When I was young, one of my favourite breakfast is this fried glutinous rice. I decided to make some for today and tried to find my recipe last night but I could not find it this blog. Sadly it must heave been lost with my old blog.

So today I decided to blog this and at the same time teach my daughter as she is on holiday and she likes this a lot too. Halfway on my camera’s battery died so I took a break and have a cuppa then continues.

In them days, the good old days, the market vendors used only glutinous rice, dried shrimps and eggs – the basic. Then later on some added Chinese sausages – lap cheong. I know some people nowadays will add dried scallops, mushrooms and others but I still prefers it simple. Nostalgia is inexplicable. Maybe I should say ‘nostalgia is the problem?’

Anyway so last night I soaked some glutinous rice and today I served this. I added some char sui because I made some the other day and I have a few strips left so I decided to let the family finish them. This is not a hardcore recipe dish, meaning you can give and take on the ingredients.

I will just post the basics. If you have any problem making just poke me and I will try to explain. Below I explained with my pics. Enjoy.

Last week I bought a packet of yam, yes frozen as I have been bitten many a times before buying fresh yam and when peeled only to find half was bad aka shades of brownish, which I dare not eat. These frozen ones are quite good and most times very floury denoting good yam taste. I happily use them – please refer to pic. Cooking our Asian dishes is sometimes a challenge in UK but it is so satisfying when a good cook come to fruition.

Actually, my family loves yam a lot especially the husband if I make my signature yam cake for him https://www.julieolive.co.uk/2019/08/10/fried-yam-cake/ but daughter requested for rice today as the weather has gone a lot colder. So, Yam rice it is. Today I made a special yam rice with abalone added. It is optional but mostly after Chinese New Year my family will use up the tins of abalone with this dish too.

Last night before bedtime I washed and soaked my flower shitake mushrooms. Then I soaked them in clean water as the water will be used to boil my rice. These beautiful flower mushrooms are easily bought in the UK and most Chinese supermarket sells them.

I often spent my nights thinking what to cook the next day and if there’s anything I need to prepare the night before. My husband thinks it is a Virgo thing. I do hate things not in proper places or lying about not tidied. However, I just like to cook with as complete an ingredient list as I could else, I rather not cook that dish or change the menu. I am fine with a bit of fusion, but some dishes needed to be true to the original. I know, I am weird. I especially hate it, really hate it, when people declare their dish ‘authentic’ when it is obviously not! One day the cooks of our future generation would not know what’s authentic and what’s not anymore and I feel very passionate and sad about this.

Note – A good bowl of Fragrant Yam Rice must have just tender yam pieces, not mushy, taste of lap cheong (Chinese sausages), Taste of heabea (dried shrimps), taste of mushrooms and leave you craving for a second bowl.

The spring onions are a must for that bit of freshness because Fragrant Yam Rice is so rich.

I decided we are having chicken this week but I have no idea what to cook with it. There is no point in asking the hubby as he will always say “curry!” I wanted to do something different and finally decided late last night I am going to cook it stuffed with glutinous rice.

Roast chicken with glutinous rice – I have not made this dish for a long time. This recipe is also not in this new blog. So I decided to cook, photograph and blog it, least I forget in my dotage.

As soon as I have made up my mind on what to cook, I washed and marinated my chicken overnight, soaked my glutinous rice and the mushrooms. This morning all I had to to was removed everything from the fridge and let all rest to room temperature before I started soaking the dried shrimps, peeling and slicing. Then it was a matter of just firing up the pan frying and stuffing.

When ready it was then placed in my convectional oven for 90 minutes because it is a very ‘Large’ M&S chicken. I preferred to use my single convectional oven over my big fan oven for this because it has a turn table and the chicken will come out evenly browned.

As usual my recipe is a guide. You do not have to add dried shrimps if you don’t want to, or you can use dark soy sauce, which I did not use in this case. You can use dried scallops or oysters even. It is entirely up to you. Today I also added chestnuts to mine as my hubby loves them. You know, sometimes less is really more. However I have used a bit more ginger because I really like the taste and ginger with sesame oil is a match made in heaven, according to my taste buds anyway. Here’s a few TIPs

TIP – When frying your rice, use the soaked mushroom water and make sure the rice is al dente and not too cooked for we do not want mushy rice. Hmmm….. well maybe one day, if I could be so lucky and live old enough to have that ‘toothless’ grin.

TIP – I did not wrap my chicken before baking because I actually like some of my rice ‘crunchy’ If you don’t then by all means wrap your chicken entirely after stuffing and bake for the first hour, then remove the covering and bake the last 30 minutes uncovered for browning the chicken. You may also like to brush your chicken with some honey at this stage (all optional) I brushed mine with a mix of sesame oil and more sherry.

Einstein said “Imagination is More Important Than Knowledge” For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

I have been thinking of making this flower rolls for eons. Last year my friend came to my house and noticed my spring onions growing wild! Too many of them. She recommended I made spring onion oils. I am not a big fan cause I do not like the ‘brownish’ looking spring onions after. I’ve never needed to buy spring onions ever for years. They just grow all through winter in my garden which is a South facing little micro climate area in Hertfordshire. I am really lucky!

I lost the use of my bamboo steamer a few years back as I kept it in the shed and it went mouldy. It’s very difficult to buy one of bamboo the size I wanted until recently. I bite the bullet and got a new one few months back as they are expensive! Hubby was ‘you’ve not use your bamboo steamer yet’ few few times already and I pretended to ignored him I know he is hinting for my special ginger parcels.

