Crunchy Preserved Radish and Pork Belly Stir-fry | 菜脯炒豬肉

Preserved radish and pork belly stir fry is absolutely on the very top of my favourite dishes.  My dad knew how much I craved for it so he would cook it all the time.  To balance the saltiness from the preserved radish, my dad would add lots of sugar.  Mom joked with him saying that his best dishes were all composed of sugar and syrup.  Honestly speaking, the generous amount of sugar my dad put in really does the magic to the dish.  It helps thicken the sauce, balance the salt, and flavour the pork.  Our whole family just loves it the way it is.

Back in Hong Kong, we could easily find preserved radish, diced or whole.  However, where we live now, most often we can only find shredded or diced and they don't taste good.  After I tried them a few times, I just gave up and stopped buying them.  Soon, I forgot this dish that reminds me of my childhood..

Until last month when we visited a very old shop in Chinatown.  To our surprise, we found these whole preserved radish.  My husband and I were laughing with joy.

After nearly two years, I finally found some good quality preserved radish to cook this dish again.

 I actually called my dad and asked him for the recipe again so that I can duplicate the flavour.

Crunchy Preserved Radish and Pork Belly Stir-fry

菜脯炒豬肉

INGREDIENTS:

500 gram Pork Belly

4-5 pcs Preserved Radishes, whole

10 tablespoons Sugar

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

4 tablespoons Water

材料：

500 克  豬腩肉

4-5 條  菜脯，全條

10 湯匙  糖

2 湯匙  菜油

4 湯匙  水

DIRECTION 做法：

1. Rinse and pat dry the preserved radishes; cut them into small pieces.  Set aside.

1. 菜脯洗淨抹乾；切成小粒。備用。

2. Cut the pork belly into about 1cm thick pieces.

2. 腩肉切成 1cm 厚塊。

3. Heat up vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat.  Add pork belly and stir fry until it turns colour; about 3 minutes.

3. 用中火燒熱菜油。下腩肉；炒其至變色，若3分鐘。

4. Turn the heat to high.  Add preserved radish and continue to stir fry until the radish is fragrant and the pork belly is thoroughly cooked.

4. 把火調至最高。下菜脯，繼續炒至菜脯香氣四溢和腩肉全熟；若5-8分鐘。

If it is too dry, add 3-4 tablespoons of water.

若太乾，可加入3-4湯匙水。

5. Add sugar.  Stir it constantly until the sugar is totally melted and the sauce thickens.  Remove the pan from the heat.

5. 下糖；繼續炒至糖全熔掉和汁變稠。離火。

Enjoy!

Green Salad with Chinese Peach and Goat Cheese

Salad doesn't need to be complicated. A bed of salad greens with seasonal fruit is already enough.

INGREDIENTS: 2 portions

3 cups Salad Green

1 Chinese Peach, stoned, cut into wedges

3 tablespoons Goat Cheese

a handful of Pine Nut

DRESSING:

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Honey

DIRECTION:

1. Arrange the salad ingredients in a serving bowl.

2. Whisk the dressing ingredients together.  Drizzle over the salad and serve immediately.

Mashed Avocado Egg Sandwich

The avocado replaces the mayonnaise in this mashed avocado egg sandwich, making it a more healthy meal while it still tastes pillowy and smooth.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Eggs

1 ripe Avocado, pitted

1 tablespoon Mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sandwich Bread (for serving)

DIRECTION:

1. Place the eggs in a pot of cold water.  Bring it to a boil over high heat for about 10 minutes; drain.   Fill the pot with cold water and allow the eggs to sit for about 1 minute before peeling them.

2. In a bowl, add the eggs and pitted avocado.  Mash them together with a masher or a folk until they are well incorporated.  Add the rest of the ingredients; mix well.  Serve with sandwich bread.

Boiled Green Banana with Salted Mackerel

I learnt to eat green bananas from a colleague who grew up in the Caribbean.  She told me that the people in her home island consider banana as vegetable rather than fruit.  They eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.  

Unlike the ripe ones, green bananas have a mild taste and starchy texture that is very similar to potato after cooking.  I let my son to try it without telling him what it was first, and he thought it was boiled potato.  We are so happy to discover one more new healthy food that can substitute potato in our diet.

  

INGREDIENTS:

4 Green Bananas (not Plantains)

1 Red Onion, small, sliced

4 Garlic Cloves, mashed and chopped

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cubed

1 Salted Mackerel, deboned and cut into bite size

Salt and Pepper to taste

Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Cut both ends of each bananas.  Slit the bananas lengthwise; set them aside.

