Cross Bridge Rice Noodles

Cross bridge rice noodles.
Long ago, just south of the Yunnan city of Mengzixian (蒙自县)…. There was a beautiful lake with water as clear as jade. In the center of the lake, there was a small island covered in green bamboo saplings and giant trees whose ancient stalks reached the heavens.

Known for its natural beauty and pleasant atmosphere, the small island drew many neighboring scholars seeking a tranquil place to study for the imperial exams. Among these scholars was a particularly diligent student who spent many days studying on the island. Every day, his wife made the long walk to the lake, crossing the bridge to the island to bring him his midday meal.

However, he was frequently so engrossed in his studies that he only remembered to eat long after the food had grown cold. Due to his irregular eating habits, the scholar became noticeably thin and his warmhearted wife grew very worried.
One day, she had an idea. She butchered a plump hen to make a hot chicken soup, and separately prepared her husband’s favorite local rice noodles, seasonings, and ingredients. She brought them over the bridge in different bowls, combining them just before he was ready to eat.

On it’s own, the chicken broth stayed hot enough to cook the noodles and other ingredients, and created a thin layer of oil that kept the whole bowl piping hot. It worked. The scholar loved the hot noodle soup, and the wife started crossing the bridge everyday with these bowls. Eventually, the scholar succeeded in passing the imperial exams and, remembering his wife’s great kindness and hospitality, joked that it was his wife’s wonderful noodles that helped him pass the prestigious and famously difficult exams.

Cross Bridge Rice Noodles

Today, guoqiao mixian (过桥米线) is still considered a Yunnan specialty—and it still comes in separate bowls, allowing you to pick your ingredients and add the hot soup yourself.
In Yunnan, this dish is so popular that there are restaurant chains that specialize exclusively in varieties of guoqiao mixian. It can be found anywhere from street-side noodle shops to high-end banquet-style restaurants.

Yunnan province has the largest ethnic minorities in China. In addition to the Han nationality, it is also inhabited by 26 other ethnic groups. The province’s ethnic minority population accounts for nearly one-third of the total population.

My version of Cross Bridge Rice Noodles ( Serve 4 - 5 )
Ingredients for the broth
1 piece chicken breast meat
6 pieces chicken wings
1 chicken carcass - chopped
1 in ginger
1 stalk spring onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt

1/  Wash the chicken wings, breast meat and chicken carcass.
2/  Bring  1/ 2 pot of water to boil, put in the chicken meat and bone, let it boil for 5 mins.
3/  Remove from stove, discard the water and rinse the chicken meat and bone.
4/  Boil 6 to 8 cups of water, add salt, ginger, garlic, spring onion and chicken meat. In between skim off the foam.

Chicken wings, bones and meat produce a rich stock with great flavor and gelatin.

5/  Boil the chicken wings and breast meat for 20 mins. Scoop out the chicken wings and keep aside. Shred the chicken breast meat, keep aside.
6/  For the broth, add 2 tbsp shaoxing wine, dash of pepper, salt and pepper to taste. ( Add more water if not enough broth. )

Lijiang Old Town

Lijiang old town canal restaurants.

Ingredients for the noodles
1/2 packet dried rice noodles
400gm medium size prawn
4 slices of ham
150gm pork
1 packet fish balls
1 tube of egg tofu - cut
6 leaves of chinese cabbage
2 bunch of lettuce
50gm bean sprout
1 piece Sichuan preserves vegetable ( Za chai )
1 stalk spring onion - chopped coarsely

Fried shallots for garnishing.

1/  Peel the prawn and devine. Season with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp soya sauce, 1 tsp shauxing wine and dash of pepper. Chill in fridge.
2/  Blanch the fish ball in hot water for 2 mins. Drain off the water and keep aside.
3/  Wash the ham with hot water and slice thinly.
4/  Slice the pork thinly, season with 1/2 tsp corn flour and 1 tsp soya sauce. Keep aside.
5/  Pluck off the bean sprout tail, wash and drain.
6/  Cut the Chinese cabbage to about 1/2 in wide.

7/  Wash the Sichuan preserved vege and slice thinly. Soak in water for 30 mins and drain off the water.
8/  Scoop out some broth to a smaller pot, bring to boil. Throw in the slice pork, give a quick stir and boil for 30 seconds. Scoop out the cooked pork and keep aside. Then boil the prawn for 1 min, scoop out and keep aside.
9/ Bring half pot of water to boil, blanch the noodles until cook. Drain off the water and keep aside.

Dried rice noodles

Cooked rice noddles

10/  Arrange all the ingredients in serving plate.

Fish balls, slice pork, prawn, shredded chicken meat and ham.

