Vietnamese Spread On New Year

...I've missed bloggng so much! ...

Hello all Yummy~licious lovelies! Happy New Year 2025! It has been such a long time since I last posted anything here. I've missed blogging so much! With the social media world evolving, blogging seems to be outdated. Even my daughter asked me what is blogging. Moreover, posting on Instagram & Facebook is a lot more convenient. But I've missed my Yummy~licious blog so much! Time to start posting here again.

Few days ago, I cooked a Vietnamese Spread for our New Year's dinner. It was yummylicious! My family gave it a two-thumbs up! The spread may seems complicated but it's actually very straight forward and easy. All you need is the recipes and cook it wth your heart!

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I am going to include two recipes from this spread, which are the meatballs and the fried spring rolls. But if you need other recipe, please let me know in the comment section below or dm me in my Insta or FB.

VIETNAMESE MEATBALLS (BUN CHA)

Prep Time  : 15 mins (+3 hours marinate)
Cook Time : 10 mins
Total Time : 25 mins (+3 hours marinate)
Serves       : 2 - 3 pax

Ingredients:
300g minced pork
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced shallots
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 Tbsp castor sugar
1½ Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper ground
1/2 tsp chicken powder
1½ Tbsp caramel sauce (*) See notes below

Dipping
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
Chopped garlic & red chilli

Directions:
1. In a bowl, add in all the ingredients and stir until the mixture is well combined. It should be slightly sticky. Marinate the mixture for 2-3 hours or overnight. (*) See notes below

2. In a frying pan, heat up 1 Tbsp of oil. Scoop out around a tablespoon of the pork mixture and roughly shape it into a round meatball with one hand. Then drop it on the frying pan. Repeat the process and shape the meatballs as you fry. (or you can shape the meatbals first before cooking)

3. It's going to be splatter, so cover the pan with a lid ajar. Fry/ semi steam the meatballs 2 minutes on each sides, or until fully cooked. The 'burnt' that you get on the meatballs are from the caramelization. It's what makes the meatballs extra yummy!

4. Serve the meatballs with Vietnamese fried spring rolls (refer recipe below) and Vietnamese vermicelli (bun kho). (*) See notes below

5. For the dipping, combine water, sugar and fish sauce in a pot. Bring to a boil and let i simmer until the sugar dissolved. Keep aside until needed. It is good to serve between lukewarm to room temperature and to serve each person with their own individual bowl of dipping, with chopped garlic and red chilli at the side. Chopped garlic and red chilli to be added in the dipping by the eater.

Notes:
● Caramel Sauce : You can make the caramel sauce by diluting a tablespoon of maltose with a tablespoon of hot water. Or if you do not have maltose, you can use a tablespoon of brown sugar and a tablespoon of water.

● Step 1 : If you are marinating overnight, remember to take out the mixture from the fridge an hour before cooking.

● Step 4 : Bun kho is a type of Vietnamese rice vermicelli. It is thicker and smoother than the usual vermicelli. You can get it online here or try your local asian grocery store.

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Make this recipe? Don't forget to snap a photo of it and tag #msyummyliciousrecipe on social media! I would love to see them! Enjoy my recipe!

VIETNAMESE FRIED SPRING ROLLS (CHA GIO}

Prep Time  : 45 mins (+3 hours marinate)
Cook Time : 20 mins
Total Time : 65 mins (+3 hours marinate)
Makes       : 6 - 7 spring rolls

Ingredients:
6 - 7pcs rice paper (22cm) (*) See notes below
150g minced pork
6 large prawns (deshelled and chopped)
1/4 stick carrot (fine julienne)
1/4 pc yam/ taro (fine julienne) (*) See notes below
5g glass noodle (soaked to soften, then cut iinto 1" length)
1 pc medium-sized wood ear fungus (fine julienne)
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp minced shallots
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp chicken powder
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
1 egg white

Directions:
1. In a bowl, add in all the ingredients and stir until the mixture is well combined. It should be slightly sticky. Marinate the mixture for 2-3 hours or overnight.

2. Prepare a shalow dish with tepid water. Submerge the rice paper fully in the water for 5 seconds. Remove and place it on your plate/ board.

