Penang Peranakan Pleasures.....(recipe:loh bak/ngoh hiang)

Growing up from a distance.

Alas my link with Penang has always been from a distance.  I was born in Penang but live in Singapore. My Dad (originally from Kuala Lumpur), who was a Junior Technician in Telecoms and my Mum (from Penang) settled in Singapore after marrying in 1949 and when it was time for my birth, my Mum went back to Penang.

I don't have much recall of my early visits to Penang. My grandparents lived in Green Lane, a quiet suburb, after my grandfather retired from being Chief Clerk at Mercherson Estate, Pondok Tanjong.

However, true to form, I do remember the wonderful smells from my Ah Mah's kitchen especially her "oh-ah tau" or better known i think as mee suar tau, the ju hu char (turnip with dried cuttlefish) and tau yew bak (braised black sauce pork). In the mornings, I would rush out the backdoor to catch the chee cheong fun man on his bicycle selling his hae koh laced chee cheong fun. The evenings were spent sitting on the swing in the garden checking out the papaya trees while chatting or trying to chat with my Ah Mah (I couldn't speak hokkien) whose face would be covered with bedak sejuk (rice based face powder) after her evening shower.

My maternal Grandma and I circa 1954

I didn't really cook until I shared a flat in Camden Town, London 1975. My housemate wasn't about to cook so it was either takeaways (not an option cos there weren't that many shops then and I was a student on a budget!) or hitting the stove. I haven't looked back since.

Mum was a fantastic cook. Growing up, our birthday parties were always great feasts. I seem to have a mental block over how I knew the taste of each dish as Mum would generally wave me away from the kitchen into the bedroom to study. I don't remember any OJT (on job training) with Mum in the kitchen.

However most of Mum's recipes are intact with my sister and I as we managed to sit Mum down before her dementia was diagnosed.  Thank goodness my taste buds didn't fail me as I began to cook Penang Peranakan food albeit with a few tweaks in some dishes.  

So the recipes you see in the blog are my personal take on Penang favourites. 

RECIPES from Lil's Kitchen

PPP#1 LOH BAK/NGOH HIANG

 

Loh Bak/Ngoh Hiang ala Lil

Loh Bak- pieces of pork marinated with 5 spice powder, wrapped in soy bean skin and deep fried. The recipe from the book Nonya Flavours-a complete guide to Penang Straits Chinese Cuisine adds yam bean (bangkwang) and water chestnuts. rasamalaysia.com a popular food and travel site gives the Loh Bak recipe.

The Loh Bak in Penang hawker stalls is still pretty good. According to http://chowhound.chow.com the best comes from Kheng Pin Café (群賓茶餐室)80 Penang Road (junction with Sri Bahari Road). My cousin, who lives in Penang, says the most authentic cooked Loh Bak is from a little old lady in Chowrasta Market.

I began my Loh Bak journey by faithfully cutting the pieces of pork. And then I got impatient and decided to use minced pork. I guess that was when the Loh Bak morphed into the Singapore Ngoh Hiang ala Lil. With the addition of crab meat and prawns, the Ngoh Hiang, if I may shamelessly add, is really shiok!

Its a quick dish to do. It became even quicker when I decided instead of steaming the ngoh hiang rolls, I would microwave them. Worked really well.  After cooling I'd either pack them into the freezer or fry them the next day. The frozen rolls keep upwards of 3 months.

Ingredients for the Meat Mixture:

1 kg minced pork

1 kg medium sized prawns- shelled and coarsely minced

500 gms ready peeled crab meat

15 water chestnuts roughly diced

2 sprigs spring onions-roughly diced

3/4 tsp minced garlic

4 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp ngoh hiang or 5 spice powder

2 tbsp corn flour
4 shakes black pepper


2 packets bean sheets--each sheet cut into 8 pieces  
1 tbsp corn flour mixed with 3 tbsp water as "glue" for the rolls
 half a packet of corn flour for coating cut ngoh hiang before deep frying

Method:

1. Mix above ingredients. The mixture should be smooth and the aroma of 5 spice should be evident. If not, adjust the seasonings. Keep in the fridge for at least half a day for the seasonings to blend.

2. Remove from fridge half hour before making the Rolls.

3. Place meat mixture in the middle of soya bean skin.  Dab sides of skin with corn flour paste. Form a spring roll. Place on a microwave plate that is covered with a towel. Make 4-6 rolls. Cover with another towel and microwave for 5 minutes. Remove and set on a grid for the steaming liquid to drain and the Ngoh Hiang to cool. When the Ngoh Hiang is completely cooled, you will notice that the skin will shrivel. If freezing, pack 4 rolls to a plastic bag as this gives you more flexibility on the number of rolls to remove from the freezer.

4. How to deep fry: 
    a) cut Roll into 1/2 inch width sections. Roll in cornflour. Deep fry in medium heat. After 1 minute keep stirring the ngoh hiang so they cook evenly.  Remove when light brown and drain. The ngoh hiang will continue to cook and colour will deepen.
    b) serve with Buddha Brand Sweet Flour sauce and Lingam Sweet Chili Sauce