How to make Ju Cheong Fun?

. . . . S T A T U S

Mood : =)

Every Sunday I'm not working. So, I'm TOO free and I have nothing to do. This week is the same too. I am not happy when I need to work but when I don't need to go to work, I'm not happy too. = = Tsk.

Anyway, today I made Ju Cheong Fun 猪肠粉. From the research I made online, it belongs to the Cantonese delicacy. ; ) If you translate  Ju Cheong Fun directly into English, it will be "Pig's Intestine". Bwahahaha.. It's just the name. Maybe it's because this dish really looks like intestine. Ha- It tastes good anyway!

The reason I decide to check out how to do Ju Cheong Fun is because I'm really in love with this dim sum. Mom doesn't buy it often and I really love to eat it. So, I think it is better if I learn how to make it than waiting for people to buy for me. ; ) Hehehee.. Ju Cheong Fun is nice to eat with tao ki and fish balls! ; )))

Ju Cheong Fun 猪肠粉

Difficulty level : 2/10

Servings : 2-3 

Duration : 20 minutes 

Ingredients

230ml room temperature water

70g sieved rice flour

1tbsp wheat starch I do not have this. I ignored this ingredient. If you have, then put.

1tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp salt

3tbsp oil

Some oil for greasing 

Filing

Chopped spring onion

Chopped dried shrimps (xia mi 虾米)

For steaming

Water

Sauce

(i) Black sauce 

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp hot water

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil 

(ii) Chili sauce

1 tsp sugar

1-2 tsp hot water

1 tsp Maggie Chili ketchup 

Utensils

Fork 

Spoon

Bowl 

2 rectangular containers

Scraper 

Brush

Knife

Chopping board 

Wok and a metal piece for steaming / steamer 

Sifter 

Kitchen measuring tool

Be careful!

1. You MUST use rice flour. No other flour is able to be substituted. 
2. Make sure you put enough oil. If not, the layer of batter might stick on the container's surface.
3. If you do not have what starch, do not try to replace it with wheat flour (which normally most of our kitchen has). From what I read on the Internet, wheat starch and wheat flour are NOT interchangeable. This means that you CANNOT substitute wheat starch with wheat flour and vice-versa. 
4. Do not use tissue paper to wipe the oil on the Ju Cheong Fun. It will stick on the Ju Cheong Fun. 
5. Do not shake the container of batter. Put it gently into the steamer and close it nicely. 
6. Practice makes perfect if you are aiming to do transparent-thin Ju Cheong Fun. I have yet to reach that level! This is my first attempt. 

Let's start the work!

1. Prepare the ingredients.

Remember. 

Use ONLY rice flour, Tepung Beras. 

2. Get your steamer ready.

That's the metal plate that I'm talking about.

I don't have a steamer so I use a wok and a metal piece.

Fill half of the wok with water. 

Add a little salt into the water if you want the water to be boiled faster.

My house is using organic salt, so I'm not wasting it on this. 

Boil the water while we prepare the other ingredients. 

You don't have to use high fire. 

Just a moderate fire to get it to a boil is good enough.

 3. Mix the ingredients.

Remember to sift the rice flour. 

I always do it at the sink after a few times dealing with sifting flour job. 

This is to lessen the cleaning work. 

I don't like cleaning and sifting always cause messiness to the table and floor. 

So, do it at the sink is convenient. 

Of course, make sure there is no water dripping near your sink.

I usually sift the flour that is measured directly into the big bowl. 

Don't put your sifter a side yet. 

Use it back to sift the corn starch.

I do not have wheat starch at home. 

So I skipped that.

It turned out OK. 

I'm not sure though is wheat starch a must in making Ju Cheong Fun. 

There you go..

Both rice flour and corn starch are in the big bowl. 

4. Get the water in to turn powder to batter.

Now, add in the measured 230 ml water into the mixture of powder.

Use a whisk if you have any. 

My house doesn't have whisk. 

So, I use the fork.

It's obviously not going to work as efficient as a whisk but it is good enough to complete the task.

Blend the mixture of powder and water well with the fork so that the batter does not contain any lumps. 

Your mixture should be in batter form. 

Thin batter = watery liked.

5. Get the oil and salt into the batter. 

3 tablespoon of oil. 

I know I am not using the right measuring tool.

I saw it wrongly at first.

I thought it meant 3 teaspoon of oil.

I then added a few spoons more to make it roughly 3 tablespoon of oil.

Then add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 

Then, mix everything well. 

Make sure everything is in batter form. 

No powder is left underneath the batter. 

Use a spoon to scrape the bottom of the batter. 

We do not want any lumps in our Ju Cheong Fun.

6. FILING: Chop the dried shrimps（虾米）and spring onion. 

First, soak the dried shrimps in a bowl of water because they are hard.

After soaking for about 15 minutes, the shrimps will turn softer than before. 

Bring them to the chopping board and chop them with a knife.

This is just to make the shrimps smaller. 

You need not chop it till TOO FINE. 

Cube size is the best.

Next, chop the spring onion. 

Put the chopped dried shrimps and spring onion a side while we prepare the Ju Cheong Fun.

7. Grease the containers. 

Get a brush.

Not a toothbrush.

This mini brush can be bought at any grocery/baking shop.

Some oil.

Just a little. 

Around 1 teaspoon. 

Dip the tip of the brush into the bowl of oil.