2. Set a pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add a tablespoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil (to prevent the banana sap sticks to the pot).  When the water comes to a rolling boil, add bananas.  Boil the bananas for 15 minutes; drain.  Remove the peels and cut the flesh to chunks; place them on serving plate.

3. In a pan, heat up three tablespoons of oil over high heat.  Add garlic and onion; stir fry until fragrant and the onion starts to soften.  About 10 minutes. 

4. Add mackerel.  Continue to cook until the fish is throughly cooked; about 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the fish beside the bananas to serve.

Arrowroot Pork Bone Soup ｜赤小豆粉葛豬骨湯

Many people think all Chinese eat soup.  In fact, soup is quite unique in our Canton culture that can be found in Southern China and Hong Kong.  We use lots of ingredients to make soup, and we don't mind spending hours to make a pot of good soup.  Because we believe soup is important nourishment for our body.

The natural sweetness of the arrowroot makes this soup very flavourful and helps quench the thirst.  So I make it very often, particularly during the summer months.  To speed up the cooking process, I like to cut the arrowroot into bite size to allow the flavour to come out more easily.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pc Arrow Root, peeled, cubed

6 pcs Pork Bones

8 cups Water

1/3 cup Chixiaodou, rinsed

1/3 cup White Hyacinth Bean, rinsed

Salt to taste

材料：

1 條  粉葛，去皮，切粒

6 件  豬骨

8 杯  水

1/3 杯 赤小豆，沖淨

1/3 杯  扁豆，沖淨

鹽調味

DIRECTION 做法：

1. In a soup pot, add all the ingredients except salt .  Bring it to a boil over high heat.  Then reduce the heat to medium-high.  Continue to boil for another hour; add more water if needed.  Season the soup with salt to taste.

1. 在一只大湯鍋內，加入所有材料 (除卻鹽)。用大火燒滾，再轉中大火煮若一小時。如水太少，可中途加水。最後下鹽調味。

Matcha Latte

Although it is called matcha latte, it doesn't really contain any coffee.  It is the hot beverage composed of foamy hot milk with fragrant matcha powder.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Hot Milk, 2%

1/3 teaspoon Matcha Powder

1 tablespoon Sugar

DIRECTION:

1. Combine sugar and milk in a glass bowl.  Heat it in a microwave for about a minute; stir until the sugar is melted.

2. In a tall cup, combine matcha powder and 1/4 cup of the milk.

3. Whisk it together with an electric milk frother wand until foamy.

4. Slowly add in the rest of the milk in the cup.

5. Serve immediately.

Teriyaki Tofu ｜照燒豆腐

The tofu in this recipe can be from silken to extra firm.  It depends on your preference.

Ingredients:

1 box Firm Tofu

1/3 cup Corn Starch

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (for frying)

Ingredients for Teriyaki Sauce:

3 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce

4 tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Mirin

1 tablespoon Cooking Rice Wine

3 tablespoons Water

1/2 teaspoon Corn Starch

Direction:

1. Mix the sauce ingredients together; set it aside.

2. Cut the tofu into 1 cm slices.

3. Pat dry the water from the tofu with paper towel.

4. Coat each slice of tofu with some corn starch.

5. In a non-stick pan, add vegetable oil.  Heat it up over medium heat.  Carefully add the tofu slices and fry them until they are slightly golden and crispy outside; about 5 minutes.

6. Flip the tofu over and fry the other side for about 3-4 minutes, or until they are crispy.

7. Reduce the heat to low.  Add the teriyaki sauce and allow it to cook until it is slightly thickened.  Transfer the tofu and sauce to the serving plate immediately.

8.  Sprinkle some scallion on before serving if desired.

Lemon Spaghetti

Lemon and spaghetti are surprisingly tasty and refreshing.  This pasta is my family's favourite and we love to pair it with roasted chicken.  Good quality olive oil is highly recommended in this recipe because it can change the flavour dramatically.  If you are fond of a little spicy, sprinkle a generous amount of black pepper on top before serving it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 handful of Spaghetti

6 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 Lemon of zest and juice

Sea Salt to taste

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Bring a big pot of water to a boil over high heat.  Add salt; the water should taste similar to sea water.

3. Add spaghetti and cook according to the package until it is el dente.  Turn off the heat.  Drain well and return the spaghetti back to the pot.  Add the olive oil mixture and gently mix to coat.  Serve with roasted chicken or steak.

