Let Them Eat Tau Huay

A versatile Asian delicacy, “tau huay”, is eaten as a confection consisting of very smooth tofu (Soya Beancurd) and is simply sweetened with the addition of sugar or sweet syrup. I assume we all know that the consumption of tofu is often the brunt of jokes among westerners, except the ones who have adopted vegetarien diets or are simply on a health food kick. In China it is called douhua (豆花, dòuhuā) or doufuhua (豆腐花, dòufuhuā). It can be found among the street vendor stalls, sold in a plastic bag, or encountered in a Chinese fine dining restaurant, served as a favored dessert. 

Recently, my friend Alan, of the wonderful Travellingfoodies  blog invited me to join an on-line event he titled simply as  “Make and Eat Tau Huay Day”. This was his response to a live event in Singapore, called "Diner en Blanc", which originated in Paris in the 1980s and has since gone round-the-world as a celebration of all things white, especially the food. Apparently the organizers of the event, had responded negatively to a fellow blogger's recent post in which he expressed excitement for the rather "la-di-da", invites-only, affaire' de huat and had posted a suggested menu that included this local favorite.  You can read all about  the behavior of the organizers at Alan's blog. 

When I read Alan's post in facebook about the behavior of the organizers and their snub of the bloggers, I was not so incensed. The fact is that snooty people have been snooty for a very long time, long before I arrived on this earth. And there will be snooty people for a long time after I depart...what to do? In any case, I have long ago given up trying to unravel the mysteries of our southern neighbor's proclivities. However, Alan's note prompted me to consider  this admittedly humble sweet dish in some depth. The result is that I created a dessert with tau huay as the core ingredient and suitable to be served up as a dessert at any fine dining restaurant, east or west. At least that was my aim, and I will as always, surrender to the judgement of you, my good readers. 

My Quay Lo was quite enthusiastic for my "creation" though I admit that he learned a long time ago to love the variations of tofu and how useful they are when considering neutral flavors in a dish.  Actually, he seemed more angry than I about the Singaporean officials turning their backsides toward what has long been part of our collective traditional food.  When I gave him a serving of my attempt at an elegant pudding with Tau Huay he consumed it (more like "inhaled" it) with relish. I asked him for help in naming of it and he delivered the following to me on a piece of note paper. Without further ado, I am pleased to present, the Faux Marbleized Parfait of Tau Huay, Chocolate Ganache, and Zabaglione with fresh berries and pecan praline. 

Earlier, as he thought about how it should be named, he giggled to himself in a mad and conspiratorial way, while he wrote on the paper. It was quite odd to me as he is not a giggler usually. Then, in the midst of a giggle, he suddenly jumped up and shouted "PERFECT MY DEAR, WE WILL LET THEM EAT TAU HUAY IN DISGUISE".  This was starting to unerve me. I suddenly had images in my head from the musical play  "Les Miserables" and  I thought, are we safe? Had tau huay finally sent my normally loveable Quay Lo over the top? But then I began to understand his thinking. You see, without any thought of revolution or some show of disdain for the holier-than-thou attitude of the Singaporean organizers, I had actually come up with a dish that allowed the tau huay to be featured alongside components that would undoubtedly be liked by the organizers.  In fact, I would hardly call this inventive. It was really simple to understand that while Tau Huay has a beautiful smooth mouthfeel, it has no flavor. It is so flavor neutral that it pairs well with almost anything in which smoothness would be a good added contrast or highlight. My Quay Lo and I both love the complex taste of dark chocolate ganache and the smooth sweetness of a zabaglione made with marsala wine.  Consider both of those in a dish that is also embracing the acidic tartness of the fresh berries and the crunchy sweetness of a pecan praline. Who does not love these things?  The praline pecan and the red currant really dressed up the dessert. A slight twist of a rubber spatula created an amazing marbleized look in the pudding.  It is  all visually appealing. Who said tau huay is too lowly to be placed on the tableau blanc?  Hmpfff I thought.  

Here is the recipe if you wish to try.

Fuax Marbleized Parfait of Tau Huay, Chocolate Ganache, and Zabaglione with Fresh berries and Pecan Praline

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

1 cup soybean pudding (homemade or store bought)

16 blueberries

2 strands of red currants for garnishing

pecan praline ingredients:

4 whole pecan

1 tbs of melted butter

enough sugar to coat the pecan

Method:

Coat pecans in butter and sugar. Place on baking paper on a cookie sheet and toast in oven at 200 degrees C for 5 mins. Remove from oven and set aside.

Chocolate ganache ingredients:

50gm dark chocolate, chopped

62gm whipped cream

Method:

Put the heavy cream in a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. As soon as it begins to simmer, remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir with a wooden spoon to melt the chocolate.  Set aside.

Zabaglione ingredients:

4 egg yolks

4 tbs castor sugar

2 tbs marsala wine

a pinch of cinnamon

a drop of vanilla extract

Method:

Place egg yolks, and sugar in a large stainless steel bowl. Add a pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract to the yolk mixture. Pour in the Marsala wine. You can use sweet Vermouth as a substitute for the Marsala. 1/4-fill a pot with water, bring the water to a simmer and reduce the heat to low. Set the bowl containing the custard mixture over the water without the bottom of the bowl touching the water. Whisk the custard mixture until it reaches the desired consistency of a mousse. Take the bowl of custard out of the pot and set aside.

