Monday, February 12, 2007

Ru Loh fan

Wen Ching, my neigbour, invited me over to learn cook Ashley's much favoured dish, from her mom before her mom leaves for home. She claims she doesnt cook it as well as her mom does. Wen Ching had gone to the market earlier this morning and bought all the necessary ingredients. She insist on getting them instead of me getting it.

My MIL was helping me out for the week with the kids so i asked her to come along. Wen Ching's mom assured us that it is a very very easy dish to prepare. I sure hope so. This is one gal who loves 4 ingredients dishes.

This is the sequence of cooking and the stuff you need for the ru loh fan. You need to gauge the estimated portion accordingly to the pictures because Wen Ching's mom doesnt measure her ingredients, as with most skilled cooks.

First you fry this much dried schrimp in deep oil. Then you add the mince "sam chan yoke" (three layered pork) or if you prefer, mince chicken, about triple the portion of the dried schrimp.

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Then you add the mushroom, about 1/3 the portion of the mince meat.

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and a clove of garlic, half a bottle of soy sauce (Wen Ching's mom brought her favourite brand over from Taiwan), and a few dashes of black pepper and enough water to cover the top. Then sprinkle some "ping tong" (you know, those cubed sugar you buy from the "kedai ubat" when you wanted to boil "tong sui" or sweet soups?

As the meat is simmering, you add a big bushel of fried onion onto it.

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Wen Ching's mom had fried a whole basket of small onions earlier that morning. She said i could use the pre-cooked ones from the supermarket but it wont be as fragrant.

Yippee, we get to take the dish home !!! Wen Ching would not allow me to pay for them at all despite our strenous protest.

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I divided the dish into 2 portion because it was too big a portion and kept the second portion in the deep freezer for next week.

We had the dish for dinner that night. DH says the ru loh fan is oh-so-good and definitely beat all others ru loh fan he had tried at a few other Taiwanese restaurants around town and particularly beats the Taiwanese Restaurant down the road "hands down" and he thinks Wen Ching's mom is the best cook ever.