Then do what?

Grease the container!

Just brush the bottom of the container. 

You don't have to brush the side because you won't need to. 

Just look at where my brush is brushing.

8. Get the batter into the container.

I used this drinking soup spoon for I'm not sure how much to put into the container at first.

I put 3 spoons of that spoon size of batter into the container. 

It turned out a little thick (not as thin as the outside selling ones)

So maybe I should have just put 2 spoons.

I put 3 spoons at first cuz it looked a little TOO thin. 

That is how much 1 spoon is. 

The aim is to cover the rectangular surface with a thin coated layer of batter.

9. Sprinkle the filing on the layer of batter. 

I learned my lesson.

It is better if you put the container of batter to the steamer,

THEN only you sprinkle the filing (chopped dried shrimps and spring onion). 

It's difficult to explain why I ask you to do this but it is just my advice/point of view.

Steam the Ju Cheong Fun for about 5 - 7 minutes, depending on the thickness and material of the tray you are using. 

If you're using metal container, obviously it's going to be heated up faster.

Check by poking the Ju Cheong Fun with a fork. 

If nothing stain on the fork, then it should be done. 

You can get it out from the steamer. 

Before I forget, please remember to cover it when you are steaming. 

You don't leave the food you want to steam in an open air when you intend to steam it.

DO NOT shake the container/wok because you are going to make the liquid batter into a solid layer. 

If you were to shake it, the layer will not turn out good in shape. 

Put the container of batter into the steamer slowly and carefully cover it.

10. Prepare the sauce.

While we're waiting for the first container of Ju Cheong Fun to be cooked.. 

BEWARE : Follow the sequence. 

(I) Black sauce

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar into a bowl. 

Then add in 2 teaspoon of hot water. 

After adding these two ingredients, mix the mixture well.

Do not add other stuff yet. 

I repeat, DO NOT add other stuff yet.

Dissolve the mixture first because sugar needs to be dissolved earlier.

I made a mistake here by adding all ingredients at once.

The sugar did not dissolve after adding the oil into the mixture.

Hence, I had to put in some hot water to let it dissolve. 

Do not repeat my mistake.

After the sugar in the mixture has completely dissolved.. 

Just to show you.. This is soy sauce. 

It's also known as Kicap soya.

Add in 2 teaspoon of soy sauce.

And 1 teaspoon of sesame oil.

I did not manage to snap the sesame oil photo. =X

Mix the mixture well. 

Then the black sauce is done.

(II) Chili Sauce

I didn't snap the photo one by one in making this chili sauce because I thought it was an experiment at first.

I am not sure if it is going to work.

The recipe asks for sweet Chili and I do not have any.

So I decided to make one myself.

To make this Chili sauce, I use :

1 tsp sugar dissolved in 1-2 tsp hot water + 1 tsp Maggie Chili ketchup 

It works miraculously! XD

11. Get the second container ready to be cooked after the first container is out.

The second container of Ju Cheong Fun.

Just do the same thing like above to prepare the second container. 

It's easy, isn't it?

The reason I use 2 containers here is because I can save the gas. 

I do not have to waste time waiting if I have 2 containers. 

12. Scrape the Ju Cheong Fun up! 

The hard part as well as the fun part! ; )

After you get the container of Ju Cheong Fun out from the steamer, 

do let it cool down for 2 minutes. 

Then use a scrapper to make a cut on the border of the rectangular Ju Cheong Fun.

This is to make the Ju Cheong Fun easier to be scraped up. 

If you realize that it is difficult to scrape the Ju Cheong Fun up, apply some oil at the tip of the scraper.

TIPS: Oil helps in all stubborn stickiness in cooking. ;)

Lift the edge first, then slowly roll the Ju Cheong Fun up.

Then you will eventually get a long roll of Ju Cheong Fun! ; )

13. Cut and done.

 The first twos. Ha- I made a little mistake on the first one. 

I accidentally shake the wok of water while I'm steaming it.

That's why it is a little thick when I roll it. ;P

You can use the scraper to cut the Ju Cheong Fun. 

You need not use a knife here.

Save the unnecessary cleaning job! ; )

Do not be too worry if you realize your Ju Cheong Fun is a little oily.

It will not taste that oily after all when it is in your mouth accompanied with the sauce. ;)

Do not use tissue paper to wipe off the oil. 

It's going to stick on it!

The second Ju Cheong Fun that I just rolled up. 

; ) I feel so proud and contented! 

Haaaa...

14. Pour the sauce over.

Pour over the Chili sauce first.

Then the black sauce. 

They are ready to be served! ; )

Eat it while it is still hot! 

; )

Enjoy! 

A last look of it before they are entering into my stomach!

Bwahahahahaha......

It's so delicious!

The first batch of Ju Cheong Fun finishing~

Closer look.

Mini Ju Cheong Fun

Mom said the first batch of Ju Cheong Fun is thick.

So I made it thinner by reducing its thickness size. 

; ) They obviously look thinner and smaller, aren't they?

Yum yum yum..

My Ju Cheung Fun indeed is  not as THIN as the ones people selling outside..

However, they are qualified and tasty! 

XD Try it out some day!

It's EASY!

My sauce is GOOD!

Serve Ju Cheong Fun with a cup of chill Soya bean drink, 

JENGGGGGG! 

XD One afternoon was over just like that.