Fried Vermicelli and Red Bean Dessert

Christmas is over, the New Year came and gone, and now the Chinese New Year is just 2 weeks away!  Seems like non-stop festive season with lots (really, really lots) of more shopping to do.  Year after year, I told myself that I'm going to make some cookies for Chinese New Year but I never got round to it!  It's hard to find time in-between work and home.  The only time I have (if any) would have to be on weekends and yet when weekends arrive, I just don't seem to be able to make them.  So, this year, I'm going to really, really try to make at least one type of cookie! (keeping my fingers cross..haahaa).

So, I shall be very busy in the next few weeks and before that happens, here are Fried Vermicelli and Red Bean Dessert to whet your appetite!

Fried Vermicelli is one of the easiest way to prepare Chinese noodle.  Here's how you do it:

1 packet of rice vermicelli (soak in water until it's soft and drain)
eggs (up to you on how many that you'd like - just scramble it in a wok first and set aside)
garlic - chopped
shallots - chopped
dried shrimp - a handful (soak in hot water to soften and then pound in a mortar)
fish cake and/or shrimp and/or pork slices and/or chicken fillet cut into strips
beansprouts (wash and drain)
1/2 cup hot water
light soya sauce to taste

1. Heat oil in a wok, fry the pounded shrimp till slightly crispy (be careful as it tends to splatter once it turns slightly crispy).
2. Add in chopped garlic and onion and saute for a few minutes till the onions are soft.  At this point, add in the fish cake and/or shrimp or any of the meat that you prefer as mentioned above or all of them, if you like.
3. Add beansprouts and stir for a few seconds, then add in the rice vermicelli.  Mix well.  Add in 1/2 cup of hot water (don't worry if it's a bit soupy as the vermicelli absorbs liquid pretty fast).
4. Put in the scrambled eggs and mix well.  Add light soya sauce to taste.  At this point, taste the vermicelli.  If it's a little hard, add more hot water and fry for a little longer.

Optional : to serve, you may sprinkle some fried shallots over it. (method: thinly slice shallots lengthwise and fry in some vegetable oil until it turns golden and set aside).

Red Bean Dessert or in Chinese Hokkien dialect, called 'Ang Tao Chui' or 'Hong Tao Sui' in Cantonese.  It is basically just water, sugar and red bean, boil together until the red bean is soft.  For flavor and aroma, boil it together with a few screwpine leaves.  I used palm sugar instead of white granulated sugar as it gives a thicker and wonderful syrpy taste to it while not being overly sweet.  You can boil this in a pot but I was a bit lazy and just dump everything in the rice cooker but the result was fantastic.  If you have the time, it will taste even better if you use the slow cooker and let it slowly simmer to a boil for a few hours.

This is a very easy dessert to make and very popular in most Chinese dessert stalls. Give this recipe a try - you can never go wrong.  You can either eat this lukewarm or cold.  I like mine lukewarm.  Yumzz.