Bak Chor Mee/ Minced pork noodles (soup)

Everyday I like to ask my lil boy "what do you want for lunch tomorrow?", this makes my life easier as I don't have to think of what's for lunch the next day. However, the food he asks for sometimes can be a challenge for me, especially that I've not been cooking for years when I was working, and/or I've not cooked before! Just this week, he requested for bak chor mee! and I was scratching my head with no answer (never cooked before) and mr. google only showed up dry bak chor mee, and not the soupy type - the popular one at 85 bedok north.

Regardless, I was all up to come out with my own version trying to recall the taste and what should go into the broth. Ordinarily, it seems crazy to spend so much time and effort just to cook for 2 persons - my lil boy and myself, but I would like to believe they are definitely healthier and of course, lots of luv! But again, not every lunch is so elaborated, our usual ones are easy one pot porridge or noodles *wink*.

Thankfully, my only audience is usually very supportive and appreciative, this time he gave me a 90 marks! Taste-wise, it not exactly like the 85 bedok north version, but it's on the right track and a good one. Our tummies are happy for now!

Bak Chor Mee/ Minced pork noodles (Soup)
(Served 3 portions)

Ingredients/ Method:

Soup
1 big pork bone
3-4 big bowls of water
3 big anchovies/ dried bream/ 蝙鱼, toasted and pound into powder form
1 tbsp preserved vegetables/ tung choy/ 冬菜, chopped

Minced meat
50g minced meat
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce/ fish sauce
dash of pepper
1/4 tsp sesame oil

Condiment
4 cloves garlic, diced and fried
pork lard, diced and fried (optional)

Others
1 pkt meat balls
2 balls of mee kia/ thin egg noodles/ 幼面

1. Toast the big anchovies in a toaster until fragrant and slightly charred. Alternatively, you can 'toast' it using the cooking pan. Using mortar, pound till powder form. Set aside.
2. Blanch the pork bone in boiling water for about 10 mins. Discard the water.
3. Fried pork lard, drained and reserved the oil. Set aside.
4. Fried garlic till golden brown using the pork lard oil, drained and set aside.
5. Marinate minced meat and set aside. I like to give the minced meat 'massages' and a few throws to make it more elastic and tender.
6. Boil 3-4 big bowls of water in a pot together with the pork bone. When boiling, add in anchovies powder and preserved vegetables, and continue boiling on low heat for at least an hour. Add in salt and pepper, to taste.
7. Add in meat balls in boiling soup.
8. To cook the minced meat, take a few scoops of boiling soup into the bowl of minced meat. Using the spatula or spoon, stir to 'separate' the minced meat so that they do not form into big chunks of meat. The minced meat should be semi-cooked by now. Add in few more scoops of boiling soup to fully cook them.
9. When done, add in the bowl of minced meat into the boiling soup. Let it boil for 1 minute.
10. At the same time, cook the noodles in a separate pot of boiling water. When done, drained and let it run under the tap water so that it does not stick together.
11. Prepare noodles for 1 person serving in a bowl, and add boiling soup to it.
12. Garnish with fried garlic and fried pork lard.
13. Ready to enjoy!

So... what's for lunch tomorrow?

云吞面 (Wanton dumpling noodles)

Now that I'm taking a long break from my career, I'm officially a SAHM. I'm enjoying the time with Z who is in primary 1 this year, and hopefully I can set some useful foundations for his curriculum and future learning. Before I took THE decision, my boy wasn't too happy that I will not be working (as he can't understand why I can "relax" at home and he has to attend school; in his own meaning, this is "unfair" that he can't choose!) There are always so many whyS from Z but I'm happily attempting to explain them all as simple as I could. A few weeks after being a SAHM, I asked Z again whether he's happy that I can be with him most of the time, thankfully his reply is a sheepish and happy 'yes'!

I'm taking lunch orders from my little master and this 云吞面 (wanton dumpling noodles) is one of his requests! (Ps. Should it be 云吞面 or 云饨面 i.e. 吞=to swallow; 饨=chinese riavoli?) The wanton is made based on my memory on how it was done together with my late mum. And what is 云吞面 without char siew?! I found one simple and easy, not compromising on taste, char siew recipe in Food Canon. I made half the portion (500g) of the original recipe (and regretted it) hehe..

I'm copying the recipe here for easy reference, please visit Food Canon blog where there are couple of write-ups on making good char siew.

叉烧肉 (Char Siew)
Ingredients/ Method
1 kg pork belly (I used 五花肉 which the butcher sold to me when I said I wanted to make Char Siew)

Marinate/Sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp honey (I used maltose)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp rose flavored chinese wine (or other chinese wine)
1 tsp 5-spice powder
1 bowl of water

2 tbsp oil

1. Heat up wok and add in oil. 
2. Add pork and after 5 minutes, add all ingredients into the wok and simmer for 40 mins or till the pork is tender enough. 
3. Remove most of the sauce into a separate bowl. 
4. Caramelise the meat in medium heat, add some maltose (or honey), about a minute or two per side. 
5. After the char siew is done, coat lightly with some honey. (I skipped this step). 

(P.s. I think the char siew would taste even better if marinated overnight.)

云吞/ Wanton dumplings 
(makes about 80 to 100 dumplings)

Wanton skin
300g minced pork
10 prawn, deveined and chopped
5 water chestnuts, skinned and chopped
2 pieces dried 蝙鱼, toasted and pound into powder-form
Oyster sauce
light soy sauce
sesame oil
pepper
corn flour

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 
2. Continue folding and kneading the pork mixture for about 10 mins. Rest the pork mixture for about 1 hour in the fridge. 
3. To wrap dumpling, take a piece of wanton skin and put slightly more than 1/2 tsp pork mixture in the centre. Fold the skin and giving it a tight squeeze to seal it. 

To cook the dumplings
Prepare a pot of boiling water, and throw a few dumplings into the pot. It's cooked when the dumplings float on the surface of water.

To prepare soup for the dumplings
Boil soya beans and dried scallops (or anchovies) on low heat for at least half and hour. Or longer to have a more robust tasting soup. Add salt to taste.

To prepare dry 云吞面
Prepare a pot of boiling water and cook the noodles for about 3 to 5 mins (depending on type of noodle used). Scoop up the noodles and let it run under tap water, and drained.

Seasoning for noodles: Ketchup, sesame oil, oyster sauce, char siew sauce (from above), fried shallots.