​Yellow noodles are made of wheat flour and are pre cooked for a quick stir fry or to served with gravy or in soups. They are found in the refrigerated section of most Asian supermarkets.  Sometimes made with eggs, they have a yellow appearance and are round or flat, thin or curly (see picture below). 

Just like pasta or ramen, when cooked well, the yellow noodles should have a firm bite and springy texture. And because of its wide variety, these yellow noodles are one of the most versatile noodles to cook with. In Singapore, many of our local dishes use these yellow noodles - Mee Rebus, Mee Goreng, Mee Soto are some of the ones I know. Beware of the sodium level in these precooked noodles. I usually don't add light soy sauce or any other sources of sodium when stir frying these noodles. They are already quite loaded with sodium.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6 as a main meal)
2 packets of round yellow noodles (420gm each)
4-6 boiled eggs, cut into wedges
1 and half blocks of firm tofu, cut into thick strips and grilled
1 big onion, chopped finely
5 big cloves of garlic, chopped finely
2 heaped tsps of chilli paste or Sriracha sauce
2 handfuls of beansprouts, washed 
6 bunches of Chinese spinach (Xiao Ba Cai), roughly chopped
Dark soy sauce to give that dark brown appearance
Chopped spring onions, sliced red chillies and halved small limes for garnish

Method
Thaw the yellow noodles while still in its packet (usually takes 2-3 hours if removed from the freezer section ) and then rinse quickly under running water. Drain well.
Heat a deep Chinese wok and pour in 4 tbsps of canola oil.
When heated adequately, throw in the chopped onions and fry for 2-3 mins on high heat.
Reduce the fire and then add in the chopped garlic.
After a few mins, add in the chilli paste and give it a good stir. 
Add in the grilled tofu slices, beansprouts and chinese spinach and let it cook well. 
Once the vegs are cooked, add in the drained yellow noodles and the dark soy sauce and mix thoroughly. Stir fry for another 5-10 mins so as to ensure the noodles are well cooked.
Garnish with scallions, red chilli slices and drizzle lime juice over before serving. Yum :))
   

'I use my Vegetable Stock only for soups, I don't use stocks often in my cooking' an old friend once said.  Why when there are so many different ways you could use it, my friend? Skinny Mushroom Risottos, Stock Flavored Rice for Chinese meals, Double Baked Potatoes with Broccoli, and now this Thai Claypot Glass Noodles.

Goong Obb Woon Sen or Claypot Thai Glass Noodles is easy to master and quick to cook. A claypot isn't essential but I believe it adds a nice finish to the dish. If no claypot is in hand, any heavy bottomed vessel will do. Cast iron saucepans or thick aluminium pots works wonders too.    

Goong Obb Woon Sen is served very commonly in Thai wedding banquets. A classic dish with a unique flavor, it is an iconic dish at most Thai restaurants. The shrimp and crab version are very popular. Here, I have attempted the vegetarian version with tofu slices for the protein.  I have also substituted the peppercorns with chilli padi or red eye chilli. You can substitute the veg stock with any other stock per your preference. 

Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 tbsps canola or any veg oil
1 block of tofu, sliced and grilled
4 cloves of garlic, sliced into matchsticks
2 slices of half a thumb size ginger
1 chilli padi, sliced (1/2 if you prefer less spicier)
2 sprigs of Chinese celery
3 to 4 coriander roots with about 3 cm of green stem, washed thoroughly
250gm glass noodles
250ml veg stock
2tsps Sesame oil
Extra Chinese celery leaves and coriander leaves

​3 tbsps vegetarian oyster sauce
3 tbsps rice wine
2 tbsps light soy sauce
1 tsp palm sugar
2 tsps thick dark soy sauce

Method

Soak the glass noodles in plenty of water for not more than 5 mins. Drain and snip the long strands of noodles with a kitchen scissors for easy dishing out when serving. Mix all the sauces, wine and palm sugar in a small bowl.
Pour the sauce mixture over the glass noodles and mix thoroughly. Set aside. 

Heat the claypot with 2 tbsps of canola oil and drop in the garlic, ginger and chilli padi slices. Fry for 2-3mins over medium heat.
Add in the coriander roots and Chinese celery leaves and spread all out evenly over the pot base. Lay down the tofu slices too.
Top with the glass noodles and all of its sauce mixture.
Pour in the veg stock and cover. Let it come to an audible boil.
Uncover pot and top with more Chinese celery and coriander leaves. Drizzle Sesame oil over the top and cover.
Let it cook undisturbed on very low heat for 5-10mins.  
By this time, the glass noodles would be fully cooked and dry, perhaps faintly crusty at the bottom. Garnish with more celery leaves and chilli padi. 
Serve this yummy uniquely flavored dish to the dining table immediately- this dish waits for no one!! Yummilicious when served piping hot!! 

Practical cakes like marble cakes will never ever go out of fashion. Much like our good old banana cakes, they are easy to whip up and are perfect to cosy up with a good book and a cup of hot tea. 

Markedly characterized by their streaked or mottled appearance, their effect is achieved by lightly blending the different colored batters. There are many types of marble cakes - using choc & vanilla swirls or multi colored swirls for a psychedelic finish etc.....But the best ways to  get a nice swirl is to mix only 2 or 3 colors. Anything more I believe the batter will blend in to give an army brown appearance (Yikes!).   

In this recipe, to give it a twist, I have substituted a quarter of the flour with Almond meal to give a nice but not overwhelming rich flavor. The choice of colors in this cake is totally up to you. Its your call. For this particular cake I made just yesterday over the long Chinese New Year weekend,  my 11 year old Riya picked the colors. It is as vibrant and colorful as she is :))

Makes a round 8 inch cake 
Ingredients   
200gm butter
200gm sugar
2 eggs 
1/2 tsp vanilla essence 
300 gm self raising flour
100gm almond meal
1 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp each of your favorite colorings (2 or 3 colors)
1/2 cup almond flakes for decoration

Method
Preheat your oven to 200 deg C and prepare a a round 8 inch baking tin.
Cream the butter and sugar till pale in color and light in texture (5-10mins using electric hand mixer).
Add in the eggs one at a time and cream further.
Add in the vanilla essence and mix well.
Mix the self raising flour and almond meal in a separate bowl.
Fold in this flour and almond meal mixture alternating with the milk.
Once fully incorporated, separate the batter into 2 bowls and mix in your chosen colors.
Place heaps of the two batters in alternate fashion in the baking tin. Blend lightly with a wooden skewer.  
Bake for 45-60mins or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.
Cool for 10 mins and then what else-Enjoy!!