3. Take around 2-3 tablespoons of meat mixture and place it at the 1/3 bottom of the rice paper, towards you. Arrange the meat mixture in the shape of a log.

4. Fold the bottom part upward, laminating the meat mixture, and then both sides inward. Now begin rolling tighhtly, awaiding any air bubbles. Place the spring roll on an oiled plate and repeat the process until all the meat mixture is used up.

5. In a wok, use medium high heat to heat up enough oil for deep frying.

6. Gently drop the spring roll into the oil, one at a time. Allow the first spring roll to form a crust before dropping another spring roll into the oil. Fry 2-3 spring rolls at a time with each spring roll 5 minutes.

Notes:
● Rice Paper : If you cannot get 22cm, a smaller 16cm will do too. Then you will have more spring rolls.

● Yam/ Taro : Depending on the size of your yam, you might need 1/4 pc or less. The amount after julliened should be more or less the same as julienne carrot.

#msyummyliciousrecipe
Make this recipe? Don't forget to snap a photo of it and tag #msyummyliciousrecipe on social media! I would love to see them! Enjoy my recipe!

Note : I am sorry for the lack of photos as I did not anticipate to be blogging about it. Will top up with more photos when I make again k!

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Ondeh-Ondeh

Ondeh-Ondeh is a popular traditional sweet dessert in Malaysia, which happened to be mine and my hubby's childhood favorite snack. Ondeh-Ondeh or Onde-Onde is a chewy pandan flavored glutionous rice ball with melted gula Melaka/ palm sugar filling.

As you bite into these cute little green chewy balls, the melted gula melaka oozes out, literally bursting in your mouth. The differences in the texture is definitely appealing to the tastebud. The aromatic of fresh grated coconut further enhances the flavor. It's a yummy~licious combination!

When you buy ondeh-ondeh from outside, have you ever wonder why sometimes they are soft, sometimes they are chewy? That is because of the amount of tapioca starch added. Some peoples will also use sago flour or wheat starch. And some will use cooked dough method.

Me and my hubby has different preferences on the chewiness of our ondeh-ondeh. He likes the soft chewy texture where else I like the QQ chewy texture.

To achieve a less chewy or should I say, soft chewy texture, you may just use glutinous rice flour with cooked dough method or add 10g of tapioca starch to your glutinous rice flour.

And to achieve a QQ chewy texture, you need to add more tapioca starch to your glutinous rice flour. How much tapioca starch to add depends on how QQ/ chewy you wanted it to be. I personally think that 1:3, tapioca starch to glutinous rice flour is the most ideal ratio.

If you follow my recipe below, you will get the QQ chewy texture that me and my kids love! Hope you'll love it too!

ONDEH-ONDEH

Prep Time  : 90 mins
Cook Time : 10 mins
Total Time : 1 hour 40 mins
Makes       : approx. 45 balls

Ingredients:
180g glutinous rice flour
50g tapioca flour
180ml pandan juice + 10ml hot water (see note below)
90g gula Melaka/ palm sugar, finely chopped
110g fresh grated coconut
A pinch of salt
2 pandan leaves

Directions:
1. Mix salt with fresh grated coconut and steam with pandan leaves underneath for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pandan leaves and leave aside to cool completely.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch. Mix well. Slowly add in the pandan juice whilst stirring with a stainless steel spoon or a spatula. Knead lightly to form a soft dough.

3. Pinch a a small piece of dough (approx. 10g) and flatten lightly. Using a 1/4tsp measuring spoon, scoop a spoonful of gula melaka into the center of the dough. Bring all sides up and seal it. Roll to form a nice round ball.

4. Repeat Step 3 until all dough has been used up. Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the glutinous rice balls in the boiling water. When it floats up on the surface, let it cook for another 1-2 minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon into the grated coconut. Roll them around to fully coat the balls with grated coconut.

Notes:
● Pandan Juice : Blend 15pcs pandan leaves with 190ml water. Strain and measure out 180ml pandan juice. Add 10ml hot water to the pandan juice.

