Fried Mai Fun (Bee Hoon) & Curry Chicken

Sometimes, Ah Po will make fried mai fun on the weekend for brunch. On those days, she will also make some kind of dessert or tong shui, such as ginkgo barley dessert (白果糖水), bubur cha cha, or red bean dessert (红豆水). But I'm not feeling that ambitious today. So, I'll just attempt to fry some mai fun, for the first time. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact ingredients that Ah Po used in her fried mai fun... well, I guess I just have to wing it.

I vaguely recall that Ah Po's mai fun has shrimp (I'm notorious for scooping most of the shrimps from her entire mai fun and she would yell at me when I get caught!), fish cakes, mushrooms, chicken, some kind of veggie, and bean sprouts, maybe...? I somehow magically forgotten to get the veggie and bean sprouts. Ok ok, I'll be honest. I'm not a great fan of chlorophyll-containing things and decided to not add them in my version of mai fun. Though I have been told that they are very good for you, and therefore you should include them in your mai fun if you're making them.

Since the Vikings are playing their big game against the Cowboys today, I thought I'll make some curry chicken too. Not that their chance of winning has any correlation with curry chicken. It is merely because I'm too restless to just sit in front of the TV the entire game and I needed something to eat during the game. I am sure anyone else watching the game, either at home or a bar, are having buffalo wings, tatter tots, fried cheese curds, and lots of beer. But hey, they probably don't have a cooking project that they're committed to... 

Anyway, when my brothers and I are little, my mom would throw parties on our birthdays. At these parties, fried mai fun and curry chicken are pretty standard items on the food list among other things. Ah Po's curry chicken though, is legendary. I'm not exaggerating, I swear. Family friends would request for Ah Po to make curry chicken for their parties! I don't know her secret, but I'm pretty sure it's quite involved. When she makes curry chicken, she would sneak across the street to some neighbor's lawn with a knife and cut off a few curry leaves. When she walks back to our house,

me (low voice): did you steal neighbor's curry leaves again?

Ah Po: ... (put her index finger to her lips, shyly smile, then wave her hand as if shooing me away, and then continue to walk back to her kitchen)

Oh, my grandma. So mischievous, but kinda cute. Actually, she only "steals" sometimes; other times, she's conscientious enough to buy some curry leaves. I love her!

My curry chicken has no curry leaves and is really easy to make. Reason being, I used pre- made curry paste that I bought from the market at Section 17, PJ (that's the reason why my luggage were over the weight limits). Whenever I go back to Malaysia, Ah Po will order my brother, Sunny, to go and get dozens of these curry paste packets for me to take back to the States. I'm so spoiled, I know. I have made curry chicken many times. They are pretty good, but just not as tasty as Ah Po's.

The Vikings won 34-3 and heading to take on the Saints next Sunday at New Orleans.

Curry Chicken (per instructions on the curry paste package)

1 packet of chicken curry paste (I used half) - from market at Section 17, PJ

1 chicken, cut into bite sizes

2 - 3 potatoes, cut into bite sizes

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

Mix and heat up chicken curry paste in oil

Put in chicken and mix with paste, until chicken is cooked (about 10 - 15 minutes)

Add potatoes and continue to cook for about 5 - 10 minutes

Add coconut milk and water

When mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until gravy thickens