Nai Nai's Chap Chye
my grandmother's way of ensuring I get my veggie intake when I was younger...
it’s been a while since I last learnt something from my nai nai. the previous time, she walk me through the painstaking process of making ngoh hiang, so this time I requested for something slightly simpler, but still uniquely hers.
recently, she discovered that miso paste works as a substitute for tau cheo (fermented yellow soybeans), which she now finds a little too salty for her liking. Since miso has a similar flavour profile, I was honestly quite impressed by her creativity and willingness to adapt. It may not be “authentic” in the traditional sense, but it’s authentically hers.
she still keeps some classic ingredients in the dish, like kim cham (dried lily buds), tau kee (dried beancurd strips), and glass noodles. beyond that, she mentions that it’s flexible, you can add your favourite vegetables, though staples like cabbage, mushrooms, and carrots are usually included.
I had so much fun spending time with my grandma in the kitchen, getting a glimpse of all the behind-the-scenes moments that go into the meals she cooks for us. It was also a gentle reminder that she’s growing older, and not to take these moments for granted, but to spend more time with her, especially in the kitchen!
if you have any other (nai nai) recipes that you are curious about, do drop them down in the comments below!
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Chap Chye
(serves 6-10)
half a cabbage, tear leaves into bite-size pieces
10 cloves garlic, slightly smashed
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cups of water
1 pkt black fungus
1 large carrot, cut into matchstick size
small handful of glass noodle, pre-soak in water
1 handful (about 20-30 buds) kim cham (dried lily buds), pre-soak in water
1 pkt fried tau kee, cut in half
5 strips of dried tau kee, cut in half
5 shiitake mushrooms, cut into thin slices
2 tbsp of miso
directions
bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch the carrots until just tender. remove and set aside to cool.
in a large pan, heat cooking oil over medium heat. add the fried tau kee and dried tau kee, and stir-fry until lightly golden. remove from the pan and set aside.
in the same pan, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir in the miso paste and cook briefly, allowing it to coat the garlic and deepen in flavour.
next, add in black fungus and shiitake mushrooms till slightly soft. then add in the kim cham and cabbage, stir well and cover. allow the steam to cook the vegetables till tender, alternatively add in a few tablespoon of water from the carrots.
once the vegetables are tender, add in the cooked carrots, both tau kee, and pre-soaked glass noodles. toss everything together until well combined, then serve warm.
if you are looking for more traditional recipes, check out the following:
Nasi Lemak Kukus
by now, you’re probably bored of seeing Chef Azfar make Nasi Lemak for the 1092839th time on our videos, but STOPPPP - we promise you it’s different this time!
Traditional Chee Cheong Fun
if you live in Singapore, you probably have a “default” breakfast. For most, it’s kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs. for me, it’s almost always Chee Cheong Fun.
Thunder Tea Rice (擂茶饭)
Thunder Tea Rice (擂茶饭) is a traditional, plant-forward Hakka recipe that directly translates to ‘pounded tea rice’. Aptly named, the soul of the dish is the nutritious tea-based broth that fills this bowl of assorted vegetables and grains with a hearty, delicious gravy. In her recipe,