Stir-fried Mushrooms and Tofu | 蘑菇炒豆腐

I learned this recipe from a talented cook at a daycare which serves only vegetarian food. One of her signature dishes I enjoyed is this stir-fried mushroom and tofu, that was often served with brown rice or barley.  The slightly sweet and sour sauce is absolutely appetizing, and the tofu tastes earthy and smooth.  If you are a tofu lover, you will definitely love this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

12-15 Button Mushrooms, rinsed, sliced

1 block Firm Tofu, cubed

3-5 sprigs Thyme, fresh

5-6 Garlic Cloves, peeled, finely chopped

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Seasoning:

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

2 teaspoons Sugar

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Cornstarch Slurry (1.5 teaspoons Corn Starch + 1/4 cup Water)

材料：

12-15 顆  蘑菇，沖淨，切塊

1 磚  硬豆腐，切粒

3-5 支  百里香

5-6 瓣  蒜頭，去皮，切碎

4 湯匙  菜油

調味料：

1 湯匙  意大利黑醋

2 茶匙  糖

1/3 茶匙  鹽

粟粉水 (1.5 茶匙 粟粉 ＋1/4 杯 水)

DIRECTION 做法：

1. Add oil and garlic in a pan; heat it over high heat.  Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant and starts to turn colour.

1. 在鑊中下油和蒜粒；以大火燒至香氣四溢。

2. Add mushrooms and thyme; continue to stir fry until the mushrooms become soft.

2. 下蘑菇和百里香，繼續炒至蘑菇變軟。

  

3. It is normal to see the mushrooms release lots of juice  Just continue to cook until the juice evaporates; about 10-15 minutes.

3. 蘑菇開初會滲出大量的水，繼續煮若10-15分鐘或至其收乾水份。

4. Add the seasoning except the cornstarch slurry.

4. 下所有調味料，粟粉水除外。

5. Add tofu.  Gently cook until the tofu is heated through.

5. 下豆腐；小心地炒至其變熱。

6. Reduce the heat to medium.  Stir in the cornstarch slurry. 

6. 把火調低至中火。拌入粟粉水。

7. When the sauce is slightly thickened, remove the pan from the heat.

7. 當汁開始變稠，迅速離火。

8. Serve it with brown rice.

8. 配以糙米飯食用。

Cobb Salad with Maple Bacon and Prawn | 科布沙律配楓糖煙肉大蝦

Instead of the classic Cobb salad which is usually composed of chicken breast, I used prawn and added sweet corn here.  Actually the ideas of the ingredients for Cobb salad can vary, but the core ingredients are still hard boiled egg, avocado, salad greens, and crispy bacon.

We like to serve this salad as our main course at home because it is easy to prepare and also high in nutritious value.  To make this recipe even simpler and tastier, I roasted the prawn with the bacon so that the prawn could absorb the extra smoky and maple flavour from the meat.

Hope you enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS: (3 servings)

16 Prawns, deshelled and deveined

6 pcs Maple Bacon

1 head Romain Lettuce, cut into bite size

1 Avocado

1 cup Sweet Corn, boiled

2 Eggs, boiled

40 gram Mozzarella Cheese, cubed

Blue Cheese (optional)

DRESSING:

4 tablespoons Mayonnaise, low fat

1/4 cup Milk, 2%

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon White Vinegar

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Oregano, dried

Pinch of Salt

Pinch of Black Pepper

材料 (3人份)：

16 隻  蝦，去殼，去腸

6 塊  楓糖味煙肉

1 棵  生菜，切小塊

1 個  牛油果

1 杯  甜粟米，用水煮熟

2 隻  雞蛋，煮熟

40 克  水牛芝士，切粒

少許  藍芝士 (可省略)

汁料：

4 湯匙  美乃滋，低脂

1/4 杯  牛奶，2%

1 湯匙  芥末籽醬

1 茶匙  白醋

1 茶匙  洋蔥粉

1 茶匙  奧勒崗香草

少撮  鹽

少撮  黑胡椒粉

 DIRECTION 做法:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 360F.

