Ying and Niq’s Niche

Chawan Mushi is one of our favorite Japanese dish. Gabriel especially loves it. He first got hooked at Sakae Sushi, Queensbay Mall, Penang. I’ve done some research and experiments and have perfected my very own Chawan Mushi. Here’s the recipe that serves 3 at a cost of less than RM2.50.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggs
• 400ml water
• 4g Dashi granules
• 2 small Shiitake mushrooms cut to shreds

Method:

1. Crack eggs into a large bowl
2. Dissolve Dashi granules into 400ml water and add to eggs
3. Using a chopstick, gently stir eggs by drawing a ‘Z’ at the bottom of the bowl. Do not beat eggs vigorously.
4. Using a soup ladle, scoop egg mixture and filter through a sieve into 3 small bowls (rice bowls).
5. Add shredded mushroom. You may also add crabsticks or prawn to your liking.
6. Cover bowl with aluminum foil.
7. Steam in a covered wok – 2 minutes high heat then another 15 minutes low heat.

Dashi granules can be obtained from supermarkets. I found them at Jusco Queensbay Mall, GAMA, and also at Cold Storage Gurney Plaza. I use Shimaya Iriko Dashi soup stock (8g x 8 sachets) which costs about RM7.00. For the Shiitake mushroom, I use the dried ones (Chinese generally call them huagu or ‘flower mushroom’) and soak them for about 8 hours.

Shimaya Iriko Dashi No Moto

Tofu with Ham

Had Tofu with Ham for dinner yesterday, 10-Nov-08. It was taken from a cookbook which introduces dishes which promotes health. Tofu is good for the lungs. Ham improves the appetite. Gabriel is coughing and he’s a bit picky at dinner. OK, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Shelled prawn, seasoned with cooking wine and sesame oil
• 1 medium sized onion
• 1 tablespoon ginger sticks
• Soft tofu
• 1 piece ham cut to strips
• Half cup water
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• Salt and sugar to taste
• Corn flour

Method:

1. Stir fry onion and ginger.
2. Remove onion and ginger when fragrant.
3. Fry soft tofu on low heat till slightly brown.
4. Add ham and prawn.
5. Return fried onion and ginger to the wok.
6. Add half a cup of water, let simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Add oyster sauce, a pinch of salt and sugar to taste.
8. Add corn flour solution to thicken gravy.

Saturday, 8-Nov-08. Went to Titi Kerawang Waterfall with Ying and Gabriel. There are steps which make climbing easy. However, it is very difficult to walk to the waterfall area as it is very rocky. The task is made more challenging with Gabriel, 2 bags and a pail. You have to be careful of broken glass on the ground. The water was very swift and freezing cold even though the sun was scorching at 1:00pm. There is a pool under the waterfall which is slightly less than 6 feet. So you can actually take a plunge into the pool. I was wading in the pool with Gabriel on my back and had to turn back when the water level reached my chin. Gabriel had a good time in the water and also enjoyed the chicken drumstick with Milo. I climbed up a boulder to get to some broken branches to photograph a nice patch of fungi. The fungi were cupped, had gills underneath and smelled like the white oyster mushroom.

Titi Kerawang Waterfall - Nice cool water!

Unidentified Fungi