4/1/2011 TAI YEE MAH KA NUI

Its is GREEN MARROW WITH DRIED PRAWNS AND SWEET BEANCURD aka TAI YEE MAH KA NUI.

Literally translated as "Big Aunty marrying off her daughter".

My daughter, Sarah asked me why this dish is called such. I regret that I cannot answer her, as I did not asked my Mother when she cooked this dish. Let me think up a story to tell her, so that she can tell her daughter in future.

My sister in law gave me some dried sweet beancurd sheet. This is a rare commodity to find except during the Chinese New Year where it is normally used in vegetarian dishes. Maybe its the bad review about the chemical used to preserve them. But I am very happy to receive it and I think to eat them once in a while is ok better than the oily foodstuff or fastfood which we eat everyday. By adding the sweet beancurd, the dish get a sweet and yet savoury taste.

Sarah says this is one of her favorite dish and I taught her verbally how to cook it.

Method:

1. Peel off the hairy skin of the green marrow. Cut into rounds and then julienned them

2. Soaked dried prawns and "fun see" till soft and drain

3. cut sweet beancurd into slices

4. heat oil and fry beancurd till aromatic and remove and set aside

5. fry dried prawns till fragrant (ie till they dance in the pan!) and set aside

6. add minced garlic and then the green marrow

7. add sweet beancurd and water (more or less depending whether you like more sauce or not)

8. cover pan and let simmer till green marrow is cooked.

9. lastly add seasoning and fun see.

10. dish up and serve

Simply delicious. Yet another dish passed down from Mother to me.