2. Line the bacon on parchment paper without overlapping them.  Place the prawns around the bacons.

1. 預熱焗爐至360F.

2. 煙肉在焗紙上排好，不要重叠。把蝦放在煙肉週邊。

3. Slice the avocado in half lengthwise and then twist it open.  Remove the pit with a spoon.  Slice the avocado into cubes and scoop them out with a spoon.

4. Place lettuce on a plate.  Then, place the rest of salad ingredients on top.

3. 牛油果切牛，用匙把核滔去。把果肉切成小粒，再用匙起肉。

4. 在碟上放上生菜，再放上其他沙律材料。

5. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle it over the salad and serve.

5. 把所有汁料加入一只碗，攪拌至均勻。淋上沙律菜上；上桌。

Dace Fish Pork Bone Soup | 陵魚豬骨湯

This soup is commonly made during the summer time, when the weather is humid and hot and we feel lethargic.  We believe that the humidity brings tiredness to our body and this soup can help replenish our energy.

The dace fish is absolutely tasty.  You can surely still taste the sweetness in it after the long period of cooking.  Though be careful of the fine bones hidden inside.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Dace Fish, descaled, rinsed

4-6 Pork Bones, rinsed

1/4 cup Chixiaodou

1/4 cup Biandou

8 cups Water

Salt to taste

材料：

1 條 鯪魚

4-6 塊 豬骨

1/4 杯  赤小豆

1/4 杯  扁豆

8 杯  水

鹽  調味

DIRECTION：

1. In the soup pot, combine pork bones, chixiaodou, biandou, and water.  Bring it to a boil, and then continue to boil over medium-high over about 30 minutes.

2. Add dace fish; boil another 30 minutes.  Season with salt to taste. Turn off the heat.

做法：

1. 在一只湯鍋內加入豬骨、赤小豆、扁豆和水。用大火煮滾，再用中大火煮30分鐘。

2. 下陵魚；繼續煮30分鐘。下鹽調味；關火。

June Berry Muffins with Lemon and Cardamom

June berries are also called service berries.  We are so lucky to have many of them grow at the park across the street.  When it comes to mid-June, the berries will become purplish-red and attract many birds to eat them.

My son is familiar with these little tiny juicy berries and he knows exactly which trees in the park produce the best berries.  He often suggests to pick some berries on the way home to add into pancakes or muffins, but he usually ends up snacking on them instead of bringing them home.  Now, eating June berries is a highlight for my son in the summer after he plays at the splash pad at the park.

Actually June berries are a very common botanical plant in Toronto.  If you pay attention, you will certainly come across them in parks, gardens, or sidewalks.

I froze the June berries before I used them for the recipe here.  It is only because I didn't have time to make the muffins for that few days and I didn't want them to go bad.  However, fresh berries are equally good.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup June Berries, frozen

1 cup Cornmeal

2 cups All Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 handful of Quinoa (optional)

3 Eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Butter, melted

1 cup Milk, 2%

1 Lemon, zest and juice

2 teaspoons Cardamom, ground

1 teaspoon Ground Ginger

pinch of Salt

材料：

1 杯  Juneberries，冷凍

1 杯  玉米粉

2 杯  麵粉

2 茶匙  泡打粉

1/2 杯  棕糖

一把  藜麥 (隨意)

3 隻  雞蛋，打勻

1/2 杯  牛油，熱溶

1 個  檸檬，皮和汁

2 茶匙   豆蔻粉

1 茶匙  薑粉

少撮  鹽

DIRECTION:

1. Preheat the oven at 360F.

2. In a large bowl，combine butter, eggs, milk, lemon juice and zest together; mix well.

3. Add in cornmeal, flour, quinoa, cardamom, ground ginger, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Mix everything thoroughly into batter.

