I didn’t make this, my mom did. I didn’t take down her recipe, but I found some others that are almost similar to hers — here & here. The basic ingredients are glutinous rice, peanuts, mushrooms, dried shrimp, Chinese sausages (not my favorite) and soy sauce. It can be very addictive, especially with chopped chilies and pepper.
That bowl is one of my favorite bowls from my childhood. I remember drinking lotus root soup in it as a child at my grandma’s house. The bowl has illustrations of boys and girls playing the all-time favorite Chinese sport, ping pong.
Photos above: rice husks, rice grain and cooked rice.
We ate rice in the rice mill and when it rained, we sang songs, watched the rain and ate imported chocolates. Some men were building a boat next to the mill. The women stayed inside with us and smiled beautifully with chocolate stained teeth.
Photo above: This was taken by my friend, Pat who visited the delta again last month.
That’s probably one of the best fried rice I’ve eaten (next to the egg fried rice I had in Mongkok (旺角), Hong Kong some years ago — the fried rice was served piping hot and a beaten egg was poured over the dish, enveloping each rice grain). This Burmese fried rice came with a condiment of pickled cabbage with chilies. The people of Myanmar are also fond of making their coffee (in the instant form) with the rolled up coffee sachet as a stirrer. Probably the only place where I’d drink instant coffee. More photos from Pat’s recent visit can be found on her flickr.
Salt & pepper Coriander, chopped with stems Add in some dried chili flakes if you like And if you want more flavor, serve it with some crunchy fried shallots
In a pot, boil chicken meat and bones. Skim the top for access scum and fat. When the chicken breast is cooked, remove and set aside to cool. Add carrots and cabbage into the pot. When the vegetables are almost cooked, add in the fried tofu/tofu pok. Cover the pot and let it cook some more. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In another pot, cook the somen. When it’s done, drain and toss in some shallot oil to prevent noodles from sticking. When the chicken breast is cooled, use fingers to shred it into pieces and set aside.
To serve, pour soup with vegetables and the fried tofu over noodles. Garnish with coriander, chilies and/or fried shallots.
This is a really simple noodle dish I ate when I was young at a friend’s house. Her aunt would serve the noodles with bamboo chopsticks and we would eat at the mahjong table facing the television. One of my favorite comfort foods.
