I never really appreciate simple hawker food until I'm overseas. One can buy simple dishes like char kueh teow, fried carrot cake or hor-fun easily at any hawker centre without thinking much of the preparation process.
In my student's days, I had my share of experimenting in the kitchen. I used to stay up late at night working on a carrot cake (not the sweet cake!) recipe from my mom. Or I was always an eager player when someone needed help to make guotie or jiaozi. During one of Alan's birthday in Berlin, I remembered we made lots of finger food, e.g. curry puffs, po-piahs and pan-fried carrot cake.
However, that's all history now. Those were the good old days where there were no children in my life. Nowadays, I'm not so BIG with kitchen experiments anymore. Cooking/Food isn't really a big thing now. The only BIG thing on my mind during each meal time is HOW CAN I FEED KRISTIN QUICKLY!
Last Sunday, we decided to give the Chinese restaurant in Bad Homburg another try. It was disappointing the last time we ate there. But I thought it was because of the street festival crowd, thus the busy restaurant couldn't come up a decent hor-fun dish. Yet, dinner on Sunday was equally disappointing. I don't think we would be back again.
Actually I had in mind to do char kueh teow for lunch today so that I could freeze some of it for dinner tonight. It would be an easy dinner since we have swimming for the evening on agenda.
Then I thought, I could try for a hor-fun lunch instead.
It turned out pretty well. In fact, Bryan said it was his best lunch ever. (By the way, he uses the superlatives when it's something he likes). He hasn't quite tasted the original hawker hor-fun yet. In any case, it's better than what the restaurant served - that's what he said!
Looks like I haven't quite lost it: A group of friends (2 from Munich and 2 from Berlin) once came to visit and cook hor-fun for me when I was a student in Kassel. Though it happened eons ago, the recipe is certainly still fresh in my head. So are the good old days...
Ok, this was lunch:
The fried kway teow...
The sauce...
The dish...
The verdict...
9 comments:
wah! drool..... you think you could post some over?
Drop by for a visit and I'll cook for you... but don't know if my hor-fun would be up to the hawker centre standard.
My only food critic (Bryan) has never tasted hawker centre hor-fun!
The definition of good food these days is whatever the kids eat. But the brown sure looks gorgeous. Look at their plates- brimming!
And cutie pie Kristin just had a haircut, I notice.
Hi Adeline!
Ditto! Anything the kids eat - yummy! So is chocolate ice-cream ;)
Really, nothing escapes your eyes! Yep, she just had a hair cut Friday a week ago. Came home from dinner and Daddy complained that her hair was too long. So I went into the bathroom and chopped off some of her hair within half an hour!
Am looking forward to the day when she goes to a hairdresser willingly!
Goodness! She sat still for you to cut her hair? You did a great job too. I've got a success rate of only 50% (2 fringe haircuts). The one that was a failure was so horrible that I couldn't bear to take a photo of her in weeks!
Sitting still?
You must be joking!
It was a back-breaking mission. So I had to end it as quickly as I could.
Till now, Kristin's been to a hairdresser once, in Sg last year. I've always been cutting her hair and this one came with lots of hair unlike the first baby.
Outcome isn't 100% success either.
But I learnt:
Positive: Look, Kristin had a hair-cut. Nice!
Negative: Did you cut Kristin hair? Err... nice!
Eagle eye, they call me.
Couldn't stop rolling around after I said that :-D
But seriously, you're welcomed to my house anytime to cook for lunch ... will rely on the storebought type in the meanwhile! But you've definitely set off some cravings for fried horfun for everyone visiting your blog :-).
That looks really good. I'm now craving fried hor fun big time.
Care to share your recipe ?
Hi Mei!
No recipe to share... not exactly. I seldom cook according to a recipe unless it's baking.
Ok, I'll try here:
Kway Teow, fried with shallots and dark soy sauce. Set aside.
Then cook the gravy/sauce.
Stir fry garlic, then add in carrots, meat/seafood, then Chinese veg. Add in seasoning (light soy sauce, pepper and salt). There should be some sauce by now, usually. Lastly, dissolve corn starch in cold water, add "suspension" into the pan. Cook until the sauce boils. And pour it over the stir-fried kway teow. Hor-fun, voila!
Post a Comment