Now Open Again for Chinese New Year Orders!

SAM TAN'S KITCHEN HAS MOVED! Please visit the new website/online store at www.samtanskitchen.com for all Chinese New Year enquiries. You can also follow Sam on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Thank you!

Happy New Year folks!

I've been away on an epic 5-week trip to Malaysia so this is coming a little later than usual, but I'm happy to say I am now taking Chinese New Year orders again!

Every year for the past 6 years, CNY has meant mountains of butchered pineapple husks, scatterings of runaway peanuts on the floor and a snowy white dusting of tapioca starch all over my counters. My little home kitchen turns into a mini war zone, as I stir jam by the gallon, sift copious amounts of flour, knead huge balls of dough and make thousands of intricate bitesize cookies from scratch, one by one.

It's back-breakingly labor intensive, and essentially turns me into a slightly deranged, sleep deprived baking monster. So why do I do it? 

Because I know that if like me, you're far away from family and any decent Malaysian bakery able to replicate local flavors accurately, then authentic CNY goodies can mean the world this time of year. You may not have endless relatives to visit or red cards to decorate the home with or angpow to collect/give out, but by golly you shall still eat festively! :)

TO ORDER

Simply email me at samtanskitchen@gmail.com with:

1) Your name, or the name of the person you are gifting to
2) Your list of items
3) Mailing address that the order should be shipped to, including zipcode
4) Your note (if you are ordering as a gift)

I will then give you your exact total including shipping, and Paypal/Venmo instructions. Once payment is made, please allow at least 3-5 days for your order to be baked fresh (during peak CNY period, this may take longer). It will then be shipped via USPS 2-Day Priority Mail and you will be provided with the tracking number.

For local Angelenos who don't want to pay shipping, pickup can be arranged (I am based in Koreatown).

Please get your orders in by Sunday January 31st in order to guarantee receipt by February 8th 2016.

All cookies come in clear plastic 16oz or 32 oz deli-style tubs. Like so:

Gong Hei Fatt Choy to all my readers, and wishing you a prosperous Year of the Monkey ahead! :)

CNY LIST 2016

FAN FAVORITE!

Kuih Nastar (Rolled Pineapple Jam Tarts)- $22 per tub of 22 pcs

Homemade jam slow-cooked from fresh whole pineapples and aromatic spices, encased in a hand-shaped all butter crumbly pastry

FAN FAVORITE!
Open-Faced Pineapple Jam Tarts- $35 per tub of 35 pcs

Made with the same blobs of scrumptious homemade jam as the Kuih Nastar,

only sunny side up with a patterned pastry base

FAN FAVORITE!
Fah Sang Peng (Peanut Cookies)- $22 per tub of 30 pcs

Extremely addictive, be warned! Fragrant, crumbly and deliciously nutty, made the

proper way with roasted whole peanuts (none of this peanut butter business)

FAN FAVORITE!

Bakkwa/Rougan/Long Yoke (Chinese Dried Pork Jerky)- $48/lb

Free of the coloring and preservatives usually present in mass-produced versions, 
this Chinese New Year staple is home-marinated, hand-pressed and grilled until the perfect charred sticky-sweet-salty flavor and texture is achieved

GLUTEN-FREE!

Kuih Bangkit (Tapioca Coconut Cookies)- $22 per tub of 32 pcs
Handmade traditionally shaped little cookies with a crisp bite and powdery melt-in-the-mouth texture. Aromatic with the definitive flavors of toasted tapioca, pandan and coconut.

Almond London- $30 per tub of 34 pcs

One for the chocoholics! A whole roasted almond encased in a butter cookie, topped

with melted dark chocolate and chopped nuts

GLUTEN-FREE!

Kuih Ros/ Kuih Loyang (Crispy Rosette Cookies)- $15 per tub of 15 pcs

Crunchy coconut milk and rice flour rosettes, deep-fried until shatteringly crisp. Fragrant, lightly sweet, very addictive.

Buttery Coconut Cornflake Crunchies- $15 per tub of 25 pcs

A family favorite Mum taught me growing up! :) Crunchy crushed cornflakes

with the fragrance of dessicated coconut and sweet raisins

Mini Honey Cornflake Cups- $15 per tub of 30 pcs

Delectable little bitesize bundles of cornflakes coated in a buttery honey caramel, then baked until crunchy. Exceedingly moreish- expect to eat a whole box in one sitting.

Fresh Prosperity Yee Sang/Yu Sheng (Chinese New Year Salad)- $38 (feeds 6-8)

The fresh, mouthwatering real deal, complete with a dazzling array of hand-grated ingredients, homemade "pok chui" (crunchy crackers) and all condiments and toppings. Not your dried up boxed variety. 

*Does not include raw fish. Not available for shipping, sorry!

Choy Sum (Chinese Flowering Cabbage) with Garlic Oil and Oyster Sauce

Healthy instant fast-food: that's what this is.

So simple and quick that I think it barely qualifies as a recipe, this classic Chinese method of preparing leafy greens not only takes all of two minutes (20 seconds if you already have garlic oil on hand!) but provides pure unadulterated deliciousness in a prettily-coloured package bursting with nutrition, all with only three ingredients. Here, less is really much more :)

To non-Chinese speakers, choy sum is also known as "Chinese flowering cabbage" and typically features crunchy green stalks, thick green leaves and little yellow flowers. You may freely use pak choi/bok choy (similar to choy sum but with fatter whiter stalks), kai lan (Chinese broccoli/kale with thicker stems) or any other variety of leafy Chinese greens if preferred. My little Paint image below might help you distinguish them better than I can explain (pictures compiled from Google-no copyright infringement intended, sorry if they belong to anyone!):

Come to think of it, garlic oil and oyster sauce taste good on most vegetables so I wouldn't hesitate to drizzle them on Western broccoli or beans too. Who says instant meals can't be good for you!

