Fried Beehoon

dedicated to Pingers
Something as simple as fried beehoon reminds me of home. My nanny used to cook the best fried beehoon with her homemade nyonya style sambal. The best to me maybe because it was the easiest to cook for kids back then, and I had alot of it! Here's my version. When I fry beehoon, I like to have the rest of the ingredients to be in the same form, that is long and thin. So I have a tendency to cut the rest of my ingredients to that shape. :)


3 slabs of dried beehoon, soaked in tap water until soft then drained
1 bunch of choysum, cut into 5cm lengths
1 piece of fish cake, cut into slices
3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
1 onion, cut into strips
2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of soya sauce
1 tablespoon of thick soya sauce (caramel type)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1-1.5 cups of water
2 tablespoon of oil
3 eggs, beaten


Heat up a flat frying pan and put in the oil. Pour the beaten eggs in and swirl the pan around to create an even layer of egg. Let it cook and once it has firmed up, cut it in half and flip the halves to cook the other side. Set aside to cool.

Heat up the frying pan and put in the oil. Once hot, stir fry the onions and garlic. Do not let them burn. Add in the fishcake slices and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, soya sauce, thick soya sauce, salt, pepper and sugar at this stage and it will sizzle. Add in 1 cup of water and give it a good stir. Once it starts to bubble, add in the choysum and let it simmer until the choysum is cooked. Cover the frypan with a lid if necessary. Taste the sauce, add in more soya sauce, and dark soya sauce and water if needed. It should taste saltier than what is intended because the beehoon will balance out the flavours. The sauce should still be quite watery but dark in colour. Once it boils, add in the beehoon. I've been told by a friend that the best way to cook the beehoon is by using a pair of chopsticks. This is so that the noodles do not break into tiny little segments which has happened to me numerous times before. So use a pair of chopsticks and pick up some beehoon and mix it around until everything is evenly coated. Add abit more water if the beehoon has not softened properly. I use a lid to let the steam cook the noodles as well. Taste the noodles and add soya sauce or thick soya sauce to adjust the taste and colour. Stir through and let it cook until the sauce has dried up. Cut up the cooked egg omellette into strips - yup long and thin :).

Dish up the beehoon, sprinkle the egg strips on the top and eat! The one thing that would make the dish more delicious is sambal on the side and a sprinkle of crunchy fried onions on the noodles. :)

Coq Au Vin

french for chicken with wine
This is a tried and tested recipe. The recipe was given to me by my boss's wife, who loves to cook and knows her french foods very well. I made this for a Christmas party in 2008 and it was a big hit! The best part of it all is that the flavour of the dish improves if it is made the day before consumption. This leaves you free to prepare the rest of the food on the party day.

1.5 kg chicken
3 tablespoons oil or butter
4 bacon rashers cut into strips
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
16 whole baby onions, skin peeled
1.5 cups of dry red wine
1 cup of chicken stock
2-3 tablespoons of brandy
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
250 gm baby mushrooms
1 tablespoon of plain flour
2 tablespoons of water
1 bouquet garni (a sachet or a bunch of herbs)

Use a deep frying pan or a deep saucepan. Brown chicken pieces in oil or butter until golden brown all over. Set them aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Add the crushed garlic, onions and bacon to the frying pan. Fry until the onions are nicely browned. You will find the onions will roll around the pan as you fry them. Stir in wine, chicken stock, brandy, bouquet garni and the tomato paste. Add in the chicken pieces and bring the pot to a boil. Once it starts to boil, cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and a thin film of red oil has formed along the sides of the pan. Push the chicken to one side of the pan. Stir in blended flour in water and stir constantly in the bubbling sauce until the mixture boils and thickens. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

If the coq au vin is made the night before, keep it in the fridge and heat it on the stove again until it is warmed through. A hearty meal and the best part is mopping up all the delicious sauce with bread! :)