4. Gently stir in the frozen June berries.  Divide the batter equally into the paper muffin cups.  Bake for about 20 minutes.

做法：

1. 預熱焗爐至360F。

2. 在一只大碗內，加入牛油、蛋、檸檬汁和皮；拌勻。

3. 下玉米粉、麵粉、藜麥、薑粉、棕糖、泡打粉，鹽；拌勻成麵糊。

4. 輕輕拌入Juneberries。把麵糊平均倒入小蛋糕模。焗若20分鐘。

Milkweed Plant Dinner | 乳草 (馬利勒) 晚餐

Milkweed is the type of weed you can eat most of the year.  We can go after the shoots in April, flower buds and young leaves in June, the fragrant flowers in July, and the seed pods in late August.  All parts are so tasty that you will wonder why no people decide to farm milkweed to sell.

Collecting milkweed at a park in the heat wave.

I learnt to eat milkweed from a person I knew through Instagram a year ago.  She is a herbalist and also a forager.  Somehow she saw a photo of a milkweed pod I posted on Instagram to ask if anyone knew if it was edible.  She sent a private message to me with a long story of how her people back home in Brazil consider milkweed as a common type of vegetable.  The message also came with the elaborate recipes she enjoyed cooking.

I started to message this lady here and there to talk about different foraging plants we learn in two different countries.  I never knew that you could make a friend to share the same hobby just like that.  Though, I of course did not go to try milkweed just because she said it was safe.  Eating the wrong plant can be fetal.

Milkweed buds and flowers.  Flowers are fragrant and taste very sweet when eaten raw.

Since then, I did lots of research on this plant.  I meant, really a lot, in both English and Chinese.  Half of the information says milkweed was poisonous, but the other half was saying it is edible.  I was confused.

Later, I started to ask around and eventually I found a person who knew this plant well.  Then, I looked up a few reliable foraging guide books before I gave it a try.  I still remember the feeling when I tried the first small milkweed seed pod - part of me was excited about this new found, but the other part of me was so terrified that I would have food poisoning.  I think it is kind of the feeling when people eat puffer fish sashimi.

Milkweed buds taste like asparagus after they are cooked.  The flowers taste sweet and floral, and are slightly stronger than rose in my opinion.  The seed pods also taste very similar to asparagus to me but with a different texture.

Long story short, now milkweed has become one of the wild edible plants I enjoy the most.  But to be clear, I've only cooked it for my husband and myself thus far, and I've never fed it to my little boy. I am still learning this plant and am not sure how the little body can digest it.

Below are the recipes I usually prepare with milkweed in the summer time.  I hope you enjoy it.

Pickled Milkweed Buds

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 Flower Buds

2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Water

1 teaspoon Sugar

pinch of Sea Salt

DIRECTRION:

1. Combine all ingredients together.  Leave it in the fridge over night before use.

Blanched Milkweed

INGREDIENTS:

Milkweed Buds (Both green and red are fine)

Water

Salt

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add milkweed buds.  Boil them until slightly soft; about 2 minutes. Drain well.

For the balsamic rib Recipe, please go to One Pot Sticky Balsamic Rosemary Ribs

One Pot Sticky Balsamic Rosemary Ribs | 意大利黑醋迷迭香腓骨

I made this ribs for Easter a month ago and everyone loved it.  After the dinner, my aunt even asked for the recipe because she said my uncle repeated many times how much he enjoyed the ribs.  She knows how much I'm into cooking so she looked a little worried when I was about to tell her the ingredients and the process.

"Balsamic, brown sugar, ginger, herbs, and of course the ribs," I said.

"That's it?" she could not believe it.

"Yes, that's it." I smiled.  It is a truly simple recipe.

