The Food Canon

I was happy to finally find a type of bean curd skin or tofu skin ("foo chook") here which turns out well when stuffed and fried the Hakka Yong Tofu way (HYTF).

Amazingly, there is a post here on how to make tofu skin. I suppose you may want to take the trouble if are staying overseas where good tofu skin is not easily available.

I have previously blogged about the HYTF fried stuffed bean skin. I have since found out that there is a better type of tofu skin which is available here. It is flexible enough to be shaped without the need to wet it first and it comes int eh right square of rectangle shape.

Stalls normally sell it in square pieces for recipes like Bak Kut Teh; but I find that to be too small for HYTF. There are stalls which sell them in larger pieces and this is the type I like to use if I am making rolled version. Alternatively, you can also create flat square pieces and have the stuffing in between (see lead photo). If you are doing it this way, you can use the smaller square pieces that are more widely available in stores.

The stuffing is made out of 2 parts fish (batting or mackerel) and 1 part minced pork. I also add some garlic, spring onions and Mui Heong salted fish and minced them altogether on a chopping board with two chopper in tow. I add some salted corn flour flurry along the way. You are not looking for the springy bounce like that found in fish balls. After you mince it into a paste, just slap it a few times so that the stuffing will be tighter.

As for the beancurd skin, cut into rectangle pieces in the direction where you can roll it easily. Use the stuffing to stick the rolls together, as in photos below.

The deep fry till golden brown. Best eaten immediately after cooking.

Fried and done.

As for the sweet sauce of "tim cheong", check my recipe here. As for the chilli sauce, any plain and fresh chilli sauce will do.

This goes well with rice or Chee cheong fun.

For my detailed HYTF recipes, check out the posts here.

Lead photo: A HYTF combination with Chee Cheong Fun which we served recently for an Alpha party. (photo credit: Joyce Ho) 

I will blog my cooking notes here on a recent batch of Nasi lemak Sambal which turned out very well.

As I have said elsewhere, my idea of a good Nasi Lemak Sambal is:

1. It should be on the sweet side, complimenting the savoury nasi (coconut rice), ikan bilis (fried anchovies) and other ingredients on the plate. 
2. It's spiciness should be average so that the diner can eat more of the sambal along with the rice. 
3. I like texture in the sambal and I get this by adding slices of large red onions and fried ikan bilis towards the end. 
4. The sambal needs to have enough oil for the mouthfeel and for some of it to soak into and color the rice. 

Method

1. Blend the peeled shallots and chillies.  
2. Fry the ikan bilis in the oil. About 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Using the oil leftover from frying the ikan bilis, heat it up in a wok and add the shallot paste. Gently fry for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the chilli paste.
5. Add the sugar, gula melaka, assam paste and salt along the way, adjusting the taste if you need to to find a good balance..
6. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Adjust the taste if needed. Do remember that when you add ikan bilis, the sambal will be saltier. Go easy on salt. You can even omit salt it the sambal is sufficiently savoury after you add ikan bilis. 
7. Add the slices of large onions and the fried ikan bills. Cook for another 5 minutes and switch off the fire.