Today I have made spring onions (scallions) and lap cheong flower rolls. This idea been in my head a long time but I just needed to find out how to make the green of the spring onion remains fresh looking even after baking!

My boy on the other hand do not like to eat spring onions and won’t touch lap cheong (Chinese sausage) and he requested for ham and cheese. so I made some ham and cheese for him too!

While I was cutting the ham I remembered I have some pineapple I was saving for rojak but hey ho I will use it for him to make him a happy boy. So the Hawaiian Flowered roll is born!

My mind was in over drive thinking of all the combinations possible both sweet and savoury now that I have decided I want to use this combination of flours and liquid ratio. It gives me a soft roll and I much prefer steamed rolls to baked really. I find steamed boa/rolls much softer and less dry than bread. Easier on the palate

I tweaked my char siew bao recipe a bit and viola this flower dough roll is born. For the steps to making this dough please refer to https://www.julieolive.co.uk/2020/07/28/easy-char-siu-baozi/ to see how to make the dough.

Use the my fours to liquid ratio as a guide and experiment. I have done a few suggestion here and hope you enjoy it.

Having more liquid makes for a softer boa/roll but the shape would not look as good but eats better.

Having less liquid gives you a better looking bao/roll but do not taste as soft just ecstatically pleasing to the eye.

TIP – To keep your spring onions and chives green even after baking you first soak them in 2 litres of cold water + 1 tsp of baking powder for 30 minutes before slicing for use. In this way your spring onions will still look just plucked from garden even after baking. Refer to my pic

TIP – To eat the next day all you have have to do is microwave it 30 seconds.

I simply love yam. It is hard to get nice Chinese yam with the purple specks in UK. When there are some, I will always buy a couple of kg bag and store in my freezer. There is not much point buying fresh yam in UK as the few times I tried half were rotten or browned in colour. I much rather buy frozen ones. However frozen with purple flecks is hard to find. Different batches and supplier I suppose.

The ones with the purple flecks are most ‘powdery’ When you slice into them, milky liquid flows out. Those are the best yam. YUM

When I first got it into my head to make this, I could not find a recipe on the net. I have to try a few time of trial and error, too much liquid it’s too soft to fry and won’t hold it’s shape. Too little liquid then you get Yam cake so hard that can ‘hit die dog’ I have come to the conclusion I like mine just soft enough to hold it’s shape.

I was wondering why Chinese Loh Bak Go (Turnip cake) can make and fry like this but no one make yam ones. So a new idea was born. Anyway the hubby always complains that the Loh Bak Go at Yam Cha never have enough ‘liew’. This recipe satisfies our love for yam and the ‘liew’

I deviate this recipe from the normal Steamed Yam Cake with toppings – http://www.julieolive.co adjusting this and that until they can be lightly, very lightly pan fried though hubby preferred his fried a lot more! I find this is also easier to make and you can actually freeze this for a breakfast another day to go with any other Dim sum dishes you might want to make. As for me, as per usual after slicing, frying some to eat the day itself and the next day plus giving some to friends I have nothing left to freeze. maybe I will make double the amount next time.

Note : The amount of dried shrimps, Chinese sausage and any other ingredients you wish to add are all optional and depending on you.

Note : Because I used chicken powder and lots of dried shrimps I did not add any salt. it is entirely optional.

p/s Please leave a message if you have any questions. Enjoy.

TIP – Cuts easier after cooled in the fridge. Wipe your knife with oil after each slice and make sure you knife is sharp.

TIP – If it’s too sticky dust very lightly with some flour before frying.

TIP – Be generous with your yam, dried shrimps, lap cheong etc. Every slice must have lots as we eat with our eyes first then the gob.

Note – It is important to have a good garlic and shallots oil foundation for a tasty Yam cake.

Double Note – Once you get your consistency the way you like, makes notes so you do not forget it and write out your own tips for yourself aka which tray to use, you like your Yam cake to have height etc…..

Hmmmmmm…….I shall stop ‘advising’ or I sound like an old cow moooooing ……kekekekekeke

Kiam Hue Bihun is a dish i cook a few times a year. The hubby and I both love it. Provided I have ready fried salt fish of course, it is an easy 30 minutes cook and perfect for a quick lunch. I always add extra beansprouts as I love the extra crunch and texture then give.

The last time I fried my salt fish from Kuching, I saved some in a glass container infused with the oil and placed into my fridge for the time when I want to use it like today. They would happily sits in the fridge for a long time, months.

My very British hubby is a weird Mat Salleh who loves salt fish He always wears a happy face when he opens the front door and smell salt fish, udang kering (dried shrimps) and belacan.

Back in the days of my youth my mother said kiam hue (salt fish) was once known to be a poor man’s food. Same goes for beansprouts too but nowadays salt fish is not cheap. Their prices seems to go up and up each year! Nice salt fish in UK is definitely not cheap at all.

TIP – Please add in any other protein you like. Pork belly, chicken etc.

TIP – Do not attempt to overly season the noodles as the taste should come from the salt fish, the omelette and the sambal that is served with it.

TIP – The beansprouts gives it that extra crunchy texture and adding kangkong would be very good idea too. Just make sure you do not overcooked them. They must stay fresh.

TIP – Calamansi lime is is a must too to balance the dish.

Enjoy