can get popiah wrappers here? Yes, in the frozen area at the Asian grocery store; they are square in shape. That’s fine.

Ingredients – Makes 10 rolls

• 1.5 lbs (680 gm) jicama/yam bean/Chinese turnip
• ¾ cup water
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 5 dried mushrooms (optional), soak in water and cut into slices
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 shallot, peeled and chopped finely
• ¾ tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp oyster sauce

Other fillings

• 10 small Chinese lettuce leaves, or cut to about half the size of the wrapper
• 2 pieces fried bean curd or 2 large eggs in omelet, diced
• A little fried shallots (refer to “or kuih”/taro cake recipe)

Method

1. Skin jicama and grate or cut into thin strips, then soak in water to get rid of the sticky juice. Drain the water and put the jicama aside.
2. Add oil to a hot wok, reduce to medium heat, and then add chopped garlic and shallot. Stir fry until fragrant. Add jicama, mushrooms, soy sauce and water, cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Add white pepper, salt, sugar and oyster sauce. Stir fry well and then turn off the heat.
3. To wrap, put a spring roll wrapper on a cutting board or flat plate. Place a lettuce leaf on the wrapper, spread a little chili sauce either on wrapper or leaf if you prefer spicy. Put about 4 Tbsp cooked jicama, a little diced bean curd or omelet and fried shallots on the leaf. Roll up and cut into 4-5 slices. Serve with a little stock from cooked jicama if desired.

大多数美国华人餐馆都会有蛋卷，它有点像马来西亚的炸春卷（福建话是popiah，薄饼），但馅料却不同。我比较喜欢马来西亚的春卷味道，而且也有小食摊是做另一种不油炸的popiah。我槟城的家人常会做popiah，它容易煮。他们可在菜市场买到现做的圆形popiah皮。

你认为我能买到popiah皮吗？能，在亚洲人商店的冷冻部，是四方形的，还好。

材料 - 可做10卷

• 1.5磅（680克） 沙葛
• ¾ 杯 水
• 2汤匙 食油
• 5朵 冬菇（可有可无），浸水后切丝
• 1粒 葱，切碎
• 1粒 蒜，切碎
• ¾ 茶匙 胡椒粉
• ½ 茶匙或试味 盐
• 2茶匙 糖
• 1汤匙 酱油
• 2茶匙 蚝油

其它馅料

• 10小片 生菜
• 2块 炸豆干或2粒 煎蛋，切碎
• 少许 炸葱（请参考or kuih芋头糕食谱）

做法

1. 将沙葛削皮，刨丝或切丝，浸水以弃掉黏液，然后倒掉水。
2. 加食油在热镬，改调中火，加入碎蒜和葱，炒至有香味。加入沙葛、冬菇、酱油和水，盖锅煮约20-30分钟。加入胡椒粉、盐、糖、和蚝油，炒至均匀，即可关掉炉火。
3. 卷popiah，将皮放在切板或平碟，放生菜在皮上，如喜欢辣味可涂一点辣椒酱在皮或生菜上。放大约4汤匙炒沙葛，一些碎豆干或煎蛋和炸葱在生菜上。包卷成条，切成4-5小块食用，如喜爱炒沙葛汁可淋一点在popiah。

Snack - Or Kuih (Taro/Yam Cake)

-->

Taro/yam cake (Hokkien: or kuih) is a little salty. It is yummy.

Ingredients – Makes 6-8 servings

• 12 oz (350 gm) skinned taro/yam, cut into 0.5 inch (1 cm) cubes
• 3 cups water
• 6 oz (165 gm) rice flour
• 2 oz (55 gm) tapioca starch
• 8 shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
• 1 shallot, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 4 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix rice flour, tapioca starch, white pepper, salt and water in a bowl. Stir the batter, put aside.
2. Add oil in hot wok, turn to medium heat, and then add the sliced shallots. Fry until the shallots turn golden. Remove the shallots before they start turn to burn. Put aside.
3. There should be 1-2 Tbsp of oil remaining in the wok. Add the chopped shallot and garlic, and fry until they are lightly browned. Add taro, five spice powder, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir for a few seconds. Add the batter, and stir continuously on low heat until the batter thickens. Turn off the heat.
4. Grease a tray (large enough to hold the batter but will fit in your steamer) and pour the batter into it. Steam over high heat for about 30 mins or until set. Put aside to cool.
5. Garnish the cooled taro cake with fried shallots. Cut into pieces and serve with chili sauce.

芋头糕（福建话是or kuih）是一种咸味糕，很好吃。

材料 - 可做6-8人份量

• 12安士（350克） 削皮芋头，切块0.5寸（1 cm）
• 3杯 水
• 6安士（165克） 粘米粉
• 2安士（55克） 生粉/西米粉
• 8粒 葱，切细片
• 1粒 葱，切碎
• 1粒 蒜，切碎
• 4汤匙 食油
• 1茶匙 五香粉
• 1茶匙 胡椒粉
• 1茶匙 盐
• 1茶匙 糖
• 1汤匙 酱油
• 1茶匙 麻油

做法

1. 混合粘米粉、生粉、胡椒粉、盐和水在碗上，搅拌后，放一边。
2. 加食油在热镬，改调中火，加入细片葱、炒至金黄色，在未炸焦前即刻捞出炸葱，放一边。
3. 保留1-2汤匙的食油在镬，加入碎葱和蒜，炒至浅褐色。加入芋头、五香粉、糖、酱油和麻油，搅拌几秒钟。加入粘米粉水，改调中下火，继读搅拌及变浓稠后即可关掉炉火。
4. 将芋头浓稠料倒入已涂上油的蒸盘，用热火蒸，约蒸30分钟或已熟透。让它退热。
5. 撒上炸葱在已退热的芋头糕上，切块及淋上辣椒酱食用。