Hakka Yam Abacus 客家算盘子, and Happy Mid-Autumn Festival !

Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, is a day for family reunion. Thus I would like to present this Hakka Yam Abacus to you as round yam abacus also represent reunion 团圆 and bring good prosperity especially for Hakka Chinese peoples who must have this dish during Chinese New Year.

Don't know since when, my mother started to cook yam abacus during CNY as she said abacus is a Chinese calculator, like non stop counting money, LOL. Anyway, her version is Hokkien version, which look black as you know Hokkien dishes always like to season with dark caramel soy sauce for the dish to look black (that means it will taste Ho Chiak )

But I did not cook Hokkien way this time, I followed Hakka way, I got it inspired from this article I read in a Chinese newspaper.



The other day, my sister brought to me a good home grown yam from her in law house. I immediately use it to cook this Hakka Yam Abacus. I prefer more yam taste, so you can see my recipe is using less flour.

I can't find the Hakka type of yellow firm tofu from the market, thus I replaced with this five spices tofu.

Hakka Yam Abacus 客家算盘子

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)
*serves 5

For yam abacus

600g yam, cubed
100g tapioca flour
100g hot water

Method

1. Steam the yam till soft, mash finely while hot.
2. While yam still hot, add in tapioca flour and water, and knead till a pliable dough ( difference type of yam has difference texture, please adjust water and flour accordingly).
3. Roll into long log and cut into small chunks.
4. Roll the chunks in between your palms and roll round into balls.
5. Use your index finger to make a indentation in the middle.
6. Bring a pot of water to rolling boil. Drop in yam abacus balls and cook till it floats.
7. Drain away hot water and rinse with cold tap water. Drizzle over some cooking oil to coat it evenly. Set aside.
8. If you are not intend to use it immediately, put into a zip lock bag and store in the freezer.

To stir fry Hakka Yam Abacus

1 quantity of above ready yam abacus (~900g)

1 five-spices tofu, sliced
15g dried shredded squid, soak in hot water for 30mins
3pcs dried black fungus (wood-ear mushroom), soaked and sliced
30g dried shrimps (Hae bi), soak for 5mins and chopped
150g minced meat
4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red chili, julienned

2 spring onions, chopped

1tbsp light soy sauce

1tsp salt or to taste
1tsp sugar or to taste
Pepper

Method

1. Heat cooking oil in a wok, sauté garlic till aroma.
2. Add in dried shrimps and stir fry till aroma.
3. Add in minced meat, cook till color changed
4. Add in tofu, squids, black fungus, cook till mix well.
5. Add in yam abacus and seasonings, add extra water if necessary. Cook till mix well.
6. Garnish with red chili and spring onion, serve warm.

This year, I made mooncakes using this special golden syrup for making mooncake.

Also bought a new mooncake mould , still using the old recipe here

I use the leftover lotus paste to shape few bear bear mooncake ^_^ . Skin recipe using old recipe here, add charcoal powder into dough for eyes and nose. 1tsp spoon to shape nose area, and use toothpick to shape the mouth and ear.

I wishing all have a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節快樂 !!

Wet Mee Siam (rice vermicelli in spicy sour gravy) 汤汁米暹

 

There is a shop in Klang serving nice Mee Siam for breakfast, and they have wet version instead of the usual dry version. The spicy and sour gravy pour on the dried Mee Siam, so appetizing ! Now I prefer wet version than the dry version here.

 



After went to this shop many times, and from my observation, I know what are the ingredients they used to prepare this Wet Mee Siam. After i saw Cass 's version (her ingredients are slightly difference from what I tasted ), I decided to cook this wet Mee Siam at home. You have to collect enough quantity of prawn heads in order to get nice stock.

 

Ingredients used..

 

Dried Mee Siam and Spicy Sour gravy are ready to serve !! 

 

And I feel this wet Mee Siam also suitable to serve in a small gathering.
And my hubby is very happy to enjoy this wet version than the dried version I usually prepared.
And don't forgot to add chopped spring onions or Chinese chives, it give extra spicy to this noodles.



Wet Mee Siam (rice vermicelli in spicy sour gravy)汤汁米暹

(recipe source: by Sonia aka Nasi Lemak Lover)

 Stock ingredients

400g prawn heads
1 chicken carcass
2 sprig spring onions
2.5 Lt water

5pcs assam keping or tamarind peels

1tsp salt or to taste
1 & 1/2tbsp sugar or to taste

Chili paste ingredients- blend till fine paste

20pcs dried chilies, soak in hot water till soften
1 fresh red chili
8 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1tsp belacan (shrimps paste)

Mee Siam ingredients

400g rice vermicelli or meehoon, soak in water to soften
40g dried shrimps or Hae Bi , soak in water for 5mins, chopped
200g bean sprout or cabbage ( that shop using cabbage )
2 firm tofu (tao kua), sliced
1 & 1/2tsp salt or to taste
1tsp sugar or to taste
cooking oil

Hard –boiled eggs, for garnishing

Limau Kasturi or lime, for garnishing
Spring onions or Chinese chives, for garnishing

Method

1. With 1tbsp of cooking oil, fry prawn heads in a wok till colour changed. Mix fried prawn head and the rest of stock ingredients in a pot, bring to boil and simmer for 1hr (to get about 1.5lt of good stock). Discard the bones and prawn heads.
2. Fry chili paste with cooking oil till fragrance. Remove 2 and 1/2tbsp and add into stock. Add tamarind peels into stock, continue to boil till flavour, add in salt and sugar and adjust the taste accordingly. The spicy sour gravy is ready, set aside.
3. With the remaining chili paste, add in dried shrimps, stir fry till nice aroma. Add in rice vermicelli, bean sprout and tofu, stir fry to mix well. Add in the seasonings, mix well and continue to stir fry till cooked. Set aside.
4. To serve, take a serving of rice vermicelli, then add spicy sour gravy to it. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs and chopped spring onion. And squeeze lime juices if you want strong sour taste for better appetizing.

Updated on 21st Sept 2013

This is the shop that I mentioned. The current shop owner took over this shop from the founder who has been operating around 40 years .

 

 

Mee Siam only available on every Tue and Sat morning from 7am to 12noon..

 

Address:-

Thye Huat

No 22, Lorong Lang,

Taman Berkerly,

41150 Klang

Tel: 03-33418213