Famous Asian Recipes Blog

The raw fish maw have to go through the cleaning, drying and deep-fried process to turn it into this air bladder. It is mostly cooked in soups or stew with other seafood like sea cucumber and mushrooms. The sponge like texture make it easy to absorb flavor from other ingredients thus making it a favorable ingredient for mix-stewed and it go along extremely well with chicken soup.

Dried fish maw must be soaked in water for a few minutes and scalded in boil water for a while before use.

Visit A1-Asian recipes and chicken fish maw soup for more details

Dried oyster are mostly used in soups or stir-fried with vegetables and sometimes used for making porridge. This is an important ingredient used during Chinese New Year serving with black moss for a symbolic dish Braised Pork Ribs with Dried Oyster (Hou Si Fatt Choi) that promises prosperity and wealth.

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Shark’s fin doesn’t have much of its own taste, it provides the texture to soups and absorb flavors from other ingredients. It needs to be softened in boiling water for many hours before use. If you support sharks saver, I rather suggest you use artificial shark’s fin which are not so expensive and easier to handle. Artificial shark fin can be obtained easily from most of the supermarkets or even in the wet market. Try making your own shark’s fin soup, it is not that difficult anyway.

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Commonly known as ikan bilis, anchovies are from the whitebait family, and are sold dried, whole or split into half. Ikan bilis are usually deep-fried for dishes like nasi lemak or added to soups for flavor.

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Sea food makes great stock for soups, stews and gravies even when dried.

Dried prawns are usually soaked before use. Chinese dry food stores sell few different grades according to size, color and quality. They are also sometimes used as substitutes for fresh seafood. For Asian, a mix stir-fry of dried prawns, chili paste and herbs makes a great dish call Sambal Belachan Dried Prawns.

More free recipes: http://www.a1-asianrecipes.com

Hakka cuisine has always been known for its practicality. If you are a meat eater and not too worry about oily food, Hakka food is really delicious.

Introducing some of the authentic and traditional Hakka recipes with easy to follow methods. Happy cooking.

Steam Pork With Mei Cai (Mei Cai Kou Rou), Yam Abacus (xuan Pan Tze), Hakka Yong To Fu

Eggs: Keep them in their box in the fridge, away from strong smelling foods. Eggshells are porous, so they absorb flavors and smells.

Potatoes: Keep them in a dry and cool place, and never in a plastic bag where they will sprout. Onions and garlic should be similarly kept.

Tomatoes: Keep them out of the fridge unless they have been sliced (if so, store them in a plastic bag then put it in the fridge).  Storing Tomatoes in the fridge, their insides turn watery and it shortens their shelf life.

Link: http://www.a1-asianrecipes.com, http://www.allhealthykids.com

Star anise is a spice that is obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of lllicium verum, a small to medium evergreen tree of the magnolia family. Native to China and Vietnam, star anise is today grown almost exclusively in southern China, Indo-China and Japan. As the name suggests, the spice is star shaped sections, about eight on average. These hard section are seed pods and the fruit is picked before it can ripen and dried.

Culinary uses: Star anise is used in the East as aniseed is in the West. Apart from its use in sweetmeats and confectionery, where sweeteners must be added, it contributes to meat and poultry dishes, combining especially well with chicken and duck. Chinese stocks and soup are very often contain the spice and it is also an ingredient of the mixture known as “Chinese Five Spices“.

Link: http://www.a1-asianrecipes.com

Coriander is the seed of a small plant. The seeds are almost spherical. One end being slightly pointed, the other slightly flattened. There are many longitudinal ridges. The length of the seed is 3-5mm and the color is usually brown when dried.

Culinary uses: The commonest use of coriander seed is in curry powders, where it is the bulkiest constituent. Often rough ground in India to give a crunchy texture. The seeds can be likewise used in stews and soups. Coriander is an ingredient of garam masala, pickling spices and pudding spices and is used in cakes, breads and other baked food.

Bouquet: Seeds are sweet and aromatic when ripe. Unripe seeds are said to have an offensive smell. The leaves have a distinctive fragrance.

Flavor: The seeds are warm, mild and sweetish and there is a citrus undergone undertone similar to orange peel.

Links: http://www.a1-asianrecipes.com,  http://www.allhealthykids.com

All leafy greens have high water content so they wilt easily. To ensure they stay fresh for as long as  possible, wash and dry them thoroughly using a salad spinner. Rip the leaves into bite sized pieces and put them in the fridge in a sealed plastic container with a tea or paper towel to absorb the excess moisture.

Links: http://www.a1-asianrecipes.com, http://www.allhealthykids.com