You can serve it with baked potato or a light salad.  My husband and my son enjoy these ribs with steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 lbs Spare Ribs, cut into small pieces along the bones

10 gram Fresh Ginger, sliced

1/4 cups Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon Rosemary, dried

1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 teaspoon Salt

材料：

1.5 磅 腓排骨，沿骨切成小塊

10 克  薑，切薄片

1/4 杯  意大利黑醋

1/2 茶匙  迷迭香

1/3 杯  棕糖

1 茶匙  鹽

DIRECTION:

1. In a pot, combine all the ingredients.  Bring it to a boil over high heat.

1. 在一只鍋中加入所有材料。用大火加熱燒滾。

2. Then reduce the heat to medium low.  Half cover the pot, continue cooking until the liquid reduces to half; stir the ribs occasionally to achieve a more even result.  Reduce the heat if the sauce is bubbling too much.

2. 將火調至中低火。把鍋蓋半掩，繼續煮至汁半蒸發掉；其間小心翻動腓骨使其更均勻入味。如汁蒸發太快可把火再稠低。

3. It should takes about 30-40 minutes for the ribs to soften and the sauce to thicken.  Once the sauce thickens enough to coat the ribs, remove them from the heat.

3. 烹調調程約 30-40分鐘使腓骨便變軟和汁變濃稠。待收汁後便可把腓骨離火。

Basil Baked Polenta | 香焗九層塔玉米糕

Polenta is made of cornmeal and is in porridge form when cooked.  Once it cools, it will solidify and it can be used for frying, grilling and baking.

If you want a change from roasted potato for a side dish, a light baked polenta is a good choice. My family likes polenta that is baked until very crispy outside and still soft inside.  Sometimes we serve it with a dash of sweet paprika, and sometimes we eat them with ketchup as if you are eating French fries.  Today, I bought a big bunch of fresh basil at the Farmers' market. So I decided to use it to flavour the polenta.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tube Polenta (I used Aurora Polenta)

1/2 cup Basil, Fresh

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

材料：

1 條  玉米糕

1/2 杯  九層塔，新鮮

1/4 杯  菜油

鹽  調味

DIRECTION 做法:

1. Roughly chop the basil leaves; add them into the vegetable oil. Add salt; mix well.

1. 九層塔切碎，加入菜油和鹽；拌勻。

2. Cut the polenta into 2 cm rounds.

2. 玉米糕切成2厘米厚塊

3. Coat the polenta with the basil oil mixture.  Line them on parchment paper without over lapping them.

3. 把每塊玉米糕沾上九層塔油，把其排在已舖好焗紙的盤上。

4. Bake at 400F for about 25 minutes, or until the outer layers are crispy.

4. 用400F焗若25分鐘，或至外層香脆。

Portuguese Chicken | 簡易葡國雞

Portuguese chicken is a common dish you can find in many cha chan teng (the fast food style restaurant) in Hong Kong.  The dish can be served with steamed rice, spaghetti, or udon.

I always thought Portuguese chicken originated from Portugal, until one day my husband asked me, "Do Portuguese really use coconut milk and turmeric? I thought these are Asian ingredients."  It is so true.  Portugal wouldn't have coconut trees and turmeric roots hundreds of years ago.  So I looked up the history about it and realized this Portuguese chicken is a signature dish that originates from Macau and it won't be found in Portugal.

A long time ago when Portuguese sailors set off to explore the seas, they did lots of spice trades with Africa and Asia before setting foot on Macau.  Many of them married and had children with the locals there.  And this Portuguese chicken was created by their descendants who combined the spices they had collected with their own cooking style.  This dish signifies the history of Macau.