Bean sprout, lettuce, Chinese cabbage and Sichuan preserved vege,

Garnishing ingredients, spring onion, shredded pickle ginger, fried shallots and soft tofu.

Dipping sauce, chopped the red chillies and garlic finely. Add sugar, vinegar and soya sauce to taste.

 Bring the soup to boil again, scoop the hot soup into a gigantic clay bowl or porcelain bowl.

Cart the bowl of soup and others ingredients across a bridge to a small island to enjoy your Cross Bridge Rice Noodles.

Or from your kitchen to your dining table.

Add them in sequence with meat going first to the piping hot broth, followed by bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, Sichuan vege and tofu.

Then followed by a handful of noodles.

Garnish with pickled ginger, fried shallots and chopped spring onion.

 Then add the cooked chicken wing.

Stir and mixed well......then slurrrp to enjoy the cross bridge rice noodles.

Having a giant bowl of cross bridge rice noodles is highly satisfying and immensely fun.

If you like you can add quail eggs and mushroom or any of your favorite topping.

After dinner, if nothing better to do enjoy Lychee ice cream

A light and refreshing lychee ice cream, best to add extra lychee for extra kick.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 canned lychee
1 cup lychee syrup from the can
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp corn flour
3/4 cup fresh cream
1 tsp lychee essence

Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.

1/  Mix 1 cup of milk, lychee syrup and corn flour to make a smooth paste.
2/  Next combine another cup of milk and sugar in a pot and bring it to boil.
3/  Beat the egg lightly, pour the hot milk slowly to temper the egg and mix well.
4/  Add the number 1 mixture to the egg mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes, on a simmer flame.
5/  When the mixture starts to coat at the back of the spoon, remove from heat and let it cool.

6/ Add lychee essence and fresh cream and blend well.
7/ Now, pour this mixture in a shallow container, cover it and let it freeze till it is almost set.
8/ When it is set, add the lychee and blend in food processor/ blender till it is smooth.
9/ Now, put this mixture back in the shallow container and freeze again till 50% set, take out from freezer and blend again. Repeat 3 times to break the ice crystal.
10/ Freeze until set, scoop out in a serving glass, top with extra lychee and enjoy.

I scream, you scream.......everybody love ice cream.

Cross bridge rice noodles is very nutritious and tasty. The pure chicken soup is good to the last drop.

Have a fabulous week ahead. Cheers!
Amelia

Pineapple Fried Rice

Hawaii Pineapples
One of the things Hawaii is famous for is its pineapple production. Pineapple is a delicious fruit and is known worldwide for its sweet taste. The fruit was first called “anana,” a Caribbean word for “excellent fruit.” Hawaiians called it “halakahiki,” which means “foreign fruit.”

The Fruit’s Origins
The pineapple, believed to have its origins in Paraguay or Brazil, was loaded on trade ships and taken to distant places like China, India, Australia, and Mexico in the 15th and 16th centuries. It is believed that the pineapple first arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1527.

A ripe pineapple is one that has green leaves and a firm body. A large pineapple doesn’t mean that it is riper or better tasting. Also, the color of the outer shell doesn’t indicate the state of ripeness, for even a pineapple that is green outside can be ripe inside.

A pineapple won’t become sweeter or riper after being picked. Therefore, it is best to eat a pineapple as soon as possible after its purchase. If you plan to store it for a few days, it is best to keep it in the refrigerator to preserve its freshness.

A pineapple is ripe if one of its top leaves can easily be pulled out.

Hawaiian pineapple plantations produce almost a third of the world’s crop and supply about 60 percent of canned pineapple products.

Pineapple Fried rice
Fried rice is a wonderful way to use leftover cooked rice as well as any leftover meat. You may cook the rice ahead and simply reheat and place in pineapple shells when guests arrive. You may substitute canned pineapple for a simpler family version at home.

Serve fried rice in hollowed-out pineapple, this makes an excellent presentation.

Das
3 bowl cooked rice
1 whole pineapple
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 piece chicken breast
200gm shrimps
1/2 bowl slice button mushrooms
1/2 bowl frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
Salt or to taste
Dash of sesame oil
Dash of pepper
Garnishing
Slice red chillies
Coriander leaves

1/  Shelled and deveined the shrimp. Season with 1 tbsp soya sauce and dash of pepper, keep aside. 
2/  Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise and remove the fruit from the middle. Cut out the eyes and core. Set the pineapple shell aside. Dice the pineapple fruit. Dry the diced pineapple with paper towels.

