White carrot balls

The white carrots is very cheap today in the wet market, only RM 2.00 a kg.  A few ladies started to choose the carrots.  I saw a lady paying for 4 kg of white carrots.  Out of curiosity I started to ask her.  She told me that she will make these carrots into carrot balls.  With further chatting, she gave me her recipe briefly.  With no further delay, I got all the necessary ingredients that she mentioned at the nearest grocery shop.  Here the ingredients,

1 kg of white carrots,
300 g of minced meat(pork or chicken)
50 g of dried prawns,
20 g of dried shredded cuttlefish,
500 g of tapioca flour,
6 pips of garlic .
1 tsp of pepper,
1 tsp of salt.
2 tbs of cooking oil.

Wash and peel the carrots.  Grate the carrots and let drain the excess water.  Marinate the meat with dash of pepper and 1/4 tsp of salt, set aside.
Soak and wash the dried prawns and cuttlefish.
Chop the garlic, dice the dried prawns and the cuttlefish.

Heat up the oil in a wok, fry the garlic and dried prawns until fragrant.  Add in the cuttle fish and the meat.  Continue frying until aromatic.  Add in the salt and pepper, stir well.

Lastly at in the drained carrots.  Mix well.  Off the heat.  Pour in the tapioca flour and continue mixing until all are well cooperated.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture onto the hand to roll as a ball.

Place on a steamer plate, and continue until all the mixture is been used .

1 kg of carrot can make about 50 small balls. Steam at boiling water for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with chili sauce. Oh... this is something special.  I can taste the dried prawns, dried cuttlefish, the sweetness from the carrot.  Taste yummy.  My son suggested to add some chopped spring onions or parsley will be more fragrant.  I will add that the next time.

Pickled Green Chillies

Whenever we go for wanton noodles, the waiters or waitress will serve us some pickled green chillies.  It will not taste natural eating wanton noodles without this chillies.  In fact, other noddles like Cantonese fry noodle, wat tan hor fun, fried vermicelli also go well with this pickled green chillies.
Today I wanted to share this very easy homemade pickle for our own convenient use at home.

 200 gram green chillies,
 1 cup rice vinegar,
1/2 cup sugar,
1/2 tsp salt.

Wash and drain the green chillies.

Cut into 2 to 3 mm slices.

Boil some water in a small sauce pan.  Put in the chillies and and have a quick stir.  Drain well.

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar.

Place the well drained chillies into a clean and dry glass jar.

Pour the vinegar mixture into the jar to pickle the chillies.  Cover the jar.

The pickle will be ready in 2 to 3 hours, it will be best after pickle for a night.

Jiu Hu Char (fried shredded cuttlefish and yam bean)

Today I am going to prepare fried shredded cuttlefish and yam bean or in Hokkian is called Jiu Hu Char.  This is a must dish during most of the Chinese festivals during our younger days, like Chinese New year, Chap Goh Meh, Cheng Beng, Tong chik and so on.  In fact I like this dish very much . I used to cook this dish whenever I can get hold of the yam bean.
The ingredients are,

 

500 g yam bean,

1 medium carrot,

80 g shredded cuttlefish,

50 g dried prawn, soaked.

5 dried mushrooms, soaked and shredded,

chicken fillet or pork. shredded,

1 tsp. chopped garlic,

3 tbs. cooking oil

1 tsp. salt or to taste,

1 tsp. sugar,

1 tbs. dark soy sauce,

1/4 tsp. pepper.

 

Heat up oil and saute garlic until fragrant, add dried prawn and cuttlefish and fry until both begin to pop.  Continue stir fry for a few minutes.  Dish out and set aside.

 

With the left over oil, fry the chicken/pork and mushrooms until heated through. Add in yam bean and carrot.  Fry until soft and dry.

Mix in seasoning and return the pre-fried dry prawns and cuttlefish to the wok.  Continue to fry until
dry.  Scoop up onto a plate.

Serve jiu hu char with sambal belacan together with some lettuce leaves.  We will put some of the jiu hu char on a leave, fold up and dip into the chili sauce.  Mme...taste like our younger day's jiu hu char, those were the days.....unforgettable.