This recipe contains the healthy balance of vegetables and meat. The extra bonus of it is that it is a one-pot-meal so it makes the clean up pretty easy.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS：

5 Chicken Legs, deboned and cut into bite size

2 Carrot, peeled and cut into small chunks

2 Potatoes, cut into bite size

1 Red Onion, cut into large chunks

7-8 Garlic Cloves, sliced

1 cup Corn (I used frozen)

1 Yellow Pepper, deseeded, cut into sticks

1/3 cup Coconut Cream

2 tablespoons Cumin Powder

1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Cornstarch Slurry (1/3 cup Water + 1 tablespoon Cornstarch)

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 teaspoon Salt

材料：

5 隻  雞腿，去骨，肉切小塊

2 條  甘筍，去皮，切小件

2 隻  薯仔，切小塊

1 個  紅洋蔥，切大塊

7-8 瓣  蒜頭，切粒

1 杯  粟米粒 (我這兒用上急凍)

1 個  黃燈籠椒，去籽，切條

1/3 杯  椰漿

2 湯匙  小茴香粉

1 茶匙  黃薑粉

粟粉水 (1/3 杯水＋1 湯匙粟粉)

4 湯匙  菜油

1 茶匙  鹽

DIRECTION 做法：

1. Heat up vegetable oil in a non-stick pan over high heat.  Add garlic and onion and sauté until it is fragrant; about 5 minutes.

1. 菜油在不黏鍋內以大火燒熱。下蒜頭和洋蔥，炒至香氣四溢；若5分鐘。

2. Add chicken pieces until they start to turn colour.

2. 下雞件，炒至其開始轉色。

3. Add potatoes and carrots.  Continue to stir fry until potatoes become soft; about 8-10 minutes.

3. 下薯仔和甘筍，繼續炒至薯仔開始變軟；若10分鐘。

4. Add cumin, turmeric, salt; stir well.

4. 下小茴香、黃薑粉，和鹽；拌勻。

5. Reduce the heat to medium-high.  Add coconut milk and the cornstarch slurry; stirring constantly.

5. 把火調低至中大火。下椰子和拌入粟粉水；其間不斷攪拌。

6. Add bell pepper and corn.  Cook until it is heated through.  Remove the pan from the heat.

6. 下燈籠椒和粟米粒，繼續煮至其熱透便可離火。

7. Serve the chicken on rice or pasta.

7. 可配白飯或意粉食用。

Asian Moon Scallop, dried Yam and Bone Soup | 日月魚准山排骨湯

In Hong Kong, Asian Moon Scallop is a common ingredient in our cuisine.  It is a type of bivalve which is gutted and dried before being sold to the market for making soup.

The fish-like appearance is the result of the cut when fishermen shuck the scallop and remove the guts.  After the fishermen collect a number of the scallop, they will tie them into a small bundle and dry them in the sun to strengthen the flavour and to preserve them.

Photo by: http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Amusium-pleuronectes.html

 People in Hong Kong call these scallops "Yat-Yuet Fish".  "Yat" means "daytime 日" and "Yuet" means "moon 月".  The name probably comes from the red and white colour shell.

Asian Moon Scallop has a very similar taste to dried scallop.  It is a great substitute when you are looking for some inexpensive ingredients to make healthy soup.

Asian Moon Scallop, Fresh Yam and Bone Soup 日月魚准山排骨湯

INGREDIENTS:

10 Asian Moon Scallop, about 2 bundles

8 pcs Chinese Yam, dried

6 Pork Bones

4 Carrot, cut into big pieces

3 tablespoons Wolfberries, dried

2 tablespoons Bitter Apricot Kernels

Water

Salt to taste

材料：

10 日月魚乾，約2束

8 片  乾准山

6 塊  豬骨

4 條  紅蘿蔔，切大塊

3 湯匙  杞子乾

2 湯匙  南北杏

水

鹽  調味

DIRECTION:

1. Rinse the pork bones.  In a deep pot, add all ingredients together.  Fill the water enough to cover the ingredients.

2. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-high and boil for another 45 minutes.  Season it with salt to taste.

做法：

1. 洗淨豬骨。在一只深鍋中，加入所有材料。加水； 水應蓋過湯料。

2. 把水和湯料煮滾，然後把火調低至中大火。繼續煮45分鐘，最後下鹽調味。