Roasted Yam and Swiss Chard Salad with Pomegranate and Feta Cheese

Yam is one of the common ingredients we use in our salad starting in late fall.  They are sweet, comforting, abundant and inexpensive.  To add a more complex note, you can always add pomegranate, cheese, or even dried fruits in it.

Roasted Yam Ingredients:

2 Sweet Yam, peeled and cut into chunks

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/3 teaspoon Salt

Salad Ingredients:

1 Pomegranate, shelled

2 cup Rainbow Chard, torn into bite size

1/4 cup Feta Cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Agave Syrup

Direction:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.  In a small bowl, toss together the yam ingredients until the yams are well coated.  Place them in the oven to bake until golden and slightly crispy outside; about 25 minutes.

2. Arrange the salad ingredients on a serving plate; set aside.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and agave syrup; set aside.

4. Once the yams are roasted, remove them from the oven to cool.  Top them on the bed of salad green and drizzle the dressing over; serve immediately.

Easy Cold Somen | 簡易冷素麵

Cold somen is a light dinner that my family like to enjoy in the hot days.  The noodles take only a few minutes to cook and you will spend the most preparation time on grating daikon and slicing scallion.  To make the meal even simpler, I used the store bought soba dipping sauce instead of making my own.  Within 20 minutes, this chilled somen is ready to be served.

INGREDIENTS:

3-4 bundles Somen (Soba)

3 Scallion, thinly sliced

20 gram Ginger, grated

1 Daikon, peeled and finely grated

Store bought Soba Dipping Sauce

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add about a teaspoon of salt.  Add somen and cook according to the package; about 2 minutes.

2. Drain the somen.  Run it under cold running water until it totally cools down; drain it again.

3. To serve, combine the dipping sauce with some scallion, daikon, and ginger.

Rapini and Grapes Salad with Strawberry Jam Dressing

Rapini has a similarity to baby kale.  It is slightly bitter and tender.  If you are a kale or arugula person, you will probably enjoy rapini salad.

Rapini goes really well with dressing that is acidic and sweet, so I often mix it with balsamic vinegar or add many different kinds of berries in it.  But it is the end of the summer season now and the berries are getting expensive and less flavourful.  I suddenly thought of the strawberry jam I made last summer.  All I did is to whisk the strawberry jam with the same amount of sunflower seed oil for the dressing.  It tastes fantastic.

INGREDIENTS:

5 stalks Rapini, cut into bite size

1/3 cup Grapes

1 handful of Brazilian Nuts

1 handful Cranberry Berries, dried

1 small handful Chia Seed (optional)

DRESSING:

2 tablespoons Strawberry Jam

2 tablespoons Sunflower Seed Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Combine the salad ingredients together.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.  Spoon it on the salad green.  Serve. 

Cilantro Chutney

If you have a whole bunch of cilantro left from another recipe, you can use it to make this lemony chutney.  This chutney is very delicious when paired with chicken, white fish, and baked potato.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Cilantro, leaves and stems

1/2 inch Ginger, peeled and cut into pieces

1/2 Lemon, juice

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

3/4 teaspoon Cumin Powder

1/3 teaspoon Salt

DIRECTION:

1. In a food processor, add all the ingredients.  Blend until it is well incorporated.  This chutney can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.

DIY Candied Orange Peel

The key of making bitterness-free orange peels is to remove all the pith that's attached to the outer skin, and making sure to boil them twice before simmering them in syrup.  My son and my husband always love these orange peels, and my son even tried to smuggle some to his best friends in school.  Recently I brought some to my work to share with my colleagues, and they all told me how much they enjoy them.  They didn't think you can make these at home.  Yes, for sure you can, and it is very straightforward.

INGREDIENTS:

Orange Peels (about 10 oranges)

Sugar (equal weight of the pithed orange peels)

Water

DIRECTION:

1. With a small knife, carefully cut off the pith.  This white pith will give the candied orange peels bitterness.

2. Put the pithed peels in a small pot.  Fill the pot with water just enough to cover the peels.  Bring it to a boil and then discard the water.  Repeat the boiling process again; drain well.

3. In the same pot, add sugar of equal volume to the orange peels.  Fill the pot with water just enough to over the peels.  Turn the heat to low and simmer the peels for three hours, or until the peels are bright orange colour and slightly translucent.  Remove the pot from the heat, cover, and leave it over night.

4. The next day, line up the orange peels on parchment paper without overlapping them.  Allow them to totally dry.  Keep them in an air-tight container.  You can snack on them as they are, or sprinkle them on muffins, cookies, or cakes.