To assemble the dessert:

Mix soybean pudding, chocolate ganache and zabaglione, to make a marbleized parfait.  Add in berries and currants and mix in till covered by parfait. Transfer to 2 small dessert wine glasses. Chill for 1 hour in the fridge and garnish with pecan praline and red currant before serving.

Stir-fry Mustard Green with Crabmeat

This used to be a common dish served at Chinese Wedding Dinners but not so much now.  I wonder why. I like the peppery taste of mustard green and crab meat is my favorite. This is not an easy dish to cook. It is rather difficult to get the right consistency for the gravy but then when you get it right, this is very delicious and worth the effort.  I have cooked this twice before. The first time, the gravy was too watery and second time, I could not get a good shot of the dish. Somehow, this is a rather difficult dish to photograph. How about these photos? Are they calling you to try to make this dish? 

Adapted from Red Cook
Ingredients:

12 ozs. (or 3 cups cut) mustard green

6 ozs. cooked crabmeat

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

3/4 cup chicken stock (or water)

2 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 3 tablespoons water to make slurry

Method:

Cut the leafy portion of mustard green off, and then cut the green stem into approximately 1.5-inch square pieces. Use fresh or refrigerated cooked crabmeat if available. Otherwise canned crabmeat can be substituted. Heat two tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok until beginning to smoke. Put the mustard green in the wok and add 1/2 cup of stock or water. Cover the wok and simmer over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Stir the vegetable occasionally to make sure it is evenly cooked. When the vegetable is cooked and tender, but not mushy, remove it from the wok along with all the liquid and put it in a bowl. Set aside. Heat another one tablespoon of vegetable oil in the wok and stir-fry the garlic and ginger for about a minute. Add the crabmeat, cooking wine, salt, pepper and the rest of the stock or water. Cook for another two minutes or so and return the vegetable and its liquid into the wok. Thicken the sauce with the cornstarch slurry. Plate and serve immediately.

Note: To make it even more elegant, garnish the dish with a sprinkle of cooked crab roe.

A blog post for a good friend, Kimberly of Kimba's Kitchen

Kimberly of Kimba’s Kitchen is no stranger to many of you. She has a lovely blog with lots of delicious recipes and "eye candy" photos.  Whenever I want to treat my eyes to a feast, her blog is one that I will go to. 

Kimberly is the first blogger friend to invite me to do a guest post for her. I feel so honored.  Thanks Kim for the invite, the friendship and your continuous support. You and all my blogger friends and the silent readers who come visit me often and leave kind words are the reason why Quay Po Cooks is still alive and kicking! HUGS!!

This is the recipe I submitted for the guest post and if you are interested to try this hearty tasty soup rice, please click on the photo and it will bring you to Kim’s blog and the recipe is there. 

Fish bone soup rice

Ingredients:

1 whole fish bone from a medium size "Senangin" fish

½ cup milk

Enough water to cover the fish bones and 1 in over

Bullion fish stock to taste (1 – 2 cubes)

2 tsp Chinese cooking wine

1/4 cup dried scallops (washed, soaked in warm water for 15 mins)

2 pcs dried shitake mushroom (washed, soaked in warm water for 15 mins)

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup chopped spring onions

1 inch spring ginger, thinly sliced

1 tsp white pepper corn (pound slightly)

2 cups of cooked soft white rice

1 tbs cooking oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak dried scallops and warm water in 2 separate bowls in warm water for 15 mins. Squeeze dry the mushrooms, slice them thinly and set aside. In a deep soup pot (pot A), add oil and sauté ginger until fragrant. Add sliced mushroom and stirfry for 1 min. Set aside.

Fry the fish bones in a wok till golden brown, drain oil and set aside.

In another soup pot (pot B), add fried fish bones, water, fish stock, white pepper corns and bring to boil. Lower heat to low and let simmer for 1 hour.  Sieve the soup into pot A.  Add cooked white rice and scallop together with its water and bring to boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 20 mins or till scallop is soft. Add milk and Chinese cooking wine and simmer for another 5 mins. Lastly, add salt to taste. Mix well. Garnish with cilantro and spring onions and serve hot.

Stir fry chicken and pototoes in fu yu (fermented tau foo)

Another of Mum's recipe.  This one will definitely pleases the Western palette.  If you are tired of eating kong pow chicken try this!!

Stir fry chicken and pototoes in fu yu (fermented tau foo)

Ingredient

½ kg chicken meat  (with or without bones)

2 cubes fu yu (fermented tau foo) (use those in sesame oil with chilly)

2 yellow potatoes (cun in chunks)

1 cube chicken stock

2 tb vegetable oil

2 bibs garlic chopped

2 dried chilly (soaked, drained and cut)

¼ white onice (sliced)

1 ts Shao Hsing cooking wine

½ cup water

Salt and white pepper to taste

Spring onion for garnishing

Method

Mashed 1 cube fu yu in a bowl. Add chicken meat in the bowl and mixed well.  Let it marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.  Heat oil in wok, sauté chopped garlic till translucent, add the balance cube of fu yu and fry till fragrant.  Add dried chilly and onion, fry till you can smell the chilly before you add potatoes.  Fry potatoes for till it is slightly for 2 mins, add the marinated chicken and continue stir fry till chicken meat turns white.  Add water and chicken stock and bring it to boil for 1 min. Turn down heat and let simmer till the sauce is reduced and chicken is cooked and potatoes are soft.  Add salt and white pepper to taste. Garnished with spring onion and serve