3/  To cook the chicken breasts, in a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water with 1 tsp salt to a boil and cook the chicken for about 15 minutes. Cut the cooked chicken into 1/2-inch diced pieces.
4/  Heat a wok until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and tilt the wok to coat the sides. Add the eggs. Cook and stir until the eggs are thickened throughout but still moist. Remove the eggs from the wok and set aside.

5/  Reheat the wok until very hot. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and tilt to coat the sides of the wok. Add the garlic and onion and stir-fry until slightly brown.
6/  Add the prawns, button mushroom and stir fry for one minute. Add  frozen vegetables, 1 tsp salt and stir fry until prawns is cooked. Remove from heat and keep aside.

7/  Wash and dry the wok, heat up the wok and add 1 tbsp oil. Pour in the cooked rice and stir fry for 2 minutes. If you cannot stir-fry fast enough, reduce the heat so the rice will not burn.
8/  Stir in the soy sauce and continue stirring until the rice is mixed well with the soy sauce.
9/ Stir in the shrimp, chicken, eggs and add 1 tsp of salt or to taste.

Light soya sauce enhances the flavor, color of the vegetables and other ingredients.

10/ Stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the entire mixture is well mixed. Stir in the pineapple cubes, sesame oil, pepper and mixed well.
11/ Rinse the pineapple shell with boiling water; dry with paper towels.

12/ Scoop the fried rice into the pineapple shell, cover the rice with the pineapple lid. Remove it just before serving.

Garnished with cut chilli and coriander leaves. If you like, decorate the plate with fresh rose petals and jasmine flowers for the lovely floral scent.

World's most famous Hawaiian. Guess who?

This is my simple and fragrant pineapple fried rice.

This fried rice can be a  little sweet, you can counter it by adding slice chillies.

 From CNN

And now for dessert..... Dragon Fruit combo

Dragon fruits, are native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. Currently, they are also cultivated in East Asian and Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Thailand,Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia and more recently Bangladesh. They are also found in Okinawa, Hawaii, Israel, northern Australia, southern China and in Cyprus. The fruit was probably introduced by Europeans who brought it from the New World.

Dragon fruit trees

The dragon fruit
The Pitaya is more commonly referred to as the dragon fruit. It is an extremely beautiful fruit that has dazzling flowers and an intense shape and color. The dragon fruit is usually a dark red color, although some types of this fruit are pink or yellow. The skin of the dragon fruit is a thin rind. The skin is usually covered in scales, and the center of the fruit is made up of a red or white, sweet tasting pulp.

And now for dessert.......Dragon Fruit Combo

Ingredients
1 dragon fruit
1 ripe mango
1 pomegranate fruit
150gm cooked chick peas
1 small bunch snow pea sprouts
Lettuce

Arrange all the fruits in a bowl and serve immediately.

For fruit dressing
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1 tsp Nu Stevia Vanilla or vanilla extract
1 tsp Nu Stevia prebiotic blend or 1 tsp sugar
Dash of pepper

1/  Mix all the dressing ingredients together and chill in the fridge.
2/  Serve with dragon fruit combo.

Health Benefits of Dragon Fruit

Dragon Fruit Cholesterol 
Keeping a heart healthy low cholesterol diet? Don't worry about your cholesterol. Dragon fruit cholesterol is not an issue. Dragon fruit is both low in cholesterol and has little to no unhealthy cholesterol producing fats (certain fats which are metabolized to cholesterol contribute to increased cholesterol levels more than even cholesterol itself in food sources of cholesterol).

Dragon Fruit Vitamin C
The amount of vitamin C in dragon fruit is high, and because the dragon fruit is a natural fruit providing you with a rich balance of nutrients coming along with the vitamin C, you absorb the Vitamin C in dragon fruit efficiently when you eat dragon fruit as part of your fruit healthy diet.

Oppss, wrong picture.

Dragon Fruit Antioxidants
Eat dragon fruit as a good natural source of anti-oxidants which help to prevent the dangers of free radicals which can cause cancer and other undesirable health detriments.The number, quantity, and variety of antioxidants in real foods like dragon fruit is completely unmatched by any food supplement or pills - even those claiming to have 'antioxidant' health benefits. Nothing compares to the rich array of nutrients and antioxidants in a real natural food like the dragon fruit.

Dragon Fruit Fiber
Dietary fiber is an important nutrition factor for everyone from young to old, and the best way to get dietary fiber is to eat fruits and vegetables including fruits like the dragon fruit. As you might expect, like many fruits, dragon fruit has lots of dietary fiber with almost 1g of fiber per 100g of the fresh dragon fruit. The health benefits of dragon fruit fiber are just one other example of the reason that eating natural sources of nutrients is superior to getting them from pills and supplements.

 

Flowers are our greatest silent friends.
Have a fabulous week ahead.
Amelia