● You may buy your fresh grated coconut a few days beforehand and keep in the freezer. When you want to make ondeh-ondeh, portion out 110g and steam for 10-15 minutes. Keep the remaining grated coconut in the freezer upto 1-2 months or more.

● Uncooked ondeh-ondeh can be kept in freezer for 2-3 months. When you want to eat it, take it out directly from the freezer into the hot water and bring to boil.

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Make this recipe? Don't forget to snap a photo of it and tag #msyummyliciousrecipe on social media! I would love to see them! Enjoy my recipe!

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Fu Chuk Guen 腐皮卷 (Beancurd Roll)

May it be for breakfast or supper, my hubby and I love eating dim sum. We used to go dim sum with our good buddiess at Jalan Ipoh, KL almost every weekend night. We would chit chat until late at night and still be getting freshly steamed dim sum. It was our favorite hangout place.

But ever since giving birth to our little Prince Miguel, we hardly go out at night. Nowadays, we would preferred to bring the foods to us at the comfort of our own home, where the family can enjoy homecooked foods.

I've been wanting to made dim sum (any kind) for quite some time but just didn't get the chance. Since my hubby has just bought a nice two layers bamboo steamer, I thought, "Yeah, now is the time!" The ingredients are very straightforward, you can easily get them at last minute. If you can't get water chestnut in market, try those peeled ones at fruit stalls.

These beancurd rolls or more known as "Fu Chuk Guen" is one of my hubby's favourite. But not all dim sum restaurants have this dish in their menu. My hubby is very happy now that his Wifey can made this at home. He rated this at 8 out of 10. He said it needed more layers. So in the recipe below, I've adjusted the length of the beancurd skin.

A Simple Dim Sum Dinner At Home
Together with some Siu Mai and porridge, you can have a simple dim sum dinner at home. Best of all, it's homecooked foods made with love!

FU CHUK GUEN 腐皮卷 (BEANCURD ROLL)
(Recipe adapted from 3 Hungry Tummies)

Prep Time  : 45 mins
Cook Time : 25 mins
Total Time : 1 hour 10 mins (excl. 3 hours marinating time)
Makes       : 13 rolls

Ingredients:
13 pieces of 8 x 10" beancurd skin
500g minced pork
250g prawns, deshelled, chopped
8 water chestnuts, chopped
2 spring onions (white parts only) minced
2 cm ginger, grated

Seasoning
3 Tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp shaoxing wine
1 egg white, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp corn flour

Sauce
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 cup chicken stock
1/32 tsp white pepper
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp shaoxing wine

Thickening (Combined)
I Tbsp corn flour
1 Tbsp water

Spring onions for garnishing

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combined all ingredients and seasoning. Mix well and marinate for at least 3 hours.

2. Shape the beancurd roll:


[Photo Inset: Left] Wipe beancurd skin gently with a damp cloth to soften it.
[Photo Inset: Right] Place the filling approx. 1/4 from the top of the wrapper, size of filling approx. 3.5" x 1" Ø.


[Photo Inset: Left] Fold the top towards the center, covering the filling.
[Photo Inset: Right] Follow by the sides. Tuck the filling neatly and tightly as you roll the beancurd roll upwards.


Seal with a little egg yolk at the edge to secure it.
Repeat until all the filling has been used. You should be able to make approx. 13 rolls.


3. In a pan or wok, shallow fry the beancurd rolls until golden brown on both sides. You do not need to cook them thoroughly at this stage. Drain on paper towel and arrange neatly on steaming plate/s.

4. Made the sauce: In a pan or wok, saute ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add in chicken stock, white pepper and oyster sauce, bring to a boil. Add in shaoxing wine and thicken with corn flour mixture. Strain the sauce onto the beancurd rolls. Discard the minced ginger and garlic.

5. Steam for 10 mins or until cooked. Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately.

Notes:
● To get instant chicken stock, add 1 tsp chicken granules to a cup of lukewarm water.

#msyummyliciousrecipe
Make this recipe? Don't forget to snap a photo of it and tag #msyummyliciousrecipe on social media! I would love to see them! Enjoy my recipe!

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