Choy Sum with Garlic Oil & Oyster Sauce

Serves... well, about 2 I think? Quantities provided totally not set in stone :)

Finely mince 2 cloves garlic and stir-fry over medium heat in about 1 tbsp oil until golden brown and crisp. Dish out and set aside.

*If desired you can make a huge batch of this at one go, and store in a jar for future use. It's fragrant and so delicious as a simple drizzle on vegetables!

Trim the stems of 3-4 large bunches of choy sum, slice into two (for easier eating) and wash thoroughly. Bring a pot of water to boil and chuck your vegetables in to blanch for about 20 seconds (not minutes)- DO NOT OVERCOOK! The leaves should only be wilted ever so slightly, with their strong bright green hue still intact.

Drain completely, arrange on a plate and drizzle with oyster sauce (if you're vegetarian, you can find varieties made with mushroom extract) and garlic oil.

TA-DAA, DONE! :) Serve immediately with hot steamed rice.

*If preferred, feel free to steam for a few minutes instead of blanching- it takes a tad longer but preserves even more nutrients.

Penang Char Kuay Teow (Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles)

I initially blogged a version of this sinful Malaysian favourite, most famously from the island of Penang, back in April 2009. Since then, after some extensive R&D (by that I mean making Arivind my taste test guinea pig until he gives it the thumbs up) we have decided that you should ignore the old one and use This Perfected Recipe instead!

Truthfully the only change is that the seasoning has been tweaked to contain both dark and light soy sauce in 3:1 proportions, as well as a touch of sugar. The literal meaning of "char" in Chinese is to stir-fry briskly over high heat (in this case until it is actually "charred" as it means in English), so the crucial key to success still lies in a super hot smoking wok, a large open flame and a very quick hand. Sorry but it has to be a wok and it has to be a flame; an electric stove and a normal Tefal or any other frying pan just won't provide the essential smoky "wok hei" (the fragrance imparted by a hot wok)- trust me, I've tried. You must also:

a)Make sure all the individual ingredients are already sliced/ washed/ chopped/ prepped before you start any cooking, ready to be tossed in fast-and-furious style. Too slow and stuff will burn!

b)Ventilate- put your cooker hood on at full blast, open all your windows etc to avoid setting off your smoke alarm (which I've done several times).

c)Use fresh hor fun/kuay teow where possible. As they usually come quite stiff and stuck together, make sure to soak in boiling water first to loosen the strands (don't just try to pry them apart as they will break). If you only have dried noodles, use less as it expands once boiled and cook according to the packet instructions first.

d)Make sure to drain the soaked hor fun/kuay teow thoroughly. Wet noodles beget soggy char kuay teow that won't char!

e)Fry single portions at a time to get the right texture and ratio of noodles to the other ingredients.

f)Put aside any concerns about healthy eating- if you're on a diet, char kuay teow and it's tasty lardy deliciousness are NOT for you :)

g)Be prepared for your entire house to smell like a hawker centre. I'd recommend closing off your bedrooms/any other areas you'd like to protect.

Happy cooking!

Penang Char Kuay Teow (Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles)

*Makes 2 medium servings*

• Pre-preparation

Soak 300g fresh hor fun/kuay teow in boiling water until noodles are softened and separated (if using dried noodles, cook according to the packet instructions first). Drain until as dry as possible using a colander or sieve.

Stir together 3 tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp sugar in a small bowl to form the seasoning sauce and set aside.

Finely chop 2 cloves of garlic.

Peel, devein and wash 8-10 medium prawns.

Thinly slice about 75g fishcake and 1/2 a stick of lap cheong (Chinese sweet dried sausages) into 8-10 pieces each. Some people use char siew (barbecued pork) or shredded crab meat too- do whatever you fancy.

Slice the green part of 2 stalks of ku chye (Chinese chives) into short lengths (roughly 3cm). Or if you don't have any, use spring onions instead like I did.

Rinse 2 small handfuls of beansprouts. (Tip: once you've opened a pack of beansprouts, store them soaked in cold water in the fridge. For some reason they'll last a few days longer that way!)

Place 2 eggs, your white pepper, your salt and your jar of chilli oil with shrimp within easy reach.

I'm not a fan at all but if you're really hardcore/can even find them, scrub a handful of si hum (blood cockles) until clean, blanch them quickly in boiling water to open then deshell them.

You are now ready to "char"!

• Frying the Char Kuay Teow

Heat 2 tbsp of oil (or lard for a more authentic albeit more detrimental version) in a large wok over high heat until smoking.

Throw in the rest of the ingredients in the following order and fry briskly:

Half the pre-chopped garlic (1 clove)

4-5 prawns

4-5 slices each of the fishcake, lap cheong or char siew

1 heaped tbsp chilli oil with shrimps- get lots of bits not just the oil, and be prepared to start coughing as everything smokes up! Most people use normal chilli paste/sambal but I really favour the added kick and depth of shrimpy chilli oil.

Half the drained hor fun/kuay teow (should be about a large handful)

2 tbsp of prepared soy sauce-sugar seasoning

Dash of white pepper

Dash of salt

Push the noodles to the sides of the wok and break 1 egg into the middle. Scramble quickly and toss to mix.

Chuck in a small handful of fresh beansprouts.

Throw in half the sliced Chinese chive/spring onion strips.

Give everything a good last few tosses, then dish out onto a plate. Repeat the entire process with the remaining ingredients.

Serve immediately.